Sixty (notes) for 30 (ballclubs) at the break
Somehow, it's safe to look forward to more ball.
Sixty fun facts about the 30 major league ballclubs at the All-Star break, presented in order of win percentage in each league:
NATIONAL LEAGUE
ATLANTA (60—29)
Spencer Strider has 38 major league starts and has struck out 10 or more batters 14 times. He has 166 strikeouts, 13 more than any other pitcher in the majors.
The Braves lead the N.L. in runs even though they rank 14th in average with men in scoring position (.240).
MIAMI (53-39)
Batters hit .212 last year against Sandy Alcantara in his Cy Young season. They’re hitting .254 this season.
The Marlins have a great chance for their first winning 162-game season since 2009, when they won 87.
LOS ANGELES (51-38)
The Dodgers have hit 20 fewer home runs than the Braves, but have scored only five fewer runs.
Clayton Kershaw has won 69.5 percent of his career decisions, best of any lefthander in major league history and second to Spud Chandler among MLB pitchers since 1900.
ARIZONA (52-39)
In his fifth organization, counting a tour with the Yakult Swallows, Scott McGough has six losses but seven saves and has held hitters to a .171 average.
Arizona’s 31 errors are the fewest in the league, and its .990 fielding percentage would be a club record.
CINCINNATI (50-41)
Reds have won 22 of 30 since they called up Elly De La Cruz on June 6.
Matt McLain (23 years old), Spencer Steer (25) and Will Benson (25) all have OPSs of .844 or higher.
SAN FRANCISCO (49-41)
Giants’ pitchers have given out the fewest walks in the league, and Logan Webb averages 14.73 pitches per inning, lowest in the league.
Michael Conforto’s 13 home runs are only one short of his total in 2021. He did not play last season.
PHILADELPHIA (48–41)
A flop in Los Angeles last year, Craig Kimbrel has converted all 14 of his save opportunities.
Trea Turner’s OPS is .687. His career OPS is .827, and he has 32 RBIs in 395 plate appearances.
MILWAUKEE (49-42)
Brewers are the worst batting average team in the National League (.232) and the only club with an OPS lower than .700.
Christian Yelich, having his best year since 2019, had 14 hits in nine games going into the All-Star break.
SAN DIEGO (43-47)
Juan Soto has walked 83 times, 20 more than anyone else in the N.L.
The Padres’ .223 average with men in scoring position is the worst in the league, and they are 0-8 in extra-inning games, 5-15 in one-run games.
CHICAGO (42-47)
Lefthander Justin Steele has given up 0.4 homers per nine innings, best rate in the league.
At 5-foot-11 and 145 pounds, Christopher Morel has 15 home runs in 49 games.
NEW YORK (42–48)
With three members of the rotation older than 35, the Mets have posted quality starts in only 30 percent of their games.
Jeff McNeil hit .326 to win last year’s batting title. He’s hitting .253 now.
PITTSBURGH (41-49)
Jack Suwinski, former San Diego draft choice, is hitting 19 home runs with an .875 OPS for the Bucs.
Paul Skenes was the first-overall draft choice, the fourth time the Bucs have had that pick in the 2000s. Ten times in the 2000s they’ve had a pick in the top four of the first round.
ST. LOUIS (38–52)
The Cardinals rank 13th in the league in bullpen WHIP and 14th in batting average-against (.274).
Without Yadier Molina behind the plate, St. Louis has thrown out 14 of 68 basestealers.
WASHINGTON (36-54)
Joey Meneses broke in as a 30-year-old rookie last summer. In 139 MLB games he has a .300 average, an .811 OPS and 19 home runs with 80 RBI.
The Nationals are third in N.L. batting average but 15th, or last, in runs.
COLORADO (34–57)
Chase Anderson is 0-4 and has given up 14 home runs in 44 and two-thirds innings.
Unless something radically changes, this will be the sixth consecutive year in which Colorado has ranked in the bottom half of the league in home runs. Only Washington has hit fewer in 2023.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
TAMPA BAY (58–35)
Yandy Diaz leads the league in batting average and on-base percentage and has 13 home runs, one off his career high.
The Rays have played 28 games with a five-run margin or more, and have won 22.
BALTIMORE (54-35)
Tyler Wells, a 6-foot-8 righthander, leads the league in WHIP (0.927). He was a 15th-round pick (Twins) from Cal State San Bernardino who went to Baltimore in the Rule 5 draft.
Jose Bautista, the closer, is averaging two strikeouts per inning.
TEXAS (52-39)
Rookie Josh Jung is hitting .356 against lefthanders, catcher Jonah Heim .344, and Heim leads the A.L. with a .408 average with men in scoring position.
Although Jacob deGrom has pitched only 30 innings, the Rangers’ starters are 37-20 with a 3.71 ERA, third in the league.
HOUSTON (50-41)
Jose Abreu, whom Houston signed as a free agent, has a .630 OPS. That’s .224 below his career average in nine years with the White Sox.
Framber Valdez has a 7-6 record with a league-leading 2.51 ERA. Last year his ERA was 2.82, but he was 17-6.
TORONTO (50-41)
Bidding to lead the A.L. in hits for the third consecutive year, Bo Bichette has 122, 15 more than anyone else.
Alek Manoah was 16-7 last year with a 2.24 ERA and was third in Cy Young voting. This year he is 2-7, 5.91, with 42 walks in 64 innings.
NEW YORK (49-42)
Only Oakland has a lower batting average than the Yankees do (.231) in the AL, and New York ranks 14th in doubles.
Giancarlo Stanton hit 59 home runs in his last season with the Marlins. He has hit 120 in five-and-a-half seasons in New York.
BOSTON (48-43)
In eight July games, Jarren Duran hit .583 with a 1.708 OPS, raising his season batting average to .320 with 17 steals.
Red Sox rank 11th in league home runs. Only three times since 2000 have they finished below 10th.
SEATTLE (45–44)
Mariners’ pitchers have given up the fewest walks in the league, and George Kirby has walked 10 in 107 and two-thirds innings.
Seattle is one game over .500 and 10-0 against Oakland and Colorado.
CLEVELAND (45-45)
Guardians are leading by a half-game in the A.L. Central, which has a combined winning percentage of .426.
They have the fewest home runs (60) in the league and also the fewest strikeouts (771).
MINNESOTA (45-46)
Joey Gallo and Byron Buxton have 15 home runs apiece and have combined for 187 strikeouts.
Twins’ pitchers lead the American League in WHIP. They have finished first only once since 1945.
NOT REALLY IN LOS ANGELES ANGELS (45-46)
In June, Shohei Ohtani hit .394 with an OPS of 1.444, 15 home runs, 29 RBI and 21 walks.
Mike Trout’s .862 OPS would be his low for a full season, and his strikeout percentage of 28.8 would be a career high.
DETROIT (39-50)
Undrafted in 1996, Jason Foley was part of Detroit’s 3-man no-hitter against Toronto, and he leads Tigers’ relievers with a 1.009 WHIP.
Former first-overall pick Spencer Torkelson is only hitting .228, but his 12 homers are four more than he hit throughout 2022.
CHICAGO (38-54)
White Sox pitchers lead the A.L. in strikeouts but are 13th in ERA.
Centerfielder Luis Robert is second in the league in home runs and slugging percentage.
KANSAS CITY (26–65)
Jordan Lyles has won one game and lost 11, but his 1.293 WHIP is second-best in the Royals’ rotation.
The Royals’ worst seven won-loss records have come since 2002. This team must go 30-41 to avoid being the worst alone.
LAS OAKLAND (25-67)
Ryan Noda, once waived by the Dodgers, has 59 walks, most among A.L. hitters.
Esteury Perez, with his third team in two years, leads the league in 43 steals in 51 tries.