Baseball is a team sport, but one hitter can disproportionately influence a lineup, in both a positive and negative sense. In the charts below are the players who currently have the highest and lowest qualified OPS for each team along with the impact their output has had on the overall performance of their offense.
Team OPS Leaders
Note: Data as of April 29, 2013; based on qualified seasons.
Source: Baseball-reference.com
Team OPS Rankings, With/Without Best Hitter
Note: Excludes OPS leaders listed in the chart above.
Source: Baseball-reference.com
Bryce Harper has been a one-man show in Washington. The Nationals’ wunderkind has compiled a National League leading OPS of 1.181, which has contributed 58 points to his team’s composite number. Without Harper, the Nationals’ OPS would plummet all the way to .640, which would rank second worst in the majors. Even if you remove every other team’s best players from the equation, the loss of Harper still sends the Nationals down nine pegs to 28th place. It’s become a cliché to say a particular player has carried a team, but in Washington, that is certainly true of Harper’s sensational April.
Chris Davis and Justin Upton have also contributed more than their fair share this season. Each player has added 51 OPS points to their team’s overall rate, without which the Orioles and Braves, respectively, would drop from leading offenses to also-rans. The same is also true of Shin-Soo Choo’s impact on the Reds. Cincinnati’s new center fielder may not be helping much in the field, but at the plate, his 1.041 OPS has made him a featured weapon in the Reds’ lineup.
The teams who have relied least upon one hitter are an eclectic mix. At the very bottom of the barrel are the Marlins and Astros, who have been led by the modest contributions of Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Altuve. The Angels are also in a similar boat. Despite boasting a lineup that includes Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, and Josh Hamilton, it’s Peter Borjous who leads the team with an .860 OPS that only accounts for 14 points of the Angels’ total. However, because the Anaheim offense has actually rated above average, subtracting Borjous’ output actually boosts the Angels’ ranking by three places when compared to other teams without their best hitter.
Aside from teams who have relatively low OPS leaders, offenses like the Red Sox have avoided over-dependence on one hitter by spreading the wealth. As a unit, the Red Sox ranks second in OPS, a position they retain even if you remove the .942 OPS turned in by Daniel Nava. The same is also true of the Rockies, who claim the top OPS slot with or without the breakout performance of Dexter Fowler.
Team OPS Laggards
Note: Data as of April 29, 2013; based on qualified seasons.
Source: Baseball-reference.com
Team OPS Rankings, With/Without Worst Hitter
Note: Excludes OPS laggards listed in the chart above.
Source: Baseball-reference.com
As a group, laggards are less influential members of their offense. Whereas team leaders contribute a combined 787 OPS points to their respective teams, which raise the league average from .688 to .714, hitters bringing up the rear have a more muted impact. As a result of the cumulative 549 OPS points the laggards subtract from their individual clubs, the major league rate declines from .732 to the current .714.
For the most part, each team’s OPS ranking remains fairly static after removing their worst hitter. However, a few teams have been weighed down disproportionately by their offensive anchor. The Twins’ OPS would increase from .677 to .713 if not for the Major League worst output turned in by rookie Aaron Hicks. Because of the young outfielder’s miniscule OPS of .356, the Twins’ offense ranks 27th in the majors, but without him, it would move up seven slots when compared to other teams without their worst hitter.
While his brother Justin has been carrying the Braves’ offense, B.J. Upton has been weighing it down. The elder Upton’s OPS of .503 has had a negative 28 point impact on the Atlanta offense, cutting his younger brother’s contribution in half. Little did the Braves know they were getting one Upton for the price of two.
Jeff Keppinger has also had a negative 28 point impact on the White Sox’ American League trailing OPS of .662. However, fans on the south side shouldn’t place all the blame on Keppinger. Even without his paltry production, the pale hose would still rank near the bottom of the league, making them a modern day version of the Hitless Wonders.
Although their impacts are not as significant as some other players, the list of laggards has more than a few notables, including two super stars from Los Angeles. Both Josh Hamilton and Matt Kemp currently bring up the rear for the Angels and Dodgers, respectively, which is a bad sign for those looking forward to a Freeway Series in October.
Finally, how much do the Yankees miss Derek Jeter? His replacement Eduardo Nunez has the third lowest OPS among all qualified players. The short stop’s lackluster production has taken a 26 point toll on the Yankees’ team OPS of .755. Although shedding Nunez would not improve the Yankees’ ranking, it would bump them up to rates in line with past team performance, which, for the Bronx Bombers, is a more relevant comparison.
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