Batting first to sixth

Before a game begins, each manager has to set the batting order. There are several discussions or debates about lineup construction. For example, who should bat first or bat second? Each one has his or her own argument. But, I’m trying to use a different way to see the performance of each team’s lineup. Normally, the seventh, eighth, and ninth batters are called the "bottom of the lineup and generally, fans don’t expect a lot of contribution from the bottom of the lineup. Thus, I would like to see the performance of each team’s first six batters in the lineup. To understand a little bit more, I went to check on the great Fangraphs website.

On-base Plus Slugging (Batting first to sixth, ~2022.07.10)
Team	OPS
Astros	.814
Yankees	.810
Red Sox	.791
Twins	.770
Braves	.770
Cardinals	.769
Dodgers	.766
Mets	.761
Blue Jays	.759
Phillies	.751
Angels	.746

The Houston Astros are now first in the AL West. A good reason to tell us why they are the division leader is that their offense is pretty good. The team’s OPS is .753, 4th best in the majors. Meanwhile, their first six players in the lineup have been hitting very well with an OPS over .800 and they already crushed nearly 100 home runs. The Astros have 124 HRs thus far. In addition, we just can’t ignore the Bronx Bombers. By far, the Yankees blasted 146 home runs, leading the majors. And, the team’s OPS is .771, which ranks first among 30 MLB teams. When we look at the batters who bat first to sixth in the Yankees lineup, their OPS is over .800 and they already crushed 100+ home runs. Well, to date, the Tigers only hit 52 home runs and the Athletics only have 62 home runs. At the same time, there are 19 teams that haven’t reached 100 home runs. You know how productive the Yankees players who bat first to sixth are. Meanwhile, the Dodgers won the 2020 World Series Champions. So far, their OPS is .763, leading the NL. Looking at their players who bat first to sixth, they have an OPS of .766. Well, the bottom of the Dodgers lineup now has a .760 OPS, which ranks first among 30 MLB teams. Furthermore, the defending World Series Champions Braves have an OPS of .761, which ranks 2nd in the NL. They lead the NL with 133 home runs. By far, the Braves players who bat first to sixth have an OPS of .770.

On-base Plus Slugging (Batting first to sixth, ~2022.07.10)
Team	OPS
Athletics	.609
Tigers	.612
Royals	.683
Reds	.689
White Sox	.689
Padres	.698
Rangers	.699
Pirates	.703
Mariners	.707

The Oakland Athletics’ OPS is now under .600. By far, the players who bat first to sixth in the A’s lineup own a .609 OPS and they only hit 48 home runs. Moreover, the Tigers’ OPS is under .650 now. The players who bat first to sixth for the Tigers have a .612 OPS and they only hit 35 home runs. Well, the Yankees’ Aaron Judge already blasted 30 home runs thus far. Looking at each team’s first six players in the lineup, the Yankees and the Astros are in the top 2. Meanwhile, there’s no huge difference in OPS between the first six players of the Dodgers lineup and the bottom of the Dodgers lineup. Does this show the depth of the Dodgers? However, for the Tigers and the Athletics, they really have a lot to improve.