2003 American League

All data in these graphs as of season end
You can also view these related graphs:

American League East	AL as of May 4th	AL as of August 2nd
American League Central	AL as of May 25th	AL as of August 23rd
American League West	AL as of July 1st	AL as of September 13th

Comments

How to Read this Graph

I've updated the graph from previous versions. First, I'm using new graphing software. I hope you like the new look. Second, I'm using Patriot's park factors, which I believe are more valid than the ones I used previously.

The true irony here is that the one team that finished above the .600 isotope, the Seattle Mariners, did not make the playoffs. The Mariners' run differential did not translate into the most wins in the league because they finished a league-worst five games below their Pythagorean projection. To review other team-specific comments, please refer to the team-specific graphs under development on the Baseball Graphs home page.

Team	Wins +/-
ANA	-3.27
BAL	-2.30
BOS	0.12
CHA	-2.72
CLE	-4.83
DET	-4.49
KCA	4.79
MIN	4.68
NYA	4.23
OAK	1.79
SEA	-4.99
TBA	-4.42
TEX	2.50
TOR	-1.35

Team	Runs +/-
ANA	0.01
BAL	0.10
BOS	-0.12
CHA	-0.07
CLE	0.03
DET	-0.20
KCA	0.28
MIN	-0.06
NYA	-0.13
OAK	0.14
SEA	0.03
TBA	-0.02
TEX	0.00
TOR	0.22

Comments

How to Read this Graph

I've made a slight change to this graph. I'm now using ISO instead of SLG to better distinguish teams from each other. You can see that this graph is a lot more revealing than previous graphs.

Seattle has a clear ISO weakness that must be addressed to improve their offense. The irony is that the leaders of the OBP movement, the Oakland Athletics, actually had better slugging in 2003. The need for the White Sox and Rangers to improve their OBP is clear, too. Slugging is good, but it's better with men on base.

Kansas City had a phenomenal run of luck when converting its run elements into actual runs. They did it by batting .304 with men in scoring position. Conversely, the Tigers' offense had the worst luck at converting runs; they batted .228 with runners in scoring position.

Comments

How to Read this Graph

The teams with the largest circles are those that exhibited the best fielding prowess. Warning: though I've made some attempt to adjust the circles for ballpark impact, I'm pretty uncertain of how well I've captured them. Seattle, for instance, had tremendous fielding this year, and the Red Sox didn't. However, some of that effect may be because they play in two of the most extreme fielder's parks in the league.

For more specific team comments, please refer to the team-specific pages under development. You can access these from the Baseball Graphs home page.

New Graph!

I'm converting to some new graphing software (look for big changes next year) and I've reconstructed this graph to try and incorporate some of the most recent analysis regarding pitching and fielding. For more information, click on the "How to Read this Graph" link.