In all honesty, the "error" stat has never been more legitimate. If you get charged with an error these days, it's an out that absolutely, positively should have been an out. It's danged near impossible to be charged with an error these days. The only exception would be when an outfielder makes a good throw, it hits a sliding runner and gets away, allowing runner(s) to advance. That's sometimes a tough error. Otherwise, the error stat is absolutely one good way to judge defense.