Have you ever wondered why a baseball manager took a perfectly good pitcher out of the game, or sent your favorite player to the end of the batting lineup? It’s not because he’s a mean guy — it’s because he knows how to balance his team’s stats. And once you learn the most common baseball stats abbreviations, you’ll spend less time yelling at your screen and more time agreeing with the manager.
Batting Abbreviations
What’s the difference between a batter’s AB and BA? Become an expert at batting lingo and statistics with these abbreviations.
- 1B or S - Singles
- 2B - Doubles
- 3B - Triples
- AB - At Bats
- AB/HR - At Bats per Home Run
- AO - Fly Outs (Air)
- BA or AVG - Batting average
- BB - Bases on Balls (Walks)
- BABIP - Batting Average on Balls in Play
- BB/K - Walks to Strikeouts
- BR or BsR - Base Runs
- EQA - Equivalent Average
- GIDP - Ground Into Double Plays
- GO/AO - Ground Balls to Fly Balls
- GS or GRSL - Grand Slams
- H - Hits
- HBP - Hit By Pitch
- HRR - Home Run Ratio
- HR - Home Runs
- HR/H - Home Runs per Hit
- ITPHR - Inside The Park Home Run
- ISO - Isolated Power
- K or SO - Strikeouts
- OBP - On-Base Percentage
- OPS - On-Base Plus Slugging
- PA - Plate Appearance
- PA/SO - Plate Appearances per Strikeout
- RBI - Runs Batted In
- RC - Runs Created
- RISP - Runner In Scoring Position
- RP - Runs Produced
- SF - Sacrifice Flies
- SH - Sacrifice Hits (bunts)
- SLG - Slugging Average
- TA - Total Average
- TB - Total Bases
- TOB - Times on Base
- XBH - Extra Base Hits
Baserunning Abbreviations
The batter got on base — now what? A player’s SB% becomes very important when they are considering their options at second base, especially if they’re CS or LOB.
- CS - Caught Stealing
- DI - Defensive Indifference
- LOB - Left On Base (runners still on base after the third out)
- R - Runs
- SB - Stolen Bases
- SB% - Stolen Base Percentage
- SBA or ATT - Stolen Base Attempts
- SBR - Stolen Base Runs
- UBR - Ultimate Base Running
Fielding Abbreviations
What makes a first baseman worth watching? What about an outfielder? It’s all about the PK and the PO.
- A - Assists
- CI - Catcher’s Interference
- DP - Double Plays
- E - Errors
- FP - Fielding Percentage
- GP - Games Played
- INN - Innings (in a certain position)
- OFA - Outfield Assists
- PB - Passed Balls
- PK - Pickoffs
- PO - Putouts
- TC - Total Chances (assists + putouts + errors)
- TP - Triple Plays
- UZR - Ultimate Zone Rating
Pitching Abbreviations
Pitching statistics can make or break a team’s defense. Learn which abbreviations show what’s valuable — and what’s risky — in a pitching bullpen.
- BB - Walks (Bases on Balls)
- BB/9 - Bases on Balls per 9 Innings
- BF - Batters Faced
- BFP - Batters Facing Pitcher
- BK - Balks (illegal pitching actions)
- BS - Blown Save
- CERA - Component ERA
- CBO - Combined Shutout
- CG - Complete Games
- CGL- Complete Game Losses
- DICE - Defense-Independent Component ERA
- ER - Earned Runs
- ERA - Earned Run Average
- G or GP - Games Pitched
- GF - Games Finished
- GIDP - Double Plays or Double Play Groundouts Induced
- GIDPO - Double Play Opportunities
- GIR - Games In Relief
- GO - Ground Outs
- GO/AO - Ground Outs to Fly Outs
- GS - Games Started
- FIP - Fielding Independent Pitching
- H or HA - Hits Allowed
- H/9 or HA/9 - Hits Allowed over 9 Innings
- HB or HBP - Hit Batters
- HLD or H - Hold
- HR or HRA - Home Runs Allowed
- IBB or IW - Intentional Walks (Balls on Bases)
- IP - Innings Pitched
- IP/GS - Innings Pitched per Games Started
- IPS - Innings Per Start
- IR - Inherited Runners
- IRA - Inherited Runs Allowed
- K - Strikeouts
- K/9 or SO/9 - Strikeouts per 9 Innings
- L - Losses (while pitching)
- LOB - Left On Base
- LOB% - Left On Base Percentage
- OBA - Opponents' Batting Average
- PC-ST - Pitch Count and Strike Count within those pitches
- PIT or NP - Pitch Count
- MB9 - Baserunners Per 9 Innings
- PFR - Power Finesse Ratio (strikeouts + walks divided by innings pitched)
- QOP - Quality of Pitch
- QS - Quality Start
- RA - Run Average (runs allowed over 9 innings)
- RPF - Relief Failures
- RW - Relief Wins
- S/SHO - Shutouts
- SIERA - Skill-Interactive Earned Run Average
- K/SO - Strikeouts
- SV - Saves
- SVO - Save Opportunities
- W - Wins
- W+S - Relief Wins and Saves
- WHIP - Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched
- WP - Wild Pitches
NERD Statistics
You may see the acronym NERD when discussing baseball abbreviations. NERD is a sabermetrics term that stands for Narration, Exposition, Reflection, and Description (and it’s probably not an accidental acronym, honestly).
It consists of a mathematical formula that assesses the aesthetic value of watching a pitcher (pNERD) or a team (tNERD) play based on various performance statistics.
Root, Root, Root for Sports
No matter what season we’re in, it’s always time for sports! If you’d like to learn more about baseball abbreviations, check out a list of codes for baseball scorecards and scoreboards. You can also read some facts about baseball to learn more, or master the abbreviations for different baseball positions.