Stat Glossary
Plain-English definitions for every metric on Dugout Intel
Counting Stats
PA: Plate Appearances
Every time a batter completes their turn at bat, including walks, hit-by-pitches, and sacrifices. More comprehensive than at-bats for measuring playing time.
AB: At-Bats
Plate appearances that result in a hit, out, or strikeout. Walks, HBP, and sacrifice plays are excluded. Used as the denominator for batting average.
H: Hits
Times a batter reaches base safely due to a batted ball, including singles, doubles, triples, and home runs.
2B: Doubles
Hits on which the batter reaches second base. Often a strong indicator of gap-to-gap power and speed.
3B: Triples
Hits on which the batter reaches third base. The rarest hit type; usually requires a combination of speed and a deep ball to an outfield gap or corner.
HR: Home Runs
Hits where the ball leaves the field of play in fair territory. The most impactful offensive event by run value.
RBI: Runs Batted In
Runs that score as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance (hits, walks with the bases loaded, sacrifice flies, etc.). Context-dependent — batters who hit with more runners on base accumulate RBI more easily.
BB: Walks (Base on Balls)
Reaching base after four balls. A key measure of plate discipline. Does not include intentional walks in most advanced stats.
K: Strikeouts
Outs recorded via three strikes. For batters, lower is better. For pitchers, higher is better.
HBP: Hit By Pitch
Times a batter is struck by a pitch and awarded first base. Counts toward OBP but not batting average.
Batting Rate Stats
AVG: Batting Average
Hits divided by at-bats. The most traditional hitting stat. Does not account for walks or extra-base power, so it is often used alongside OBP and SLG for a fuller picture.
OBP: On-Base Percentage
How often a batter reaches base, including hits, walks, and hit-by-pitches. A better measure of a hitter's value than AVG alone because getting on base any way prevents outs.
SLG: Slugging Percentage
Total bases divided by at-bats. Singles count as 1, doubles as 2, triples as 3, home runs as 4. Measures raw power production.
OPS: On-Base Plus Slugging
OBP + SLG combined into one number. A quick proxy for overall offensive value. League average is typically around .720 to .740.
wOBA: Weighted On-Base Average
A more accurate version of OPS that weights each outcome (single, double, walk, HR) by its actual run value. League average is typically around .320. One of the best single-number offensive metrics.
BABIP: Batting Average on Balls in Play
How often a batter gets a hit when they put the ball in play (excluding home runs and strikeouts). League average is around .295–.300. A batter with a significantly higher or lower BABIP than their career norm may be getting lucky or unlucky — BABIP tends to regress toward a player's average over time.
wRC+: Weighted Runs Created Plus
A park- and league-adjusted version of wOBA that puts run creation on a scale where 100 is exactly league average. A wRC+ of 130 means a batter created 30% more runs than a league-average hitter. One of the most complete single offensive metrics. Dugout Intel applies a single-number park factor per ballpark (sourced from FanGraphs) and uses season-level league averages. Results will be close to but may not exactly match FanGraphs due to differences in weighting methodology.
OPS+: On-Base Plus Slugging Plus
OPS adjusted for league and park context. Like wRC+, 100 is league average and each point above/below 100 represents 1% better/worse than average. Easier to interpret than raw OPS because it accounts for the offensive environment of the season. Dugout Intel applies a single-number park factor per ballpark. Results will be close to but may not exactly match Baseball Reference due to differences in park factor methodology.
xBA: Expected Batting Average
The batting average a hitter should have based on exit velocity and launch angle alone, ignoring luck and defense. A large gap between AVG and xBA can signal a player who is over- or under-performing.
xwOBA: Expected Weighted On-Base Average
Like xBA but applied across all outcomes. Uses Statcast quality-of-contact data to estimate what a player's wOBA should be. A better predictor of future performance than actual wOBA.
K%: Strikeout Rate
Percentage of plate appearances ending in a strikeout. Lower is better for batters. MLB average is around 22 to 23 percent.
BB%: Walk Rate
Percentage of plate appearances ending in a walk. Higher is better for batters. MLB average is around 8 to 9 percent.
Batted Ball & Contact Quality
EV: Exit Velocity
How hard (in mph) a batter hits the ball off the bat. Higher exit velocity correlates strongly with offensive success. MLB average is around 88 to 89 mph; elite hitters often average above 92 mph.
LA: Launch Angle
The vertical angle at which the ball leaves the bat. Around 10 to 25 degrees produces line drives and fly balls most likely to fall for hits or leave the park. Very low (groundballs) or very high (pop-ups) angles are less productive.
Barrel%: Barrel Rate
Percentage of batted balls that are "barreled" — hit with an exit velocity and launch angle combination that historically produces a .500 AVG and 1.500 SLG. The best measure of elite contact quality.
Hard Hit%: Hard-Hit Rate
Percentage of batted balls hit 95 mph or harder. A simpler proxy for contact quality than barrel rate.
Swing%: Swing Rate
Percentage of pitches a batter swings at. Very high swing rates can indicate aggressiveness or poor pitch selection. Very low rates are not always good either; elite hitters swing at the right pitches.
Whiff%: Whiff Rate
Percentage of swings that miss entirely. High whiff rate for a batter indicates vulnerability to strikeouts. For pitchers, high whiff rate is a positive, meaning they generate misses.
Contact%: Contact Rate
Percentage of swings that make contact with the ball (hit or foul). Higher is better for batters. Low contact rate combined with high whiff rate is a strong strikeout predictor.
Batted Ball Types
Ground Ball (GB): Ball hit with a low trajectory that bounces on the infield. Generally the weakest offensive outcome.
Fly Ball (FB): Ball hit with a high arc. Can produce home runs or easy outs depending on exit velocity.
Line Drive (LD): Ball hit sharply in a relatively flat trajectory. Highest BABIP of any batted ball type.
Pop-up (PU): Extremely high, weak fly ball to the infield. Almost always an out.
Pitching Stats
IP: Innings Pitched
Number of innings a pitcher recorded outs. Displayed in baseball convention (e.g., 6.2 means 6 innings and 2 outs).
BF: Batters Faced
Total number of plate appearances a pitcher faced. The pitching equivalent of PA.
ERA: Earned Run Average
Earned runs allowed per 9 innings. The most traditional pitching stat. MLB average ERA is typically 4.00 to 4.50. Lower is better.
FIP: Fielding Independent Pitching
An ERA-like stat that strips out defense and luck by focusing only on the outcomes a pitcher controls directly: strikeouts, walks, hit batters, and home runs. FIP is scaled to ERA so they can be compared directly. A pitcher whose ERA is much higher than their FIP is likely getting unlucky or has poor defense behind them — and vice versa. Lower is better.
ERA+: ERA Plus
ERA adjusted for the run environment of the season and the difficulty of the pitcher's home park. 100 is exactly league average; each point above 100 means the pitcher was 1% better than average. A pitcher with ERA+ of 150 allowed 33% fewer runs than a league-average pitcher in a neutral park. Higher is better. Dugout Intel applies a single-number park factor per ballpark. Results will be close to but may not exactly match Baseball Reference due to differences in park factor methodology.
WHIP: Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched
How many baserunners a pitcher allows per inning. A WHIP below 1.00 is elite; above 1.40 is below average. Measures a pitcher's ability to prevent traffic on the bases.
K%: Strikeout Rate
Percentage of batters faced who strike out. Higher is better for pitchers. Elite starters often post 28% or higher.
BB%: Walk Rate
Percentage of batters faced who walk. Lower is better. Above 10% is a concern; below 6% is excellent command.
K-BB%: Strikeout Minus Walk Rate
K% minus BB%. One of the best single indicators of a pitcher's true skill, capturing both the ability to miss bats and avoid free passes. Above 15% is very good.
AVG vs: Opponent Batting Average
The batting average opposing hitters post against this pitcher. Lower is better.
OBP vs: Opponent On-Base Percentage
How often opposing hitters reach base against this pitcher. Includes walks, hits, and HBP. Lower is better.
SLG vs: Opponent Slugging Percentage
Total bases allowed per at-bat against this pitcher. Measures the power damage a pitcher is allowing. Lower is better.
wOBA vs: Opponent wOBA
The weighted on-base average opposing hitters post against this pitcher. Lower is better. More accurate than AVG vs at measuring true damage allowed.
Pitch Metrics (Statcast)
Velo: Pitch Velocity
Speed of the pitch in mph as it leaves the pitcher's hand. Fastball velocity is one of the most watched metrics in scouting.
Spin Rate
Revolutions per minute (RPM) of the ball in flight. High spin on a four-seam fastball creates a "rising" effect; high spin on a curveball creates sharper downward break. Generally, more spin means more movement.
HB: Horizontal Break
How much a pitch moves left or right (in inches) compared to a theoretical no-spin pitch. Shown on the movement chart; wider spread means more horizontal variety in a pitcher's arsenal.
VB: Vertical Break (Induced)
How much a pitch "rises" or "drops" due to spin, compared to a theoretical no-spin pitch. Four-seamers with high induced vertical break appear to "ride" through the zone.
Pitch Types
Common abbreviations used on this site:
FF: Four-seam fastball
SI: Sinker (two-seam fastball)
FC: Cutter
CH: Changeup
SL: Slider
CU: Curveball
KC: Knuckle-curve
FS: Split-finger fastball
ST: Sweeper
SV: Slurve
Situational Terms
RISP: Runners in Scoring Position
A runner on second base, third base, or both. Hitting with RISP is a commonly used (if noisy) measure of clutch performance.
Home / Away Split
Statistics separated by whether the game was played at the player's home park or at an opponent's park. Park factors (altitude, dimensions, air density) can significantly affect numbers, especially at parks like Coors Field.
Park Factors
A single number representing how much a ballpark inflates or deflates run scoring relative to the league average. A park factor of 1.00 is perfectly neutral; above 1.00 favors hitters, below 1.00 favors pitchers. Dugout Intel uses these values (sourced from FanGraphs) to compute OPS+, ERA+, and wRC+.
| Team | Ballpark | Park Factor |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado Rockies | Coors Field | 1.20 |
| Boston Red Sox | Fenway Park | 1.05 |
| New York Yankees | Yankee Stadium | 1.04 |
| Texas Rangers | Globe Life Field | 1.04 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Citizens Bank Park | 1.02 |
| Baltimore Orioles | Camden Yards | 1.01 |
| Chicago Cubs | Wrigley Field | 1.01 |
| Cincinnati Reds | Great American Ball Park | 1.01 |
| Houston Astros | Minute Maid Park | 1.01 |
| Kansas City Royals | Kauffman Stadium | 1.01 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | Rogers Centre | 1.01 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | Chase Field | 1.00 |
| Chicago White Sox | Guaranteed Rate Field | 1.00 |
| Minnesota Twins | Target Field | 1.00 |
| Washington Nationals | Nationals Park | 1.00 |
| New York Mets | Citi Field | 0.99 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | Tropicana Field | 0.99 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | PNC Park | 0.98 |
| Atlanta Braves | Truist Park | 0.97 |
| Cleveland Guardians | Progressive Field | 0.97 |
| Los Angeles Angels | Angel Stadium | 0.97 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | American Family Field | 0.97 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Busch Stadium | 0.97 |
| Athletics | Sutter Health Park | 0.96 |
| Detroit Tigers | Comerica Park | 0.96 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Dodger Stadium | 0.96 |
| Seattle Mariners | T-Mobile Park | 0.96 |
| San Diego Padres | Petco Park | 0.95 |
| Miami Marlins | loanDepot Park | 0.94 |
| San Francisco Giants | Oracle Park | 0.94 |
Count
The number of balls and strikes in a plate appearance (e.g., 3-2 = full count). Hitter-friendly counts (1-0, 2-0, 3-1) allow batters to be more selective; pitcher-friendly counts (0-1, 0-2) let pitchers expand the zone.