2025 MLB Season: Record Imbalances, Rockies' Historic Struggles, and Evolving Gameplay Trends
June 12, 2025
The Colorado Rockies are enduring a historically poor season, currently holding a record of 12-54 after 66 games, making them only the second team to start a season this poorly.
Their struggles are further underscored by a -199 run differential, the worst in MLB history through 66 games, indicating serious issues in both offense and defense.
In terms of league performance, only six of the top eight MLB teams hail from the American League, suggesting underperformance compared to the National League this season.
If the season concluded today, nine of the twelve playoff spots would be occupied by teams from the upper half of the payroll spectrum, reflecting economic disparities in the league.
The introduction of larger bases and limits on pitcher disengagements has led to a surge in stolen base attempts, now at 0.99 per game, the highest rate since 1999.
Successful stolen bases have also increased to 0.77 per game, marking the highest success rate since 1992, despite no significant changes in player speed or catcher performance.
This season has seen a smaller strike zone, resulting in a decrease in strikeouts to 8.26 per game, the lowest since 2017, while walks have risen to 3.24 per game.
Umpiring accuracy has reached a record high, with 88.3% of ball/strike calls being accurate, attributed to the newly implemented smaller strike zone.
Despite injuries to many top pitchers, starting pitchers are performing better overall, with innings pitched per start at 5.3 and a quality start percentage at 37%, both improvements from 2024.
However, rookie hitters are struggling significantly, posting a .644 OPS, the lowest since 1979, and the average isolated power (ISO+) for rookies is at 74, the lowest since 1996.
The 2025 MLB season is characterized by notable statistics that reveal trends in gameplay, umpiring accuracy, and competitive balance.
A significant competitive imbalance has emerged, with a standard deviation of winning percentages at .099, the highest since 1954, highlighting disparities among team performances.
Summary based on 1 source
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Source

Bleacher Report • Jun 12, 2025
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