Do the Miami Marlins have the best top of the batting order in the NL East based on WRC+?

MIAMI, FL - MARCH 27: A general view of the new Marlins logo in the outfield during 2019 Workout Day at Marlins Park on March 27, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - MARCH 27: A general view of the new Marlins logo in the outfield during 2019 Workout Day at Marlins Park on March 27, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)

Do the Miami Marlins have the best top and middle of the batting order in the NL East? The top of the batting order is of course the all-important lead-off spot, the increasingly crucial #2 spot (where many teams now put their best hitters, the traditional best hitter #3 spot, the clean-up #4 spot and finally the #5 spot. Here’s some reading on two of our key top of the batting order hitters.

The Miami Marlins have a better batting order than many think. Let’s start with of division rivals first though… Before we continue, here’s a quick primer on WRC+, which is basically a rating of a hitter’s hitting ability and value per at-bat. The Atlanta Braves have RF Ronald Acuña Jr. in their lead-off spot and he has a 136 WRC+. SS Dansby Swanson is in the #2 spot with a 115 WRC+. DH Marcell Ozuna is in the #3 spot with a 90 WRC+. 3B Austin Riley bats clean-up and has a 138 WRC+. 2B Ozzie Albies is in the #5 spot with a 93 WRC+. I’ll combine them for a number of 572 and 114.4 WRC+ per player.

Let’s look at the New York Mets. CF Brandon Nimmo bats lead-off and has a 132 WRC+. He is followed by RF Starling Marte and his 119 WRC+. #3 is SS Francisco Lindor and his 126 WRC+. Then there’s 1B Pete Alonso and his 144 WRC+. Finally there’s 2B Jeff McNeil and his 141 WRC+. The total is 662 and the average is 132.4. The Philadelphia Phillies are next… LF Kyle Schwarber and his 107 WRC+, then 3B Alex Bohm and his 107 WRC+, then RF Bryce Harper (DH this season due to injury) and his 154 WRC+, then DH Nick Castellanos and his 107 WRC+ and finally 1B Rhys Hoskins and his 98 WRC+. Philly’s total is 573 and average is 114.6.

The Washington Nationals are not doing too good… 2B César Hernández starts things off with a 91 WRC+, followed by C Keibert Ruiz and his 95 WRC+, then  RF Juan Soto and his 126 WRC+, DH Nelson Cruz with an 86 WRC+ and finally 1B Josh Bell and his 132 WRC+. Washington’s total is 530 and the average is 106.

Finally the Miami Marlins: 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. starts things off with a 140 WRC+. He’s followed by DH Jesús Aguilar and his 108 WRC+. Next up is LF Jorge Soler and his 121 WRC+, 1B Garrett Cooper with a 128 WRC+ and finally RF Avisaíl García and his 57 WRC+. Miami’s total is 554 and the average is 110.8.

What was the result of this experimental study? The New York Mets finished first with 662 total WRC+, followed by Atlanta with 572, Philly with 573, The Fish with 554 and Washington with 530. If Someone other than Avi was #5, we’d be #2, so that’s something to think about. This was an experiment, but says a lot about the state of offenses.

Next. What should the Miami Marlins do with Trevor Rogers?. dark