I've been behind this year, but I finally updated my master chart of team statistics. Here are the things I thought noteworthy.
- This was the closest season ever, as measured by the total number of games back that teams finished. Teams finished a combined total of 148 games out of first place. In contrast, in 2011, teams finished a combined total of 492 games out of first place thanks to 125 wins and 119 wins from those obnoxious jerks in Seattle and River Cities, respectively.
- There were the second-most extra-inning games ever at 109. (2005 had 111.)
- Batting averages jumped 10 points to .275, the highest ever. (2022 and 2023 were .268.) OBP, SLG, and OPS also all set highs at .343/.443/.785.
- There were more home runs (2,386) than ever. (2022 had 2,374.)
- There were more strikeouts than ever at 14,349. (2023 had 13,722.) Houston hitters struck out more than any team ever—1,440 times. (2009 Covington had 1,402.)
- There were much fewer stolen bases than ever, just 651. (2003 had 827.)
- League ERA was 4.74, highest ever. (2022 was 4.73.) There were more total runs in 2023 (9,882 vs. 9,858) but fewer were unearned this year.
- Along those lines, the league had the highest fielding percentage ever at .985 and the fewest errors at 1,084. (2022 was .984 and 1,141.)
- There were many more double plays in the league this year (2,019) than ever before. The prior record was only 1,802 way back in 2005. Brick had the most double-plays ever with 188. (2004 Hickory, 186.) Houston was third all-time, Seattle fifth, Shackamaxon eighth, and Brooklyn ninth.
- Antelope Valley finished with its second-best record ever and best Pythagorean record in 20 years, since the 2005 California squad went 87-75.
- Brooklyn won the Adams division for the fifth time in a row, but its 82-80 record was the second-worst record for a division winner ever. The worst was Hickory’s 74-88 season in 2020. That was the same year when three of the four Zotti teams finished with more than 100 wins.
- Philadelphia won its division for the first time in club history. It was also Philly’s second ever playoff berth, as the 2012 New York squad had made it as a wild card.
- Shackamaxon finished with a better record than its Pythagorean record for the seventh consecutive season. The only longer streak like that in league history was the 2004-2012 Butte/Denver/Hartford squad now located in Maui.
- Seattle went 64-17 at home and 45-36 on the road. The 19-game disparity was the third largest in history. (2013 Hickory was 52-29 at home and only 27-54 on the road; 2012 Barstow was 56-25 at home and 36-45 on the road).
- Seattle was 16-5 in extra-inning games. That tied the 2005 Seattle team for the most extra-inning wins in a season. The Monarchs’ .762 winning percentage was far below the record though, as New York went 11-1 in extra-inning games in 2021.
- Shackamaxon had the fifth-most home runs in a season with 250. (2023 Seattle, 315.)
- Shackamaxon also had the fifth-most walks received ever with 699. (2024 Maui, 748.)
- Atlanta yielded the second highest BABIP ever at .338. (2021 Monck’s Corner, .349.)
- Antelope Valley and Maui had the two best fielding percentages ever, at .990 and .989 respectively and the fewest errors ever with 63 each. (2021 Seattle, .988 and 71.) Maui also had the fifth-fewest assists ever while Antelope Valley was middle of the pack historically, so I don’t know what to make of that.
- Maui and Antelope Valley each gave up only 33 unearned runs, tied for third fewest ever. (2021 Seattle, 30).
Keep in mind that this was the first season in OOTP 15, so some of the stuff (higher batting averages and offense generally, better defense) could be the new normal in this version of the game.
ReplyDeleteI had the same thought. Do see any other fundamental changes in stats with other version changes?
ReplyDeleteThere have always been changes in the game between versions. In the early days, the changes between versions 4 and 5 and 6 were big. Not as much for the results on the field, but for how scouting, the draft, etc. worked.
ReplyDeleteGoing back and looking at trends, offense definitely increased in the change from version 11 to 13 in 2021, primarily because of an increase in home runs (about 300 extra per year). Errors also dropped by about 150 per year.
In 2013, when we went from version 9 to 11, there was a huge increase in offense. Batting averages jumped about 10 points. BABIP went up around 10-15 points. Doubles increased by 400. Home runs went up about 200. Walks jumped by about 500.
This would probably make an interesting post in its own rights, to look at league averages per version of the game.
I also think that the increase in hitting has been because of the void of pitching. With the very weak drafts before these last couple has caused a void of pitchers. With many all-time great pitchers retiring and a bit of a void behind them it has helped with this offensive increase. I do think that hitters that come out of nowhere are much more prevalent than pitcher. Just my opinion.
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