How is SLG % determined in baseball

Slugging Percentage (or SLG for short) is a statistic that goes beyond simply a player is ability to get a hit or get on base, it measures his ability to get a hit & 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, & home runs). Put simply, a player gets a ''base'' for each base he reaches during a season. Singles r counted as one base, doubles two, triples three, & 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, & 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 & 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

Good grief, just get to the formula.

SLG == (total bases) / (at bats), conventionally to three decimals.

Total bases == singles + 2*doubles + 3*triples + 4*homers

or, alternatively, since singles data is not usually readily available,

Total bases == hits + doubles + 2*triples + 3*homers

Plug in numbers, do the bit of math, you've got it.

A spreadsheet can crank it out in microseconds.