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
His on-base percentage includes walks and being hit by pitches.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 26 May 2025
Rather than relying on traditional data like home runs or hits, the team's general manager, Billy Beane, tracked advanced metrics like on-base percentage (how often a player gets on base) and slugging percentage (a measure of productivity per at-bat).
—Amy Cappellanti-Wolf, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
The Yankees lead all teams in homers, RBI, on-base percentage and more.
—Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025
Judge is leading the majors in batting average (.412), home runs (15), RBIs (41), on-base percentage (.497) and OPS (1.279).
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for on-base percentage
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 26 May 2025
Rather than relying on traditional data like home runs or hits, the team's general manager, Billy Beane, tracked advanced metrics like on-base percentage (how often a player gets on base) and slugging percentage (a measure of productivity per at-bat).
—Amy Cappellanti-Wolf, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
The Yankees lead all teams in homers, RBI, on-base percentage and more.
—Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025
Judge is leading the majors in batting average (.412), home runs (15), RBIs (41), on-base percentage (.497) and OPS (1.279).
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share