In baseball, batting average (BA) is determined by dividing a player's hits by their total at-bats. It is usually rounded to three decimal places and read without the decimal: A player with a batting average of .300 is "batting three hundred". If necessary to break ties, batting averages could be taken beyond the .001 measurement. In this context, .001 is considered a "point", such that a .235 batter is five points higher than a .230 batter.
Henry Chadwick, an English statistician raised on cricket, was an influential figure in the early history of baseball. [1] He is credited with creating the modern box score, in 1859, and the practice of denoting a strikeout with a "K". [2] Chadwick wrote in 1869: "In making up a score at the close of the match the record should be as follows:–Name of player, total number of times the first base was made by clean hits, total bases so made, left on bases after clean hits, and the number of times the first base has been made on errors..." [3] This led to the recording of "clean" hits—times a batter reached base without benefit of an error. [3] In 1869, another early baseball proponent, Alfred Wright, published an end-of-season summary that included the average number of times a batter had "clean" hits on a per game basis. [3] In 1871, a writer for the New York Clipper , Hervie Dobson, proposed that a batter's "average is found by dividing his total 'times first base on clean hits' by his total number of times he went to the bat"—hits divided by at bats. [3] By 1874, some teams were calculating batting averages, and by 1876, it was being calculated by all teams of the National League. [3]
In modern times, a season batting average of .300 or higher is considered to be excellent, and an average higher than .400 a nearly unachievable goal. The last Major League Baseball (MLB) player to do so, with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting championship, was Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox, who hit .406 in 1941. [4] Note that batting averages are rounded; [5] entering the final day of the 1941 season, Williams was at 179-for-448, which is .39955 and would have been recorded as .400 via rounding. [6] However, Williams played in both games of a doubleheader, went 6-for-8, and ended the season 185-for-456, [7] which is .40570 and becomes .406 when rounded. [6]
Since 1941, no American League or National League player has hit .400 or above—the highest single-season average in those leagues has been .394 by Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres in 1994. [4] Wade Boggs hit .401 over a 162-game span with Boston from June 9, 1985, to June 6, 1986, [8] but never hit above .368 for an MLB season. [9] There have been numerous attempts to explain the disappearance of the .400 hitter, with one of the more rigorous discussions of this question appearing in Stephen Jay Gould's 1996 book Full House . Josh Gibson hit .466 in 1943 while playing for the Homestead Grays of the Negro National League, one of several leagues within Negro league baseball that are now recognized by MLB. [10]
Gibson holds the record for highest major-league career batting average at .372, [11] six points higher than Ty Cobb who has the second-highest career average at .366. [12] The record for lowest career batting average for a player with more than 2,500 at-bats belongs to Bill Bergen, a catcher who played from 1901 to 1911 and recorded a .170 average in 3,028 career at-bats. [13] Hugh Duffy, who played from 1888 to 1906, is credited with the highest single-season batting average, having hit .440 in 1894. [14] The modern-era (post-1900) record for highest batting average for a season is held by Nap Lajoie, who hit .426 in 1901, [14] the first year of play for the American League. The modern-era record for lowest batting average for a player that qualified for the batting title is held by Chris Davis, who hit .168 in 2018. [15] While finishing six plate appearances short of qualifying for the batting title, Adam Dunn of the Chicago White Sox hit .159 for the 2011 season, nine points lower than the record. [16] The highest batting average for a rookie was .408 in 1911 by Shoeless Joe Jackson. [17]
The league batting average in MLB for the 2018 season was .248, with the highest modern-era MLB average being .296 in 1930, and the lowest being .237 in 1968. [18] For non-pitchers, a batting average below .230 is often considered poor, and one below .200 is usually unacceptable. This latter level is sometimes referred to as "The Mendoza Line", named for Mario Mendoza—a lifetime .215 hitter but a good defensive shortstop. [19]
Sabermetrics, the study of baseball statistics, considers batting average a weak measure of performance because it does not correlate as well as other measures to runs scored, thereby causing it to have little predictive value. Batting average does not take into account bases on balls (walks) or power, whereas other statistics such as on-base percentage and slugging percentage have been specifically designed to measure such concepts. Adding these statistics together form a player's on-base plus slugging or "OPS". This is commonly seen as a much better, though not perfect, indicator of a player's overall batting ability as it is a measure of hitting for average, hitting for power, and drawing walks.
In 1887, bases on balls (walks) were counted as hits by the major leagues in existence at the time. This inflated batting averages, with 11 players batting .400 or better, and the experiment was abandoned the following season. Historical statistics for the season were later revised, such that "Bases on balls shall always be treated as neither a time at bat nor a hit for the batter." [20]
In rare instances, players have concluded their careers with a perfect batting average of 1.000—through the 2021 season, there were 94 such players in major-league history, 83 of whom recorded exactly one hit in one at bat. [21] Only one player with a 1.000 average has had three hits—outfielder John Paciorek (1963), who had three hits in three at bats; he also had two walks, and scored four runs. [22] [23] Players who had two hits in their only two at bats include: pitcher Frank O'Connor (1893), [24] catcher Mike Hopkins (1902), [25] pitcher Doc Tonkin (1907), [26] pitcher Hal Deviney (1920), [27] pitcher Fred Schemanske (1923), [28] pitcher Chet Kehn (1942), [29] second baseman Steve Biras (1944), [30] and pitcher Jason Roach (2003). [31] Pitcher Esteban Yan, who played in 472 major-league games from 1996 to 2006, mainly in the American League (where pitchers have rarely batted since the introduction of the designated hitter in 1973), also had two hits in his only two at bats, one a home run. [32]
The MLB batting averages championships (often referred to as "the batting title") are awarded annually to the player in each league who has the highest batting average. Ty Cobb holds the MLB and American League (AL) record for most batting titles, officially winning 11 in his career. [33] The National League (NL) record of eight batting titles is shared by Honus Wagner and Tony Gwynn. Most of Cobb's career and all of Wagner's career took place in what is known as the dead-ball era, which was characterized by higher batting averages by star players (although the overall league batting average was historically at its lowest during that era) and much less power, whereas Gwynn's career took place in the live-ball era.
To determine which players are eligible to win the batting title, the following conditions have been used over the sport's history: [34]
From 1967 to the present, if the player with the highest average in a league fails to meet the minimum plate-appearance requirement, the remaining at-bats until qualification (e.g., five at-bats, if the player finished the season with 497 plate appearances) are hypothetically considered hitless at-bats; if his recalculated batting average still tops the league, he is awarded the title. This is officially Rule 10.22(a), but it is also known as the Tony Gwynn rule because the Padres' player won the batting crown in 1996 with a .353 average on just 498 plate appearances (i.e., he was four short). Gwynn was awarded the title since he would have led the league even if he had gone 0-for-4 in those missing plate appearances. His average would have dropped to .349, five points better than second-place Ellis Burks' .344. [35] In 2012, a one-time amendment to the rule was made to disqualify Melky Cabrera from the title. Cabrera requested that he be disqualified after serving a suspension that season for a positive testosterone test. He had batted .346 with 501 plate appearances, and the original rule would have awarded him the title over San Francisco Giants teammate Buster Posey, who won batting .336. [36] [37]
 | This section needs to be updated.(May 2024) |
Different sources of baseball records present somewhat differing lists of career batting average leaders. There is consensus that Ty Cobb leads this category. [a] Further rankings vary by source, primarily due to differences in minimums needed to qualify (number of games played or plate appearances), or differences in early baseball records. Baseball-Reference.com includes the Negro League teams considered major leagues by Major League Baseball. [38] The below table presents the top ten lists as they appear in four well-known sources, with the rankings and degree of precision (decimal places) as provided in the source. The main article linked above is sourced from Baseball-Reference.com, which is also presented here. None of the players listed below are still living; each is an inductee of the Baseball Hall of Fame, except for Lefty O'Doul, Pete Browning, and Shoeless Joe Jackson (who is ineligible due to his alleged role in the Black Sox Scandal of 1919).
| Baseball-Reference.com [12] | Baseball Almanac [39] | ESPN [40] | MLB.com [41] | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Player | Average | Rank | Player | Average | Rank | Player | Average | Rank | Player | Average | |||
| 1 | Ty Cobb | .3662 | 1 | Ty Cobb | .36636 | 1 | Ty Cobb | .366 | 1 | Josh Gibson | .372 | |||
| 2 | Oscar Charleston | .3643 | 2 | Rogers Hornsby | .35850 | 2 | Rogers Hornsby | .358 | 2 | Ty Cobb | .367 | |||
| 3 | Rogers Hornsby | .3585 | 3 | Shoeless Joe Jackson | .35575 | 3 | Shoeless Joe Jackson | .356 | 3 | Oscar Charleston | .363 | |||
| 4 | Shoeless Joe Jackson | .3558 | 4 | Ed Delahanty | .34590 | 4 | Ed Delahanty | .346 | 4 | Rogers Hornsby | .358 | |||
| 5 | Jud Wilson | .3519 | 5 | Tris Speaker | .34468 | 5 | Tris Speaker | .345 | 5 | Jud Wilson | .350 | |||
| 6 | Lefty O'Doul | .3493 | 6 | Ted Williams | .34441 | 6 | Billy Hamilton | .344 | 6 | Turkey Stearnes | .348 | |||
| 7 | Turkey Stearnes | .3490 | 7 | Billy Hamilton | .34429 | Ted Williams | .344 | 7 | Ed Delahanty | .346 | ||||
| 8 | Ed Delahanty | .3458 | 8 | Babe Ruth | .34206 | 8 | Dan Brouthers | .342 | 8 | Buck Leonard | .345 | |||
| 9 | Tris Speaker | .3447 | 9 | Harry Heilmann | .34159 | Harry Heilmann | .342 | 9 | Tris Speaker | .345 | ||||
| 10 | Billy Hamilton | .3444 | 10 | Pete Browning | .34149 | Babe Ruth | .342 | 10 | Billy Hamilton | .344 | ||||
| Ted Williams | .3444 | Ted Williams | .344 | |||||||||||
The highest recorded single-season batting average in Minor League Baseball is .462, accomplished by Gary Redus in 1978, when he played for the Billings Mustangs, [42] [43] an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds in the Rookie Advanced-level Pioneer League. Redus was 117-for-253 in 68 games, [44] as the Pioneer League only plays from June to early September. Redus went on to play in MLB from 1982 through 1994, batting .252 during his MLB career. [45]
In Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), the leader in career batting average is Isao Harimoto, a member of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, who hit .319 in his NPB career. [46] Nori Aoki, an active NPB player, has a career NPB batting average of .316 as of April 2023 [update] . [47] Ichiro Suzuki batted .353 in NPB, [48] but does not have enough NPB career at-bats to qualify for the league's title. Sadaharu Oh batting average of .355 in 1973 season. Randy Bass had a batting average of .389 in 1986 season.
In KBO League (KBO), the leader in career batting average is Jung-hoo Lee, who hit .340 in his KBO career. And he is an active player. Baek In-chun batting average of .412 in 1982 season. This is the highest batting average of one season in KBO League.
In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at-bats, through the following formula, where AB is the number of at-bats for a given player, and 1B, 2B, 3B, and HR are the number of singles, doubles, triples, and home runs, respectively:
Anthony Keith Gwynn Sr., nicknamed "Mr. Padre," was an American professional baseball right fielder, who played 20 seasons (1982–2001) in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres. Gwynn, who hit left-handed, won eight batting titles in his career, tied for the most in National League (NL) history. He was a 15-time All-Star and won seven Silver Slugger Awards and five Gold Glove Awards. Gwynn stayed with the Padres his entire career, and played in the only two World Series appearances in San Diego franchise history. Having hit over .300 for 19 straight seasons, Gwynn retired with a .338 career batting average, the highest mark since Ted Williams retired in 1960. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007 in his first year of eligibility.
Larry Kenneth Robert Walker is a Canadian former professional baseball right fielder. During his 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played with the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals. In 1997, he became the only player in major league history to register both a .700 slugging percentage (SLG) and 30 stolen bases in the same season, on his way to winning the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player Award (MVP). The first player in more than 60 years to record a batting average of .360 in three consecutive seasons from 1997 to 1999, Walker also won three NL batting championships. He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2009, and was named the 13th-greatest sporting figure from Canada by Sports Illustrated in 1999. In 2020, Walker was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In baseball, a pinch hitter (PH) is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, American football or ice hockey, and in a similar way to association football, baseball does not have a free substitution rule and thus the replaced player is not allowed back into that game. The pinch hitter assumes the spot in the batting order of the player whom he replaces. Pinch hitters are commonly used to replace a weak hitter or to gain a platoon advantage.
Andrés Antonio "Tony" González was a Cuban professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds (1960), Philadelphia Phillies (1960–1968), San Diego Padres (1969), Atlanta Braves (1969–1970), and California Angels (1970–1971).
Matthew Henry Murton is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, and Colorado Rockies. Murton also played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hanshin Tigers.
Benjamin Ambrosio Oglivie Palmer is a Panamanian former professional baseball left fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox (1971–1973), Detroit Tigers (1974–1977), and Milwaukee Brewers (1978–1986). He also played two seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Kintetsu Buffaloes (1987–1988). Oglivie batted and threw left-handed.
Calvin Wayne Emery was an American professional baseball first baseman and batting coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies. He also spent the 1970 season with Hankyu Braves of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). During his playing days, Emery stood 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall, weighing 205 pounds (93 kg); he threw and batted left-handed. Emery attended Penn State University.
Michael Anthony Napoli is an American former professional baseball first baseman, catcher, and first base coach.
Richard Ryan Short is an American former professional baseball second baseman who was the co-Hitting coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chiba Lotte Marines and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. He bats and throws right-handed. He is an alumnus of Western Illinois University and Larkin High School in Elgin, IL.
Gary Eugene Redus is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Texas Rangers.
Wladimir Ramon "Coco" Balentien is a Curaçaoan-Dutch former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Charles J. Ferguson was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire four-year career for the Philadelphia Quakers. When not pitching, he increasingly played in the outfield and – in his final season – at second base.
Justin Kyle Smoak is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, and San Francisco Giants and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yomiuri Giants.
Eric Wade Cammack is an American former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played briefly for the New York Mets during the 2000 season. Listed at 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), 180 lb., Cammack batted and threw right-handed. A native of Nederland, Texas, he was selected by the Mets in the 1997 MLB draft after playing college baseball for the Cardinals of Lamar University.
Shohei Ohtani is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher and designated hitter (DH) for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "Shotime", he has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Angels and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Because of his elite contributions as a hitter and as a pitcher, a rarity as a two-way player, Ohtani's prime seasons have been considered among the greatest in baseball history, with some comparing them favorably to the early career of Babe Ruth.
Reese Jackson McGuire is an American professional baseball catcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, and Boston Red Sox.
Luis Sangel Arráez is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Minnesota Twins and Miami Marlins. Arráez represents the Venezuelan national team in international competitions. He is nicknamed "La Regadera".
recorded batting averages are rounded to three decimal places
All-Time Totals, sorted by AVG
