What Does OPS Mean in Baseball?

Statistics are a major part of conducting research when evaluating MLB odds. Numbers like OPS, WHIP, and WAR are commonplace in baseball discourse. There can be a lot of jargon associated with the sport, though, so it’s vital to understand what each metric is showing. 

While analytics are a massive part of baseball in the 21st century, the majority of statistics are easy to understand.

What Does OPS Mean in Baseball?

OPS in baseball is the sum of on-base percentage (OBP) and slugging percentage (SLG). On-base percentage calculates how frequently a player reaches base. Slugging percentage is the total number of bases divided by the total number of at-bats. 

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Initially popularized in 1984, OPS has appeared on Topps trading cards since 2004. While it is not a perfect metric because of how it equally weighs OBP and SLG, OPS is still informative.

OPS+ is also commonly used. This metric is adjusted for league-wide production and ballpark factors. A 100 OPS+ is exactly the league average, while a 125 OPS+ would signify a hitter is 25% better than the league average.

In 2023, the league average OPS was .734. Shohei Ohtani had the best OPS in the majors, at 1.066. 

Any OPS close to 1.000 is excellent. An OPS of .800 or above is very good.

What Is WHIP in Baseball?

WHIP is the shorthand for walks and hits per inning pitched. This is calculated by adding the number of walks and hits allowed by a pitcher. This is then divided by the number of innings they have pitched.

The league average WHIP was 1.315 in 2023. Addie Joss has the lowest career WHIP of 0.97. Jacob deGrom is the active leader at 0.99.

This statistic shows how many baserunners a pitcher allows. It does not account for the number of runs conceded or how a pitcher gets their outs, but limiting baserunners is obviously a positive. 

Able to unleash their electric stuff for short outings, relievers inevitably produce the best WHIP numbers. For instance, Craig Kimbrel had a 0.68 WHIP in 2017, and Emmanuel Clase had a 0.59 WHIP in 2024 at the time of writing (May 23, 2024).

What Is WAR in Baseball?

WAR stands for “wins above replacement.” This metric aims to quantify the total contributions from a player to their team by comparing them with a replacement player. 

While the other statistics in this article are all calculated in the same way, there are different methods for determining WAR. 

Baseball Reference’s bWAR and Fangraphs’ fWAR often produce different numbers. Baseball Reference uses DRS for defence, while Fangraphs uses UZR. For pitchers, there can be some sizeable gaps. Fangraphs utilizes FIP, while Baseball Reference works their pitcher WAR out using runs allowed per nine innings.

Fangraphs WAR rewards high-strikeout pitchers. For position players, bWAR and fWAR are generally relatively similar unless there is a major discrepancy in a player’s UZR and DRS. 

WAR has become a commonly used statistic when discussing players, particularly when evaluating Hall of Fame candidacy and MVP races. I will often look at a player’s bWAR and fWAR when analyzing online sports betting markets for Rookie of the Year and MVP.  

What Is ERA in Baseball?

ERA stands for earned run average. This is the number of earned runs a pitcher allows per nine innings pitched. A pitcher is only given an earned run if the run scores without the help of errors from the fielding team, including passed balls, missed pickoff attempts, and fielding mistakes.

While other metrics have significance when looking at Cy Young baseball betting markets, ERA is still the most widely used statistic when discussing the success of a pitcher. The best starting pitchers will generally have an ERA below 3.00. 

There are variations on ERA, including xERA and ERA+. The latter normalizes a pitcher’s ERA across the entire league, including factors like opponent and ballparks. A 100 ERA+ is league average, and any number above that means the pitcher has been performing at an above-average level. 

xERA is expected ERA. Using xwOBA, which is calculated with batted-ball data, strikeouts, and walks, this works out what a pitcher’s expected ERA is. This can be a good indicator of whether a pitcher has been unlucky or if they have suffered from poor defence.