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
Nimmo started altering his approach after the 2022 season, when his on-base percentage had already fallen off 30-plus points from that level.
—Will Sammon, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
The performance from Judge this postseason along with his previous success in the toughest games deserves more recognition and hopefully insiders like Rosenthal grow to appreciate it more rather than relying on batting average and on-base percentage.
—Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
The Rangers ranked in the bottom half of the league in runs, batting average and on-base percentage in each of the past two seasons after having one of the majors’ best offenses during the 2023 championship season.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Oct. 2025
Nonetheless, his on-base percentage ranks fourth, a mark of just how scared pitchers have been of Judge during his decade at the plate.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
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Will Sammon, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
The performance from Judge this postseason along with his previous success in the toughest games deserves more recognition and hopefully insiders like Rosenthal grow to appreciate it more rather than relying on batting average and on-base percentage.
—Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
The Rangers ranked in the bottom half of the league in runs, batting average and on-base percentage in each of the past two seasons after having one of the majors’ best offenses during the 2023 championship season.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Oct. 2025
Nonetheless, his on-base percentage ranks fourth, a mark of just how scared pitchers have been of Judge during his decade at the plate.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 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 20 Oct. 2025.
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