Editing Baseball statistics (section)

==Use==
Throughout modern baseball, a few core statistics have been traditionally referenced – [[Batting average (baseball)|batting average]], [[Runs batted in|RBI]], and [[home run]]s. To this day, a player who leads the league in all of these three statistics earns the "[[Triple crown (baseball)|Triple Crown]]". For pitchers, [[Win (baseball)|wins]], [[Earned run average|ERA]], and [[strikeouts]] are the most often-cited statistics, and a pitcher leading his league in these statistics may also be referred to as a "triple crown" winner. General managers and [[scout (sport)|baseball scouts]] have long used the major statistics, among other factors and opinions, to understand player value. Managers, catchers and pitchers use the statistics of batters of opposing teams to develop pitching strategies and set [[baseball positioning|defensive positioning]] on the field. Managers and batters study opposing pitcher performance and motions in attempting to improve hitting. Scouts use stats when they are looking at a player who they may end up drafting or signing to a contract.

Some [[sabermetric]] statistics have entered the mainstream baseball world that measure a batter's overall performance including [[on-base plus slugging]], commonly referred to as OPS. OPS adds the hitter's [[on-base percentage]] (number of times reached base by any means divided by total plate appearances) to their [[slugging percentage]] ([[total bases]] divided by at-bats).  Some argue that the OPS formula is flawed and that more weight should be shifted towards OBP (on-base percentage).<ref name="ESPN"/> The statistic [[wOBA]] (weighted on-base average) attempts to correct for this.

OPS is also useful when determining a pitcher's level of success. "Opponent on-base plus slugging" (OOPS) is becoming a popular tool to evaluate a pitcher's actual performance.  When analyzing a pitcher's statistics, some useful categories include [[K/9IP]] (strikeouts per nine innings), [[Strikeout-to-walk ratio|K/BB]] (strikeouts per walk), [[Home runs per nine innings|HR/9]] (home runs per nine innings), [[Walks plus hits per inning pitched|WHIP]] (walks plus hits per inning pitched), and OOPS (opponent on-base plus slugging).

However, since 2001, more emphasis has been placed on [[Defense independent pitching statistics|defense-independent pitching statistics]], including defense-independent ERA (dERA), in an attempt to evaluate a pitcher's performance regardless of the strength of the defensive players behind them.

All of the above statistics may be used in certain game situations. For example, a certain hitter's ability to hit left-handed pitchers might incline a manager to increase their opportunities to face left-handed pitchers. Other hitters may have a history of success against a given pitcher (or vice versa), and the manager may use this information to create a favorable
match-up. This is often referred  to as "playing the percentages".

{{citation needed span|text=The advent of the [[Statcast]] system as caused a change in tracking statistics in the modern game.|reason=Two things are needed here: one, an appropriate citation; two, explanatory support for *how* Statcast has made the alleged change(s).|date=July 2024}}