A .400 on-base-average makes the OPS much better
You might be surprised that the batter’s number one goal is not to get a base hit. The actual number one goal is to not make an out. Getting on base has always been important. Advanced metrics have done nothing to change that fact. In the history of MLB only 62 players have posted a .400 on-base-percentage or on-base-average (OBA). This means the batter gets on base 40% of the time or better. The special 62 have at least 3,000 career MLB plate appearances. Ted Williams tops the list all-time at a ridiculous .482 OBA. Babe Ruth is second at .474. The single season record for OBA is held by Barry Bonds at an unbelievable .609 in 2004. Bonds also has the second-best all-time OBA for a season at .582 in 2002.
Of the players with career OBA’s over .400, 22 of them are not Hall-of-Famers. Juan Soto (.421 career OBA), Mike Trout (.412 career OBA), and Joey Votto (.409 OBA), are all active players. The other 19 not in Cooperstown who have career OBA’s over .400, include players you remember such as Barry Bonds (.444), Shoeless Joe Jackson (.423), Manny Ramirez (.411,) and Lance Berkman (.406). It also has names you might not remember but are memorable names just the same — Cupid Childs (.416) and Lefty O’Doul (.413). A list can be found here and point of interest sliding below a .400 career OBA, Aaron Judge comes in at an impressive .396 career OBA.
Another traditional statistic is on base plus slugging average. Slugging average by itself is total bases divided by plate appearances. If a player goes 2–5 in a game with a single and a double but makes an out the other three at-bats, his slugging average is .600 (3 total bases in 5 AB’s). Slugging averages over .600 are excellent. If the player had walked in one of his AB’s instead of striking out, the slugging average would be 1.000 (4 total bases in 4 official Abs). In 2004 Barry Bonds had an OPS of 1.42. His .609 OBA was nearly 43% of his slugging total. Josh Gibson holds the top two slots all time for OPS in a single season.
When using OPS as a measurement Bill James offered that .900 and higher OPS is classified as great.
Category Classification & OPS range
A = Great .9000 and higher
B = Very good .8334 to .8999
C = Above average .7667 to .8333
D = Average .7000 to .7666
E = Below average .6334 to .6999
F = Poor .5667 to .6333
G = Very poor .5666 and lower
With on base percentage being more than 40% of the total number, if you want to run with the best, a consistent OBA is a given. MLB with some of the new rules is trying to move away from the ‘three true outcomes’ phase — base-on-balls, strikeout, or home run. In 2023 Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies had a very pedestrian OBA of .343 and an OPS of .817 which while not great, it is considered by Bill James to be ‘Very Good’. This is despite Schwarber having a batting average of .197 while walking 126 times and striking out 215. It’s hard to believe Schwarber can dramatically increase his bases-on-balls total in 2024. Not as hard to believe that about his strikeouts.
If a hitter does not have the power of Kyle Schwarber or any of the top power hitters in MLB today getting on base more often is the key in contributing to the team’s run production. Runs scored by table-setters becomes more important when the ball is not flying out of the park.
The all-time career list for on-base average https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/onbase_perc_career.shtml in the top 15 playing in the modern era (1901-), features both players with great power, (Ruth, Rogers Hornsby, Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Oscar Charleston, and Bonds), and those without much power (Slidin’ Billy Hamilton, John McGraw, Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Jud Wilson, Eddie Collins, and Ferris Fain). Notable for Collins and Fain is that Collins is that both sport a .424 career OBA. Collins is in the HOF as a second baseman who starred on winning teams. Fain was a first baseman on lousy teams, had limited power and played only 9 seasons. He is largely forgotten. On base average can only get some players so far.
About the Author: Mark Kolier along with his son Gordon co-hosts a baseball podcast called ‘Almost Cooperstown’. He also has written baseball-related articles that can be accessed on Medium.com and now Substack.com.
