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Batting Average Formula:
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Batting average (BA) is a statistic in baseball that measures a batter's success rate in achieving a hit during an at bat. It is one of the oldest and most traditional metrics for evaluating a hitter's performance.
The batting average is calculated using the simple formula:
Where:
Explanation: The formula divides the number of hits by the number of official at bats. The result is typically rounded to three decimal places and read without the decimal point (e.g., .300 is "three hundred").
Details: While modern baseball analytics have introduced more sophisticated metrics, batting average remains a fundamental statistic for evaluating a player's hitting ability. It provides a quick snapshot of how often a batter gets a hit.
Tips: Enter the number of hits and at bats (must be at least 1). The calculator will compute the batting average to three decimal places, the standard format used in baseball statistics.
Q1: What counts as an "at bat"?
A: At bats exclude walks, hit-by-pitches, sacrifices, and catcher's interference. Only official plate appearances where the batter could potentially get a hit count as at bats.
Q2: What is considered a good batting average?
A: In Major League Baseball, .300 is considered excellent, .270 is average, and below .230 is poor. These benchmarks vary by era and league.
Q3: Why is batting average expressed to three decimal places?
A: The three-decimal format allows for precise comparison between players. Small differences (e.g., .300 vs .299) can be significant over a full season.
Q4: What are the limitations of batting average?
A: BA doesn't account for walks, power (extra base hits), or situational hitting. Modern metrics like OPS (On-base Plus Slugging) provide more complete evaluations.
Q5: Has any player finished a season with a .400 batting average?
A: Yes, but not since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. It's considered one of baseball's most difficult achievements.