| 5th May, 2008 - 4:24 pm
 By Christopher Reina
At RealGM, we use the Field Impact Counter (FIC) to objectively measure how effective teams are performing. We combine the position players and pitchers' FIC scores to measure which teams have played the best so far in 2008.
Click here for more information about the Field Impact Counter and the Reina Value.
*Through Sunday's games
Team: FIC Per Game Total (FIC Position Players/FIC Pitchers)
1. Chicago Cubs: 21.9 (11.9/10.0)
The Cubs have the fifth best record in the MLB but are first here, largely due to that 19-5 blowout of the Brewers on Wednesday. However, they do lead the league in runs (189), OPS (.820), and total bases (499).
2. Arizona Diamondbacks: 21.1 (9.8/11.3)
The D-Backs are 17-5 against NL West opponents.
3. Atlanta Braves: 19.4 (9.7/9.8)
Atlanta is first in average, second in OBP, and third in ERA in the NL but somehow are still playing .500 ball.
4. St. Louis Cardinals: 19.4 (8.6/10.8)
Rick Ankiel has a 1.134 OPS over his past 23 at bats.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers: 18.9 (9.5/9.4)
The Dodgers have an MLB-best .871 OPS over their past six games, but as the rest of the team busts out, Andrew Jones continues to hit about 100 points below his weight.
6. Boston Red Sox: 18.4 (8.4/10.0)
In his past 20 at bats, David Ortiz is batting .400 with a slugging percentage of .650.
7. Los Angeles Angels: 17.6 (7.8/9.8)
The Angels are batting .324 with runners in scoring position and two outs, largely thanks to Chone Figgins going 6-for-11 and Casey Kotchman going 6-for-15 in such situations.
8. New York Mets: 17.1 (7.1/10.0)
The Mets won two out of three in Phoenix as they finally put their projected opening day lineup on the field on Sunday.
9. Philadelphia Phillies: 16.7 (7.0/9.6)
The Phillies have hit a home run once in every 22.9 at bats.
10. Oakland Athletics: 16.5 (5.9/10.6)
The A’s lead the MLB in ERA (3.19) as rookie Greg Smith has a 2.54 ERA in six starts.
11. Detroit Tigers: 16.4 (8.7/7.7)
Until the Tigers were swept by Minnesota, they were 6-2 since Curtis Granderson returned to the lineup. As predicted, their lack of lefties in the lineup is hurting them since they are 10-17 against right-handed starters, although they are 8th in the MLB in OPS against righties.
12. New York Yankees: 16.3 (7.0/9.3)
Melky Cabrera leads the Yankees in home runs with six this season.
13. Chicago White Sox: 16.2 (6.7/9.4)
Carlos Quentin leads the AL in homers with eight and slugging with .609. He also has a .326 IsoP, which is well above his career average of .220.
14. Milwaukee Brewers: 16.2 (6.4/9.8)
Even though he has a 1.021 OPS and hit two homers on Sunday, the Brewers are 2-4 since Mike Cameron’s return.
15. Houston Astros: 15.9 (7.1/8.8)
The Astros have hit 10 homers in their six past games.
16. Toronto Blue Jays: 15.9 (5.7/10.2)
The Blue Jays have a 1.01 ERA over their past six games with Roy Halladay pitching two of those contests, giving up two runs in 16 innings.
17. Tampa Bay Rays: 15.6 (6.0/9.6)
Even Longoria has an OPS of 1.025 in home games and .459
18. Baltimore Orioles: 15.4 (6.0/9.5)
The Orioles have the 9th best ERA (4.27) in the AL, but the 3rd best batting average against (.242).
19. Cincinnati Reds: 14.2 (5.9/8.0)
The Reds have the worst record in baseball as they continue to underachieve while Johnny Cueto comes back to earth. As expected, Corey Patterson is batting .200/.267/.433, and the push for Jay Bruce is as strong as ever.
20. Colorado Rockies: 13.9 (5.9/8.0)
Matt Holliday is batting just .200/.333/.350 and no homers against left-handed pitchers.
21. Cleveland Indians: 13.8 (5.2/8.6)
Grady Sizemore is batting just .188 against left-handed hitters, but his OPS is still a respectable .741 thanks to a .366 OBP. His BB/SO rate is 0.78 this season, which is a sizeable improvement over his career average of 0.53.
22. Seattle Mariners: 13.8 (5.7/8.1)
The bullpen has a 4.93 ERA this season; last year it was at 4.06.
23. Texas Rangers: 13.6 (6.1/7.5)
The Rangers strike out just over five batters per nine innings of work.
24. Minnesota Twins: 13.5 (3.8/9.7)
The Twins are in first place in the AL Central with a 16-14 record although they have a Pythagorean record of 14-16.
25. Florida Marlins: 13.3 (4.7/8.6)
The Marlins are striking out in 24.4% of their at bats this season, which is worst in baseball.
26. Pittsburgh Pirates: 13.1 (5.5/7.6)
Now would be a great time to trade Xavier Nady because he is hitting .347/.406/.542.
27. Washington Nationals: 12.6 (3.9/8.7)
The Nationals are 7-0 when allowing two or fewer runs.
28. Kansas City Royals: 12.0 (2.8/9.2)
The Royals have a 0.52 ERA in 34.1 innings of work when the game is close in the 7th inning or later.
29. San Francisco Giants: 11.8 (2.4/9.5)
The Giants have yielded 28 homers in losses and just five in their wins.
30. San Diego Padres: 10.5 (1.7/8.8)
The Padres’ staff is posting a 5.52 ERA on the road and 2.88 at home. |
