What is RISP? Definition, Formula, and Example
RISP stands for Runners In Scoring Position — any baserunner on second or third base — and batting average with RISP measures how often a hitter delivers when a single can drive in a run.
What RISP Means in Baseball
RISP stands for Runners In Scoring Position. A runner is in scoring position when he stands on second or third base — close enough that a typical single scores him. The term shows up two ways: as a game situation ("runner on second, RISP for the cleanup hitter") and as a split stat, "batting average with RISP," which tracks how a hitter performs specifically in those run-driving spots. It is the most-cited shorthand for situational, "clutch" hitting, even though the underlying number is just batting average filtered to a subset of plate appearances.
How Batting Average With RISP Is Calculated
The formula is identical to standard batting average, restricted to at-bats that occurred with a runner on second and/or third:
AVG with RISP = Hits with RISP ÷ At-Bats with RISP
Walks, hit-by-pitches, and sacrifice flies are excluded from the denominator, exactly as in regular batting average. Most stat sites also publish OPS with RISP and a "RISP, 2 outs" sub-split, which isolates the highest-leverage chances — two outs, a runner waiting, and a hit required to drive him in. League-wide, hitters bat roughly .250–.260 with RISP, a few points below the overall league average because pitchers work more carefully and defenses tighten.
Worked Example
Suppose a hitter finishes a season at .300 overall (180-for-600) but .270 with RISP (40-for-148). His RISP average trails his overall mark by 30 points, which the broadcast crew frames as "struggling with runners on." Compare that to a contact-oriented hitter like Freddie Freeman, who has repeatedly posted RISP averages north of .330 while hitting around .300 overall — meaning he gets *better*, not worse, once a runner reaches second. Over a full season that gap is real production: a .330 RISP hitter with 150 such at-bats collects about 49 hits, versus 40 for the .270 hitter, and many of those nine extra hits plate runs.
Why RISP Matters
Run production hinges on converting opportunities, not just reaching base. Front offices use RISP splits cautiously as a tiebreaker, while fantasy and DFS players lean on them harder — RBI totals, a core roto category, are heavily downstream of how often a hitter delivers with RISP and how often his lineup spot gives him the chance. A 3-hole hitter on a high-OBP team sees far more RISP at-bats than a leadoff man on a weak offense.
Limitations and Common Misconceptions
RISP average is noisy. Samples are small (often 120–160 at-bats a year), so year-to-year RISP performance barely correlates — a .230 RISP season is usually bad luck, not a "clutch gene" defect. Research consistently shows that a hitter's overall quality predicts his future RISP output better than his past RISP output does. RISP also says nothing about *quality of contact*; a bloop single and a 110 mph double both count as one hit. Treat extreme RISP splits as situational color, not a stable skill, and lean on wOBA, wRC+, and WPA for a hitter's true value.
Related Terms
In Legends Deck: RISP performance feeds a card's *Situational Hitting* modifier. Cards with strong, sustained RISP and two-out-RISP histories get a small contact and contact-quality bump when the simulation detects a runner on second or third, so your high-RBI legends actually cash in those scoring chances during in-game at-bats.