For decades, ERA (earned run average) has been the primary stat to measure pitching performance.
It’s a simple calculation: how many earned runs, on average, a pitcher allows over nine innings.
However, with time, statisticians realized that there is a whole lot of luck included in the ERA calculation.
For example, defense can greatly affect the number: quality fielders will help a pitcher maintain a good ERA, and bad defensive players will have the opposite effect.
That’s why the industry came up with the concept of FIP: Fielding Independent Pitching, a tool to measure performance judging only things a pitcher can control: walks, strikeouts, hit-by-pitches, and home runs.
When it comes to FIP, there is no one in baseball like Toronto Blue Jays star Kevin Gausman, among starting pitchers.
“Lowest FIP by American League pitchers since the start of last season (minimum of 200 innings pitched): Kevin Gausman, 2.56; Framber Valdez, 3.08; George Kirby, 3.11; Shohei Ohtani, 3.13; Sonny Gray, 3.17; Shane Bieber, 3.33; Dylan Cease, 3.36,” Codify Baseball tweeted.
Lowest FIP by American League pitchers since the start of last season (minimum of 200 innings pitched):
Kevin Gausman, 2.56 😮
Framber Valdez, 3.08
George Kirby, 3.11
Shohei Ohtani, 3.13
Sonny Gray, 3.17
Shane Bieber, 3.33
Dylan Cease, 3.36 https://t.co/hrHnKGOdMA— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) August 3, 2023
As noted, Gausman has a league-leading 2.56 FIP.
His ERA, however, was 3.10 entering Thursday’s game.
What conclusions can we draw from those numbers?
Well, the Blue Jays defense has affected his ERA negatively.
If his defense was better, his ERA could be closer to his elite FIP.
Don’t get us wrong: a 3.10 ERA is very solid.
It’s just that it should be better, all things considered.
The right-hander has been one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball in the last four seasons.
He doesn’t allow too many home runs, he strikes out plenty of hitters, and has elite control.
All those factors contribute to a healthy FIP.
NEXT: Paul DeJong Received A Nice Welcome To Toronto
