OK, I looked it up

Fuck it, I have a minute. According to baseball-reference.com, home of the ugliest page layouts on earth, a quick comparison of Juan Pierre and Kenny Lofton:

Pierre (7 seasons):
Career BA: .303
Career OBP: .350 (league avg. .348)
Hits/average season: 200
Runs/average: 98
RBI/average: 46
BB/average: 42
SB/average: 52
Career OPS+: 86

Last year, Pierre made 532 outs in 750 plate appearences. The last three years he made 532, 514, 507 outs, respectively. For his career, he averages 445 outs per year, or 1 out every 1.4 plate appearances.

Players closest in statistical comparison include: Carson Bigby, Whitey Witt, Ducky Holmes, Debs Garms. (I have no idea who any of those men are.)

Lofton (16 seasons):
Career BA: .299
Career OBP: .372
Hits/average: 188
Runs/average: 119
RBI/average: 61
BB/average: 73
SB/average: 49
Career OPS+: 107

Over his career, Kenny Lofton has never made 500 outs in a season. In his lone 700 AB season, in 1996, Lofton made only 489 outs. In his career, he averages 337 outs per season, or 1 out every 1.5 plate appearances.

Players closest in statistical comparison include: Ken Griffey, Johnny Damon, Kiki Cuyler, Brett Butler.

So If you add Lofton's walks and hits, he gets on base roughly 261 times per year (not counting HBP or whatnot). Pierre gets on 242 times. Juan pierre averages 661 AB a year; Lofton, 628. But in 33 fewer AB, Lofton makes, on average, 108 fewer outs (!).

Given that Lofton sees far fewer at-bats in an average year, yet outpaces Pierre in almost every statistical category, you have to wonder what the hell Jon Heyman was thinking when he wrote that Pierre is a good substitute for Lofton in the Dodgers outfield. 39 year-old Kenny Lofton gets on base more, scores and drives in more runs, makes fewer outs for his team, and did I mention he actually can throw the ball in from the outfield? I haven't even begun on Juan Pierre's horrible arm in centerfield...

Even if we say, for the sake of argument, that Lofton would be injured or have to rest about 40 games a year, he STILL puts up equal or better numbers than Juan Pierre. And, you can get additional production, theoretically, from Lofton's substitute, making your leadoff spot even more productive than one Juan Pierre alone.

It's a no-brainer, really, unless you're Jon Heyman.