Welcome to the Calculator Value. Slugging percentage is a stat in baseball that gives us insight into how well a player hits for power. While the batting average shows us how often a player gets a hit, the slugging percentage provides extra credit for players for hitting with more power such as doubles, triples, and home runs. The more extra bases a player gets, the higher their Slugging percentage (SLG) will be.
In this article, I will explain everything you need to know about slugging percentage, including What it is, how it is calculated, formula, examples, and some faqs.
The Slugging Percentage is a statistical measurement used in baseball to help us measure a player's hitting power ability. It is calculated by dividing the number of bases a player achieves through hits by their total number of at-bats (AB). The statistic includes not only the number of hits a player has but also the types of hits, such as singles (1B)
, doubles (2B)
, triples (3B)
and home runs (HR)
. However, each type of hit contributes a different weight to the overall calculation.
The name can be misleading, as slugging percentage reflects a player's ability, but it is not a percentage. The SLG range spans from 0.000 to 4.000
, with 0.400
considered the Major League Baseball (MLB) average.
The following formula is used to calculate the slugging percentage:
SLG = ( Singles + 2 × Doubles + 3 × Triples + 4 × Home Runs) / At Bats
Let's break down the formula:
Let's understand the slugging percentage deeply with a real-world example of a player with these stats:
100 At Bats (AB)
30 Singles (1B)
15 Doubles (2B)
5 Triples (3B)
10 Home Runs (HR)
Total Bases = ( 30 × 1 ) + ( 15 × 2 ) + ( 5 × 3 ) + ( 10 × 4 )
Total Bases = 30 + 30 + 15 + 40 = 115 total bases
SLG = 115 / 100 = 1.150
Hence, we have calculated the player's slugging percentage is 1.150
.
In baseball, 0.400
is considered an above-average slugging percentage in Major League Baseball (MLB), while an SLG of 0.600
or higher is considered excellent.