Free online batting average calculator for baseball, softball, and cricket. Enter your stats below for instant results, a performance rating, and a full breakdown of what your number means.
Batting Average Formula Explained
Baseball and Softball Formula
BA = Hits (H) ÷ At-Bats (AB)
The result is always expressed as a three-decimal number. You say it aloud without the leading zero — a player with .300 is "batting three hundred."
Step-by-Step Example
- A player has 87 hits in 300 at-bats.
- Divide: 87 ÷ 300 = 0.290
- Express as: .290 ("batting two-ninety")
- This means the player gets a hit in 29% of official at-bats.
Cricket Formula
Cricket BA = Total Runs Scored ÷ Number of Times Dismissed
Key difference: In cricket, an innings where the batter is not out does not count as a dismissal. This can inflate the average significantly for batters who finish innings undefeated.
Cricket Example
- A Test batter scores 2,400 runs across 48 dismissals (some innings were not-out).
- Divide: 2,400 ÷ 48 = 50.00
- A cricket average of 50.00 is considered world-class.
What Counts as an Official At-Bat?
This is the most common source of confusion. Not every trip to the plate is an official at-bat. Getting this right matters for accurate calculations.
| Plate Appearance Outcome | Counts as At-Bat? | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Single, Double, Triple, Home Run | ✅ Yes | Hit recorded |
| Strikeout | ✅ Yes | Batter failed to reach base |
| Groundout, Flyout, Lineout, Popout | ✅ Yes | Batter made out in play |
| Reached on Error | ✅ Yes | Counts as at-bat, not as a hit |
| Fielder's Choice | ✅ Yes | Batter reached but another runner was put out |
| Walk (Base on Balls – BB) | ❌ No | Pitcher's responsibility, not the batter's skill |
| Hit By Pitch (HBP) | ❌ No | Not a batting attempt |
| Sacrifice Bunt | ❌ No | Intentional out to advance a runner |
| Sacrifice Fly | ❌ No | Productive out that scores a runner |
| Catcher's Interference | ❌ No | Defensive error, not a batting result |
Why this matters: A batter who draws many walks contributes significantly to the offense but their batting average does not reflect it. That is exactly why On-Base Percentage (OBP) exists — it captures what batting average misses.
Batting Average Rating Scale (MLB Standard)
These benchmarks reflect modern MLB (2020s era). The league-wide batting average was .270 in 2000 and had declined to .248 by 2023 due to increased strikeout rates and defensive shifts.
| Rating | BA Range | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| ⭐ Elite | .350 and above | Batting title contender. Rare even among All-Stars. Fewer than 5 players typically finish a full season here. |
| 🔥 Excellent | .300 – .349 | The traditional benchmark of quality. Hitting .300 over a full season means you belong among the best hitters in baseball. |
| ✅ Above Average | .270 – .299 | Solid, dependable hitter. Contributes consistently to the lineup and is above the current MLB average. |
| 📊 Average | .240 – .269 | Typical major league performance. Many everyday players land here, particularly those valued for defense or power. |
| ⚠️ Below Average | .200 – .239 | Approaching the Mendoza Line. Offense is a weakness for this player at the MLB level. |
| ❌ Poor | Below .200 | Below the Mendoza Line. A position player hitting this low needs to provide exceptional value in other areas to stay in a lineup. |
What Is the Mendoza Line?
The Mendoza Line refers to a .200 batting average. It is named after Mario Mendoza, a shortstop who played in the late 1970s and consistently hovered around that mark. The term was popularized by broadcasters and has been part of baseball vocabulary ever since. Falling below .200 is widely understood to mean a position player's bat has become a serious liability.
Batting Average Benchmarks by Level
The same batting average means very different things depending on the level of competition. A .350 in high school ball does not equal a .350 in the minor leagues. Use the table below to put any batting average in its proper context.
| Level | Elite | Good | Average | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | .300+ | .270 – .299 | .240 – .269 | League avg ~.248 (2023); down from .270 in 2000 |
| Triple-A (MiLB) | .320+ | .280 – .319 | .250 – .279 | Slightly higher averages than MLB; thinner pitching depth |
| NCAA Division I Baseball | .350+ | .300 – .349 | .260 – .299 | BBCOR bat restrictions reduced offense; competitive pitching |
| NCAA Division II / III Baseball | .370+ | .320 – .369 | .270 – .319 | Wider talent range; higher averages common |
| High School Varsity Baseball | .400+ | .330 – .399 | .270 – .329 | Large variance in pitching quality inflates averages |
| Youth Baseball (13U–16U) | .450+ | .350 – .449 | .280 – .349 | Pitching often inconsistent; contact hitters thrive |
| Youth Baseball (10U–12U) | .500+ | .400 – .499 | .300 – .399 | Very high averages normal; fundamentals still developing |
Important note: When a player moves up a level — from travel ball to high school, or high school to college — batting average typically drops even if the player has genuinely improved. The competition quality rises faster than the player's stats may show in the first season.
Cricket Batting Average Scale
Cricket averages use a completely different scale than baseball. A .300 batting average in baseball is excellent. A 30.00 batting average in Test cricket is just average. Do not compare the two directly.
| Rating | Average Range | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| ⭐ Legendary | Above 60 | All-time great. Sir Donald Bradman holds the record at 99.94. No active player is close. |
| 🔥 World Class | 50 – 59 | Sustained excellence at the highest level. Steve Smith (61.80) and Graeme Pollock (60.97) are modern examples. |
| ✅ Excellent | 40 – 49 | Top-order quality. A reliable run-scorer in Test cricket who regularly converts starts into big innings. |
| 📊 Good | 30 – 39 | Solid contributor at Test level. Most competent middle-order batters fall in this range. |
| ⚠️ Average | 20 – 29 | Adequate for lower-order positions or one-day formats. Would struggle as a top-order Test batter. |
| ❌ Below Average | Below 20 | Very low for a specialist batter. Typical of tailenders or players not selected primarily for batting. |
Softball Batting Average Calculator & Benchmarks
The batting average formula is identical in softball. Use the baseball calculator above — the math is the same. What differs is the interpretation, because softball produces a higher-offense environment than baseball at every level.
| Level | Elite | Good | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCAA Division I Softball | .400+ | .330 – .399 | .270 – .329 |
| NCAA Division II / III Softball | .380+ | .310 – .379 | .250 – .309 |
| High School Softball | .450+ | .350 – .449 | .275 – .349 |
| Youth Softball (14U) | .500+ | .380 – .499 | .280 – .379 |
| Youth Softball (12U) | .550+ | .420 – .549 | .300 – .419 |
Softball batting averages run higher than baseball at the same level because the shorter pitching distance (43 feet vs. 60.5 feet in baseball) and underhand delivery create a different hitting dynamic that typically favors contact hitters.
Batting Average vs. OBP, SLG, and OPS
Modern baseball analysis evaluates hitters using multiple statistics together. Batting average is valuable but tells an incomplete story on its own.
| Stat | Formula | What It Measures | Main Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| BA (Batting Average) | H ÷ AB | How often a batter gets a hit per official at-bat | Ignores walks; treats all hits equally (single = home run) |
| OBP (On-Base Percentage) | (H + BB + HBP) ÷ (AB + BB + HBP + SF) | How often a batter reaches base by any method | Does not account for extra-base power; a single and a homer are the same |
| SLG (Slugging Percentage) | Total Bases ÷ AB | Average bases earned per at-bat; measures power | Ignores walks entirely; a walk is treated as worthless |
| OPS (On-Base + Slugging) | OBP + SLG | Combined measure of on-base ability and power | Mathematically imperfect; slightly overweights SLG relative to OBP |
| BABIP (Batting Avg on Balls in Play) | (H – HR) ÷ (AB – K – HR + SF) | Batting average only on balls hit into the field of play | Reflects some luck; useful to diagnose whether a BA slump is skill or variance |
For youth and high school coaches, OBP is the best next step beyond batting average. It rewards plate discipline — the skill most developing hitters need most. SLG and OPS become more meaningful at the college and professional levels where power output differentiates hitters.
All-Time Batting Average Records
MLB Career Batting Average Leaders (Minimum 3,000 Plate Appearances)
| Rank | Player | Career BA | Career Span |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ty Cobb | .366 | 1905–1928 |
| 2 | Rogers Hornsby | .358 | 1915–1937 |
| 3 | Shoeless Joe Jackson | .356 | 1908–1920 |
| 4 | Ed Delahanty | .346 | 1888–1903 |
| 5 | Tris Speaker | .345 | 1907–1928 |
| 6 | Ted Williams | .344 | 1939–1960 |
| 7 | Billy Hamilton | .344 | 1888–1901 |
| 8 | Dan Brouthers | .342 | 1879–1904 |
| 9 | Babe Ruth | .342 | 1914–1935 |
| 10 | Willie Keeler | .341 | 1892–1910 |
Notable Single-Season Batting Average Records
| Player | Season BA | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hugh Duffy | .440 | 1894 | All-time single-season MLB record |
| Rogers Hornsby | .424 | 1924 | Modern era (post-1900) single-season record |
| Ted Williams | .406 | 1941 | Last player to bat .400 in MLB history |
| Tony Gwynn | .394 | 1994 | Closest in modern era (strike-shortened season) |
| George Brett | .390 | 1980 | Came closest since Williams in a full season |
Highest Cricket Test Batting Averages (All Time)
| Rank | Player | Country | Average | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir Donald Bradman | Australia | 99.94 | 1928–1948 |
| 2 | Adam Voges | Australia | 61.87 | 2015–2016 |
| 3 | Steve Smith | Australia | ~61.80 | 2010–present |
| 4 | Graeme Pollock | South Africa | 60.97 | 1963–1970 |
| 5 | George Headley | West Indies | 60.83 | 1930–1954 |
| 6 | Herbert Sutcliffe | England | 60.73 | 1924–1935 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calculate batting average?
Divide total hits by total official at-bats. BA = Hits ÷ At-Bats. Express the result as a three-decimal number. Example: 90 hits ÷ 300 at-bats = .300.
What is a good batting average in baseball?
In MLB, .300 or above is excellent. .270–.299 is above average. .240–.269 is near league average. Below .200 is considered poor (the Mendoza Line). These benchmarks shift at lower levels of play — see the benchmarks table above for high school, college, and youth standards.
What does a .300 batting average mean?
It means the batter gets a hit in 30% of their official at-bats. Over a typical 600 at-bat MLB season, that is 180 hits. Historically, .300 has been the benchmark that separates good hitters from great ones.
What is batting average if you go 2 for 4?
2 hits ÷ 4 at-bats = .500. That is the result for one game. Over a full season with hundreds of at-bats, no MLB player sustains a .500 average — small sample sizes produce extreme numbers.
What counts as an official at-bat?
Hits, outs (strikeouts, groundouts, flyouts), reaching on error, and fielder's choice all count as official at-bats. Walks, hit-by-pitch, sacrifice bunts, sacrifice flies, and catcher's interference do NOT count as at-bats.
Has anyone hit .400 in a season recently?
No. Ted Williams was the last player to hit .400, batting .406 in 1941. Tony Gwynn came closest in the modern era with .394 in the strike-shortened 1994 season. Despite many great hitters since Williams, no one has sustained .400 through a full season in over 80 years.
What is the Mendoza Line?
The Mendoza Line is the .200 batting average threshold, named after shortstop Mario Mendoza who played in the late 1970s. It represents the level below which a position player's bat is considered unacceptably weak, regardless of their defensive contributions.
What is batting average in cricket?
In cricket, batting average = Total Runs Scored ÷ Number of Times Dismissed. Unlike baseball, innings where the batter is not out do not count as dismissals. Sir Donald Bradman holds the all-time Test record at 99.94.
Is batting average the same in softball?
Yes — the formula is identical: Hits ÷ At-Bats. The interpretation differs because softball produces more offense. A .350 average is considered elite in MLB but only good in high school softball. See the softball benchmarks table above for level-specific context.
What is on-base percentage and how is it different from batting average?
On-Base Percentage (OBP) = (Hits + Walks + Hit By Pitch) ÷ (At-Bats + Walks + HBP + Sacrifice Flies). OBP captures how often a batter reaches base by any method, including walks that batting average ignores. A player can have a lower batting average but a higher OBP than a teammate if they draw significantly more walks.
Can pitchers have batting averages?
Yes. In leagues where pitchers bat (historically the National League and in leagues without designated hitter rules), pitchers are assigned batting averages. Pitcher batting averages are typically very low — often below .150 — since pitchers focus on throwing rather than hitting.
What is a good batting average for Little League?
For youth baseball (10U–12U), an average above .400 is considered strong. At 13U–16U levels, .400+ is elite and .350 is solid. These benchmarks are much higher than MLB because pitching quality varies widely in youth leagues and mechanics are still developing.
Why did MLB batting averages decline over the decades?
Several factors drove down league-wide batting averages since the 1990s: the rise of strikeout pitchers throwing harder, defensive shifts, and increased emphasis on power (home runs) over contact. The league-wide batting average was .270 in 2000 and had dropped to .248 by 2023.