RESEARCH: Checking in on Pure Quality Starts
Nov 28 2023
This article also appears in the 2024 Baseball Forecaster.
The Pure Quality Starts (PQS) system has long been a reliable way to summarize a starting pitcher’s performance at a glance with a stat you can calculate in your head. When a pitcher achieves each one of five different outcomes in a start, they earn a PQS point, and they receive an overall score between 0 and 5. The outcomes, along with the current standard, are:
- Stamina – pitching deep into games, specifically more than 6 IP per start (IP6)
- Hit prevention – allowing fewer hits than innings pitched (H
- Dominance – posting 5 or more strikeouts (K=5)
- Command – more than 3 strikeouts for each walk (K/BB=3, or K=3 if BB=0)
- Home run prevention – keeping the ball in the park...
Almost!
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