A baseball batting average is a ratio of hits to times at bat. For example, a player at his first game might have three chances at bat, and one hit as a result. The result would be 1:3 or divided, would represent, .330. Such an average is actually quite high. One game would not provide a successful evaluation of a player’s abilities.

Hits are not counted even if the pitcher walks the player by throwing four balls, or hitting the batter with a ball. Over time batting average settles. Most professional players have a batting average above a .300. This means in the average game, they will probably get one hit. A .250 average is not acceptable for players who are not pitchers. Good pitchers get a little leeway in batting averages that are not afforded to other professional players.

Generally, the batting average of the two American Leagues is about .275. However, good batters will bat well above that. At the end of each year, players in the Major League can qualify for the highest batting average title by having made at least 3.1 appearances at bat per game. The player with the highest batting average wins the title for the year.

Some of the famous players long predating the current Major league baseball players had much higher batting averages than those current. Ty Cobb holds the all-time career record with a batting average of .367 over 23 years of play. There are no modern players in the top ten.

Many feel this is because players now often hit with great force in order to score home runs. This means that there will be more strikeouts and thus batting average will be lower. Also pitchers tend to either strike out or walk the more powerful batters to avoid scoring plays. It is uncommon for someone to maintain a batting average over .400 for more than a few games. Ted Williams was the last Major League player to have a batting average of higher than .400, during the 1941 season.

As children begin to participate in Little League, batting average during the first couple of years is seldom important. Children with advanced skill may play on more advanced teams, thus batting average from the previous season becomes more important. In competitive baseball teams for high schools, previous season’s batting average can determine one’s ability to play at the varsity levels.