Batting Average vs On-Base and Slugging Percentage
See what batting average measures, where it falls short, and how OBP, SLG, and OPS give a fuller picture of a hitter.
What batting average actually measures
Batting average answers one narrow question: how often does a batter get a hit per official at bat. It is hits divided by at bats, so a player with 150 hits in 500 at bats bats .300. Because it ignores walks and treats every hit as equal, it rewards contact but says nothing about power or plate discipline. It remains the most quoted hitting stat because it is simple, has more than a century of history, and lines up with how fans watch the game.
On-base percentage counts every way to reach
On-base percentage widens the lens to ask how often a batter avoids making an out. It divides hits plus walks plus hit-by-pitch by plate appearances, so a patient hitter who draws many walks can post a high OBP even with a modest average. A .270 hitter who walks often may reach base more than a .300 hitter who never does. Because scoring runs starts with not making outs, OBP correlates with run production more tightly than average alone.
Slugging percentage weights extra-base hits
Slugging percentage measures power by counting total bases rather than hits. A single is worth one base, a double two, a triple three, and a home run four, all divided by at bats. So slugging can exceed 1.000 while a batting average cannot. Two players can share a .300 average yet have very different slugging if one hits singles and the other hits doubles and homers. That gap is exactly what average hides and slugging exposes.
OPS combines the two for a quick verdict
OPS adds on-base percentage to slugging percentage in a single number that blends getting on base with hitting for power. An OPS above .900 marks an excellent season, while .700 is roughly average in the majors. It is not perfect, since it treats an OBP point and a slugging point as equal when reaching base is slightly more valuable, but it is a fast, widely used shorthand. Read alongside batting average, OPS turns a one-dimensional number into a rounded view of a hitter.