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
While the walks have helped increase his on-base percentage, his slugging percentage has gone down.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
The Cubs rank in the top four among big-league teams in multiple key offensive categories, including on-base percentage (first), fWAR (second), weighted on-base average (third), batting average (third), OPS (third), walk rate (fourth) and slugging percentage (fourth).
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Base running Thanks to top-10 rankings in walk rate and on-base percentage, the Twins have had plenty of base runners and plenty of chances to follow through on promises of more aggressive base running.
—Aaron Gleeman, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2026
Entering Friday, the Mariners ranked second-worst in MLB in runs per game and strikeouts, and last in batting average, on-base percentage and total bases.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 12 Apr. 2026
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.
Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
The Cubs rank in the top four among big-league teams in multiple key offensive categories, including on-base percentage (first), fWAR (second), weighted on-base average (third), batting average (third), OPS (third), walk rate (fourth) and slugging percentage (fourth).
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Base running Thanks to top-10 rankings in walk rate and on-base percentage, the Twins have had plenty of base runners and plenty of chances to follow through on promises of more aggressive base running.
—Aaron Gleeman, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2026
Entering Friday, the Mariners ranked second-worst in MLB in runs per game and strikeouts, and last in batting average, on-base percentage and total bases.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 12 Apr. 2026
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 30 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
