How batting average is calculated
Batting average is the share of at-bats that resulted in a hit: AVG = hits ÷ at-bats, written as a three-decimal number without the leading zero. 50 hits in 180 at-bats is 50 ÷ 180 = .278, read as "two seventy-eight."
The three-decimal convention comes from the fact that a season rarely runs past about 600 at-bats, so two decimals would hide meaningful differences between hitters. One extra hit over 180 at-bats moves 50 ÷ 180 = .278 up to 51 ÷ 180 = .283 — a gap that only shows at three decimals.
Reference points: .300 marks an All-Star-level bat, .250 is roughly league average and .200 is the informal "Mendoza line". Averages are noisy early on — 3 hits in 10 at-bats reads .300, but that is ten trips to the plate, not a trend.
How to use this calculator
Enter total hits and at-bats. Walks, hit-by-pitches and sacrifices don't count as at-bats. For a fuller picture of getting on base, see the on-base percentage calculator.
Count only completed at-bats. A plate appearance that ends in a walk, a hit by pitch, a sacrifice bunt, a sacrifice fly or catcher's interference is removed from the denominator, so those trips neither help nor hurt the average. Reached-on-error counts as an at-bat but not a hit.
Worked example: a player with 62 hits, 210 at-bats and 25 walks has an average of 62 ÷ 210 = .295 — the walks are simply not part of the calculation. Feed the same season into the on-base percentage calculator and those 25 walks do count, which is why OBP is almost always the higher number. To turn any raw ratio into a percentage instead of a three-decimal average, use the percentage calculator.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I calculate batting average?
- Divide hits by at-bats and express it to three decimals. 50 ÷ 180 = .278.
- What is a good batting average?
- In MLB, around .300 is excellent, .250 is roughly average, and below .200 is poor (the 'Mendoza line').
- Do walks count in batting average?
- No. Walks, hit-by-pitches and sacrifices are not counted as at-bats, so they don't affect batting average.
- Why is it written without a zero?
- By convention, a .278 average drops the leading zero and is read as 'two seventy-eight'.
- Batting average or on-base percentage — which should I use?
- Use batting average to judge pure contact hitting, and on-base percentage to judge how often a player avoids making an out. OBP adds walks and hit-by-pitches to both the top and bottom of the fraction, so a patient hitter can have a modest average and still be one of the most valuable bats in the lineup.