It took a while for this writer to realize it, but Marc-Edouard Vlasic struggled this season. A bad season wouldn’t necessarily be cause for alarm, if there were plausible explanations for the down year being an aberration. But Vlasic turned 32 in March and his performance looks like it’s another data point in a trend line going the wrong direction.
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Wins or goals above replacement (W/GAR), like any statistic, is never going to be perfect. This version of WAR looks mostly at a player’s ability to influence goals on offense and limit expected goals against on defense.