on-base percentage

noun

on-base per·​cent·​age ˈȯn-ˈbās-pər-ˈsen-tij How to pronounce on-base percentage (audio)
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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
In his 11th season and on a one-year, $1-million contract, Profar figured it out in San Diego, setting personal bests of a .380 on-base percentage, 24 home runs, 94 runs, 85 RBIs and a .280 batting average. Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024 Most of the negative attention has focused on Judge’s 19 strikeouts and a slash line (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage) of .150/.280/.325 and .605 on-base plus slugging. Wayne G. McDonnell, Jr., Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 From runs per game and plate appearances to home runs, RBIs, and on-base percentage, these two teams dominated in nearly every major offensive category. Giovanni Malloy, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 Judge led the majors in home runs, runs batted in, on-base percentage, slugging, and two different measures of WAR, an advanced metric to gauge how many more wins a player is worth than an average-level player at his position. Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for on-base percentage 

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of on-base percentage was in 1949

Dictionary Entries Near on-base percentage

Cite this Entry

“On-base percentage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on-base%20percentage. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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