I was driven to create this new stat due to my inability to accept convoluted and incomplete stats like oWAR and wRC as the gold standard for a player's offensive value.
So what I did was create the grand-unification, the great catch-all stat that provides one numeric value for all of the positive things a baseball player can do while on offense to help his team win the game.
I humbly give you, Total Bases Created.
Here's How It Works
Every time a batter reaches first base via a hit, walk, hit-by-pitch, or error, that counts as one base created. A solo home run counts as four bases created.
A batter also creates a base every time he moves a runner over. If he hits a single with a man on first base, and the runner moves all the way over to third base safely, then the batter has just created three bases -- one for the single and two for moving the runner over two bases. If a batter hits a two-run homer that scores a runner from second base, he has just created six bases -- four for the home run and two for moving the runner on second up two stations.
If a batter makes an out but moves a runner over, the batter gets credit for creating a base. This is what I love about this new stat -- productive outs are an important part of the game, and they are represented in this all-inclusive stat, so if you lay down a sacrifice bunt that moves a runner over one base, or if you hit a sacrifice fly that scores the runner from third, you have created a base, even though you made an out.
Additionally, if you steal a base or advance on a wild pitch, you have created a base.
On the flip-side, you can also have bases deducted from your TBC total if you get caught stealing, are picked off, or hit into a double play.
How Did the 2018 Angels Do, as Far as Total Bases Created is Concerned?
That's what I intended to find out, so when I watched the games last year, instead of keeping traditional score, I kept track of every Angel player's TBC, and I admit that in a few cases, I had to be judicial. Like for instance, if, say, David Fletcher hit a sharp grounder to the opposing third baseman and an Angel runner got thrown out at home plate because the stupid contact play was on, I did not subtract TBCs. And one time, I granted Michael Hermosillo one TBC when he purposefully got himself caught up in a run-down which allowed the runner on third base to score.
So Here Are the Total Bases Created for Each Angel Player for the Year:
- 631 Mike Trout
- 547 Justin Upton
- 497 Andrelton Simmons
- 388 Albert Pujols
- 385 Kole Calhoun
- 377 Shohei Ohtani
- 259 Ian Kinsler
- 226 David Fletcher
- 195 Martin Maldonado
- 182 Luis Valbuena
- 158 Zack Cozart
- 140 Jefry Marte
- 98 Taylor Ward
- 93 Jose Fernandez
- 90 Francisco Arcia
- 86 Jose Briceno
- 71 Eric Young Jr.
- 64 Kaleb Cowart
- 53 Chris Young
- 32 Rene Rivera
- 31 Michael Hermosillo
- 15 Jabari Blash
- 10 Ryan Schimpf
- 6 Nolan Fontana
- 5 Joe Hudson
- 2 Juan Graterol
- 2 Andrew Heaney
- 2 Sherman Johnson
No real surprises here. Maybe, with all the love that Trout/Ohtani/Simmons receive on a regular basis, you had forgotten how valuable Upton really is to the Angel offense, or maybe Pujols and Ward look a little more valuable on this list than you would have expected because of their OPS problems last year, but these two gave the team a lot of productive outs in 2018.
Now Let's Look at the Good Stuff, Total Bases Created per Plate Appearance
Note that I put the number of plate appearances in parenthesis, to keep things in perspective.
- 2.000 Graterol (1)
- 1.429 Schimpf (7)
- 1.038 Trout (608)
- 1.027 Ohtani (367)
- 0.892 Upton (613)
- 0.849 Arcia (106)
- 0.828 Simmons (497)
- 0.779 Pujols (388)
- 0.756 JM Fernandez (123)
- 0.736 Fletcher (307)
- 0.697 Calhoun (385)
- 0.695 Chris Young (128)
- 0.672 Maldonado (290)
- 0.672 Briceno (128)
- 0.670 Marte (209)
- 0.667 Ward (147)
- 0.662 Kinsler (391)
- 0.632 Valbuena (288)
- 0.625 Cozart (253)
- 0.607 EYJ (117)
- 0.516 Cowart (124)
- 0.500 Hermosillo (62)
- 0.500 Fontana (12)
- 0.417 Hudson (12)
- 0.368 Rivera (87)
- 0.333 Blash (45)
- 0.250 Heaney (8)
- 0.182 Sherman Johnson (11)
- 13 times, Trout
- 10 times, Upton
- 8 times, Simmons
- 5 times, Ohtani
- 4 times, Kinsler
- 4 times, Pujols
- 3 times, Fletcher
- 3 times, Calhoun
- 2 times, Ward
- 1 time, Cozart
- 1 time, Arcia
- 1 time, Fernandez
- 1 time, Cowart
- 1 time, Marte
- 37, Trout vs. CHW July 23-26
- 27, Upton vs. OAK April 6-8
- 25, Ohtani vs. CHW September 7-9
- 24, Simmons vs. BAL May 1-3
- 23, Pujols vs. SEA July 11-13
- 22, Cozart vs. OAK March 29-April 1
- 22, Kinsler vs. DET May 28-31 and vs. SEA July 27-29
- 21, Calhoun vs. HOU August 30-September 2
- 20, Maldonado vs. TEX April 9-11
- 20, Arcia vs. SEA July 27-29
- 19, Fletcher vs. CHW July 23-26
- 18, Valbuena vs. DET May 28-31
- 17, Chris Young vs. OAK June 15-17
- 17, Cowart vs. DET August 6-8
- 15, JM Fernandez vs. TEX September 10-12
- 14, EYJ vs. TEX August 16-19
- 13, Marte vs. OAK September 28-30
- 13, Ward vs. OAK September 28-30
- 10, Briceno vs. NYY May 25-27
- 9, Rivera vs. CLE April 2-4
- 7, Schimpf vs. OAK April 6-8
- 6, Blash vs. TEX September 4-5
- 5, Hermosillo vs. KCR June 4-6
- 4, Fontana vs. SEA June 11-13
- 2, Graterol vs. SEA May 4-6
- 2, Heaney vs. LAD July 13-15
- 2, Hudson vs. CHW September 7-9 and vs. OAK September 28-30
- 1, Sherman Johnson vs. HOU 21-23