For decades, the MLB industry used a set of basic stats to measure offensive performance: batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage were the most popular ones.
Then, there was the need to know how good or bad a player was relative to the league-average hitter while considering conditions for a specific season, era, and ballparks.
That’s how wRC+ was born.
It means weighted Runs Created Plus and uses 100 as the league-average offensive performance: anything above that threshold is considered above-average production, and everything below that mark means below-average output.
Now, the 2023 Atlanta Braves are a special baseball club.
Their pitching is good and deep, but their offense is outstanding.
This is confirmed by their 125 collective wRC+.
That’s a record, in case you don’t know.
A team wRC+ of 125 might not sound insane to you but it is. https://t.co/NgZbujZQGL
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) August 15, 2023
As Codify Baseball states, only one team in the history of baseball has had a 125 wRC+: the 1927 New York Yankees.
Peak Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig played there, among many others.
But the Braves are now just as good, according to the numbers.
They have Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies, Sean Murphy, Matt Olson, Travis d’Arnaud, Orlando Arcia, Austin Riley, Michael Harris II, Marcell Ozuna, Eddie Rosario, and others.
They are a powerhouse.
A 125 wRC+ is excellent for a hitter: it means he has produced 25 percent more than the league-average hitter.
For a full team to boast such a high wRC+ is historically relevant.
The Braves will be very, very tough to eliminate in the postseason.
NEXT: The Braves Accomplished An Elite Feat On Sunday
