batting average

noun

1. Baseball.,  a measure of the batting ability of a player, obtained by dividing the number of base hits by the number of official times at bat and carrying out the result to three decimal places. A player with 100 base hits in 300 times at bat has a batting average of 0.333.

2. Informal.,  a degree of achievement or accomplishment in any activity.

Word History and Origins

Origin of batting average¹

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Example Sentences

You had your opportunity as owner, Arte, for many years, but your batting average says it all.

From Los Angeles Times

The Dodgers still ranked third in the majors in OPS and seventh in batting average against them.

From Los Angeles Times

That was plenty for Snell, who picked apart a Reds offense that ranked just 14th in scoring and 19th in batting average during the regular season.

From Los Angeles Times

They rank just 15th in scoring, 20th in batting average and 21st in home runs and slugging percentage.

From Los Angeles Times

And a traditional standard of excellence now is an endangered species: the .300 batting average, a popular and easily understood statistic that has been devalued and rendered borderline worthless by baseball’s analytical revolution.

From Los Angeles Times