With less than four months until baseball returns to Chicago. I thought it would be a good time to revisit, for the first time in six years, the all-time rankings in both offensive and defensive categories for all iterations of the current 30 teams for the 1040 games I’ve identified that I have attended. We continue today on the defensive side of the ball with bases on balls surrendered.
Based on the raw numbers, the White Sox and Cubs are far and away the leaders in this category, as they are the teams I’ve seen the most. When you adjust the numbers per game, three teams are averaging four or more walks per game, with the Nationals leading the pack with just over four. The Cubs find themselves, unfortunately, in the top ten at 3.45 walks per game, while the White Sox just make it into the bottom half (or top half, depending on your point of view) with 3.29 walks per game. The Anaheim version of the Angels and the Miami version of the Marlins bring up the rear as the only teams with less than two walks per game, at 1.5 a piece.
Bases on Balls
| Team Name | Walks |
|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox | 2208 |
| Chicago Cubs | 1509 |
| Kansas City Royals | 213 |
| Cleveland Indians | 207 |
| Detroit Tigers | 164 |
| Minnesota Twins | 156 |
| Seattle Mariners | 149 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 141 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 139 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 138 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 136 |
| Texas Rangers | 132 |
| Houston Astros | 130 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 111 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 100 |
| Oakland Athletics | 88 |
| New York Yankees | 87 |
| Boston Red Sox | 85 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 80 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 79 |
| San Francisco Giants | 70 |
| Colorado Rockies | 70 |
| Florida Marlins | 69 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 68 |
| San Diego Padres | 65 |
| Atlanta Braves | 60 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 58 |
| Washington Nationals | 53 |
| New York Mets | 49 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 45 |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays | 20 |
| Montreal Expos | 15 |
| Cleveland Guardians | 10 |
| California Angels | 8 |
| Anaheim Angels | 3 |
| Miami Marlins | 3 |
Bases on Balls per Game
| Team Name | Walks per Game |
|---|---|
| Washington Nationals | 4.07692307692308 |
| California Angels | 4 |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays | 4 |
| Colorado Rockies | 3.88888888888889 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 3.83333333333333 |
| Seattle Mariners | 3.725 |
| Cleveland Indians | 3.56896551724138 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 3.475 |
| Chicago Cubs | 3.45308924485126 |
| Kansas City Royals | 3.43548387096774 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 3.4 |
| Texas Rangers | 3.38461538461538 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 3.36363636363636 |
| Cleveland Guardians | 3.33333333333333 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 3.31707317073171 |
| Chicago White Sox | 3.28571428571429 |
| San Diego Padres | 3.0952380952381 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 3.06521739130435 |
| San Francisco Giants | 3.04347826086957 |
| Florida Marlins | 3 |
| Montreal Expos | 3 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 2.96296296296296 |
| New York Mets | 2.88235294117647 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 2.85714285714286 |
| Atlanta Braves | 2.85714285714286 |
| Oakland Athletics | 2.83870967741936 |
| New York Yankees | 2.80645161290323 |
| Detroit Tigers | 2.77966101694915 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 2.72413793103448 |
| Boston Red Sox | 2.65625 |
| Houston Astros | 2.6530612244898 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 2.64705882352941 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 2.52173913043478 |
| Minnesota Twins | 2.29411764705882 |
| Anaheim Angels | 1.5 |
| Miami Marlins | 1.5 |