What this calculator does
Slugging percentage is total bases divided by at-bats. Unlike batting average, it weights hits by how far they went: a single counts one, a double two, a triple three and a home run four.
That weighting is the whole point. A player with 145 hits in 500 at-bats has a .290 average whether those hits were all singles or included thirty home runs, and slugging separates the two. The scale runs from 0 to a theoretical 4.000, though anything above .600 over a season is exceptional.
The formula
Total bases are the singles plus twice the doubles plus three times the triples plus four times the home runs. That total is divided by at-bats. Walks are excluded, as they are from batting average, because a walk is not an at-bat and produces no bases in this accounting.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Total bases | Singles plus 2× doubles plus 3× triples plus 4× home runs. |
| SLG | Slugging percentage, total bases per at-bat. Despite the name it is a rate, not a percentage of anything. |
| Isolated power | Slugging minus batting average, which strips out the singles and measures extra-base ability alone. |
| OPS | On-base plus slugging, the common combination of the two rate statistics. |
The inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Singles | Singles. Note this is singles specifically, not total hits. |
| Doubles | Doubles. |
| Triples | Triples. |
| Home runs | Home runs. |
| At-bats | At-bats. |
When to use it
Measuring power rather than contact
Batting average treats every hit alike. Slugging is the standard correction, and the gap between the two is a direct measure of extra-base ability.
Calculating OPS
On-base plus slugging is the most widely used quick summary of a hitter, and slugging is half of it.
Comparing two similar averages
Two players hitting .290 can differ by 150 points of slugging, which is the difference between a singles hitter and a power threat.
Worked examples
Every figure in the tables below is produced by this page’s own calculator at build time, so the numbers and the tool always agree. Select any row to load that scenario.
How much do home runs move slugging?
A fixed hit profile with the home run count increasing.
Questions
What is a good slugging percentage?
Above .500 is very good, above .550 is excellent and above .600 over a full season is exceptional. League average sits around .400. The bands move with the run environment, and the live-ball eras push them noticeably higher.
Why is it called a percentage?
Inaccurately, by convention. It is total bases per at-bat and can theoretically reach 4.000, so it is not a percentage of anything. The name has stuck for over a century despite being wrong.
Do I enter singles or total hits?
Singles specifically. If you have total hits, subtract the doubles, triples and home runs to get the singles. Entering total hits in the singles field would double-count every extra-base hit.
What is isolated power?
Slugging percentage minus batting average, which removes the singles and leaves only the extra bases. It isolates power from contact ability, and it is why two players with the same average can have very different value.
For getting on base, see the on-base percentage calculator. For batting average, see the batting average calculator.