Baseball statistics

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Statistics are an important part of the game of baseball . Because the game can be broken down very well into discrete actions and, despite its character as a team sport, the individual performance of the players can also be measured very well, there are a large number of statistics. In the US , statistics have been compiled since professional gaming began in the late 19th century. Statistics from legendary players of the past are often used for comparison with the players of the present, and the creation and publication of increasingly complex statistics has now become a million dollar business. In Germany, too, statistics are compiled for most baseball and softball leagues, but on a voluntary basis and with much less effort. The statistics are always based on the official score sheet , which is completed by the official scorer .

Statistics types

There are the following types of baseball statistics:

  • Counting statistics ( counting statistics ) or average statistics ( rate statistics )
  • Offensive, defensive, base running or pitching statistics
  • Player, team or league statistics
  • Complete or situation statistics (e.g. home / away, against certain teams)
  • Regular season or playoff statistics

Counting statistics

Counting statistics measure the frequency of an event.

The best known counting statistics for the offensive are:

The best known counting statistics for the defensive are:

The most popular counting statistics for base running are:

The most popular counting statistics for pitching are:

  • G - Games
  • GS - Games Started
  • CG - Complete Games
  • SHO - shutouts
  • BF - Batters Faced
  • IP - Innings Pitched
  • R - runs
  • ER - Earned Runs
  • H - hits
  • HR - home runs
  • K - strikeouts
  • BB - Base on Balls (Walk)
  • HP - Hit by Pitch
  • WP - Wild Pitches
  • BK - balks
  • W - Win
  • L - loss
  • S - Save
  • H / HLD - Hold
  • BS - Blown Save

Average statistics

Average statistics always relate a performance to the playing time. Therefore, they are more informative than counting statistics. Most of the average statistics are relative frequencies, and the values ​​range from 0 to 1. They are written using the following notation: .000–1,000. However, some average statistics are not relative frequencies if a value is e.g. B. is calculated based on a 9-inning game.

However, appropriate admission criteria must be used to ensure that only services that have been provided over a longer period are included in the statistics. In order to qualify for the batting title in the US professional league MLB , a player must have at least 3.1 times as many plate appearances as games were played. This means that at the end of the season you have to have at least 502 PAs to be able to become a batting champion.

The best known average statistics for the offensive are:

  • AVG - Batting Average (AVG = H / AB)
  • OBP - On-base percentage (OBP = (H + BB + HP) / (AB + BB + HP + SF))
  • SLG - Slugging Percentage (SLG = (1B + 2 × 2B + 3 × 3B + 4 x HR) / AB)
  • OPS - On-Base plus Slugging (OPS = OBP + SLG)
  • RISP - (AVG with) runners in scoring position (RISP corresponds to the AVG at AB, where at least one runner is in scoring position, i.e. on second or third base.)

OBP indicates how often a batsman reaches a base and becomes a runner (values ​​over .350 are high, over .400 exceptions). AVG, on the other hand, only states how often a player reaches a base with a base hit (values ​​over .300 are high, over .350 exceptions). The OBP is usually at least as high as the AVG, but mostly higher, since Bases can also be reached with BB or HBP. SLG indicates how many bases the player reaches on average per AB (values ​​over .500 are high, over .600 exceptions).

The best known average stats for the defensive are:

  • FLD - Fielding Percentage (FLD = (A + PO) / (A + PO + E))
  • RF - Range Factor (RF = (A + PO) x 9 / INN)

The best known average stats for base running are:

  • SBP - Stolen Base Percentage (SBP = SB / (SB + CS))

The best known average statistics for pitching are:

  • ERA - Earned Run Average (ERA = ER x 9 / IP)
  • OBA - Opponents Batting Average (OBA = Opposing H / Opposing AB)
  • WHIP - Walks plus hits pitched per inning (WHIP = (H + BB) / IP)

See also

literature

  • Sven Müncheberg: Handbook of Statistics , German Baseball and Softball Association, Mainz
  • Alan Schwarz: The Numbers Game. Baseball's Lifelong Fascination with Statistics , St. Martin's Press, New York 2004

Web links