We all love to play/watch baseball, but there are a few terms which are tricky in nature.
For example, do you know what does Lob mean in baseball? I am assuming you don’t, and that’s why you’re here at this page.
Well, LOB stands for “Left on Base” in baseball. LOB is just a piece of data to measure how many baserunners are left on base when the inning ends. The LOB count doesn’t add the runner/runner(s) who get out during the final innings. LOB denotes the number of baserunners left on base during that specific game.
To elaborate with an example, just imagine a batter struck out, and the first innings end with two men still on the base is measured as two runners left on base.
Moreover, a baserunner may be calculated under Left On Base if he is forced out or tagged after a batter hits into a fielder’s choice.
What does Lob Mean in Baseball
The full form of LOB is “Left on Base” in baseball. It’s nothing but a data to accurately track how many baserunners are left on base when an inning ends. However, it doesn’t take the runner/runners who get out during the final innings into the account while calculating the number.
In short, it just denotes the final number of all the baserunners left on base during that game. It’s a very important metric, and that’s why I feel the need of explaining it to my readers here in this section.
How is LOB calculated?
The calculation of LOB is simple as follows:
- Count the number of runners on the base during the beginning of the innings.
- Count the number of runners left on the base after the end of the innings.
Subtract the number of runners left on the base from the number of runners during the beginning of the innings, i.e. LOB = 1 – 2. This calculation does not include the runners who reached base via a walk, hit by pitch, or who were put out.
Who leads MLB LOB?
LOB can be regarded as both a team and an individual statistic. As of 19th September, MLB Team Oakland leads LOB. Other teams to follow are Pittsburgh and Detroit. Here is a complete table with all data as of 29th September 2022.
| Rank | Team | 2022 | Last 3 | Last 1 | Home | Away | 2021 |
| 1 | Oakland | 12.66 | 12.67 | 10.00 | 12.99 | 12.36 | 13.98 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh | 12.88 | 8.00 | 7.00 | 13.10 | 12.67 | 14.65 |
| 3 | Detroit | 13.19 | 11.67 | 9.00 | 13.34 | 13.03 | 13.49 |
| 4 | Atlanta | 13.35 | 12.00 | 13.00 | 12.88 | 13.85 | 13.79 |
| 5 | LA Angels | 13.42 | 10.33 | 10.00 | 13.04 | 13.82 | 13.80 |
| 6 | Arizona | 13.49 | 9.00 | 11.00 | 13.09 | 13.96 | 15.12 |
| 7 | Miami | 13.50 | 14.33 | 19.00 | 13.47 | 13.52 | 13.40 |
| 8 | Cincinnati | 13.55 | 14.00 | 13.00 | 13.42 | 13.67 | 14.94 |
| 9 | Texas | 13.56 | 10.67 | 10.00 | 13.69 | 13.44 | 13.31 |
| 10 | Philadelphia | 13.82 | 14.00 | 17.00 | 13.73 | 13.90 | 14.31 |
| 11 | Seattle | 13.88 | 12.00 | 11.00 | 13.21 | 14.51 | 13.76 |
| 12 | Baltimore | 14.10 | 13.67 | 16.00 | 14.23 | 13.97 | 13.81 |
| 13 | Houston | 14.12 | 11.33 | 16.00 | 13.23 | 15.00 | 15.16 |
| 14 | Milwaukee | 14.23 | 18.67 | 22.00 | 14.84 | 13.68 | 14.43 |
| 15 | St. Louis | 14.24 | 14.33 | 10.00 | 13.38 | 15.20 | 13.79 |
| 16 | Kansas City | 14.24 | 17.33 | 21.00 | 13.88 | 14.63 | 13.92 |
| 17 | Tampa Bay | 14.29 | 16.33 | 12.00 | 13.53 | 15.07 | 14.31 |
| 18 | Washington | 14.41 | 11.00 | 10.00 | 13.57 | 15.28 | 15.35 |
| 19 | SF Giants | 14.48 | 13.67 | 25.00 | 14.36 | 14.61 | 14.77 |
| 20 | Toronto | 14.50 | 12.00 | 12.00 | 13.91 | 15.13 | 13.80 |
| 21 | Chi Cubs | 14.57 | 14.00 | 12.00 | 14.49 | 14.65 | 13.80 |
| 22 | NY Yankees | 14.64 | 18.33 | 23.00 | 13.83 | 15.43 | 14.13 |
| 23 | Minnesota | 14.66 | 20.33 | 19.00 | 15.15 | 14.15 | 14.12 |
| 24 | Colorado | 14.76 | 11.33 | 18.00 | 14.43 | 15.10 | 14.24 |
| 25 | San Diego | 14.88 | 11.33 | 11.00 | 14.04 | 15.62 | 14.32 |
| 26 | Chi Sox | 14.97 | 14.33 | 12.00 | 14.61 | 15.32 | 14.98 |
| 27 | Cleveland | 15.12 | 25.33 | 13.00 | 15.35 | 14.91 | 13.16 |
| 28 | LA Dodgers | 15.20 | 17.00 | 17.00 | 14.85 | 15.50 | 15.02 |
| 29 | Boston | 15.40 | 18.33 | 23.00 | 15.39 | 15.42 | 14.64 |
| 30 | NY Mets | 15.56 | 25.00 | 32.00 | 15.20 | 15.94 | 14.51 |
Relief pitchers are known to have the lightest LOB% in MLB. If you go back and look at the records, you will know that in MLB history, the best closers had a very high LOB%. It is supported by the fact that the pitchers came into the games during critical situations and helped finish the inning without allotting any runs.
Well know closer Mariano Rivera as a pitcher, has a high percentage of LOB at around 80.4% with a minimum of 1000 innings pitched.
Another reputed player, three-times Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw has a LOB percentage of 79% the highest in his career with a minimum of 2000 innings pitched.
Does a double play count as LOB?
Yes, it is counted as a runner LOB. There remains 1 baserunner during the end of the innings, meaning that a baserunner is left on the base. In an instance, where the base runner is put out for the final out, the batter will be counted as a runner left on the base.
What is a good LOB baseball?
LOB% of 75% to 80% is considered good. Below 65% of LOB is considered to be bad. A good LOB%, therefore, is between 75% and 80%, while a bad LOB% is anything lower than 65%.
What is the average LOB?
72% of LOB% is considered an average.
Conclusion
LOB is the instance, in which the runner stranded on the base is calculated. It is regarded as both – team statistics and individual statistics.
In the case of an individual batter, you calculate by counting how many runners are on the base after the batter is put out, failing to score those runners or being unable to score by himself.
