Checking in on Pure Quality Starts


This article also appears in the 2024 Baseball Forecaster.

The Pure Quality Starts (PQS) system has long been a reliable way to summarize a starting pitcher’s performance at a glance with a stat you can calculate in your head. When a pitcher achieves each one of five different outcomes in a start, they earn a PQS point, and they receive an overall score between 0 and 5. The outcomes, along with the current standard, are:

  • Stamina – pitching deep into games, specifically more than 6 IP per start (IP6)
  • Hit prevention – allowing fewer hits than innings pitched (H
  • Dominance – posting 5 or more strikeouts (K=5)
  • Command – more than 3 strikeouts for each walk (K/BB=3, or K=3 if BB=0)
  • Home run prevention – keeping the ball in the park...

Almost!

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