Yet, the truth of the matter is that in spite of last year’s back woes, “Youk” still managed to post a career high in OBP (.413), OPS (.961) and OPS+ (145).

Yeah, I know, he also posted a career high in strikeout percentage (21.3 %); but there are other metrics that suggest the spike in K-rate is attributable to back problems and aren’t indicative of a deterioration of his hitting skills.