Trailing 30 - Independence Day Edition

Here's my Trailing 30 report for July 4, focusing on the best and worst performances over the past 30 days, with a focus on the extremes in the American League West. 

Latest from Banished to the Pen

Here are the top and bottom five performers for the 30 days ending Sunday, June 26, featuring the strangely alluring second-worst OPS hitters in each league.

I did a National League Central podcast with Alex Crisafulli (@alexcards79) and Eric Roseberry (@Ericdroseberry) last night. It's here. 

On Hiatuses and Not-So-Fun Facts

I've been blogging here a lot less this year than last year. You probably think it's because the Pirates aren't nearly as good as they were last year, and therefore I've lost interest. That's not it. The simple answer is: I've been busy! I've been writing a fair amount for Baseball Prospectus, which is an incredibly exciting honor, but it's a lot of work. Here's what I've been doing:

• On June 6, I researched whether a league with really bad teams creates a fertile ground for really good teams.
• On June 13, I wrote about how baseball sabermetrician Bill James's disdain for groundball pitchers, i.e., pitchers who generate many more groundballs than flyballs. I rose to their defense, pointing out that, in aggregate, they allow fewer home runs and, therefore, fewer runs than flyball pitchers.
• On June 14, I discussed an online poll in which, in response to the question "which off. stat is most important to a hitter's value," viewers chose on base percentage. I took issue with that assessment, illustrating how the voters' last pick, slugging percentage, was actually the best. 
• On June 15 (it was a busy week!) I listed players who led their teams in various categories, like RBI and strikeouts, with really unimpressive totals.
• Today I delved more into groundball pitchers, finding that their superiority over flyball pitchers hasn't been a constant over time.

I also wrote my regular weekly Trailing 30 report at Banished to the Pen on Monday. 

I'll try to at least post more contemporaneously.

Now, for a fun fact (which, full disclosure, I heard on MLB.com's Statcast Podcast): Here's a list of the top four outfielders (by plate appearances) for the Miami Marlins and the Pittsburgh Pirates. I've ranked them by OPS:

   Player                 PAs   BA    OBP   SLG   OPS
   Matt Joyce, Pit        117  .292  .419  .594  1.013
   Marcell Ozuna, Mia     287  .321  .373  .565   .938
   Christian Yelich, Mia  270  .316  .404  .491   .895
   Gregory Polanco, Pit   291  .295  .379  .510   .889
   Starling Marte, Pit    268  .331  .373  .498   .871
   Ichiro Suzuki, Mia     151  .353  .427  .398   .825
   Giancarlo Stanton, Mia 252  .211  .311  .427   .737
   Andrew McCutchen, Pit  304  .238  .316  .403   .719

Two of the biggest stars in baseball, at the bottom of the list. 

Trailing 30 - June 6

I'm linking to my Banished to the Pen post because it looks better for those of you viewing this on mobile devices. Comments for the week: First, the top tier of National League starters is ridiculous. The top seven starters by ERA in the National League all had lower ERAs than the top starter in the American League over the past 30 days. Second, Justin Verlander seems to have gotten in together again (second in ERA, first in WHIP and strikeouts over the past 30 days), right? His trailing 30 ERA is the lowest it’s been since early 2014, his trailing 30 K/9 the highest it’s been since late 2013, and his trailing 30 batting average allowed the lowest it’s been since late 2012.

Trailing 30 - May 30

Here is an analysis of the hottest and coldest teams and players over the past 30 days. Comment of the week: The Phillies and White Sox have suddenly gotten cold, and the Dodgers and Brewers have suddenly gotten hot.

Trailing 30 - May 23

Here is my Trailing 30 post from Monday this week. I'm going to continue linking to the Banished to the Pen version rather than reproduce it here because it's in an easier-to-read format over there--the editor there is better than the one here!

Trailing 30 - And That's a Wrap

Here is an explanation of this weekly feature, listing the best and worst of past 30 days, made possible by FanGraphs' Leaders application. Comment for the week: Predictions for September Players of the Month: David Ortiz in the American League, Bryce Harper in the National League. Pitchers of the Month: David Price in the American League and (of course) Jake Arrieta in the National League.

   American League              National League

   Team W-L                     Team W-L      

1. Los Angeles     18-10     1. Chicago         21- 8

2. Boston          17-11     2. Pittsburgh      18-11    

   Toronto         17-11     3. Miami           16-11         

4. Texas           17-12     4. Los Angeles     16-12   

5. Bal, Cle        16-12     5. San Francisco   15-12        

   Worst Team W-L               Worst Team W-L

1. Oakland         10-17     1. Cincinnati       9-20      

2. Kansas City     12-16     2. Philadelphia     9-18 

3. Detroit         12-15        San Diego        9-18      

   Seattle         12-15     4. Milwaukee       10-18
5. New York        13-16     5. Atlanta         11-15

   Batting Average              Batting Average     

1. Choo, Tex        .385     1. Prado, Mia       .350  

2. Betts, Bos       .375     2. Yelich, Mia      .349      

3. Eaton, Chi       .363     3. Gordon, Mia      .342           

4. Pillar, Tor      .358     4. Harper, Was      .330          

5. Beltre, Tex      .339        Inciarte, Ari    .330       

   Lowest Batting Average       Lowest Batting Average  

1. McCann, NY       .179     1. Ramos, Was       .145         

2. Headley, NY      .186     2. Owings, Ari      .150       

3. Bradley, Bos     .187     3. Utley, LA        .182
4. Castillo, Bos    .198     4. Taylor, Was      .193           

5. Dozier, Min      .200     5. LeMahieu, Col    .202      

   On Base Percentage           On Base Percentage  

1. Choo, Tex        .489     1. Votto, Cin       .466           

2. Betts, Bos       .444     2. Harper, Was      .451         

3. Davis, Bal       .443     3. Prado, Mia       .419         

4. Encarnacion, Tor .435     4. Granderson, NY   .417         

5. Eaton, Chi       .429     5. Goldschmidt, Ari .413      

      

   Slugging Percentage          Slugging Percentage   

1. Ortiz, Bos       .716     1. Harper, Was      .758        

2. Rasmus, Hou      .658     2. Carpenter, SL    .706   

3. Trout, LA        .653     3. Arenado, Col     .607       

4. Encarnacion, Tor .652     4. Davis, Mil       .606       

5. Bautista, Tor    .632     5. Cespedes, NY     .602        

          

   Home Runs                    Home Runs

1. Bautista, Tor       9     1. Harper, Was        11
   Encarnacion, Tor    9     2. Davis, Mil         10        

   Machado, Bal        9     3. Arenado, Col        8
4. 4 with              8        Bour, Mia           8
                                Carpenter, SL       8

   Runs                         Runs    

1. Choo, Tex          26     1. Harper, Was        22        

2. Betts, Bos         25     2. Carpenter, SL      21     

3. Bogaerts, Bos      23        Yelich, Mia        21
4. Davis, Bal         21     4. 3 with             20
   Machado, Bal       21                             

   RBI                          RBI      

1. Beltre, Tex        33     1. Arenado, Col       28        

2. Ortiz, Bos         26     2. Bour, Mia          24      

3. Bautista, Tor      25     3. Castro, Chi        21       

4. 3 with             23     4. Harper, Was        20
                                Rizzo, Chi         20
                             

   Stolen Bases                 Stolen Bases             

1. Andrus, Tex         9     1. Gordon, Mia        11
2. Pillar, Tor         8     2. Blackmon, Col       6     

3. Lindor, Cle         6        Inciarte, Ari       6   

   Marisnick, Hou      6        Pagan, SF           6
5. 4 with              5     5. 2 with              5
                                                     
   Saves                        Saves

1. Street, LA          9     1. Ramos, Mia          9

2. Boxberger, TB       8     2. Jansen, LA          8

3. Miller, NY          7        Melancon, Pit       8
   Tolleson, Tex       7     4. Axford, Col         7
5. 4 with              6        Casilla, SF         7

   ERA                          ERA

1. Anderson, Cle    1.09     1. Arrieta, Chi     0.39

2. Quintana, Chi    1.50     2. Strasburg, Was   1.24

3. Hill, Bos        1.55     3. Teheran, Atl     1.62

4. Santana, Min     1.88     4. Lackey, SL       1.78

5. Duffey, Min      1.95     5. Peavy, SF        1.96

   Worst ERA                    Worst ERA

1. Doubront, Oak    8.04     1. Heston, SF       6.04

2. Brooks, Oak      7.76     2. Nicolino, Mia    5.40

3. Holland, Tex     6.19     3. Cashner, SD      5.34

4. Cueto, KC        6.14        Zimmermann, Was  5.34

5. Archer, TB       5.81     5. Leake, SF        4.85

   WHIP                         WHIP

1. Hill, Bos        0.66     1. Arrieta, Chi     0.57

2. Dickey, Tor      0.85     2. Strasburg, Was   0.72
3. Tomlin, Cle      0.89     3. Scherzer, Was    0.76

4. Estrada, Tor     0.91     4. Lester, Chi      0.786
5. Quintana, Chi    0.97     5. Peavy, SF        0.791

   Strikeouts                   Strikeouts

1. Carrasco, Cle      43     1. Scherzer, Was      57     

   Keuchel, Hou       43        Strasburg, Was     57

3. Richards, LA       40     3. Arrieta, Chi       46

4. Ventura, KC        38     4. Kershaw, LA        43

   Verlander, Det     38     5. Gonzalez, Was      42

Trailing 30 - September 27

Here is an explanation of this weekly feature, listing the best and worst of past 30 days, made possible by FanGraphs' Leaders application. Comment for the week: The whereabouts of the five American League pitchers with the best ERAs over the past 30 days as of Opening Day: Suspended, Class AA, Majors, Disabled list, Class AA.

   American League              National League

   Team W-L                     Team W-L      

1. Texas           19- 9     1. Pittsburgh      18-11

2. Toronto         18- 9     2. Miami           17-10    

3. Cleveland       17-10     3. Los Angeles     17-11         

4. Boston          16-11        New York        17-11   

5. New York        16-12     5. Chicago, StL    16-12        

   Worst Team W-L               Worst Team W-L

1. Houston         10-17     1. Atlanta          8-20      

   Oakland         10-17     2. Philadelphia     8-19 

3. Kansas City     11-16     3. Cincinnati      11-17      

4. Detroit         12-15        San Diego       11-17
5. Tampa Bay       12-16     5. Arizona, Milw   12-16

   Batting Average              Batting Average     

1. Choo, Tex        .388     1. Votto, Cin       .384  

2. Betts, Bos       .381     2. Escobar, Was     .375      

3. Seager, Sea      .3551    3. Prado, Mia       .367           

4. Bogaerts, Bos    .3545    4. Posey, SF        .363          

5. Eaton, Chi       .351     5. Harper, Was      .360       

   Lowest Batting Average       Lowest Batting Average  

1. Pujols, LA       .180     1. Swisher, Atl     .191         

2. Parra, Bal       .186     2. Ramos, Was       .202       

3. Pearce, Bal      .195     3. Polanco, Pit     .204
4. Gardner, NY      .200     4. Russell, Chi     .210           

5. Castillo, Bos    .204     5. Utley, LA        .221      

   On Base Percentage           On Base Percentage  

1. Choo, Tex        .496     1. Votto, Cin       .542           

2. Bautista, Tor    .438     2. Harper, Was      .512         

3. Betts, Bos       .433     3. Posey, SF        .458         

4. Trout, LA        .4274    4. Freeman, Atl     .457          

5. Encarnacion, Tor .4273    5. Escobar, Was     .434      

      

   Slugging Percentage          Slugging Percentage   

1. Ortiz, Bos       .773     1. Harper, Was      .775        

2. Encarnacion, Tor .667     2. Cespedes, NY     .651   

3. Bautista, Tor    .642     3. Votto, Cin       .616       

4. Trout, LA        .638     4. Arenado, Col     .613       

5. Seager, Sea      .626     5. Carpenter, SL    .604        

          

   Home Runs                    Home Runs

1. Ortiz, Bos         10     1. Arenado, Col       10
2. Bautista, Tor       9        Harper, Was        10        

   Encarnacion, Tor    9     3. Bour, Mia           9
4. Bird, NY            8     4. Cespedes, NY        9
   Davis, Bal          8        Gonzalez, Col       9

   Runs                         Runs    

1. Betts, Bos         26     1. Harper, Was        28        

2. Choo, Tex          25     2. Bruce, Cin         23     

3. Donaldson, Tor     22     3. Rendon, Was        22
4. 3 with             21     4. Granderson, NY     21
                             5. 2 with             20

   RBI                          RBI      

1. Beltre, Tex        28     1. Arenado, Col       29        

   Ortiz, Bos         28     2. Bour, Mia          27      

3. Encarnacion, Tor   25     3. Byrd, SF           24       

4. Bautista, Tor      23     4. Gonzalez, Col      22
5. 2 with             22     5. 4 with             21
                             

   Stolen Bases                 Stolen Bases             

1. Andrus, Tex         9     1. Gordon, Mia         9
   Pillar, Tor         9     2. Blackmon, Col       8     

3. 4 with              5     3. Inciarte, Ari       7   

                             4. Braun, Mil          6
                                Crawford, LA        6
                                                     
   Saves                        Saves

1. Miller, NY          9     1. Melancon, Pit      10

   Street, LA          9     2. Jansen, LA          9

3. Wilhemlsen, Sea     8     3. Champman, Cin       8
4. Boxberger, TB       7        Familia, NY         8
   Tolleson, Tex       7        Ramos, Mia          8

   ERA                          ERA

1. Santana, Min     1.50     1. Arrieta, Chi     0.43

2. Anderson, Cle    1.69     2. Lackey, SL       1.83

3. Iwakuma, Sea     2.01     3. Greinke, LA      1.91

   Quintana, Chi    2.01     4. Colon, NY        1.96

5. Duffey, Min      2.35     5. Ross, SD         1.97

   Worst ERA                    Worst ERA

1. Brooks, Oak      8.04     1. Hammel, Chi      6.28

2. Samardzija, Chi  6.75     2. Jungmann, Mil    6.25

3. Cueto, KC        6.44     3. Leake, SF        5.82

4. Simon, Det       6.27     4. Kennedy, SD      5.77

5. Gray, Oak        6.06     5. Perez, Atl       5.74

   WHIP                         WHIP

1. Tanaka, NY       0.68     1. Arrieta, Chi     0.57

2. Tomlin, Cle      0.8500   2. Strasburg, Was   0.76
3. Dickey, Tor      0.8504   3. Greinke, LA      0.85

4. Santana, Min     1.00     4. Peavy, SF        0.86
5. Estrada, Tor     1.04     5. Kershaw, LA      0.88

   Strikeouts                   Strikeouts

1. Price, Tor         46     1. Kershaw, LA        59     

2. Richards, LA       42     2. Strasburg, Was     53

3. Hamels, Tex        39     3. Scherzer, Was      48

   Santana, Min       39     4. Arrieta, Chi       42

5. 3 with             38     5. Liriano, Pit       41

Trailing 30 - September 20

Here is an explanation of this weekly feature, listing the best and worst of past 30 days, made possible by FanGraphs' Leaders application. Comment for the week: The five American League pitchers with the best ERAs over the past 30 days had an average won-lost record of 8-7 last year. The top two are rookies. The five pitchers with the worst ERAs had an average record of 16-9 last year.

   American League              National League

   Team W-L                     Team W-L      

1. Toronto         19- 8     1. New York        20- 8

2. Texas           19- 9     2. Los Angeles     18- 9    

3. Cleveland       17-10     3. Chicago         19-10         

4. Seattle         16-12     4. Washington      17-11   

5. Boston          15-11     5. Pittsburgh      16-13        

   Worst Team W-L               Worst Team W-L

1. Detroit         10-17     1. Atlanta          6-22      

2. Baltimore       11-17     2. Philadelphia     9-19       

3. Oakland         11-16     3. San Diego       10-18      

   Tampa Bay       11-16     4. Milwaukee       10-16
5. Houston         12-15     5. Arizona, Cincy  12-16

   Batting Average              Batting Average     

1. Lindor, Cle      .388     1. Escobar, Was     .392  

2. Choo, Tex        .381     2. Harper, Was      .380      

3. Revere, Tor      .368     3. Votto, Cin       .359           

4. Encarnacion, Tor .363     4. Posey, SF        .355          

5. Betts, Bos       .358     5. Prado, Mia       .351       

   Lowest Batting Average       Lowest Batting Average  

1. Escobar, KC      .168     1. Bruce, Cin       .198         

2. Pujols, LA       .173     2. Peterson, Atl    .207       

3. Parra, Bal       .177     3. Molina, SL       .210
4. Sandoval, Bos    .190     4. Altherr, Phi     .215           

5. Shaw, Bos        .192     5. Utley, LA        .216      

   On Base Percentage           On Base Percentage  

1. Choo, Tex        .492     1. Votto, Cin       .571           

2. Bautista, Tor    .468     2. Harper, Was      .508         

3. Encarnacion, Tor .450     3. Escobar, Was     .467         

4. Lindor, Cle      .438     4. Granderson, NY   .462          

5. Santana, Cle     .415     5. Posey, SF        .440      

      

   Slugging Percentage          Slugging Percentage   

1. Encarnacion, Tor .802     1. Harper, Was      .815        

2. Ortiz, Bos       .720     2. Cespedes, NY     .763    

3. Lindor, Cle      .689     3. Votto, Cin       .667       

4. Moustakas, KC    .685     4. Bryant, Chi      .651       

5. Bautista, Tor    .653     5. Arenado, Col     .643        

          

   Home Runs                    Home Runs

1. Encarnacion, Tor   11     1. Cespedes, NY       15
2. Ortiz, Bos          9     2. Harper, Was        11        

3. Bautista, Tor       8     3. Arenado, Col       10
   Davis, Bal          8     4. Gonzalez, Col       9
   Moustakas, KC       8     5. 4 with              8

   Runs                         Runs    

1. Bautista, Tor      26     1. Harper, Was        29        

2. Donaldson, Tor     24     2. Cespedes, NY       28     

3. Choo, Tex          23     3. Rendon, Was        26
   Revere, Tor        23     4. Votto, Cin         25
5. 2 with             21     5. 3 with             22

   RBI                          RBI      

1. Encarnacion, Tor   36     1. Cespedes, NY       34        

2. Donaldson, Tor     29     2. Arenado, Col       27      

3. Moustakas, KC      28        Bryant, Chi        27       

4. Beltre, Tex        24        Kemp, SD           27
   Canha, Oak         24     5. 2 with             25
                             

   Stolen Bases                 Stolen Bases             

1. Andrus, Tex         9     1. Gordon, Mia        12
2. Marte, Sea          6     2. Blackmon, Col       7     

3. 4 with              5        Inciarte, Ari       7   

                             4. 4 with              6
                                
                                                     
   Saves                        Saves

1. Wilhelmsen, Sea    10     1. Melancon, Pit       9

2. Street, LA          9     2. Chapman, Cin        8

   Tolleson, Tex       9        Familia, NY         8
4. Jepsen, Min         7        Jansen, LA          8
   Miller, NY          7     5. 4 with              7

   ERA                          ERA

1. Rodon, Chi       1.87     1. Arrieta, Chi     0.46

2. Anderson, Cle    2.12     2. Corbin, Ari      1.44

3. Verlander, Det   2.44     3. Happ, Pit        1.48

4. Price, Tor       2.48     4. Kershaw, LA      1.57

5. Quintana, Chi    2.67     5. Greinke, LA      1.91

   Worst ERA                    Worst ERA

1. Cueto, KC        8.10     1. Perez, Atl       7.20

2. Tillman, Bal     7.76     2. Nelson, Mil      6.83

3. Simon, Det       6.75     3. Jungmann, Mil    6.16

4. Weaver, LA       6.35     4. de la Rosa, Ari  5.58

5. Gray, Oak        5.97     5. Miller, Atl      5.56

   WHIP                         WHIP

1. Tomlin, Cle      0.68     1. Arrieta, Chi     0.64

2. Verlander, Det   0.88     2. Greinke, LA      0.78
3. Fiers, Hou       0.91     3. Kershaw, LA      0.83

4. Tanaka, NY       0.917    4. Lester, Chi      0.87
5. Hernandez, Sea   0.919    5. Happ, Pit        0.89

   Strikeouts                   Strikeouts

1. Sale, Chi          51     1. Kershaw, LA        60     

2. Price, Tor         50     2. Bumgarner, SF      45

3. Ventura, KC        45        Kennedy, SD        45

4. Keuchel, Hou       41     4. Gonzalez, Was      41

5. Hamels, Tex        39        Lackey, SL         41

Trailing 30 - September 13

Here is an explanation of this weekly feature, listing the best and worst of past 30 days, made possible by FanGraphs' Leaders application. Comment for the week: The Blue Jays and Red Sox each have two of the best five hitters in the American League in just about every offensive category over the past 30 days. No wonder they've been winning at a combined .660 pace.

   American League              National League

   Team W-L                     Team W-L      

1. Toronto         18- 8     1. New York        18- 9

2. Texas           18-10     2. Pittsburgh      19-10    

3. Boston          17-10     3. Los Angeles     17- 9         

4. Cleveland       16-10     4. Chicago         17-11   

5. KC, Minnesota   16-11     5. Milwaukee       15-13        

   Worst Team W-L               Worst Team W-L

1. Detroit          9-17     1. Atlanta          5-24      

2. Oakland         10-16     2. Cincinnati       9-19       

3. Baltimore       11-17        Philadelphia     9-19      

4. Tampa Bay       11-16     4. Arizona         12-17
5. Los Angeles     12-15        Colorado        12-17

   Batting Average              Batting Average     

1. Revere, Tor      .394     1. Escobar, Was     .397  

2. Bradley, Bos     .393     2. Votto, Cin       .373      

3. Donaldson, Tor   .366     3. Braun, Mil       .347           

4. Altuve, Hou      .362     4. Lucroy, Mil      .346          

5. Betts, Bos       .360     5. Prado, Mia       .352       

   Lowest Batting Average       Lowest Batting Average  

1. Gomes, Cle       .165     1. Turner, LA       .169         

2. Lowrie, Hou      .184     2. Bruce, Cin       .184       

3. Escobar, KC      .185     3. Gonzalez, LA     .208
4. Rodriguez, NY    .193     4. Rollins, LA      .214           

5. V Martinez, Det  .203     5. Peterson, Atl    .218      

   On Base Percentage           On Base Percentage  

1. Revere, Phi      .4522    1. Votto, Cin       .569           

2. Bradley, Bos     .4516    2. Harper, Was      .487         

3. Choo, Tex        .440     3. Escobar, Was     .470         

4. Bautista, Tor    .432     4. Freeman, Atl     .447          

5. Encarnacion, Tor .430     5. Cervelli, Pit    .441      

      

   Slugging Percentage          Slugging Percentage   

1. Bradley, Bos     .821     1. Cespedes, NY     .800        

2. Encarnacion, Tor .798     2. Votto, Cin       .723    

3. Ortiz, Bos       .787     3. Zimmerman, Was   .684       

4. Donaldson, Tor   .693     4. Harper, Was      .674       

5. Moustakas, KC    .675     5. Arenado, Col     .664        

          

   Home Runs                    Home Runs

1. Encarnacion, Tor   11     1. Cespedes, NY       15
2. Davis, Bal         10     2. Gonzalez, Col      11        

3. Ortiz, Bos          9     3. Arenado, Col       10
   Sano, Min           9     4. Kemp, SD            9
5. 3 with              8     5. 3 with              8

   Runs                         Runs    

1. Betts, Bos         25     1. Cespedes, NY       28        

   Bradley, Bos       25     2. Harper, Was        27     

   Donaldson, Tor     25     3. Granderson, NY     23
   Revere, Tor        25        Votto, Cin         23
5. Zobrist, KC        24     5. 3 with             20

   RBI                          RBI      

1. Encarnacion, Tor   35     1. Cespedes, NY       34        

2. Donaldson, Tor     34     2. Kemp, SD           31      

3. Moustakas, KC      28     3. Zimmerman, Was     28       

4. Bradley, Bos       27     4. Arenado, Col       27
   Ortiz, Bos         27     5. Bryant, Chi        25
                             

   Stolen Bases                 Stolen Bases             

1. Altuve, Hou         7     1. Gordon, Mia        15
2. Andrus, Tex         6     2. Blackmon, Col       7     

   Cain, KC            6        Pollock, Ari        7   

4. 3 with              5     4. Crawford, LA        5
                                Inciarte, Ari       6
                                                     
   Saves                        Saves

1. Tolleson, Tex      10     1. Melancon, Pit      10

2. Street, LA          8     2. Jansen, LA          9

   Wilhelmsen, Sea     8        Ramos, Mia          9
4. 3 with              7        Rondon, Chi         9
                             5. 3 with              8

   ERA                          ERA

1. Verlander, Det   1.47     1. Arrieta, Chi     0.62

2. Keuchel, Hou     1.50     2. Happ, Pit        1.00

3. Kelly, Bos       1.64     3. Kershaw, LA      1.15

4. Rodon, Chi       2.12     4. Bumgarner, SF    2.08

5. Porcello, Bos    2.15     5. Greinke, LA      2.10

   Worst ERA                    Worst ERA

1. Nova, NY         7.58     1. Perez, Atl       7.92

2. Tilman, Bal      7.16     2. Rusin, Col       7.14

3. Cueto, KC        7.07     3. Scherzer, Was    6.43

4. Samardzija, Chi  6.03     4. Flande, Col      6.10

5. Jimenez, Bal     5.82     5. de la Rosa, Ari  5.63

   WHIP                         WHIP

1. Tomlin, Cle      0.732    1. Arrieta, Chi     0.69

2. Kluber, Cle      0.733    2. Kershaw, LA      0.79
3. Verlander, Det   0.82     3. Happ, Pit        0.806

4. Keuchel, Hou     0.929    4. Bumgarner, SF    0.808
5. Sale, Chi        0.932    5. Greinke, LA      0.84

   Strikeouts                   Strikeouts

1. Sale, Chi          54     1. Kershaw, LA        54     

2. Keuchel, Hou       49     2. Bumgarner, SF      52

3. Ventura, KC        48     3. Kennedy, SD        48

4. Price, Tor         47     4. Arrieta, Chi       46

5. Archer, TB         46     5. Iglesias, Cin      40

Trailing 30 - September 6

Here is an explanation of this weekly feature, listing the best and worst of past 30 days, made possible by FanGraphs' Leaders application. Comment for the week: Take a look at the top five and bottom five in the American League in batting average. At the beginning of the season, wouldn't you have been unsurprised if, at some point, those lists had been reversed? Well, maybe not Miguel Cabrera, and Alex Rodriguez's high-average days are probably behind him, but those are two pretty topsy-turvy lists.

   American League              National League

   Team W-L                     Team W-L      

1. Toronto         19- 6     1. Chicago         18- 9

2. Kansas City     19- 9        St. Louis       18- 9    

3. Texas           17-10     3. Pittsburgh      18-10         

4. Cleveland       16-11     4. New York        17-10   

   Minnesota       16-11     5. Los Angeles     15-12        

   Worst Team W-L               Worst Team W-L

1. Detroit          9-18     1. Atlanta          5-22      

2. Baltimore       10-18     2. Cincinnati       7-21       

3. Oakland         10-16     3. Colorado        11-18      

4. Los Angeles     11-17     4. San Francisco   11-17
5. Chicago         13-15     5. Philadelphia    11-16

   Batting Average              Batting Average     

1. Bradley, Bos     .402     1. Peralta, Ari     .381  

2. Brantley, Cle    .392     2. Pollock, Ari     .364      

3. Lindor, Cle      .390     3. Votto, Cin       .356           

4. Cabrera, Det     .380     4. McCutchen, Pit   .354          

5. Ortiz, Bos       .371     5. Piscotti, SL     .352       

   Lowest Batting Average       Lowest Batting Average  

1. Rodriguez, NY    .143     1. Bruce, Cin       .142         

2. Gomez, Hou       .187     2. Peterson, Atl    .172       

3. Sandoval, Bos    .190     3. Uribe, NY        .187
4. Plouffe, Min     .196     4. Byrd, Cin-SF     .200           

5. V Martinez, Det  .200     5. Schwarber, Chi   .202      

   On Base Percentage           On Base Percentage  

1. Bradley, Bos     .456     1. Votto, Cin       .532           

   Cabrera, Det     .456     2. Harper, Was      .496         

3. Zobrist, KC      .452     3. McCutchen, Pit   .466         

4. Brantley, Cle    .439     4. Fowler, Chi      .440          

5. Lindor, Cle      .437     5. d'Arnaud, NY     .426      

      

   Slugging Percentage          Slugging Percentage   

1. Bradley, Bos     .841     1. Zimmerman, Was   .7113        

2. Encarnacion, Tor .803     2. Votto, Cin       .7111    

3. Ortiz, Bos       .775     3. Gonzalez, Col    .696       

4. Sano, Min        .670     4. Fowler, Chi      .677       

5. Davis, Bal       .660     5. Arenado, Col     .675        

          

   Home Runs                    Home Runs

1. Davis, Bal         12     1. Gonzalez, Col      14
2. Sano, Min          10     2. Cespedes, NY       11        

3. Encarnacion, Tor    9     3. Arenado, Col       10
   Ortiz, Bos          9     4. Zimmerman, Was      9
5. 4 with              8     5. 3 with              8

   Runs                         Runs    

1. Bradley, Bos       28     1. Harper, Was        28        

2. Donaldson, Tor     25     2. Pollock, Ari       24     

3. Davis, Bal         22        Votto, Cin         24
   Escobar, Min       22     4. Cespedes, NY       23
5. 2 with             21     5. 3 with             22

   RBI                          RBI      

1. Donaldson, Tor     31     1. Zimmerman, Was     34        

2. Encarnacion, Tor   28     2. Kemp, SD           30      

3. Bradley, Bos       26     3. Gonzalez, Col      29       

4. Sano, Min          25     4. Arenado, Col       25
5. 2 with             23     5. Bryant, Chi        24
                             

   Stolen Bases                 Stolen Bases             

1. Cain, KC            7     1. Gordon, Mia        13
2. Altuve, Hou         6     2. Pollock, Ari        9     

   Andrus, Tex         6     3. Blackmon, Col       7   

4. 3 with              5        Inciarte, Ari       7
                             5. 5 with              6
                                                     
   Saves                        Saves

1. Tolleson, Tex       9     1. Rosenthal, SL      10

2. Osuna, Tor          8     2. Melancon, Pit       9

3. Boxberger, TB       7        Rodriguez, Mil      9
   Wilhelmsen, Sea     7        Rondon, Chi         9
5. 6 with              6     5. 2 with              8

   ERA                          ERA

1. Fiers, Hou       0.67     1. Arrieta, Chi     0.42

2. Verlander, Det   0.76     2. Happ, Pit        0.60

3. Ventura, KC      1.13     3. Greinke, LA      1.31

4. McHugh, Hou      1.59     4. Kershaw, LA      1.57

5. Keuchel, Hou     1.77     5. Bumgarner, SF    1.69

   Worst ERA                    Worst ERA

1. Samardzija, Chi  7.13     1. Harang, Phi      8.13

2. Nova, NY         6.59     2. Niese, NY        7.06

3. Pelfrey, Min     6.35     3. Scherzer, Was    6.11

4. Santana, Min     6.15     4. Hand, Mia        5.94

5. Hernandez, Sea   6.03     5. Syndergaard, NY  5.53

   WHIP                         WHIP

1. Kluber, Cle      0.66     1. Arrieta, Chi     0.65

2. Tomlin, Cle      0.71     2. Iglesias, Cin    0.75
3. Verlander, Det   0.79     3. Bumgarner, SF    0.78

4. Fiers, Hou       0.81     4. Strasburg, Was   0.80
5. Holland, Tex     0.82     5. Greinke, LA      0.84

   Strikeouts                   Strikeouts

1. Sale, Chi          53     1. Kershaw, LA        59     

2. Price, Tor         47     2. Bumgarner, SF      52

3. Archer, TB         43     3. Iglesias, Cin      50

   Kluber, Cle        43     4. Arrieta, Chi       44

   Ventura, KC        43     5. Kennedy, SD        41