If you’ve spent any time around FanGraphs or other sabermetric-leaning sites, you’ve certainly heard about the statistic Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP). FIP is one of the bedrock pitching statistics at FanGraphs and is the basis for our Wins Above Replacement (WAR) calculation for pitchers. Clearly, having a good handle on what FIP does and doesn’t tell you is important if you want to get the most out of FanGraphs.

To that end, the FanGraphs Library entry on FIP just got a makeover and now provides a more detailed breakdown of what FIP is, why we care about it, and how to use it. If you’re a little hazy on how and why FIP works, it’s a very useful place to start. There’s also a new entry in the FanGraphs Library blog examining why FIP is step forward from traditional stats like ERA.

As always,  please feel free to pose questions or comments below or find me on Twitter @NeilWeinberg44 if that’s more convenient. Also remember to stop by our weekly FanGraphs Q&A chat (Wednesdays at 3pm eastern) to learn more about our stats and our site.