1st Half Facts & Figures From MLB

[Greg Ambrosius]

The Year of the Pitcher continued this year as pitchers are once again dominating hitters in Major League Baseball. But it's also the Year of the Pitcher because no position has been as decimated by injuries than the pitcher's position. It's now the Year of the Elbow.

Anyway, we asked the STATS Research Team for some first half numbers to analyze how things went through July 15th and not surprisingly offensive numbers are down. But we mean WAAAAAAAAY DOWN. Like at historically low levels. Here's some interesting factoids that we gave on our STATS Fantasy Advantage show last night:

Let’s see what trends we’re seeing in baseball through the first half of the season:
• League-wide offensive numbers are down again this year:
• 4.14 runs per game (per team)  lowest at All-Star break since 1992 (4.14)
• .252 batting average  lowest at All-Star break since 1972 (.244)
• .316 on-base percentage  lowest at All-Star break since 1972 (.310)
• 219 shutouts  most all-time at All-Star break
• 7.71 strikeouts per 9 IP  highest all-time at All-Star break

• The AL East has been a bit topsy-turvy in 2014. Baltimore has taken the division lead into the All-Star break for the first time since 1997 (the last year they won the AL East). Toronto has spent 50 days atop the division, its most in any season since it last won the AL East in 1993 (96 days). The Yankees’ 47-47 record is their worst in the first half since being 43-43 at the 2007 break. And the defending World Series champion Red Sox are in last place at 43-52, 9.5 games behind Baltimore. They are just the third defending champ ever to occupy last place of their division (or league, pre-1969) at the All-Star break; the others were the 1994 Blue Jays and 1998 Marlins.

• Oakland has the majors’ best record at 59-36 (.621). That’s the club’s best first-half record since 1990 (51-31, .622), and just their second time having the best record in baseball at the break (also 1988, 54-34). The A’s are second in the majors in runs per game (4.91) while ranking tied for first in runs allowed per game (3.38); they are the first team to rank in the top two of both categories at the All-Star break since the 1995 Indians.

• Every MLB team has won at least 40 percent of its games this season, something that could be said at the All-Star break just three times previously: 1943, 1958 and 1992. The Rangers have baseball’s worst record at 38-57 (.400), the first time in the franchise’s Texas history (since 1972) that they have had the worst mark in the majors at the All-Star break.

• Teams have employed defensive shifts on average 3.2 times per team game this year, double the rate from 2013 (1.6). The Astros (10.5 per game) and Yankees (7.8) have been by far the most frequent shifters. Among this year’s All Stars, Oakland’s Brandon Moss has seen the most defensive shifts (298 PA, third most in MLB).

• The Padres’ .214 team batting average is the lowest by any team at the All-Star break since the 1968 Yankees (.211), while their .273 on-base percentage is the lowest ever at the break. June was a particularly tough month for San Diego batters – its .171 team batting average is the lowest in the last 100 years by any MLB team in a calendar month (minimum 10 games).

• White Sox rookie Jose Abreu leads the majors with 29 home runs. He is the fourth rookie all-time to have the MLB home run lead at the All-Star break (first All-Star game in 1933), joining Al Rosen (1950 Indians), Jose Canseco (1986 A’s), and Mark McGwire (1987 A’s). Abreu has hit safely in 26 of his last 27 games entering the break, with 10 homers and 22 RBI over that span.

• Clayton Kershaw missed a month early in the season on the DL but has quickly returned to the form that saw him win the 2011 and 2013 NL Cy Young Awards; he is 11-2 with a 1.78 ERA and career-best 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Kershaw has won his last eight starts, including a no-hitter versus the Rockies on June 18. His 41.0-inning scoreless streak that ended Thursday is MLB’s longest since Brandon Webb in 2007 (42.0), and longest by a Dodger since Orel Hershiser’s MLB-record 59.0-inning streak in 1988.

Thoughts?

[Edwards Kings]

Great info Greg. I know you gave the kudo's to STATS!, but we know you and Tom put all this together on the back of the envelope for your (unopened) AMEX bill.

I saw the very offensive offensive malaise in my team as well, especially over the eight weeks leading up to the ASB. I was averaging only eight homeruns per week (0.257 BA) whereas I was averaging 11 for the first seven weeks (0.270 BA). Conversely, my pitching the first seven weeks (ERA 3.965 and WHIP 1.269 and averaged three wins per week) paled in comparison to the next eight (3.275/1.158 with five wins per week).

I am assuming since the K-rate for pitchers are up, the contact rate for batters continue to decline.



"Every strike brings me closer to the next home run."

Either Joey Votto or Babe Ruth...I get confused some times....

[headhunters]

viewers all star game 1976= 35 million. us population 218 million ,16%. of population watched. 2014, 11.3 million viewers. us population 316 million or .035%. it is also still the most watched all star game of the major sports. it is truly amazing how much a network is willing to pay per viewer today. my guess- those #'s continue to fall.

[Outlaw]

Nice post Greg on all the Stat info. As for thoughts, with the new testing in effect, and PED use way down, seems pretty convincing PEDS played a big role on offense the 25 years prior to 2010. Actually offensive stats have been in decline the past 3-4 years, which just coincides with all new testing agreements put in place. My eyes tell me players are appearing smaller physically than they did a few years ago. Saw a picture of Bonds recently, he looks like he did his first couple of years with pirates, he has actually shrunk, every part of of his body including his head.

TV ratings, have been tanking for last 10 years as pct of population. Kids are not watching it anymore on TV and now some are young adults and they still do not watch. Hate to say it, but FB, Twitter, porn, gaming, on line gambling has a lot more appeal than sports does these days with the young people. Pro sports better figure out a way to capture the 0-35 age group back or they face big $$$ issues 10 more years down the road. its all us old geezers paying the freight these days for pro sports, everything from TV ads, Tickets, TV subscriptions to sports, etc... Kids just don't talk sports anymore. I see youth little leagues struggling out here in California to attract kids to play. Youth football leagues to are getting hammered with all the medical/concussion/violence concerns parents have these days, its like little johnny should become a web designer and sit in front of a computer now for hours on end or become a a stock broker or like most, work in Target or Walmart.

Darn some day days are bad- prayers to the victims of MH 17.