As a supplement to yesterday's Best And Worst Minor League Teams post, here's a look at which of the 120 full-season minor league clubs have been putting forth the most productive offenses. Naturally, these comparisons will favor clubs in hitter's leagues like the California and Pacific Coast over clubs in pitching oriented leagues like the Florida State and Midwest, factors which should be illustrated here. We'll revisit this with the best and worst pitching staffs later on.
We'll start with straightforward team average and move on from there.
Statistics are through Monday's games. Bold denotes category leaders.
| TOP 10 MINOR LEAGUE OFFENSES BY AVERAGE |
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| Rank. Team (Org) | Level | League | AVG | G | R/G | HR | OBP | SLG |
| 1. Albuquerque (Dodgers) | AAA | PCL | .303 | 76 | 6.16 | 86 | .350 | .476 |
| 2. Las Vegas (Blue Jays) | AAA | PCL | .298 | 79 | 5.53 | 95 | .351 | .482 |
| 3. High Desert (Mariners) | HiA | CAL | .297 | 75 | 5.89 | 83 | .361 | .460 |
| 4. Winston-Salem (White Sox) | HiA | CAR | .294 | 75 | 5.65 | 68 | .357 | .453 |
| 5. Colorado Springs (Rockies) | AAA | PCL | .289 | 78 | 5.46 | 64 | .356 | .446 |
| Fresno (Giants) | AAA | PCL | .289 | 79 | 5.18 | 66 | .365 | .440 |
| 7. Northwest Arkansas (Royals) | AA | TL | .288 | 76 | 5.54 | 62 | .367 | .438 |
| 8. San Jose (Giants) | HiA | CAL | .286 | 75 | 5.37 | 54 | .354 | .429 |
| 9. Columbus (Indians) | AAA | IL | .285 | 79 | 5.37 | 76 | .359 | .444 |
| Tennessee (Cubs) | AA | SL | .285 | 76 | 5.07 | 63 | .352 | .430 |
No surprise to see three clubs at the top of the list that play in three of the minors' most hitter-friendly ballparks, with another, Colorado Springs, at No. 5. And now for the bottom 10.
| BOTTOM 10 MINOR LEAGUE OFFENSES BY AVERAGE |
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| Rank. Team (Org) | Level | League | AVG | G | R/G | HR | OBP | SLG |
| 111. Harrisburg (Nationals) | AA | EL | .240 | 77 | 3.60 | 56 | .300 | .363 |
| San Antonio (Padres) | AA | TL | .240 | 76 | 4.03 | 45 | .327 | .350 |
| 113. Potomac (Nationals) | HiA | CAR | .239 | 75 | 4.40 | 49 | .321 | .372 |
| 114. Erie (Tigers) | AA | EL | .238 | 77 | 4.47 | 84 | .310 | .400 |
| 115. West Virginia (Pirates) | LoA | SAL | .237 | 75 | 4.08 | 55 | .309 | .375 |
| Burlington (Royals) | LoA | MWL | .237 | 73 | 4.18 | 36 | .309 | .353 |
| 117. Arkansas (Angels) | AA | TL | .234 | 76 | 3.64 | 50 | .304 | .343 |
| 118. Greensboro (Marlins) | LoA | SAL | .233 | 75 | 4.27 | 80 | .304 | .380 |
| 119. Myrtle Beach (Braves) | HiA | CAR | .230 | 75 | 3.97 | 49 | .294 | .340 |
| 120. Jupiter (Marlins) | HiA | FSL | .226 | 73 | 3.19 | 21 | .288 | .316 |
Our sympathies go out to the Jupiter Hammerheads' pitching staff, as this won't be their lineup's only appearance here. The Marlins and Nationals both earn the unfortunate distinction of having two affiliates in the bottom 10. Of course, Florida doesn't just have two of the bottom 10, but two of the bottom three.
Moving along, here are the top minor league clubs to watch if you're looking for some long balls.
| TOP 10 MINOR LEAGUE OFFENSES BY HOME RUNS |
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| Rank. Team (Org) | Level | League | HR | G | HR Leader (HRs) |
| 1. Las Vegas (Blue Jays) | AAA | PCL | 95 | 79 | J.P. Arencibia (18) |
| 2. Albuquerque (Dodgers) | AAA | PCL | 86 | 76 | Xavier Paul (12) |
| 3. Erie (Tigers) | AA | EL | 84 | 77 | Wilkin Ramirez (15) |
| 4. High Desert (Mariners) | HiA | CAL | 83 | 75 | Johermyn Chavez (15) |
| Charlotte (White Sox) | AAA | IL | 83 | 79 | Tyler Flowers (15) |
| 6. Durham (Rays) | AAA | IL | 81 | 77 | Dan Johnson (18) |
| 7. Greensboro (Marlins) | LoA | SAL | 80 | 75 | Justin Bass (15) |
| 8. Buffalo (Mets) | AAA | IL | 79 | 78 | Mike Hessman (18) |
| 9. Omaha (Royals) | AAA | PCL | 77 | 76 | Kila Ka'aihue (14) |
| Binghamton (Mets) | AA | EL | 77 | 76 | Nick Evans (13) |
| Tacoma (Mariners) | AAA | PCL | 77 | 78 | Greg Halman (14) |
Think Erie and Greensboro rely on the home run? Both clubs pull off the daily-double of being among the worst hitting teams and the best home run hitting teams. Shows what a difference playing in parks with some cozy dimensions can make.
| BOTTOM 10 MINOR LEAGUE OFFENSES BY HOME RUNS |
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| Rank. Team (Org) | Level | League | HR | G | HR Leader (HRs) |
| 111. Hagerstown (Nationals) | LoA | SAL | 30 | 75 | Steven Souza (9) |
| 112. Savannah (Mets) | LoA | SAL | 27 | 75 | Wilmer Flores (7) |
| 113. Peoria (Cubs) | LoA | MWL | 26 | 73 | Justin Bour (7) |
| West Michigan (Tigers) | LoA | MWL | 26 | 73 | Wade Gaynor (7) |
| 115. Wilmington (Royals) | HiA | CAR | 25 | 75 | Jamie Romak (6) |
| 116. Fort Myers (Twins) | HiA | FSL | 24 | 75 | J. Benson/N. Hanson (4) |
| 117. Tampa (Yankees) | HiA | FSL | 23 | 72 | Melky Mesa (6) |
| 118. Brevard County (Brewers) | HiA | FSL | 22 | 74 | Brock Kjeldgaard (8) |
| 119. Jupiter (Marlins) | HiA | FSL | 21 | 73 | Paul Gran (4) |
| 120. Rome (Braves) | LoA | SAL | 19 | 74 | Mycal Jones (6) |
Again, no surprise to see so many FSL clubs populating the bottom of the list, and Rome plays in the one of the South Atlantic League's more pitcher-friendly parks, though 19 homers in 74 games is low no matter where you're playing. For those wondering, the lowest ranked Triple-A club was Portland, which tied for 88th with 40 homers in 78 games. Frisco was the lowest Double-A club with 37 long balls in 75 games, putting them tied for 98th. And at the other end of the FSL spectrum, Dunedin's 60 homers were enough to lead the circuit, even though they tied for 37th in the minors.
So who are the most patient teams? We'll present those numbers and a few more to round out our survey.
| MINOR LEAGUE TEAM WALKS LEADERS |
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| Rank. Team (Org) | Level | League | BB | AVG | OBP |
| 1. Quad Cities (Cardinals) | LoA | MWL | 322 | .252 | .342 |
| 2. Stockton (Athletics) | HiA | CAL | 321 | .270 | .354 |
| 3. New Hampshire (Blue Jays) | AA | EL | 320 | .268 | .354 |
| 4. Reno (Diamondbacks) | AAA | PCL | 318 | .265 | .349 |
| 5. Kane County (Athletics) | LoA | MWL | 317 | .241 | .333 |
| 6. Sacramento (Athletics) | AAA | PCL | 315 | .260 | .343 |
| 7. Lake Elsinore (Padres) | HiA | CAL | 313 | .278 | .360 |
| 8. Indianapolis (Pirates) | AAA | IL | 312 | .268 | .350 |
| 9. San Antonio (Padres) | AA | TL | 311 | .240 | .327 |
| 10. Portland (Red Sox) | AA | EL | 310 | .256 | .344 |
Double-A Northwest Arkansas, which leads the minors with a .367 team on-base percentage, ranks 16th in walks with 297. We know patience has been one of the Athletics' core philosophies, but having three of their affiliates in the top six is still impressive. Double-A Midland is their only straggler, ranking a still respectable 38th with 263 free passes.
| MINOR LEAGUE TEAM WALKS BOTTOM 10 |
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| Rank. Team (Org) | Level | League | BB | AVG | OBP |
| 111. Louisville (Reds) | AAA | IL | 197 | .258 | .313 |
| 112. Dunedin (Blue Jays) | HiA | FSL | 196 | .249 | .306 |
| 113. Bakersfield (Rangers) | HiA | CAL | 193 | .267 | .328 |
| 114. South Bend (Diamondbacks) | LoA | MWL | 189 | .241 | .303 |
| 115. Albuquerque (Dodgers) | AAA | PCL | 184 | .303 | .350 |
| 116. Lancaster (Astros) | HiA | CAL | 180 | .281 | .333 |
| 117. Lynchburg (Reds) | HiA | CAR | 178 | .264 | .320 |
| 118. Rome (Braves) | LoA | SAL | 169 | .252 | .309 |
| 119. Jupiter (Marlins) | HiA | FSL | 167 | .226 | .288 |
| 120. Dayton (Reds) | LoA | MWL | 152 | .260 | .311 |
So are the Reds the anti-A's? That's no mistake, Cincinnati has three of its four affiliates in the bottom 10. The lone exception in their system, Double-A Carolina, isn't a whole lot better, ranking 80th with 225 walks in 76 games.
| MINOR LEAGUE TEAM STOLEN BASE LEADERS |
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| Rank. Team (Org) | Level | League | SB | CS |
SB% |
| 1. Rancho Cucamonga (Angels) | HiA | CAL | 128 | 57 | 69.2 |
| 2. San Jose (Giants) | HiA | CAL | 127 | 57 | 69.0 |
| 3. Bowling Green (Rays) | LoA | MWL | 124 | 47 | 72.5 |
| 4. Cedar Rapids (Angels) | LoA | MWL | 122 | 31 | 79.7 |
| 5. Greenville (Red Sox) | LoA | SAL | 117 | 34 | 77.5 |
| 6. Lansing (Blue Jays) | LoA | MWL | 113 | 52 | 68.5 |
| 7. Lakewood (Phillies) | LoA | SAL | 102 | 58 | 63.8 |
| 8. Chattanooga (Dodgers) | AA | SL | 100 | 42 | 70.4 |
| 9. Palm Beach (Cardinals) | HiA | FSL | 97 | 32 | 75.2 |
| 10. Northwest Arkansas (Royals) | AA | TL | 93 | 38 | 71.0 |
| MINOR LEAGUE TEAM STOLEN BASE EFFICIENCY LEADERS |
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| Rank. Team (Org) | Level | League | SB% | SB |
CS |
| 1. Dunedin (Blue Jays) | HiA | FSL | 81.1 | 73 | 17 |
| 2. Durham (Rays) | AAA | IL | 81.1 | 90 | 21 |
| 3. Round Rock (Astros) | AAA | PCL | 80.7 | 46 | 11 |
| 4. Charlotte (White Sox) | AAA | IL | 80.2 | 69 | 17 |
| 5. Cedar Rapids (Angels) | LoA | MWL | 79.7 | 122 | 31 |
| 6. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Yankees) | AAA | IL | 79.0 | 49 | 13 |
| 7. Toledo (Tigers) | AAA | IL | 78.9 | 71 | 19 |
| 8. New Hampshire (Blue Jays) | AA | EL | 78.8 | 78 | 21 |
| 9. Oklahoma City (Rangers) | AAA | PCL | 78.6 | 66 | 18 |
| 10. Salt Lake (Angels) | AAA | PCL | 77.6 | 52 | 15 |
Basestealers can run wild in the Class A leagues, where many pitchers haven't yet learned to control a running game and fast runners can rely on their speed. Triple-A players don't run as much, as their opponents more often know how to keep them in check, but they've got a better feel for when they can do it.
Cedar Rapids bucks that trend, though, showing they can both run when they want and know how to pick their spots. They're not alone though, as Angels' affiliates make multiple appearances on both lists.
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Amazing that San Jose is on an offensive leader list, while the Cal League is a hitters league, their park has been a pitchers park relative to the rest of the league, by a large margin.
Posted by obsessivegiantscompulsive | July 2, 2010 at 11:44 am | Shortcut