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
Ivan Maisel… he understood that on-base percentage was a far better tool to evaluate a hitter than batting average …—Tom Verducci
Tom VerducciExamples of on-base percentage in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
Now both players will vie for time at first with LaMonte Wade, who posted a .373 on-base percentage.
—Daniel R. Epstein, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024
In nine career games at Milwaukee, Hoskins has batted .342 with a .405 on-base percentage, .790 slugging percentage, five homers and eight RBIs.
—Steve Megargee, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2024
Last season, Vaz hit .279 with 124 hits, 32 extra-base hits, 51 RBIs and a .373 on-base percentage.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2024
His batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage have all declined in each of his four MLB seasons.
—Daniel R. Epstein, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
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
Now both players will vie for time at first with LaMonte Wade, who posted a .373 on-base percentage.
—Daniel R. Epstein, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024
In nine career games at Milwaukee, Hoskins has batted .342 with a .405 on-base percentage, .790 slugging percentage, five homers and eight RBIs.
—Steve Megargee, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2024
Last season, Vaz hit .279 with 124 hits, 32 extra-base hits, 51 RBIs and a .373 on-base percentage.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2024
His batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage have all declined in each of his four MLB seasons.
—Daniel R. Epstein, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'on-base percentage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“On-base percentage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on-base%20percentage. Accessed 3 Jun. 2024.
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