Baseball Glossary › Outs Above Average
Outs Above Average (OAA)
Outs Above Average (OAA) is a Statcast fielding metric that shows how many outs a defender has saved compared with an average fielder. Each tracked play gets a probability that an average fielder would make it. The fielder earns credit for the difficult plays he makes and loses credit for the makeable plays he misses.
Formula
Worked example (illustrative numbers): a ball has a 75 percent catch probability.
If the outfielder catches it: +(1 - 0.75) = +0.25
If he misses it: -0.75
Add up every play of the season to get his OAA.
What to Know
For outfielders, OAA starts from Statcast's catch probability, which uses how far the fielder has to go, how much time he has and the direction he travels. For infielders, MLB says it accounts for the distance to the intercept point, the time available, the distance from the base the runner is heading to, and on force plays the runner's average sprint speed. Because Statcast knows where every fielder stood, shifts and positioning are accounted for.
OAA vs older stats: fielding percentage only counts errors and range factor counts plays without grading difficulty. OAA weighs every play by how hard it was. It is measured in outs, while Defensive Runs Saved and UZR are measured in runs. Zero is average, positive is above average.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is outs above average in baseball?
Outs Above Average (OAA) is a Statcast metric that measures how many outs a fielder has saved compared with an average fielder at making the same plays. Zero is average, a positive number is better than average and a negative number is worse.
How is OAA calculated?
Each tracked play gets a probability that an average fielder would convert it. Making a play earns 1 minus that probability, missing it costs the probability itself. A catch on a 75 percent ball earns +0.25, a miss costs -0.75. The season total is the player's OAA.
What does OAA stand for?
OAA stands for Outs Above Average. It comes from MLB's Statcast tracking system and was originally an outfield-only stat before it was expanded to infielders.
Does OAA account for defensive shifts?
Yes. Statcast tracks where each fielder is standing on every play, so OAA measures how far and how fast the fielder had to go from his actual starting point, regardless of where he was positioned.
What is the difference between OAA and DRS?
OAA is expressed in outs and is built on Statcast tracking of distance and time for every play. DRS, from Baseball Info Solutions data, is expressed in runs and also includes elements such as errors, arm and double-play ability.
Where can I find a player's Outs Above Average?
Outs Above Average is published by MLB on Baseball Savant, the public home of Statcast data, where leaderboards also show expected and actual catch or success rates.
Related Terms
Sources
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