May 17, 2002

What’s with the Angels?

I notice the Angels have a pretty good record, 5th best in the AL entering Friday. They’ve outscored their opponents 216-161, which seems about right for their .579 winning percentage. But in looking at the overall stats for the team, I don’t see what they are doing that well. For example, their Beane Count is 41, third worst in the AL. So what are they doing well? They are hitting with men on base (.305 BA with men on, .306 with them in scoring position). The pitchers, with the third best ERA in the league, despite issuing a lot of walks and allowing a good number of HR, are only allowing a .229 BA with men in scoring position. I don’t believe in clutch performance long term, but the Halo’s certainly have been a clutch team this year.