A good batting average in Major League Baseball is .270 or higher, and .300 or better is excellent. The MLB average for the 2026 season was .244, so a hitter around .250 is roughly average, anything in the .220s is below average, and under .200 falls below the famous Mendoza Line. Batting average is simply hits divided by at bats, and while front offices now lean on on base percentage and slugging, it is still the first number most fans check.
Batting Average Ranges
| Average | Rating | What it means in MLB today |
|---|---|---|
| .300 and up | Excellent | Fewer than 10 qualified MLB hitters reached it in 2026 |
| .270 to .299 | Very good | Clearly above the league average |
| .245 to .269 | Solid | Around or slightly above the 2026 MLB average of .244 |
| .220 to .244 | Below average | Playable if the player walks, hits for power or plays elite defense |
| .200 to .219 | Poor | Only hangs on at the MLB level with other big strengths |
| Under .200 | Below the Mendoza Line | Named for shortstop Mario Mendoza, shorthand for a struggling hitter |
Why .300 Is Harder Than It Used to Be
League wide averages have dropped over the last two decades as strikeouts climbed and pitchers threw harder. The MLB average was around .270 in 2000, fell to .243 in 2022 and has stayed in the .240s since, including .244 in 2026. That is why a .300 season stands out more today: fewer than 10 qualified hitters reached it in 2026, led by Houston’s Yordan Alvarez at .316. The lowest league average of the modern era came in 1968, the Year of the Pitcher, when the majors hit .237, and Ted Williams’ .406 in 1941 remains the last .400 season.
What Counts as Good at Other Levels
| Level | What counts as good |
|---|---|
| Major League Baseball | .244 league average; .270 and up is good, .300 is excellent |
| College baseball | Offense runs higher with metal bats; .300 is roughly average for a regular, .350 and up is very good |
| High school | Varies widely by level; .300 is a solid starter, .400 and up stands out |
| Youth and Little League | Focus on contact and hard hit balls more than the number; averages swing a lot in small samples |
The higher the level, the lower the averages, because pitching improves faster than hitting as players move up. Aluminum and composite bats also add offense in college and high school compared with the wood bats used in pro ball.
Batting Average vs. Better Stats
Batting average treats every hit the same and ignores walks, so a .240 hitter with power and patience can be more valuable than a .290 singles hitter. That is why teams focus on on base percentage (the 2026 MLB average was .318), slugging percentage (.400) and OPS, which adds the two together (.719). A good rule of thumb for fans: use batting average to judge contact, and OPS to judge overall production.
How to Calculate Batting Average
Divide hits by at bats and round to three decimal places. A player with 150 hits in 550 at bats is hitting .273. Walks, hit by pitches, sacrifice bunts and sacrifice flies do not count as at bats, so they do not affect the average. To qualify for the batting title, a player needs 3.1 plate appearances per team game, or 502 over a 162 game season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is .250 a good batting average?
In MLB today it is about average, slightly above the 2026 league mark of .244.
What is the Mendoza Line?
A .200 batting average, named after light hitting shortstop Mario Mendoza. Hitting “below the Mendoza Line” means batting under .200.
What was the MLB batting average in 2026?
.244, with a .318 on base percentage and a .400 slugging percentage.
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League wide batting totals for every season are available from Baseball Reference, and official definitions are in the MLB.com glossary.