A whiff in baseball is a swing and miss: the batter swings at a pitch and does not touch it at all. Whiff rate, a key stat for both pitchers and hitters, is the share of swings that miss. Across MLB, hitters miss on roughly one of every four swings, so a pitcher above 30% has real strikeout stuff, while a hitter below 20% is a tough out. The chart below shows what whiff rates mean, which pitches get the most whiffs and how whiff rate compares to related stats.
Whiffs in baseball
Whiff rate tiers, the best swing and miss pitches and related stats
Whiff rate is swings and misses divided by total swings. For hitters, the scale flips: lower is better.
What a pitcher’s whiff rate means
35% or higherElite strikeout stuff
Among the hardest pitchers to hit.
30% to 35%Great
A true swing and miss arm.
27% to 30%Above average
Misses bats more than most.
23% to 27%Around league average
Roughly one miss every four swings.
19% to 23%Below average
Pitches to contact.
Under 19%Contact pitcher
Relies on weak contact and defense.
Which pitches get the most whiffs
Splitter
Dives under the barrel late.
Changeup
Speed change fools timing.
Slider
Sharp late break away from same side hitters.
Sweeper
Wide horizontal break.
Curveball
Big vertical drop.
High four seam fastball
Rides above the barrel at the top of the zone.
Cutter
Small late break off the barrel.
Sinker
Built for ground balls, not misses.
Whiff and related stats
Whiff
Any swing that misses the ball completely
Whiff rate (Whiff%)
Whiffs divided by total swings
Swinging strike rate (SwStr%)
Whiffs divided by total pitches, swings or not
CSW rate
Called strikes plus whiffs, divided by total pitches
Chase rate
How often a hitter swings at pitches outside the zone
Strikeout swinging
Strike three on a whiff, scored with a regular K
Tiers and pitch bars show general tendencies; league averages shift a little each season. Individual pitchers vary widely by grip, velocity and location.
Whiff Rate for Hitters
For hitters, the goal is the opposite. A low whiff rate means a batter makes contact and puts the ball in play, which usually leads to fewer strikeouts. Contact hitters often post whiff rates under 20%, while power hitters who swing hard for home runs commonly run 30% or higher and accept more strikeouts as the trade off.
Whiff vs. Strikeout
A whiff is any swing and miss, on any count. It only becomes a strikeout when it comes with two strikes. A strikeout on a called third strike, with no swing, is marked with a backward K.
Related
Curveball vs. slider · What is a good batting average · What a backward K means
Whiff rates for every pitcher and hitter are tracked by Baseball Savant, MLB’s official Statcast site, and defined in the MLB.com glossary.
