Baseball Abbreviations
83 abbreviations · part of Sports Abbreviations
Baseball is the most statistic-heavy of the major sports, and its box scores, scorecards and transaction wires are written almost entirely in abbreviations. This list covers batting, pitching and fielding statistics from RBI and ERA to sabermetric measures such as OPS, FIP and WAR, plus positions, roster moves, postseason rounds and league structure. Many of the traditional abbreviations date back to nineteenth-century box scores designed by writer Henry Chadwick.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1B | First baseman | Defensive player stationed near first base, position number 3 on a scorecard, who catches throws from other infielders to record outs. |
| 2B | Double | Hit on which the batter safely reaches second base, often a line drive into the gap or down the line. |
| 3B | Third baseman | Infielder stationed near third base, position number 5, who needs quick reactions and a strong arm for the long throw to first. |
| AAA | Triple-A | Highest level of minor league baseball, one step below the majors, made up of the International League and the Pacific Coast League. |
| AB | At bats | Official turns at bat used to calculate batting average, excluding walks, hit-by-pitches, sacrifices and catcher's interference. |
| ABS | Automated ball-strike system | Technology that uses camera tracking to judge balls and strikes. |
| AL | American League | One of MLB's two leagues, with 15 teams in East, Central and West divisions. |
| ALCS | American League Championship Series | Best-of-seven playoff series that decides the American League pennant and sends the winner to the World Series. |
| ALDS | American League Division Series | Best-of-five playoff round in the American League, played after the Wild Card Series. |
| AVG | Batting average | Hits divided by official at-bats, displayed as a three-digit decimal such as .287. |
| BABIP | Batting average on balls in play | Batting average counting only balls put in play, excluding home runs and strikeouts. |
| BB | Base on balls | Free pass to first base given when a pitcher throws four pitches outside the strike zone that the batter does not swing at. |
| BK | Balk | Illegal motion by the pitcher with runners on base, such as stopping partway through the delivery or failing to come set, which lets each runner advance one base. |
| BS | Blown save | Charged to a reliever who enters in a save situation and lets the tying or go-ahead run score. |
| C | Catcher | Defensive player who squats behind home plate, position number 2, receiving pitches, calling the game with the pitcher and throwing out base stealers. |
| CF | Center fielder | Outfielder who covers center field, position number 8, the outfield's widest territory. |
| CG | Complete game | Game in which one pitcher records every out for his team. |
| CS | Caught stealing | Out made when a runner trying to steal is tagged out, usually after the catcher's throw. |
| DFA | Designated for assignment | Roster move that immediately removes a player from a team's 40-man roster, giving the club a few days to trade him, release him or send him outright to the minors after… |
| DH | Designated hitter | Player who bats in place of the pitcher but does not play the field. |
| DP | Double play | Defensive play that records two outs in one continuous action, such as the 6-4-3 grounder from shortstop to second baseman to first baseman. |
| DRS | Defensive runs saved | Fielding metric from Sports Info Solutions estimating how many runs a player saved or cost compared with an average fielder at his position, considering range, arm… |
| E | Error | Misplay by a fielder, judged by the official scorer, that lets a batter reach base or a runner advance when ordinary effort would have made the play. |
| ER | Earned runs | Runs charged to a pitcher that did not result from fielding errors or passed balls. |
| ERA | Earned run average | Pitching statistic measuring earned runs allowed per nine innings: earned runs times nine, divided by innings pitched. |
| ERA+ | Adjusted ERA+ | ERA normalized to the league average and adjusted for ballpark, with 100 as average and higher numbers better. |
| FIP | Fielding independent pitching | ERA-style metric based only on outcomes a pitcher controls: strikeouts, walks, hit batters and home runs. |
| FPCT | Fielding percentage | Share of chances a fielder handles cleanly: putouts plus assists divided by putouts, assists and errors. |
| GB | Games behind | Standings column showing how far a team trails the division or wild-card leader: the difference in wins plus the difference in losses, divided by two. |
| GIDP | Grounded into double play | Batting statistic for a ground ball that produces two outs on one play, usually with a runner on first. |
| H | Hits | Times a batter reaches base safely on a batted ball without an error or fielder's choice. |
| HBP | Hit by pitch | Event in which a pitch strikes the batter, who is awarded first base unless he swung or made no attempt to avoid the ball. |
| HLD | Hold | Credit to a relief pitcher who enters in a save situation, records at least one out and leaves without giving up the lead, without finishing the game. |
| HR | Home run | Hit on which the batter circles all the bases and scores, usually by hitting the ball over the outfield fence in fair territory; an inside-the-park home run stays in… |
| IBB | Intentional base on balls | Walk issued on purpose to avoid a dangerous hitter or set up a force play. |
| IL | Injured list | MLB roster list for injured players, who do not count against the 26-man active roster. |
| IP | Innings pitched | Number of innings a pitcher works, counted by outs recorded. |
| ISO | Isolated power | Slugging percentage minus batting average, measuring extra-base power only. |
| K | Strikeout | Out recorded when a batter gets three strikes, by swinging and missing, taking a pitch in the strike zone or fouling off a two-strike bunt. |
| K/9 | Strikeouts per nine innings | Strikeout rate for pitchers: strikeouts multiplied by nine and divided by innings pitched. |
| L | Loss | Labels something as a failure, embarrassment or bad decision, as in "that's an L" or "taking the L." Often used to mock or console. |
| LF | Left fielder | Outfielder who covers left field, position number 7. |
| LHP | Left-handed pitcher | Pitcher who throws with his left hand, as listed on rosters, transaction wires and scouting reports. |
| LOB | Left on base | Runners stranded on base when an inning ends, counted for the team and for the batter who made the final out. |
| NL | National League | Older of MLB's two leagues, with 15 teams in East, Central and West divisions. |
| NLCS | National League Championship Series | Best-of-seven playoff series that decides the National League pennant. |
| NLDS | National League Division Series | Best-of-five playoff round in the National League that follows the Wild Card Series and leads into the NLCS. |
| NRI | Non-roster invitee | Player invited to major league spring training who is not on the team's 40-man roster, such as a top prospect or a veteran on a minor league contract. |
| OAA | Outs above average | Statcast fielding metric measuring how many more outs a fielder made than an average fielder would have, based on the catch probability of each ball. |
| OBP | On-base percentage | How often a batter reaches base: hits plus walks plus hit-by-pitches, divided by at-bats plus walks, hit-by-pitches and sacrifice flies. |
| OPS | On-base plus slugging | Sum of on-base percentage and slugging percentage, a simple all-in-one measure of a hitter's production. |
| OPS+ | Adjusted OPS | OPS normalized to the league and adjusted for ballpark, where 100 is league average and each point above or below is a percentage better or worse. |
| P | Pitcher | Player who throws pitches to opposing batters from the pitcher's mound, position number 1 on the scorecard. |
| PA | Plate appearances | Every completed turn at bat, including walks, hit-by-pitches, sacrifices and catcher's interference, whereas at-bats exclude those outcomes. |
| PH | Pinch hitter | Substitute batter who hits in place of another player in the lineup, often in a key late-game situation. |
| PO | Putout | Fielding credit given to the player who completes an out by catching a fly ball, tagging a runner or touching a base. |
| PR | Pinch runner | Substitute who replaces a baserunner, usually to add speed in a late inning. |
| PTBNL | Player to be named later | Placeholder in a baseball trade for a player who will be identified after the deal is announced, usually chosen from an agreed list within a set period. |
| QS | Quality start | Start in which the pitcher works at least six innings and allows three or fewer earned runs. |
| R | Runs | Number of times a player crosses home plate safely, or a team's total score. |
| RBI | Run batted in | Credit given to a batter when his plate appearance causes a run to score, through a hit, sacrifice, walk with the bases loaded or other means, except when the run… |
| RF | Right fielder | Outfielder who covers right field, position number 9, usually the player with the strongest arm because of the long throw to third base. |
| RHP | Right-handed pitcher | Pitcher who throws with his right hand, the large majority of major leaguers. |
| RISP | Runners in scoring position | Situation with runners on second or third base, from where a single can usually score them. |
| RP | Relief pitcher | Pitcher who enters after the starter, from the bullpen. |
| SABR | Society for American Baseball Research | Membership organization of baseball researchers, historians and statisticians, founded in Cooperstown, New York, in 1971. |
| SAC | Sacrifice bunt | Bunt that advances a runner at the cost of the batter being thrown out, credited when the scorer judges it intentional. |
| SB | Stolen base | Base gained by a runner who advances without the help of a hit, walk or error, usually by running as the pitcher delivers. |
| SF | Sacrifice fly | Fly ball caught for an out that allows a runner on third (or occasionally another base) to tag up and score. |
| SHO | Shutout | Complete game in which the pitcher allows no runs. |
| SLG | Slugging percentage | Measure of hitting power: total bases divided by at-bats, so a single counts 1, a double 2, a triple 3 and a home run 4. |
| SP | Starting pitcher | Pitcher who begins the game and is expected to pitch several innings. |
| SS | Shortstop | Infielder positioned between second and third base, position number 6, usually the most skilled and athletic infielder, covering the most ground and making long throws. |
| SV | Save | Credit to a relief pitcher who finishes a win while protecting a lead of three runs or fewer, enters with the tying run on deck, or pitches the last three innings. |
| TB | Total bases | Bases gained through hits: one per single, two per double, three per triple and four per home run. |
| W | Win | Calls something a success, good decision or positive outcome, as in "that's a W" or "huge W for the team." Common in Gen Z speech, texts and comments, often paired with… |
| WAR | Wins above replacement | Sabermetric estimate of a player's total value in wins compared with a freely available replacement-level player, combining hitting, baserunning, fielding and… |
| WHIP | Walks plus hits per inning pitched | Pitching stat adding walks and hits allowed and dividing by innings pitched. |
| wOBA | Weighted on-base average | Sabermetric stat that weights each way of reaching base by its actual run value: a walk is worth less than a single, a single less than a double, and so on. |
| WP | Wild pitch | Pitch so far off target that the catcher cannot handle it with ordinary effort, allowing a runner to advance. |
| wRC+ | Weighted runs created plus | FanGraphs' main hitting metric, estimating runs created from wOBA and adjusting for park and league, with 100 as average. |
| WS | World Series | Annual championship series of Major League Baseball, a best-of-seven matchup between the American League and National League pennant winners, played in late October and… |
| XBH | Extra-base hits | Doubles, triples and home runs combined, a quick measure of power. |
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