What is WHIP in Baseball?
Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched · Pitching
WHIP stands for Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched. It measures how many baserunners a pitcher allows per inning of work, counting both base hits and walks (but not hit-by-pitches or errors). A lower WHIP indicates a pitcher who keeps more batters off the bases.
Formula
WHIP = (Walks + Hits) ÷ Innings Pitched
A pitcher who allows 100 hits and 30 walks in 150 innings has a WHIP of (100 + 30) ÷ 150 = 0.867 — an elite mark. The stat was first called "Opponents' On-Base Average" before "WHIP" was coined by fantasy baseball pioneer Daniel Okrent in 1980.
Benchmarks
| Level | WHIP |
|---|---|
| Elite | < 1.00 |
| Excellent | 1.00–1.15 |
| Above Average | 1.15–1.25 |
| Average | 1.25–1.35 |
| Below Average | > 1.40 |
ALL-TIME CAREER WHIP LEADERS
| Rank | Player | WHIP |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Addie Joss | 0.968 |
| 2 | Jacob deGrom | 0.987 |
| 3 | Mariano Rivera | 1.000 |
| 4 | Ed Walsh | 1.000 |
| 5 | Clayton Kershaw | 1.018 |
| 6 | John Ward | 1.043 |
| 7 | Chris Sale | 1.045 |
| 8 | Pedro Martinez | 1.054 |
| 9 | Trevor Hoffman | 1.058 |
| 10 | Christy Mathewson | 1.058 |
BEST SINGLE-SEASON WHIP IN MLB HISTORY
| Rank | Player | Year | Team | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pedro Martinez | 2000 | BOS | 0.737 |
| 2 | Guy Hecker | 1882 | LS2 | 0.769 |
| 3 | Walter Johnson | 1913 | WSN | 0.780 |
| 4 | Ice Box Chamberlain | 1888 | SL4 | 0.786 |
| 5 | Jim McCormick | 1884 | CNU | 0.786 |
| 6 | Tim Keefe | 1880 | TRN | 0.800 |
| 7 | Justin Verlander | 2019 | HOU | 0.803 |
| 8 | Addie Joss | 1908 | CLE | 0.806 |
| 9 | Greg Maddux | 1995 | ATL | 0.811 |
| 10 | Charlie Sweeney | 1884 | SLU | 0.812 |
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
WHIP was invented in 1980 as part of the early fantasy baseball movement. It gained widespread acceptance among analysts and fantasy players in the 1990s and is now displayed universally across baseball coverage.
The all-time single-season WHIP record for modern starting pitchers belongs to Pedro Martinez, who posted a 0.737 WHIP for the Boston Red Sox in 2000 — one of the most dominant pitching seasons in MLB history. He struck out 284 batters that year with only 32 walks in 217 innings.
Addie Joss posted a career WHIP of 0.9678, the all-time career record among qualifying pitchers (minimum 1,000 IP). Ed Walsh (0.9996) is the only other pitcher with a career WHIP below 1.00 with sufficient innings.
WHIP has a limitation: it treats all walks and hits equally, regardless of the hit type. A single and a triple both count as one hit in WHIP. Metrics like BABIP (Batting Average on Balls In Play) help explain variation in how many hits a pitcher allows.
ERA COMPARISON: HOW THE LEAGUE AVERAGE HAS SHIFTED
League-average WHIP tracks closely with ERA, rising in high-offense eras and falling in pitcher-dominated ones.
| Era | Years | Lg Avg WHIP |
|---|---|---|
| Dead Ball Era | 1900–1919 | 1.25 |
| Live Ball Era | 1920–1941 | 1.45 |
| Post-WWII Era | 1942–1960 | 1.39 |
| Year of the Pitcher | 1961–1968 | 1.28 |
| Expansion Era | 1969–1988 | 1.34 |
| Steroid Era | 1989–2005 | 1.39 |
| Post-Steroid Era | 2006–2019 | 1.34 |
| Modern Era | 2020–2024 | 1.29 |
Figures represent MLB combined league-average WHIP per era. Computed from Lahman historical MLB data.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is WHIP in baseball?
WHIP stands for Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched. It measures how many baserunners a pitcher allows per inning of work, counting both base hits and walks (but not hit-by-pitches or errors). A lower WHIP indicates a pitcher who keeps more batters off the bases.
How is WHIP calculated?
WHIP is calculated by adding the total walks and hits allowed, then dividing by innings pitched. Hit batters, wild pitches, and errors are not included. It reflects how well a pitcher prevents baserunners, which is the most direct precursor to preventing runs.
What is a good WHIP in baseball?
A WHIP below 1.00 is elite; 1.00–1.15 is excellent; 1.15–1.25 is above average; 1.25–1.40 is average; above 1.40 is below average. League-average WHIP is typically around 1.25–1.35.
What is the best single-season WHIP in MLB history?
Among modern-era starters, Pedro Martinez posted the best WHIP of the live-ball era at 0.737 in 2000. Guy Hecker (0.626 in 1882) and Tim Keefe (0.700 in 1880) posted lower WHIPs in the 19th century under very different conditions.
Is WHIP better than ERA for evaluating pitchers?
WHIP and ERA measure different aspects of pitching performance. ERA reflects actual run prevention; WHIP measures baserunner prevention. WHIP tends to stabilize earlier in a season because it is less affected by sequencing and "strand rate" — how often a pitcher strands runners. Analysts use both together for a fuller picture.
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