Skip to content

Baseball Basics: Can you explain the term OPS?

Posted by on 5 January 2012, 1:16 am

Can you explain the term OPS?

This is a question I get asked about all the time, as the term has become more used in everyday baseball lingo. So, I will do my best to explain OPS and why it is has become so beneficial.

Definition of OPS:

OPS, is the abbreviation for the batting stat on-base plus slugging, which is the sum of a hitter’s on-base percentage (OBP) and slugging percentage (SLG).

Since a batter’s success is mainly attributed to hitting for power (SLG) and getting on-base (OBP), the statistical answer to combine both is OPS.

Ultimately, it is like killing two birds with one stone.

OPS formula breakdown: Continue reading ‘Baseball Basics: Can you explain the term OPS?’ »

Tagged , ,
5 Comments

Baseball Basics: What is the Rule 5 Draft?

Posted by on 2 December 2011, 11:08 pm

What is the RULE 5 DRAFT in Major League Baseball?

PURPOSE of the RULE 5 DRAFT:

The Rule 5 Draft was generated to stop MLB teams from stockpiling minor league prospects indefinitely in their farm system. With the Rule 5 Draft a player has an opportunity to be picked up by a team who is willing to play him in the Majors.

WHERE AND WHEN IS THE RULE 5 DRAFT:

The Rule 5 Draft happens in December at the annual Winter Meetings of all 30 MLB teams General Managers. This off-season’s Winter Meetings begin on December 5th, with the Rule 5 Draft scheduled for the last day of the Winter Meetings, which is on December 8th.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE RULE 5 DRAFT:

Any minor league player, who has been retained for three, (signed at age 19) or four years, (signed at age 18); and are still not on their respective club’s 40-man roster. Minor leaguers’ who are on the team’s 40-man roster before the fixed time expires are protected, or ineligible to be drafted under Rule 5.

MLB Teams with no open spots on their 40-man roster are not allowed to partake in the Rule 5 Draft.

The Rule 5 Draft allows for a team to steal a raw, top prospect from another club who deems the player is not close to Major League ready in terms of their team. These are diamonds in the rough and are rarely found, but one example of a successful Rule 5 drafted is two-time CY Young winner Johan Santana.

EXAMPLE OF RULE 5 DRAFT: Continue reading ‘Baseball Basics: What is the Rule 5 Draft?’ »

Tagged , , , , ,
1 Comment

Baseball Basics: Statistical Basics Part 2

Posted by on 13 May 2010, 7:19 pm

The first part of this basic covered the batters, so here is the second post which gives definitions of the pitching statistics abbreviations.

Baseball Basics Question:

“WHAT STATISTICS DO ALL THE ABBREVIATIONS STAND FOR?” PART 2

For Pitchers:

Tagged , , , , ,
1 Comment

Baseball Basics: Statistical Basics

Posted by on 13 May 2010, 2:09 am

Hey newbie fans, hopefully by now you have started to grasp the basics of baseball.

Now with the season in full swing, you newbies should be ready for the next question. This has been asked a few times over the last week.

Baseball Basics Question:

“WHAT STATISICS DO ALL THE ABBREVIATIONS STAND FOR?”

Batters and pitchers both have their own set of statistics. To make it easier, I have two separate posts, one for batting and the other for pitching. Continue reading ‘Baseball Basics: Statistical Basics’ »

Tagged , , , , , , , ,
Comments Off

Baseball Basics: Watching A Game, Part Two

Posted by on 29 March 2010, 11:55 pm

Part two: Watching A Game, is to help the newbie fan with basic game lingo.

It will come in handy especially when watching a game on TV or listening on the radio to start to understand the announcers jargon and relating it to whats going on in the game.

BASEBALL’S BASIC LINGO:

Bat: If you don’t know this, STOP and forget baseball.

Baseball: The ball pitchers throw and batters try to hit with the bat.

Bases Empty: Bases are empty.

Continue reading ‘Baseball Basics: Watching A Game, Part Two’ »

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
Comments Off

Baseball Basics: Watching A Game

Posted by on 16 March 2010, 11:37 pm

Ok, it is time to learn the basics of what goes on in a baseball game, and to make it easier for the newbie it will be split into two posts, over two weeks.

Part One will cover the bare bones about # of games, game break down and how a batter can get on base.

THE SEASON

Baseball season starts in February and ends in October, consisting of three segments, preseason, regular season and post-season.

  1. Pre-season or Spring Training starts in February.
  2. Regular Season starts the first week in April, ending in late September – early October.
  3. Post-Season or Playoffs takes up the month of October, finishing up with the World Series.

There are 30 teams in Major League Baseball.

In a regular season each team plays 162 games.*

A GAME

  • Each team uses nine players in a game.
  • A baseball game is played for nine innings.*
  • Each inning lasts through both teams having a chance at bat and in the field.
  • To start the game, the visiting team will be up at bat first while the home team takes the field.
  • The team at bat hits through three outs and then the teams switch.

UP AT BAT

  • The goal of the game is to score runs.
  • In order to score a run the batter must safely touch first, second, and third bases and end back at home plate.
  • There are many ways to score runs and for batters to get on a base. Here are the basics:

  1. SINGLE: a batter makes it safely to first base.
  2. DOUBLE: a batter makes it safely to second base without stopping.
  3. TRIPLE: a the batter makes it safely to third base without stopping.
  4. HOMERUN: a batter makes it safely around all bases, and back to home without stopping.
  5. GRAND-SLAM: is a homerun, when all the bases are already occupied with a runner, or when the bases or loaded.
  6. WALK: when the batter is pitched four balls, automatically sending him to first base.
  7. HIT BY PITCH: the pitcher hits the batter with the ball, automatically allowing him to go to first base.
  8. ERROR: is when the fielding team makes a mistake (bad throw ir dropping a ball) thus allowing the batter to safely make it to a base. Recorded as an error by the fielder, no credit for a hit given to the batter.

* exception of tied record within a divison where an additional game is played to determine post-season spot.

* in the event of a tied score at the end of the ninth inning, a game goes into extra innings until an inning ends with one team having more runs scored.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Tagged , , , , , , ,
1 Comment

Baseball Basics: The Who, What, Where

Posted by on 9 March 2010, 8:13 am

BASEBALL BASICS

WEEKLY QUESTION:

Last season during the bottom of the second inning, one of my best friend’s cheered, “There is Derek Jeter! Go Jeter!”
Except she was pointing at the catcher, Jorge Posada squatting behind home-plate.
I asked her, “What position does Derek Jeter play?”
She responds, “Hmmm shortstop, right?”

To aide in times like the above, please refer to the basic baseball field outline below.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,
1 Comment
  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2