Calculator
Definition – What is Batting Average?
Batting Average is the percentage of at bats that result in a hit.
A higher batting average is seen as the player being a better hitter. It is a very popular metric for measuring the performance of a batter.
Formula – How to Calculate Batting Average
Batting Average = Hits ÷ At Bats
Where:
- A “hit” is when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory. A hit is not counted if it happens with help from an error or a fielder’s choice. If the batter (or runner) attempts another base and is caught out, they are still credited with the hit as long as they have reached 1st base.
- An “at bat” is counted each time the player is at bat. At bats are not counted in specific circumstances, including: The batter being hit by a pitch, a sacrifice fly or sacrifice hit, base on balls, the inning ends while still at bat, the batter is replaced by another hitter before their turn completes.
Example
A batter has been at bat 127 times and made 32 hits in that time.
Batting Average = 32 ÷ 127 = 0.252.
Therefore, the batter’s batting average is 0.252.
Sources and more resources
- Wikipedia – Batting Average, Hit (Baseball), and At bat – Wikipedia entries relevant to the calculation of batting average.
- Rules on baseball and baseball statistics from Major League Baseball, NCAA (Baseball), NCAA (Softball), NCAA (Baseball and Softball), NFHS, and the International Baseball Federation.
- Statistics on batting average from ESPN (Player Statistics) and ESPN (Batting Average Historical Leaders).