Fun with 2015 MLB stats: Which divisions had the best hitting and pitching (featuring the NY Mets)

Last night, I had dinner with with a pair of Millennial Mets fans. It was such a joy to listen as one kept asking, “So no team has a better starting staff than Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz, and Bartolo Colon, right?” It reminded me of the excitement around Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry and company from the Mets past.

It really didn’t matter what I might have answered, just being around a Mets fan who felt the new feelings of excitement and joy that Royals, Cubs, Astros, and Pirates fans have felt recently is so great for baseball. Parity is wonderful, but nothing beats winning.

But I started to think about pitching and hitting and as opposed to each team, I started to think divisions.

Hitting by division

• The AL East hit .257 with an OPS of .746 – Jays hit .268 with an OPS of .796
• The AL Central hit .259 with an OPS of .720 – Tigers hit .270 with an OPS of .747
• The AL East hit .250 with an OPS of .724 – Rangers hit .257 with an OPS of .738
• The NL East hit .251 with an OPS of .698 – Marlins hit .260 with an OPS of .694
• The NL Central hit .251 with an OPS of .712 – Pirates hit .260 with an OPS of .720
• The NL West hit .258 with an OPS of .728 – Giants hit .267 with an OPS of .732

Pitching by division

• The AL East pitchers had a 3.99 ERA with a WHIP of 1.283 – Rays had a 3.74 ERA with a WHIP of 1.232
• The AL Central pitchers had a 4.03 ERA with a WHIP of 1.298 – Indians had a 3.68 ERA with a WHIP of 1.187
• The AL West pitchers had a 3.99 ERA with a WHIP of 1.288 – Astros had a 3.53 ERA with a WHIP of 1.199
• The NL East pitchers had a 4.05 ERA with a WHIP of 1.313 – Mets had a 3.49 ERA with a WHIP of 1.182
• The NL Central pitchers had a 3.63 ERA with a WHIP of 1.274 – Cardinals had a 2.91 ERA with a WHIP of 1.254
• The NL West pitchers had a 4.08 ERA with a WHIP of 1.313 – Dodgers had a 3.46 ERA with a WHIP of 1.185

Mets pitching vs the opposition (19 teams)

• Versus NL East, Mets pitchers had a 3.40 ERA with a WHIP of 1.171, .245 BAA .655 OPS – Mets starters had a 3.34 ERA with a WHIP of 1.159
• Versus NL Central, Mets pitchers had a 3.51 ERA with a WHIP of 1.254, .251 BAA .703 OPS – Mets starters had a 3.68 ERA with a WHIP of 1.206
• Versus NL West, Mets pitchers had a 3.30 ERA with a WHIP of 1.099, .233 BAA .655 OPS – Mets starters had a 3.46 ERA with a WHIP of 1.101
• Versus the AL, Mets pitchers had a 4.09 ERA with a WHIP of 1.233, .247 BAA .729 OPS – Mets starters had a 3.73 ERA with a WHIP of 1.154

2015 Mets versus opposing teams