Non-fastballs, no problem?

Previously, we just saw some teams have done a good job at hitting fastballs. And I also think about another question. How about non-fastballs? Do those teams that hit well against fastballs hit well against non-fastballs as well?

Again, to understand a little bit more, I went to check on the statcast website.

Batting Average (Against non-Fastballs, ~2023.07.09)
Team	BA
Rangers	.272
Rays	.250
Braves	.245
Red Sox	.242
Marlins	.239
Angels	.237
Phillies	.235
Padres	.235

The Texas Rangers finished the first half of the 2023 season with 52 wins and 39 losses, which was the best in the AL West. A key reason why the Rangers have a good start is that their offense has been pretty good. Before the All-Star break, the Rangers had an OPS of .801, which ranks 2nd among 30 MLB teams. As we can see, the Rangers did hit well against non-fastball pitches before the Mid-Summer Classic.

 

In the meantime, the Tampa Bay Rays also won 50+ games in the first half of the 2023 season. In total, the Rays played 93 games before the All-Star break and they had an OPS of .783, which ranks 4th among 30 MLB teams. When an opposing pitcher threw a breaking ball or an offspeed pitch, the Rays batters hit .250 in the first half of the 2023 season.

At the same time, the Braves and the Red Sox each had a batting average over .240 when opposing pitchers threw a pitch, which the type does not belong to fastballs.

Expected Weighted On-base Average (xwOBA) (Against non-Fastballs, ~2023.07.09)
Team	xwOBA
Braves	.333
Rangers	.317
Dodgers	.313
Blue Jays	.300
Orioles	.298
Rays	.296
Phillies	.293

Now, let’s take a look at xwOBA. Before the All-Star break, there were 4 teams, which had a xwOBA over .300 against non-fastballs. The Braves, which had the best record before the All-Star break, owned an xwOBA of .333 against breaking balls or offspeed pitches. Moreover, they crushed 72 home runs against non-fastballs. Meanwhile, against non-fastballs, the Rangers had a .317 xwOBA and they blasted 49 home runs in the first half of the 2023 season.

Finally, the Dodgers had a xwOBA of .313 against offspeed pitches or breaking pitches. They were batting .229 against non-fastballs. However, they were able to crush a breaking ball or an offspeed pitch. In the first half of the 2023 season, the Dodgers had 60 home runs against non-fastballs, which is only behind the Braves. Furthermore, the Blue Jays hit .230 against non-fastballs. However, their xwOBA is .300, which ranked 4th among 30 MLB teams.

When we look at the performance of hitting non-fastballs, there’s little doubt that the Rangers did a great job in the first half of the 2023 season. They had a higher batting average than any other team in the MLB. Additionally, the quality of contact is not bad. Meanwhile, we can also see that the Braves and the Dodgers can make good contact against non-fastballs. In particular, their batters can hit long balls against breaking pitches or offspeed pitches. The second half of the 2023 season has already started. It will be worth watching if players from these 3 teams, which were the division leaders before the All-Star break, can continuously make good contact against non-fastballs. If they can do so, it will increase the odds of clinching a spot in the postseason.