Hitting the quarter pole

Manny Machado and Taylor Ward wouldn’t seem to have much in common.

Machado, the third baseman for the San Diego Padres, is a certified superstar blessed with a 10-year, $300 million contract. Ward, who plays right field for the Los Angeles Angels, is a journeyman who has never played more than 65 games in a big-league season.

But Machado and Ward have proven to be equally effective this year, leading their respective leagues in base value.

The 2022 season is slated to run precisely 26 weeks from April 7 (a Thursday) through October 5 (a Wednesday). That means the first quarter — six and a half weeks — ended last weekend.

Ward led the American League at the quarter-pole with a base value of plus-56. Machado topped the National League with a BV of plus-50. (All stats are as of the morning of May 22.)

Let’s pause for a quick refresher on base value. I begin by counting the number of bases a batter has reached through hits, walks, hit batsmen, and stolen bases, and I add the bases he has picked up for his team through sacrifice hits and sacrifice flies. Then I divide the resulting total of bases by the number of outs the batter has made.

The result is an average known as BPO, bases per out. This year’s collective BPO for all big-league batters (as of May 22) is .640.

BV is determined by multiplying a given batter’s outs by the BPO for all batters. Ward, for example, made 71 outs in the first quarter of the season. A typical hitter in his circumstances would have reached 45 bases (71 outs multiplied by a .640 BPO). But Ward piled up 101 bases, yielding an astronomical surplus of 56. That’s his BV.

Here’s another way to think of it. Ward reached 56 more bases than the average big leaguer would have attained under the same conditions in the first quarter of 2022, the best base value in either league. It’s an amazing output for a player who needed the entire 2021 season to accumulate a BV of plus-eight.

Machado, of course, is consistently productive. He finished 2021 with a highly respectable BV of plus-67, though he has shifted into another gear this year. He joins Ward and Mike Trout of the Angels as the only big leaguers with base values of 50 or better in the first quarter of 2022.

You’ll find several breakdowns below, beginning with the 10 first-quarter leaders in each league, followed by the batters with the worst BVs. The final two lists contain the best and worst BVs for each team as of May 22.

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American League top 10

• 1. Taylor Ward, Angels, 56 BV

• 2. Mike Trout, Angels, 53

• 3. Aaron Judge, Yankees, 48

• 4. Jose Ramirez, Guardians, 40

• 5. Rafael Devers, Red Sox, 36

• 6. Yordan Alvarez, Astros, 33

• 7. Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees, 30

• 8. J.D. Martinez, Red Sox, 28

• 9. Tim Anderson, White Sox, 26

• 9. Ty France, Mariners, 26

• 9. Anthony Rizzo, Yankees, 26

National League top 10

• 1. Manny Machado, Padres, 50 BV

• 2. Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals, 43

• 3. C.J. Cron, Rockies, 41

• 4. Bryce Harper, Phillies, 40

• 5. Juan Soto, Nationals, 33

• 6. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers, 32

• 7. Jazz Chisholm Jr., Marlins, 31

• 8. Mookie Betts, Dodgers, 29

• 9. Pete Alonso, Mets, 28

• 10. Nolan Arenado, Cardinals, 26

American League bottom 10

• 1. Cristian Pache, Athletics, -35 BV

• 2. Jonathan Schoop, Tigers, -34

• 3. Marcus Semien, Rangers, -29

• 4. Enrique Hernandez, Red Sox, -21

• 4. Whit Merrifield, Royals, -21

• 4. Franmil Reyes, Guardians, -21

• 7. Javier Baez, Tigers, -20

• 8. Martin Maldonado, Astros, -19

• 8. Alex Verdugo, Red Sox, -19

• 10. Jeimer Candelario, Tigers, -18

• 10. Andy Ibanez, Rangers, -18

• 10. Reese McGuire, White Sox, -18

• 10. Jose Miranda, Twins, -18

• 10. Raimel Tapia, Blue Jays, -18

• 10. Ramon Urias, Orioles, -18

National League bottom 10

• 1. Carson Kelly, Diamondbacks, -24 BV

• 2. Lorenzo Cain, Brewers, -22

• 3. Avisail Garcia, Marlins, -21

• 3. Trent Grisham, Padres, -21

• 5. Bryson Stott, Phillies, -20

• 6. Nelson Cruz, Nationals, -19

• 6. Alcides Escobar, Nationals, -19

• 6. Cole Tucker, Pirates, -19

• 9. Aristides Aquino, Reds, -18

• 9. Nick Madrigal, Cubs, -18

• 9. Miguel Rojas, Marlins, -18

• 9. Frank Schwindel, Cubs, -18

• 9. Jacob Stallings, Marlins, -18

American League team top and bottom

• Angels — top BV: Taylor Ward, 56; bottom BV: David Fletcher, -9

• Astros — top BV: Yordan Alvarez, 33; bottom BV: Martin Maldonado, -19

• Athletics — top BV: Luis Barrera, 5; bottom BV: Cristian Pache, -35

• Blue Jays — top BV: George Springer, 20; bottom BV: Raimel Tapia, -18

• Guardians — top BV: Jose Ramirez, 40; bottom BV: Franmil Reyes, -21

• Mariners — top BV: Ty France, 26; bottom BV: Luis Torrens, -15

• Orioles — top BV: Anthony Santander, 14; bottom BV: Ramon Urias, -18

• Rangers — top BV: Jonah Heim, 11; bottom BV: Marcus Semien, -29

• Rays — top BV: Manuel Margot, 21; bottom BV: Taylor Walls and Mike Zunino, -13

• Red Sox — top BV: Rafael Devers, 36; bottom BV: Enrique Hernandez, -21

• Royals — top BV: Andrew Benintendi, 11; bottom BV: Whit Merrifield, -21

• Tigers — top BV: Dustin Garneau, Austin Meadows, and Victor Reyes, 1; bottom BV: Jonathan Schoop, -34

• Twins — top BV: Byron Buxton, 25; bottom BV: Jose Miranda, -18

• White Sox — top BV: Tim Anderson, 26; bottom BV: Reese McGuire, -18

• Yankees — top BV: Aaron Judge, 48; bottom BV: Kyle Higashioka, -15

National League team top and bottom

• Braves — top BV: Ronald Acuna Jr., 21; bottom BV: Adam Duvall and Eddie Rosario, -17

• Brewers — top BV: Christian Yelich, 19; bottom BV: Lorenzo Cain, -22

• Cardinals — top BV: Paul Goldschmidt, 43; bottom BV: Paul DeJong, -16

• Cubs — top BV: Willson Contreras, 19; bottom BV: Nick Madrigal and Frank Schwindel, -18

• Diamondbacks — top BV: Daulton Varsho, 16; bottom BV: Carson Kelly, -24

• Dodgers — top BV: Freddie Freeman, 32; bottom BV: Hanser Alberto and Justin Turner, -8

• Giants — top BV: Mike Yastrzemski, 15; bottom BV: Evan Longoria, -10

• Marlins — top BV: Jazz Chisholm Jr., 31; bottom BV: Avisail Garcia, -21

• Mets — top BV: Pete Alonso, 28; bottom BV: Tomas Nido, -15

• Nationals — top BV: Juan Soto, 33; bottom BV: Nelson Cruz and Alcides Escobar, -19

• Padres — top BV: Manny Machado, 50; bottom BV: Trent Grisham, -21

• Phillies — top BV: Bryce Harper, 40; bottom BV: Bryson Stott, -20

• Pirates — top BV: Ben Gamel, 12; bottom BV: Cole Tucker, -19

• Reds — top BV: Brandon Drury and Tyler Stephenson, 15; bottom BV: Aristides Aquino, -18

• Rockies — top BV: C.J. Cron, 41; bottom BV: Elias Diaz, -14