Baseball is a game that includes stats, and many of them. It may be the most analytical game that professionals play, mostly because of its pace and ability to really break down the stats and compare them to others around the league.
Most Major League Baseball (MLB) organizations have an analytics department that works tirelessly to break down the stats and analyze them very closely in order to determine the makeup of the team and also how in game adjustments are made.
You may have noticed that defensive shifts are much more popular nowadays and teams are willing to make those adjustments based on the analytics of each player that steps to the plate. The rewards outweigh the risk, but prior to the dedication to the analytics, this happened much less.
Gaining an edge for the lower market teams is a huge step in being competitive with possibly players that have good analytics but maybe aren’t compensated like the other big name players. Some organizations are designing their teams specific to what their needs are and it has paid off for many.
So, What is OBP in Baseball?
OBP stands for On Base Percentage, and determines how often a player reaches base. Players successfully reach base for this stat by the following; hit, walk, or hit by pitch. Other ways to reach base include reaching by error and a fielder’s choice. Neither of these are considered positive for OBP.
Many organizations consider this more important than batting average, mostly because it is a true indication of how often a player reaches base. If a player walks a lot, this is a good thing and should be considered so. If batting average is the only calculation used, it only includes when a player achieves an actual hit, and does not include walks or hit-by-pitch.
Below we will provide an overview of the following topics related to OBP:
- What is a Good OBP
- All Time Leaders in OBP
- How Stats Have Impacted Baseball
- Other Key Stats in Baseball
- How to Improve OBP
- Related Questions
What is a Good OBP in Baseball?
OBP has become such an important statistic because it gives greater value for those players that walk a lot or get hit by pitches. They are on base, and when players are on base, they have a chance to score.
A good OBP in baseball is .360. Below is a sliding scale ranging from excellent to awful as far as OBP. On base percentage is typically judged about 60 points higher than batting average. A good average in baseball is .300 in the MLB, so a good OBP in the MLB would be .360.
Below is a chart that explains OBP and how it is valued in the MLB:
| Rating | OBP (On Base Percentage) |
| Excellent | .390 |
| Great | .370 |
| Above Average | .360 |
| Average | .320 |
| Below Average | .310 |
| Poor | .300 |
| Awful | .290 |
OBP is measured for the long term. Players over the course of 500 plate appearances end up having consistency and organizations are now putting a huge emphasis on players that consistently reach base.
The opposite can occur as well, where hitters may hit the baseball a long way, and produce many RBI’s (runs batted in), but do not draw a lot of walks. Organizations then have to decide if they want to gamble on a player who strikes out and is not on base a lot, but when they do make contact, it is usually for extra bases and driving runners to score.
All Time Leaders in OBP
There is always a good mix of players that have a high OBP in the MLB. These players typically are picky about the pitches they swing at, and many times end up have high averages as well because of this. Players that swing at bad pitches typically have higher slugging percentages, but not a great OBP.
Here is a list of the top 10 all time leaders in OBP
| Player | On Base Percentage (OBP) |
| Ted Williams | .4817 |
| Babe Ruth | .4739 |
| John McGraw | .4657 |
| Billy Hamilton | .4552 |
| Lou Gehrig | .4474 |
| Barry Bonds | .4443 |
| Bill Joyce | .4349 |
| Rogers Hornsby | .4337 |
| Ty Cobb | .4328 |
| Jimmie Foxx | .4283 |
How Have Stats Impacted Baseball?
Statistics have become such a huge part of the game of baseball, especially in Major League Baseball (MLB). Each organization is a bit different, but just about every one of them uses some sort of analytics to make some decisions.
Decisions that are impacted include off season player choices, draft picks, and in-game adjustments. More so now than ever, teams are using big shifts defensively. This is due to the analytics and stats that have gone into the game.
Baseball has become a numbers game, all the way down to the most detailed stat. In the movie “Moneyball,” the Oakland Athletic hired a person in their organization to break down stats and come up with the best possible players to choose from based mostly on OBP. In “Moneyball,” the emphasis was to find players that had a high OBP, and very low strikeouts, but also were cost effective. They ended up being competitive with players that truly were no-names.
Some organizations, as an example, the Yankees, have a huge budget, where they can pay the best of the best a lot of money. This allows them to choose players that not only have good OBP, but also excel in the other stat areas as well. The Yankees can have on their roster players that are dominant in every category and use them accordingly throughout a season.
Ideally, if every team in MLB could operate like the Yankees, stats would not be as important. Since not every organization is able to do what the Yankees do, there is a necessity for stats and analytics.
Using analytics has bridged the gap between the lower money market teams and the higher market teams. This has allowed some of these organizations to be competitive and based on what they value statistically, they may find a “diamond in the rough” type of player.
Other Key Stats in Baseball
The traditional stats in baseball are batting average, on base percentage (OBP), runs batted in (RBI), and slugging percentage. More recently with the push for more analytics, teams have begun using new stats to drive decisions.
Most of the statistics are done behind the scenes and drive decisions on trades, drafts, and free agency. Some decisions are made on the field, with the majority of decisions influences pitching changes and how to approach a particular batter.
Below is a chart to give a reference point to the different stats that organizations are now looking at:
| Abbreviation | Full Term |
| OPS | On base percentage + Slugging percentage |
| FIP | Fielding Independent Pitching |
| wOBA | Weighted On Base Percentage |
| VORP | Value Over Replacement Player |
| UZR | Ultimate Zone Rating |
| WAR | Wins Above Replacement |
| BABIP | Batting Average on Balls In Play |
How to Improve OBP
Increasing OBP involves hitting for a high average, having a great eye at the plate, and keeping strikeouts as low as possible. Making contact at the plate is a huge step to improving OBP. Younger players, especially, should take pride in drawing a walk, being selective at the plate, and ultimately putting the ball in play.
Extra base hits are not as important for OBP, as it is for slugging percentage, or even OPS, which is the sum of the OBP and slugging percentage. This stat puts more emphasis on extra base hits than OBP does.
Tip #1 – Increase Swing Speed
In order to be a better hitter, swing speed is crucial. Improving OBP involves putting the ball in play, and also driving the gaps. Players tat have the ability to drive gaps will consistently hit better than those that hit a lot of ground balls.
Although discipline is so important to OBP, swing speed is a critical skill and factor to increasing OBP. In order to increase swing speed, it is recommended to get stronger, but using the weight room and effectively lifting weights, specific to baseball improvement.
Although strength can increase swing speed, the beauty of baseball is that we see players that are not huge in stature driving the gap, mostly because of their swing speed. Swing speed increases the velocity off of the bat, which in turn makes it more difficult on the defense to field when the ball is put in play.
Here is a great video on increasing bat speed:
Tip #2 – Plate Discipline
As we have stated, OBP is about getting on base, whether as a result of a hit, being hit by a pitch, or being walked. Al three of these categories impacts OBP and we see that some of the most disciplined hitters at the plate have the highest OBP.
Many people think that the more disciplined you are the more walks you will draw. This is true, but one factor that goes a bit unnoticed when discussing plate discipline is that players are better hitters when they are swinging at good pitches.
One key to hitting, especially for younger players, is to barrell the pitch. Making good contact, on the barrel of the bat is essential to success at the plate. This is a result of discipline, which can be difficult for many youth baseball players.
Here is a good discussion on being disciplined at the plate:
Tip #3 – Practice More
One of the best quotes for sports that I tend to coach and live by is, “repetition is the mother of education.” This quote holds true for many of life’s activities because the more you do something, the better you get at it. The same holds true for baseball, as becoming a good hitter involves practicing a lot.
Baseball is a game of failure, and it is expected that we fail more than we succeed at the plate, so allowing yourself to improve and handle those failure moments is a key to success. Practice breeds better play and it also breeds confidence, a huge part of baseball and any sport.
Baseball is a mental game so putting yourself in situations that you will face in games is an important aspect of improving.
Related Questions…
Should I Play Multiple Sports or Just Focus on Baseball?
At Sports Warrior, we always recommend that players play more than one sport. Today, sports are becoming specialized, but people forget the value of playing other sports. The main thing about playing another sport is the idea of competition. The concept of competing has been lost, and the focus has become more specialized.
College recruiters now ask if players play other sports, they want them to play multiple sports, to compete and train.
There are also some issues with burnout that may occur as well as over training specific muscle groups. We have seen some injuries occur because of this.
Colleges want athletes and to be an athlete means to have all around size, strength, and explosiveness. It may seem difficult to train for baseball in the winter, but there are many opportunities to train in cages, and other indoor facilities.
Do I Need to Pay Money for Special Training for Baseball?
This is actually a difficult question, something that we believe is based on finances in particular. The cost of one-on-one baseball training at even the youngest of ages continues to grow, as this seems to be a demanding field.
We encourage you to always research exactly what you will be receiving before committing to a trainer, as some are in this for the money. There are people out there that are great coaches and can help for a lot less than the going rate.
At What Age Should My Child Begin Playing Baseball
We recommend tee-ball for ages 4-6 and then we encourage children to begin baseball around the age of seven. For ages 7-8, kids will usually play coach pitch, where it is competitive, but kids hit off of their own coach. This is a great time to develop skills as there is a lot of action involved at this level.
Final Thoughts
The game of baseball has become very analytical in nature. The MLB has become a numbers game, where players strive for certain statistics just to make a team. OBP is a great indicator of the offensive talent level of a player.
The more a player is on base the more often runs will be scored. There are other factors of measurement in the game today, but OBP remains pretty consistent and very valued in the baseball world.