Baseball Glossary › Slash Line
Slash Line (AVG/OBP/SLG)
A slash line is a shorthand that lists a hitter's batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage together, in that order, separated by forward slashes (AVG/OBP/SLG). A line of .300/.400/.500 means a .300 average, a .400 OBP and a .500 slugging percentage. Saying a player "slashed" those numbers means the same thing.
Formula
Worked example (illustrative numbers): a hitter slashes .300/.400/.500.
Batting average .300, on-base percentage .400, slugging percentage .500
OPS = .400 + .500 = .900
Athletics example: Nick Kurtz
Nick Kurtz of the Athletics has a career slash line of .275/.389/.557 across 216 games. See the full career line on the Nick Kurtz player page.
AVG .275 / OBP .389 / SLG .557
OPS = .389 + .557 = .946
Career MLB totals from our player database (MLB Stats API).
What to Know
The order never changes. First is batting average, how often the hitter gets a hit. Second is on-base percentage, how often he reaches base including walks and hit-by-pitches. Third is slugging percentage, how much power he hits for.
Reading the gaps tells you a lot. A big jump from the first number to the second points to a hitter who walks often. A big jump from the first number to the third points to a power hitter. Add the last two numbers together and you have OPS.
MLB.com describes the slash line as a colloquial term rather than an official statistic. It is simply a compact way to show three official rate stats at once.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a slash line in baseball?
A slash line is a quick way to show three hitting stats at once: batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, separated by forward slashes. For example, .300/.400/.500.
What order is a slash line in?
A slash line is always written as batting average first, on-base percentage second and slugging percentage third, so AVG/OBP/SLG. Keeping that order lets fans read any slash line at a glance.
What does it mean when a player slashed .300/.400/.500?
It means he hit .300, reached base at a .400 rate and had a .500 slugging percentage. Adding the last two numbers gives his OPS, which here would be .900.
How do you get OPS from a slash line?
Add the second and third numbers. The second number is on-base percentage and the third is slugging percentage, and OPS is simply OBP plus SLG. A .260/.330/.450 slash line works out to a .780 OPS.
Is the slash line an official stat?
No. MLB.com describes slash line as a colloquial term. Each of its three parts, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, is an official statistic, and the slash line just puts them side by side.
What does a good slash line look like?
There is no single cutoff, but FanGraphs' rule-of-thumb charts treat about a .320 OBP as average and .390 as excellent. A line well above the league's average in all three spots marks a strong hitter.
Related Terms
Sources
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