ESPN.com – MLB – Statistics Index
I’m no fan of batting average, but I thought I should point this out:
NL Leaders: Batting Average
1. Gary Sheffield .361
2. Edgar Renteria .348
3. Rafael Furcal .338
4. Marcus Giles .337
Sheffield’s second to Bonds (who else?) on OBP, and the Braves have two other hitters (Marcus and Chipper) over .400 there, with Furcal at .394. Sheffield leads in slugging at .653.
If you’re hung up on traditional counting stats, Andruw is second in RBI with 40, Sheffield right behind him at 38. They’re tied for ninth with 10 homers. A little home run surge from Gary and the triple crown talk will start… Furcal leads the NL with 43 runs, six triples, and 63 hits. Sheffield is tied for second in runs with 38 (is there any doubt who the MVP is so far?) and Giles tied for fifth with 33.
Traditional counting stats aren’t very helpful for determining value or ability, but they do give you an idea what happenned. The Braves now have top of the order guys scoring tons of runs and middle of the lineup guys driving in tons of runs. That is, they have a very efficient, classic offense in spots 1-6. It’s really a joy to watch Furcal single, Giles walk, and Gary up there with that bat slashing about waiting for the pitch.
If Vinny and Javy could continue like they’ve been going the last few games, then this could be a great offense. (Improbable, I know, but one can always hope).
During last night’s game, one of the commentators mentioned how Bobby had been complaining for years about the team’s lack of offense. This was kind of surprising given his apparent preference for defense in the past.
At any rate, it’s awesome to see the Braves with a league-leading offense.
Yeah, it’s like a dream for a lifelong Braves fan. The past twelve years we’ve had everything it seems except for a great offense. And having Smoltz there every time we need him is like icing on the cake.
Is there any doubt right now as to who the MVP is? I guess it depends for me on positional adjustment – is the difference between 2B and RF (with 2B defense having been very good) enough to overcome a 91 point difference in OPS? I’d guess it’s close, but then I’d go to counting stats, and Sheff has those over Marcus.
Colin