Slugging Average : 1896 National League Top 25

Finding the American or National League leader in virtually every hitting & pitching statistic is easy-to-do. Finding the top 25 players during any given season is far more challenging. Baseball Almanac has taken away that difficult problem and is pleased to present the data you requested:

"The baseball season - six months & 2,106 games - is flat out long, and it's a rare one of those games that doesn't ramble or sputter or digress or somehow violate the rules of dramatic narrative. Baseball takes its own sweet time reaching its conclusions." - Dwight Allen in Reds, Yanks and O's (1989)
 

1896 Slugging Average Leaders

Top 25 in the National League

Ed Delahanty .631 (.63126) Philadelphia Phillies 1
Bill Dahlen .553 (.55274) Chicago Colts 2
Tom McCreery .546 (.54649) Louisville Colonels 3
Joe Kelley .543 (.54335) Baltimore Orioles 4
Jesse Burkett .541 (.54096) Cleveland Spiders 5
Bill Joyce .518 (.51789) Washington Senators 6
New York Giants  
Mike Tiernan .516 (.51631) New York Giants 7
Elmer Smith .500 (.50000) Pittsburgh Pirates 8
Willie Keeler .496 (.49632) Baltimore Orioles 9
Hughie Jennings .488 (.48752) Baltimore Orioles 10
Jake Stenzel .486 (.48643) Pittsburgh Pirates 11
George Van Haltren .484 (.48399) New York Giants 12
Fred Clarke .476 (.47582) Louisville Colonels 13
Dusty Miller .468 (.46825) Cincinnati Reds 14
Ed McKean .468 (.46760) Cleveland Spiders 15
Bill Lange .465 (.46482) Chicago Colts 16
Herman Long .463 (.46307) Boston Beaneaters 17
Billy Hamilton .463 (.46272) Boston Beaneaters 18
George Davis .455 (.45547) New York Giants 19
John Anderson .453 (.45349) Brooklyn Bridegrooms 20
Gene DeMontreville .452 (.45216) Washington Senators 21
Sam Thompson .449 (.44874) Philadelphia Phillies 22
Cupid Childs .446 (.44578) Cleveland Spiders 23
Fielder Jones .443 (.44304) Brooklyn Bridegrooms 24
Roger Connor .433 (.43271) St. Louis Browns 25



The first player from the Angels franchise (they were the California Angels at the time) to wear the number twenty-five was Bob Perry.

Jose Cruz of the Houston Astros had his number twenty-five retired on October 3, 1992, and became the first Major League player with that particular retired number.

Jim Thome wore number twenty-five since he first came up with the Cleveland Indians making him the franchise record holder for that particular number (Mike Garcia is second).