We provide agents with statistical analysis and research services for arbitration, free agency, and long-term deals. Call Steve Fall at 404-447-1861 to discuss your needs.

The Super Division and Arbitration

Strength of schedule gets mentioned much more often in football than baseball. Presumably, a 162-game schedule should make it less of a factor, right? Wrong, both team and player statistics get seriously impacted by who they face. And baseball’s divisions vary in quality.

This was especially true in the AL East, which has become powerful. The Blue Jays went 26-46 vs. AL East foes and 49-41 vs. all other teams last season. They had just a 75-87 overall mark, but may have contended in a different division.

AL East pitchers had it especially tough, as four of the top six AL clubs in runs per game played in the division. MLB pitchers had a 4.83 ERA facing AL East lineups in 2009, versus 4.22 against all other teams.

Jeremy Guthrie has thrown 45.1 percent of his career innings against AL East opponents, and 48.5 percent during his platform season. That was far more than most of the other first-time arbitration eligible starters. While Guthrie pitched well, it had a major impact on his career statistics.

This information can complement arbitration briefs for AL East players, and those in some other divisions to a lesser extent. It demonstrates performance in the player profile section of the brief, and works as a comparative tool versus key comparables as well.

The Sports Resource offers sports agents a complete arbitration package. As an alternative, we can add value to select areas of your brief.

Production Relative to Position

While it rarely gets emphasized, defensive position has a huge impact on offensive contributions.

The two 2009 MVP winners had the greatest difference between their OPS and the average OPS at their position. The top 10 in this category has some surprises, including Jason Bartlett, the only arbitration-eligible player of the group. Bartlett’s .879 OPS surpassed the figure for Major League shortstops (.721) by a wide margin (.158). He even topped Derek Jeter, who ranked 13th with a .150 figure.

This metric helps compare arbitration eligibles at different positions, such as corner outfielders and third basemen.

Unique Statistical Information

For special insight into statistical trends and individual achievements, read our frequent posts at www.twitter.com/StatsMan. For agents who don’t use Twitter, you can view a partial archive on The Sports Resource Blog.

Note: All players used in this newsletter and our sample charts are selected at random, and are not from actual projects. All projects and conversations are confidential.

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