SLG (Slugging Percentage)
Slugging percentage measures raw power by counting total bases per at-bat. A single is worth 1, a double is 2, a triple is 3, and a home run is 4. Higher slugging means more extra-base hits.
Where batting average treats all hits the same, slugging differentiates. A player who hits 40 home runs will have a much higher SLG than a contact hitter who slaps 200 singles. SLG tells you how much damage a hitter does when he connects.
The limitation of SLG is that it ignores walks entirely. A patient hitter who draws 100 walks gets zero credit in slugging. That’s why OPS (OBP + SLG) became popular — it combines getting on base with hitting for power. And wOBA goes a step further by weighting everything proportionally to actual run value.
What is a good SLG?
SLG captures power output, which factors into wOBA and ultimately NUT Score. Extra-base hits are worth more in wOBA because they drive in more runs.
How NUT Score works →