Franchise All-Star Teams of the Divisional Era
Teams #16-20
This is part IV of a multi-part series reviewing all-star franchise teams of the Divisional Era (1969 to present). The kickoff article explains the premise.
A quick note from last time. I gave a hint about one of the 5 teams coming up in the #16-20 group being a squad that had one of the top 5 overall winning percentages for franchises in the Divisional Era, but I had a scoring adjustment that boosted them to #15, so you won’t see them until the next article.
Picking up the countdown with #20…..
#20-Toronto Blue Jays
Team Performance by Decade:
|
Team
|
WS Titles
|
Overall W-L %
|
1970's*
|
1980's
|
1990's
|
2000's
|
2010's**
|
|
TOR
|
2
|
.496
|
.343
|
.523
|
.513
|
.497
|
.498
|
Toronto’s heyday was from the mid-1980’s to the early 1990’s, as they went to the postseason 5 times in the 9-year period of 1985-1993, culminating with their back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. After those 2 titles, they didn’t make the postseason for another 21 years, but have appeared in 3 of the last 7.
Roster Listing:
|
Pos
|
Player
|
Raw Score
|
Weight
|
Adjusted Score
|
|
C
|
Ernie Whitt
|
40.6
|
6.00%
|
36.6
|
|
1B
|
Carlos Delgado
|
59.4
|
6.00%
|
53.5
|
|
2B
|
Roberto Alomar
|
60.0
|
6.00%
|
54.0
|
|
3B
|
Josh Donaldson
|
74.0
|
6.00%
|
66.6
|
|
SS
|
Tony Fernandez
|
59.8
|
6.00%
|
53.8
|
|
LF
|
George Bell
|
43.7
|
6.00%
|
39.4
|
|
CF
|
Devon White
|
63.1
|
6.00%
|
56.8
|
|
RF
|
Jose Bautista
|
65.5
|
6.00%
|
58.9
|
|
DH
|
Edwin Encarnacion
|
65.5
|
4.75%
|
46.7
|
|
SP1
|
Dave Stieb
|
77.9
|
5.25%
|
61.3
|
|
SP2
|
Roy Halladay
|
74.6
|
5.00%
|
55.9
|
|
SP3
|
Roger Clemens
|
72.1
|
4.75%
|
51.4
|
|
SP4
|
Jimmy Key
|
57.6
|
4.50%
|
38.9
|
|
SP5
|
Pat Hentgen
|
54.5
|
3.25%
|
26.6
|
|
RP1
|
Tom Henke
|
67.2
|
3.75%
|
37.8
|
|
RP2
|
Duane Ward
|
40.9
|
2.75%
|
16.9
|
|
P
|
Juan Guzman
|
50.7
|
2.00%
|
15.2
|
|
P
|
Jim Clancy
|
51.8
|
2.00%
|
15.5
|
|
P
|
David Wells
|
41.5
|
2.00%
|
12.5
|
|
Res
|
Gregg Zaun
|
39.2
|
2.00%
|
11.7
|
|
Res
|
Fred McGriff
|
61.4
|
2.00%
|
18.4
|
|
Res
|
Aaron Hill
|
42.4
|
2.00%
|
12.7
|
|
Res
|
Kelly Gruber
|
39.7
|
2.00%
|
11.9
|
|
Res
|
Jesse Barfield
|
59.1
|
2.00%
|
17.7
|
|
Res
|
Vernon Wells
|
50.6
|
2.00%
|
15.2
|
|
Mgr
|
Cito Gaston
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
886.0
|
Grid View:
|
Pos
|
Name
|
Batting Order
|
Rotation
|
Bullpen/Spot
|
Reserves
|
|
C
|
Ernie Whitt
|
Roberto Alomar
|
Dave Stieb
|
Tom Henke
|
Gregg Zaun
|
|
1B
|
Carlos Delgado
|
Tony Fernandez
|
Roy Halladay
|
Duane Ward
|
Fred McGriff
|
|
2B
|
Roberto Alomar
|
Jose Bautista
|
Roger Clemens
|
Juan Guzman
|
Aaron Hill
|
|
3B
|
Josh Donaldson
|
Carlos Delgado
|
Jimmy Key
|
Jim Clancy
|
Kelly Gruber
|
|
SS
|
Tony Fernandez
|
Edwin Encarnacion
|
Pat Hentgen
|
David Wells
|
Jesse Barfield
|
|
LF
|
George Bell
|
George Bell
|
|
|
Vernon Wells
|
|
CF
|
Devon White
|
Josh Donaldson
|
|
|
|
|
RF
|
Jose Bautista
|
Devon White
|
|
|
|
|
DH
|
Edwin Encarnacion
|
Ernie Whitt
|
|
|
|
Rankings:
|
Category
|
Score
|
Rank
|
|
Team Score
|
886.0
|
20
|
|
Offense
|
111.6
|
18
|
|
Defense
|
37.3
|
17
|
|
Speed
|
13.4
|
14
|
|
Infield
|
227.9
|
14
|
|
Outfield
|
155.1
|
22
|
|
Catching
|
48.3
|
23
|
|
Starting 9
|
466.2
|
22
|
|
Bench
|
87.7
|
16
|
|
Staff
|
332.0
|
9
|
|
Rotation
|
234.1
|
7
|
|
4 Starters
|
207.6
|
7
|
|
Bullpen
|
97.9
|
16
|
|
Short Relief
|
69.9
|
15
|
Position/Roster Notes:
The most significant roster decision was the inclusion of Roger Clemens, so I’d better start there. In my kickoff article, I mentioned there were a few instances where I made the decision to override the minimum service time thresholds. In my guidelines for pre-1990’s expansion franchises, the thresholds for Toronto pitchers were 3 seasons and either 75 games started or 150 relief games. Clemens only pitched 2 years with Toronto and had 67 games started.
However…they are arguably the 2 greatest pitching seasons in franchise history. Clemens’ 1997 season (21-7, 2.05, 11.9 WAR) is almost certainly #1, and his 1998 follow-up performance (20-6, 2.65, 8.1 WAR) is possibly #2, with other strong contenders being the Cy Young seasons posted by Pat Hentgen in 1996 and Roy Halladay in 2003.
And, those weren’t just any run-of-the-mill seasons. Clemens achieved the pitching Triple Crown (wins, ERA, strikeouts) in both seasons and was named the runaway Cy Young Award winner both times, getting 25 of the 28 first place votes in 1997, and then winning unanimously in 1998.
That was just too much for me to ignore. One Cy Young season for the franchise I might have let pass. But two absolutely dominant performances like that? I decided to waive the roster requirement and put him on the team, although I did apply a penalty (much as I did with Roberto Clemente for Pittsburgh and Fernando Tatis Jr. for San Diego for similar roster exceptions).
The Blue Jays are one of the few teams in this exercise to not have any position players accumulate a WAR of 40.0 or higher while with the franchise. The highest raw WAR total belongs to Jose Bautista with 38.3. The position player with the highest score in my system is Donaldson, who was only in Toronto for 4 seasons, but in one of them he was league MVP and in the next one he got a 4th place finish, so he was very productive while he was with the team.
There were some notable position battles. In right field, Bautista (who can also play 3B) and Barfield were pretty close, but I gave the starting nod to Bautista. In center field, Wells is probably the better offensive player and had more time with the franchise, but I went with White instead.
Missed the Cut:
The team had several good outfield options. Probably the most notable cut is Joe Carter. Because the scoring system is largely WAR-based, Carter doesn’t score well at all. If it were up to the Toronto fan base, Carter would probably be on the team somewhere. He averaged right around 30 HR and 100 RBI a season with the Blue Jays, and of course hit that iconic World Series-winning home run, and if his score was closer to the others above him, I probably would have put him on the team, but I just couldn’t justify it.
Lloyd Moseby is another prominent outfielder who missed the cut. He has the 6th highest raw WAR total for the franchise, but the other outfielders I kept ahead of him had higher scores in my system, with the exception of George Bell, but I opted for Bell. Other outfielders who received serious consideration include Alex Rios, Shannon Stewart, and Shawn Green.
I ended up going with Fred McGriff over John Olerud as the backup first baseman. Both are similar in that their careers were pretty well broken up over several franchises. I have Olerud on Seattle’s roster, and I went with McGriff here for Toronto, but it was close.
Roberto Osuna and Billy Koch both had 100 saves or more with the Blue Jays, but did not make the roster.
"Grand" Club:
Tony Fernandez, Carlos Delgado, Vernon Wells, Lloyd Moseby, Jose Bautista, Ernie Whitt, George Bell, Rance Mulliniks, Willie Upshaw, Joe Carter, Jesse Barfield (Edwin Encarnacion just missed with 999)
Mount Rushmore Four:
Roy Halladay, Dave Stieb, Roberto Alomar, Carlos Delgado
Team Assessment:
Strengths: Starting rotation
Weaknesses: Catching
The decision to include Clemens means that the Blue Jays can throw out a top 3 of Stieb, Halladay, and Clemens, which matches up with just about anyone, even factoring in the penalty I applied to Clemens. With Key and Hentgen rounding out the rotation, I have the Toronto quintet as the #7 rotation. Henke and Ward head up the bullpen. For what it’s worth, Toronto does rank #6 overall for in the divisional era for team ERA+ (103). It’s a good staff.
I have the catchers (Whitt & Zaun) as #23, but really the team doesn’t have a lot of true weaknesses. It’s a good, overall, middle-of the pack type of team. Bautista, Delgado, Encarnacion, Bell, and Donaldson provide a lot of power. The team has some good speed options (Alomar, White, Fernandez) and some strong defenders as well (White, Barfield, Alomar, Fernandez).
The team doesn’t have a lot of true stars outside of the starting pitchers, with Alomar being the only Hall of Famer (although McGriff could make it someday). As a side note, those two are kind of unusual in that both Alomar and McGriff have the distinction of never playing more than 5 seasons with a single franchise. Alomar had 5 seasons with Toronto with no more then 3 with any other team, and McGriff had 5 each with Toronto, Tampa Bay, and Atlanta. Very unusual for players of that caliber.
Futures
There are some intriguing options on the current Blue Jays roster, led by the "second generation" duo of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette (Cavan Biggio is a third "second generation" player on the current roster, but he’s older than the other two and hasn’t been nearly as impressive).
I actually came pretty close to putting Guerrero Jr. on the team, as he passed the 450 game threshold this year and he’s already been so impressive with 2 All Star nods and an MVP runner-up. I decided it may just be a bit premature, but he’s knocking on the door.
Bichette is making a strong case as well. He’s not quite to 400 games yet, but he’s been very impressive so far, and he plays a position (shortstop) where Toronto doesn’t have many good options after Tony Fernandez.
#19-Chicago Cubs
Team Performance by Decade:
|
Team
|
WS Titles
|
Overall W-L %
|
1970's*
|
1980's
|
1990's
|
2000's
|
2010's**
|
|
CHC
|
1
|
.489
|
.494
|
.472
|
.476
|
.499
|
.501
|
The Cubs started off the Division Era with a pretty good team, finishing with a winning record each season from 1969-1972, although they were probably most well known as the team that failed to win the division in 1969 despite being up 9 games to the Mets as late as mid-August.
The Cubs were generally bad from 1973-1983, but have had their moments since then, going to the postseason 11 times between 1984-2021. Their peak, of course, was the stretch from 2015-2018 when they made the postseason every year, highlighted by their long-awaited World Series title in 2016.
Roster Listing:
|
Pos
|
Player
|
Raw Score
|
Weight
|
Adjusted Score
|
|
C
|
Willson Contreras
|
54.5
|
6.00%
|
49.1
|
|
1B
|
Mark Grace
|
61.1
|
6.00%
|
54.9
|
|
2B
|
Ryne Sandberg
|
77.9
|
6.00%
|
70.1
|
|
3B
|
Kris Bryant
|
64.1
|
6.00%
|
57.7
|
|
SS
|
Javier Baez
|
52.9
|
6.00%
|
47.6
|
|
LF
|
Billy Williams
|
53.6
|
6.00%
|
48.3
|
|
CF
|
Rick Monday
|
34.7
|
6.00%
|
31.2
|
|
RF
|
Sammy Sosa
|
74.9
|
6.00%
|
67.4
|
|
DH
|
Anthony Rizzo
|
61.6
|
4.75%
|
43.9
|
|
SP1
|
Fergie Jenkins
|
65.9
|
5.25%
|
51.9
|
|
SP2
|
Rick Reuschel
|
72.7
|
5.00%
|
54.5
|
|
SP3
|
Carlos Zambrano
|
65.6
|
4.75%
|
46.7
|
|
SP4
|
Greg Maddux
|
60.3
|
4.50%
|
40.7
|
|
SP5
|
Kerry Wood
|
56.9
|
3.25%
|
27.7
|
|
RP1
|
Bruce Sutter
|
81.5
|
3.75%
|
45.8
|
|
RP2
|
Lee Smith
|
65.0
|
2.75%
|
26.8
|
|
P
|
Carlos Marmol
|
44.3
|
2.00%
|
13.3
|
|
P
|
Ted Lilly
|
52.2
|
2.00%
|
15.7
|
|
P
|
Ryan Dempster
|
49.2
|
2.00%
|
14.8
|
|
Res
|
Jody Davis
|
40.3
|
2.00%
|
12.1
|
|
Res
|
Derrek Lee
|
51.0
|
2.00%
|
15.3
|
|
Res
|
Starlin Castro
|
30.3
|
2.00%
|
9.1
|
|
Res
|
Aramis Ramirez
|
48.5
|
2.00%
|
14.6
|
|
Res
|
Ron Santo
|
52.5
|
2.00%
|
15.8
|
|
Res
|
Andre Dawson
|
45.8
|
2.00%
|
13.7
|
|
Mgr
|
Joe Maddon
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
888.7
|
Grid View:
|
Pos
|
Name
|
Batting Order
|
Rotation
|
Bullpen/Spot
|
Reserves
|
|
C
|
Willson Contreras
|
Mark Grace
|
Fergie Jenkins
|
Bruce Sutter
|
Jody Davis
|
|
1B
|
Mark Grace
|
Ryne Sandberg
|
Rick Reuschel
|
Lee Smith
|
Derrek Lee
|
|
2B
|
Ryne Sandberg
|
Billy Williams
|
Carlos Zambrano
|
Carlos Marmol
|
Starlin Castro
|
|
3B
|
Kris Bryant
|
Sammy Sosa
|
Greg Maddux
|
Ted Lilly
|
Aramis Ramirez
|
|
SS
|
Javier Baez
|
Kris Bryant
|
Kerry Wood
|
Ryan Dempster
|
Ron Santo
|
|
LF
|
Billy Williams
|
Anthony Rizzo
|
|
|
Andre Dawson
|
|
CF
|
Rick Monday
|
Rick Monday
|
|
|
|
|
RF
|
Sammy Sosa
|
Willson Contreras
|
|
|
|
|
DH
|
Anthony Rizzo
|
Javier Baez
|
|
|
|
Rankings:
|
Category
|
Score
|
Rank
|
|
Team Score
|
888.7
|
19
|
|
Offense
|
126.0
|
12
|
|
Defense
|
17.2
|
27
|
|
Speed
|
3.5
|
28
|
|
Infield
|
230.3
|
12
|
|
Outfield
|
146.9
|
27
|
|
Catching
|
61.2
|
16
|
|
Starting 9
|
470.2
|
20
|
|
Bench
|
80.5
|
25
|
|
Staff
|
337.9
|
6
|
|
Rotation
|
221.6
|
13
|
|
4 Starters
|
193.9
|
13
|
|
Bullpen
|
116.3
|
2
|
|
Short Relief
|
85.9
|
3
|
Position/Roster Notes:
Lots to talk about here…..
The Cubs have a lot of big names on the roster, including Hall of Famers Sandberg, B. Williams, Jenkins, Maddux, Sutter, L. Smith, Santo, and Dawson. That’s a lot of Hall of Famers.
However….there are some mitigating circumstances. Two of those (Maddux and Dawson) were more prominent with other franchises (Braves and Expos, respectively), although they had enough success in Chicago to justify making the Cubs’ roster. However, they do not get full credit for their exploits with the other teams – only what they did for the Cubs. That’s why Maddux is the #4 starter and Dawson is a reserve. Don’t get me wrong….Maddux was still really good with the Cubs (including winning one of his 4 Cy Young awards), but his legend is mostly attributable to his time with the Braves. Similarly, Dawson was a good player with Chicago and won a much-debated MVP award with the team, but most of his legend is attributable to his time with the Expos.
Santo, Williams, and Jenkins have a different dynamic. They were all great stars and Hall of Famers, but they’re missing the pre-1969 portions of their careers. Williams and Jenkins still did enough 1969 and later to warrant their positions (Williams as the starting LF and Jenkins at the top of the rotation), but it does impact their scores. And, in Santo’s case, it pushes him below Bryant at third base.
Speaking of third basemen, I did also put Aramis Ramirez on the team. Along with Bryant and Santo, that make 3 third basemen, although Bryant can also play outfield.
Ernie Banks, by the way, is another Cubs legend who did manage to play into this era (retiring after 1971), but by 1969 his best years were well in the rear view mirror.
Missed the Cut:
Leon Durham is one of the bigger names that didn’t make the final roster. He had 8 mostly solid years for the Cubs, but I just didn’t have a spot.
I have Starlin Castro backing up both middle infield positions behind starters Ryne Sandberg and Javier Baez because the Cubs just don’t have very many other middle infielders that offer much value. The next best options would have been Addison Russell, Ben Zobrist, Shawon Dunston, Ivan de Jesus, and Don Kessinger, none of whom generated much of a score.
Among the pitchers I passed on were Mark Prior, Bill Hands, Milt Pappas, Kyle Hendricks, Jake Arrieta, and Rick Sutcliffe. Randy Myers had a couple of big save years, but I opted for others.
"Grand" Club:
A fairly short list: Ryne Sandberg, Mark Grace, Sammy Sosa, Anthony Rizzo, Shawon Dunston, Aramis Ramirez, Don Kessinger
Mount Rushmore Four:
Ryne Sandberg, Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins, Sammy Sosa
Santo would have merited strong consideration if more of his career had landed in this era.
Team Assessment:
Strengths: Bullpen, power
Weaknesses: Speed, defense
The Cubs rank very high in bullpen/short relief with Sutter and Smith leading the way. And the rotation of Jenkins, Reuschel, Zambrano, Maddux, and Wood isn’t bad either.
It’s a decent hitting lineup with some pretty good pop, but outside of Sandberg and Baez, the defense in the starting lineup is a bit shaky, and there’s not much speed on the roster outside of Sandberg and Sosa.
Futures
Of current Cubbies, Contreras is already on the roster, and there’s not much else to see here.
#18-Minnesota Twins
Team Performance by Decade:
|
Team
|
WS Titles
|
Overall W-L %
|
1970's*
|
1980's
|
1990's
|
2000's
|
2010's**
|
|
MIN
|
2
|
.491
|
.514
|
.468
|
.464
|
.532
|
.474
|
The Twins opened the Divisional Era strong, taking the first 2 AL West titles in 1969 and 1970, led by the likes of Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Rod Carew, Jim Kaat, and Jim Perry. From 1971-1986, they were mostly out of the running for pennant chases, but then shocked the world with 2 World Series titles in a 5-year span (1987 and 1991). It’s an interesting footnote that their 2 titles came in decades in which they had their lowest winning percentages. They had better overall winning percentages in the 1970’s and the 2000’s.
After the 2 championships, the Twins were absent from the postseason for 10 seasons, but from 2002-2010, they made the playoffs 6 times, reaching the ALCS once but losing in the ALDS the other 5 seasons. After 6 more absent seasons, they made the playoffs 3 times in 4 seasons (2017-2020). They currently hold the "distinction" of having lost their last 18 postseason games.
Roster Listing:
|
Pos
|
Player
|
Raw Score
|
Weight
|
Adjusted Score
|
|
C
|
Joe Mauer
|
71.1
|
6.00%
|
64.0
|
|
1B
|
Kent Hrbek
|
57.4
|
6.00%
|
51.6
|
|
2B
|
Rod Carew
|
86.8
|
6.00%
|
78.2
|
|
3B
|
Gary Gaetti
|
49.1
|
6.00%
|
44.2
|
|
SS
|
Roy Smalley
|
43.6
|
6.00%
|
39.2
|
|
LF
|
Shane Mack
|
58.1
|
6.00%
|
52.3
|
|
CF
|
Torii Hunter
|
48.1
|
6.00%
|
43.3
|
|
RF
|
Kirby Puckett
|
68.5
|
6.00%
|
61.6
|
|
DH
|
Harmon Killebrew
|
55.5
|
4.75%
|
39.5
|
|
SP1
|
Bert Blyleven
|
72.5
|
5.25%
|
57.1
|
|
SP2
|
Johan Santana
|
72.2
|
5.00%
|
54.1
|
|
SP3
|
Brad Radke
|
69.9
|
4.75%
|
49.8
|
|
SP4
|
Frank Viola
|
54.1
|
4.50%
|
36.5
|
|
SP5
|
Dave Goltz
|
51.8
|
3.25%
|
25.2
|
|
RP1
|
Joe Nathan
|
85.8
|
3.75%
|
48.2
|
|
RP2
|
Rick Aguilera
|
53.9
|
2.75%
|
22.2
|
|
P
|
Eddie Guardado
|
36.3
|
2.00%
|
10.9
|
|
P
|
Glen Perkins
|
37.1
|
2.00%
|
11.1
|
|
P
|
Kevin Tapani
|
48.2
|
2.00%
|
14.5
|
|
Res
|
Butch Wynegar
|
41.0
|
2.00%
|
12.3
|
|
Res
|
Justin Morneau
|
44.8
|
2.00%
|
13.4
|
|
Res
|
Chuck Knoblauch
|
73.2
|
2.00%
|
22.0
|
|
Res
|
Brian Dozier
|
50.4
|
2.00%
|
15.1
|
|
Res
|
Cesar Tovar
|
48.2
|
2.00%
|
14.5
|
|
Res
|
Tony Oliva
|
40.0
|
2.00%
|
12.0
|
|
Mgr
|
Tom Kelly
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
893.0
|
Grid View:
|
Pos
|
Name
|
Batting Order
|
Rotation
|
Bullpen/Spot
|
Reserves
|
|
C
|
Joe Mauer
|
Rod Carew
|
Bert Blyleven
|
Joe Nathan
|
Butch Wynegar
|
|
1B
|
Kent Hrbek
|
Joe Mauer
|
Johan Santana
|
Rick Aguilera
|
Justin Morneau
|
|
2B
|
Rod Carew
|
Kirby Puckett
|
Brad Radke
|
Eddie Guardado
|
Chuck Knoblauch
|
|
3B
|
Gary Gaetti
|
Harmon Killebrew
|
Frank Viola
|
Glen Perkins
|
Brian Dozier
|
|
SS
|
Roy Smalley
|
Kent Hrbek
|
Dave Goltz
|
Kevin Tapani
|
Cesar Tovar
|
|
LF
|
Shane Mack
|
Shane Mack
|
|
|
Tony Oliva
|
|
CF
|
Torii Hunter
|
Gary Gaetti
|
|
|
|
|
RF
|
Kirby Puckett
|
Torii Hunter
|
|
|
|
|
DH
|
Harmon Killebrew
|
Roy Smalley
|
|
|
|
Rankings:
|
Category
|
Score
|
Rank
|
|
Team Score
|
893.0
|
18
|
|
Offense
|
100.2
|
23
|
|
Defense
|
33.1
|
21
|
|
Speed
|
9.0
|
21
|
|
Infield
|
213.2
|
23
|
|
Outfield
|
157.3
|
21
|
|
Catching
|
76.3
|
8
|
|
Starting 9
|
474.0
|
19
|
|
Bench
|
89.3
|
13
|
|
Staff
|
329.7
|
10
|
|
Rotation
|
222.8
|
11
|
|
4 Starters
|
197.5
|
10
|
|
Bullpen
|
106.9
|
9
|
|
Short Relief
|
81.3
|
7
|
Position/Roster Notes:
Much like the Cubs, the Twins have some 1960’s holdovers who lose some of their better years but still had enough to make the team, notably Killebrew and Oliva.
Killebrew was more of a 1960’s player, but I felt he did enough to justify making the team and serving as the team’s primary DH. He was the AL MVP in 1969 and followed it up with a 3rd place finish in 1970 and also led the league in RBI in 1971.
Oliva is a similar story. In the first 3 seasons of this era, Oliva was still a big star, hitting .323 over that span with good power, one batting title, and having an MVP runner-up in 1970. He wasn’t the same after his big injury in 1972, but he did enough to merit making the roster. He would likely split time at DH with Killebrew, and also play some right field.
Speaking of right field, I have both Hunter and Puckett in the starting lineup. Pucket won 6 Gold Gloves, but Hunter won 7 of his own with the team, and I think Hunter is the better option defensively in center field, so I moved Puckett to right field.
Smalley gets the nod as the starting shortstop, and I don’t have a true backup there, but Dozier played 83 games there (all in one season) and Knoblauch can be an emergency backup. Tovar also made the roster and he offers a lot of position flexibility.
Missed the Cut:
Corey Koskie, Larry Hisle, John Castino, Steve Braun, Tom Brunansky, Greg Gagne, and Brian Harper, and Michael Cuddyer are among the more prominent players who missed the cut.
"Grand" Club:
Joe Mauer, Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, Torii Hunter, Rod Carew, Gary Gaetti, Justin Morneau, Randy Bush, Roy Smalley, Greg Gagne, Michael Cuddyer
Bush is the surprise to me in the list above. He played 12 seasons with the Twins and played about 1,200 games, only had a couple of seasons where he was regarded as the primary option at his position, and only had a career total rWAR of 1.4. I did a quick check, and there are only 21 non-pitchers in the Divisional Era who has a lower figure in 1,000 or more games (Doug Flynn being the lowest with a negative 6.9).
Mount Rushmore Four:
Rod Carew, Kirby Puckett, Joe Mauer, Harmon Killebrew
I almost went with Bert Blyleven or Johan Santana since Killebrew’s missing a lot of years due to the 1969 cutoff, but I decided to grandfather him in. Tony Oliva was another similar candidate who, like Killebrew, is more of a 1960’s player.
Team Assessment:
Strengths: Short relief, catching
Weaknesses: Speed, defense
Nathan rates as one of the top relievers in my scoring system, and his ERA for the Twins (7 seasons) is an impressive 2.16, and his 6-year stretch from 2003-2009 (1.87 ERA, about 40 saves a year) stacks up with just about closer you can find. The catching is mostly Mauer, with Wynegar backing up.
The rotation’s pretty solid, with Blyleven and Santana leading the way. Radke is I believe a very underrated pitcher because his raw ERA (4.22) isn’t very impressive, but his ERA+ is a healthy 113. (fun query…..I pulled a list of pitchers in the Divisional Era with ERA’s of 4.00 or higher but also ERA+ of 110 or higher (minimum 1,000 innings). It’s a short list: Radke, Kelvim Escobar, Juan Guzman, and Orlando Hernandez. Escobar, Guzman, and Hernandez all had pretty similar career records (Guzman and Hernandez are on each other’s top 10 Similarity Score lists) including career rWARs very close to each other (between 23.0-25.0), but Radke’s 45.6 rWAR was nearly twice as high). Viola is a pretty good #4 starter, and Goltz isn’t bad either.
The offense is in the lower third of the rankings. I didn’t get around to ranking teams by "power", but in looking through the order it looks like the Twins wouldn’t rate real high relative to the other franchises. Killebrew, Hrbek, and Gaetti have some nice power, of course, but they just don’t have as much as most of the other teams. It looks to be a little more of a high batting average type of offense, led in that regard by Carew, Mauer, Puckett, and Mack.
They do have a few players who can run well (Carew, Knoblauch, Mack, Hunter, Tovar), but overall they’re in the bottom speed tier. Gaetti and Hunter are quality gloves, but overall the team ranks pretty low on defense.
Futures
Byron Buxton is an interesting one. He’s in his 8th season with the Twins, but he still hasn’t reached the 600-game threshold that I use for minimum qualification. He’s an impressive defensive player, and provides a good power/speed combination, but he’s only reached 100 games in a season one time. I’ll have to give him a little more time.
Jorge Polanco offers some interesting versatility options with his ability to play both shortstop and second base, and he’s still only 28 years old.
#17-Cleveland Guardians/Indians
Team Performance by Decade:
|
Team
|
WS Titles
|
Overall W-L %
|
1970's*
|
1980's
|
1990's
|
2000's
|
2010's**
|
|
CLE
|
0
|
.494
|
.453
|
.455
|
.537
|
.504
|
.527
|
The Divisional Era did not start out well for Cleveland. In the first 25 seasons of the era (1969-1993), the franchise only finished within 10 games of first place one time, and they never finished higher than 4th place.
Things started to turn in 1994. It was a strike season, but before the strike happened, Cleveland had a 66-47 record, and was only a game behind the White Sox in the AL Central. They had turned the corner, and have been very competitive most of the last 3 decades.
In the 27 years since 1994, Cleveland has made the postseason 12 times, reaching the World Series 3 times, although they did not win any of those. They won 5 straight AL Central crowns from 1995-1999 under Mike Hargrove, and had another streak of 3 straight under Terry Francona from 2016-2018.
Roster Listing:
|
Pos
|
Player
|
Raw Score
|
Weight
|
Adjusted Score
|
|
C
|
Victor Martinez
|
48.1
|
6.00%
|
43.3
|
|
1B
|
Jim Thome
|
72.9
|
6.00%
|
65.6
|
|
2B
|
Carlos Baerga
|
45.5
|
6.00%
|
40.9
|
|
3B
|
Jose Ramirez
|
71.3
|
6.00%
|
64.1
|
|
SS
|
Francisco Lindor
|
68.2
|
6.00%
|
61.4
|
|
LF
|
Albert Belle
|
59.9
|
6.00%
|
53.9
|
|
CF
|
Kenny Lofton
|
77.4
|
6.00%
|
69.7
|
|
RF
|
Manny Ramirez
|
62.1
|
6.00%
|
55.9
|
|
DH
|
Travis Hafner
|
65.2
|
4.75%
|
46.5
|
|
SP1
|
Corey Kluber
|
66.4
|
5.25%
|
52.3
|
|
SP2
|
Gaylord Perry
|
65.7
|
5.00%
|
49.3
|
|
SP3
|
CC Sabathia
|
56.4
|
4.75%
|
40.2
|
|
SP4
|
Bartolo Colon
|
57.8
|
4.50%
|
39.0
|
|
SP5
|
Charles Nagy
|
51.5
|
3.25%
|
25.1
|
|
RP1
|
Doug Jones
|
53.2
|
3.75%
|
29.9
|
|
RP2
|
Cody Allen
|
45.3
|
2.75%
|
18.7
|
|
P
|
Greg Swindell
|
45.1
|
2.00%
|
13.5
|
|
P
|
Tom Candiotti
|
52.4
|
2.00%
|
15.7
|
|
P
|
Carlos Carrasco
|
51.0
|
2.00%
|
15.3
|
|
Res
|
Carlos Santana
|
52.7
|
2.00%
|
15.8
|
|
Res
|
Andre Thornton
|
40.3
|
2.00%
|
12.1
|
|
Res
|
Asdrubal Cabrera
|
48.0
|
2.00%
|
14.4
|
|
Res
|
Omar Vizquel
|
51.4
|
2.00%
|
15.4
|
|
Res
|
Grady Sizemore
|
61.3
|
2.00%
|
18.4
|
|
Res
|
Shin-Soo Choo
|
60.0
|
2.00%
|
18.0
|
|
Mgr
|
Mike Hargrove
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
894.5
|
Grid View:
|
Pos
|
Name
|
Batting Order
|
Rotation
|
Bullpen/Spot
|
Reserves
|
|
C
|
Victor Martinez
|
Kenny Lofton
|
Corey Kluber
|
Doug Jones
|
Carlos Santana
|
|
1B
|
Jim Thome
|
Jose Ramirez
|
Gaylord Perry
|
Cody Allen
|
Andre Thornton
|
|
2B
|
Carlos Baerga
|
Jim Thome
|
CC Sabathia
|
Greg Swindell
|
Asdrubal Cabrera
|
|
3B
|
Jose Ramirez
|
Manny Ramirez
|
Bartolo Colon
|
Tom Candiotti
|
Omar Vizquel
|
|
SS
|
Francisco Lindor
|
Albert Belle
|
Charles Nagy
|
Carlos Carrasco
|
Grady Sizemore
|
|
LF
|
Albert Belle
|
Travis Hafner
|
|
|
Shin-Soo Choo
|
|
CF
|
Kenny Lofton
|
Francisco Lindor
|
|
|
|
|
RF
|
Manny Ramirez
|
Victor Martinez
|
|
|
|
|
DH
|
Travis Hafner
|
Carlos Baerga
|
|
|
|
Rankings:
|
Category
|
Score
|
Rank
|
|
Team Score
|
894.5
|
17
|
|
Offense
|
153.8
|
4
|
|
Defense
|
0.8
|
30
|
|
Speed
|
15.0
|
12
|
|
Infield
|
232.0
|
11
|
|
Outfield
|
179.5
|
10
|
|
Catching
|
59.1
|
17
|
|
Starting 9
|
501.4
|
15
|
|
Bench
|
94.1
|
8
|
|
Staff
|
299.1
|
19
|
|
Rotation
|
205.9
|
21
|
|
4 Starters
|
180.8
|
20
|
|
Bullpen
|
93.2
|
21
|
|
Short Relief
|
62.1
|
23
|
Position/Roster Notes:
I’m definitely stretching the defense at catcher by having both Martinez and Santana on the roster, but they had by far the two highest scores of anyone who could be reasonably considered a "catcher". If I wanted a more adept defensive backstop, I could have turned to Yan Gomes, Ray Fosse, or Sandy Alomar Jr.
There are some interesting multi-position players: Thome can also play third base, Ramirez can also play short and second base, and Cabrera can back up both middle infield positions.
Missed the Cut:
Buddy Bell had some good seasons with Cleveland, but he came up a little short. He’ll definitely be on the Rangers, so don’t weep for him.
Brett Butler and Michael Brantley were quality players, but the team is already very deep in outfielders already.
Jason Kipnis was a close call, but ultimately I went with Cabrera.
"Grand" Club:
Omar Vizquel, Jim Thome, Carlos Santana, Kenny Lofton, Brook Jacoby, Andre Thornton, Jose Ramirez, Jason Kipnis, Julio Franco, Travis Hafner, Rick Manning, Michael Brantley
Mount Rushmore Four:
Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, Kenny Lofton, Jose Ramirez
I wasn’t sure about Jose Ramirez on this list at first, but it’s starting to grow on me. He’s now #7 on Cleveland’s games played list in the Divisional Era, and by end of next year he might be top 5. He hasn’t won an MVP award, but he’s had 3 years in the top three, and he’s . He’s got 4 All Star Games in his pocket, he’s got power, he’s got speed, he’s not a bad defensive player, and he’s only 29. I like him more and more for this status.
Omar Vizquel is another candidate for this status, although I know a lot of people don’t consider him a great player, and I think the 4 above are better options. Vizquel was one of the ones honored as Cleveland’s "Franchise Four" in the MLB voting (along with Bob Feller, Tris Speaker, and Thome). He’s one of the few defensively skilled players on the roster.
Team Assessment:
Strengths: Hitting(!), depth
Weaknesses: Defense, short relief
Let there be no doubt about the game that this franchise is playing – they live to pummel you, but then give it back to you on defense. And I’m not real confident in that bullpen either.
Definitely one of the more impressive lineups in the field, right down to the catching duo of Martinez and Santana, both of who are fine designated hitters but don’t offer much in the way of keeping the other team off the scoreboard. But that lineup……wos! Top to bottom, this team can outright hit.
And, of course….a lot of this team actually did play together for a while…..Lofton, Thome, Manny Ramirez, Belle, and Baerga were all with the team in the early-to-mid 1990’s, terrorizing opposing pitchers. Hafner and Martinez came along about a decade later, and then Lindor and Jose Ramirez about a decade after that.
In pitching, Kluber, Perry, and Sabathia are a decent trio at the top, each taking home at least 1 Cy Young. Kluber had a great 5-year run (2014-2018) where he averaged 17-9, 2.85, with a 151 ERA+, winning 2 Cy Youngs, but also having two other seasons with a 3rd place finish and then placing 9th in the other season. A great run.
I don’t think a lot of people associate Perry much with Cleveland – he spent many more seasons in his career with the Giants, but since our scope is limited to just the Divisional era, he actually won’t be making the San Francisco roster, and he spent more time and pitched more games and innings pitched with Cleveland than he did with any other team in this era. Perry spent 3 full years then plus part of a fourth, and in that time he won a Cy Young (1972) and finished 4th and 7th in 2 of the other seasons. His 1972 (24-16, 1.92, 168 ERA+) is one of the truly great pitching seasons of this era, but it’s often overshadowed by the even better and more famous season by Steve Carlton of the Phillies in that same year.
Sabathia’s Cy Young season was 2007, his last full season with the team, and he’s a pretty good #3 starter. I think he’s easily the #2 left-handed starting pitcher in Cleveland’s history – I’d put him behind only Sam McDowell.
Overall, though, Cleveland’s offense will be the driving force of how well they do.
Futures
Probably the player with the best shot to make the roster at some point is starting pitcher Shane Bieber. Bieber won the Cy Young award in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and he’s been an All Star in 2 other seasons. In his 5 seasons with Cleveland, he’s current sporting a sparkling 3.17 ERA and a 136 ERA+. He just missed making the team already, so he’s a good bet to make the team sometime in the future.
Andres Gimenez is another future possibility. He took a big step forward in 2022, making the All Star team in his age 23 season. I’ll keep an eye on him.
#16-Kansas City Royals
Team Performance by Decade:
|
Team
|
WS Titles
|
Overall W-L %
|
1970's*
|
1980's
|
1990's
|
2000's
|
2010's**
|
|
KCR
|
2
|
.479
|
.519
|
.529
|
.468
|
.415
|
.466
|
The Royals are one of the teams with the biggest differences between their overall winning percentage and their place in my rankings. Their .479 overall winning percentage in the Divisional Era was only good for 26th place among the 30 franchises, where as their roster rank is #16, a difference of +10. That’s the 2nd biggest positive gap of any franchise (the biggest one is yet to come).
The Royals were a very good franchise out of the gate, and were a winning team for much of the 1970’s and 1980’s. They had a very successful run in the 10-year period of 1976-1985, winning 6 AL West titles and going to the postseason 7 times in those 10 years, culminating with their World Series title in 1985.
After a nearly 30-year absence from the postseason, they had a brief resurgence in the mid-2010’s, going to back-to-back World Series in 2014 and 2015, winning the title in the latter one.
Roster Listing:
|
Pos
|
Player
|
Raw Score
|
Weight
|
Adjusted Score
|
|
C
|
Salvador Perez
|
55.5
|
6.00%
|
50.0
|
|
1B
|
Mike Sweeney
|
45.3
|
6.00%
|
40.8
|
|
2B
|
Frank White
|
53.0
|
6.00%
|
47.7
|
|
3B
|
George Brett
|
86.4
|
6.00%
|
77.8
|
|
SS
|
Freddie Patek
|
42.1
|
6.00%
|
37.9
|
|
LF
|
Willie Wilson
|
60.5
|
6.00%
|
54.5
|
|
CF
|
Carlos Beltran
|
60.4
|
6.00%
|
54.3
|
|
RF
|
Amos Otis
|
61.7
|
6.00%
|
55.5
|
|
DH
|
Hal McRae
|
60.7
|
4.75%
|
43.2
|
|
SP1
|
Kevin Appier
|
75.7
|
5.25%
|
59.6
|
|
SP2
|
Bret Saberhagen
|
71.1
|
5.00%
|
53.3
|
|
SP3
|
Mark Gubicza
|
63.8
|
4.75%
|
45.5
|
|
SP4
|
Zack Greinke
|
61.9
|
4.50%
|
41.8
|
|
SP5
|
Dennis Leonard
|
52.7
|
3.25%
|
25.7
|
|
RP1
|
Dan Quisenberry
|
67.2
|
3.75%
|
37.8
|
|
RP2
|
Jeff Montgomery
|
60.5
|
2.75%
|
25.0
|
|
P
|
Joakim Soria
|
71.1
|
2.00%
|
21.3
|
|
P
|
Charlie Leibrandt
|
53.1
|
2.00%
|
15.9
|
|
P
|
Paul Splittorff
|
51.6
|
2.00%
|
15.5
|
|
Res
|
Darrell Porter
|
55.8
|
2.00%
|
16.7
|
|
Res
|
John Mayberry
|
49.7
|
2.00%
|
14.9
|
|
Res
|
Whit Merrifield
|
43.7
|
2.00%
|
13.1
|
|
Res
|
Kevin Seitzer
|
47.0
|
2.00%
|
14.1
|
|
Res
|
Lorenzo Cain
|
64.8
|
2.00%
|
19.4
|
|
Res
|
Alex Gordon
|
53.5
|
2.00%
|
16.1
|
|
Mgr
|
Ned Yost
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
897.4
|
Grid View:
|
Pos
|
Name
|
Batting Order
|
Rotation
|
Bullpen/Spot
|
Reserves
|
|
C
|
Salvador Perez
|
Carlos Beltran
|
Kevin Appier
|
Dan Quisenberry
|
Darrell Porter
|
|
1B
|
Mike Sweeney
|
Hal McRae
|
Bret Saberhagen
|
Jeff Montgomery
|
John Mayberry
|
|
2B
|
Frank White
|
George Brett
|
Mark Gubicza
|
Joakim Soria
|
Whit Merrifield
|
|
3B
|
George Brett
|
Mike Sweeney
|
Zack Greinke
|
Charlie Leibrandt
|
Kevin Seitzer
|
|
SS
|
Freddie Patek
|
Amos Otis
|
Dennis Leonard
|
Paul Splittorff
|
Lorenzo Cain
|
|
LF
|
Willie Wilson
|
Salvador Perez
|
|
|
Alex Gordon
|
|
CF
|
Amos Otis
|
Willie Wilson
|
|
|
|
|
RF
|
Carlos Beltran
|
Frank White
|
|
|
|
|
DH
|
Hal McRae
|
Freddie Patek
|
|
|
|
Rankings:
|
Category
|
Score
|
Rank
|
|
Team Score
|
897.4
|
16
|
|
Offense
|
44.9
|
30
|
|
Defense
|
70.7
|
5
|
|
Speed
|
32.0
|
1
|
|
Infield
|
204.1
|
25
|
|
Outfield
|
164.4
|
15
|
|
Catching
|
66.7
|
10
|
|
Starting 9
|
461.7
|
23
|
|
Bench
|
94.4
|
7
|
|
Staff
|
341.4
|
4
|
|
Rotation
|
225.9
|
9
|
|
4 Starters
|
200.2
|
8
|
|
Bullpen
|
115.5
|
4
|
|
Short Relief
|
84.1
|
4
|
Position/Roster Notes:
Merrifield is the utility guy, but he’s more of a 2B/OF type, so the team doesn’t have a true backup shortstop on the roster. White will have to provide backup duties to Patek there.
The team is very deep in center fielders – all 3 outfield spots played primarily center field (although Wilson spent significant time in left). I put Otis as the starting center fielder, moved Wilson to left, and put Beltran in right. Beltran didn’t play much right field until his post-Royals career, but I thought he was a better fit out there than Otis.
Perez and Porter came out almost exactly even in the scoring system. I named Perez as the starting catcher, but it would probably be a pretty even time share, especially since they bat from opposite sides of the plate. Same thing at 1B….Sweeney and Mayberry make for a pretty even time share, and they also bat from opposite sides.
The top 8 pitchers are right handers, so Leibrandt and Splittorff had the advantage for the last 2 open spots on the staff as lefty options.
Missed the Cut:
I mentioned the team’s tremendous depth in center field when reviewing the starting outfield, but it goes deeper than that. Beyond Wilson, Otis, and Beltran (and also Cain, another primary CF who was named as a reserve), David DeJesus and Johnny Damon were strong candidates to make the team.
Bo Jackson had some big highlights in his 5 seasons with the Royals, but ultimately didn’t do enough to merit making the roster.
Eric Hosmer, Alicedes Escobar, Billy Butler, and Joe Randa all played more than 1,000 games with the Royals, but none of them could crack the roster.
Greg Holland, Wade Davis, and Kelvin Herrera combined for some terrific bullpen work on those mid-2010’s Royals squads, but I went with other options on the roster. Starting pitchers Larry Gura and Steve Busby just missed out on joining the staff as well.
"Grand" Club:
George Brett, Frank White, Amos Otis, Hal McRae, Willie Wilson, Alex Gordon, Mike Sweeney, Freddie Patek, Alicedes Escobar, Salvador Perez, Billy Butler, Eric Hosmer, Joe Randa
Mount Rushmore Four:
George Brett, Bret Saberhagen, Frank White, Dan Quisenberry
Team Assessment:
Strengths: Speed, defense, bullpen
Weaknesses, Power, offense
Kansas City’s game, as you would expect, is built around pitching, speed, and defense, with a definite lack of power.
Kansas City is basically the opposite of the prior team in the review (Cleveland). Well, not quite in all areas….Cleveland has decent speed (#12) overall, although the Royals are #1. But, comparing the 2 teams in several areas:
· Cleveland’s game is hitting (#4 in offense) with a ton of power, where as the Royals rank as the #30 hitting team with a definite shortage of power hitters. Several of the starters are also less-than-stellar at getting on base (Perez, Wilson, White, and Patek are all in the .290-.310 OBP range)
· Cleveland can’t play defense (#30), but the Royals are one of the better defensive teams at #5.
· Cleveland doesn’t have great relief pitching. The Royals (led by Quisenberry, Montgomery, and Soria, have a top notch bullpen.
Defensively, there are Gold Gloves everywhere. Every position player except for Patek and Sweeney has at least one Gold Glove (although Beltran didn’t win one until after his stint with the Royals). Patek was a good defender at short, but he had the bad luck to be up against Mark Belanger who basically owned the award in the AL during the 1970’s. In any case, it’s an exceptionally strong defensive unit, with essentially 3 center fielders (Wilson, Otis, and Beltran) patrolling the outfield, one of the elite all-time second basemen in White (who may be only behind the great Bill Mazeroski as a defensive second baseman), and Perez is one of the few 5-time Gold Glove winners at catcher. A very strong defensive squad.
Speed? Well, all 3 outfielders (Wilson, Otis, Beltran) can scoot, as could Patek. Merrifield has led the AL in steals multiple times, and Cain can also run. White and Brett were good baserunners. So were McRae and Gordon.
The pitching staff is pretty talented as well. Appier is the type of pitcher who doesn’t get a lot of attention for his career, as he only had 169 wins and a not-too-attractive 3.74 ERA, but his career rWAR is in the mid-50’s, and his ERA+ was 121, both very solid figures (130 with the Royals). He’s a quality starter.
Saberhagen was injured a lot, but he still ended up just under 60 rWAR for his career and he won 2 Cy Young awards. Gubicza is a solid #3, and Greinke is a very good #4 (Greinke doesn’t rate higher because generally his Royals’ years, aside from his amazing 2009 Cy Young season, weren’t as outstanding as his later ones with other clubs, but he was still pretty good).
As mentioned earlier, the bullpen is led by three closers who had pretty long stints with the team – Quisenberry was the closer pretty much from 1980-1986, Montgomery was basically the closer from 1989 until his career concluded in 1999, and Soria had a nice 5-year run from 2007-2011.
The Royals would be a very interesting entry in a tournament, as they are playing a different brand of ball than most teams. Despite some talented hitters like Brett and Beltran, they could struggle to score runs, but they can definitely run the bases and can definitely play some D. A fun team to watch.
Futures
Bobby Witt Jr. is probably the primary one to watch here. He certainly has the pedigree, the son of a former big leaguer and the 2nd overall of the 2019 draft. 2022 represents Witt’s rookie season, and he debuted with 20 home runs and 27 steals (so far). He also plays shortstop, which is certainly an area on the franchise’s all star team that is ripe for the picking.
Wrapping it Up
Well, we’re halfway through. Teams #11 through 15 are next up.
As a hint, the next group of five franchises has collectively won 12 World Series titles in the Divisional Era, with each of them winning at least one.
Thank you for reading.
Dan