Blog Archives
Gregory Polanco Had A Great 2016 Season, but 2017 Could Be Even Better
Gregory Polanco made huge strides in 2016, but this Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder could be in store for an even bigger 2017 season. At only 25 years old, Polanco made significant improvements to his swing and approach at the plate in 2016. He finished the season with a .258/.323/.463 slash line, 34 doubles, four triples, 22 home runs, 86 RBIs, 79 runs, and 17 stolen bases. Out of all Major League hitters this year, only 14 had more than 20 home runs and 15 stolen bases. Out of those 15, only five are 25 years old or younger (Gregory Polanco, Bryce Harper, Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Wil Myers). As you can see, Polanco is in a very elite group of young talent, but after looking more into his numbers, his game could explode in the upcoming seasons.
Who Are Some Of The Most Underrated Players In Major League Baseball In 2016?
Underrated ball players are those who continue to create opportunities for their organization to win, but they don’t get the credit they deserve. Today I will be covering some of the top unsung heroes of the 2016 season. Before jumping into the analysis, let me tell you how I discovered these hidden gems.
After researching some sabermetrics articles, I decided to develop a statistic that I could use to determine the players that are creating the most offensive opportunities for their team to win. This statistic is basically a more simplistic form of the “runs created” formula established by Bill James. You can see my run opportunities formula (it will now be referred to as “ROF”) and underrated players below:
Run Opportunities Formula= (Total Bases+Walks-Strikeouts+Stolen Bases-Caught Stealing Attempts+Sacrifice Flies+Sacrifice Bunts)/Plate Appearances
MLB Reports 