A baseball player’s batting average refers to the percentage of official at bats in which that player gets a base hit. A batting average of .300, for example, means that the player in question gets a base hit 30 percent of all the times he completes an official at bat.
Batting average is calculated by dividing the number of base hits a player has earned by his total number of at bats (H/AB) and rounding to three decimal places.
Also Known As: BA, average, avg.
On-base percentage is a valuable statistic in determining a player’s worth to his team. Put simply, OBP is the rate at which a given player gets on base during his at bats. In other words, OBP is the rate at which a player avoids making outs. Even if his batting average is low, he can still be a valuable hitter if his OBP is high.
To calculate OBP, add together a player’s hits (H), walks (BB), and times hit by a pitch (HBP). Then divide that total by the sum of his at-bats (AB), BB, HBP, and sacrifice flies (SF). Then round to three decimal places.
Also Known As: OBP, OB%, on-base average
On-base plus slugging (OPS) is a relatively new metric used to measure a player’s ability both to get on base and hit for power, two of the most valuable assets to a team. Essentially, OPS is a combination of on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
To quickly calculate OPS, determine a player’s OBP and SLG to three decimal places and then add the two numbers together. That will give you a very close approximation of OPS. To more accurately calculate OPS, use the following formula:
at bats (hits + walks + times hit by pitch) + total bases (at bats + sacrifice flies + walks + times hit by pitch) / at bats (at bats + sacrifice flies + walks + times hit by pitch)
Slugging percentage is a valuable statistic in determining a player’s ability to hit for power. Batting average measures what percentage of the time a batter gets a hit and on-base percentage measures a hitter’s ability to avoid making outs, but slugging percentage takes into account how many bases the batter achieves with his hits.
To calculate SLG, add the total number of bases a batter’s hits account for and divide by his total number of at bats and round to three decimal places. Here is a simple formula:
[(singles + (2 × doubles) + (3 × triples) + (4 × home runs)] / AB
Also Known As: SLG%, SL%, SLUG
Year: Year in which the season occurred
Ag: Player age on July 1 of that year.
Tm: Team he played for
Lg: League he played in (AL- American League, NL- National League)
G: Games played
AB: At Bats
R: Runs Scored
H: Hits
2B: Doubles
3B: Triples
HR: Home Runs
BB: Base on Balls or Walks
SO: Strikeouts or K’s
BA: Batting Average—H/AB
OBP: On-Base Percentage—H+BB+HBP / (AB+BB+SF+HBP) (SF and HBP are assumed zero if unavailable)
SLG: Slugging Percentage—TB/AB
TB: Total Bases—(singles + 2* 2B + 3* 3B + 4*HR)
SH: Sacrifice Hits or Bunts
SF: Sacrifice Flies
IBB: Intentional Base on Balls
HBP: Hit by Pitch
GDP or GIDP: Grounded into Double Plays
OPS: On-Base Percentage + Slugging Percentage
AB/HR: At Bats per Home Runs. A power ratio calculated by dividing the number of at bats by home runs hits.
AB/K: At Bats per Strikeouts. A success at the plate ratio calculated by dividing the number of at bats by strikeouts.
AB/RBI: At Bats per Runs Batted In. A scoring runs ratio that determines the number of runs batted in based on a players total at bats.
Balk: An illegal motion by the pitcher with one or more runners on base, entitling all runners to advance one base. A balk can be one of a number of movements related to the pitching motion but the intention is to catch the runners off balance.
Ball: A pitch that does not enter the strike zone and is not struck at by the batter.
Base: The four points of the baseball diamond (first through third bases and home plate) that must be touched by a runner in order to score a run.
Batter: The offensive player who is currently positioned in the batter’s box.
Batter’s Box: Either of the areas next to home plate where the batter stands during his time at bat.
Bunt: A legally batted ball, not swung at but intentionally met with the bat and tapped within the infield.
Catch: The act of a fielder in getting secure possession in his hand or glove of a ball in flight and firmly holding it.
Catcher: The defensive player whose position is directly behind home plate.
Defense: The team currently in the field.
Designated Hitter: A player who may be designated to bat instead of the pitcher.
Double: A play in which the batter makes it safely to second base without stopping.
Double Play: A defensive play in which two offensive players are put out as a result of one continuous action.
Fair Ball: A legally batted ball that settles on or over fair territory.
Fair Territory: The part of the playing field within and including the first base and third base lines, from home plate to the playing field fence and perpendicularly upward.
Fielder: One of the nine defensive players, including pitcher, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, left fielder, center fielder, and right fielder.
Fielder’s Choice: The act of a fielder who handles a fair grounder and, instead of throwing to first base to put out the batter runner, throws to another base in an attempt to put out a preceding runner.
Fly Ball: A ball that goes high in the air when batted.
Force Play: A play in which a runner loses his right to occupy a base when the current batter becomes a runner.
Forfeited Game: A game declared ended by the umpire for violation of the rules, and awarded to the offended team.
Foul Ball: A batted ball that lands on foul territory between home plate and first base or third base, bounds past first or third base on or over third territory, first touches foul territory beyond first or third base, or touches a player, umpire, or any object not part of the playing field while over foul territory.
Foul Territory: That part of the playing field outside the first and third base lines extended to the outfield fence and perpendicularly upward.
Ground Ball: A batted ball which rolls along the ground.
Ground Rule Double: When a line drive bounces on the field and over the wall in fair territory the hit is scored as a ground rule double and the batter advances to second base.
Home Plate: The base over which an offensive player bats, and to which he must return after touching all three bases in order to score a run.
Home Run: A play in which the batter makes it safely around all bases and back to home plate without stopping.
Home Team: The team on whose field the game is played. If the game is played on neutral grounds, the home team shall be designated by mutual agreement.
Infield: The diamond-shaped portion of the playing field bordered by the four bases.
Infielder: A fielder who occupies a position in the infield.
Infield Fly: A fair fly ball that can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, which first and second, or first, second, and third bases are occupied before the second out. Infield Fly Rule: On the infield fly rule the umpire is to rule whether the ball could ordinarily have been handled by an infielder, not by some arbitrary limitation such as the grass, or the base lines. The umpire’s judgment must govern, and the decision should be made immediately. When an infield fly rule is called, runners may advance at their own risk. If on an infield fly rule, the infielder intentionally drops a fair ball, the ball remains in play.
Inning: That portion of the game within which the teams alternate on offense and defense and in which there are three outs for each team. Each team’s time at bat is a half-inning.
Line Drive: A ball that is batted directly to a fielder without touching the ground.
Out: A declaration by the umpire that a player who is trying for a base is not entitled to that base.
Outfield: The portion of the playing field that extends beyond the infield and is bordered by the first and third baselines.
Outfielder: A fielder who occupies a position in the outfield.
Pitch: The ball delivered by the pitcher to the batter.
Pitcher: The fielder designated to pitch the ball to the batter.
Quick Return Pitch: An illegal pitch, made with obvious intent to catch the batter off balance.
Run: The score made by an offensive player who has rounded the bases and returned to home plate.
Runner: An offensive player who is advancing toward, touching, or returning to any base.
Safe: A declaration by the umpire that a runner who is trying for a base has not been tagged or forced out, and is therefore entitled to that base.
Single: A play in which the batter safely makes it to first base.
Strike: A legal pitch when so called by the umpire, which:
Strike Zone: An area directly over home plate, from the bottom of the batter’s kneecaps to the midpoint between the top of the batter’s shoulders and the top of the batter’s uniform pants.
Tag: The action of a fielder in touching a base with his body while holding the ball, or touching a runner with the ball, or with his hand or glove while holding the ball.
Throw: The act of propelling the ball toward a given objective, usually a teammate. A pitch is not a throw.
Top: The first half of an inning.
Triple: A play in which the batter makes it safely to third base without stopping.
Triple Play: A defensive play in which three offensive players are put out as a result of one action.
Umpire: The official who judges the legality of individual plays and who otherwise enforces the rules of the game.