On Base Average for Players

There are two main objectives for the hitter.  The first is to not make an out and the second is to hit for distance. Long-ball hitting is normally measured by slugging average. Not making an out can be expressed in terms of on base average (OBA), where:

      OBA    =  Hits + Walks + Hit-by-Pitch
                     At Bats + Walks + Hit-by-Pitch

For example, if we were figuring out Frank Robinson’s career on base average, it would be compiled like this:  2641 hits + 1213 walks + 178 hit-by-pitch (4032), divided by 8810 at bats + 1213 walks + 178 HBP (10201). His OBA is .395, which happens to be the tops among active players, but does not compare very well with players of the past.   Sacrifice hits are ignored in this calculation.

On base average can be quite different from batting average.   Take for example Joe DiMaggio and Roy Cullenbine, once outfield teammates for the Yankees. DiMag had a lifetime batting average of .325 and Cullenbine .276. But Roy was walked much more frequently than Joe and made fewer outs; he had an OBA of .404, compared to .398 for the Yankee Clipper.

In calculating OBA, the Macmillan Baseball Encyclopedia was used for hits, at bats, and bases on balls.   Hit by pitch data are from official averages back to 1920 in the AL and 1917 in the NL. Figures back to 1909 have been compiled by Alex Haas from newspaper box scores.   Some data before then comes from Haas, John Tattersall, and Bob Davids. Additional information is available in some of the old newspapers, but has not yet been compiled. Players with incomplete totals are credited with HEP at the known rate from available data for those unknown appearances. When no data are to be obtained, league averages are used.   Before 1887, a batter was not awarded first base when hit by a pitch.

Who is the all-time leader in on base average? It is Ted Williams with a spectacular .483 mark.   Not surprisingly, Babe Ruth is second with .474. It is no secret that Williams and Ruth were both exceptionally good hitters as well as being among the most frequent walk receivers. It was not unusual for them to get on base 300 times a season. Ranking third is the all-time list is John McGraw, who was elected to the Hall of Fame as a manager, but was also a fine hitter. In addition, he was adept at getting on base from walks and HBP. He holds the all-time NL record for OBA both lifetime and season. Billy Hamilton, the stolen base king, and Lou Gehrig are next in line, followed by such big names as Rogers Hornsby, Ty Cobb, Jimmie Foxx and Tris Speaker. Rounding out the top ten is Ferris Fain, former first baseman of the A’s, who quietly attained a very high OBA to go with his two batting titles.

Some players who many fans might not think to be among the leaders in OBA are Max Bishop, second baseman of the A’s last super teams of 1929-31, Clarence “Cupid” Childs, Cleveland second sacker in the 1890’s, Roy Thomas, Phil center fielder at the turn of the century, and Joe Cunningham, who played with the Cardinals and White Sox just a few years ago.   On the other hand, some of the famous hitters of baseball are not included in the accompanying list of players with lifetime on base averages of .400 or better.   Missing are such stars as Willie Keeler, Bill Terry, George Sisler, Nap Lajoie, Al Simmons, Hans Wagner, Cap Anson, Joe DiMaggio, and Roberto Clemente.

Since most of the players in the .400 list are either outfielders or first basemen, an additional table is shown that provides data on the top ten players at each position.   Many unheralded players are high in the OBA figures, such as Wally Schang, who played for many AL clubs in the teens and twenties, who is second among catchers, and Elmer Valo, another Connie Mack product, who ranks sixth in right field.

There are no active players with OBA’s of .400 or better, and only a few among the leaders by position. The level of OBA in the majors is presently quite low.   This could be attributed to many factors, such as improved pitching (bigger and stronger pitchers throwing from the unchanged distance of 60 feet 6 inches, more use of relief pitchers, and the widespread use of the slider as an extra pitch), larger ball parks, and increased emphasis on hitting home runs.   Those players with high OBA’s that are now active are shown below:

 

Frank Robinson	.395	Harmon Killebrew	.385
Carl Yastrzemski	.389	Al Kaline	.383
Willie Mays	.388	Joe Morgan	.383
Dick Allen	.388	Henry Aaron	.381
Willie McCovey	.387	Norm Cash	.379

 

It is interesting to note that if hit by pitch were not included in figuring OBA, Frank Robinson would rank only fourth.

In regard to season averages, Dick Allen led the majors in OBA in 1972 with a mark of .422. Joe Morgan was the NL leader with .419. The only others with .400 or better on base average were Carlos may at .408, and Billy Williams at .403. These season averages are far, far below the top season averages of the past. The list of top season marks, which includes all instances of OBA of .500 or better, is dominated by another Williams named Ted, the all-time season leader, and by Ruth.

 

Ted Williams, 1941	.551	Babe Ruth, 1926	.516
John McGraw, 1899	.546	Mickey Mantle, 1954	.515
Babe Ruth, 1923	.545	Babe Ruth, 1924	.513
Babe Ruth, 1920	.530	Babe Ruth, 1921	.512
Ted Williams, 1957	.528	Rog. Hornsby, 1924	.508
Billy Hamilton, 1894	.521	Joe Kelley, 1894	.502
Ted Williams, 1946	.516	Hugh Duffy, 1894	.501

 

Ted Williams led the league in OBA every year he qualified except for his rookie season, and he had a higher OBA than the leader in three of his four seasons shortened by injury. Those leading the league most often in OBA are:

 

            AL       Ted Williams              12                    NL       Rogers Hornsby          8

                        Babe Ruth                 10                               Stan Musial                 5

                        Ty Cobb                     6                                Billy Hamilton             4

                        Lou Gehrig                 5                                Richie Ashburn           4

                        Carl Yastrzemski        5                                Mel Ott                       4

                                                                                            Honus Wagner            4

 

It is important to remember that OBA is only one component of hitting, and that slugging is equally valuable. Of course, the best long-ball hitters usually rank high in both departments because they are generally walked more frequently. One thing the OBA does is give percentage recognition to the players ability to get on via the walk and the HBP as well as the hit. He has saved his team an out and he is n a good position to score a run.

 

ON BASE AVERAGE LEADERS
1,000 games minimum – through 1972

 

Player	Years	AB	H	BB	HBP	OBA
Ted Williams	1939-1960	7706	2654	2018	39	.483
Babe Ruth	1914-1935	8399	2873	2056	42	.474
John McGraw	1891-1906	3924	1309	836	105+	.462
Billy Hamilton	1888-1901	6268	2158	1187	50*	.452
Lou Gehrig	1923-1939	8001	2721	1508	45	.447
Rogers Hornsby	1915-1937	8173	2930	1038	48	.434
Ty Cobb	1905-1928	11437	4192	1249	90	.433
Jimmie Foxx	1926-1945	8134	2646	1452	13	.430
Tris Speaker	1907-1928	10205	3514	1381	101	.427
Ferris Fain	1947-1955	3930	1139	903	18	.425
Eddie Collins	1906-1930	9949	3310	1503	76	.424
Joe Jackson	1908-1920	4981	1774	519	59	.423
Max Bishop	1924-1935	4494	1216	1153	31	.423
Mickey Mantle	1951-1968	8102	2415	1734	13	.423
Mickey Cochrane	1925-1937	5169	1652	857	29	.419
Stan Musial	1941-1963	10972	3630	1599	53	.418
DanBrouthers	1879-1904	6711	2296	840	32*	.418
Jesse Burkett	1890-1905	8421	2850	1029	63*	.414
Clarence Childs	1890-1901	5615	1720	990	44*	.414
Mel Ott	1926-1947	9456	2876	1708	64	.414
Rank Greenberg	1930-1947	5193	1628	852	16	.412
Roy Thomas	1899-1911	5296	1537	1042	42*	.411
Charlie Keller	1939-1952	3790	1085	784	10	.410
Harry Heilmann	1914-1932	7787	2660	856	40	.410
Jackie Robinson	1947-1956	4877	1518	740	72	.410
Eddie Stanky	1943-1953	4301	1154	996	34	.410
Ed Delahanty	1888-1903	7505	2597	741	55*	.409
Roy Cullenbine	1938-1947	3879	1072	852	11	.408
Joe Cunningham	1954-1966	3362	980	599	49	.406
Riggs Stephenson	1921-1934	4508	1515	494	40	.406
Arky Vaughan	1932-1948	6622	2103	937	46	.406
Paul Waner	1926-1945	9459	3152	1091	38	.404
Chas. Gehringer	1924-1942	8858	2839	1185	51	.404
Joe Kelley	1891-1908	6977	2213	910	99+	.403
Lu Blue	1921-1933	5904	1696	1092	43	.402
Pete Browning	1882-1894	4820	1646	466	20*	.402
Denny Lyons	1885-1897	4294	1333	621	32*	.401

 

+Hit by pitch estimated from partial career totals
*Hit by pitch estimated from league average

 

ON BASE AVERAGE LIFETIME LEADERS BY POSITION
1,000 games minimum – at least 500 games at position

 

Catcher			Shortstop
.419	Mickey Cochrane		.406	Arky Vaughan
.393	Wally Schang		.399	Luke App ling
.384	Roger Bresnahan		.394	Jobnny Pesky
.382	Bill Dickey		.391	Joe Sewell
.378	Rick Ferrell		.390	Ronus Wagner
.371	Joe Torre		.390	Joe Cronin
.370	Gabby Hartnett		.380	Rughie Jennings
.369	Virgil Davis		.380	Lou Boudreau
.362	Roy Campanella		.370	Cecil Travis
.359	Sherm Lollar		.368	Peewee Reese
First base			Left Field
.447	Lou Gehrig		.483	Ted Williams
.430	Jimmie Foxx		.423	Joe Jackson
.425	Ferris Fain		.418	Stan Musial
.418	Stan Musial		.414	Jesse Burkett
.418	Dan Brouthers		.410	Charlie Keller
.412	Hank Greenberg		.409	Ed Delahanty
.406	Joe Cunningham		.406	Riggs Stephenson
.402	Lu Blue		.403	Joe Kelley
.397	Johnny Nize		.398	Ralph Kiner
.397	Roger Connor		.397	Elmer E. Smith
Second base			Center field
.434	Rogers Hornsby		.452	Billy Hamilton
.424	Eddie Collins		.433	Ty Cobb
.423	Max Bishop		.427	Trist Speaker
.414	Clarence Childs		.423	Mickey Mantle
.410	Eddie Stanky		.411	Roy Thomas
.410	Jackie Robinson		.402	Pete Browning
.404	Charlie Gehringer		.398	Joe DiMagglo
.392	George Grantham		.397	Richie Ashburn
.383	Joe Morgan		.397	Earle Combs
.380	Tony Lazzeri		.395	Hack Wilson
.380	Nap Lajoie		.395	Earl Averill
Third base			Right field
.462	John McGraw		.474	Babe Ruth
.401	Denny Lyons		.414	Mel Ott
.394	Eddie Yost		.410	Harry Heilmann
.394	Stan Hack		.408	Roy Cullenbine
.390	Harlond Clift		.404	Paul Waner
.387	Al Rosen		.399	Elmer Valo
.385	Harmon Killebrew		.399	Ross Youngs
.378	Eddie Mathews		.395	Frank Robinson
.375	Bob Elliott		.392	Mike Tiernan
.373	Heine Groh		.386	Kiki Cuyler