What Is a Good Batting Average?
The 2025 MLB league batting average was .245 (and .244 so far in 2026). Against qualified hitters, .270 is clearly good, .290+ is top-10%, and the best full-season mark was .331 (Aaron Judge). The .300 hitter is now genuinely rare.
A good batting average in today’s MLB is .270+; the 2025 league average was .245 and .290+ marked the top ~10% of qualified hitters.
- MLB league average (2025).245
- 2026 season to date.244
- Top 10% of qualified hitters.290+
- Bottom 10% (qualified)≤ .232
- 2025 batting champ.331 (Aaron Judge)
Source: Baseball-Reference league averages (2025 final; 2026 through early July); distribution cutoffs from FanGraphs qualified leaderboards.
Where a batting average lands (2025, qualified hitters)
| Average | Verdict |
|---|---|
| .300+ | Elite — a handful of hitters; .331 (Aaron Judge) led MLB |
| .290+ | Top ~10% of the 145 qualified hitters |
| .260–.289 | Solidly above the .245 league average |
| .240–.259 | League-average range |
| ≤ .232 | Bottom ~10% — surviving on power or defense |
Context matters: league BA has hovered near .245 in the 2020s, the lowest sustained level since 1968. A .270 hitter today is as far above average as a .285 hitter was in 2000 — judge averages against the season, not against nostalgia.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good batting average in MLB?
Anything over .270 is good in the current run environment (2025 league average: .245); .290+ is top-10% among qualified hitters and .300+ is elite.
What was the MLB league batting average in 2025?
.245, with a league OPS of .719. 2026 is tracking at .244 through early July.
Is .300 still the gold standard?
Symbolically yes, statistically it's rarer than ever — only a few qualified hitters clear it now; .331 (Aaron Judge) led 2025.
What's a good batting average in high school or rec ball?
Amateur averages run far higher — .350+ is common for strong high school hitters, and .400+ happens in short seasons. The MLB scale doesn't translate down.
Sources & methodology
Sources: Baseball-Reference — 2025 MLB league averages · Baseball-Reference — 2026 season to date · FanGraphs 2025 qualified leaderboards.
League averages from Baseball-Reference; top/bottom-10% cutoffs read from the 2025 FanGraphs qualified leaderboards (approximate percentile anchors, labeled as such).