• Year, League, Team Name, Rank (Position in Final League Standings)
• Batting Categories (Batting Average, Runs Scored, Home Runs, Stolen Bases)
• Pitching Categories (Wins, Strikeouts, Earned Run Average, WHIP)

Runs Batted In (RBI) are redundant with runs scored and therefore omitted as a category for this exercise. In order to maintain a similar number of batting and pitching categories, I dropped Saves (SV) since the statistic was not officially recognized until 1969.

I inserted Rotisserie Points columns immediately to the right of each category (denoted by an asterisk on either side of the category, such as *BA*). Total batting, pitching and overall points are included towards the right side of the main table (expressed as *BAT*, *PIT* and *TOTAL*). Adjusted category point totals are based on a 16-team league for all seasons after 1960, suffixed with an “adj”. For instance the 1976 Reds tallied 48 Roto batting points. In order to compare this total with ball clubs in a sixteen-team league, the raw score (48) is multiplied by 16/12 or 1.333 (maximum # of teams / # teams in league). This calculation (48 * 1.333) yields an answer of 64, which is consistent with the maximum amount of points earned in four Rotisserie batting (or pitching) categories in a sixteen-team league (16 points times 4 categories = 64). The adjustment is not necessary for teams listed in the Pre-Expansion Era (1901-1960) as the number of teams remained constant at eight American and eight National League entries during that span.

RotoRank references each team’s position in the final standings based on their total overall Rotisserie points.

Rank denotes each team’s position in the League standings based on winning percentage.

The spreadsheet is available via Google Sheets along with the table below. You can add and remove columns as necessary in order to view specific category results, download the entire file in CSV, Excel or PDF format or print the contents.

[gdoc key=”https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1v914gkR1JKNu3k_eYBFdZJLoPOAVbiQDFxTHINI6uB8/pubhtml”]

Fascinating Findings

As expected, the teams with the highest winning percentage (WPCT) in their respective leagues since 1901 fared extremely well when tabulating their Rotisserie points. The WPCT league leaders placed first in Roto points in nearly two-thirds of the league-seasons in this timeframe (64.6%), with another 22.5% earning a runner-up finish. The far-right tail on the chart denotes two clubs which recorded the sixth-best winning percentage in their league while achieving the highest Roto tally. Toronto compiled a mark of 86-76 in the American League during the 1986 campaign. However the Jays registered 96 adjusted Roto points to top the circuit. Tony Fernandez sparked the lineup with 213 base knocks and a .310 BA while Jesse Barfield (.289/40/108) and George Bell (.309/31/108) supplied considerable clout in the middle of the order. Mark Eichhorn (14-6, 1.72) and Tom “Terminator” Henke (27 SV, 3.35) secured the late-inning leads. Likewise the ‘69 Pirates finished in the middle of the pack (6^th of 12 teams) with a record of 88-74, but topped the NL Roto rankings at 87.3 adjusted points. Pittsburgh’s attack featured five .300 hitters in the starting lineup along with a .348 batting average by part-time 1B/OF Carl Taylor. Matty Alou rapped 231 safeties and scored 105 runs. Roberto Clemente (.345/19/91) and Willie “Pops” Stargell (.307/29/92) provided steady production and leadership.

The 1987 Minnesota Twins (85-77) achieved the lowest RotoRank (9.5) for a divisional leader, followed closely by the 2005 San Diego Padres (82-80), 2007 Arizona Diamondbacks (90-72) and the 2014 St. Louis Cardinals (90-72) at 9.0. With the exception of Frank Viola (17-10, 2.90), the Twins’ pitching staff failed to fashion statistics consistent with a World Series champion. Every starter besides Viola posted an ERA north of 4.00. Bert Blyleven served up 46 gopher balls while the back-end of the rotation (Mike Smithson, Joe Niekro, Mark Portugal and Steve Carlton) yielded a 10-24 record with a combined ERA of 6.43.

In the Modern Era (1901-present), only five teams with the #1 RotoRank finished lower than third in their division:

1904 Cleveland Naps (86-65, 4^th in American League)

1906 St. Louis Browns (76-73, 5^th in American League)

1960 Los Angeles Dodgers (82-72, 4^th in National League)

1984 Philadelphia Phillies (81-81, 4^th in National League East)

1986 Toronto Blue Jays (86-76, 4^th in American League East)

Seven teams secured pennants despite earning fewer than 40 Rotisserie points (or 80 adjusted total points post-1960). Despite a wretched offense that placed last in BA (.230) and home runs (7), the White Sox aka “The Hitless Wonders” defeated the Cubs in six games to claim the World Series in 1906.  George Davis (.277/0/80) led the Pale Hose in doubles (26), RBI and SLG (.355) while placing runner-up to Frank Isbell (.279/0/57) in batting average.

1906 Chicago White Sox (93-58, 39 Roto points)

1908 Detroit Tigers (90-63, 39.5 Roto points)

1916 Boston Red Sox (91-63, 38.5 Roto points)

1987 St. Louis Cardinals (95-67, 77.3 Roto points)

2007 Arizona Diamondbacks (90-72, 71.5 Roto points)

2015 St. Louis Cardinals (100-62, 77.3 Roto points)

2016 Texas Rangers (95-67, 75.2 Roto points)

Team batting average leaders compiled the highest WPCT in their leagues 29.1% of the time (74 of 254) since 1901. Three clubs finished 14^th in the overall league standings while posting the premier BA including the Rockies in 2012 and 2014 along with the Tigers in 2015. Four members of the 2012 squad eclipsed the .300 mark including Jordan Pacheco, Carlos Gonzalez, Chris Nelson and Dexter Fowler. Troy Tulowitzki supplied a .340 BA in 315 at-bats for the 2014 crew. Miguel Cabrera captured his fourth batting title with a .338 mark for Detroit in 2015.

43.8% of team run leaders (103 of 235) registered the top WPCT in their leagues while only 4.2% finished eighth or worse. Colorado notched 755 tallies to pace the NL in scoring during the 2014 campaign, yet the Rockies were foiled by atrocious mound work (5.3 adjusted pitching points). Adam Dunn (107), Felipe Lopez (97) and Ken Griffey Jr. (85) boosted Cincinnati to a League-leading 820 runs scored in 2005. The Reds’ baserunning proficiency was unable to compensate for the dreadful results from a starting staff consisting of Eric Milton (6.47 ERA in 34 starts), Luke Hudson (6.38 ERA in 16 starts) and Ramon Ortiz (5.36 ERA in 30 starts).

The long ball does not necessarily correlate with victory as only 28.4% of the team HR leaders seized the crown in their leagues. Sammy Sosa (49), Fred “Crime Dog” McGriff (30) and Mark Bellhorn (27) mashed 200 taters for the 2002 Cubs to pace the circuit. Nonetheless Chicago along with 2014 Rockies managed to finish fourteenth.

Only 18% of the team stolen base frontrunners claimed the peak WPCT in their leagues, further evidence that the tactic has been overvalued in the construction of winning organizations throughout several periods in the history of the National Pastime. Essentially the same proportion of ball clubs (42 of 235, 17.6%) ended the season in eighth place or worse despite swiping the most bags. Exhibit “A” – the 1982 Oakland Athletics, led by “The Man of Steal”, Rickey Henderson with an MLB record 130 SB, pilfered 232 bases. Billy Martin’s aggressive managerial strategies known as “Billy Ball” procured a mere 690 runs (9^th) and the A’s placed twelfth in WPCT (68-94, .420)

The trailblazers in team strikeouts by pitchers achieve a 22% relationship with the clubs atop the WPCT charts. The 2006 Cubs are the only ball club in the Modern Era to lead in any of the Rotisserie categories while placing sixteenth in WPCT. Carlos “El Toro” Zambrano paced the squad with 210 whiffs but the “Lovable Losers” lived up to their moniker, compiling a mark of 66-96.

Along with runs scored, ERA provides the strongest correlation to winning percentage with a ratio of 106/235 (44.7%). None of the Modern Era teams has led the League in ERA with a finishing position below tenth.  Pittsburgh topped the NL in ERA (3.11) and WHIP (1.256) during the 1984 campaign. The Bucs’ starting rotation featured Rick Rhoden (14-9, 2.72), John “Candy Man” Candelaria (12-11, 2.72), Larry McWilliams (12-11, 2.93), John Tudor (12-11, 3.27) and Jose DeLeon (7-13, 3.74). Kent Tekulve fashioned an ERA of 2.66 and saved 13 contests in 73 appearances. Don “Caveman” Robinson contributed 5 wins and 10 saves. Negated by a pedestrian offense, the club amassed a 75-87 record and placed last in the NL East (10^th overall in WPCT).

Another category that delivers a fairly persuasive connection with winning percentage is WHIP (Walks + Hits / Innings Pitched) with a 91/235 ratio (38.7%). The 1993 Red Sox (80-82) ranked ninth in the American League with a .494 WPCT through no fault of their pitching staff. The Boston hurlers led the Junior Circuit in WHIP (1.330), placed runner-up in ERA (3.77) and third in strikeouts with 997. Danny “Dr. Death” Darwin (15-11, 3.26) paced the club in victories, games started (34), innings pitched (229.1) and WHIP (1.068). Frank “Sweet Music” Viola (11-8, 3.14) and rookie RHP Aaron Sele (7-2, 2.74) excelled. Jeff Russell notched 33 saves with a 2.70 ERA. 

Pre-Expansion Era (1901-1960) Rankings By Actual League Standings

The following tables reveal the mean statistics for all teams based on their position in the league standings. For example, the first-place teams in the Pre-Expansion Era batted .275 with 770 runs, 88 home runs and 112 stolen bases while the last-place clubs produced a .253 BA with only 577 tallies, 57 round-trippers and 84 steals. The pitching staffs on the top squads fashioned an ERA more than one run better than the bottom-dwellers.

RotoRankRankBA*BA*R*R*HR*HR*SB*SB*

Expansion Era (1961-2016) Rankings By Actual League Standings

Similarly, the tables below divulge the mean figures for all Expansion Era teams based on their position in the league standings. The first-place teams batted at a .266 clip and delivered 770 runs, 163 home runs and 113 stolen bases on average while the sixteenth-place clubs supplied a .254 BA with 655 runs, 135 dingers and 90 steals.

Pre-Expansion Era (1901-1960) Rankings By Team Averages

The Giants top the Pre-Expansion Era charts for the Senior Circuit in every category except strikeouts (Dodgers, 602). Likewise the Bronx Bombers pace the American League in all but batting average (Tigers, .271) and stolen bases (White Sox, 125). 

Expansion Era (1961-2016) Rankings By Team Averages

Since 1961 the Dodgers are the class of the National League in terms of Rotisserie pitching categories. The Rockies vault to the front of the pack on offense without accounting for park factors and the shorter lifespan of the franchise. The Reds pace the old guard in the batting departments. The Yankees hold a slight edge over the Red Sox in both batting and pitching sectors. Every team achieved a RotoRank within one position of their actual mean Rank excepting two of the more recent expansion franchises (Rays and Rockies) along with the American League version of the Astros, due to insufficient data.

Batting Average Leaders (Modern Era, 1901-present)

Batting Average Trailers (Modern Era, 1901-present)

Runs Scored Leaders (Modern Era, 1901-present)

Runs Scored Trailers (Modern Era, 1901-present)

Home Run Leaders (Modern Era, 1901-present)

Home Run Trailers (Modern Era, 1901-present)

Stolen Base Leaders (Modern Era, 1901-present)

Stolen Base Trailers (Modern Era, 1901-present)

Win Leaders (Modern Era, 1901-present)

Win Trailers (Modern Era, 1901-present)

Strikeout Leaders (Modern Era, 1901-present)

Strikeout Trailers (Modern Era, 1901-present)

ERA Leaders (Modern Era, 1901-present)

ERA Trailers (Modern Era, 1901-present)

WHIP Leaders (Modern Era, 1901-present)

WHIP Trailers (Modern Era, 1901-present)

Combined Rotisserie Batting Points Leaders (1901-1960)

During the Modern Era, 11 teams ran the table in the four Rotisserie batting categories (BA, R, HR, SB). Through 1960, the eight teams to achieve this feat all played within the five boroughs of New York City. Skippered by John “Mugsy” McGraw, the Giants achieved the feat in back-to-back campaigns (1904–05) and again in 1912. Shortstop “Bad” Bill Dahlen averaged 80 ribbies and 42 steals for the ’04-’05 squad while left fielder Sam Mertes pilfered 99 bags and knocked in 186 baserunners in the same timeframe. “Turkey” Mike Donlin (.356/7/80) tallied 124 aces and accrued 37 Win Shares for the ’05 crew. “Laughing” Larry Doyle (.330/10/91) and Chief Meyers (.358/6/60) paced the Giants’ attack in 1912. Babe Ruth (.373/46/162) and Lou Gehrig (.341/46/185) anchored the heart of the 1931 Yankees’ batting order as the Bronx Bombers outscored the Tribe by nearly 200 runs. The Boys from Brooklyn excelled on offense from 1949-1955, scoring a perfect 32 points in four out of seven seasons. Jackie Robinson compiled a .320 BA and appeared in six consecutive All-Star contests in that timeframe. The Dodgers swept the MVP Awards in the odd-numbered years as Robinson claimed NL MVP honors in 1949 while Roy Campanella claimed the prize in ’51, ’53 and ’55. “Campy” walloped 200 long balls and drove in 676 baserunners during this period.

Combined Rotisserie Batting Points Leaders (1961-2016)

• BatAdj = adjusted point values for 16-team league 

“The Big Red Machine” achieved a perfect score on offense in 1976 along with the 1995 Indians and the 1996 Rockies. Joe L. Morgan (.320/27/111) collected his second straight MVP Award and notched career-highs in home runs, RBI and slugging percentage (.576). “Little Joe” also contributed 111 runs and nabbed 60 bags in 69 attempts. Pete Rose registered 215 safeties, George Foster drove in 121 baserunners and five Reds eclipsed the .300 mark in batting average led by Ken Griffey Sr. at .336. Six members of the Tribe’s starting lineup delivered a .300 BA or better, paced by “Steady” Eddie Murray. Colorado’s lumber crew included a quartet with 30+ bombs and 100+ ribbies. 

Combined Rotisserie Batting Points Trailers (1901-1960)

Ward Miller (.294/4/50), Jack Tobin (.270/7/35) and pitcher / second baseman Doc Crandall (.309/2/41) were unable to prevent the 1914 Terriers from finishing last in the four Rotisserie batting categories. The offensive futility of the St. Louis’ Federal League entry is matched by the ’23 Braves, ’30 Red Sox and the Pirates in back-to-back seasons (1954–55). Stuffy McInnis (.315/2/95) and Billy Southworth (.319/6/78) provided adequate output for Boston’s NL franchise but not nearly enough to overtake the competition. Earl Webb’s 30 doubles in 1930 was just a pre-cursor to his record-setting 67 two-baggers in the subsequent campaign. Yet the Red Sox offense paled in comparison to their American League counterparts.

Combined Rotisserie Batting Points Trailers (1961-2016)

• BatAdj = adjusted point values for 16-team league

The franchise formerly known as the Expos failed to impress their new fan base from a run-production perspective as the Nationals placed last in the four Roto batting categories in ’05. Primary shortstop Cristian Guzman (.219/4/31) registered a -1.1 WAR and Brad Wilkerson paced Washington with 8 stolen bases in 18 tries. The Colt .45’s edged the Mets in batting average during their first two seasons in the National League (1962–63), allowing them to avoid the “batting totals” basement. Houston’s double play combo in their inaugural campaign (Joey Amalfitano and Bob Lillis) combined to hit .244/2/57. Yet Lillis and his ‘63 partner (Ernie Fazio) stretched hitting futility to new depths in the subsequent season, coalescing in a .194 BA with two jacks and only 24 RBI.

Combined Rotisserie Pitching Points Leaders (1901-1960) 

The Cardinals and Yankees attained a perfect pitching score three times apiece. Mort Cooper and the Redbirds delivered the goods over three successive seasons (1942-44). During the span Cooper managed 22 victories per year and fashioned an ERA of 2.17 with a 1.080 WHIP. Max Lanier supplied 15 wins and a 2.47 ERA in the same interval. Johnny Beazley contributed a 21-6 mark with a 2.13 ERA over 43 outings (23 starts) for the ’42 squad. The Yankees accomplished the feat three times in just over a decade. Carl “Sub” Mays (27-9, 3.05) topped the American League in wins, saves (7), games (49) and innings pitched (336.2) in 1921. Two years later the Pinstripers counted five starters with at least 16 victories and ERA’s below 3.65: Bullet Joe Bush, Waite Hoyt, Sad Sam Jones, Herb Pennock and Bob Shawkey. Skipping ahead to 1932, Lefty Gomez tallied 24 wins albeit with a 4.21 ERA while Red Ruffing, Johnny Allen and George Pipgras amassed 16+ victories.

The ’04 Giants paired Joe McGinnity (35-8, 1.61) and Christy Mathewson (33-12, 2.03) atop the rotation. Mordecai Brown (26-6, 1.04) and ’06 Cubs compiled a 1.75 team ERA. Lefty Grove (20-6, 2.81) and George Earnshaw (24-8, 3.29) sustained the ’29 Athletics pennant chase. Don “Newk” Newcombe (20-5, 3.20) anchored the ‘55 Dodgers’ staff. 

Combined Rotisserie Pitching Points Leaders (1961-2016)

• PitAdj = adjusted point values for 16-team league

No surprises here… Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale anchored the Dodgers’ rotation in 1963 and 1966 along with a supporting cast including Johnny Podres (14-12, 3.54 in ’63), Claude Osteen (17-14, 2.85 in ’66) and Don Sutton (12-12, 2.99 in ’66). Phil “The Vulture” Regan contributed 14 victories and 21 saves with an ERA of 1.62 to the ’66 crew. Sutton (19-9, 3.23) shared top billing with Andy “Bluto” Messersmith (20-6, 2.59) on the ’74 Dodgers. Rubber-armed relief ace Mike G. Marshall (21 SV, 2.42) notched 15 wins and established an MLB record with 106 appearances. Atlanta’s aces dominated the opposition in the Nineties. Greg Maddux (19-2, 1.63) posted a career-best 0.811 WHIP and merited his fourth consecutive NL Cy Young Award for the 1995 Braves. Three years later, Tom Glavine (20-6, 2.47) received his second Cy Young Award. Joe Niekro (20-12, 3.55), Nolan Ryan (11-10, 3.35) and J.R. Richard (10-4, 1.90) highlighted the 1980 Astros’ mound crew. The 1988 Mets reinforced their stout staff with the promotions of David Cone (20-3, 2.22) and Randy Myers (26 SV, 1.72).

Combined Rotisserie Pitching Points Trailers (1901-1960)

The Phillies labored on the mound during the Roaring Twenties, scoring last in all Roto pitching categories on three occasions. Four hurlers on the 1921 staff yielded more than 100 runs and George A. Smith (4-20, 4.76) allowed 303 hits in 221.1 innings. Not to be outdone, a quintet on the 1926 troop permitted 100+ aces. Jack Scott (9-21, 5.09) and company completed the trifecta in 1927 with 103 losses, a 5.36 ERA and 1.603 WHIP.

Combined Rotisserie Pitching Points Trailers (1961-2016)

• PitAdj = adjusted point values for 16-team league

Bert Blyleven notwithstanding, the mound crew on the 1985 Indians were outclassed and overmatched. Neal Heaton (9-17, 4.90) took his turn in the rotation every fifth day with consistently inferior outcomes. Inexplicably the following rag-tag collection started at least 10 games: Ramon Romero (2-3, 6.58), Vern Ruhle (2-10, 4.32), Don Schulze (4-10, 6.01), Roy Smith (1-4, 5.34) and Curt Wardle (7-6, 6.68). Combined with disastrous bullpen results from Rich Thompson (3-8, 6.30 in 57 games) and Bryan Clark (3-4, 6.32 in 31 games), it is remarkable that the Tribe only lost 102 games.