WHIP is walks plus hits divided by innings pitched. It measures how many baserunners a pitcher allows per inning, regardless of whether those runners eventually score.
Because it ignores errors and the defense's role in turning baserunners into runs, WHIP is often a cleaner read on a pitcher's own command than ERA. A WHIP around 1.00 is excellent; 1.30 or so is roughly average at higher levels.
WHIP and ERA together tell you both how many runners a pitcher allows and how many of them come around to score.
How do you calculate WHIP?
Add walks and hits allowed, then divide by innings pitched. Hit batsmen and errors are not included.
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