10-02-2009, 01:52 PM
tom, nobody is saying that there's a catch-all stat (in your example, OPS) that paints a perfect picture.
Most stat guys dislike OPS because it's a "square peg in a round hole" type of thing; you're adding two percentages for one, and you're weighting them equally (and SLG isn't nearly as important as OBP), and you're counting batting average twice....lots of problems with that stat.
It's a little better than batting average or RBI's, and it's easy to compute, so that's why it's caught on some, but it's never been the Joe Cool stat.
And the example of the guy you gave, with the .750 OPS? I'd take that guy in a second, and pay him $10 million a year, maybe more. Why? Well, as you point out in the post, 1) he's a good guy, and 2) he has excellent stats! (especially that 91% stolen base percentage).
Most stat guys dislike OPS because it's a "square peg in a round hole" type of thing; you're adding two percentages for one, and you're weighting them equally (and SLG isn't nearly as important as OBP), and you're counting batting average twice....lots of problems with that stat.
It's a little better than batting average or RBI's, and it's easy to compute, so that's why it's caught on some, but it's never been the Joe Cool stat.
And the example of the guy you gave, with the .750 OPS? I'd take that guy in a second, and pay him $10 million a year, maybe more. Why? Well, as you point out in the post, 1) he's a good guy, and 2) he has excellent stats! (especially that 91% stolen base percentage).
There's nothing better than to realize that the good things about youth don't end with youth itself. It's a matter of realizing that life can be renewed every day you get out of bed without baggage. It's tough to get there, but it's better than the dark thoughts. -Lance