Major league baseball stats are what led to baseball being considered a "thinking man's sport". In this day and age, nearly every sport relies heavily on numbers to determine strategy, but the math produced by baseball players is perhaps the most accessible and recognizable to its fans. So to make sure you're not left out of the loop at the next cook out, let's learn to calculate statistics.
Batters:
AVG
This refers to a player's batting average-meaning, the percentage of the time he gets a hit. This number is calculated by dividing a player's total number of hits by at-bats. An at-bat refers to a plate appearance that does not result in a base on balls (a walk) or a hit-by-pitch. Generally speaking, .300 and above is considered to be the standard for "very good," making baseball one of the few professions in which an individual can fail 70% of the time and be considered one of the best in the business. Conversely, .200 and below is considered to be downright terrible for position players-with this limbo-like space of terribleness being referred to as the "Mendoza Line" (so named after former short stop Mario Mendoza, a full-time short stop who hit .198 in 1979).
HR
Human resources. Psyche! Of course, HR in baseball is an abbreviation for "home run." This takes into account the total number of "taters" hit by a player, as well as any and all inside-the-park home runs he may achieve.
RBI
RBI stands for "Runs Batted In," and may often be referred to as "ribbies" in baseball slang. As the name would suggest, every time a player scores on a batter's hit, the batter is credited with an RBI. Accordingly, players who achieve a high number of home runs and/or RBIs are generally thought of as "power hitters"-meaning their at-bats generally lead to exceptional run production.
SLG
Now we're getting fancy. The slugging percentage is a rough measurement of a hitter's power. The figure represents the total number of bases achieved divided by a player's at-bats. A player who hits a lot of doubles or home runs will have a slugging percentage much higher than his batting average. A slap hitter who racks up singles all year long will have a slugging percentage that is very similar to his batting average. Barry Bonds broke Babe Ruth's record for slugging percentage in 2001, turning in an incredible (and possibly artificially enhanced) .863 SLG.
Pitchers:
ERA
An ERA is a pitcher's Earned Run Average-which refers to the number of earned (error-free) runs allowed per nine innings. As no pitcher routinely pitches all nine innings in modern baseball, the statistic is generally hypothetical, but comparatively useful in terms of how reliable he is at keeping the offense from scoring. Generally speaking, pitchers with an ERA lower than 2.00 are considered to be the best in the game, while ERAs over 5.00 indicate a weaker pitcher.
W
No, we're not talking presidents, we're talking "wins." In order to get a W, a pitcher must pitch a minimum of five complete innings, and leave with his team in the lead. A good starting pitcher should have well over 10 wins in a season, with elite starters earning around 20.
L
No, we're not talking "losers"-well, actually, we are. As it does so often in life, "L" stands for "loss" in baseball. Pitchers are "on the hook" for a loss when they allow the opposing team to take the lead while they are pitching. In other words, pitchers who generally pitch poorly earn the most losses. Makes sense, eh?
SV
This is an abbreviation for a "save." This is a distinction reserved for the final relief pitcher of a winning team. To earn a save, a relief pitcher must enter the game when his team is already winning and record at least one out. Furthermore, he must meet one of the following conditions: he enters with a maximum lead of three runs and pitches at least one full inning; he enters the game, with the potential tying run either on base, at bat or on deck; or he pitches for at least three innings in relief. In other words, a pitcher can come in with a 10 run lead in the 7th, pitch three innings of relief and earn a save.
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