Kyle Schwarber strikes out so much, an terrible lot. He whiffed 805 occasions through the previous 5 seasons, the equal of as soon as each 2.9 at-bats.
Schwarber additionally hits for an extremely low batting common. His BA for the 2020-2024 interval was .226, which was worse than the corresponding averages for all different left fielders.
And but Schwarber holds first place in as we speak’s rankings for left area, because of his robust productiveness on the plate.
Say what?
My rankings are decided by general base worth (OBV), which compares a given batter’s output towards the efficiency of a median main leaguer below the identical circumstances. The unit of measure is the bottom, particularly the variety of bases attained via hits, walks, hit batters, stolen bases, and sacrifices.
Schwarber topped all left fielders in a pair of key offensive classes through the five-year interval: dwelling runs (174) and walks (412). His unparalleled energy and excessive stroll price allowed him to amass 1,610 bases between 2020 and 2024.
The standard big-league batter would have reached 1,265 bases in the identical variety of plate appearances. That offers Schwarber a surplus of 345 bases, which interprets to an OBV of plus-345, the very best for any left fielder.
Immediately’s rankings are confined to gamers who made not less than 1,400 plate appearances over the previous half-decade and spent the majority of that point in left area. Their OBVs are decided by their complete stats, together with any gathered at different positions.
Schwarber piled up his top-rated base worth for 4 golf equipment since 2020: the Cubs, Nationals, Crimson Sox, and Phillies. Runner-up Christian Yelich was remarkably secure by comparability, posting an OBV of plus-218 solely for the Brewers. Randy Arozarena of the Rays and Mariners completed third at plus-202.
Look under to see the half-decade’s high 10 left fielders. Every is listed with primary stats for 2020-2024: video games, dwelling runs, runs batted in, batting common, and general base worth.
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1. Kyle Schwarber (G 637, HR 174, RBI 397, BA .226) — OBV +345
2. Christian Yelich (G 546, HR 65, RBI 248, BA .262) — OBV +218
3. Randy Arozarena (G 622, HR 90, RBI 312, BA .253) — OBV +202
4. Ian Happ (G 674, HR 100, RBI 336, BA .249) — OBV +195
5. Tyler O’Neill (G 469, HR 95, RBI 239, BA .244) — OBV +139
6. Jesse Winker (G 506, HR 65, RBI 228, BA .252) — OBV +134
7. Mark Canha (G 604, HR 53, RBI 259, BA .250) — OBV +122
8. Taylor Ward (G 487, HR 70, RBI 225, BA .259) — OBV +92
9. Steven Kwan (G 427, HR 25, RBI 150, BA .285) — OBV +75
10. Jurickson Profar (G 628, HR 59, RBI 247, BA .253) — OBV +55