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I like Juan Pierre but I'd like him even more if he'd take a few more walks. He'll make you pay on the bases. I don't care that his SLG is not that high.
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You should care. Because if Juan Pierre's SLG was better, he wouldn't need to risk Outs to advance himself into scoring position and he'd be far more valuable to his team.
The best leadoff hitter of our era was Rickey Henderson. But not because of BA . And not because of Strikeouts. But because Rickey Henderson combined his "apples to oranges" better than just about anyone AND threw in a whole ton of cherries (see: speed) to complete the package.
The point of baseball from an offensive perspective is not "Few Outs
or Many Bases". It is "Few Outs
and Many Bases".
They are the two great tastes that go great together.