Because I'm a monster, I have invented a new baseball statistic. Like the Misery Index, it combines a few totally different measures into a single, memorable number. And like Misery Index, it has a catchy name. I call it "Lucky Duck Score." And whereas the creators of other statistics are quick to point out that their particular metric "isn't the be-all, end-all," I make no such hedges. When it comes to luck in baseball, Lucky Duck Score is the be-all, end-all.

The formula, besides being needlessly complicated, is a closely guarded secret. But it's a basically a combination of Batting Average on Balls in Play (BABiP), Home Run to Fly Ball ratio (HB/FB) and Reached On Error (ROE). In the American League, just one player ranks among the top twenty in all three categories. Since he is also preternaturally handsome and has five World Series rings to go with his five Gold Gloves, I feel justified in calling him the luckiest baseball player in the game today. Your 2012 American League Lucky Duck is Derek Jeter: