Hits divided by at-bats, to three decimals
Batting average is the share of official at-bats that turn into hits. A .300 average means the batter reaches on a hit 3 times out of every 10 tries — which sounds low, but the best hitters alive only manage three or four in ten.
What a batting average tells you
| Average | Rating |
|---|---|
| .300 and up | Excellent — All-Star, MVP-caliber |
| .280–.299 | Very good — a key everyday hitter |
| .250–.279 | Average — holds a roster spot |
| .240–.249 | Below average |
| .200–.239 | Weak — near the Mendoza Line |
| under .200 | Below the Mendoza Line |
Modern league average sits around .245–.250. Ty Cobb holds the career record at .366, and Ted Williams (.406 in 1941) was the last player to hit .400 for a full season.
What is not an at-bat
The number people get wrong is the denominator. A plate appearance only counts as an at-bat if the batter hits, strikes out, or otherwise puts the ball in play. Several outcomes are excluded, which is why average and on-base percentage can diverge sharply.
- Walks and hit-by-pitch. The batter reaches base but it is not scored as a hit or an at-bat, so the average is untouched.
- Sacrifice flies and bunts. An out that advances a runner does not count against the average.
- Why it matters. A hitter drawing many walks can post a low average and a high on-base percentage — average alone misses that value.
Common questions
How is batting average calculated?
Divide hits by at-bats and write the result to three decimal places. A batter with 90 hits in 300 at-bats has a .300 average, read as "three hundred."
Do walks count toward batting average?
No. A walk is not counted as a hit or as an at-bat, so it leaves the average unchanged. Walks raise on-base percentage instead, which is why a player can hit .200 but still get on base often.
What is a good batting average?
In the modern game .300 or better is excellent, around .250 is roughly league average, and .200 or below is the Mendoza Line, the mark below which a hitter risks losing their spot.
