Today’s Sportstat: January 24, 2019
Which team will be the winningest MLB team this decade?
Will it be the New York Yankees? The Los Angeles Dodgers? The St. Louis Cardinals? Or could the Boston Red Sox make a run at this title? And, do the Washington nationals have a shot?
This year will be the final year of this decade and that means it’s the final season of the baseball decade. Entering 2019, there are three MLB teams which have won 800 or more games this decade: the Yankees with 818, the Dodgers with 813, and the Cardinals with 808. The Red Sox are a distant fourth on this list with 788 victories since 2010. Washington is fifth on the list with 786 wins.
With a 30-game lead over the Red Sox, the Yankees appear to be a lock for the winningest A.L. team this decade. The N.L., on the other hand, appears to be a two-team race with the Cardinals only five games behind the Dodgers. The Nationals are still in the picture, but trail L.A. by 27 games.
Here’s a look at the number of wins each franchise has this decade. It’s is broken down by each league (current city is listed for each team).
American League
New York Yankees, 818
Boston, 788
Texas, 765
Tampa Bay, 764
Cleveland, 762
Anaheim, 750
Oakland, 742
Detroit, 735
Toronto, 727
Baltimore, 701
Kansas City, 699
Seattle, 690
Chicago White Sox, 671
Minnesota, 664
National League
Los Angeles Dodgers, 813
St. Louis, 808
Washington, 786
Atlanta, 746
San Francisco, 744
Milwaukee, 735
Chicago Cubs, 733
Pittsburgh, 723
Arizona, 708
New York Mets, 707
Philadelphia, 706
Cincinnati, 700
Colorado, 681
San Diego, 669
Florida, 650
The Houston Astros, who spent time in both leagues this century, have 682 wins since 2010. That places them 25th overall.
By the way, how many of you would have thought that the Brewers have more wins this decade than the Cubs?
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Today’s Sports Stat: January 27, 2018
The Hall of Fame case for Edgar Martinez: Part 2
I have to admit that Seattle Mariners third baseman/DH Edgar Martinez was not really on my radar when I thought about players who might be elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2018.
But after seeing him receive over 70% of the vote (still falling short of the required 75%), and looking closer at his numbers, I have certainly taken notice. In fact, it looks like 2019 will be his year.
Following is the second in a two-part series on the case for Edgar Martinez induction into Baseball’s Hall of Fame.
Friends and family of Edgar Martinez should feel good about his chances for induction into Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2019. Consider this:
- Martinez became the 29th player to receive more than 70% of the votes in Hall induction in a year, but less than the required 75%. Of the previous 28 players who received between 70-74.9% of the vote in a year, 22 of those players got in the Hall the following year with more than the required 75% of the vote. Of the six that did not, two, Luke Appling and Red Ruffing got into the Hall in special “run-off elections” shortly thereafter, and four (Frank Chance, Nellie Fox, Jim Bunning and Orlando Cepeda) eventually were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame via the Veteran’s Committee selection.
- Since 2000, nine players received between 70-74.9% of Hall of Fame votes in a year and then all received the required 75% the following year. The nine: Gary Carter (2002), Goose Gossage (2007), Jim Rice (2008), Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar (2010), Craig Biggio (2014), Jeff Bagwell (2016), Trevor Hoffman and Vladimir Guerrero (2017).
- Jim Bunning is the only player in Hall of Fame voting to receive between 70-74.9% of the vote in a year twice. He received 70.0% in 1987 and 74.2% in 1988. He was eventually voted in to the Hall by the Veteran’s Committee in 1996.
For the record, six different players received between 74-74.9% of the vote in a year: Nellie Fox (74.7% in 1985), Billy Williams (74.1% in 1986), Bunning (74.2% in 1988), Bert Blyleven (74.2% in 2010), Craig Biggio (74.8% in 2014) and Trevor Hoffman (74.0% in 2017).
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We can pencil in the Cardinals for another post-season run in 2015
History shows the Cardinals will be hosting more playoff games this season
When Major League Baseball took a break earlier this week for the All-Star Game and the unofficial midway point in the 2015 season, the St. Louis Cardinals topped all of baseball with the most wins, 56. Looking at the teams that had the most wins at the All-Star break since 2000, we see that a division title and the playoffs were a sure thing.
Consider this: Of the 18 teams that either had the most wins or tied for the most wins at the All-Star Break since 2000…
… all made the playoffs that year.
… 13 won their division that year.
… 16 ended the season with a winning percentage over .550
… nine ended the season with a winning percentage over .600
… Half (nine) had the most or second-most wins at the end of the season that year.
Of those 18 teams, four made it to the World Series that year: Boston (2013), Boston (2007), Detroit (2006) and the Chicago White Sox (2005); three of the four won the World Series… the two Boston teams and the White Sox.
Since 2000, the Yankees and Red Sox have each had the most wins (or tied for the most wins) at the All-Star break three times each. Atlanta and the White Sox have each had the most wins at the All-Star break twice since 2000.
Getting off to a great start in the first half of the MLB season is important and topping the MLB with the most wins at the break has been a good omen.
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Yankees keep big lead in MLB ‘Team of the Century’ race
In this blog over the past few months I have written about the New England Patriots having the best record of all NFL teams since 2000, thus leading the unofficial “NFL Team of the Century” race. Well, here’s a look at the major league baseball “Team of the Century” race.
The New York Yankees hold the top spot with the best record of all MLB teams since 2000. The Yankees are 1421-1005 (a .586 winning percentage) in games this century. They have a 58.5 game lead over the second place St. Louis Cardinals. The Cards have the best record since 2000 in the National League over the Atlanta Braves. (Note: Only 11 of the 30 MLB teams have a winning record this century.)
Following is a look at the record of each MLB team this century.
New York Yankees 1421-1005 .586
St. Louis 1364-1065 .562
Atlanta 1341-1087 .552
Boston 1336-1093 .550
Anaheim 1331-1099 .548
Oakland 1323-1105 .545
Los Angeles Dodgers 1296-1133 .534
San Francisco 1291-1136 .532
Philadelphia 1276-1153 .525
Chicago White Sox 1245-1186 .512
Minnesota 1222-1209 .503
Texas 1213-1218 .499
Cleveland 1210-1220 .498
Toronto 1201-1228 .494
Seattle 1198-1232 .493
New York Mets 1198-1230 .493
Arizona 1190-1240 .490
Cincinnati 1184-1246 .487
Detroit 1176-1254 .484
Florida 1171-1257 .482
San Diego 1159-1272 .477
Chicago Cubs 1153-1275 .475
Milwaukee 1153-1276 .475
Montreal 1140-1288 .470
Tampa Bay 1140-1288 .470
Houston 1140-1289 .469
Colorado 1129-1302 .464
Baltimore 1107-1321 .456
Pittsburgh 1071-1356 .441
Kansas City 1057-1373 .435
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SIX STATS Trivia: MLB’s MVP Award winners
Miguel Cabrera (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Detroit‘s Miguel Cabrera and Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutcheon were selected as the A.L. and N.L. MVPs for the 2013 baseball season. How well do you know trivia about MLB’s most valuable players? Take this quick quiz. Answers appear at the end of the column.
1. Since 1983 there have been 16 occasions when the league MVP and the Manager of the Year came from the same team. It has not, however, happened since 2001. Can you name the player and manager from the same team that won those honors in 2001? Hint: The team was the Seattle Mariners. Can you name the National League player and manager from the same team that won those honors last in the N.L. (it happened in 2000). Hint: The team was the San Francisco Giants.
2. Both of this year’s MVPs did not see their team advance to the World Series. Name the last year that the A.L. and N.L. MVPs also appeared in the World Series that season.
3. With Cabrera winning the A.L. MVP this year, it was the third consecutive year that a Detroit Tiger won the award (Cabrera won in 2012 and Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander was the A.L. MVP in 2011.) Since the beginning of the MVP awards, the MVP has come from the same team in three (or more) consecutive years nine times. The 1975-77 Cincinnati Reds were one of those teams. Here’s the question: From 1970-77, a player from the Reds won the N.L. MVP six times in those eight years. Can you name the four Reds players who won an N.L. MVP from 1970-77?
4. Cabrera this season became the 30th player in MLB history to win the MVP more than once. Of those 30 players, 22 are currently in the Hall of Fame, three (Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols and Cabrera) are still active players. Can you name the remaining five players who won multiple MVP awards who are not in baseball’s Hall of Fame?
5. Since 1970 only five catchers have won a league MVP. Name the five.
6. Going back to 1990, there are nine current MLB franchises that have not had one of their players win a league MVP. Can you name those nine teams?
SIX STATS Trivia answers.
1. Seattle Mariners manager Lou Piniella and player Ichiro Suzuki won the honors in the A.L. in 2001. Giant’s manager Dusty Baker and infielder Jeff Kent were the N.L. honorees in 2000.
2. The last time the league MVPs squared off in the World Series was in 2012 when the Giants faced the Tigers. Giants’ catcher Buster Posey was the N.L. MVP; Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera was the 2012 A.L. MVP.
3. The four Cincinnati Reds players who won N.L. MVP honors from 1970-1977 were: Johnny Bench (1970, 1972), Pete Rose (1973), Joe Morgan (1975, 1976) and George Foster (1977).
4, The five multiple MVP winners (non-active players) who are not in the Hall of Fame are Barry Bonds, Juan Gonzalez, Roger Maris, Dale Murphy and Frank Thomas.
5. The five catchers selected as league MVPs since 1970 are Johnny Bench (1970, 1972), Thurman Munson (1976), Ivan Rodriguez (1999), Joe Mauer (2009) and Buster Posey (2012).
6. The nine teams/franchises that have not had a league MVP since 1990: Arizona, Cleveland, Kansas City, L.A. Dodgers, Miami, N.Y. Mets, Tampa Bay, Toronto and Washington.
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