Zero hits.
That is Kushal A’s batting average line. None. In seven plate appearances across four tournament games, he did not record a single hit.
If you only looked at batting average, you would think he had a rough tournament and should have batted lower in the order.
Now look at the on base percentage. .714.
That number means he reached base successfully in five of his seven trips to the plate. With zero hits, that means five walks.
Pitchers looked at Kushal standing in the batter’s box and decided, on five separate occasions, that throwing him strikes was not worth the risk. They walked around him. They pitched to the next batter instead.
At 11 years old. In a competitive tournament. That is unusual.
Here is what five walks does for a team. A player who reaches base five times in seven trips generates scoring opportunities. He advances runners. He forces pitch counts up. He makes the defense pay attention to someone who is not even hitting the ball.
His quality at bat total was five. Five QABs in seven appearances, with zero hits. That means he drew walks and made pitchers work on four of those five occasions. The sixth and seventh at bats were legitimate outs.
The batting average is what parents see. The on base percentage is what wins games.
What this teaches: On base percentage is a more complete measure of a hitter’s contribution than batting average. A walk is not as exciting as a hit, but it accomplishes the same thing. The player who gets on base five times in seven trips without a hit is contributing to the offense even when the stat sheet makes it look like he is not.