OPS+ The number one stat to measure hitters
Recently I was informed by a very wise Sabermetrics professor, if there was one stat to quantify hitting, the statistic to use would be Adjusted OPS+.
The formula given at http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/onbase_plus_slugging_plus_career.shtml
100*(OBP/lg OBP + SLG/lg SLG -1) Adjusted to the player’s ballpark.
There is no definition of how each ballpark is adjusted. Shouldn’t they be adjusted differently for left and right handed batters? A left handed batter in Yankee Stadium probably would hit more home runs than in Fenway Park, and the opposite for right handed hitters.
However the formula is determined, it really does not matter, because by using this number you really could rate every hitter that ever played the game.
If you start from 1900 the top ten lifetime list looks like this:
1 Babe Ruth 206
2 Ted Williams 190
3 Barry Bonds 182
4 Lou Gehrig 179
5 Rogers Hornsby 175
6 Mickey Mantle 172
7 Shoeless Joe Jackson 170
8 Ty Cobb 168
9 Albert Pujols 168
10 Jimmie Foxx 163
Looking at this statistic one would say that Albert Pujols is one of the greatest hitters in the history of the game.
Last season Buster Posey led all of baseball with an OPS+ of 172, Mike Trout was next at 171. If Trout can keep that up for 20 years he will end up right between Mickey Mantle and Shoeless Joe Jackson.
When you look at the single season record for OPS+ you can see where Barry Bonds does not deserve to have his name on any of these records.
The top ten seasons for Adjusted OPS+ are scarred by Barry Bonds and his PED inflated numbers.
1 Barry Bonds (37) 268 2002
2 Barry Bonds (39) 263 2004
3 Barry Bonds (36) 259 2001
4 Babe Ruth (25) 255 1920
5 Babe Ruth (28) 239 1923
6 Babe Ruth (26) 238 1921
7 Ted Williams (22) 235 1941
8 Ted Williams (38) 233 1957
9 Barry Bonds (38) 231 2003
10 Babe Ruth (31) 225 1926
10 Babe Ruth (32) 225 1927
Barry Bonds ended up number three lifetime, but his four best individual seasons were all in the top ten ever from 2001-2004.
Baseball needs to take this fraud out of all of the MLB record books. Bonds does not deserve to be up there with Williams and Ruth.
The top ten seasons ever for OPS+ should read like this:
1. Babe Ruth (25) 255 1920
2 Babe Ruth (28) 239 1923
3 Babe Ruth (26) 238 1921
4 Ted Williams (22) 235 1941
5 Ted Williams (38) 233 1957
6 Babe Ruth (31) 225 1926
7 Babe Ruth (32) 225 1927
8 Rogers Hornsby (28) 222 1924
9 Mickey Mantle (25) 221 1957
10 Lou Gehrig (24) 220 1927
Babe Ruth had the next three highest 1924, 1931, and 1919. followed by Ted Williams in 1942 and 1946.
Ruth’s 1919 year was in Boston. In 1957 both Mantle and Williams had two of the top ten hitting seasons ever in the same year. Mantle won the MVP award.
These numbers rate all the great hitters of the game. Now lets take Barry Bonds out of these record books and restore the Glory of the Game.
Do you agree that Barry Bonds name should not be included in the records.
Basically, an age 36-39 Bonds is better than an in his prime Babe Ruth? What a joke. PEDs aided Barroid immensely in the “twilight” of his career. Babe Ruth is the greatest player ever, period. Until someone can pitch and hit at HOF level, no contest.
Ruth played in a watered down pool of talent. The league didn’t allow black people, which, if you take a look at some of the incredible talents from the Negro Leagues at the time, would’ve knocked his #s down a peg or two. Replacing many of the bum-ass pitchers that he hit homers off of with the top Negro League pitchers would have hurt. It’s impossible to say how much, but it’s a safe bet he wouldn’t have touched 60 home runs or an .847 slugging%. The pitchers also had an 85 mph “fast”ball back then, and they pitched FAR past when they should’ve been taken out of the game. Put Ruth, in his prime, in today’s game, with pitchers regularly throwing 100+mph fastballs, along with all the middle relief and dynamic closers of today, and he’d be lucky to slugg .600 or hit 35 home runs.
P.S. Barry Bonds was an amazing hitter before he took PEDs, but he also had an all-around game, and had a top 5 OPS every year in a much more difficult era to play in. Each era leads to heavier competition and players with better training and more athletic prowess. Ruth wouldn’t have been able to just casually switch from pitching to hitting today; they’re too specialized for that. Sorry to burst the mythical bubble of the Bambino.
No, let’s believe a a 39 year-old guy could be walked intentionally 120 times and slug over .800? give me a break. Bonds was using every illegal substance he could ingest. How many Negro League pitchers would actually be in the league? 10-20. Now, there aren’t even ten african-american pitchers in the league. Your arguments are faulty at best considering OPS+ takes everything into context.
When Ruth played the NFL barely existed and the NBA started 20 years after the Babe hit 60 homers. Other sports take talent away from baseball.
On integration, read these two posts from my blog:
Friday, May 29, 2009
Babe Ruth never batted against Satchel Paige. Neither did Jackie Robinson.
http://radicalbaseball.blogspot.com/2009/05/babe-ruth-never-batted-against-satchel.html
Sunday, January 24, 2010
How Would Integration Have Affected Ruth and Cobb?
http://radicalbaseball.blogspot.com/2010/01/how-would-integration-have-affected.html
A little less hysteria from the steroid zealots is in order. Bonds batted against pitchers who used PED, the Babe did not. You cannot simply ban records in a team sport. I’ve posted about this, too. Check my posts about Melky Cabrera in 2012.
i know people think bad of bonds and others who took illeagle remember it wasnt illeagle than so we cant ban and hof
I’m no Barry Bonds fan, but removing his name from record books will not restore any so called “glory” to the game of baseball. I’ve been playing hardball pretty much all of my life (I’m 48 & still playing) & the game is as great as it ever was. Your problem is with MLB. Your larger issue is a deification of the “hallowed” Hall of Fame. Get it over it. Your opinions are fine, but the greatest game in this great land, exists between the 2 foul lines, & is far above your petty arguments of who was better than whom.