Batting average calculator
Enter hits and at-bats and this batting average calculator shows the average as baseball writes it, like .300. Playing cricket instead? Switch modes for runs ÷ dismissals.
Batting average calculator tool
How to use the batting average calculator
- Leave the mode on Baseball / softball.
- Enter total hits and total at-bats. Count every hit the same, whether it was a single or a home run.
- The average appears as you type, written with three decimals and no leading zero, plus the exact division so you can check it.
The batting average formula
AVG = hits ÷ at-bats
The answer is a share between 0 and 1, rounded to three decimals. Baseball drops the leading zero, so 0.300 is written .300 and said “three hundred.” A perfect 4 for 4 is written 1.000 and said “a thousand.”
What counts as an at-bat
An at-bat is not the same as a trip to the plate. A plate appearance only becomes an at-bat when the batter had a fair chance to get a hit. These do not count as at-bats:
- Walks (base on balls), including intentional walks
- Hit by pitch
- Sacrifice bunts and sacrifice flies
- Reaching base on catcher's interference or obstruction
Everything else counts, including strikeouts, ground outs, fly outs, and reaching base on an error or a fielder's choice (which are at-bats without a hit). That is why a batter who walks a lot can have a low batting average and still be valuable; our OPS calculator includes walks and power.
Worked examples
| Line | Math | AVG |
|---|---|---|
| 30 hits in 100 at-bats | 30 ÷ 100 = 0.300 | .300 |
| 150 hits in 520 at-bats | 150 ÷ 520 = 0.28846 | .288 |
| 2 for 4 in a game | 2 ÷ 4 = 0.5 | .500 |
| 4 for 4 | 4 ÷ 4 = 1 | 1.000 |
Box-score example: a player goes to the plate five times, with a single, a walk, a sacrifice fly, a strikeout and a ground out. That is 5 plate appearances but only 3 at-bats (the walk and the sac fly do not count), so the game line is 1 for 3, a .333 average for the day.
How many hits for a .300 average?
Turn the formula around: hits needed = at-bats × target average. A player with 500 at-bats needs 150 hits for .300; 149 hits gives .298, and 151 gives .302. Each hit is worth 2 points of average at 500 at-bats, but 10 points at 100 at-bats, which is why averages move fast in April and slowly in September.
| At-bats | Hits for .250 | Hits for .300 | One hit is worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 25 | 30 | 10 points |
| 300 | 75 | 90 | about 3 points |
| 500 | 125 | 150 | 2 points |
| 600 | 150 | 180 | about 1.7 points |
Cricket batting average
cricket average = runs ÷ (innings − not outs)
Cricket uses the same name for a different stat. It is the number of runs scored per dismissal. Innings in which the batter was not out add runs but no dismissal. Example: 450 runs in 12 innings with 2 not outs gives 450 ÷ 10 = 45.00. If a batter has never been dismissed, there is no average yet. Choose the Cricket mode in the tool for this formula.
Tips
- Over a few games, a single hit moves the average a lot: 3 for 10 is .300, 4 for 10 is .400. Wait for a full season before comparing players.
- Batting average ignores power. For extra-base hits, use the slugging percentage calculator.
- Pitchers have their own number: the ERA calculator works out earned run average.
How we tested it
The calculator runs against automated Node tests: 30 hits in 100 at-bats shows .300, 150 hits in 520 at-bats shows .288, 4 for 4 shows 1.000, zero at-bats gives no average, and more hits than at-bats is rejected. In cricket mode, 450 runs in 12 innings with 2 not outs gives 45.00, and a batter who was not out in every innings gets no average.
Frequently asked questions
Does reaching on an error count as an at-bat?
Yes. Reaching base on an error or a fielder's choice is an at-bat without a hit, so it lowers the batting average. The official scorer decides whether a ball was a hit or an error.
How many at-bats do you need to win the MLB batting title?
The qualification is based on plate appearances, not at-bats: 3.1 per team game, which is 502 in a 162-game season. Because walks and sacrifices count as plate appearances, two players with the same number of at-bats can differ on whether they qualify.
Who was the last MLB player to hit .400?
Ted Williams hit .406 for the Boston Red Sox in 1941. No major leaguer has finished a full season at .400 or higher since then, which shows how hard it is to get a hit in four of every ten at-bats.
Is batting average rounded or truncated?
It is rounded to three decimal places. 47 hits in 160 at-bats is 0.29375, which is printed as .294. When two players round to the same figure, leagues compare more decimal places to break the tie.
Why is the cricket average a much bigger number?
Cricket measures runs per dismissal, and a batter can score many runs before getting out once. Baseball measures the share of at-bats that end in a hit, so it is always between .000 and 1.000. The two numbers cannot be compared.
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