Which Organizations Are Having The Most Success Hitting & Pitching In The Minor Leagues?
Image credit: Henry Bolte (Photo by Bill Mitchell)
It’s easy to spot which prospects are having standout seasons. And it’s not hard to notice which prospects are really struggling in the early going.
But if you were asked which organizations are really performing and which ones are struggling, would you have any idea?
Today we’re looking at how all 30 organizations are performing across every player for all four full-season MiLB clubs.
Hitting Stats
Here’s how all 30 organizations full-season teams’ combined hitting stats stack up in a variety of metrics.
As we will note multiple times, different leagues and stadiums means that some teams play in more hitter-friendly environments than others.
| Org | AVG | OBP | SLG | HR/G | BB% | SO% | SB% | SB/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | .259 | .361 | .402 | .83 | 12.3% | 21.4% | 79.5% | 1.20 |
| Mariners | .258 | .348 | .401 | .83 | 10.5% | 23.4% | 77.1% | 1.27 |
| Dodgers | .257 | .360 | .419 | .99 | 12.8% | 23.9% | 77.9% | 1.57 |
| Padres | .255 | .348 | .386 | .72 | 11.2% | 22.7% | 78.4% | 1.06 |
| Twins | .252 | .355 | .401 | .95 | 12.1% | 22.8% | 79.8% | 1.23 |
| Cardinals | .251 | .343 | .379 | .73 | 10.8% | 20.8% | 76.0% | 1.35 |
| D-backs | .249 | .352 | .383 | .80 | 12.3% | 23.9% | 73.7% | 1.06 |
| Yankees | .243 | .342 | .394 | .92 | 11.9% | 24.7% | 77.2% | 1.47 |
| White Sox | .243 | .339 | .381 | .81 | 11.3% | 25.5% | 78.5% | 1.51 |
| Blue Jays | .242 | .348 | .394 | .96 | 12.3% | 24.6% | 77.8% | .88 |
| Mets | .241 | .337 | .387 | .87 | 11.6% | 23.7% | 78.9% | 1.38 |
| Brewers | .241 | .350 | .378 | .82 | 12.9% | 23.0% | 78.2% | 1.61 |
| Giants | .240 | .333 | .362 | .74 | 11.0% | 23.6% | 81.1% | 1.19 |
| Average | .240 | .337 | .374 | .79 | 11.4% | 24.4% | 77.8% | 1.36 |
| Pirates | .240 | .323 | .382 | .91 | 9.8% | 25.4% | 77.3% | 1.42 |
| Tigers | .238 | .335 | .373 | .80 | 11.2% | 24.8% | 73.8% | 1.03 |
| Cubs | .238 | .338 | .368 | .72 | 11.3% | 24.2% | 75.8% | 1.38 |
| Phillies | .237 | .338 | .375 | .86 | 11.9% | 24.3% | 77.9% | 1.19 |
| Royals | .237 | .332 | .368 | .76 | 11.4% | 24.4% | 78.7% | 1.74 |
| Red Sox | .236 | .329 | .367 | .78 | 11.0% | 25.7% | 72.9% | 1.00 |
| Rockies | .236 | .326 | .367 | .76 | 10.1% | 25.0% | 78.5% | 1.39 |
| Marlins | .236 | .336 | .355 | .61 | 12.0% | 24.5% | 81.3% | 2.35 |
| Guardians | .235 | .342 | .369 | .68 | 12.6% | 25.6% | 78.1% | 1.64 |
| Angels | .234 | .335 | .363 | .72 | 11.5% | 26.2% | 72.5% | .84 |
| Rangers | .233 | .326 | .358 | .74 | 10.9% | 24.0% | 78.1% | 1.32 |
| Nationals | .232 | .309 | .349 | .61 | 8.8% | 24.8% | 79.4% | 1.24 |
| Rays | .231 | .324 | .354 | .75 | 11.2% | 24.8% | 79.0% | 1.45 |
| Reds | .227 | .325 | .347 | .65 | 10.9% | 26.6% | 78.9% | 1.14 |
| Orioles | .226 | .325 | .344 | .67 | 11.9% | 25.1% | 74.1% | 1.56 |
| Braves | .223 | .321 | .327 | .62 | 11.3% | 24.4% | 79.5% | 1.66 |
| Astros | .222 | .323 | .370 | .98 | 11.3% | 28.3% | 79.5% | 1.59 |
And here’s how each organization ranks in these various hitting categories. The Dodgers, A’s, Twins and Brewers all stand out quite impressively. The Twins are especially notable, as they do not have any team in any particularly friendly hitting environments.
| Org | AVG | OBP | SLG | HR/G | BB% | SO% | SB% | SB/G | Avg Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dodgers | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 19 | 7 | 5.6 |
| Athletics | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 21 | 5.8 |
| Twins | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 20 | 6.1 |
| Brewers | 12 | 5 | 13 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 5 | 8.4 |
| Mets | 11 | 15 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 15 | 10.6 |
| Yankees | 8 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 18 | 22 | 10 | 11.0 |
| Mariners | 2 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 27 | 6 | 23 | 18 | 11.9 |
| Blue Jays | 10 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 17 | 20 | 29 | 12.1 |
| D-backs | 7 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 6 | 9 | 28 | 25 | 12.6 |
| Padres | 4 | 8 | 8 | 24 | 20 | 3 | 14 | 26 | 13.4 |
| White Sox | 9 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 17 | 25 | 13 | 9 | 13.5 |
| Cardinals | 6 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 26 | 1 | 24 | 16 | 14.4 |
| Royals | 18 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 14.5 |
| Phillies | 17 | 13 | 14 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 18 | 23 | 14.5 |
| Marlins | 21 | 16 | 25 | 30 | 8 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 14.8 |
| Guardians | 22 | 10 | 17 | 25 | 3 | 26 | 17 | 4 | 15.5 |
| Giants | 13 | 19 | 23 | 20 | 23 | 7 | 2 | 22 | 16.1 |
| Astros | 30 | 28 | 16 | 2 | 18 | 30 | 6 | 6 | 17.0 |
| Cubs | 16 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 16 | 12 | 25 | 14 | 17.1 |
| Pirates | 14 | 27 | 10 | 6 | 29 | 24 | 21 | 12 | 17.9 |
| Braves | 29 | 29 | 30 | 28 | 15 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 19.0 |
| Rays | 26 | 26 | 26 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 19.1 |
| Rockies | 20 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 28 | 22 | 12 | 13 | 19.3 |
| Rangers | 24 | 22 | 24 | 19 | 24 | 11 | 16 | 17 | 19.6 |
| Tigers | 15 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 21 | 21 | 27 | 27 | 19.8 |
| Orioles | 28 | 24 | 29 | 26 | 11 | 23 | 26 | 8 | 21.9 |
| Red Sox | 19 | 21 | 21 | 15 | 22 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 22.8 |
| Angels | 23 | 17 | 22 | 23 | 13 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 23.3 |
| Nationals | 25 | 30 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 20 | 7 | 19 | 23.4 |
| Reds | 27 | 25 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 29 | 9 | 24 | 24.3 |
We can look at pitching in the same way. The Rays’ emphasis on throwing strikes is quite apparent here. The Tigers have some good pitching environments to work in, but their overall performance is quite impressive.
Pitching Stats
| Org | Strike % | RAA | ERA | SO% | BB% | K-BB% | HR Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigers | 63.5% | 4.20 | 3.64 | 24.1% | 9.4% | 14.7% | 0.69 |
| Rays | 64.5% | 4.22 | 3.65 | 24.3% | 8.9% | 15.4% | 0.85 |
| Brewers | 62.0% | 4.32 | 3.72 | 23.8% | 11.2% | 12.6% | 0.57 |
| Braves | 62.7% | 4.51 | 3.81 | 25.1% | 10.2% | 14.9% | 0.75 |
| Mets | 62.7% | 4.64 | 3.84 | 27.7% | 11.2% | 16.5% | 0.80 |
| Marlins | 62.0% | 4.60 | 3.93 | 25.3% | 11.9% | 13.4% | 0.62 |
| Guardians | 61.4% | 4.61 | 4.04 | 24.7% | 11.7% | 13.0% | 0.69 |
| Yankees | 62.2% | 4.62 | 4.05 | 25.5% | 11.2% | 14.3% | 0.76 |
| Athletics | 62.5% | 4.65 | 4.11 | 24.5% | 9.3% | 15.2% | 0.76 |
| Pirates | 62.7% | 4.70 | 4.23 | 25.3% | 10.7% | 14.5% | 0.80 |
| Blue Jays | 63.0% | 5.01 | 4.30 | 25.1% | 10.4% | 14.6% | 0.85 |
| Red Sox | 61.7% | 5.10 | 4.32 | 26.8% | 11.5% | 15.3% | 0.80 |
| Royals | 61.7% | 5.02 | 4.35 | 24.0% | 10.8% | 13.2% | 0.75 |
| Cubs | 60.9% | 4.93 | 4.35 | 24.7% | 12.0% | 12.6% | 0.58 |
| Rangers | 61.5% | 5.01 | 4.37 | 24.9% | 11.5% | 13.4% | 0.87 |
| Dodgers | 59.7% | 5.00 | 4.38 | 25.1% | 14.4% | 10.7% | 0.72 |
| Average | 61.7% | 5.03 | 4.39 | 24.3% | 11.4% | 12.9% | 0.79 |
| Orioles | 61.2% | 5.32 | 4.48 | 25.2% | 12.4% | 12.7% | 0.71 |
| Phillies | 62.2% | 5.18 | 4.52 | 24.3% | 11.1% | 13.2% | 0.90 |
| Twins | 62.5% | 5.16 | 4.54 | 23.9% | 9.6% | 14.2% | 0.82 |
| Astros | 60.5% | 5.23 | 4.63 | 24.2% | 12.2% | 12.0% | 0.93 |
| Reds | 61.0% | 5.20 | 4.63 | 23.4% | 11.9% | 11.6% | 0.89 |
| White Sox | 60.2% | 5.17 | 4.64 | 23.9% | 12.7% | 11.2% | 0.83 |
| Rockies | 61.4% | 5.27 | 4.65 | 23.8% | 11.1% | 12.7% | 0.85 |
| Giants | 61.8% | 5.24 | 4.66 | 23.4% | 11.1% | 12.3% | 0.80 |
| Mariners | 61.5% | 5.36 | 4.73 | 20.7% | 11.4% | 9.3% | 0.73 |
| Nationals | 60.7% | 5.65 | 4.87 | 22.4% | 12.3% | 10.2% | 0.83 |
| D-backs | 60.3% | 5.61 | 4.87 | 22.6% | 12.3% | 10.3% | 0.91 |
| Cardinals | 61.0% | 5.64 | 4.96 | 23.7% | 12.4% | 11.3% | 0.86 |
| Angels | 60.7% | 5.85 | 5.17 | 22.9% | 12.2% | 10.7% | 0.85 |
| Padres | 61.1% | 5.97 | 5.18 | 24.0% | 11.7% | 12.3% | 0.83 |
Here’s how the different organizations rank in each of these pitching categories. The Tigers, Braves, Rays, Mets and A’s all stand out, with the Mets leading in the very useful K-BB% stat.
| Org | Strike % | RAA | ERA | K% | BB% | K-BB% | HR | Avg Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigers | 2 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 4.9 |
| Braves | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 5.9 |
| Rays | 1 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 6.6 |
| Mets | 6 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 14 | 6.9 |
| Athletics | 7 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 7.9 |
| Pirates | 4 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 8.1 |
| Yankees | 10 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 14 | 9 | 12 | 9.0 |
| Marlins | 12 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 21 | 12 | 3 | 9.0 |
| Blue Jays | 3 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 22 | 10.1 |
| Brewers | 11 | 3 | 3 | 23 | 12 | 19 | 1 | 10.3 |
| Red Sox | 14 | 16 | 12 | 2 | 17 | 3 | 15 | 11.3 |
| Guardians | 19 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 19 | 15 | 5 | 11.7 |
| Royals | 15 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 8 | 14 | 9 | 13.1 |
| Twins | 8 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 4 | 10 | 17 | 13.7 |
| Cubs | 24 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 22 | 18 | 2 | 14.7 |
| Rangers | 17 | 14 | 15 | 10 | 16 | 11 | 26 | 15.6 |
| Phillies | 9 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 28 | 16.0 |
| Orioles | 20 | 24 | 17 | 6 | 27 | 16 | 6 | 16.6 |
| Dodgers | 30 | 12 | 16 | 7 | 30 | 26 | 7 | 18.3 |
| Giants | 13 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 11 | 21 | 16 | 18.9 |
| Rockies | 18 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 9 | 17 | 23 | 19.3 |
| Mariners | 16 | 25 | 25 | 30 | 15 | 30 | 8 | 21.3 |
| Padres | 21 | 30 | 30 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 22.3 |
| Astros | 27 | 21 | 20 | 16 | 23 | 22 | 30 | 22.7 |
| Reds | 22 | 20 | 21 | 26 | 20 | 23 | 27 | 22.7 |
| White Sox | 29 | 18 | 22 | 20 | 29 | 25 | 20 | 23.3 |
| Cardinals | 23 | 27 | 28 | 24 | 28 | 24 | 25 | 25.6 |
| Nationals | 25 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 25 | 29 | 19 | 25.9 |
| Angels | 26 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 24 | 27 | 21 | 26.1 |
| D-backs | 28 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 27.4 |
In Conclusion
While an organization that has plenty of hitter’s parks/leagues or pitching-friendly leagues can stand out in either the hitting or pitching categories, being near the top in many hitting and pitching categories shows a team has excellent depth of talent/successful players.
Obviously, a team can somewhat tweak how they perform by holding back players and being old for each level. But the 165-player roster limits of today do ensure that teams are not really full of top-tier veteran org players.
The A’s success jumps out. The Athletics are third-best in overall winning percentage and best in the minors in run differential. It’s easy to see why when you note that they are top five in all offensive categories other than home run rate and stolen bases per game. They also are top 10 in most pitching categories and top five in walk rate and K-BB%. The Mets also rank in the top five in both average hitting rank and pitching rank.
On the other hand, the Nationals rank in the bottom six in all but one pitching category (home runs allowed). They rank in the bottom six in most hitting categories, as well (other than strikeout percentage and the stolen base categories). Stolen base success rate is the only stat we measured in which the Nationals are above-average.
The Angels are also bottom-tier in both hitting and pitching average ranks. The only stat in which the Angels are above-average in either hitting or pitching is hitters’ walk rate.
