Overview
OBP is calculated as (Hits + Walks + HBP) / (At-Bats + Walks + HBP + Sacrifice Flies). Unlike batting average, it includes walks, giving credit to batters with good plate discipline. In NPB, .400 or above is considered excellent, with the single-season record of .455 set by Wladimir Balentien (Yakult) in 2013. Hiromitsu Ochiai holds the career record at an extraordinary .422. Sadaharu Oh maintained elite OBP throughout his career thanks to a record 2,390 career walks. Sabermetrics values OBP over batting average due to its stronger correlation with run scoring. Placing high-OBP hitters in the first and second lineup spots is believed to maximize scoring efficiency, and this approach has become increasingly common in modern NPB lineup construction.