Slugging and OPS are two of the most important advanced statistics in baseball. Slugging (or SLG) is a statistic that measures a player’s total bases per at-bat, while OPS (or On-base Plus Slugging) is a statistic that combines a player’s on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Both statistics are used to measure a player’s offensive value and are used to compare hitters against each other.
Understanding Slugging
Slugging (SLG) is a statistic that measures a player’s total bases per at-bat. To calculate a player’s slugging percentage, you start by totaling the number of singles, doubles, triples, and home runs a player has hit in a game or season. Then, divide that total by the number of at-bats and you have the player’s slugging percentage. The formula looks like this:
SLG = (1B + 2 x 2B + 3 x 3B + 4 x HR) ÷ AB
For example, if a player had 5 singles, 3 doubles, 2 triples, and 1 home run in 30 at-bats, his slugging percentage would be .733. This means that for every at-bat, the player is getting .733 total bases.
Understanding OPS
OPS (On-base Plus Slugging) is a statistic that combines a player’s on-base percentage (OBP) and slugging percentage (SLG). To calculate a player’s OPS, you start by adding his on-base percentage and his slugging percentage and then divide that total by two. The formula looks like this:
OPS = (OBP + SLG) ÷ 2
For example, if a player had an on-base percentage of .400 and a slugging percentage of .733, his OPS would be .567. This means that the player is getting .567 total bases per at-bat.
Difference Between Slugging and OPS
Slugging and OPS may look similar, but they measure two different things. Slugging measures a player’s total bases per at-bat, while OPS measures a player’s total bases per at-bat plus his on-base percentage.
The most important difference between slugging and OPS is that OPS gives more weight to a player’s on-base percentage than slugging does. This is because OPS adds the player’s on-base percentage to his slugging percentage and then divides by two. This means that a player’s on-base percentage can have a larger impact on his OPS than it does on his slugging percentage.
Conclusion
Slugging and OPS are two of the most important advanced statistics in baseball. Slugging measures a player’s total bases per at-bat, while OPS combines a player’s on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The most important difference between slugging and OPS is that OPS gives more weight to a player’s on-base percentage than slugging does. Both statistics are important for measuring a player’s offensive value and are used to compare hitters against each other.