As they entered last night’s game against the Atlanta Braves, the Colorado Rockies were tied for the best team batting average in all of Major League Baseball. With a team average of .262, only the juggernaut Los Angeles Dodgers were keeping pace. However, there is a vast canyon of difference between the two teams. The Los Angeles Dodgers are 90-38 and are basically guaranteed the NL West crown. The Rockies are 56-74 and are quite comfortably in the basement.
If the Rockies and Dodgers have the same team batting average, and both teams are getting base hits at roughly the same pace—the Rockies have 1170 hits in 4470 at-bats, the Dodgers have 1149 in 4382—why are the two teams so far apart?