WHIP Calculator

What the WHIP calculator does

WHIP stands for walks and hits per inning pitched, and it measures one simple thing: how much traffic a pitcher puts on the bases. This tool works it out. You give it the hits and walks a pitcher has allowed and the innings they have pitched, and it returns their WHIP, the number of baserunners they let on per inning.

Where ERA counts the runs that actually scored, WHIP counts the runners a pitcher allows whether they score or not, which makes it a clean, early read on how much trouble a pitcher is working through.

How to use it

1. Enter the hits allowed and the walks allowed. These are the two ways a pitcher puts batters on base that WHIP counts.
2. Enter the innings pitched. Remember that baseball counts partial innings in thirds, covered in a moment, so convert before you type.

Press Calculate for the WHIP, or Reset to clear the fields.

How WHIP is worked out

You add the walks and hits together and divide by innings pitched:

WHIP = (hits + walks) ÷ innings pitched

That is it. A WHIP of 1.00 means the pitcher allows exactly one baserunner per inning, on average. A WHIP of 1.25 means one and a quarter, and 0.90 means a touch under one. It deliberately uses the same per-inning frame as ERA, so the two numbers sit comfortably side by side on a pitcher's line.

An example with real numbers

Say a pitcher has allowed 180 hits and 50 walks across 200 innings.

• WHIP = (180 + 50) ÷ 200 = 230 ÷ 200 = 1.15

So this pitcher allows 1.15 baserunners per inning, which is a strong figure. Fewer runners on base means fewer chances for the other team to string something together, which is why a low WHIP tends to travel with a low ERA.

WHIP and ERA tell different stories

This is the most useful thing to understand about WHIP, and it is why people read it next to ERA rather than instead of it. ERA is a result, the runs that crossed the plate. WHIP is more of a process, the runners a pitcher keeps letting on. Usually they agree, but when they split apart, the gap is informative.

A pitcher with a low WHIP but a surprisingly high ERA has been letting few runners on, yet those runners keep scoring, which often points to bad luck or shaky defense, and the ERA is likely to come down. The reverse, a low ERA sitting on top of a high WHIP, usually means a pitcher is putting plenty of runners on but wriggling out of trouble each time, stranding them on base. That escape act is hard to keep up, and the ERA tends to climb to meet the WHIP. So WHIP often works as an early warning, hinting where an ERA is heading before the runs actually show up.

Innings, and what does not count

Two small details keep your number accurate. First, innings pitched are counted in thirds, since an inning is three outs. So 6.1 innings means 6 and a third, and 6.2 means 6 and two-thirds, not 6.1 or 6.2 as plain decimals. Convert before entering: 1 out is 0.33, 2 outs is 0.67, so 6 and 2 thirds goes in as 6.67.

Second, WHIP only counts walks and hits. A batter hit by a pitch is not included, even though he reaches base, which is a small quirk of the stat. So a pitcher who hits a lot of batters will show a slightly rosier WHIP than the actual number of runners they allow. For this calculator, enter only hits and walks, exactly as the formula intends.

What a good WHIP looks like

Lower is better, since it is baserunners allowed. At the major league level, a WHIP under 1.00, fewer than one runner per inning, is elite, the territory of aces and top closers. Around 1.00 to 1.10 is excellent, and roughly 1.10 to 1.30 covers the broad average. Once a WHIP climbs past about 1.40, the pitcher is allowing a lot of traffic and usually struggling to keep runs off the board. The single-season record sits down near 0.74, which shows just how special anything under 1.00 really is.

Questions people ask

How do you calculate WHIP?

Add hits and walks allowed, then divide by innings pitched. A pitcher who allowed 180 hits and 50 walks in 200 innings has a WHIP of 1.15.

What is the difference between WHIP and ERA?

ERA counts the earned runs that scored. WHIP counts the baserunners a pitcher allows, whether they score or not. WHIP is often a leading indicator, hinting where a pitcher's ERA is heading.

Does hit by pitch count in WHIP?

No. WHIP only includes walks and hits. A batter hit by a pitch reaches base but is not counted, which is a known small blind spot in the stat.

What is a good WHIP?

Under 1.00 is elite at the major league level, 1.00 to 1.10 is excellent, and roughly 1.10 to 1.30 is average. Above about 1.40 means a pitcher is allowing heavy traffic on the bases.

References

1. MLB.com Glossary, Standard Stats: Walks And Hits Per Inning Pitched (WHIP). https://www.mlb.com/glossary/standard-stats/walks-and-hits-per-inning-pitched