Evan Longoria's talent at the plate was obvious Saturday, as he homered in his first two at-bats. But Longoria has been more impressive defensively, seemingly saving a run or logging an extra out almost every game.
That got manager Joe Maddon talking the other day about how baseball needs a way to better quantify the overall value of players.
"I don't think offensive players are evaluated enough in regard to how many runs they give up," Maddon said. "If you really want to keep track, keep track of how many points they give up and then you can really find out this number that is produced at the end of the season."
Hockey does a plus-minus rating, which reflects how many goals for and against a player is on the ice for. Maddon's idea would be for more of a composite total of runs produced minus runs allowed. (And as quickly as the stats world evolves, there's likely to be such a formula on the Web by the time you finish reading this.)
Errors are easy to track. Specifically, Maddon is interested in keeping better records of plays that should be made and are not, a broadening of the current range-factor ratings. He wants to log double plays that are not completed, fly balls that drop when outfielders break the wrong way and ground balls that go unfielded due to a lack of movement.
That idea is interesting enough and something that could be done anecdotally. But Maddon envisions more, a system of GPS-type devices over each stadium (or inside the roof) that track player movements.
Doing so, he said, would allow determining a player's "true value or worth."
And create something else for agents and teams to squabble over.
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