Clumping

I had a bit of a rough time creating the National League graphs on our team page this morning, because so many of the teams are clumped in the middle and arranging the labels around each data point was difficult. I know, life is hard.

But it got me to wondering, which teams are the most similar right now? I thought a few of those NL teams, like the Cubs and Reds, would be most similar. But the two most similar teams so far, at least by my reckoning, aren’t in the same league. The Phillies and the Yankees.

Here are the key facts:
{exp:list_maker}The Phillies are 22-17, the Yankees are 24-17.
The Phillies have scored 5.7 runs a game. So have the Yankees.
The Phillies have allowed 5.3 runs a game. The Yankees have allowed 5.5. {/exp:list_maker}
Those basic facts make the Phillies and Yankees pretty darn similar, though a few teams are more similar. The Padres and Mariners, for instance, and the Cubs and Mets.

But when you factor in “second order” stats, like OBP, Slugging Percentage, strikeouts per game, walks allowed per game, home runs allowed and fielding prowess, the Phillies and Yankees are the most similar, and the Padres and Mariners are a close second.

And they’re not even on the same graphs.