Listening to a podcast show is one of my favorite things to do. In particular, it will be great if the show is about baseball. This year, I frequently listen to a podcast show. In the show, an analyst mentioned a team’s problem.
That team is a playoff contender. Nonetheless, the bottom of the lineup hasn’t performed well so far. That analyst emphasized that the team truly must solve this problem.
After listening to the podcast show, I began to think about a question. Are there any other teams which face the same problem?
To understand a little bit more, I decided to check on the great Fangraphs website.
Firstly, the Tigers are 4th in the AL Central now. Well, the Tigers’ pitching staff have pitched well with an ERA below 4. Nevertheless, the Tigers’ batters might have to contribute more. Their batting average is .227, which ranks 27th among 30 MLB teams. And their batters in the bottom of the lineup are now hitting .196.
Meanwhile, the Oakland A’s don’t have a great season this year. So far, they only won 31 games and lost 56 times. There are so many reasons behind the Athletics’ bad season. A possible reason is that they don’t hit well. The team’s batting average is only .221, which ranks 28th among 30 MLB teams. Moreover, their OPS of .665 ranks 25th among 30 MLB teams. And the A’s batters in the bottom of the lineup don’t hit well with a batting average of .202.
In addition, the Chicago White Sox only won 24 games and they already lost 63 times. The White Sox are the only team that has a winning percentage below .300. It’s really hard to expect the White Sox batters to do some damage. The White Sox have a batting average of .220, which is the 29th among 30 MLB teams and their OPS is .628, which is the 30th. Their batters in the bottom of the lineup don’t hit well with a batting average of .202.
At the same time, the Pirates fans and the Marlins fans certainly want to see their batters in the bottom of the lineup to do a little bit more. Each team’s batters in the bottom of the lineup are hitting below .210.
Finally, the Cleveland Guardians now have the best record in the AL. So far, they have won 53 games and lost 30 times. The Guardians have an OPS of .729, which isn’t bad. Nonetheless, their batters in the bottom of the lineup only have a batting average of .213.
Well, now, the MLB teams put the best hitters in the top of the lineup because they will get the most at-bats over the season. Nevertheless, if players in the bottom of the lineup can contribute more, that will certainly be very helpful. The White Sox and the A’s are not going to be postseason contenders this season. Nonetheless, for the Guardians, which now lead the AL Central, they will truly need their batters in the bottom of the lineup to do more. Otherwise, this might be a factor that the team wouldn’t clinch a spot in the postseason or wouldn’t move forward in the postseason.
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