Has anyone done any sort of analysis to test if ALL fielding differences are reflected in +/- plays and errors?
It seems that my pitchers have much better stats when I have a team has above average (by HBD recommendations) fielders at every position than when I don't. And that the +/- plays & errors don't come close to having enough of an impact to explain that.
I suspect that much of the impact of fielding is not shown in the box score or play-by-play. Which means balls are caught or drop in for hits based on fielding and there is no way for us to know if any particular play had anything to do with fielding ratings.
Before I buy into the Rock In RF Theory, I'd want to see a lot of data that includes putouts, assists, and how many times a runner went 1st-3rd or scored from 2nd on balls hit to RF. Not that I'm going to gather the data. But it would be cool if someone did. And shared it with me. And nobody else.