baseball statistics Baseball statistics play an important role in evaluating the progress of a player or team. Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itsel ...

, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, divided by the number of total chances (putouts + assists + errors). While a high fielding percentage is regarded as a sign of defensive skill, it is also possible for a player of lesser defensive skill to have a high fielding percentage, as it does not reflect or take into account a player's defensive range; a player who cannot get to a ball surrenders a hit instead of having an opportunity to make an

out Out may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 * ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander * ''Out'' (2002 film), a Japanese film ba ...

or an

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistic ...

. Conversely, a highly skilled fielder might have a comparatively low fielding percentage by virtue of reaching, and potentially missing, a greater number of balls. In order to qualify for the league lead in fielding percentage, an

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

must appear at the specific position in at least two-thirds of his team's games (games in the outfield are not separated by position). A

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher ...

must appear in at least half his team's games. A

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

must pitch at least one inning for each of his team's scheduled games (however, a pitcher with fewer innings may qualify if they have more total chances and a higher average).Rule 10.22(c)(3). In order to qualify for major league career records for fielding average, a player must appear in 1,000 games at the position; pitchers must have at least 1,500 innings. The MLB record for team fielding percentage is currently held by the

2013 Baltimore Orioles The 2013 Baltimore Orioles season was the 113th season in franchise history, the 60th in Baltimore, and the 22nd at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles began the 2013 season on April 2 against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Orioles set team fieldi ...

, with a .99104 fielding percentage.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fielding Percentage Fielding statistics Percentages

See also

Footnotes