Question: Under what circumstances would you ever use the names Babe Ruth and Jose Hernandez in the same sentence?

Answer: BABIP.

For a statistical novice like myself, Batting Average on Balls in Play is one of the most confusing stats around.

Measuring the stat isn't the confusing part. For every ball a batter puts in fair play that doesn't go over the fence and isn't a sacrifice bunt, how often does he get a hit? Historically, league average has hovered around .300. Teams' increased emphasis on defense in recent years has knocked that figure slightly lower; it's .291 this season.

Interpreting the stat, especially from a batter's perspective (and in this post, I'm not considering the pitching side of things, which is influenced by team defense and other factors), is where things get rocky.