Quote:
Originally Posted by candybar
It's not assuming a random position player as replacement (i.e. literally including designated hitters and left-handed players) - it's assuming a replacement-level shortstop. Saying that Ohtani's pitching should be compared to random position players pitching is like saying that a shortstop's defense should be compared to the level of SS defense you would get from random position players including those you would never consider putting there.
That isn't how WAR works at all. There's nothing in the WAR calculation that depends on where you'd consider putting a player. It doesn't matter at all. The relative values of the defensive positions were set long ago and assume interchangeability. In other words, the WAR model assumes, e.g., that an average 1B
could play SS but would be a much worse fielder there on average. That's literally where the positional adjustment comes from. You seem to be confusing this with fielding runs which are measured against average for the position.