League by League Totals for Batting Average

Ever wonder which league has the best batting average? This is a comprehensive breakdown of both leagues showing the batting average in each league and a Major League average for every season since 1901.

Raw averages are presented to further clarify the single season averages and provide added material for researchers. Note: These totals include every player, every at-bat and every hit during the season listed.
"Every time I hear of this guy (Ty Cobb) again, I wonder how he was possible." - Joe DiMaggio
Batting Average

League By League Averages
American League National League Major League Year
.277 (.27686) .267 (.26684) .272 (.27179) 1901
.275 (.27499) .259 (.25863) .267 (.26679) 1902
.255 (.25519) .269 (.26899) .262 (.26214) 1903
.244 (.24441) .249 (.24933) .247 (.24686) 1904
.241 (.24083) .255 (.25510) .248 (.24801) 1905
.249 (.24866) .244 (.24447) .247 (.24658) 1906
.247 (.24736) .243 (.24318) .245 (.24531) 1907
.239 (.23895) .239 (.23895) .239 (.23895) 1908
.244 (.24383) .244 (.24381) .244 (.24382) 1909
.243 (.24306) .256 (.25566) .249 (.24934) 1910
.273 (.27309) .260 (.25968) .266 (.26639) 1911
.265 (.26476) .272 (.27249) .269 (.26864) 1912
.256 (.25576) .262 (.26178) .259 (.25882) 1913
.248 (.24752) .251 (.25104) .249 (.24928) 1914
.248 (.24823) .248 (.24799) .248 (.24811) 1915
.248 (.24849) .247 (.24672) .248 (.24761) 1916
.248 (.24772) .249 (.24926) .249 (.24850) 1917
.254 (.25352) .254 (.25408) .254 (.25380) 1918
.268 (.26803) .258 (.25756) .263 (.26280) 1919
.283 (.28343) .270 (.26959) .276 (.27649) 1920
.292 (.29245) .289 (.28945) .291 (.29096) 1921
.284 (.28451) .292 (.29219) .288 (.28839) 1922
.283 (.28251) .286 (.28572) .284 (.28414) 1923
.290 (.29042) .283 (.28293) .287 (.28666) 1924
.292 (.29171) .292 (.29153) .292 (.29163) 1925
.281 (.28148) .280 (.27982) .281 (.28065) 1926
.286 (.28551) .282 (.28185) .284 (.28368) 1927
.281 (.28082) .281 (.28110) .281 (.28096) 1928
.284 (.28387) .294 (.29439) .289 (.28919) 1929
.288 (.28772) .303 (.30348) .296 (.29567) 1930
.279 (.27850) .277 (.27672) .278 (.27762) 1931
.277 (.27672) .276 (.27628) .277 (.27650) 1932
.273 (.27276) .266 (.26626) .270 (.26951) 1933
.279 (.27873) .279 (.27909) .279 (.27891) 1934
.280 (.27984) .277 (.27719) .279 (.27851) 1935
.289 (.28932) .278 (.27809) .284 (.28370) 1936
.281 (.28122) .272 (.27170) .277 (.27650) 1937
.281 (.28082) .267 (.26716) .274 (.27399) 1938
.279 (.27858) .272 (.27208) .275 (.27534) 1939
.271 (.27138) .264 (.26352) .267 (.26745) 1940
.266 (.26648) .258 (.25834) .262 (.26243) 1941
.257 (.25706) .249 (.24873) .253 (.25290) 1942
.249 (.24925) .258 (.25760) .253 (.25344) 1943
.260 (.25998) .261 (.26080) .260 (.26039) 1944
.255 (.25547) .265 (.26488) .260 (.26024) 1945
.256 (.25552) .256 (.25566) .256 (.25559) 1946
.256 (.25567) .265 (.26544) .261 (.26058) 1947
.266 (.26597) .261 (.26083) .263 (.26340) 1948
.263 (.26304) .262 (.26239) .263 (.26271) 1949
.271 (.27056) .261 (.26134) .266 (.26595) 1950
.262 (.26210) .260 (.25964) .261 (.26087) 1951
.253 (.25261) .253 (.25268) .253 (.25265) 1952
.262 (.26245) .266 (.26600) .264 (.26423) 1953
.257 (.25688) .265 (.26511) .261 (.26100) 1954
.258 (.25831) .259 (.25873) .259 (.25852) 1955
.260 (.26036) .256 (.25606) .258 (.25821) 1956
.255 (.25491) .260 (.26007) .258 (.25752) 1957
.254 (.25417) .262 (.26163) .258 (.25792) 1958
.253 (.25309) .260 (.26021) .257 (.25657) 1959
.255 (.25548) .255 (.25476) .255 (.25512) 1960
.256 (.25566) .262 (.26179) .258 (.25832) 1961
.255 (.25467) .261 (.26065) .258 (.25767) 1962
.247 (.24738) .245 (.24513) .246 (.24626) 1963
.247 (.24713) .254 (.25381) .250 (.25047) 1964
.242 (.24204) .249 (.24909) .246 (.24560) 1965
.240 (.24046) .256 (.25642) .249 (.24854) 1966
.236 (.23562) .249 (.24893) .242 (.24233) 1967
.230 (.23011) .243 (.24313) .237 (.23669) 1968
.246 (.24597) .250 (.25035) .248 (.24816) 1969
.250 (.24977) .258 (.25804) .254 (.25393) 1970
.247 (.24685) .252 (.25173) .249 (.24931) 1971
.239 (.23902) .248 (.24847) .244 (.24380) 1972
.259 (.25941) .254 (.25446) .257 (.25694) 1973
.258 (.25834) .255 (.25534) .257 (.25684) 1974
.258 (.25792) .257 (.25720) .258 (.25756) 1975
.256 (.25596) .255 (.25493) .255 (.25544) 1976
.266 (.26622) .262 (.26184) .264 (.26419) 1977
.261 (.26111) .254 (.25409) .258 (.25788) 1978
.270 (.26963) .261 (.26069) .265 (.26549) 1979
.269 (.26907) .259 (.25932) .265 (.26459) 1980
.256 (.25615) .255 (.25521) .256 (.25571) 1981
.264 (.26405) .258 (.25783) .261 (.26119) 1982
.266 (.26550) .255 (.25535) .261 (.26085) 1983
.264 (.26362) .255 (.25549) .260 (.25989) 1984
.261 (.26123) .252 (.25214) .257 (.25705) 1985
.262 (.26154) .253 (.25320) .258 (.25771) 1986
.265 (.26497) .261 (.26065) .263 (.26298) 1987
.259 (.25929) .248 (.24826) .254 (.25422) 1988
.261 (.26073) .246 (.24636) .254 (.25411) 1989
.259 (.25911) .256 (.25644) .258 (.25787) 1990
.260 (.26023) .250 (.25033) .256 (.25570) 1991
.259 (.25932) .252 (.25153) .256 (.25574) 1992
.267 (.26657) .264 (.26361) .265 (.26509) 1993
.273 (.27261) .267 (.26685) .270 (.26973) 1994
.270 (.27028) .263 (.26334) .267 (.26683) 1995
.277 (.27717) .262 (.26248) .270 (.26989) 1996
.270 (.27035) .263 (.26318) .267 (.26680) 1997
.271 (.27126) .262 (.26174) .266 (.26621) 1998
.275 (.27451) .268 (.26828) .271 (.27119) 1999
.276 (.27565) .266 (.26586) .271 (.27046) 2000
.267 (.26687) .261 (.26137) .264 (.26395) 2001
.264 (.26378) .259 (.25915) .261 (.26132) 2002
.267 (.26728) .262 (.26152) .264 (.26423) 2003
.270 (.26991) .263 (.26258) .264 (.26603) 2004

.268 (.26763)

.262 (.26166)

.264 (.26447)

2005

.275 (.27481)

.265 (.26451)

.269 (.26934)

2006

.271 (.27053)

.266 (.26591)

.268 (.26806)

2007

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2008
American League National League Major League Year

League By League Batting Averages


The record for the highest batting average in the American League was .292, set in 1921, and in the National League it was .303, set in 1930.

The record for the lowest batting average in the American League was .230, set in 1968, and in the National League it was .239, set in 1908.

Did you know that during the 1930 National League season; six clubs had a team batting average over .300 and thirty-three players were eligible for the batting title with averages of over .300 each?
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