Baseball is a game filled with many different stats. It just might be the most analytical driven game of all of the major sports. Each Major League Baseball (MLB) has an analytics department that not only helps with selecting the team, but in game adjustments and strategy.
This is due to the slower pace that baseball naturally has and the opportunity for the chess match to start between the managers of each team. There is a battle between the baseball purists and the new age baseball executive that loves the use of analytics to drive decision making.
The first example that many of us saw came to light in with the movie “Moneyball.” This movie became popular in 2011. In this movie we saw the battle between the computer wiz kids and the old timers who had been around the game forever.
Pretty much the Oakland Athletics were able to compete with this new “moneyball” approach. This is an approach where they use the sabermetrics for in game decisions and the analytics of baseball to impact who is the right player for the team.
MLB has created gaps between the big money teams and the lower market teams. The lower market teams found ways to compete using analytics to drive decisions for who was on the team. They were able to gain a competitive edge and compete against the New York Yankees, Boston RedSox, and the Los Angeles Dodgers (3 teams with massive payrolls).
Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A’s and the main character in the movie uses analytics to make decisions. One of the key stats that teams use is OPS.
So, What Is OPS in Baseball?
OPS in baseball is the sum of the On Base Percentage (OBP) plus Slugging Percentage (SLG). It is meant to measure how well a hitter can reach base with how well he hits for average and power. On base base percentage is calculated by taking Times on Base and dividing it by Plate Appearances.
The times on base includes hits, walks, hit by pitch and the Plate Appearances includes all of the at bats plus walks, hit by pitch and sacrifices. So simply put (hits, walks, hit by pitch)/(At Bats, walks, hit by pitch, & sacrifices) = On Base Percentage (OBP). You then figure out Slugging Percentage you take total bases divided by at bats. To find total bases a single = 1 base, double = 2 bases, triple = 3 bases, home run = 4 bases.
Once you have the OBP and you add the SLG you have OPS. This gives the evaluator a measurement to see how often combined with power numbers.
Below we will provide an overview on the following topics related to OPS:
- What Is A Good OPS
- All Time Leaders in OPS
- The Role of Stats in Baseball
- Other Key Stats in Baseball
- Tips to Improve OPS
- Related Questions
What Is A Good OPS?
A good OPS is anything around .800. The league average for OPS is around .710. The best players will break 1.000 for total OPS. One of the issues people have with OPS is that SLG is twice the value of OBP many times.
This gives greater credit to the power hitter who might have a higher than normal SLG percentage and doesn’t reward as much significance to the high OBP guy.
Overall, it is a minor concern, but many of the highest OPS guys are power hitters. This is ok as teams appreciate the player who can hit the gaps or turn singles in doubles and have the power to drive in runs in key situations.
Here is a chart for reference on the rating of OPS ranges:
| OPS | RATING |
| 1.000 or higher | Excellent |
| .900 | Great |
| .800 | Above Average |
| .710 | Average |
| .679 | Below Average |
| .600 | Poor |
| .570 and Below | Awful |
All Time Leaders in OPS
The highest OPS guys are typically players that hit for a high average and have good home run numbers. The amount of credit on the Slugging Percentage when a home run is hit trumps the the player that goes 4 for 4 with four singles. A 2 for 4 night at the plate with 2 home runs leads to more value.
Check out our list below of the top 10 of all time:
| All Time Rank | OPS | Player |
| 1 | 1.1636 | Babe Ruth |
| 2 | 1.115 | Ted Williams |
| 3 | 1.0798 | Lou Gehrig |
| 4 | 1.0512 | Barry Bonds |
| 5 | 1.0376 | Jamie Foxx |
| 6 | 1.0169 | Hank Greenberg |
| 7 | 1.0103 | Roger Hornsby |
| 8 | .999 | Mike Trout |
| 9 | .9960 | Manny Ramirez |
| 10 | .9823 | Mark McGwire |
This chart above shows how difficult it is to have a 1.000 or higher rating in OPS. Compare the list of OPS above to the list of OBP all time career leaders below:
All Time Leaders for OBP (On Base Percentage)
| All Time Rank | OBP (On Base Percentage) | Player |
| 1 | .4817 | Ted Williams |
| 2 | .4739 | Base Ruth |
| 3 | .4657 | John McGraw |
| 4 | .4552 | Bill Hamilton |
| 5 | .4474 | Lou Gehrig |
| 6 | .4443 | Barry Bonds |
| 7 | .4349 | Bill Joyce |
| 8 | .4337 | Roger Hornsby |
| 9 | .4330 | Ty Cobb |
| 10 | .4283 | Jimmie Foxx |
When you compare the two lists you will see that there are 5 players on both lists.
Now here is a list of all time leaders in Slugging Percentage:
| All Time Rank | SLG (Slugging Percentage) | Player |
| 1 | .6897 | Babe Ruth |
| 2 | .6338 | Ted Williams |
| 3 | .6324 | Lou Gehrig |
| 4 | .6093 | Jimmie Fox |
| 5 | .6069 | Barry Bonds |
| 6 | .6050 | Hank Greenberg |
| 7 | .5882 | Mark McGrwire |
| 8 | .5854 | Manny Ramirez |
| 9 | .5811 | Mike Trout |
| 10 | .5788 | Joe DiMaggio |
Now when you compare the Slugging Percentage list with the OPS list you will see that 9 out of the 10 players on the Slugging Percentage leaders list appear on the OPS list as well This does show the value of Slugging Percentage when the OPS numbers are calculated.
The Role of Stats in Baseball
Baseball stats continue to drive baseball decisions. This impacts off season decisions and building the roster in addition to the in game adjustments that take place to give a team the best advantage for victory.
In the movie Moneyball you will see a heavy reliance on On Base Percentage (OBP) and the value of not striking out. The goal was to build a team that got on base a lot to keep the pressure up on the defense. The theory is that over 162 games if a team can continually get people on base, the pressure will be there and enough runs will cross the plate.
The sabermetrics influence on baseball continues to grow. As general managers try to maximize the budgets that owners set for them on the total dollar amount they can spend on player payroll, general managers need to dive into the analysis of the game and see where they can gain a competitive edge.
Ideally, all teams could be like the Yankees and build the “perfect” roster, but in reality some of the middle to small market teams do not have the budget.
This leads to a great reliance on analytics and finding a value in a player that might not be on the top of the free agent list for most fans or teams. The best teams find ways to platoon guys in different positions and maybe between the two players have someone that hits over .300 with an OPS of .710 or higher.
When you combine these two salaries of these players you will often find it doesn’t come anywhere close to the total of a paying a star in the game to play that position. This is analytics at its best. Finding ways to maximize players strengths on the cheap end of salary.
Other Key Stats in Baseball
The traditional stats in baseball always included batting average, Runs Batted In (RBIs), on base percentage and slugging percentage. More recently, stats such as OPS, wOBA, FIP, UZR, VORP, WAR, BABIP have changed the game both from a roster building standpoint and in making in game decisions for managers. Here is a chart below to give you a reference point on all of these stats:
New Stats in the Game of Baseball
| ABBREVIATION | FULL TERM |
| OPS | On base percentage + Slugging Percentage |
| wOBA | Weighted On Base Percentage |
| FIP | Fielding Independent Pitching |
| UZR | Ultimate Zone Rating |
| VORP | Value over Replacement Player |
| WAR | Wins above Replacement |
| BABIP | Batting average on balls in play |
Tips To Improve OPS
We started with OPS and now we get back to helping you improve your OPS as a player. From our breakdown above, we see the most important role in improving OPS centers around hitting for a higher Slugging Percentage.
This increases the value of extra base hits, but we must also maintain a high batting average and be willing to take walks. If we are always seeking the home run, we may hit more home runs, but overall on base percentage will drop. As a result, we want to improve in the areas below.
Tip # 1 – Increase Swing Speed
The higher swing speed we have, the more we increase our chances of hitting the ball at higher exit speeds. This means the ball will leave your bat with more velocity and increase the chance of ground balls and line drives getting past infielders, and line drivers turning into gap shots and gap shots turning into home runs.
As a result, we will be able to improve our slugging percentage and help improve our OPS. The reality is that we all need to get stronger and swing faster, while maintaining discipline at the plate.
The great thing about baseball is that even the smaller guys are able to hit gaps and home runs. It is more about swing speed than overall strength or size. We would highly recommend training for additional swing speed. Our top recommendation in this area is SuperSpeed Slugger.
This training protocol uses three different training sticks and has a focus on overspeed training. One is 20% lighter than your game bat, one is 10% lighter than your game bat and one is 5% heavier than your game bat.
The goal is to help train to improve the speed that your brain will allow your body to swing with. I have used their system for golf and my own kids use their baseball system…all with quality results.
They have the following sets:
| Set | Game Length (Based On” | Game Bat Weight (Based On” |
| Pro | 33” | 30” |
| Adult | 32” | 29” |
| All Star | 30” | 25” |
| Youth | 28” | 18” |
| Fast Pitch | 34” | 24” |
| All Star Fast Pitch | 32” | 20” |
Here is a youtube video of the protocol used on level 1. They provide various level protocols as your advance and gain swing speed. The goal is to train every other day and allow the training to become permanent.
Tip #2 – Plate Discipline
The goal is to swing at quality pitches. One must have a good command of the strike zone and swing at the best pitches and take walks when a pitcher doesn’t bring one into the zone. Plate discipline is key and helps improve OPS by getting great results when you do swing and not making bad outs by swinging at bad pitches. Here is an approach to help you improve your plate discipline:
Tip #3 – Overall Hitting Training
Becoming a complete hitter is the goal. When you become the complete hitter, which means the player that can hit any pitch and provide your team with quality at bats, your OPS will take care of itself.
If you are doing swing speed training and have good discipline at the plate along with utilizing the hitting drills below, you will continue to develop and grow to be a great hitter in the game of baseball.
Here is an excellent videos of drills you can use to get better as an overall hitter:
Related Questions
Which stat is most important in baseball?
It all depends on who you ask. We think that OPS is a great indicator of the overall hitter that you are because it does combine your ability to get on base along with your ability to hit from some power.
Even if you are more of a slap hitter, maintaining your speed and turning a single into a double or a double into a triple will help your OPS. Make sure you are training all in all areas to be as complete of a player as possible.
What is the major league average for OPS?
The major league average is right around .710. If you can get to .800 in OPS you are above average and are bringing value to your team. Keep working hard to be the most complete hitter possible.
Should I play multiple sports?
Here at sportswarrior365, we are big believers in the value of competing in all sports and cross training. The competition and learning how to win is valuable. Also, learning how to lose and learning from losing is just as valuable.
Too many players start to specialize too young. However, if you really love a sport and know you won’t burn out than training year round isn’t the worst thing, but make sure you truly love the sport and don’t feel like you are making a sacrifice by giving another sport up.
In some parts of the country it might be hard to train for baseball year round. Yes, you can hit in cages and do different indoor activities, but there is still nothing like practicing outdoors and competing in games. The best players in the major leagues are great all around athletes that are 5 tool players. To learn more about the 5 tools in baseball and becoming a 5 tool players, visit here.
Take Action…
What is next for you? If you are a player committed to the game, we are here to help. We have many articles on baseball that can be found, here. Many of our articles answer many of the common questions asked about baseball, but then get into different tips and drills that you can use to improve in that area.
The great thing about the internet, we now have access to the best knowledge out there on how to hit and what drills can be used.
One last thing that players must take into account when playing the game is the mental side of the game. We must have the right mindset at the plate and be active students of the game.
As soon as you think you are good enough, watch out! That is when slumps happen or we get too overconfident. Instead, continue to work hard and stay dedicated to the game and make sure you keep your love for the game.
When you head to the plate stay calm, focused and try to have a good at bat. Remember that even the best hitters in baseball get out 65-70 percent of the time. You should measure your success on the quality of the at bat.
Here is a checklist to measure the quality of your at bats:
- 3 pitches after 2 strikes
- 6+ pitch at bats
- extra base hits
- hard hit balls
- walks
- sacrifice bunts
- sacrifice flies
A good number is 60% of your at bats should be focused on accomplishing one of the items above with 40% of the number produced by hard hit balls. You might have a game where you go 1 for 4, but all three outs were line drives hit right at someone. You leave with a 100% quality at bat percentage.
Keep your mind right throughout the game and always remember that baseball is supposed to be fun. Love the game and treat it right!
