By the numbers: A look into the Diamondbacks’ blistering offensive start
Apr 8, 2017, 3:41 PM
Arizona Diamondbacks' A.J. Pollock dives back to first during the first inning of an exhibition baseball game against Mexico, Wednesday, March 8, 2017, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Although it’s incredibly early in the season for the Arizona Diamondbacks, their offensive production so far is definitely noteworthy.
The offense has carried the team to a 4-1 record, having scored six or more runs in all of their wins.
Regression is obviously to be expected from some players, but the performances of first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and centerfielder A.J. Pollock certainly seem relatively sustainable and give hope that the team can improve upon a lackluster 2016.
Below are some of the most notable numbers related to the team’s impressive offensive start.
6.8
Arizona leads all teams with 6.8 runs scored per game. The Diamondbacks finished 11th last season with an average of 4.64 runs.
.307
The Diamondbacks’ .307 batting average is tops in the majors. The Washington Nationals are second with .293.
9
Nine of the 13 Diamondbacks with more than two at-bats currently have career-highs in batting average. Yasmany Tomas, David Peralta, Chris Iannetta and Daniel Descalso are the only ones not on pace to set a career-best mark.
.467
24-year-old second baseman Brandon Drury’s batting average, which would break Hugh Duffy’s 123-year-old record if he were to sustain it over a full season. Of course, 12 other players would break that record as well based on their performance this year, so that remains highly unlikely.
+.103
Veteran catcher Jeff Mathis’ .300 batting average is 103 points better than his career average of .197. The 34-year-old posted his best mark at .238 last year for his 11 seasons with at least six games played.
1-2
Goldschmidt leads the majors with seven runs scored, while third baseman Jake Lamb is in a three-way tie for second with six.
25
Pollock leads MLB with 25 plate appearances after getting only 46 in 12 games last year due to injury. He has collected eight hits and one walk over these appearances.
3
Tomas and Pollock are tied for the second-most doubles in the majors with three each.
4.85
The Diamondbacks’ offensive explosion has certainly helped out their starting pitching, who are a combined 2-1 despite a 4.85 ERA up to this point. For reference, the same pitchers’ 4.89 ERA last year earned them a combined record of 37-58.
.393
Arizona’s .393 batting average on balls in play is highest in baseball, suggesting that opposing defensive play and luck may have something to do with the team’s offensive performance thus far. The Tampa Bay Rays (.377) are the only other team with a mark higher than .350.
10
Not everything has been perfect, as Lamb is tied for second in baseball with 10 strikeouts. He has the highest batting average (.263) of any player with more than seven strikeouts.
3.73
The free-swinging Diamondbacks have faced an average of 3.73 pitches per plate appearance, fifth-lowest in the majors.
8.2%
Only 8.2 percent of Arizona’s plate appearances have resulted in a 2-0 count. Similarly, 1.5 percent have gone to a 3-0 count. Both numbers are second-lowest behind the Texas Rangers.
60%
Tomas has swung at 60 percent of the pitches he’s seen, which explains why 78.3 percent of the pitches thrown to him have been strikes, the third-highest rate in the league.
