MLB: 5 April stats that mean something
Major League Baseball’s opening month is almost in the books. There’s been a number of exciting revelations across the league and there will be plenty more to come.
Here is a look at five numbers in the month of April that mean something moving forward in the 2016 season. They may represent better or worst case scenarios for their respective teams/players, but either way, statistics don’t lie.
Next: Blue Jays' strikeouts
171
In 2015, the Toronto Blue Jays led all of MLB with 891 runs scored and 232 home runs. The club ranked first in on-base percentage as well, with a staggering .340 mark, 12 points higher than the second ranked Tigers. However, the team as a whole performed quite well by not striking out often — only 1151 times in 5600 at-bats. There were only only six clubs that struck out less times in 2015.
Go figure, dead last on the list were the World Series champions, the Kansas City Royals with only 973.
2016 has been a different tale. The club currently sits at 171 strikeouts on the year, a higher total than any other MLB team has compiled. That’s only through 18 games as well, pacing them for a total of 1,539, which would mark a 25 percent increase from last season and would outdo 2015’s worst totals set by the Cubs who struck out 1,518 times.
Next: Phillies combined ERA amongst starters
3.34
Though it’s been awhile since the days of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels in Philadelphia, the Phillies look like they are assembling themselves a pretty nice rotation for the future.
The group of starter’s ERA on the season is 3.34, ranking them 9th in the league and 5th in the NL. Vincent Velasquez (2-1, 0.93) and Jerad Eickhoff (1-2, 1.89) have been revelations for the club, while despite a couple rough outings each, even Jeremy Hellickson (1-1, 5.21) and Aaron Nola (1-2, 4.50) have consistently shown flashes of being very capable arms.
Add Charlie Morton (1-1, 3.86) to the mix for a veteran presence and the collective age of the rotation is only 26.6 years of age. Hellickson and Morton are free agents after this season, while Velasquez, Nola and Eickhoff are locked up through the 2021 season. That in itself looks to be a very strong trio moving forward and is largely the reason Philadelphia is hovering around .500 right now at 8-9.
Next: Average velocity of Noah Syndergaard's fastball
98.4
No one has thrown a pitch with an average higher velocity in 2016 than the Mets’ Noah Syndergaard. His sinking fastball has sat at the number above, while his normal fastball has sat at 97.7 mph. Both have exceeded 101 mph in a game as well.
First it appeared New York had found their ace of the future in 2013 when Matt Harvey emerged. Then in 2014, Jacob deGrom emerged out of thin air before breaking out in a big way last season. Now, with Syndergaard spinning gem after gem, Thor looks like yet another front-end arm in the rotation capable of dominating lineups on a weekly basis.
The notion of the Blue Jays having him on their staff and Travis d’Arnaud at catcher instead of the combination of R.A. Dickey and Josh Thole is almost laughable now. It was a terrible trade at the time by former GM Alex Anthopoulos and it looks now like the Mets were huge winners knowing that Dickey’s 2012 season was an outlier. They did right by selling high on him after his Cy Young season.
Next: Manny Machado's OPS
1.243
It’s not Bryce Harper or Mike Trout, but Manny Machado who leads Major League Baseball in OPS. His ridiculous slash line of .397/.449/.794 beats Harper’s in every category as well. Machado is the heart and soul of a scary offense in Baltimore, one that currently leads the American League with a team batting average of .277.
We’ve seen flashes of Machado’s All-Star worthy skill set in the past, but so far in April, he’s showing fans that an MVP run is in the not too distant future. He’s struck out only 11 times in 63 at-bats with 13 of his 25 hits having went for extra bases.
Machado has only drawn five walks so far this season, but that’s because he’s hitting anything remotely close to the strike zone. His 25 hits are second in the league and he’s not even letting pitchers work the count deep, as Machado has seen only 242 pitches in his 69 plate appearances. Odubel Herrera leads the league in that category, having seen 358 in 71 PAs. Machado has been a hitting machine so far this season.
Next: Cubbies WPCT
.765
April isn’t even over yet and the Chicago Cubs have already seen their ace Jake Arrieta throw a no hitter. The team is 13-4 and has the best record in baseball.
From the pitching staff to the lineup to manager Joe Maddon, all the pieces seem to be falling into place. The Cubs have been road warriors, going 9-2 in away games so far. The offense ranks first in the NL in runs scored, runs batted in and second in on-base percentage.
Next: Potential destinations for MLB expansion teams
From a pitching standpoint, the clubs collective ERA of 2.08 is easily the lowest in the majors. So too is the opposition’s batting average against them, coming in at a slim .193. If ever the Curse of the Billy Goat were to be lifted, 2016 is showing a lot of potential and promise.