Crazy Uncle Milton's Shot Blasting Sploogefest Emporium

[Tank]

Also, a 143 OPS+ means that the player has an OPS (remember, it's "adjusted") that 43% than average.

Not exactly.

OPS+ doesn't actually directly compare a player's OPS to league average OPS.

Rather, the ratio of a player's ballpark-adjusted OBP over league OBP is added to the ratio of his ballpark-adjusted SLG over league SLG, and the sum normalized to 100:

OPS+ = 100 * ( (OBP / league OBP) + (SLG / league SLG) - 1)

Say, for sake of easy math, league OBP and SLG are both .400, and league OPS therefore: .400 + .400 = .800...

A player whose park-adjusted OBP and SLG are both 50% better than these league averages (.600 each) would have an OPS that is also 50% better than the league (.600 + .600 = 1.200 = .800*1.5).

His OPS+, however, would be...

100*((.600/.400)+(.600/.400)-1) = 200

...a full 100% higher than league average.

Interesting.  So, a 144 OPS+ would mean that the player OPSed roughly 22% better than league average?  That would make more sense.

Something like that.

Except, a less eye-popping number like that may understate just how much better this player actually is versus the average player in real baseball terms.

I mean, for sake of context, a full-season OPS+ at 150 or over is really fucking good—orders of magnitude better than the average player, colloquially speaking.

A season OPS+ over 150 easily puts a player among the top 10 batters across baseball each year (often enough top 5; maybe only top 15 or top 20 at the height of the steroid era).

By the same token, a season OPS+ of 200 or above is beyond elite.

Since 1901, there have only been 17 batters who've managed to put up a full-season OPS+ at this level one or more seasons (49 total seasons between them).

The complete list:

Barry Bonds
Mark McGwire
Jeff Bagwell
Frank Thomas
George Brett
Willie McCovey
Mickey Mantle
Norm Cash
Ted Williams
Stan Musial
Lou Gehrig
Jimmie Foxx
Rogers Hornsby
Babe Ruth
Ty Cobb
Honus Wagner
Nap Lajoie

[Tank]

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports_hardball/2009/06/bradley-grabs-some-bench.html

Manager Lou Piniella has benched Bradley today against Detroit, and said the mercurial outfielder probably won't play on Friday either.

"Let's just call it a day off for today," Piniella said, adding Bradley will play on Saturday and Sunday "for sure."

Call it what you want, but it's still a benching. Bradley is hitting .205 against right-handers with 30 strikeouts in 117 at-bats.The Cubs face left-handers Mark Buehrle and John Danks on Saturday and Sunday.

Way to bury the lede...

"You know what, it's true," he said with a laugh. "It usually works. This one didn't work."

In the past, Piniella might've chalked it up to being a "Cubbie Occurrence." But on Thursday he officially buried the term he coined in 2007.

[Eli]

A season OPS+ over 150 easily puts a player among the top 10 batters across baseball each year (often enough top 5; maybe only top 15 or top 20 at the height of the steroid era).

By the same token, a season OPS+ of 200 or above is beyond elite.

So, like, this was pretty good?

[Kermit, B.]

A season OPS+ over 150 easily puts a player among the top 10 batters across baseball each year (often enough top 5; maybe only top 15 or top 20 at the height of the steroid era).

By the same token, a season OPS+ of 200 or above is beyond elite.

So, like, this was pretty good?

Whose numbers are those?  Jeff Kent's?

[ChuckD]

A season OPS+ over 150 easily puts a player among the top 10 batters across baseball each year (often enough top 5; maybe only top 15 or top 20 at the height of the steroid era).

By the same token, a season OPS+ of 200 or above is beyond elite.

So, like, this was pretty good?

Not as good as what Weebs put up in his softball league. Nor what he put up in his 15 year 2K9 career with the sliders set to "Jesus Christ."

[MAD]

Michael touched so many people..

[Quality Start Machine]

Michael touched so many people..

Don't talk about yourself in the third person, it only makes you more of a jagoff.

[BH]

Milton didn't come out after the 6th inning, he hurt again?

[Slaky]

Milton didn't come out after the 6th inning, he hurt again?

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports_hardball/2009/06/did-piniella-and-bradley-have-it-out.html

[BH]

Milton didn't come out after the 6th inning, he hurt again?

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports_hardball/2009/06/did-piniella-and-bradley-have-it-out.html

I hope he called up Steve Stone in the booth after and bitched him out.

[PenFoe]

Milton didn't come out after the 6th inning, he hurt again?

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports_hardball/2009/06/did-piniella-and-bradley-have-it-out.html

I hope he called up Steve Stone in the booth after and bitched him out.

Fuck this guy.

[ChuckD]

Milton didn't come out after the 6th inning, he hurt again?

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports_hardball/2009/06/did-piniella-and-bradley-have-it-out.html

I hope he called up Steve Stone in the booth after and bitched him out.

Fuck this guy.

I love Milton Bradley and I wish you wouldn't be so mean toward BH.

[PenFoe]

Milton didn't come out after the 6th inning, he hurt again?

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports_hardball/2009/06/did-piniella-and-bradley-have-it-out.html

I hope he called up Steve Stone in the booth after and bitched him out.

Fuck this guy.

I love Milton Bradley and I wish you wouldn't be so mean toward BH.

I meant Steve Stone.

no I didn't

[PenFoe]

DPD.

Lou speaks.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella explained his tiff with outfielder Milton Bradley during a post-game chat with reporters Friday evening.
Piniella pulled Bradley in the sixth inning and the two exchanged heated words in the clubhouse tunnel. "I told him to take his uniform off," Lou said. "He threw his helmet and smashed a water cooler, water flying all over. I just told him to take his uniform off and go home. I followed him up into the clubhouse, and we exchanged some words." GM Jim Hendry added that he'll have a chat with Bradley on Saturday.

[Waco Kid]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-27-cubs-milton-bradley-side-jun27,0,40471.story

Before throwing his helmet and the sports drink cooler, before getting into a heated exchange with manager Lou Piniella and before being sent home in the sixth inning, Milton Bradley spoke candidly of his feeling of isolation in the Cubs clubhouse.