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
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.
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

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“On-base percentage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on-base%20percentage. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!