I guess you have to look at it with some relativity. 2017 team OPS .777 2011 team OPS .750 2017 team OPS+ = 100 2011 team OPS+ = 102 2017 team ERA = 4.09 2011 team ERA = 3.63 2017 team ERA+ = 108 2011 team ERA+ = 109 The 2017 team is scoring more runs and has a better team OPS. Is it "better" relative to the competition and the run-scoring opportunities in the league? They seem about even. The 2011 team had better pitching, but again, the ERA+ (a very simplistic measure, I admit) shows that again, relative to the competition, the teams are super similar. A lot of people will say the pitching in 2011 was a LOT better. The pitching this year hasn't really been *that* bad. The bullpen has been better the last few months. The starting rotation (aside from Davies and Guerra) has been better than expected. Are the starters as good as they have performed? Maybe not, but the numbers aren't measuring the actual talent level, they are measuring what has occurred on the field.