Month: July 2026

2000s MLB Team Rankings Countdown: 20 through 16

Posted on by kc2519

Welcome to the first countdown post in our series of MLB team rankings for the 2000s. As a reminder, the teams are ranked from #20 through #1 based on aggregate WAR162. The 2000s (for the first time since the 1950s) saw no teams added through expansion. For the decade (2000-2009), a total of 300 team-seasons were eligible, so the top 20 teams are a rather exclusive group – the top 7% for the decade. We’ll summarize each team and include portions of their team dashboard. Then we’ll explain how they attained their ranking. So, without further ado, here are the teams ranked #20 through #16.

Here’s the interactive dashboard at Tableau Public: 2000s Top 20 MLB Teams Dashboard

#20: 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, 49.7 WAR162

The Diamondbacks captured the NL West by two games over the Giants before going on a tear through the postseason, defeating the Cardinals (NLDS), Braves (NLCS), and Yankees (World Series) to claim their first World Series in just their fourth year as a franchise.

The DBacks featured a solid offense that placed in the top five in multiple offensive categories. They ranked fourth in BA, OBP, OPS, and home runs, and third in runs scored. Pitching was a real strength, with the Arizona staff ranking a clear first in WHIP, second in ERA, and first in strikeout-to-walk rate. They also tied the Braves with 13 shutouts on the season.

Outfielder Luis Gonzalez had a career year for Arizona, batting .325 with 57 homers, 128 runs scored, and 142 RBI. He also drew 100 walks in posting a .429 OBP. Gonzalez’s main support came from Reggie Sanders (33 homers, 90 RBI) and the 37-year-old Mark Grace (.298 BA, 78 RBI). On the mound, the DBacks featured one of the most dominant starter duos in MLB history. Randy Johnson claimed NL Cy Young honors with a 21-6 record, 2.49 ERA (NL-best) and 372 strikeouts (NL-best). Johnson also topped the NL in WHIP in a dominant season. Curt Schilling was the Cy Young runner-up, thanks to a 22-6 record, 2.98 ERA, and 293 strikeouts.

#19: 2000 San Francisco Giants, 49.8 WAR162

The 2000 Giants coasted to an 11-game margin over the Dodgers to claim the NL West title. Their season then came to a sudden end with a 4-game defeat at the hands of the Mets in the ALDS.

The Giants had a potent offense, trailing only the Rockies and Astros with 925 runs scored for the season. They also ranked third in home runs and BA, and second in both OBP and OPS. Pitching was less of a strength, as the Giants ranked fourth in ERA and seventh in WHIP, despite leading the NL with 15 shutouts.

Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent formed the league’s best offensive duo, with Kent earning MVP honors over Bonds. Bonds batted .306 with a .440 OBP, 49 homers, 129 runs, and 106 RBI. Kent batted .334 with 33 homers, 125 RBI, and 114 runs scored. Ellis Burks was a capable third cog in the team’s offense, batting .344 with 24 homers and 96 RBI. Livan Hernandez led the Giants’ staff with a 17-11 mark, complemented by Shawn Estes‘ 15 wins. Robb Nen saved 41 games with a microscopic 1.50 ERA as the Giants’ closer.

#18: 2002 Oakland Athletics, 50.5 WAR162

The 2002 A’s were part of the famed Moneyball era, winning 103 games to top the Angels by four games in the AL West. Unfortunately, the Twins beat them in the ALDS round in a 5-game series to end their season.

The Athletics ranked just eighth in the 14-team AL with 800 runs scored for the season, although they rose to fourth in homers and sixth in OPS. Pitching is where the team topped their rivals, as the A’s led the league in ERA and shutouts, despite ranking just fourth in WHIP.

The left side of the Athletics infield provided much of their offense, led by shortstop Miguel Tejada and 3rd baseman Eric Chavez. Tejada won AL MVP honors with a .308 BA, 34 homers, 131 RBI, and 109 runs scored. Chavez launched 34 homers as well and added 109 RBI. Scott Hatteberg added a .280 BA with a .374 OBP from his first-base spot. The A’s pitching was led by starters Tim Hudson and Barry Zito. Hudson posted a 15-9 record with a 2.98 ERA, while the left-hander Zito claimed Cy Young honors with a 23-5 record and 2.75 ERA. Mark Mulder was a strong third option, recording a 19-7 mark, and Cory Lidle added another 8 wins.

#17: 2008 Chicago Cubs, 50.7 WAR162

The Cubs cruised to the NL Central title by 7.5 games before being upended by an 84-win Dodgers squad in the NLDS. The 3-game sweep brought a disappointing end to a great season.

The Cubs rode a strong offense that led the league in runs, doubles, OBP, and OPS, while ranking second with a .278 BA. Their pitching was also effective, ranking third in both ERA and WHIP, and first in strikeouts.

The Cubs’ offense was notable for its balance, with no star-level performances. Contributions came from a variety of sources, led by Aramis Ramirez (.289 BA, 27 homers, 111 RBI), Mike Fontenot (.305 BA), Geovany Soto (23 homers, 86 RBI, Rookie of the Year), and Mark DeRosa (.285 BA, 21 homers, 87 RBI). Alfonso Soriano added 29 home runs to the mix. Ryan Dempster (17-6, 2.98 ERA) and Carlos Zambrano (14-6) led the Cubs’ pitching in 2008, backed by Ted Lilly (17-9).

#16: 2008 Tampa Bay Rays, 50.8 WAR

The newly renamed Rays (formerly Devil Rays) rose to the top of the AL East, beating the Red Sox by two games for the regular season crown. In the playoffs, they took down the White Sox in the ALDS and the Red Sox in a 7-game ALCS. Their great season ended with a 5-game World Series defeat to the Phillies.

The Rays’ offense was quite ordinary by many measures, finishing ninth (out of 14 teams) in runs scored and a lowly 13th in BA. They did draw the second-most walks in the league, giving them above-average numbers for OBP and OPS. They also led the AL in stolen bases. Tampa had a fine pitching staff for 2008, ranking second in both ERA and WHIP, trailing only Toronto. They also ranked second with 52 saves.

Evan Longoria led the Rays offense with 27 homers and 85 RBI, winning Rookie of the Year honors in the process. Carlos Pena had perhaps his best season, belting 31 homers with 102 RBI and a .377 OBP. B.J. Upton posted a .383 OBP with 44 steals and 85 runs scored to balance the Rays’ offense. James Shields led the mound staff with a 14-8 record and a strong 4.00 strikeout-to-walk rate. Matt Garza (11-9) and Scott Kazmir (12-8) joined Shields in forming one of the AL’s best rotations. Grant Balfour (6-2, 1.54 ERA) was particularly effective out of the bullpen.

Summary

That’s it for the first entry in our MLB Team Rankings for the 2000s decade! Stay tuned for the countdown from #15 to #11, arriving in a few days. As always, thanks for reading!

1990s MLB Team Rankings Countdown: 5 through 1

Posted on by kc2519

Welcome to the final countdown post in our series of MLB team rankings for the 1990s. As a reminder, the teams are ranked from #20 through #1 based on aggregate WAR162. For the 1990s (1990-1999), a total of 278 team-seasons were eligible, so the top 20 teams are a rather exclusive group – the top 7% for the decade. The 90s were a challenge, with two short seasons due to contract issues. The 1994 season fell well short of the 162-game schedule, with most clubs playing just 115 games. In 1995, most teams played about 140 games. I’ve elected to include both seasons, given that WAR162 adjusts for the number of games played. We’ll summarize each team, including those from 1994-95, and include portions of their team dashboard. Then we’ll explain how they attained their ranking. So, without further ado, here are the teams ranked #5 through #1.

Here’s the interactive dashboard at Tableau Public: 1990s Top 20 MLB Teams Dashboard

#5: 1993 Atlanta Braves, 57.8 WAR162

The 1993 Braves nipped the Giants by a single game to claim the NL West, before being defeated in a six-game ALCS by the Phillies. Nevertheless, 1993 provided a glimpse of further dominance to come from the Atlanta club.

The Braves had a solid if unspectacular offense in 1993, leading the NL in home runs, but placing further down the list in other major categories. They ranked third in runs, ninth in BA, fourth in OBP, fifth in OPS, and sixth in steals. Pitching was the Braves real strength, as the team ranked first in ERA and WHIP by large margins over their rivals. They also placed third in strikeouts and strikeout-to-walk rate in the 14-team National League.

Ron Gant had a big year at the plate, swatting 36 homers with 117 RBI and 113 runs scored. Gant also swiped 26 bases on the season. Jeff Blauser batted .305 with a .401 OBP and 110 runs scored, followed by David Justice with 40 homers and 120 RBI. Other contributors included Fred McGriff (19 homers in 68 games) and Otis Nixon (47 steals). Greg Maddux topped a formidable rotation with a 20-10 mark. Maddux led the NL in ERA, WHIP, and complete games on his way to the Cy Young Award. Steve Avery went 18-6 with a 2.94 ERA, and Tom Glavine recorded a 22-6 mark. John Smoltz added another 15 wins.

#4: 1997 Atlanta Braves, 58.1 WAR162

The 1997 Braves were another in a long line of great Atlanta teams in the 1990s. The Braves swept the Astros in the NLDS before being stunned by the 92-win Marlins in a six-game NLCS series.

The Braves’ 791 runs ranked third in the NL, as did their .270 team BA. The team ranked fourth in OBP and second in OPS with a .769 mark. Starting pitching was again the real strength of the team, with their staff leading the NL by a wide margin in both ERA and WHIP. They also recorded the top strikeout-to-walk rate, courtesy of the fewest walks issued on the season.

Kenny Lofton starred in his one season in a Braves uniform, batting .333 with 90 runs scored. Jeff Blauser batted .308 with a .405 OBP, and Chipper Jones batted .295 with 21 homers and 111 RBI. Catcher Javy Lopez swatted 23 homers with a .295 BA, and 20-year-old Andruw Jones added 18 more long balls. Greg Maddux had a sensational season with a 19-4 record, 2.20 ERA, and a ridiculous 8.85 strikeout-to-walk rate. John Smoltz posted 15 wins across an NL-best 256 innings, and Tom Glavine went 14-7. Denny Neagle recorded a 20-5 mark with a 2.97 ERA.

#3: 1995 Cleveland Indians, 59.1 WAR162

The 1995 Indians rolled to the AL Central crown, finishing a preposterous 30 games ahead of the Royals. They went on to sweep the Red Sox in a 3-game ALDS, before defeating the Mariners in six games to claim the AL pennant. The party ended with a six-game World Series defeat to the Braves.

The Indians had a dominant offense, scoring 840 runs and bashing 207 homers in the abbreviated 1995 season. They also swept the BA, OBP, SLG, and OPS metrics, capped by an .831 OPS mark. For good measure, the Indians also topped the AL in stolen bases. Their pitching was also very effective, with the Cleveland staff topping the AL in ERA, WHIP, and strikeout-to-walk rate.

Albert Belle crushed AL pitching in 1995, with league-best totals in doubles (52), homers (50), RBI (126), and runs (121). Belle also batted .317 and sported a 1.091 OPS for the season. Jim Thome homered 25 times with 97 walks and a .438 OBP, and Kenny Lofton batted .310 with an AL-best 54 steals and a Gold Glove Award. Manny Ramirez (.308 BA, 31 homers, 107 RBI) was also a primary contributor. The pitching staff was led by 41-year-old Dennis Martinez, who posted a 12-5 record with a 3.08 ERA. Orel Hershiser and Charles Nagy each won 16 games, and Jose Mesa led the AL with 46 saves.

#2: 1998 New York Yankees, 62.2 WAR162

The Yankees had a season for the ages in 1998, topping the AL East by 22 games over the Red Sox. While they were projected for 108 wins (vs. 114), the Yankees were clearly the class of the American League. The New Yorkers went on to sweep the Rangers in the ALDS, defeat the Indians in a 6-game ALCS, and sweep the Padres in the World Series.

New York led the league with 965 runs, as well as in OBP and OPS, and ranked second in BA behind the Rangers. The Yankees’ staff was impressive, easily leading the AL in ERA and WHIP, plus strikeout-to-walk rate. They also issued the second-fewest walks in the AL in an impressive season.

Derek Jeter led a deep offensive team, batting .324 with 30 steals and an AL-best 127 runs. Paul O’Neill batted .317 with 24 home runs and 116 RBI, and Scott Brosius batted .300 with 19 homers and 98 RBI. Bernie Williams won a Gold Glove in center field while topping the AL with a .339 BA and 26 homers in just 128 games. David Wells (18-4, AL-best WHIP) and David Cone (20-7, 209 strikeouts) led a deep staff, aided by Orlando Hernandez (12-4) and Andy Pettitte (16-11).

#1: 1998 Atlanta Braves, 62.8 WAR162

The 1998 Braves were likely the best Atlanta team of the decade, beating the Mets by 18 games to claim the NL East. After sweeping the Cubs in the NLDS, the Braves were stunned by the Padres in a 6-game NLCS.

Atlanta featured a strong offense and its usual excellent pitching. The Braves scored 826 runs to rank fourth in the NL and finished second with 215 homers. The Braves ranked fourth in BA and OBP, and second in OPS for the season. The Atlanta staff led the league in ERA and WHIP by wide margins, and tossed a league-best 23shutouts. They were also tops in strikeouts and strikeout-to-walk rate.

Andruw and Chipper Jones were the offensive stars for the Braves. Andruw launched 31 homers with 90 RBI and 27 steals in addition to his Gold Glove defense. Chipper batted .313 with 34 homers, 107 RBI, and 123 runs scored. Andres Galarraga belted 44 homers with 121 RBI and a .305 BA, while Javy Lopez ripped 34 home runs with 106 RBI from his catcher position. Greg Maddux had another stellar season on the mound, recording a 18-9 mark and leading the league in shutouts (5), ERA (2.22), and WHIP (0.980). Tom Glavine (20-6, 2.47 ERA, Cy Young Award) and John Smoltz (17-3) rounded out a scary top of the rotation.

Summary

That’s it for the final entry in our MLB Team Rankings for the 1990s decade! Here’s a summary of the most dominant franchises of the 1990s: