RIRF introduced the idea of the Drag Factor statistic in 2013, and came up with a version for pitchers in 2014 here. As Matt said:
For bad players on the offensive side of the ball, I've created a "Drag Factor" stat to help identify where the problems are in the lineup / bench. However, the even bigger problem for the last couple of seasons has been on the pitching side of things, so today we're going to look at a "Drag Factor" for pitchers.
The pitchers with the highest Drag Factor will be those with a combination of a very high ERA- and a high number of opposing batters faced. To get the Team Drag Factor, you sum the Drag Factor for each player.
The Team Drag Factors for hitters from 2005 through 2014:
2005 - 17.9
2006 - 8.4
2007 - 5.6
2008 - 14.5
2009 - 4.8
2010 - 6.5
2011 - 13.6
2012 - 20.1
2013 - 15.8
2014 - 19.1
Here are the 2017 numbers through May 8:
Observations:
- We need Tyler Anderson to sort things out. We don't really have another obvious option without calling up even more youth.
- Jon Gray - we need you to step back in to replace Marquez.
- Esteves is back in AAA.
- Jordan Lyles should be moved off this roster immediately.