6. Colorado Rockies (28–17, plus-17, LT: 9)

The continued excellence of Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon, plus Mark Reynolds turning into an MVP candidate out of nowhere, has played a big role in Colorado’s climb to first place in the NL West. But for a team that’s long struggled to overcome the slog of pitching in Coors Field, the simplest explanation is the correct one:

Rockies pitchers groundball rates

Jon Gray 63.9%

Kyle Freeland 63.1%

Scott Oberg 61.5%

Jordan Lyles 59.1%

Tyler Chatwood 56.0%

Chris Rusin 55.7%

Greg Holland 52.8%

Chad Qualls 51.7%

Rockies Team GB%: 50.4% (tied-2nd in MLB)

In the ballpark that most severely punishes pitchers for giving up batted balls in the air, the Rockies are winning by kicking up more dirt than all but one other team. Baseball can be a pretty uncomplicated game sometimes.