also posted at HTM
On-base + slugging percentage is a quick and dirty way to judge a player's offensive output. It doesn't rely on teammates getting on base ahead of a player, it stresses the importance of a walk, and it's becoming more and more popular with every season that goes by. Sure, it has its problems, such as weighing OBP and SLG equally, and ignoring other aspects of offense, but it's still a reasonable way to quickly judge players.

Now, after that dry introduction, let's take a look at the top 10 in the Majors since the All-Star break (July 13th on):

1. Pat Burrell 1.198
   
2. Miguel Cabrera 1.189
   
3. Jorge Posada 1.188
   
4. Robinson Cano 1.73
   
5. Jermaine Dye 1.135
   
6. Ryan Howard 1.114
   
7. Hanley Ramirez 1.108
   
8. Milton Bradley 1.104
   
9. Albert Pujols 1.071
   
10. Ryan Braun 1.062

There's a second Phillie on this list, one Ryan Howard. Recently he's started to come under fire by some Phils fans for not playing up to the level of what they believe he should be reaching...well these numbers kind of throw that out of the window eh? 10 homers in June, 10 homers in July, and 4 so far in August say his power is still there. He still has a good eye at the plate (77 walks, 395 OBP), and he's still a force up there. So why are there rumblings about his hitting? Strikeouts and batting average, the last two vestiges of horrible statistical analysis. People who look at ballplayers through batting average, homers, RBIs and strikeouts see Ryan Howard as excelling in two categories and struggling in two others. They don't look at VORP, EQA, or WARP, let alone even freaking OBP or OPS. So Ryan Howard is 'striking out too much' and `not hitting enough'. Well, only in the very biased eyes of the uninformed.

The rest of the list is an interesting mix of youngsters (Robinson Cano, Ryan Braun, Hanley Ramirez) and veterans (Jorge Posada, Jermaine Dye, Milton Bradley). Cano had a horrendous start to the 2007 campaign, with a 741 OPS pre-allstar. Braun has been the best hitting rookie BY FAR, and is the far and away leader for Rookie of the Year. And Hanley Ramirez? He's the best SS in the Major Leagues this season, and it's not freaking close. But he's not as exciting as Reyes! because he plays for the Marlins.

As for the veterans, Posada's terrific year has helped to keep the Yankees afloat, and with so many hitters clicking at once in that lineup, the Yankees are winning ballgame after ballgame by bludgeoning their opponents with bats. And if Phillies fans thought that Pat Burrell had a frustrating first-half to the 2007 season, take a look at Jermaine Dye's year. He saw his OPS dip to 673 on July 6th. The man couldn't hit and wasn't being all that patient up there. It looked like his career was over. Then he just flipped a switch and started scolding the ball. His horrible BABIP (which measures that average that balls fall into play for a batter) turned around. He has as many homers (12) in 107 AB as he did all of the first half (266 AB). After a terrific 2006, and a horrible half a season, it looks like he's back in the saddle and could have gotten himself a few extra dollars next season.

Milton Bradley also appears on the list and, even though he's seen his fair share of the pine due to various nagging injuries, he's been an integral cog in that San Diego Padres offense.  The Oakland As let him go for `chemistry' reasons, but he seems to be having no problem fitting in with the Padres organization.  His patience at the plate and his ability to hit the ball has been unmatched by most everyone in baseball, as evidenced by his place in the top 10.  It's only been 22 games with the Padres, but it's starting to look like a great fit.

Finally, I'd just like to mention that Miguel Cabrera is a sick, sick hitter. He flat out smokes the ball to all fields and hardly ever gets fooled...so what do people talk about? Him gaining some weight over the past two seasons. The weight might be a detriment on defense, but it's not affecting the MAIN reason that he's such a great ballplayer, so why make a big deal out of it? Cabrera knows he should probably lose a few lbs, and I'm sure that he'll come to spring training 2008 in good shape. Why is this worthy of a feature?