Mike Cameron ranks 7th in VORP in the bigs at the CF position.
The BA's ahead of him:
.322
.336
.305
.308
.304
.299
.264 <------- Cameron
.295
.283
How does he keep his value as high as those guys with such a lower BA? Cammy has an ISO (slugging minus BA) of .205. When he hits a ball he crushes it. He has an OBP 105 points higher than his BA - also good for 7th in the bigs for his position, even though his BA is TWENTY SECOND.
How is that good? OBP means more to scoring - and therefore winning - than BA does. Slugging also means more to winning. The best hitters, like Pujols, can get all 3. But if you WANTED to sacrifice one, the one you should sacrifice is BA.
Mike Cameron is striking out a ton. It also doesn't matter. He always has, just like he's always played a quality CF. If you view a hitter's worth by his BA, you might as well view a pitcher's worth by his win total. The Cy Young voters do, and how wrong could they be? *rolls eyes at voters*
Seriously, Cameron is having his 2nd or 3rd best year at the plate, potentially of his career, and you want him to just somehow magically cut his Ks in half so that you're happier about his plate performance?
His OPS+ is over 120 - fabulous for a glove position, which CF is, and which Cameron plays exceedingly well.
Cameron makes the most out of his swing that he can, and the way he performs at the plate is better for his team than if he was hanging a pretty .300 average in the front and dropping slugging and OBP off the back end. Mike's .260/.370/.470 line is great. I'm sorry his Ks aren't aesthetically pleasing, but would grounding into a DP all the time make you feel better?
A strikeout is one out. Just one. Which makes it far more survivable than GIDPs and no worse than a pop out.
I worry more about what hitters do with their other outcomes, and in those cases Cammy is fine.
~G