I know what you are asking-what the heck is FIP? According to The Hardball Times site, FIP is Fielding Independent Pitching, a measure of all those things for which a pitcher is specifically responsible. The formula is (HR*13+(BB+HBP-IBB)*3-K*2)/IP, plus a league-specific factor (usually around 3.2) to round out the number to an equivalent ERA number. FIP helps you understand how well a pitcher pitched, regardless of how well his fielders fielded.
With that explained, I give you the 2009 FIP leaders among starting pitchers courtesy of www.fangraphs.com:
| Name | K/9 | BB/9 | K/BB | HR/9 | AVG | WHIP | BABIP | LOB% | ERA | FIP |
| Zack Greinke | 9.5 | 2 | 4.75 | 0.43 | 0.232 | 1.07 | 0.313 | 79.30% | 2.16 | 2.33 |
| Tim Lincecum | 10.42 | 2.72 | 3.84 | 0.4 | 0.209 | 1.05 | 0.297 | 75.90% | 2.48 | 2.34 |
| Javier Vazquez | 9.77 | 1.81 | 5.41 | 0.82 | 0.226 | 1.03 | 0.297 | 76.60% | 2.87 | 2.77 |
| Chris Carpenter | 6.73 | 1.78 | 3.79 | 0.33 | 0.223 | 1.01 | 0.272 | 79.50% | 2.24 | 2.78 |
| Justin Verlander | 10.09 | 2.36 | 4.27 | 0.75 | 0.244 | 1.18 | 0.328 | 72.70% | 3.45 | 2.8 |
| Josh Johnson | 8.22 | 2.5 | 3.29 | 0.6 | 0.238 | 1.16 | 0.299 | 74.90% | 3.23 | 3.06 |
| Roy Halladay | 7.83 | 1.32 | 5.94 | 0.83 | 0.258 | 1.13 | 0.313 | 79.00% | 2.79 | 3.06 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 9.74 | 4.79 | 2.03 | 0.37 | 0.198 | 1.23 | 0.274 | 77.50% | 2.79 | 3.08 |
| Felix Hernandez | 8.18 | 2.68 | 3.06 | 0.57 | 0.229 | 1.14 | 0.289 | 76.70% | 2.49 | 3.09 |
| Cliff Lee | 7.03 | 1.67 | 4.21 | 0.66 | 0.273 | 1.24 | 0.326 | 76.20% | 3.22 | 3.11 |
| Adam Wainwright | 8.19 | 2.55 | 3.21 | 0.66 | 0.247 | 1.21 | 0.309 | 80.40% | 2.63 | 3.11 |
| Jon Lester | 9.96 | 2.83 | 3.52 | 0.89 | 0.245 | 1.23 | 0.323 | 76.90% | 3.41 | 3.15 |
| Dan Haren | 8.75 | 1.49 | 5.87 | 1.06 | 0.229 | 1 | 0.28 | 77.00% | 3.14 | 3.23 |
| Joel Pineiro | 4.42 | 1.14 | 3.89 | 0.46 | 0.265 | 1.14 | 0.293 | 66.90% | 3.49 | 3.27 |
| Ricky Nolasco | 9.49 | 2.14 | 4.43 | 1.12 | 0.265 | 1.25 | 0.336 | 61.00% | 5.06 | 3.35 |
| Ubaldo Jimenez | 8.17 | 3.51 | 2.33 | 0.54 | 0.229 | 1.23 | 0.29 | 73.50% | 3.47 | 3.36 |
| CC Sabathia | 7.71 | 2.62 | 2.94 | 0.7 | 0.233 | 1.15 | 0.284 | 71.40% | 3.37 | 3.39 |
| Wandy Rodriguez | 8.45 | 2.76 | 3.06 | 0.92 | 0.249 | 1.24 | 0.306 | 79.40% | 3.02 | 3.54 |
| Carlos Zambrano | 8.08 | 4.15 | 1.95 | 0.53 | 0.245 | 1.38 | 0.308 | 71.90% | 3.77 | 3.61 |
One guy that stands out for me is Ricky Nolasco and his 5.06 ERA. Based on his outstanding peripherals, his FIP-3.35 is almost 2 runs lower than his ERA of 5.06. He will be someone to target on the cheap in 2010. His LOB% of 61%, or runners stranded, is extremely low and should increase in 2010, which will lower his ERA.
Joel Pineiro is another guy that stands out only for his low LOB% of 66.9%. His FIP wasn't much lower than his ERA, so I have to explain that is due to how low WHIP of 1.14.