Average WAR Explained
Wins Above Replacement (WAR) is a cumulative statistic (like H, HR, W, etc.), so the longer a player is active, the higher (or lower) his WAR. Here we attempt to translate WAR into a rate statistic (like AVG, ERA, etc.) to show a player's average WAR per season.
Baseball-Reference.com uses the following scale for WAR values:
- 8+ MVP Quality
- 5+ All-Star Quality
- 2+ Starter
- 0-2 Reserve
- <0 Replacement Level
The result is Average WAR (avgWAR)—the average number of wins above replacement that a player produces for his team over the course of a single season.
Stats from Lahman's Baseball Database and Baseball-Reference.com.