With just under three weeks left in the regular season, the field is almost done filling out, with just five teams holding real hopes of reaching the post season: Boston, New York, Detroit, Minnesota, and Los Angeles.
Anaheim is up 6 in the West, Detroit is up 4 on Minnesota in the Central, the Red Sox are up 6 ½ in the Wild Card and the Yanks are about to clinch the East, up 6.5 games.
So, how do these teams stack up?
OPS
1) NYY: .843 (.284/.363/.480) 1st in AL
2) BOS: .805 (.268/.350/.455) 2nd in AL
3) LAA: .794 (.286/.351/.443) 3rd in AL
4) MIN: .765 (.271/.341/.425) 6th in AL
5) DET: .748 (.259/.329/.419) 10th in AL
The fact that the top three teams in the AL in OPS are all playoff contenders is not surprising. Intuitively, the good teams should have the best stats. What is surprising, however, is that Detroit ranks so low, at 10th of 14 American League teams. Is that a playoff offense? Maybe Tampa Bay, Texas, Toronto, Cleveland, and Baltimore all deserve the playoffs more than Detroit.
Runs Per Game
1) NYY: 5.73 R/gm (1st in AL)
2) LAA: 5.50 R/gm (2nd in AL)
3) BOS: 5.32 R/gm (3rd in AL)
4) MIN: 4.86 R/gm (6th in AL)
5) DET: 4.61 R/gm (10th in AL)
…because it’s the bottom line, isn’t it? Again, Detroit ranks very poorly, while New York, L.A., and Boston all lead the league. That AL Central is looking particularly weak again, as it’s best team (Cleveland) is out of the playoff race and would rank fourth in the AL East, just above the Blue Jays. Only Oakland, Chicago, Kansas City, and Seattle rank worse than the Tigers.
Team ERA
1) BOS: 4.22 ERA (3nd in AL)
2) DET: 4.28 ERA (4th in AL)
3) NYY: 4.37 ERA (7th in AL)
4) MIN: 4.57 ERA (10th in AL)
5) LAA: 4.51 ERA (11th in AL)
Now, Detroit is starting to make a little more sense. The Sox are looking a lot better, as well, with a top offense and a top pitching staff. Not a bad combination. That Scott Kazmir acquisition should really come in handy for Los Angeles down the stretch and in the playoffs.
Team Defensive Efficiency
1) NYY: .699 (3rd in AL)
2) DET: .696 (5th in AL)
3) MIN: .691 (6th in AL)
4) LAA: .688 (7th in AL)
5) BOS: .678 (13th in AL)
This one’s a bit unsettling, though it’s been apparent all season that the Sox have some significant defensive holes. However, this may speak to the team’s talent on their pitching staff more than anything: even with the second worst defense in the league, the team can still put up the 3rd best ERA. Those squeaker hits that went through the LAA infield all Wednesday night are usually going against the Sox. When you throw your remote at the TV when that happens in Game 4 of the ALDS, you’ll remember why.
Overall, the Sox stack up very well in the post season. Their likely first round competitors, the Angels, also look good, though the edge goes to the Sox. The Yanks look a step ahead of the rest, however, especially when considering their lineup depth. If this were the NCAA Tournament, the Sox would be a #2 seed, the Yanks #1, LAA #3, and whatever trash comes out of the Central would be a #5… oops, #4.
Yeah, #1 would be nice, but #2 ain’t shabby at all.
