The Chicago Cubs‘ 2016 World Series MVP Ben Zobrist didn’t have a great season. The 36-year-old had a slash line of .232/.318/.375 and was only a 0.5 WAR player according to Baseball Reference. That’s not exactly MVP caliber.
Out of those numbers, the one that scares me the most is the on-base percentage. For a guy who’s made his bread and butter as a guy who could draw a walk, this isn’t cutting it. And unless you’re a pitcher, .318 isn’t going to cut it for an everyday hitter.
Just to put that in perspective for you if you’re a big sabermetrics guy, his OPS + was 79 (the average is 100).