The Value Production Standings: 1961-1965
Previously, we’ve examined the production of every team’s farm system in the periods of 1946-1950, 1951-1955, and 1956-1960. Now it’s time to get fully into the swinging ’60s.
For a review of our methodology, please see the References and Resources section below.
Here’s the key to the figures we’re examining:
WSP = Win Shares Produced: the total of major league Win Shares produced that season by all players credited to the organization
Lg. WSP = League Win Shares Produced: the percentage of the league total of WSP credited to the organization
MLB WSP = Major League Baseball Win Shares Produced: the percentage of the MLB-wide total of WSP credited to the organization
W = Wins: the actual win total of the team that season
Lg. W = League Wins: the percentage of the league Win total won by the team
W% – WSP% = League Wins minus League Win Shares Produced: a measure of how much better or worse a team actually performed than the league-wide value produced by their organization
The Value Production Standings Summary, 1946-1960
Year Yankees Tigers Red Sox Indians Athletics Senators Orioles White Sox AL WSP
1946 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 56.5%
1947 1 2 4 3 5 6 8 7 55.3%
1948 1 3 4 2 5 7 6 8 55.6%
1949 1 3T 3T 2 5 7 6 8 51.9%
1950 1 3 4 2 7 6 5 8 50.5%
1951 2 4 3 1 5 6 8 7 49.0%
1952 1 4 3 2 5 6 8 7 47.9%
1953 2 4 3 1 7 6 8 5 46.2%
1954 1T 4 3 1T 7 6 8 5 47.5%
1955 1 4 2 3 5 6 8 7 46.7%
1956 1 4 2 3 7 5 8 6 47.1%
1957 1 4 2 3 6 8 7 5 46.3%
1958 1 4 3 2 8 7 6 5 46.4%
1959 1 4 3 2 8 7 5 6 46.5%
1960 1 5 3 2 8 7 4 6 46.0%
Year Cardinals Dodgers Cubs Reds Phillies Pirates Braves Giants NL WSP
1946 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 43.5%
1947 1 2 4 3 7 6 8 5 44.7%
1948 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 5 44.4%
1949 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 6 48.1%
1950 1 2 5 6 4 7 8 3 49.5%
1951 1 2 5 4 6 7 8 3 51.0%
1952 1 2 5 4 6 8 7 3 52.1%
1953 2 1 7 4 5 8 3 6 53.8%
1954 2 1 7 5 6 8 3 4 52.5%
1955 3 1 6 5 7 8 2 4 53.3%
1956 2 1 8 4 6 7 3 5 52.9%
1957 2 1 7 5 4 8 3 6 53.7%
1958 4 1 8 6 7 5 2 3 53.6%
1959 3 1 7 5 8 6 2 4 53.5%
1960 3 1 8 6 7 5 4 2 54.0%
The 1961 Value Production Standings
AL Organization WSP Lg. WSP MLB WSP W Lg. W W% - WSP% Yankees 467 23.1% 11.2% 109 13.5% -9.6% Indians 328 16.2% 7.9% 78 9.7% -6.6% Red Sox 288 14.3% 6.9% 76 9.4% -4.8% Tigers 267 13.2% 6.4% 101 12.5% -0.7% Orioles 249 12.3% 6.0% 95 11.8% -0.6% White Sox 192 9.5% 4.6% 86 10.7% 1.1% Twins 145 7.2% 3.5% 70 8.7% 1.5% Athletics 82 4.1% 2.0% 61 7.6% 3.5% Angels 1 0.0% 0.0% 70 8.7% 8.6% Senators 0 0.0% 0.0% 61 7.6% 7.6% AL Total 2019 100% 48.3% 807 100% 0.0% NL Organization WSP Lg. WSP MLB WSP W Lg. W W% - WSP% Dodgers 428 19.8% 10.2% 89 14.4% -5.4% Cardinals 346 16.0% 8.3% 80 13.0% -3.1% Braves 313 14.5% 7.5% 83 13.5% -1.0% Giants 309 14.3% 7.4% 85 13.8% -0.5% Reds 237 11.0% 5.7% 93 15.1% 4.1% Pirates 219 10.2% 5.2% 75 12.2% 2.0% Cubs 197 9.1% 4.7% 64 10.4% 1.3% Phillies 108 5.0% 2.6% 47 7.6% 2.6% NL Total 2157 100% 51.7% 616 100% 0.0% MLB Total 4176 n/a 100% 1423 n/a n/a
The American League adopted a brand-new expanded form, but the result was old-fashioned: the Yankees blew the league away with 109 wins, breezing to their 11th pennant in 13 years, as well as leading the league in WSP for the eighth straight season. Continuing the familiar pattern, the Bronx Bombers’ roster combined the tremendous farm-bred talent of superstar center fielder Mickey Mantle, catchers Elston Howard, Johnny Blanchard, and Yogi Berra, shortstop Tony Kubek and second baseman Bobby Richardson, first baseman Bill Skowron, and pitchers Whitey Ford (the 1961 MLB Cy Young Award winner), Bill Stafford, and Ralph Terry, with a few key imports in slugging sensation MVP right fielder Roger Maris, relief ace Luis Arroyo, and defensive whiz third baseman Clete Boyer. Thus the Yankees could afford having offloaded standouts to many opposing lineups, including first baseman Norm Siebern and second baseman Jerry Lumpe (Athletics), shortstop Woodie Held and first baseman Vic Power (Indians), pitcher Tom Morgan and outfielders Lee Thomas and Ken Hunt (Angels), pitcher Lew Burdette (Braves), catcher Gus Triandos (Orioles), outfielder Bill Virdon (Pirates), and outfielder/pinch-hitting specialist Jerry Lynch (Reds).
Those Reds were the Yankees’ World Series opponent despite finishing fifth in the National League in WSP. While some of Cincinnati’s core was home-grown, including MVP right fielder Frank Robinson, center fielder Vada Pinson, pitcher Jim O’Toole, and outfielder Wally Post, the key to their first pennant in 21 years was having imported Lynch, third baseman Gene Freese, first baseman Gordy Coleman, and pitchers Joey Jay, Bob Purkey, Jim Brosnan, and Bill Henry. Thus the Reds’ proportion of league wins was 4.1% greater than their proportion of league WSP, despite having relinquished first baseman Joe Adcock and shortstop Roy McMillan (Braves), catcher Ed Bailey (Giants), second baseman Johnny Temple (Indians), and outfielders Curt Flood (Cardinals) and Tony Gonzalez (Phillies).
The 1962 Value Production Standings
AL Organization WSP Lg. WSP MLB WSP W Lg. W W% - WSP% Yankees 409 20.2% 8.7% 96 11.9% -8.3% Indians 321 15.8% 6.8% 80 9.9% -5.9% Tigers 272 13.4% 5.8% 85 10.5% -2.9% Red Sox 271 13.4% 5.8% 76 9.4% -4.0% Orioles 234 11.5% 5.0% 77 9.5% -2.0% Twins 215 10.6% 4.6% 91 11.3% 0.7% White Sox 200 9.9% 4.3% 85 10.5% 0.7% Athletics 99 4.9% 2.1% 72 8.9% 4.0% Senators 5 0.2% 0.1% 60 7.4% 7.2% Angels 1 0.0% 0.0% 86 10.6% 10.6% AL Total 2027 100% 43.1% 808 100% 0.0% NL Organization WSP Lg. WSP MLB WSP W Lg. W W% - WSP% Dodgers 510 19.1% 10.9% 102 12.6% -6.5% Braves 437 16.4% 9.3% 86 10.6% -5.7% Giants 415 15.5% 8.8% 103 12.7% -2.8% Cardinals 327 12.2% 7.0% 84 10.4% -1.9% Reds 300 11.2% 6.4% 98 12.1% 0.9% Pirates 295 11.0% 6.3% 93 11.5% 0.4% Cubs 209 7.8% 4.4% 59 7.3% -0.5% Phillies 178 6.7% 3.8% 81 10.0% 3.3% Colt .45s 1 0.0% 0.0% 64 7.9% 7.9% Mets 0 0.0% 0.0% 40 4.9% 4.9% NL Total 2672 100% 56.9% 810 100% 0.0% MLB Total 4699 n/a 100% 1618 n/a n/a
For the 10th consecutive season the Dodgers led the National League in WSP, and at 510 their 1962 total was the highest yet recorded (just nipping the colossal 509 produced by the Cardinals’ organization in the 16-team, 154-game configuration of 1946). Dodger products excelling elsewhere abounded: outfielder Roberto Clemente and pitcher Elroy Face (Pirates), third baseman-outfielder Don Demeter (Phillies), first baseman Jim Gentile (Orioles), first baseman Norm Larker, third baseman Bob Aspromonte, and outfielder Carl Warwick (Colt .45s), and outfielder Gino Cimoli and pitcher Ed Rakow (Athletics). Still the Dodger roster boasted of home-grown stars in MVP shortstop Maury Wills, outfielders Tommy Davis, Willie Davis, and Frank Howard, infielder Jim Gilliam, first baseman Ron Fairly, catcher John Roseboro, and pitchers Don Drysdale (the MLB Cy Young winner), Sandy Koufax, Johnny Podres, Ed Roebuck, and Larry Sherry. However, the only major talent GM Buzzie Bavasi had imported was relief ace Ron Perranoski, and thus their arch-rival Giants, who couldn’t yet match the Dodgers’ farm-raised bounty, but had added key performers in pitchers Jack Sanford, Billy O’Dell, Billy Pierce, and Stu Miller, left fielder Harvey Kuenn, and catcher Ed Bailey, squeezed past L.A. by winning a three-game pennant playoff.
The Indians finished second to the Yankees in WSP for the fifth straight year, but repeated the pattern of recent seasons by finishing middle-of-the-pack in wins. As a result of a long sequence of questionable deals, nearly all of the best Cleveland products were employed elsewhere in 1962: Maris with the Yankees and Coleman with the Reds, as well as outfielder Rocky Colavito and pitchers Hank Aguirre and Don Mossi (Tigers), outfielder Floyd Robinson and third baseman Al Smith (White Sox), second baseman Billy Moran (Angels), and pitcher Dick Stigman (Twins).
The 1963 Value Production Standings
AL Organization WSP Lg. WSP MLB WSP W Lg. W W% - WSP% Yankees 401 19.3% 8.4% 104 12.9% -6.4% Indians 296 14.2% 6.2% 79 9.8% -4.4% Orioles 270 13.0% 5.6% 86 10.6% -2.3% Red Sox 267 12.8% 5.6% 76 9.4% -3.4% Tigers 264 12.7% 5.5% 79 9.8% -2.9% White Sox 248 11.9% 5.2% 94 11.6% -0.3% Twins 224 10.8% 4.7% 91 11.3% 0.5% Athletics 100 4.8% 2.1% 73 9.0% 4.2% Senators 10 0.5% 0.2% 56 6.9% 6.5% Angels 3 0.1% 0.1% 70 8.7% 8.5% AL Total 2083 100% 43.6% 808 100% 0.0% NL Organization WSP Lg. WSP MLB WSP W Lg. W W% - WSP% Dodgers 443 16.4% 9.3% 99 12.2% -4.2% Giants 435 16.1% 9.1% 88 10.9% -5.3% Braves 407 15.1% 8.5% 84 10.4% -4.7% Reds 361 13.4% 7.6% 86 10.6% -2.8% Cardinals 342 12.7% 7.2% 93 11.5% -1.2% Pirates 297 11.0% 6.2% 74 9.1% -1.9% Cubs 238 8.8% 5.0% 82 10.1% 1.3% Phillies 142 5.3% 3.0% 87 10.7% 5.5% Colt .45s 24 0.9% 0.5% 66 8.1% 7.3% Mets 9 0.3% 0.2% 51 6.3% 6.0% NL Total 2698 100% 56.4% 810 100% 0.0% MLB Total 4781 n/a 100% 1618 n/a n/a
The Dodgers led the major leagues in WSP yet again, but breathing down their necks this time were the Giants. San Francisco’s lineup featured extraordinary system-produced talent, including superstar center fielder Willie Mays, first baseman Orlando Cepeda, left fielder Willie McCovey, ace pitcher Juan Marichal, right fielder Felipe Alou, and catcher Tom Haller, and younger talents coming along included pitcher Gaylord Perry and third baseman Jim Ray Hart. However, the list of those the Giants had let slip away was nearly as impressive: first baseman Bill White (Cardinals), second baseman Tony Taylor (Phillies), shortstops Eddie Bressoud (Red Sox) and Andre Rodgers (Cubs), outfielder Leon Wagner (Angels), catcher Johnny Orsino (Orioles), and pitchers Ernie Broglio (Cardinals), Hoyt Wilhelm and Eddie Fisher (White Sox), Hal Woodeshick (Colt .45s), Al Worthington (Reds), and Art Fowler (Angels). Thus the Giants this time fell short in the pennant race, foreshadowing the pattern of seasons to come.
The 1964 Value Production Standings
AL Organization WSP Lg. WSP MLB WSP W Lg. W W% - WSP% Yankees 399 18.5% 8.3% 99 12.2% -6.3% Orioles 348 16.1% 7.3% 97 12.0% -4.1% Tigers 304 14.1% 6.3% 85 10.5% -3.6% Red Sox 256 11.9% 5.3% 72 8.9% -3.0% Indians 247 11.4% 5.2% 79 9.8% -1.7% White Sox 235 10.9% 4.9% 98 12.1% 1.2% Twins 207 9.6% 4.3% 79 9.8% 0.2% Athletics 126 5.8% 2.6% 57 7.0% 1.2% Angels 20 0.9% 0.4% 82 10.1% 9.2% Senators 17 0.8% 0.4% 62 7.7% 6.9% AL Total 2159 100% 45.0% 810 100% 0.0% NL Organization WSP Lg. WSP MLB WSP W Lg. W W% - WSP% Giants 428 16.2% 8.9% 90 11.1% -5.1% Braves 424 16.1% 8.8% 88 10.9% -5.2% Dodgers 366 13.9% 7.6% 80 9.9% -4.0% Reds 350 13.3% 7.3% 92 11.4% -1.9% Pirates 334 12.7% 7.0% 80 9.9% -2.8% Cardinals 321 12.2% 6.7% 93 11.5% -0.7% Cubs 196 7.4% 4.1% 76 9.4% 1.9% Phillies 185 7.0% 3.9% 92 11.4% 4.3% Colt .45s 18 0.7% 0.4% 66 8.1% 7.5% Mets 13 0.5% 0.3% 53 6.5% 6.0% NL Total 2635 100% 55.0% 810 100% 0.0% MLB Total 4794 n/a 100% 1620 n/a n/a
The Dodgers’ 11-season reign as top value producer in the National League was broken, as they were surpassed by both the Giants and Braves. A consistently strong WSP contender since moving to Milwaukee in 1953, the Braves in ’64 received stout contributions from only a couple of their familiar home-grown stars: superstar right fielder Hank Aaron and veteran third baseman Eddie Mathews. But a new generation of farm-bred talent had arrived, including catcher Joe Torre, shortstop Denis Menke, outfielders Rico Carty and Lee Maye, and pitchers Tony Cloninger and Denny Lemaster. Still, the Braves, like the Giants, had allowed quite a few standouts to stray: pitchers Juan Pizarro (White Sox), Don McMahon (Indians), Bob Buhl (Cubs), and Joey Jay (Reds), infielders Felix Mantilla (Red Sox), Ron Hunt (Mets), Bobby Knoop (Angels), and Ed Charles (Athletics), outfielder Bill Bruton (Tigers), and outfielder Wes Covington and catcher Clay Dalrymple (Phillies).
Those Phillies were the surprise ball club of the year, winners of 92 games after having been in dead last at 47-107 just three seasons earlier. The Phils had made their rapid ascent despite still-meager farm production (eighth in the league); their only home-grown stars were Rookie of the Year third baseman Dick Allen and pitcher Chris Short. Thus imported talent was the key to their success: in addition to Covington and Dalrymple, the Phillies had deftly acquired from other organizations star right fielder Johnny Callison, ace starter Jim Bunning, ace reliever Jack Baldschun, outfielder Tony Gonzalez, and infielders Tony Taylor and Cookie Rojas.
Despite the great improvement, Philadelphia’s season ended in bitter disappointment, as they collapsed in the final two weeks and were overtaken at the wire by the Cardinals. For St. Louis, capturing their first pennant in 18 years, the 1950s had been a decade of frustration, as what had once been the strongest farm system in baseball had gradually faded, and the team drifted out of contention. Yet while their value production hadn’t really rebounded—just sixth in the National League in 1964—the Cardinals became champions because (as we examined here) GM Bing Devine had executed a string of terrific acquisitions, bringing in first baseman Bill White, center fielder Curt Flood, left fielder Lou Brock, shortstop Dick Groat, second baseman Julian Javier, and pitcher Curt Simmons to compliment the home-grown core of MVP third baseman Ken Boyer, ace pitcher Bob Gibson, and catcher Tim McCarver.
In the American League, the White Sox had spent the 1950s performing a magic act, remaining a consistent contender despite modest farm production. And through the first half of the 1960s, against all odds, they continued to pull it off: the 1964 edition finished second, winning 98 games, while sixth in the league in WSP. Key contributors to the ’64 White Sox who’d been picked up in shrewd deals included pitchers Juan Pizarro, Hoyt Wilhelm, and Eddie Fisher, shortstop Ron Hansen, third baseman Pete Ward, and outfielder Floyd Robinson. Amazingly, the Chisox were as competitive as they were in the ‘60s despite having given up a major proportion of their limited farm-bred stock in a flurry of questionable 1959-60 trades: Callison (Phillies), first basemen Norm Cash (Tigers) and Don Mincher (Twins), and catchers Earl Battey (Twins) and John Romano (Indians).
Paul Richards had left the Baltimore Orioles in late 1961, but the excellent organization he’d built was left in the good hands of GM Lee MacPhail. The team had suffered through disappointing seasons in 1962 and ’63, but in 1964 they came on strong, finishing a very close third with a franchise-record 97 wins. In WSP they were second in the A.L., featuring a roster rich in organizational products, including MVP third baseman Brooks Robinson, outfielder-first baseman Boog Powell, outfielder Sam Bowens, second baseman Jerry Adair, and pitchers Milt Pappas, Wally Bunker, Steve Barber, and Dave McNally. The Oriole farm system had become so efficient in just a decade’s time that they were succeeding despite having surrendered several outstanding talents: Hansen and Ward (White Sox), major league Cy Young Award winner Dean Chance (Angels), outfielder-infielder Chuck Hinton (Senators), infielder Wayne Causey (Athletics), and pitcher Billy O’Dell (Giants).
The 1965 Value Production Standings
AL Organization WSP Lg. WSP MLB WSP W Lg. W W% - WSP% Yankees 341 16.0% 7.1% 77 9.5% -6.5% Tigers 300 14.0% 6.2% 89 11.0% -3.1% Orioles 285 13.3% 5.9% 94 11.6% -1.7% Indians 272 12.7% 5.7% 87 10.7% -2.0% White Sox 266 12.4% 5.5% 95 11.7% -0.7% Twins 246 11.5% 5.1% 102 12.6% 1.1% Red Sox 235 11.0% 4.9% 62 7.7% -3.3% Athletics 155 7.3% 3.2% 59 7.3% 0.0% Angels 26 1.2% 0.5% 75 9.3% 8.0% Senators 11 0.5% 0.2% 70 8.6% 8.1% AL Total 2137 100% 44.5% 810 100% 0.0% NL Organization WSP Lg. WSP MLB WSP W Lg. W W% - WSP% Giants 458 17.2% 9.5% 95 11.7% -5.4% Dodgers 393 14.7% 8.2% 97 12.0% -2.8% Reds 375 14.1% 7.8% 89 11.0% -3.1% Braves 325 12.2% 6.8% 86 10.6% -1.6% Pirates 296 11.1% 6.2% 90 11.1% 0.0% Cardinals 286 10.7% 6.0% 80 9.9% -0.8% Phillies 225 8.4% 4.7% 85 10.5% 2.1% Cubs 200 7.5% 4.2% 72 8.9% 1.4% Astros 73 2.7% 1.5% 65 8.0% 5.3% Mets 35 1.3% 0.7% 50 6.2% 4.9% NL Total 2666 100% 55.5% 809 100% 0.0% MLB Total 4803 n/a 100% 1619 n/a n/a
Richards had departed Baltimore in order to take on the challenge of building another organization from scratch: this time it was the Houston expansion franchise of the National League. Getting quick productivity from a brand-new farm system was obviously a very tall order, and through their first several years none of the four new clubs had been able to generate significant major league talent. But in 1965, Richards’s Astros broke through with 73 WSP, as 21-year-old second baseman Joe Morgan, 23-year-old center fielder Jim Wynn, 21-year-old right fielder Rusty Staub, 18-year-old pitcher Larry Dierker, and 25-year-old pitcher Dave Giusti all emerged as big league producers.
It wasn’t yet obvious, but another lowly franchise starting to make headway was the Kansas City Athletics. The team was still a cellar dweller, but the farm system assembled by owner Charles O. Finley was getting stronger: the organization that had generated just 79 Win Shares when Finley bought it in 1960 had seen production gradually improve, to 82 to 99 to 100 to 126 to 155 in 1965, their highest mark since the Connie Mack era of 1949. Promising young home-grown A’s in 1965 included shortstop Campy Campaneris, second baseman Dick Green, first baseman Ken Harrelson, and pitcher Jim “Catfish” Hunter.
Through their tenure in Washington, the Griffith–family-owned Senators had never put together a serious farm system. Upon relocating to Minnesota, the Twins had finally invested in a full-scale minor league organization, but hadn’t much to show for it in terms of WSP, as they were still just sixth in the league in 1965. Nevertheless the team had been a contender in both 1962 and 1963, and broke through as a pennant-winner in ’65. This feat was achieved due to three factors: first, the Twins’ limited production had been concentrated in several stars, including third baseman-first baseman Harmon Killebrew, outfielders Tony Oliva, Bob Allison, and Jimmie Hall, ’65 MVP shortstop Zoilo Versalles, and pitchers Jim Kaat and Camilo Pascual; second, the Twins had allowed few of their products to get away (the best of them in 1965 was relief pitcher Ted Abernathy, with the Cubs); and third, they’d made several sound acquisitions, including catcher Earl Battey, first baseman Don Mincher, and pitchers Mudcat Grant, Jim Perry, Al Worthington, and Johnny Klippstein.
For the first time since 1951, neither league’s WSP leader was its pennant winner. Though the Yankees led the AL in value production for the twelfth straight year, they dropped to a stunning sixth place in the win column, their significant net export of talent suddenly a problem. The National League’s Giants finished in second place (albeit a close second) despite generating a major-league-high 458 WSP, a new franchise record.
The disparity of 117 Win Shares between the WSP leaders in the respective leagues was the greatest since 1946, and was reflective of the huge value production disparity between the leagues. Nineteen-sixty-five marked the 15th consecutive season in which the NL had outpaced the AL, and the margins between them in the past four seasons (1962, ‘63, ’64, and ’65) had been the four largest within those 15 years. This ever-widening gap was more than ever explained by the huge disparity in production of players of color: while the difference in total WSP between the leagues in 1965 was 529, the difference in WSP from non-white players was 648 (1,005 from NL organizations, or 37.7% of the league total, to 357 from AL organizations, or 16.7% of the league total). Viewed another way: the American League organization that had produced the most Win Shares by players of color was the Twins, with 74 (30.1% of their total); that mark was exceeded by six National League franchises, led by the Giants at 272 (59.4% of their total).
And this disparity hadn’t yet reached its peak. But we’ll explore that next time.
The Value Production Standings Summary, 1946-1965
Year NYY DET BOS CLE KCA MIN BAL CHW CAL WAS AL WSP 1946 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 x x 56.5% 1947 1 2 4 3 5 6 8 7 x x 55.3% 1948 1 3 4 2 5 7 6 8 x x 55.6% 1949 1 3T 3T 2 5 7 6 8 x x 51.9% 1950 1 3 4 2 7 6 5 8 x x 50.5% 1951 2 4 3 1 5 6 8 7 x x 49.0% 1952 1 4 3 2 5 6 8 7 x x 47.9% 1953 2 4 3 1 7 6 8 5 x x 46.2% 1954 1T 4 3 1T 7 6 8 5 x x 47.5% 1955 1 4 2 3 5 6 8 7 x x 46.7% 1956 1 4 2 3 7 5 8 6 x x 47.1% 1957 1 4 2 3 6 8 7 5 x x 46.3% 1958 1 4 3 2 8 7 6 5 x x 46.4% 1959 1 4 3 2 8 7 5 6 x x 46.5% 1960 1 5 3 2 8 7 4 6 x x 46.0% 1961 1 4 3 2 8 7 5 6 9 10 48.3% 1962 1 3 4 2 8 6 5 7 10 9 43.1% 1963 1 5 4 2 8 7 3 6 10 9 43.6% 1964 1 3 4 5 8 7 2 6 9 10 45.0% 1965 1 2 7 4 8 6 3 5 9 10 44.5% Year STL LAD CHC CIN PHI PIT MIL SFG HOU NYM NL WSP 1946 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 x x 43.5% 1947 1 2 4 3 7 6 8 5 x x 44.7% 1948 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 5 x x 44.4% 1949 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 6 x x 48.1% 1950 1 2 5 6 4 7 8 3 x x 49.5% 1951 1 2 5 4 6 7 8 3 x x 51.0% 1952 1 2 5 4 6 8 7 3 x x 52.1% 1953 2 1 7 4 5 8 3 6 x x 53.8% 1954 2 1 7 5 6 8 3 4 x x 52.5% 1955 3 1 6 5 7 8 2 4 x x 53.3% 1956 2 1 8 4 6 7 3 5 x x 52.9% 1957 2 1 7 5 4 8 3 6 x x 53.7% 1958 4 1 8 6 7 5 2 3 x x 53.6% 1959 3 1 7 5 8 6 2 4 x x 53.5% 1960 3 1 8 6 7 5 4 2 x x 54.0% 1961 2 1 7 5 8 6 3 4 x x 51.7% 1962 4 1 7 5 8 6 2 3 9 10 56.9% 1963 5 1 7 4 8 6 3 2 9 10 56.4% 1964 6 3 7 4 8 5 2 1 9 10 55.0% 1965 6 2 8 3 7 5 4 1 9 10 55.5%
References & Resources
Methodology
First, we identify every player in the major leagues each season with a total of at least five career Win Shares. Then we identify which major league organization was responsible for originally signing and developing that player (or perhaps not originally signing him, but clearly being the organization most responsible for developing him), and then we credit every season’s production of major league Win Shares by that player to that organization, regardless of whether he actually played that season for that organization.
Sometimes it’s impossible to clearly assign a player to one organization: there are lots of players who were signed by one team, but then acquired by another organization while still a young minor leaguer. For such players, we assign half-credit to each of the two organizations (and in a few cases, we assign one-third-credit to each of three organizations).
By the early-to-mid 1960s the number of players who weren’t the products of any major league team’s farm system was becoming quite small, as they heyday of the independent minors receded season by season. The Win Shares of such players aren’t counted in this analysis.