Baseball has traditionally used statistics to help define the value of its players. Throughout the years, pitchers have been evaluated based on the number of wins, strikeouts and earned run average, or ERA. The evolution of statistical study has provided several new statistical tools, including walks and hits per innings pitched, or WHIP, to further evaluate a pitcher's effectiveness.
The Basics
A pitcher with a low WHIP number will almost always be effective at his job. Figuring out the pitcher's WHIP is relatively simple. Add the number of hits the pitcher has allowed to the number of walks. Divide that total by the number of innings pitched. For example, let's say Hall of Famer Whitey Ford gave up six hits and three walks while pitching a complete game for the New York Yankees against the Detroit Tigers. His WHIP would have been 1.00 -- nine total baserunners divided by nine innings.
Importance of WHIP
As much as on-base percentage is an important tool for evaluating hitters, WHIP is an important tool for evaluating pitchers. Both of these statistics emphasize base-on balls. A hitter who can get on base -- whether it is through a hit or a walk -- is valuable. Conversely, pitchers want to keep offensive players off base. They don't want to give up hits and walks, and allowing bases-on balls can be devastating over the course of a game or a season.
Command and Control
The WHIP statistic is a valuable tool for measuring a pitcher's command and control. A pitcher might have great velocity, but if he cannot find the strike zone, batters will get on base through base-on balls. As pitchers lose command and put more runners on base, they are more likely to groove a pitch that a batter will be able to hit hard and drive in key runs.
Best WHIP Performances
Pedro Martinez of the Boston Red Sox had the best single-season WHIP performance in baseball history in 1999. According to Baseball-Reference.com, Martinez had a WHIP of 0.7373 that season. The next four on the list all pitched prior to 1913. Greg Maddux of the Atlanta Braves had a WHIP of 0.8108 in 1995, the sixth-best figure of all time. He is the only other modern pitcher besides Martinez to make the top 10.
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