Basketball Jesus wrote:High, as in relation to normal batting average? Yes. League BABIP tends to be around .300 or so, whereas league batting average is somewhat less. But, in context, not every good hitter is going to have a high BABIP, mostly because BABIP is as close to a ranomness stat as can be because it only accounts for balls in play. You'll notice certain trends among great hitters (like the slap-hitting Ichiro or Manny or Jeter) that they have generally higher average BABIP because, you know, they're great hitters and because there's enough of a sample size (i.e. multi-year) that you can make the logical assumption they're good hitters. Plus, and this is where you come in, there's enough visual evidence to point at them being great hitter.
But for guys like Cano that have seemingly great seasons, like his 2006, BABIP can be useful because 1. you know by looking at him that's he's not a once-in-a-generation hitter 2. that the high batting average was due more to a rather "lucky" (again random) collection of hits in-play. It wasn't due to speed, like Ichiro, or exceptional plate discipline like Manny or Bonds, or whomever. He just got a lot of hits in play last season and hits, by and large are more a product of luck than skill.
*For reference, Adam Dunn has a below-average BABIP, mostly because all his value (positive and negative) comes in the form of HRs/walks/strikeouts...things not measured in BABIP.
BABIP of batters is not the same thing as BABIP of pitchers, so try again. You fail.
As 34Celtic said, if you hit more line drives, you'll have a higher BABIP. There is no league average BABIP for hitters, you make your own by how many linedrives you hit.
