About the Title
I suspect many of you are familiar with the reference to "The New Originals", but just in case you’re not, it’s from the cult classic "This is Spinal Tap", a "mockumentary" about a fictional rock band. It was the first in a series of 5 largely improvisational films, led by Christopher Guest, which included a recurring ensemble cast. For the most part, they were fun films to watch, a very different type of experience from films that are completely scripted. They’re not laugh-out-loud funny….the humor is more subtle and is rooted in the behavior and the conversation among the characters, stemming from the freedom that the actors are given to interpret and portray them. They tend to have a very real feel to them, like you’re eavesdropping on people and situations that are unfolding naturally as opposed to being spoon-fed a pre-determined script.
Courtesy of Wikipedia, here’s a handy chart of those "players" and which films they appeared in. It’s an interesting group of actors. I wouldn’t call them major stars by any stretch, but I suspect that, even if you don’t recognize the names, if you saw their faces you would say "oh, yeah….it’s that guy (or girl)!"
|
Title
|
This Is Spinal Tap
|
Waiting for Guffman
|
Best in Show
|
A Mighty Wind
|
For Your Consideration
|
|
Year
|
1984
|
1996
|
2000
|
2003
|
2006
|
|
Topic
|
Rock Music
|
Small Town Community Theater
|
Dog Shows
|
Folk Music
|
Show Business and Pre-award "buzz"
|
|
Actor
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bob Balaban
|
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
|
Ed Begley, Jr.
|
x
|
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
|
Jennifer Coolidge
|
|
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
|
John Michael Higgins
|
|
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
|
Michael Hitchcock
|
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
|
Eugene Levy
|
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
|
Jane Lynch
|
|
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
|
Michael McKean
|
x
|
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
|
Larry Miller
|
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
|
Catherine O'Hara
|
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
|
Jim Piddock
|
|
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
|
Parker Posey
|
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
|
Harry Shearer
|
x
|
|
|
x
|
x
|
|
Fred Willard
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
Outside of Guest, the only one to appear in all 5 is the wonderful Fred Willard, although several have been in the most recent 4.
"This is Spinal Tap" was the first in the series, but there was 12 years before the next one ("Waiting for Guffman"). Then, they started doing them about every 3-4 years. Starting with "Best in Show", the ensemble basically didn’t change much over the remaining films, and it’s now been almost 10 years since they’ve made one.
In any case, "This is Spinal Tap" was the first, and I would say the consensus is that it was the best, although "Best in Show" and "Waiting for Guffman" are very close to it in their "Tomatometer" score. (Tomatometer, by the way, is the "Rotten Tomatoes" equivalent of rWAR)
Finally, getting to the point……
There’s a wonderful moment in "This is Spinal Tap" where the core members of the fictional band (played by Guest, McKean, and Shearer) are being interviewed by the film maker (played by Rob Reiner) and they are providing background on the early versions of the group, before they became a heavy metal band. They started out as more of a 1960’s British "skiffle" type of group, and they wanted to call themselves "The Originals", but there was already another band by that name, so they decided to call themselves "The New Originals", which is one of my favorite plays on words. I mean, if something is original, by definition it’s new, isn’t it? Which would make "New Originals" simply redundant. Or….is it really an oxymoron, because you can’t be the new version of something that was once original and still have it be considered truly original, can you? My brain is starting to hurt just trying to think through it…...
Then, as it turns out, the other band changed their name from "The Originals" to "The Regulars", which opened the door for our lads to change back to "The Originals", but, by that time, they figured "what’s the point?……."
While we’re on the subject of "what’s the point?"…..
Baseball’s New Originals
One of my favorite exercises is to come up with all-time teams. All-time teams by college, by franchise, by categories (the all-time baseball "food" team (Darryl Strawberry, Bob Lemon, etc.) and "animal" team (Chicken Wolf, Goose Goslin, etc.) are particularly fun). Whatever the premise…I’ll give it a try.
I was interested in finding out what would be the best "teams" if you put everyone back on his original team. What if we lived in a world where there were no trades, but also no free agency? Whoever you first signed with, that’s who you stay with….for your entire career. This is pure fantasy, of course….hard to imagine either side of the team/player relationship being entirely happy with that arrangement…but every now and then we can imagine.
Now, this premise of analyzing players by the organization that "produced" them may sound familiar to those who read Bill’s Abstracts, because he did this on at least a couple of occasions that I’m aware of, in the 1982 and 1984 books. In the ’82 Abstract, it was in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ entry, and in 1984 he had an article called "Where Does Talent Come From?" He also makes other references to those types of studies that he had done over the years, and some of the things that he inferred from them (for example, that there didn’t seem to be a strong connection between having a good farm system that produced a lot of talent and having a good team).
So, this is similar to those types of studies he did, but there are three distinctions:
· He used his "Value Approximation Method".
· I’m leveraging rWAR
· He was looking at single seasons.
· I’m going to use career value
· He determined the team to associate a player with based on the first organization that he:
a) reaches the major league or Triple-A level, or
b) is included in a major league transaction, or
c) goes directly onto a major league roster
· In this exercise, I’m going to go strictly by the player’s first organization.
I’m primarily doing it this way out of convenience, as Seamheads.com has a tool specifically designed for the information I’m using. So, for example, in Bill’s study, Pedro Guerrero is considered a Dodger. In mine, he’s on the Indians.
Setup
Time Span
I initially was going to do this for the entire history of all the teams, but I decided to limit it to just the "Expansion Era" (1961-present), because I wanted to see how the teams compared without giving the 16 franchises that date back at least to 1901 a huge advantage over the more recent expansion teams.
On the other hand….I didn’t want to use 1998 (when the Diamondbacks and the Rays came into existence) as the starting point either, because that would represent fewer than 20-years worth of development, and wouldn’t be as interesting.
So, I settled on 1961 as the starting point, when the "new" Senators (now Rangers) and the Angels were formed in the AL, and joined a year later by the Mets and the Colt .45’s (now Astros) in the NL.
This gives a slight advantage over the ’69 expansion teams (Royals, Pilots/Brewers, Expos/Nationals, Padres) and the ’77 expansion teams (Mariners & Blue Jays), and a pretty significant one over the ’93 teams (Rockies and Marlins), but, again, I didn’t want to limit the # of years too much. So, my compromise was to draw the line at 1961. There is a bias towards the more established franchises, but several of the expansion teams did quite well.
I only considered players whose first season in the majors was 1961 or later. So, even though they were prominent in this era, players like Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Al Kaline, and Brooks Robinson were not part of the player pool.
Roster Structure
This is not a comprehensive study of all players. I did it in the form of 25-man rosters. In other words, I wanted to see the best 25-man rosters I could make out of the choices available.
I went with:
· Starting 8 position players
· 5 man starting rotation
· 5 man bullpen that had to consist of at least 2 players who would be considered relief specialists, with remaining spots filled by either starters or relievers
· 1 reserve catcher
· 3 reserve infielders
· 2 reserve outfielders
· 1 other reserve position player, any position
The roster had to be constructed in such a way that every position had a backup somewhere on the team. In other words, it wasn’t enough to just have a starting shortstop….someone else on the roster had to be able to "reasonably" back up that spot. It had to look like a real team.
Scoring
I used rWAR as the basis for the scoring (although I tweaked the true relievers to give them a bump based on effectiveness per inning so that their scores were a little more representative), and then weighted by position to give more weight to the starters.
The 8 starting position players were each weighted at 6.5%, and each reserve at 1.75%
The pitchers were weighted as follows:
|
SP1
|
6.00%
|
|
SP2
|
5.50%
|
|
SP3
|
5.00%
|
|
SP4
|
4.50%
|
|
SP5
|
3.50%
|
|
RP1
|
3.00%
|
|
RP2
|
2.50%
|
|
RP3
|
2.50%
|
|
RP4
|
2.00%
|
|
RP5
|
2.00%
|
The total of all weights is 100%, with about 64% represented by the 15 position players, and about 36% by the 10 pitchers. The position players represent more than half of the weight because they contribute on both offense and defense.
I used career rWAR, so that you got credit for the entire player’s career value.
Although not part of the scoring, I also leveraged data from Fangraphs the measure offense, defense, and baserunning to help me analyze which teams were better in those various phases of the game.
Finally, for each team, I’ll also highlight "the best who got away" and "the best who were later acquired from other teams".
The best who got away captures are those players that are on this version of the team, although they typically aren’t affiliated with that franchise because they ultimately had more success elsewhere. For example, Kenny Lofton is originally an Astro, but he would never make an all-time Astro team other than this one. There is a bit of subjectivity to these selections.
The Best who were later acquired from other teams looks at those players that are not on this version of the team because they’re not an "original", but came over to the team later from another franchise. Using the Astros again, this would identify players like Jeff Bagwell.
These two lists are intended to provide a sense of how the franchise did in terms of a) not letting good players escape, and b) acquiring good players over this time frame. Again, it’s not comprehensive….just conveying a sense.
The Results
Let’s get the newer expansion teams out of the way first, because they really haven’t had enough time to come up with comparable rosters. But, they’re still interesting to look at.
Team MVP will be highlighted in yellow. Hall of Famers will be indicated by *
#30-Arizona Diamondbacks
Team Score: 17.23
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Miguel Montero
|
|
1B
|
Paul Goldschmidt
|
|
2B
|
Dan Uggla
|
|
3B
|
Stephen Drew
|
|
SS
|
Mark Reynolds
|
|
LF
|
Carlos Gonzalez
|
|
CF
|
A.J. Pollock
|
|
RF
|
Justin Upton
|
|
SP1
|
Brandon Webb
|
|
SP2
|
Max Scherzer
|
|
SP3
|
Brad Penny
|
|
SP4
|
Jorge De La Rosa
|
|
SP5
|
Vincente Padilla
|
|
RP1
|
Byung-Hyun Kim
|
|
RP2
|
Jose Valverde
|
|
RP3
|
Chris Capuano
|
|
RP4
|
Brett Anderson
|
|
RP5
|
Wade Miley
|
|
Res C
|
Rod Barajas
|
|
Res IF
|
Lyle Overbay
|
|
Res IF
|
Junior Spivey
|
|
Res IF
|
Chad Tracy
|
|
Res OF
|
Gerardo Parra
|
|
Res OF
|
Adam Eaton
|
|
Res UT
|
Jack Cust
|
Best who got away: Carlos Gonzalez, Max Scherzer, Justin Upton
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Luis Gonzalez, Steve Finley
Strengths: None
Weaknesses: All
The Diamondbacks simply haven’t been around long enough to compare to the others. Webb and Scherzer, at their best, make a pretty good duo at the top of the rotation.
It’s easy to forget just how good Webb was…he racked up over 33 rWAR in just 6 full seasons before getting hurt, so he has the highest career value so far, but I think Gonzalez, Goldschmidt, and Upton will all surpass him in another couple of years or so. It’s a coin toss among them, so I went with Car-Go as team MVP, but you could go with any of them.
A lot of these players are still active. Goldschmidt, Gonzalez, Scherzer, and Upton should still have a lot of future value to add before they’re done.
#29-Tampa Bay Rays
Team Score: 17.52
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
John Jaso
|
|
1B
|
Aubrey Huff
|
|
2B
|
Akinori Iwamura
|
|
3B
|
Evan Longoria
|
|
SS
|
Elliot Johnson
|
|
LF
|
Carl Crawford
|
|
CF
|
Josh Hamilton
|
|
RF
|
Melvin Upton
|
|
SP1
|
David Price
|
|
SP2
|
James Shields
|
|
SP3
|
Jason Hammel
|
|
SP4
|
Rolando Arrojo
|
|
SP5
|
Jeremy Hellickson
|
|
RP1
|
Wade Davis
|
|
RP2
|
Dan Wheeler
|
|
RP3
|
Jose Veras
|
|
RP4
|
Alex Cobb
|
|
RP5
|
Joe Kennedy
|
|
Res C
|
Stephen Vogt
|
|
Res IF
|
Derek Dietrich
|
|
Res IF
|
Jared Sandberg
|
|
Res IF
|
Tim Beckham
|
|
Res OF
|
Desmond Jennings
|
|
Res OF
|
Rocco Baldelli
|
|
Res UT
|
Kevin Kiermaier
|
Best who got away: Josh Hamilton, Wade Davis
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Ben Zobrist, Carlos Pena, Scott Kazmir
Strengths: Speed
Weaknesses: Everything else
Similar to the Diamondbacks, they just haven’t had enough time to develop much of a full roster. Longoria, Hamilton, and Crawford are the best players on the team, with Price and Shields as a decent duo in the rotation. Crawford and Upton help them achieve a decent speed score.
Davis, of course, famously flamed out as a starter in Tampa Bay before becoming a dominant reliever in KC.
#28-Colorado Rockies
Team Score: 21.01
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Chris Ianetta
|
|
1B
|
Todd Helton
|
|
2B
|
Craig Counsell
|
|
3B
|
Chone Figgins
|
|
SS
|
Troy Tulowitzki
|
|
LF
|
Matt Holliday
|
|
CF
|
Juan Pierre
|
|
RF
|
Seth Smith
|
|
SP1
|
Ubaldo Jimenez
|
|
SP2
|
Aaron Cook
|
|
SP3
|
Jake Westbrook
|
|
SP4
|
Jhoulys Chacin
|
|
SP5
|
John Thomson
|
|
RP1
|
Pedro Strop
|
|
RP2
|
Luis Ayala
|
|
RP3
|
Jason Jennings
|
|
RP4
|
Shawn Chacon
|
|
RP5
|
Jeff Francis
|
|
Res C
|
Josh Bard
|
|
Res IF
|
Clint Barmes
|
|
Res IF
|
Juan Uribe
|
|
Res IF
|
Nolan Arenado
|
|
Res OF
|
Dexter Fowler
|
|
Res OF
|
Jody Gerut
|
|
Res UT
|
Everth Cabrera
|
Best who got away: Chone Figgins, Craig Counsell…but they really haven’t lost any major stars that would be affiliated more with other franchises, unless you count Holliday, but they did get 5 good years out of him.
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Larry Walker, Vinnie Castilla, Ellis Burks, Andres Galarraga
Strengths: Speed
Weaknesses: Pitching (of course)
Although they have a few years on the Diamondbacks and the Rays, it’s hard for the Rockies to compete. The team rates pretty well on speed with Pierre and Figgins, and Tulowitzki, Helton, and Holliday make for a pretty good power base. They rank dead last in pitching….not that that would surprise anyone.
Arenado figures to rate above Figgins in the near future at 3B. He looks like the real deal. If he turns out to have the career he seems capable of, that would be a pretty good infield with Helton, Tulowitzki, Arenado as the stars, with either Figgins or Counsell at 2B.
#27-Florida Marlins
Team Score: 25.24
|
Positon
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Charles Johnson
|
|
1B
|
Adrian Gonzalez
|
|
2B
|
Luis Castillo
|
|
3B
|
Miguel Cabrera
|
|
SS
|
Edgar Renteria
|
|
LF
|
Josh Willingham
|
|
CF
|
Randy Winn
|
|
RF
|
Giancarlo Stanton
|
|
SP1
|
Josh Beckett
|
|
SP2
|
Livan Hernandez
|
|
SP3
|
Josh Johnson
|
|
SP4
|
Jose Fernandez
|
|
SP5
|
Jason Vargas
|
|
RP1
|
Steve Cishek
|
|
RP2
|
A.J. Ramos
|
|
RP3
|
Nate Robertson
|
|
RP4
|
Tom Koehler
|
|
RP5
|
Tony Saunders
|
|
Res C
|
Mike Redmond
|
|
Res IF
|
Kevin Millar
|
|
Res IF
|
Alex Gonzalez
|
|
Res IF
|
Gaby Sanchez
|
|
Res OF
|
Mark Kotsay
|
|
Res OF
|
Christian Yelich
|
|
Res UT
|
Marcell Ozuna
|
Best who got away: Adrian Gonzalez, Miguel Cabrera
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Hanley Ramirez, Cliff Floyd, Kevin Brown, Gary Sheffield
Strengths: The infield is pretty decent
Weaknesses: Pretty much everything else
The Marlins came up with a couple of real gems in Cabrera and Adrian Gonzalez, but then traded them both away. Gonzalez never played for them, although they did get 5 years out of Cabrera…..but his better years were with the Tigers.
The infield’s not bad with A. Gonzalez, Castillo, Renteria and Cabrera, especially with 2 of the 4 still active.
OK…we got the ‘90’s expansion teams out of the way. From this point on, it gets a little more competitive.
#26-Milwaukee Brewers
Team Score: 35.22
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Darrell Porter
|
|
1B
|
Prince Fielder
|
|
2B
|
Ronnie Belliard
|
|
3B
|
Paul Molitor*
|
|
SS
|
Robin Yount*
|
|
LF
|
Ryan Braun
|
|
CF
|
Gorman Thomas
|
|
RF
|
Gary Sheffield
|
|
SP1
|
Teddy Higuera
|
|
SP2
|
Chris Bosio
|
|
SP3
|
Ben Sheets
|
|
SP4
|
Yovani Gallardo
|
|
SP5
|
Bill Wegman
|
|
RP1
|
Doug Jones
|
|
RP2
|
Dan Plesac
|
|
RP3
|
Moose Haas
|
|
RP4
|
Jim Slaton
|
|
RP5
|
Cal Eldred
|
|
Res C
|
Jonathan LuCroy
|
|
Res IF
|
Corey Hart
|
|
Res IF
|
J.J. Hardy
|
|
Res IF
|
Jim Gantner
|
|
Res OF
|
B.J. Surhoff
|
|
Res OF
|
Greg Vaughn
|
|
Res UT
|
Sixto Lezcano
|
Best who got away: Gary Sheffield, Darrell Porter
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Cecil Cooper, George Scott, Don Money, Carlos Gomez, Ben Oglivie
Strengths: Power, overall offense, catching
Weaknesses: Pitching, defense
We have encountered our first Hall of Fame sightings with Yount and Molitor. It’s a good offense with Molitor and Yount leading the way, with a good power base of Fielder, Sheffield, and Braun. They rank as the lowest overall defensive team, however. They also rank low on pitching.
#25-San Diego Padres
Team Score: 36.19
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Benito Santiago
|
|
1B
|
Derrek Lee
|
|
2B
|
Roberto Alomar*
|
|
3B
|
Chase Headley
|
|
SS
|
Ozzie Smith*
|
|
LF
|
Dave Winfield*
|
|
CF
|
Kevin McReynolds
|
|
RF
|
Tony Gwynn*
|
|
SP1
|
Jake Peavy
|
|
SP2
|
Andy Benes
|
|
SP3
|
Omar Olivares
|
|
SP4
|
Mike Caldwell
|
|
SP5
|
Randy Jones
|
|
RP1
|
Tim Worrell
|
|
RP2
|
Doug Brocail
|
|
RP3
|
Greg Harris
|
|
RP4
|
Eric Show
|
|
RP5
|
Joey Hamilton
|
|
Res C
|
Sandy Alomar
|
|
Res IF
|
John Kruk
|
|
Res IF
|
Carlos Baerga
|
|
Res IF
|
Jose Valentin
|
|
Res OF
|
Shane Mack
|
|
Res OF
|
Johnny Grubb
|
|
Res UT
|
Dave Hollins
|
Best who got away: Roberto Alomar, Ozzie Smith Carlos Baerga
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Trevor Hoffman, Adrian Gonzalez, Brian Giles,
Strengths: Defense, speed
Weaknesses: Pitching, power
San Diego actually produced 4 Hall of Fame players, tied for the most of any team in this study, a pretty impressive achievement. Unfortunately, they didn’t produce much outside of those 4. They weren’t able to come up with any closer-types, and their overall pitching is quite weak.
#24-Los Angeles/Anaheim/California Angels
Team Score: 37.14
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Mike Napoli
|
|
1B
|
Wally Joyner
|
|
2B
|
Howie Kendrick
|
|
3B
|
Carney Lansford
|
|
SS
|
Dickie Thon
|
|
LF
|
Mike Trout
|
|
CF
|
Jim Edmonds
|
|
RF
|
Tim Salmon
|
|
SP1
|
Frank Tanana
|
|
SP2
|
Chuck Finley
|
|
SP3
|
Andy Messersmith
|
|
SP4
|
Jered Weaver
|
|
SP5
|
John Lackey
|
|
RP1
|
Francisco Rodriguez
|
|
RP2
|
Troy Percival
|
|
RP3
|
Dave LaRoche
|
|
RP4
|
Jarrod Washburn
|
|
RP5
|
Mike Witt
|
|
Res C
|
Brian Harper
|
|
Res IF
|
Darin Erstad
|
|
Res IF
|
Erick Aybar
|
|
Res IF
|
Troy Glaus
|
|
Res OF
|
Devon White
|
|
Res OF
|
Garret Anderson
|
|
Res UT
|
Tom Brunansky
|
Best who got away: Tom Brunansky, Brian Harper, Dickie Thon….really not too many.
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Bobby Grich, Brian Downing, Nolan Ryan, Jim Fregosi
Strengths: Bullpen
Weaknesses: Infield
The Angels are probably one of the least exciting rosters in this study. They rate as middle-of-the-pack in most categories.
If you did an all-time team for this franchise, the biggest names that aren’t already on there would be Brian Downing, Jim Fregosi, Bobby Grich, and Nolan Ryan. They did a pretty good job of holding on to the better players that they developed. Most of the players in the roster above would likely bring "Angels" to mind when you see their names.
However – they have not yet come up with any home-grown Hall of Famers yet. I suspect Trout will be the first, maybe 20 years or so from now. Edmonds still has quite a bit of career value over Trout, but I went with Trout as the best player.
#23-Chicago White Sox
Team Score: 38.15
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Brian Downing
|
|
1B
|
Frank Thomas*
|
|
2B
|
Ray Durham
|
|
3B
|
Robin Ventura
|
|
SS
|
Alexei Ramirez
|
|
LF
|
Don Buford
|
|
CF
|
Mike Cameron
|
|
RF
|
Harold Baines
|
|
SP1
|
Mark Buehrle
|
|
SP2
|
Doug Drabek
|
|
SP3
|
Alex Fernandez
|
|
SP4
|
Jack McDowell
|
|
SP5
|
Chris Sale
|
|
RP1
|
Rich Gossage*
|
|
RP2
|
Bob Wickman
|
|
RP3
|
Terry Forster
|
|
RP4
|
Joe Horlen
|
|
RP5
|
Denny McLain
|
|
Res C
|
Ron Karkovice
|
|
Res IF
|
Randy Velarde
|
|
Res IF
|
Bucky Dent
|
|
Res IF
|
Bill Melton
|
|
Res OF
|
Carlos Lee
|
|
Res OF
|
Magglio Ordonez
|
|
Res UT
|
Joe Crede
|
Best who got away: Rich Gossage, Brian Downing, Mike Cameron, Doug Drabek, Don Buford
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Chet Lemon, Paul Konerko, Wilbur Wood, Carlton Fisk
Strengths: Corner infielders, power
Weaknesses: Rotation
The White Sox were able to produce a couple of Hall of Famers in Thomas and Gossage, but overall they rate as pretty middle-of-the-pack. I did a little bit of a position cheat with putting Downing at catcher, but he did end up with over 600 games there in his career.
One of the characteristics of the White Sox franchise through most of their history was a lack of power. Prior to 1970, when Melton hit 33, their highest single-season HR mark was 29 (Gus Zernial and Eddie Robinson, both in the early ‘50’s). Their image was epitomized by that of the "Go Go" Sox, and their best franchise players over their history were the likes of Eddie Collins, Luis Aparicio, Nellie Fox, Luke Appling, Minnie Minoso, Fielder Jones, Johnny Mostil, Willie Kamm, Ray Schalk….. players like that. Good defense, good speed, little power.
Over the time span we’re looking at, though, they’ve been much more successful at coming up with some decent power hitters.
#22-Toronto Blue Jays
Team Score: 38.18
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Yan Gomes
|
|
1B
|
John Olerud
|
|
2B
|
Jeff Kent
|
|
3B
|
Casey Blake
|
|
SS
|
Tony Fernandez
|
|
LF
|
Shannon Stewart
|
|
CF
|
Vernon Wells
|
|
RF
|
Jesse Barfield
|
|
SP1
|
Roy Halladay
|
|
SP2
|
Dave Stieb
|
|
SP3
|
David Wells
|
|
SP4
|
Jimmy Key
|
|
SP5
|
Chris Carpenter
|
|
RP1
|
Mike Timlin
|
|
RP2
|
Mark Eichhorn
|
|
RP3
|
Woody Williams
|
|
RP4
|
Pat Hentgen
|
|
RP5
|
Todd Stottlemyre
|
|
Res C
|
Greg Myers
|
|
Res IF
|
Carlos Delgado
|
|
Res IF
|
Michael Young
|
|
Res IF
|
Orlando Hudson
|
|
Res OF
|
Shawn Green
|
|
Res OF
|
Lloyd Moseby
|
|
Res UT
|
Alex Rios
|
Best who got away: Jeff Kent, Chris Carpenter, Michael Young, Casey Blake
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Jose Bautista, George Bell, Roberto Alomar, Tom Henke
Strengths: Rotation
Weaknesses: Catchers, lack of true closer
No Hall of Famers produced yet, but Halladay could change that in the coming years. Hallday, Stieb, and Wells make for a nice top of the rotation. They do not rate as a very good offensive team
A lot of the top players in their history, such as Bautista, G. Bell, Alomar, and Henke, came from other organizations.
#21-Chicago Cubs
Team Score: 38.43
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Rick Wilkins
|
|
1B
|
Rafael Palmeiro
|
|
2B
|
Scott Fletcher
|
|
3B
|
Josh Donaldson
|
|
SS
|
Shawon Dunston
|
|
LF
|
Lou Brock*
|
|
CF
|
Bill North
|
|
RF
|
Oscar Gamble
|
|
SP1
|
Greg Maddux*
|
|
SP2
|
Rick Reuschel
|
|
SP3
|
Jamie Moyer
|
|
SP4
|
Carlos Zambrano
|
|
SP5
|
Burt Hooton
|
|
RP1
|
Bruce Sutter*
|
|
RP2
|
Lee Smith
|
|
RP3
|
Ron Perranoski
|
|
RP4
|
Joe Niekro
|
|
RP5
|
Kerry Wood
|
|
Res C
|
Geovany Soto
|
|
Res IF
|
Mark Grace
|
|
Res IF
|
Don Kessinger
|
|
Res IF
|
Kris Bryant
|
|
Res OF
|
Joe Carter
|
|
Res OF
|
Dave Martinez
|
|
Res UT
|
Carmelo Martinez
|
Best who got away: There were a lot – Greg Maddux, Lou Brock, Bill North, Ron Perranoski, Joe Carter, Joe Niekro, Rafael Palmeiro, Josh Donaldson.
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Fergie Jenkins, Ryne Sandberg, Sammy Sosa, Aramis Ramirez
Strengths: Rotation, bullpen
Weaknesses: Defense, overall quality of starting 8 position players
This is a roster that has produced 3 Hall of Famers (Maddux, Sutter, Brock). If we had drawn the line just a couple of years earlier, we could have included Billy Williams and Ron Santo, which would have given them 5.
The Cubs are certainly one team where a lot of their better "originals" have found more success elsewhere. Take another pass through that roster. I’d guess you’d probably associate less than half of those names primarily as Cubs.
Ironically, we tend to think of the Cubs as a pretty good offensive team and a pretty poor pitching team because of their home park, but they actually rate here as a rather poor offensive team, but with one of the stronger staffs. Maddux is obviously one of the all-time greats, but Reuschel has a very high rWAR as well, Moyer’s is over 50, and Zambrano and Hooton were quality starters as well. And the bullpen, led by Sutter, Smith, and Perranoski, is top notch as well.
#20-San Francisco Giants
Team Score: 39.89
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Buster Posey
|
|
1B
|
Will Clark
|
|
2B
|
Robby Thompson
|
|
3B
|
Matt Williams
|
|
SS
|
Chris Speier
|
|
LF
|
George Foster
|
|
CF
|
Garry Maddox
|
|
RF
|
Bobby Bonds
|
|
SP1
|
Gaylord Perry*
|
|
SP2
|
Matt Cain
|
|
SP3
|
Jim Barr
|
|
SP4
|
Bill Hands
|
|
SP5
|
Tim Lincecum
|
|
RP1
|
Joe Nathan
|
|
RP2
|
Keith Foulke
|
|
RP3
|
Gary Lavelle
|
|
RP4
|
Madison Bumgarner
|
|
RP5
|
John Montefusco
|
|
Res C
|
Tom Haller
|
|
Res IF
|
Jack Clark
|
|
Res IF
|
Royce Clayton
|
|
Res IF
|
Bill Mueller
|
|
Res OF
|
Gary Matthews
|
|
Res OF
|
Chili Davis
|
|
Res UT
|
Jim Ray Hart
|
Best who got away: George Foster, Garry Maddox, Bill Hands, Joe Nathan, Jack Clark, Keith Foulke
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent
Strengths: Defense, bullpen, depth
Weaknesses: Speed,
I think Bill made the observation years ago about the great run this team had of developing outfielders in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s – a lot of those names are above: Bobby Bonds, Maddox, Matthews, Foster, Jack Clark. You can add Dave Kingman to that too. But, most of them found greater success elsewhere.
They have only produced one Hall of Famer over this span, although Will Clark is a popular dark horse candidate if/when he comes up for consideration somewhere down the line. Posey has a long way to go, but I think he’s tracking favorably towards a Hall of Fame career. He has an MVP, a batting title, a career .311 average (which will surely go down, but still….), he has 3 rings, and he’s still only 28. He’s looking pretty good.
The Giants rate pretty high defensively, with good gloves like Maddox, Thompson, Williams, Clark, and Bonds. There are a lot of Gold Gloves on this roster.
#19-Texas Rangers/Washington Senators v2.0
Team Score: 40.19
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Ivan Rodriguez
|
|
1B
|
Mark Teixeira
|
|
2B
|
Ian Kinsler
|
|
3B
|
Bill Madlock
|
|
SS
|
Roy Smalley
|
|
LF
|
Rusty Greer
|
|
CF
|
Juan Gonzalez
|
|
RF
|
Sammy Sosa
|
|
SP1
|
Kevin Brown
|
|
SP2
|
Kenny Rogers
|
|
SP3
|
Danny Darwin
|
|
SP4
|
Wilson Alvarez
|
|
SP5
|
Ron Darling
|
|
RP1
|
Tom Henke
|
|
RP2
|
Dave Righetti
|
|
RP3
|
Robb Nen
|
|
RP4
|
Joe Coleman
|
|
RP5
|
Ryan Dempster
|
|
Res C
|
Jim Sundberg
|
|
Res IF
|
Mike Hargrove
|
|
Res IF
|
Rey Sanchez
|
|
Res IF
|
Edwin Encarnacion
|
|
Res OF
|
Ruben Sierra
|
|
Res OF
|
Del Unser
|
|
Res UT
|
Jeff Burroughs
|
Best who got away: Sammy Sosa, Bill Madlock, Edwin Encarnacion, Tom Henke, Dave Righetti, Robb Nen
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Josh Hamilton, Alex Rodriguez, Toby Harrah, Rafael Palmeiro, Buddy Bell, Charlie Hough
Strengths: Catching, bullpen
Weaknesses: Speed
Basically, a lot of talent left the building and succeeded elsewhere without contributing anything to the Rangers (see "Best who got away" above).
The Rangers do rate as the #1 overall catching team with Pudge as the #1 and a very good backup (Sundberg) as the #2. In the scoring system, this nudges them (by the slimmest of margins) past Johnny Bench/Johnny Edwards of the Reds as a catching tandem.
The bullpen is magnificent, with Henke, Righetti, and Nen. Henke and Nen are right around top-20 in career saves, and Righetti is #33. None of them did much of anything for Texas before becoming outstanding closers elsewhere.
#18-Detroit Tigers
Team Score: 40.43
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Bill Freehan
|
|
1B
|
Jason Thompson
|
|
2B
|
Lou Whitaker
|
|
3B
|
Travis Fryman
|
|
SS
|
Alan Trammell
|
|
LF
|
Willie Horton
|
|
CF
|
Curtis Granderson
|
|
RF
|
Kirk Gibson
|
|
SP1
|
John Smoltz*
|
|
SP2
|
Mickey Lolich
|
|
SP3
|
Jack Morris
|
|
SP4
|
Justin Verlander
|
|
SP5
|
Ken Hill
|
|
RP1
|
John Hiller
|
|
RP2
|
Francisco Cordero
|
|
RP3
|
Mike Henneman
|
|
RP4
|
Jim Rooker
|
|
RP5
|
Dick Drago
|
|
Res C
|
Lance Parrish
|
|
Res IF
|
Tony Clark
|
|
Res IF
|
Omar Infante
|
|
Res IF
|
Howard Johnson
|
|
Res OF
|
Bobby Higginson
|
|
Res OF
|
Jim Northrup
|
|
Res UT
|
Ron LeFlore
|
Best who got away: John Smoltz, Ken Hill, Francisco Cordero, Jim Rooker, Dick Drago
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Miguel Cabrera, Chet Lemon, Cecil Fielder, Tony Phillips
Strengths: Catching, double-play combination
Weaknesses: Outfield
The Tigers, except for Smoltz, did a pretty good job of holding on to the better players that originated with them. Most of the players on the roster are pretty identifiable, at least primarily, as Tigers.
I went with Trammell & Whitaker as co-MVP’s. It seemed fitting.
Smoltz is the only Hall of Famer out of the system, but Trammell and Whitaker get a lot of attention as being among the better players who are not currently in, and, of course, Jack Morris has a lot of supporters. If Bill Freehan ever makes it, the drinks are on me, as he is one of my favorites.
The rotation led by Smoltz, Lolich, Verlander, and Morris is pretty decent.
#17-New York Mets
Team Score: 41.80
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Jody Davis
|
|
1B
|
Gregg Jefferies
|
|
2B
|
Edgardo Alfonzo
|
|
3B
|
David Wright
|
|
SS
|
Jose Reyes
|
|
LF
|
Ken Singleton
|
|
CF
|
Lenny Dykstra
|
|
RF
|
Darryl Strawberry
|
|
SP1
|
Tom Seaver*
|
|
SP2
|
Nolan Ryan*
|
|
SP3
|
Jerry Koosman
|
|
SP4
|
Dwight Gooden
|
|
SP5
|
Jon Matlack
|
|
RP1
|
Rick Aguilera
|
|
RP2
|
Jeff Reardon
|
|
RP3
|
Tug McGraw
|
|
RP4
|
Mike Scott
|
|
RP5
|
Randy Myers
|
|
Res C
|
Todd Hundley
|
|
Res IF
|
Dave Magadan
|
|
Res IF
|
Bud Harrelson
|
|
Res IF
|
Jose Oquendo
|
|
Res OF
|
Paul Blair
|
|
Res OF
|
Kevin Mitchell
|
|
Res UT
|
Carlos Gomez
|
Best who got away: Nolan Ryan, Jody Davis, Ken Singleton, Jeff Reardon, Rick Aguilera, Mike Scott, Paul Blair, Carlos Gomez.
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Mike Piazza, Keith Hernandez, John Franco, Carlos Beltran
Strengths: Pitching (especially rotation), speed
Weaknesses: Catching, overall offense
Meet your #1 rated pitching staff, led by Seaver and Ryan, recipients of the two highest vote %’s of any Hall of Fame player, both over 98% (not that that factored into the scoring at all). You’ve got 2 all-time greats with Seaver and Ryan, a #3 (Koosman) with more than 200 victories, a #4 (Gooden) who’s just a few wins shy of 200, and a quality #5 in Matlack. A strong rotation.
Unfortunately, the offense isn’t quite as good. First base is a weak spot, and the player there (Jefferies) never played a game at that position for this franchise, although that ended up being the position at which he played the most games in his career. There is some good team speed in the lineup with Reyes, Dykstra, Strawberry, Wright, and Jefferies.
The roster has an awful lot of players that found greater success with other franchises.
#16-Kansas City Royals
Team Score: 42.54
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Don Slaught
|
|
1B
|
Mike Sweeney
|
|
2B
|
Frank White
|
|
3B
|
George Brett*
|
|
SS
|
U.L. Washington
|
|
LF
|
Johnny Damon
|
|
CF
|
Willie Wilson
|
|
RF
|
Carlos Beltran
|
|
SP1
|
David Cone
|
|
SP2
|
Bret Saberhagen
|
|
SP3
|
Kevin Appier
|
|
SP4
|
Zack Greinke
|
|
SP5
|
Tom Candiotti
|
|
RP1
|
Dan Quisenberry
|
|
RP2
|
Tom Gordon
|
|
RP3
|
Mark Gubicza
|
|
RP4
|
Dennis Leonard
|
|
RP5
|
Paul Splittorff
|
|
Res C
|
Mike MacFarlane
|
|
Res IF
|
Jeff Conine
|
|
Res IF
|
Mark Ellis
|
|
Res IF
|
Kevin Seitzer
|
|
Res OF
|
Alex Gordon
|
|
Res OF
|
Al Cowens
|
|
Res UT
|
Joe Randa
|
Best who got away: David Cone, Tom Candiotti, Jeff Conine, Mark Ellis
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Amos Otis, John Mayberry, Fred Patek, Jeff Montgomery, Hal McRae, Darrell Porter
Strengths: Speed, defense, rotation
Weaknesses: Power
The Royals rank #1 on the speed scale, led by the outfield trio of Wilson, Beltran, and Damon. All 3 played more CF than anything else in their careers, and they were all pretty speedy in their prime. The team also ranks in the top 10 on the defensive scale.
The rotation of Cone, Saberhagen, Appier, Greinke, and Candiotti is a good one.
Like many Royals teams, they’re a little short on power.
#15-St. Louis Cardinals
Team Score: 42.83
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Ted Simmons
|
|
1B
|
Albert Pujols
|
|
2B
|
Placido Polanco
|
|
3B
|
Terry Pendleton
|
|
SS
|
Garry Templeton
|
|
LF
|
Jose Cruz
|
|
CF
|
Andy Van Slyke
|
|
RF
|
J.D. Drew
|
|
SP1
|
Steve Carlton*
|
|
SP2
|
Dan Haren
|
|
SP3
|
Jerry Reuss
|
|
SP4
|
John Denny
|
|
SP5
|
Bob Forsch
|
|
RP1
|
Todd Worrell
|
|
RP2
|
Al Hrabosky
|
|
RP3
|
Mike Torrez
|
|
RP4
|
Jeff Fassero
|
|
RP5
|
Nelson Briles
|
|
Res C
|
Yadier Molina
|
|
Res IF
|
Keith Hernandez
|
|
Res IF
|
Tom Herr
|
|
Res IF
|
Ken Oberkfell
|
|
Res OF
|
Ray Lankford
|
|
Res OF
|
Brian Jordan
|
|
Res UT
|
Todd Zeile
|
Best who got away: Jose Cruz, Placido Polanco, Dan Haren, Andy Van Slyke, Jerry Reuss, Mike Torrez
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, Scott Rolen, Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Jim Edmonds, Matt Holliday
Strengths: Defense, catching, depth
Weaknesses: Bullpen
They have produced one Hall of Famer in Carlton, but Pujols will certainly make it two when he’s done, and Keith Hernandez could certainly make it someday. Could potentially start him at 1B and move Pujols to LF, but Cruz rates almost as high as Hernandez in value anyway, so I left it as is.
It’s an interesting thing, but it seems like we always hear about how terrific the Cardinals are at developing pitchers, but how many pitchers have had great careers there over the past 50+ years? OK, Bob Gibson is one. Adam Wainwright’s another, but he also came over in a big trade with the Braves as a pretty highly regarded prospect. It just doesn’t seem like they really have ended up with many pitchers that have turned in big careers. Maybe Carlos Martinez, Michael Wacha, and Lance Lynn will turn that around. Guess we’ll see.
#14-New York Yankees
Team Score: 43.10
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Thurman Munson
|
|
1B
|
Fred McGriff
|
|
2B
|
Robinson Cano
|
|
3B
|
Mike Lowell
|
|
SS
|
Derek Jeter
|
|
LF
|
Roy White
|
|
CF
|
Bernie Williams
|
|
RF
|
Bobby Murcer
|
|
SP1
|
Andy Pettitte
|
|
SP2
|
Ron Guidry
|
|
SP3
|
Mel Stottlemyre
|
|
SP4
|
Al Leiter
|
|
SP5
|
Jose Rijo
|
|
RP1
|
Mariano Rivera
|
|
RP2
|
David Robertson
|
|
RP3
|
Tim Belcher
|
|
RP4
|
Orlando Hernandez
|
|
RP5
|
Al Downing
|
|
Res C
|
Jorge Posada
|
|
Res IF
|
Don Mattingly
|
|
Res IF
|
Greg Gagne
|
|
Res IF
|
Mike Pagliarulo
|
|
Res OF
|
Willie McGee
|
|
Res OF
|
Alfonso Soriano
|
|
Res UT
|
Tom Tresh
|
Best who got away: Fred McGriff, Mike Lowell, Al Leiter, Jose Rijo, Greg Gagne, Willie McGee
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Willie Randolph, Dave Winfield, Alex Rodriguez, Graig Nettles, Mike Mussina, Rich Gossage, Dave Righetti, Rickey Henderson
Strengths: Overall offense, infield, catching, bullpen
Weaknesses: Defense, speed
No Hall of Famers yet out of this group, but that’s a mere formality for Jeter and Rivera, both of whom should easily get elected in their first year of eligibility.
A couple of pretty good first basemen, I went with McGriff over Mattingly. Munson and Posada are a terrific catching tandem.
The Yankees famously had a really good run with the early-to-mid ‘90’s debuts of Williams, Pettitte, Jeter, Rivera, and Posada, all of whom made the team.
#13-Cincinnati Reds
Team Score: 43.97
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Johnny Bench*
|
|
1B
|
Joey Votto
|
|
2B
|
Pete Rose
|
|
3B
|
Tony Perez*
|
|
SS
|
Barry Larkin*
|
|
LF
|
Jim Wynn
|
|
CF
|
Eric Davis
|
|
RF
|
Reggie Sanders
|
|
SP1
|
Charlie Leibrandt
|
|
SP2
|
Johnny Cueto
|
|
SP3
|
Mario Soto
|
|
SP4
|
Gary Nolan
|
|
SP5
|
Tom Browning
|
|
RP1
|
Trevor Hoffman
|
|
RP2
|
Aroldis Chapman
|
|
RP3
|
Jeff Montgomery
|
|
RP4
|
Don Gullett
|
|
RP5
|
Joaquin Andujar
|
|
Res C
|
Johnny Edwards
|
|
Res IF
|
Lee May
|
|
Res IF
|
Dave Concepcion
|
|
Res IF
|
Tommy Harper
|
|
Res OF
|
Paul O'Neill
|
|
Res OF
|
Ken Griffey Sr.
|
|
Res UT
|
Hal McRae
|
Best who got away: Jim Wynn, Trevor Hoffman, Jeff Montgomery, Charlie Leibrandt, Joaquin Andujar
Hal McRae
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Joe Morgan, George Foster, John Franco, Brandon Phillips
Strengths: Catching, bullpen, starting 8, overall offense
Weaknesses: Rotation, defense
3 Hall of Famers lead the way (Bench, Larkin, Perez) along with one should-have-been in Rose. Hoffman has good Hall of Fame credentials as well.
A couple of position cheats in putting Rose at 2B and Perez at 3B. However, Rose did play over 600 games at 2B, basically the same number he played at 3B, LF, or RF. And Perez played well over 700 games at 3B, including his first 4 All-Star Game seasons, so I feel OK with them there. They rank as the #4 infield in this study.
However, they are a little stretched defensively, and they do show as one of the weaker defensive teams. They are a little like the next team up on the list (the Pirates) – good offense, mediocre starting pitching. That’s been characteristic of both of these franchises, not just during this time frame, but their entire histories.
A lot of people forget that Hoffman started with the Reds….as a shortstop. Hoffman, Chapman, and Montgomery make for a nice trio in the bullpen.
#12-Pittsburgh Pirates
Team Score: 44.31
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Jason Kendall
|
|
1B
|
Willie Stargell*
|
|
2B
|
Willie Randolph
|
|
3B
|
Aramis Ramirez
|
|
SS
|
Freddie Patek
|
|
LF
|
Barry Bonds
|
|
CF
|
Andrew McCutchen
|
|
RF
|
Dave Parker
|
|
SP1
|
John Candelaria
|
|
SP2
|
Tim Wakefield
|
|
SP3
|
Rick Honeycutt
|
|
SP4
|
Bob Veale
|
|
SP5
|
Esteban Loaiza
|
|
RP1
|
Kent Tekulve
|
|
RP2
|
Gene Garber
|
|
RP3
|
Steve Farr
|
|
RP4
|
Bronson Arroyo
|
|
RP5
|
Rick Reed
|
|
Res C
|
Manny Sanguillen
|
|
Res IF
|
Richie Hebner
|
|
Res IF
|
Gene Alley
|
|
Res IF
|
Don Money
|
|
Res OF
|
Moises Alou
|
|
Res OF
|
Bobby Bonilla
|
|
Res UT
|
Al Oliver
|
Best who got away: Willie Randolph, Moises Alou, Don Money, Barry Bonds, Tim Wakefield, Gene Garber
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Andy Van Slyke, Brian Giles, Doug Drabek, Rick Rhoden, Jason Bay
Strengths: Overall offense, depth, outfield
Weaknesses: Rotation, overall pitching
No surprise – this team can flat out hit, but they are pitching-challenged. This is consistent with the storyline of this franchise over its history. They’ve always been able to come up with hitters, but pitchers have been tougher to come by.
Stargell is the only Hall of Famer, but of course Bonds is another that is well over that line as a player. Randolph is a dark horse candidate down the road, and McCutchen, if he keeps on like he’s been going, could end up there someday.
I put Bonds in the "ones that got away" category even though they did get 7 years and 2 MVP’s out of him before he went to San Francisco, so he doesn’t quite fit the premise, but he just did so much after his Pittsburgh years that I decided to include him.
Randolph is one that got away that I’m sure they wish they’d have kept. In the early-to-mid ‘70’s, they came up with Dave Cash, Rennie Stennett, and Randolph. They traded Cash to the Phillies (for Ken Brett) in ’73 and then a couple of years later traded Randolph with Ken Brett and Dock Ellis to the Yankees for Doc Medich. Then, about a year later, they traded Medich in a huge deal with the A’s, sending Tony Armas, Doug Bair, Dave Giusti, Rick Langford and Mitchell Page to Oakland for Chris Batton, Phil Garner and Tommy Helms (who was just about done as a player). Garner was a good player for the Pirates, but essentially they traded Cash, Randolph, Armas, Bair, Giusti, Langford, and Page for Garner. I’d have to say that that series of trades was not one of their better moments.
#11-Seattle Mariners
Team Score: 44.44
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Jason Varitek
|
|
1B
|
David Ortiz
|
|
2B
|
Bret Boone
|
|
3B
|
Edgar Martinez
|
|
SS
|
Alex Rodriguez
|
|
LF
|
Phil Bradley
|
|
CF
|
Ken Griffey Jr.
|
|
RF
|
Ichiro Suzuki
|
|
SP1
|
Mark Langston
|
|
SP2
|
Felix Hernandez
|
|
SP3
|
Derek Lowe
|
|
SP4
|
Mike Hampton
|
|
SP5
|
Mike Moore
|
|
RP1
|
J.J. Putz
|
|
RP2
|
Rafael Soriano
|
|
RP3
|
Bud Black
|
|
RP4
|
Doug Fister
|
|
RP5
|
Erik Hanson
|
|
Res C
|
Dave Valle
|
|
Res IF
|
Tino Martinez
|
|
Res IF
|
Harold Reynolds
|
|
Res IF
|
Omar Vizquel
|
|
Res OF
|
Dave Henderson
|
|
Res OF
|
Adam Jones
|
|
Res UT
|
Shin-Soo Choo
|
Best who got away: David Ortiz, Jason Varitek, Mike Hampton, Adam Jones, Omar Vizquel
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Randy Johnson, Jamie Moyer, Jay Buhner
Strengths: Outfield, overall offensive talent, big stars in the lineup
Weaknesses: Rotation, defense is stretched with the 2 DH’s in the lineup.
I suppose you could also include A-Rod in the "Best who got away"….but they did get 7 years out of him.
No Hall of Famers yet, but that will change when Ken Griffey Jr. is elected. I also think Suzuki will go in right away as soon as he’s eligible. I guess we’ll have to see what the landscape is like when A-Rod is up for consideration. At this point, his election doesn’t seem likely, but that can certainly change. E. Martinez is a solid Hall of Fame candidate, and Ortiz will be too when he’s up for consideration. There will definitely be some Hall of Famers coming out of this roster.
The most striking thing about this team is that you’ve got two of the best DH’s ever in Edgar Martinez and David Ortiz. I didn’t designate DH’s for any teams, so I’m going to have to go with Edgar at 3B and Ortiz at 1B. Boone and A-Rod will be busy in the field. It’s an impressive lineup, though…..
#10-Philadelphia Phillies
Team Score: 44.46
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Bob Boone
|
|
1B
|
Dick Allen
|
|
2B
|
Ryne Sandberg*
|
|
3B
|
Mike Schmidt*
|
|
SS
|
Jimmy Rollins
|
|
LF
|
Lonnie Smith
|
|
CF
|
Marlon Byrd
|
|
RF
|
John Briggs
|
|
SP1
|
Fergie Jenkins*
|
|
SP2
|
Cole Hamels
|
|
SP3
|
Rick Wise
|
|
SP4
|
Kevin Gross
|
|
SP5
|
Dave Roberts
|
|
RP1
|
Mike Marshall
|
|
RP2
|
Willie Hernandez
|
|
RP3
|
Michael Jackson
|
|
RP4
|
Grant Jackson
|
|
RP5
|
Randy Wolf
|
|
Res C
|
Darren Daulton
|
|
Res IF
|
Julio Franco
|
|
Res IF
|
Chase Utley
|
|
Res IF
|
Scott Rolen
|
|
Res OF
|
Greg Luzinski
|
|
Res OF
|
George Bell
|
|
Res UT
|
Toby Harrah
|
Best who got away: Ryne Sandberg, Fergie Jenkins, Willie Hernandez, Julio Franco, George Bell,Toby Harrah
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Steve Carlton, Garry Maddox, Bobby Abreu, Von Hayes, Lenny Dykstra, Von Hayes, Curt Schilling
Strengths: Infield, depth, defense, speed
Weaknesses: Outfield, bullpen
The Phillies rate as the #1 infield with 2 Hall of Famers (Schmidt & Sandberg), one that may well end up as one (Allen), and another that will have an interesting case (Rollins). All 4 of them have been MVP’s. In addition, the backup infielders (Rolen, Utley, and Franco) have all had very successful careers in their own right. A very deserving #1 infield.
However, the outfield is pretty weak with Smith, Byrd, and Briggs. The rotation after Jenkins and Hamels isn’t very strong, and neither is the bullpen.
The Phillies had a lot of high profile exchanges. They traded away future Hall of Famers Sandberg and Jenkins, and acquired one in Carlton (and possibly another one in Schilling).
#9-Los Angeles Dodgers
Team Score: 44.90
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Mike Piazza
|
|
1B
|
Steve Garvey
|
|
2B
|
Davey Lopes
|
|
3B
|
Adrian Beltre
|
|
SS
|
Bill Russell
|
|
LF
|
Shane Victorino
|
|
CF
|
Matt Kemp
|
|
RF
|
Raul Mondesi
|
|
SP1
|
Pedro Martinez*
|
|
SP2
|
Don Sutton*
|
|
SP3
|
Orel Hershiser
|
|
SP4
|
Clayton Kershaw
|
|
SP5
|
Fernando Valenzuela
|
|
RP1
|
John Wetteland
|
|
RP2
|
John Franco
|
|
RP3
|
Bob Welch
|
|
RP4
|
Charlie Hough
|
|
RP5
|
Doyle Alexander
|
|
Res C
|
Russell Martin
|
|
Res IF
|
Paul Konerko
|
|
Res IF
|
Steve Sax
|
|
Res IF
|
Ron Cey
|
|
Res OF
|
Willie Crawford
|
|
Res OF
|
Lee Lacy
|
|
Res UT
|
Ken McMullen
|
Best who got away: Pedro Martinez, John Wetteland, John Franco, Paul Konerko, Shane Victorino, Charlie Hough
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Pedro Guerrero, Dusty Baker, Ron Perranoski
Strengths: Bullpen, rotation, speed
Weaknesses: Outfield
Overall, 2 Hall of Fame pitchers have been produced, but there could be other Hall of Famers to come with Piazza on the brink, and 2 very strong active candidates with Beltre and Kershaw. Kershaw has a long way to go….but still, 3 Cy Youngs in 4 years (and finishing 2nd in the other year), 1 MVP, 4 straight ERA titles…..he’s looking good. His top 5 comps through age 26 are Seaver, Palmer, Clemens, Pedro….and Babe Ruth (as a pitcher). Pretty nice company.
This rates as the #1 bullpen, with Wetteland and Franco as a nice 1-2 righty/left duo, and Welch, Hough, and Alexander giving the team either long relief and/or spot starts.
#8-Cleveland Indians
Team Score: 45.16
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Victor Martinez
|
|
1B
|
Jim Thome
|
|
2B
|
Jason Kipnis
|
|
3B
|
Buddy Bell
|
|
SS
|
Jhonny Peralta
|
|
LF
|
Albert Belle
|
|
CF
|
Brian Giles
|
|
RF
|
Manny Ramirez
|
|
SP1
|
Luis Tiant
|
|
SP2
|
Tommy John
|
|
SP3
|
CC Sabathia
|
|
SP4
|
Bartolo Colon
|
|
SP5
|
Sam McDowell
|
|
RP1
|
Dennis Eckersley*
|
|
RP2
|
Jeff Shaw
|
|
RP3
|
Sonny Siebert
|
|
RP4
|
Greg Swindell
|
|
RP5
|
Charles Nagy
|
|
Res C
|
Ron Hassey
|
|
Res IF
|
Chris Chambliss
|
|
Res IF
|
Marco Scutaro
|
|
Res IF
|
Kelly Gruber
|
|
Res OF
|
Pedro Guerrero
|
|
Res OF
|
Tommie Agee
|
|
Res UT
|
Von Hayes
|
Best who got away: Brian Giles, Buddy Bell, Luis Tiant, Tommy John, Dennis Eckersley, Pedro Guerrero
Tommie Agee, Jeff Shaw
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Kenny Lofton, Shin-Soo Choo, Gaylord Perry, Grady Sizemore
Strengths: Overall offense, power, overall pitching staff
Weaknesses: Defense, speed
Yes, I was shocked they were this high, too. I think a big part of it is that a lot of their top talent has made big names for themselves with other organizations.
They’ve only come up with one Hall of Famer over this time frame (Eckersley), but have many other candidates that have more than their share of supporters in Tiant, John, Thome (who will be up in the next few years), Bell, and Manny (who won’t make it because of the steroid connection, but he was certainly quite the hitter).
It’s an interesting rotation, with Tiant, John, Sabathia, Colon, and McDowell.
The Indians are the lowest-ranked team in speed, and next to last in defense. In particular, their outfield is particularly slow and poor defensively.
#7-Houston Astros
Team Score: 45.17
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Jerry Grote
|
|
1B
|
Lance Berkman
|
|
2B
|
Joe Morgan*
|
|
3B
|
Ken Caminiti
|
|
SS
|
Carlos Guillen
|
|
LF
|
Cesar Cedeno
|
|
CF
|
Kenny Lofton
|
|
RF
|
Bobby Abreu
|
|
SP1
|
Roy Oswalt
|
|
SP2
|
Johan Santana
|
|
SP3
|
Freddy Garcia
|
|
SP4
|
Larry Dierker
|
|
SP5
|
Don Wilson
|
|
RP1
|
Billy Wagner
|
|
RP2
|
Dave Giusti
|
|
RP3
|
Floyd Bannister
|
|
RP4
|
Ken Forsch
|
|
RP5
|
J.R. Richard
|
|
Res C
|
Cliff Johnson
|
|
Res IF
|
Bob Watson
|
|
Res IF
|
Craig Biggio*
|
|
Res IF
|
Doug Rader
|
|
Res OF
|
Luis Gonzalez
|
|
Res OF
|
Rusty Staub
|
|
Res UT
|
Ben Zobrist
|
Best who got away: Kenny Lofton, Bobby Abreu, Joe Morgan, Johan Santana, Dave Giusti, Ben Zobrist
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Jeff Bagwell, Jose Cruz, Jim Wynn, Dickie Thon, Nolan Ryan, Mike Scott
Strengths: Speed, depth, outfield
Weaknesses: Defense, catching,
The Astros were about as shocking to me as the Indians. Again, some of this may be due to a lot of the players being much more recognized for what they did after their time with Astros. In particular, Houston got essentially nothing out of Lofton and Abreu, both of who went on to great success with other franchises.
By the way….which outfield is faster? Royals with Damon, Wilson, and Beltran? Or: Astros with Cedeno, Lofton, and Abreu?
There are two Hall of Famers in Morgan and Biggio who, unfortunately, both play the same position. I considered moving Biggio to catcher or outfield, but decided against it. I did move Berkman from the OF to 1B, though.
The team also has a strong and versatile bench with Biggio, Zobrist, Staub, Watson, and L. Gonzalez.
#6-Atlanta Braves
Team Score: 45.54
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Javy Lopez
|
|
1B
|
Ryan Klesko
|
|
2B
|
Ron Hunt
|
|
3B
|
Chipper Jones
|
|
SS
|
Rafael Furcal
|
|
LF
|
Brett Butler
|
|
CF
|
Andruw Jones
|
|
RF
|
Dale Murphy
|
|
SP1
|
Phil Niekro*
|
|
SP2
|
Tom Glavine*
|
|
SP3
|
Adam Wainwright
|
|
SP4
|
Jason Schmidt
|
|
SP5
|
Kevin Millwood
|
|
RP1
|
Craig Kimbrel
|
|
RP2
|
Clay Carroll
|
|
RP3
|
Ron Reed
|
|
RP4
|
Zane Smith
|
|
RP5
|
Mike Stanton
|
|
Res C
|
Brian McCann
|
|
Res IF
|
Bob Horner
|
|
Res IF
|
Martin Prado
|
|
Res IF
|
Denis Menke
|
|
Res OF
|
David Justice
|
|
Res OF
|
Dusty Baker
|
|
Res UT
|
Ron Gant
|
Best who got away: Adam Wainwright, Jason Schmidt, Dusty Baker, Brett Butler
Best who were later acquired from other teams: John Smoltz, Greg Maddux, Darrell Evans
Strengths: Rotation, outfield depth
Weaknesses: Speed
Even with Smoltz and Maddux coming from other organizations, the Braves were still pretty adept at coming up with talented pitchers, including Niekro, Glavine, Wainwright, Schmidt, and Millwood.
The team produced 2 Hall of Famers, plus Chipper will make it 3 once he’s eligible. Dale Murphy and Andruw Jones are also interesting candidates, although Murphy didn’t make it in during his recent 15-year term on the ballot, and Jones is coming up in a few years. He’s an intriguing candidate, surely one of the best defensive CF’ers ever, but probably destined to come up short.
#5-Baltimore Orioles
Team Score: 46.45
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Gregg Zaun
|
|
1B
|
Eddie Murray*
|
|
2B
|
Bobby Grich
|
|
3B
|
Doug DeCinces
|
|
SS
|
Cal Ripken*
|
|
LF
|
Boog Powell
|
|
CF
|
Steve Finley
|
|
RF
|
Jayson Werth
|
|
SP1
|
Mike Mussina
|
|
SP2
|
Jim Palmer*
|
|
SP3
|
Dennis Martinez
|
|
SP4
|
Mike Boddicker
|
|
SP5
|
Dean Chance
|
|
RP1
|
Sparky Lyle
|
|
RP2
|
Armando Benitez
|
|
RP3
|
Gregg Olson
|
|
RP4
|
Mike Flanagan
|
|
RP5
|
Dave McNally
|
|
Res C
|
Matt Wieters
|
|
Res IF
|
Davey Johnson
|
|
Res IF
|
Mark Belanger
|
|
Res IF
|
Brian Roberts
|
|
Res OF
|
Al Bumbry
|
|
Res OF
|
Nick Markakis
|
|
Res UT
|
Don Baylor
|
Best who got away: Dean Chance, Sparkly Lyle, Jayson Werth, Steve Finley
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Paul Blair, Don Buford, Ken Singleton
Strengths: Infield, rotation, defense
Weaknesses: Catching, speed
The Orioles have done a good job of growing and keeping their own. Of the 3 Hall of Famers, Palmer and Ripken were lifetime Orioles, and Murray spent most of his career with them too. Mussina is a potential 4th Hall of Famer, and Bobby Grich is one of the popular choices for the analytics community.
The Orioles didn’t have a real strong left field option, so I went with Powell, who played for 3 season there at the beginning of his career before it became "challenging" for him to continue doing so.
Pitching, infield, defense – those are the definite strengths of this team. Was there ever any doubt? The infield ranks #2 in this study behind the Phillies.
#4-Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals
Team Score: 46.68
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Gary Carter*
|
|
1B
|
Andres Galarraga
|
|
2B
|
Brandon Phillips
|
|
3B
|
Tim Wallach
|
|
SS
|
Orlando Cabrera
|
|
LF
|
Tim Raines
|
|
CF
|
Andre Dawson*
|
|
RF
|
Larry Walker
|
|
SP1
|
Randy Johnson*
|
|
SP2
|
Cliff Lee
|
|
SP3
|
Javier Vazquez
|
|
SP4
|
Steve Rogers
|
|
SP5
|
Scott Sanderson
|
|
RP1
|
Ugueth Urbina
|
|
RP2
|
Norm Charlton
|
|
RP3
|
Bill Gullickson
|
|
RP4
|
Shane Rawley
|
|
RP5
|
Jordan Zimmermann
|
|
Res C
|
Derek Norris
|
|
Res IF
|
Ryan Zimmerman
|
|
Res IF
|
Delino DeShields
|
|
Res IF
|
Tony Phillips
|
|
Res OF
|
Vladimir Guerrero
|
|
Res OF
|
Rondell White
|
|
Res UT
|
Bryce Harper
|
Best who got away: Randy Johnson, Larry Walker, Andres Galarraga, Brandon Phillips, Cliff Lee, Norm Charlton, Tony Phillips
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Ron Fairly, Rusty Staub, Moises Alou, Dennis Martinez, Pedro Martinez
Strengths: Speed, defense, outfield, top of the rotation
Weaknesses: Infield, bullpen
Really? The Expos/Nationals are #4? I’m stunned.
But, let’s look at the facts. The have come up with 3 Hall of Famers (Carter, Dawson, and Randy Johnson).
Tim Raines is a strong candidate, who, although he may not make it in before his time on the BBWAA ballot expires, will remain a strong candidate for future committees.
Larry Walker is another solid candidate who, while unlikely to make it on the writer’s ballot, has good credentials.
Vladimir Guerrero will be on the ballot in a couple of years, and stands an an excellent chance of being elected.
Cliff Lee, while well short of a Hall of Fame career, has a Cy Young award and several other seasons where he finished fairly high up on the ballots.
They also came up with Tony Phillips, certainly one of the best true, multi-positional players ever.
The outfield is one of the best in the study…..Raines, Dawson, and either Walker or Guerrero, depending on your taste, along with one of the most exciting young outfielders in the game today, Bryce Harper.
It’s an excellent record of talent origination. Unfortunately….they really haven’t done much with it over the course of the franchise’s history. The Expos made the playoffs exactly 1 time in their 35 years in Montreal, and although they’ve done a little better in Washington, they’ve still only made the postseason twice and were promptly eliminated both times.
#3-Minnesota Twins
Team Score: 46.97
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Joe Mauer
|
|
1B
|
Kent Hrbek
|
|
2B
|
Rod Carew*
|
|
3B
|
Graig Nettles
|
|
SS
|
Jay Bell
|
|
LF
|
Tony Oliva
|
|
CF
|
Kirby Puckett*
|
|
RF
|
Reggie Smith
|
|
SP1
|
Bert Blyleven*
|
|
SP2
|
Frank Viola
|
|
SP3
|
Brad Radke
|
|
SP4
|
Denny Neagle
|
|
SP5
|
Scott Erickson
|
|
RP1
|
Jesse Orosco
|
|
RP2
|
LaTroy Hawkins
|
|
RP3
|
Eddie Guardado
|
|
RP4
|
Dave Goltz
|
|
RP5
|
Rudy May
|
|
Res C
|
Butch Wynegar
|
|
Res IF
|
Justin Morneau
|
|
Res IF
|
Chuck Knoblauch
|
|
Res IF
|
Gary Gaetti
|
|
Res OF
|
Torii Hunter
|
|
Res OF
|
Michael Cuddyer
|
|
Res UT
|
Corey Koskie
|
Best who got away: Graig Nettles, Reggie Smith, Jesse Orosco, Jay Bell
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Shane Mack, Roy Smalley, Johan Santana, Joe Nathan, Rick Aguilera
Strengths: They don’t have any overwhelming strengths….but they rate among the top 6-10 in several categories, including starting 8, depth, infield, outfield, offense, defense. They just rate as a pretty good team across several catgegorie.s
Weaknesses: Speed, bullpen
The Twins have produced 3 Hall of Famers in this time frame (Carew, Puckett, and Blyleven) along with 2 others that didn’t get much support the first time around but are popular in the analytic community in Nettles and R. Smith. Also, Tony Oliva has come close to election in the Veteran’s Committee voting, and Mauer is one who has been building a good case for quite a while, including his MVP and 3 batting titles.
#2-Oakland A’s
Team Score: 51.18
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Gene Tenace
|
|
1B
|
Mark McGwire
|
|
2B
|
Phil Garner
|
|
3B
|
Sal Bando
|
|
SS
|
Bert Campaneris
|
|
LF
|
Rickey Henderson*
|
|
CF
|
Chet Lemon
|
|
RF
|
Reggie Jackson*
|
|
SP1
|
Catfish Hunter*
|
|
SP2
|
Vida Blue
|
|
SP3
|
Tim Hudson
|
|
SP4
|
Barry Zito
|
|
SP5
|
Mike Morgan
|
|
RP1
|
Rollie Fingers*
|
|
RP2
|
Huston Street
|
|
RP3
|
Rod Beck
|
|
RP4
|
Kevin Tapani
|
|
RP5
|
Rich Harden
|
|
Res C
|
Mickey Tettleton
|
|
Res IF
|
Jason Giambi
|
|
Res IF
|
Miguel Tejada
|
|
Res IF
|
Darrell Evans
|
|
Res OF
|
Dwayne Murphy
|
|
Res OF
|
Jose Canseco
|
|
Res UT
|
Eric Chavez
|
Best who got away: Chet Lemon, Darrell Evans, Rod Beck, Huston Street, Rod Beck, Mickey Tettleton, Phil Garner
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Dennis Eckersley, Dave Stewart, Carney Lansford
Strengths: Outfield, depth, power, plate discipline, speed
Weaknesses: Defense
For starters, the team has come up with 4 Hall of Famers in this time frame: Henderson, R. Jackson, Hunter, and Fingers).
Of course, this team has a big cloud over hanging over their heads with the likes of Canseco, McGwire, Tejada, and Giambi on it.
#1-Boston Red Sox
Team Score: 62.26
|
Position
|
Player
|
|
C
|
Carlton Fisk*
|
|
1B
|
Jeff Bagwell
|
|
2B
|
Dustin Pedroia
|
|
3B
|
Wade Boggs*
|
|
SS
|
Jim Fregosi
|
|
LF
|
Carl Yastrzemski*
|
|
CF
|
Fred Lynn
|
|
RF
|
Dwight Evans
|
|
SP1
|
Roger Clemens
|
|
SP2
|
Curt Schilling
|
|
SP3
|
Wilbur Wood
|
|
SP4
|
John Tudor
|
|
SP5
|
Jon Lester
|
|
RP1
|
Jonathan Papelbon
|
|
RP2
|
Dick Radatz
|
|
RP3
|
Bob Stanley
|
|
RP4
|
Bruce Hurst
|
|
RP5
|
Anibal Sanchez
|
|
Res C
|
Ernie Whitt
|
|
Res IF
|
George Scott
|
|
Res IF
|
Nomar Garciaparra
|
|
Res IF
|
Rico Petrocelli
|
|
Res OF
|
Ellis Burks
|
|
Res OF
|
Jim Rice*
|
|
Res UT
|
Amos Otis
|
Best who got away: Jeff Bagwell, Jim Fregosi, Wilbur Wood, Anibal Sanchez, Amos Otis
Best who were later acquired from other teams: Reggie Smith, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, Luis Tiant, Manny Ramirez
Strengths: Pretty much everything. They are rated #1 in overall offense, starting rotation, starting 8, and overall staff.
Weaknesses: Speed
An impressive collection of talent, led by 4 Hall of Famers in Yaz, Fisk, Boggs, and Rice, plus other strong candidates in Clemens, Bagwell, and Schilling, not to mention Evans. Basically, they blew the field away.
How’s this for a potential batting order?
|
1
|
Dustin Pedroia
|
|
2
|
Wade Boggs
|
|
3
|
Carl Yastrzemski
|
|
4
|
Jeff Bagwell
|
|
5
|
Fred Lynn
|
|
6
|
Dwight Evans
|
|
7
|
Carlton Fisk
|
|
8
|
Jim Fregosi
|
Wrapping it Up
Here are a couple of charts summarizing everything.
First, the full listing/ranking by team score. Next to the score is the average # of team wins per season during the 1961-2014 time frame. Note that there doesn’t appear to be a real strong connection between having a high team score and high average wins. It doesn’t prove anything….but there doesn’t seem to be a strong connection.
The team with the highest average wins (Yankees) was only #14 in the team score. Now, the #2 and #3 teams in average wins per season (Dodgers and Red Sox) did end up pretty high on the team score (#9 and #1, respectively), but the Cardinals and Reds (#4 & #5 in wins) are right about where the Yankees are, in the middle.
The Twins, the Expos, the Astros, and the Indians, are all in the lower half of average wins per season (all below .500 winning percentage), but all were in the top 8 in team score in this study.
There were also some surprisingly good results by expansion franchises, particularly by Montreal/Washington, Houston, and Seattle.
|
Rank Score
|
Team
|
Team Score in New Originals Study
|
Avg Wins 1961-2014 Era
|
Rank in Average Wins
|
|
1
|
Red Sox
|
62.26
|
84.54
|
3
|
|
2
|
A's
|
51.18
|
80.83
|
9
|
|
3
|
Twins
|
46.97
|
79.15
|
15
|
|
4
|
Expos
|
46.68
|
76.67
|
21
|
|
5
|
Orioles
|
46.45
|
82.72
|
7
|
|
6
|
Braves
|
45.54
|
82.70
|
8
|
|
7
|
Astros
|
45.17
|
77.74
|
18
|
|
8
|
Indians
|
45.16
|
77.54
|
19
|
|
9
|
Dodgers
|
44.90
|
85.63
|
2
|
|
10
|
Phillies
|
44.46
|
79.69
|
14
|
|
11
|
Mariners
|
44.44
|
74.26
|
29
|
|
12
|
Pirates
|
44.31
|
78.63
|
16
|
|
13
|
Reds
|
43.97
|
83.70
|
5
|
|
14
|
Yankees
|
43.10
|
89.02
|
1
|
|
15
|
Cardinals
|
42.83
|
84.17
|
4
|
|
16
|
Royals
|
42.54
|
76.70
|
20
|
|
17
|
Mets
|
41.80
|
76.19
|
22
|
|
18
|
Tigers
|
40.43
|
79.93
|
12
|
|
19
|
Rangers
|
40.19
|
75.80
|
24
|
|
20
|
Giants
|
39.89
|
82.80
|
6
|
|
21
|
Cubs
|
38.43
|
75.69
|
25
|
|
22
|
Blue Jays
|
38.18
|
78.55
|
17
|
|
23
|
White Sox
|
38.15
|
80.30
|
10
|
|
24
|
Angels
|
37.14
|
79.96
|
11
|
|
25
|
Padres
|
36.19
|
73.87
|
30
|
|
26
|
Brewers
|
35.22
|
76.11
|
23
|
|
27
|
Marlins
|
25.24
|
74.68
|
27
|
|
28
|
Rockies
|
21.01
|
74.59
|
28
|
|
29
|
Rays
|
17.52
|
74.82
|
26
|
|
30
|
Diamondbacks
|
17.23
|
79.71
|
13
|
Now, I’ll be the first to admit this doesn’t "prove" a darn thing. It’s really just another way of looking at it. There does seem to be some connection between having a high team score and team success….but I don’t know that I’d call it a strong one.
Final chart – This shows how the various teams rank in various categories that I referenced in the earlier summaries. It’s color coded so that green represents the top third in a category, yellow the middle third, and red the bottom third.
There’s a lot going on there, but it just shows at a glance how the different teams compare on various elements and or position groupings.
|
Ranks
|
Overall
|
Offense
|
Defense
|
Speed
|
Infield
|
Outfield
|
Catching
|
Rotation
|
Bullpen
|
Starting 8
|
Bench
|
|
Red Sox
|
1
|
1
|
6
|
26
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
5
|
1
|
3
|
|
A's
|
2
|
2
|
20
|
3
|
7
|
1
|
10
|
19
|
10
|
2
|
1
|
|
Twins
|
3
|
9
|
9
|
24
|
6
|
9
|
11
|
11
|
23
|
6
|
6
|
|
Expos
|
4
|
15
|
5
|
4
|
28
|
4
|
4
|
5
|
22
|
9
|
8
|
|
Orioles
|
5
|
14
|
4
|
16
|
2
|
20
|
25
|
7
|
19
|
8
|
16
|
|
Braves
|
6
|
11
|
14
|
18
|
18
|
6
|
15
|
6
|
15
|
15
|
11
|
|
Astros
|
7
|
5
|
22
|
2
|
8
|
5
|
23
|
20
|
7
|
7
|
4
|
|
Indians
|
8
|
4
|
29
|
30
|
17
|
8
|
14
|
9
|
6
|
13
|
19
|
|
Dodgers
|
9
|
23
|
2
|
9
|
13
|
26
|
5
|
4
|
1
|
22
|
10
|
|
Phillies
|
10
|
13
|
3
|
5
|
1
|
24
|
17
|
16
|
25
|
10
|
2
|
|
Mariners
|
11
|
7
|
23
|
25
|
4
|
10
|
20
|
21
|
20
|
5
|
17
|
|
Pirates
|
12
|
3
|
12
|
17
|
16
|
2
|
12
|
23
|
21
|
3
|
5
|
|
Reds
|
13
|
6
|
26
|
11
|
5
|
15
|
2
|
24
|
3
|
4
|
12
|
|
Yankees
|
14
|
8
|
28
|
28
|
10
|
16
|
7
|
13
|
8
|
14
|
13
|
|
Cardinals
|
15
|
21
|
1
|
14
|
9
|
12
|
6
|
14
|
24
|
12
|
7
|
|
Royals
|
16
|
25
|
10
|
1
|
21
|
7
|
22
|
8
|
9
|
19
|
21
|
|
Mets
|
17
|
16
|
13
|
7
|
27
|
17
|
24
|
2
|
12
|
25
|
24
|
|
Tigers
|
18
|
17
|
11
|
12
|
12
|
22
|
9
|
12
|
17
|
18
|
23
|
|
Rangers
|
19
|
19
|
19
|
21
|
23
|
21
|
1
|
18
|
2
|
20
|
20
|
|
Giants
|
20
|
18
|
7
|
23
|
20
|
13
|
16
|
17
|
11
|
21
|
9
|
|
Cubs
|
21
|
28
|
27
|
13
|
25
|
25
|
26
|
3
|
4
|
27
|
26
|
|
Blue Jays
|
22
|
22
|
17
|
27
|
15
|
23
|
30
|
10
|
18
|
24
|
15
|
|
White Sox
|
23
|
12
|
25
|
20
|
19
|
18
|
8
|
22
|
14
|
16
|
22
|
|
Angels
|
24
|
20
|
16
|
19
|
26
|
14
|
19
|
15
|
13
|
23
|
14
|
|
Padres
|
25
|
24
|
8
|
10
|
11
|
11
|
18
|
25
|
27
|
11
|
25
|
|
Brewers
|
26
|
10
|
30
|
15
|
14
|
19
|
13
|
26
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
|
Marlins
|
27
|
26
|
18
|
29
|
22
|
28
|
21
|
27
|
29
|
26
|
29
|
|
Rockies
|
28
|
27
|
15
|
6
|
24
|
29
|
27
|
30
|
30
|
28
|
27
|
|
Rays
|
29
|
29
|
21
|
8
|
30
|
27
|
29
|
28
|
28
|
29
|
30
|
|
Diamondbacks
|
30
|
30
|
24
|
22
|
29
|
30
|
28
|
29
|
26
|
30
|
28
|
So, congratulations to the Red Sox on being the "Best in Show" for this particular study. Hope you enjoyed.