The Value Production Standings: 1998-2001
Our previous installments have examined 1946-1950, 1951-1955, 1956-1960, 1961-1965, 1966-1970, 1971-1975, 1976-1980, 1981-1985, 1986-1989, 1990-1993, and 1994-1997. Now it’s time to move into the era of “Is that your final answer?,” the Y2K scare and hanging chads.
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 1998 Value Production Standings
AL Organization WSP Lg. WSP MLB WSP W Lg. W W% - WSP% Avg. WSP % MLB Avg. Blue Jays 358 9.9% 5.1% 88 7.8% -2.1% Yankees 350 9.6% 5.0% 114 10.0% 0.4% Red Sox 245 6.7% 3.5% 92 8.1% 1.4% Orioles 182 5.0% 2.6% 79 7.0% 1.9% Devil Rays 0 0.0% 0.0% 63 5.6% 5.6% East Division 1135 31.3% 16.2% 436 38.4% 7.2% 227 97.2% Indians 311 8.6% 4.4% 89 7.8% -0.7% Twins 260 7.2% 3.7% 70 6.2% -1.0% Royals 236 6.5% 3.4% 72 6.3% -0.2% Tigers 208 5.7% 3.0% 65 5.7% 0.0% White Sox 206 5.7% 2.9% 80 7.0% 1.4% Central Division 1221 33.6% 17.4% 376 33.1% -0.5% 244 104.6% Athletics 347 9.6% 5.0% 74 6.5% -3.0% Rangers 334 9.2% 4.8% 88 7.8% -1.4% Angels 321 8.8% 4.6% 85 7.5% -1.3% Mariners 274 7.5% 3.9% 76 6.7% -0.8% West Division 1276 35.1% 18.2% 323 28.5% -6.7% 319 136.6% AL Total 3632 100.0% 51.8% 1135 100.0% 0.0% 259 111.1% NL Organization WSP Lg. WSP MLB WSP W Lg. W W% - WSP% Avg. WSP % MLB Avg. Expos 361 10.7% 5.2% 65 5.0% -5.7% Braves 245 7.3% 3.5% 106 8.2% 0.9% Mets 240 7.1% 3.4% 88 6.8% -0.3% Phillies 175 5.2% 2.5% 75 5.8% 0.6% Marlins 101 3.0% 1.4% 54 4.2% 1.2% East Division 1122 33.3% 16.0% 388 30.0% -3.3% 224 96.1% Pirates 291 8.6% 4.2% 69 5.3% -3.3% Brewers 250 7.4% 3.6% 74 5.7% -1.7% Astros 225 6.7% 3.2% 102 7.9% 1.2% Cubs 216 6.4% 3.1% 90 6.9% 0.5% Reds 202 6.0% 2.9% 77 5.9% 0.0% Cardinals 194 5.8% 2.8% 83 6.4% 0.7% Central Division 1378 40.9% 19.7% 495 38.2% -2.6% 230 98.4% Dodgers 358 10.6% 5.1% 83 6.4% -4.2% Padres 209 6.2% 3.0% 98 7.6% 1.4% Giants 202 6.0% 2.9% 89 6.9% 0.9% Rockies 91 2.7% 1.3% 77 5.9% 3.2% Diamondbacks 13 0.4% 0.2% 65 5.0% 4.6% West Division 873 25.9% 12.5% 412 31.8% 5.9% 175 74.8% NL Total 3373 100.0% 48.2% 1295 100.0% 0.0% 211 90.3% MLB Total 7005 n/a 100.0% 2430 n/a n/a 234 100.0%
The Yankees had been a consistent winner since 1993, and in 1998 they reached a towering peak, with an all-time great team that won 114 regular season games and went 11-2 in the postseason. At the time, and throughout the Yankees’ tremendous late 1990s-early 2000s run, many observers pointed to the Yankees’ enormous payroll, and described the organization (usually derisively) as having “bought” success by acquiring high-priced veteran stars via free agency and trade.
Certainly, the Yankees were aggressive in acquiring high-profile talent. Several of their stars in 1998 were imported and expensive, such as right fielder Paul O’Neill, second baseman Chuck Knoblauch, first baseman Tino Martinez and pitchers David Cone, Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez and David Wells.
But the indispensable foundation of the Yankees’ success was a highly productive farm system, which had produced an extraordinary core of young stars (shortstop Derek Jeter, center fielder Bernie Williams, catcher Jorge Posada and pitchers Andy Pettite and Mariano Rivera).
That system also provided them with a steady supply of prospects with which to trade for key veterans. Prominent Yankee products in other uniforms in 1998 included pitchers Al Leiter (Mets), Sterling Hitchcock (Padres), Bob Tewksbury and Eric Milton (Twins), first basemen Fred McGriff (Devil Rays) and J.T. Snow (Giants), outfielders Carl Everett (Astros), Otis Nixon (Twins), Roberto Kelly (Rangers) and Gerald Williams (Braves), catcher Brad Ausmus (Astros), third baseman Russ Davis (Mariners) and infielder Andy Fox (Diamondbacks).
The 1999 Value Production Standings
AL Organization WSP Lg. WSP MLB WSP W Lg. W W% - WSP% Avg. WSP % MLB Avg. Yankees 336 9.1% 4.8% 98 8.7% -0.4% Blue Jays 319 8.6% 4.5% 84 7.5% -1.1% Red Sox 263 7.1% 3.8% 94 8.4% 1.3% Orioles 194 5.3% 2.8% 78 7.0% 1.7% Devil Rays 9 0.2% 0.1% 69 6.1% 5.9% East Division 1121 30.3% 16.0% 423 37.7% 7.4% 224 95.9% Indians 379 10.3% 5.4% 97 8.6% -1.6% Twins 269 7.3% 3.8% 63 5.6% -1.7% White Sox 269 7.3% 3.8% 75 6.7% -0.6% Royals 251 6.8% 3.6% 64 5.7% -1.1% Tigers 181 4.9% 2.6% 69 6.1% 1.3% Central Division 1349 36.5% 19.2% 368 32.8% -3.7% 270 115.4% Rangers 366 9.9% 5.2% 95 8.5% -1.4% Athletics 326 8.8% 4.6% 87 7.8% -1.1% Mariners 294 8.0% 4.2% 79 7.0% -0.9% Angels 239 6.5% 3.4% 70 6.2% -0.2% West Division 1225 33.2% 17.5% 331 29.5% -3.7% 306 131.0% AL Total 3695 100.0% 52.7% 1122 100.0% 0.0% 264 112.9% NL Organization WSP Lg. WSP MLB WSP W Lg. W W% - WSP% Avg. WSP % MLB Avg. Expos 309 9.3% 4.4% 68 5.2% -4.1% Braves 279 8.4% 4.0% 103 7.9% -0.5% Mets 240 7.2% 3.4% 97 7.4% 0.2% Phillies 142 4.3% 2.0% 77 5.9% 1.6% Marlins 114 3.4% 1.6% 64 4.9% 1.5% East Division 1084 32.7% 15.5% 409 31.3% -1.3% 217 92.7% Astros 281 8.5% 4.0% 97 7.4% -1.0% Brewers 270 8.1% 3.8% 74 5.7% -2.5% Reds 217 6.5% 3.1% 96 7.4% 0.8% Cardinals 198 6.0% 2.8% 75 5.7% -0.2% Cubs 195 5.9% 2.8% 67 5.1% -0.7% Pirates 165 5.0% 2.4% 78 6.0% 1.0% Central Division 1326 40.0% 18.9% 487 37.3% -2.6% 221 94.5% Dodgers 376 11.3% 5.4% 77 5.9% -5.4% Giants 273 8.2% 3.9% 86 6.6% -1.6% Padres 184 5.5% 2.6% 74 5.7% 0.1% Rockies 59 1.8% 0.8% 72 5.5% 3.7% Diamondbacks 16 0.5% 0.2% 100 7.7% 7.2% West Division 908 27.4% 12.9% 409 31.3% 4.0% 182 77.7% NL Total 3318 100.0% 47.3% 1305 100.0% 0.0% 207 88.7% MLB Total 7013 n/a 100.0% 2427 n/a n/a 234 100.0%
For decades they’d had one of the weaker farm systems in baseball, but in the 1990s the Indians’ organization under GM John Hart was one of the game’s most prolific talent producers. In 1999 they led the major leagues in WSP, while winning the AL Central division for the fifth consecutive season. Home-grown talent was the backbone of their outstanding ball club, including right fielder Manny Ramirez, first baseman Jim Thome, first baseman-outfielder Richie Sexson and pitchers Bartolo Colon and Charles Nagy.
The Indians remained successful despite having exported an extraordinary volume of talent: outfielders Albert Belle (Orioles) and Brian Giles (Pirates), first baseman Sean Casey (Reds), infielders David Bell (Mariners) and Damian Jackson (Padres) and pitchers Danny Graves (Reds), Jeff Shaw (Dodgers), Paul Byrd and Robert Person (Phillies), Dave Mlicki (Tigers), Greg Swindell (Diamondbacks), Jerry Dipoto and Curt Leskanic (Rockies) and Steve Kline (Expos).
The Dodgers dominated the National League West in talent production in the 1990s, but under GM Fred Claire they hadn’t quite matched that in performance on the field. Claire was replaced by Kevin Malone in 1999, yet despite leading the NL in WSP by a wide margin, the team stumbled to a 77-85 record. The ’99 Dodgers featured a few home-grown standouts, in right fielder Raul Mondesi, first baseman Eric Karros, third baseman Adrian Beltre and pitcher Ismael Valdez, but they’d let way too many get away: pitchers Pedro Martinez (Red Sox, the AL Cy Young Award winner), Pedro Astacio (Rockies), Omar Daal (Diamondbacks), Juan Guzman (Orioles-Reds) and John Wetteland (Rangers), catcher Mike Piazza (Mets), outfielders Henry Rodriguez (Cubs) and Roger Cedeno (Mets), first baseman Paul Konerko (White Sox) and catcher Darrin Fletcher (Blue Jays).
Meanwhile, in their second season of existence, with virtually no farm system production, the Diamondbacks were runaway NL West champs. Taking a page from the book the Marlins had written a few years earlier, Arizona had defied the coventional expansion-team wisdom of patiently building with young players. Instead the Diamondbacks traded their prospects for established veterans, and spent lavishly on big-name free agents, including Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson. The notion that it was impossible for an expansion team to quickly achieve championships was fully dashed.
The 2000 Value Production Standings
AL Organization WSP Lg. WSP MLB WSP W Lg. W W% - WSP% Avg. WSP % MLB Avg. Blue Jays 335 9.3% 4.8% 83 7.3% -2.0% Yankees 318 8.8% 4.5% 87 7.6% -1.2% Red Sox 229 6.4% 3.3% 85 7.4% 1.1% Orioles 215 6.0% 3.1% 74 6.5% 0.5% Devil Rays 7 0.2% 0.1% 69 6.0% 5.8% East Division 1104 30.7% 15.8% 398 34.8% 4.2% 221 94.6% Indians 329 9.1% 4.7% 90 7.9% -1.3% Twins 272 7.6% 3.9% 69 6.0% -1.5% White Sox 267 7.4% 3.8% 95 8.3% 0.9% Royals 220 6.1% 3.1% 77 6.7% 0.6% Tigers 159 4.4% 2.3% 79 6.9% 2.5% Central Division 1247 34.6% 17.8% 410 35.9% 1.2% 249 106.8% Athletics 326 9.1% 4.7% 91 8.0% -1.1% Rangers 317 8.8% 4.5% 71 6.2% -2.6% Angels 309 8.6% 4.4% 82 7.2% -1.4% Mariners 298 8.3% 4.3% 91 8.0% -0.3% West Division 1250 34.7% 17.8% 335 29.3% -5.4% 313 133.9% AL Total 3601 100.0% 51.4% 1143 100.0% 0.0% 257 110.2% NL Organization WSP Lg. WSP MLB WSP W Lg. W W% - WSP% Avg. WSP % MLB Avg. Expos 366 10.8% 5.2% 67 5.2% -5.5% Mets 303 8.9% 4.3% 94 7.3% -1.6% Braves 251 7.4% 3.6% 95 7.4% 0.0% Phillies 171 5.0% 2.4% 65 5.1% 0.0% Marlins 136 4.0% 1.9% 79 6.1% 2.2% East Division 1227 36.1% 17.5% 400 31.1% -4.9% 245 105.1% Astros 291 8.6% 4.2% 72 5.6% -2.9% Brewers 239 7.0% 3.4% 73 5.7% -1.3% Pirates 239 7.0% 3.4% 69 5.4% -1.7% Cardinals 225 6.6% 3.2% 95 7.4% 0.8% Reds 172 5.1% 2.5% 85 6.6% 1.6% Cubs 158 4.6% 2.3% 65 5.1% 0.4% Central Division 1324 38.9% 18.9% 459 35.7% -3.2% 221 94.5% Dodgers 353 10.4% 5.0% 86 6.7% -3.7% Giants 240 7.1% 3.4% 97 7.5% 0.5% Padres 149 4.4% 2.1% 76 5.9% 1.5% Rockies 82 2.4% 1.2% 82 6.4% 4.0% Diamondbacks 28 0.8% 0.4% 85 6.6% 5.8% West Division 852 25.0% 12.2% 426 33.2% 8.1% 170 73.0% NL Total 3403 100.0% 48.6% 1285 100.0% 0.0% 213 91.1% MLB Total 7004 n/a 100.0% 2428 n/a n/a 233 100.0%
The situation in Montreal was a surreal nightmare. Years of tight-fisted ownership pursuing policies that amounted to an anti-marketing campaign had driven the franchise into a death spiral, as it stubbornly persisted in its attempt to extort the city into building it a new stadium. Nearly every key player opted to leave via free agency as soon as he was able, or was sent away in a payroll-dump trade before he could. Yet through it all the Expos’ farm system kept on producing talent at an extraordinary rate. The organization led the National League East Division in WSP in 2000 for the ninth straight year, and led the major leagues as well.
The 2000 Expos were a bad team, at 67-95. But the core of talent they had was home-grown, and it was quite impressive, particularly 24-year-old right fielder Vladimir Guerrero, 25-year-old second baseman Jose Vidro, 28-year-old left fielder Rondell White, 25-year-old shortstop Orlando Cabrera and 23-year-old starting pitcher Javier Vazquez.
The list of Expos products performing elsewhere was simply remarkable, including outfielders Larry Walker (Rockies), Cliff Floyd (Marlins), John Vander Wal (Pirates), Matt Stairs (Athletics), Wil Cordero (Pirates-Indians), and Marquis Grissom (Brewers), second basemen Delino DeShields (Orioles), Mark Grudzielanek (Dodgers), and Mike Lansing (Rockies–Red Sox), first basemen Andres Galarraga (Braves) and Greg Colbrunn (Diamondbacks), designated hitter Brad Fullmer (Blue Jays), and pitchers Gabe White (Rockies), Antonio Alfonseca (Marlins) and Kirk Rueter (Giants).
The 2001 Value Production Standings
AL Organization WSP Lg. WSP MLB WSP W Lg. W W% - WSP% Avg. WSP % MLB Avg. Blue Jays 345 9.6% 5.0% 80 7.0% -2.5% Yankees 320 8.9% 4.6% 95 8.3% -0.5% Red Sox 219 6.1% 3.2% 82 7.2% 1.1% Orioles 186 5.2% 2.7% 63 5.5% 0.4% Devil Rays 26 0.7% 0.4% 62 5.4% 4.7% East Division 1096 30.4% 15.8% 382 33.6% 3.1% 219 94.7% Indians 341 9.5% 4.9% 91 8.0% -1.5% Twins 296 8.2% 4.3% 85 7.5% -0.7% Royals 268 7.4% 3.9% 65 5.7% -1.7% White Sox 252 7.0% 3.6% 83 7.3% 0.3% Tigers 185 5.1% 2.7% 66 5.8% 0.7% Central Division 1342 37.3% 19.3% 390 34.3% -3.0% 268 115.9% Athletics 338 9.4% 4.9% 102 9.0% -0.4% Rangers 291 8.1% 4.2% 73 6.4% -1.7% Mariners 282 7.8% 4.1% 116 10.2% 2.4% Angels 253 7.0% 3.6% 75 6.6% -0.4% West Division 1164 32.3% 16.8% 366 32.2% -0.2% 291 125.7% AL Total 3602 100.0% 51.9% 1138 100.0% 0.0% 257 111.1% NL Organization WSP Lg. WSP MLB WSP W Lg. W W% - WSP% Avg. WSP % MLB Avg. Expos 350 10.5% 5.0% 68 5.3% -5.2% Braves 256 7.7% 3.7% 88 6.8% -0.8% Mets 232 6.9% 3.3% 82 6.4% -0.6% Phillies 171 5.1% 2.5% 86 6.7% 1.6% Marlins 129 3.9% 1.9% 76 5.9% 2.0% East Division 1138 34.0% 16.4% 400 31.0% -3.0% 228 98.3% Astros 370 11.1% 5.3% 93 7.2% -3.9% Cardinals 281 8.4% 4.0% 93 7.2% -1.2% Pirates 249 7.4% 3.6% 62 4.8% -2.6% Cubs 180 5.4% 2.6% 88 6.8% 1.4% Brewers 166 5.0% 2.4% 68 5.3% 0.3% Reds 154 4.6% 2.2% 66 5.1% 0.5% Central Division 1400 41.9% 20.2% 470 36.4% -5.4% 233 100.8% Dodgers 299 8.9% 4.3% 86 6.7% -2.3% Giants 187 5.6% 2.7% 90 7.0% 1.4% Padres 154 4.6% 2.2% 79 6.1% 1.5% Rockies 98 2.9% 1.4% 73 5.7% 2.7% Diamondbacks 68 2.0% 1.0% 92 7.1% 5.1% West Division 806 24.1% 11.6% 420 32.6% 8.5% 161 69.6% NL Total 3344 100.0% 48.1% 1290 100.0% 0.0% 209 90.3% MLB Total 6946 n/a 100.0% 2428 n/a n/a 232 100.0%
The Astros’ farm system had been moribund through the 1980s and early ’90s, but in the late 1990s under GM Gerry Hunsicker it emerged as a strong one. In 2001 the organization generated a franchise-record 370 WSP, leading the league (and the major leagues) for the first time. Winning the NL Central for the fourth time in five seasons, the ’01 Astros featured home-grown standouts in left fielder Lance Berkman, second baseman Craig Biggio, center fielder Richard Hidalgo and pitchers Wade Miller, Roy Oswalt, Billy Wagner and Shane Reynolds.
Yet there were quite a few first-rate Houston products playing elsewhere as well, including outfielders Luis Gonzalez (Diamondbacks), Bobby Abreu (Phillies) and Kenny Lofton (Indians), third baseman Phil Nevin (Padres), shortstop Carlos Guillen (Mariners), outfielder-infielder Melvin Mora (Orioles) and pitchers Freddy Garcia (Mariners) and Darryl Kile (Cardinals).
The Blue Jays had presented one of the most productive systems in baseball since the early ’90s. But their 2001 results were frustratingly typical of how they’d been for several years: They led the league in WSP while posting a mediocre 80-82 record. Toronto had retained a few of its best system-developed talents, in first baseman Carlos Delgado, left fielder Shannon Stewart, shortstop Alex Gonzalez and pitchers Chris Carpenter, Roy Halladay, Kelvim Escobar and Billy Koch.
But those who’d gotten away included outfielder Shawn Green (Dodgers), second baseman Jeff Kent (Giants), first baseman John Olerud (Mariners) and pitchers David Wells (White Sox), Woody Williams (Padres-Cardinals) and Jose Mesa (Phillies).
Coming into the league at the same time as the Blue Jays, the Mariners had rarely shown as productive a farm system, and 2001 was no exception, as the Mariners’ WSP was middle-of-the-pack. Yet they put a spectacularly successful 116-46 team on the field. Only two of the key members of this tremendous squad were system-developed—second baseman Bret Boone (whom they’d traded away years earlier, and then re-acquired as a free agent) and designated hitter Edgar Martinez. The best Mariner product, shortstop Alex Rodriguez, had gone to the Rangers as a free agent. Among the many excellent acquisitions GM Pat Gillick had achieved was the purchase of MVP/Rookie of the Year Ichiro Suzuki from the Orix Blue Wave of the Japanese Pacific League.
The Value Production Standings Summary, 1946-2001
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 Avg. WSP % ML Avg ALE WSP AL WSP
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 Avg. WSP % ML Avg ALE WSP AL WSP
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%
1990 6 5 1 2 7 4 3 215 90.8% 24.4% 50.1%
1991 6 4 1 2 7 4 5 212 89.2% 24.0% 50.9%
1992 4 6 3 2 7 1 5 219 91.4% 24.6% 51.6%
1993 6 5 3 1 7 4 2 227 96.0% 24.0% 51.5%
BAL DET BOS NYY TOR Avg. WSP % ML Avg ALE WSP AL WSP
1994 4 5 3 2 1 190 114.0% 20.4% 53.0%
1995 5 4 3 1 2 222 105.9% 18.9% 53.2%
1996 4 5 3 1 2 251 106.1% 18.9% 53.9%
1997 4 5 3 2 1 272 115.1% 20.6% 53.8%
BAL TBD BOS NYY TOR Avg. WSP % ML Avg ALE WSP AL WSP
1998 4 5 3 2 1 227 97.2% 16.2% 51.8%
1999 4 5 3 1 2 224 95.9% 16.0% 52.7%
2000 4 5 3 2 1 221 94.6% 15.8% 51.4%
2001 4 5 3 2 1 219 94.7% 15.8% 51.9%
American League Central Division
Year KCR MIN CHW MIL CLE Avg. WSP % ML Avg. ALC WSP AL WSP
1994 1 2 3 4 5 163 97.8% 17.5% 53.0%
1995 1 2 5 4 3 210 100.0% 17.9% 53.2%
1996 2 1 5 3 4 241 101.6% 18.1% 53.9%
1997 4 2T 5 2T 1 232 98.3% 17.6% 53.8%
KCR MIN CHW DET CLE Avg. WSP % ML Avg. ALC WSP AL WSP
1998 3 2 5 4 1 244 104.6% 17.4% 51.8%
1999 4 2T 2T 5 1 270 115.4% 19.2% 52.7%
2000 4 2 3 5 1 249 106.8% 17.8% 51.4%
2001 3 2 4 5 1 268 115.9% 19.3% 51.9%
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 Avg. WSP % ML Avg. ALW WSP AL WSP
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 Avg. WSP % ML Avg. ALW WSP AL WSP
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%
1990 3 6 7 4 2 5 1 226 95.4% 25.7% 50.1%
1991 1 7 6 5 3 4 2 237 99.7% 26.8% 50.9%
1992 1 6 5 2 4 3 7 239 100.1% 27.0% 51.6%
1993 4 6 7 3 2 1 5 260 110.0% 27.5% 51.5%
OAK TEX SEA ANA Avg. WSP % ML Avg. ALW WSP AL WSP
1994 1 2 4 3 178 106.4% 15.2% 53.0%
1995 2 1 4 3 241 114.7% 16.4% 53.2%
1996 2 1 4 3 278 117.5% 16.8% 53.9%
1997 3 2 4 1 260 109.9% 15.7% 53.8%
1998 1 2 4 3 319 136.6% 18.2% 51.8%
1999 2 1 3 4 306 131.0% 17.5% 52.7%
2000 1 2 4 3 313 133.9% 17.8% 51.4%
2001 1 2 3 4 291 125.7% 16.8% 51.9%
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 FLA Avg. WSP % ML Avg. NLE WSP NL WSP
1969 1 2 3 4 5 6 x 218 91.1% 22.8% 54.7%
1970 1 2 4 5 3 6 x 221 91.9% 23.0% 55.3%
1971 1 3 5 2 4 6 x 230 95.7% 23.9% 54.0%
1972 1 2 4 3 5 6 x 244 106.1% 26.5% 57.0%
1973 1 3 5 2 4 6 x 239 99.7% 24.9% 58.0%
1974 1 4 5 3 2 6 x 249 104.9% 26.2% 56.2%
1975 1 2 5 3 4 6 x 247 104.2% 26.1% 55.6%
1976 1 2 5 3 4 6 x 254 106.8% 26.7% 55.7%
1977 1 2 5 4 3 6 x 290 123.4% 28.5% 53.9%
1978 1 3 5 4 2 6 x 285 120.7% 27.9% 53.3%
1979 1 3 6 4 2 5 x 289 123.5% 28.5% 52.3%
1980 1 2 6 4 3 5 x 280 119.7% 27.6% 50.6%
1981 1 2 6 3 4 5 x 185 119.5% 27.6% 51.0%
1982 1 3 6 5 2 4 x 289 122.3% 28.2% 52.3%
1983 3 1 6 5 2 4 x 272 115.8% 26.7% 52.0%
1984 2 3 6 4 1 5 x 280 118.5% 27.4% 52.9%
1985 4 2 6 3 1 5 x 276 117.7% 27.2% 52.3%
1986 4 3 6 2 1 5 x 280 120.0% 27.7% 52.3%
1987 5 2 6 3 1 4 x 272 115.2% 26.6% 50.7%
1988 2 5 4 1 3 6 x 280 119.0% 27.5% 50.8%
1989 2 6 4 1 3 5 x 271 113.8% 26.3% 50.1%
1990 2 6 4 1 5 3 x 280 118.4% 27.3% 49.9%
1991 1 6 5 2 4 3 x 269 113.2% 26.1% 49.1%
1992 2 3 4 5 6 1 x 271 113.4% 26.2% 48.4%
1993 2 3 5 4 6 1 7 233 98.6% 24.7% 48.5%
MON ATL FLA NYM PHI Avg. WSP % ML Avg. NLE WSP NL WSP
1994 1 2 5 3 4 146 87.6% 15.6% 47.0%
1995 1 2 5 3 4 180 85.9% 15.3% 46.8%
1996 1 2 5 3 4 198 83.7% 14.9% 46.1%
1997 1 2 5 3 4 208 87.8% 15.7% 46.2%
1998 1 2 5 3 4 224 96.1% 16.0% 48.2%
1999 1 2 5 3 4 217 92.7% 15.5% 47.3%
2000 1 3 5 2 4 245 105.1% 17.5% 48.6%
2001 1 2 5 3 4 228 94.3% 16.4% 48.1%
National League Central Division
Year STL PIT CHC CIN HOU MIL Avg. WSP % ML Avg. NLC WSP NL WSP 1994 1 2 3 4 5 x 175 105.0% 18.8% 47.0% 1995 2 1 3 4 5 x 223 106.4% 19.0% 46.8% 1996 2 1 3T 3T 5 x 243 102.5% 18.3% 46.1% 1997 2 1 4 5 3 x 238 100.7% 18.0% 46.2% 1998 6 1 4 5 3 2 230 98.4% 19.7% 48.2% 1999 4 6 5 3 1 2 221 94.5% 18.9% 47.3% 2000 4 2T 6 5 1 2T 221 94.5% 18.9% 48.6% 2001 2 3 4 6 1 5 233 100.8% 20.2% 48.1%
National League West Division
Year SFG CIN ATL LAD HOU SDP COL Avg. WSP % ML Avg. NLW WSP NL WSP
1969 1 2 3 4 5 6 x 306 127.7% 31.9% 54.7%
1970 1 2 3 4 5 6 x 311 129.4% 32.3% 55.3%
1971 1 2 3 4 5 6 x 289 120.4% 30.1% 54.0%
1972 2 1 4 5 3 6 x 280 121.7% 30.4% 57.0%
1973 1 2 5 3 4 6 x 317 132.2% 33.1% 58.0%
1974 2 1 5 3 4 6 x 285 120.0% 30.0% 56.2%
1975 1 2 5 4 3 6 x 279 118.0% 29.5% 55.6%
1976 1 3 5 2 4 6 x 275 115.9% 29.0% 55.7%
1977 1 3 5 2 4 6 x 259 110.3% 25.5% 53.9%
1978 1 3 4 2 5 6 x 261 110.3% 25.5% 53.3%
1979 1 3 5 2 4 6 x 242 103.1% 23.8% 52.3%
1980 4 1 5 2 3 6 x 233 99.5% 23.0% 50.6%
1981 4 2 3 1 5 6 x 157 101.6% 23.5% 51.0%
1982 5 2 3 1 4 6 x 247 104.4% 24.1% 52.3%
1983 5 2 3 1 4 6 x 258 109.7% 25.3% 52.0%
1984 4 2 3 1 5 6 x 262 110.9% 25.6% 52.9%
1985 5 2 3 1 4 6 x 256 108.9% 25.1% 52.3%
1986 3 2 4 1 6 5 x 249 106.9% 24.7% 52.3%
1987 3 2 4 1 6 5 x 247 104.4% 24.1% 50.7%
1988 3T 2 3T 1 6 5 x 238 101.3% 23.4% 50.8%
1989 3 1 5 2 6 4 x 246 103.3% 23.8% 50.1%
1990 3 1 4 2 6 5 x 232 97.8% 22.6% 49.9%
1991 4 1 3 5 6 2 x 237 99.8% 23.0% 49.1%
1992 5 3 4 1 6 2 x 231 96.4% 22.2% 48.4%
1993 5 4 3 1 6 2 7 225 95.3% 23.8% 48.5%
SFG SDP COL LAD ARI Avg. WSP % ML Avg. NLW WSP NL WSP
1994 3 2 4 1 x 147 88.0% 12.6% 47.0%
1995 3 2 4 1 x 184 87.5% 12.5% 46.8%
1996 3 2 4 1 x 213 90.1% 12.9% 46.1%
1997 3 2 4 1 x 209 88.1% 12.6% 46.2%
1998 3 2 4 1 5 175 74.8% 12.5% 48.2%
1999 2 3 4 1 5 182 77.7% 12.9% 47.3%
2000 2 3 4 1 5 170 73.0% 12.2% 48.6%
2001 2 3 4 1 5 161 69.6% 11.6% 48.1%
24-karat diamond-writing gems bonus
The ripple effects of this sudden, unprecedented era of ballpark construction would be felt for years and in far-flung locales. By the time Seattle defeated the Yankees in a captivating 1995 Division Series, the Mariners and the Washington state legislature had resurrected a push for a new ballpark. The Mariners lost the battle on the field, falling short of the World Series when Cleveland handled them in a six-game Championship Series, but they won the war. The Mariners’ 1995 season had been the catalyst for a stadium drive that resulted in the 1999 opening of Safeco Field, a $17-million ballpark, complete with retractable roof, natural grass, and $10 sushi. The irony was that Safeco Field not only saved the Mariners but turned them into a financial powerhouse, even though Seattle voters originally rejected paying for a stadium. It helped, however, to have baseball fans in the machinery of government. Only intervention by a friendly state legislature gave the Seattle story, at least for baseball fans, a happy ending, with the public paying the bill.
The success of the Mariners was not lost on the people of Montreal. Rondell White, a young player with the Expos in 1994, would reflect back on the chain of events that would ultimately lead to the Expos’ leaving Montreal after the 2004 season to become the Washington Nationals. For him, it all came back to the 1994 strike. Had the Expos been given the same opportunity as Seattle, perhaps history would have changed. “We would have won it that year,” White said. “We had the team to do it, but we never got the chance. You look around, and you see all these new parks going up and a lot of us were thinking, even after we left and played in other places, ‘That should have been us. That should have been Montreal.'”
– Howard Bryant
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 late 1990s and early 2000s, a small but increasing number of players weren’t the products of any major league team’s farm system, having been purchased from independent teams, either in the Mexican League, the Northern League, or increasingly, the Japanese Leagues. The Win Shares of such players aren’t counted in this analysis.
Howard Bryant, Juicing the Game: Drugs, Power, and the Fight for the Soul of Major League Baseball, New York: Viking, 2005, p. 64.