# OBP lower than BA.  How?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obp-lower-than-ba-how/629066>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [July 22, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obp-lower-than-ba-how/629066 "2012-07-22T19:23:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obp-lower-than-ba-how/629066/1 "2012-07-22T19:23:54Z")

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Jordan Danks has a batting average of .348 but has an on base percentage of  
.333. I must be confused about what OBP means. I can’t figure out how this could be. How could it be lower than his BA? Little help?

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**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obp-lower-than-ba-how/629066/2 "2012-07-22T19:28:12Z")

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[From Wiki.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On-base_percentage)

> [@](#):
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> For small numbers of at-bats, it is possible (though unlikely) for a player’s on-base percentage to be lower than his batting average (H/AB). This happens when a player has almost no walks or times hit by pitch, with a higher number of sacrifice flies (e.g. if a player has 2 hits in 6 at bats plus a sacrifice fly, his batting average would be .333, but his on-base percentage would be .286). The player who experienced this phenomenon with the most number of at-bats in a season was Ernie Bowman, who over 125 at-bats in 1963 had a batting average of .184 and an on-base percentage of .181.

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**Author:** ![jonesj2205](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecc23a/32.png) [@jonesj2205](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonesj2205)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obp-lower-than-ba-how/629066/3 "2012-07-22T19:29:47Z")

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Guessing, but sacrifice flies aren’t ABs for batting average, but do count against you for OBP.  
ETA: Beaten to it 🙂

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**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obp-lower-than-ba-how/629066/4 "2012-07-22T19:42:24Z")

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Ah, yes - that’s it. Thanks. Close 'er up.

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**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obp-lower-than-ba-how/629066/5 "2012-07-22T21:51:47Z")

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Sacrifice bunts, however, do NOT count against you. If they did, Alfredo Griffin in 1984 would have an OBP lower than his BA, in over 400 PA (.239 vs. .241).

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obp-lower-than-ba-how/629066/6 "2012-07-22T21:53:59Z")

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Moved to the Game Room.

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**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obp-lower-than-ba-how/629066/7 "2012-07-23T06:35:58Z")

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If you look at his stats he is 8 hits for 23 AB for .348 and 24 PA for .333 OBP and one SF.