A Source is a Source, Of Course, Of Course
In the business world, successful organizations are always looking for qualified, skilled workers to fill positions. "Talent acquisition", as they call it. There are many different sources available, with some of the more common avenues including:
- Hiring from within the company
- Using employee referrals
- Performing online searches
- Utilizing recruiters
- Posting an open position and see who applies
Plus many, many others.
Similarly, Major League baseball franchises have various options at their disposal. What are the sources that Major League teams use for acquiring talent? How have teams leveraged those options over time? Have they been fairly stable, or are there trends? Have successful teams tended to favor one option over another? And what are some of the extreme examples of how franchises have leveraged these various sources?
For the purposes of this article, I’m going to use 4 major classifications of how Major League teams acquire talent. I used Seamheads.com as my primary source in collecting the data, and this is how they classify the different types:
- Selecting a player via the annual amateur draft
- Signing an amateur free agent
- Trading with another team
- Signing a free agent that played out his contract with another team
There are other methods (for example, rule 5 selections), but they’re relatively small. We’ll group everything else into "Other".
So that we understand the distinctions, let’s look at examples of each type, using the 2016 World Champion (still feels odd saying that!) Chicago Cubs’ roster:
2016 Chicago Cubs Roster
Categorized by Type of Acquisition
|
Amateur Draft
|
Amateur Free Agent
|
Trade
|
Professional Free Agent
|
Other
|
|
Kris Bryant
|
Willson Contreras
|
Anthony Rizzo
|
Jon Lester
|
Hector Rondon
|
|
Javier Baez
|
Jorge Soler
|
Kyle Hendricks
|
Ben Zobrist
|
|
|
Albert Almora
|
Felix Pena
|
Addison Russell
|
John Lackey
|
|
|
Rob Zastryzny
|
Gerardo Concepcion
|
Dexter Fowler
|
David Ross
|
|
|
Matt Szczur
|
Jeimer Candelario
|
Jake Arrieta
|
Jason Hammel
|
|
|
Kyle Schwarber
|
|
Aroldis Chapman
|
Jason Heyward
|
|
|
|
|
Chris Coghlan
|
Trevor Cahill
|
|
|
|
|
Pedro Strop
|
Munenori Kawasaki
|
|
|
|
|
Tommy La Stella
|
Jake Buchanan
|
|
|
|
|
Travis Wood
|
Ryan Kalish
|
|
|
|
|
Mike Montgomery
|
Joe Nathan
|
|
|
|
|
Joe Smith
|
Brian Matusz
|
|
|
|
|
Carl Edwards
|
Joel Peralta
|
|
|
|
|
Justin Grimm
|
Tim Federowicz
|
|
|
|
|
Neil Ramirez
|
Clayton Richard
|
|
|
|
|
Miguel Montero
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spencer Patton
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adam Warren
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
rWAR Total
|
12.6
|
1.8
|
26.8
|
15.9
|
0.4
|
% of Total
|
21.9%
|
3.1%
|
46.6%
|
27.7%
|
0.7%
|
The figures at the bottom reflect the 2016 rWAR (baseball-reference.com’s version of WAR), both in total by method of acquisition and as a % of the team’s overall total (Note - I saved a little space by not listing the individual players’ figures, but I was more interested in the category totals anyway)
What this indicates is that the 2016 Cubs, despite the presence of 2016 NL MVP Kris Bryant and some of the other key young players on the roster that received a lot of attention (Kyle Schwarber, Javier Baez, Wilson Contreras) that were acquired via internal methods such as the amateur draft and amateur free agent signings, were mostly built with talent acquired from outside sources (trades and free agents that have played our their contracts with other teams). Roughly 75% of the team’s 2016 value came from outside the organization, with about 47% coming via trades, and about 28% through professional free agent signings.
Now, that may change dramatically even beginning as soon as next year, because Kyle Schwarber (amateur draft) will be back and presumably healthy, Albert Almora (amateur draft) may take over in center field if Dexter Fowler leaves, Wilson Contreras (amateur free agent) will probably take on a larger catching role with the retirement of David Ross, and so on. But, in the championship season of 2016, you would have to say that the talent brought in from trading and free agency were the key drivers of the team’s success.
One other designation we’ll look at is the concept of a player being "Home Grown". A homegrown player is defined as a player that is still with his original team. On the 2016 Cubs, those players would be:
Players
|
2016 rWAR
|
Kris Bryant
|
7.70
|
Javier Baez
|
3.40
|
Wilson Contreras
|
1.80
|
Albert Almora
|
0.70
|
Rob Zastryzny
|
0.50
|
Matt Szczur
|
0.40
|
Jorge Soler
|
0.20
|
Felix Pena
|
0.00
|
Gerardo Concepcion
|
0.00
|
Kyle Schwarber
|
-0.10
|
Jeimer Candelario
|
-0.20
|
The total of the above is 14.4 rWAR, which equates to roughly 25% of the team’s total. So, we would say that 25% of the 2016 Cubs’ talent is "homegrown". Note that this excludes young players like Addison Russell, who, although he was acquired as a minor leaguer/prospect and was promoted to the Major Leagues from the Cubs’ minor league system, is classified in this study as having come from outside the organization via trade. Therefore, he would not be considered as homegrown, since he is not with his original team.
Approach
In doing this study, I was mostly interested in looking at the past 40 years (1977-2016), since that represents the time frame for which all 4 major sourcing options have been available. The annual amateur draft began in 1965 (with Rick Monday as the first ever selection), so that’s been available for a little over 50 years. The first true free agency class was 1977, although you can find a handful of players (such as Catfish Hunter) who predate that. However, 1977 was the first true class of free agents as we currently know them. So, it’s really been over the last 40 years that teams have had all 4 of these primary options available.
Before proceeding, though….a quick sidebar:
Sidebar: The 1977 Free Agent Class
Speaking of that first major free agent class of 1977….do you ever think back to that? I was in my teens at the time, and it was something brand new. The thought of a team just going out and acquiring an established star without giving up anything to the other team in return…..well, I guess not everyone was excited about it, but it sure did shake things up.
Here is a list of the players from that first class, sorted by WAR3 (which is the total of the player’s rWAR from the prior 3 years).
Name
|
From Team
|
To Team
|
Age
|
WAR3
|
Yrs
|
Bobby Grich
|
Baltimore
|
California
|
28
|
20.6
|
7
|
Reggie Jackson
|
Baltimore
|
New York (AL)
|
31
|
17.7
|
10
|
Gene Tenace
|
Oakland
|
San Diego
|
30
|
14.4
|
8
|
Sal Bando
|
Oakland
|
Milwaukee
|
33
|
14.3
|
11
|
Bert Campaneris
|
Oakland
|
Texas
|
35
|
12.9
|
13
|
Dave Cash
|
Philadelphia
|
Montreal
|
29
|
11.6
|
8
|
Joe Rudi
|
Oakland
|
California
|
30
|
10.2
|
10
|
Don Gullett
|
Cincinnati
|
New York (AL)
|
26
|
8.7
|
7
|
Gary Matthews
|
San Francisco
|
Atlanta
|
26
|
8.3
|
5
|
Don Baylor
|
Oakland
|
California
|
28
|
7.7
|
7
|
Eric Soderholm
|
Minnesota
|
Chicago (AL)
|
28
|
7.6
|
5
|
Rollie Fingers
|
Oakland
|
San Diego
|
30
|
7.6
|
9
|
Bill Campbell
|
Minnesota
|
Boston
|
28
|
6.8
|
4
|
Steve Stone
|
Chicago (NL)
|
Chicago (AL)
|
29
|
5.5
|
6
|
Richie Hebner
|
Pittsburgh
|
Philadelphia
|
29
|
5.4
|
9
|
Willie McCovey
|
Oakland
|
San Francisco
|
39
|
5.1
|
18
|
Wayne Garland
|
Baltimore
|
Cleveland
|
26
|
4.4
|
4
|
Dick Allen
|
Philadelphia
|
Oakland
|
35
|
4.0
|
14
|
Doyle Alexander
|
New York (AL)
|
Texas
|
26
|
2.2
|
6
|
Tito Fuentes
|
San Diego
|
Detroit
|
33
|
1.0
|
11
|
Tim Nordbrook
|
California
|
Chicago (AL)
|
27
|
0.3
|
3
|
Paul Dade
|
California
|
Cleveland
|
25
|
0.2
|
2
|
Royle Stillman
|
Baltimore
|
Chicago (AL)
|
26
|
(0.2)
|
2
|
Billy Smith
|
California
|
Baltimore
|
23
|
(1.7)
|
2
|
Ed Crosby
|
Cleveland
|
Oakland
|
28
|
-
|
6
|
The Orioles and the A’s took the biggest hits, as the Orioles lost Reggie Jackson, Bobby Grich, and Wayne Garland (who won 20 games in ’76), while the A’s were decimated by losing key players such as Gene Tenace, Sal Bando, Bert Campaneris, Joe Rudi, Don Baylor, Rollie Fingers, and an aging Willie McCovey (although he still had a little left in the tank).
Reggie Jackson was one of the big prizes and immediately paid off dividends to the Yankees (as did Don Gullett, although he missed significant time), who won back-to-back championships in 1977 & 1978. However, a lot of other major signings didn’t translate to immediate success for the respective teams, and some teams that suffered key departures didn’t seem to feel the effects either. A few examples:
- The 1976 Padres were 73-89, then signed Gene Tenace and Rollie Fingers, but proceeded to decline to 69-93 in 1977
- The 1976 Angels were 76-86, signed Joe Rudi, Bobby Grich, AND Don Baylor, but dropped to 74-88 in 1977
- The 1976 Brewers were 66-95, then signed Sal Bando, but went 67-95 in 1977
- The 1976 Braves were 70-92, then signed Gary Matthews, but dropped to 61-101 in 1977
- The 1976 Indians were 81-78, then signed 20-game winner Wayne Garland, but dropped to 71-90 in 1977 as Garland led the league in losses
In addition:
- The 1976 Phillies were 101-61, then lost Dave Cash, but repeated their 101-61 record in 1977 anyway.
- The 1976 Orioles were 88-74, then lost Bobby Grich, Reggie Jackson, and Wayne Garland, but nevertheless improved to 97-64 in 1977 (only 2.5 games back of the Yankees)
Some results went according to expectations, though. The A’s did plummet from 87 wins to 63 after losing all those players. The Rangers picked up Campaneris and improved from 76 wins to 94 wins (not all due to Campy, of course….but they did improve). The Red Sox got a great year out of Soup Campbell. And, of course, the Yankees were thrilled with the return on investment for Reggie Jackson. But, by and large, you’d have to say that the first free agent class provided some immediate evidence that signing a bunch of free agents didn’t necessarily guarantee immediate success.
Continuing with the Approach
So, the approach for this study was to look over the past 40 seasons and see how roster composition, as measured by the various sources of talent acquisition, has trended over the years.
First, to establish some benchmarks, here is the overall distribution of talent acquisition over the past 40 years. Note that this shows 2 different splits:
- The table on the left shows distribution by the 5 major sources (which will total 100%)
- The table on the right shows the % home-grown vs. non-home-grown split
Amateur Draft
|
Amateur Free Agent
|
Trade
|
Professional Free Agent
|
Other
|
|
Home Grown
|
Non-Home Grown
|
36.7%
|
7.5%
|
34.6%
|
18.8%
|
2.5%
|
|
44.3%
|
55.7%
|
So, the amateur draft is a typical team’s primary source for value, although trading isn’t far behind, with professional free agents a distant third. Those 3 options tend to account for about 90% of the value in organizations, with the other 10% coming from amateur free agent signings and "all other" smaller categories. In addition, the typical team in a given year tends to possess more value in its talent base that did not originate with that team than it has from players that have been only with that team.
How have these trended over time? I divided the data into 5-year chunks, beginning with 1977-1981, and so on.
|
Amateur Draft
|
Amateur Free Agent
|
Trade
|
Professional Free Agent
|
Other
|
|
Home Grown
|
Non-Home Grown
|
1977-1981
|
38.7%
|
9.2%
|
37.3%
|
12.8%
|
2.1%
|
|
49.0%
|
51.0%
|
1982-1986
|
39.2%
|
6.7%
|
40.7%
|
10.8%
|
2.7%
|
|
47.2%
|
52.8%
|
1987-1991
|
42.5%
|
4.6%
|
36.9%
|
13.6%
|
2.3%
|
|
47.7%
|
52.3%
|
1992-1996
|
37.3%
|
6.2%
|
29.6%
|
23.7%
|
3.1%
|
|
43.4%
|
56.6%
|
1997-2001
|
29.2%
|
9.6%
|
35.9%
|
22.6%
|
2.7%
|
|
38.6%
|
61.4%
|
2002-2006
|
30.3%
|
7.9%
|
34.0%
|
25.6%
|
2.2%
|
|
37.9%
|
62.1%
|
2007-2011
|
39.3%
|
6.8%
|
31.0%
|
20.2%
|
2.6%
|
|
45.4%
|
54.6%
|
2012-2016
|
38.5%
|
8.3%
|
32.0%
|
18.7%
|
2.6%
|
|
46.5%
|
53.5%
|
Overall
|
36.7%
|
7.5%
|
34.6%
|
18.8%
|
2.5%
|
|
44.3%
|
55.7%
|
This implies that free agency as an option gathered momentum over time after its inception, peaking in the early-to-mid 2000’s, but over the past 10 years or so has declined some (not necessarily in usage, but in terms of the overall value represented by free agents)
Conversely, value represented by amateur draft signing declined from the late ‘80’s/early ‘90’s through the mid-2000’s, but has since rebounded to roughly the same % that it was 40 years ago. This also implies that teams, after trending towards more outside (non-home grown) sources (to the point where over 60% of the value was from players who did not start with their current team), seem to be returning to more home-grown trends. However, it has generally been true that most of the value on a typical team comes from outside the organization.
More Slicing and Dicing
What are some other ways to look at the trends? How about winning teams vs. losing teams? Have winning teams favored one method vs. another as compared to losing teams?
Winning Pct.
|
Amateur Draft
|
Amateur Free Agent
|
Trade
|
Professional Free Agent
|
Other
|
|
Home Grown
|
Non-Home Grown
|
< .500
|
36.7%
|
6.8%
|
34.3%
|
18.9%
|
3.4%
|
|
43.1%
|
56.9%
|
>=.500
|
36.7%
|
7.9%
|
34.7%
|
18.7%
|
2.0%
|
|
44.9%
|
55.1%
|
Doesn’t appear to be much distinction there. Winning teams had slightly more of a "home grown" factor, but not much more.
How about teams that made the postseason vs. those who didn’t?
Did Team Make the Postseason?
|
Amateur Draft
|
Amateur Free Agent
|
Trade
|
Professional Free Agent
|
Other
|
|
Home Grown
|
Non-Home Grown
|
No
|
37.8%
|
7.1%
|
34.2%
|
18.1%
|
2.8%
|
|
45.0%
|
55.0%
|
Yes
|
34.2%
|
8.2%
|
35.3%
|
20.4%
|
2.0%
|
|
42.6%
|
57.4%
|
Well, a little more separation there. Teams making the postseason tended a little more towards outside sourcing vs. home grown talent, with slightly higher proportions of trading and free agent signings.
How about World Series winners vs. non World Series winners?
Did Team Win the World Series?
|
Amateur Draft
|
Amateur Free Agent
|
Trade
|
Professional Free Agent
|
Other
|
|
Home Grown
|
Non-Home Grown
|
No
|
36.9%
|
7.5%
|
34.5%
|
18.6%
|
2.6%
|
|
44.5%
|
55.5%
|
Yes
|
33.1%
|
7.3%
|
36.5%
|
21.3%
|
1.9%
|
|
40.1%
|
59.9%
|
Looks like slightly more separation there, as teams winning the World Series were represented by just under 60% of their value coming from other organizations. The World Series winners tended to realize a bit more of their overall value from trading and free agency than did non-World Series Winners
I’m not sure that any of these are earth-shattering, and I don’t know that they reach any level of significance. It’s just a quick look as to how the data has shaken out.
Individual Teams
OK….how about looking at some interesting single-season distributions? I wasn’t sure whether to focus on high absolute rWAR figures or high % of total figures. In other words, if I wanted to see which teams were successful at trading, would I look for high absolute trade rWAR totals, or a high trade % of a team total?
I decided to do a quick and dirty metric, by taking the absolute rWAR figure multiplied by the % of team total figure, to come up with a "score". That way, we would avoid teams that may have had a high % of their value coming from a particular category but didn’t have high overall value.
Note that, because there can be negative rWARs in certain categories, there are some teams that have more than 100% of their team’s total rWAR represented by a single category.
Let’s look at a few:
Teams with High Amateur Draft Scores:
Year
|
Team
|
Team Win %
|
Amateur Draft rWAR
|
Team rWAR
|
Amateur Draft % of Team Total
|
Amateur Draft Score (rWAR x % of Team Total)
|
Postseason?
|
WS Winner?
|
1987
|
BOS
|
.481
|
34.9
|
32.8
|
106.4%
|
37.13
|
No
|
No
|
1982
|
MON
|
.531
|
40.0
|
45.2
|
88.5%
|
35.40
|
No
|
No
|
1988
|
BOS
|
.549
|
38.2
|
45.1
|
84.7%
|
32.36
|
Yes
|
No
|
1986
|
BOS
|
.590
|
35.3
|
42.8
|
82.5%
|
29.11
|
Yes
|
No
|
1983
|
BOS
|
.481
|
29.7
|
30.8
|
96.4%
|
28.64
|
No
|
No
|
1980
|
MON
|
.556
|
33.7
|
41.9
|
80.4%
|
27.10
|
No
|
No
|
1984
|
BAL
|
.525
|
31.3
|
36.2
|
86.5%
|
27.06
|
No
|
No
|
1992
|
MIL
|
.568
|
35.9
|
47.9
|
74.9%
|
26.91
|
No
|
No
|
2015
|
SF
|
.519
|
33.1
|
40.8
|
81.1%
|
26.85
|
No
|
No
|
1991
|
MIL
|
.512
|
30.3
|
34.2
|
88.6%
|
26.84
|
No
|
No
|
Lots of 1980’s Boston and Montreal teams, and two early 1990’s Milwaukee entries. As you can see, most of these teams did not make the postseason, although most did finish over .500. Let’s look at a few of these different squads, skipping over the "repeating" entries.
Note that in the following tables, "Yrs" indicates the number of years that the player had been with the team (including the season in question) in his current tenure with them (in other words, if he left the team and then returned to them, it only counts the most recent tenure)
1987 Boston Red Sox
Team Record: 78-84
Team rWAR: 32.8
Amateur Draft rWAR: 34.9 (106.4%)
Amateur Draft Score: 37.13
Top players by rWAR:
#
|
Players
|
rWAR
|
Yrs
|
Home Grown?
|
Acquired
|
via
|
Team
|
1
|
Roger Clemens
|
9.5
|
4
|
✔
|
6/6/1983
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 19)
|
2
|
Wade Boggs
|
8.3
|
6
|
✔
|
6/8/1976
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 7
|
|
3
|
Dwight Evans
|
4.8
|
16
|
✔
|
6/5/1969
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 5
|
|
4
|
Bruce Hurst
|
3.8
|
8
|
✔
|
6/8/1976
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 22)
|
5
|
Mike Greenwell
|
3.6
|
3
|
✔
|
6/7/1982
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 3
|
|
6
|
Ellis Burks
|
2.9
|
1
|
✔
|
1/11/1983
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 20)
|
7
|
Marty Barrett
|
1.6
|
6
|
✔
|
6/5/1979
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 1)
|
|
8
|
Todd Benzinger
|
1.2
|
1
|
✔
|
6/8/1981
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 4
|
|
9
|
Sam Horn
|
0.9
|
1
|
✔
|
6/7/1982
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 16)
|
10
|
Calvin Schiraldi
|
0.9
|
2
|
|
11/13/1985
|
Trade
|
NYN
|
11
|
Jeff Sellers
|
0.8
|
3
|
✔
|
6/7/1982
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 8
|
|
12
|
Spike Owen
|
0.5
|
2
|
|
8/19/1986
|
Trade
|
SEA
|
13
|
Don Baylor
|
0.4
|
1
|
|
3/28/1986
|
Trade
|
NYA
|
14
|
Bob Stanley
|
0.4
|
11
|
✔
|
1/9/1974
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 7)
|
|
15
|
Al Nipper
|
0.4
|
5
|
✔
|
6/3/1980
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 8
|
|
An interesting team….this was the team that followed the 1986 World Series runner-up (which also was on the list at #4), and while that 1986 squad was a better team, the 1987 version had a higher proportion of its value coming from the draft, and less coming from other sources, which gave them the #1 spot by my criteria.
The top 9 players (and 12 of the top 15) on this team came from the draft, and this list doesn’t even capture Jim Rice, who was down at #19 on the list for this season. In fact, the team’s amateur draft rWAR is higher than the team’s total rWAR, as the other categories (professional free agents, trade, and amateur free agents) all had negative rWARs.
1982 Montreal Expos
Team Record: 86-76
Team rWAR: 45.2
Amateur Draft rWAR: 40.0 (88.5%)
Amateur Draft Score: 35.4
Top players by rWAR:
#
|
Players
|
rWAR
|
Yrs
|
Home Grown?
|
Acquired
|
via
|
Team
|
1
|
Gary Carter
|
8.6
|
9
|
✔
|
6/6/1972
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 3
|
|
2
|
Andre Dawson
|
7.9
|
7
|
✔
|
6/3/1975
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 11
|
|
3
|
Steve Rogers
|
7.7
|
10
|
✔
|
6/8/1971
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 4)
|
|
4
|
Al Oliver
|
5.2
|
1
|
|
3/31/1982
|
Trade
|
TEX
|
5
|
Tim Wallach
|
4.4
|
3
|
✔
|
6/5/1979
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 10)
|
|
6
|
Jeff Reardon
|
3.5
|
2
|
|
5/29/1981
|
Trade
|
NYN
|
7
|
Tim Raines
|
2.8
|
4
|
✔
|
6/7/1977
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 5
|
|
8
|
Warren Cromartie
|
2.7
|
8
|
✔
|
6/5/1973
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 5)
|
|
9
|
Charlie Lea
|
2.6
|
3
|
✔
|
6/6/1978
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 9
|
|
10
|
Scott Sanderson
|
2.6
|
5
|
✔
|
6/7/1977
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 3
|
|
11
|
Bill Gullickson
|
2.5
|
4
|
✔
|
6/7/1977
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 2)
|
|
12
|
Chris Speier
|
1.0
|
6
|
|
4/27/1977
|
Trade
|
SFN
|
13
|
David Palmer
|
0.5
|
4
|
✔
|
6/8/1976
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 21
|
|
14
|
Dan Schatzeder
|
0.4
|
1
|
|
6/15/1982
|
Purchased
|
SFN
|
15
|
Rodney Scott
|
0.2
|
1
|
|
12/14/1978
|
Trade
|
CHN
|
16
|
Mike Gates
|
0.2
|
2
|
✔
|
6/5/1979
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 7
|
|
Another interesting group with lots of home grown talent. 89% of the team’s value (including 9 of the top 11 players) was attributable to players they had selected in the amateur draft, including 2 Hall of Famers (Gary Carter and Andre Dawson) and another who may soon join them (Tim Raines, who had a bit of an off-year in ‘82), not to mention other strong players such as Steve Rogers, Tim Wallach, Warren Cromartie, Charlie Lea, and so on. It makes one think back and wonder (as I often did) why those late ‘70’s to late ‘80’s Expos teams didn’t do better, with their only postseason appearance occurring in the 1981 split season.
1984 Baltimore Orioles
Team Record: 85-77
Team rWAR: 36.2
Amateur Draft rWAR: 31.3 (86.5%)
Amateur Draft Score: 27.06
Top players by rWAR:
#
|
Players
|
rWAR
|
Yrs
|
Home Grown?
|
Acquired
|
via
|
Team
|
1
|
Cal Ripken
|
10.0
|
4
|
✔
|
6/6/1978
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 2
|
|
2
|
Eddie Murray
|
7.1
|
8
|
✔
|
6/5/1973
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 3
|
|
3
|
Mike Boddicker
|
5.2
|
5
|
✔
|
6/6/1978
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 6
|
|
4
|
Storm Davis
|
3.8
|
3
|
✔
|
6/5/1979
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 7
|
|
5
|
Wayne Gross
|
2.7
|
1
|
|
12/8/1983
|
Trade
|
OAK
|
6
|
Mike Flanagan
|
2.3
|
10
|
✔
|
6/5/1973
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 7
|
|
7
|
Mike Young
|
2.0
|
3
|
✔
|
1/11/1980
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 11)
|
|
8
|
Scott McGregor
|
1.1
|
9
|
|
6/15/1976
|
Trade
|
NYA
|
9
|
Gary Roenicke
|
1.1
|
7
|
|
12/7/1977
|
Trade
|
MON
|
10
|
Rich Dauer
|
0.9
|
9
|
✔
|
6/5/1974
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 24)
|
|
11
|
Rick Dempsey
|
0.8
|
9
|
|
6/15/1976
|
Trade
|
NYA
|
12
|
Todd Cruz
|
0.7
|
2
|
|
6/30/1983
|
Purchased
|
SEA
|
13
|
Al Bumbry
|
0.5
|
13
|
✔
|
6/7/1968
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 11
|
|
14
|
Larry Sheets
|
0.4
|
1
|
✔
|
6/6/1978
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 2
|
|
The 2 Hall of Famers drafted in the 1970’s (Cal Ripken and Eddie Murray) dominate this list, supported by other draftees such as Mike Boddicker, Storm Davis, Mike Flanagan, and Mike Young. There is a sprinkling of trade pickups among Wayne Gross, Scott McGregor, Gary Roenicke, and Rick Dempsey, but the team value was heavily draft-oriented.
1992 Milwaukee Brewers
Team Record: 92-70
Team rWAR: 47.9
Amateur Draft rWAR: 35.9 (74.9%)
Amateur Draft Score: 26.91
Top players by rWAR:
#
|
Players
|
rWAR
|
Yrs
|
Home Grown?
|
Acquired
|
via
|
Team
|
1
|
Bill Wegman
|
4.8
|
8
|
✔
|
6/8/1981
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 5
|
|
2
|
Paul Molitor
|
4.7
|
15
|
✔
|
6/7/1977
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 3)
|
|
3
|
Jaime Navarro
|
4.6
|
4
|
✔
|
6/2/1987
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 3
|
|
4
|
Pat Listach
|
4.4
|
1
|
✔
|
6/1/1988
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 5
|
|
5
|
Cal Eldred
|
4.2
|
2
|
✔
|
6/5/1989
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 17)
|
|
6
|
Darryl Hamilton
|
3.6
|
4
|
✔
|
6/2/1986
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 11
|
|
7
|
Scott Fletcher
|
3.4
|
1
|
|
2/23/1992
|
Free Agency
|
|
8
|
Chris Bosio
|
3.3
|
7
|
✔
|
1/12/1982
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 2
|
|
9
|
Kevin Seitzer
|
3.3
|
1
|
|
4/5/1992
|
Free Agency
|
|
10
|
Mike Fetters
|
2.3
|
1
|
|
12/10/1991
|
Trade
|
CAL
|
11
|
Jim Austin
|
2.0
|
2
|
|
2/15/1989
|
Trade
|
SDN
|
12
|
B. J. Surhoff
|
2.0
|
6
|
✔
|
6/3/1985
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 1)
|
|
13
|
Greg Vaughn
|
1.8
|
4
|
✔
|
6/2/1986
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 4)
|
|
14
|
Robin Yount
|
1.6
|
19
|
✔
|
6/5/1973
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 3)
|
|
15
|
Dan Plesac
|
1.5
|
7
|
✔
|
6/6/1983
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 26)
|
|
This was kind of a surprising entry for me. It’s not a particularly memorable team, although with 92 wins it was probably the best Brewer team between the 1982 Harvey’s Wallbangers crew and the 2011 NL Central champion. The top 6 players (and 11 of the top 15) were selected by the Brewers in the amateur draft.
The most recognizable names, of course, are the twin Hall of Famers Robin Yount (who was getting near the end of his career) and Paul Molitor (who was in his final season as a Brewer before joining the Blue Jays), but most of the others on here were mid-to-late 1980’s draft picks who had good seasons.
An interesting note….the Brewers have not traditionally been known for great pitching staffs. This might have been their best season in that regard. The team’s ERA of 3.43 was their lowest ever other than a 3.38 mark in 1971, which was pre-DH. Bill Wegman, Jamie Navarro, Chris Bosio, and Cal Eldred (11-2, 1.79 ERA in his rookie year) all pitched well.
2015 San Francisco Giants
Team Record: 84-78
Team rWAR: 40.8
Amateur Draft rWAR: 33.1 (81.1%)
Amateur Draft Score: 26.85
Top players by rWAR:
#
|
Players
|
rWAR
|
Yrs
|
Home Grown?
|
Acquired
|
via
|
Team
|
1
|
Buster Posey
|
6.1
|
7
|
✔
|
6/5/2008
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 5)
|
|
2
|
Madison Bumgarner
|
5.9
|
7
|
✔
|
6/7/2007
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 10)
|
|
3
|
Brandon Crawford
|
5.6
|
5
|
✔
|
6/5/2008
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 4
|
|
4
|
Matt Duffy
|
4.9
|
2
|
✔
|
6/5/2012
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 18
|
|
5
|
Brandon Belt
|
3.9
|
5
|
✔
|
6/9/2009
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 5
|
|
6
|
Joe Panik
|
3.4
|
2
|
✔
|
6/6/2011
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 29)
|
|
7
|
Jake Peavy
|
1.9
|
2
|
|
7/26/2014
|
Trade
|
BOS
|
8
|
George Kontos
|
1.6
|
4
|
|
4/4/2012
|
Trade
|
NYA
|
9
|
Chris Heston
|
1.6
|
2
|
✔
|
6/9/2009
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 12
|
|
10
|
Javier Lopez
|
1.5
|
6
|
|
7/31/2010
|
Trade
|
PIT
|
11
|
Hunter Strickland
|
1.4
|
2
|
|
4/2/2013
|
Waivers
|
PIT
|
12
|
Santiago Casilla
|
1.1
|
6
|
|
1/2/2010
|
Free Agency
|
|
13
|
Gregor Blanco
|
1.1
|
4
|
|
11/19/2011
|
Free Agency
|
|
14
|
Nori Aoki
|
1.0
|
1
|
|
1/19/2015
|
Free Agency
|
|
15
|
Kelby Tomlinson
|
1.0
|
1
|
✔
|
6/7/2011
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 12
|
|
Certainly interesting that this is the team that made the list, rather than one of the World Series "even year" champions. The key to this team making the list despite the presence of serval players acquired by trade or free agency further down the list is that the top 6 players above (Posey, Bumgarner, Crawford, Duffy, Belt, and Panik) were all amateur draft picks, and those 6 players alone represented nearly 30.0 rWAR, which was about three-fourths of the team’s total value.
Teams with High Trade Scores:
Year
|
Team
|
Team Win %
|
Trade rWAR
|
Team rWAR
|
Trade % of Team Total
|
Trade Score (rWAR x % of Team Total)
|
Postseason?
|
WS Winner?
|
1998
|
SDN
|
.605
|
40.5
|
43.9
|
92.3%
|
37.36
|
Yes
|
No
|
1984
|
CHN
|
.596
|
35.4
|
41.0
|
86.3%
|
30.56
|
Yes
|
No
|
1998
|
HOU
|
.630
|
39.6
|
56.5
|
70.1%
|
27.76
|
Yes
|
No
|
1979
|
CLE
|
.503
|
28.9
|
30.9
|
93.5%
|
27.03
|
No
|
No
|
1982
|
CLE
|
.481
|
29.8
|
34.4
|
86.6%
|
25.82
|
No
|
No
|
1982
|
SDN
|
.500
|
27.1
|
30.0
|
90.3%
|
24.48
|
No
|
No
|
2014
|
CLE
|
.525
|
29.5
|
36.6
|
80.6%
|
23.78
|
No
|
No
|
1984
|
CLE
|
.463
|
27.9
|
33.1
|
84.3%
|
23.52
|
No
|
No
|
1985
|
CHN
|
.478
|
26.6
|
31.9
|
83.4%
|
22.18
|
No
|
No
|
1977
|
NYA
|
.617
|
34.4
|
53.7
|
64.1%
|
22.04
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
These teams had a little more notoriety and success than the amateur draft listing, as 3 of them had winning percentages over .600 (with the ’84 Cubs just missing), 4 of them made the postseason, and one of them (the ’77 Yankees) won the World Series. There’s also a definite Cleveland vibe to this list, as 4 Indians teams made the list.
Looking at a few selected entries a little closer:
1998 San Diego Padres
Team Record: 98-64
Team rWAR: 43.9
Trade rWAR: 40.5 (92.3%)
Trade Score: 37.36
Top players by rWAR:
#
|
Players
|
rWAR
|
Yrs
|
Home Grown?
|
Acquired
|
via
|
Team
|
1
|
Kevin Brown
|
9.1
|
1
|
|
12/15/1997
|
Trade
|
FLO
|
2
|
Greg Vaughn
|
6.3
|
3
|
|
7/31/1996
|
Trade
|
MIL
|
3
|
Andy Ashby
|
4.6
|
6
|
|
7/27/1993
|
Trade
|
COL
|
4
|
Trevor Hoffman
|
4.1
|
6
|
|
6/24/1993
|
Trade
|
FLO
|
5
|
Quilvio Veras
|
3.6
|
2
|
|
11/21/1996
|
Trade
|
FLO
|
6
|
Ken Caminiti
|
2.7
|
4
|
|
12/28/1994
|
Trade
|
HOU
|
7
|
Sterling Hitchcock
|
2.6
|
2
|
|
12/6/1996
|
Trade
|
SEA
|
8
|
Donne Wall
|
2.3
|
1
|
|
11/19/1997
|
Trade
|
DET
|
9
|
Wally Joyner
|
2.0
|
3
|
|
12/21/1995
|
Trade
|
KCA
|
10
|
Joey Hamilton
|
1.8
|
5
|
✔
|
6/3/1991
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 8)
|
|
11
|
Chris Gomez
|
1.7
|
3
|
|
6/18/1996
|
Trade
|
DET
|
12
|
Tony Gwynn
|
1.6
|
17
|
✔
|
6/8/1981
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 3
|
|
13
|
Dan Miceli
|
1.5
|
1
|
|
11/19/1997
|
Trade
|
DET
|
14
|
Ruben Rivera
|
0.9
|
2
|
|
4/22/1997
|
Trade
|
NYA
|
So much for growing your own……
A whopping 12 of the top 14 players on this team (which was probably the best team in Padres history, winning 98 games and going to the World Series) were acquired via trade. 92.3% of the team’s value was represented by players obtained by trade.
Among the top players, only Tony Gwynn (who was 38 and getting near the end of the line) and Joey Hamilton were drafted by the team. This was the year Greg Vaughn hit 50 HR’s and Trevor Hoffman saved 53 games, and also represented the lone year that Kevin Brown pitched for the Padres (he went 18-7, 2.38 ERA).
The ’97 team won only 76 games, and the ’99 team tumbled to 74, but the ’98 squad will at least have the memory of getting to the series and being swept by the 114-win Yankees.
1984 Chicago Cubs
Team Record: 96-65
Team rWAR: 41.0
Trade rWAR: 35.4 (86.3%)
Trade Score: 30.56
Top players by rWAR:
#
|
Players
|
rWAR
|
Yrs
|
Home Grown?
|
Acquired
|
via
|
Team
|
1
|
Ryne Sandberg
|
8.5
|
3
|
|
1/27/1982
|
Trade
|
PHI
|
2
|
Rick Sutcliffe
|
4.2
|
1
|
|
6/13/1984
|
Trade
|
CLE
|
3
|
Steve Trout
|
3.7
|
2
|
|
1/25/1983
|
Trade
|
CHA
|
4
|
Leon Durham
|
3.7
|
4
|
|
12/9/1980
|
Trade
|
SLN
|
5
|
Dennis Eckersley
|
3.5
|
1
|
|
5/25/1984
|
Trade
|
BOS
|
6
|
Gary Matthews
|
3.2
|
1
|
|
3/26/1984
|
Trade
|
PHI
|
7
|
Bob Dernier
|
3.1
|
1
|
|
3/26/1984
|
Trade
|
PHI
|
8
|
Scott Sanderson
|
3.0
|
1
|
|
12/7/1983
|
Trade
|
MON
|
9
|
Jody Davis
|
2.1
|
4
|
|
12/8/1980
|
Draft (Rule 5)
|
SLN
|
10
|
Ron Cey
|
1.6
|
2
|
|
1/19/1983
|
Trade
|
LAN
|
11
|
Lee Smith
|
1.4
|
5
|
✔
|
6/3/1975
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 2
|
|
12
|
Henry Cotto
|
1.3
|
1
|
✔
|
6/7/1980
|
Free Agency (Amateur)
|
|
13
|
Warren Brusstar
|
1.2
|
2
|
|
1/25/1983
|
Trade
|
CHA
|
14
|
Rich Bordi
|
1.0
|
2
|
|
12/9/1982
|
Trade
|
SEA
|
15
|
Richie Hebner
|
0.8
|
1
|
|
1/5/1984
|
Free Agency
|
|
16
|
Tim Stoddard
|
0.7
|
1
|
|
3/26/1984
|
Trade
|
OAK
|
17
|
Mel Hall
|
0.6
|
1
|
|
6/6/1978
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 2
|
|
18
|
Keith Moreland
|
0.5
|
3
|
|
12/8/1981
|
Trade
|
PHI
|
19
|
Steve Lake
|
0.4
|
2
|
|
4/1/1983
|
Trade
|
ML4
|
20
|
Ron Hassey
|
0.4
|
1
|
|
6/13/1984
|
Trade
|
CLE
|
A famous team, one of only 8 Cubs teams to make the postseason since 1945. 86% of the team’s value was acquired by trade. This was Sandberg’s memorable MVP season as well as the season where Sutcliffe went 16-1 after coming over in a mid-season trade.
Look at the amazing amount of players that had been with the team a very short period of time. Eckersley, Sutcliffe, Matthews, Dernier, Sanderson, Hebner, Stoddard, Hall, and Hassey were all in their first season with the Cubs. In addition, Ron Cey and Steve Trout were only in their 2nd seasons with the team, and Larry Bowa (who’s further down the list but was the regular SS) was only in his 3rd season with the team, as were Ryne Sandberg and Keith Moreland.
Every starting position player with the exception of Jody Davis (who was a rule 5 acquisition) and the entire starting rotation was acquired via trade. The average tenure (defined as the length of time that the player had been with the current team in his current stint with the team) was only about 2 years, one of the lowest figures for any team in the study that made the postseason. It was a veteran team in terms of overall Major League service, but it was also a team that had not played much together prior to that season.
This is another one of those "moment in time" teams. In 1983, the team went 71-91, and in 1985 they fell to 77-84, everything clicked in 1984. They had another postseason team a few years later in 1989, but those were the only 2 Cubs teams to have winning records in the ‘80’s.
1998 Houston Astros
Team Record: 102-60
Team rWAR: 56.5
Trade rWAR: 39.6 (70.1%)
Trade Score: 27.76
Top players by rWAR:
#
|
Players
|
WAR
|
Yrs
|
Home Grown?
|
Acquired
|
via
|
Team
|
1
|
Craig Biggio
|
6.5
|
11
|
✔
|
6/2/1987
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 22)
|
|
2
|
Jeff Bagwell
|
6.3
|
8
|
|
8/30/1990
|
Trade
|
BOS
|
3
|
Moises Alou
|
6.2
|
1
|
|
11/11/1997
|
Trade
|
FLO
|
4
|
Derek Bell
|
5.4
|
4
|
|
12/28/1994
|
Trade
|
SDN
|
5
|
Mike Hampton
|
4.4
|
5
|
|
12/10/1993
|
Trade
|
SEA
|
6
|
Randy Johnson
|
4.0
|
1
|
|
7/31/1998
|
Trade
|
SEA
|
7
|
Shane Reynolds
|
3.9
|
7
|
✔
|
6/5/1989
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 3
|
|
8
|
Jose Lima
|
3.7
|
2
|
|
12/10/1996
|
Trade
|
DET
|
9
|
Carl Everett
|
3.4
|
1
|
|
12/22/1997
|
Trade
|
NYN
|
10
|
Sean Berry
|
2.5
|
3
|
|
12/20/1995
|
Trade
|
MON
|
11
|
Richard Hidalgo
|
2.0
|
2
|
✔
|
7/2/1991
|
Free Agency (Amateur)
|
|
12
|
Sean Bergman
|
1.8
|
1
|
|
1/14/1998
|
Trade
|
SDN
|
13
|
Brad Ausmus
|
1.7
|
2
|
|
12/10/1996
|
Trade
|
DET
|
14
|
Billy Wagner
|
1.7
|
4
|
✔
|
6/3/1993
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 12)
|
|
15
|
Doug Henry
|
1.5
|
1
|
|
11/26/1997
|
Free Agency
|
|
16
|
Bill Spiers
|
1.2
|
3
|
|
1/10/1996
|
Free Agency
|
|
17
|
Jay Powell
|
1.2
|
1
|
|
7/4/1998
|
Trade
|
FLO
|
18
|
Scott Elarton
|
1.1
|
1
|
✔
|
6/2/1994
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 25)
|
|
19
|
Trever Miller
|
0.8
|
1
|
|
12/10/1996
|
Trade
|
DET
|
Yes, back to 1998 again…..
This team did not have as high of a percentage of trade value as most of the other teams on this list, but they had a very high absolute trade value figure (nearly 40 rWAR), and so they ranked high by the formula. The team did have some significant homegrown talent (Biggio, Reynolds, Hidalgo, Wagner), but it was still very much a trade-driven roster.
Unlike the Padres and Cubs teams, this Astros team was in the middle of a pretty successful run of seasons, as they made the postseason 6 times between 1997 and 2005, going to the World Series once. The 1998 team still holds the franchise record for the most wins in a season with 102.
Similar to the Cubs’ and Sutcliffe, the Astros brought over Randy Johnson in a big mid-season trade and he went on one of the great late season runs in history, posting a 10-1 record with a 1.28 ERA. However, they were knocked out in the postseason by the team 2 spots above them on this list, the 1998 Padres.
I’m going to bypass the 4 Cleveland entries because I don’t think they’re very interesting to examine…..most of the Cleveland squads were during a rather drab run of seasons where they kept reassembling the team via a bunch of trades. So, I’m going to skip down to a more interesting team, the #10 team on the list:
1977 New York Yankees
Team Record: 100-62
Team rWAR: 53.7
Trade rWAR: 34.4 (64.1%)
Trade Score: 22.04
Top players by rWAR:
#
|
Players
|
rWAR
|
Yrs
|
Home Grown?
|
Acquired
|
via
|
Team
|
1
|
Graig Nettles
|
5.5
|
5
|
|
11/27/1972
|
Trade
|
CLE
|
2
|
Mickey Rivers
|
5.3
|
2
|
|
12/11/1975
|
Trade
|
CAL
|
3
|
Thurman Munson
|
4.9
|
9
|
✔
|
6/7/1968
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 4)
|
|
4
|
Ron Guidry
|
4.8
|
3
|
✔
|
6/8/1971
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 3
|
|
5
|
Willie Randolph
|
4.6
|
2
|
|
12/11/1975
|
Trade
|
PIT
|
6
|
Reggie Jackson
|
4.5
|
1
|
|
11/29/1976
|
Free Agency
|
|
7
|
Sparky Lyle
|
3.7
|
6
|
|
3/22/1972
|
Trade
|
BOS
|
8
|
Roy White
|
3.6
|
13
|
✔
|
7/1/1961
|
Free Agency (Amateur)
|
|
9
|
Ed Figueroa
|
3.4
|
2
|
|
12/11/1975
|
Trade
|
CAL
|
10
|
Bucky Dent
|
2.7
|
1
|
|
4/5/1977
|
Trade
|
CHA
|
11
|
Mike Torrez
|
2.5
|
1
|
|
4/27/1977
|
Trade
|
OAK
|
12
|
Chris Chambliss
|
2.3
|
4
|
|
4/26/1974
|
Trade
|
CLE
|
13
|
Dick Tidrow
|
2.3
|
4
|
|
4/26/1974
|
Trade
|
CLE
|
14
|
Don Gullett
|
2.0
|
1
|
|
11/18/1976
|
Free Agency
|
|
15
|
Cliff Johnson
|
1.9
|
1
|
|
6/15/1977
|
Trade
|
HOU
|
16
|
Lou Piniella
|
1.4
|
4
|
|
12/7/1973
|
Trade
|
KCA
|
17
|
George Zeber
|
0.6
|
1
|
✔
|
6/7/1968
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 5
|
|
18
|
Paul Blair
|
0.5
|
1
|
|
1/20/1977
|
Trade
|
BAL
|
19
|
Dave Kingman
|
0.4
|
1
|
|
9/15/1977
|
Trade
|
CAL
|
20
|
Mickey Klutts
|
0.4
|
2
|
✔
|
6/6/1972
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 4
|
|
21
|
Fran Healy
|
0.2
|
2
|
|
5/16/1976
|
Trade
|
KCA
|
Several teams had a higher % of their roster’s value represented by traded players, but this team had one of the highest raw totals of players acquired by trade. Although you do see some home grown talent (Thurman Munson, Ron Guidry, and Roy White) and the 2 key free agents (Reggie Jackson and Don Gullett), this team was very much built via the trade:
- Graig Nettles – acquired from Cleveland for Jerry Kenney, John Ellis, Charlie Spikes, and Rusty Torres
- Mickey Rivers and Ed Figueroa– acquired from California for Bobby Bonds
- Willie Randolph – acquired from Pittsburgh (with Ken Brett and Dock Ellis) for Doc Medich
- Sparky Lyle – acquired from Boston for Danny Cater and Mario Guerrero
- Bucky Dent – acquired from Chicago (AL) for Oscar Gamble and Lamarr Hoyt
- Mike Torrez – acquired from Oakland for Dock Ellis, Marty Perez, and Larry Murray
- Chris Chambliss and Dick Tidrow – acquired from Cleveland for Fritz Peterson, Steve Kline, Tom Buskey, and Fred Beene
- Lou Piniella – acquired from Kansas City for Lindy McDaniel
That’s a pretty impressive run of trades. They basically came out ahead by a good margin in all of those exchanges (with the possible exception of the Dent deal) and it was a key part of the team’s success in the late ’70’s. As mentioned before, this was the first season of true free agency, and the team landed 2 big ones in Jackson and Gullet, and they did supplement well with Guidry and Munson out of the farm system, but the trades were a big part of the puzzle.
Teams with High Professional Free Agent Scores:
Year
|
Team
|
Team Win %
|
Free Agent rWAR
|
Team rWAR
|
Free Agent % of Team Total
|
Free Agent Score (rWAR x % of Team Total)
|
Postseason?
|
WS Winner?
|
2005
|
BOS
|
.586
|
34.7
|
48.0
|
72.3%
|
25.08
|
Yes
|
No
|
2001
|
SEA
|
.716
|
38.1
|
67.7
|
56.3%
|
21.44
|
Yes
|
No
|
2002
|
TEX
|
.444
|
25.1
|
34.4
|
73.0%
|
18.31
|
No
|
No
|
2013
|
BOS
|
.599
|
29.8
|
55.1
|
54.1%
|
16.11
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
1994
|
DET
|
.461
|
18.4
|
22.3
|
82.5%
|
15.18
|
No
|
No
|
2004
|
BOS
|
.605
|
28.3
|
54.6
|
51.8%
|
14.67
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
2006
|
SEA
|
.481
|
21.9
|
33.1
|
66.2%
|
14.49
|
No
|
No
|
2005
|
NYN
|
.512
|
24.0
|
40.5
|
59.3%
|
14.22
|
No
|
No
|
1993
|
NYA
|
.543
|
25.0
|
44.4
|
56.3%
|
14.08
|
No
|
No
|
2006
|
LAN
|
.543
|
23.2
|
38.3
|
60.6%
|
14.05
|
Yes
|
No
|
Similar to the list of teams with high amateur draft scores, Boston is prevalent on this list as well. In contrast, though, the Boston teams with high amateur draft scores were during the 1980’s, where as the post-2000 era Red Sox transformed into an organization that relied more heavily on the option of signing free agents. In fact, 2 of the 3 World Series titles that the franchise has won in the past dozen years (2004 and 2013) are included here, as well as the 2005 version that made the playoffs.
Let’s look at a couple of these a little closer:
2005 Boston Red Sox
Team Record: 95-67
Team rWAR: 48.0
Free Agent rWAR: 34.7 (72.3%)
Free Agent Score: 25.08
Top players by rWAR:
#
|
Players
|
rWAR
|
Yrs
|
Home Grown?
|
Acquired
|
via
|
Team
|
1
|
David Ortiz
|
5.3
|
3
|
|
1/22/2003
|
Free Agency
|
|
2
|
Tim Wakefield
|
4.5
|
11
|
|
4/26/1995
|
Free Agency
|
|
3
|
Manny Ramirez
|
4.4
|
5
|
|
12/19/2000
|
Free Agency
|
|
4
|
Johnny Damon
|
4.0
|
4
|
|
12/21/2001
|
Free Agency
|
|
5
|
Jason Varitek
|
3.9
|
9
|
|
7/31/1997
|
Trade
|
SEA
|
6
|
Trot Nixon
|
3.4
|
9
|
✔
|
6/3/1993
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 1 (Pick 7)
|
|
7
|
David Wells
|
3.3
|
1
|
|
12/17/2004
|
Free Agency
|
|
8
|
Bill Mueller
|
3.2
|
3
|
|
1/10/2003
|
Free Agency
|
|
9
|
Matt Clement
|
3.1
|
1
|
|
12/22/2004
|
Free Agency
|
|
10
|
Mike Timlin
|
3.0
|
3
|
|
1/6/2003
|
Free Agency
|
|
11
|
Bronson Arroyo
|
2.5
|
3
|
|
2/4/2003
|
Waivers
|
PIT
|
12
|
Edgar Renteria
|
1.4
|
1
|
|
12/19/2004
|
Free Agency
|
|
13
|
Tony Graffanino
|
1.3
|
1
|
|
7/19/2005
|
Trade
|
KCA
|
14
|
Kevin Millar
|
1.1
|
3
|
|
2/15/2003
|
Purchased
|
FLO
|
15
|
Mike Myers
|
1.1
|
2
|
|
3/29/2005
|
Trade
|
SLN
|
16
|
Jonathan Papelbon
|
1.1
|
1
|
✔
|
6/3/2003
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 4
|
|
17
|
Wade Miller
|
1.0
|
1
|
|
12/22/2004
|
Free Agency
|
|
18
|
Doug Mirabelli
|
0.7
|
5
|
|
6/12/2001
|
Trade
|
TEX
|
19
|
John Olerud
|
0.7
|
1
|
|
5/2/2005
|
Free Agency
|
|
Similar to the 2004 World Series title team that’s also on this list, this team leveraged free agency heavily in building its roster, including the duo of Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, who combined to hit 92 HR’s in 2005, as well as key position players including Johnny Damon, Bill Mueller, and Edgar Renteria, as well as 3 members of the starting rotation (Tim Wakefield, Matt Clement, and David Wells).
2001 Seattle Mariners
Team Record: 116-46
Team rWAR: 67.7
Free Agent rWAR: 38.1 (56.3%)
Free Agent Score: 21.44
Top players by rWAR:
#
|
Players
|
rWAR
|
Yrs
|
Home Grown?
|
Acquired
|
via
|
Team
|
1
|
Bret Boone
|
8.8
|
1
|
|
12/22/2000
|
Free Agency
|
|
2
|
Ichiro Suzuki
|
7.7
|
1
|
|
11/30/2000
|
Purchased (Free Agent)
|
Orix
|
3
|
Mike Cameron
|
5.9
|
2
|
|
2/10/2000
|
Trade
|
CIN
|
4
|
John Olerud
|
5.2
|
2
|
|
12/15/1999
|
Free Agency
|
|
5
|
Edgar Martinez
|
4.8
|
15
|
✔
|
12/19/1982
|
Free Agency (Amateur)
|
|
6
|
Freddy Garcia
|
4.2
|
3
|
|
7/31/1998
|
Trade
|
HOU
|
7
|
Mark McLemore
|
3.5
|
2
|
|
12/20/1999
|
Free Agency
|
|
8
|
Jamie Moyer
|
3.4
|
6
|
|
7/30/1996
|
Trade
|
BOS
|
9
|
Carlos Guillen
|
3.3
|
4
|
|
7/31/1998
|
Trade
|
HOU
|
10
|
David Bell
|
3.3
|
4
|
|
8/31/1998
|
Trade
|
CLE
|
11
|
Stan Javier
|
2.8
|
2
|
|
12/20/1999
|
Free Agency
|
|
12
|
Aaron Sele
|
2.6
|
2
|
|
1/10/2000
|
Free Agency
|
|
13
|
Arthur Rhodes
|
2.6
|
2
|
|
12/21/1999
|
Free Agency
|
|
14
|
Dan Wilson
|
2.1
|
8
|
|
11/2/1993
|
Trade
|
CIN
|
15
|
Joel Pineiro
|
1.5
|
2
|
✔
|
6/3/1997
|
Draft (Amateur) - Round 12
|
|
16
|
Paul Abbott
|
1.4
|
4
|
|
1/4/1999
|
Free Agency
|
|
17
|
Jeff Nelson
|
1.4
|
1
|
|
12/4/2000
|
Free Agency
|
|
18
|
Kazuhiro Sasaki
|
1.1
|
2
|
|
12/18/1999
|
Free Agency (Amateur)
|
|
19
|
Al Martin
|
1.1
|
2
|
|
7/31/2000
|
Trade
|
SDN
|
20
|
Tom Lampkin
|
0.9
|
3
|
|
12/14/1998
|
Free Agency
|
|
Obviously, a very famous team, tied with the 1906 Cubs for the most victories (116) in a regular season. Several teams had a higher % of team value represented by free agents, but no one was able to approach their free agent figure of 38.1 rWAR. Although, that comes with a bit of an asterisk. The web site counts Ichiro Suzuki in the free agency total, which I think is a debatable designation, but I decided to keep that designation.
If you include Ichiro, then key free agents on the roster included Bret Boone, Ichiro, John Olerud, Mark McLemore, Stan Javier, Arthur Rhodes, Aaron Sele, Jeff Nelson, and Paul Abbott. When you combine it with the trades they made (Mike Cameron, Freddy Garcia, Jamie Moyer, Carlos Guillen), and roughly 90% of the team’s value was brought in from outside the organization.
Championship Circle
Finally, I wanted to look specifically at some World Series winners and see who had some of the higher figures in various categories. In this section, I’m going strictly by % of team total value, and I’m going into "abbreviated" table mode to just hit the highlights:
Highest Amateur Draft % of Team Total Value – Among World Series Winners Only:
Year
|
Team
|
Draft rWar
|
Total rWAR
|
Draft % of Total
|
Key Drafted Players
|
1987
|
MIN
|
18.8
|
31.1
|
60%
|
F. Viola, K. Puckett, K. Hrbek, G. Gaetti, S. Lombardozzi
|
1983
|
BAL
|
26.9
|
45.5
|
59%
|
C. Ripken, E. Murray, M. Boddicker, S. Davis, M. Flanagan
|
2008
|
PHI
|
23.8
|
42.2
|
56%
|
C. Utley, J. Rollins, C. Hamels, P. Burrell, R. Howard
|
1985
|
KC
|
22.8
|
40.8
|
56%
|
G. Brett, B. Saberhagen, D. Jackson, M. Gubicza, W. Wilson
|
2002
|
ANA
|
30.6
|
55.3
|
55%
|
D. Erstad, G. Anderson, J. Washburn, T. Glaus, T. Salmon
|
1984
|
DET
|
28.4
|
51.8
|
55%
|
A. Trammell, K. Gibson, L. Whitaker, D. Petry, L. Parrish
|
Highest Trade % of Team Total Value – Among World Series Winners Only:
Year
|
Team
|
Trade rWar
|
Total rWAR
|
Trade % of Total
|
Key Players Acquired via Trade
|
1982
|
STL
|
26.3
|
40.2
|
65%
|
L. Smith, J. Andujar, O. Smith, G. Hendrick, B. Sutter
|
1977
|
NY (AL)
|
34.4
|
53.7
|
64%
|
G. Nettles, M. Rivers, W. Randolph, S. Lyle, E. Figueroa
|
1980
|
PHI
|
27.7
|
44.6
|
62%
|
S. Carlton, T. McGraw, M. Trillo, B. McBride, G. Maddox
|
1992
|
TOR
|
28.7
|
46.5
|
62%
|
R. Alomar, D. White, J. Guzman, J. Carter, D. Ward
|
2003
|
FLO
|
21.8
|
38.2
|
57%
|
D. Willis, J. Pierre, D. Lee, M. Lowell, M. Redman
|
Highest Professional Free Agent % of Team Total Value – Among World Series Winners Only:
Year
|
Team
|
FA rWar
|
Total rWAR
|
Free Agency % of Total
|
Key Players Acquired via Free Agency
|
1997
|
FLO
|
20.4
|
37.7
|
54%
|
K. Brown, A. Fernandez, M. Alou, B. Bonilla, D. White
|
2013
|
BOS
|
29.8
|
55.1
|
54%
|
D. Ortiz, S. Victorino, M. Napoli, K. Uehara, S. Drew
|
2004
|
BOS
|
28.3
|
54.6
|
52%
|
D. Ortiz, M. Ramirez, J. Damon, K. Foulke, P. Reese
|
2009
|
NY (AL)
|
27.5
|
56.8
|
48%
|
C.C. Sabathia, M. Teixeira, A.J. Burnett, J. Damon, A. Pettitte
|
2001
|
ARI
|
22.0
|
48.7
|
45%
|
R. Johnson, R. Sanders, M. Grace, M. Batista, C. Counsell
|
Final table….I was wondering who were the World Series winners who had the highest % of their team’s total value coming from non-home grown talent…..that is, the % of talent on those teams that originated from other franchises. That table is below:
Year
|
Team
|
Non-Home Grown rWAR
|
Total rWAR
|
Non-Home Grown %
|
Key Players Brought in From Other Organizations
|
2004
|
BOS
|
52.6
|
54.6
|
96%
|
C. Schilling, P. Martinez, D. Ortiz, M. Ramirez, J. Damon
|
2001
|
ARI
|
43.8
|
48.7
|
90%
|
R. Johnson, C. Schilling, L. Gonzalez, R. Sanders, M. Grace
|
1992
|
TOR
|
40.6
|
46.5
|
87%
|
R. Alomar, D. White, J. Guzman, D. Winfield, J. Carter
|
1997
|
FLO
|
30.0
|
37.7
|
80%
|
K. Brown, A. Fernandez, M. Alou, B. Bonilla, G. Sheffield
|
2003
|
FLO
|
29.4
|
38.2
|
77%
|
I. Rodriguez, D. Willis, J. Pierre, D. Lee, M. Lowell
|
1989
|
OAK
|
37.5
|
49.2
|
76%
|
M. Moore, R. Henderson, C. Lansford, D. Eckersley, D. Stewart
|
2016
|
CHI (NL)
|
42.9
|
57.4
|
75%
|
A. Rizzo, J. Lester, K. Hendricks, J. Arrieta, B. Zobrist
|
2005
|
CHA
|
34.5
|
46.2
|
75%
|
J. Garland, P. Konerko, J. Contreras, F. Garcia, J. Dye
|
1978
|
NY (AL)
|
38.0
|
50.9
|
75%
|
W. Randolph, G. Nettles, R. Jackson, M. Rivers, G. Gossage
|
1977
|
NY (AL)
|
39.8
|
53.7
|
74%
|
W. Randolph, G. Nettles, R. Jackson, M. Rivers, S. Lyle
|
Notice anything (besides the fact that both Marlins championship teams are on here)? Yep, the "Theo Epstein Curse Breakers" are both on here. The 2004 Red Sox and the 2016 Cubs. (Also, the 2005 White Sox, who also broke a long title drought, are on here as well).
On the 2016 Cubs, the primary "home grown" players were:
- Kris Bryant
- Javier Baez
- Wilson Contreras
I suppose you could include Kyle Schwarber, Albert Almora, and Jorge Soler as well, but they’re pretty far down the list in individual 2016 rWAR on this roster (although Schwarber and Almora certainly made their mark in the World Series)
On the 2004 Red Sox, they had even fewer "home grown" players that made a significant contribution, as a whopping 96% of the team’s value was brought in from outside the organization. The only significant home grown players on that team were:
· Kevin Youkilis
· Trot Nixon
(Remembering that "home grown" means that a player has only been with that team, and no other)
In both cases, Epstein built championship teams primarily from leveraging outside sourcing, namely heavy use of trades, free agency and other acquisition methods that involved bringing in players from other organizations. That was a common trait to both seasons.
We could keep going on, but I’m at about 20 pages in my Word document, and that’s usually a good sign for me to quit. And so I will.
If you have any specific questions about how a particular team fares by these various evaluations, post a comment and I’ll follow up with a reply.
Thanks for reading.