How Many At Bats?

[Buck You]

How many at bats do you need to qualify for the batting title? I really want to know this because I think I saw Braun is over 200 at bats now, so how many does he need to qualify???

[MickeyDavis]

You have to have 3.1 plate appearances (at bats, walks, hit by pitch, sacs) for each game played. That's 502 over a full season.

The Brewers have played 98 games, Braun would need, right now, 304 plate appearances to qualify. Braun has 217 plate appearances. In the next 64 games he'll need to average 4.45 plate appearances per game, which will be tough. He'll get a couple of games off.

There is one exception to the 502 plate appearances. If a player has less than 502 you add in the number he needs to get to 502 as hitless at bats, if he would still win the batting title, then he wins it.

Let's say Braun ends up with 475 and by adding in 0-27 to his average he would still win it, he would be the batting champ.

[ReasonablySober]

You have to have 3.1 plate appearances (at bats, walks, hit by pitch, sacs) for each game played. That's 502 over a full season.

The Brewers have played 98 games, Braun would need, right now, 304 plate appearances to qualify. Braun has 217 plate appearances. In the next 64 games he'll need to average 4.45 plate appearances per game, which will be tough. He'll get a couple of games off.

There is one exception to the 502 plate appearances. If a player has less than 502 you add in the number he needs to get to 502 as hitless at bats, if he would still win the batting title, then he wins it.

Let's say Braun ends up with 475 and by adding in 0-27 to his average he would still win it, he would be the batting champ.

Really interesting. I didn't know that.

[MickeyDavis]

I believe Gwynn won a batting title that way. He finished with 498 PA's. Going 0-4 would still give him the title so he won it.

[Ryan5UW]

I'm glad this question was asked, I was wondering the same thing this afternoon.

That's a tough number for him to reach. He didn't come up THAT late in the season that he should struggle to reach the required number of at bats. I understand the exception that was mentioned, but you'd think there would be some sort of level or something in place to deal with people like Braun. I know you don't want a guy who only gets 50 at bats during the season to win the batting title, but he's been playing since what, May?

Oh well, hopefully he keeps playing like he is, and is able to get the at bats...

[MickeyDavis]

He missed 2 months.