The Value Production Standings:  1994-1997

Our earlier journeys have taken us to 1946-1950, 1951-1955, 1956-1960, 1961-1965, 1966-1970, 1971-1975, 1976-1980, 1981-1985, 1986-1989 and 1990-1993. Now it’s time to get right into the heart of the era of Beavis & Butthead, Kosmo Kramer and Monica Lewinsky.

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 its organization
Avg WSP = Average Win Shares Produced: the average WSP of the teams in a given division or league
%MLB Avg = Percentage of the major league baseball average: how the average WSP for a given division or league compares with the overall major league average

The 1994 Value Production Standings

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

Blue Jays        251   10.1%     5.4%     55    6.9%       -3.2%
Yankees          221    8.9%     4.7%     70    8.8%       -0.1%
Red Sox          195    7.9%     4.2%     54    6.8%       -1.1%
Orioles          145    5.9%     3.1%     63    7.9%        2.1%
Tigers           139    5.6%     3.0%     53    6.6%        1.0%
East Division    951   38.4%    20.4%    295   37.0%       -1.4%      190     114.0%

Royals           252   10.2%     5.4%     64    8.0%       -2.1%
Twins            168    6.8%     3.6%     53    6.6%       -0.1%
White Sox        152    6.1%     3.3%     67    8.4%        2.3%
Brewers          128    5.2%     2.7%     53    6.6%        1.5%
Indians          116    4.7%     2.5%     66    8.3%        3.6%
Central Div.     816   32.9%    17.5%    303   38.0%        5.1%      163      97.8%

Athletics        203    8.2%     4.3%     51    6.4%       -1.8%
Rangers          198    8.0%     4.2%     52    6.5%       -1.5%
Angels           168    6.8%     3.6%     47    5.9%       -0.9%
Mariners         141    5.7%     3.0%     49    6.1%        0.5%
West Division    710   28.7%    15.2%    199   25.0%       -3.7%      178     106.4%

AL Total        2477  100.0%    53.0%    797  100.0%       -5.1%      177     106.1%

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

Expos            233   10.6%     5.0%     74    9.1%       -1.5%
Braves           181    8.2%     3.9%     68    8.4%        0.1%
Mets             161    7.3%     3.4%     55    6.8%       -0.6%
Phillies         155    7.1%     3.3%     54    6.7%       -0.4%
Marlins            1    0.0%     0.0%     51    6.3%        6.2%
East Division    731   33.3%    15.6%    302   37.2%        3.9%      146      87.6%

Cardinals        188    8.6%     4.0%     53    6.5%       -2.0%
Pirates          186    8.5%     4.0%     53    6.5%       -2.0%
Cubs             185    8.4%     4.0%     49    6.0%       -2.4%
Reds             177    8.1%     3.8%     66    8.1%        0.1%
Astros           140    6.4%     3.0%     66    8.1%        1.7%
Central Div.     876   39.9%    18.8%    287   35.3%       -4.6%      175     105.0%

Dodgers          228   10.4%     4.9%     68    8.4%       -2.0%
Padres           206    9.4%     4.4%     47    5.8%       -3.6%
Giants           153    7.0%     3.3%     55    6.8%       -0.2%
Rockies            0    0.0%     0.0%     53    6.5%        6.5%
West Division    587   26.8%    12.6%    223   27.5%        0.7%      147      88.0%

NL Total        2194  100.0%    47.0%    812  100.0%        0.0%      157      93.9%

MLB Total       4671    n/a    100.0%   1609    n/a         n/a       167     100.0%

Since their inception in 1969, the Kansas City Royals had been widely admired as a model major league franchise. Great trades by their first GM, Cedric Tallis, built the team into a nearly instant contender, and then the organization constructed a strong farm system that sustained it as a consistently competitive team through the 1980s. Tallis passed the GM baton to Joe Burke, who handed it off to John Schuerholz, who in turn was succeeded by Herk Robinson, but through it all the tone of solid, practical competence remained.

In 1994, for the first time in their history, the Royals led the major leagues in WSP. Their system had produced quite a bit of first-rate talent playing elsewhere in 1994: pitchers Bret Saberhagen (Mets) and Tom Candiotti (Dodgers), outfielder Jeff Conine (Marlins), first baseman Cecil Fielder (Tigers) and third basemen Kevin Seitzer (Brewers) and Sean Berry (Expos). Still, Kansas City finished a strong third in the AL Central’s strike-abbreviated season, and much of its talent was home-grown, including pitchers Kevin Appier and Tom Gordon, designated hitter Bob Hamelin, center fielder Brian McRae and catcher Mike Macfarlane. The Royals’ biggest star, Cy Young Award-winning ace David Cone, was an organizational product whom they’d let get away, but he was now back on board as a free agent signee.

However, one key element about the 1994 Royals was different from the past: During the previous off-season they’d been sold by the estate of recently deceased founding owner Ewing Kauffman. Under the new ownership of David Glass, the franchise would soon decline, and has achieved a winning record just once since 1994.

The 1995 Value Production Standings

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

Yankees          273    8.8%     4.7%     79    7.8%       -0.9%
Blue Jays        253    8.1%     4.3%     56    5.6%       -2.6%
Red Sox          227    7.3%     3.9%     86    8.5%        1.2%
Tigers           188    6.0%     3.2%     60    5.9%       -0.1%
Orioles          169    5.4%     2.9%     71    7.0%        1.6%
East Division   1110   35.6%    18.9%    352   34.9%       -0.7%      222     105.9%

Royals           238    7.6%     4.1%     70    6.9%       -0.7%
Twins            230    7.4%     3.9%     56    5.6%       -1.8%
Indians          218    7.0%     3.7%    100    9.9%        2.9%
Brewers          192    6.2%     3.3%     65    6.4%        0.3%
White Sox        170    5.4%     2.9%     68    6.7%        1.3%
Central Div.    1048   33.6%    17.9%    359   35.6%        2.0%      210     100.0%

Rangers          272    8.7%     4.6%     74    7.3%       -1.4%
Athletics        254    8.1%     4.3%     67    6.6%       -1.5%
Angels           242    7.8%     4.1%     78    7.7%        0.0%
Mariners         194    6.2%     3.3%     79    7.8%        1.6%
West Division    962   30.8%    16.4%    298   29.5%       -1.3%      241     114.7%

AL Total        3120  100.0%    53.2%   1009  100.0%       -2.0%      223     106.3%

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

Expos            288   10.5%     4.9%     66    6.6%       -3.9%
Braves           240    8.7%     4.1%     90    8.9%        0.2%
Mets             215    7.8%     3.7%     69    6.9%       -1.0%
Phillies         145    5.3%     2.5%     69    6.9%        1.6%
Marlins           12    0.4%     0.2%     67    6.7%        6.2%
East Division    900   32.7%    15.3%    361   35.8%        3.1%      180      85.9%

Pirates          260    9.5%     4.4%     58    5.8%       -3.7%
Cardinals        244    8.9%     4.2%     62    6.2%       -2.7%
Cubs             221    8.0%     3.8%     73    7.2%       -0.8%
Reds             214    7.8%     3.6%     85    8.4%        0.7%
Astros           176    6.4%     3.0%     76    7.5%        1.1%
Central Div.    1115   40.6%    19.0%    354   35.2%       -5.4%      223     106.4%

Dodgers          323   11.7%     5.5%     78    7.7%       -4.0%
Padres           199    7.2%     3.4%     70    7.0%       -0.3%
Giants           191    6.9%     3.3%     67    6.7%       -0.3%
Rockies           21    0.8%     0.4%     77    7.6%        6.9%
West Division    734   26.7%    12.5%    292   29.0%        2.3%      184      87.5%

NL Total        2749  100.0%    46.8%   1007  100.0%        0.0%      196      93.7%

MLB Total       5869    n/a    100.0%   2016    n/a         n/a       210     100.0%

The Cleveland Indians had been moribund in the early 1990s, but by 1995 their resurrection was dazzling. Owner Richard Jacobs had put up 52% of the funding for a brand-new showplace ballpark which was filled with nearly 40,000 fans per game, and the GM Jacobs had hired in late 1991, John Hart, had quickly assembled a tremendous ball club.

Packed with exceptional young system-developed talent, including heavy-hitting outfielders Albert Belle and Manny Ramirez, powerful third baseman Jim Thome, and pitchers Charles Nagy, Chad Ogea and Julian Tavarez, the 1995 Indians produced a stunning 100-44 record in the strike-shortened regular season, and won two rounds of the playoffs before finally being defeated in the World Series.

The team that vanquished Cleveland was the Braves, who under GM John Schuerholz were an elegant blend of home-grown and imported talent. Farm products included infielders Chipper Jones, Mark Lemke and Jeff Blauser, outfielders David Justice and Ryan Klesko, catcher Javy Lopez, and pitchers Tom Glavine, Mark Wohlers and Steve Avery.

Key trade acquisitions were pitcher John Smoltz and first baseman Fred McGriff, and the team’s greatest star had been signed as a free agent: the astounding Greg Maddux, winning his fourth consecutive Cy Young Award.

For the Expos, 1995 was a year of extraordinary frustration. They’d posted the best record in the major leagues in 1994, only to have that season cut short by the work stoppage. In ’95, they lost star right fielder Larry Walker to free agency, payroll-shedding trades cost them center fielder Marquis Grissom and pitchers Ken Hill and John Wetteland, and the Expos finished last in their division despite being second-best in the majors in WSP.

In addition to Walker and Grissom, Montreal products no longer in Quebec included outfielder Tim Raines (White Sox), infielder-outfielder Tony Phillips (Angels), second baseman Delino DeShields (Dodgers) and first basemen Andres Galarraga (Rockies) and Greg Colbrunn (Marlins).

The 1996 Value Production Standings

A Hardball Times Update
Goodbye for now.
AL Organization  WSP Lg. WSP  MLB WSP      W   Lg. W   W% - WSP% Avg. WSP % MLB Avg.

Yankees          304    8.5%     4.6%     92    8.1%       -0.4%
Blue Jays        303    8.5%     4.6%     74    6.5%       -1.9%
Red Sox          287    8.0%     4.3%     85    7.5%       -0.5%
Orioles          182    5.1%     2.7%     88    7.8%        2.7%
Tigers           180    5.0%     2.7%     53    4.7%       -0.4%
East Division   1256   35.2%    18.9%    392   34.6%       -0.5%      251     106.1%

Twins            264    7.4%     4.0%     78    6.9%       -0.5%
Royals           262    7.3%     4.0%     75    6.6%       -0.7%
Brewers          251    7.0%     3.8%     80    7.1%        0.0%
Indians          221    6.2%     3.3%     99    8.7%        2.6%
White Sox        205    5.7%     3.1%     85    7.5%        1.8%
Central Div.    1203   33.7%    18.1%    417   36.8%        3.2%      241     101.6%

Rangers          315    8.8%     4.8%     90    8.0%       -0.9%
Athletics        298    8.3%     4.5%     78    6.9%       -1.5%
Angels           261    7.3%     3.9%     70    6.2%       -1.1%
Mariners         239    6.7%     3.6%     85    7.5%        0.8%
West Division   1113   31.2%    16.8%    323   28.5%       -2.6%      278     117.5%

AL Total        3572  100.0%    53.9%   1132  100.0%       -3.2%      255     107.8%

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

Expos            314   10.3%     4.7%     88    7.8%       -2.5%
Braves           256    8.4%     3.9%     96    8.5%        0.1%
Mets             230    7.5%     3.5%     71    6.3%       -1.3%
Phillies         160    5.2%     2.4%     67    5.9%        0.7%
Marlins           31    1.0%     0.5%     80    7.1%        6.0%
East Division    991   32.4%    14.9%    402   35.4%        3.0%      198      83.7%

Pirates          287    9.4%     4.3%     73    6.4%       -2.9%
Cardinals        262    8.6%     4.0%     88    7.8%       -0.8%
Cubs             224    7.3%     3.4%     76    6.7%       -0.6%
Reds             224    7.3%     3.4%     81    7.1%       -0.2%
Astros           217    7.1%     3.3%     82    7.2%        0.1%
Central Div.    1214   39.7%    18.3%    400   35.3%       -4.4%      243     102.5%

Dodgers          403   13.2%     6.1%     90    7.9%       -5.2%
Padres           243    7.9%     3.7%     91    8.0%        0.1%
Giants           181    5.9%     2.7%     68    6.0%        0.1%
Rockies           26    0.9%     0.4%     83    7.3%        6.5%
West Division    853   27.9%    12.9%    332   29.3%        1.4%      213      90.1%

NL Total        3058  100.0%    46.1%   1134  100.0%        0.0%      218      92.2%

MLB Total       6630    n/a    100.0%   2266    n/a         n/a       237     100.0%

Since the early 1980s, no other franchise had demonstrated consistently outstanding farm system production equal to that of the Dodgers. Their 1996 WSP of 403 led the majors by a wide margin, and was the team’s most since 1986. The ’96 Dodgers were a wild card winner, well-stocked with home-grown talent including catcher Mike Piazza, outfielders Raul Mondesi and Todd Hollandsworth, first baseman Eric Karros, and pitchers Ismael Valdez, Pedro Astacio, Ramon Martinez, Antonio Osuna and Chan Ho Park.

The list of Dodger products standing out elsewhere was a long one: outfielder Henry Rodriguez (Expos), infielders Jose Offerman (Royals), Eric Young (Rockies), Jose Vizcaino (MetsIndians) and Mariano Duncan (Yankees) and pitchers Juan Guzman (Blue Jays), Pedro Martinez (Expos), Orel Hershisher (Indians), John Wetteland (Yankees) and John Franco (Mets).

The 1997 Value Production Standings

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

Blue Jays        340    9.5%     5.2%     76    6.8%       -2.8%
Yankees          333    9.4%     5.0%     96    8.6%       -0.8%
Red Sox          282    7.9%     4.3%     78    7.0%       -1.0%
Orioles          216    6.1%     3.3%     98    8.7%        2.7%
Tigers           189    5.3%     2.9%     79    7.0%        1.7%
East Division   1360   38.2%    20.6%    427   38.1%       -0.1%      272     115.4%

Indians          253    7.1%     3.8%     86    7.7%        0.6%
Twins            237    6.7%     3.6%     68    6.1%       -0.6%
Brewers          237    6.7%     3.6%     78    7.0%        0.3%
Royals           232    6.5%     3.5%     67    6.0%       -0.5%
White Sox        203    5.7%     3.1%     80    7.1%        1.4%
Central Div.    1162   32.6%    17.6%    379   33.8%        1.1%      232      98.6%

Angels           291    8.2%     4.4%     84    7.5%       -0.7%
Rangers          286    8.0%     4.3%     77    6.9%       -1.2%
Athletics        238    6.7%     3.6%     65    5.8%       -0.9%
Mariners         224    6.3%     3.4%     90    8.0%        1.7%
West Division   1039   29.2%    15.7%    316   28.2%       -1.0%      260     110.2%

AL Total        3561  100.0%    53.9%   1122  100.0%       -1.1%      254     107.9%

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

Expos            313   10.3%     4.7%     78    6.8%       -3.5%
Braves           268    8.8%     4.1%    101    8.8%        0.0%
Mets             216    7.1%     3.3%     88    7.7%        0.6%
Phillies         174    5.7%     2.6%     68    5.9%        0.2%
Marlins           68    2.2%     1.0%     92    8.0%        5.8%
East Division   1039   34.2%    15.7%    427   37.3%        3.1%      208      88.1%

Pirates          340   11.2%     5.2%     79    6.9%       -4.3%
Astros           226    7.4%     3.4%     84    7.3%       -0.1%
Cardinals        217    7.1%     3.3%     73    6.4%       -0.8%
Cubs             198    6.5%     3.0%     68    5.9%       -0.6%
Reds             194    6.4%     2.9%     76    6.6%        0.3%
Central Div.    1175   38.7%    17.8%    380   33.2%       -5.4%      235      99.7%

Dodgers          373   12.3%     5.7%     88    7.7%       -4.6%
Padres           252    8.3%     3.8%     76    6.6%       -1.6%
Giants           151    5.0%     2.3%     90    7.9%        2.9%
Rockies           50    1.6%     0.8%     83    7.3%        5.6%
West Division    826   27.2%    12.5%    337   29.5%        2.3%      207      87.6%

NL Total        3040  100.0%    46.1%   1144  100.0%        0.0%      217      92.1%

MLB Total       6601    n/a    100.0%   2266    n/a         n/a       236     100.0%

Over the 1990s the Blue Jays’ organization had emerged as a talent-development powerhouse, and in 1997 for the first time Toronto led the American League in WSP. Yet on the field, following its back-to-back World Series championships of 1992-93, the team had collapsed: 1997 was its fourth consecutive losing season.

The Blue Jays weren’t cash-strapped. The Skydome was still filled with more than 30,000 per game in the mid-1990s, and so they hadn’t been unduly troubled by free agent defections. Pitchers Jimmy Key (Orioles) and Todd Stottlemyre (Cardinals) were the only ones of note.

Instead Toronto, under GM Gord Ash since late 1994, and before that Pat Gillick, had just let too much of its talent get away in trades. The ’97 team featured system-produced standouts in first baseman Carlos Delgado, outfielder Shawn Green and pitchers Pat Hentgen and Woody Williams. But Blue Jays products who’d been traded away included first baseman John Olerud (Mets), infielders Jeff Kent (Giants) and Tony Fernandez (Indians), outfielders Derek Bell (Astros) and Glenallen Hill (Giants) and pitcher Jose Mesa (Indians). Pitcher David Wells (Yankees) had been simply released.

Another team grinding its teeth in 1997 was the Pirates. Their farm system had been excellent for many years, but even when they were winning three straight division flags in 1990-92, their attendance had never risen above the middle of the pack. Consequently when their young stars opted for free agency, the Pirates were unable to keep them in the fold, and Cam Bonifay, who’d taken over as GM in mid-1993, demonstrated little capacity to pull off clever trades or bargain pickups. Thus the ’97 Pirates led the NL Central in WSP by a wide margin, but managed just a 79-83 record (for which Bonifay was incomprehensibly named Executive of the Year by The Sporting News).

Pittsburgh products thriving in opposing uniforms included outfielders Barry Bonds (Giants), Moises Alou (Marlins) and Jay Buhner (Mariners), third basemen Bobby Bonilla (Marlins) and Willie Greene (Reds), first baseman Jeff King (Royals) and pitchers Rick Reed (Mets) and Tim Wakefield (Red Sox).

The situation with the Florida Marlins could hardly have been in starker contrast. In just their fifth season of existence, the Marlins hadn’t had time to reap the full benefits of a farm system, though they had done well in talent development and had already brought catcher Charles Johnson, shortstop Edgar Renteria and pitcher Livan Hernandez to the majors.

But the Marlins, under owner Wayne Huizenga and GM Dave Dombrowski, had spent freely on free agent signings including Alou and Bonilla, center fielder Devon White and pitchers Kevin Brown, Alex Fernandez and Al Leiter. Moreover, they had acquired high-salaried stars via trade in outfielder Gary Sheffield and catcher Darren Daulton. The ’97 Marlins won a wild card berth, and then ran the postseason table and took the World Series, despite having organizationally produced just 68 major league Win Shares.

The WSP gap between the leagues

The American League average team’s WSP was higher than that of the National League every season in the mid-1990s. Largely this was a function of the NL’s 1993 expansion teams, the Marlins and Rockies, driving down the NL average. But even removing the Marlins and Rockies from the analysis, the average AL team still outproduced the average NL team in 1997 by 254 to 244. This margin wasn’t large, but the AL gained in this regard in every season from 1994 through 1997.

Clearly, the distinct superiority the National League had held beginning in the early 1950s was finally erased in the mid-1990s. The proper characterization of the WSP relationship between the leagues in the 1990s was, at last, parity.

The Value Production Standings Summary, 1946-1997
American League

 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%

American League East Divsion

 Year  BAL     DET     BOS     NYY     CLE     WAS           Avg WSP  % ML Avg   ALE WSP  AL WSP
 1969   1       2       3       4       5       6              259     108.3%     27.1%    45.3%
 1970   2       4       1       3       5       6              260     108.3%     27.1%    44.7%
 1971   2       3       4       1       5       6              244     101.5%     25.4%    46.0%

       BAL     DET     BOS     NYY     CLE     MIL
 1972   1       5       2       4       3       6              219      95.4%     23.9%    43.0%
 1973   1       5       2       4       3       6              219      91.5%     22.9%    42.0%
 1974   2       3       1       4       5       6              215      90.5%     22.6%    43.8%
 1975   2       4       1       3       5       6              193      81.6%     20.4%    44.4%
 1976   2       4       1       5       3       6              204      85.9%     21.5%    44.3%

       BAL     DET     BOS     NYY     CLE     MIL     TOR
 1977   1       3       2       5       4       6       7      193      82.2%     22.1%    46.1%
 1978   2       3       1       5       4       6       7      210      88.9%     23.9%    46.7%
 1979   2       3       1       6       5       4       7      213      90.7%     24.4%    47.7%
 1980   3       2       1       6       4       5       7      199      84.9%     22.8%    49.4%
 1981   3       2       1       6       4       5       7      138      89.2%     24.0%    49.0%
 1982   2       3       1       6       5       4       7      215      91.0%     24.5%    47.7%
 1983   2       5       1       4       6       3       7      222      94.7%     25.5%    48.0%
 1984   2       4       1       3       5       6       7      206      87.0%     23.4%    47.1%
 1985   3       4       1       2       7       5       6      206      87.6%     23.6%    47.7%
 1986   3       5       1       2       6       4       7      200      85.6%     23.0%    47.7%
 1987   5       4       1       3       6       2       7      216      91.3%     24.6%    49.3%
 1988   6       5       1       3       4       2       7      216      91.7%     24.7%    49.2%
 1989   4       6       1       3       5       2       7      211      88.6%     23.9%    49.9%
 1990   6       5       1       2       7       4       3      215      90.8%     24.4%    50.1%
 1991   6       4       1       2       7       4       5      212      89.2%     24.0%    50.9%
 1992   4       6       3       2       7       1       5      219      91.4%     24.6%    51.6%
 1993   6       5       3       1       7       4       2      227      96.0%     24.0%    51.5%

       BAL     DET     BOS     NYY     TOR                   Avg WSP  % ML Avg   ALE WSP  AL WSP
 1994   4       5       3       2       1                      190     114.0%     20.4%    53.0%
 1995   5       4       3       1       2                      222     105.9%     18.9%    53.2%
 1996   4       5       3       1       2                      251     106.1%     18.9%    53.9%
 1997   4       5       3       2       1                      272     115.4%     20.6%    53.9%

American League Central Divsion

 Year  KCR     MIN     CHW     MIL     CLE                   Avg. WSP % ML Avg.  ALC WSP  AL WSP
 1994   1       2       3       4       5                      163      97.8%     17.5%    53.0%
 1995   1       2       5       4       3                      210     100.0%     17.9%    53.2%
 1996   2       1       5       3       4                      241     101.6%     18.1%    53.9%
 1997   4       2T      5       2T      1                      232      98.6%     17.6%    53.9%
American League West Divsion

 Year  OAK     MIN     CHW     CAL     KCR     MIL           Avg. WSP % ML Avg.  ALW WSP  AL WSP
 1969   1       2       3       4       5T      5T             175      73.0%     18.2%    45.3%
 1970   1       2       3       4       5       6              169      70.4%     17.6%    44.7%
 1971   1       3       4       2       6       5              198      82.3%     20.6%    46.0%

       OAK     MIN     CHW     CAL     KCR     TEX
 1972   1       2       3       4       6       5              177      76.8%     19.2%    43.0%
 1973   1       2       3       4       6       5              183      76.5%     19.1%    42.0%
 1974   1       2       5       4       6       3              201      84.7%     21.2%    43.8%
 1975   1       2       5       3       6       4              228      96.2%     24.0%    44.4%
 1976   1       4       5       2       6       3              217      91.5%     22.9%    44.3%

       OAK     MIN     CHW     CAL     KCR     TEX     SEA
 1977   1       2       6       4       5       3       7      209      88.9%     23.9%    46.1%
 1978   1       3       6       4       5       2       7      200      84.5%     22.7%    46.7%
 1979   1       4T      6       2       4T      3       7      203      86.5%     23.3%    47.7%
 1980   1       4       6       5       3       2       7      231      98.7%     26.6%    49.4%
 1981   1       5       6       3       4       2       7      143      92.6%     24.9%    49.0%
 1982   1       5       6       4       3       2       7      204      86.2%     23.2%    47.7%
 1983   2       5       6       1       4       3       7      196      83.5%     22.5%    48.0%
 1984   3       4       6       1       2       5       7      207      87.8%     23.6%    47.1%
 1985   3       5       7       2       1       4       6      210      89.6%     24.1%    47.7%
 1986   2       5       7       1       4       3       6      213      91.4%     24.6%    47.7%
 1987   2       6       7       4       1       3       5      217      91.9%     24.7%    49.3%
 1988   2       4       7       3       1       6       5      214      90.9%     24.5%    49.2%
 1989   4       5       7       3       2       5       1      230      96.7%     26.0%    49.9%
 1990   3       6       7       4       2       5       1      226      95.4%     25.7%    50.1%
 1991   1       7       6       5       3       4       2      237      99.7%     26.8%    50.9%
 1992   1       6       5       2       4       3       7      239     100.1%     27.0%    51.6%
 1993   4       6       7       3       2       1       5      260     110.0%     27.5%    51.5%

       OAK     TEX     SEA     ANA                           Avg. WSP % ML Avg.  ALW WSP  AL WSP
 1994   1       2       4       3                              178     106.4%     15.2%    53.0%
 1995   2       1       4       3                              241     114.7%     16.4%    53.2%
 1996   2       1       4       3                              278     117.5%     16.8%    53.9%
 1997   3       2       4       1                              260     110.2%     15.7%    53.9%

National League

 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%

National League East Division

 Year  PIT     STL     CHC     NYM     PHI     MON     FLA   Avg. WSP % ML Avg.  NLE WSP  NL WSP
 1969   1       2       3       4       5       6       x      218      91.1%     22.8%    54.7%
 1970   1       2       4       5       3       6       x      221      91.9%     23.0%    55.3%
 1971   1       3       5       2       4       6       x      230      95.7%     23.9%    54.0%
 1972   1       2       4       3       5       6       x      244     106.1%     26.5%    57.0%
 1973   1       3       5       2       4       6       x      239      99.7%     24.9%    58.0%
 1974   1       4       5       3       2       6       x      249     104.9%     26.2%    56.2%
 1975   1       2       5       3       4       6       x      247     104.2%     26.1%    55.6%
 1976   1       2       5       3       4       6       x      254     106.8%     26.7%    55.7%
 1977   1       2       5       4       3       6       x      290     123.4%     28.5%    53.9%
 1978   1       3       5       4       2       6       x      285     120.7%     27.9%    53.3%
 1979   1       3       6       4       2       5       x      289     123.5%     28.5%    52.3%
 1980   1       2       6       4       3       5       x      280     119.7%     27.6%    50.6%
 1981   1       2       6       3       4       5       x      185     119.5%     27.6%    51.0%
 1982   1       3       6       5       2       4       x      289     122.3%     28.2%    52.3%
 1983   3       1       6       5       2       4       x      272     115.8%     26.7%    52.0%
 1984   2       3       6       4       1       5       x      280     118.5%     27.4%    52.9%
 1985   4       2       6       3       1       5       x      276     117.7%     27.2%    52.3%
 1986   4       3       6       2       1       5       x      280     120.0%     27.7%    52.3%
 1987   5       2       6       3       1       4       x      272     115.2%     26.6%    50.7%
 1988   2       5       4       1       3       6       x      280     119.0%     27.5%    50.8%
 1989   2       6       4       1       3       5       x      271     113.8%     26.3%    50.1%
 1990   2       6       4       1       5       3       x      280     118.4%     27.3%    49.9%
 1991   1       6       5       2       4       3       x      269     113.2%     26.1%    49.1%
 1992   2       3       4       5       6       1       x      271     113.4%     26.2%    48.4%
 1993   2       3       5       4       6       1       7      233      98.6%     24.7%    48.5%

       MON     ATL     FLA     NYM     PHI                   Avg. WSP % ML Avg.  NLE WSP  NL WSP
 1994   1       2       5       3       4                      146      87.6%     15.6%    47.0%
 1995   1       2       5       3       4                      180      85.9%     15.3%    46.8%
 1996   1       2       5       3       4                      198      83.7%     14.9%    46.1%
 1997   1       2       5       3       4                      208      88.1%     15.7%    46.1%
National League Central Division

 Year  STL     PIT     CHC     CIN     HOU                   Avg. WSP % ML Avg.  NLC WSP  NL WSP
 1994   1       2       3       4       5                      175     105.0%     18.8%    47.0%
 1995   2       1       3       4       5                      223     106.4%     19.0%    46.8%
 1996   2       1       3T      3T      5                      243     102.5%     18.3%    46.1%
 1997   3       1       4       5       2                      235      99.7%     17.8%    46.1%

National League West Division

 Year  SFG     CIN     ATL     LAD     HOU     SDP     COL   Avg. WSP % ML Avg.  NLW WSP  NL WSP
 1969   1       2       3       4       5       6       x      306     127.7%     31.9%    54.7%
 1970   1       2       3       4       5       6       x      311     129.4%     32.3%    55.3%
 1971   1       2       3       4       5       6       x      289     120.4%     30.1%    54.0%
 1972   2       1       4       5       3       6       x      280     121.7%     30.4%    57.0%
 1973   1       2       5       3       4       6       x      317     132.2%     33.1%    58.0%
 1974   2       1       5       3       4       6       x      285     120.0%     30.0%    56.2%
 1975   1       2       5       4       3       6       x      279     118.0%     29.5%    55.6%
 1976   1       3       5       2       4       6       x      275     115.9%     29.0%    55.7%
 1977   1       3       5       2       4       6       x      259     110.3%     25.5%    53.9%
 1978   1       3       4       2       5       6       x      261     110.3%     25.5%    53.3%
 1979   1       3       5       2       4       6       x      242     103.1%     23.8%    52.3%
 1980   4       1       5       2       3       6       x      233      99.5%     23.0%    50.6%
 1981   4       2       3       1       5       6       x      157     101.6%     23.5%    51.0%
 1982   5       2       3       1       4       6       x      247     104.4%     24.1%    52.3%
 1983   5       2       3       1       4       6       x      258     109.7%     25.3%    52.0%
 1984   4       2       3       1       5       6       x      262     110.9%     25.6%    52.9%
 1985   5       2       3       1       4       6       x      256     108.9%     25.1%    52.3%
 1986   3       2       4       1       6       5       x      249     106.9%     24.7%    52.3%
 1987   3       2       4       1       6       5       x      247     104.4%     24.1%    50.7%
 1988   3T      2       3T      1       6       5       x      238     101.3%     23.4%    50.8%
 1989   3       1       5       2       6       4       x      246     103.3%     23.8%    50.1%
 1990   3       1       4       2       6       5       x      232      97.8%     22.6%    49.9%
 1991   4       1       3       5       6       2       x      237      99.8%     23.0%    49.1%
 1992   5       3       4       1       6       2       x      231      96.4%     22.2%    48.4%
 1993   5       4       3       1       6       2       7      225      95.3%     23.8%    48.5%

       SFG     SDP     COL     LAD                           Avg. WSP % ML Avg.  NLW WSP  NL WSP
 1994   3       2       4       1                              147      88.0%     12.6%    47.0%
 1995   3       2       4       1                              184      87.5%     12.5%    46.8%
 1996   3       2       4       1                              213      90.1%     12.9%    46.1%
 1997   3       2       4       1                              207      87.6%     12.5%    46.1%

References & Resources

Methodology

First, we identify every player in the major leagues each season with 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). Finally, 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 assign a player to one organization. Lots of players were signed by one team, but then acquired by another organization while still young minor leaguers. 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).

Through the 1990s, a handful of players weren’t the products of any major league team’s farm system, having been purchased from independent teams in the Mexican League, and now for the first time, the Japanese League as well. 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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