Having read the title, I can no longer do the following exercise correctly, but I’ll do it anyway:

Player A: .295 AVG/.324 OBP/.508 SLG (was in the AL All-Star starting lineup)

Player B: .272 AVG/.336 OBP/.490 SLG

Player A is Adam Jones, universally hailed as one of the best outfielders in the game. Player B is Colby Rasmus, universally panned as an under-performer with a poor mental game. Rasmus was the hero for his Blue Jays this afternoon, driving a ground ball up the middle in the bottom of the ninth, driving in Emilio Bonifacio for the walk-off win.

By weighted on-base average, a more specific measure of offense, Rasmus is in a dead heat with Jones at .358, above the .321 AL average for center fielders. Behind Mike Trout, the two are the best in the league at their position, offensively speaking.

Factoring in defense, base running, and playing time, Rasmus grades as the league’s second-best overall center fielder behind Trout going by Wins Above Replacement, per FanGraphs. Rasmus turns 27 on August 11 and will enter his third and final year of arbitration eligibility after the season. He can become a free agent after the 2014 season. At the time the Jays agreed to give him $4.675 million to avoid arbitration in January, it was hard to imagine them wanting to offer Rasmus a contract extension, but it is a very real possibility now after the great season he has had thus far.