MLB Batting Average on Balls in Play (BABIP) Explained

Advanced baseball metrics can take your MLB betting to the next level. Statistical tools such as BABIP, xFIP and wOBA are being used by bettors more and more, but what do they actually mean?

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In this guide, we explain how batting average on balls in play (BAPIB) works, how to calculate BABIP and how to use the advanced metric to level-up your baseball betting. Ready? Let’s go!

How Does BABIP Work?

Batting average on balls in play is arguably the most used advanced statistic in baseball. Put simply, BABIP measures a player’s batting average on all balls they put in play, excluding home runs.

For example, a hitter that goes 2-for-5 with a home run and a strikeout is 1-for-3 on the balls they put in play. That means they would have a .333 BABIP.

Essentially, BABIP is used to find out how much luck went into a player’s stats. An above-average BABIP indicates that a player was lucky, while a below-average BABIP suggests that a player was unlucky.

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How to Calculate BABIP

The formula for calculating BABIP can be confusing at first glance, but if you break it down and look at each part of the sum individually, you will realize that calculating BABIP is not as confusing as it first seems.

Here is the formula:

Hits minus home runs, divided by at-bats, minus home runs, minus strikeouts, plus sacrifice flies (H – HR) / (AB – HR – K + SF)

You will be pleased to learn that there are lots of online BABIP calculators out there. So, if you want to quickly find out a player’s BABIP, you can enter the relevant stats and get an answer.

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How Bettors Can Utilize BABIP

BABIP serves as a useful tool for evaluating both pitchers and hitters by offering context. As a result, bettors can utilize BABIP to aid their wagers within multiple markets.

Typically, the league average BABIP hovers around .300. Pitchers who concede a significant portion of hits on balls put in play tend to revert toward the mean, and conversely for those who allow fewer such hits over time.

This implies that they will eventually witness fewer or more balls in play resulting in hits, ultimately affecting their run prevention outcomes. The same principle applies to batters who have a high or low percentage of their batted balls transforming into hits.

However, it is important to recognize that skill can influence BABIP. Some pitchers excel at inducing weak contact, while certain hitters are adept at producing hard-hit balls.

While using BABIP can be useful when it comes to betting on MLB games, you shouldn’t base every single bet on BABIP stats. After all, BABIP stats are not an excat representation of a player’s ability.

Read our guide to betting on the World Series next.