What's the obsession with RBIs?
Question:Why do announcers - and the graphics onscreen during games - always include RBI? I think most people realize it's a pretty arbitrary stat, based many times on where you hit in the lineup and the talent around you.
Couldn't they find something more relevant?
Answers:
People think RBI are amazing because the stat has been around a long time, the media keeps spoonfeeding the people the notion that RBI are important, and -- and this is, I think, a key part -- it's one of the few counting numbers that can get very big, go up by more than +1 at a time. Runs, hits, walks, stolen bases, strikeouts (by the pitcher, the more interesting ones) can only increase by +1 at a time for individual player stats. RBI can jump by up to +4 at once.
RBI are not useless -- they can reveal a (very) little bit about how well a player is doing. But there are many other, more insightful stats that tell us much more about player performances. RBI swim in the kiddie pool of statistical analysis, but that's where many people like to stay.
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I've often wondered, too. Seems like Runs Scored would be more a measure of value. You can get an RBI on an out, but you can't score a run w/o getting on base and making it all the way around.Every stat is based on arbitrary numbers. AVG is probably the least arbitrary, but the quality of your team and where you are in the lineup affects the kind of pitches you see. Runs are just as arbitrary as RBIs. SBs are arbitrary to a degree because they are affected by the situation and whether you are given the green light or not. How many walks or strikeouts a guy gets can depend on the guys around him and what pitches he'll see.
However, all that being said, AVG, HR, and RBI are the triple crown, thus why it is always mentioned. While the total is affected by the guys around you, it isn't the total story. Consider that Babe Ruth is second to Hank Aaron all time in RBIs, with 2213 (Aaron had 2297). Gehrig, batting behind Ruth, is 4th all time with 1995 (Cap Anson is 3rd with 2076).
Generally speaking, RBIs are still an excellent indication of a player's talent. Jason Bay has topped 100 runs and rbis the last two seasons, despite playing on the Pirates. RBIs are arbitrary as the next stat. What RBIs DO show is that you are consistently helping your team score.
No player can win every game on his own, so EVERY stat depends on the guys around him, and thus is somehow arbitrary.
Take a look at the link below, and forget the cheaters in the list, and you'll see that while RBIs are arbitrary, someone with a lot of RBIs is also a great player.
**To the first responder, while you can get an RBI on an out, there are also things called unearned runs, meaning that you can score through no real merit of your own, but instead the ineptitude of the opposing team.
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RBIs and runs scored are both important( you can't win if you don't score). But personal stats are good to get a general idea of what a player HAS DONE, not necessarily what they can do. It helps to actually observe the player to know what they are capable of. There are too many variables(Home field, manager, team, position in order, etc) that can effect the stats a player puts up.There is a book by Bill James called Win Shares. He came up with a way of rating players which rates them by their contribution to the team's total number of wins. It's pretty interesting.
You need RBI's to help your team win
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The RBI is a very important stat. Yes, it can be affected by the players in front and behind you in the batting order, but so is every other stat that is used. Generally, the better players get more RBI. They can hit in clutch situations when the game is on the line and runners are on base.STUPID QUESTION AGAIN! I guarantee you that if nobody on a team had any RBI's during the course of the season then that team would have very few wins. Most runs scored are done so by being driven in (RBI) and very few in other ways. You may feel that it is arbitrary, but try scoring runs without RBI's and you will quickly learn how ARBITRARY runs scored become.
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