From Los Angeles Dodgers to New York Mets: The top 5 offensive teams in 2022 MLB season so far
The 2022 MLB season features some of the best offensive powerhouses baseball has witnessed in recent memory. If you're looking for low-scoring contests and pitching duels, sorry to disappoint you, because this list is all about the offense.
The high-scoring games that make coaches and owners cringe bring nothing but smiles and entertainment to fans. Determining the highest-octane offense takes a balance of batting average, home runs, and runs into consideration, among other factors.
With that in mind, let's count down the top five offensive teams of the 2022 campaign. Pitchers be warned, you might want to cover your eyes.
#5 San Francisco Giants
We were surprised to see, when digging into the numbers, that the San Francisco Giants have a higher team batting average (.247), more runs, and more hits than the New York Yankees. The more surprising fact is that those numbers weren't even close. Somehow, despite amassing 10 fewer home runs than the Yankees, they are also tied with the Yanks with the sixth-highest slugging percentage at .406.
The San Francisco Giants started the first quarter of the 2022 MLB season averaging more than five runs per game and 237 total runs. That total trails only the Dodgers and Mets for the third-most in the MLB. In every main offensive category, the Giants rank no lower than ninth. This band of misfits with no big bats is sneaking in under the radar offensively.
#4 Los Angeles Angels
With two of the best players in baseball hitting moonshots on a daily basis, this team cannot be left off the list of top five powerhouse offenses.
SHOHEI OHTANI SUNDAY CONTINUES!!! BACK TO BACK AT BATS WITH A HOME RUN THATS THE REIGNING UNANIMOUS MVP FOLKS!!
https://t.co/RFpwy7n9DB
"BACK TO BACK AT BATS WITH A HOME RUN THATS THE REIGNING UNANIMOUS MVP FOLS!!" - @ Ben Verlander
Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and company hold a two-way tie for the second-most home runs in all of baseball. A testament to the Los Angeles Angels' collective power is reflected in the four Angels players who hold double-digit numbers in home runs.
The Angels do damage with more than just the long ball, as their .251 team batting average and second-best .426 team slugging percentage substantiates. With a deep cast of Jared Walsh, Taylor Ward, and Brandon Marsh also contributing, the Angels are primed for a deep playoff run.
#3 Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox's recent resurgence has displayed itself in their offensive output. With the third-highest batting average (.260) and MLB's fifth-most run support (234), the Red Sox slid in gracefully to the top third offense of 2022.
Much of the reason for this offensive resurgence is the recent tear of Trevor Story, who is suddenly living up to the mammoth contract he signed in the recent off-season. He's certainly not alone, as the rest of the batting order has fallen right in line with Story leading the way.
Wanna hear a cool story?... TREVOR STORY HAS HIT THREE HOME RUNS TONIGHT 🔥
https://t.co/zsuNQ7QUvL
"Wanna hear a cool story?... TREVOR STORY HAS HIT THREE HOME RUNS TONIGHT" - @ FOX Sports: MLB
That spells good news for the Boston Red Sox. This offense is loaded with top talent with names like Xander Boegarts, Rafael Devers, and J.D. Martinez. The question is, can Boston's less than stellar pitching help them maintain their resurgence in the MLB standings?
#2 New York Mets
The New York Mets have put on a clinic for the baseball world for the first two months of the season. That's what you'd expect from a team whose primary number seven hitter is batting .289 with four home runs (Mark Cahna).
They currently hold MLB's second-highest team batting average at .264 and the second-most runs scored at 256, good for a whopping 5.12 average runs per game. Their number eight hitter, rookie Nick Plummer, is also turning some heads after his most recent call-up with a .444 average and two home runs in only nine at-bats.
Game Tying Ninth Inning Home Run Last Night For His First Major League Hit and HR.
Three Run Fourth Inning Home Run Extending #NYM Lead To 12-3 Tonight.
First New York #Mets Player To Homer In First Two Career Starts.
Great Start To The Career For @nplum11
#NickPlummer
#LGM twitter.com/Mets/status/15…
"First New York Mets Player to Homer in First Two Career Starts" - @ James Piccoli
With run production like that up and down the lineup, there's no player on this team who can't do damage. In perspective, their sixth-lowest strikeout total tells you this team is putting the ball in play one way or another.
#1 Offensive team in the 2022 MLB season: Los Angeles Dodgers
It was a neck-and-neck race for our top spot on this list of MLB powerhouses. In the end, the Los Angeles Dodgers edged out the top spot for a couple of reasons.
For starters, the Dodgers have scored an MLB-leading 267 runs in two fewer games than our runner-up. Factor in the fifth-highest team batting average (.253) and the league's highest slugging percentage at a staggering .433 collectively, and you have a well-balanced high-octane offense.
What makes this even more eye-popping is the fact that one of their top hitters from last season, Max Muncy, has regressed at an alarming rate this season with a dreadful .150 batting average to accompany only three home runs. It's just a testament as to how deep this team is on the offensive side of the ball.
With a supporting cast featuring Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Will Smith, Trea Turner, and Justin Turner, this team can attack you all up and down the lineup. With the Dodgers averaging over 5.5 runs per game, opposing teams better bring their A-game if they want to hang with the best.