Origin of slugging percentage

[Blue387]

I was looking at some old baseball posters and noticed this poster from 1952 with Ralph Kiner, referring to his .627 slugging percentage in 1951. I had thought slugging percentage was like WHIP, FIP and other recent stats: a relatively recent statistic and didn't expect it to be available in the 1950's. So how old is slugging percentage and who created it?

[BigRon]

I was looking at some old baseball posters and noticed this poster from 1952 with Ralph Kiner, referring to his .627 slugging percentage in 1951. I had thought slugging percentage was like WHIP, FIP and other recent stats: a relatively recent statistic and didn't expect it to be available in the 1950's. So how old is slugging percentage and who created it?

I believe that Branch Rickey had something to do with it. Rickey hired Allan Roth after WW2 to be the first MLB team statistician. It's possible that Rickey and Roth came up with slugging average, but I'm not sure. I am sure that it was in use sometime in the mid- late 1950s- that's when I started following baseball, and it got mentioned occasionally.

[dominik]

I was looking at some old baseball posters and noticed this poster from 1952 with Ralph Kiner, referring to his .627 slugging percentage in 1951. I had thought slugging percentage was like WHIP, FIP and other recent stats: a relatively recent statistic and didn't expect it to be available in the 1950's. So how old is slugging percentage and who created it?

Ted williams mentions slugging percentage and OBP in his book the sicence of hitting.

he even mentioned OPS:
"I was second only to Ruth in slugging and percentage combined"

[ipitch]

So how old is slugging percentage and who created it?

Don't know, but it wasn't later than 1923.

This is from the NY Times in 1923...
"HORNSBY CAPTURES SLUGGING HONORS; Cardinals' Star Leads National League With Official Mark of .627 for Season."

[leewileyfan]

We were well aware of Slugging Percentage when I was in elementary school, which puts it in the 1940s. I remember first learning how to calculate it and my initial reaction being two-fold: it was simple enough to grasp; and it was cool to weigh in the power factor by weighting the bases per hit.

Seeing the opening post, I've tried to recall the source. I have to guess it was "Who's Who in Baseball," which was sold outside Yankee Stadium [and I'm sure news stands as well]. I believe I got my first issue in 1942, if that's any help.

I recall my childhood idol looked even better with the Slugging Pct. - it being over .600.

P.S. Maybe I should have read ipitch's post about 1923. Honestly, before the 1940s I never heard anyone discuss Slugging, either in conversation or on the sports media [radio and the newspapers].

[AstrosFan]

It used to be called total base average, and it is calculated the same way as slugging percentage. From the Boston Daily Globe, September 21, 1884: "The batting average of the two teams on single hits was almost exactly the same, but the right field fence helped Chicago to run up a tremendous total base average." The article provides the total base averages for each team in the series. I had trouble reading Boston's, but Chicago's total base average of .426 calculated correctly.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

It used to be called total base average, and it is calculated the same way as slugging percentage. From the Boston Daily Globe, September 21, 1884: "The batting average of the two teams on single hits was almost exactly the same, but the right field fence helped Chicago to run up a tremendous total base average." The article provides the total base averages for each team in the series. I had trouble reading Boston's, but Chicago's total base average of .426 calculated correctly.

I came across this 1912 article talking about Tris Speaker's total baseball average.


Toledo News-Bee, October 3, 1912 pg 12

Toledo News -Bee 10-03-1912 pg 12.jpg

[Honus Wagner Rules]

I posed this in the Babe Ruth slugging percentage thread. It's from the Elyria Evening Telegram, Sept. 4, 1914. These stats appear to be for a local baseball league. So far it's the earliest use of the phrase "slugging percentage" I could find.


Elyria Evening Telegram 09-04-1914 pg 5a.jpg

Elyria Evening Telegram 09-04-1914 pg 5b.jpg

[Honus Wagner Rules]

From the New York Times, February 4, 1908. I'm not sure this is referring to the modern definition of slugging percentage. It's refers to Ty Cobb keeping his slugging percentage under .800?

NYT 02-04-1908.jpg

[ipitch]

From the New York Times, February 4, 1908. I'm not sure this is referring to the modern definition of slugging percentage. It's refers to Ty Cobb keeping his slugging percentage under .800?

[ATTACH]128462[/ATTACH]

I think it says .300. I've seen a few old articles where "slugging percentage" was used as a nickname for "batting percentage/average."

[Honus Wagner Rules]

I think it says .300. I've seen a few old articles where "slugging percentage" was used as a nickname for "batting percentage/average."

I think so, too. A sub .300 batting average makes more sense. But the NYT abstract says .800. Perhaps they got it wrong?

NYT Cobb.jpg