While Chicago tries to forget the 2009 season, some people are still analyzing it.  One such person, Wayne Winston the noted statistician, has been using a different statistic to measure a player’s value (I think its been around for a while, but no one ever listens to it because its not one of baseball’s “traditional” stats).  This statistic measures the win probability added (WPA).  That means it is measuring the amount of wins a player adds to the team over the average MLB player.  Here’s what the stats tell us about the two Chicago baseball teams:

THE BEST CUBS

Player	Position	WPA
Derrek Lee	1B	3.57
Angel Guzman	P	2.15
Ted Lilly	P	1.86

THE WORST CUBS

Player	Position	WPA
Geovany Soto	C	-0.95
Ryan Theriot	SS	-1.19
Mike Fontenot	2B/3B	-1.82

THE BEST SOX

Player	Position	WPA
Matt Thorntnon	P	2.85
Gavin Floyd	P	2
Jim Thome	DH	1.9

THE WORST SOX

Player	Position	WPA
Alex Rios	OF	-1.81
Carlos Quentin	OF	-2.45
Jermaine Dye	OF	-3.14

Quick note: No Milton Bradley. But more importantly, Theriot’s value may be far lower than we thought. His light-hitting, shaky patience at the plate, and terrible baserunning may be actually costing the team. And give Angel Guzman credit for a great season.

As for the Sox, the three worst players on the team might be there starting outfield next season. Ouch. A strange thing on both is how much of a factor middle-relievers seem to be on both sides of town. Both Thornton and Guzman were excellent this season, but interestingly enough they were extremely value.

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Tags: Best and Worst Cubs, Best and Worst White Sox, Statistics