The Value Production Standings:  1986-1989

Previously, we’ve examined the comparative output of farm systems in 1946-1950, 1951-1955, 1956-1960, 1961-1965, 1966-1970, 1971-1975, 1976-1980, and 1981-1985. This time we’ll complete the decade of The Bangles, The Beastie Boys and Anita Baker.

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 its organization
Avg WSP = Average Win Shares Produced: the average WSP of the teams in a given division or league
%MLB Avg = Percentage of the major league baseball average: how the average WSP for a given division or league compares with the overall major league average

The 1986 Value Production Standings

AL Organization    WSP Lg. WSP  MLB WSP      W   Lg. W   W% - WSP% Avg. WSP % MLB Avg.

Red Sox            347   12.0%     5.7%     95    8.4%       -3.6%
Yankees            242    8.4%     4.0%     90    7.9%       -0.4%
Orioles            182    6.3%     3.0%     77    6.8%        0.5%
Brewers            177    6.1%     2.9%     73    6.4%        0.3%
Tigers             167    5.8%     2.8%     87    7.7%        1.9%
Indians            150    5.2%     2.5%     84    7.4%        2.2%
Blue Jays          133    4.6%     2.2%     86    7.6%        3.0%
East Division     1398   48.4%    23.0%    592   52.3%        3.9%      200   85.6%

Angels             257    8.9%     4.2%     92    8.1%       -0.8%
Athletics          250    8.6%     4.1%     76    6.7%       -1.9%
Rangers            235    8.1%     3.9%     87    7.7%       -0.4%
Royals             233    8.1%     3.8%     76    6.7%       -1.4%
Twins              206    7.1%     3.4%     71    6.3%       -0.9%
Mariners           159    5.5%     2.6%     67    5.9%        0.4%
White Sox          153    5.3%     2.5%     72    6.4%        1.1%
West Division     1493   51.6%    24.6%    541   47.7%       -3.9%      213   91.4%

AL Total          2891  100.0%    47.7%   1133  100.0%        0.0%      207   88.5%

NL Organization    WSP Lg. WSP  MLB WSP      W   Lg. W   W% - WSP% Avg. WSP % MLB Avg.

Phillies           360   11.3%     5.9%     86    8.9%       -2.5%
Mets               333   10.5%     5.5%    108   11.1%        0.7%
Cardinals          304    9.6%     5.0%     79    8.2%       -1.4%
Pirates            258    8.1%     4.3%     64    6.6%       -1.5%
Expos              250    7.9%     4.1%     78    8.0%        0.2%
Cubs               175    5.5%     2.9%     70    7.2%        1.7%
East Division     1680   52.9%    27.7%    485   50.1%       -2.8%      280  120.0%

Dodgers            433   13.6%     7.1%     73    7.5%       -6.1%
Reds               285    9.0%     4.7%     86    8.9%       -0.1%
Giants             236    7.4%     3.9%     83    8.6%        1.1%
Braves             213    6.7%     3.5%     72    7.4%        0.7%
Padres             176    5.5%     2.9%     74    7.6%        2.1%
Astros             153    4.8%     2.5%     96    9.9%        5.1%
West Division     1496   47.1%    24.7%    484   49.9%        2.8%      249  106.9%

NL Total          3176  100.0%    52.3%    969  100.0%        0.0%      265  113.4%

MLB Total         6067    n/a      100%   2102    n/a         n/a       233  100.0%

Following the mid-1960s collapse of the great Yankee dynasty, the Red Sox took over as the most talent-productive organization in the American League, and consistently held that position. 1986 marked the ninth consecutive year the Red Sox led the AL East in WSP, and the 13th time in 18 seasons of divisional play. Through that period, the Red Sox had been a consistent contender, and in ’86 they captured not only the divisional flag but also, by virtue of a scintillating ALCS victory over the Angels, their first pennant since 1975.

The 1986 Bosox led the AL in WSP by a wide margin, and the core of their championship squad was home-grown: batting champ third baseman Wade Boggs, outfielders Jim Rice and Dwight Evans, second baseman Marty Barrett, catcher Rich Gedman, and pitchers including sensational young MVP and Cy Young winner Roger Clemens, Bruce Hurst and Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd.

But the Red Sox were defeated in one of history’s most memorable World Series, vanquished by a New York Mets team that was similarly nourished by a highly productive farm. System-produced Mets included outfielders Darryl Strawberry, Lenny Dykstra and Mookie Wilson, second baseman Wally Backman, rookie outfielder-infielder Kevin Mitchell, ace starter Dwight Gooden and ace reliever Roger McDowell.

The Mets also got more mileage from trade-acquired talent than did Boston, having dealt for first baseman Keith Hernandez, catcher Gary Carter and pitchers Ron Darling, Sid Fernandez, Jesse Orosco and Bobby Ojeda. Interestingly, the Mets had picked up Ojeda from the Red Sox following the 1985 season, in exchange for a package of young talent that included the young right-hander who emerged as Boston’s relief ace down the stretch in ’86: Calvin Schiraldi.

That year’s entire post-season tournament was thrill-packed, as the Mets had survived an extraordinarily hard-fought NLCS. Their opponents, the Astros, were a very differently constructed ball club. Houston’s farm system was deadlocked with that of the White Sox as the least productive in the major leagues in 1986. The only home-grown talents significantly contributing to the ’86 Astros were first baseman Glenn Davis, second baseman Billy Doran and relief pitchers Charlie Kerfeld and Dave Smith.

Houston’s ace pitcher, NL Cy Young Award winner Mike Scott, had been acquired in trade, from none other than the Mets. Other successful trade acquisitions included outfielders Kevin Bass and Jose Cruz, third baseman Denny Walling, and pitchers Bob Knepper and Danny Darwin. Ageless star pitcher Nolan Ryan, also originally a Met, had been a Houston free agent pickup.

The 1987 Value Production Standings

AL Organization    WSP Lg. WSP  MLB WSP      W   Lg. W   W% - WSP% Avg. WSP % MLB Avg.

Red Sox            306   10.1%     5.0%     78    6.9%       -3.2%
Brewers            300    9.9%     4.9%     91    8.0%       -1.9%
Yankees            213    7.0%     3.5%     89    7.8%        0.8%
Tigers             180    5.9%     2.9%     98    8.6%        2.7%
Orioles            177    5.8%     2.9%     67    5.9%        0.1%
Indians            171    5.6%     2.8%     61    5.4%       -0.3%
Blue Jays          163    5.4%     2.7%     96    8.5%        3.1%
East Division     1510   49.8%    24.6%    580   51.1%        1.3%      216   91.3%

Royals             259    8.5%     4.2%     83    7.3%       -1.2%
Athletics          257    8.5%     4.2%     81    7.1%       -1.3%
Rangers            239    7.9%     3.9%     75    6.6%       -1.3%
Angels             232    7.7%     3.8%     75    6.6%       -1.0%
Mariners           209    6.9%     3.4%     78    6.9%        0.0%
Twins              188    6.2%     3.1%     85    7.5%        1.3%
White Sox          136    4.5%     2.2%     77    6.8%        2.3%
West Division     1520   50.2%    24.7%    554   48.9%       -1.3%      217   91.9%

AL Total          3030  100.0%    49.3%   1134  100.0%        0.0%      216   91.6%

NL Organization    WSP Lg. WSP  MLB WSP      W   Lg. W   W% - WSP% Avg. WSP % MLB Avg.

Phillies           349   11.2%     5.7%     80    8.2%       -3.0%
Cardinals          333   10.7%     5.4%     95    9.8%       -0.9%
Mets               304    9.8%     4.9%     92    9.5%       -0.3%
Expos              247    7.9%     4.0%     91    9.4%        1.4%
Pirates            244    7.8%     4.0%     80    8.2%        0.4%
Cubs               156    5.0%     2.5%     76    7.8%        2.8%
East Division     1633   52.5%    26.6%    514   52.9%        0.5%      272  115.2%

Dodgers            397   12.8%     6.5%     73    7.5%       -5.2%
Reds               282    9.1%     4.6%     84    8.7%       -0.4%
Giants             259    8.3%     4.2%     90    9.3%        0.9%
Braves             221    7.1%     3.6%     69    7.1%        0.0%
Padres             203    6.5%     3.3%     65    6.7%        0.2%
Astros             118    3.8%     1.9%     76    7.8%        4.0%
West Division     1480   47.5%    24.1%    457   47.1%       -0.5%      247  104.4%

NL Total          3113  100.0%    50.7%    971  100.0%        0.0%      259  109.8%

MLB Total         6143    n/a      100%   2105    n/a         n/a       236  100.0%

The Cardinals were the franchise that had invented the farm system, under visionary GM Branch Rickey in the 1920s. The productivity of the organization Rickey built had been the envy of all of baseball through the 1930s and ‘40s. Though it had since been eclipsed, the St. Louis system had remained consistently strong into the 1980s.

The 1987 Cardinals won their third NL pennant in six years. Yet though they’d developed a solid base of talent, the Cards had leveraged much of it as trade bait. The only home-grown standouts they featured in ’87 were third baseman Terry Pendleton, left fielder Vince Coleman, second baseman Tommy Herr and relief ace Todd Worrell.

The top four St. Louis starting pitchers (Greg Mathews, Danny Cox, Bob Forsch and Joe Magrane) were farm products. They were all right, but nothing special.

The keys to the Cards’ success were three trade acquisitions: defensive wizard shortstop Ozzie Smith, cleanup-hitting first baseman Jack Clark and fleet center fielder Willie McGee.

St. Louis products starring in other uniforms in 1987 were center fielder Andy Van Slyke (Pirates) and first baseman Keith Hernandez (Mets), while other prominent former Cardinals included infielders Ken Oberkfell (Braves), Garry Templeton (Padres) and Jose Uribe (Giants), first baseman Leon Durham (Cubs), outfielders Jerry Mumphrey (Cubs), Jose Cruz (Astros) and Larry Herndon (Tigers), catcher Terry Kennedy (Orioles) and pitcher Mike Dunne (Pirates).

The 1988 Value Production Standings

AL Organization    WSP Lg. WSP  MLB WSP      W   Lg. W   W% - WSP% Avg. WSP % MLB Avg.

Red Sox            326   10.8%     5.3%     89    7.9%       -3.0%
Brewers            269    8.9%     4.4%     87    7.7%       -1.3%
Yankees            237    7.9%     3.9%     85    7.5%       -0.4%
Indians            196    6.5%     3.2%     78    6.9%        0.4%
Tigers             181    6.0%     3.0%     88    7.8%        1.8%
Orioles            169    5.6%     2.8%     54    4.8%       -0.8%
Blue Jays          133    4.4%     2.2%     87    7.7%        3.3%
East Division     1511   50.2%    24.7%    568   50.2%        0.0%      216   91.7%

Royals             294    9.8%     4.8%     84    7.4%       -2.3%
Athletics          266    8.8%     4.3%    104    9.2%        0.4%
Angels             226    7.5%     3.7%     75    6.6%       -0.9%
Twins              215    7.1%     3.5%     91    8.0%        0.9%
Mariners           193    6.4%     3.2%     68    6.0%       -0.4%
Rangers            189    6.3%     3.1%     70    6.2%       -0.1%
White Sox          114    3.8%     1.9%     71    6.3%        2.5%
West Division     1497   49.8%    24.5%    563   49.8%        0.0%      214   90.9%

AL Total          3008  100.0%    49.2%   1131  100.0%        0.0%      215   91.3%

NL Organization    WSP Lg. WSP  MLB WSP      W   Lg. W   W% - WSP% Avg. WSP % MLB Avg.

Mets               376   12.1%     6.1%    100   10.3%       -1.7%
Pirates            333   10.7%     5.4%     85    8.8%       -1.9%
Phillies           323   10.4%     5.3%     65    6.7%       -3.7%
Cubs               246    7.9%     4.0%     77    8.0%        0.1%
Cardinals          225    7.2%     3.7%     76    7.9%        0.6%
Expos              178    5.7%     2.9%     81    8.4%        2.7%
East Division     1681   54.0%    27.5%    484   50.1%       -4.0%      280  119.0%

Dodgers            333   10.7%     5.4%     94    9.7%       -1.0%
Reds               319   10.3%     5.2%     87    9.0%       -1.3%
Giants             225    7.2%     3.7%     83    8.6%        1.4%
Braves             225    7.2%     3.7%     54    5.6%       -1.6%
Padres             212    6.8%     3.5%     83    8.6%        1.8%
Astros             116    3.7%     1.9%     82    8.5%        4.8%
West Division     1430   46.0%    23.4%    483   49.9%        4.0%      238  101.3%

NL Total          3111  100.0%    50.8%    967  100.0%        0.0%      259  110.2%

MLB Total         6119    n/a      100%   2098    n/a         n/a       235  100.0%

The most productive farm system in baseball through the 1980s had been that of the Dodgers, but since 1981 they’d achieved no pennants. It was ironic that the 1988 team, which finally delivered not just a pennant but a decisive World Series championship, was less impressive than previous Dodger ball clubs, and by 1988 the organization’s farm production, while still outstanding, was no longer the juggernaut it had been a few years earlier.

The ’88 Dodgers were a low-scoring outfit that rallied around the sensational pitching of home-grown Cy Young Award-winning ace Orel Hershiser. The only other major system-produced talents on hand were second baseman Steve Sax, catcher Mike Scioscia, outfielder Mike Marshall and pitcher Alejandro Pena.

The key imported talent was free agent left fielder Kirk Gibson, whose inspirational leadership explained his capturing the MVP award with good-but-not-great stats. Trade-acquired starting pitchers Tim Leary and Tim Belcher also made important contributions.

As had been the case through much of the decade, in 1988 the most impressive list of Dodger-developed talent was the litany of standout pitchers performing elsewhere: Dave Stewart and Bob Welch (Athletics), John Franco (Reds), Charlie Hough (Rangers), Rick Sutcliffe (Cubs), Sid Fernandez (Mets) and Doyle Alexander (Tigers).

The heavily-favored Oakland team the Dodgers stunned in the World Series contained a nucleus of home-grown talent, most notably the “Bash Brothers” Jose Canseco (the AL MVP) and Mark McGwire, as well as shortstop Walt Weiss and catcher Terry Steinbach. But much of the A’s roster was imported talent, including, of course, starting pitchers Stewart and Welch, workhorse reliever Gene Nelson and third baseman Carney Lansford.

The most remarkable aspect of the Athletics under GM Sandy Alderson and field manager Tony LaRussa was their knack at taking on discard-bin “projects” from other organizations and nurturing them into new success. Such would describe Stewart, as well as relief ace Dennis Eckersley, starting pitcher Storm Davis and center fielder Dave Henderson.

The 1989 Value Production Standings

AL Organization    WSP Lg. WSP  MLB WSP      W   Lg. W   W% - WSP% Avg. WSP % MLB Avg.

Red Sox            257    8.3%     4.2%     83    7.3%       -1.0%
Brewers            256    8.3%     4.1%     81    7.1%       -1.1%
Yankees            230    7.5%     3.7%     74    6.5%       -0.9%
Orioles            193    6.3%     3.1%     87    7.7%        1.4%
Indians            189    6.1%     3.1%     73    6.4%        0.3%
Tigers             177    5.7%     2.9%     59    5.2%       -0.5%
Blue Jays          174    5.6%     2.8%     89    7.9%        2.2%
East Division     1476   47.8%    23.9%    546   48.2%        0.4%      211   88.6%

Mariners           283    9.2%     4.6%     73    6.4%       -2.7%
Royals             278    9.0%     4.5%     92    8.1%       -0.9%
Angels             254    8.2%     4.1%     91    8.0%       -0.2%
Athletics          250    8.1%     4.0%     99    8.7%        0.6%
Twins              217    7.0%     3.5%     80    7.1%        0.0%
Rangers            194    6.3%     3.1%     83    7.3%        1.0%
White Sox          135    4.4%     2.2%     69    6.1%        1.7%
West Division     1611   52.2%    26.0%    587   51.8%       -0.4%      230   96.7%

AL Total          3087  100.0%    49.9%   1133  100.0%        0.0%      221   92.7%

NL Organization    WSP Lg. WSP  MLB WSP      W   Lg. W   W% - WSP% Avg. WSP % MLB Avg.

Mets               382   12.3%     6.2%     87    9.0%       -3.4%
Pirates            328   10.6%     5.3%     74    7.6%       -3.0%
Phillies           281    9.1%     4.5%     67    6.9%       -2.2%
Cubs               271    8.7%     4.4%     93    9.6%        0.8%
Expos              184    5.9%     3.0%     81    8.4%        2.4%
Cardinals          178    5.7%     2.9%     86    8.9%        3.1%
East Division     1624   52.4%    26.3%    488   50.3%       -2.1%      271  113.8%

Reds               331   10.7%     5.4%     75    7.7%       -3.0%
Dodgers            318   10.3%     5.1%     77    7.9%       -2.3%
Giants             231    7.5%     3.7%     92    9.5%        2.0%
Padres             218    7.0%     3.5%     89    9.2%        2.1%
Braves             212    6.8%     3.4%     63    6.5%       -0.3%
Astros             164    5.3%     2.7%     86    8.9%        3.6%
West Division     1474   47.6%    23.8%    482   49.7%        2.1%      246  103.3%

NL Total          3098  100.0%    50.1%    970  100.0%        0.0%      258  108.5%

MLB Total         6185    n/a      100%   2103    n/a         n/a       238  100.0%

The Blue Jays and the Mariners had been launched jointly as American League expansion teams in 1977. By 1989, their fates were a vivid contrast: Toronto was winning its second division title, and had been a strong contender for several years, while Seattle was still mired in sixth place and had yet to come within five games of a .500 season. And this was the case despite the fact that the Blue Jays were last in the AL East in WSP, while the Mariners were first in the AL West.

Toronto’s ’89 team featured solid, but hardly imposing, performances by system products in shortstop Tony Fernandez and pitchers Dave Stieb, Jimmy Key, John Cerutti, and David Wells. But they took the division because of the outstanding contributions from extraordinarily shrewd acquistions by longtime GM Pat Gillick: first baseman Fred McGriff, acquired in trade as a 19-year-old; left fielder George Bell and third baseman Kelly Gruber, both Rule 5 draft picks; and relief ace Tom Henke, chosen as a free agent compensation pick.

Meanwhile, the Mariners were enjoying excellent work from home-grown standouts in first baseman Alvin Davis, second baseman Harold Reynolds and teenage rookie center fielder Ken Griffey, Jr. But they weren’t getting much from the players they’d acquired, and this young franchise had allowed way too much of its system-produced talent to get away: outfielders Phil Bradley (Orioles), Dave Henderson (Athletics) and Ivan Calderon (White Sox), pitchers Mark Langston (Expos), Mike Moore (Athletics), Bud Black (Indians) and Lee Guetterman (Yankees) and shortstop Spike Owen (Expos). Perhaps accordingly, in Woody Woodward in 1989 the Mariners were already on their fifth general manager.

The WSP gap between the leagues

National League organizations produced more talent than the American in 1951, and with the 1989 season they held that distinction for an astounding 39th consecutive season. However, through the latter portion of the 1980s, the once-enormous gap in WSP between the leagues was narrowing. In 1989, AL franchises produced at a mean average of 92.7% of the MLB mean. That was still a significant difference, to be sure, but that figure represented the closest production between the leagues since 1959. Perhaps the decades-long production gap was finally nearing its end. We’ll find out next time.

The Value Production Standings Summary, 1946-1989

American League

  Year  NYY     DET     BOS     CLE     OAK     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%
  1966   1       3       6       5       7       8       2       4        9       10     44.4%
  1967   7       4       1       6       8       3       2       5        9       10     45.5%
  1968   7       1       4       5       2       8       3       6        9       10     45.8%

American League East Division

  Year  BAL     DET     BOS     NYY     CLE     WAS          Avg WSP % ML Avg  ALE WSP  AL WSP
  1969   1       2       3       4       5       6              259    108.3%    27.1%   45.3%
  1970   2       4       1       3       5       6              260    108.3%    27.1%   44.7%
  1971   2       3       4       1       5       6              244    101.5%    25.4%   46.0%

        BAL     DET     BOS     NYY     CLE     MIL
  1972   1       5       2       4       3       6              219     95.4%    23.9%   43.0%
  1973   1       5       2       4       3       6              219     91.5%    22.9%   42.0%
  1974   2       3       1       4       5       6              215     90.5%    22.6%   43.8%
  1975   2       4       1       3       5       6              193     81.6%    20.4%   44.4%
  1976   2       4       1       5       3       6              204     85.9%    21.5%   44.3%

        BAL     DET     BOS     NYY     CLE     MIL     TOR
  1977   1       3       2       5       4       6       7      193     82.2%    22.1%   46.1%
  1978   2       3       1       5       4       6       7      210     88.9%    23.9%   46.7%
  1979   2       3       1       6       5       4       7      213     90.7%    24.4%   47.7%
  1980   3       2       1       6       4       5       7      199     84.9%    22.8%   49.4%
  1981   3       2       1       6       4       5       7      138     89.2%    24.0%   49.0%
  1982   2       3       1       6       5       4       7      215     91.0%    24.5%   47.7%
  1983   2       5       1       4       6       3       7      222     94.7%    25.5%   48.0%
  1984   2       4       1       3       5       6       7      206     87.0%    23.4%   47.1%
  1985   3       4       1       2       7       5       6      206     87.6%    23.6%   47.7%
  1986   3       5       1       2       6       4       7      200     85.6%    23.0%   47.7%
  1987   5       4       1       3       6       2       7      216     91.3%    24.6%   49.3%
  1988   6       5       1       3       4       2       7      216     91.7%    24.7%   49.2%
  1989   4       6       1       3       5       2       7      211     88.6%    23.9%   49.9%

American League West Division

  Year  OAK     MIN     CHW     CAL     KCR     MIL          Avg. WSP% ML Avg. ALW WSP  AL WSP
  1969   1       2       3       4       5T      5T             175     73.0%    18.2%   45.3%
  1970   1       2       3       4       5       6              169     70.4%    17.6%   44.7%
  1971   1       3       4       2       6       5              198     82.3%    20.6%   46.0%

        OAK     MIN     CHW     CAL     KCR     TEX
  1972   1       2       3       4       6       5              177     76.8%    19.2%   43.0%
  1973   1       2       3       4       6       5              183     76.5%    19.1%   42.0%
  1974   1       2       5       4       6       3              201     84.7%    21.2%   43.8%
  1975   1       2       5       3       6       4              228     96.2%    24.0%   44.4%
  1976   1       4       5       2       6       3              217     91.5%    22.9%   44.3%

        OAK     MIN     CHW     CAL     KCR     TEX     SEA
  1977   1       2       6       4       5       3       7      209     88.9%    23.9%   46.1%
  1978   1       3       6       4       5       2       7      200     84.5%    22.7%   46.7%
  1979   1       4T      6       2       4T      3       7      203     86.5%    23.3%   47.7%
  1980   1       4       6       5       3       2       7      231     98.7%    26.6%   49.4%
  1981   1       5       6       3       4       2       7      143     92.6%    24.9%   49.0%
  1982   1       5       6       4       3       2       7      204     86.2%    23.2%   47.7%
  1983   2       5       6       1       4       3       7      196     83.5%    22.5%   48.0%
  1984   3       4       6       1       2       5       7      207     87.8%    23.6%   47.1%
  1985   3       5       7       2       1       4       6      210     89.6%    24.1%   47.7%
  1986   2       5       7       1       4       3       6      213     91.4%    24.6%   47.7%
  1987   2       6       7       4       1       3       5      217     91.9%    24.7%   49.3%
  1988   2       4       7       3       1       6       5      214     90.9%    24.5%   49.2%
  1989   4       5       7       3       2       5       1      230     96.7%    26.0%   49.9%

National League

  Year  STL     LAD     CHC     CIN     PHI     PIT     ATL     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%
  1966   6       4       7       2       8       5       3       1        9       10     55.6%
  1967   5       3       6       2       7       8       4       1        9       10     54.5%
  1968   5       4       6       2       8       7       3       1        9       10     54.2%

National League East Division

  Year  PIT     STL     CHC     NYM     PHI     MON          Avg. WSP% ML Avg. NLE WSP  NL WSP
  1969   1       2       3       4       5       6              218     91.1%    22.8%   54.7%
  1970   1       2       4       5       3       6              221     91.9%    23.0%   55.3%
  1971   1       3       5       2       4       6              230     95.7%    23.9%   54.0%
  1972   1       2       4       3       5       6              244    106.1%    26.5%   57.0%
  1973   1       3       5       2       4       6              239     99.7%    24.9%   58.0%
  1974   1       4       5       3       2       6              249    104.9%    26.2%   56.2%
  1975   1       2       5       3       4       6              247    104.2%    26.1%   55.6%
  1976   1       2       5       3       4       6              254    106.8%    26.7%   55.7%
  1977   1       2       5       4       3       6              290    123.4%    28.5%   53.9%
  1978   1       3       5       4       2       6              285    120.7%    27.9%   53.3%
  1979   1       3       6       4       2       5              289    123.5%    28.5%   52.3%
  1980   1       2       6       4       3       5              280    119.7%    27.6%   50.6%
  1981   1       2       6       3       4       5              185    119.5%    27.6%   51.0%
  1982   1       3       6       5       2       4              289    122.3%    28.2%   52.3%
  1983   3       1       6       5       2       4              272    115.8%    26.7%   52.0%
  1984   2       3       6       4       1       5              280    118.5%    27.4%   52.9%
  1985   4       2       6       3       1       5              276    117.7%    27.2%   52.3%
  1986   4       3       6       2       1       5              280    120.0%    27.7%   52.3%
  1987   5       2       6       3       1       4              272    115.2%    26.6%   50.7%
  1988   2       5       4       1       3       6              280    119.0%    27.5%   50.8%
  1989   2       6       4       1       3       5              271    113.8%    26.3%   50.1%

National League West Division

  Year  SFG     CIN     ATL     LAD     HOU     SDP          Avg. WSP% ML Avg. NLW WSP  NL WSP
  1969   1       2       3       4       5       6              306    127.7%    31.9%   54.7%
  1970   1       2       3       4       5       6              311    129.4%    32.3%   55.3%
  1971   1       2       3       4       5       6              289    120.4%    30.1%   54.0%
  1972   2       1       4       5       3       6              280    121.7%    30.4%   57.0%
  1973   1       2       5       3       4       6              317    132.2%    33.1%   58.0%
  1974   2       1       5       3       4       6              285    120.0%    30.0%   56.2%
  1975   1       2       5       4       3       6              279    118.0%    29.5%   55.6%
  1976   1       3       5       2       4       6              275    115.9%    29.0%   55.7%
  1977   1       3       5       2       4       6              259    110.3%    25.5%   53.9%
  1978   1       3       4       2       5       6              261    110.3%    25.5%   53.3%
  1979   1       3       5       2       4       6              242    103.1%    23.8%   52.3%
  1980   4       1       5       2       3       6              233     99.5%    23.0%   50.6%
  1981   4       2       3       1       5       6              157    101.6%    23.5%   51.0%
  1982   5       2       3       1       4       6              247    104.4%    24.1%   52.3%
  1983   5       2       3       1       4       6              258    109.7%    25.3%   52.0%
  1984   4       2       3       1       5       6              262    110.9%    25.6%   52.9%
  1985   5       2       3       1       4       6              256    108.9%    25.1%   52.3%
  1986   3       2       4       1       6       5              249    106.9%    24.7%   52.3%
  1987   3       2       4       1       6       5              247    104.4%    24.1%   50.7%
  1988   3T      2       3T      1       6       5              238    101.3%    23.4%   50.8%
  1989   3       1       5       2       6       4              246    103.3%    23.8%   50.1%

References & Resources

Methodology

First, we identify every player in the major leagues each season with 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). Finally, 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 assign a player to one organization. Lots of players were signed by one team, but then acquired by another organization while still young minor leaguers. 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).

In the 1980s, a handful of players weren’t the products of any major league team’s farm system, having been purchased from independent teams in the Mexican League. The Win Shares of such players aren’t counted in this analysis.