Black Ink

Black Ink or the Black Ink Test is a measure of how often a player has led the league in "important" statistical categories. It is named as such because league leading numbers are traditionally represented with Boldface type and was first used in Bill James's The Politics of Glory. It may serve as a tool to evaluate how a player compares to Hall of Famers, as the average batting score is around 27 and pitching score is around 40.

The all-time leader in batting points is Babe Ruth at 161, he also is the all-time total leader at 171 with the addition of his pitching points. Walter Johnson leads all pitchers at 150.

Players from different eras can usually not be directly compared by means of the test, because it is harder to lead a league with 16 teams than it is to lead a league with 12 teams or 10 teams or 8 teams.

Points System

Batting Statistics

• Four: home runs, runs batted in, or batting average
• Three: runs scored, hits, or slugging percentage
• Two: doubles, walks, or stolen bases
• One: games, at bats, or triples

Pitching Statistics

• Four: wins, earned run average, or strikeouts
• Three: innings pitched, win-loss percentage, or saves
• Two: complete games, walks per 9 innings, or hits per 9 innings
• One: appearances, starts, or shutouts

Related Articles

• Gray Ink

Related Sites

• Baseball-Reference Black InkCareer Standards Leaders