How do you calculate batting average?

Batting average in baseball and softball is calculated by dividing the number of hits by the number of at-bats: BA = Hits / At-Bats. For example, if a player has 45 hits in 150 at-bats, their batting average is 45/150 = .300. Walks, hit-by-pitches, sacrifices, and catcher interference do not count as at-bats. The result is expressed as a three-decimal number without a leading zero (e.g., .300 not 0.300).

What is a good batting average in baseball?

In Major League Baseball (MLB), a .250 batting average is considered average. A .280 to .299 is above average and very good. Hitting .300 or above is excellent and puts you among the top hitters in the league - typically only 20-30 players achieve this each season. A .200 average (the 'Mendoza Line') is considered the minimum acceptable for a position player. The league-wide MLB average has fluctuated between .240 and .260 in recent years.

How is cricket batting average different from baseball?

In cricket, batting average is calculated as Runs Scored divided by Times Dismissed (innings minus not-outs). A key difference is that not-out innings count toward runs but not toward dismissals, which can inflate averages. A good Test cricket average is 40+, while the greatest of all time, Don Bradman, averaged 99.94. Baseball averages are always less than 1.000, while cricket averages can be any positive number.

What is OBP, SLG, and OPS?

OBP (On-Base Percentage) measures how often a batter reaches base: (Hits + Walks + HBP) / (At-Bats + Walks + HBP + Sac Flies). SLG (Slugging Percentage) measures power: Total Bases / At-Bats, where singles=1, doubles=2, triples=3, home runs=4. OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging) is simply OBP + SLG and is considered one of the best single stats for evaluating overall hitting ability. An OPS above .800 is very good, above .900 is excellent.

What does 'going 2 for 5' mean for batting average?

Going '2 for 5' means a batter got 2 hits in 5 at-bats in a single game, which is a .400 average for that game. Common game lines: 1 for 3 = .333, 1 for 4 = .250, 2 for 4 = .500, 2 for 5 = .400, 3 for 4 = .750, 3 for 5 = .600. Over a full season, these individual game performances average out to the player's season batting average.

Why don't walks count as at-bats?

Walks (bases on balls) are excluded from at-bats because they are not considered a true batting attempt - the pitcher failed to throw enough strikes, not because the batter failed to hit. Including walks would artificially lower batting averages for patient hitters who draw many walks. Similarly, hit-by-pitches, sacrifice bunts, sacrifice flies, and catcher interference are not counted as at-bats.

What is the Mendoza Line?

The Mendoza Line is a batting average of .200, named after Mario Mendoza, a light-hitting shortstop in the 1970s-80s. It represents the unofficial threshold below which a player's batting is considered unacceptably poor for a Major League position player. Dipping below the Mendoza Line often means a player risks being sent to the minor leagues or released. The term was popularized by George Brett and later by ESPN's Chris Berman.

Can I use this calculator for softball?

Yes. The batting average formula for softball is identical to baseball: Hits / At-Bats. Our calculator works for both sports. Softball batting averages tend to be slightly different from baseball because of the different pitching style (underhand vs overhand), distance to the mound, and game pace, but the math is exactly the same. Switch to Softball mode for softball-specific context.

Free Batting Average Calculator

Batting Average Calculator

Calculate your batting average for baseball, softball, or cricket. Enter hits and at-bats for instant results. Advanced mode adds OBP, SLG, and OPS. Projection mode shows how many hits you need to reach a target average.

Sport

Calculator Mode

Batting Stats

Hits (H)

At-Bats (AB)

Batting Average = Hits / At-Bats (walks, sacrifices, and HBP are not at-bats)

Batting Average

Enter hits and at-bats to calculate

Baseball Benchmarks

Ty Cobb (Career).366

Highest career BA in MLB history

Ted Williams (1941).406

Last player to hit .400 in a season

Tony Gwynn (Career).338

8x NL batting champion

Ichiro Suzuki (2004).372

262 hits in a single season

MLB Average (2024).243

League-wide average

Mendoza Line.200

Unofficial threshold for poor hitting

Batting Average Rating Scale (Baseball)

Where does your batting average rank? Use this scale to evaluate your hitting performance.

AverageRatingDescription

.000 - .199Below AverageStruggling at the plate, significant room for improvement

.200 - .249AverageMLB average range, solid everyday contributor

.250 - .279Above AverageGood hitter, reliable in the lineup

.280 - .299Very GoodStrong hitter, All-Star caliber batting

.300 - .349ExcellentElite hitter, batting title contender

.350 - .399OutstandingHistorically great season, rare achievement

.400 - 1.000LegendaryLast achieved in MLB by Ted Williams in 1941

Common Game Lines and Batting Averages

Quick reference for single-game batting performances.

Game LineAverageDescription

0 for 4.000An 0-fer, hitless game

1 for 3.333Solid single-game performance

1 for 4.250Average single-game showing

2 for 4.500Great multi-hit game

2 for 5.400Strong game with extra AB

3 for 4.750Outstanding performance

3 for 5.600Excellent multi-hit game

4 for 41.000Perfect game, every AB a hit

How to Use the Batting Average Calculator

Calculate your batting average and advanced stats in seconds.

Choose Your Sport

Select Baseball, Softball, or Cricket. The formula adjusts automatically. Baseball and softball use Hits / At-Bats. Cricket uses Runs / (Innings - Not Outs). The rating scale and benchmarks also update based on your sport.

Enter Your Stats

For baseball/softball, enter total hits and at-bats. For cricket, enter runs scored, innings batted, and not-outs. Your batting average calculates instantly with a color-coded rating and comparison to historical benchmarks.

Use Advanced Mode (Optional)

Switch to OBP/SLG/OPS mode and enter doubles, triples, home runs, walks, HBP, and sacrifice flies for a complete hitting profile. Or use Projection mode to see how many hits you need in remaining at-bats to reach a target batting average.

Why Use Our Batting Average Calculator

Three Sports

Works for baseball, softball, and cricket with sport-specific formulas, ratings, and benchmarks. One calculator for all bat-and-ball sports.

Instant Results

Batting average calculates as you type with a color-coded rating scale. No submit button, no page reloads. See your average update in real-time.

Advanced Stats

Go beyond batting average with OBP, SLG, and OPS calculations. Enter doubles, triples, home runs, walks, and more for a complete hitting profile.

Projection Tool

See how many hits you need in your remaining at-bats to reach a target average. Plan your season goals and track progress toward milestones like .300.

Historical Benchmarks

Compare your average to legends like Ty Cobb (.366), Ted Williams (.406), Don Bradman (99.94), and current MLB/international standards.

Share and Export

Copy your batting stats for team group chats or export a detailed report. Works great for coaches tracking team stats or players sharing progress.

Complete Guide to Batting Average

What Is Batting Average?

Batting average is one of the oldest and most widely recognized statistics in baseball. It measures a hitter's ability to get base hits by dividing the total number of hits by the total number of at-bats. The formula is simple: BA = H / AB. A player who gets 150 hits in 500 at-bats has a .300 batting average, meaning they get a hit 30% of the times they put the ball in play or make contact.

Batting average has been tracked since the 1870s and was long considered the single most important hitting statistic. While modern analytics have introduced more comprehensive metrics like OPS and wRC+, batting average remains the most commonly referenced stat among casual fans, media, and traditional baseball. It is also the basis for the batting title, awarded to the player with the highest average who qualifies with enough plate appearances.

The Batting Average Formula Explained

The formula BA = Hits / At-Bats seems straightforward, but understanding what counts as a hit and what counts as an at-bat is crucial. A hit is any time the batter reaches base safely due to their batting action - singles, doubles, triples, and home runs all count as hits. Reaching base on an error does not count as a hit (though it also does not count as an at-bat in some scoring decisions).

An at-bat is a plate appearance where the batter completes their turn hitting by getting a hit, making an out, or reaching on an error. Several outcomes are not counted as at-bats: walks (base on balls), hit-by-pitches, sacrifice bunts, sacrifice flies, and catcher interference. This exclusion is intentional - batting average is designed to measure hitting skill, and these outcomes do not reflect the batter's ability to hit the ball.

The distinction matters because a player who walks 100 times in a season might have only 450 at-bats instead of 550, yet their batting average is calculated only on those 450 at-bats. This is why on-base percentage (OBP) was developed as a complement - it gives credit for walks and hit-by-pitches that batting average ignores.

What Is a Good Batting Average?

Batting average standards have shifted dramatically over baseball's history. In the dead-ball era (pre-1920), league-wide averages were often below .250. During the steroid era (late 1990s-early 2000s), averages rose to around .270. In the modern game (2020s), increased strikeout rates and defensive shifts have pushed the MLB average down to around .243-.250.

For individual players, the commonly accepted benchmarks are: below .200 is the Mendoza Line and considered very poor. A .200 to .249 is below average. A .250 is about MLB average. A .260 to .279 is slightly above average. A .280 to .299 is very good and often puts you in the top 30-40 hitters in the league. Hitting .300 or above is excellent - in most seasons, fewer than 25 qualified batters achieve this. Hitting .350+ is historically rare and .400 has not been done in a full season since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941.

Context matters significantly. A .250 average with 40 home runs and 80 walks is far more valuable than a .300 average with 5 home runs and 20 walks. This is why modern analytics prefer OPS or wRC+ for overall hitting evaluation. Still, batting average remains the most intuitive stat for most fans - if someone tells you a player is hitting .320, you immediately know that is excellent.

Understanding OBP, SLG, and OPS

On-Base Percentage (OBP) measures how often a player reaches base through any means: OBP = (H + BB + HBP) / (AB + BB + HBP + SF). This gives credit for walks and hit-by-pitches that batting average ignores. A good OBP is .340+, an excellent OBP is .380+, and .400+ is elite. The all-time single-season record is Barry Bonds' .609 in 2004.

Slugging Percentage (SLG) measures the quality of hits by weighting them by bases: SLG = (1B + 2Bx2 + 3Bx3 + HRx4) / AB. A single is worth 1, a double 2, a triple 3, and a home run 4. A good SLG is .430+, excellent is .500+, and .600+ is elite power hitting. The all-time record is Barry Bonds' .863 in 2001.

OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging) simply adds OBP and SLG together. Despite its mathematical simplicity, OPS correlates strongly with run production and is considered one of the best single stats for evaluating hitters. An OPS of .700 is average, .800 is good, .900 is excellent, and 1.000+ is elite. The advantage of OPS over batting average is that it captures both a hitter's ability to get on base and their power.

Cricket Batting Average: A Different System

Cricket batting average uses a fundamentally different formula: Runs Scored / Times Dismissed. A batsman who scores 3,000 runs and has been dismissed 60 times has an average of 50.00. The key difference from baseball is the treatment of not-out innings. If a batsman carries their bat (is not dismissed), that innings' runs count toward the total but the innings does not count as a dismissal.

This means cricket averages can theoretically be infinite if a batsman is never dismissed. In practice, the highest career Test average belongs to Sir Donald Bradman at 99.94, who was dismissed 70 times in 80 innings for 6,996 runs. He needed just 4 runs in his final innings to average 100 but was bowled for a duck (0). A good international Test average is 40+, excellent is 50+, and 60+ is all-time great territory.

ODI (One Day International) averages tend to be slightly lower than Test averages because of the more aggressive batting required. A good ODI average is 35+, while 45+ is outstanding. T20 averages are even harder to evaluate because the small sample of innings and aggressive approach create more variance.

How Batting Average Changes Over a Season

Batting average is highly volatile early in a season. After 10 at-bats, going 4 for 10 gives you a .400 average, but one hitless game drops it to 4 for 14 (.286). By mid-season with 250+ at-bats, the average stabilizes and each individual game has a smaller impact. This is why baseball uses a minimum plate appearance threshold (typically 502 PA or 3.1 PA per team game) to qualify for the batting title.

Most hitters experience slumps (extended periods of low production) and hot streaks throughout a season. A 0-for-20 slump is not uncommon even for great hitters. Over a 162-game season, the law of large numbers means most players' averages regress toward their true talent level. A player who is a "true" .280 hitter might finish anywhere from .260 to .300 in a given year.

Using the Projection Tool

Our projection feature answers the question: "How many hits do I need in my remaining at-bats to finish at a target average?" This is useful for players chasing milestones like .300, coaches planning lineups, or fantasy baseball managers making decisions. Enter your current hits and at-bats, then specify how many at-bats remain and your target average.

The calculator shows exactly how many hits you need, what batting average you would need to hit in the remaining at-bats, and what your final average would be if you continue at your current pace. For example, if you are hitting .285 with 30 games left, you might need to hit .340 over those games to finish at .300 - the tool does this math instantly.