The 10 Best Offensive Attacks in Baseball

In this day and age in Major League baseball, offense is king.

Great hitting and big home runs are what sell the most tickets and put fans in the seats in ballparks around the league.

While you can normally guess which teams will be the best in baseball swinging the bat year in and year out, in 2012 there are a few new teams joining the party along with the usual suspects.

Let's take a look at some of the best offensive teams in baseball this season.

10. Los Angeles Dodgers

Offensive Rankings

Home runs: T-27th

RBI: 10th

Runs scored: 12th

AVG: 4th

OBP: 2nd

Slugging: 14th

The Dodgers weren't expected to do much this season thanks to turmoil at the head of their organization that has somewhat halted the development of the roster.

Still, the Dodgers are atop the NL West and are flourishing offensively under manager Don Mattingly.

Although they don't bash many homers, Los Angeles' offense still has no problem scoring runs in other ways. Not only do they hit for a high average and work walks, but the Dodgers also do a great job of moving runners over by way of stolen bases and sacrifice hits.

When healthy, Matt Kemp is one of the premiere offensive players in the entire league. However, Kemp has seen two DL stints this season and as a result, isn't doing the damage we all know he can do.

Andre Ethier and A.J. Ellis have helped carry the load for Los Angeles by producing runs in Kemp's absence. The acquisition of Bobby Abreu should help moving forward as the former Angel has enjoyed much more success at the plate with his new team and more playing time.

Dee Gordon hasn't hit for the type of average the Dodgers would like, but when he is on base, Gordon can help make it easier to score runs with his incredible speed. He is still one of the biggest threats at the top of any order in baseball despite his struggles at the plate.

9. New York Mets

Offensive Rankings

Home runs: T-22nd

RBI: 9th

Runs scored: 9th

AVG: T-10th

OBP: T-5th

Slugging: 17th

Yes, that's right, the New York Mets are one of the finer offensive teams in the league at this moment in the season.

New York isn't smashing the ball out of the park--something that might be frustrating considering the organization moved the fences in to help that cause amongst other things--but they are scoring more runs than normal.

The Mets haven't had much of a problem getting runners on the base pads as the team's on-base percentage is in the top-five in baseball to go along with their elite ability to work walks. The team from Flushing has no problem taking free passes and as we all know, a walk is as good as a hit.

But it doesn't stop there for New York as the Amazin's have done a great job moving runners over having the third-most sacrifice hits in the league.

David Wright is the centerpiece of the Mets' offense and has been riding an incredible wave to start the season. Sure, he isn't hitting near .400 anymore, but he is easily the hottest bat in the Mets' lineup.

Lucas Duda and Scott Hairston are providing much of the power for the Amazin's at this point and are carrying the load along with Wright while the team waits for Ike Davis to get going. If he can, the Mets offense could be even better than it already is.

With the way they pitch, the Mets are a dangerous team as long as they continue to combine that great pitching with their solid offense.

8. New York Yankees

Offensive Rankings

Home runs: 1st

RBI: 8th

Runs scored: 8th

AVG: T-5th

OBP: 4th

Slugging: 3rd

The Yankees have taken quite a dive down the offensive rankings this season as they continue to struggle mightily with runners in scoring position. However, this team is still driving in runs and sports an offense that can never be underestimated.

Littered with all-stars, power hitters and future hall-of-famers, the Bombers are an offense that relies on the long ball as evidenced by their league-leading 81 homers.

New York's ability to work counts is world famous and that helps set the table for an offense that has become one-dimensional. Brett Gardner may only be one man, but his ability to steal bases and make it easier for the Bombers to score runs is sorely missed at the moment.

Still, you can't look past a lineup that revolves around Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson. And that's on top of Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, both of whom have yet to get it going this season.

But as disappointing as both Tex and A-Rod have been, Raul Ibanez and Nick Swisher have been quite the pleasant surprise for the Yanks with their contributions to the offense.

Despite the amount of runs they score, if the Yanks want to get better offensively, they must find a more reliable way to score runs and more importantly, must get better at hitting in the clutch.

Besides all that, the Bombers offense still isn't too shabby.

7. Atlanta Braves

Offensive Rankings

Home runs: 12th

RBI: 7th

Runs scored: T-6th

AVG: T-10th

OBP: 12th

Slugging: T-11th

Nothing particularly stands out about the Braves' offense, but that doesn't mean they haven't had success scoring runs this season.

They don't hit a ton of home runs nor do they hit for a high average, but this offense does work walks at a successful rate.

Dan Uggla is the main source of power for Atlanta's offense and Brian McCann as well as Freddie Freeman help Uggla with the heavy-lifting.

The Braves also enjoy one of the best 1-2 punches at the top of their order in the MLB.

Michael Bourn's ability to get on base and cause havoc has been an irreplaceable asset to Atlanta this season. To go with his near .300 average, Bourn has 15 stolen bases and is making it easier for the Braves to score runs nowadays.

Martin Prado's ability to handle the bat adds to the potency of manager Freddy Gonzalez's lineup. Prado is the team's best hitter by far and does a great job setting the table for Atlanta's bigger bats.

If Jason Heyward can start swinging the bat the way he did in his rookie season, the Braves could quickly become one of the best offenses in all of baseball.

And that's not to say they aren't doing a good enough job right now.

6. Toronto Blue Jays

Offensive Rankings

Home runs: 2nd

RBI: T-6th

Runs scored: 5th

AVG: T-21st

OBP: T-21st

Slugging: 8th

With their pitching struggling so far this season, the Blue Jays' offense has carried the club in 2012 and kept them in the running for the AL East crown.

Toronto has been no stranger to hitting the ball out of the park as they currently sit behind the Yankees for most home runs in the league while their team average continues to leave much to be desired.

But that hasn't stopped the Jays from scoring runs.

Their lineup features two of the better power hitters in the league: Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista.

Encarnacion has been a pleasant surprise this season and could be showing his team a sign of great things to come. Bautista still hasn't gotten it going to the fullest extent, but is slowly coming along and trying to bring his average up.

Kelly Johnson and J.P. Arencibia help round-out the power for Toronto and give the Jays four hitters they can depend on to produce runs on a consistent basis. Brett Lawrie has been great at the top of the order and Rajai Davis' speed gives opposing pitchers headaches when he gets on base.

This offense may be a one-trick pony of sorts as a result of their homerun-oriented approach, but nobody can deny that it's been getting the job done thus far in the 2012 season.

5. Chicago White Sox

Offensive Rankings

Home runs: 5th

RBI: 5th

Runs scored: 6th

AVG: 14th

OBP: 11th

Slugging: 7th

The White Sox were supposed to be rebuilding this season or at least begin the process, but since they are winning ball games left and right, those plans have been put on hold.

This year's version has lived a lot by the long ball as they are ranked in the top five in Major League Baseball.

Chicago currently has four hitters with double-digit home runs led by Adam Dunn's 18 long balls. Paul Konerko continues to be a major contributor to this team's offense by not only hitting the ball out of the yard, but hitting for an impressive .366 average.

Dayan Viciedo is a young, up-and-coming power hitter who promises to give the White Sox plenty of years of great offensive numbers while playing a solid outfield on a consistent basis.

Centerfielder Alejandro De Aza has helped inject some youth and speed into the top of Chicago's lineup and his 13 stolen bases are giving his team more opportunities to hit with runners in scoring position.

That dynamic along with their power has certainly helped the White Sox become one of the better run-scoring teams in the league.

4. St. Louis Cardinals

Offensive Rankings

Home runs: T-6th

RBI: 3rd

Runs scored: 4th

AVG: 2nd

OBP: 3rd

Slugging: 4th

You would think losing Albert Pujols to the Los Angeles Angels would have crippled the Cardinals offense, but that's the exact opposite of what's been the case in 2012.

St. Louis has enjoyed one of the better offenses in all of baseball this year and haven't missed a beat thanks to the unmistakable contribution of Carlos Beltran who appears to be going through a resurrection after leaving the Mets.

This is a lineup that can pretty much do it all. The Cards not only walk a great deal, but they hit for a high average and can hit the ball out of the park as well.

The heart of their order revolves around Beltran, Matt Holiday, up-and-comer Allan Craig and last but not least, World Series hero, David Freese.

And don't forget about the Cards' backstop, Yadier Molina. His team-leading .328 average flies in the face of what catchers are supposed to be in the batter's box.

Rafael Furcal's presence at the top of the order has given St. Louis a consistent table-setter to help jump start their offense game in and game out.

If Lance Berkman can recover from his injury and return to this lineup, the Cards could challenge for the distinction as the best offense in baseball even without Pujols' services.

3. Colorado Rockies

Offensive Rankings

Home runs: 8th

RBI: 4th

Runs scored: 3rd

AVG: 8th

OBP: 9th

Slugging: 5th

It's surprising that the Rockies have gotten off to such a poor start to the 2012 season considering the amount of runs they score. But as giving as Coors Field can be to a team's offense, it can be quite damning to that same team's pitching as evidenced by Colorado's poor team ERA.

You have to imagine that if the Rockies can get better outings from their pitchers, they can make a late run for the NL West despite their current deficit.

Colorado not only hits the long ball, but they hit for a solid average as well and do a great job getting runners on base. Once they have runners on the base pads, the Rockies have no troubles moving them over with sacrifices and stolen bases.

Their offense is centered around Carlos Gonzalez who leads the team in homers, RBI, average, hits and runs scored. But the Rockies offensive talent doesn't stop there as Troy Tulowitzki, Dexter Fowler and the offseason acquisition of Michael Cuddyer have all added to a potent lineup.

At the top of their order, Fowler has helped give Colorado a great leadoff hitter to spark their offense and 23-year-old Wiln Rosario has helped out from both behind and at the plate.

This is an offense that will only get better as the Rockies continue to develop their young stars into a total offensive force for years to come. If they can ever get some effective pitching in their launching pad of a ball park, the Rockies could potentially be a tough team to beat.

2. Boston Red Sox

Offensive Rankings

Home runs: 6th

RBI: 2nd

Runs scored: 2nd

AVG: 3rd

OBP: T-5th

Slugging: 2nd

Much like most of the teams in the AL East, the Red Sox are off to a slow start but are still right in the thick of things as the month of June has already begun.

Even with injuries to guys Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford, as well as close to zero production from Kevin Youkilis, this offense hasn't missed a beat and are still sporting one of the more potent offenses in all of baseball with their ability to get on base and hit the long ball.

David Ortiz has been the heart and soul of this team's offense this season after seemingly being on a down slide in recent years. He leads the team in home runs, RBI, hits, average and runs scored.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Mike Aviles and Cody Ross aren't well-known for their respective offensive prowess, but that hasn't stopped them from being major run producers for Boston this season. Ross has been on the 15-day DL recently, but should return soon.

Will Middlebrooks has been a saving grace after being called-up this season and Dustin Pedroia continues to do his thing behind Aviles, giving Boston a solid 1-2 punch at the top of their order that still has room for improvement.

Adrian Gonzalez was a major piece of the Red Sox's offense last season, but manager Bobby Valentine hasn't heard a peep from his first baseman this season. That being said, the Sox offense could get even better if Gonzalez can finally find his stride.

With all the problems the Red Sox have had in the clubhouse and in the trainer's room this season, it hasn't affected their elite offense one bit. If they can finally get healthy at some point this season, there's no telling how much better this lineup could be.

1. Texas Rangers

Offensive Rankings

Home runs: 1st

RBI: 1st

Runs scored: 1st

AVG: 1st

OBP: 1st

Slugging: 1st

It's scary to think how good the Rangers are seeing as how they have the best combination of hitting and pitching in Major League Baseball.

There isn't much dispute that Texas has the best offense in baseball having scored and driven in more runs than any team in the league. As a matter of fact, they lead the league in every major offensive statistic.

Not only do they smash homeruns better than any team in the sport, they also hit for a high average and have an uncanny ability to get runners on base. Moving baserunners over isn't a problem either considering Texas' ability to advance runners with sacrifices and stolen bases.

Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus are the best 1-2 combination in baseball as both handle the bat extremely well and both have above-average to excellent speed. Those qualities give the Rangers excellent table-setters at the head of their lineup.

The heart of the Rangers' power revolves around Josh Hamilton, the league-leader in homeruns and RBI, as well as Nelson Cruz, Mike Napoli and Adrian Beltre. Three of those four hitters are already have double-digit home runs and all of them have the ability to hit 20-to-30 homers in a single season.

There's no mistaking that Texas' lineup has incredible depth one through seven without a single easy out to speak of. They seem to do everything right and very little wrong when it comes to swinging the stick.

In all, the Rangers' offense is tops in the majors and it'll be pretty tough to knock them off the throne.