How to Calculate On Base Percentage

On base percentage is the baseball statistic that best shows how often you help your team by not making an out when you come to bat.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Add up all plate appearances. This is every time you come to bat.

2. Subtract sacrifice bunts. The number you get is your total at bats.

3. Add up all the times you reached base safely, which should include hits, walks and the number of times you reached base by a hit by pitch. This total does not include the times you reached base because of an error or a fielder's choice.

4. Divide the times you reached base safely by your total at bats.

5. Round to the third decimal place. For example, .41051 is .411.

Tips & Warnings

• Since 1984, Major League Baseball has included sacrifice flies in total at bats but has not included sacrifice bunts.
• Errors and fielder's choices are not included in times reached base safely, because they caused or should have caused an out.
• On base percentage is a better statistic for measuring the productivity of a leadoff hitter than batting average is.
• Ted Williams holds the major league record for on base percentage with .483.

Who Can Help Sponsored

• Tired of Being Tired? Fight Fatigue and Try FRS for FREE!

[flaggthecat]

on 6/15/2009 For those wondering, the reason "Bases on Balls" and "hit by Pitch" are in both the numerator and the denominator is because the statistic "at bats" doesn't include them. At bats are counted only when the batter comes to the plate and gets a hit or an out.

[RacerX]

on 8/20/2007 Doesn't Barry "Steroid" Bonds hold the current record for OBP.

on 11/22/2005 According to MLB's official site, http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/official_info/baseball_basics/stats_101.jsp

On-Base Percentage (OBP): Divide the total number of hits plus Bases on Balls plus hits by Pitch BY at Bats plus Bases on Balls plus hit by Pitch plus Sacrifice Flies