Batting Average Calculator

What is batting average?

Batting average (BA) is one of the oldest and most widely used statistics in baseball and softball. It measures how often a batter gets a hit in their official at-bats. A batting average of .300 means the player gets a hit in 30% of their at-bats.

Batting average ignores walks, hit-by-pitch, sacrifice bunts, and catcher’s interference because those plate appearances are not counted as official at-bats.

Step-by-step example

Suppose a player has the following line:

• Hits (H): 45
• At-bats (AB): 150

Then:

We usually write this as .300 (dropping the leading zero) and say “three hundred” or “a three-hundred hitter”.

Another example with rounding

Player B has:

• Hits: 37
• At-bats: 129

Calculation:

What counts as an at-bat?

Official at-bats (AB) include plate appearances that end in:

• Single, double, triple, or home run
• Strikeout
• Reaching on an error or fielder’s choice
• Other outs in play (groundouts, flyouts, lineouts, etc.)

The following do not count as at-bats:

• Walks (BB, including intentional walks)
• Hit by pitch (HBP)
• Sacrifice bunts
• Sometimes sacrifice flies (SF) are excluded from AB but included in plate appearances
• Catcher’s interference

This is why the calculator only needs hits and at-bats. If you have full box-score stats, you must first compute AB correctly before using the formula.

Interpreting batting average

Benchmarks vary by league and era, but for modern MLB-level competition:

• .330 and above – elite hitter, MVP-level seasons
• .300–.329 – excellent
• .270–.299 – good to very good
• .250–.269 – roughly average
• .230–.249 – below average
• Below .230 – poor for an everyday player

In youth leagues, college, or recreational softball, typical averages can be higher because of differences in pitching, defense, and scoring rules.

Limitations of batting average

While batting average is easy to understand, it has important limitations:

• It treats all hits the same (a single counts the same as a home run).
• It ignores walks and hit-by-pitch, which still help a team’s offense.
• It doesn’t account for situational hitting (e.g., hitting with runners in scoring position).

For a fuller picture of a hitter’s value, analysts often look at:

• On-base percentage (OBP) – how often a player reaches base.
• Slugging percentage (SLG) – how much power a player shows per at-bat.
• OPS (OBP + SLG) – a quick combined measure of getting on base and hitting for power.

Batting average vs. on-base percentage

A player with a modest batting average but many walks can still be very valuable. For example:

• Player A: .310 BA, rarely walks → OBP around .340
• Player B: .260 BA, many walks → OBP around .370

Even though Player A has a higher batting average, Player B may help the team more by reaching base more often.

FAQ

How do you calculate batting average?

Use the formula BA = H / AB. Count the total hits, divide by official at-bats, and round to three decimal places.

What is a good batting average?

In MLB, around .300 or higher is considered excellent. In amateur leagues, “good” can be higher because of weaker pitching and defense.

Do walks count in batting average?

No. Walks are plate appearances but not at-bats, so they do not affect batting average.

Can batting average be over 1.000?

No. The maximum is 1.000 (a hit in every at-bat). Over a single game or a few at-bats, a player can have 1.000, but never above that.

Does batting average include home runs?

Yes. Any hit—single, double, triple, or home run—counts as one hit in the batting average formula.