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Scott Boras, fresh off suggesting the World Series turn into a 9-game affair with the first two games at a neutral site, wants baseball to establish a new stat for defense called "EP" for "exceptional play."
As explained by Boras to Bill Shaikin in the Los Angeles Times:
Boras proposes the "EP," for exceptional play. The official scorer would be asked to distinguish between an exceptional play and a routine one in the same way he is asked to distinguish between a hit and error.
In that way, Boras said, fans can debate whether a play should merit an "EP" and compare a player with 20 EPs to another with 10 EPs, whether an EP saved a game just as a big hit might have won it. The only common defensive statistic is an error, he says, and zone ratings and other such new defensive metrics are neither instantly identifiable or widely understood.
Oh Lord, please give me the strength to withstand dumb ideas like this. Just why would the EP be more understood than any other fielding statistic? Because it's a counting stat?
What sort of standard would be used? All I know is that the last paragraphs of the story sent shivers down my spine:
The EP, Boras said, should be an easy sell.
"ESPN has told us we need to do this," he said. "They have web gems."
Yep, baseball needs to have more plays decided by the whims of ESPN producers.
Next Boras will suggest that football give out an extra point for a touchdown that was really hard to score. And maybe four points for a basket that looked cool. And maybe just half a goal in soccer if you score on a penalty, but four goals if you score on a bicycle kick and three on a volley with your off foot!
hitters be assigned credit for driving in the run that ostensibly won the game.
At least the GWRBI wasn't subjective.
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