How this calculator works
Slugging percentage assigns one base to a single, two to a double, three to a triple and four to a home run, then divides the total by at-bats. It looks like a percentage but is best read as bases per at-bat, so .500 means half a base per at-bat rather than fifty percent. Walks are excluded because they are not at-bats and do not represent a power event. The maximum is 4.000 for a batter with only home runs in at least one at-bat. In solve mode the calculator either multiplies slugging by at-bats to get total bases or divides total bases by slugging to get at-bats.
Formula
SLG = total bases / at-bats, where total bases = singles + 2 x doubles + 3 x triples + 4 x home runs. Rearranged: total bases = SLG x at-bats; at-bats = total bases / SLG.
Worked example
A batter has 100 singles, 25 doubles, 3 triples and 20 home runs in 500 at-bats. Total bases = 100 + 50 + 9 + 80 = 239, so SLG = 239 / 500 = 0.478. Fifty singles, 10 doubles, 1 triple and 5 home runs in 300 at-bats give 93 total bases and 93 / 300 = 0.310.
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Frequently asked questions
Why is slugging percentage not multiplied by 100?
It is conventionally written as a decimal, such as .478, even though the name says percentage. The value is total bases per at-bat, so 0.478 is the same as 47.8 percent of a base per at-bat.
Do walks count in slugging percentage?
No. Walks are not at-bats and they do not add a base to the numerator. On-base percentage is the rate that credits walks.
Can slugging percentage exceed 1.000?
Yes. A player with more extra-base hits than at-bats can average more than one base per at-bat. The field allows up to 10 so that the reverse calculation can accept unusual inputs.