If UZR is completely garbage, than OPS is a total garbage stat as well.
It is indeed interesting that the year-to-year fluctuation in OPS isn't much smaller than that of individual defenders' UZR ratings...
And UZR defenders (present company excepted) pound this point constantly...
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However, we now know that there is a huge luck factor in hitting (BABIP, HR/F* etc) that is not present* in fielding, so for that (and other) reasons, the "range of coefficient" argument is a tad misleading...
No hitter is going to run OPS's that are as mind-numbingly consistent as Roy Halladay's BB rate. But it doesn't *quite* mean that OPS is a junk stat. Albert Pujols is not going to run an 100 OPS+ this year no matter to whom he is traded, but it is quite possible that Chone Figgins could run a negative UZR at 3B playing for some team or other.
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Like you say Taro, you composite the stats and if they and the scouts agree, you've got something.
I think it's pretty clear that Chone Figgins, once Scioscia got him to bear down, was a real good fielder for the Angels.
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