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
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Ogden has already started every game for Miami and entered the week hitting over .330 with one of the team’s highest on-base percentages.
—Noah Gulley, Miami Herald, 6 May 2025
The Angels’ on-base percentage is the worst in baseball, lower even than the historically awful Colorado Rockies.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 2 May 2025
However, strikeout are still a huge problem, and his on-base percentage remained under .300, tracking with career norms.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2025
Along with the dip in batting average, Pederson has worked just three walks during the stretch, which has seen his on-base percentage go from .273 all the way down to .141 since his last at-bat with a hit.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
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Noah Gulley, Miami Herald, 6 May 2025
The Angels’ on-base percentage is the worst in baseball, lower even than the historically awful Colorado Rockies.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 2 May 2025
However, strikeout are still a huge problem, and his on-base percentage remained under .300, tracking with career norms.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2025
Along with the dip in batting average, Pederson has worked just three walks during the stretch, which has seen his on-base percentage go from .273 all the way down to .141 since his last at-bat with a hit.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 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 21 May. 2025.
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