There are so many narratives that can be crafted about how Evan Longoria‘s 2015 season for the Tampa Bay Rays compared to his 2014. His consistency from month to month and his vastly improved defense according to Ultimate Zone Rating are great things–his subtle declines in quality of contact and plate discipline are not. According to one measure, he mashed fastballs to his greatest extent since 2011, but on the other hand, he didn’t stand out against any type of secondary pitch.
We can debate the merits of all of these different statistics, maybe in the comments here or possibly in another piece, but let’s discuss the more overarching issue right now.