Teams with the Worst Plate Discipline of All Time

As of Saturday morning, the Houston Astros offense has accrued all of five walks (against 56 strikeouts) in their first four games. While it is unlikely they will continue to average 1.25 walks and 14 strikeouts per game, their extremely youthful and hack-happy lineup will likely make a run at the title of worst plate discipline squad of all time.

The 2012 edition of the team landed on the list of the 10 worst strikeout per game squads, at 8.43. This year’s group could eclipse the record for most strikeouts per game, held by the 2010 Arizona Diamondbacks. The D’backs obliterated the prior record set by the Brewers in 2001:

With 56 Ks in their first 134 plate appearances (41.8%), the Astros are off to a good start in claiming the title of highest percentage of team PAs ending in a strikeout, also held by the 2010 Diamondbacks:

The 1.68 walks per game record of the 1918 Brooklyn Robins probably isn’t in jeopardy. The only team in the last fifty years to challenge that record was the 1966 St. Louis Cardinals, and even that was 2.13 walks per game. Here are the ten-worst all-time:

With five walks in their first 134 plate appearances (3.7%), the Astros are also off to a good start in claiming the title of lowest percentage of team PAs ending in a base on balls, also held by the 1918 Brooklyn Robins:

The 2011 and 2012 Astros already claim two of the ten-worst K/BB ratios in history, and at 11.2 (56/5), the 2013 squad seems to be going down the same path: