If you’re unfamiliar with baseball statistics, it can seem like there’s a never ending stream of acronyms and abbreviations in every game. Baseball uses many statistics to determine a player’s value, and most of those statistics are expressed as abbreviations. Here we will discuss a few of the most common statistics and what exactly they mean. This is not a complete list of baseball statistics.
Batting Average (AVG)
A hitter’s batting average is the number of hits they get divided by the number of officials at-bats. At-bats are different from the number of times they come to the plate, which we will discuss shortly. For example, if a batter has four at-bats in a game and gets one hit, he gets a hit .25 or 25% of the time. Baseball shows batting averages as three digits past the decimal, or in this case, .250.
There is a small difference between ABs and PAs. Plate appearances are the total number of times a player comes to bat, regardless of the outcome. At-bats are whenever a batter goes to the plate and records either a hit or an out (other than a sacrifice out). Outcomes that do not count as at-bats include walks, hit-by-pitch, and sacrifice outs.
Earned Run Average (ERA)
The number of earned runs a pitcher gives up over nine innings is called his Earned Run Average. It’s averaged over nine innings because that’s how many innings a full game is. If a pitcher pitches all nine innings and gives up one earned run, his ERA is 1.00. However, if he gives up one run but only pitches six innings, his ERA is 1.50. Earned runs are any runs that the pitcher gives up that are charged to him. If a run scores because of an error, that run is considered unearned and does not affect a pitcher’s ERA.
Pretty straightforward. Add the number of hits with the number of walks a pitcher gives up, and divide by the number of innings he pitched. If he gives up six hits and one walk over six innings, his WHIP is 1.1667 rounded to 1.17. A WHIP under 1.30 is considered very good.
Bases on Balls and Hit by Pitch (BB and HBP)
Bases on balls is also called walks. During each at-bat, if a batter takes four pitches outside of the strike zone before they make an out, they are awarded first base. Similarly, if any part of a batter’s body is hit by a pitched ball, they are awarded first base. Both BB and HBP do not count as ABs and do not increase AVG, but they both increase a batter’s OBP and OPS.
Slugging Percentage (SLG)
Slugging is a measurement of how hard a batter hits the ball. The calculation is total bases divided by official at-bats. The math equation looks like this: 1B + 2B(2) + 3B(3) + HR(4)AB. The purpose behind the statistic is to gauge how many bases a player will average each at bat. 4.000 SLG is a homerun each at bat. .500 SLG means the batter averages one base every two at bats.
On-Base Percentage (OBP)
On base percentage refers to how many times a batter safely reaches base base. It can either be from a hit (any hit), walk, or hit by pitch. Reaching base by an error does not count toward your OBP.
On-Base Plus Slugging (OPS)
OPS is a relatively new statistic. Actually, it’s always been around, but people just recently started paying more attention to it. OPS is considered by some to be a better way to judge a batter’s value to their team, as opposed to just using AVG. OPS combines the on-base and slugging percentages. MLB average for OPS is around .750. A great player will have an OPS around 1.000.
Baseball Statistics explained with ALL FIELDS HITTING BASEBALL ACADEMY
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The calculation is total bases divided by official at-bats. The math equation looks like this: 1B + 2B(2) + 3B(3) + HR(4)AB. The purpose behind the statistic is to gauge how many bases a player will average each at bat. 4.000 SLG is a homerun each at bat. .500 SLG means the batter averages one base every two at bats.
Use. Throughout modern baseball, a few core statistics have been traditionally referenced – batting average, RBI, and home runs. To this day, a player who leads the league in all of these three statistics earns the "Triple Crown".
Understanding how a hitter performs over time is the key to the main batting statistics. The holy grail, for more than a century, was batting average. Recent years have seen this give way to on-base percentage and slugging, but let's take a look at what all of these mean.
There are special codes for the different statistics listed on the back of the card. For example, BA = batting average, G = games played, AB = at bats, R = runs, H = hits, 2B = doubles, 3B = triples, HR = home runs, RBI = runs batted in, SB = stolen bases. 7. Pitchers have special codes for their statistics as well.
One of the oldest and most universal tools to measure a hitter's success at the plate, batting average is determined by dividing a player's hits by his total at-bats for a number between zero (shown as .000) and one (1.000). In recent years, the league-wide batting average has typically hovered around . 250.
Total bases are strictly what comes from batter hits such as singles, doubles or home runs. If a player walks, it doesn't count as a base. Similarly, being hit by a pitch, stealing a base, or advancing on a wild pitch also does not contribute to the total bases tally.
Earned run average is one of those stats where the lower it is, the better the pitcher. A pitcher's ERA is calculated by the number of earned runs they've allowed (ER), divided by the number of innings pitched (IP) multiplied by 9 (the traditional inning length of a game).
Improving Whiff Rate is important for MLB pitchers as it increases their strikeout rate and also prevents walks. A 2017 article by Bleacher Report reported some of the best Whiff Rates in the MLB around 25-30%.
On-Base Percentage (OBP) Calculated by taking a batters' hits, plus walks, plus hit by pitch, divided by a batters' at bats, plus walks, plus hit by pitch, plus sacrifice flies. In short, OBP presents an outsider at what clip does a batter successfully reach base.
The "underlying" stats that help paint the picture of who a hitter is include walk and strikeout percentage (BB% and K%); average exit velocity and hard-hit rate (as found on Baseball Savant); chase rate and swinging strike rate, which help show a player's discipline; and batting average on balls in play (BABIP) to see ...
According to MLB the rule states that “pitchers must face a minimum of three batters in an appearance or pitch to the end of a half-inning, with exceptions for injuries and illnesses.
In baseball statistics, walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) is a sabermetric measurement of the number of baserunners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched. WHIP reflects a pitcher's propensity for allowing batters to reach base, therefore a lower WHIP indicates better performance.
The formula is SLG = TB/AB. On-base percentage (OBP): This statistic indicates how often a player reaches base due to a hit, a walk, or being hit by a pitch. On-base percentage is equal to hits (H) + bases on balls (BB) + hit by pitch (HBP) divided by plate appearances (PA). The formula is OBP = (H + BB + HBP)/PA.
A pitcher's winning percentage is calculated by dividing his total number of wins by his total number of decisions (wins plus losses). Pitchers who get the win or the loss are known as the "pitchers of record" in a game, and winning percentage indicates how frequently a pitcher wins when he is the pitcher of record.
Sabermetrics is a science of sport. It is the empirical analysis of baseball through statistics, used to predict the performance of players, giving teams a winning edge.
Pythagorean Win Expectancy is an estimate of how many games a team should win based upon runs scored and runs allowed. Pythagorean Win Expectancy equals the runs scored to the 1.83 power divided by the sum of runs scored and runs allowed, each taken to the 1.83 power.
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