We start with strikeouts (represented by a hole in the bat, and then show walks, singles, doubles & triples, and home runs in successive rings. These stats are based on production per plate appearance, with a minimum of 200 PA’s, and then converted into percentile rankings, with 100% being the best, 0% the worst. The legend on the bottom right of the visual gives you a sense of scale.This is the bat slicer graphic for Cesar Izturis:
I think the graphic pretty much speaks for itself. That's essentially the bat that Izturis brings to the table. His defense, while pretty great (career 7.1 UZR/150), certainly does not outweigh this terrible offense. He's produced more than 1.5 WAR in just one season, and he produced -0.3 WAR last season. Keep in mind that 2.0 WAR is considered average.
There was even a post on the Baseball Reference blog that came to the conclusion that Izturis was one of the least valuable players in the majors in 2010. His OPS+ of 50 was the worst in the majors.
So, no, Brian Sabean, please don't consider Izturis to be a viable option.
