The 2015 season ended on a low note, as games produced just 7.74 runs per game in week 26. For the season, however, 2015 finished well ahead of 2014, beating it 8.50 to 8.14 runs. There were 742 more home runs hit, slightly more walks, slightly more strikeouts, and slightly fewer singles+doubles+triples. All in all, 2015 saw 0.2 more base runners per game. Games were faster and a little higher scoring, and that was two directions good for the game.
Going through the final standings, another thing of note is that only two teams finished with s record better than .600, and two teams with a record below .400, all in the National League.
The percentages of teams that did this is somewhat lower than normal. There is usually a bigger spread in records. It adds some confirmation to my impression that the MLB is experiencing the same sort of parity that has been evident in the NFL.
Parity is another thing that high league officials and maybe owners love but I dislike. It increases the randomness of who ultimately becomes the champion.
Although offense per game rose, plate appearances per game fell, as hinted at in your description. Keep this in mind when evaluating whether the shorter average game time was caused by MLB’s changed procedures.
Ed » I wrote about this a couple of months ago, that this might be the rare year when no team finished below .400. In other words, no truly horrible teams.
I understand your point about the randomness. On the other hand, it is good to have every team make the playoffs every few years. It keeps the local fans interested in the team. So parity is good for attendance.
Also, this really isn’t a new thing. Bill James wrote many years ago about how increasing parity has occurred through the history of the game. Every decade produced better parity than the previous one.
Detroit Michael » Thanks, Michael. It was quite a fascinating season. For most of the year, strikeouts were down, but in was offset by a decreased BABIP. Yet, the number of home runs indicate batters were swinging hard. Very strange.