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
Wells, who spent most of last season batting cleanup, recorded a .322 on-base percentage as a rookie in 2024.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2025
Swanson’s two highest single-season home run marks came in 2021 (27) and 2022 (25) with the Atlanta Braves while recording a 106 OPS+, .263 average and .320 on-base percentage — figures that would all surpass those numbers from a year ago.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2025
Upon returning from his injury, Wade posted a .316 on-base percentage and .351 slugging percentage over 235 plate appearances.
—Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2025
The 24-year-old Witt led the majors with a .332 batting average and 211 hits and set career highs in homers (32), RBIs (109), on-base percentage (.389) and slugging (.588) in leading Kansas City back into the postseason for the first time since winning the 2015 World Series.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2025
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Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2025
Swanson’s two highest single-season home run marks came in 2021 (27) and 2022 (25) with the Atlanta Braves while recording a 106 OPS+, .263 average and .320 on-base percentage — figures that would all surpass those numbers from a year ago.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2025
Upon returning from his injury, Wade posted a .316 on-base percentage and .351 slugging percentage over 235 plate appearances.
—Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2025
The 24-year-old Witt led the majors with a .332 batting average and 211 hits and set career highs in homers (32), RBIs (109), on-base percentage (.389) and slugging (.588) in leading Kansas City back into the postseason for the first time since winning the 2015 World Series.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 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 26 Mar. 2025.
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