Monday, May 2, 2011

Leadoff Rankings: Week 5

Previous Rankings: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4

The fifth weekend of the 2011 season has come and gone, and the Leadoff Rankings are starting to settle out. More a fan of pitching? Check out our Rotation Rankings, published every Thursday, where we rank each team by the performance of their starting pitchers. The rankings are based on season performance, with a small bias towards recent performance. The stats come from each team's first and second batters every game, regardless of the name on the back of the jersey. To see how things turned out this week, hit the jump!

(LW: Last week's ranking; ABs: At-Bats, AVG: batting average; OBP: on-base percentage; SLG: slugging percentage; R: runs; RBI: runs batted in)

30. (LW: 28) Washington Nationals (13-14)
This Week: .179 AVG, .233 OBP, .214 SLG, 1 steal, 3 runs, 3 RBIs
Season (221 ABs): .199 AVG, .263 OBP, .303 SLG, 9 steals, 20 R, 19 RBIs
The top of the Nationals' order has been putrid all season long--and that didn't change at all this week. They batted .179 with only three runs scored and three RBIs in seven games. It's no surprise, then, that they are towards the bottom of the league in almost every offensive category.

29. (LW: 29) Detroit Tigers (12-16)
This Week: .191 AVG, 269 OBP, .234 SLG, 0 steals, 4 runs, 0 RBIs
Season (216 ABs): .199 AVG, .279 OBP, .278 SLG, 3 steals, 22 R, 13 RBIs
The top of the lineup continues to struggle in Detroit. Austin Jackson and his running mate (a rotation of Will Rhymes, Ryan Raburn and Ramon Santiago) couldn't get the bat on the ball in six losses this week. It hurts to see players who are supposed to lead their team in OBP striking out 14 times in 47 cracks at the plate after sitting down 15 times the week before. Something has to change or the Tigers are going nowhere.

28. (LW: 23) Minnesota Twins (9-18)
This Week: .128 AVG, .226 OBP, .149 SLG, 0 steals, 3 runs, 2 RBIs
Season (220 ABs): .227 AVG, .280 OBP, .291 SLG, 3 steals, 20 R, 14 RBIs
Minnesota definitely has to forget about this week. Not only did Denard Span and his partner in crime (against their own team) barely break the Mendoza line in OBP, but they also did it while striking out just five times. While it's nice to see they're getting contact on the ball, hitting the baseball is only effective when it drops in for a hit. Three runs by the top two batters is a really bad sign for a team that went winless this week.

27. (LW: 27) San Diego Padres (11-17)
This Week: .163 AVG, .241 OBP, .163 SLG, 1 steal, 5 runs, 1 RBI
Season (216 ABs): .205 AVG, .288 OBP, .233 SLG, 14 steals, 19 R, 5 RBI
Anybody else seen the movie Invictus? Watched it this weekend--not a bad movie, but I really do not understand the sport of rugby. Oh, the Padres leadoff rankings? Well, it's never a good thing when you have more strikeouts (52) than total bases (50), considering most normal Major League teams have something like a 3-to-1 base-to-strikeout ratio.

26. (LW: 30) Toronto Blue Jays (13-15)
This Week: .283 AVG, .348 OBP, .383 SLG, 5 steals, 14 runs, 6 RBIs
Season (240 ABs): .229 AVG, .275 OBP, .354 SLG, 10 steals, 31 R, 25 RBIs
Yunel Escobar continues to be the mainstay at the top of the lineup, playing six of the Jays' last seven games.  The Blue Jays got good production from their top guys in five of seven games. The two games they didn't play up to par? Only one hit and one run in eight at-bats each game and at least four strikeouts. As long as Escobar and his fellow leadoff guy (lately Rajai Davis) can watch the K's, they are good to go.

25. (LW: 15) Los Angeles Dodgers (14-15)
This Week: .122 AVG, .189 OBP, .143 SLG, 1 steal, 3 runs, 2 RBIs
Season (231 ABs): .229 AVG, .291 OBP, .316 SLG, 7 steals, 35 R, 13 RBI
For those of you wondering, a .122 averages comes out to a 6-for-49 week between Jamey Carroll, Tony Gwynn Jr, Aaron Miles, and Jerry Sands. They're gonna miss Casey Blake while he's on the 15-day DL with an elbow injury. Interesting note: even with the atrocious slugging %, they still have twice as many total bases as strikeouts (see: San Diego).

24. (LW: 24) Baltimore Orioles (13-13)
This Week: .208 AVG, .296 OBP, .250 SLG, 3 steals, 7 runs, 7 RBIs
Season (209 ABs): .234 AVG, .292 OBP, .354 SLG, 4 steals, 25 R, 28 RBIs
Roberts and Markakis continue to lead off despite a lack of production. The two combined for four 2-hit games in six games this week but still barely broke the Mendoza line. The one item good news for the O's is that they continue to avoid the strikeouts, staying in single digits. If only fewer strikeouts led to more production elsewhere...like on-base percentage...or steals.

23. (LW: 26) Chicago White Sox (10-19)
This Week: .232 AVG, .306 OBP, .214 SLG, 0 steals, 3 runs, 2 RBIs
Season (238 ABs): .248 AVG, .295 OBP, .290 SLG, 7 steals, 26 R, 18 RBIs
A .232 average is at least an improvement over last week's .173 catastrophe. Juan Pierre and Alexei Ramirez are going to have to work on getting walks if they aren't going to hit. The six freebies are greatly skewed by the five handed to them on Sunday in a loss to Baltimore. Take those out and the White Sox frontmen have walked just four times in the past two weeks.

22. (LW: 22) Oakland Athletics (14-14)
This Week: .244 AVG, .306 OBP, .333 SLG, 0 steals, 5 runs, 3 RBIs
Season (219 ABs): .233 AVG, .309 OBP, .338 SLG, 8 steals, 28 R, 12 RBIs
It's been a tough all-around season for the Athletics offense, hitting just .237/.305/.350, similar to the averages put up by (mostly) Coco Crisp and Daric Barton. Still, this was the best batting average put up by the pair in any full week this season, and the two strikeouts are a big improvement over the 11 from two weeks ago.

21. (LW: 19) Atlanta Braves (14-15)
This Week: .250 AVG, .263 OBP, .429 SLG, 0 steals, 6 runs, 6 RBIs
Season (239 ABs): .247 AVG, .289 OBP, .381 SLG, 2 steals, 32 R, 24 RBIs
Martin Prado and Jason Heyward started all six games this week at the top of the Braves' order, and the tandem was mediocre at best. A .250 batting average is about the same level of mediocrity that the top of the Atlanta lineup has been serving up all season long, and they only have two steals on the year. That's why they could only score six runs all week despite three team wins.

20. (LW: 25) Kansas City Royals (15-13)
This Week: .286 AVG, .314 OBP, .429 SLG, 3 steals, 7 runs, 9 RBIs
Season (242 ABs): .244 AVG, .293 OBP, .376 SLG, 12 steals, 33 R, 30 RBIs
The Royals mixed up the top of their lineup this week, with Melky Cabrera, Mike Aviles, and Jarrod Dyson getting the majority of the opportunities. Apparently, Kansas City goes where their leadoff guys take them. In a sweep at the hands of Cleveland to start the week, the top two went a combined 5-26 with just two runs and two RBIs. In a sweep over the Twins, however, Royals leadoff men went 9-23 with five runs and seven RBIs. It also helps when you only strike out once in three wins, compared to five times in the losses to Cleveland.

19. (LW: 21) Arizona Diamondbacks (12-15)
This Week: .235 AVG, .350 OBP, .510 SLG, 3 steals, 11 runs, 8 RBIs
Season (224 ABs): .241 AVG, .303 OBP, .446 SLG, 14 steals, 38 R, 29 RBIs
Nine walks this week nearly doubled the season total (they had 11 previously), and they all came in a four-game span against the Cubs to end the week. After a lot of lineup shuffling the last few weeks (4 combinations last week), Chris Young and Kelly Johnson started 6-of-7 for the Diamondbacks this week.

18. (LW: 8) Tampa Bay Rays (15-13)
This Week: .160 AVG, .263 OBP, .240 SLG, 1 steal, 9 runs, 3 RBIs
Season (227 ABs): .256 AVG, .305 OBP, .414 SLG, 13 steals, 33 R, 30 RBIs
The duo of Sam Fuld and Johnny Damon had a bit of a shock to the system this week. After averaging .316 with a .339 OBP last week, the Rays' leadoff men fell to .160 and .263, respectively, this week. The week started off strong with two multi-hit games in a row and multiple runs and RBIs before the wheels fell off. In the last four games the duo combined to go 3-36 with two runs, no RBIs and four strikeouts.

17. (LW: 13) San Francisco Giants (13-14)
This Week: .250 AVG, .265 OBP, .313 SLG, 1 steal, 2 runs, 4 RBIs
Season (220 ABs): .273 AVG, .313 OBP, .382 SLG, 2 steals, 27 R, 17 RBIs
A down week for Aaron Rowand and Freddy Sanchez, as the tandem combined for only two runs scored and a .313 slugging percentage. They're not alone in their struggles, though, as the Giants are 21st in baseball with a .240 batting average.

16. (LW: 18) New York Mets (12-15)
This Week: .255 AVG, .300 OBP, .340 SLG, 2 steals, 4 runs, 2 RBIs
Season (234 ABs): .252 AVG, .306 OBP, .350 SLG, 15 steals, 32 R, 15 RBIs
The Mets managed a 3-3 road trip against division foes Washington and Philadelphia, helped out slightly by the leadoff duo of Jose Reyes and Daniel Murphy. It's been a series of mediocre weeks for the Mets leadoff pairings, never batting better than .280 or worse than .233 in any given week, with OBPs between .267 and .313.

15. (LW: 17) Florida Marlins (17-9)
This Week: .250 AVG, .321 OBP, .458 SLG, 1 steal, 8 runs, 8 RBIs
Season (212 ABs): .255 AVG, .319 OBP, .392 SLG, 3 steals, 27 R, 26 RBIs
Good week for the soon-to-be Miami Marlins (my mother, next April: "Who's Miami? Since when is there a team in Miami?"), taking 4 out of 6 from the Dodgers and Reds. Chris Coghlan is in need of offseason shoulder surgery, and that cost him a game this week as he tries to stay healthy--something the Marlins need him to be.

14. (LW: 14) New York Yankees (16-9)
This Week: .245 AVG, .339 OBP, .408 SLG, 1 steal, 7 runs, 11 RBIs
Season (193 ABs): .259 AVG, .329 OBP, .383 SLG, 3 steals, 33 R, 25 RBIs
Derek Jeter and the combination of Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher, couldn't maintain their hot streak from a week ago. Last week, the Pinstripes leadoff men went 13-38 with 10 runs and six RBIs. In this week's go-round, they only managed 12 hits in 49 at-bats. The killer? Over three times as many strikeouts this week, including four multi-strikeout games combined.

13. (LW: 16) Boston Red Sox (12-15)
This Week: .306 AVG, .370 OBP, .388 SLG, 1 steal, 8 runs, 3 RBIs
Season (220 ABs): .255 AVG, .333 OBP, .377 SLG, 8 steals, 33 R, 17 RBIs
The BoSox frontmen bounced back despite only two wins for the week. Ellsbury and Pedroia cut their strikeouts nearly in half and jumped their combined average from .241 last week to a .306 this week. The biggest knock is that their walks dropped from 11 to five, keeping their OBP right around .370. If only their solid production could help Boston in the win column. Oh, and remember Carl Crawford?

12. (LW: 20) Seattle Mariners (13-16):
This Week: .346 AVG, .404 OBP, .423 SLG, 3 steals, 10 runs, 7 RBIs
Season (241 ABs): .266 AVG, .319 OBP, .332 SLG, 15 steals, 31 R, 25 RBIs
Ichiro Suzuki and Chone Figgons continue to provide a solid foundation for the Mariners' offense. Strikeouts remain very low in comparison to the rest of the majors' leadoff men. Seattle has to be happy with the early season offense, at least from these two who have seen marked improvement since the start of the season. The biggest knock? A lack of walks, but Ichiro makes his name by swinging the bat, not working pitch counts.

11. (LW: 11) Milwaukee Brewers (13-14)
This Week: .234 AVG, .280 OBP, .404 SLG, 2 steals, 6 runs, 5 RBIs
Season (223 ABs): .269 AVG, .324 OBP, .430 SLG, 8 steals, 37 R, 21 RBIs
A .280 OBP at the top of the order will not cut it for the Brewers, who are getting great production in the middle of their lineup from Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. Rickie Weeks and Carlos Gomez went 0-7 yesterday in Houston and 3-23 overall against the Astros.

10. (LW: 4) Pittsburgh Pirates (13-15)
This Week: .192 AVG, .263 OBP, .365 SLG, 3 steals, 6 runs, 6 RBIs
Season (216 ABs): .264 AVG, .351 OBP, .440 SLG, 15 steals, 35 R, 24 RBIs
It's been a steady downward trend for the Pirates lately, who have seen their leadoff pair post the following OBPs over the last four weeks: .387, .370, .302, and now .263. Part of that is because Neil Walker (.287/.353/.426) was dropped down towards the middle of the lineup on April 15th. Andrew McCutchen's OBP of .331 is far too low for someone hitting leadoff every night.

9. (LW: 12) Texas Rangers (16-12)
This Week: .288 AVG, .354 OBP, .373 SLG, 6 steals, 9 runs, 4 RBIs
Season (219 ABs): .260 AVG, .339 OBP, .420 SLG, 13 steals, 39 R, 26 RBIs
The Rangers as a team have certainly slowed down, going 7-13 in their last 20 after starting the season off 9-1. The pairing of Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus have had a pretty solid two weeks, however, hitting .306/.375/.426 with 17 runs and 8 RBIs over the last 13 games, with just 13 strikeouts.

8. (LW: 5) Colorado Rockies (17-9)
This Week: .194 AVG, .310 OBP, .278 SLG, 0 steals, 3 runs, 2 RBIs
Season (207 ABs): .271 AVG, .373 OBP, .386 SLG, 6 steals, 35 R, 19 RBIs
The Rockies only played five games this week, so the poor numbers didn't really drag the overall ones down too much. The Rockies still won three out of the five games despite the poor play by Dexter Fowler and Jeremy Herrera, and haven't gotten a steal out of the leadoff slots since April 13th.

7. (LW: 6) Houston Astros (11-17)
This Week: .260 AVG, .315 OBP, .320 SLG, 5 steals, 6 runs, 4 RBIs
Season (227 ABs): .286 AVG, .341 OBP, .357 SLG, 17 steals, 40 R, 23 RBIs
The Astros have been running wild on the basepaths this year, with five SBs this week and 17 total on the season. That's how Michael Bourn & Co. have been able to score 40 runs with only a .286 batting average.

6. (LW: 9) Los Angeles Angels (16-12)
This Week: .255 AVG, .340 OBP, .340 SLG, 2 steals, 6 runs, 3 RBIs
Season (239 ABs): .293 AVG, .352 OBP, .473 SLG, 8 steals, 26 R, 23 RBIs
Bobby Abreu found a consistent spot in the two-hole this week, which seems to have helped solidify the lead-off positions and improve the output for the Angels. Abreu and the combination of Peter Bourjos, Erick Aybar and Maicer Izturis produced five multi-hit games in six contests and brought their batting average up over 50 points. Abreu's presence also seems to have helped the strikeout totals, down from 16 last week.

5. (LW: 10) Cincinnati Reds (14-14)
This Week: .275 AVG, .362 OBP, .510 SLG, 6 steals, 12 runs, 7 RBIs
Season (230 ABs): .278 AVG, .349 OBP, .474 SLG, 15 steals, 47 R, 28 RBIs
Brandon Phillips was having such a good season for the Reds (.351/.407/.546) that he was dropped down in the lineup, leaving Drew Stubbs and Jay Bruce batting one-two every game this week. The pair didn't have an awful week, but the 16 strikeouts in one week (in just six games) are a big concern moving forward.

4. (LW: 7) Cleveland Indians (19-8)
This Week: .327 AVG, .375 OBP, .673 SLG, 1 steal, 14 runs, 8 RBIs
Season (227 ABs): .300 AVG, .351 OBP, .515 SLG, 4 steals, 36 R, 33 RBIs
The combination of Grady Sizemore and Asdrubal Cabrera found even more lightning than last week when the two combined to hit .296. The duo had five multi-hit games in six tries this week, including a 5-for-8 day against Kansas City. The big plus this week was a major jump in runs (up from five last week) and RBIs (up from four last week). Getting that kind of production despite striking out 11 times makes winning six-straight that much easier.

3. (LW: 3) St. Louis Cardinals (16-12)
This Week: .245 AVG, .288 OBP, .286 SLG, 1 steal, 6 runs, 6 RBIs
Season (228 ABs): .303 AVG, .367 OBP, .390 SLG, 6 steals, 33 R, 23 RBIs
Manage Tony LaRussa used six different combinations at the top of the order on six games this week. The mixing and matching hasn't worked out for the Cards thus far, as their .245 batting average at the top is their lowest for any week this season.

2. (LW: 2) Philadelphia Phillies (18-9)
This Week: .358 AVG, .382 OBP, .509 SLG, 1 steal, 10 runs, 5 RBIs
Season (224 ABs): .326 AVG, .379 OBP, .482 SLG, 8 steals, 37 R, 31 RBIs
The Phillies are trying to close ground on the Cubs, mostly behind the record-setting April by Placido Polanco (.385/.433/.505), who had the most hits ever for a Phillie in April (31). The rest of the Phillies lineup has been struggling lately, but Polanco and Victorino have managed to keep up good production up top for Philadelphia.

1. (LW: 1) Chicago Cubs (12-15)
This Week: .327 AVG, .352 OBP, .423 SLG, 1 steal, 7 runs, 3 RBIs
Season (231 ABs): .377 AVG, .417 OBP, .485 SLG, 5 steals, 35 R, 28 RBIs
Starlin Castro has been playing so well (.336 avg, 12 RBIs) that he earned himself a demotion into the middle of the lineup. Kosuke Fukudome plugged right in and kept the Cubs up at the top, though the two walks in the week are a low for the season. The only thing to complain about is the lack of steals, but the fantastic OBP makes up for that and then some.

Previous Rankings: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4

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