{"id":6016,"date":"2026-06-01T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/?p=2101"},"modified":"2026-06-01T12:02:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T12:02:56","slug":"mlb_team_rankings_1980s_20_16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/2026\/06\/01\/mlb_team_rankings_1980s_20_16\/","title":{"rendered":"1980s MLB Team Rankings Countdown: 20 through 16"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Welcome to the first countdown post in our series of MLB team rankings for the 1980s. As a reminder, the teams are ranked from #20 through #1 based on aggregate WAR162. For the 1980s (1980-1989), a total of 280 team-seasons were eligible, so the top 20 teams are a rather exclusive group &#8211; the top 7% for the decade. We&#8217;ll summarize each team, including portions of their team dashboard, and explain how they attained their ranking. So, without further ado, here are the teams ranked #20 through #16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s the interactive dashboard at Tableau Public: <a href=\"https:\/\/public.tableau.com\/views\/Top20MLBTeams1980-1989\/Dashboard1?:language=en-US&amp;publish=yes&amp;:sid=&amp;:redirect=auth&amp;:display_count=n&amp;:origin=viz_share_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1980s Top 20 MLB Teams Dashboard<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-efe3c72597c955809737d83325693962\" style=\"color:#2a35ff\">#20: 1982 Los Angeles Dodgers, 47.5 WAR162<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 1982 Dodgers finished a single game behind the Braves in the NL West race, despite a Pythagorean projection five games better than Atlanta.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"262\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-116-1024x262.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6127\" style=\"aspect-ratio:3.908681110949542;width:668px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-116-1024x262.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-116-300x77.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-116-768x197.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-116.png 1422w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Dodgers were a solid offensive club, ranking 3rd (out of 14) in runs, OPS, OBP, and BA. Their 138 homers trailed only the Braves. On the mound, the Dodgers topped the NL in ERA, WHIP, and shutouts.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"596\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-117-1024x596.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6128\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7181757167055516;width:654px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-117-1024x596.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-117-300x175.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-117-768x447.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-117.png 1433w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/guerrpe01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Pedro Guerrero<\/a> was the offensive stalwart in 1982, batting. 304 with 32 home runs, 100 RBI, and 22 steals. Veteran shortstop <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=russebi01,russebi02&amp;search=Bill+Russell&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bill Russell<\/a> had one of his best campaigns, batting .274 with solid defense. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/ceyro01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Ron Cey<\/a> added 24 homers and 79 RBI. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/saxst01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Steve Sax<\/a> (.282 BA, 49 steals, Rookie of the Year) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/l\/landrke01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Ken Landreaux<\/a> (.284 BA, 31 steals) rounded out the top offensive producers for the Dodgers. 21-year-old lefty <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/v\/valenfe01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Fernando Valenzuela<\/a> was the pitching story, posting a 19-13 record with a 2.87 ERA. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/reussje01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Jerry Reuss<\/a> added 18 wins for a formidable 1-2 punch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0affeaad1894fc6c4fa23aa9a1a397a0\" style=\"color:#2a35ff\">#19: 1988 Boston Red Sox, 47.7 WAR162<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Red Sox topped the AL East, winning the division by a single game over the Tigers in a hotly contested 4-team race. Boston&#8217;s season ended in a 4-game ALCS sweep by the Athletics in a one-sided ALCS.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"262\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-118-1024x262.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6129\" style=\"aspect-ratio:3.908681110949542;width:666px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-118-1024x262.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-118-300x77.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-118-768x196.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-118.png 1419w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Red Sox got things done on the offensive side of the ball, leading the league in runs, doubles, BA, OBP, and OPS. The pitching staff was less impressive, ranking 7th in both ERA and WHIP, although they ranked first in strikeouts and strikeout-to-walk rate.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"596\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-119-1024x596.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6130\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7181757167055516;width:668px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-119-1024x596.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-119-300x175.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-119-768x447.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-119.png 1417w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/boggswa01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Wade Boggs<\/a> had a stellar season for the Sox, leading the league in BA (.366), OBP (.476), walks, OPS, doubles, and runs (128). <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/greenmi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Mike Greenwell<\/a> had a career season for Boston, batting .325 with 22 homers and 119 RBI. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/burksel01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Ellis Burks<\/a> was a strong third option, batting .294 with 25 stolen bases. On the mound, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/clemero02.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Roger Clemens<\/a> led the AL in strikeouts, complete games, and shutouts while winning 18 games. Lefty <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hurstbr01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Bruce Hurst<\/a> was a capable second starter, posting 18 wins. After the top  two, the Sox pitching fell sharply, making the team lean heavily on outscoring opponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e6e708b7161484f87d229c52e585c7d8\" style=\"color:#2a35ff\">#18: 1989 Oakland Athletics, 47.8 WAR162<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 1989 Athletics easily won the AL West by 7 games over the Royals. They then topped the Blue Jays in five games and the Giants in four to claim the World Series crown.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-120-1024x266.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6131\" style=\"aspect-ratio:3.849899742194214;width:650px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-120-1024x266.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-120-300x78.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-120-768x199.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-120.png 1417w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The A&#8217;s offense was limited in 1989, placing 4th in runs and OBP, and just 6th in BA and OPS. The team ranked 2nd with 157 stolen bases, helping the Athletics&#8217; manufacturer runs. The pitching staff performed well, leading the AL in ERA and WHIP, and tying for first with  20 shutouts.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"582\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-121-1024x582.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6132\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.759507756758526;width:662px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-121-1024x582.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-121-300x171.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-121-768x437.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-121.png 1431w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/henderi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Rickey Henderson<\/a> was the offensive sparkplug, batting .294 with 52 steals in just 85 games. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lansfca01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Carney Lansford<\/a> batted .336 with 37 stolen bases, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hendeda01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Dave Henderson<\/a> added 15 homers and 80 RBI, along with strong defense. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mcgwima01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Mark McGwire<\/a> launched 33 homers to help diversify the A&#8217;s offense. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mooremi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Mike Moore<\/a> (19-11, 2.62 ERA) and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/stewada01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Dave Stewart<\/a> (21-9) combined for 40 wins at the top of the rotation, with <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/welchbo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Bob Welch<\/a> adding 17 more wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-70285a2e92f29b652692b3aaeaf5cf00\" style=\"color:#2a35ff\">#17: 1982 Milwaukee Brewers, 47.9 WAR162<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 1982 Brewers beat out the Orioles by a single game for the AL East title, then defeated the Angels in a 5-game ALCS. Their good fortune ran out in the World Series, where they lost to the Cardinals in seven games.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-122-1024x266.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6133\" style=\"aspect-ratio:3.849899742194214;width:658px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-122-1024x266.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-122-300x78.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-122-768x200.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-122.png 1415w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Brewers rode a powerful offense to the top of the AL, scoring 891 runs on the season. They also launched 216 home runs, 30 more than their closest rival. The club finished second in BA and first in OPS to rank as the league&#8217;s most dominant offense. Pitching was merely average (at best), as the Brewers ranked 6th in ERA and 10th in WHIP out of 14 AL teams.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-123-1024x590.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6134\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7356492542132111;width:680px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-123-1024x590.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-123-300x173.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-123-768x443.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-123.png 1428w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/y\/yountro01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Robin Yount<\/a> led the offense with an MVP season, totaling 46 doubles, a .957 OPS, and a .331 BA with 210 hits. He also claimed the Gold Glove Award at shortstop. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/molitpa01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Paul Molitor<\/a> topped the league with 136 runs scored while posting a .302 BA, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/coopece01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Cecil Cooper<\/a> slugged 32 homers with 121 RBI and a .313 BA. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thomago01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Gorman Thomas<\/a> added additional pop with an AL-best 39 home runs. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/v\/vuckope01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Pete Vuckovich<\/a> won the AL <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/y\/youngcy01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Cy Young<\/a> Award based on his 18-6 record, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/f\/fingero01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Rollie Fingers<\/a> saved 29 games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7ac4bd2410c5cad7dd5b99f00ce4d5bb\" style=\"color:#2a35ff\">#16: 1986 California Angels, 48.1 WAR<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">The <\/mark>1986 Angels topped the AL West, beating the Rangers by five games before losing a dramatic five-game ALCS to the Red Sox.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-124-1024x266.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6135\" style=\"aspect-ratio:3.849899742194214;width:684px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-124-1024x266.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-124-300x78.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-124-768x200.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-124.png 1419w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Angels had a rather ordinary offense in 1986, finishing 6th in runs, 7th in homers, and 9th in BA. They were adept at drawing walks, leading the AL with 671 walks, which boosted their OBP to third in the league. Pitching was a strength, as the Angels staff led the league in WHIP and ranked second in ERA behind the Royals.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-125-1024x590.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6136\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7356492542132111;width:706px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-125-1024x590.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-125-300x173.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-125-768x442.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-125.png 1422w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Garry Pettis stole 50 bases, scored 93 runs, and earned a Gold Glove for his defensive work in center field. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=downibr01,downin002bri&amp;search=Brian+Downing&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Brian Downing<\/a> posted a .389 OBP with 20 homers and 95 RBI, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=schofdi02,schofdi01&amp;search=Dick+Schofield&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Dick Schofield<\/a> stole 23 bases and provided strong defense at shortstop. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wittmi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Mike Witt<\/a> was the Angels&#8217; ace on the mound, posting an 18-10 record with a 2.84 ERA, aided by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mccaski01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-01_br\">Kirk McCaskill<\/a>, who logged a 17-10 mark on the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&#8217;s it for the first entry in our MLB Team Rankings for the 1980s decade! Stay tuned for the countdown from #15 to #11, arriving in a few days. As always, thanks for reading!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to the first countdown post in our series of MLB team rankings for the 1980s. As a reminder, the teams are ranked from #20 through #1 based on aggregate WAR162. For the 1980s (1980-1989), a total of 280 team-seasons were eligible, so the top 20 teams are a rather exclusive group &#8211; the top [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[74,41,66,47,64],"class_list":["post-6016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dashboards","tag-1970s","tag-mlb-statistics","tag-rankings","tag-team-war","tag-war162"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>1980s MLB Team Rankings Countdown: 20 through 16 - Visual-Baseball<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"View a countdown through our MLB Team Rankings for the 1980s decade, with teams 20-16 featured in this post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/2026\/06\/01\/mlb_team_rankings_1980s_20_16\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"1980s MLB Team Rankings Countdown: 20 through 16 - 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