The RBI core-five: The difference between .500 and winning?

What is the RBI Core-Five Gold Standard Figure?

This figure (0.70 RBI per core batter per game) obviously means that the Dodgers core-five were each driving in nearly three runs in every four games, while the Phillies were at two RBI for every four games per mainstay.

It also appeared that it might not be a good thing to have two qualified hitters below .200 at any point in the season except, say, the first three days. Oh, and have a rookie in the team top five for RBI who doesn’t quite play every day.

Moving forward, what would the coming week mean for the newly minted notion of the RBI core-five? It was time to track the Dodgers and Phillies a bit more…

Five days and games for each team later, the Dodgers, who had been tied for first in the West Apr. 27, were 17-12, and in second place, half a game behind San Francisco. After play May 2 the Phillies, who had been tied for second place in the East, were 13-15, and also in second, a game behind two allegedly underperforming, .500 teams, Washington and New York.

Both teams went 2-3 for their five-game stretches, hardly a shock for the Phillies of the past few years, but a little bit of a slide for the Dodgers. Nonetheless, LA remained on pace to win 94.97 games for the season. Philadelphia was on pace to win 75.21 games.

In that time, six players for each team were tracked – the first five in RBI before play Apr. 28, as well as each team’s nominal lead-off hitters, Betts and McCutchen. Note that Betts had the higher average then, McCutchen more RBI, but neither was considered among the core-five for these purposes.

Among the 60 player-games these 12 players could have appeared in those five days, 15 games were missed in total.

For the Phillies, Gregorius, Harper, and J.T. Realmuto, arguably the Phillies three best position players, were absent for all seven of the games missed by their RBI core-five. Harper had been hit with a 97-mph pitch that could have fractured a cheekbone or eye orbit, but instead hit his wrist and face, resulting in contusions instead of tragedy.

For the Dodgers, rookie McKinstry was on the injured list for all five games, while Betts, Muncy, and Corey Seager each missed a game.