How is pitcher "effectiveness" best measured?

[Scorekeeper]

What would be a good WHIP and ERA for a 16U travel ball "A" pitcher?

I like the Batting average against stat also. It is a good way to judge how well the opposing batters are hitting against your pitcher...

Can’t help you with what would be a good WHIP or ERA, but I can tell you this. Sabermatricians have been trying to get rid of BA for over 100 years because its such a poor indicator of runs or wins.

 

[SoAZDad]

I like runs/IP, earned runs/IP, BAA, and WHIP the most. Then perhaps strikes% and #pitches/inning to determine which of our three starting pitchers will start the tournament games that day. If we faced an opponent before and it's an important game (for seed or elimination), the HC and AC usually use the pitcher who won the most against that team, regardless if she does not have the best stats mentioned above.

 

[Rocketech1]

Scorekeeper - one more.

The ability to hit your spots on command. Very important key indicator of an effective pitcher but very difficult to measure with standard scorekeeping metrics.

 

[Sweet Lou]

K:BB ratio is usually a very good indicator of an effective pitcher.
I don't think there is any ONE best stat but if I had to chose one, I think this is the one I'd go with.

 

[FP26]

fastpitch26,

It looks like you’re more into QAB’s than anything else. That’s OK, but how does someone who wasn’t at the game know all those details you listed?

Not sure I have ever been concerned about answering to people that were not at the games. If a parent asks a question, I typically stick with some of the basic stats. In conversation we may discuss some of the other items.

I was a statistics major in college so I definitely understand their importance. I also know that some can be manipulated rather easily. In regards to pitching, my favorite two stats are WHIP and K/BB ratio. I believe that over the course of time, these stats will show a pretty accurate description of the pitcher's capabilities. I just feel they also have their limitations due to numerous things mentioned by others.

An example of my view.... DDs proudest moments this year were a perfect game and a 1 hitter that she pitched. My proudest moment was the 1 hitter because it came against a team relatively equal to our team in talent. The perfect game came against a team that was inferior (not being mean, just being honest). It was a four inning game that ended with the mercy rule. She faced 12 batters; 8 strikeouts, 3 ground balls back to her, and 1 ground ball to the first baseman. That game obviously helped her stats for the year, but should it really?

 

[cuzmail]

Why? The ML numbers the public sees don’t differentiate that way, a

I'll assume that ML means Major League as in MLB. With that said, I will say two things. One - comparing professional baseball to league and travel softball is crazy at best. Two - generally scorekeepers and numbers people (which I am) want to describe certain specific aspects of the game solely with numbers and I really don't think it's possible.

The best you can do is to look at the whole of the numbers, ensure all things are otherwise equal, and draw some general conclusions.

 

[cuzmail]

What should be used to determine an opponent’s level of competition, and should that be relative to your team’s level?

And there is the problem. If we knew how to do that, then we probably wouldn't be having this discussion!

 

[coach james]

I'd simply measure the oppositions on base %.... that's the simplest way I can think of.

 

[BuckeyeGuy]

The number one stat for pitcher effectiveness: W's. Everything else is window dressing.

OK, that may be a gross oversimplification. But really, all of the stats we use are designed to allow us to project performance expectations. Many of them are useful only if you're considering paying a free agent to come get you playoff wins. As a coach, if my P1 is an awesome SS as well, and we win more with P2 on the plate and P1 at SS, guess who the new P1 is?

If I'm looking for a stat that tells me how fantabulous my DD is in the circle, I look at stats that isolate her performance: FIP. I like WHIP as well as it's fairly intuitive.

 

[Sweet Lou]

The number one stat for pitcher effectiveness: W's. Everything else is window dressing.

Hey Joe Morgan, welcome to the 1950s.

I'm glad you went on to elaborate but W/L is generally a terrible measure of a pitcher's effectiveness. In 1987 Nolan Ryan was the best pitcher in the NL. He had a record of 8-16. I think he was the first pitcher to lead the league in Ks, ERA, BA against and not win the CY-young award.

I do get it a the youth levels if P1 & P2 are close but P1 helps you in the field a lot more than P2 that yes you might be better off pitching P2.