What the Angels do not do is walk very much. The addition of the former Yankee Bobby Abreu has made their lineup more patient, willing to take more pitches instead of looking to hack. But the Angels still drew fewer walks than the average team, while the Yankees led the majors in that category. The Angels (.285) and the Yankees (.283) ranked first and second in the majors in batting average, meaning they tend to make contact. That helps the Angels use their speed and put the game in motion, taking chances on the bases. It's too bad the Royals can't even fall back on the sometimes good excuse (used properly) that they make solid contact and don't strike out often. Then again, the Royals were 18th and the Angels 21st in offensive strikeouts (higher meaning worse, of course). But the Mets had the fewest at 928 and that didn't take them far. So *the answer* isn't walks. That leaves us with OBP. The Yanks came in at #1 (.362) and the Angels #3 (.350). KC? #27 at .318. So walks aren't everything, but.... - TL