OBP (On-Base Percentage)
On-base percentage measures how often a batter reaches base, including hits, walks, and hit-by-pitches. It’s the single most important traditional stat because you can’t score without getting on base first.
The famous "Moneyball" revolution was largely about OBP. The Oakland A’s realized the market undervalued walks — players with high OBP were cheap because scouts focused on batting average. A walk doesn’t look exciting, but it has the same effect as a single: a baserunner.
A good rule of thumb: league-average OBP is around .320. Anything above .370 is excellent, and .400+ puts you among the best in the game. OBP is more predictive of runs scored than batting average, which is why it’s weighted heavily in advanced metrics like wOBA and, by extension, NUT Score.
What is a good OBP?
OBP feeds into wOBA, which is the foundation of NUT Score for hitters. Getting on base — by any means — is the first step to scoring runs.
How NUT Score works →