Question on Opposition Batting Average

[BlaineFred]

Hello HQ...

The glossary says that a pitcher's opposition batting average is:

Formula
(Hits Allowed / ((IP x 2.82) + Hits Allowed))

Actually is calls it an "approximation."

I don't see why an actual average isn't used...a pitcher pitches to 10 batters, and four get hits... that's .400...or it seem to me that it should be...

Why depart from the actual?

and what is the origin of 2.82? Is this a BaseballHQ-only formula, or is widely accepted?

Thanks.

Roland

[Ed@HQ]

You are right that the actual hits/batters faced would be better, but you can't get batters faced from many mainstream stat sources. You can only get IP. So, the 2.82*IP + Hits is an approximation for Batters faced. And the reason that it isn't 3*IP is because of CS, GIDP, etc. which would overstate Batters faced, so someone (not sure who) calculated that to equal 2.82.