Advanced Baseball Statistics: OPS

OPS (On Base Plus Slugging):
Purpose: To determine a players overall effectiveness at the plate, by adding his OBP and SLG.
Introduced: 1984
Explained: The best hitters in the majors will typically have an OPS of over .900, and the league leader will often have one of over 1.000 (Josh Hamilton's was 1.044 in 2010). OPS is considered to be perhaps the best indication of a players overall production, and in 2009 and 2010 all MVP award winners led their respective leagues in OPS (Joe Mauer and Albert Pujols in 2009, and Josh Hamilton and Joey Votto in 2010).

OPS=OBP+SLG

Advanced Statistics: BABIP

BABIP (Batting Average on Balls in Play):

Purpose: To determine how lucky a player is at getting hits after he puts the ball in play.
Introduced: 1999
Explained: BABIP is a good way of predicting whether a player's batting average will go up or down. If a player's BABIP is alarmingly high, he is most likely due for a decrease in batting average as soon as his luck runs out. For instance, Austin Jackson's BABIP was a staggering .396 in 2010, leading many baseball experts to predict a sharp decline in his batting average in 2011; sure enough, his batting average at the start of 2011 was an abysmal .226 (.314 BABIP, average), compared to his solid .293 batting average the year before. Essentially, Jackson is getting fewer lucky bloop singles and swinging bunts in 2011. BABIP is a slightly flawed statistic, however, as often times a player will have a high BABIP simply because he is a good hitter and hits a lot of line drives. It is not always a perfect indicator of a player's future performance, but it certain cases it does the job (i.e. Austin Jackson).

BABIP=(H-HR)/(AB-HR-K+Sac Flies)

Advanced Baseball Statistics: SLG

SLG (Slugging Percentage):
Purpose: To determine the power or extra-base hit potential of a given player.
Explained: A player's slugging percentage (or slugging average) is how many total bases that player gets per at-bat via hit. If a player were to get a single in every single at-bat, for instance, his SLG would be 1.000. A homerun every at-bat would result in a 4.000. Because extra-base hits count for much more than singles, power hitters typically have higher SLG than contact hitters (in 2011, Derek Jeter's SLG was .370, while Adam Dunn's was .536, even though Jeter had a higher batting average).
SLG=(Total Bases via Hit)/Total At Bats

Advanced Statistics: OBP

OBP (On Base Percentage):

Purpose: To determine how often a player reaches base, either by hit, walk, or hit by pitch.
Introduced: 1984
Explained: Assuming that a player has received a sufficient number of plate appearances, the differential between his batting average and OBP will often tell how patient that hitter is. In 2004, Barry Bonds's OBP was .609, while his batting average was .362, an indication of his incredibly high walk total of 232.
OBP=(Hits+Walks+HBP)/Plate Appearances

Advanced Baseball Statistics: WAR

WAR (Wins Above Replacement):
Purpose: Identify how valuable a player (position player or pitcher) is to his team. It calculates approximately how many wins he is responsible for over the course of the season, assuming his replacement was a slightly below average utility-type player.
Introduced: ?
Explained: WAR attempts to combine every aspect of a player's game into one concrete number. By this number, pitchers and position players can be compared. It also takes into account a player's position, and the performance of the league around here. It essentially ends the argument of who is more valuable to his team, Joe Mauer, Miguel Cabrera, or Cliff Lee; all can be compared through this one statistic. The equation for calculating it is incredibly complex, and I will not even try to attempt it, but if more information is needed, refer to Fangraphs.

Advanced Baseball Statistics: The Save

Baseball revolves around statistics, perhaps, more than any other sport. Consequently, baseball statistics are more numerous and intricate than those of other sports. As baseball transitions from being our national pastime to a primarily analytical pursuit, appealing less to the average American and more to the obsessed fantasy manager, the relevance of statistics is only increasing. Over the past 30 years, fanatical statisticians and baseball analysts have created a multitude of new statistics that may seem foreign to the casual baseball fan. We will periodically explain many of these statistics, here's the first:

The Save:

Purpose: To reward relief pitchers for closing a game under particularly stressful circumstances.
Introduced: 1969
Explained: Saves are awarded to the pitcher that meets all of the following requirements

1. He records the last out for the game for the winning team
   



2. He is not the winning pitcher
   



3. He is records at least one out
   



4. 
   
   
   He satisfies one of the following conditions:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   1. He enters the game with a lead of ≤ 3 runs and pitches for at least one inning
      
   
   
   
   2. He enters the game with the potential tying run either on deck, at bat, or on base
      
   
   
   
   3. He pitches for 3+ innings