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In the sport ofbaseball, abaserunner is said to be inscoring position when they are onsecond orthird base. The distinction between being onfirst base and second or third base is that a runner on first can usually only score if thebatter hits anextra-base hit, while a runner on second or third can usually score on asingle. Many of baseball's "small ball" or "one run" tactics center on attempts to move a runner on base into scoring position. Such tactics were dominant in the 1890s and thedead-ball era, when extra-base hits were relatively rare. Runners in scoring position are sometimes colloquially referred to as "ducks on the pond".

Runners left in scoring position refers to the number of runners on second or third at the end of an inning and is an inverse measure of a team's offensive efficiency.

Batting average with runners in scoring position (abbreviatedBA/RISP orBA/RSP) is abaseball statistic derived by dividing a players hits with runners in scoring positions by their at bats with runners in scoring position.

BA/RISP is often used as an indicator ofclutch ability, as a hit with a runner on second base or third will likely score the runner and is thus considered a clutch situation. Recently, however, the statistic has been replaced withWin Probability Added, considered to be a better measure of clutch ability.

A variation to this statistic is calledBatting Average with two outs and Runners in Scoring Position, which is also calculated by dividing a players' hits with runners on second or third by their at bats in this situation. A hit is more likely to score at least one or two runs-depending on the speed of the runner, the strength of the outfielder's arm, the number of runners in scoring position, etc.-because the runners will be going on contact—that is, they run once the batter hits the ball. But if the batter records an out, then the inning ends with those runners left on base.

Minimum 100 at bats; through2023.^[1]

Notes

Bibliography

• Albert, Jim, and Jay M. Bennett.Curve Ball: Baseball, Statistics, and the Role of Chance in the Game. New York: Copernicus Books, 2001.ISBN 0-387-98816-5. A book on new statistics for baseball.
• Alan Schwarz,The Numbers Game: Baseball’s Lifelong Fascination with Statistics (New York: St. Martin's, 2005).ISBN 0-312-32223-2.
• The Official Site of Major League baseball – Baseball Basics: Abbreviations

• Baseball terminology

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