After a first half dominated by pitchers, the second half of the MLB season has started with a barrage of home runs that could set the direction in which the rest of the year is headed.
The first half of the season Big leagues it was completely dominated by pitchers. Despite the fact that, in June, MLB began to incisively persecute pitchers who used substances to improve grip on balls and this has represented an improvement in the league’s overall offensive statistics, towards the end of the first half of the season, just 13 players in all MLB reached a batting average of .300.
Historically, the entry of summer to the USA it implies that hitters will find their rhythm more easily. Without cold weather to adapt, it is likely that many hitters will start to generate better offensive numbers, which in turn means more runs and an increase in power, which translates into more home runs.
Proof of this is what has quietly started to happen in the first two days of play after the game break. Stars game in 2021. Between the days of Friday and Saturday a total of 77 home runs (46 on Friday and 31 on Saturday). We must take into account that on both dates there were at least two games postponed or suspended due to weather, as well as the shooting that occurred outside of Nationals Park on Saturday night.
In the two days of matches played in the second half, offenses have hit.259 average, next to a .330 On-Base Percentage (OBP) and a slugging (SLG) of .436, good for a .766 OPS over 2,219 official shifts. The most interesting number so far is that of 77 home runs dispatched, which ranks as one of the best brands of the year in a space of two dates on the regular season calendar.
The First half finished with a general average of batting .240 and an OPS of .718, which becomes indicative that the second part of the season may have offensive and power numbers higher than what has been seen so far.
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