Stat of the week: What is tOPS+

• tOPS+ shows how well the player did for that split compared with his own overall performance
• Howard's September-October tOPS+ is 124%2C meaning he performed 24%25 better than he usually does overall

Each week, HighHeatStats.com will focus on one advanced statistic and explain its significance. This week: tOPS+

Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies won't be playing this month. That's too bad — because he's a really good hitter in September.

Howard has a September-October OPS (on-base-plus-slugging percentage) of 1.018. That figure is seventh since 1916 (behind Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Hank Greenberg, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Rogers Hornsby). Howard also rates among the top 10 in a stat called tOPS+.

tOPS+ can be found at Baseball-Reference.com, which allows you to view many kinds of splits and gives each a tOPS+ value. tOPS+ shows how well the player did for that split compared with his own overall performance. A tOPS+ of 100 means the player performed in line with his own typical production. For example, a player with a .900 overall OPS who had a September OPS of .900 would have a tOPS+ of 100 for the month.

Howard's September-October tOPS+ is 124, meaning he performed 24% better than he usually does overall. Howard has a reputation as a clutch hitter, but modern metrics downplay his value. However, driving in runs (which Howard does well) and hitting well down the stretch are two great ways to establish yourself as a clutch hitter.

As good as Howard has been late in the year, another active player has stepped up even more late in the regular season (compared with his typical production). Among all players since 1916 (minimum 600 plate appearances in September-October), the best tOPS+ belongs to Los Angeles Dodgers veteran infielder Juan Uribe. Entering this month, he owned a career .715 OPS against an .874 OPS in September-October, giving him a tOPS+ of 141. Uribe has kept the trend going with an OPS of more than 1.000 in his first 11 games this month (including a three-homer game Sept. 9, the first by a Dodger since Andre Either on June 26, 2009).

Despite Uribe's higher tOPS+, Howard is far more productive in September-October. Uribe is just more productive compared with his own typical performance.

Two players with low tOPS+ values in the final month were recently acquired by contenders — Mark Reynolds (by the New York Yankees) and Justin Morneau (by the Pittsburgh Pirates) — to help with the stretch run. Their teams are banking their tOPS+ values of 76 and 77, respectively, are more of a coincidence than a trend.

One other tOPS+ to watch: the Boston Red Sox's Jonny Gomes has a 313 tOPS+ as a pinch-hitter and 176 tOPS+ with two outs and runners in scoring position entering the week.