All players have a set of five basic batting ratings:
Contact,
Gap Power,
Home Run Power,
Eye/Discipline, and
Avoid K's. Each of these has a matching potential rating. (See
Current vs Potential Ratings for more information on the distinction between the two.) Batting ratings can be seen on the
Player Profile, the
Ratings page, or in any list of players using the Batting Ratings
view. They are also available on the
Scouting Reports page.
OOTP uses batting ratings to determine the outcome of a pitch.
Contact
Contact is a measure of how good a player is at getting his bat on the ball. Contact directly affects a player's batting average. Players with high Contact ratings are more likely to put the ball in play and get more hits, with a higher batting average. Contact, however, has no direct effect on what the
result of a hit will be.
Gap Power
Gap Power is a measure of how much power a player has to the gaps - the places in the outfield between the left fielder and center fielder, and between the center fielder and right fielder. Gap Power directly affects the number of doubles and triples a player hits. Gap Power, however, has no direct effect on home runs, or on the likelihood that a player will make contact.
Home Run Power
Home Run Power directly affects the number of home runs a player hits. Home Run Power, however, has no direct effect on the likelihood that a player will make contact.
Eye
Eye/Discipline is a measure of how well a player assesses incoming pitches and determines whether they will be balls or strikes. Eye/Discipline directly affects the number of times a player walks. However, Eye/Discipline has no direct effect on the likelihood that a player will make contact, or strike out.
Avoid K's
Avoid K's is a measure of how well a player avoids striking out. Avoid K's directly affects the number of times a player strikes out. For example, players with high Avoid K's ratings are more likely to foul off pitches with two strikes than to go down swinging.
Lefty-Righty Splits
In addition to the basic current versus potential ratings, hitters also can perform differently depending on the handedness of the pitcher they are facing. These "split" ratings are displayed on the
Ratingsscreenas "VS LHP" (versus left-handed pitchers) and "VS RHP" (versus right-handed pitchers). These split ratings are not visible on the
Player Profile. Be sure to consider this information when setting your lineups!