Three teams were equally powerful at the plate last season, according to my rankings of offensive performance.
The Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and St. Louis Cardinals all finished with average scores of 4.60 on my five-star scale, an indication of each club’s well-rounded batting excellence.
Will they be similarly skilled in 2023? The answer will begin to be revealed a week from Thursday, the opening day for the upcoming season. But, in the meantime, we have a final opportunity to review the books for 2022.
I rated all 30 big-league teams in five batting categories, based on their statistical performances last season. (The formula, if you’re interested, is explained in Baseball’s Best (and Worst) 2023 Yearbook.) These are the categories:
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Base production
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Run production
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Power hitting
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Contact hitting
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Batting eye
Each team’s offensive score is based on the average of its five ratings, ranging from the three clubs at 4.60 to the cellar-dwelling Detroit Tigers at 1.20.
Breakdowns for all 30 clubs can be found below, listed in order of their average scores.
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Houston Astros (4.60 average)
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Base production: 5 stars
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Run production: 4 stars
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Power hitting: 5 stars
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Contact hitting: 5 stars
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Batting eye: 4 stars
Los Angeles Dodgers (4.60 average)
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Base production: 5 stars
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Run production: 5 stars
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Power hitting: 5 stars
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Contact hitting: 3 stars
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Batting eye: 5 stars
St. Louis Cardinals (4.60 average)
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Base production: 5 stars
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Run production: 5 stars
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Power hitting: 4 stars
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Contact hitting: 5 stars
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Batting eye: 4 stars
New York Yankees (4.40 average)
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Base production: 5 stars
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Run production: 5 stars
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Power hitting: 5 stars
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Contact hitting: 2 stars
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Batting eye: 5 stars
Toronto Blue Jays (4.40 average)
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Base production: 5 stars
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Run production: 5 stars
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Power hitting: 4 stars
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Contact hitting: 5 stars
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Batting eye: 3 stars
New York Mets (4.20 average)
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Base production: 5 stars
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Run production: 5 stars
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Power hitting: 3 stars
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Contact hitting: 5 stars
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Batting eye: 3 stars
Atlanta Braves (3.60 average)
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Base production: 5 stars
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Run production: 5 stars
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Power hitting: 5 stars
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Contact hitting: 1 star
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Batting eye: 2 stars
Milwaukee Brewers (3.60 average)
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Base production: 4 stars
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Run production: 3 stars
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Power hitting: 5 stars
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Contact hitting: 1 star
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Batting eye: 5 stars
Philadelphia Phillies (3.60 average)
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Base production: 4 stars
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Run production: 4 stars
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Power hitting: 5 stars
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Contact hitting: 3 stars
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Batting eye: 2 stars
San Diego Padres (3.60 average)
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Base production: 3 stars
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Run production: 4 stars
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Power hitting: 2 stars
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Contact hitting: 4 stars
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Batting eye: 5 stars
Seattle Mariners (3.40 average)
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Base production: 4 stars
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Run production: 2 stars
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Power hitting: 4 stars
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Contact hitting: 2 stars
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Batting eye: 5 stars
Arizona Diamondbacks (3.20 average)
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Base production: 3 stars
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Run production: 3 stars
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Power hitting: 3 stars
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Contact hitting: 3 stars
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Batting eye: 4 stars
Boston Red Sox (3.20 average)
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Base production: 4 stars
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Run production: 4 stars
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Power hitting: 3 stars
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Contact hitting: 3 stars
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Batting eye: 2 stars
Minnesota Twins (3.20 average)
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Base production: 3 stars
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Run production: 3 stars
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Power hitting: 3 stars
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Contact hitting: 3 stars
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Batting eye: 4 stars
San Francisco Giants (3.00 average)
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Base production: 3 stars
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Run production: 3 stars
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Power hitting: 3 stars
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Contact hitting: 1 star
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Batting eye: 5 stars
Cleveland Guardians (2.80 average)
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Base production: 3 stars
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Run production: 4 stars
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Power hitting: 1 star
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Contact hitting: 5 stars
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Batting eye: 1 star
Colorado Rockies (2.80 average)
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Base production: 2 stars
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Run production: 4 stars
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Power hitting: 2 stars
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Contact hitting: 4 stars
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Batting eye: 2 stars
Baltimore Orioles (2.60 average)
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Base production: 3 stars
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Run production: 2 stars
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Power hitting: 3 stars
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Contact hitting: 2 stars
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Batting eye: 3 stars
Chicago Cubs (2.60 average)
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Base production: 3 stars
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Run production: 2 stars
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Power hitting: 3 stars
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Contact hitting: 2 stars
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Batting eye: 3 stars
Texas Rangers (2.60 average)
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Base production: 3 stars
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Run production: 3 stars
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Power hitting: 3 stars
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Contact hitting: 2 stars
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Batting eye: 2 stars
Chicago White Sox (2.40 average)
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Base production: 2 stars
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Run production: 3 stars
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Power hitting: 1 star
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Contact hitting: 5 stars
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Batting eye: 1 star
Kansas City Royals (2.40 average)
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Base production: 2 stars
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Run production: 2 stars
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Power hitting: 2 stars
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Contact hitting: 4 stars
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Batting eye: 2 stars
Tampa Bay Rays (2.40 average)
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Base production: 2 stars
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Run production: 3 stars
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Power hitting: 2 stars
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Contact hitting: 2 stars
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Batting eye: 3 stars
Washington Nationals (2.20 average)
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Base production: 2 stars
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Run production: 1 star
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Power hitting: 1 star
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Contact hitting: 5 stars
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Batting eye: 2 stars
Cincinnati Reds (1.80 average)
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Base production: 1 star
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Run production: 2 stars
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Power hitting: 2 stars
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Contact hitting: 2 stars
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Batting eye: 2 stars
Los Angeles Angels (1.80 average)
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Base production: 2 stars
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Run production: 1 star
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Power hitting: 4 stars
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Contact hitting: 1 star
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Batting eye: 1 star
Pittsburgh Pirates (1.60 average)
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Base production: 1 star
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Run production: 1 star
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Power hitting: 2 stars
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Contact hitting: 1 star
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Batting eye: 3 stars
Miami Marlins (1.40 average)
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Base production: 1 star
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Run production: 1 star
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Power hitting: 1 star
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Contact hitting: 2 stars
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Batting eye: 2 stars
Oakland Athletics (1.40 average)
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Base production: 1 star
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Run production: 1 star
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Power hitting: 1 star
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Contact hitting: 2 stars
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Batting eye: 2 stars
Detroit Tigers (1.20 average)
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Base production: 1 star
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Run production: 1 star
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Power hitting: 1 star
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Contact hitting: 2 stars
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Batting eye: 1 star
