Baseball Stats 101 | A Complete Glossary of Baseball Statistics

Baseball Stats 101: A Complete Glossary of Baseball Statistics is a complete glossary that defines and clarifies baseball statistics. It includes information about batting average, walks per game, RBIs (runs batted in), wins, strikeouts per 9 innings pitched (K/9IP) and much more.

This glossary will not only help you understand the game better but also give you an edge against your opponents! This blog post also provides some data on America’s favorite pastime!

Baseball Stats 101: Complete List of Baseball Statistics

This is a complete list of all the baseball statistics that most fans will ever see or hear about. It includes the most common ones you’ll find in box scores, recaps and on broadcasts, as well as more obscure stats you might only encounter when dealing with sabermetrics (the study of baseball through objective statistical analysis).

Standard Batting Stats

At-bat (AB) – Number of plate appearances for a hitter.
Batting Average (BA) – The total number of hits divided by the total number of at-bats. This tells you how often a player gets a hit.
Batting Average (AVG) – Just batting average using the official statistic.
Caught Stealing (CS) – Number of times a runner is thrown out trying to advance an extra base.
Double (2B) – Number of hits that results in the batter reaching second base.

For example, if a batter gets a single and is then driven in by a double, he would get credit for a single and half of a double (because he reached base once, but was driven in by the double).

Extra-base Hit (XBH) – Number of hits that results in the batter reaching an extra base. This includes home runs (HR), doubles (2B), triples (3B) and triple plays (TP).
Home Run (HR) – Number of hits that results in the batter reaching home plate.
Games Played (G) – Number of games a player has appeared in.
Grounded Into Double Play (GIDP) – Number of times a hitter hits into a double play.
Hit (H) – Number of times a batter safely reaches base.
Grand Slam (GSH) – Number of grand slams. This is a home run that drives in all baserunners ahead of the batter, which means there is no one on base to score on the home run and the batter gets credit for all the runs driven in on the play.
Hit By Pitch (HBP) – Number of times a batter is hit by a pitch.
Home Run Ratio (HR%) – Number of home runs divided by the number of at-bats.
Groundout-to-Air Out Ratio (GO/AO) – Number of ground out divided by air outs. This shows how often a hitter grounds into a double play.
Inning (I) – Number of innings a game has been played.
Innings Pitched Per Game (IP/G) – Number of innings pitched divided by the number of games played. This tells you how many innings a pitcher works per game.
Intentional Walk (IBB) – Number of times a hitter is intentionally walked.
Left On Base (LOB) – Number of runners left on base at the end of an inning.
Line Drive Percentage (LD%) – The number of line drives a hitter hits divided by the total number of balls put into play. Line drives account for roughly 22% of all balls put in play and are more likely to result in a hit than any other type of batted ball.
On-base Percentage (OBP) – The number of hits, walks and hit by pitch divided by the total number of plate appearances. This stat tells you how often a hitter gets on base.
On-base Plus Slugging (OPS) – An advanced statistic that adds extra base hits (XBH), walks and hit by pitch to the number of times a batter reaches base safely.
Plate Appearance (PA) – Number of trips to the plate for a hitter. This means half of an inning (because each batter hits once and then runs, assuming he isn’t substituted out for another hitter).
Reached On Error (ROE) – Number of times a batter reaches base on an error. This does not count sacrifice bunts, which are credited as sacrifices whether or not the defense records an out on the play.
Sacrifice Fly (SF) – Number of times a batter hits a fly ball that results in an out, allowing a runner on third to tag up and score.
Sacrifice Bunt / Sacrifice Hit (SH) – Number of times a hitter safely bunts the ball to advance a runner or runners. This is not considered an error on the play, but it does count as a plate appearance.
Stolen Base (SB) – Number of times a runner successfully steals a base.
Stolen Base Percentage (SB%) – Number of stolen bases divided by the number of opportunities to steal a base. This tells you how likely a runner is to steal a base.
Strikeout Percentage (SO%) – Number of strikeouts divided by the number of total plate appearances. This shows how often a hitter strikes out.
Total Bases (TB) – Number of total bases a batter racks up by hitting a home run, hitting a double or hitting a triple. This does not include walks, hit by pitches or sacrifice flies.
Triple (3B) – Number of hits that result in the batter reaching third base safely.
Walks (BB) – Number of walks a hitter has been awarded by the official scorer.
Wins Above Replacement (WAR) – The number of wins a hitter contributes to his team compared to what a replacement player (someone who is available in the minor leagues at minimal cost) would contribute if given an opportunity to play.
Run (R) – A run is scored when a runner reaches home plate after touching all the bases in order.
Run Batted In (RBI) – Number of runners who scored as a result of the batter’s action.
Single (1B) – Number of hits that result in the batter reaching first base safely.
Walk-off (WO) – The walk-off win is the game-winning run that ends a regulation game in baseball, softball or tee ball.

Baseball Stats 101 | A Complete Glossary of Baseball Statistics

Standard Pitching Stats

Assist (A) – Number of times a fielder throws to another player so he can put out the batter or runner.
Blown Save (BS) – Number of opportunities to save a game that are wasted by allowing the opponent to tie or take the lead.
Complete Game (CG) – Number of times a pitcher throws the full 9 innings.
Earned Run Average (ERA) – A measurement of how many runs a pitcher allows on average each nine innings.
Caught Stealing Percentage (CS%) – Number of base stealers a catcher throws out divided by the total number of thieves attempting to steal.
Double Play (DP) – Number of times an extra-base hit is converted into two outs by the defense.
Double Play Percentage (DP%) – Number of double plays divided by the total number of opportunities.
Error (E) – Number of times a fielder fails to get an out.
Fielding Percentage (FPCT) – Number of plays made by a fielder compared to the total number of balls hit in his direction.
Innings Played (INN) – Number of innings a pitcher has thrown.
Out (O) – An out is recorded when a fielder catches a fly ball, throws out a base stealer or tags the batter who has not reached first base safely.
Outfield Assist (OFA) – Number of times a fielder throws a ball that forces a runner to advance. This does not count when the fielder simply touches the base with the ball, but it does count when the fielder throws a ball to force an out.
Passed Ball (PB) – When a catcher allows a pitch to get past him and the batter reaches base on the error, it is called a passed ball.
Pitch Count (PC) – The number of pitches thrown by a pitcher.
Putout (PO) – An out is recorded when a fielder catches a fly ball, throws out a base stealer or tags the batter who has not reached first base safely.
Total Chances (TC) – The number of chances a fielder has to get an out. Chances include putouts and assists.
Triple Play (TP) – Number of times three outs are recorded on the same play.
Appearance (App) – Number of relief appearances a pitcher makes.
Balk (BK) – A balk is called when the pitcher, while he is touching the pitching plate with his hands or feet, throws to a base.
Batters Faced (BF) – Number of batters a relief pitcher must face.
Earned Run (ER) – Number of runs that are charged to the pitcher when he is in the circle when his team surrenders the lead.
Flyout – Number of times a fielder catches a batted or thrown ball that results in the batter or base runner being put out.
Games Finished (GF) – Number of saves, relief wins or games where the relief pitcher enters with the lead and leaves without giving up that lead.
Games Started (GS) – Number of times a pitcher starts in the circle.
Holds (HLD) – Number of times a relief pitcher enters in a save situation and leaves without giving up the lead.
Inherited Runner (IR) – Number of runners on base when a relief pitcher enters the game.
Innings Pitched (IP) – Number of innings a pitcher has completed. This statistic does not include any time the pitcher may have spent on base, either by hit, error or fielder’s choice.
Loss (L) – Number of times a pitcher enters the game and surrenders the lead.
Number of Pitches (NP) – Number of pitches thrown by a pitcher.
Pickoff (PK) – Number of times a pitcher catches a base runner off base and records an out.
Quality Start (QS) – Number of times a starting pitcher completes at least six innings and permits three earned runs or less.
Relief Win (RW) – Number of wins a relief pitcher records.
Save (SV) – Number of times the pitching team finishes with the lead but does not receive a win.
Save Opportunity (SVO) – Number of times a relief pitcher enters with the tying run in scoring position.
Save Percentage (SV%) – Number of successful saves divided by the total number of save opportunities.
Shutout (SHO) – Number of times a pitcher and his team combine to allow no runs.
Strikeout (K) (SO) – Number of times a hitter makes an out by swinging and missing.
Unearned Run (UER) – Number of runs that are charged to the pitcher when he is in the circle due to an error made by a defensive player.
Walks And Hits Per Inning Pitched (WHIP) – Ratio of the number of walks and hits allowed to the number of innings pitched.
Wild Pitches (WP) – Number of times the defense allowed the pitcher to throw a ball that got away from them.
Win (W) – Number of games a pitcher has won.
Winning Percentage (WPCT) – Ratio of wins to games started.

Advanced Batting Stats

Batting Average on Balls in Play (BABIP) – Percentage of batted balls that result in hits.
Isolated Power (ISO) – Measure of a hitter’s “power-hitting” ability derived by subtracting batting average from slugging percentage.
Late-inning Pressure Situation (LIPS) – The LIPS statistic ranks the level of pressure on a hitter by showing how his performance changes in late-inning pressure situations compared to his performance overall.
On-base Plus Slugging Plus (OPS+) – The OPS+ statistic compares a hitter’s on-base percentage and slugging average to the league average, adjusted for the park where the games are played.
Pitches Per Plate Appearance (P/PA) – The average number of pitches seen per plate appearance.
Weighted On-base Average (wOBA) – The measure of offensive value scaled to batting average.
Weighted Runs Created-plus (wRC+) – A comprehensive measure of offensive performance that takes into account the varying weights of each offensive event.
Plate Appearances Per Strikeout (PA/SO) – The average number of times a hitter comes to the plate between strikeouts.
Runs Created (RC) – A baseball statistic formulated by Bill James to estimate the number of runs a hitter contributes to his team.
Weighted Runs Above Average (wRAA) – The amount of offensive value above or below average generated by a hitter.
Win Probability Added (WPA) – A measure of how much a player has contributed to his team’s win.
Wins Above Replacement (WAR) – A comprehensive statistic that assesses a player’s total contribution to their team. The statistic is context-adjusted and measured against a baseline of average, which makes it possible to compare players who played in different seasons, in different ballparks and against different competition.

Advanced Fielding Stats

Defensive Efficiency Ratio (DER) – The number of balls in play that a team’s defense converts into an out, excluding home runs.
Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) – The number of runs a player saved or cost his team compared to the average player at his position.
Range Factor (RF) – Number of outs a player successfully converted into an out, relative to how many chances he had.
Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) – A comprehensive statistic that measures how many runs a fielder saved or cost his team relative to the average player at his position. UZR is pace-adjusted and incorporates information about the specific situation in which a play takes place, such as how many outs are expected in an average inning.

Advanced Pitching Stats

Adjusted Earned Run Average (ERA+) – ERA adjusted to a pitcher’s ballpark and league.
Baserunners Per Nine Innings Pitched (MB/9) – The average number of baserunners allowed by a pitcher per innings pitched.
Bequeathed Runners (BQR) – The number of runners who are on base when a pitcher leaves the game.
Bequeathed Runners Scored (BQR-S) – The number of runners who score when a pitcher leaves the game.
Expected Fielding Independent Pitching (xFIP) – The metric used to estimate a pitcher’s earned run average (ERA) through the following formula: ((13*HR+3*(BB+HBP-IBB))/IP+(3*(BB+HBP-IBB)+SH)/IP)^.285
Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) – The ERA for a pitcher as it is calculated in other baseball statistics. The main difference between FIP and the more widely known ERA is that FIP is calculated in a way that is similar to ERA but based on the statistics of only the pitchers involved.
Fly-ball Rate (FB%) – The number of fly balls hit divided by the number of batted balls.
Ground-ball Rate (GB%) – The number of ground balls hit divided by the number of batted balls.
Home Runs Per Nine Innings Pitched (HR/9) – The average number of home runs allowed by a pitcher per 9 innings pitched.
Game Score – A metric created by Bill James to rate pitcher’s starts.
Hits Per Nine Innings (H/9) – The average number of hits allowed by a pitcher per 9 innings pitched.
Home Run To Fly Ball Rate (HR/FB) – The percentage of fly balls that result in home runs.
Inherited Runs Allowed (IR-A) – The number of runners who would have been on base if their reliever had not come into the game.
Inherited Runs Allowed Percentage (IR-A%) – The percentage of inherited runners that score when the reliever enters the game.
Innings Per Start (I/GS) – The average number of innings pitched per start.
Leverage Index (LI) – The average difference in win probability added per plate appearance throughout the game.
Line-drive Rate (LD%) – Percentage of balls that are line drives.
Pitches Per Inning Pitched (P/IP) – The average number of pitches thrown per inning.
Pitches Per Start (P/GS) – The average number of pitches thrown per start.
Pop-up Rate (PO%) – The percentage of balls in play that were pop-ups (fly balls that were either caught for outs or dropped).
Run Support Per Nine Innings (RS/9) – The average number of earned runs given up per nine innings pitched.
Runs Allowed Per Nine Innings Pitched (RA9) – The average number of runs allowed by a pitcher per 9 innings pitched.
Skill-interactive Earned Run Average (SIERA) – The ERA for a pitcher as it is calculated in other baseball statistics. The main difference between SIERA and the more widely known ERA is that SIERA incorporates the type of batted balls hit against a pitcher and their consequences.
Strikeout Rate (K%) – The percentage of plate appearances that end in a strikeout.
Strikeouts Per Nine Innings (K/9) – The average number of strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
Walks Per Nine Innings Pitched (BB/9) – The average number of walks allowed by a pitcher per 9 innings pitched.
Strikeout-to-walk Ratio (K/BB) – The number of strikeouts per walk.
True Earned Run Average (tERA) – The ERA for a pitcher as it is calculated in other baseball statistics. The main difference between tERA and the more widely known ERA is that tERA incorporates the effect of defense on the pitcher’s statistics.
Walks Per Nine Innings (BB/9) – The average number of walks allowed by a pitcher per 9 innings pitched.
Walk Rate (BB%) – The percentage of plate appearances that end in a walk.

Advanced Team Stats

Ballpark Factor – The percentage of the league average for a particular statistic at home vs. on the road (set to 1.00 for all parks).
Magic Number (MN) – The total of consecutive wins plus the total number of consecutive losses by the first-place team closest to winning their division.
Pythagorean Winning Percentage – A formula created to attempt to predict a team’s winning percentage by measuring their productivity in runs.
Win Expectancy (WE) – The probability, given a specific combination of outs and runners on base, that the current team will win the game.

What is Standard Baseball Statistics?

A Standard Baseball Statistics is a statistic in baseball which can be computed from the other data. It also can be considered an average testimony of how good a player has played compared to others.

The most common are batting average, slugging percentage, and on base plus slugging (OPS). These three stats are the ones that get mentioned the most when people talk about specific players. They do not give you details about what happened during the play but give you an idea of how often they happen every at bat.

What is Advanced Baseball Statistics?

Advanced baseball statistics is a statistic in baseball which can be computed from the other data. It also can be considered an average testimony of how good a player has played compared to others. Advanced Baseball Statistics uses mathematical equations and statistical analysis to look beyond traditional baseball statistics.

There are three main types of advanced stats: Sabermetrics, Proprietary Stats, and Newer Stats.

Sabermetrics have been around for more than 40 years. They use publicly available information such as hits, walks, strikeouts, stolen bases, fielding errors and so on to create a comprehensive understanding of player performance.. In short “Sabermetrics” was coined by Bill James as a way to describe the search for objective knowledge about baseball through disciplined research.,
Proprietary Stats are advanced statistics created by companies such as STATS Inc. and Baseball Info Solutions (BIS). These stats include the number of pitches a player faces, the type of batted ball and where it was hit.
Newer Stats use data that is not available to or used by traditional baseball statistics.

Overall, advanced baseball statistics provide a more in-depth look at player performance and help to paint a better picture of what is taking place on the field.

Conclusion:

There are many different types of baseball statistics, but the most common ones you will hear about are batting average, slugging percentage, and on base plus slugging. Advanced statistics use mathematical equations to look beyond traditional stats by using data that isn’t available in public domains.These advanced stats include proprietary metrics created by STATS Inc., or Baseball Info Solutions (BIS) which provide a more detailed picture of player performance while also helping paint a better picture of what is happening out there on the field. Hope this article helps you understand the basics of baseball statistics. Thank you for reading!!!