I'm not up on my chone stuff- simple English for me 
So what do those numbers mean?
My head hurts.
I don't blame anyone for "Huh?" reaction. It's just that so much of this discussion is about predicting who would make more of a contribution, who will hit well, and who will field well that I thought letting someone who is regarded as being good at the predicting business and who looks at both offense and defense might be fun to consider.
CHONE is a system developed by Sean Smith that is pretty well regarded, has projected 2010, and is free. Honestly, I don't know all the factors he looks at. In addition to major league numbers, it weighs minor league numbers (which is useful for Lowrie), and accounts for the age curve (that is, a player is likely to get better until 27 or so and start to deteriorate in his 30s). Beyond that, I don't know. I don't think it is as complex as PECOTA, which is proprietary for BP. He also rates defense, and since I don't have a subscription to an online service that offers +/- or other systems, it is the best defensive projection I can get my hands on.
What surprised me was:
1) Uggla's OBP makes up a lot for his poor average, even last year.
2) Just how close Uggla and Hudson were last year when you offset Uggla's O with his D.
The first two numbers are runs relative to an average player. Hitting is on all MLB players, defense I think is relative to the position the player plays at. Thus, Lowrie's defensive number might be for a SS, sicne that is where he has played the most in MLB.
The last number is projected WAR, which in the minds of some is good for absulutely nothing, but for others is the all knowing and all seeing sum of baseball, denominated in wins above replacement. Replacement is minor league, easily available driftwood you can pay MLB minimum to. WAR incorporates an estimate of playing time, too, so some of the reason Kennedy, Fontenot and Lowrie are lower than Hudson is because of playing time estimates.
I guess I'm skeptical that Hudson is much of an upgrade over Guzman at 2d. We have a contract with Guz. Why be desparate to pay an additional amount for no imporovement in performance? W/R/T Uggla, how would his glove fit with our "pitch to contact" staff, especially Lannan, Marquis, and Stammen? I think Guz is likely to be a better fielder at 2d than Uggla, and I think the defensive difference is more important with this staff than the general projections say they would be on an average team.
