Yanks’ Most & Least Dominant Teams (Take II)
This evening, I was playing around with the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia, taking a look at each of the Yankees 106 seasons to date…
…and…
I started to rank the teams, considering a balance of offensive and pitching dominance, and this is what I came up with:
Rank YEAR RCAA RSAA 1 1927 338 117 2 1939 289 92 3 1936 287 57 4 1937 181 144 5 1931 298 10 6 1932 279 17 7 1953 220 52 8 1998 168 102 9 1928 275 -17 10 1942 168 86 11 1921 152 84 12 1938 76 149 13 1934 166 58 14 1957 154 65 15 2002 143 76 16 1941 150 66 17 1955 136 78 18 1930 344 -106 19 1997 134 78 20 1961 169 42 21 1999 170 40 22 1954 149 52 23 1956 142 57 24 1977 146 51 25 1952 140 54 26 2003 142 50 27 1958 95 97 28 2007 160 30 29 1947 179 11 30 1948 121 68 31 1985 154 32 32 1935 127 57 33 1926 172 10 34 1920 107 72 35 1929 178 1 36 2006 185 -14 37 1980 108 61 38 1950 127 40 39 1933 253 -72 40 1951 149 11 41 1923 93 62 42 1962 162 -8 43 1943 129 24 44 1976 111 42 45 1994 145 6 46 1963 73 77 47 1960 144 5 48 1949 80 68 49 1946 95 42 50 1978 54 77 51 2005 138 -11 52 1940 79 44 53 1964 38 79 54 1986 85 32 55 1922 24 89 56 1924 77 36 57 1981 30 75 58 1944 56 44 59 2001 20 71 60 1983 70 16 61 1984 99 -13 62 1975 22 61 63 1945 51 30 64 1993 148 -54 65 1959 93 -17 66 1974 49 18 67 1970 47 18 68 2000 7 54 69 1904 13 45 70 2004 112 -41 71 1996 -4 60 72 1972 102 -36 73 1973 -18 71 74 2008 16 28 75 1979 16 20 76 1995 -3 36 77 1971 48 -15 78 1910 1 18 79 1916 -10 18 80 1969 -30 23 81 1968 -41 35 82 1906 -55 60 83 1987 12 -14 84 1982 13 -14 85 1909 5 -27 86 1992 -1 -15 87 1903 -6 -22 88 1966 43 -32 89 1905 28 -32 90 1965 -44 31 91 1918 22 -53 92 1911 -56 40 93 1925 -29 -27 94 1917 -83 26 95 1919 -63 81 96 1915 -37 -27 97 1988 82 -71 98 1914 -59 -12 99 1989 -10 -64 100 1967 -48 -31 101 1907 -68 -21 102 1991 -54 -41 103 1908 -30 -117 104 1990 -82 -68 105 1913 -109 -42 106 1912 -97 -83
This is a somewhat different list than the one I worked up the last time that I had this itch.
Seeing this, it’s easy to play that “What If?” game and wonder how these teams would do if they had to face each other.
It would be fun to see someone take the Top 64 teams off this list and match them up March Madness style where the 1927 Yankees would play the 1993 Yankees, in a one-game simulator contest, and the 1939 Yankees play the 1945 Yankees, and the 1936 Yankees play the 1975 Yankees, and so on…until you get down to a Final Four and then a champion for the tournament.
If anyone wants to take on this project, drop me a note. If you’re serious about it, and willing to document and share your findings, I’d be happy to publish them here and credit you. But, just check with me first…as I would hate for someone to work on this while someone else is already doing it.
In the meantime, what do you think of these rankings? To be candid, I was not very scientific in my approach – but, I think these are decent rankings. Anything that you agree with here? Anything that you would change? Why?
My thoughts on this list? Oh, my, to be a Yankees fan in the 1930’s…now, that must have been a blast. Also, it’s interesting, at least to me, to look at the Yankees in what I like to call the “True Cashman Years” (meaning post 2001). Here are those teams:
Rank YEAR RCAA RSAA 74 2008 16 28 28 2007 160 30 36 2006 185 -14 51 2005 138 -11 70 2004 112 -41 26 2003 142 50 15 2002 143 76
Now, those numbers tell a story…
the “True Cashman Years”
Now, those numbers tell a story…
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I don’t understand? Are you trying to make a point?
With Cash’s #s, I see a rainbow that peaked in 2004 that is on it’s way down (up in rank), with a massive aberration in it from last year. Last year was that perfect storm you keep talking about, where too much went wrong for them to make the post season. It could have been worse if Moose didn’t have the year he had. But I see a trend that is, hopefully, going to get better. Was it 2003-4 when Cash wanted full control without interference from Tampa?
i agree with you that it’s not very scientific, and i also agree with you that it seems like a pretty good list nonetheless. great job.
one has to wonder why, if 2001-2005 were “true cashman years”, c-money had it written into his contract after the 2005 season that he had full control and such a big deal was made of that situation. logic would dicate because cashman did not have full control between 2001-2005 (we know factually randy johnson, jaret wright, tony womack, all made in the 04-05 winter, were above his head, so he definitely didn’t have control). i don’t think it’s fair to analyze those years as his years.
i do think it is fair to analyze the last three years, and i’m glad you did here in the context if the yanks all-time seasons. seems about right to me. above average, but not great, with this past season being concerning. it will be interesting to see where it goes from here and what this ballclub cashman has constructed can do.
thanks pat…2005, got my years mixed up.
Now those numbers tell a story
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They do indeed, confirming my long held belief that Lee McPhail was the worst GM in Yankees history.
Ah, McPhail, McFail! No one came to the position of Yankees GM with a better resume; and no one had less success over such a long span (7 years!) His magnum opus, “The Five Year Plan,” was an unqualified disaster, and nearly all his trades—the good, the bad, and the ugly—had a striking common denominator: they cut payroll. The effects of his handiwork are evident here.
2000 shows that these numbers don’t necessarily equate to championships…just gotta win the games you need to
Janks-n-Jints wrote:
That the Yankees pitching has been bad since 2004, albeit slightly better the last two years, and that their offense tanked last year. All on Cash’s watch.
Cashman’s been the GM since 1998…
Mostly I just want to know what the hell happened to the pitching staff in 1930.
Would we have been calling for the firing of Ed Barrow, on account of his recent inability to build a pitching staff and the resulting third-place finish?
no problem handtius. i’m pretty sure we were making the same point, just had a year different years.
I’m surprised the 1998 team wasn’t ranked higher. For a while it seemed like that team never lost.
Raf wrote:
Been there, said that, on this one Raf.
From 1998 through 2001, Cashman rode the team that Stick and Watson built. Com’on, you know that.
From 1998 through 2001, Cashman rode the team that Stick and Watson built. Com’on, you know that.
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Cashman traded for Knoblauch, Clemens and Justice. It’s not like did NOTHING to the team he inherited from Stick and Watson. People like to think that the 1998-2000 World Series titles were inevitable but there’s no telling how things might’ve gone if not for those three acquisitions.
Hold it against Cashman all you want that he was promoted to the job after Bob Watson left but the fact remains that he WAS the GM during that time and he made proactive moves to improve the ballclub.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
True, but Cash Man made slight tweaks here and there like El Duque, Soriano, and Clemens that didn’t hurt their winning ways but did help to a certain degree. And this is coming from the Cash Man hater supreme! Stick and Bob, laid the foundations for the 98 team and that can’t be denied though. After 2001,it is a different story altogether though.Last year, where were the kids to come up and shore up the offense? Oh, I almost forgot Cash Man decided to concentrate on drafting pitching because he already had older/elder statesman master hitters.
Oh, I almost forgot Cash Man decided to concentrate on drafting pitching because he already had older/elder statesman master hitters.
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I really hope you’re joking when you say this. You honestly believe he focussed on pitching in the draft because he felt he already had enough hitters at the major league level? Did I read that wrong?
Been there, said that, on this one Raf.
From 1998 through 2001, Cashman rode the team that Stick and Watson built. Com’on, you know that.
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But if Cashman’s an incompetent boob of a GM that can’t evaluate pitching to save his life, don’t you think the Yanks would’ve missed the playoffs sooner than 10 years later?
Fact is, they may have built the team, but it doesn’t take long to fall from grace, as we can see with the current edition of the Detroit Tigers
Raf wrote:
Interesting point BUT as I’ve said about what money Detroit spends and what NY spends is a great chasm. If Detroit, could spend more money on drafting and on premium free agents they could hide their mistakes as well. If the Tigers were able to spend an extra 70 mill last year God know who else they could have afforded take that into the equation, as well.
Cash Man deserves some credit,but he is the arcitect of the 2008 Yankees and they didn’t make it to October. Give another GM like Colletti and Sabean(another two who I don’t like) and give them 200 mill a year to play around with and see what they can do on that payroll.It’s not so much Cash Man’s incompetence(though that’s part of it)rather his results. He’s had time to put his imprint without the benefit of Tampa’s involvement and what has happened? Not only no World Series wins BUT no playoffs last year…..and how many times did the Yankees spend 200 mill a year during the last five years?
If the Tigers were able to spend an extra 70 mill last year God know who else they could have afforded take that into the equation, as well.
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Well their payroll jumped from $95M to $138M, doesn’t that count for something?
The Royals have more money to play with, it doesn’t negate the stupid moves that they’ve made. We can talk about teams that have spent, and haven’t done squat (1993 Mets, anyone?)
If it were just about spending money, more teams would do it.
Raf wrote:
Raf, teh Tigers weren’t spending Yankee money which is 210 million plus! Give them an extra 70 on top of the 132 mill and then we can talk. I don’t know that the Royals are an apropos example,I don’t know that they are relevant to the argument since they spend so little relative to the Yankees to begin with. perhaps it would be Tampa vs Pittsburgh. Look at how bad both teams have been and which one has become a force in the toughest division in baseball and which one is still in the JV. That might be a case of wise management without big money and having access to revenue sharing etc.
Raf, one more thing most teams can’t do it! Most teams don’t have the resources that the Yanks have in YES and the new stadium. The Royals can’t just spend 200 mill a year because they would be losing tons of money. And in that market, they couldn’t even sustain a Royal’s owned regional sports network(RSTN) featuring the Royals either. Trust me Raf, take away the mega bucks from the Yankee payroll nad that team is not in the same conversation with the best teams in baseball. If the Yanks had to subtract CC, AJ, and Teix from this mix, I shudder to think what kind of team they would field this year……..
Point is that spending is relative. I hear too much “z0mG, 200M!!!1!!1!!1one!1!!!” without any discussion as to how the payroll is broken down. No one points out that the Yanks have assumed contracts given by the Dodgers (Kevin Brown), Rangers (Rodriguez) or Phillies (Bobby Abreu). That tells me that people are just parroting the company line without giving it any thought. Which is fine, if they’re into that sort of thing. I happen not to be
So lets give the Tigers another 70 million… So what? Who will they spend it on? They were in the Pavano chase too. It has been shown that he was a bum. He would’ve been a bum with the Tigers.
Take away the “megabucks” and the Yanks will be right there with the rest of the other teams. Because that’s what they’ve done. That’s what they’ve always done. They’ve bought, players that’s nothing new. They’ve taken on salaries from other teams, that’s nothing new.
Without CC, AJ & Teix, they won 89 games. They didn’t win more because of a spate of injuries. How many teams can lose 3/5th of their starting rotation, and 1/3 of their lineup and still win as many games as they did? Who’s to say they won’t move the young pitching to fill whatever holes they have? Who’s to say that Hughes and Kennedy won’t get another shot? Do you think the organization is going to give up on them after a handful of innings?
Oh, I almost forgot Cash Man decided to concentrate on drafting pitching because he already had older/elder statesman master hitters.
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You may want to take a closer look at their drafting history