Let's take a look at some raw numbers:
Player A: .296 batting average, .343 on-base, .386 slugging, 30 runs, 11 steals, 2 homers, 14 RBIs
Player B: .288 batting average, .339 on-base, .452 slugging, 29 runs, 13 steals, 5 homers, 15 RBIs
Pretty identical, right? Yup.
Now, let's look at a little more information, maybe salary?
Player A: 4 years, $48 million
Player B: 5 years, $20.5 million
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Now, quick question: Who would you rather have on your team?
My pick would be Player B, and luckily for the Texas Rangers, they made the same choice when they decided to give Leonys Martin a chance to win an everyday job in center field and pass on big-name free agent Michael Bourn, who ended up signing with the Cleveland Indians.
There's no doubt Bourn has more of a track record, and Martin is far from established after just half a season as an MLB regular, but the way things are going right now sure seems to point to the fact the Rangers made the right move by not pursuing Bourn in the off-season.
