Examining Pitch Type Linear Weights

This is apropos of nothing really, but it's the middle of January and we've got to talk about something...  So, let's take a look at which pitchers threw the most successful pitch types in 2011 according to FanGraphs' pitch value leaderboards.  This metric, "uses linear weights by count and by event and breaks it down by each pitch type so you can see, in runs, the actual effectiveness of each pitch."  The number shown for each pitch type is the cumulative runs saved above average for each pitch type a pitcher throws, the higher the number the better (for a thorough breakdown of how this is calculated, click here).

Fielding Metrics, a Brief and Incomplete Study

Defensive statistics are considered to be the final frontier of the sabermetric movement.  While the statistics available these days paint a picture that is much clearer than the fuzziness of fielding percentage, there is still a lot of room for improvement.  Two of the best defensive metrics that are readily available right now are Tom Tango's Fans' Scouting Report and Ultimate Zone Rating.  Let's now look at this year's best defenders according to these two statistics, see if they pass the smell test, and compare them to the results of the Gold Glove winners.