How it works
Batting average is hits divided by at-bats. It is written to three decimal places without the leading zero, so 0.300 is “.300” and said “three hundred”.
At-bats leave out plate appearances that end in a walk, a hit-by-pitch, a sacrifice bunt or a sacrifice fly, so those neither help nor hurt the average. Reaching on an error counts as an at-bat without a hit.
For cricket, where average is runs per dismissal, see the cricket batting average calculator.
The formula
AVG = hits ÷ at-bats (rounded to three places, shown as .xxx)Worked example
The rulebook’s own example (rule 9.22): a player with 181 hits in 500 at-bats.
- 181 ÷ 500 = 0.362, written .362.
A season of 165 hits in 550 at-bats: 165 ÷ 550 = .300. Going 2 for 4 the next day makes it .301; going 0 for 4 makes it .298.
Questions
Does a walk count as an at-bat?
No. Walks, hit-by-pitches, sacrifice bunts and sacrifice flies are plate appearances but not at-bats, so they do not change batting average. On-base percentage counts walks and hit-by-pitches.
What is a good batting average?
MLB says the league-wide batting average has typically hovered around .250 in recent years, so a hitter well above that is doing well. Batting average leaves out walks and treats a single like a home run, which is why on-base percentage and slugging are read with it.
Is reaching on an error a hit?
No. It counts as an at-bat without a hit, so it lowers the average.
How many at-bats do you need to qualify for the batting title?
It is counted in plate appearances, not at-bats. Rule 9.22 sets the minimum at 3.1 plate appearances for every game on the team’s schedule: 502 in a 162-game season. A player short of that can still win if their average stays highest after the missing plate appearances are added as hitless at-bats. The same rule covers slugging and on-base percentage.
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Sources
- Major League Baseball. Official Baseball Rules, 2026 edition. Rule 9.02(c)(1) comment (each out is one third of an inning pitched), rule 9.21 (how to compute batting average, slugging percentage, earned run average and on-base percentage, with a worked ERA example) and rule 9.22 (minimum plate appearances and innings to qualify for a title).
- MLB.com glossary: Batting Average (AVG). Hits divided by at-bats, shown as .000 to 1.000; the league-wide average has typically hovered around .250 in recent years.