And who is Ryan Theriot anyway? Not much of a household name, he was a 26-year-old rookie for the Cubs last year who outperformed Albert Pujols, Carlos Beltran, Travis Hafner, David Ortiz, and Ryan Howard in 2006 in one area that will surprise you. It’s not a statistic that is often used, but it is a pretty significant measure of offensive production. It requires an ability to get on base, the ability to hit for power, and the ability to run the bases well. And it is simply the most important thing in baseball.
Scoring runs!
Theriot not only beat the guys I mentioned above, he beat everyone in baseball in how often he scored a run compared to the number of times he came to the plate. That’s runs scored per plate appearance and here is the leader board for 2006 in this category.
| Runs Scored Per Plate Appearance (2006) |
| Player | Runs | Plate Appearances | Pct. |
| Ryan Theriot, Cubs | 34 | 159 | 21.4% |
| Carlos Beltran, Mets | 127 | 617 | 20.6% |
| Chris Duncan, Cardinals | 60 | 314 | 19.1% |
| Albert Pujols, Cardinals | 119 | 634 | 18.8% |
| Chipper Jones, Braves | 87 | 477 | 18.2% |
| Matt Kemp, Dodgers | 30 | 166 | 18.1% |
| Grady Sizemore, Indians | 134 | 751 | 17.8% |
| Matt Holliday, Rockies | 119 | 667 | 17.8% |
| Travis Hafner, Indians | 100 | 564 | 17.7% |
| Chase Utley, Phillies | 131 | 739 | 17.7% |
(note: includes only players with at least 150 PA in 2006)