Lorenzo Cain Deserves His Own Statistic

Last season, when watching the Kansas City Royals defensively, there were quite a few unbelievable moments. The leather would flash virtually everywhere across the diamond, as though the Royals were looking to turn the Web Gem segment into their own personal highlight reel. It was certainly impressive to see the incredible defense night after night, as that defensive acumen helped push the Royals to the postseason.

While every member of the Royals was certainly well represented in those highlight reels, it seemed as though Lorenzo Cain made quite a few memorable plays. We all knew of his ability in center and right, yet he seemingly made a truly spectacular play every night. If the Earth has 71% of its surface covered by water, Lorenzo Cain covers the other 29%.

The problem with these plays is that there is really no way to quantify them statistically. While range factor will somewhat make note of them, as Cain will have made a few extra plays a week, the statistic views it the same way as any other fly ball that could be caught. Yes, there are charts showing the probability of these plays being made, yet those are for the average fielder. At this point, we all know that Cain is far more than the average outfielder.

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There needs to be a new statistic for these plays that just make one wonder what, exactly, they just saw. Web Gems, while catchy, just does not have the correct feel to it. Besides, why name a statistic after a segment on a television show? So, with all apologies to All-World outfielder Alex Gordon, this statistic should be named for Lorenzo Cain. Let us refer to these as “Cains.”

It would certainly fit. If, in a conversation with another Royals loving fan, one was to ask whether or not someone saw that “Cain” last night, one would immediately know that a spectacular catch was made. This would be the polar opposite of an “Aoki,” where the player in question managed to get hit with the ball in a rather comical, but painful, way.

There is already precedent for having a statistic named in honor of a member of the Royals. PECOTA was reverse engineered in honor of Bill Pecota. Why not honor Lorenzo Cain’s impressive ability to track down virtually anything in the outfield by calling those spectacular plays “Cains?”

Lorenzo Cain has made quite a number jaw dropping plays in the outfield, showing off his defensive prowess nightly. Let us make the Cain happen!

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