Block U, a Utah Utes community

"It’ll be neat to find out what the numbers are," said Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Vernon Wells, who is known for smoothly tracking down deep fly balls. "It can be another tool to help you improve in areas of the game. People will learn about playing defense, which has gone by the wayside as people have cared so much about offense and hitting the ball out of the ballpark."

Not that all players welcome the new numbers. A few lockers down, Wells’s teammate Scott Rolen — whose excellent defense and base running would presumably be evidenced by the tracking system — said: "I don’t believe that baseball is a game that can be encapsulated that way. That’s the beauty of the whole game."