The World According to VORP
All
baseball fans know AVG, RBI, and ERA, but the game's new-wave
stat heads say there are better ways to size up a player. According
to Mike Carminati of Mike's Baseball Rants
(mikesrants.baseballtoaster.com) and Dayn Perry from FoxSports.com,
these are just a few.
- Chris Tucker
OBP
A hitter's on-base percentage
SLG
Slugging average (total bases in proportion to times at bat)
OPS
On-base percentage plus slugging average
WHIP (for pitchers)
Walks plus hits per innings pitched
Win Shares
Weighs a player's batting, baserunning, fielding, and pitching
together
VORP
Value over replacement player, or the value a player provides
compared
with a hypothetically readily available "filler talent" type of
player
Winner's Circle
We then asked Carminati and Perry to tell us which players they
think are primed for a breakout season.
Carminati:
Jason Bay, left fielder for the
Pittsburgh Pirates. "He'll finally
have that monster season that gets him national attention, even in
Pittsburgh."
Perry:
Francisco Liriano, pitcher for the
Minnesota Twins. "He'll be the
American League Rookie of the Year."
And they agreed on some recent players who, if there were any
justice, would now be in the Hall of Fame:
Bert Blyleven, Goose Gossage, Alan Trammell, and Andre
Dawson
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