Stats

Quality At-Bat (QAB)

A quality at-bat (QAB) is any plate appearance that meets at least one of the defined criteria for a productive at-bat, regardless of whether the batter gets a hit. A hard line drive caught by the shortstop is a QAB. A 9-pitch walk is a QAB. A first-pitch popup is not. QAB measures the process and competitiveness of an at-bat, not just the outcome. That makes it one of the most useful stats for coaching youth hitters, and one of the most underused. For putting the stat into practice, see the quality at bat coaching system: how to track QAB and set team goals.

QAB Criteria

An at-bat counts as a quality at-bat if it meets any one of these criteria:

#	Criterion	Why It Counts
1	Hit	Any hit is a productive at-bat
2	Walk (BB)	Reached base by being disciplined at the plate
3	Hit by Pitch (HBP)	Reached base, so it counts
4	Sacrifice bunt or sacrifice fly	Advanced a runner or scored a run at the cost of an out
5	Productive out: moved a runner from 2nd to 3rd, or scored a runner from 3rd	The out had a purpose
6	Hard-hit ball: line drive or hard ground ball, regardless of result	The batter hit the ball hard; the defense just happened to make the play
7	8+ pitch at-bat	Battled, worked the count, made the pitcher throw a lot of pitches
8	At-bat that raised the pitcher's pitch count by 4+ after falling behind 0-2	Fought back from a bad count and made the pitcher work

Some teams add additional criteria. Some simplify to 6 criteria. The exact list matters less than the philosophy: reward competitive at-bats, not just hits.

QAB Formula

QAB% = Quality At-Bats ÷ Total Plate Appearances

Example: A player has 40 plate appearances in a month. Of those, 22 meet at least one QAB criterion:

QAB% = 22 ÷ 40 = 55%

Why QAB Is Better Than Batting Average for Coaching

Batting average punishes bad luck. A screaming line drive caught by the second baseman counts the same as a weak grounder to the pitcher: both are outs, both are 0-for-1. But one was a great at-bat and the other wasn't.

QAB captures the difference. The line drive is a QAB (hard-hit ball). The weak grounder is not.

Over a 15-game youth season, batting average is heavily influenced by randomness, meaning where the ball happens to land. QAB is influenced by the batter's approach, discipline, and effort, the things the player can control and the coach can develop.

This reframes the conversation with players. Instead of "you went 0-for-3," it's "you had 2 quality at-bats today: a hard line drive and a 7-pitch walk. Keep doing that and the hits will come."

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Youth QAB Benchmarks

These are targets coaches commonly set for their teams, not published league averages.

Level	Below Average	Average	Above Average	Strong
10U Rec	Below 35%	35-45%	45-55%	55%+
12U Competitive	Below 40%	40-50%	50-60%	60%+
14U Travel	Below 45%	45-55%	55-65%	65%+

How to Track QAB

During games: As each batter completes their at-bat, mark whether it met any QAB criterion. In Rizzler, you can track QAB as part of in-game scoring, noting the at-bat result and whether it qualified.

After games: Review QAB percentages for each player. Look for trends. Is a player's QAB percentage improving even if their batting average is flat? That's a sign they're developing the right habits.

In evaluations: QAB percentage is a valuable input for player evaluations. Pair it with OBP and strikeout rate for a complete picture of offensive development.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do most teams track QAB?

At the travel level (12U+), more teams are adopting QAB. At the rec level, it's less common but equally valuable. Any coach can start tracking it; it only takes a moment per at-bat to note whether it was a QAB.

Can a strikeout be a QAB?

Yes, if the at-bat lasted 8+ pitches or if the batter fought back from 0-2 and drove the pitch count up by 4+. A 10-pitch strikeout is a quality at-bat because the batter made the pitcher work.

What's the relationship between QAB and OBP?

They overlap but aren't the same. Every walk (part of OBP) is a QAB. But QABs also include hard-hit outs, productive outs, and long at-bats that don't affect OBP. A player can have a moderate OBP but a high QAB%, meaning they're doing a lot right at the plate even when they're making outs.

How do I explain QAB to parents?

"A quality at-bat means your kid competed. They hit the ball hard, worked the count, or moved a runner. A hit is great, but a hard line drive that gets caught is still a good at-bat. QAB tracks whether your kid is doing the right things at the plate." For something you can send to families directly, share our QAB explainer for parents and players.

QAB changes how you think about offense. Start tracking it the next time you score a game.

Rolling QAB out across a club or league? Our team can help.

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