BABIP (Batting Average on Balls In Play)
BABIP is the batting average on all balls put in play, excluding home runs (which always land) and strikeouts (which never land). League average BABIP is consistently around .300, year after year. Individual players can deviate from that, but extreme BABIPs tend to regress.
For hitters, BABIP tells you whether their batting average is sustainable. A hitter with a .350 BABIP is either extremely skilled at placing hits (possible for elite hitters), or overperforming on batted-ball outcomes (more likely for average hitters). If BABIP is way above career norms, regression is coming.
For pitchers, BABIP is even more revealing. Most pitchers have very little control over what happens once a ball is put in play — that’s mostly defense and variance. A pitcher with a .250 BABIP is almost certainly overperforming, and their ERA will likely rise. This is one of the reasons NUT uses FIP instead of ERA.
What is a good BABIP?
BABIP isn’t used in NUT Score directly, but it’s essential context. A hitter with an unusually high BABIP may be due for regression, even if their NUT looks good. A pitcher with a low BABIP may be overperforming their true talent level.
How NUT Score works →