J. Albert

Batting Average as the Product of Two Rates: Skill, Luck, and the Disappearance of the .400 Hitter

Batting average factors exactly as BA = c times f, where c = (AB - SO)/AB is the rate of avoiding a strikeout and f = H/(AB - SO) is the rate at which non-strikeout at-bats become hits. Using the 256 major-league hitters with at least 300 at-bats in 2025, we show that the two factors behave very differently. Strikeout...