Midway in MLB

MLB Halfway Home in Season 2022

By David A. Avila

Midway through season 2022 many of the same usual suspects remain at top with just a few changes from last year.

Both New York teams lead their respective divisions while the Los Angeles Dodgers lead the NL in wins and Houston continues their dominance despite missing their all-star shortstop to Minnesota.

One new leader at the halfway point is the split-personality Minnesota Twins who love to be counted out then show up on top.

Pitching always indicates why a team has success.

The New York Yankees lead in wins, ERA and WHIP by the slimmest of margins over the Los Angeles Dodgers in pitching categories. They also lead their respective leagues in wins and are both seem headed to the playoffs.

The Dodgers seemed destined for a bad year after losing Walker Buehler, Blake Treinen, Andrew Heaney, and Trevor Bauer who is still under suspension by MLB. Last year they lost Dustin May and Clayton Kershaw for much of the season.

So how do they remain on top?

Time after time the Dodgers dip into their deep pool of talent and come up with Tony Gonsolin, Tyler Anderson, and Mitch White. All three have kept the Dodger machine running like a well-oiled juggernaut and a team 2.91 ERA that leads the NL. For six straight years the Dodgers have led the NL in ERA.

Gonsolin is heading toward historic status as he leads MLB with a 1.54 ERA and 10-0 record.

A year ago, the San Francisco Giants were one of the top pitching teams but lost Kevin Gausman to free agency and their Hall of Fame catcher Buster Posey the signal caller to retirement. This year the Giants have a collective 4.08 ERA and are 10 games behind the Dodgers in the Western Division.

San Diego jumped over the Giants with a stalwart pitching staff that’s right behind the Dodgers with a 3.60 ERA. What separates the Dodgers and Padres right now has been hitting, especially with the ultra-talented Fernando Tatis missing the season so far.

Dodger homer slippage

Though the Dodgers seem to be not as dominant as the past five years, they have plenty of big guns to keep from falling off a cliff. Losing shortstop Cory Seager to free agency hurt and the severe arm injury to Max Muncy left a huge void in their slugging. Only now Muncy seems to be regaining some of the form he’s had the past three years. Acquiring Freddy Freeman helps too of course.

Missing has been the longball for the team from Chavez Ravine.

Always near the top in homeruns the Dodgers have a total of 102 homers with even the light-hitting Milwaukee Brewers having more with 116 and New York Mets have 128. Last year the Giants were among the top homerun teams, but this year have a meager 93 and San Diego has even less with 68. The Padres truly miss Tatis’ big bat.

Still, the Dodgers are the top hitting team and currently have a team .760 OPS which leads the NL. The powerful NY Yankees who are dominating the MLB in wins have a .765 OPS and 139 homers which lead all of baseball.

Rounding out the top six hitting teams in MLB are Toronto .758 OPS, Atlanta .757 OPS, Houston .749 OPS and Minnesota with .742 OPS.

Scoring runs has always been a proving stat of a team’s real status. The Dodgers lead the NL with 405 runs scored. Only the New York Yankees have scored more with 421 runs scored so far.

That Ohtani

The Los Angeles Angels may be struggling for wins but not when Shohei Ohtani pitches. He won again on Wednesday for the fifth straight time and extended his string of unearned runs innings to 28 2/3. Plus, he drove in two runs with a hit to lead the team to a 5-2 victory over the Miami Marlins.

This is incredible stuff.

So far, it cannot be a debate that Ohtani is the leading candidate for Most Valuable Player again. Nobody has ever accomplished what he is doing as a pitcher and a hitter. With a bat in his hand Ohtani has 18 homers, 53 RBIs and a .839 OPS. Truly incredible stuff. And by the way, he stole another base. He has 10 stolen bases so far.

Too bad the Angels can’t seem to get out of the mud. A team featuring two MVP candidates like Ohtani and Mike Trout should be contending for a playoff spot. It’s still not too late, especially with the Wild Card entrants expanded to six teams.