How to Calculate a Batting Average

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Updated: March 29, 2019 | References

Batting average has been one of baseball's "big three" statistics for decades, along with runs batted in (RBI) and home runs. Fans of the more recent "sabermetrics" approach to baseball statistics criticize batting average for its failure to account for walks.[1] Nevertheless, for the average fan, batting average is a convenient and popular method for comparing offensive skill.

Part One of Two:
Calculating Batting Average

  1. 1
    Find the player's hits. Hits (also called base hits) are simply the sum of singles, doubles, triples, and home runs.[2] This statistic is easy to find online for professional players.
    • You can use the statistics for a season, a whole career, or any other period of time you're interested in. Just make sure all your statistics come from the same time frame.
  2. 2
    Find the player's at-bats. This is the number of times the player has made an attempt at an hit. This does not include walks, hits by pitch, or sacrifices, since these do not reflect the batter's offensive skill.[3]
  3. 3
    Divide the number of hits by the number of at-bats. The answer tells you the battering average, or the fraction of the time that a batter turned an at-bat attempt into a successful hit.
    • For example, if a player had 70 Hits and 200 At-Bats, his Batting Average is 70 ÷ 200 = 0.350.
    • You can read a batting average of 0.350 as "this player would expect to get 350 hits in 1000 at-bats."
  4. 4
    Round to the third decimal place. Batting averages are almost always rounded this way. When a baseball fan mentions a batting average of "three hundred," she means 0.300.
    • You can calculate batting averages to four or more decimal places, but this doesn't have much use beyond breaking ties.

Part Two of Two:
Calculating Other Offensive Stats

  1. 1
    Find the on-base percentage. A player's OBP tells you the fraction of the time that player makes it to a base, including walks and hits by pitch. Some fans consider this a better metric than battering average, since it takes into account all scoring methods. To find OBP, calculate .[4]
    • This formula is good enough for most purposes, but it does count some uncommon plays that do not reflect on the batter's skill, such as sacrifice bunts and catcher's interferences. If you need to be precise, replace plate appearances with "at-bats + walks + hits by pitch + sacrifice flies."
  2. 2
    Understand runs batted in. Runs batted in, or RBI, tell you how many times the team passed home plate due to this batter. For example, if there are two teammates on base and Sarah scores a home run, Sarah gets 3 RBI (two teammates + herself). This gives you a straightforward account of exactly how many runs a batter has scored. However, since it depends on other batters loading the bases, this statistic isn't a great way to compare players from different teams.
    • Do not add to RBI if the at-bat led to a double play (two outs), or if a run only occurred due to an error.[5]
  3. 3
    Find slugging percentage. Slugging percentage is similar to a batting average, but counts the number of bases scored instead of just the number of hits. This rewards more powerful hitters who score more doubles, triples, and home runs. Slugging percentage equals .[6]
    • You will get the same result if you count the bases in a more intuitive way: Singles + (2*Doubles) + (3*Triples) + (4*Home Runs). The formula above is usually easier to use since most baseball statistic websites do not list Singles.

Community Q&A

Add New Question
  • Question
    Why are there no ties in baseball?
    Top Answerer
    • It's simply a tradition since the early days of baseball. It wouldn't have to be that way; it just is.
    Thanks! 13 6
  • Question
    Does a sacrifice lower a hitter's batting average?
    Top Answerer
    • No. It does not count as an official time at bat and has no effect on a batting average.
    Thanks! 18 10
  • Question
    If my son was batting .222 and last night went 3 for 4, what's his new average?
    Community Answer
    • Add 3 to your son's total hits, add 4 to your son's total at-bats, and divide the new totals to find the new batting average. It is not possible to calculate the change without knowing the total hits and at-bats.
    Thanks! 21 14
  • Question
    What about a batter reaching base on an error?
    Community Answer
    • If the batter reaches first base because of an error by a fielder, it counts as an at-bat but not a hit. It lowers the batter's batting average just as if he'd been thrown out.
    Thanks! 22 15
  • Question
    How many points do you get for a single hit?
    Top Answerer
    • Hits do not directly score points (or "runs"). Points are scored only when a runner crosses home plate, which could occur even without a hit.
    Thanks! 16 12
  • Question
    How do I score extra base hits in batting averages?
    Top Answerer
    • An extra base hit has the same effect on a batting average as a single does. Each is considered one hit.
    Thanks! 11 9
  • Question
    If the player hits the ball and gets thrown out does it count as a hit?
    Community Answer
    • Not if he's thrown out at first. If he makes it safely to first, he's credited with a hit even if he continues to run and is thrown out at second, third, or home.
    Thanks! 13 12
  • Question
    Is it better to get a home run or a base hit to improve my batting average?
    Community Answer
    • It doesn't matter, since both are counted as a hit. Singles, doubles, triples, and home runs all count the same in figuring batting averages.
    Thanks! 12 11
  • Question
    If the batter gets to first on a fielder's choice, does that count as a hit?
    Community Answer
    • A fielder's choice counts as an at-bat but not a hit. This means a fielder's choice will lower the batter's batting average.
    Thanks! 15 15
  • Question
    I'm confused with what to include in batting percentage. If a player had 3 AB with 1 Hit and 1 Hit-By-Pitch, is the AB reduce by one to remove the HBP from the calculation. or does it remain?
    Top Answerer
    • The HBP (like a walk) is not counted as an official time at bat.
    Thanks! 4 3
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  • If you're keeping track of a player's batting average throughout a season, keep a running tally of the hits and at-bats so you can easily recalculate after each game.
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  • In Major League baseball, .300 in a season is the traditional cutoff for a great batting average. Due to increased pitcher skill among other factors, only about twenty players tend to reach this in a given year.[7] No one has hit .400 since the 1940s.
    0 Helpful?  1

About This Article

Co-Authored By:
wikiHow Staff Editor
32 votes - 72%
Co-authors: 11
Updated: March 29, 2019
Views: 154,642
Categories: Baseball
Article Summary

To calculate a batting average for a professional player, look up their hits, or the sum of their singles, doubles, triples, and home runs, online. Be sure to use a specific time frame unless you're calculating a career batting average! Next, look up the player's at-bats, then divide the number of hits by the number of at-bats and round to the third decimal place to calculate their batting average!

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