Defining a Quality At-Bat (QAB)
Batting average lies. QAB% is the metric I track because it tells you whether the hitter is competing — not whether they got lucky.
Batting average is the worst metric in baseball for measuring development. A hitter can go 0-for-4 and have four quality at-bats. Another can go 2-for-4 and have given away both outs on first-pitch ground balls. Average rewards luck. QAB% rewards process.
That's why every player I work with tracks QAB%, not average. It's the metric that tells parents, coaches, and the player whether the work is showing up between the lines.
A Quality At-Bat counts when the hitter does at least one of the following:
- Hits the ball hard (line drive, deep fly, gap)
- Drives in a run with two outs
- Sees six or more pitches
- Walks
- Moves a runner with the situation
- Battles to a full count
- Executes a sacrifice (bunt or fly)
- Beats out an infield hit by hustling out of the box
What QAB% tells you:
- Is the hitter competing every at-bat or only when it feels good?
- Is the approach holding up against off-speed and two-strike counts?
- Is the player a producer in pressure situations or a passenger?
If a hitter can stack QABs at a 60–70% clip, the results catch up. Always. The numbers in the box score are a lagging indicator of the at-bats that built them.
NEXT STEP
Want this diagnosed on your hitter?
Every player starts with an initial assessment — Blast Motion data, video review, and a written plan based on the same checkpoints you just read about.
