SportsAugust 24, 2026

xwobavl

eks-DOH-dub-uh-yoo-BEE-ay-VEE-el

Definition

A sabermetric statistic standing for 'expected weighted on-base average against left-handed pitchers,' which measures the quality of contact a batter makes specifically when facing left-handed pitching.

Etymology

This is a technical compound abbreviation derived from 'x' (for 'expected'), 'wOBA' (a standard MLB stat for Weighted On-Base Average), and 'vL' (short for 'versus Left-handed pitchers'). It is a product of modern baseball analytics, combining established metrics with predictive modeling to account for luck and defensive positioning.

In the news

The article uses this metric in the Hitter Breakdown tables to help daily fantasy sports players evaluate how individual batters are expected to perform when facing a left-handed opposing pitcher.

MLB DFS First Look: Baseball Odds, Salaries, & Stats for Monday, August 24th

Read the full article ↗

RotoGrinders

Related words

Learn words like this every day

Meet new words every morning.

Newspoken pulls carefully chosen words from the day’s news — with clear definitions, context, and light review that makes them stick. Get it on your phone.