Relievers: Early 2018 use of leverage index (LI)

Leverage Index (LI) was developed by Tom Tango and measures the amount of swing in the change in win probability indexed against an average value of 1.00. Skip to the pen review if you have heard all of this before. Relievers who come into games in various situations create a composite score around 1.00, when aggregated. Because the average score is indexed to 1.00, relievers with an LI score higher than 1.00 have managers that are showing greater confidence in them to win close games than relievers with an LI score under 1.00.

LI allows us at a glance to identify a developing usage pattern for particular relievers in a given pen far earlier than just scanning box scores and approximating. Games yield very different situations from one...

Almost!

You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

More From Relief Pitchers

Just a quick run through teams and how the pens stack up at the start of the offseason.
Sep 13 2026 3:05am
A lot of relievers will change teams this off-season. Here are some of those worth tracking.
Sep 6 2026 3:26am
Relievers with an xERA under 3.00 in August.
Aug 30 2026 3:05am
It is crunch time and you want to preserve ERA and WHIP while grabbing saves. You need to trade for these elite relievers.
Aug 23 2026 3:08am
This column is looking only at the most recent saves for speculative buys.
Aug 16 2026 3:06am

Tools