Outs Above Average was a new way to measure how strong a defensive player in baseball is.
Essentially, this measurement determines a combination of the most important factors in an overall good defensive player. It combines four primary items that could impact the chance of a play being converted into an out.
MLB.com's Mike Petriello explains it further here.
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This stat was typically used with outfielders, but was recently introduced to infielders this offseason.
I was excited to ask Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford about it since watching him play defense is a treat, but he respects the old school rule.
"I'm a big proponent of the eye test," Crawford told NBC Sports Bay Area back in February. "I think more so than any defensive metric, I mean, I don't know how this is measured, but for the most part, a lot of advanced defensive metrics, I'm not a huge fan of."
A three-time Gold Glove winner, Crawford even joked about the numbers attached to him in such categories.
San Francisco Giants
"The last couple years, obviously like they weren't real nice to me," Crawford said. "But even before that, when I was one of the better defensive metrics guys in baseball, it just didn't make a whole lot of sense to me."
Crawford also believes the defensive game should be considered when it comes to Hall of Fame voting.
"You're talking about an overall player when you're talking about a Hall of Famer, so not just necessarily a hitter, it definitely should be considered," Crawford said. "It's obviously a big part of my game, so I appreciate it."
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Admittedly so, the baseball world is becoming more and more obsessed with attaching a number to their players, and in some cases, it's imperative when making a point. The defensive game, however, is strange to measure sometimes without just watching how a player fields the ball.
In this case, the numbers don't favor Crawford sometimes. But watching him play on the field, that's a different story.