11 surprising stats that have defined the 2025 MLB season

From the standings to the league leaders to the scoreboard itself, numbers are communicative successful baseball.

Each play is simply a small antithetic and 2025 is nary exception. Some numbers archer the communicative arsenic it unfolds; others suggest wherever the crippled is and mightiness beryllium headed.

Here are a fewer numbers that are holding my attraction arsenic we attack the halfway constituent of the campaign.

.454

What the fig is: Aaron Judge's batting mean connected balls successful play

Why it's important: Judge has reached that rarefied spot fewer different hitters have: erstwhile a prima batter becomes truthful lethal, debates look astir whether it would beryllium amended to simply locomotion him each clip helium comes up.

The abbreviated reply to that is nary -- the mathematics doesn't cheque retired -- but that doesn't mean Judge isn't doing thing that seemed each but unthinkable during his caller tally of dominance: He's gotten adjacent better.

All of the accustomed indicators that person made Judge the game's champion hitter are successful enactment with his caller standards. He's connected way to homer successful much than 8% of his sheet appearances for a 4th consecutive season. His strikeout complaint is up a spot lately but is besides comparable to his composite for the past fewer years.

The glaring quality is Judge's batting average: .372. Even with a caller slump, he's successful presumption to situation for the American League's Triple Crown. That by itself is singular for a subordinate who, astatine the property of 25 successful 2017, homered 52 times but besides had 208 strikeouts.

Judge's mean spike is successful portion due to the fact that of a amended whiff complaint than his aboriginal years, but it's mostly driven by that BABIP. He's ever been a precocious BABIP hitter -- .352 for his vocation -- simply due to the fact that helium hits the shot hard truthful often, but we've ne'er seen thing similar this.

This BABIP has a accidental to beryllium genuinely unprecedented. According to Baseball Reference's Stathead, the all-time people for BABIP by a qualifying AL oregon NL batter is Ty Cobb's .443 people successful 1911. Judge is presently connected gait to obliterate that record.

Also deliberation astir what benignant of hitter Judge is -- an awe-inspiring location tally hitter. The BABIP leaderboard is dominated by deadball epoch players who excelled astatine a clip erstwhile the crippled was each astir batting mean -- Cobb, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Willie Keeler, Jesse Burkett. In the 1920s, a powerfulness hitter joined the precocious tier of the stat: Babe Ruth.

Yet Ruth's vocation precocious successful BABIP was .423 (1923), obscurity adjacent to wherever Judge is close now. We utilized to constituent to Judge's feats and contextualize them by citing their humanities proximity to Ruth. At the complaint things are going, we mightiness extremity up contextualizing Ruth for his proximity to Judge.

1.89

What the fig is: Paul Skenes' ERA implicit his archetypal 38 vocation starts

Why it's important: It's a amusive workout to instrumentality a subordinate who is disconnected to a accelerated vocation commencement and spot however helium ranks connected immoderate all-time leaderboard. Doing truthful mightiness item his aboriginal accomplishments, but we inactive recognize the constituent is limited. The subordinate hasn't gone done the ups and downs, injuries and eventual declines that travel a shot career.

Nevertheless, we're going to item Skenes' ERA this mode due to the fact that it's conscionable truthful astonishing. And not for nothing, 38 starts is simply a beauteous bully sample.

Ordinarily, ERA is constricted erstwhile it comes to humanities comparisons, due to the fact that the league contexts that impact it person vacillated truthful wildly done shot history. You don't person to beryllium a shot expert to recognize wherefore the 1.74 ERA that Pedro Martinez posted successful the offense-intense 2000 play was precise antithetic than erstwhile Ron Guidry posted the aforesaid fig successful pitching-friendly 1978, and adjacent much antithetic than erstwhile Tim Keefe landed determination successful 1888, erstwhile the rules were precise different.

The singular happening astir Skenes' ERA is however it stands retired historically, adjacent if you don't set it 1 iota for league, squad oregon ballpark context. The existent all-time leaderboard for vocation ERA, minimum 38 starts:

1. Ed Walsh (1.82)

2. (tie) Paul Skenes, Addie Joss (1.89)

You've got 2 Hall of Famers who flourished astatine the heights (lows?) of the deadball epoch ... and Paul Skenes.

22%

What the fig is: The wide MLB strikeout percentage

Why it's important: Look, 22% is inactive a precocious strikeout complaint connected the humanities scale. In each play from 1979 to 1981, for example, it was conscionable 12.5%, and that's erstwhile pitchers were inactive hitting successful the National League. But it's progress: Last year, the fig was 22.6% and we're present down 1.2% from the full-season grounds acceptable successful 2021. (It was adjacent higher successful the shortened 2020 season.)

That overmuch of a four-year diminution from 2021 is surely noteworthy successful a class that has mostly gone up relentlessly implicit the entirety of large league history. When the complaint dropped disconnected somewhat from the shortened season, it ended a 15-year streak of yearly increases.

When strikeouts are down, batting mean mostly goes up, and truthful it seems to beryllium the lawsuit successful 2025. The wide .245 people is thing to constitute location about, but it's 2 points amended than past season, and the fig should spell up, arsenic the champion batting mean months are up of us.

The mean is driven by the improved contact. League BABIP (.291) remains dependable implicit past year, erstwhile it plummeted from the .297 people successful 2023. That turned retired to beryllium a impermanent spike caused by the prohibition connected utmost shifts, but defenses look to person adjusted.

The crippled would beryllium amended if we could commencement to propulsion that BABIP backmost toward .300. In lack of that, we'll instrumentality a small much contact. So acold successful 2025, we've been getting it.

162

What the fig is: Shohei Ohtani's runs scored pace

Why it's important: Once again a large league pitcher, Ohtani continues to bash unprecedented things astatine the sheet arsenic a Dodger. His stolen basal numbers are down from 2024, erstwhile helium enactment up MLB's archetypal 50/50 season, and present that he's pitching again, we shouldn't expect the thefts to accelerate. But Ohtani's enactment connected the bases is inactive disconnected the charts.

According to Baseball Reference, Ohtani has scored 45% of the clip erstwhile helium reaches base, 4th successful the majors. He's besides 3rd successful the NL successful on-base percentage, down lone teammates Will Smith and Freddie Freeman, truthful helium has had a batch of opportunities to score. Runs scored percent doesn't see tallies connected homers, and he's starring the NL successful that class with 25.

Roll it each unneurotic and Ohtani is connected gait to people much than 160 runs. That conscionable doesn't happen. The modern grounds is Ruth's 177 from 1921. Ruth and Lou Gehrig some topped 160 runs doubly -- and that's it. No 1 other has gotten there.

There's more: Since World War II, lone Ted Williams (150, 1949) and Jeff Bagwell (152, 2000) person reached adjacent 150 runs scored. Ohtani mightiness not station different 50/50 season, but that doesn't mean he's inactive not doing historical things astatine the plate.

And, yeah, he's pitching again, too.

6.86%

What the fig is: The percent of stolen basal opportunities resulting successful attempts

Why it's important: Teams are inactive sorting retired however to optimize for the revamped stolen basal discourse stemming from regularisation changes and the adoption of larger bases. After wading into heightened moving games astatine first, we're truly seeing teams rev things up successful 2025 -- and there's country for much growth.

SBA% is simply a look that estimates the fig of theft opportunities that originate and converts that to a complaint based connected the existent fig of attempts. The 6.86% fig is up from 4.31% successful 2021, a nadir for the part era. Last season, the complaint was astatine 6.75%.

Caught stealing percent is up, excessively -- 22.6% of attempts -- but portion it's the highest fig since the rules were changed, it's inactive the third-lowest people connected record. If we see the accepted reddish emblem level for caught stealing to beryllium 25% -- much than that, past teams are being excessively assertive -- that means teams person country to get adjacent much bold.

As it is, we've seen 0.75 steals per crippled successful 2025, the highest fig since 1990. This acceptable of regularisation changes has been a positive.

39.3%

What the fig is: The percent of runs that person scored via homers

Why it's important: This fig is related to some the improved interaction complaint and the accrued bargain complaint noted above, but it's inactive worthy calling attraction to connected its own. The 39.3 R/HR% is astatine its lowest since 2015.

In general, runs person been hard to travel by successful 2025, and it remains existent that the easiest mode to people a tally is to simply jack the shot implicit a fence. Teams haven't stopped trying to bash that. But determination has been an uptick successful the diverseness of violative styles. That's a bully thing.

MLB has acknowledged that its ain information connected the show of the baseballs this twelvemonth indicates accrued drag, making homers a small harder to travel by.

Keep it up! The harder it is to homer, the craftier teams volition person to beryllium erstwhile it comes to scoring. During the 20-year play ending successful 1993, R/HR% was astir 29%. We've got much enactment to do, but astatine slightest the inclination arrow is pointing the close direction.

59

What the fig is: Cal Raleigh's location tally pace

Why it's important: Three players are connected gait for astatine slightest 50 homers: Judge, Ohtani and, yes, the astonishing Cal Raleigh.

It's nary exaggeration to accidental that if Raleigh were to get to 59 homers, it would beryllium 1 of the astir singular longball seasons successful shot history. Mostly due to the fact that he's a Gold Glove catcher -- much connected that successful a spot -- but besides due to the fact that Raleigh's location parkland successful Seattle is simply a brutal venue for offense.

There's besides this: Raleigh is simply a switch-hitter, and helium has mashed with adjacent aplomb from some sides of the plate. Let's support dreaming connected this 59-homer pace: Mickey Mantle's 54 bombs successful 1961 is the grounds for a switcher. Mantle, who besides deed 52 successful 1956, is the lone switch-hitter ever to apical 50.

But yes, Raleigh is simply a catcher, and he's 1 of the best. Among superior catchers, the homer grounds is 48, acceptable by Kansas City's Salvador Perez successful 2021. But Perez deed 15 of those homers portion DHing. According to the Baseball Reference divided finder, the grounds for homers by a catcher as a catcher is 42, acceptable by Atlanta's Javier Lopez successful 2003.

So far, 25 of Raleigh's 27 homers person travel erstwhile he's catching.

40/52

What the fig is: Pete Crow-Armstrong's homer and bargain paces

Why it's important: The Cubs' discourtesy has been one of the breakout units successful the athletics this season. If we told you backmost successful March that this would beryllium the case, you'd presume the onslaught had been ignited by the summation of Kyle Tucker.

Tucker has been each spot arsenic bully arsenic the Cubs hoped, but the avatar for the Cubs' violative leap has been the astonishing Crow-Armstrong. Again, let's follow that back-in-March mindset. The default conception past was that if PCA could deed conscionable good capable to enactment successful the lineup, his defence and baserunning would beryllium a boon to the Cubs' roster.

Indeed, Crow-Armstrong has been an interaction performer successful the tract and connected the basepaths. He's besides started pulling, launching and mashing the shot astatine elite levels, resulting successful 19 dingers to date, with the homers coming astatine much than doubly the complaint arsenic successful his rookie season.

For now, Crow-Armstrong is connected gait to go the Cubs' first-ever 40/40 player. He'd besides beryllium conscionable the seventh subordinate ever to bash it, period. But it's becoming a thing. If PCA (or idiosyncratic other -- support an oculus connected Elly De La Cruz) gets there, it would beryllium the 3rd consecutive play it's happened, pursuing Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ohtani.

73

What the fig is: The fig of starting pitchers connected gait for astatine slightest 162 innings pitched

Why it's important: Maybe I'm being a small pie-eyed here, due to the fact that I agelong for the instrumentality of the preeminence of starting pitching. Still, determination are 73 pitchers connected gait to suffice for the ERA title. This fig is taxable to accelerated alteration owed to a abrupt spate of pitching injuries. But possibly different pitchers volition prime up the gait a small and articulation the nine if that happens.

For now, let's instrumentality with the gait of 73. Last season, 58 pitchers qualified for the ERA title, up from 44 successful 2023. The past clip we were successful the 70s was 2016. The grounds was acceptable successful 1998, erstwhile determination were 96.

We're a agelong mode from the days of Bob Gibson and Sandy Koufax, and implicit games aren't going to marque a comeback immoderate clip soon. Still, it seems similar teams are getting a small much retired of their halfway rotation pitchers, which is simply a measurement successful the close direction.

127

What the fig is: The Colorado Rockies' nonaccomplishment pace

Why it's important: If the Rockies interruption the grounds acceptable by the Chicago White Sox conscionable past season, MLB mightiness person to commencement looking into wherefore baseball's worst teams person abruptly go truthful wretched. This isn't Mizzou successful the SEC (it's a excavation astatine my ain school, truthful it's OK), it's the large leagues. Baseball teams simply aren't expected to suffer this often.

There are truthful galore astonishing facts astir these Rockies already. They are past successful runs per crippled and runs allowed per game. That mightiness look similar a no-brainer fixed their record, but lest we hide wherever the Rockies play their location games. A Colorado squad hitting with wiffleball bats ought to flight the MLB cellar successful scoring.

The Rockies are besides connected gait to beryllium outscored by 437 runs. Yeah, that's not good. The modern epoch grounds for worst tally differential is minus-349, acceptable by the 1932 Red Sox. I mean, I support putting the numbers into the calculator due to the fact that it doesn't look possible. Colorado has been outscored by 197 runs successful 73 games. That's 2.7 runs per game. Over 162 games, that calculates to 437 runs.

They truly person been that bad. There person present been 2,706 teams that person played since 1901. Their minus-201 differential earlier their triumph Tuesday would fertile 138th connected the worst-ever list. And we've inactive got astir 2 weeks near successful June.

12.5

What the fig is: Judge's bWAR pace

Why it's important: We bookend our numbers circuit with different halt astatine Mount Judge, due to the fact that he's conscionable that unbelievable.

The existent fig present is 10 -- arsenic successful a 10-WAR season, which would beryllium Judge's third. Only 13 players person ever had 3 oregon much 10-WAR seasons, and the database is awfully impressive:

10: Babe Ruth

8: Walter Johnson

6: Rogers Hornsby, Willie Mays

4: Christy Mathewson

3: Grover Alexander, Barry Bonds, Ty Cobb, Bob Gibson, Lefty Grove, Mickey Mantle, Ed Walsh, Ted Williams

The lone hitters to bash it are Ruth, Hornsby, Mays, Bonds, Cobb, Mantle and Williams. More lofty company. Judge, who had 10.8 bWAR past season, would beryllium conscionable the ninth hitter to bash it successful consecutive seasons. The others: Ruth, Bonds, Carl Yastrzemski, Mantle, Hornsby, Williams, Cobb and Mays.