How this calculator works
A defensive chance is a putout, an assist or an error. Putouts and assists are successful chances; errors are unsuccessful ones. Fielding percentage divides the successful chances by all chances, so a fielder who handles 100 chances with 2 errors records 98/100 = .980. The measure treats every chance as equally difficult, which is why a shortstop and a first baseman with the same percentage are not equally valuable. Range, throwing arm and double plays are not included.
Formula
FPCT = (putouts + assists) / (putouts + assists + errors). Rearranged for a missing count: putouts = FPCT x errors / (1 - FPCT) - assists; assists = FPCT x errors / (1 - FPCT) - putouts; errors = (putouts + assists) x (1 - FPCT) / FPCT.
Worked example
A fielder records 90 putouts, 10 assists and 2 errors. There are 102 chances, so FPCT = 100 / 102 = 0.9804, or 98.04 percent. With 250 putouts, 40 assists and 5 errors the percentage is 290 / 295 = 0.9831.
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Frequently asked questions
Are passed balls errors?
No. A passed ball is charged to the catcher as a statistic but is not an error, so it does not enter fielding percentage. A catcher's throwing error does.
Why can fielding percentage reach 1?
A fielder with no errors has a percentage of 1.000, or 100 percent. The reverse calculation needs a percentage below 1 because errors cannot be solved from a perfect record.
Does a higher fielding percentage mean a better fielder?
Not necessarily. The statistic rewards sure hands but ignores how many balls a fielder reaches. Modern metrics such as defensive runs saved and outs above average attempt to measure range as well.