What do you like more?

[Apocryptical]

I feel that stats can assist explain and measure what a particular character can do, and should be at least reasonable throughout the story. Burly and fast but not too smart barbarians, physically squishy but Spiritually strong and wise wizards, essentially. Save for the guy who invested equally in tomes and axes.

If the writer feels like stats don't belong in stories, then by all means, make another story where slender and beautiful people can topple mountains with ever so slightly enchanted mcguffins. I just hope grappling physics don't get mixed in with weapon usage.

If writing a story based on/with a stat-based structure, then the stats dictate what one could do.

For example, a barbarian and a rogue engage in a bar fight. The rogue drops their daggers on accident and the barbarian pins them down.

Say that the barbarian's strength stat is 10 and the rogue has a 5. There is little the rogue can do once pinned down.

The barbarian pulls back one arm to throw a slugger, reducing the barbarian's allocated strength to 5 on the rogue.

The rogue has a Skill and Speed stat of 8 and 10 while the barbarian has 5s. The rogue can duck out of the way and escape the barbarian's grip due to dexterity (higher evasion and speed). This results in anything the writer wants, but the point is that stats can have an influence on a story should the writer feel like integrating them.