MMO AP Style Guide

Here at Metsmerized Online, we require a strict adherence to AP Style sports writing. The AP Style Guide is the quintessential authority on grammar style and sports verbiage, and was created and updated by Associated Press journalists to standardize sports writing.

Understanding and using AP Style is a must for any aspiring sports writer or journalist, and is taught as part of any college curriculum for journalism or a related course of study.

I have broken down this MMO Style Guide into two parts: AP Style baseball verbiage and an AP Style best practices.

AP Style Baseball Verbiage

1B – Acceptable abbreviation for first baseman, however, the full written form (“first baseman”) is always preferred except in stat tables and lineups (e.g., Pete Alonso, 1B). Do not use “1st baseman.”

2B – Acceptable abbreviation for second baseman, however, the full written form (“second baseman”) is always preferred except in stat tables and lineups (e.g., Jeff McNeil, 2B). Do not use “2nd baseman.”

3B – Acceptable abbreviation for third baseman, however, the full written form (“third baseman”) is always preferred except in stat tables and lineups (e.g., David Wright, 3B). Do not use “3rd baseman.”

AB – Acceptable abbreviation for at-bats which is one hyphenated word not two.

Age – Always use numerical figures not words. Example: He is 26 years old. Include player’s age in articles in mid sentence form. Example: Nimmo, 30, is expected off the disabled list on Tuesday.

AL – Acceptable abbreviation for American League.

All-Star – Capitalized and hyphenated.

All-Star Game – Note capitalization.

AVG – Acceptable abbreviation for batting average but full written is always preferred except in stat tables.

backward – Not backwards.

ball club – Two words.

ballpark – One word.

ballplayer – One word.

baseman – One word.

basepath – One word.

baserunner – One word.

baserunning – One word.

batter’s box – Note apostrophe.

BB – Abbreviation for a walk.

box score – Two words.

bullpen – One word.

center fielder – Two words. Also applies to center field.

changeup – One word.

colon – The text following a colon should begin with a capital letter.

comma – Use a comma to separate all elements in a series. Example: Gary, Keith, and Ron are the best in the business. This is known as the serial comma or the Oxford comma.

COO – Acceptable abbreviation for chief operating officer. Example: Jeff Wilpon was a pretty lousy COO.

curveball – One word.

Dates – Always use Arabic figures, without st, nd, rd or th. Spell out all month names in full. When a phrase refers to a month, day, and year, set off the year with commas. Example: Terry Collins announced his retirement on December 2, 2016.

Divisions – Use uppercase: East, Central, West or East Division, Central Division, West Division. Lowercase “division” when it stands alone. Example: The Mets finished first in their division.

doubleheader – One word.

double play – Two words.

Double-A – Note hyphen and capitalization. This is the preferred way to reference a team’s minor league affiliate never AA.

ERA – Acceptable abbreviation for earned run average.

extra-base hit – Note hyphen.

fastball – One word.

first baseman – Preferred form.

fly ball – Two words.

four-seam – Note hyphen (e.g.: four-seam fastball).

free agent – No hyphen.

Game 1 – Capitalize “Game” (Game 1 of the World Series).

game-winning – Note hyphen (game-winning single).

general manager – No capitalization.

GM – Acceptable abbreviation for general manager.

Gold Glove – Note capitalization.

ground ball – Two words.

Height – Use figures and spell out inches, feet, yards. (He is 5 feet 9 inches tall)

High-A – Note hyphen. (High-A St. Lucie)

hitting coach – Lowercase in all uses.

home runs – Two words.

HR – Acceptable abbreviation for home run.

IL – Acceptable abbreviation for injured list but full spelling is preferred.

innings – For first nine innings write out the word (first, second, ninth). For innings greater than nine, use 10th, 11th, etc.

IP – Acceptable abbreviation for innings pitched.

K – Acceptable abbreviation for strikeouts in stat lines. “Strikeouts” is always preferred in other contexts.

K/9 – Acceptable abbreviation for strikeout rate.

K/BB – Acceptable abbreviation for strikeout-to-walk ratio.

knuckleball – One word, no hyphen.

LCS – Acceptable abbreviation for league championship series.

LHP – Acceptable abbreviation for left-handed pitcher. “Left-handed pitcher” is preferred in most contexts.

leadoff – One word, no hyphen.

left fielder – Two words.

left-handed – Hyphenated. Applies to left-hander as well.

LF – Acceptable abbreviation for left fielder in lineups. “Left fielder” is preferred in all other contexts.

lineup – One word, no hyphen.

Low-A – Note hyphen.

major league – Lowercase, except when referring to the institution of Major League Baseball. Never hyphenated.

mid-90s – Note hyphen, for velocities. He threw in the mid-90s. He featured mid-90s heat.

midseason – Not hyphenated.

minor league – Lowercase, except when referring to the institution of Minor League Baseball.

MLB – Acceptable abbreviation for Major League Baseball.

mph – Acceptable abbreviation for miles per hour.

MVP – Acceptable in all references to most valuable player.

NL – Acceptable abbreviation for National League.

no-hitter – Always hyphenated.

Numbers – Spell out numbers lower than 10. Spell out a number that begins a sentence. Spell out the words million, billion, etc., and use a numeral in front of it (23 million, 6.5 billion).

OBP – Acceptable in all references to on-base percentage. “On-base percentage” is always preferred apart from in stat tables.

OF – Acceptable abbreviation for outfielder, but full spelling is always preferred.

Offseason – One word.

on-base percentage – Note hyphen.

Opening Day – Note capitalization.

outfield – One word. Also applies to outfielder.

PA – Plate appearances.

pinch hitter – Two words no hyphen.

pitching coach – Lowercase.

Player Names – Use a player’s full name on first reference. Last names only on second reference.

playoffs – One word.

postseason – One word.

RBI – Acceptable in all references to runs batted in.

RF – Acceptable abbreviation for right fielder, but full spelling is preferred in most contexts.

RHP – Abbreviation for right-handed pitcher.

Rule 5 Draft – Not Rule V Draft. Note capitalization.

SB – Abbreviation for stolen bases. Full wording preferred in all contexts except in stat lines.

Scores – Use numerals and an en dash when writing about game scores. (The Mets won 5–0).

shutout – One word.

slash line – Avoid this wording. Use “batting line” or rewrite the sentence to say he batted .280/.323/.435.

SLG – Abbreviation for slugging percentage. “Slugging percentage” is preferred in all contexts except in stat lines.

strike out vs strikeout – Use two-word form when the term is a verb and the one-word form when the term is a noun or an adjective. Example: The more you strike out, the higher your strikeout rate.

Super Two – Not Super 2. Note capitalization.

teammate – One word.

third baseman – Preferred form.

walk-off – Hyphenated.

Wild Card – Two words, not capitalization.

World Series – Note capitalization.

AP Style Best Practices

Numbers
Proper uses: first inning, seventh-inning stretch, 10th inning; first base, second base, third base, first home run, 10th home run, first place, one RBI, 10 RBIs. The hitter went 1-for-3. The pitcher’s record is now 6-5. The final score was 1-0.

Innings Pitched
While 5.1 innings is perfectly acceptable, mathematically is means five and two-tenths innings. It’s best to use the fractional form 5 1/3 innings.

RBI or RBIs
For more than one run batted in, the abbreviation is RBIs. (Alonso led the majors with 127 RBIs)

Postseason vs. playoffs
The terms aren’t interchangeable. Postseason encompasses all the games after the regular season ends from the Wild Card round to the the World Series. Playoffs refers only to the first two rounds that determine the World Series opponents.

AL and NL championship series
Spell out “championship series” on first reference with the league abbreviations. It’s AL or NL championship series initially, then ALCS or NLCS on subsequent uses.

Titles
Italicize titles of movies, songs, books, magazines websites. Example: Metsmerized Online, New York Times, The Walking Dead, The Force Awakens, Stairway to Heaven.

Standings
Always write out first place or last place.

Ages
Use hyphens for ages. (a 6-year-old boy, an 8-year-old car, a 4-year-old house) Or you can express ages as follows: Bruce, 30, is a free agent after this season.

Rankings
Always abbreviate the word “number” in rankings. Write No. 1 draft pick, not number one draft pick. Examples: The Mets selected Chris Correa with their No. 6 overall selection.

Betting Odds
Use figures and a hyphen: The odds were 5-4, the Mets won despite 3-2 odds against them.

Awards
When naming awards, always capitalize the word Award.
Ex: Most Valuable Player Award not Most Valuable Player award. Cy Young Award, Rookie of the Year Award

Numbers Less Than 10
Spell out numbers less than 10 standing alone and in modifiers.