Breaking Down the Top Run Producing Teams in Major League Baseball

We take a break from evaluating player performances, apropos to stolen bases this season, and take a look at the more, successful run producing ball clubs in the 2013 campaign. We will try to figure out the impact of stolen bases on overall team production in this piece.

So without further ado, here are the most productive teams in Major League Baseball:

You will notice that the 2000 Cleveland Indians are listed here as a basis for comparison. That year was a very, offensively driven season in MLB, in the heart of what is now known as the “Steroids Era of Baseball” (although based on the recent allegations of PED use from the biggest star players in the league, it can be argued that the “Steroids Era” is still in existence today) and the Indians led all clubs in wRAA and other offensive categories. Just to get an idea how stacked this lineup was, 34 year-old David Justice was relegated to a utility role. Other notable names:

• A 24 year-old Russell Branyan
• A tall, 25 year-old first baseman/outfielder in Richie Sexson
• Jim Thome was only 29 years-old
• Brothers Sandy and Roberto Alomar were 34 and 32 years of age, respectively
• Manny Ramirez was in the heart of his prime at the age of 28
• Travis Fryman produced a 20/100 season at the age of 31
• Kenny Lofton swiped 30 bases at the age of 33 that season, but still finished second to Robbie Alomar for the team lead
• Finally, 33 year-old Omar Vizquel known more for his glove than his bat.

Comparing this club to any of the active contemporaries on this table is ludicrous. The 2000 Indians finished in the top five in stolen bases that year and finished third in runs/game. I can already hear people proclaiming out, “See, there is a direct correlation between stolen bases and the number of runs a team scores.” However, they also had a high on-base percentage, very good team plate discipline, and a high, team slugging percentage. Yes, their team wSB along with a 77% stolen base rate aided in scoring runs, but this Indians’ club could kill you in more ways than one. They also missed the playoffs this season. Definitely a different era back then.

Now we look at the current squads that compiled this table. Right now, the Detroit Tigers lead the league in runs/game at 5.01–the only team to average more than five runs per game. They also might be the slowest squad in baseball, posting a UBR of -2.7 and a wSB of -3.5. Just like it was common to see slugger Miguel Cabrera among league leaders in the few, base running, counting stats that we reviewed in our “Tortoises vs Hares” series, what the Tigers lack in speed, they make up in skill: plate discipline and on-base skills, that is. In Part II of the series, we discussed the decline of Austin Jackson‘s stolen base numbers because of a change in strategy from manager Jim Leyland. It’s obvious that the change of strategy has worked in Detroit.

Not too far behind Detroit are the Boston Red Sox. They actually edge out the Tigers in both on-base and slugging categories. They even walk more than the Tigers, but also strike out more. Obviously, the most glaring difference is not just the number of stolen bases, but the success rate that they have stolen those bases is otherworldly. It has helped them achieve a high wSB and UBR rating, but the Red Sox, like a mini-version of the 2000 Indians, can beat other teams in more ways than one.

Not to be outdone, ranking in at number three is the team I have deemed as “The Best Organization in Baseball,” the St. Louis Cardinals. Just like the Tigers, the Cards aren’t going to beat you on the basepaths. Their hitting lineup consists of guys that find ways to get on base and drive in runs. Their leadoff hitter, Matt Carpenter has one stolen base in 2013, but an on-base percentage that is close to .400.He has become the prototypical leadoff man in today’s baseball. Hitting in front of guys like Matt Holliday and Allen Craig, it’s pretty safe to assume that Carpenter will score more often than not.

We spoke of the 2000 Cleveland Indians, but the 2013 Cleveland Indians are in the middle of a resurgence thanks in part to their offense. They lead this table in K%, but to their credit, they are second in BB% as well. They have similar on-base and slugging percentages as the Cardinals, but their success rate in stolen bases has helped them in scoring runs. But overall, this is a fairly balanced batting lineup.

The Baltimore Orioles scored as a decent base running team, but a team that sees very little production from stolen bases. Led by Chris Davis, the O’s lead this group in slugging percentage (.447). They have a few guys that can rack up the stolen bases, but the strength of this team is having stationary base runners wait to be driven in via the extra base-hit.

The Tampa Bay Rays are an average base-stealing team, but actually see a drop in run production when they steal bases. It does not mean they’re a poor, base running team as their UBR is tops on this chart. But the team can draw walks and limit their strikeouts. Also, a .331 on-base percentage puts them in the top five among these 10 teams. They also rank in the top five in slugging percentage, too.

The Toronto Blue Jays have a few players in double digits in the stolen base department, but with guys like Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista, the Jays are built to rake. The team, as a whole, does a good job in their approach at the plate. They are a distant second in wSB (3.6) so they do see runs coming in off the stolen bases, but they don’t get much contribution because of their base running alone. This is another team that flourishes when their base runners stay put and wait to be driven in.

The star-powered Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have been a disappointment, but on the bright side, their offense has come through this season. Obviously, even with Mike Trout blazing up the basepaths, the Angels are not a running team and see no contribution to production because of base running or stolen bases. A .421 team slugging percentage is not too far behind the Rays and Jays. They’re also within striking distance of Cleveland in the on-base% category. Hard to believe that they also do a fantastic job in limiting their strikeouts.

We’ve mentioned in Part III how Todd Frazier is a pretty good base runner despite the low OBP. Turns out, the Reds are a pretty good base running club, but have actually lost about 6.6 runs because of stolen bases. To their credit, they do know how to get on base and their BB% is fourth on this table. Having a guy like Jay Bruce will make the team K% look bad, but they still have proven to be a very productive team and have seen contribution because of their base running, despite not having a speedy guy in their lineup.

Finally, the surprising, miraculous Oakland A’s have a low wRAA, but it’s still in the positive and have proven that the team can read the strike zone well. Despite getting no contributions from their stolen bases, they still managed to have the second best UBR among these teams. They’re not going to out-slug anybody, but it’s a scrappy team that truly knows how to manufacture runs and do not need to rely much on stolen bases.

CONCLUSION

There you have it: 10 teams that have proven to be the most offensively productive squads in MLB today and only the Cleveland Indians–one would be able to make an argument that they–see a boost in run production because of their high yield in stolen bases. Then again, they’re already a good base running team even without the stolen bases and have an above average BB% along with a good, team OBP. The stolen bases are only part of the offensive equation with this team.

The Blue Jays might be another team that stolen base proponents might cite as a team that needs to generate offense via steals, but as stated before, they have talent that can drive in runs in bunches without the base runners getting a head start on the basepaths.

Finally, the Red Sox are clearly the best base running team that sees a healthy contribution of their runs come from stolen bases. But judging by their plate discipline, high OBP and slugging%, the high base running and stolen base marks are just one of many things the Red Sox do well.

It’s also worth noting that not one team on this list posted a wRAA below zero. Something to look forward to when we do the overview for the teams that lead the majors in stolen bases.

Stats courtesy of baseball-reference.com and fangraphs.com and are good through July 26, 2013.

Felipe Melecio

Felipe Melecio was the managing editor for the blog Pathological Hate. He believes that math is your friend and numbers can be fun, especially when it comes to baseball. Keep tabs on all his knee-jerk reactions on Twitter: Follow @pathological_h8 !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');

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