Let's say you really want to understand all the various new metrics that have been applied to baseball in past years (yes, yes, I know, plenty of people are just fine sticking to batting average and RBIs), but all the plusses and weighted numbers start to make your head spin.They make mine spin, too. So I tried to make some sense of it with Curt Hogg, our Brewers beat reporter.JR: Let's start as broadly as possible. If I'm trying to evaluate a player, especially a position player, what stats should I be using, and why?CURT: The short answer? WAR is the best metric. While it's not without its flaws, it is the best catch-all statistic in baseball. Different sites (FanGraphs, Baseball Reference, Baseball Prospectus, etc.) all use their own specific formula to calculate a single number that measures, well, how many wins above a "replacement-level" player a specific player was. It takes into account all aspects of the game: hitting, fielding and base running.JR: I remember last year, Jace P...
