The National Football League releases weekly rankings of its top scorers, a list that is usually dominated by kickers. The National Basketball Association and National Hockey League are equally diligent in tracking their scoring races.
But Major League Baseball, as I have previously noted, refuses to follow suit.
The whole point of the game is to put runs on the board, yet nobody pays much heed to the individual leaders in runs scored. (Quick test: Who topped the majors in runs last year? Did you know it was Freddie Freeman?)
A bit more attention is paid to the category of runs batted in — one of the three components of the Triple Crown — though a number of analysts insist it doesn’t mean that much.
The Padres’ Manny Machado took justifiable offense in a recent interview with USA Today. “We have that argument all of the time about RBI,” he said. “People try to say it’s overrated. That’s crazy. How do you win games? You win by scoring the most runs, and you’re not going to score unless someone is driving in those runs. That means you’re doing something productive for your ballclub.”
Point well taken.
I suggested a year ago that baseball should issue its own scoring list, combining each player’s runs scored and runs batted in, then subtracting his home runs. (The reason for that last step should be obvious: A batter who blasts a solo home run is credited with both a run scored and a run batted in, even though his team adds just a single run on the scoreboard.)
The result is the player’s scoring total, which I abbreviate as SC. Here’s how it works, using Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette as an example. Bichette had scored 91 runs as of August 23, and he had driven in 77. They add up to a total of 168. We subtract Bichette’s 20 home runs, and he winds up with 148 SC, the best total in the majors.
Teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is second in the American League with 146. The top two scorers in the National League are Ozzie Albies of the Braves at 140 SC and Machado at 136.
You’ll see each league’s 10 leaders in scoring totals listed below, as well as the players with the best scoring rates (expressed as SC per 100 plate appearances). Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres is the big-league leader in the latter category, which is limited to players who have made at least 200 appearances. Tatis has 126 SC in 393 PA, which works out to 32.1 SC per 100 PA.
Also shown below are the leading scorers for each of the 30 clubs. The components of all scoring totals are shown in parentheses.
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American League scoring totals
1. Bo Bichette, Blue Jays, 148 SC (91 R + 77 RBI - 20 HR)
2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays, 146 SC (93 R + 89 RBI - 36 HR)
3. Rafael Devers, Red Sox, 136 SC (76 R + 89 RBI - 29 HR)
4. Yordan Alvarez, Astros, 134 SC (74 R + 85 RBI - 25 HR)
5. J.D. Martinez, Red Sox, 133 SC (77 R + 79 RBI - 23 HR)
6. Jose Abreu, White Sox, 132 SC (65 R + 92 RBI - 25 HR)
6. Austin Meadows, Rays, 132 SC (65 R + 88 RBI - 21 HR)
6. Marcus Semien, Blue Jays, 132 SC (89 R + 73 RBI - 30 HR)
9. Jose Ramirez, Indians, 131 SC (81 R + 79 RBI - 29 HR)
10. Jose Altuve, Astros, 130 SC (88 R + 67 RBI - 25 HR)
10. Carlos Correa, Astros, 130 SC (83 R + 66 RBI - 19 HR)
10. Shohei Ohtani, Angels, 130 SC (82 R + 88 RBI - 40 HR)
National League scoring totals
1. Ozzie Albies, Braves, 140 SC (78 R + 84 RBI - 22 HR)
2. Manny Machado, Padres, 136 SC (74 R + 84 RBI - 22 HR)
3. Freddie Freeman, Braves, 135 SC (92 R + 70 RBI - 27 HR)
4. Chris Taylor, Dodgers, 132 SC (84 R + 66 RBI - 18 HR)
5. Juan Soto, Nationals, 128 SC (81 R + 67 RBI - 20 HR)
6. Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres, 126 SC (84 R + 76 RBI - 34 HR)
7. Jake Cronenworth, Padres, 125 SC (83 R + 61 RBI - 19 HR)
8. Max Muncy, Dodgers, 124 SC (76 R + 76 RBI - 28 HR)
8. Jesse Winker, Reds, 124 SC (77 R + 71 RBI - 24 HR)
10. Bryan Reynolds, Pirates, 121 SC (70 R + 72 RBI - 21 HR)
American League scoring rates (200+ PA)
1. Yordan Alvarez, Astros, 30.0 SC per 100 PA (134 SC in 447 PA)
2. Teoscar Hernandez, Blue Jays, 28.8 SC per 100 PA (123 SC in 427 PA)
3. Bo Bichette, Blue Jays, 28.5 SC per 100 PA (148 SC in 520 PA)
4. Chas McCormick, Astros, 28.2 SC per 100 PA (70 SC in 248 PA)
5. Wander Franco, Rays, 28.0 SC per 100 PA (58 SC in 207 PA)
5. Brett Phillips, Rays, 28.0 SC per 100 PA (68 SC in 243 PA)
5. George Springer, Blue Jays, 28.0 SC per 100 PA (59 SC in 211 PA)
8. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays, 27.9 SC per 100 PA (146 SC in 523 PA)
9. Jose Ramirez, Indians, 27.6 SC per 100 PA (131 SC in 475 PA)
10. Rafael Devers, Red Sox, 27.2 SC per 100 PA (136 SC in 500 PA)
National League scoring rates (200+ PA)
1. Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres, 32.1 SC per 100 PA (126 SC in 393 PA)
2. Matt Beaty, Dodgers, 28.2 SC per 100 PA (60 SC in 213 PA)
3. Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves, 27.8 SC per 100 PA (100 SC in 360 PA)
4. Manny Machado, Padres, 27.6 SC per 100 PA (136 SC in 492 PA)
4. Max Muncy, Dodgers, 27.6 SC per 100 PA (124 SC in 450 PA)
6. Nick Castellanos, Reds, 27.4 SC per 100 PA (120 SC in 438 PA)
7. Juan Soto, Nationals, 27.1 SC per 100 PA (128 SC in 473 PA)
8. Brandon Crawford, Giants, 27.0 SC per 100 PA (109 SC in 403 PA)
8. Chris Taylor, Dodgers, 27.0 SC per 100 PA (132 SC in 488 PA)
10. Ozzie Albies, Braves, 26.2 SC per 100 PA (140 SC in 534 PA)
Team scoring leaders
Angels: Shohei Ohtani, 130 SC (82 R + 88 RBI - 40 HR)
Astros: Yordan Alvarez, 134 SC (74 R + 85 RBI - 25 HR)
Athletics: Matt Olson, 128 SC (78 R + 81 RBI - 31 HR)
Blue Jays: Bo Bichette, 148 SC (91 R + 77 RBI - 20 HR)
Braves: Ozzie Albies, 140 SC (78 R + 84 RBI - 22 HR)
Brewers: Avisail Garcia, 107 SC (58 R + 73 RBI - 24 HR)
Cardinals: Paul Goldschmidt, 120 SC (68 R + 71 RBI - 19 HR)
Cubs: Willson Contreras, 71 SC (48 R + 40 RBI - 17 HR)
Diamondbacks: David Peralta, 88 SC (44 R + 50 RBI - 6 HR)
Dodgers: Chris Taylor, 132 SC (84 R + 66 RBI - 18 HR)
Giants: Brandon Crawford, 109 SC (58 R + 70 RBI - 19 HR)
Indians: Jose Ramirez, 131 SC (81 R + 79 RBI - 29 HR)
Mariners: Mitch Haniger, 128 SC (85 R + 71 RBI - 28 HR)
Marlins: Jesus Aguilar, 112 SC (47 R + 87 RBI - 22 HR)
Mets: Pete Alonso, 108 SC (63 R + 73 RBI - 28 HR)
Nationals: Juan Soto, 128 SC (81 R + 67 RBI - 20 HR)
Orioles: Trey Mancini, 103 SC (61 R + 62 RBI - 20 HR)
Padres: Manny Machado, 136 SC (74 R + 84 RBI - 22 HR)
Phillies: Rhys Hoskins, 107 SC (63 R + 70 RBI - 26 HR)
Pirates: Bryan Reynolds, 121 SC (70 R + 72 RBI - 21 HR)
Rangers: Adolis Garcia, 102 SC (58 R + 71 RBI - 27 HR)
Rays: Austin Meadows, 132 SC (65 R + 88 RBI - 21 HR)
Red Sox: Rafael Devers, 136 SC (76 R + 89 RBI - 29 HR)
Reds: Jesse Winker, 124 SC (77 R + 71 RBI - 24 HR)
Rockies: Ryan McMahon, 111 SC (66 R + 63 RBI - 18 HR)
Royals: Whit Merrifield, 121 SC (71 R + 58 RBI - 8 HR)
Tigers: Jonathan Schoop, 117 SC (66 R + 69 RBI - 18 HR)
Twins: Jorge Polanco, 122 SC (73 R + 71 RBI - 22 HR)
White Sox: Jose Abreu, 132 SC (65 R + 92 RBI - 25 HR)
Yankees: Aaron Judge, 103 SC (65 R + 65 RBI - 27 HR)