WebQuest: Whiff to Slug Ratio

Why are we doing this?

Baseball bills itself as a game of statistics. Every pitch, hit, run, and out is recorded for prosperity. Some of these statistics are published on a daily basis in newspapers across the country, but a handful of other stats are tucked away into the vast cervices of the World Wide Web (WWW). With the recent dramatic success of several powerful hitters, the home run has gotten a lot of attention. Many people know Hank Aaron is the all-time leader in career home runs, but did you know he struck out almost twice as often as he hit home runs? Some people may know Reggie Jackson struck out more than any other player in history, but did he strike out more often than anyone else? Remember, career records require longevity, so even records of futility are held by some of the all-time greatest players.

Technical Stuff:

A ratio is a comparison of two quantities of the same unit, and is usually stated as a fraction in lowest terms. However, since a ratio must compare two numbers, a ratio that reduces to a whole number needs to be written as a fraction with the number 1 as the denominator. For example, the ratio of 20 hours to 5 hours is 4/1. Ratios can also be indicated with a colon, or by writing the words "the ratio of a to b." In all cases, a/b, a:b, and "the ratio of a to b" are all read as "the ratio of a to b." A rate is a comparison of two quantities of different units. Rates are usually written as decimals, and for added meaning, the units should be indicated immediately following the rate. For example, if a train travels 50 miles in two hours, the rate corresponding to the train's speed is 25 miles/hour. ESPN hosts a site that tracks the All-Time Statistics for Major League Baseball. This searchable site allows the user to sort the statistics by a variety of different statistics by simply clicking on the name of the statistic. For example, to sort the players by who has hit the most home runs, click on the title for the HR column, or to see how the players rank in career strikeouts, click on the title for the SO column.

First, let's do some math.

1. Write each of the following ratios as a fraction in lowest terms.   a. 6:18 b. 20:4   Answer --> 1/3 Answer --> 5/1         c. 12 to 8 d. 360 to 480   Answer --> 3/2 Answer --> 3/4           2. Find the following rates.   a. Earn $520 in 4 hours. b. Travel 322 miles on 14 gallons of gas.   Answer --> $131/hr Answer --> 23 mpg         c. $40 for 16 magazines. d. 1122 books in 11 crates.   Answer --> $2.50/magazine Answer --> 102 books/crate

Now, let's explore a website.

Go to the All-time Statistics for Major League Baseball website and sort the site according to the all-time home run leaders. Print out the following table and record the the number of games played (G), at-bats (AB), home runs (HR), and strikeouts(SO) for the ten players with the most home runs. Then, compute the rates for the AB/G, AB/HR, AB/SO, and SO/HR (rounded to the nearest tenth). The statistics for Hank Aaron are recorded and computed as an example. Player Look Up Calculate AB HR SO AB/HR AB/SO SO/HR Hank Aaron 12364 755 1383   16.4 8.9 1.832                                                                                                                                                 Of the 10 players in your list, Who hit the most home runs? Who hit home runs most often? Who hit home runs least often? Who struck out the most times? Who struck out most often? Who struck out least often?

Questions to think about.

1. What does the SO/HR ratio mean?   Answer --> It indicates how much more likely a player was to strike out than hit a HR.     2. Is it better to have a higher or lower SO/HR ratio?   Answer --> Lower.     3. Hank Aaron hit one home run for every 16.4 at bats. What percent of his AB resulted in a HR?   Answer --> About 6%.     4. Hank Aaron struck out once every 8.9 AB. What percent of his AB resulted in a SO?   Answer --> About 11%.