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FIP is probably the most useful stat in the entire game. FIP is based on just 3 factors: strikeouts, homers, and walks. The same very three things that correspond to the main pitchers ratings. So it's a perfect fit.
If your ERA is consistently worse (higher) than FIP, that would be a sign of two possible things going wrong:
1) your defense is bad. To know if that's the culprit, look at ZR. Zero is league average and +1 ZR means your defense saved 1 run more than average, so it's a very straightforward stat to understand. Elite defensive teams will be +50 or more by the end of the season.
2) Park factors. Most importantly, the AVG modifiers can really affect this. If you play in a 1.1 AVG park, that means your pitchers are basically facing a 5% BABIP penalty, so ERA is destined to be worse than FIP. It takes an elite defense to overcome that. On the flip side, it's quite easy to beat FIP with .9 AVG factors - a just average defense is enough to consistently beat it. Of course, that would need to be paired with the appropriate offensive strategy, or you're just giving back whatever gains on offense.
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