The All-Star Game is a fantastic chance to see the best players in the world sharing the field at the same time, competing to win and showcase their immense talent.
But baseball is so great that it can host both a 50-steal guy and a 45-homer player in the All-Star Game.
It can welcome a .400-OBP hitter with bad defense, or a 30-30 threat with contact issues.
There is no single path to become an All-Star: players can offer value to their teams in different ways.
That’s what Aaron Gleeman, who covers the Minnesota Twins for The Athletic, explained via Twitter using the two All-Stars who will represent the organization: Byron Buxton and Luis Arraez.
“Luis Arraez is batting .348. Byron Buxton is batting .215. Hard to find many bigger gaps in batting average between two players. And yet … OPS: .869 Arraez, .845 Buxton. WAR: 3.2 Arraez, 3.0 Buxton. WPA: 2.1 Arraez, 2.0 Buxton. There’s no one way to be an All-Star hitter,” he wrote.
Luis Arraez is batting .348. Byron Buxton is batting .215.
Hard to find many bigger gaps in batting average between two players.
And yet …
OPS:
.869 Arraez
.845 BuxtonWAR:
3.2 Arraez
3.0 BuxtonWPA:
2.1 Arraez
2.0 BuxtonThere’s no one way to be an All-Star hitter.
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) July 11, 2022
Two Stars With Different Styles
That’s the perfect example right there.
Buxton has issues making consistent contact, but he has also hit 23 home runs and plays fantastic defense at a premium position, center field.
Arraez only has four home runs, and barely runs, but leads the American League with his .348 batting average: he is the king of making contact, while Buxton is the king of maximizing the contact he makes.
Both Twins are stars, and both will be in Los Angeles for the festivities.
They are different types of baseball players, and they offer value in different ways.
But at the end of the day, WAR (Wins Above Replacement) and WPA (Win Probabilty Added) are cumulative stats with different paths to add to them.
And they have both added a lot, just not in the same way.
