If there were one catch-all stat to look for in a batter, it would be OPS. On base percentage plus slugging average is definitely not a specific number, but it categorizes a player’s ability at the plate all in one centralized location.
So how will this number help you? For one, it takes into account every stat you need to worry about in your fantasy league, both in season long leagues and in daily leagues. As far as on base percentage goes, it accounts for walks plus hits, and it establishes that there will be fewer strikeouts. If the player is on base, there is a higher chance of runs being scored and presents a better chance of a stolen base. With slugging, the likelihood of extra base hits are taken into account. Home run hitters have higher slugging averages than consistent singles hitter does. It also rewards consistency since a lot of outs at the plate will lower slugging.
The higher the OPS number, the better the player is at getting on base, and the better that player is at getting back across the plate safely. Furthermore, it is a broad generalization. For most purposes, this would not be helpful, but because it looks at so many aspects of a player’s ability, it is far more transferable than other stats. For example, in 2014, Andrew McCutchen had an OPS of .952. In the American League, his was the highest of all qualified outfielders. And while this stat doesn’t technically cover batting average, his was high enough to place him near the top of the AL OF list with a .314. In most leagues, this would put him in the top two players on any team within. He had respectable steal numbers at 18, and while his strikeouts number was higher than average (115), he had enough walks to make up for it (84). These numbers are all indirectly reflected in OPS and show that he is a talented all around player.
What’s even better about these numbers is that a shortcoming in one area can be easily made up in another. So, while it’s not perfect, it’s close enough to a reliable measure that even in a bad year, OPS is not going to be much different than what you might expect. Suppose McCutchen has a bad year with power, but he maintains his consistent on base numbers. A drop off will occur, but some of his homeruns will convert to singles. In 2014, he had 25 HRs, and 172 total hits. If he drops his HR numbers to 10, but improves his hits number to 200, he is not going to lose a ton of points when it comes to slugging because of the small boost from having more singles. And if he can reduce his Ks number, then he will probably not have any significant changes to his OPS number. As players get older, this tends to happen anyway, so it is a possibility for McCutchen.
The number has value in daily fantasy sports, too, simply because OPS rewards the positive features of a player (homeruns, runs, walks), and it acknowledges the bad (strikeouts, groundouts, flyouts). Most season long leagues don’t punish you with negative points for these things just because of how roto scoring works, but either way, this is a good go-to number. Is it the best way? Definitely not. But it is far better than the method that most people use, and it does help you to streamline your draft methods if you are crunched for time, as you might be in one day leagues from time to time.
