BABIP

abbreviation or noun

ˈba-ˌbip

ˌbē-ˌā-ˌbē-ˌī-ˈpē

plural BABIPs

baseball

: batting average on balls in play

Note: BABIP is a measure of how often a base hit results when a batter puts a ball in play in fair territory other than by hitting a home run. For a pitcher it is the cumulative average on balls in play achieved by all the batters the pitcher faces.

If you're looking for a pitcher to turn around your favorite team, consider three stats: Batting average allowed on balls in play (BABIP), strikeout-to-walk ratio and homers allowed. An average BABIP is around .300, and pitchers who are far above or below this number typically converge on it as the year progresses.—

Joe Sheehan, Sports Illustrated, 19 May 2008

Part of the reason his BABIP has been so low is because he's allowed fewer line drives this year than he did a year ago …—

Brian MacPherson, Providence Journal-Bulletin, 4 June 2010

Every at-bat—disregarding walks—can, really, result in one of three different outcomes: a strikeout, a home run or a ball hit into the field. Of the thousands and thousands of baseballs hit into play each season, almost exactly 30 percent of them land for hits, essentially without fail, on a large enough scale. That is a .300 BABIP. Entering play Saturday, the Angels have had almost 33 percent of their balls hit into the field land for hits for a .328 BABIP, the third-highest mark in the majors.—

Pedro Moura, Orange County Register (California), 28 Apr. 2013