What is Location+? Definition, Formula, and Example
Location+ is a Stuff+ family pitching metric that grades how well a pitcher locates each pitch given the count, batter handedness, and pitch type, scaled so 100 is league average and 10 points equals one standard deviation.
Plain-English Definition
Location+ measures the quality of a pitcher's command. It strips out raw stuff — velocity, movement, release point — and asks one question: of all the places a pitcher *could* have thrown each pitch, how good are the places they *did* throw it, given the count, the batter's handedness, and the pitch type? It is scaled so that 100 is league average, every 10 points above represents one standard deviation of improvement, and a score of 115 is elite. Location+ is one component of the FanGraphs Stuff+ family developed by Eno Sarris and Max Bay, alongside Stuff+ and Pitching+.
How It's Calculated
Location+ is a gradient-boosted machine learning model trained on Statcast pitch-level data. The model takes the following inputs for each pitch:
- Pitch type (four-seam, slider, changeup, etc.)
- Plate location (x, z coordinates)
- Count (balls, strikes)
- Batter handedness vs. pitcher handedness
It outputs a predicted run value for that pitch location, then standardizes the result so the league average is 100. Critically, Location+ does *not* use velocity, spin, or movement — those live in Stuff+. It is pure location quality conditional on context. A four-seam fastball at the top of the zone in a 0-2 count is graded differently than the same pitch in a 3-0 count, and a slider on the outer edge to a righty is graded differently than the same slider to a lefty.
Pitching+ = (Stuff+ × usage-weighted) + (Location+ × usage-weighted), combining both into one number.
Worked Example
In 2024, Justin Steele of the Cubs ran one of the highest Location+ marks in baseball at roughly 107, which is the foundation of how he runs sub-3.00 ERAs without elite velocity. Logan Webb, Kyle Hendricks, and Pablo López have also historically posted Location+ figures north of 105. By contrast, a power arm like Hunter Greene typically runs Location+ closer to 96–98, meaning his command is below average — his value comes almost entirely from a Stuff+ in the 115+ range. Tarik Skubal, the 2024 AL Cy Young winner, posted elite scores on both sides: Stuff+ around 115 and Location+ around 104, which is the rare combination that produces a 2.39 ERA.
Why It Matters
Location+ separates pitchers who survive on craft from pitchers who survive on raw arsenal. Two starters with identical FIP can have radically different Stuff+ and Location+ profiles, and that gap predicts how each will age, how each handles platoon disadvantages, and how each will fare against elite lineups. Front offices weight Location+ heavily in free-agent valuation because command tends to stabilize earlier and decay slower than stuff. Pitching coaches use it to identify development targets — a high-stuff, low-location pitcher is a candidate for mechanical refinement, not a new pitch. Fantasy managers should treat sustained Location+ above 105 as a real indicator that a pitcher's ERA outperformance is repeatable.
Limitations and Common Misconceptions
Location+ does not measure intent — it cannot tell you whether the pitcher hit their spot or got lucky. It rewards good locations even if the pitcher missed badly to get there. It is also context-dependent on the model's run-value priors, so very rare situations (3-0 to a lefty with a curveball) carry more model uncertainty. And Location+ is published by FanGraphs; other vendors (Driveline, Tread) publish similar but distinct command grades that are not directly comparable. Do not confuse Location+ with CSW or chase rate — those are outcome metrics, while Location+ is descriptive of process.
Related Terms
In Legends Deck
Location+ drives the Command rating on every pitcher card in Legends Deck. High-Command cards (Steele, Webb, Hendricks-type) have tighter pitch placement distributions in the simulation, leading to lower walk rates and fewer pitches in damage zones. Low-Command power arms still generate whiffs but issue more walks and surrender more barrels on mistake pitches. When you build a rotation in Legends Deck, balancing high-Stuff/low-Command flamethrowers with high-Command finesse arms is the most efficient way to stabilize your simulated team ERA across a long season.