Summary: Take the total number of hits, and divide by the total number of at-bats. That's batting average. It's been with the game almost as long as bats and balls. It was adapted from a cricket stat of the same name. For all its faults, it's still the standard measurement for a hitter's ability. If a player leads the league in stolen bases for a season, they are the stolen base leader. Strikeouts, home runs? Same thing. Leader. But batting average is so entrenched in the game, such a litmus test for hitting, that if a player has the best batting average at the end of season, he's not the leader, he's the champion. He owns a batting title.
