What Does ‘Mean’ In Baseball?

Many people are familiar with the basic rules of baseball, but there are a lot of nuances to the game that can be confusing to newcomers. One of the most common questions people have is what does “mean” in baseball?

Introduction

In baseball statistics, batting average (AVG) is a measure of a batter’s success rate in achieving a hit during an at bat. AVG is calculated by dividing a batter’s hits by his at bats. The batting average is also referred to as “the average”.

The main rule concerning batting average is that it be calculated using at bats (AB) as the denominator. This means that hits that do not count as an at bat, such as Sacrifice hits (SH), walks (BB), or times hit by pitch (HBP) do not affect a player’s batting average. A batter’s total number of hits divided by his total number of at bats equals his batting average.

A key indicator of a batter’s potential success is his on-base percentage (OBP). OBP is calculated by adding walks and hits and dividing by the sum of all plate appearances (AB + BB + HBP). Unlike batting average, OBP does not ignore walks and times hit by pitch, so it rates hitters in terms of their ability to reach base regardless of whether they get a hit. It is also sometimes referred to as “on-base plus slugging” (OPS).

The Three Types of Averages

Baseball is a game full of statistics. One of the most basic statistics is batting average, or more specifically, what does ‘mean’ in baseball. There are three types of averages in baseball: on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and batting average.

Batting Average

In baseball statistics, batting average (BA) is a measure of a batter’s performance. It is calculated by dividing the number of hits by the number of at bats. The resulting number is also referred to as a player’s batting average. A player with a batting average of .300 is considered to be successful and one with a .400 average is considered very good.

A player’s batting average can be affected by many factors, including the type of pitches they are facing, their stance, the number of strikes they have faced, and more. However, the most important factor in determining a player’s batting average is their ability to make contact with the ball.

There are three types of batting averages: Overall, Against Left-Handed Pitching (LHP), and Against Right-Handed Pitching (RHP). A player’s overall batting average includes all at bats, regardless of the handedness of the pitcher. Against left-handed pitching, a hitter’s batting average will likely be lower than their overall batting average because left-handed pitchers are typically better at getting batters out than right-handed pitchers. Against right-handed pitching, a hitter’s batting average will likely be higher than their overall batting average because right-handed pitchers are typically easier to hit off of than left-handed pitchers.

A player’s batting average can fluctuate from year to year and even from month to month. For example, a hitter who monthly batted .330 in April may see their batting drop to .280 in May due to facing tougher pitching or making less contact with the ball. Similarly, a hitter who batted .280 in April may see their batting improve to .330 in May due to facing weaker pitching or making better contact with the ball.

It is important to remember that a player’s batting average is not necessarily static and can change over time as they face different pitchers and make adjustments to their swing.

Earned Run Average

In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine. The modern ERA was first used in baseball by relief pitcher Stan Baumgartner in 1913.

The formula for ERA is derived from the fact that, in modern baseball statistics, pitchers are credited with giving up only those runs that scored while he was on the mound, even if they were the result of errors made by his teammates. For example, if a pitcher throws two innings in a game, and gives up three runs (none of which were earned), his ERA for those two innings would be 1.5 (three divided by two).

If a starting pitcher goes six innings and gives up three unearned runs, his ERA for the game would be 4.50 (three divided by six), even though he technically gave up zero earned runs. In this example, if the starting pitcher had pitched seven innings and given up four unearned runs, his ERA would still be 4.50 (four divided by seven), because he would have pitched one more inning than the reliever.

The Earned Run Average is important because it is one of the main ways pitchers are judged against each other. A pitcher with a low ERA is considered to be more effective than a pitcher with a high ERA.

Slugging Percentage

In baseball, slugging percentage (SLG) is a statistic that measures the power of a hitter. Power, in this case, is a combination of two things: how often a batter hits for extra bases, and how often he reaches base period. Slugging percentage therefore weights hits based on their value; a single is worth one point, a double two points, and so on. It’s calculated by taking total bases divided by at bats.

While batting average only cares about hits, slugging percentage cares about both hits and outs. A player with a high slugging percentage is hitting for both power and average. A player with a low slugging percentage might have a high batting average (lots of singles), but he’s not hitting for much power.

How to Calculate Averages

There are a lot of statistics in baseball, and one of the most important is batting average. This number gives you a clear idea of how often a batter gets on base. But what does “batting average” really mean? In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the definition of batting average and how it’s calculated.

Batting Average

A batting average is a statistic in baseball that measures the performance of hitters in terms of the number of hits divided by their number of at bats. The batting average is used to calculate a player’s slugging percentage and on-base percentage. It is also a common way to compare hitters from different eras.

To calculate a player’s batting average, divide the number of hits by the number of at bats. For instance, if a player has 50 hits and 150 at bats, his batting average would be .333.

A hitter with a batting average below .200 is generally considered to be struggling, while a hitter with a batting average above .300 is considered to be doing well. The all-time record for career batting average belongs to Ty Cobb, who finished his career with a .366 batting average.

Earned Run Average

An ERA is short for an “earned run average.” An earned run is any run that scored while the pitcher was in the game, regardless of whether it was due to an error, a hit batsmen, or a passed ball. The average part is simple enough — we’re dividing the total number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched.

The final ERA number is written with two decimal places. Here’s how you read it: A player with an ERA of 3.00 gave up 3 runs (earned runs only) for every 10 innings he pitched. In other words, if he pitched a complete game (9 innings), you would expect him to give up 3 runs. If he only pitched 1/3 of an inning, you would expect him to give up 1 run (3 runs divided by 3 innings equals 1).

Slugging Percentage

SLUGGING PERCENTAGE (SLG):

A slugging percentage is calculated by the following formula, and is widely considered to be a much better measure of a player’s power than home runs alone:

Total Bases / At-Bats = Slugging Percentage

For example, if a player has 6 hits in 15 at-bats, his total bases would be 9 (1 double, 2 triples and no home runs). His slugging percentage would be .600 ((2*1)+(3*2)+(4*0))/15.

walks and hit-by-pitches are NOT included in at-bats when calculating slugging percentage.

Conclusion

In baseball, the term ‘mean’ typically refers to a player’s batting average. This is the average number of hits a player gets per at-bat. The higher the batting average, the better the hitter is.