Can someone explain this math to me!?? calculating batting averages.

[Al Neri]

I'm doing the batting averages for my softball team...

After Game 4
Batter A was batting .705 (12 for 17)
Batter B was batting .700 (14 for 20)

Game 5
Batter A - 2 for 4
Batter B - 2 for 4

After Game 5
Batter A is batting .667 (14 for 21)
Batter B is batting .667 (16 for 24)



Is it because Batter B had more at bats - and got to where he is faster that 2 batters - with 2 different averages faired the same and ended up with the same average? and fewer at bats make it easier to keep a higher average?

I can't visualize this !

Thanks,

Don

 

[Cogman]

What are you trying to figure out? Basically your batting average says that batter A and batter B will hit 2 out of every 3 pitches (14/21, 16/24). Perhaps its more a representation of the pitcher they where going against and less how good they are.

 

[mugs]

Yeah... the more at bats you have, the smaller the effect that additional at bats will have on your average.

 

[SP33Demon]

Well, fewer at bats means that a hit will raise the average much more (or an out will lower it much more as well). The more at bats, the less it will change. That's all you have to remember.

 

[Al Neri]

Yeah - that makes sense.

 

[QED]

After your very first at-bat, you will either have a 1.000 batting average, or a .000 batting average-- which represents a 1000 point swing.
After your second at-bat, your batting average can stay where it is at, or change to .500 from either 1.000 or .000-- which represents a 500 point swing.

In general, after your n'th at-bat, your batting average can be 1000 * h/n or 1000 * (h+1)/n ( where h is the number of hits you had heading into the at-bat) -- which represents a 1000 / n point swing.

As you can see, each subsequent at-bat will have less of a potential effect on your batting average.

 

[boomer6447]

Don't forget to throw out the walks on the hitting average but include them in the on base percentage...

and getting on base due to a fielding error from the other team is the same as getting an out...but it also helps the on base percentage..

and a sacrifice fly that advances the runner, or allows the runner to tag up and score from third does not count against you for your hitting average, but does for your on base percentage...

and since you are playing slow pitch...i'm pretty sure bunting won't come in to play..but it has it's own special rules also.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Cogman
What are you trying to figure out? Basically your batting average says that batter A and batter B will hit 2 out of every 3 pitches (14/21, 16/24). Perhaps its more a representation of the pitcher they where going against and less how good they are.

uh, no.

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: Cogman
What are you trying to figure out? Basically your batting average says that batter A and batter B will hit 2 out of every 3 pitches (14/21, 16/24). Perhaps its more a representation of the pitcher they where going against and less how good they are.

So when you have an average across multiple games it determines the quality of the pitcher of one game? Explain to me how that works out, plz.

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: Don Rodriguez
Is it because Batter B had more at bats - and got to where he is faster that 2 batters - with 2 different averages faired the same and ended up with the same average? and fewer at bats make it easier to keep a higher average?

I can't visualize this !

Thanks,

Don

Yes. This is why the MLB requires a minimum number of at bats to earn awards and will add at bats with no hit in the event of someone coming up short.

 

[DrPizza]

You can't average averages.

Similar problem, in case the baseball stuff isn't your thing:
Suppose someone drives 40 miles in 2 hours. (average is 20mph)
Then, they drive 320 more miles in 8 hours (average is 40mph)
Their for the entire trip, their average isn't (20+40)/2 = 30mph
Their average for the whole trip is 360 miles divided by a total of 10 hours = 36mph.

The only time averaging averages works is when each is an average of the same sample size.

i.e. who is a better baseball player? Someone who consistantly batted 300 all season?
Or someone who "was in a slump" the first half of the season, batting 290, but batted 400 for the second half of the season?

You might be inclined to choose the latter until you discover that the 2nd half of the season, he only played one game, had 2 hits at 5 at bats, then broke his leg & was out the rest of the season. You can't bat 300 in 5 at bats. statistically, that 400 during the game was about what would be expected.

 

[Cogman]

Originally posted by: Injury

So when you have an average across multiple games it determines the quality of the pitcher of one game? Explain to me how that works out, plz.

Easy, You'll notice in the example given the batting average of the two players went down after one game (not multiple games). What is to say that the pitcher wasn't just better then they are used to? That of course isn't the only answer, but with this one game example it works.

Besides, the sample is so small anyways that this in no way accurately describes how good of a player someone is samples must be much larger for the accuracy to be on.

Even then, things are very variable in baseball and real life, so measuring athletic stats is somewhat pointless.

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: boomer6447
Don't forget to throw out the walks on the hitting average but include them in the on base percentage...

and getting on base due to a fielding error from the other team is the same as getting an out...but it also helps the on base percentage..

and a sacrifice fly that advances the runner, or allows the runner to tag up and score from third does not count against you for your hitting average, but does for your on base percentage...

and since you are playing slow pitch...i'm pretty sure bunting won't come in to play..but it has it's own special rules also.

So getting on base from an error counts for your OBP? But a sac fly doesn't?

 

[slayer202]

Originally posted by: SP33Demon

Originally posted by: boomer6447
Don't forget to throw out the walks on the hitting average but include them in the on base percentage...

and getting on base due to a fielding error from the other team is the same as getting an out...but it also helps the on base percentage..

and a sacrifice fly that advances the runner, or allows the runner to tag up and score from third does not count against you for your hitting average, but does for your on base percentage...

and since you are playing slow pitch...i'm pretty sure bunting won't come in to play..but it has it's own special rules also.

So getting on base from an error counts for your OBP? But a sac fly doesn't?

I don't know if those rules are correct, but you do realize that you get on base even if there is an error, but you do not reach a base on a sac fly

 

[bGIveNs33]

Originally posted by: boomer6447
Don't forget to throw out the walks on the hitting average but include them in the on base percentage...

and getting on base due to a fielding error from the other team is the same as getting an out...but it also helps the on base percentage..

and a sacrifice fly that advances the runner, or allows the runner to tag up and score from third does not count against you for your hitting average, but does for your on base percentage...

and since you are playing slow pitch...i'm pretty sure bunting won't come in to play..but it has it's own special rules also.

hmmm... not sure how you are getting that.

We have always calculated OBP like this-

H+BB/Plate Appearances

A plate appearance is an AB/Walk or SF. And errors do not count toward OBP, they should have been an out.

And a sac fly that does not score a runner, is not a sac fly. Bunts are a whole different story but I'm sure the OP is talking about softball.

 

[oddyager]

Originally posted by: bGIveNs33

Originally posted by: boomer6447
Don't forget to throw out the walks on the hitting average but include them in the on base percentage...

and getting on base due to a fielding error from the other team is the same as getting an out...but it also helps the on base percentage..

and a sacrifice fly that advances the runner, or allows the runner to tag up and score from third does not count against you for your hitting average, but does for your on base percentage...

and since you are playing slow pitch...i'm pretty sure bunting won't come in to play..but it has it's own special rules also.

hmmm... not sure how you are getting that.

We have always calculated OBP like this-

H+BB/Plate Appearances

A plate appearance is an AB/Walk or SF. And errors do not count toward OBP, they should have been an out.

And a sac fly that does not score a runner, is not a sac fly. Bunts are a whole different story but I'm sure the OP is talking about softball.

You mean and? Plate appearance consists of AB + BB + SF + HBP. This counts for both baseball and softball.

 

[bGIveNs33]

yea, good catch. Though, I'm not sure how many softball teams include SFs. Hell, I'm not sure how many teams actually calculate OBP.

 

[boomer6447]

Originally posted by: bGIveNs33

Originally posted by: boomer6447
Don't forget to throw out the walks on the hitting average but include them in the on base percentage...

and getting on base due to a fielding error from the other team is the same as getting an out...but it also helps the on base percentage..

and a sacrifice fly that advances the runner, or allows the runner to tag up and score from third does not count against you for your hitting average, but does for your on base percentage...

and since you are playing slow pitch...i'm pretty sure bunting won't come in to play..but it has it's own special rules also.

hmmm... not sure how you are getting that.

We have always calculated OBP like this-

H+BB/Plate Appearances

A plate appearance is an AB/Walk or SF. And errors do not count toward OBP, they should have been an out.

And a sac fly that does not score a runner, is not a sac fly. Bunts are a whole different story but I'm sure the OP is talking about softball.

A fielding error in which you reach first base affects your batting average just like an out...however it does count as "on base" for your "on base" percentage. Just like a dropped third strike, which is also technically an error on either the pitcher or catcher (usually catcher, cause it's a third strike)...if you reach first base on a dropped third strike, it counts in your batting average as a strike out, but since you reached base, it counts as an "on base" for your "on base" percentage...

You are correct on the sac fly that doesn't score a runner...not sure why I included that...(brain freeze)...because after all I was in the hot Indiana sun all weekend keeping the scorebook for my daughter's team...