Under the Radar: Oakland Athletics' Mark Ellis

Quick, think of the top second basemen in all of the majors.  Did you think of Chase Utley?  I’m sure you thought of Robinson Cano, Placido Polanco or maybe even Aaron Hill or Dustin Pedroia.  Ian Kinsler? Dan Uggla?

Well, there is a player few people think of as one of the best second basemen in the game, yet he’s one of the best all around players at the position.  He’s lost in a small market on the West Coast.  His name is Mark Ellis, and he’s going to be a free agent this year.

Mark Ellis almost has a cult-like following.  He is beloved in Oakland, and respected by announcers across the country.  The first thing visiting teams’ announcers say when Ellis steps in the box is, “this guy is a tough, tough out.”

Still, the casual baseball fan might not have heard of Mark Ellis, or if they have, they might not think much of the 5’11, 180-pounder from South Dakota.

I will argue that because of his great overall performance, Mark Ellis belongs in the same breath as the Robinson Canos, Chase Utleys, and Placido Polancos.

I will do this using several different baseball metrics that evaluate offensive production and defensive production.  Some of the stats you may have heard of, others will be new to you.  I will use the 2007 season as the basis for my arguments.

Offense

OPS+

The first stat I will look at is OPS+, which is a simple measure of a players OPS, relative to their ballpark.  The average OPS+ is 100, with the higher the number the better.

Lets take a look at Cano’s, Utley’s, Polanco’s, Uggla's, Kinsler's, Pedroia's, and Ellis’ OPS+ numbers:

Utley = 145

Polanco = 122

Cano = 120

Pedroia = 112

Ellis = 110

Kinsler = 109

Uggla = 108

Hill = 107

So Utley owns all the players in OPS+.  Only four of the players rank higher than Ellis, but Ellis is not that far behind them in this category, especially considering Ellis is not known for his bat.

.EqA

A second stat I will look at is .EqA, which is a stat that measures many offensive contributions from stolen bases to home runs. It judges a player on a scale similar to batting average. .260 is an average .EqA.

Utley = .322

Polanco = .288

Kinsler = .277

Pedroia = .277

Cano = .277

Uggla = .274

Ellis = .269

Hill = .264

Again, to no one’s surprise, Utley owns all the others in this category.  Still, Ellis is not far behind Cano and Uggla. 

UVI

A third offensive metric I will look at is UVI, which is a stat developed by Nathaniel Stoltz to judge a player’s total offensive prowess.  It can be read about here.  I will use UVI2, which is adjusted for the players’ home park.

Utley = .584

Uggla = .507

Kinsler = .503

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