Many of you would probably agree with me that batting average was a huge stat twenty years ago. If we were having this conversation back then, there would be serious concern about keeping a .259 hitter in the cleanup spot for a Marlins team with surprising playoff aspirations, right?
But we’re in 2020. We evaluate using lots of statistics, old and new, to determine how good or bad a ballplayer is. That’s why we see beyond Jesús Aguilar’s ordinary batting average.
The Venezuelan—who hasn’t excelled in OBP either (.313)—carries a .667 slugging percentage along with a .