what is whip in baseball

WHIP stands for "Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched" and is a statistic used to evaluate how well a pitcher has done in baseball. It is calculated by adding the number of walks and hits allowed by a pitcher and dividing this sum by the number of innings pitched. WHIP reflects a pitchers propensity for allowing batters to reach base, and a lower WHIP indicates better performance. Unlike the majority of other statistics in baseball, WHIP is one of the easiest categories to measure. It is one of the most commonly used statistics in fantasy baseball and is standard in fantasy leagues that employ 4x4, 5x5, and 6x6 formats. The pitchers with the lowest WHIPs are generally the best pitchers in the league because the best pitchers should be able to prevent baserunners. However, WHIP does not consider the way in which a hitter reached base, and home runs are more harmful to pitchers than walks. Hit batsmen, errors, and hitters who reach via fielders choice do not count against a pitchers WHIP. A WHIP near 1.00 or lower over the course of a season will often rank among the league leaders in Major League Baseball (MLB) .