Fielding Independent Pitching strips out balls in play, which depend heavily on fielders and luck. It is scaled to look like ERA, so a FIP of 3.20 means the pitcher performed like a 3.20 ERA pitcher with average defence.
How to use the FIP Calculator
- FIP constant
- FIP constant
- Home runs
- Walks
- Hit by pitch
- Strikeouts
- Innings pitched
- League ERA
- League home runs
- League walks
- League hit by pitch
- League strikeouts
- League innings
Results update as you type, every field has its own unit menu, and everything is calculated in your browser.
How it works
Enter the pitcher’s home runs, walks, hit-by-pitches, strikeouts and innings, and either the FIP constant (about 3.1–3.2) or the league totals to compute it.
Inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| FIP constant | Choose one: Enter the constant, Calculate it from league totals |
| FIP constant | A number |
| Home runs | A number |
| Walks | A number |
| Hit by pitch | A number |
| Strikeouts | A number |
| Innings pitched | A number |
| League ERA | A number |
| League home runs | A number |
| League walks | A number |
| League hit by pitch | A number |
| League strikeouts | A number |
| League innings | A number |
What each result means
- FIP = (13×[Home runs] + 3×([Walks] + [Hit by pitch]) – 2×[Strikeouts])÷[Innings pitched] + [FIP constant used]
- Strikeouts per 9 innings = [Strikeouts]÷[Innings pitched]×9
- Walks per 9 innings = [Walks]÷[Innings pitched]×9
Example values
How the main result changes when FIP constant changes and everything else stays at the example values above:
| FIP constant | FIP |
|---|---|
| 1.61 | 1.43 |
| 2.41 | 2.24 |
| 3.21 | 3.04 |
| 4.02 | 3.84 |
| 4.82 | 4.65 |
| 6.43 | 6.25 |
Formula
FIP = (13·HR + 3·(BB + HBP) − 2·K) ÷ IP + C
C = lgERA − (13·lgHR + 3·(lgBB + lgHBP) − 2·lgK) ÷ lgIP
Worked example
Inputs — FIP constant: Enter the constant; FIP constant: 3.214; Home runs: 18; Walks: 45; Hit by pitch: 6; Strikeouts: 210; Innings pitched: 190.1.
Results — FIP constant used = 3.214; FIP = 3.04; Strikeouts per 9 innings = 9.94; Walks per 9 innings = 2.13.
Key terms
- BABIP
- Batting average on balls in play.
Frequently asked questions
Why is FIP useful?
It predicts future ERA better than ERA itself.
What is the FIP constant?
A league-wide number that puts FIP on the ERA scale (about 3.1–3.2).
Why does FIP ignore hits?
Hits on balls in play depend largely on defence and luck.
Is a lower FIP better?
Yes, just like ERA.