Batting Average (AVG)

$$ AVG=\frac{HITS}{AT\ BATS} $$

Number of hits divided by at bats. It is usually reported to three decimal places and read without the decimal: A player with a batting average of .300 is "batting three-hundred".

For non-pitchers, a batting average below .230 is often considered poor, and one below .200 is usually unacceptable. This latter level is sometimes referred to as "The Mendoza Line", named for Mario Mendoza (a lifetime .215 hitter), a stellar defensive shortstop whose defensive capabilities just barely made up for his offensive shortcomings. The league batting average in Major League Baseball for 2016 was .255.

Factoids

• Outfielder Ty Cobb, has the highest career batting average in MLB history. He batted .366 over 24 seasons, mostly with the Detroit Tigers.

• The modern-era (post-1901) record for highest batting average for a MLB season is held by Nap Lajoie, who hit .426 in 1901.