These semantics smack of a defensive, can't-afford-to-be-wrong tone that too many SABR dudes are guilty of. They don't want to put their neck out and say that someone is going to be really good because the embarassment of being wrong is more painful than the glory of being right.
These same people will never predict the next Wade Boggs or Sandy Koufax because to them nobody is good enough, or good enough to risk their reputation on.
I, for one, think Dustin Ackley could be one of the next great hitters. I feel that intuitively, from an amalgamation of stats, scouting and having watched the game closely for my whole life. This wouldn't be good enough for many people and I understand that, until those same people realize that their interpretation of the 'facts' that are known as statistics is just as intuitive as my methods. Intuition is all we have to work with when looking at an engine with so many moving parts.
The fact that a SABR only dweeb can't put an exact number or formula on to something means there is a risk there, one that cannot be explained away and one their not willing to take.
End of rant. =]
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