It’s almost become old school to look at on-base percentage in the era of the juiced ball and the fly ball revolution, but the Cubs are whooping every other team in OBP, and I just thought that would be fun to share.
Thanks to a stellar team batting average (and BABIP), a good strikeout rate, and a walk rate just about at the top of the league, the Cubs not only the have the best OBP in baseball, they have it by a relative country mile. When it comes to not making outs at the plate, the Cubs are the class of baseball. That’s, you know, a really good thing! And this includes pitchers, so the Cubs’ feat is even more impressive compared to their American League counterparts.
Adding to the fun? With 3954 plate appearances on the season, the Cubs have come to the plate more over than any other team in baseball. So the Cubs are getting the most opportunities AND making the fewest outs with them.
One other way to impress upon you the awesomeness of what the Cubs are doing: League average OBP in the National League this year is .320, which is obviously quite a bit lower than the Cubs’ mark. Here’s the kicker: every single Cubs batter with at least 50 plate appearances this year – there are 13 of them – HAS AN OBP BETTER THAN LEAGUE AVERAGE. And 12 of those 13 are at .340 or better! And 9 of those 13 are at .350 or better! And 6 of those 13 are at .370 or better!
More bonus fun: at .415, which Cub has the highest OBP on the team, and 4th highest in baseball among batters with at least 50 PAs? David Bote.