The good folks at Walk Like a Sabermetrician have posted an article on the trouble with OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) as a statistic (tip o’ the Knuckle Curve cap to Baseball Think Factory). This is a drum I’ve beaten at various points in the past, with limited success, but here is the problem in a nutshell:
What if we think about what OPS looks like if you write it with a common denominator? Now we have:
OPS = ((H+W)*AB + TB*(AB+W))/(AB*(AB+W))
That is a hideous equation that measures, um… what? Anyway, I agree with the overall sentiment:
OPS is a fine, quick …read more

The Oakland A’s have traded veteran catcher Jason Kendall to the Chicago Cubs for left-hander Jerry Blevins and catcher Rob Bowen. The linked article’s headline reads “Cubs strengthen catcher position,” but I don’t see how.
Kendall is batting .226/.261/.281 this season, and he’s 33 years old. Since the start of the 2005 season, his line is a surreal .271/.337/.321. Kendall’s slugging percentage is the lowest in the big leagues during that stretch:

Lowest Slugging Percentages, 2005 – 2007

Player
BA
OBP
SLG
ISO

Stats are through games of July 15, 2007, and are courtesy of David Pinto’s Day by Day Database. Minimum 1500 plate appearances.

Jason Kendall
.271
.337
.321
.050

Willy Taveras
.292
.337
.350
.058

Omar Vizquel
.275
.339
.355
.080

Juan …read more