If you’re a baseball fan you might have already heard about VORP. If you have seen the Brad Pitt movie Moneyball you know a little bit more about it.
VORP is a baseball advanced statistic for measuring a players Value Over Replacement Player. For example, this past year my favorite Red Sox had an awesome season. Jacoby Ellsbury hit .321, slugged 32 home runs and stole 39 bases as a leadoff batter. It was a career year and his VORP was an amazing 73.6 – that means Ellsbury contributed roughly 73 runs more than an average replacement player would have if dropped into the exact same situation.
That’s a pretty impressive statistic. One man on the team accounted for an additional 73 runs. Even more impressive when you compare it to J.D. Drew who played alongside him in the outfield, was paid about $12,000,000 more and had a VORP of -0.2.
Think about where you work everyday.
You know who the heavy hitters are right? You can point at the person who adds real value in your workplace. Maybe you’re that person.
Now take it to the next level.
What if that person left? What if you had to replace her? The 1st day the new replacement walked in she is at “replacement level”. Now compare day 1 to the value of the outgoing person in their final month. How big is that gap?
Did the heavy hitter work more hours, produce better product, schmooze better or bring in more work?
How could you increase your VORP? What would you make you stand out in the statistical world of advanced baseball business statistics?
Who do you know that have the highest VORP in your business life?
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