The formula for calculating Slugging Percentage (SLG).
Credit: Mike Darowski | ©Mike Darowski
Calculating Basic Baseball Stats - Slugging Percentage (SLG) and Total Bases
If you're a baseball fan, you probably are aware of how important statistics are to the game. A casual fan probably understands what most of the most popular statistics measure, in a general sense, but they may not know how to calculate these stats for themselves. Let's look at a two of the most basic hitting statistics and see how they're calculated.
Slugging Percentage (or SLG for short) is a statistic that goes beyond simply a player's ability to get a hit or get on base, it measures his ability to get a hit and hit for power. Where batting average is ratio of hits per at bats a player gets, Slugging Percentage is the ratio of total bases to at bats.
Total Bases credits a player for extra-base hits (doubles, triples, and home runs). Put simply, a player gets a "base" for each base he reaches during a season. Singles are counted as one base, doubles two, triples three, and home runs four.
The formula for Total Bases is Singles (Total hits - 2b -3b - HR) + (2b x 2) + (3b x 3) + (HR x 4).
For hitter who has 150 total hits, 30 doubles, 1 triple, and 10 HR, the equation would look like this:
108 (150 - 30 -2 - 10) + 60 (30 x 2) + 6 (2 x 3) + 40 (10 x 4) = 240 Total Bases
Now, to calculate Slugging Percentage (SLG), take total bases and divide by the number of at bats a hitter has. For example, say the hitter above got those 240 Total Bases in 500 at bats. You'd calculate the equation like this:
240 Total Bases / 500 At Bats = .480 SLG
Slugging Percentage is displayed as a decimal, with three spaces after the decimal point.
Now, what makes a good Slugging Percentage? Well, it's generally accepted that a .500 Slugging Percentage is pretty darn good. Of course, that doesn't mean a hitter with an SLG lower than that isn't a good hitter, or that you'd always want to pick a hitter purely on his Slugging Percentage (or power). There are other things to keep in mind (such as how often a player walks and how often he strikes out) that are captured in other statistics.
Slugging Percentage (or SLG for short) is a statistic that goes beyond simply a player's ability to get a hit or get on base, it measures his ability to get a hit and hit for power. Where batting average is ratio of hits per at bats a player gets, Slugging Percentage is the ratio of total bases to at bats.
Total Bases credits a player for extra-base hits (doubles, triples, and home runs). Put simply, a player gets a "base" for each base he reaches during a season. Singles are counted as one base, doubles two, triples three, and home runs four.
The formula for Total Bases is Singles (Total hits - 2b -3b - HR) + (2b x 2) + (3b x 3) + (HR x 4).
For hitter who has 150 total hits, 30 doubles, 1 triple, and 10 HR, the equation would look like this:
108 (150 - 30 -2 - 10) + 60 (30 x 2) + 6 (2 x 3) + 40 (10 x 4) = 240 Total Bases
Now, to calculate Slugging Percentage (SLG), take total bases and divide by the number of at bats a hitter has. For example, say the hitter above got those 240 Total Bases in 500 at bats. You'd calculate the equation like this:
240 Total Bases / 500 At Bats = .480 SLG
Slugging Percentage is displayed as a decimal, with three spaces after the decimal point.
Now, what makes a good Slugging Percentage? Well, it's generally accepted that a .500 Slugging Percentage is pretty darn good. Of course, that doesn't mean a hitter with an SLG lower than that isn't a good hitter, or that you'd always want to pick a hitter purely on his Slugging Percentage (or power). There are other things to keep in mind (such as how often a player walks and how often he strikes out) that are captured in other statistics.
- Total Bases give a hitter credit for extra base hits
- Slugging Percentage is determined by dividing Total Bases by At Bats
- Total Bases and Slugging both favor a high average hitter with power.
Comments
rod
(Guest)
(Guest)
04/03/2009
whoops my bad 109(150-30-1-10)+60(30x2)+3(1x3)+40(10x4)=212 thats better 212/500=.424
rod schantin
(Guest)
(Guest)
04/03/2009
actually your both wrong its 212 109(150-30-1-40)+60(30x2)+3(1x3)+40(10x4)=212
Anonymous
(Guest)
(Guest)
02/18/2009
Completely agree with colforbins. it's simple math. If the stats can't be figured correctly then the stats are worthless.
colforbins
(Guest)
(Guest)
10/01/2007
The numbers you use to figure you SLG % out do not work with the answers you provide. First you note the player has 1 triple, but then multiply by 2 triples in the formula. Also the numbers of total bases from the formula are equal to 214, but you note the player has hit for 240 total bases. Very minor, but when you provided easy statistical mathematics for a sport that prides itself more than any other sport on statistics, the numbers should right on.
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