JAWS (Jaffe WAR Score System)

A metric that averages career WAR with peak WAR to evaluate Hall of Fame worthiness — created by Jay Jaffe.

JAWS was created by sportswriter Jay Jaffe to provide a more balanced Hall of Fame evaluation than career WAR alone. It averages a player's career WAR with their peak WAR (best 7 seasons by WAR), producing a score that rewards both sustained excellence and dominant stretches.

The logic: career WAR can be inflated by longevity (a mediocre player who hangs on for 20 years), while peak WAR alone ignores the value of a long career. JAWS balances both.

Jaffe established JAWS benchmarks for each position based on the average JAWS of Hall of Famers at that position. A player above the benchmark at their position has a strong statistical case for induction.

AllFame's HOF Score uses a similar philosophy — the Career WAR (30%) and Peak Performance (15%) dimensions capture the same career-vs-peak balance that JAWS addresses.