Posted By:
Andrew ParksA free swinger doesn't mean that the hitter strikes out a lot. It means that they swung at everything. A guy who walks 30 - 40 times a year makes way too many outs to be a great hitter. I don't care what he hit. Who would you rather have? A guy who goes 1-for-3 with 7 walks or a guy who goes 4-for-10?
According to Bill James, as of 2002 George Sisler is listed at number 101 in the all-time win shares list for hitting. That means according to the greatest stats guru in baseball history (the Einstein of baseball stats) there are 100 players who were worth more to their team than Sisler was.
Now I know that Bill James failed miserably as an advisor to the Red Sox, but his research and methods for evaluating players historically is unparalleled.