WHIP as a winning indicator

Current team WHIP for the AL teams

Royals 1.19
Twins 1.20
Yankees 1.27
Orioles 1.28
Rays 1.29
Angels 1.31
Jays 1.31
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Red Sox 1.40
Mariners 1.42
Indians 1.45
------------
Rangers 1.50
White Sox 1.56
Tigers 1.70

last year's Twins team WHIP for comparison was 1.34

Here is a list of the team WHIP numbers for the AL team that made the playoffs since 2002. The team with the lowest WHIP in the league is notated with an asterisk and included in the list if it did not make the playoffs. Also the records of the teams with WHIP < 1.3 are included for that season.

2007:
Red Sox 1.27* (96-66)
Indians 1.32
Angels 1.36
Yankees 1.43

2006:
Twins 1.28* (96-66)
Tigers 1.32
Yankees 1.36
As 1.41

2005:
White Sox 1.25 (99.63)
Angels 1.27 (95-67)
Yankees 1.37
Red Sox 1.39


(Indians 1.22*, 93-69 2GB in the WC race)

2004:
Red Sox: 1.29* (98-64)
Twins: 1.32
Angels: 1.36
Yankees: 1.37

2003:
A's 1.27 (96-66)
Yankees 1.29 (101-61)
Twins 1.32
Red Sox 1.36

(Mariners 1.25*, 93-69 3GB in the west and WC races)

2002:
Yankees 1.27 (103-58)
Angels 1.28 (103-59)
A's 1.28 (99-63)
Twins 1.31
(Red Sox 1.22*, 93-69 6GB in the WC race)

So, every team that finished a season with team WHIP < 1.30 won at least 93 games and had a competitive season. Data are not shown here but teams that had WHIP between 1.30 and 1.45 needed a lot of batting help to contend and teams with WHIP higher than 1.45 did not contend. The above delineations are added to the table of current team WHIP.

Part II: Examining different indicators as games won predictors