OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging)
OPS is simply on-base percentage plus slugging percentage. It became the go-to stat for fans who wanted something better than batting average but didn’t want to dive into advanced metrics. It’s simple, useful, and available on every stat sheet.
The reason OPS works is that it captures both main dimensions of hitting: getting on base (OBP) and hitting for power (SLG). A .800 OPS means the batter is contributing meaningfully on both fronts. Below .700, they’re struggling. Above .900, they’re dangerous.
The flaw in OPS is that it treats OBP and SLG as equally important, when research shows OBP is roughly 1.7x more valuable for scoring runs. That’s why more precise metrics like wOBA exist — and why NUT Score relies on wOBA rather than OPS. But for a quick read on a hitter, OPS is still very useful.
What is a good OPS?
OPS is a quick approximation of offensive value, but NUT Score uses wOBA instead because it more accurately weights each offensive event by its actual run contribution.
How NUT Score works →