Ranking the Pennant Winners

[usnspecialist]

RANK: 53
YEAR: 2009
TEAM: Philadelphia Phillies
TOP WAR: 488.6
PLAYOFF RESULTS: Lost World Series 4-2 to New York Yankees
TOTALS:

CATEGORY	TOTAL	RANK
TOP TOTAL WAR	488.6	53
TOP BATTER WAR	247.0	67
TOP PITCHING WAR	241.6	28
TOTAL WAR	615.7	47
TOTAL BATTER WAR	260.2	74
TOTAL PITCHER WAR	355.5	12
GARBAGE TOTAL WAR	127.1	35
GARBAGE BATTER WAR	13.2	77
GARBAGE PITCHER WAR	113.9	3
BATTER AGE	31.63	2
PITCHER AGE	30.36	4
TOP BATTER AGE	32.67	2
TOP PITCHER AGE	31.50	7

TOP HITTERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
C	30	Carlos Ruiz	22.5
1B	29	Ryan Howard	14.7
2B	30	Chase Utley	64.5
SS	30	Jimmy Rollins	47.6
3B	34	Pedro Feliz	5.6
LF	37	Raul Ibanez	20.9
CF	28	Shane Victorino	31.5
RF	30	Jayson Werth	29.2
BENCH	30	Greg Dobbs	-3.5
BENCH	37	Paul Bako	-1.3
BENCH	41	Matt Stairs	14.2

TOP PITCHERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
SP	28	Joe Blanton	11.8
SP	25	Cole Hamels	59
SP	26	J.A Happ	21.1
SP	46	Jamie Moyer	49.8
SP	30	Cliff Lee	43.2
RP	32	Brad Lidge	7.9
RP	36	Chan Ho Park	19.9
RP	28	Ryan Madson	13.5
RP	31	Chad Durbin	-0.8
RP	33	Clay Condrey	1.6

OTHERS OF NOTE:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
BULLPEN	37	Pedro Martinez	83.9
BULLPEN	28	Brett Myers	14.6
BENCH	35	Miguel Cairo	7.7

Comments: Man these guys are OLD. Even accounting for the human inflation factor that is Jamie Moyer, they had exactly 2 meaningful guys below the age of 28 (Cole Hamels and J.A Happ). They were also incredibly thin on offense, with Stairs (who played almost 1900 career games and only qualified for a batting title 3x) and Miguel Cairo being the only bench bats over 2.5 career WAR. That being said, the rotation is pretty damn good, despite nominal “ace” joe Blanton being the worst of the bunch. Cliff Lee was one of the ultimate “great and then fell of a cliff early” guys from this generation, and sitting deep on the bench is one of the best of ANY generation in Pedro Martinez in the last season of his legendary career.

[Dington]

I don’t recall Pedro on Phillies. Crazy.

[Jwalk100]

RANK: 55
YEAR: 1982
TEAM: Milwaukee Brewers
TOP WAR: 474.2
PLAYOFF RESULTS: Lost World Series 4-3 to St Louis Cardinals
TOTALS:

CATEGORY	TOTAL	RANK
TOP TOTAL WAR	474.2	55
TOP BATTER WAR	365.4	25
TOP PITCHING WAR	108.8	77
TOTAL WAR	614.2	48
TOTAL BATTER WAR	394.1	45
TOTAL PITCHER WAR	220.1	50
GARBAGE TOTAL WAR	140	26
GARBAGE BATTER WAR	28.7	70
GARBAGE PITCHER WAR	111.3	4
BATTER AGE	28.72	38
PITCHER AGE	29.80	14
TOP BATTER AGE	29.91	26
TOP PITCHER AGE	30.00	23

TOP HITTERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
C	32	Ted Simmons	50.3
1B	32	Cecil Cooper	36
2B	29	Jim Gantner	22.4
SS	26	Robin Yount	77.3
3B	25	Paul Molitor	75.7
LF	33	Ben Ogilvie	26.4
CF	31	Gorman Thomas	19.8
RF	29	Charlie Moore	10.3
DH	28	Ray Howell	10.9
BENCH	35	Don Money	36.5
BENCH	29	Marshall Edwards	-0.2

TOP PITCHERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
SP	33	Mike Caldwell	18.4
SP	29	Pete Vuckovich	16.4
SP	26	Moose Haas	17.3
SP	30	Bob McClure	10.5
SP	27	Randy Lerch	-2.1
RP	35	Rollie Fingers	25.6
RP	32	Jim Slaton	17.3
RP	30	Dwight Bernard	-0.5
RP	29	Jerry Augustine	4.2
RP	29	Jamie Easterly	1.7

OTHERS OF NOTE:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
BULLPEN	37	Don Sutton	66.7
BULLPEN	25	Doug Jones	21.4
BULLPEN	33	Doc Medich	19.6
BENCH	23	Kevin Bass	14.8
BENCH	27	Ned Yost	-3.7

Comments: The first and still only appearance of the Brew Crew in the World Series gives us a fairly middle of the road team. The obvious stars here are Yount and Molitor at the very beginning of their careers, but there were a total of 5 Hall of Famers on this team (Yount, Molitor, Sutton, Simmons and Fingers). There wasn’t a true weak link in the lineup or in the playoff rotation, as this team pushed their future division mates in the Cardinals (yes Milwaukee used to be in the AL kiddies!!) to 7 games before getting #yosted and falling. The pitching staff had the Cy Young Winner that season in Pete Vuckovich, who within 7 years became far better known for being the evil Clu Haywood in the classic movie Major League.

Harvey's Wallbangers!

[usnspecialist]

I don’t recall Pedro on Phillies. Crazy.

they signed him that July, he went 5-1 in 9 starts and actually started game 2 of the WS that year. Was his last season in the majors.

[usnspecialist]

RANK: 52
YEAR: 1974
TEAM: Oakland Athletics
TOP WAR: 497.4
PLAYOFF RESULTS: Won World Series 4-1 over Los Angeles Dodgers
TOTALS:

CATEGORY	TOTAL	RANK
TOP TOTAL WAR	497.4	52
TOP BATTER WAR	321.8	42
TOP PITCHING WAR	175.6	54
TOTAL WAR	592.9	53
TOTAL BATTER WAR	416.1	41
TOTAL PITCHER WAR	176.8	64
GARBAGE TOTAL WAR	95.5	55
GARBAGE BATTER WAR	94.3	28
GARBAGE PITCHER WAR	1.2	77
BATTER AGE	28.58	41
PITCHER AGE	27.27	65
TOP BATTER AGE	29.18	42
TOP PITCHER AGE	27.50	63

TOP HITTERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
C	27	Ray Fosse	12.9
1B	27	Gene Tenace	46.8
2B	33	Dick Green	16.0
SS	32	Bert Campaneris	53.1
3B	30	Sal Bando	61.5
LF	27	Joe Rudi	25.5
CF	26	Bill North	26.8
RF	28	Reggie Jackson	74.0
DH	32	Jesus Alou	0.8
BENCH	27	Angel Mangual	2.1
BENCH	32	Ted Kubiak	2.3

TOP PITCHERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
SP	28	Catfish Hunter	40.9
SP	24	Vida Blue	445.1
SP	28	Ken Holtzman	27.3
SP	26	Dave Hamilton	3.8
SP	23	Glenn Abbott	5.3
RP	27	Rollie Fingers	25.6
RP	32	Paul Lindblad	10.1
RP	29	Blue Moon Odom	5.4
RP	32	Darold Knowles	12.0
RP	26	Leon Hooten	0.1

OTHERS OF NOTE:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
BENCH	25	Phil Garner	29.7
BENCH	19	Claudell Washington	19.6
BENCH	34	Vic Davalillo	15.8
BENCH	23	Manny Trillo	11.3
BULLPEN	25	Bill Parsons	1.2
BENCH	22	Herb Washington	-0.5

Comments: A pretty bland and middle of the road team historically, this was the last of 3 straight titles for the Athletics (a feat that has only been duplicated by the 98-00 Yankees since). Perhaps the most notable thing about this team was their absolutely insane pitching usage. They only ran out 11 pitchers all year, with 2 of them (Hooten and Parsons) combining for a total of 10 IP all season. Catfish Hunter started 41 games, completed 23 of them, and put up a 2.45 ERA/3.17 FIP/0.986 WHIP line in a mind boggling 318 1/3 IP. Vida Blue started 40 and threw “only 282 1/3 IP, meaning between the two of them they started exactly half of the games that season. Rollie Fingers pitched in 76 games, finished 60 of them, throwing 119 IP with “only” 18 saves (as a team they only had 28 saves all year). Also noteworthy is the absolutely exquisite collection of names on this team. Catfish, Vida, Blue Moon, Rollie and Jesus.

[usnspecialist]

RANK: 51
YEAR: 1979
TEAM: Pittsburgh Pirates
TOP WAR: 499.5
PLAYOFF RESULTS: Won World Series 4-3 over Baltimore Orioles
TOTALS:

CATEGORY	TOTAL	RANK
TOP TOTAL WAR	499.5	51
TOP BATTER WAR	221.8	70
TOP PITCHING WAR	277.7	18
TOTAL WAR	660.4	37
TOTAL BATTER WAR	288.7	65
TOTAL PITCHER WAR	371.7	10
GARBAGE TOTAL WAR	160.9	17
GARBAGE BATTER WAR	66.9	44
GARBAGE PITCHER WAR	94.0	8
BATTER AGE	28.40	44
PITCHER AGE	30.21	10
TOP BATTER AGE	29.27	40
TOP PITCHER AGE	30.70	12

TOP HITTERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
C	27	Ed Ott	5.9
1B	39	Willie Stargell	57.5
2B	28	Rennie Stennett	13.9
SS	28	Tim Foli	5.7
3B	28	Bill Madlock	38.2
LF	36	Bill Robinson	7.6
CF	26	Omar Moreno	9.6
RF	28	Dave Parker	40.1
BENCH	30	Phil Garner	29.7
BENCH	29	John Milner	12.5
BENCH	23	Steve Nicosia	1.1

TOP PITCHERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
SP	28	Bert Blyleven	94.5
SP	25	John Candelaria	41.9
SP	29	Bruce Kison	15.1
SP	22	Don Robinson	17.4
SP	36	Jim Rooker	19.7
RP	32	Kent Tekulve	25.5
RP	34	Jim Bibby	19.4
RP	31	Enrique Romo	6.6
RP	36	Grant Jackson	14.1
RP	34	Dave Roberts	23.5

OTHERS OF NOTE:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
BULLPEN	26	Rick Rhoden	35.4
BENCH	35	Manny Sanguillen	27.6
BULLPEN	32	Joe Coleman	23.2
BULLPEN	24	Ed Whitson	21.2
BENCH	31	Lee Lacy	20.2
BULLPEN	34	Dock Ellis	14.2
BENCH	22	Dale Berra	5.5

Comments: A pretty middling offense (albeit one with some big names in Stargell, Parker and Madlock), this team was carried by their pitching staff which was very deep (even into the spare parts in the pen) and had very few holes. The staff was led by a “he had THAT good of a career” guy in Bert Blyleven, but had some solid backup., Stashed on the bench was a young Dale Berra, best known at the time as the son of Yogi and later the star of the Pittsburgh Drug Trials in the 80s. This was the last hurrah for the pirates before the fell into a decade of struggles prior to a brief resurgence in the early 90s and well we all know what happened after that….

[Jwalk100]

RANK: 52
YEAR: 1974
TEAM: Oakland Athletics
TOP WAR: 497.4
PLAYOFF RESULTS: Won World Series 4-1 over Los Angeles Dodgers
TOTALS:

CATEGORY	TOTAL	RANK
TOP TOTAL WAR	497.4	52
TOP BATTER WAR	321.8	42
TOP PITCHING WAR	175.6	54
TOTAL WAR	592.9	53
TOTAL BATTER WAR	416.1	41
TOTAL PITCHER WAR	176.8	64
GARBAGE TOTAL WAR	95.5	55
GARBAGE BATTER WAR	94.3	28
GARBAGE PITCHER WAR	1.2	77
BATTER AGE	28.58	41
PITCHER AGE	27.27	65
TOP BATTER AGE	29.18	42
TOP PITCHER AGE	27.50	63

TOP HITTERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
C	27	Ray Fosse	12.9
1B	27	Gene Tenace	46.8
2B	33	Dick Green	16.0
SS	32	Bert Campaneris	53.1
3B	30	Sal Bando	61.5
LF	27	Joe Rudi	25.5
CF	26	Bill North	26.8
RF	28	Reggie Jackson	74.0
DH	32	Jesus Alou	0.8
BENCH	27	Angel Mangual	2.1
BENCH	32	Ted Kubiak	2.3

TOP PITCHERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
SP	28	Catfish Hunter	40.9
SP	24	Vida Blue	445.1
SP	28	Ken Holtzman	27.3
SP	26	Dave Hamilton	3.8
SP	23	Glenn Abbott	5.3
RP	27	Rollie Fingers	25.6
RP	32	Paul Lindblad	10.1
RP	29	Blue Moon Odom	5.4
RP	32	Darold Knowles	12.0
RP	26	Leon Hooten	0.1

OTHERS OF NOTE:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
BENCH	25	Phil Garner	29.7
BENCH	19	Claudell Washington	19.6
BENCH	34	Vic Davalillo	15.8
BENCH	23	Manny Trillo	11.3
BULLPEN	25	Bill Parsons	1.2
BENCH	22	Herb Washington	-0.5

Comments: A pretty bland and middle of the road team historically, this was the last of 3 straight titles for the Athletics (a feat that has only been duplicated by the 98-00 Yankees since). Perhaps the most notable thing about this team was their absolutely insane pitching usage. They only ran out 11 pitchers all year, with 2 of them (Hooten and Parsons) combining for a total of 10 IP all season. Catfish Hunter started 41 games, completed 23 of them, and put up a 2.45 ERA/3.17 FIP/0.986 WHIP line in a mind boggling 318 1/3 IP. Vida Blue started 40 and threw “only 282 1/3 IP, meaning between the two of them they started exactly half of the games that season. Rollie Fingers pitched in 76 games, finished 60 of them, throwing 119 IP with “only” 18 saves (as a team they only had 28 saves all year). Also noteworthy is the absolutely exquisite collection of names on this team. Catfish, Vida, Blue Moon, Rollie and Jesus.

Young Claudell Washington was a speedster. He was brought in as a pinch runner in his debut. He was immediately picked off. Forgot who the pitcher was. It made my dad laugh so hard though.

[Jwalk100]

RANK: 51
YEAR: 1979
TEAM: Pittsburgh Pirates
TOP WAR: 499.5
PLAYOFF RESULTS: Won World Series 4-3 over Baltimore Orioles
TOTALS:

CATEGORY	TOTAL	RANK
TOP TOTAL WAR	499.5	51
TOP BATTER WAR	221.8	70
TOP PITCHING WAR	277.7	18
TOTAL WAR	660.4	37
TOTAL BATTER WAR	288.7	65
TOTAL PITCHER WAR	371.7	10
GARBAGE TOTAL WAR	160.9	17
GARBAGE BATTER WAR	66.9	44
GARBAGE PITCHER WAR	94.0	8
BATTER AGE	28.40	44
PITCHER AGE	30.21	10
TOP BATTER AGE	29.27	40
TOP PITCHER AGE	30.70	12

TOP HITTERS:

CATEGORY	TOTAL	RANK
TOP TOTAL WAR	499.5	51
TOP BATTER WAR	221.8	70
TOP PITCHING WAR	277.7	18
TOTAL WAR	660.4	37
TOTAL BATTER WAR	288.7	65
TOTAL PITCHER WAR	371.7	10
GARBAGE TOTAL WAR	160.9	17
GARBAGE BATTER WAR	66.9	44
GARBAGE PITCHER WAR	94.0	8
BATTER AGE	28.40	44
PITCHER AGE	30.21	10
TOP BATTER AGE	29.27	40
TOP PITCHER AGE	30.70	12

TOP PITCHERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
SP	28	Bert Blyleven	94.5
SP	25	John Candelaria	41.9
SP	29	Bruce Kison	15.1
SP	22	Don Robinson	17.4
SP	36	Jim Rooker	19.7
RP	32	Kent Tekulve	25.5
RP	34	Jim Bibby	19.4
RP	31	Enrique Romo	6.6
RP	36	Grant Jackson	14.1
RP	34	Dave Roberts	23.5

OTHERS OF NOTE:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
BULLPEN	26	Rick Rhoden	35.4
BENCH	35	Manny Sanguillen	27.6
BULLPEN	32	Joe Coleman	23.2
BULLPEN	24	Ed Whitson	21.2
BENCH	31	Lee Lacy	20.2
BULLPEN	34	Dock Ellis	14.2
BENCH	22	Dale Berra	5.5

Comments: A pretty middling offense (albeit one with some big names in Stargell, Parker and Madlock), this team was carried by their pitching staff which was very deep (even into the spare parts in the pen) and had very few holes. The staff was led by a “he had THAT good of a career” guy in Bert Blyleven, but had some solid backup., Stashed on the bench was a young Dale Berra, best known at the time as the son of Yogi and later the star of the Pittsburgh Drug Trials in the 80s. This was the last hurrah for the pirates before the fell into a decade of struggles prior to a brief resurgence in the early 90s and well we all know what happened after that….

Rick Rhoden was a great hitting pitcher. Dale Berra (Yogi's son) was caught up in the Pirates cocaine controversy in the 80's.

[usnspecialist]

RANK: 50
YEAR: 1973
TEAM: Oakland Athletics
TOP WAR: 507.6
PLAYOFF RESULTS: Won World Series over New York Mets 4-3
TOTALS:

CATEGORY	TOTAL	RANK
TOP TOTAL WAR	507.6	50
TOP BATTER WAR	327.3	40
TOP PITCHING WAR	180.3	53
TOTAL WAR	647.2	39
TOTAL BATTER WAR	464.7	24
TOTAL PITCHER WAR	182.5	62
GARBAGE TOTAL WAR	139.6	27
GARBAGE BATTER WAR	137.4	10
GARBAGE PITCHER WAR	2.2	76
BATTER AGE	28.61	39
PITCHER AGE	27.08	68
TOP BATTER AGE	28.45	55
TOP PITCHER AGE	26.80	72

TOP HITTERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
C	26	Roy Fosse	12.9
1B	26	Gene Tenace	46.8
2B	32	Dick Green	16.0
SS	31	Bert Campaneris	53.1
3B	29	Sal Bando	61.5
LF	26	Joe Rudi	25.5
CF	25	Bill North	26.8
RF	27	Reggie Jackson	74.0
DH	34	Deron Johnson	6.3
BENCH	26	Angel Mangual	2.1
BENCH	31	Ted Kubiak	2.3

TOP PITCHERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
C	26	Roy Fosse	12.9
1B	26	Gene Tenace	46.8
2B	32	Dick Green	16.0
SS	31	Bert Campaneris	53.1
3B	29	Sal Bando	61.5
LF	26	Joe Rudi	25.5
CF	25	Bill North	26.8
RF	27	Reggie Jackson	74.0
DH	34	Deron Johnson	6.3
BENCH	26	Angel Mangual	2.1
BENCH	31	Ted Kubiak	2.3

OTHERS OF NOTE:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
BENCH	33	Rico Carty	32.6
BENCH	24	Phil Garner	29.7
BENCH	27	Jay Johnstone	16.5
BENCH	33	Vic Davalillo	15.8
BENCH	22	Manny Trillo	11.3
BENCH	29	Mike Andrews	10.9
BULLPEN	29	Chuck Dobson	3.7

Comments: Pretty much everything mentioned about the 1974 team applies to the 1973 version, complete with insane pitching usage. The workhorse this year was Ken Holtzman, with 40 starts and 297 IP. The obvious highlight of the offense is Reggie Jackson, but he was surrounded by a pretty solid supporting cast as well, including a historically underrated Sal Bando who was in his prime at the time.

[usnspecialist]

RANK: 52
YEAR: 1974
TEAM: Oakland Athletics
TOP WAR: 497.4
PLAYOFF RESULTS: Won World Series 4-1 over Los Angeles Dodgers
TOTALS:

CATEGORY	TOTAL	RANK
TOP TOTAL WAR	497.4	52
TOP BATTER WAR	321.8	42
TOP PITCHING WAR	175.6	54
TOTAL WAR	592.9	53
TOTAL BATTER WAR	416.1	41
TOTAL PITCHER WAR	176.8	64
GARBAGE TOTAL WAR	95.5	55
GARBAGE BATTER WAR	94.3	28
GARBAGE PITCHER WAR	1.2	77
BATTER AGE	28.58	41
PITCHER AGE	27.27	65
TOP BATTER AGE	29.18	42
TOP PITCHER AGE	27.50	63

TOP HITTERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
C	27	Ray Fosse	12.9
1B	27	Gene Tenace	46.8
2B	33	Dick Green	16.0
SS	32	Bert Campaneris	53.1
3B	30	Sal Bando	61.5
LF	27	Joe Rudi	25.5
CF	26	Bill North	26.8
RF	28	Reggie Jackson	74.0
DH	32	Jesus Alou	0.8
BENCH	27	Angel Mangual	2.1
BENCH	32	Ted Kubiak	2.3

TOP PITCHERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
SP	28	Catfish Hunter	40.9
SP	24	Vida Blue	445.1
SP	28	Ken Holtzman	27.3
SP	26	Dave Hamilton	3.8
SP	23	Glenn Abbott	5.3
RP	27	Rollie Fingers	25.6
RP	32	Paul Lindblad	10.1
RP	29	Blue Moon Odom	5.4
RP	32	Darold Knowles	12.0
RP	26	Leon Hooten	0.1

OTHERS OF NOTE:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
BENCH	25	Phil Garner	29.7
BENCH	19	Claudell Washington	19.6
BENCH	34	Vic Davalillo	15.8
BENCH	23	Manny Trillo	11.3
BULLPEN	25	Bill Parsons	1.2
BENCH	22	Herb Washington	-0.5

Comments: A pretty bland and middle of the road team historically, this was the last of 3 straight titles for the Athletics (a feat that has only been duplicated by the 98-00 Yankees since). Perhaps the most notable thing about this team was their absolutely insane pitching usage. They only ran out 11 pitchers all year, with 2 of them (Hooten and Parsons) combining for a total of 10 IP all season. Catfish Hunter started 41 games, completed 23 of them, and put up a 2.45 ERA/3.17 FIP/0.986 WHIP line in a mind boggling 318 1/3 IP. Vida Blue started 40 and threw “only 282 1/3 IP, meaning between the two of them they started exactly half of the games that season. Rollie Fingers pitched in 76 games, finished 60 of them, throwing 119 IP with “only” 18 saves (as a team they only had 28 saves all year). Also noteworthy is the absolutely exquisite collection of names on this team. Catfish, Vida, Blue Moon, Rollie and Jesus.

Young Claudell Washington was a speedster. He was brought in as a pinch runner in his debut. He was immediately picked off. Forgot who the pitcher was. It made my dad laugh so hard though.

At least Claudell had legitimate baseball skills. Herb Washington was a track guy brought in by Charlie Finley as a gimmick pinch runner extraordinaire.

[usnspecialist]

RANK: 49
YEAR: 2004
TEAM: St Louis Cardinals
TOP WAR: 508.2
PLAYOFF RESULTS: Lost World Series to Boston Red Sox 4-0
TOTALS:

CATEGORY	TOTAL	RANK
TOP TOTAL WAR	508.2	49
TOP BATTER WAR	350.9	31
TOP PITCHING WAR	157.3	64
TOTAL WAR	680.4	33
TOTAL BATTER WAR	468.7	22
TOTAL PITCHER WAR	211.7	53
GARBAGE TOTAL WAR	172.2	15
GARBAGE BATTER WAR	117.8	15
GARBAGE PITCHER WAR	54.4	27
BATTER AGE	30.39	6
PITCHER AGE	29.32	20
TOP BATTER AGE	31.45	5
TOP PITCHER AGE	30.80	11

TOP HITTERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
C	33	Mike Matheny	-0.5
1B	24	Albert Pujols	101.5
2B	34	Tony Womack	2.4
SS	27	Edgar Rentaria	32.4
3B	29	Scott Rolen	70.1
LF	37	Ray Lankford	38.2
CF	34	Jim Edmonds	60.4
RF	36	Reggie Sanders	39.8
BENCH	33	John Mabry	-2.3
BENCH	30	Marlon Anderson	7.2
BENCH	29	Roger Cedeno	1.7

TOP PITCHERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
SP	29	Matt Morris	20.4
SP	25	Jason Marquis	6.8
SP	37	Woody Williams	30.2
SP	29	Jeff Suppan	17.1
SP	29	Chris Carpenter	34.2
RP	31	Jason Isringhausen	13.0
RP	36	Cal Eldred	15.8
RP	31	Julian Tavarez	4.6
RP	30	Ray King	5.3
RP	31	Steve Kline	9.9

OTHERS OF NOTE:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
BENCH	37	Larry Walker	72.7
BENCH	21	Yadier Molina	42.1
BULLPEN	23	Dan Haren	35.1
BULLPEN	25	Rick Ankiel	9.1

Comments: The first of a few World Series appearances for the Cardinals this decade, they rode an aging offense surrounding a young megastar in Albert Pujols along with a bunch of “that guy” pitchers to a title before they became a speedbump on the way to arguably the most famous title of this millennium. This offense did have some potent bats though, with Pujols, Rolen and Edmonds starting, and an aging Larry Walker and baby Yadier Molina on the bench. Nobody on the pitching staff really stands out as great, although a young Dan Haren is deep in the pen before becoming one of those guys who was sneaky good for a few years. This was also in the pitching phase of Rick Ankiel’s rather remarkable 2-way career.

[Dington]

RANK: 49
YEAR: 2004
TEAM: St Louis Cardinals
TOP WAR: 508.2
PLAYOFF RESULTS: Lost World Series to Boston Red Sox 4-0
TOTALS:

CATEGORY	TOTAL	RANK
TOP TOTAL WAR	508.2	49
TOP BATTER WAR	350.9	31
TOP PITCHING WAR	157.3	64
TOTAL WAR	680.4	33
TOTAL BATTER WAR	468.7	22
TOTAL PITCHER WAR	211.7	53
GARBAGE TOTAL WAR	172.2	15
GARBAGE BATTER WAR	117.8	15
GARBAGE PITCHER WAR	54.4	27
BATTER AGE	30.39	6
PITCHER AGE	29.32	20
TOP BATTER AGE	31.45	5
TOP PITCHER AGE	30.80	11

TOP HITTERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
C	33	Mike Matheny	-0.5
1B	24	Albert Pujols	101.5
2B	34	Tony Womack	2.4
SS	27	Edgar Rentaria	32.4
3B	29	Scott Rolen	70.1
LF	37	Ray Lankford	38.2
CF	34	Jim Edmonds	60.4
RF	36	Reggie Sanders	39.8
BENCH	33	John Mabry	-2.3
BENCH	30	Marlon Anderson	7.2
BENCH	29	Roger Cedeno	1.7

TOP PITCHERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
SP	29	Matt Morris	20.4
SP	25	Jason Marquis	6.8
SP	37	Woody Williams	30.2
SP	29	Jeff Suppan	17.1
SP	29	Chris Carpenter	34.2
RP	31	Jason Isringhausen	13.0
RP	36	Cal Eldred	15.8
RP	31	Julian Tavarez	4.6
RP	30	Ray King	5.3
RP	31	Steve Kline	9.9

OTHERS OF NOTE:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
BENCH	37	Larry Walker	72.7
BENCH	21	Yadier Molina	42.1
BULLPEN	23	Dan Haren	35.1
BULLPEN	25	Rick Ankiel	9.1

Comments: The first of a few World Series appearances for the Cardinals this decade, they rode an aging offense surrounding a young megastar in Albert Pujols along with a bunch of “that guy” pitchers to a title before they became a speedbump on the way to arguably the most famous title of this millennium. This offense did have some potent bats though, with Pujols, Rolen and Edmonds starting, and an aging Larry Walker and baby Yadier Molina on the bench. Nobody on the pitching staff really stands out as great, although a young Dan Haren is deep in the pen before becoming one of those guys who was sneaky good for a few years. This was also in the pitching phase of Rick Ankiel’s rather remarkable 2-way career.

Surprised at the WAR of Matheny and Woody Williams.

[trmmilwwi]

RANK: 55
YEAR: 1982
TEAM: Milwaukee Brewers
TOP WAR: 474.2
PLAYOFF RESULTS: Lost World Series 4-3 to St Louis Cardinals
TOTALS:

CATEGORY	TOTAL	RANK
TOP TOTAL WAR	474.2	55
TOP BATTER WAR	365.4	25
TOP PITCHING WAR	108.8	77
TOTAL WAR	614.2	48
TOTAL BATTER WAR	394.1	45
TOTAL PITCHER WAR	220.1	50
GARBAGE TOTAL WAR	140	26
GARBAGE BATTER WAR	28.7	70
GARBAGE PITCHER WAR	111.3	4
BATTER AGE	28.72	38
PITCHER AGE	29.80	14
TOP BATTER AGE	29.91	26
TOP PITCHER AGE	30.00	23

TOP HITTERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
C	32	Ted Simmons	50.3
1B	32	Cecil Cooper	36
2B	29	Jim Gantner	22.4
SS	26	Robin Yount	77.3
3B	25	Paul Molitor	75.7
LF	33	Ben Ogilvie	26.4
CF	31	Gorman Thomas	19.8
RF	29	Charlie Moore	10.3
DH	28	Ray Howell	10.9
BENCH	35	Don Money	36.5
BENCH	29	Marshall Edwards	-0.2

TOP PITCHERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
SP	33	Mike Caldwell	18.4
SP	29	Pete Vuckovich	16.4
SP	26	Moose Haas	17.3
SP	30	Bob McClure	10.5
SP	27	Randy Lerch	-2.1
RP	35	Rollie Fingers	25.6
RP	32	Jim Slaton	17.3
RP	30	Dwight Bernard	-0.5
RP	29	Jerry Augustine	4.2
RP	29	Jamie Easterly	1.7

OTHERS OF NOTE:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
BULLPEN	37	Don Sutton	66.7
BULLPEN	25	Doug Jones	21.4
BULLPEN	33	Doc Medich	19.6
BENCH	23	Kevin Bass	14.8
BENCH	27	Ned Yost	-3.7

Comments: The first and still only appearance of the Brew Crew in the World Series gives us a fairly middle of the road team. The obvious stars here are Yount and Molitor at the very beginning of their careers, but there were a total of 5 Hall of Famers on this team (Yount, Molitor, Sutton, Simmons and Fingers). There wasn’t a true weak link in the lineup or in the playoff rotation, as this team pushed their future division mates in the Cardinals (yes Milwaukee used to be in the AL kiddies!!) to 7 games before getting #yosted and falling. The pitching staff had the Cy Young Winner that season in Pete Vuckovich, who within 7 years became far better known for being the evil Clu Haywood in the classic movie Major League.

Harvey's Wallbangers!

I remember all of these names... the good ole' days.

[usnspecialist]

RANK: 49
YEAR: 2004
TEAM: St Louis Cardinals
TOP WAR: 508.2
PLAYOFF RESULTS: Lost World Series to Boston Red Sox 4-0
TOTALS:

CATEGORY	TOTAL	RANK
TOP TOTAL WAR	508.2	49
TOP BATTER WAR	350.9	31
TOP PITCHING WAR	157.3	64
TOTAL WAR	680.4	33
TOTAL BATTER WAR	468.7	22
TOTAL PITCHER WAR	211.7	53
GARBAGE TOTAL WAR	172.2	15
GARBAGE BATTER WAR	117.8	15
GARBAGE PITCHER WAR	54.4	27
BATTER AGE	30.39	6
PITCHER AGE	29.32	20
TOP BATTER AGE	31.45	5
TOP PITCHER AGE	30.80	11

TOP HITTERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
C	33	Mike Matheny	-0.5
1B	24	Albert Pujols	101.5
2B	34	Tony Womack	2.4
SS	27	Edgar Rentaria	32.4
3B	29	Scott Rolen	70.1
LF	37	Ray Lankford	38.2
CF	34	Jim Edmonds	60.4
RF	36	Reggie Sanders	39.8
BENCH	33	John Mabry	-2.3
BENCH	30	Marlon Anderson	7.2
BENCH	29	Roger Cedeno	1.7

TOP PITCHERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
SP	29	Matt Morris	20.4
SP	25	Jason Marquis	6.8
SP	37	Woody Williams	30.2
SP	29	Jeff Suppan	17.1
SP	29	Chris Carpenter	34.2
RP	31	Jason Isringhausen	13.0
RP	36	Cal Eldred	15.8
RP	31	Julian Tavarez	4.6
RP	30	Ray King	5.3
RP	31	Steve Kline	9.9

OTHERS OF NOTE:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
BENCH	37	Larry Walker	72.7
BENCH	21	Yadier Molina	42.1
BULLPEN	23	Dan Haren	35.1
BULLPEN	25	Rick Ankiel	9.1

Comments: The first of a few World Series appearances for the Cardinals this decade, they rode an aging offense surrounding a young megastar in Albert Pujols along with a bunch of “that guy” pitchers to a title before they became a speedbump on the way to arguably the most famous title of this millennium. This offense did have some potent bats though, with Pujols, Rolen and Edmonds starting, and an aging Larry Walker and baby Yadier Molina on the bench. Nobody on the pitching staff really stands out as great, although a young Dan Haren is deep in the pen before becoming one of those guys who was sneaky good for a few years. This was also in the pitching phase of Rick Ankiel’s rather remarkable 2-way career.

Surprised at the WAR of Matheny and Woody Williams.

matheny was apparently just as shitty of a catcher as he is as a manager.

[indiansfan]

Still some of my favorites yet to be ranked, 68 Orioles, 72 A's and the Indians teams in the 90's. Really enjoying this series.

[RonCo]

Woody Williams was an underrated pitcher. I admit I never really got the Mike Matheny thing even in the day.

And, yes. Great series, Randy.

[DaveB]

I don’t recall Pedro on Phillies. Crazy.

Me either.

[DaveB]

RANK: 51
YEAR: 1979
TEAM: Pittsburgh Pirates
TOP WAR: 499.5
PLAYOFF RESULTS: Won World Series 4-3 over Baltimore Orioles
TOTALS:

CATEGORY	TOTAL	RANK
TOP TOTAL WAR	499.5	51
TOP BATTER WAR	221.8	70
TOP PITCHING WAR	277.7	18
TOTAL WAR	660.4	37
TOTAL BATTER WAR	288.7	65
TOTAL PITCHER WAR	371.7	10
GARBAGE TOTAL WAR	160.9	17
GARBAGE BATTER WAR	66.9	44
GARBAGE PITCHER WAR	94.0	8
BATTER AGE	28.40	44
PITCHER AGE	30.21	10
TOP BATTER AGE	29.27	40
TOP PITCHER AGE	30.70	12

TOP HITTERS:

CATEGORY	TOTAL	RANK
TOP TOTAL WAR	499.5	51
TOP BATTER WAR	221.8	70
TOP PITCHING WAR	277.7	18
TOTAL WAR	660.4	37
TOTAL BATTER WAR	288.7	65
TOTAL PITCHER WAR	371.7	10
GARBAGE TOTAL WAR	160.9	17
GARBAGE BATTER WAR	66.9	44
GARBAGE PITCHER WAR	94.0	8
BATTER AGE	28.40	44
PITCHER AGE	30.21	10
TOP BATTER AGE	29.27	40
TOP PITCHER AGE	30.70	12

TOP PITCHERS:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
SP	28	Bert Blyleven	94.5
SP	25	John Candelaria	41.9
SP	29	Bruce Kison	15.1
SP	22	Don Robinson	17.4
SP	36	Jim Rooker	19.7
RP	32	Kent Tekulve	25.5
RP	34	Jim Bibby	19.4
RP	31	Enrique Romo	6.6
RP	36	Grant Jackson	14.1
RP	34	Dave Roberts	23.5

OTHERS OF NOTE:

POSITION	AGE	NAME	WAR
BULLPEN	26	Rick Rhoden	35.4
BENCH	35	Manny Sanguillen	27.6
BULLPEN	32	Joe Coleman	23.2
BULLPEN	24	Ed Whitson	21.2
BENCH	31	Lee Lacy	20.2
BULLPEN	34	Dock Ellis	14.2
BENCH	22	Dale Berra	5.5

Comments: A pretty middling offense (albeit one with some big names in Stargell, Parker and Madlock), this team was carried by their pitching staff which was very deep (even into the spare parts in the pen) and had very few holes. The staff was led by a “he had THAT good of a career” guy in Bert Blyleven, but had some solid backup., Stashed on the bench was a young Dale Berra, best known at the time as the son of Yogi and later the star of the Pittsburgh Drug Trials in the 80s. This was the last hurrah for the pirates before the fell into a decade of struggles prior to a brief resurgence in the early 90s and well we all know what happened after that….

Hopefully at some point the Bucs will win it all in my lifetime.

[RonCo]

Oops. Top hitters is a duplicate.

[usnspecialist]

Oops. Top hitters is a duplicate.

oops, edited.