December 22, 2007

True Grit

Flotsam Media proposes a new composite statistic: General Requirements of Intangible Talent (GRIT):
GRIT incorporates four basic components: dirt, determination, talent, and opportunity. ...

The most important factor in determining a player's GRIT is his uniform. A player who is "containing, covered with, or resembling grit" will show visible signs of his grittiness on his uniform. Dirty uniforms are good; bloody uniforms are better. A true team player, the gritty player is prepared to sacrifice his body at all costs. This is one of the few ways gritty players are efficient, since they probably aren't as well compensated as their genuinely talented teammates. ...

It is my contention that "grittiness" is a subset of talent that cannot translate well statistically. Two players may very well have the same raw amount of grit, but one player may have more tangible talent, making him appear less gritty because the grit is too diluted. Gritty players are those who have the largest concentration of grit. As such, to find the grittiest players, we should look for players who have as little tangible talent as possible ...
Pure brillance. (Thanks to FJM.)

2 comments:

CaKeY said...

I always thought baseball could use more stats.

Patrick said...

Is it showing grit if a player runs out onto the field with a syringe dangling from his pants?

That aside, now that Trot is gone, I vote Pedroia our new Grit Master.