In
baseball statistics
Baseball statistics play an important role in evaluating the progress of a player or team.
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 itsel ...
, walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) is a
sabermetric
Sabermetrics, or originally SABRmetrics, is the empirical analysis of baseball, especially baseball statistics that measure in-game activity. Sabermetricians collect and summarize the relevant data from this in-game activity to answer specific ques ...
measurement of the number of
baserunners a
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
has allowed per
inning pitched. WHIP is calculated by adding the number of
walks and
hits allowed and dividing this sum by the number of innings pitched.
[MLB Glossary – Walks and hits per inning pitched (WHIP)]
''MLB.com. Retrieved on September 13, 2016.
WHIP reflects a pitcher's propensity for allowing
batters to reach base, therefore a lower WHIP indicates better performance.
While
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
(ERA) measures the
runs a pitcher gives up, WHIP more directly measures a pitcher's effectiveness against batters.
[ Like ERA, WHIP accounts for pitcher performance regardless of errors and ]unearned run
In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an error ...
s.On-base plus slugging
On-base plus slugging (OPS) is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player both to get on base and to hit for power, two important offensive skills, are ...
, or OPS, is a somewhat similar measure for hitters in that it's attempting to be a measure of overall effectiveness.
History
The stat was invented in 1979 by writer Daniel Okrent
Daniel Okrent (born April 2, 1948) is an American writer and editor. He is best known for having served as the first public editor of ''The New York Times'' newspaper, inventing Rotisserie League Baseball, and for writing several books (such as ...
,[ who called the metric "innings pitched ratio" at the time. Okrent excluded ]hit batsmen
In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided ...
from the numerator of baserunners allowed since Sunday newspapers did not include hit batsmen in their agate
Agate () is a common rock formation, consisting of chalcedony and quartz as its primary components, with a wide variety of colors. Agates are primarily formed within volcanic and metamorphic rocks. The ornamental use of agate was common in Anci ...
box score
A box score is a structured summary of the results from a sport competition. The box score lists the game score as well as individual and team achievements in the game.
Among the sports in which box scores are common are baseball, basketball, f ...
s.[ In addition to its use in live games, the WHIP is one of the most commonly used statistics in fantasy baseball, and is standard in fantasy leagues that employ 4×4, 5×5, and 6×6 formats.
]
Leaders
WHIP near 1.00 or lower over the course of a season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...
will often rank among the league leaders in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB).
The lowest single-season WHIP in MLB history through 2018 is 0.7373 from Pedro Martínez
Pedro Jaime Martínez (born October 25, 1971) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to , for five teams—most notably the Boston Red Sox from to .
At the time o ...
pitching for the Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
in 2000, which broke the previous record of 0.7692 of Guy Hecker
Guy Jackson Hecker (April 3, 1856 – December 3, 1938) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was born in Youngsville, Pennsylvania. His debut game took place on May 2, 1882. His final game took place on September 30, 1890. Du ...
of the Louisville Eclipse in 1882.[Single-Season Leaders & Records for Walks & Hits per IP , Baseball-Reference.com]
/ref> Walter Johnson
Walter Perry Johnson (November 6, 1887 – December 10, 1946), nicknamed "Barney" and "The Big Train", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year baseball career in Major League Baseball as a right-ha ...
, with a 0.7803 WHIP in 1913, has the third-lowest single-season WHIP.Cleveland Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...
right-handed pitcher Addie Joss
Adrian "Addie" Joss (April 12, 1880 – April 14, 1911), nicknamed "the Human Hairpin", was an American professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Cleveland Bronchos of Major League Baseball, later known as the Naps, between 1902 and 191 ...
held the MLB record for the lowest career WHIP as of 2018, with a 0.9678 WHIP in 2,327 innings.[ ]Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
spitball
A spitball is an illegal baseball pitch in which the ball has been altered by the application of a foreign substance such as saliva or petroleum jelly. This technique alters the wind resistance and weight on one side of the ball, causing it to m ...
er Ed Walsh
Edward Augustine "Big Ed" Walsh (May 14, 1881 – May 26, 1959) was an American pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball. From 1906 to 1912, he had several seasons where he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. Injuries shortened his c ...
was second, with a 0.9996 WHIP in 2,964 innings, the lowest career WHIP for a qualified pitcher with 10 or more seasons pitched.[Career Leaders & Records for Walks & Hits per IP , Baseball-Reference.com]
/ref> Reliever Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969) is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. Nicknamed "Mo" and "Sandman", he spent most ...
ranked third among qualified pitchers with a career WHIP of 1.0003 in 1,283 innings.Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw
Clayton Edward Kershaw (born March 19, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) . He has played for the Dodgers for the entirety of his MLB career. A left-handed starting pi ...
was fourth with a WHIP of 1.0046.
See also
* List of Major League Baseball career WHIP leaders
References
Notes
External links
Baseball's single-season WHIP leadersBaseball's all-time WHIP leaders
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walks Plus Hits Per Inning Pitched
Pitching statistics