The Value Production Standings:  1961-1965

Previously, we’ve examined the production of every team’s farm system in the periods of 1946-1950, 1951-1955, and 1956-1960. Now it’s time to get fully into the swinging ’60s.

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 their organization

The Value Production Standings Summary, 1946-1960

    Year Yankees Tigers Red Sox Indians Athletics Senators Orioles White Sox  AL WSP
    1946    1       2       3       4       5        6        7       8        56.5%
    1947    1       2       4       3       5        6        8       7        55.3%
    1948    1       3       4       2       5        7        6       8        55.6%
    1949    1       3T      3T      2       5        7        6       8        51.9%
    1950    1       3       4       2       7        6        5       8        50.5%
    1951    2       4       3       1       5        6        8       7        49.0%
    1952    1       4       3       2       5        6        8       7        47.9%
    1953    2       4       3       1       7        6        8       5        46.2%
    1954    1T      4       3       1T      7        6        8       5        47.5%
    1955    1       4       2       3       5        6        8       7        46.7%
    1956    1       4       2       3       7        5        8       6        47.1%
    1957    1       4       2       3       6        8        7       5        46.3%
    1958    1       4       3       2       8        7        6       5        46.4%
    1959    1       4       3       2       8        7        5       6        46.5%
    1960    1       5       3       2       8        7        4       6        46.0%

    Year Cardinals Dodgers Cubs    Reds  Phillies Pirates  Braves  Giants     NL WSP
    1946    1       2       3       4       5        6        7       8        43.5%
    1947    1       2       4       3       7        6        8       5        44.7%
    1948    1       2       3       4       6        7        8       5        44.4%
    1949    1       2       3       4       5        7        8       6        48.1%
    1950    1       2       5       6       4        7        8       3        49.5%
    1951    1       2       5       4       6        7        8       3        51.0%
    1952    1       2       5       4       6        8        7       3        52.1%
    1953    2       1       7       4       5        8        3       6        53.8%
    1954    2       1       7       5       6        8        3       4        52.5%
    1955    3       1       6       5       7        8        2       4        53.3%
    1956    2       1       8       4       6        7        3       5        52.9%
    1957    2       1       7       5       4        8        3       6        53.7%
    1958    4       1       8       6       7        5        2       3        53.6%
    1959    3       1       7       5       8        6        2       4        53.5%
    1960    3       1       8       6       7        5        4       2        54.0%

The 1961 Value Production Standings

AL Organization   WSP  Lg. WSP  MLB WSP     W   Lg. W   W% - WSP%
Yankees           467    23.1%    11.2%   109   13.5%       -9.6%
Indians           328    16.2%     7.9%    78    9.7%       -6.6%
Red Sox           288    14.3%     6.9%    76    9.4%       -4.8%
Tigers            267    13.2%     6.4%   101   12.5%       -0.7%
Orioles           249    12.3%     6.0%    95   11.8%       -0.6%
White Sox         192     9.5%     4.6%    86   10.7%        1.1%
Twins             145     7.2%     3.5%    70    8.7%        1.5%
Athletics          82     4.1%     2.0%    61    7.6%        3.5%
Angels              1     0.0%     0.0%    70    8.7%        8.6%
Senators            0     0.0%     0.0%    61    7.6%        7.6%

AL Total         2019     100%    48.3%   807    100%        0.0%

NL Organization   WSP  Lg. WSP  MLB WSP     W   Lg. W   W% - WSP%
Dodgers           428    19.8%    10.2%    89   14.4%       -5.4%
Cardinals         346    16.0%     8.3%    80   13.0%       -3.1%
Braves            313    14.5%     7.5%    83   13.5%       -1.0%
Giants            309    14.3%     7.4%    85   13.8%       -0.5%
Reds              237    11.0%     5.7%    93   15.1%        4.1%
Pirates           219    10.2%     5.2%    75   12.2%        2.0%
Cubs              197     9.1%     4.7%    64   10.4%        1.3%
Phillies          108     5.0%     2.6%    47    7.6%        2.6%

NL Total         2157     100%    51.7%   616    100%        0.0%

MLB Total        4176     n/a      100%  1423    n/a         n/a

The American League adopted a brand-new expanded form, but the result was old-fashioned: the Yankees blew the league away with 109 wins, breezing to their 11th pennant in 13 years, as well as leading the league in WSP for the eighth straight season. Continuing the familiar pattern, the Bronx Bombers’ roster combined the tremendous farm-bred talent of superstar center fielder Mickey Mantle, catchers Elston Howard, Johnny Blanchard, and Yogi Berra, shortstop Tony Kubek and second baseman Bobby Richardson, first baseman Bill Skowron, and pitchers Whitey Ford (the 1961 MLB Cy Young Award winner), Bill Stafford, and Ralph Terry, with a few key imports in slugging sensation MVP right fielder Roger Maris, relief ace Luis Arroyo, and defensive whiz third baseman Clete Boyer. Thus the Yankees could afford having offloaded standouts to many opposing lineups, including first baseman Norm Siebern and second baseman Jerry Lumpe (Athletics), shortstop Woodie Held and first baseman Vic Power (Indians), pitcher Tom Morgan and outfielders Lee Thomas and Ken Hunt (Angels), pitcher Lew Burdette (Braves), catcher Gus Triandos (Orioles), outfielder Bill Virdon (Pirates), and outfielder/pinch-hitting specialist Jerry Lynch (Reds).

Those Reds were the Yankees’ World Series opponent despite finishing fifth in the National League in WSP. While some of Cincinnati’s core was home-grown, including MVP right fielder Frank Robinson, center fielder Vada Pinson, pitcher Jim O’Toole, and outfielder Wally Post, the key to their first pennant in 21 years was having imported Lynch, third baseman Gene Freese, first baseman Gordy Coleman, and pitchers Joey Jay, Bob Purkey, Jim Brosnan, and Bill Henry. Thus the Reds’ proportion of league wins was 4.1% greater than their proportion of league WSP, despite having relinquished first baseman Joe Adcock and shortstop Roy McMillan (Braves), catcher Ed Bailey (Giants), second baseman Johnny Temple (Indians), and outfielders Curt Flood (Cardinals) and Tony Gonzalez (Phillies).

The 1962 Value Production Standings

AL Organization    WSP Lg. WSP  MLB WSP      W   Lg. W   W% - WSP%
Yankees            409   20.2%     8.7%     96   11.9%       -8.3%
Indians            321   15.8%     6.8%     80    9.9%       -5.9%
Tigers             272   13.4%     5.8%     85   10.5%       -2.9%
Red Sox            271   13.4%     5.8%     76    9.4%       -4.0%
Orioles            234   11.5%     5.0%     77    9.5%       -2.0%
Twins              215   10.6%     4.6%     91   11.3%        0.7%
White Sox          200    9.9%     4.3%     85   10.5%        0.7%
Athletics           99    4.9%     2.1%     72    8.9%        4.0%
Senators             5    0.2%     0.1%     60    7.4%        7.2%
Angels               1    0.0%     0.0%     86   10.6%       10.6%

AL Total          2027    100%    43.1%    808    100%        0.0%

NL Organization    WSP Lg. WSP  MLB WSP      W   Lg. W   W% - WSP%
Dodgers            510   19.1%    10.9%    102   12.6%       -6.5%
Braves             437   16.4%     9.3%     86   10.6%       -5.7%
Giants             415   15.5%     8.8%    103   12.7%       -2.8%
Cardinals          327   12.2%     7.0%     84   10.4%       -1.9%
Reds               300   11.2%     6.4%     98   12.1%        0.9%
Pirates            295   11.0%     6.3%     93   11.5%        0.4%
Cubs               209    7.8%     4.4%     59    7.3%       -0.5%
Phillies           178    6.7%     3.8%     81   10.0%        3.3%
Colt .45s            1    0.0%     0.0%     64    7.9%        7.9%
Mets                 0    0.0%     0.0%     40    4.9%        4.9%

NL Total          2672    100%    56.9%    810    100%        0.0%

MLB Total         4699    n/a      100%   1618    n/a         n/a

For the 10th consecutive season the Dodgers led the National League in WSP, and at 510 their 1962 total was the highest yet recorded (just nipping the colossal 509 produced by the Cardinals’ organization in the 16-team, 154-game configuration of 1946). Dodger products excelling elsewhere abounded: outfielder Roberto Clemente and pitcher Elroy Face (Pirates), third baseman-outfielder Don Demeter (Phillies), first baseman Jim Gentile (Orioles), first baseman Norm Larker, third baseman Bob Aspromonte, and outfielder Carl Warwick (Colt .45s), and outfielder Gino Cimoli and pitcher Ed Rakow (Athletics). Still the Dodger roster boasted of home-grown stars in MVP shortstop Maury Wills, outfielders Tommy Davis, Willie Davis, and Frank Howard, infielder Jim Gilliam, first baseman Ron Fairly, catcher John Roseboro, and pitchers Don Drysdale (the MLB Cy Young winner), Sandy Koufax, Johnny Podres, Ed Roebuck, and Larry Sherry. However, the only major talent GM Buzzie Bavasi had imported was relief ace Ron Perranoski, and thus their arch-rival Giants, who couldn’t yet match the Dodgers’ farm-raised bounty, but had added key performers in pitchers Jack Sanford, Billy O’Dell, Billy Pierce, and Stu Miller, left fielder Harvey Kuenn, and catcher Ed Bailey, squeezed past L.A. by winning a three-game pennant playoff.

The Indians finished second to the Yankees in WSP for the fifth straight year, but repeated the pattern of recent seasons by finishing middle-of-the-pack in wins. As a result of a long sequence of questionable deals, nearly all of the best Cleveland products were employed elsewhere in 1962: Maris with the Yankees and Coleman with the Reds, as well as outfielder Rocky Colavito and pitchers Hank Aguirre and Don Mossi (Tigers), outfielder Floyd Robinson and third baseman Al Smith (White Sox), second baseman Billy Moran (Angels), and pitcher Dick Stigman (Twins).

The 1963 Value Production Standings

AL Organization    WSP Lg. WSP  MLB WSP      W   Lg. W   W% - WSP%
Yankees            401   19.3%     8.4%    104   12.9%       -6.4%
Indians            296   14.2%     6.2%     79    9.8%       -4.4%
Orioles            270   13.0%     5.6%     86   10.6%       -2.3%
Red Sox            267   12.8%     5.6%     76    9.4%       -3.4%
Tigers             264   12.7%     5.5%     79    9.8%       -2.9%
White Sox          248   11.9%     5.2%     94   11.6%       -0.3%
Twins              224   10.8%     4.7%     91   11.3%        0.5%
Athletics          100    4.8%     2.1%     73    9.0%        4.2%
Senators            10    0.5%     0.2%     56    6.9%        6.5%
Angels               3    0.1%     0.1%     70    8.7%        8.5%

AL Total          2083    100%    43.6%    808    100%        0.0%

NL Organization    WSP Lg. WSP  MLB WSP      W   Lg. W   W% - WSP%
Dodgers            443   16.4%     9.3%     99   12.2%       -4.2%
Giants             435   16.1%     9.1%     88   10.9%       -5.3%
Braves             407   15.1%     8.5%     84   10.4%       -4.7%
Reds               361   13.4%     7.6%     86   10.6%       -2.8%
Cardinals          342   12.7%     7.2%     93   11.5%       -1.2%
Pirates            297   11.0%     6.2%     74    9.1%       -1.9%
Cubs               238    8.8%     5.0%     82   10.1%        1.3%
Phillies           142    5.3%     3.0%     87   10.7%        5.5%
Colt .45s           24    0.9%     0.5%     66    8.1%        7.3%
Mets                 9    0.3%     0.2%     51    6.3%        6.0%

NL Total          2698    100%    56.4%    810    100%        0.0%

MLB Total         4781    n/a      100%   1618    n/a         n/a

The Dodgers led the major leagues in WSP yet again, but breathing down their necks this time were the Giants. San Francisco’s lineup featured extraordinary system-produced talent, including superstar center fielder Willie Mays, first baseman Orlando Cepeda, left fielder Willie McCovey, ace pitcher Juan Marichal, right fielder Felipe Alou, and catcher Tom Haller, and younger talents coming along included pitcher Gaylord Perry and third baseman Jim Ray Hart. However, the list of those the Giants had let slip away was nearly as impressive: first baseman Bill White (Cardinals), second baseman Tony Taylor (Phillies), shortstops Eddie Bressoud (Red Sox) and Andre Rodgers (Cubs), outfielder Leon Wagner (Angels), catcher Johnny Orsino (Orioles), and pitchers Ernie Broglio (Cardinals), Hoyt Wilhelm and Eddie Fisher (White Sox), Hal Woodeshick (Colt .45s), Al Worthington (Reds), and Art Fowler (Angels). Thus the Giants this time fell short in the pennant race, foreshadowing the pattern of seasons to come.

The 1964 Value Production Standings

AL Organization    WSP Lg. WSP  MLB WSP      W   Lg. W   W% - WSP%
Yankees            399   18.5%     8.3%     99   12.2%       -6.3%
Orioles            348   16.1%     7.3%     97   12.0%       -4.1%
Tigers             304   14.1%     6.3%     85   10.5%       -3.6%
Red Sox            256   11.9%     5.3%     72    8.9%       -3.0%
Indians            247   11.4%     5.2%     79    9.8%       -1.7%
White Sox          235   10.9%     4.9%     98   12.1%        1.2%
Twins              207    9.6%     4.3%     79    9.8%        0.2%
Athletics          126    5.8%     2.6%     57    7.0%        1.2%
Angels              20    0.9%     0.4%     82   10.1%        9.2%
Senators            17    0.8%     0.4%     62    7.7%        6.9%

AL Total          2159    100%    45.0%    810    100%        0.0%

NL Organization    WSP Lg. WSP  MLB WSP      W   Lg. W   W% - WSP%
Giants             428   16.2%     8.9%     90   11.1%       -5.1%
Braves             424   16.1%     8.8%     88   10.9%       -5.2%
Dodgers            366   13.9%     7.6%     80    9.9%       -4.0%
Reds               350   13.3%     7.3%     92   11.4%       -1.9%
Pirates            334   12.7%     7.0%     80    9.9%       -2.8%
Cardinals          321   12.2%     6.7%     93   11.5%       -0.7%
Cubs               196    7.4%     4.1%     76    9.4%        1.9%
Phillies           185    7.0%     3.9%     92   11.4%        4.3%
Colt .45s           18    0.7%     0.4%     66    8.1%        7.5%
Mets                13    0.5%     0.3%     53    6.5%        6.0%

NL Total          2635    100%    55.0%    810    100%        0.0%

MLB Total         4794    n/a      100%   1620    n/a         n/a

The Dodgers’ 11-season reign as top value producer in the National League was broken, as they were surpassed by both the Giants and Braves. A consistently strong WSP contender since moving to Milwaukee in 1953, the Braves in ’64 received stout contributions from only a couple of their familiar home-grown stars: superstar right fielder Hank Aaron and veteran third baseman Eddie Mathews. But a new generation of farm-bred talent had arrived, including catcher Joe Torre, shortstop Denis Menke, outfielders Rico Carty and Lee Maye, and pitchers Tony Cloninger and Denny Lemaster. Still, the Braves, like the Giants, had allowed quite a few standouts to stray: pitchers Juan Pizarro (White Sox), Don McMahon (Indians), Bob Buhl (Cubs), and Joey Jay (Reds), infielders Felix Mantilla (Red Sox), Ron Hunt (Mets), Bobby Knoop (Angels), and Ed Charles (Athletics), outfielder Bill Bruton (Tigers), and outfielder Wes Covington and catcher Clay Dalrymple (Phillies).

Those Phillies were the surprise ball club of the year, winners of 92 games after having been in dead last at 47-107 just three seasons earlier. The Phils had made their rapid ascent despite still-meager farm production (eighth in the league); their only home-grown stars were Rookie of the Year third baseman Dick Allen and pitcher Chris Short. Thus imported talent was the key to their success: in addition to Covington and Dalrymple, the Phillies had deftly acquired from other organizations star right fielder Johnny Callison, ace starter Jim Bunning, ace reliever Jack Baldschun, outfielder Tony Gonzalez, and infielders Tony Taylor and Cookie Rojas.

Despite the great improvement, Philadelphia’s season ended in bitter disappointment, as they collapsed in the final two weeks and were overtaken at the wire by the Cardinals. For St. Louis, capturing their first pennant in 18 years, the 1950s had been a decade of frustration, as what had once been the strongest farm system in baseball had gradually faded, and the team drifted out of contention. Yet while their value production hadn’t really rebounded—just sixth in the National League in 1964—the Cardinals became champions because (as we examined here) GM Bing Devine had executed a string of terrific acquisitions, bringing in first baseman Bill White, center fielder Curt Flood, left fielder Lou Brock, shortstop Dick Groat, second baseman Julian Javier, and pitcher Curt Simmons to compliment the home-grown core of MVP third baseman Ken Boyer, ace pitcher Bob Gibson, and catcher Tim McCarver.

In the American League, the White Sox had spent the 1950s performing a magic act, remaining a consistent contender despite modest farm production. And through the first half of the 1960s, against all odds, they continued to pull it off: the 1964 edition finished second, winning 98 games, while sixth in the league in WSP. Key contributors to the ’64 White Sox who’d been picked up in shrewd deals included pitchers Juan Pizarro, Hoyt Wilhelm, and Eddie Fisher, shortstop Ron Hansen, third baseman Pete Ward, and outfielder Floyd Robinson. Amazingly, the Chisox were as competitive as they were in the ‘60s despite having given up a major proportion of their limited farm-bred stock in a flurry of questionable 1959-60 trades: Callison (Phillies), first basemen Norm Cash (Tigers) and Don Mincher (Twins), and catchers Earl Battey (Twins) and John Romano (Indians).

Paul Richards had left the Baltimore Orioles in late 1961, but the excellent organization he’d built was left in the good hands of GM Lee MacPhail. The team had suffered through disappointing seasons in 1962 and ’63, but in 1964 they came on strong, finishing a very close third with a franchise-record 97 wins. In WSP they were second in the A.L., featuring a roster rich in organizational products, including MVP third baseman Brooks Robinson, outfielder-first baseman Boog Powell, outfielder Sam Bowens, second baseman Jerry Adair, and pitchers Milt Pappas, Wally Bunker, Steve Barber, and Dave McNally. The Oriole farm system had become so efficient in just a decade’s time that they were succeeding despite having surrendered several outstanding talents: Hansen and Ward (White Sox), major league Cy Young Award winner Dean Chance (Angels), outfielder-infielder Chuck Hinton (Senators), infielder Wayne Causey (Athletics), and pitcher Billy O’Dell (Giants).

The 1965 Value Production Standings

AL Organization    WSP Lg. WSP  MLB WSP      W   Lg. W   W% - WSP%
Yankees            341   16.0%     7.1%     77    9.5%       -6.5%
Tigers             300   14.0%     6.2%     89   11.0%       -3.1%
Orioles            285   13.3%     5.9%     94   11.6%       -1.7%
Indians            272   12.7%     5.7%     87   10.7%       -2.0%
White Sox          266   12.4%     5.5%     95   11.7%       -0.7%
Twins              246   11.5%     5.1%    102   12.6%        1.1%
Red Sox            235   11.0%     4.9%     62    7.7%       -3.3%
Athletics          155    7.3%     3.2%     59    7.3%        0.0%
Angels              26    1.2%     0.5%     75    9.3%        8.0%
Senators            11    0.5%     0.2%     70    8.6%        8.1%

AL Total          2137    100%    44.5%    810    100%        0.0%

NL Organization    WSP Lg. WSP  MLB WSP      W   Lg. W   W% - WSP%
Giants             458   17.2%     9.5%     95   11.7%       -5.4%
Dodgers            393   14.7%     8.2%     97   12.0%       -2.8%
Reds               375   14.1%     7.8%     89   11.0%       -3.1%
Braves             325   12.2%     6.8%     86   10.6%       -1.6%
Pirates            296   11.1%     6.2%     90   11.1%        0.0%
Cardinals          286   10.7%     6.0%     80    9.9%       -0.8%
Phillies           225    8.4%     4.7%     85   10.5%        2.1%
Cubs               200    7.5%     4.2%     72    8.9%        1.4%
Astros              73    2.7%     1.5%     65    8.0%        5.3%
Mets                35    1.3%     0.7%     50    6.2%        4.9%

NL Total          2666    100%    55.5%    809    100%        0.0%

MLB Total         4803    n/a      100%   1619    n/a         n/a

Richards had departed Baltimore in order to take on the challenge of building another organization from scratch: this time it was the Houston expansion franchise of the National League. Getting quick productivity from a brand-new farm system was obviously a very tall order, and through their first several years none of the four new clubs had been able to generate significant major league talent. But in 1965, Richards’s Astros broke through with 73 WSP, as 21-year-old second baseman Joe Morgan, 23-year-old center fielder Jim Wynn, 21-year-old right fielder Rusty Staub, 18-year-old pitcher Larry Dierker, and 25-year-old pitcher Dave Giusti all emerged as big league producers.

It wasn’t yet obvious, but another lowly franchise starting to make headway was the Kansas City Athletics. The team was still a cellar dweller, but the farm system assembled by owner Charles O. Finley was getting stronger: the organization that had generated just 79 Win Shares when Finley bought it in 1960 had seen production gradually improve, to 82 to 99 to 100 to 126 to 155 in 1965, their highest mark since the Connie Mack era of 1949. Promising young home-grown A’s in 1965 included shortstop Campy Campaneris, second baseman Dick Green, first baseman Ken Harrelson, and pitcher Jim “Catfish” Hunter.

Through their tenure in Washington, the Griffith–family-owned Senators had never put together a serious farm system. Upon relocating to Minnesota, the Twins had finally invested in a full-scale minor league organization, but hadn’t much to show for it in terms of WSP, as they were still just sixth in the league in 1965. Nevertheless the team had been a contender in both 1962 and 1963, and broke through as a pennant-winner in ’65. This feat was achieved due to three factors: first, the Twins’ limited production had been concentrated in several stars, including third baseman-first baseman Harmon Killebrew, outfielders Tony Oliva, Bob Allison, and Jimmie Hall, ’65 MVP shortstop Zoilo Versalles, and pitchers Jim Kaat and Camilo Pascual; second, the Twins had allowed few of their products to get away (the best of them in 1965 was relief pitcher Ted Abernathy, with the Cubs); and third, they’d made several sound acquisitions, including catcher Earl Battey, first baseman Don Mincher, and pitchers Mudcat Grant, Jim Perry, Al Worthington, and Johnny Klippstein.

For the first time since 1951, neither league’s WSP leader was its pennant winner. Though the Yankees led the AL in value production for the twelfth straight year, they dropped to a stunning sixth place in the win column, their significant net export of talent suddenly a problem. The National League’s Giants finished in second place (albeit a close second) despite generating a major-league-high 458 WSP, a new franchise record.

The disparity of 117 Win Shares between the WSP leaders in the respective leagues was the greatest since 1946, and was reflective of the huge value production disparity between the leagues. Nineteen-sixty-five marked the 15th consecutive season in which the NL had outpaced the AL, and the margins between them in the past four seasons (1962, ‘63, ’64, and ’65) had been the four largest within those 15 years. This ever-widening gap was more than ever explained by the huge disparity in production of players of color: while the difference in total WSP between the leagues in 1965 was 529, the difference in WSP from non-white players was 648 (1,005 from NL organizations, or 37.7% of the league total, to 357 from AL organizations, or 16.7% of the league total). Viewed another way: the American League organization that had produced the most Win Shares by players of color was the Twins, with 74 (30.1% of their total); that mark was exceeded by six National League franchises, led by the Giants at 272 (59.4% of their total).

And this disparity hadn’t yet reached its peak. But we’ll explore that next time.

The Value Production Standings Summary, 1946-1965

  Year  NYY   DET   BOS   CLE   KCA   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%

  Year  STL   LAD   CHC   CIN   PHI   PIT   MIL   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%

References & Resources

Methodology

First, we identify every player in the major leagues each season with a total of 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), and then 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 clearly assign a player to one organization: there are lots of players who were signed by one team, but then acquired by another organization while still a young minor leaguer. 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).

By the early-to-mid 1960s the number of players who weren’t the products of any major league team’s farm system was becoming quite small, as they heyday of the independent minors receded season by season. The Win Shares of such players aren’t counted in this analysis.