Last week we talked about using math skills to track baseball statistics. We looked at Batting average, Earned run average, and On-base percentage. This week, we will give you a few more ways to have your child become an expert statistician/mathematician!
W-L %: When a pitcher’s ERA is discussed, a mention of his record usually follows. Divide the number of games pitched by the total number of decisions. If the pitcher has pitched 19 games and won 16 of them, take 16 / 19 = .842 for his W-L%.
Fielding AVG: Defense is an important statistic and deals with putouts (PO) which is making an out by catching a fly, tagging out, etc. and assists (A) which is fielding or touching the ball to help make the PO. Who will win the Golden Glove this year? Try to find out who has the best fielding average by taking the total putouts plus assists divided by putouts plus assists plus errors. Say there are 218 PO, 290 A and 2 ERR, the formula would be (218 + 290)/(218+290+2)=508/510=.996
Slugging % (SLG): Is your favorite player a power hitter? Find the SLG by taking the total number of bases of all base hits and divide it by the at bat opportunities. Note: the total number of bases means exactly that: a single is one base, a double is two bases, etc. Walks are not included here! If there were 440 at bats, and 282 total bases, the SLG would be 282 / 440 = .641.
Challenge: What is the average SLG for your favorite team? Pick a defense position and compare the Fielding AVG for the teams that are on top in the AL or NL. Compare the stats of those teams to find their strengths and weaknesses.
Have fun with math!