BABIP Stat for Batters

burchardta · 07-19-2013, 01:16 PM

I love having a pitcher's BABIP posted in their sortable stats, but I'm confused as to why this isn't a stat that's viewable for hitters? Is this something that could be added to a future patch or if nothing else, a future version?

Sorry if there is a better place for this post to go. Also, if there is a way to add BABIP to a hitter's sortable stats, let me know how.

goalieump413 · 07-19-2013, 03:18 PM

I think it's because BABIP tries to isolate a team's defensive ability to successfully field ground balls and fly balls and get batters out, regardless of a pitcher's ability to strike out a batter. It's a truer approximation of the difference between a high strikeout pitcher and a low strikeout pitcher, all other things being equal.

It doesn't make as much sense for a batter to have a BABIP stat because his isolated actions as a batter are already parsed in enough ways to determine whether he's good at creating base hits vs striking out vs getting on base via BB, HB, or errors.

burchardta · 07-19-2013, 03:46 PM

BABIP is an incredibly useful stat in determining how much of a player's production is attributed to luck. If things like HR/FB and LD% were posted, they would also be useful in the same way. If BABIP were posted, it would be a great way to tell if a player is due for regression or simply improving/declining as a hitter.

BABIP | FanGraphs Sabermetrics Library

burchardta · 07-19-2013, 03:52 PM

Regardless of whether or not its as useful as knowing a pitcher's BABIP, offensive BABIP is a great measure of how much a hitter's production is a result of luck. BABIP stats would be nice as they can point to how likely a hitter is due for regression.

http://www.fangraphs.com/library/offense/babip/

Tyler87898 · 07-19-2013, 07:21 PM

I'd like BABIP for batters to be added, aswell.

olivertheorem · 07-19-2013, 09:10 PM

BABIP for batters makes sense to add because it can tell you if a player is likely to improve or decline relative to his own past performance. If you have a guy who usually hits .275/.340/.450, and he's only hitting .210/.290/.360, if his BABIP is a lot lower than his past season's, then you have hope that he'll improve. Unless his ratings took a dip as well.

goalieump413 · 07-19-2013, 10:21 PM

Like BABIP for pitchers, using BABIP for batters removes the results from events the batter has less control over, but introduces luck as a greater component in the resulting stat.

Yes, you can tell if a batter is in a state of improvement or decline by focusing closer on his BABIP, but it can't be used as effectively for pure power hitters since HR's are not part of the equation. If you're asking a slugger to drive in runs, and in doing so, hits more sac flys, those sac flys lower his BABIP. Now, it's likely that a pure slugger will also strike out more, reducing the denominator as well, and certainly much more than his number of sac flys, but all batters strike out.

Also, the very fleet of foot who beat out more infield hits would also likely benefit from using BABIP as a contract negotiation stat. Using this calculation to reflect hitting prowess over and above BA artificially inflates his apparent value. Not saying code exists in the game for this, but maybe the future?

I'm not arguing that adding batter BABIP is bad or wrong, it's probably that there's more for me to chew on with pitcher BABIP. You can get a clearer picture of overall pitching luck and how effective team defense, ballpark factors, and opposition talent level are with this stat.

burchardta · 07-21-2013, 03:33 PM

Why not just have the stat for both though? For pitchers, BABIP should regress to around .295. For batters, it could be higher or lower, but in most cases they will regress to their career BABIP.

I just wish it was a stat that was available for all players and not just pitchers.

cblacker · 07-21-2013, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by burchardta

Why not just have the stat for both though? For pitchers, BABIP should regress to around .295. For batters, it could be higher or lower, but in most cases they will regress to their career BABIP.

I just wish it was a stat that was available for all players and not just pitchers.

Agreed. It's probably a more useful stat for pitchers, but it is also useful for batters and I'd like to see it available in the game.

burchardta · 07-22-2013, 01:04 PM

So what needs to happen to get this added?

olivertheorem · 07-22-2013, 08:52 PM

Markus has to agree with us. :P

Mantush · 07-26-2013, 10:06 PM

This is something so simple that I am surprised that it has not yet been added to the game. I understand that the player can calculate it themselves, but I'd rather not spend the extra fifteen seconds per player plugging them into an excel formula or calculator. That adds up.

07-19-2013, 01:16 PM	#1
burchardta Bat Boy Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 11	BABIP Stat for Batters I love having a pitcher's BABIP posted in their sortable stats, but I'm confused as to why this isn't a stat that's viewable for hitters? Is this something that could be added to a future patch or if nothing else, a future version? Sorry if there is a better place for this post to go. Also, if there is a way to add BABIP to a hitter's sortable stats, let me know how.

07-19-2013, 03:18 PM	#2
goalieump413 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 765	I think it's because BABIP tries to isolate a team's defensive ability to successfully field ground balls and fly balls and get batters out, regardless of a pitcher's ability to strike out a batter. It's a truer approximation of the difference between a high strikeout pitcher and a low strikeout pitcher, all other things being equal. It doesn't make as much sense for a batter to have a BABIP stat because his isolated actions as a batter are already parsed in enough ways to determine whether he's good at creating base hits vs striking out vs getting on base via BB, HB, or errors.

07-19-2013, 03:46 PM	#3
burchardta Bat Boy Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 11	BABIP is an incredibly useful stat in determining how much of a player's production is attributed to luck. If things like HR/FB and LD% were posted, they would also be useful in the same way. If BABIP were posted, it would be a great way to tell if a player is due for regression or simply improving/declining as a hitter. BABIP \| FanGraphs Sabermetrics Library

07-19-2013, 03:52 PM	#4
burchardta Bat Boy Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 11	Regardless of whether or not its as useful as knowing a pitcher's BABIP, offensive BABIP is a great measure of how much a hitter's production is a result of luck. BABIP stats would be nice as they can point to how likely a hitter is due for regression. http://www.fangraphs.com/library/offense/babip/

07-19-2013, 07:21 PM	#5
Tyler87898 All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 794	I'd like BABIP for batters to be added, aswell.

07-19-2013, 09:10 PM	#6
olivertheorem All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 1,919	BABIP for batters makes sense to add because it can tell you if a player is likely to improve or decline relative to his own past performance. If you have a guy who usually hits .275/.340/.450, and he's only hitting .210/.290/.360, if his BABIP is a lot lower than his past season's, then you have hope that he'll improve. Unless his ratings took a dip as well.

07-19-2013, 10:21 PM	#7
goalieump413 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 765	Like BABIP for pitchers, using BABIP for batters removes the results from events the batter has less control over, but introduces luck as a greater component in the resulting stat. Yes, you can tell if a batter is in a state of improvement or decline by focusing closer on his BABIP, but it can't be used as effectively for pure power hitters since HR's are not part of the equation. If you're asking a slugger to drive in runs, and in doing so, hits more sac flys, those sac flys lower his BABIP. Now, it's likely that a pure slugger will also strike out more, reducing the denominator as well, and certainly much more than his number of sac flys, but all batters strike out. Also, the very fleet of foot who beat out more infield hits would also likely benefit from using BABIP as a contract negotiation stat. Using this calculation to reflect hitting prowess over and above BA artificially inflates his apparent value. Not saying code exists in the game for this, but maybe the future? I'm not arguing that adding batter BABIP is bad or wrong, it's probably that there's more for me to chew on with pitcher BABIP. You can get a clearer picture of overall pitching luck and how effective team defense, ballpark factors, and opposition talent level are with this stat.

07-21-2013, 03:33 PM	#8
burchardta Bat Boy Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 11	Why not just have the stat for both though? For pitchers, BABIP should regress to around .295. For batters, it could be higher or lower, but in most cases they will regress to their career BABIP. I just wish it was a stat that was available for all players and not just pitchers.

07-22-2013, 01:04 PM	#10
burchardta Bat Boy Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 11	So what needs to happen to get this added?

07-22-2013, 08:52 PM	#11
olivertheorem All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 1,919	Markus has to agree with us. :P

07-26-2013, 10:06 PM	#12
Mantush Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 147	This is something so simple that I am surprised that it has not yet been added to the game. I understand that the player can calculate it themselves, but I'd rather not spend the extra fifteen seconds per player plugging them into an excel formula or calculator. That adds up.