If an outfielder let a ball drop in front of him that he should catch is it a hit or error?

If an outfielder lets a ball drop in front of him that he should have caught, it is typically ruled as an error. An error is charged when a fielder fails to make a play that a competent fielder would normally make, resulting in the batter reaching base safely. If the ball was difficult to catch or if there were extenuating circumstances, it might not be ruled an error, but generally, a straightforward drop would be considered an error.