1. What is Batting Average?

Batting average (AVG) is a statistic in baseball that measures a batter's performance by dividing their number of hits by their number of at bats. It's one of the oldest and most traditional metrics for evaluating hitters.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the simple batting average formula:

Where:

• \( total\_hits \) — Number of successful hits
• \( total\_at\_bats \) — Number of official at bats

Note: Walks, hit-by-pitches, and sacrifices are not counted as at bats.

3. Importance of Batting Average

Details: While modern baseball analytics use more advanced metrics, batting average remains a fundamental statistic for evaluating hitter performance and comparing players across eras.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter whole numbers for hits and at bats. At bats must be greater than zero. The result is typically displayed as a decimal rounded to three places (e.g., .300).

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 poor (MLB standards).

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

Q3: What's the highest possible batting average?
A: The theoretical maximum is 1.000 (a hit every at bat), though no player has maintained this over a full season.

Q4: How is batting average different from on-base percentage?
A: OBP includes walks and hit-by-pitches in addition to hits, while AVG only counts hits divided by at bats.

Q5: Who holds the career batting average record?
A: Ty Cobb holds the MLB record with a .366 career average (minimum 3000 at bats).