Quality at bats is the most important aspect of the game for hitters, regardless of age or level. If you want to be the best, you measure success like the best.
A Quality At-Bats is any plate appearance that results in a: Hard it ball. Walk. 8 Pitch At-Bat. Sac Bunt/Fly.
How Important are Quality at-Bats? Quality at-bats are a critical aspect of any MLB team. Sometimes having a QAB might not show up in the box score or highlight reel, but it can be a game-changer in the outcome.
BABIP measures a player’s batting average exclusively on balls hit into the field of play, removing outcomes not affected by the opposing defense (namely home runs and strikeouts). For example, a hitter who goes 2-for-5 with a home run and a strikeout would have a . 333 BABIP. He’s 1-for-3 on the balls he put in play.
Definition. Statcast defines a ‘hard-hit ball’ as one hit with an exit velocity of 95 mph or higher, and a player’s “hard-hit rate” is simply showing the percentage of batted balls that were hit at 95 mph or more.
Slugging percentage differs from batting average in that all hits are not valued equally. While batting average is calculated by dividing the total number of hits by the total number of at-bats, the formula for slugging percentage is: (1B + 2Bx2 + 3Bx3 + HRx4)/AB.
If a pitcher throws 9 or more pitches, then it is considered a good at-bat, even if the batter strikes out. Some coaches will even consider 7 or 8 pitches to be a quality at-bat. But most coaches and players will consider 6 or more pitches a quality at-bat if the batter does not strikeout.
Times on base include hits, walks and hit-by-pitches, but do not include errors, times reached on a fielder’s choice or a dropped third strike.
Contact rate (CT%) is the percentage of at-bats in which a hitter makes contact; that is does not strike out. The calculation is (AB - K)/AB. In the Major Leagues, the average CT% is ~75%. Hitters with 90+% contact rates are typically elite in batting average.
OAB = Opposition At Bats. OAVG = Opposition Batting Average: H / (BFP – BB – HBP – SH – SF – CI) OOBP = Opposition On Base Percentage. OSLG = Opposition Slugging. PTB = Pitcher’s Total Bases (see ERC)
FPS: First pitch strikes.
Yes, an RBI groundout counts as an at-bat. You earn the RBI from the run that scored, but the at-bat still counts against your stats because it was not an intentional out. On the other hand, a sacrifice fly ball would give the batter an RBI but doesn’t count as an at-bat.
Henry Aaron+Career Leaders & Records for Runs Batted In
Rank | Player (yrs, age) | Runs Batted In |
---|---|---|
1. | Henry Aaron+ (23) | 2297 |
2. | Babe Ruth+ (22) | 2214 |
3. | Albert Pujols (22, 42) | 2208 |
4. | Alex Rodriguez (22) | 2086 |
The average wOBA in MLB changes every year, but the average wOBA is generally around 0.320. So, a good wOBA is anything above . 320, and the higher, the better. The best offensive players have wOBAs over 0.400.
Similarly, this metric can be used to measure the “luck” of hitters - a higher than normal BABIP may indicate that a hitter will “cool off” over the course of the season, while a hitter that has a low BABIP will tend “heat up” as the season progresses.
Despite these exceptions, FIP has generally been shown to be a far more accurate indicator of a pitcher’s success (and quality) than ERA.
Anything above a . 300 batting average is considered really good at the Major League Level. If a hitter starts approaching . 320 or .
To have a perfect batting average of 1.000, you have to have very few at-bats. The record for most at bats while maintaining a 1.000 batting average is three, held by John Paciorek. No player has come up to bat four times or more and gotten a hit every time.
75-80 mphElite Level Exit Velo Averages By Age
PLAYER AGE RANGE | AVE EXIT VELOCITY |
---|---|
Ages (11-13) | 56-65 mph |
Ages (14-15) | 75-80 mph |
JV (15-16) | 80 mph aluminum / 75 mph wood |
Varsity (15-18) | 90 mph aluminum/85 mph wood |
In slang, when a batter strikes out three times in a game, he is said to have completed a hat trick. If he strikes out four times, it is called a golden sombrero. He receives a platinum sombrero if he strikes out five times, and this dishonor is also known as the Olympic Rings.
Usually, an average WHIP is around 1.30, while a good WHIP is under 1.10, and an elite WHIP is below 1. A WHIP over 1.50 is generally considered poor.
Strikeout to walk ratio (K/BB): You can’t simply look at strikeout-to-walk ratio and make firm judgments about a pitcher. But as supporting evidence goes, it’s one of the most useful “eyeball” stats out there.
By definition, a ball hit at a launch angle below 10 degrees is a ground ball, 10-25 degrees is a line drive and anything 25+ is considered a flyball. However, there is a big difference between a ball hit at a 30-degree launch angle and one hit at 60 degrees.