The star-studded Los Angeles Dodgers have been anticipated to emerge as essentially the most highly effective group within the massive leagues this 12 months, they usually haven’t disillusioned.
The Dodgers didn’t boast the very best win-loss report after seven weeks of play, a interval that ended on Could 15. The Philadelphia Phillies held that distinction with an imposing 31-13 mark.
However Los Angeles (29-16) did prime the majors in general base worth (OBV), a key measure of offensive and defensive effectivity.
Groups are credited with optimistic base values in both of those situations:
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Their batters reached extra bases than average-level massive leaguers would have attained underneath similar circumstances.
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Their pitchers surrendered fewer bases than their typical counterparts would have yielded in the identical circumstances.
The Dodgers amassed an OBV of plus-241 in simply seven weeks of play. How spectacular is that whole? Think about this: Solely 10 of the 30 major-league golf equipment surpassed 241 in your entire 2023 season. (The Atlanta Braves have been final 12 months’s leaders with an OBV of plus-680.)
Either side of the roster, as you’ll anticipate, have contributed to the Dodgers’ success to this point. Their hitters reached 144 extra bases than regular, whereas the pitchers yielded 97 fewer than the major-league common.
Philadelphia is second within the seven-week OBV rankings at plus-198, and the Baltimore Orioles are third. Right here is the highest 10:
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1. Los Angeles Dodgers, OBV +241
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2. Philadelphia Phillies, OBV +198
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3. Baltimore Orioles, OBV +144
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4. Boston Purple Sox, OBV +135
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5. New York Yankees, OBV +128
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6. Atlanta Braves, OBV +119
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7. Milwaukee Brewers, OBV +112
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8. Seattle Mariners, OBV +73
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9. Detroit Tigers, OBV +52
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10. Chicago Cubs, OBV +39
Exactly half of all big-league golf equipment — 15 of 30 — posted optimistic OBVs after seven weeks. Meaning, after all, that the opposite half have been underwater.
The very worst are the Miami Marlins, whose batters reached 147 fewer bases than regular and whose pitchers surrendered 117 greater than common. Their ensuing OBV? A pathetic minus-264. (Solely 5 golf equipment fared worse within the entirety of 2023, with the Colorado Rockies’ minus-773 on the very backside.)
It’s no shock that Miami’s successful proportion of .289 (13-32) was additionally the worst on the morning of Could 16.
Listed here are the ten worst laggards in general base worth:
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1. Miami Marlins, OBV -264
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2. Chicago White Sox, OBV -207
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3. Colorado Rockies, OBV -129
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3. Toronto Blue Jays, OBV -129
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5. San Francisco Giants, OBV -126
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6. St. Louis Cardinals, OBV -106
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7. Pittsburgh Pirates, OBV -92
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8. Oakland Athletics, OBV -67
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9. Tampa Bay Rays, OBV -55
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10. New York Mets, OBV -50
Lower than a decade has elapsed for the reason that Kansas Metropolis Royals gained the 2015 World Sequence, however the distance appears a lot higher.
The Royals have usually been a sub-.500 membership — typically very sub — for the reason that flip of the century. The one exceptions have been a quick .512 blip in 2003 and the 2013-2016 span that encompassed two World Sequence appearances and that 2015 championship.
The franchise, as you’ll be able to see on the graph, returned to type by dipping barely beneath .500 in 2017. It has remained there ever since.
Till this 12 months. The Royals blended younger expertise (notably Bobby Witt Jr.) with helpful free brokers (primarily Seth Lugo) to face seven video games above .500 on the seven-week mark of the present season.
Kansas Metropolis’s .578 successful proportion in 2024 is best than all however one among its year-ending information over the previous decade. The one 12 months that went higher, after all, was 2015.
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Most of my quizzes embody a variety of gamers from each leagues. However I’ve determined to make an exception this week, focusing solely on the Dodgers.
And never solely that, I’m dealing solely with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Neglect about their Brooklyn incarnation. The next questions are involved solely with the interval for the reason that membership relocated to L.A. in 1958.
You’ll discover the solutions on the very backside of this article.
1. Which participant hit essentially the most profession homers as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers?
2. Which Dodger (since 1958) hit essentially the most residence runs in a single season?
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A. Steve Garvey
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B. Shawn Inexperienced
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C. Eric Karros
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D. Mike Piazza
3. Who stole essentially the most bases in an L.A. Dodgers uniform?
4. Which pitcher secured essentially the most wins for the Dodgers after the franchise moved to California?
5. Which pitcher racked up essentially the most strikeouts in his L.A. profession?
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A. Don Drysdale
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B. Clayton Kershaw
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C. Sandy Koufax
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D. Don Sutton
There may be maybe no higher signal of respect than the intentional stroll.
If first base is open, why face a harmful hitter with the sport on the road? That’s a query opposing managers typically ask themselves when Freddie Freeman, Bryce Harper, or others of their ilk stroll to the batter’s field.
What do these managers resolve? They incessantly ask the home-plate umpire to movement a threatening slugger on to first. Freeman tops all lively gamers with 129 intentional walks over his profession, adopted by Harper with 125 and two different batters above 100.
Listed here are the ten main recipients of intentional passes amongst present gamers, in keeping with Baseball Reference’s profession tabulations by means of the primary seven weeks of 2024:
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1. Freddie Freeman, IBB 129
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2. Bryce Harper, IBB 125
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3. Mike Trout, IBB 120
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4. Paul Goldschmidt, IBB 115
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5. Giancarlo Stanton, IBB 86
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6. Jose Ramirez, IBB 78
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7. Brandon Crawford, IBB 75
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7. Anthony Rizzo, IBB 75
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9. Nolan Arenado, IBB 74
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10. Andrew McCutchen, IBB 69
The Tigers loved an ideal week through the span from Could 14 to Could 20, 1984.
Detroit started by sweeping a three-game collection towards the Seattle Mariners by a collective rating of 23-10. The Tigers adopted up with three straight victories over Oakland, taking the ultimate two video games by one-run margins.
Pitchers Jack Morris and Milt Wilcox every notched two wins through the week. Morris’s stats for 1984 (as of Could 21) have been 8-1 with a 2.19 ERA. Wilcox’s marks have been 6-0 and three.08.
The ’84 Tigers — who rank as the best group of baseball’s Fashionable Period (1961 to the current) — boasted a tremendous report of 32-5 (with a successful proportion of .865) on the morning of Could 21.
The Toronto Blue Jays had run up a formidable .632 report themselves, which might have landed them atop any of the opposite three big-league divisions. But they discovered themselves in second place within the American League East, 8.5 video games behind the Tigers.
The 1962 New York Mets have been destined to be remembered because the losingest group of the Fashionable Period. However they did nearly nothing however win between Could 14 and Could 20.
The week started with a pair of walk-off victories over the Chicago Cubs by similar scores of 6-5. Pinch-hitter Hobie Landrith drew a bases-loaded stroll to drive residence the successful run within the thirteenth inning on Could 15. Third baseman Felix Mantilla got here by means of with a decisive single within the eleventh inning of the following afternoon’s recreation.
The Mets rode their momentum into Milwaukee, the place they took three of 4 video games from the Braves. New York’s 12-19 report elevated it to eighth place within the Nationwide League, forward of the Cubs and the Houston Colt .45s.
1-C. (Karros launched 270 homers for the Dodgers between 1991 and 2002. The franchise’s profession runner-up, who was not listed as a alternative above, is Ron Cey at 228.)
2-B. (Inexperienced hit 49 homers for the Dodgers in 2001. Adrian Beltre, not listed as a alternative, comes subsequent with 48 in 2004.)
3-D. (Wills is the chief on a single-season foundation with 104 steals in 1962 — and for a complete profession with 490 between 1959 and 1972.)
4-D. (Sutton tops the rankings with 233 wins for the Dodgers in a span from 1966 to 1980, coupled with a closing bow in 1988. Kershaw is the one different L.A. pitcher above 200. He had 210 profession wins by means of the primary seven weeks of 2024.)
5-B. (Kershaw’s present whole of two,944 is well the very best within the franchise rankings, with Sutton the runner-up at 2,696.)
