Team of the 2030s

[usnspecialist]

Mini spoiler alert for the upcoming AFBI, but some of the discussion centered around who was the best team of the 2030s (given that this is the last season of it). We had not done any prior research for this, but since the recording wrapped I compiled some numbers for those teams who have any sort of reasonable case. Below is everyone presented in alphabetical order, I will add a poll to this after the Landis wraps and we get final numbers, but there is enough for discussion I think.

CALIFORNIA:
• Win total: 939
• Landis Total: 1
• League Titles: 1
• Division Titles: 6
• Playoff Total: 9
• Playoff Exits: Title 1, Landis 0, Cartwright 0, Doubleday 6, Geoghegan 2
• Winning seasons: 10
• 90+ seasons: 7
• 100+ seasons: 2

CALGARY:
• Win total: 851
• Landis Total: 0
• League Titles: 1
• Division Titles: 2
• Playoff Total: 5
• Playoff Exits: Title 0, Landis 0, Cartwright 3, Doubleday 1, Geoghegan 0
• Winning seasons: 9
• 90+ seasons: 2
• 100+ seasons: 0

JACKSONVILLE:
• Win total: 944
• Landis Total: 2
• League Titles: 2
• Division Titles: 6
• Playoff Total: 10
• Playoff Exits: Title 2, Landis 0, Cartwright 1, Doubleday 4, Geoghegan 2
• Winning seasons: 10
• 90+ seasons: 6
• 100+ seasons: 2

LAS VEGAS:
• Win total: 943
• Landis Total: 0
• League Titles: 2
• Division Titles: 4
• Playoff Total: 9
• Playoff Exits: Title 0, Landis 2, Cartwright 1, Doubleday 4, Geoghegan 2
• Winning seasons: 10
• 90+ seasons: 6
• 100+ seasons: 4

LOUISVILLE:
• Win total: 848
• Landis Total: 2
• League Titles: 3
• Division Titles: 2
• Playoff Total: 5
• Playoff Exits: Title 2, Landis 1, Cartwright 1, Doubleday 1, Geoghegan
• Winning seasons: 5
• 90+ seasons: 5
• 100+ seasons: 1

ROCKVILLE:
• Win total: 872
• Landis Total: 2
• League Titles: 3
• Division Titles: 5
• Playoff Total: 6
• Playoff Exits: Title 2, Landis 1, Cartwright 2, Doubleday 0, Geoghegan 0
• Winning seasons: 7
• 90+ seasons: 6
• 100+ seasons: 3

SAN FERNANDO:
• Win total: 866
• Landis Total: 1
• League Titles: 3
• Division Titles: 3
• Playoff Total: 6
• Playoff Exits: Title 1, Landis 2, Cartwright 0, Doubleday 2, Geoghegan 1
• Winning seasons: 7
• 90+ seasons: 6
• 100+ seasons: 0

YELLOW SPRINGS:
• Win total: 959
• Landis Total: 0
• League Titles: 2
• Division Titles: 6
• Playoff Total: 9
• Playoff Exits: Title 0, Landis 2, Cartwright 1, Doubleday 4, Geoghegan 2
• Winning seasons: 9
• 90+ seasons: 8
• 100+ seasons: 3

[usnspecialist]

I think you can pretty much group the teams into the following categories.

Consistent winners but no titles (Yellow Springs/Las Vegas): These two have very similar profiles (right down to the exact same amount of playoff success), and definitely vie for the honor of being most consistently good team of the decade as they are 2 of the only 3 teams over 900 wins for the decade however I think they fall short because those others....

Consistent winners with titles (Jacksonville/California): have won titles. The Hurricanes fall 1 win ahead of vegas and only 15 behind YS9, however unlike those two teams Jacksonville took their two Landis appearances (to date) and turned them into titles. Bonus points for also being the only team to make the playoffs every season this decade. California has a similar run of regular season excellence but has gotten stuckin the Doubleday round too many times.

Dominant half decade (Louisville): Absolutely incredible in the first half of the decade, the sluggers posted the highest single season win total of the decade in 2030 (115) and played for the Landis 3 times, turning 2 of those into titles. However their fall-off was swift and harsh and they end up with the lowest win total here. While new GM Stephen Shaw has them trending upwards, that down period likely knocks them out of the running here.

Extended run of excellence (Rockville/San Fernando): Both of these teams were in the dumpster for the first few years of the decade (Rockville by design, San Fernando through mismanagement), but both came out of that suddenly with guns blazing. Although both have enjoyed playoff success, Rockville has the edge due to their multiple titles (both of which came at the hands of the Bears) and the potential to add 1 more this season. No playoff exits before the Cartwright round is impressive for the Pikemen as it shows they truly are built for October.

Under the radar achievers (Calgary): Did you know the Pioneers have reached the final 4 in 4 different seasons this decade? That is tied with Louisville for 2nd most behind Rockville with 5. While this is their first league title, this is a team that you can pretty much book on having a winning season and in playoff contention.

If I had to rank the teams (and I dont think this playoff will change my opinion any) I would break them down the following way.

1. Jacksonville
2. Rockville
3. San Fernando
4. Yellow Springs
5. Las Vegas
6. California
7. Calgary
8. Louisville

[bschr682]

It was fun to talk about but ultimately it’s just one of those quirky baseball stats because of how we divide time into decades. If we rolled from 2025 to 2035 as a decade, the list would be different. Or 2028 to 2038, etc, etc.

[usnspecialist]

It was fun to talk about but ultimately it’s just one of those quirky baseball stats because of how we divide time into decades. If we rolled from 2025 to 2035 as a decade, the list would be different. Or 2028 to 2038, etc, etc.

O I 100% agree, I just chose a natural breaking point. Mainly I'm just killing time since I'm out of the playoffs.

[HoosierVic]

Any breakdown at all is, necessarily, random. But breaking it into decades is a natural step. Agree that to be tagged as the best of the decade, a team does need at least one championship.

[udlb58]

It was fun to talk about but ultimately it’s just one of those quirky baseball stats because of how we divide time into decades. If we rolled from 2025 to 2035 as a decade, the list would be different. Or 2028 to 2038, etc, etc.

Except any decade breakdown between 2025-2045 would include Las Vegas and Jacksonville...

[bschr682]

That proves my point I think. We only see dividing things up by decades as natural because we use a 10 based number system. There are lots of number systems. If we used a different one, we wouldn’t claim this was natural.

I think a more natural dividing point is pre and post expansion, pre and post DH, pre and post 1995 for our league and things like that.

[GoldenOne]

You cant have a Team of the 2030s if you dont break it down by the decade!

[shoeless.db]

That proves my point I think. We only see dividing things up by decades as natural because we use a 10 based number system. There are lots of number systems. If we used a different one, we wouldn’t claim this was natural.

I think a more natural dividing point is pre and post expansion, pre and post DH, pre and post 1995 for our league and things like that.

Another natural divider would be pre-Mumbai-destroying-Jerusalem-in-2039 and post-Mumbai-destroying-Jerusalem-in-2039

[bschr682]

Hah true. Also you could individualize it. Like Wilson could do most dominant teams post Cricket and bopper or Randy could do most dominant teams since Havana moved to San Fernando.

The only point I’m making is delineating by decades is just as silly as trying to figure out who has the most pitcher wins on a Wednesday when it’s cloudy and the opposing manager is wearing the color blue

[bschr682]

Now as far as the dominance criteria, I don’t know that I agree a Landis is required. Baseball is fluky. Also what about run differential? That’s a pretty popular metric these days. Does ootp save that historically?

[usnspecialist]

Now as far as the dominance criteria, I don’t know that I agree a Landis is required. Baseball is fluky. Also what about run differential? That’s a pretty popular metric these days. Does ootp save that historically?

I may or may not have a spreadsheet that has every team's RD from every season from 1995-2038....

[bschr682]

I’m intrigued. So what team post the first expansion we did which was the EBA dissolving one I think, has the best run differential?

[RonCo]

There are lost of ways to cut things. Doing it by decade is fun.

[GoldenOne]

Now as far as the dominance criteria, I don’t know that I agree a Landis is required. Baseball is fluky. Also what about run differential? That’s a pretty popular metric these days. Does ootp save that historically?

I may or may not have a spreadsheet that has every team's RD from every season from 1995-2038....

Ahemmmmm......nerd!

[recte44]

LV and YS9 have the two highest win totals.....


...and 0 Landis Titles.

[udlb58]

I’m intrigued. So what team post the first expansion we did which was the EBA dissolving one I think, has the best run differential?

DYK, the first year of post-EBA expansion was 2029?

Don't know about everyone else, but I believe Jacksonville is +1312 over those 11 years.

[udlb58]

LV and YS9 have the two highest win totals.....


...and 0 Landis Titles.

Two of the three highest win totals...

(I have to get this in before I'm stuck in a division with Rockville and New Orleans)

[usnspecialist]

I’m intrigued. So what team post the first expansion we did which was the EBA dissolving one I think, has the best run differential?

Here are the cumulative totals from 2029-2039 (removing Wichita and Boise).

1. YS9 1621
2. JAX 1512
3. LV 1483
4. CAL 1454
5. CLG 806
6. RCK 725
7. LBC 715
8. LOU 588
9. MTL 526
10. SEA 438
11. SFV 423
12. MEX 222
13. HNT 220
14. NO 30
15. MAD -154
16 PHX -194
17. ATC -240
18. TWC -364
19. VAN -394
20. BRK -435
21. CCJ -587
22. OMA -823
23. SA -846
24. DSM -886
25. EDM -1069
26. VAL -1118
27. NSH -1355
28. HAW -1359

[felipe]

The only thing that matters is championships

No one remembers the losers