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
Recently Released by Yankees In 259 games as a Diamondback, Suarez is hitting .254 with a .321 on-base percentage and a .518 slugging percentage.
—Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
But Votto sits above Goldschmidt in every category on the slash line, and was a seven-time on-base percentage champ who reached base more and struck out less.
—Jayson Stark, New York Times, 24 July 2025
Walker was in scoring position in the batter’s box at Coors Field, hitting .381 with a 462 on-base percentage and 154 home runs in 597 games.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 24 July 2025
The Dodgers compensated for their pitching uncertainties by leading MLB in runs scored before the break and the National League in home runs, batting average, on-base percentage and OPS.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 17 July 2025
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.
Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
But Votto sits above Goldschmidt in every category on the slash line, and was a seven-time on-base percentage champ who reached base more and struck out less.
—Jayson Stark, New York Times, 24 July 2025
Walker was in scoring position in the batter’s box at Coors Field, hitting .381 with a 462 on-base percentage and 154 home runs in 597 games.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 24 July 2025
The Dodgers compensated for their pitching uncertainties by leading MLB in runs scored before the break and the National League in home runs, batting average, on-base percentage and OPS.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 17 July 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 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share