The Value Production Standings:  1966-1970

In our preceding chapters, we’ve explored the production of every team’s farm system, for 1946-1950, 1951-1955, 1956-1960, and 1961-1965. This time we’ll look at the late 1960s.

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, 1946-1965

  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     5     8     6     3     4     9     10      44.5%

  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%

The 1966 Value Production Standings

AL Organization    WSP   Lg. WSP   MLB WSP           W     Lg. W   W% - WSP%
Yankees            288     13.5%      6.0%          70      8.7%       -4.8%
Orioles            286     13.4%      6.0%          97     12.0%       -1.4%
Tigers             282     13.2%      5.9%          88     10.9%       -2.3%
White Sox          281     13.2%      5.9%          83     10.3%       -2.9%
Indians            272     12.8%      5.7%          81     10.1%       -2.7%
Red Sox            226     10.6%      4.7%          72      8.9%       -1.7%
Athletics          205      9.6%      4.3%          74      9.2%       -0.4%
Twins              196      9.2%      4.1%          89     11.1%        1.8%
Angels              59      2.8%      1.2%          80      9.9%        7.2%
Senators            34      1.6%      0.7%          71      8.8%        7.2%

AL Total          2129    100.0%     44.4%         805    100.0%        0.0%

NL Organization    WSP   Lg. WSP   MLB WSP           W     Lg. W   W% - WSP%
Giants             522     19.6%     10.9%          93     11.5%       -8.1%
Reds               363     13.6%      7.6%          76      9.4%       -4.2%
Braves             352     13.2%      7.3%          85     10.5%       -2.7%
Dodgers            346     13.0%      7.2%          95     11.8%       -1.2%
Pirates            291     10.9%      6.1%          92     11.4%        0.5%
Cardinals          262      9.8%      5.5%          83     10.3%        0.4%
Cubs               170      6.4%      3.5%          59      7.3%        0.9%
Phillies           166      6.2%      3.5%          87     10.8%        4.5%
Astros             138      5.2%      2.9%          72      8.9%        3.7%
Mets                53      2.0%      1.1%          66      8.2%        6.2%

NL Total          2663    100.0%     55.6%         808    100.0%        0.0%

MLB Total         4792      n/a     100.0%        1613      n/a         n/a

The Giants in 1966 not only led the major leagues in WSP for the third straight year, they did it by producing a total of 522 Win Shares (the all-time record) and by producing 159 more Win Shares than their closest competitor (also the all-time record). The system created by owner Horace Stoneham and farm director Carl Hubbell had stocked nearly the entire Giants’ roster with home-grown talent, featuring stars in center fielder Willie Mays, first baseman Willie McCovey, aces Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry, third baseman Jim Ray Hart, and catcher Tom Haller, along with solid performers in pitchers Bob Bolin and Frank Linzy and infielders Tito Fuentes and Jim Davenport. Yet for all their talent capital, the Giants still had several big holes they were somehow unable to fill, and they finished a close second to the Dodgers for the second year in a row.

This was a highly frustrating circumstance, given that one could nearly comprise an All-Star team in 1966 from the list of Giants’ farm products they’d coughed up over the years: outfielders Felipe Alou (Braves), Matty Alou and Manny Mota (Pirates), Jose Cardenal (Angels), and Leon Wagner (Indians), first basemen Bill White (Phillies) and Orlando Cepeda (Cardinals), infielders Eddie Bressoud (Mets), Tony Taylor (Phillies), and Jose Pagan (Pirates), catcher Randy Hundley (Cubs), and pitchers Mike McCormick (Senators), Hoyt Wilhelm (White Sox), Eddie Fisher (White Sox-Orioles), Al Worthington (Twins), Hal Woodeshick (Cardinals), Minnie Rojas (Angels), and Bill Hands (Cubs).

The Dodgers ball club that once again nipped the Giants was just fourth in the league in WSP, but they did have a strong core of organization-bred talent: Cy Young Award winner Sandy Koufax, as well as pitchers Don Drysdale and Don Sutton, infielders Jim Lefebvre and Maury Wills, catcher John Roseboro, outfielders Willie Davis, Ron Fairly, and Tommy Davis, and first baseman Wes Parker. Strong contributions from imports put them over the top: pitchers Claude Osteen, Phil Regan, Ron Perranoski, and Bob Miller, and outfielder Lou Johnson.

The 1966 Yankees shocked the baseball world by dropping to last place in the American League. They performed the unlikely feat of finishing last while leading the league in WSP (for the 13th consecutive year); granted, they finished tenth despite being just 11.5 games out of fourth, and they were first in WSP despite having just 16 more than the fifth-most, but still, last is last and first is first. No Yankees-produced talent performing elsewhere in 1966 was producing at a star level, but the list of solid contributors was long, including outfielders Curt Blefary and Russ Snyder (Orioles), Don Lock (Senators), Deron Johnson (Reds), and Roger Repoz (Athletics), first baseman Norm Siebern (Angels), and pitcher Pete Mikkelsen (Pirates).

None of the four 1960s expansion franchises had yet produced a lot of home-grown talent, but the Houston Astros were making the most progress. Paul Richards, who’d set up the operation, had been fired by owner Roy Hofheinz in December of 1965, but the Wizard of Waxahachie’s legacy of young talent continued to develop. Joining second baseman Joe Morgan, right fielder Rusty Staub, center fielder Jim Wynn, and pitchers Larry Dierker and Dave Giusti as standouts were shortstop Sonny Jackson and catcher John Bateman. Though still just in eighth place in the NL, the Astros looked to be a team on the rise.

The 1967 Value Production Standings

AL Organization    WSP   Lg. WSP   MLB WSP           W     Lg. W   W% - WSP%
Red Sox            300     13.8%      6.3%          92     11.4%       -2.4%
Orioles            287     13.2%      6.0%          76      9.4%       -3.8%
Twins              286     13.1%      6.0%          91     11.3%       -1.9%
Tigers             283     13.0%      5.9%          91     11.3%       -1.7%
White Sox          248     11.4%      5.2%          89     11.0%       -0.4%
Indians            233     10.7%      4.9%          75      9.3%       -1.4%
Yankees            230     10.6%      4.8%          72      8.9%       -1.6%
Athletics          217     10.0%      4.5%          62      7.7%       -2.3%
Angels              61      2.8%      1.3%          84     10.4%        7.6%
Senators            35      1.6%      0.7%          76      9.4%        7.8%

AL Total          2180    100.0%     45.5%         808    100.0%        0.0%

NL Organization    WSP   Lg. WSP   MLB WSP           W     Lg. W   W% - WSP%
Giants             459     17.6%      9.6%          91     11.2%       -6.3%
Reds               388     14.8%      8.1%          87     10.8%       -4.1%
Dodgers            337     12.9%      7.0%          73      9.0%       -3.9%
Braves             292     11.2%      6.1%          77      9.5%       -1.7%
Cardinals          253      9.7%      5.3%         101     12.5%        2.8%
Cubs               229      8.8%      4.8%          87     10.8%        2.0%
Phillies           210      8.0%      4.4%          82     10.1%        2.1%
Pirates            207      7.9%      4.3%          81     10.0%        2.1%
Astros             138      5.3%      2.9%          69      8.5%        3.2%
Mets               100      3.8%      2.1%          61      7.5%        3.7%

NL Total          2613    100.0%     54.5%         809    100.0%        0.0%

MLB Total         4793      n/a     100.0%        1617      n/a         n/a

The story of the year was unquestionably the Red Sox, winning their “Impossible Dream” pennant in an impossibly close-fought race after having finished ninth in 1966. The ’67 Red Sox also led the American League in WSP (breaking the Yankees’ stranglehold) for the first time in their history, after having been just sixth-best in ’66. Boston’s championship squad featured a remarkable core of suddenly-blossoming home-grown young talent: MVP left fielder Carl Yastrzemski, first baseman George Scott, shortstop Rico Petrocelli, right fielder Tony Conigliaro, center fielder Reggie Smith, second baseman Mike Andrews, third baseman Joe Foy, and pitchers Jim Lonborg (the AL Cy Young Award Winner) and Sparky Lyle.

But the Red Sox were vanquished in a seven-game World Series by the Cardinals, a quite differently-constructed ball club. Some of their major cogs were internal products: pitchers Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, Nelson Briles, and Dick Hughes, catcher Tim McCarver, and infielders Dal Maxvill and Mike Shannon. But the Cards’ victory was attained through a series of exceptional trades (which we explored here) that had landed MVP first baseman Orlando Cepeda, outfielders Lou Brock, Curt Flood, and Roger Maris, and second baseman Julian Javier.

For the first time since 1946, the Cubs finished in the first division. Several of their key contributors were home-grown, including the infield of Ron Santo, Don Kessinger, Glenn Beckert, and Ernie Banks, as well as left fielder Billy Williams and pitchers Ken Holtzman, Rich Nye, Joe Niekro, and Chuck Hartenstein. But it was the cleverly-acquired quartet of pitchers Ferguson Jenkins and Bill Hands, catcher Randy Hundley, and center fielder Adolfo Phillips, landed in two remarkable deals five months apart in 1965-66 (which we discussed here), that rounded out the roster and allowed the Cubs to turn the corner.

A Hardball Times Update
Goodbye for now.
The 1968 Value Production Standings

AL Organization    WSP   Lg. WSP   MLB WSP           W     Lg. W   W% - WSP%
Tigers             298     13.5%      6.2%         103     12.7%       -0.8%
Athletics          290     13.1%      6.0%          82     10.1%       -3.0%
Orioles            286     12.9%      5.9%          91     11.2%       -1.7%
Red Sox            247     11.2%      5.1%          86     10.6%       -0.5%
Indians            245     11.1%      5.1%          86     10.6%       -0.5%
White Sox          236     10.7%      4.9%          67      8.3%       -2.4%
Yankees            230     10.4%      4.8%          83     10.3%       -0.1%
Twins              222     10.0%      4.6%          79      9.8%       -0.3%
Angels             109      4.9%      2.3%          67      8.3%        3.3%
Senators            47      2.1%      1.0%          65      8.0%        5.9%

AL Total          2210    100.0%     45.8%         809    100.0%        0.0%

NL Organization    WSP   Lg. WSP   MLB WSP           W     Lg. W   W% - WSP%
Giants             453     17.3%      9.4%          88     10.9%       -6.5%
Reds               351     13.4%      7.3%          83     10.2%       -3.2%
Braves             311     11.9%      6.4%          81     10.0%       -1.9%
Dodgers            298     11.4%      6.2%          76      9.4%       -2.0%
Cardinals          244      9.3%      5.1%          97     12.0%        2.6%
Cubs               238      9.1%      4.9%          84     10.4%        1.3%
Pirates            222      8.5%      4.6%          80      9.9%        1.4%
Phillies           210      8.0%      4.4%          76      9.4%        1.4%
Astros             149      5.7%      3.1%          72      8.9%        3.2%
Mets               140      5.4%      2.9%          73      9.0%        3.7%

NL Total          2616    100.0%     54.2%         810    100.0%        0.0%

MLB Total         4826      n/a     100.0%        1619      n/a         n/a

The Tigers hadn’t won a pennant since 1945, nor had they ever been first in the league in value production. But in 1968 they achieved both, and won the World Series to boot in dramatic come-from-behind fashion. Detroit’s championship roster was replete with first-rate organizational products: MVP and Cy Young-winning ace Denny McLain (whom they’d plucked at the age of 19 from the White Sox system in a minor league waivers process unique to the early 1960s), catcher Bill Freehan, second baseman Dick McAuliffe, outfielders Al Kaline, Willie Horton, Jim Northrup, and Mickey Stanley, and pitchers Mickey Lolich, John Hiller, and Pat Dobson.

The Athletics were on the rise. Continuing the steady improvement in WSP that had taken place every single year since Charlie Finley bought the team in 1960, the A’s were a close second to the Tigers in value production. Their won-lost performance had lagged, but in their first season in Oakland the A’s posted the franchise’s first winning record since 1952. With Finley now giving up any pretense of employing a general manager and just openly handling the role himself, and with a roster that featured such impressive young talents as outfielders Reggie Jackson and Rick Monday, shortstop Campy Campaneris, third baseman Sal Bando, and pitchers Blue Moon Odom, Jim Nash, Catfish Hunter, and Chuck Dobson, a breakthrough appeared close at hand.

A couple of years earlier, the Astros had seemed to be on the verge of stepping forward as a successful young team, but their value production had stalled, and in 1968 they sank to last place in the National League. New general manager Spec Richardson would demonstrate no patience with the building-from-within approach (as we discussed here), and in January of 1969 he rashly traded Rusty Staub, signaling the beginning of a “win now” mode for the franchise that would ultimately yield little more than frustration.

The 1969 Value Production Standings

AL Organization    WSP   Lg. WSP   MLB WSP           W     Lg. W   W% - WSP%

Orioles            322     12.4%      5.6%         109     11.2%       -1.1%
Tigers             314     12.1%      5.5%          90      9.3%       -2.8%
Red Sox            312     12.0%      5.4%          87      9.0%       -3.0%
Yankees            265     10.2%      4.6%          80      8.2%       -1.9%
Indians            234      9.0%      4.1%          62      6.4%       -2.6%
Senators           108      4.1%      1.9%          86      8.9%        4.7%
East Division     1555     59.7%     27.1%         514     52.9%       -6.8%

Athletics          326     12.5%      5.7%          88      9.1%       -3.5%
Twins              282     10.8%      4.9%          97     10.0%       -0.8%
White Sox          275     10.6%      4.8%          68      7.0%       -3.6%
Angels             165      6.3%      2.9%          71      7.3%        1.0%
Royals               0      0.0%      0.0%          69      7.1%        7.1%
Pilots               0      0.0%      0.0%          64      6.6%        6.6%
West Division     1048     40.3%     18.2%         457     47.1%        6.8%

AL Total          2603    100.0%     45.3%         971    100.0%        0.0%

NL Organization    WSP   Lg. WSP   MLB WSP           W     Lg. W   W% - WSP%

Pirates            316     10.1%      5.5%          88      9.1%       -1.0%
Cardinals          264      8.4%      4.6%          87      9.0%        0.5%
Cubs               263      8.4%      4.6%          92      9.5%        1.1%
Mets               243      7.7%      4.2%         100     10.3%        2.6%
Phillies           222      7.1%      3.9%          63      6.5%       -0.6%
Expos                0      0.0%      0.0%          52      5.3%        5.3%
East Division     1308     41.6%     22.8%         482     49.6%        8.0%

Giants             475     15.1%      8.3%          90      9.3%       -5.9%
Reds               427     13.6%      7.4%          89      9.2%       -4.4%
Braves             376     12.0%      6.5%          93      9.6%       -2.4%
Dodgers            347     11.0%      6.0%          85      8.7%       -2.3%
Astros             209      6.7%      3.6%          81      8.3%        1.7%
Padres               0      0.0%      0.0%          52      5.3%        5.3%
West Division     1834     58.4%     31.9%         490     50.4%       -8.0%

NL Total          3142    100.0%     54.7%         972    100.0%        0.0%

MLB Total         5745      n/a     100.0%        1943      n/a         n/a

The Orioles had already enjoyed a fine decade, generally strongly contending, and winning a pennant (and World Series) in 1966. In 1969 they really put it all together, presenting a spectacular club that blew the American League away with 109 regular season wins and a 3-game sweep of the ALCS. Harry Dalton had succeeded Lee MacPhail as general manager in November of 1965, and in ’69 his organization led the AL East in value production, and finished a close second to the A’s for the overall AL WSP lead. Much of that great Baltimore roster was home-grown, including the infield of Brooks Robinson, Mark Belanger, Dave Johnson, and Boog Powell, center fielder Paul Blair, and pitchers Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Tom Phoebus, and Eddie Watt. But it was the artful blend of imports, including outfielders Frank Robinson and Don Buford and pitchers Mike Cuellar (the co-AL Cy Young winner), Pete Richert, and Dick Hall that tied a ribbon on the package.

The upstart Mets gleefully ruined the party. Their stunning championship was achieved primarily through the sudden arrival and development of an outstanding core of organizational talent, as the Mets vaulted past Houston as the most productive of the early 1960s expansion franchises with 243 WSP. National League Cy Young Award winner Tom Seaver, as well as pitchers Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry, Tug McGraw, and Nolan Ryan, left fielder Cleon Jones, shortstop Bud Harrelson, and second baseman Ken Boswell were all farm products.

The 1970 Value Production Standings

AL Organization    WSP   Lg. WSP   MLB WSP           W     Lg. W   W% - WSP%

Red Sox            317     12.3%      5.5%          87      9.0%       -3.4%
Orioles            308     12.0%      5.3%         108     11.1%       -0.9%
Yankees            293     11.4%      5.1%          93      9.6%       -1.8%
Tigers             285     11.1%      4.9%          79      8.1%       -2.9%
Indians            277     10.8%      4.8%          76      7.8%       -2.9%
Senators            80      3.1%      1.4%          70      7.2%        4.1%
East Division     1560     60.6%     27.1%         513     52.8%       -7.8%

Athletics          303     11.8%      5.3%          89      9.2%       -2.6%
Twins              265     10.3%      4.6%          98     10.1%       -0.2%
White Sox          241      9.4%      4.2%          56      5.8%       -3.6%
Angels             204      7.9%      3.5%          86      8.8%        0.9%
Royals               1      0.0%      0.0%          65      6.7%        6.6%
Brewers              0      0.0%      0.0%          65      6.7%        6.7%
West Division     1014     39.4%     17.6%         459     47.2%        7.8%

AL Total          2574    100.0%     44.7%         972    100.0%        0.0%

NL Organization    WSP   Lg. WSP   MLB WSP           W     Lg. W   W% - WSP%

Pirates            360     11.3%      6.2%          89      9.2%       -2.1%
Cardinals          255      8.0%      4.4%          76      7.8%       -0.2%
Phillies           246      7.7%      4.3%          73      7.5%       -0.2%
Cubs               234      7.3%      4.1%          84      8.7%        1.3%
Mets               229      7.2%      4.0%          83      8.5%        1.4%
Expos                0      0.0%      0.0%          73      7.5%        7.5%
East Division     1324     41.5%     23.0%         478     49.2%        7.7%

Giants             465     14.6%      8.1%          86      8.9%       -5.7%
Reds               438     13.7%      7.6%         102     10.5%       -3.2%
Braves             357     11.2%      6.2%          76      7.8%       -3.4%
Dodgers            352     11.0%      6.1%          87      9.0%       -2.1%
Astros             251      7.9%      4.4%          79      8.1%        0.3%
Padres               0      0.0%      0.0%          63      6.5%        6.5%
West Division     1863     58.5%     32.3%         493     50.8%       -7.7%

NL Total          3187    100.0%     55.3%         971    100.0%        0.0%

MLB Total         5761      n/a     100.0%        1943      n/a         n/a

The phenomenally strong Giants system led the majors in WSP for the seventh straight year (though they still had zero flags for their trouble). But in 1970 the Reds were close on their WSP heels, and Cincinnati had retained enough of its talent core to generate a runaway-champ 102-game winner that early that season was dubbed “The Big Red Machine”: MVP catcher Johnny Bench, third baseman Tony Perez, outfielders Pete Rose and Bernie Carbo, first baseman Lee May, and pitchers Gary Nolan, Wayne Simpson, and Don Gullett were internally-developed standouts. Thus the Reds were able to prevail despite having let get away quite a number of exceptional talents, including outfielders Frank Robinson (Orioles), Tommy Harper (Brewers), Cesar Tovar (Twins), and Vada Pinson (Indians), shortstop Leo Cardenas (Twins), and pitchers Mike Cuellar (Orioles) and Claude Osteen (Dodgers).

The NL East champ Pirates produced a franchise-record 360 WSP. The Pirate roster was primarily farm-bred, including catcher Manny Sanguillen, first basemen Bob Robertson and Al Oliver, third baseman Richie Hebner, left fielder Willie Stargell, and pitchers Dock Ellis, Luke Walker, Steve Blass, Bob Moose, and Bob Veale. Veteran star right fielder Roberto Clemente, center fielder Matty Alou, and ace reliever Dave Giusti were the only key acquired talents.

For the second season in a row, the Twins won the AL West despite meaningfully trailing the Athletics in WSP. It was the continuation of a longtime pattern for the Twins, who’d won the 1965 pennant and generally been a strong contender without especially robust value production. The 1970 ball club was representative of the formula they’d deployed to great effect: to their familiar outstanding home-grown core of third baseman Harmon Killebrew, right fielder Tony Oliva, and pitcher Jim Kaat, they added some excellent young organizationally-developed talents in second baseman Rod Carew and pitchers Bert Blyleven and Tom Hall as well as key acquisitions Tovar and Cardenas, Cy Young Award winner Jim Perry, and relievers Ron Perranoski and Stan Williams. Most importantly, they’d given up few of their best products in trades; Graig Nettles (Indians) was the only one they’d significantly regret having shipped away.

The 1970 season made it a nice round twenty consecutive years that the National League had outpaced the American in overall value production, and the dynamic showed no signs of abating. As had been the case for many years, it was entirely a function of the enormous difference between the leagues in the production of players of color: NL organizations in 1970 had 1,240 WSP from non-white players (38.9% of the league total), compared with 487 for the AL (18.9% of the league total); this margin of 753 Win Shares was considerably greater than the total difference of 613 between the leagues.

The distinction between the leagues in this regard was as huge as it had ever been. In our next installment, we’ll find out if it had yet peaked.

The Value Production Standings Summary, 1946-1970

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%

Year      BAL      DET      BOS      NYY      CLE      WAS  ALE WSP   AL WSP
1969        1        2        3        4        5        6    27.1%    45.3%
1970        2        4        1        3        5        6    27.1%    44.7%

Year      OAK      MIN      CHW      CAL      KCR      MIL  ALW WSP   AL WSP
1969        1        2        3        4       5T       5T    18.2%    45.3%
1970        1        2        3        4        5        6    17.6%    44.7%


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%

Year      PIT      STL      CHC      NYM      PHI      MON  NLE WSP   NL WSP
1969        1        2        3        4        5        6    22.8%    54.7%
1970        1        2        4        5        3        6    23.0%    55.3%

Year      SFG      CIN      ATL      LAD      HOU      SDP  NLW WSP   NL WSP
1969        1        2        3        4        5        6    31.9%    54.7%
1970        1        2        3        4        5        6    32.3%    55.3%

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 late 1960s there were only a handful of players who weren’t the products of any major league team’s farm system. The Win Shares of such players aren’t counted in this analysis.


Steve Treder has been a co-author of every Hardball Times Annual publication since its inception in 2004. His work has also been featured in Nine, The National Pastime, and other publications. He has frequently been a presenter at baseball forums such as the SABR National Convention, the Nine Spring Training Conference, and the Cooperstown Symposium. When Steve grows up, he hopes to play center field for the San Francisco Giants.

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