Cardinals: Evaluating "WAR" and its reflection of team success

Wins Above Replacement (WAR) is a common stat used for player performance. Teams are also given a WAR total. Do WAR totals for teams reflect accuracy in the standings?

St. Louis Cardinals v Washington Nationals
St. Louis Cardinals v Washington Nationals | G Fiume/GettyImages
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National League Central

Current Standings

fWAR Standings

bWAR Standings

Brewers (64-54)

Cubs (10.8 fWAR)

Cubs (28.7 bWAR)

Cubs (61-56)

Brewers (10.1 fWAR)

Reds (24.4 bWAR)

Reds (61-57)

Cardinals (10.1 fWAR)

Cardinals (22.5 bWAR)

Pirates (52-64)

Pirates (7.9 fWAR)

Brewers (19.6 bWAR)

Cardinals (52-66)

Reds (7.4 fWAR)

Pirates (13.5 bWAR)

Wouldn't Cardinals fans love to see the division look the way the WAR statistics have it? The Cardinals see a massive boost in the standings based on WAR totals due to their potent offense. The Cards are top 10 in offensive fWAR, but they are bottom 7 in pitching fWAR. bWAR also favors their offensive prowess in comparison to their pitching abilities.

The Cubs also see a major boost in both fWAR and bWAR. They are middle of the pack in both pitching and batting fWAR; however, their pitching and batting bWAR is top 6 in the National League. The Brewers' offense and pitching bWAR places them 12th in the National League, thus causing their fall in the standings using WAR statistics.

The team with the greatest variance between the three rankings is the Cincinnati Reds. They are currently on the outside looking in at the playoffs in the standings, but they would be in the playoffs using bWAR. According to fWAR, the Reds have been as bad as teams such as the Athletics, Nationals, and Rockies.

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