1. What is Batting Average?

Batting average (BA) is a statistic in baseball that measures a batter's success rate in getting a hit during an at bat. It is calculated by dividing the number of hits by the number of official at bats.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the batting average formula:

Where:

• \( Hits \) — Number of successful hits
• \( AtBats \) — Number of official at bats (excluding walks, sacrifices, etc.)

Explanation: The formula gives the ratio of hits to at bats, representing the probability a batter will get a hit in any given at bat.

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, BA remains a fundamental measure of batting performance.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter whole numbers for hits and at bats. Hits cannot exceed at bats. Typical batting averages range from .200 (poor) to .300+ (excellent).

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is considered a good batting average?
A: .300+ is excellent, .270-.299 is good, .250-.269 is average, below .250 is below average.

Q2: Why isn't batting average the best metric?
A: It doesn't account for walks, power (extra base hits), or situational hitting. Metrics like OBP and OPS are more comprehensive.

Q3: What's the highest possible batting average?
A: 1.000 (a hit every at bat), though this is only theoretically possible in very limited appearances.

Q4: How is batting average displayed?
A: Typically shown as a 3-digit decimal without the leading zero (e.g., .300 instead of 0.300).

Q5: Who holds the career batting average record?
A: Ty Cobb with .366 over 24 seasons (1905-1928).