How to Keep Little League Baseball Stats

Coach Bumping Fists With Little League Batter

Little League baseball seasons aren’t long, but you can’t be expected to remember every detail of each player’s performance. Keeping statistics on all your players lets you see at a glance how your hitters, fielders and pitchers are performing. If you're used to keeping baseball stats at other levels, there's nothing different about keeping Little League stats.

Physically Keeping Stats

Write each player’s name in a column across the left side of a sheet of paper. Write abbreviations for each stat you wish to keep in a row across the top. Use a pencil to keep running tallies of your selected stats for each player.

Keep your stats on a computer spreadsheet. Set it up in columns and rows, as you would for a paper stats sheet.

Use a dedicated statistics app for your mobile device. Input stats for each player according to the app’s instructions.

Which Stats to Keep

Designate a scorekeeper to track each game. Have the scorekeeper total the appropriate stats and add them to the master stats sheet, spreadsheet or app.

Add the number of at-bats and hits for every batter. Divide the number of hits by the number of at-bats to determine each player’s batting average. Walks, sacrifice bunts and sacrifice flies don't count as official at-bats.

Total the runs your players score and how many runs they drive in. Don't credit an RBI for runs that score directly due to errors, or for runs that score when they hit into double plays.

Keep stats on the number of doubles, triples and homers each batter hits to determine which players are hitting for the most power. To determine each player’s total bases, give him four bases for a homer, three for a triple, two for a double and one for each single. Divide that figure by the number of at-bats to determine that player’s slugging average.

Add the number of innings each pitcher throws and the number of earned runs -- runs that score without benefit of an error -- he allows. Multiply the number of earned runs by the number of innings in a standard game -- typically six or seven in Little League play -- and then divide by innings pitched to determine a hurler’s earned run average.

Track the number of hits and walks pitchers allow and the number of strikeouts they throw to help determine their effectiveness.

Keep a running tally of every pitch that all of your pitchers throw. All Little Leagues have pitch counts, so tracking this stat tells you when you must remove a pitcher from the game and how many days of rest he requires before he may throw again.

Add up each player's putouts, assists and errors to track their fielding performances.

Tips

Some scorekeeping apps will tally your season’s statistics automatically as you enter each result during a game.

Stick to simple stats for younger players, but you may wish to calculate advanced stats for older Little Leaguers. For example, determine a player’s on-base average by adding his hits, walks and times being hit by pitches and then dividing the sum by his total plate appearances. Determine a pitcher’s WHIP -- walks plus hits per innings pitched -- by adding the number of walks and hits he allows and then dividing the total by his innings pitched.