Introduction
There are various classes of player with extreme difficulties in evaluation. In recent Diamondbacks’ history, I think of the 2016 duo of Chris Owings and Brandon Drury. A pair of infielders with little big league experience, they were called upon to play semi-regularly in the outfield for a team that was going nowhere. Neither put up good numbers at the plate, and both were below-average defensively, although they certainly put a sizeable amount of effort into being good. The bottom line numbers were not good; Drury was replacement level, and Owings slightly above, but that was entirely due to positional adjustments.