- WHIP stands for walks and hits per inning pitched.
- Addie Joss has the lowest WHIP in MLB history.
- An average WHIP is around 1.30.
Walks and hits are two popular player prop markets in MLB betting. When weighing these wagers, it’s useful to consider a pitcher’s WHIP. This is one of the foundational statistics for evaluating pitchers.
The term “WHIP” was coined by Daniel Okrent, who invented rotisserie league fantasy baseball. Okrent initially called it “innings pitched ratio,” but this gradually evolved into the term used today.
What is WHIP in Baseball?
WHIP stands for walks and hits per inning pitched. The statistic shows how effective a pitcher is at keeping hitters off the basepaths. It is calculated by adding up a pitcher’s walks and hits allowed and dividing by their total innings pitched. The resulting number is the pitcher’s WHIP.
WHIP isn’t the perfect statistic, but it gives a useful snapshot of how well a pitcher prevents baserunners.
Alternatives to WHIP like on-base percentage against or opponent wOBA have grown in popularity, as they give a more accurate representation of the pitcher’s overall performance.
What is a Good WHIP in Baseball?
As a rule of thumb, 1.15 can be considered a good WHIP. League averages vary year-on-year, but any WHIP below 1.20 has been above league average in the 21st century. Since 2000, the league average WHIP has been between 1.30 and 1.40 in the majority of seasons.
The 2000, 2004, 2006, and 2007 seasons were above 1.40, while 2014, 2015, 2021, and 2022 have all been just below 1.30.
In general, a WHIP of 1.10 is very good, and anything around 1.00 is elite. The league leaders will often get down to somewhere between 0.80 and 0.95. In 2022, for instance, Justin Verlander had the best WHIP in the American League at 0.829.
What is More Important: ERA or WHIP?
ERA (earned run average) is focused on the results a pitcher gets. WHIP looks at the outcome of each plate appearance.
It is hard to say which one is more important, but when looking at baseball betting online, I would argue that WHIP is more predictive than ERA. WHIP is based on individual events rather than a sequence of events, which makes it a more reliable indicator of performance.
WHIP looks at the quantity of baserunners a pitcher has allowed rather than simply looking at the number of runs they have conceded. Over a large sample, pitchers with a lower WHIP are more likely to be effective than those who allow more baserunners.
The @Tigers SP trio this season:
Tarik Skubal – 2.01 ERA (5th in AL), 0.82 WHIP (1st)
Reese Olson – 1.92 ERA (3rd in AL)
Jack Flaherty – 90 Ks (Leads AL) pic.twitter.com/bzp9BRvx6J— MLB (@MLB) May 31, 2024
The main downside to WHIP is that it judges all baserunners as equal when obviously allowing an extra-base hit is more detrimental than a walk or a single. Still, if a pitcher is allowing fewer baserunners, they are less likely to give up multiple runs when they do concede an extra-base hit.
Who Has the Lowest WHIP in MLB History?
| Rank | Player | Career WHIP | Active Years |
| 1 | Addie Joss | 0.9678 | 1902-1910 |
| 2 | Jacob deGrom | 0.9931 | 2014-Present |
| 3 | Ed Walsh | 0.9996 | 1904-1917 |
| 4 | Mariano Rivera | 1.0003 | 1995-2013 |
| 5 | Clayton Kershaw | 1.0042 | 2008-Present |
Addie Joss has the lowest WHIP in MLB history at 0.9678.
At 0.9931, Jacob deGrom is the active leader in career WHIP ahead of Clayton Kershaw and Chris Sale.
Perennial online sports betting favourites for the Cy Young, Kershaw and deGrom have won the National League Cy Young award five times between them. Kershaw has led the NL in WHIP on four occasions, while Sale led the AL in WHIP in 2015 and 2017.
Joss’ Hall of Fame career was cut short due to illness, and he passed away only two days after his 31st birthday. Not only does he own the best WHIP in MLB history, but he’s also got the second-lowest ERA, behind Ed Walsh, who also features in the list below. Joss’ best season-long WHIP was 0.806 in 1908 when he led the majors with a 1.16 ERA.