Regarding using statistics to assess players and design game plans, softball, like baseball, is far ahead of other major sports. As much as purists may insist on the eye test, numbers are a necessary tool for understanding the game and appropriately valuing individuals.
This is especially true today, given the recent rise in advanced statistics. However, professionals are continuously creating new measurements to offer a detailed picture of what’s happening on the field, even though statistics have a long history in softball. However, there is a gradual shift away from classic statistical measures, such as batting average (BA).
For example, many think that OPS (On Base Percentage plus Slugging) is the most excellent method to judge how good a handed batter is. So, in softball, what does OPS mean?
In softball, what is the OPS?
Softball OPS (On Base Percentage plus Slugging) initially arose in baseball, like many other things in softball. Despite the similarities between the two games, key distinctions, such as pitching distance, make it more significant in softball.
On-Base Percentage (OBP) and Single-Lead Probability (SLP) are two more statistical variables that make up the OPS (Slugging Percentage). Softball OPS combines these two metrics to provide a more valuable and all-encompassing statistic to characterize a hitter’s performance.
As a result, the two most critical aspects of a player’s performance are assessed. The on-base Percentage (OPS) measures how frequently a player reaches second base and how well he hits the ball. This kind of number is not only helpful, but it’s also straightforward to understand, even for casual fans, unlike some other recent stats. The first step in understanding Softball OPS is to get familiar with the individual stats that make up the metric.
In softball, what is the on-base Percentage (OBP)?
A better variant of BA, OBP, or On Base Percentage has been developed and extended (Batting Average). This statistic’s premise is simple: it counts the number of times a player reaches or avoids the base of the fences. Compared to batting average (BA), it incorporates hits, walks, a hit-by-pitch, and sacrifice flies.
If you get there by any method, this tells you how many times you’ve made it there. OBP is calculated by dividing the total number of these occurrences by the number of times a hitter has come to the plate. OBP typically exceeds the batting average in the majority of situations.
What Is Softball’s SLG?
The second component of Softball OPS, SLG or Slugging Percentage, is designed to consider a batter’s overall power in addition to his home run totals. This is accomplished by giving each base a numerical value to indicate the quality of the impact. It gauges the quality of a hitter’s hits in this way.
There is a single, a double, etc., etc. To compute the slugging Percentage, the number of hits must be multiplied by a predetermined amount, and this amount then splits the total number of at-bats.
What Is A Good Batting Average In Softball?
Bill James, the master of advanced baseball statistics, has devised a scale that may be used to gauge the quality of a player’s OPS. Softball uses his scale as well, and it performs well. You may use it to assess your softball offensive.
Does Softball OPS stand up under scrutiny?
OPS is perhaps the most OK measure available to softball coaches when evaluating their offensive. OPS is the most excellent way to measure a softball batter’s performance since the contemporary technology utilized in MLB, such as monitoring the courses of hit balls, is seldom employed in softball games.
This book is critical regarding a batter’s ability to get on base and generate power. It is superior to BA in that it considers more than just hits. Slugging % increases the amount of data offered by OBP, and each hit now has a varied value thanks to the addition of this metric.
However, Softball OPS has its downsides. OBP and SLG are treated as having the same value, which is a major grievance. On the other hand, OBP has a more significant impact on run-scoring than SLG, and it’s worth roughly twice as much, according to some research. In addition, OPS does not consider that various ballparks have varying playing conditions.
How Is Softball OPS Measured?
At least compared to other sophisticated statistical categories, Softball OPS is one of the most remarkable things about it, and it’s when the game’s fundamental statistics are readily accessible. To compute On Base Percentage and Slugging, you don’t need to be a math genius.
First, I’ll look at how OBS and SLG are computed to know how this is calculated.
- The formula for the OBS
OBP may be calculated using the following formula:
(H + BB + HBP) / (AB + BB + SF + HBP) is the formula for OBP
Bases on balls are abbreviated as BB, and times hit by a pitch are shortened as HPB. At-bats (ABs) and sacrifice flies (SFs) are the other variables in the equation.
- The SLG formula
SLG has a straightforward formula:
TB / AB = SLG
The TB is the number of bases a player has, whereas the AB is the number of official at-bats they have had. Each foundation is given a distinct amount of weight. Consequently, a more complex equation looks like this.
To get SLG, we need to multiply by AB the sum of the following: 1B stands for one base, 2B for two floors, 3B for three bases, and HR stands for a home run.
- The OPS Formula
Adding together the OBP and SLG figures gives us OPS.
To calculate OPS, add together OBP and SLG.
In other words, OPS is equal to the product of AB(H) and TB(AB) and the sum of AB(SF) and TB(AB + BB + HBP).
Final Words
The days of evaluating a softball player’s success only based on home runs, RBIs, and batting averages are long gone. On-Base Percentage plus Slugging (OBP+S) is one of the essential tools for softball coaches today.
Softball OPS has significant drawbacks, yet it is still widely used. This is due mainly to its simplicity and capacity to capture several facets of a batter’s game. A batter’s performance and its impact on the team’s ability to win softball games can now be assessed in much more detail and complexity, which is helpful to both coaches and viewers.