on-base percentage

noun

on-base per·​cent·​age ˈȯn-ˈbās-pər-ˈsen-tij 

baseball

: a statistic that is expressed as a 3-digit decimal and that indicates the frequency with which a batter reaches base by a hit, a walk, or being hit by a pitch

Note: A batter with an on-base percentage of .350 has reached base 3.5 times for every 10 at bats.

Through Sunday he led the league in on-base percentage (.479) and hits (40) and was second in runs scored (21) and ninth in slugging percentage (.515).

—Ivan Maisel

… he understood that on-base percentage was a far better tool to evaluate a hitter than batting average …

—Tom Verducci

Examples of on-base percentage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Despite the ongoing dismissal of bunting, Jones said the skill will eventually see an uptick as players seek novel ways to boost on-base percentage by any means necessary. —David K. Li, NBC News, 19 June 2024

Amador had been struggling with the Yard Goats this season, batting just .194 with a .337 on-base percentage over 209 plate appearances. —Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 9 June 2024

The combination of Lee and Slater, by comparison, had an on-base percentage of .312, still below the league average .329 mark from leadoff hitters but a marked improvement from their replacements. —Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 4 June 2024

Before their call-ups last month, Wisely was running a .404 on-base percentage for Triple-A Sacramento, and Ramos owned a .361 OBP. —Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 4 June 2024

Advertisement Ted Williams and Ruth nosed out Gibson in career on-base percentage, but the legendary slugger who played for the Pittsburgh Crawfords and Homestead Grays in a 14-year career that ended in 1946 is the all-time leader in on-base-plus-slugging (OPS) at 1.177. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2024

The Dodgers’ team on-base percentage is .354, which easily outdistances the runner-up Yankees at .338. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024

He’s opened the season with a .376 on-base percentage and has reached base (and has a hit) in 15 of his first 18 games. —Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024

The 25-year-old had a below-average on-base percentage of .308 a year ago, something A’s general manager David Forst said needs improvement. —Jon Becker, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above