"Opponent on-base plus slugging" (OOPS) is becoming a popular tool to evaluate a pitcher's actual performance. OPS is also useful when determining a pitcher's level of success. The statistic wOBA (weighted on-base average) attempts to correct for this. Some argue that the OPS formula is flawed and that more weight should be shifted towards OBP (on-base percentage). OPS adds the hitter's on-base percentage (number of times reached base by any means divided by total plate appearances) to their slugging percentage ( total bases divided by at-bats). Some sabermetric statistics have entered the mainstream baseball world that measure a batter's overall performance including on-base plus slugging, commonly referred to as OPS. Scouts use stats when they are looking at a player who they may end up drafting or signing to a contract. Managers and batters study opposing pitcher performance and motions in attempting to improve hitting. Managers, catchers and pitchers use the statistics of batters of opposing teams to develop pitching strategies and set defensive positioning on the field. General managers and baseball scouts have long used the major statistics, among other factors and opinions, to understand player value. For pitchers, wins, ERA, and strikeouts are the most often-cited statistics, and a pitcher leading his league in these statistics may also be referred to as a "triple crown" winner. To this day, a player who leads the league in all of these three statistics earns the " Triple Crown". Throughout modern baseball, a few core statistics have been traditionally referenced – batting average, RBI, and home runs. The publication of Total Baseball led to the discovery of several "phantom ballplayers", such as Lou Proctor, who did not belong in official record books and were removed. Known as "Big Mac", the encyclopedia became the standard baseball reference until 1988, when Total Baseball was released by Warner Books using more sophisticated technology. In 1969, Macmillan Publishing printed its first Baseball Encyclopedia, using a computer to compile statistics for the first time. Sabermetrics and comparative statistics attempt to provide an improved measure of a player's performance and contributions to his team from year to year, frequently against a statistical performance average.Ĭomprehensive, historical baseball statistics were difficult for the average fan to access until 1951, when researcher Hy Turkin published The Complete Encyclopedia of Baseball. However, the recent advent of sabermetrics has created statistics drawing from a greater breadth of player performance measures and playing field variables. Traditionally, statistics such as batting average (the number of hits divided by the number of at bats) and earned run average (the average number of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings) have dominated attention in the statistical world of baseball. Based on his experience with the sport of cricket, Chadwick devised the predecessors to modern-day statistics including batting average, runs scored, and runs allowed. The practice of keeping records of player achievements was started in the 19th century by Henry Chadwick.
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Many statistics are also available from outside Major League Baseball, from leagues such as the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players and the Negro leagues, although the consistency of whether these records were kept, of the standards with respect to which they were calculated, and of their accuracy has varied. Statistics have been kept for professional baseball since the creation of the National League and American League, now part of Major League Baseball. Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and statistics. JSTOR ( October 2018) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)īaseball statistics play an important role in evaluating the progress of a player or team.Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.įind sources: "Baseball statistics" – news Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.