WHIP (Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched)
WHIP measures how many baserunners a pitcher allows per inning. It’s a simple, intuitive stat: fewer baserunners means fewer runs. A WHIP of 1.00 means the pitcher allows one baserunner per inning on average.
WHIP is popular because it’s easy to calculate and understand. It captures both hit prevention and walk prevention in one number. Elite pitchers live under 1.00 — they’re so dominant that most innings are clean. League average is around 1.25–1.30.
Like ERA, WHIP is affected by defense (a bad fielder turns outs into hits, inflating WHIP). It also treats all hits and walks equally, when in reality a solo home run is more damaging than a walk. For a more precise view of pitcher quality, FIP and NUT Score look at the outcomes the pitcher truly controls.
What is a good WHIP?
WHIP is not directly used in NUT Score, but it measures baserunner prevention, which correlates with the strikeout and walk rates that feed into FIP — the pitching foundation of NUT.
How NUT Score works →