Quality At-Bat
QABA coach-defined at-bat that counts as productive regardless of the result - hard contact, a walk, a long count, or moving a runner.
A quality at-bat is not an official statistic and there is no standard definition. Each coach sets the criteria, which typically include hard contact regardless of outcome, drawing a walk, seeing some number of pitches, advancing a runner, or a sacrifice.
The point is to measure process rather than results, which matters enormously in youth baseball where sample sizes are tiny and batting average over a twelve-game season is close to noise. A hitter who scorched three line drives directly at fielders is 0-for-3 and has had a good day.
Because the definition is yours, write it down and keep it stable. A QAB rate that means something different in June from what it meant in April measures nothing at all.
What counts as a quality at-bat?
Whatever the coach defines, commonly hard contact regardless of result, a walk, seeing a set number of pitches, advancing a runner, or a sacrifice. There is no official definition.
Why track quality at-bats instead of batting average?
Youth seasons are too short for batting average to be stable. Quality at-bats measure the process a hitter controls rather than whether a hard-hit ball happened to find a fielder.
Let the scorebook keep itself.
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