MLB Dream Bracket: Yankees vs Red Sox
The Offensive Advantage
As we mentioned in the AL piece, for the Dream Bracket, MLB has designated 15 offensive players to each team, one for each position, including DH, a six bench players. Here are the rosters for each team:
Cincinnati Reds: Johnny Bench, Joey Votto, Joe Morgan, Pete Rose, Barry Larkin, George Foster, Eric Davis, Frank Robinson, Ted Kluszewski, Tony Perez, Dave Concepcion, Vada Pinson, Adam Dunn, Jay Bruce, Ernie Lombardi
Los Angeles Dodgers: Roy Campanella, Gil Hodges, Jackie Robinson, Ron Cey, Pee Wee Reese, Gary Sheffield, Duke Snider, Cody Bellinger, Steve Garvey, Maury Wills, Shawn Green, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Pedro Guerrero, Mike Piazza
Offensively, both the Reds and the Dodgers are rather close when analyzing both traditional and advanced stats. In the end, however, one team does exceed the other in every category but one: WAR.
Before we jump to that though, let’s break down what we know.
First, in looking at batting average, Los Angeles edges Cincinnati by .006 points. The Dodgers sport a lifetime .286 AVG versus the Reds’ .280 AVG. In on-base percentage (OBP), it’s similar. LA has a .363 OBP and the Reds have a .358 OBP, a difference of just .005 points.
Similarly, in the more advanced stats, the Dodgers have the advantage. In slugging, for example, Los Angeles has a .476 SLG and Cincy has a .464 SLG. And again, we see the same story in wOBA and wRC+, though the margins are much slimmer.
- Dodgers: .368 wOBA | 125 wRC+
- Reds: .363 wOBA | 123 wRC+
As for wins above replacement (WAR), or the number of wins each offense brings to the table, the Reds have the advantage over the Dodgers, 650.3 to 823.9. That’s a difference of 173.6 wins.
Unfortunately, I can’t let a single stat determine who gets the advantage in this regard. Therefore, my prediction is that the Los Angeles Dodgers have the offensive advantage.