Q: I've been watching more baseball than I ever have, and I would like to know what is a good batting average? Thanks! -- A note left on my desk this week.

A: A batting average is derived by dividing the number of hits a player makes by the number of times he comes up to the plate to bat -- hits divided by at-bats.

This average can reflect any period of time. For example, you will hear announcers giving averages for the season, for a particular series (like the playoffs or the World Series), against specific teams, or in particular situations, say against left-handed pitchers or with two outs, and so on.

If you know a baseball fan, you know they are nuts for numbers.

According to the library's copy of "Baseball for Dummies," "a hitter's at-bats do not include walks, sacrifice bunts, sacrifice flies, obstruction calls, catcher's interference, or being hit by a pitch."

Those situations count as plate appearances but are not used to help calculate the batting average.

Plate appearances are important if a player wants to qualify for a seasonal major-league batting championship. According to the book, a player must have at least 502 plate appearances during the course of a regular 162-game season, or 3.1 appearances per game.

What is a good batting average?

A general consensus for a season, at least that I could gather, is a batting average below 0.230 is considered weak, and 0.200 and below is almost unacceptable.

Above 0.300 is considered outstanding, and an average of 0.400 and up, though not impossible, would make a legendary season.

In 1911, 24 year-old Detroit Tiger Ty Cobb had 248 hits over the course of 591 at-bats, resulting in a season batting average of 0.420.

This year, during regular season play, New York Yankee Derek Jeter compiled a batting average of 0.334, and in the World Series he had 11 hits during 27 at-bats for a six- game series average of 0.407.

Eric Norris is the adult department librarian at the Hays Public Library. "Ask Eric" questions can be mailed to 1205 Main, Hays, KS, 67601, submitted through www.hayspublib.org at the "Ask Eric" link or e-mailed to enorris@hayspublib.org.