Gerardo Parra: Gun, Cannon, Laser, or Rocket?

The chief surprise for this author — among the so fresh and mostly clean-clean Player NERD leaderboard at the main site, that is — the chief surprise was the presence of Gerardo Parra’s name amongst said leaders. I’ve generally not cared for the light-hitting, kinda anonymous-seeming Parra; however, looking over his fielding numbers, it’s not surprising that his WAR per 650 PAs is so excellent.

Though the sample of 1511.1 innings isn’t entirely reliable, Parra’s posted an excellent 22.5 UZR (18.3 UZR/150) in left field from the beginning of 2009 up till the present — a stupid-high 24.4 of which has come in just the last 934.1 innings, dating back to the beginning of 2010.

The numbers suggest that it’s Parra’s range which translates most directly into runs, although these two plays from just the last week or so (along with his Fan Scouting Report from last season) reveal that Parra also has a powerful and accurate arm.

The real question, of course, is whether one ought to refer to same as a Gun, Cannon, Laser, or Rocket.

From May 25th, against the Rockies:

From May 30th, against the Marlins: