>>Slugging percentage is a misleading stat, IMHO -- I'd much rather look at RISP averages and on-base percentage. That's what tells me how dangerous a hitter *really* becomes. Lots of decent players with timing, some bat speed and a few guys around them in the lineup can have a good SP (Bonds, Manny Ramirez and A-Rod are excellent current examples, and I'd NEVER include them on a list of "pure hitters") -- but if I was managing a club, I'd much rather see a guy with a high RISP average who always seems to be able to get on base coming up in a clutch situation than somebody who could hit the ball out on any swing but who can't sacrifice worth a damn and strikes out 50 times a year with a runner on third and less than two out.
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>Have you read "The Numbers Game"? I'm pretty sure that's the one that convinced me about OPS.
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>http://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Game-Baseballs-Fascination-Statistics/dp/0312322232/ref=pd_bbs_1/105-1475883-2635618?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186767298&sr=8-1
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>The other book I've read that has a fair amount on this stuff in Moneyball:
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>http://www.amazon.com/Moneyball-Art-Winning-Unfair-Game/dp/0393324818/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-1475883-2635618?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186767367&sr=1-1
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>Tamar


Thanks Tamar! They sound *great* -- I'll check those out...