CSS Button No Image Css3Menu.com

Baseball Prospectus home
  
  
Click here to log in Click here to subscribe
Glossary Search:

Glossary: Standard

View Glossary Entries by

Category:

Report:

Alphabetical:

#want

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

1B

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

For hitters: Singles

For pitchers: Singles Allowed

For positions: First Baseman

2B

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

For hitters: Doubles
For pitchers: Doubles Allowed
For positions: Second Baseman

3B

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

For hitters: Triples
For pitchers: Triples Allowed
For positions: Third Baseman

A

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

According to the MLB offical rules, an assist is "credited to a fielder whose action contributes to a runner being put out."

AB

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Official plate appearances where the batter doesn't walk, get hit by a pitch, hit a recognized sacrifice or is interfered with by the catcher.

AVG

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Hitters: Batting average
Pitchers: Batting average allowed

Age

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

BB

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Hitters: Base on balls (walks)
Pitchers: Base on balls (walks) allowed

BB9

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Bases on balls allowed per 9 innings pitched.

BK

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Not recorded 1876-1880.

BLOB

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Batters Left On Base

BS

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Occurs when a pitcher comes into the game in a save situation and surrenders the lead at any point during his appearance. The runners that score may be inherited from another pitcher, but the blown save is still charged to the pitcher who allowed them to score. Assigned for both closers and middle relievers.

Ball%

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Batting Average

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Batting average; hits divided by at-bats. In PECOTA, Batting Average is one of five primary production metrics used in identifying a hitter's comparables. It is defined as H/AB.

Beq. Rnrs

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Bequeathed baserunners. More simply, the number of runners a pitcher left on base when exiting the game, including runners still on base put there by a preceding pitcher.

CG

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Complete Games.

CS

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

CS are not available for the NL from 1876-1950 (except for 1915, 1920-25, and some players for 1916), in the AL from 1901-19 (except 1914-15 and some 1916 players), and are not available at all for the AA, UA, PL, or FL. Surprisingly, they are available for the NA. In catcher's fielding, not available prior to 1978.

DP

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Double plays, turned or hit into.

E

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Errors.

ER

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

ERA

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Earned Run Average. Earned runs, divided by innings pitched, multiplied by nine.

FC

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Fielder's Choice

G

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Properly speaking, a pitcher should only be credited with a game played on his batting line when he actually appears in the lineup (i.e., not when a DH hits for him.) The BP database is currently inconsistent in this respect.

G/F

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Ratio of ground balls to fly balls.

GB

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

In player or team statistical context, batted balls that were classified as ground balls.

In team standings context, Games Back. How far this team is behind the team leading the division. The formula is

((Division Leader's Wins - This team's Wins) + (This team's Losses - Division Leader's Losses)) / 2

The Division Leader is the team with the highest team Wins minus team Losses. GB is traditionally expressed as a dash (-) for the division leader and a whole or half number for teams behind that team. For teams lagging the Division Leader, a win or a Division Leader Loss will reduce their GB by half a game.

GB is not recalculated for League or All MLB groupings; it always reflects a team's status relative to the leader of their division.

GDP

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Grounded into double play. Not recorded prior to 1933 in the NL, or 1939 in the AL, and not at all for the other leagues. Unfortunately, without opportunity information, I don't find it very useful for inclusion in EqA. There is also evidence, from Tom Ruane, that players who hit into more DP also tend to advance more runners with outs, enough to offset the DPs.

GS

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Games started by a pitcher.

H

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Hits, or hits allowed.

H9

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Hits allowed per 9 innings pitched.

HBP

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Not recorded for the NL 1876-1886, the AA in 1882-83, the 1884 UA, and the 1871-75 NA, for either hitters or pitchers.

HR

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Home runs, or home runs allowed.

HR9

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Home runs allowed per 9 innings pitched.

H_9

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Hits allowed per 9 innings pitched

Hold

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Holds. A Hold is credited any time a relief pitcher enters a game in a Save Situation, records at least one out, and leaves the game never having relinquished the lead.

IBB

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Not recorded for any league prior to 1955.

INN

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Innings officated.

IP

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Innings Pitched.

IP/GS

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Innings pitched per start.

K_9

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Strikeouts per 9 innings pitched.

L

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Refers to a pitcher's losses. In context of a team rather than an individual pitcher, refers to team losses.

LG

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

League. 'A' or 'AL' denotes American League. 'N' or 'NL' denotes National League.

NAME

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Player's name.

NP

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Total number of pitches thrown.

OBP

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

On-base percentage. (H + BB + HBP) divided by (AB + BB + HBP + SF). For pitchers, OBP is on base percentage allowed.

OPS

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

On Base Percentage + Slugging Percentage

PA

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Plate appearances; AB + BB + HBP + SH + SF.

PB

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Passed balls; not available for the NA.

PO

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Putouts.

POS

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Player's position.

Platoon Splits

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Complete statistical data is available for:

  • Batters vs left-handed pitchers (LHP)
  • Batters vs right-handed pitchers (RHP)
  • Pitchers vs left-handed batters (LH)
  • Pitchers vs right-handed batters (RH)
In the sortable statistics reports, these can be displayed for any choice of years and levels (MLB, Triple-A, etc.). On the Player Card pages, these are displayed for both the current (or most recent) season, as well as a career-long "Multi" combination, which weights plate appearances by a factor of: (.5) ^ ([current year] - [year]) ... so the current season is weighted 100%, the previous season 50%, etc.

R

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Runs scored (for hitters) or allowed (pitchers).

RA

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Actual team runs allowed. Can also stand for Run Average--runs allowed, earned or otherwise, divided by innings pitched, times 9.

RBI

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Runs Batted In.

RS

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Actual runs scored by a team.

SB

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Stolen bases. Not recorded for any league between 1876 and 1885. On the catcher's fielding charts, not available prior to 1978.

SF

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Sacrifice flies. The statistical category of "sacrifice flies" did not exist prior to 1954; the concept had been around, on and off, since 1908, but had been always been part of the "SH" category. See SH.

SH

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Sacrifice hits. Not recorded prior to 1894. From 1894-1907, they were essentially the same as the modern rule - a bunt which advanced a baserunner. From 1908-25, they included what we would now call a sacrifice fly (sacrifices increase 25% between 1907 and 1908 as a result). From 1926-30, they included any fly ball on which a runner advanced, not just ones where the runner scored (another 25% increase in 1926). From 1931-38, sacrifice flies were eliminated completely (causing a 45% drop in sacrifices, and a 4-point decline in batting averages); that brought us back to the modern definition of sacrifice hit. In 1939 they re-introduced the run-scoring sac fly (returning to the 1908-25 rules), but eliminated it again in 1940. When sacrifice flies appeared again in 1954, they had their own category, so the rule for what we would call a sacrifice hit has not changed since 1940.

SHO

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Shutouts.

SLG

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Slugging percentage (hitters) or slugging percentage allowed (pitchers). Total bases divided by at-bats.

SO

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Strikeouts. For pitchers, batters struck out, for batters, times struck out.

SO9

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Strikeouts per 9 innings pitched.

STRK%

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Percentage of pitches thrown for strikes.

SV

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Saves.

Strikeout Rate

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Strikeouts per plate appearance.

TB

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Total bases - A home run is 4 total bases, a triple is 3, a double is 2, and a single is 1. Walks, steals, sacrifices, and other non-hit advancement do not count as a total base.

TBF

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Not recorded for the NL 1876-1886, the AA of 1882-83, the 1884 UA, or the NA of 1871-75.

TEA

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Team.

TEAM

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

As used in most places (including the PECOTA cards), Team is the three letter abbreviation for a major league, minor league, or foreign team.

TM

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Team.

Total Bases

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Hits plus doubles plus two times triples plus three times home runs.

Umpire

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Umpire's name.

W

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Refers to a pitcher's wins. In context of a team rather than an individual pitcher, refers to team wins.

WHIP

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Walks plus hits allowed per inning pitched.

WP

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Wild pitches.

W_9

[ Details ] [ Return To Top ]

Walks allowed per 9 innings pitched


Baseball Prospectus Home  |  Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy  |  Customer Service  |  Newsletter  |  Masthead  |  Contact Us