Baseball Equivalent Average Calculator
EqA — comprehensive offensive metric on a batting average scale
Batter Stats
Enter season or career totals to compute EqA
Required — Hits & At-Bats
Optional — Sacrifice & Baserunning
Scale factor adjusts EqA to league-average ≈ .260 (default 0.92; season-specific values range ~0.90–0.95)
EqA Results
Equivalent Average (EqA)
—
League average ≈ .260
Raw EqA (unscaled)
—
before scaling× scale factor = EqA
Step-by-step calculation
📊 EqA Benchmarks
| EqA Range | Rating | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| .320+ | Historic | All-time great offensive season | Bonds 2001–04 peak |
| .300–.320 | Elite | MVP-caliber offensive production | Mike Trout peak years |
| .280–.300 | Excellent | All-Star caliber production | Most All-Star position players |
| .260–.280 | Above Avg | Solid regular; above league average | Good MLB starter |
| .240–.260 | Average | League average | Typical MLB starter |
| < .240 | Poor | Below average offensive contribution | Bench player / glove-first |
EqA Formula Reference
Equivalent Average (EqA)
Numerator = H + TB + 1.5×(BB+HBP+SB) + SH + SF
Denominator = AB + BB + HBP + SH + SF + CS + SB÷3
Raw EqA = Numerator ÷ Denominator
EqA = Raw × Scale Factor (≈ 0.92)
Total Bases (TB)
TB = H + 2B + 2×3B + 3×HR
(Singles=1pt, Doubles=2pt, Triples=3pt, HRs=4pt)
What is Equivalent Average (EqA)?
Equivalent Average (EqA) is a comprehensive offensive metric developed by Clay Davenport of Baseball Prospectus. Unlike traditional stats such as batting average or OPS, EqA integrates every measurable offensive contribution — hits, extra-base power, walks, hit-by-pitch, stolen base value, and sacrifice plays — into a single number scaled to look exactly like batting average. A league-average hitter has an EqA of approximately .260.
EqA achieves what batting average fails to: it rewards a player equally for reaching base via a walk as it does for a single, credits extra-base power through total bases, and penalizes wasted outs from caught stealing. The result is one of the most complete single-number assessments of offensive production ever devised.
EqA Formula Explained
The EqA calculation proceeds in two steps. First, compute the numerator and denominator:
Denominator = AB + BB + HBP + SH + SF + CS + SB÷3
Raw EqA = Numerator ÷ Denominator
Then apply a scaling constant (typically ~0.92) to normalize the league average to .260:
Why the Weights?
- H + TB: Rewards both contact and power. A single adds 1 (H) + 1 (TB) = 2. A home run adds 1 (H) + 4 (TB) = 5.
- 1.5 × (BB + HBP + SB): Weights walks, HBP, and steals at 1.5 — recognizing they reach base or advance without making an out.
- SH + SF: Includes sacrifice plays, crediting the batter for advancing runners even when making an out.
- CS in denominator: Caught stealing adds to the denominator (the cost pool) without contributing to the numerator — it is a pure negative.
- SB÷3 in denominator: Each steal attempt adds 1/3 to the cost denominator, reflecting partial at-bat-equivalent opportunity cost.
EqA vs. OPS and Batting Average
OPS (on-base plus slugging) is more predictive than batting average but has a known flaw: it adds two unequally-scaled stats (OBP tops out around .500; SLG tops out above 1.000), which over-weights power and under-weights plate discipline in some contexts. EqA avoids this by treating all contributions within a unified formula and then scaling to the familiar .260 norm. Studies show EqA correlates very highly with run production — typically explaining 80–90% of team scoring variance.