MLB On-Base Plus Slugging (OPS) Explained

On-base plus slugging (OPS) is an important sabermetric baseball statistic. If you want to improve your MLB betting and make bigger profits in the long run, you can use OPS data to get you there.

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In this guide to on-base plus slugging, we explain how the metric works, how to calculate OPS and how bettors can use the sabermetric statistic to beat the bookies. Ready? Let’s go!

How Does OPS Work?

On-base plus slugging is the combined metric of on-base percentage and slugging percentage, representing a hitter’s capability to both get on base frequently and produce impactful hits. Essentially, OPS encapsulates a player’s ability to reach base consistently and the quality of their hits.

Some people confuse OPS with batting average, but batting average doesn’t account for the type of hits in the same manner as OPS.

For instance, consider a player with 33 singles in 100 at-bats, resulting in a .330 average. Similarly, a player with 33 home runs in 100 at-bats would also yield a .330 average, but the player with 33 home runs contributes more value than the player with 33 singles, leading to a higher OPS.

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How to Calculate OPS

Thankfully, on-base plus slugging is easy to calculate. All you need to do is simply add on-base percentage (OBP) and slugging percentage together. Here is the formula for OPS:

OBP + Slugging Percentage = OPS

For those unaware, OBP refers to how frequently a hitter reaches base per plate appearance, while slugging percentage represents the total number of bases a player records per at-bat.

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How Bettors Can Utilize OPS

OPS can be used to evaluate the overall strength of a hitter. Naturally, hitters with higher OPS numbers tend to make a bigger impact on the game, while players with lower OPS numbers aren’t as efficient with the bat.

Like most baseball statistics, OPS is not fool proof, but it works well when it comes to determining a player’s offensive value to their team. As a result, you bettors can use OPS data for markets like moneylines, totals, handicaps and props.

Bettors can also utilize OPS for futures markets such as MVP, Silver Slugger and Hank Aaron Award. If a player racks up the highest OPS across the course of a season, why not back them to win an award the following season?

Let’s finish by checking out the top five players with the highest OPS in the 2022 MLB season. This will give you an idea about what kind of numbers to look out for.

1. Aaron Judge (1.111 OPS)

2. Yordan Alvarez (1.019 OPS)

3. Paul Goldschmidt (.982 OPS)

4. Jose Altuve (.920 OPS)

5. Freddie Freeman (.918 OPS)

Learn how BABIP works and how wOBA works next.