Whatever you may do, do not use batting average or RBIs to evaluate a player’s talent level. Those statistics are good descriptors of what has happened on the playing field, but they are very poor evaluative tools. Think about it: who gets more RBIs, a lead-off or clean-up hitter? Also, of these two, who comes to bat with runners on base more often?  RBIs are largely a matter of opportunity, with skill figuring into it minimally.

Not convinced? Read this. Afterward, if you’re interested in properly assessing a player’s offensive value, a good place to start is OPS and OPS+. They’re not perfect metrics, but they’re a step in the door and will help you understand the more complex stuff.

Interested in the best metrics to use? I’d recommend to look at wOBA and wRAA, and then reading through the rest of the statistics in this section. That may sound like a lot, but it’s always best to take a wide view on a player and use as much data as possible.

Links for Further Reading:

Sabermetrics 101: Offense – Lookout Landing

An Early Look at HITf/x – Hardball Times

Using HITf/x to Measure Skill – Hardball Times

HitTracker: How Far It Really Went