Looking for:
What does l/r mean in baseball
Click here to ENTER
Hey everyone and welcome back! Today, we will be going through some of the most common baseball stats abbreviations and their meanings. The game of baseball is filled with tons of statistics. Some of the abbreviations used can be quite easy to understand, while others can be downright confusing. I get a lot of questions about what this stat or that stat means, so I thought I would go over some of the most commonly used baseball stats abbreviations and some that may not be quite as common.
These abbreviations apply to softball as well. I hope this helps to clear up some confusion. Barrel — A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit velocity and launch angle, or the most high-value batted balls. A barrel has a minimum Expected Batting Average of.
This is tracked for all Batted Ball Events — outs, hits and errors. Four runs score on a grand slam. If the bases happen to be loaded at the time, the batter is also credited with a run batted in. A batter is also awarded an RBI for themself for a home run.
Definitely one of the most confusing stats! Because the visiting team will not get another turn at-bat, the game ends immediately, with the home team victorious. A Game Score of 50 is average, 90 and above is a gem, and anything of 20 or worse is likely a disaster start.
Starters are not credited for a game finished when they pitch a complete game. Any inherited runners who score against a relief pitcher are not charged to his ERA. The use of the K to denote a strikeout dates back to a journalist who scored games in order to reference them for his articles and he used a K. SHO — Shutout — Number of complete games pitched with no runs allowed.
It is measured in revolutions per minute. A wild pitch is not charged to the pitcher if there is no advancement by a runner, or there are no runners on base.
It takes into account errors, range, outfield arm and double-play ability. UZR takes into account errors, range, outfield arm and double-play ability. ARB — Arbitration eligible. Pre-Arb is before a player is arbitration eligible. Arb 1, Arb 2, Arb 3 and even sometimes Arb 4 is the year that a player is in arbitration.
The largest elimination number among the non-first place teams is the magic number for the leading team. I hope you found this article helpful.
Hi Kathy. SAC is commonly used to denote that a batter has been credited with a sacrifice hit. Thank you Slyvia! I know how confusing baseball stats and their abbreviations can be.
Thanks for all the stat info. Highly informative and as some one else said very well presented. Thanks again for keeping us well informed Jeremy. If you need a hand with anything else, please let me know. Having grown up and still living in Africa my sporting passions have always been cricket and rugby. However I love any sport with a bat and a ball involved and found your post most informative and interesting. I now know a lot more about baseball than I ever did and will follow your site with interest.
Thanks Jeremy for a great post! Hey Paul! Thank you and You are most welcome. Very informative post, good for those new to baseball or just not as familiar with it. I am a fan of baseball so I knew most of them but not a couple were new to me. I have never really understood all of the baseball meanings, but man you really explain it here. Thanks so much. Your information is very nice and well presented. Thank you Alex and you are most welcome! Good article, I enjoyed reading it.
LOL Kathy! Thank you Jeff! These are guys who are on base more often and usually have a lot of speed, […]. Comments What about SAC.
Just wanted to tell you keep up the excellent job! Trackbacks […] number 1 and 2 batters will usually be hitters with a high batting average and on base percentage.
– What does l/r mean in baseball
See All Guides. When it comes to betting on baseball , it pays to know your numbers. More than any other sport, the pace and structure of MLB baseball suits itself perfectly to detailed statistical analysis. For the uninitiated, a first glance at MLB stats can be an overwhelming experience.
This comprehensive glossary will help you quickly grasp the abbreviations used to describe complex MLB team and player stats. Note that Major League Baseball records each of these stats for both individual players and every team collectively. Traditional player stats have been collected from the beginning of MLB history.
When betting on baseball, they are useful in evaluating the situational performance of both individual players and entire teams. AB — At bats: The number of times the player has been at bat, defined as plate appearances minus sacrifices, walks, and Hit by Pitches. R — Runs: The total number of runs the player has scored as a baserunner safely reaching home plate. H — Hits: The total number of times a player hits the ball and reaches a base without fielder error or sacrifice.
HR — Home runs: The number of home runs a player has hit. These include inside-the-park home runs. RBI — Runs Batted In: The overall number of runs scored as a direct result of a player hitting the ball or being walked when at-bat. SB — Bases Stolen: The total number of bases a player has stolen as a baserunner. CS — Caught Stealing: The total number of times a player has been thrown out while attempting to steal bases as a baserunner.
AVG — Batting Average: Describes the percentage of time a batter has successfully made a hit while at bat during the current season. OBP — On-Base Percentage: Describes the percentage of time a batter advances to base as a result of hit, walk, or hit-by-pitch. Valuable for evaluating not only how often a player is likely to get a hit, but also the quality and relative value of those hits. Players with higher SLG are more likely to hit doubles, triples, and home runs. IBB — Intentional Base on Balls: Also known as intentional walks, the total number of times a batter is intentionally given first base after four balls deliberately thrown by the pitcher.
High IBB is a strong indirect indicator of slugging ability. HBP — Hit by Pitch: The number of times a player has been hit by a pitch while at bat during the current season. Only successful sacrifices are counted, so a baserunner must advance in order for the sacrifice to be tallied.
SF — Sacrifice Flies: The number of times during the season a player has hit a fly-ball to the outfield or foul territory that allows a baserunner to score but results in an out for the player at bat. TB — Total Bases: The total number of bases a player has taken with their batting; tallies one for singles, two for doubles, three for triples. Long hitters tend to have higher XBH values. Double plays most often occur as a result of balls pitched low in the strike zone, which typically result in ground balls that do not leave the infield.
GO — Ground Outs: The number of times a player has hit the ball and grounded out during the current season. AO — Fly Outs: The number of times a player has hit a fly ball that was caught for an out. This number does not include line drives. This ratio is not particularly useful as a handicapping tool. NP — Number of Pitches: When referring to a position player, NP indicates the total number of pitches thrown during their at-bats. PA — Plate Appearances: The number of completed turns at the plate a player has taken throughout the season.
Unlike at-bats, which do not include plate appearances with certain results, PA tallies every single plate appearance regardless of outcome. APP — Appearance: The number of games in which a pitcher enters the game.
Pitchers are credited with an appearance regardless of when they enter the game or how many batters they face throughout. A balk occurs when the umpire calls the pitcher for an illegal and deceitful motion on the mound.
All baserunners advance one base when a balk is called. BF — Batters Faced: The total number of plate appearances the pitcher has faced during the season.
BS — Blown Save: This statistic is specific to relief pitchers and tallies the number of games in which they enter in a save situation to ultimately allow a tying run to score. BS is very valuable in judging the ability of a closer to perform in a high-pressure situation. CG — Complete Game : The number of start-to-finish games pitched.
Complete games are exceedingly rare in modern baseball and indicate an exceptional game by a talented pitcher with incredible stamina. ER — Earned Run : The number of runs scored against a pitcher that do not benefit from either a fielding error or passed ball. When comparing pitchers across leagues, note that ERA values in the NL tend to be significantly lower thanks to lack of designated hitters in the batting lineup.
AO — Flyout: The total number of outs that occur as a result of a batter hitting a caught fly ball. Pitchers who induce lots of fly balls tend to pitch higher in the zone. This makes them vulnerable to power hitters who can easily knock a high ball over the wall.
GF — Games Finished: Primarily a stat for closers, GF tallies the number of games in which a pitcher was the last pitcher to take the mound for their team. GS — Games Started : GS tallies the total number of games in which a pitcher throws the first pitch for their team, regardless of how many at-bats or innings they remain in the game. GO — Groundout: The total number of outs that occur as a result of a batter hitting a ground ball to a fielder.
Pitchers who tally large amounts of groundouts likely tend to throw lower in the strike zone. HLD is helpful in identifying strong relief pitchers who typically enter the game earlier or do not serve as closers.
IP — Innings Pitched: Pitchers are credited a third of an inning pitched for each out recorded while they are on the mound. It is very difficult to rank highly in terms of innings pitched without being a strong starter with the ability to pitch deep into a ballgame. L — Loss: Pitchers receive a loss when they are attributed a run that gives the opposing team a lead from which their team is unable to recover.
Note that a starter will not necessarily be credited a loss every time his team loses the game he starts, even if his team is trailing when he exits the game. Only the pitcher who puts the winning run on-base will be credited a loss. NP — Number of Pitches: NP is a comprehensive pitch count that includes every single pitch thrown, regardless of outcome.
QS — Quality Start : QS provides an objective measure of the number of games in which a starter puts in a respectable performance. Starters are credited a QS when they pitch at least six innings and allow three or fewer earned runs. Note that pitchers skirting the line by allowing three runs over six innings are not putting in stellar performances.
SV — Save: Relief pitchers are credited with a save when finishing the game for a winning team, under certain circumstances. To be credited a save, the relieving pitcher must keep his team ahead in one of the three following circumstances:.
SVO — Save Opportunity: Relief pitchers are credited with a save opportunity every time they record either a save or blown save.
Pitchers with a high SVO tally are often put in high-pressure game situations, indicating their managers have a great deal of faith in their abilities to maintain a crucial lead late in the game.
This stat records the percentage of time a pitcher is credited a save when given a save opportunity. Strictly comparing saves does not account for the fact many? SHO — Shutout: Starters receive a shutout when they pitch an entire game and do not allow the other team to score. Shutouts are exceedingly rare, particularly in the modern era of baseball, where teams have become increasingly reliant on their bullpens.
UER — Unearned Runs: Unearned runs are attributed to a pitcher when the other team scores as the result of a fielding error or passed ball. WP — Wild Pitches: Wild pitches are tallied anytime a pitcher delivers a ball that the catcher is unable to control, resulting in the advancement of at least one baserunner. Note that wild pitches are only recorded when they result in the advancement of a runner.
Wild pitches are closely related to passed balls PB , which have a similar result but are deemed to be the fault of the catcher. W — Wins: Pitchers are credited with a win when they are on the mound when their team takes the game-winning lead.
In order to qualify for a win, the pitcher must also pitch at least five innings. This stat, along with other pitching stats derived from wins and losses have fallen out of favor with baseball handicappers since pitching ability does not correlate directly with wins and losses. A — Assist: Fielders are awarded an assist when they touch the ball before a putout is recorded by one of their teammates. This scenario most often occurs when a ball is fielded by one player and thrown to another as is the case with most ground balls.
DP — Double Plays: Double plays are recorded when two offensive players are called out as the result of a single defensive play. Most often, this occurs when a ground ball is fielded with a runner on first and both the existing baserunner and hitter are thrown out. E — Error: Players receive an error when they fail to force an out on a play that an average fielder would have made, or when they make a fielding mistake that allows one or more baserunners to advance. Remember that errors are a counting statistic, meaning they only tally the mistakes a fielder has made with no regard for their positive contributions.
It is defined by calculating the total number of putouts and assists a player has made divided by the total number of fielding chances to include putouts, assists, and errors. Note that position plays a huge role in this number — catchers and first basemen are typically presented with easier play opportunities than shortstops and third basemen. Account for these differences when comparing the FPCT of fielders playing different positions. It is a useful metric when determining how much playing time a given player gets on the defensive side of the ball.
O — Outs: Teams or players record an out every time a player at bat or running the bases is retired by the fielding team as the result of a strikeout, groundout, or caught flyout. OFA — Outfield Assist: Outfielders are credited with an assist anytime they throw a fielded ball to the infield resulting in an out. PB — Passed Ball: Passed balls are closely related to wild pitches, but center on the performance of the catcher rather than pitcher. Catchers record a passed ball anytime they fail to catch or control a pitch the official scorekeeper does not deem as a wild pitch.
PO — Putout: Fielders record a putout when they are the player to physically complete an out by stepping on base, tagging a runner, or catching a fly ball. Putouts are rarely used as an independent fielding metric, but they are an important input used to formulate a number of advanced fielding stats such as? TC — Total Chances: Total chances tallies the number of opportunities a fielder has to record an out, defined as assists plus putouts plus errors.
TP — Triple Plays: A team records a triple play when three outs are achieved with a single defensive play. These events are exceedingly rare, and are a mark of a highly coordinated fielding unit. In recent decades, baseball statistics have been entirely overhauled by the advent of advanced formulas and calculations that attempt to capture detailed predictive insights about player performance and game scenarios.
Widely popularized by the film Moneyball , sabermetrics have become an instrumental part of both team management and baseball handicapping.