How Many At-Bats Do MLB Players Get In a Season?

The number of at-bats per player tends to change every season. In the 2019 season, the average at-bats of an MLB player was counted somewhere between 129 and 323 at-bats, depending upon the number of games they played.  

Baseball statistics is an extensive area to explore. Its intricacies go at least a century back, if not more. 

Knowing these statistics can help you improve your gameplay, master the techniques, and score more hits. 

At-bats count the number of times a given baseball player steps into the batter’s box. It can help you focus on bettering your game plan. 

Contents

How Many At-Bats Does a Player Need?

If a baseball player is aiming to lead the league in batting average, he needs at least 502 at-bats or plate appearances during a particular season.

Who Holds the At-Bats Record in a Single Major League Baseball Season?

Jimmy Rollins of the Philadelphia Phillies holds the record of most at-bats in a season with 716 at-bats in a single Major League Baseball Season in the year 2007. He is closely followed by Willie Wilson of the Kansas City Royals with 705 at-bats.

What is the Record for the Most At-Bats in One Game?

Pete Rose, also called Charlie Hustle, holds two major league records.  He had a record of 600+ at-bats in both.

The record for at-bats in a nine-inning game is eight which is held by eighteen major league players. Barry McCormick of Chicago was the last baseball player to hold this record.

How Many Bats Does an Average MLB Player Use in a Year?

The average MLB player uses about one bat for 10 at-bats. This roughly translates to one-tenth of the total at-bats per season. 

For example, if a season had over 150,000 at-bats, an MLB player could use over 15,000 baseball bats in a year.

How Many Times Do You Get to Bat in Baseball?

How many times you get to bat comes down to multiple factors. 

If we were to take an average, in the 2019 season, MLB players batted 2.73 at-bats, per game, in an average of 47.60 games played and 3.08 at-bats, per game, in an average of 104.88 games played.

Keep in mind, that statistic takes all 1,288 players and 162 games played into account.

Who Swings the Biggest Bat in the Major League Baseball Games?

Babe Ruth holds the record for swinging 36-inch bats weighing 50+ ounces. They’re the heaviest bats ever recorded in MLB history.

How Many Bats Do MLB Players Get in a Season?

The number of bats per player in the MLB games depends entirely on the players themselves. Some players, bench players for instance, barely get on the field; some players only serve defense purposes. 

Because of the differentiation of purposes, they don’t all contribute in the same way to the game.

A typical major league starter averages 550+ bats a season. However, the number is not set in stone. 

Some position players do less, some more. 

Do Batboys Get Paid?

MLB requires all baseball teams to pay their bat boys minimum wage. The mode of payment, however, differs from one team to the next. 

For example, baseball teams like the Atlanta Braves pay their bat boys an hourly rate of $9-$10, while teams like the New York Yankees pay their batboys an annual salary of between $7.62k to $8.27k.

It’s important to note that batboys only work for home games. So they’re only at work for 81 days a year.

How Much Does One Baseball Bat Cost?

The cost of a Major League Baseball bat depends on the make, model, brand, and customizations (if any). Generally, a baseball bat can cost anywhere between $75–$185

Maple bats and wood bats are more expensive. They’re mostly used by players from the major leagues.

Depending on the number of bats required in a certain game, MLB teams can also get a team discount which brings down the cost to an average of $40–$60 per bat. 

Do MLB Players Pay for Their Own Bats?  

No, MLB teams pay for the bats, players merely choose them. However, players may choose to purchase their own bats if it suits their preferences. 

In such cases, they must ensure the bat meets MLB specs before it’s put to use in a game.

Do MLB Players Pay for Their Own Baseball Gloves?  

MLB team members do not pay for their own gloves. Almost every major leaguer is provided with free gloves. 

In the instance they’re not provided with gloves, they’re reimbursed for them later, and this extends to even minor leaguers. 

The glove business is driven by the revenue generated from recreational players who tend to purchase the same type and make of baseball gloves as their favorite players. 

Who Supplies Bats to MLB Players?

According to Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC), brands like Marucci, Old Hickory, and Louisville Slugger supply bats to MLB players. Currently, 30 bat manufacturers are certified for supplying bats to the major league teams.

These companies are also open to customizing these bats to suit the preferences of the MLB players. They can adjust the length, width, weight, thickness, and diameter of the bat as required. 

The prices of the bats obviously change post-customization.  

How Many Bats Get Broken Per Game?

On average, 0.8 bats per game have broken in the current season compared to the one-bat average of the previous season. A bat that breaks into two or more pieces is considered a broken bat under baseball’s count. 

How Many Balls Do Players Get in an MLB Season?

According to an MLB spokesperson, 900,000 baseballs are used every season. An average of 8- to 10-dozen balls is used by each of the 30 clubs in any given season. 

Of course, this analysis is not restricted to balls used in actual games alone. Spring training and batting practice are also taken into account in the statistics.

What Is the Average Number of Pitches Per At-Bat?

As of 2013, the number of pitches per at-bat grew by a whopping 7%. It accommodates approximately 3.83 pitches per plate appearance.  

It is to be noted that the number of pitches per at-bat is increasing with every season. 

Wrapping Up

At-bats are used to calculate statistics that can help determine the performance of a player in a game and a season. 

If you’re a dedicated baseball fan, then you probably already know all the statistics surrounding at-bats and the single-season leaders, etc. And if you’re a newbie to the sport, after reading this, you will have realized by now that at-bats are very important to the game of baseball.