1. What is Batting Average?

Batting average (BN) is a statistic in baseball that measures a batter's success rate at getting hits when they are at bat. It's calculated by dividing the number of hits (H) by the number of official at bats (AB).

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the batting average formula:

Where:

• \( BN \) — Batting average (dimensionless)
• \( H \) — Hits (dimensionless)
• \( AB \) — At bats (dimensionless)

Explanation: The formula represents the ratio of successful hits to total opportunities (at bats). It's typically reported to three decimal places (e.g., .300).

3. Importance of Batting Average

Details: Batting average is one of the oldest and most traditional statistics in baseball. While modern analytics have introduced more comprehensive metrics, batting average remains a fundamental measure of a hitter's ability to make contact and get on base via hits.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter whole numbers for hits and at bats. At bats must be greater than zero. The result will be displayed as a decimal between .000 and 1.000.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is considered a good batting average?
A: In Major League Baseball, .300 is considered excellent, .250 is average, and below .200 is poor. The all-time record is .366 by Ty Cobb.

Q2: What's the difference between at bats and plate appearances?
A: At bats exclude walks, hit-by-pitches, sacrifices, and catcher's interference. Plate appearances include all times a batter comes to the plate.

Q3: Why is batting average sometimes criticized?
A: It doesn't account for walks or power hitting (extra base hits). Metrics like OPS (On-base Plus Slugging) provide a more complete picture.

Q4: Can batting average be greater than 1.000?
A: No, since you can't have more hits than at bats. The theoretical maximum is 1.000 (a hit every at bat).

Q5: How is batting average displayed?
A: It's traditionally shown without the leading zero (e.g., .300 instead of 0.300).