A Look at the Best Infields, Outfields and Pitching Staffs in Major League History.
Bill,
Based on total Win Shares, could you publish the top ten teams which had (1) the best starting infield (1b, 2b, 3b, ss), (2) the best starting outfield, (3) the best starting pitchers and (4) the best bullpen.
For pitchers, it might wise to include the top 10 by different eras as I doubt any modern era starting staff will compare to the pre 1920's Starting Pitchers.
Jeff S.
That’s an interesting question, and I decided to get into it in greater depth than you requested, or, for that matter, greater depth than anyone could possibly care about. This research is based on a file created for me by Matthew Namee in 2002, which hasn’t been updated for several years, so I’ll have to stop about 2000. Also, I wrote about the “infields” question in the Historical Abstract. But up to then, I’ll list the best three by decade, as well as the top ten overall:
1870s Infields
1) 1876 Chicago Cubs (then called Colts, or something else)
1B—Cal McVey (16), 2B—Ross Barnes (20), 3B—Cap Anson (14), SS—John Peters (12) Total, 62.
2) 1876 Boston (Braves)
1B—Tim Murnane (10), 2B—John Morrill (8), 3B—(Harry Schafer (8), SS—George Wright (17). Total, 43.
3) 1879 Providence Grays
1B—Joe Start (12), 2B—Mike McGeary (10), 3B—Bill Hague (4), SS—George Wright (16). Total, 42.
1870s Outfields
1) 1879 Providence Grays
LF—Tom York (14), CF—Paul Hines (22), RF—Jim O’Rourke (17). Total, 53. (The fact that the 1879 Grays had both one of the best infields and one of the best outfields is moderately impressive, but remember that we are talking only about four years, 1876-1879, that there were six or eight teams in the league each year, and that the number of games increased in 1879, making more Win Shares available.)
2) 1879 Boston (Braves)
LF—Charley Jones (21), CF—John O’Rourke (17), RF—Sadie Houck (11). Total, 49.
3) 1879 Cincinnati Red Stockings
LF—Buttercup Dickerson (14), CF—Pete Hotaling (14), RF—King Kelly (20). Total, 48.
1870s Starting Pitching.
1870s teams used basically one pitcher, with teams late in the decade starting to use a second pitcher once in a while, for weaker opponents.
1) 1879 Buffalo Bisons
Pud Galvin (61), Bill McGunnigle (12). Total, 73.
2) 1876 Hartford Dark Blues
Tommy Bond (47), Candy Cummings (22). Total, 69.
3) 1879 Providence Grays
Monte Ward (51), Bobby Mathews (14). Total, 65.
1870s Bullpens
None.
1880s Infields
1) 1884 New York Giants (American Association)
1B—Dave Orr (27), 2B—Dasher Troy (14), 3B—Dude Esterbrook (26), SS—Candy Nelson (23). Total, 90.
2) 1889 Brooklyn Dodgers (American Association)
1B—Dave Foutz (24), 2B—Hub Collins (24), 3B—George Pinckney (22), SS—Germany Smith (15). Total, 85.
3) 1887 Detroit Wolverines (National League)
1B—Dan Brouthers (26), 2B—Fred Dunlap (23), 3B—Deacon White (15), SS—Jack Rowe (20). Total, 84.
1880s Outfields
1) 1885 Chicago Cubs
LF—Abner Dalrymple (25), CF—George Gore (30), RF—King Kelly (24). Total, 79.
2) 1889 Brooklyn Dodgers (American Association)
LF—Darky O’Brien (30), CF—Pop Corkhill (17), RF—Oyster Burns (25). Total, 72.
3) 1889 New York Giants (National League)
LF—Jim O’Rourke (19), George Gore (23), Mike Tiernan (28). Total, 70.
1880s Starting Pitching
Baseball teams were using two-man staffs by the early 1880s, and three-man staffs in the late 1880s. Places where there are more than three qualifying pitchers are essentially mid-season changes.
1) 1886 St. Louis Cardinals or Browns (American Association, under Charlie Comiskey)
Dave Foutz (62), Bob Caruthers (57), Nat Hudson (22), Jumbo McGinnis (4), Joe Murphy (1). Total, 146. Foutz and Caruthers both played the outfield when not pitching, and both were excellent hitters, inflating their totals even more.
2) 1887 St. Louis (AA)
Silver King (54), Bob Caruthers (43), Dave Foutz (37), Nat Hudson (4), Ed Knouff (1). Total, 139.
3) 1888 St. Louis (AA)
Silver King (71), Nat Hudson (36), Ice Box Chamberlain (13), Jim Devlin (7), Ed Knouff (6). TOtal, 133.
1880s Bullpens
None
1890s Infields
1) 1898 Baltimore Orioles (National League)
1B—Dan McGann (21), 2B—Gene DeMontreville (24), 3B—John McGraw (31), SS—Hughie Jennings (32). Total, 108, a record at the time.
2) 1890 Brooklyn Dodgers (Players League)
1B—Dave Foutz (27), 2B—Hub Collins (28), 3B—George Pinckney (29), SS—Germany Smith (10). Total, 94, We note that this team—actually, the players on the team—switched leagues in 1890, joining the Players League, which was organized by the Players Union. But the same four players formed one of the best infielders of the 1880s in 1889, and one of the best infielders of the 1890s, in a different league, in 1890.
3) 1891 Boston Red Stockings (American Association)
1B—Dan Brouthers (34), 2B—Cub Stricker (13), 3B--Duke Farrell (24), SS—Paul Radford (22). Total, 88. This is our second Cub Stricker reference on the site.
1890s Outfields
1) 1899 Philadelphia Phillies
LF—Ed Delahanty (41), CF—Roy Thomas (30), RF—Elmer Flick (23). Total, 94.
2) 1895 Philadelphia Phillies
LF—Ed Delahanty (31), CF—Sliding Billy Hamilton (30), RF—Sam Thompson (28). Total, 89. All three players, all Hall of Famers, hit .389 to .404.
3) 1897 Baltimore Orioles
LF—Joe Kelley (26), CF—Jake Stenzel (24), RF—Willie Keeler (32). Total 82.
1890s Starting Pitching
By the 1890s teams were using three and occasionally four starting pitchers.
1) 1892 Boston Braves
Kid Nichols (49), Cy Young (48), Harry Staley (29), John Clarkson (16), Lee Viau (2). Total, 144.
2) 1894 New York Giants
Amos Rusie (56), Jouett Meekin (48), Huyler Westervelt (9), Les German (7), Dad Clarke (6). Total, 126.
3) 1890 Louisville Colonels (American Association)
Scott Stratton (51), Red Ehret (34), George Meakim (17), Herb Goodall (12), Ed Daily (11). Total, 125.
1890s Bullpens
None
1900s Infields
1) 1908 Pittsburgh Pirates
1B—Alan Storke (5), 2B—Ed Abbaticchio (22), 3B—Tommy Leach (31), SS—Honus Wagner (59). Total, 117, a record at the time. The 1908 Pirates are an unusual team, on which Honus Wagner produced his normal numbers, while the run context fell to such extraordinarily low levels that Wagner’s runs created had a huge impact.
2) 1906 Pittsburgh Pirates
1B—Jim Nealon (18), 2B—Claude Ritchey (23), 3B—Tommy Sheehan (19), SS—Honus Wagner (46). Total, 106.
3) 1906 Chicago Cubs
1B—Frank Chance (35), 2B—Johnny Evers (20), 3B—Harry Steinfeldt (33), SS—Joe Tinker (17). Total, 105. Tinker to Evers to Chance.
1900s Outfields
1 (Tie)) 1907 Detroit Tigers
LF—Davy Jones (24), CF—Sam Crawford (36), RF—Ty Cobb (41). Total, 101.
1 (Tie)) 1908 Detroit Tigers
LF—Matty McIntyre (33), CF—Sam Crawford (32), RF—Ty Cobb (36). Total, 101.
3) 1909 Detroit Tigers
LF—Matty McIntyre (15), CF—Sam Crawford (32), RF—Ty Cobb (44). Total, 91.
1900s Starting Pitching
1) 1907 Chicago Cubs
Orval Overall (32), Three Finger Brown (29), Carl Lundgren (25), Jack Pfiester (21), Ed Reulbach (19). Total, 126.
2) 1904 New York Giants
Joe McGinnity (42), Christy Mathews (34), Luther Taylor (22), Hooks Wiltse (13), Red Ames (8). Total, 119.
3) 1901 Boston Braves
Vic Willis (33), Bill Dineen (32), Kid Nichols (27), Togie Pittenger (21), Bob Lawson (3). Total, 116.
1900s Bullpens
None. (1909 Pirates and 1906 Highlanders had 9 Win Shares each in the bullpen. I decided to start listing them at 10.)
1910s Infields
1) 1913 Philadelphia Athletics
1B—Stuffy McInnis (26), 2B—Eddie Collins (39), 3B—Home Run Baker (38), SS—Jack Barry (20). Total, 123, a record which stands to this day. This was the famous “$100,000 Infield”, long reputed to be the greatest infield of its time. You will see people who say that the infield was overrated. As you see, I don’t agree.
2) 1914 Philadelphia Athletics
1B—Stuffy McInnis (21), 2B—Eddie Collins (43), 3B—Home Run Baker (35), SS—Jack Barry (18). Total, 117.
3) 1912 Philadelphia Athletics
1B—Stuffy McInnis (24), 2B—Eddie Collins (36), 3B—Home Run Baker (39), SS—Jack Barry (16). Total, 115.
The fourth-best infield of the era was the 1911 A’s, and the sixth-best was the 1910 A’s.
1910s Outfields
1) 1915 Detroit Tigers
LF—Bobby Veach (30), CF--Ty Cobb (48), RF--Sam Crawford (28). Total, 106. Again, all all-time record.
2) 1917 Detroit Tigers
LF—Bobby Veach (31), CF—Ty Cobb (46), RF—Harry Heilmann (18). Total, 95.
3 (Tie)) 1911 Detroit Tigers
LF—Davy Jones (8), CF—Ty Cobb (47), RF—Sam Crawford (32). Total, 87.
3 (Tie)) 1912 Boston Red Sox
LF—Duffy Lewis (21), CF—Tris Speaker (51), RF—Harry Hooper (15). Total, 87.
I think it is reasonable to say that the 1907-1917 Tigers, with Cobb and Crawford in the outfield, may have had the greatest outfields of all time. The 106 total for the 1915 Tigers is the highest ever. Whether there was something in the nature of the game, or some flaw in my accounting of the game, which caused the greatest infield and the greatest outfield to occur at the same moment. . ..I can’t say. It could be just a coincidence.
1910s Starting Pitching
1) 1912 Boston Red Sox
Smokey Joe Wood (44), Buck O’Brien (23), Hugh Bediant (21), Ray Collins (19), Sea Lion Hall (17). Total, 124.
2) 1917 Boston Red Sox
Babe Ruth (36), Carl Mays (30), Dutch Leonard (22), Ernie Shore (17), Rube Foster (9). Total, 114.
3) 1915 Boston Red Sox
Ernie Shore (25), Babe Ruth (23), Rube Foster (22), Joe Wood (20), Dutch Leonard (18). Total, 108.
1910s Bullpens
1) 1917 St. Louis Cardinals, led by Red Ames. Total, 22.
2) 1917 Yankees, led by Slim Love and Alan Russell. Total, 19.
3) 1917 Cleveland Indians, led by Fritz Coumbe.
All of these pitchers also started a few games. It appears that there may have been a move to use the bullpens in 1917, which may have been stunted by the War in 1918. Speculating.
Our bullpen totals before 1950 are of little use in identifying the best bullpens, because almost all relievers in this era are still spot starters. Sometimes we have to make close calls as to who to designate a reliever and who a starter, and often the teams with the best bullpens are actually teams with pretty good spot starters. Don’t take it too seriously and we’ll be alright.
The “Team Totals” I am giving you here are actually the totals for the top three relievers on the staff, or the top three pitchers who we have designated as relievers. But we don’t want to argue about it, so if you don’t agree, you’re right.
1920s Infields
1) 1927 New York Giants
1B—Bill Terry (27), 2B—Rogers Hornsby (40), 3B—Fred Lindstrom (20), SS—Travis Jackson (24). Total, 111. All four players are in the Hall of Fame.
2) 1921 St. Louis Cardinals
1B—Jacques Fournier (27), 2B—Rogers Hornsby (41), 3B—Milt Stock (17), SS—Doc Lavan (14). Total, 96.
3) 1924 New York Giants
1B—George Kelly (26), 2B—Frankie Frisch (30), 3B—Heine Groh (19), SS—Travis Jackson (20). Total, 95.
The seven best infields of the 1920s were all either Giants teams managed by John McGraw, or Cardinal teams managed by Branch Rickey.
1920s Outfields
1) 1927 Yankees
LF—Bob Meusel (21), CF—Earle Combs (31), RF—Babe Ruth (45). Total, 97.
2) 1923 New York Yankees
LF—Bob Meusel (16), CF—Whitey Witt (22), RF—Babe Ruth (55). Total, 93.
3) 1928 New York Yankees
Meusel (18), Combs (28), Ruth (45). Total, 91.
Fourth and fifth are the 1920-1921 Yankees.
1920s Starting Pitching
1) 1922 New York Yankees
Bob Shawkey (27), Joe Bush (26), Waite Hoyt (21), Sad Sam Jones (20), Carl Mays (17), Total, 111.
2) 1923 New York Yankees
Joe Bush (24), Herb Pennock (23), Waite Hoyt (21), Sad Sam Jones (20), Bob Shawkey (19). Total, 107.
3) 1923 Cincinnati Reds
Dolph Luque (39), Eppa Rixey (26), Pete Donohue (21), Rube Benton (16). Total, 102.
1920s Bullpens
1) 1927 Yankees, led by Wilcy Moore, Team Total, 31.
2) 1927 Washington Senators, led by Garland Braxton and Firpo Marberry. Team Total, 30.
3) 1929 New York Yankees, led by Tom Zachary, Roy Sherid and Wilcy Moore, Team Total, 29.
1930s Infields
1) 1934 Detroit Tigers
1B—Hank Greenberg (31), 2B—Charlie Gehringer (37), 3B—Marv Owen (23), SS—Billy Rogell (24). Total, 115. Among their other accomplishments, all four players played every game of the season, except that Greenberg missed one game, which I think was Yom Kippur (not sure of that.) Their RBI counts: 139 (Greenberg), 127 (Gehringer), 96 (Owen), 100 (Rogell).
2) 1936 New York Yankees
1B—Lou Gehrig (38), 2B—Tony Lazzeri (18), 3B—Red Rolfe (24), SS—Frankie Crosetti (24). Total, 104.
3 (Tie)) 1935 Detroit Tigers
1B—Greenberg (34), 2B—Gehringer (31), 3B—Owen (10), SS—Rogell (23). Total, 98.
3 (Tie)) 1939 Cincinnati Reds
1B—Frank McCormick (25), 2B—Lonny Frey (25), 3B—Billy Werber (25), SS—Billy Myers (23). Total, 98. The most balanced great infield of all time. Billy Werber, who was the first Duke basketball All-American, is now the oldest living ex-player.
1930s Outfields
1) 1935 New York Giants
LF—Jo-Jo Moore (24), CF—Hank Leiber (28), RF—Mel Ott (35). Total, 87.
2) 1932 New York Yankees
LF—Ben Chapman (22), CF—Earle Combs (25), RF—Babe Ruth (36). Total, 83.
3) 1939 New York Yankees
LF—Charlie Keller (22), CF—Joe DiMaggio (34), RF—George Selkirk (22). Total, 81.
Fourth is the 1931 Yankees. The 1939 Yankees actually used a four-man outfielder, with Tommy Henrich splitting time with Selkirk and Keller.
1930s Starting Pitching
1) 1931 Philadelphia Athletics
Lefty Grove (42), George Earnshaw (29), Rube Walberg (24), Popeye Mahaffey (13), Eddie Rommel (12). Total, 120.
2) 1934 St. Louis Cardinals
Dizzy Dean (37), Paul Dean (22), Tex Carleton (15), Bill Walker (14), Wild Bill Hallahan (8). Total, 96.
3) 1934 New York Giants
Carl Hubbell (32), Hal Schumacher (24), Fat Freddie Fitzsimmons (20), Roy Parmalee (11), Joe Bowman (7). Total, 94.
1930s Bullpens
1) 1939 St. Louis Cardinals, led by Bob Bowman and Clyde Shoun. Team Total, 28.
2) 1938 Chicago Cubs, led by Jack Russell and Charlie Root, Team Total, 25.
2) 1930 Cardinals, led by Hi Bell, Al Grabowski and Jim Lindsey, Team Total also 25.
1940s Infields
1) 1946 St. Louis Cardinals
1B—Stan Musial (44), 2B—Red Schoendienst (19), 3B—Whitey Kurowski (26), SS—Marty Marion (19). Total, 108.
2) 1949 Brooklyn Dodgers
1B—Gil Hodges (21), 2B—Jackie Robinson (36), 3B—Billy Cox (8), SS—Pee Wee Reese (32). Total, 97.
3) 1942 Brooklyn Dodgers
1B—Dolph Camilli (28), 2B—Billy Herman (20), 3B—Arky Vaughan (19), SS—Pee Wee Reese (27). Total, 94.
1940s Outfields
1) 1941 Yankees
LF—Charlie Keller (32), CF--Joe DiMaggio (41), RF—Tommy Henrich (26). Total, 99.
2 (Tie)) 1942 Yankees
Keller (34), DiMaggio (32), Henrich (19). Total, 85.
2 (Tie)) 1942 Boston Red Sox
LF—Ted Williams (46), CF—Dom DiMaggio (28), RF—Lou Finney (11). Total, 85.
2 (Tie)) 1942 St. Louis Cardinals
LF—Stan Musial (28), CF—Terry Moore (20), RF—Enos Slaughter (37). Total, 85.
2 (Tie)) 1948 St. Louis Cardinals
LF—Enos Slaughter (26), CF—Stan Musial (46), RF—Ron Northey (13). Total, 85.
1940s Starting Pitching
1) 1944 Detroit Tigers
Dizzy Trout (42), Hal Newhouser (35), Subby Overmire (14), Rufe Gentry (8), Johnny Gorsica (5). Total, 104.
Newhouser, seen by Win Shares as the number two starter on the team, won the MVP Award by four points over Trout (236-232), although Trout actually received more first-place votes, 10-7. That’s a pretty good pitching staff, when your number two starter is the MVP.
2) 1946 Detroit Tigers
Newhouser (33), Trout (27), Fred Hutchinson (19), Virgil Trucks (16), Al Benton (8). Total, 103.
3 (Tie)) 1949 Detroit Tigers
Virgil Trucks (27), Hal Newhouser (25), Fred Hutchinson (19), Art Houtteman (14), Ted Gray (14). Total, 99.
3 (Tie)) 1940 Cincinnati Reds
Bucky Walters (32), Paul Derringer (24), Junior Thompson (18), Jim Turner (18), Whitey Moore (7). Total, 99.
1940s Bullpens
1) 1949 Cleveland Indians, led by Mike Garcia, Team Total, 31.
1) 1940 Brooklyn Dodgers, led by Hugh Casey and Vito Tamulis, Team Total also 31.
3) 1946 Brooklyn Dodgers, led by Hugh Casey, Hank Behrman and Art Herring, Team Total, 28.
1950s Infields
1) 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers
1B—Gil Hodges (26), 2B—Jackie Robinson (38), 3B—Billy Cox (14), SS—Pee Wee Reese (22). Total, 100.
2) 1952 New York Giants
1B—Whitey Lockman (23), 2B—Davey Williams (19), 3B—Bobby Thomson (25), SS—Al Dark (28). Total, 95.
3) 1952 Brooklyn Dodgers
1B—Gil Hodges (26), 2B—Jackie Robinson (34), 3B—Billy Cox (9), SS—Pee Wee Reese (23). Total, 92.
1950s Outfields
1 (Tie)) 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers
LF—Jackie Robinson (25), CF—Duke Snider (37), RF—Carl Furillo (23). Total, 85.
1 (Tie)) 1959 Cleveland Indians
LF—Minnie Minoso (29), CF—Tito Francona (27), RF—Rocky Colavito (29). Total, 85. The 1959 Indians, again, used a four-man outfield, with Jimmy Piersall as the fourth man. Francona didn’t get into the lineup until about June 1.
3) 1957 New York Yankees
LF—Elston Howard (14), CF—Mickey Mantle (51), RF—Hank Bauer (17). Total, 82.
1950s Starting Pitching
1) 1954 Cleveland Indians
Early Wynn (24), Bob Lemon (24), Mike Garcia (24), Art Houtteman (14), Bob Feller (11). Total, 97.
2) 1956 Cleveland Indians
Herb Score (28), Early Wynn (25), Bob Lemon (23), Mike Garcia (11), Hank Aguirre (3). Total, 90.
3 (Tie)) 1950 Detroit Tigers
Art Houtteman (25), Fred Hutchinson (21), Dizzy Trout (17), Hal Newhouser (15), Ted Gray (9). Total, 87.
3 (Tie)) 1952 Philadelphia Phillies
Robin Roberts (32), Karl Drews (18), Curt Simmons (17), Russ Meyer (14), Steve Ridzik (6). Total, 87.
1950s Bullpens
1) 1954 New York Giants, led by Hoyt Wilhelm and Marv Grissom, Team Total 36.
(Leo Durocher, who managed the Dodgers in the 1950s and the Giants in the 1960s, was far ahead of the curve in the use of his bullpen—dating back to the late 1930s.)
2) 1954 Cleveland Indians, led by Don Mossi, Ray Narleski and Hal Newhouser, Team Total 32.
2) 1959 Chicago White Sox, led by Gerry Staley and Turk Lown, Top Three Total 32.
Al Lopez, of course, managed both of these teams—the ’54 Indians and the ’59 White Sox. He also managed the top bullpen of the 1960s.
1960s Infields
1) 1963 St. Louis Cardinals
1B—Bill White (27), 2B—Julian Javier (15), 3B—Ken Boyer (23), SS—Dick Groat (31). Total, 96. All four infielders were on the NL All-Star one year. . .forget whether it was ’63 or ’64.
2) 1969 Minnesota Twins
1B—Rich Reese (17), 2B—Rod Carew (21), 3B—Harmon Killebrew (34), SS—Leo Cardenas (23). Total, 95.
3) 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers
1B—Wes Parker (20), 2B—Jim Lefebvre (23), 3B—Junior Gilliam (18), SS—Maury Wills (28). Total, 89.
1960s Outfields
1) 1961 Yankees
LF—Yogi Berra (16), CF—Mickey Mantle (48), RF—Roger Maris (36). Total, 100.
2) 1968 Boston Red Sox
LF—Carl Yastrzemski (39), CF—Reggie Smith (25), RF—Hawk Harrelson (28). Total, 92.
3) 1963 San Francisco Giants
LF—Willie McCovey (29), CF—Willie Mays (38), RF—Felipe Alou (21). Total, 88.
1960s Starting Pitching
1) 1969 New York Mets
Tom Seaver (32), Jerry Koosman (25), Gary Gentry (14), Don Cardwell (10), Jim McAndrew (7). Total, 88.
2) 1963 New York Yankees
Whitey Ford (23), Jim Bouton (22), Ralph Terry (17), Al Downing (16), Stan Williams (9). Total, 87.
3) 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers
Sandy Koufax (33), Don Drysdale (27), Claude Osteen (18), Johnny Podres (7), Nick Willhite (1). Total, 86.
1960s Bullpens
1) 1965 Chicago White Sox. Eddie Fisher, Hoyt Wilhelm and Bob Locker—perhaps the best three-man bullpen of all time, totaling 44 Win Shares.
2) 1968 White Sox. Wilhelm, Locker and Wilbur Wood, Team Total, 40.
3) 1967 White Sox. Wilhelm, Locker, Wood and Don McMahon. Top Three Total, 39.
3) 1963 Boston Red Sox. Dick Radatz, backed by Jack Lamabe. Total, also 39.
1970s Infields
1) 1975 Cincinnati Reds
1B—Tony Perez (19), 2B—Joe Morgan (44), 3B—Pete Rose (31), SS—Dave Concepcion (19). Total, 113.
2) 1976 Cincinnati Reds
Perez (16), Morgan (37), Rose (30, Concepcion (23). Total, 106.
3) 1973 Cincinnati Reds
1B—Perez (32), 2B--Morgan (40), 3B—Denis Menke (12), SS--Concepcion (16). Total, 100.
The 1974 Reds tie with the 1974 Phillies for fourth place.
1970s Outfields
1) 1972 Houston Astros
LF—Bob Watson (26), CF—Cesar Cedeno (33), RF—Jimmy Wynn (28). Total, 87.
2) 1970 Cincinnati Reds
LF—Bernie Carbo (25), CF—Bobby Tolan (29), RF—Pete Rose (29). Total, 83.
3) 1971 San Francisco Giants
LF—Ken Henderson (23), CF—Willie Mays (27), RF—Bobby Bonds (32). Total, 82.
1970s Starting Pitching
1) 1970 Chicago Cubs
Ferguson Jenkins (26), Ken Holtzman (23), Bill Hands (21), Milt Pappas (15), Joe Decker (5). Total, 90.
2) 1971 Chicago Cubs
Fergie (37), Pappas (20), Hands (15), Juan Pizzaro (8), Holtzman (7). Total, 87.
3) 1971 Chicago White Sox
Wilbur Wood (33), Tom Bradley (20), Tommy John (16), Bart Johnson (10), Joe Horlen (5). Total, 84.
1970s Bullpens
1 Tie) 1970 Minnesota Twins. Ron Perranoski, Stan Williams and Tom Hall, who was also a spot starter. Team Total, 45.
1 Tie) 1977 Chicago Cubs. Bruce Sutter, Willie Hernandez and Paul Reuschel. Top Three Total, 45.
3) 1970 Philadelphia Phillies. Dick Selma, Joe Hoerner and Barry Lersch. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but they all had good years. Team Total, 44.
1980s Infields
1) 1982 Milwaukee Brewers
1B—Cecil Cooper (29), 2B—Jim Gantner (15), 3B—Paul Molitor (30), SS—Robin Yount (39). Total, 113.
2) 1987 St. Louis Cardinals
1B—Jack Clark (33), 2B—Tommie Herr (16), 3B—Terry Pendleton (21), SS—Ozzie Smith (33). Total, 103.
3) 1983 Milwaukee Brewers
Cooper (25), Gantner (21), Molitor (23), Yount (33). Total, 102.
1980s Outfields
1) 1980 Oakland A’s
1B—Rickey Henderson (34), CF—Dwayne Murphy (27), RF—Tony Armas (22). Total, 83.
2) 1984 San Diego Padres
LF—Carmelo Martinez (21), Kevin McReynolds (25), Tony Gwynn (35). Total, 81.
3) 1988 New York Mets
LF—Kevin McReynolds (31), CF—Lenny Dykstra (17), RF—Darryl Strawberry (30). Total, 77.
Kevin McReynolds was on two of the three best outfields of the 1980s. Who knew?
1980s Starting Pitching
1) 1985 Kansas City Royals
Bret Saberhagen (24), Charlie Leibrandt (24), Danny Jackson (16), Mark Gubicza (12), Bud Black (10). Total, 86.
2 (Tie)) 1987 Kansas City Royals
Bret Saberhagen (23), Charlie Leibrandt (20), Mark Gubicza (16), Danny Jackson (13), Bud Black (9). Total, 81.
2 (Tie)) 1980 Oakland A’s
Mike Norris (25), Rick Langford (19), Matt Keough (18), Steve McCatty (11), Brian Kingman (8). Total, 81.
1980s Bullpens
1) 1982 Red Sox. Bob Stanley, Mark Clear and Tom Burgmeier. They made zero starts among them, pitched over 100 innings each, went 33-16 with 30 Saves and all had ERAs a run better than the league. Well, Stanley was 0.98 better. . .Team Total, 47.
2) 1984 Tigers. Willie Hernandez won the MVP Award, Senior Smoke (Aurelio Lopez) threw 138 innings backing him up and was 10-1. Team Total, 43.
3) 1987 Montreal Expos. Tim Burke and Andy McGaffigan had good years. Team Total, 42.
1990s Infields
1 (Tie)) 1996 Baltimore Orioles
1B—Rafael Palmeiro (30), 2B—Roberto Alomar (31), 3B—B. J. Surhoff (17), SS—Cal Ripken (22). Total, 100.
1 (Tie)) 1996 Houston Astros
1B—Jeff Bagwell (41), 2B—Craig Biggio (32), 3B—Sean Berry (19), SS—Orlando Miller (8). Total, 100.
3) 1990 Detroit Tigers
1B—Cecil Fielder (29), 2B—Lou Whitaker (19), 3B—Tony Phillips (22), SS—Alan Trammell (29). Total, 99.
1990s Outfields
1) 1991 Pittsburgh Pirates
LF—Barry Bonds (37), CF—Andy Van Slyke (22), RF—Bobby Bonilla (31). Total, 90.
2) 1990 Pittsburgh Pirates
Bonds (37), Van Slyke (23), Bonilla (23). Total, 83.
3 (Tie)) 1992 Pittsburgh Pirates
LF—Barry Bonds (41), CF—Andy Van Slyke (35), RF—Lloyd McClendon (5). Total, 81.
3 (Tie)) 1991 Oakland A’s
LF—Rickey Hdnerson (25), CF—Dave Henderson (25), RF—Jose Canseco (31). Total, 81.
1990s Starting Pitching
1) 1997 Atlanta Braves
Greg Maddux (26), John Smoltz (21), Tom Glavine (21), Denny Neagle (21), Kevin Millwood (3). Total, 92.
2) 1998 Atlanta Braves
Maddux (25), Glavine (23), Smoltz (16), Neagle (14), Millwood (10). Total, 88.
3) 1993 Atlanta Braves
Maddux (25), Glavine (20), Steve Avery (19), Smoltz (16), Pete Smith (4). Total, 84.
Five and six are the Braves of 1995 and 1996, eighth is the Braves of 1999.
1990s Bullpens
1) The Nasty Boys. The 1990 Cincinnati Reds—Dibble, Randy Myers and Norm Charlton. Team Total, 48—as far as I know an all-time record.
2) 1999 Cincinnati Reds. Scott Williamson, Danny Graves and Scott Sullivan. Team Total, 41.
3) 1991 Toronto Blue Jays. Tom Henke, Duane Ward and Mike Timlin. Team Total, 42.
While I don’t have organized data since 2001, the infield of the 2001 Oakland A’s was the strongest since the 1982 Brewers, with Jason Giambi (38), Frank Menechino (18), Eric Chavez (26) and Miguel Tejada (25). Total, 107.
OK, summarizing the top tens:
Infields
1. 1913 Philadelphia Athletics Connie Mack 123
2. 1908 Pittsburgh Pirates Fred Clarke 117
1914 Philadelphia Athletics Connie Mack 117
4. 1934 Detroit Tigers Mickey Cochrane 115
1912 Philadelphia Athletics Connie Mack 115
6. 1975 Cincinnati Reds Sparky Anderson 113
1982 Milwaukee Brewers Harvey Kuenn 113
8. 1927 New York Giants John McGraw 111
9. 1946 St. Louis Cardinals Eddie Dyer 108
1898 Baltimore Orioles Ned Hanlon 108
Outfields
1. 1915 Detroit Tigers Hughie Jennings 106
2. 1908 Detroit Tigers Hughie Jennings 101
3. 1907 Detroit Tigers Hughie Jennings 101
4. 1961 New York Yankees Ralph Houk 100
5. 1941 New York Yankees Joe McCarthy 99
6. 1927 New York Yankees Miller Huggins 97
7. 1917 Detroit Tigers Hughie Jennings 95
8. 1899 Philadelphia Phillies Bill Shettsline 94
9. 1920 New York Yankees Miller Huggins 93
10. 1968 Boston Red Sox Dick Williams 92
Starting Five
1. 1886 St. Louis (AA) Charlie Comiskey 146
2. 1892 Boston Braves Frank Selee 144
3. 1887 St. Louis (AA) Charlie Comiskey 139
4. 1888 St. Louis (AA) Charlie Comiskey 133
5. 1884 Providence Grays Frank Bancroft 129
6. 1907 Chicago Cubs Frank Chance 126
1894 New York Giants Monte Ward 126
8. 1890 Louisville Colonels Jack Chapman 125
9. 1912 Boston Red Sox Jake Stahl 124
10. 1931 Philadelphia A’s Connie Mack 120
Top Three Relievers
1. 1990 Cincinnati Reds Lou Piniella 48
2. 1982 Boston Red Sox Ralph Houk 47
3. 1970 Minnesota Twins Bill Rigney 45
1977 Chicago Cubs Herman Franks 45
5. 1965 Chicago White Sox Al Lopez 44
1970 Philadelphia Phillies Frank Lucchessi 44
1999 Cincinnati Reds Jack McKeon 44
8. 1977 Pittsburgh Pirates Chuck Tanner 43
1984 Detroit Tigers Sparky Anderson 43
10. 1987 Montreal Expos Buck Rodgers 42
1991 Toronto Blue Jays Cito Gaston 42
It is nice that, even though our bullpen system has problems, the list is led off by probably the most famous “team” bullpen in history, and a bullpen that led its team to the World Championship.
The first three lists are so much dominated by older teams that I’m going to do a post-1950 list (since Bill James was born list) for those:
Infields
1. 1975 Cincinnati Reds Sparky Anderson 113
1982 Milwaukee Brewers Harvey Kuenn 113
3. 2001 Oakland A’s Art Howe 107
4. 1976 Cincinnati Reds Sparky Anderson 106
5. 1987 St. Louis Cardinals Whitey Herzog 103
6. 1983 Milwaukee Brewers Harvey Kuenn 102
7. 1996 Baltimore Orioles Davey Johnson 100
1996 Houston Astros Terry Collins 100
1973 Cincinnati Reds Sparky Anderson 100
1951 Brooklyn Dodgers Charley Dressen 100
Charley Dressen is unaccountably listed in the Encyclopedias as “Chuck”. I don’t ever remember him being called “Chuck”.
Outfields
1. 1961 New York Yankees Ralph Houk 100
2. 1968 Boston Red Sox Dick Williams 92
3. 1991 Pittsburgh Pirates Jim Leyland 90
4. 1963 San Francisco Giants Alvin Dark 88
5. 1962 Los Angeles Dodgers Walter Alston 87
1972 Houston Astros Harry Walker 87
7. 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers Charley Dressen 85
1959 Cleveland Indians Joe Gordon 85
9. 1969 Baltimore Orioles Earl Weaver 84
1962 San Francisco Giants Alvin Dark 84
The 1960s were so much the era of the great outfields that three of the best post-World War II outfields were not even listed on the decade roster—the 1962 Dodgers (Frank Howard, Willie Davis and Tommy Davis), the 1969 Baltimore Orioles (Don Buford, Paul Blair and Frank Robinson) and the 1962 San Francisco Giants (Harvey Kuenn, Willie Mays and Felipe Alou.)
Starting Five
1. 1954 Cleveland Indians Al Lopez 97
2. 1997 Atlanta Braves Bobby Cox 92
3. 1956 Cleveland Indians Al Lopez 90
1970 Chicago Cubs Leo Durocher 90
5. 1969 New York Mets Gil Hodges 88
1998 Atlanta Braves Bobby Cox 88
7. 1950 Detroit Tigers Red Rolfe 87
1952 Philadelphia Phillies Steve O’Neill 87
1963 New York Yankees Ralph Houk 87
1971 Chicago Cubs Leo Durocher 87