One of the most common complaints from fantasy owners is their
inherent failure to differentiate between the likes of Richard
Hidalgo and Mike Lowell.
Look at their home runs, and the two are about even. Same thing
with RBIs and runs scored. Lowell holds the current advantage in
average, but that’s likely to come down.
So with all these statistics so close to each other, what
determines who’s the better hitter?
I would like to present to all of you the category of OPS
““ on-base plus slugging percentage. It’s the category
that will revolutionize the way fantasy owners look at hitters.
Some owners are still not convinced, but there are those who
resisted in believing the world was round, too.
OPS delivers a much truer definition of a player’s overall
offensive potential. Lowell’s OPS before Tuesday’s game
was .960. Hidalgo’s was .842.
Anything over .825 is usually good, but what Lowell is doing is
flat-out incredible. He’s definitely the one to own. Though
turning down a hitter from Enron … err … Ten Run … err …
Home Run … err … Astros Field is hard to do.
If you use this comparison with any other pair of hitters,
it’s going to be rare that the better hitter doesn’t
have the higher OPS.
Bonds is at an astronomical 1.536 clip. Manny Ramirez and Sammy
Sosa rank second and third among regulars, coming in just under
1.200.
Austin Kearns, he of the insanely hot start, is fifth. Other
names atop the list include Vladimir Guerrero, Alex Rodriguez,
Lance Berkman, Cliff Floyd, Jim Edmonds and Carlos Delgado.
Tell the Fantasy League Guru you wouldn’t want any of
those hitters on your roster.
The key of OPS, though, is how it helps identify the Torii
Hunter or Dmitri Young. It helps you realize that Omar Vizquel has
gone nuts with his six home runs and 26 walks to only 14
strikeouts.
Kenny Lofton and J.D. Drew are not hitting quite as well as
you’d figure, with OPS barely cracking the .800 mark. Hell,
Robin Ventura is over .900.
Preston Wilson, Sean Casey and Brian Jordan are constant
underachievers in this category, giving you further proof that
their value should be lowered.
So sail into the sea, don’t be afraid of falling off the
edge, and from now on always rely on OPS.