By Dave Cameron
The Wall Street Journal
It's a debate waged each year, especially as baseball fans fill out their All-Star ballot: Who is the best all-around player?
The Count took a look at three categories (batting, base running, defense).
Wins Above Replacement, the total value metric that has risen in popularity recently, can be broken down into its components. The basic building blocks of WAR are runs above average in batting, baserunning, and fielding, before those runs created are converted into wins added to a team's ledger. As the chart shows, Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels has been 26.9 runs better than an average hitter, 2.4 runs better than an average baserunner, and 4.0 runs better than an average fielder.
Alex Gordon is also having an amazing all-around season. Gordon is the only player in MLB to rate as 10 runs better than average both at hitting and fielding while also being an above average baserunner. Gordon's excellent production is one of the primary reasons why the Kansas City Royals are on top of the American League Central.
Likewise, an under-the-radar star like Carlos Gomez is also making a big difference on both sides of the ball, helping propel the Brewers into a position to make the postseason.
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