Lowest BAA by team

Last month, I was reading a book and in the book, the author indicated that, a few years ago, a team clinched a spot in the playoffs. The main reason for that team to clinch a postseason berth was that the team had the lowest BAA in the majors in that season. Batting average might not be a great stat nowadays. However, after reading the book, I was just wondering which teams have had good pitching performance so far.

Batting Average Against (Team, ~2023.04.13)
Team	BAA
Twins	.189
Rays	.189
Brewers	.216
Yankees	.224
Guardians	.231
Cubs	.235
Angels	.235
Diamondbacks	.236
Mets	.240

The Minnesota Twins have a good start of the 2023 season. They are currently leading in the AL Central. A possible reason for this good start is that their pitching staff have done a good job. By far, opponents bat below .200 against the Twins pitchers. Additionally, the Twins pitching staff have a 2.46 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. At the same time, the Tampa Bay Rays have an amazing start of the season. Now, the Rays won 13 games and didn’t lose a game. Among these 13 games, there are 4 times that they didn’t allow a run in a game. They are the only unbeaten team in the MLB. The Rays pitchers have done a great job so far with a 2.23 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. And, opponents hit below .200 against them. Moreover, the Brewers are now leading the NL Central. They already won 9 games and lost 4 times. The Brewers pitchers have done a good job and they already have 3 shutouts. By far, the Brewers pitching staff own a 2.82 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Opponents only bat .216 against the Brewers. In the meantime, the Yankees pitching staff now post a 3.37 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. And, opponents hit .224 against the Yankees pitching staff. Meanwhile, opponents bat .231 against the Guardians. However, they own an ERA over 4.

Batting Average Against (Team, 2022)
Team	BAA
Dodgers	.209
Astros	.212
Yankees	.219
Braves	.226
Brewers	.229
Guardians	.230
Angels	.230

We have seen that some teams don’t let opponents hit well at the beginning of this season. However, does a low BAA really mean something? Looking back at last season, the Dodgers won the NL West title. They won 111 games in 2022 and opponents only batted .209 against the Dodgers. In the meantime, the Astros won the 2022 World Series title. They also won 100+ games last season. The Astros pitching staff did a great job in 2022 and opponents only hit .212 against them. Furthermore, the Yankees won the AL East in 2022. They got 99 wins last season and their pitching staff did perform well with a .219 BAA. At the same time, the Braves are another team with 100+ wins in 2022. Opponents only batted .226 against the Braves pitchers. Well, BAA might not be a great stat nowadays. However, when we look back at the last season, among those teams with a BAA under .230, the Brewers were the only team, which didn’t clinch a spot in the postseason. Moreover, the Dodgers, the Astros and the Braves each won 100+ games in 2022. By far, the Twins and the Rays are the only 2 teams with a BAA under .200. It’s just the beginning of the 2023 season. And, we have to remember that the baseball season is a marathon. During the regular season, it will be worth watching whether the pitching staff from these 2 teams will keep performing well on the mound.