Baseball has a funny way of making history when you aren't looking. For decades, the .300 mark was the gold standard for anyone calling themselves a "contact hitter." If you hit .300, you were elite. If you hit .330, you were a god. But the list of national league batting average leaders 2025 tells a much different, almost jarring story about where the game is headed.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a shocker.
Trea Turner took home the crown this year. The Philadelphia Phillies shortstop finished the regular season with a .304 batting average. On paper, that sounds like a typical "good" year. In reality, it was a record-breaking anomaly. Turner’s .304 is officially the lowest batting average ever to win a National League batting title. He barely edged out the legendary Tony Gwynn, who held the previous "low" of .313 from back in 1988.
It makes you wonder: what happened to the era of the .340 hitter?
The 2025 NL Batting Race: A Slow Burn to the Finish
While the American League saw Aaron Judge putting up video game numbers, the Senior Circuit was a grind. Pitching has become so dominant—with everyone throwing 99 mph with "sweepers" that move two feet—that putting the ball in play is a victory in itself.
Turner stayed consistent while everyone else flickered. He didn’t have a month where he hit .400; he just didn't have a month where he completely disappeared. He ended with 179 hits, second only to the hit-king Luis Arráez. But because Trea runs like a gazelle and puts pressure on the defense, he turned a dozen routine groundouts into infield singles. That’s the margin of victory right there.
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The Top 10 National League Batting Average Leaders 2025
If you look at the final leaderboard, it’s a mix of old-school grinders and young speedsters. Here is how the top of the pack shook out by the time the dust settled in September:
- Trea Turner (PHI): .304 — The only guy in the NL to crack the .300 barrier among qualified hitters.
- Nico Hoerner (CHC): .297 — A masterclass in bat-to-ball skills. Hoerner is basically a throwback player who refuses to strike out.
- Freddie Freeman (LAD): .295 — Death, taxes, and Freddie Freeman hitting nearly .300. He is the most bored-looking elite hitter in history.
- Luis Arráez (SDP): .292 — This was actually a "down" year for Arráez, which is hilarious. He led the league in total hits with 181, but the average dipped.
- Geraldo Perdomo (ARI): .290 — The surprise of the year. Perdomo developed a much sturdier approach at the plate for the D-backs.
- Alec Burleson (STL): .290 — Finally finding his groove in St. Louis, proving he belongs in the heart of that lineup.
- Sal Frelick (MIL): .288 — Part of that young Brewers core that just pesters pitchers to death.
- Brice Turang (MIL): .288 — Turang and Frelick are basically twins at the plate.
- Brendan Donovan (STL): .287 — The Swiss Army knife.
- Alec Bohm (PHI): .287 — Proving that the Phillies' hitting coaches are doing something very right.
Why Luis Arráez Didn't Repeat
Most people expected Luis Arráez to waltz into his fourth straight batting title. The man is a hit machine. However, baseball is a game of millimeters. In 2025, Arráez still managed 181 hits, but he saw a slight rise in his soft-contact rate.
He played through a thumb injury for a good chunk of the summer. You could see it in his swing—he wasn't quite driving the ball to the gaps like he did in Miami or Minnesota. Even a "bad" Arráez is better than 95% of the league, but it wasn't enough to catch Turner this time around. He finished fourth. It’s the first time in years he hasn't been the guy everyone is chasing.
The Shohei Ohtani Factor
You can't talk about the national league batting average leaders 2025 without mentioning the guy who won the MVP. Shohei Ohtani finished the season with a .282 average.
Now, if you’re just looking at average, he was 13th in the league. But Ohtani isn't trying to hit singles. He clubbed 55 home runs and drove in 102 runs. When you’re slugging .622, nobody cares if your average starts with a .2 instead of a .3. He finished with an OPS of 1.014, which led the league by a country mile.
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Ohtani’s season was a perfect example of why the "Batting Average" stat is losing its luster in front offices. He was the best hitter in the world in 2025, even if Trea Turner was the "batting champion."
The Death of the .300 Hitter?
It’s kinda wild to think about. In the 90s, you’d have 15 or 20 guys hitting .300 in the National League. In 2025? Just one.
The shift is gone (mostly), but the pitching is just too good. The average fastball in the NL is now hovering around 94.2 mph. When you combine that with "pitch tunneling"—where a slider and a fastball look identical for the first 40 feet—it’s a miracle anyone hits anything.
We’re seeing a tactical pivot. Teams are valuing "Damage" (home runs and doubles) over "Contact." Even the leaders on this list, like Ketel Marte (.283) and Pete Alonso (.272), are swinging for the fences more than ever.
Surprises and Letdowns
Mookie Betts had a weird year. Usually a lock for the top five, Mookie finished at .258. He still contributed, especially with a hot streak in the final 30 games where he hit nearly .300, but the overall consistency wasn't there.
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On the flip side, Nico Hoerner and Geraldo Perdomo are becoming the new faces of the "Contact Revolution." They aren't going to hit 30 homers, but they are going to make life miserable for a pitcher by fouling off ten pitches and then poking a single into right field.
What This Means for Your Fantasy Draft Next Year
If you’re looking at these stats to prep for 2026, the biggest takeaway is that high-average hitters are now a rare resource.
In the past, you could find average late in the draft. Now, if you don't grab a Trea Turner, a Freddie Freeman, or a Nico Hoerner early, your team's batting average is going to tank. You can find home runs anywhere. You cannot find a .300 average easily anymore.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you want to track who will lead the NL in 2026, don't just look at the hits. Look at these three metrics:
- Whiff Rate: Trea Turner and Nico Hoerner have some of the lowest whiff rates in the league. If you don't swing and miss, you eventually get a hit.
- Sprint Speed: Since averages are dropping, "hustle hits" are becoming more important. Turner’s speed literally bought him the batting title.
- Launch Angle Consistency: Guys like Luis Arráez have a very tight launch angle distribution. They don't hit pop-ups and they don't hit "worm-burners." They hit line drives.
The 2025 season proved that the batting title is no longer a given for the superstars. It’s a war of attrition. Whether Turner can repeat or if Arráez reclaims his throne in 2026 is going to be the storyline to watch. For now, Trea gets to enjoy being the king of the "Low-Average Era."