Post by Captain America on Feb 25, 2014 20:37:49 GMT -5
Over the first 10 seasons in BBSBL history, there have been many good teams and even a few that have won multiple championships. However, there have been other good teams that ended up falling short of getting into the postseason and those teams should not be forgotten.
Overall records and places in division and wild card standings were equally taken into consideration for this.
First, the Honorable Mentions that barely missed the cut:
- 1996 Texas Rangers (93-69; 1 GB in AL West; 6 GB in AL Wild Card)
- 1999 Baltimore Orioles (92-70; 16 GB in AL East; 1 GB in AL Wild Card)
- 2000 Texas Rangers (93-69; 17 GB in AL West; 1 GB in AL Wild Card)
- 20002 Toronto Blue Jays (89-73; 21 GB in AL East; 1 GB in AL Wild Card)
- 2003 Cleveland Indians (91-71; 10 GB in AL Central; 3 GB in AL Wild Card)
- 2004 Cleveland Indians (91-71; 3 GB in AL Central; 5 GB in AL Wild Card)
- 2004 New York Yankees (92-70; 7 GB in AL East; 4 GB in AL Wild Card)
- 2004 Oakland A's (91-71; 16 GB in AL West; 5 GB in AL Wild Card)
- 2005 Chicago White Sox (91-71; 3 GB in AL Central; 9 GB in AL Wild Card)
And now the top 10!
10. 2001 Baltimore Orioles
Record: 94-68
Division Finish: 14 GB in AL East
Wild Card Finish: 1 GB in AL Wild Card
If any team kept falling short of the postseason during the first half of BBSBL history so far, it was Jah and his Orioles. In 2001, the Orioles fell just one game short of the rival Red Sox for the AL Wild Card. The Orioles that year were led by two 21-game winners in Mike Mussina (3.21 ERA) and Arthur Rhodes (3.20 ERA), plus the crafty veteran Greg Maddux, who had 14 wins and a 1.79 ERA following a trade from the Braves. Ryan Rupe (16 wins; 3.56 ERA) rounded out the rotation. Rod Beck (16 saves) and Armando Benitez (14 saves) split time as closers.
Offensively, the Orioles were led by veteran center fielder Larry Walker (.321 average, 27 HR, 108 RBI, .935 OPS, 32 SB) and rookie first baseman Jack Cust (.279 average, 23 HR, 108 RBI, .790 OPS), who won the 2001 In-Game AL Rookie of the Year Award.
The Orioles indeed fell short of the postseason in 2001, but they used that result as motivation during their run to the World Series in 2002, which they ended up losing to the Braves.
9. 2003 San Francisco Giants
Record: 94-68
Division Finish: 3 GB in NL West
Wild Card Finish: 3 GB in NL Wild Card
What a run Spencer had from 1996-2002! 7 consecutive NL West titles. 4 trips to the NLCS and 3 World Series championships in 1998, 1999 and 2001. But his run atop the NL West came to an end in 2003 with the Padres finishing three games above the Giants in the division. Spencer also missed the NL Wild Card by falling three games short to the Pirates.
Despite that being his worst season at the time, Spencer's Giants still had a very good team. Jim Pittsley (2.30 ERA) and Chris Gissell (2.50 ERA) each won 21 games, while William Workman (18 wins; 3.35 ERA) and Bobby Chouinard (16 wins; 3.41 ERA) rounded out one of the best rotations in the league that year. Closer Bob Howry finished third in NL with 43 saves.
Left fielder Mark Kotsay led the Giants' offense with a league leading .361 average and Rusty Greer added a .349 average and a team-leading 16 home runs. The Giants though for the most part had just enough offense to give their amazing pitching staff sufficient run support.
Following this disappointing ending, the Giants won their most recent NL West title in 2004 before beginning a rebuild.
8. 2003 Atlanta Braves
Record: 94-68
Division Finish: 1 GB in NL East
Wild Card Finish: 3 GB in NL Wild Card
The 2003 Braves had the exact same record as the Giants, yet still missed the postseason despite finishing even closer in their own division race. The Expos barely held on to win the NL East by one game. Like the Giants, the Braves fell three games short of the Pirates for the NL Wild Card.
The 2002 World Series champions had a disappointing attempt of an encore that year in what turned out to be Matt's final season in BBSBL. There were some bright spots though. Mike Lincoln had a great season atop the Braves' rotation with 21 wins and a 2.05 ERA. Jason Schmidt (19 wins; 2.96 ERA) and Francisco Cordova (16 wins; 2.89 ERA) had very good seasons of their own as well. Veteran closer Robb Nen led the NL with 47 saves. The Braves' pitching staff led the NL in fewest walks allowed.
Offensively, the Braves that season were led by shortstop Chipper Jones (.252 average, 25 HR, 90 RBI, .812 OPS), first baseman John Olerud (.299 average, 24 HR, 97 RBI, .881 OPS), and right fielder Henry Rodriguez (.309 average, 23 HR, 93 RBI). The Braves' offense led the NL in walks.
Since Matt's departure, his replacement, Tempfooliz has been going through a rebuild with the Braves.
7. 1997 Colorado Rockies
Record: 93-70
Division Finish: 15 GB in NL West
Wild Card Finish: Tied for 1st; Lost NL Wild Card Play-In Game to Braves
The last three teams did win one more regular season game than my 1997 Rockies team, but the fact that this squad actually finished in a tie for the NL Wild Card and lost the play-in game certainly had to be taken into consideration for this spot.
This loss still stings in my mind, especially because the Rockies were leading the Wild Card for most of the season and did not play as well down the stretch, while the Braves surged into what ended up being a tie.
The 1997 Rockies of course had one of the best lineups around, led by the Blake Street Bombers. Right fielder Larry Walker (.335 average, 42 HR, 130 RBI, 1.044 OPS, 23 SB), left fielder Dante Bichette (.340 average, 38 HR, 143 RBI, .958 OPS, 24 SB), third baseman Vinny Castilla (.280 average, 33 HR, 123 RBI, .825 OPS), first baseman Andres Galarraga (.326 average, 40 HR, 118 RBI, .960 OPS) and center fielder Ellis Burks (.319 average, 39 HR, 109 RBI, .954 OPS) led what was arguably the best offensive attack in the NL. Leadoff hitting second baseman Eric Young also added a .281 average, 73 RBI and 38 steals.
The Rockies' pitching of course was not as strong as its hitting. Juan Guzman led the pitching staff with 19 wins and a 4.53 ERA. Pat Hentgen (15 wins; 5.11 ERA), Bob Tewksbury (13 wins; 3.91 ERA) and Kevin Tapani (12 wins; 5.01 ERA) rounded out the rotation. Closer Bruce Ruffin had 29 saves.
Despite this very disappointing ending, I was able to get the Rockies to win the 1998 NL Wild Card. Unfortunately, a sweep by the Phillies ended what has been my best season thus far on a sour note.
6. 2004 San Diego Padres
Record: 95-67
Division Finish: 9 GB in NL West
Wild Card Finish: 1 GB in NL Wild Card
After winning the 2003 NL West title, the Padres had trouble repeating the trick as they finished nine games behind the rival Giants and one game behind the Mets in the NL Wild Card.
The Padres were led by their pitching that season. Up and coming phenom Joseph Jackson won 21 games and had a 2.33 ERA, which was fifth in the NL. Scott Schoeneweis (18 wins; 2.77 ERA), Jason Simontacchi (18 wins; 3.49 ERA) and Jeff Suppan (10 wins, 3.87 ERA) also had very good seasons, as did midseason acquisition Jason Schmidt (7 wins, 2.48 ERA in 14 starts). Michael Wuertz (18 saves) and Chris Bootcheck (14 saves) both spent time as closers.
Catcher Thomas Rumble (.270 average, 25 HR, 71 RBI, .802 OPS), left fielder Ichiro Suzuki (.350 average, 5 HR, 57 RBI, .821 OPS, 105 SB), second baseman Ricky Gutierrez (.331 average, 18 HR, 92 RBI, .855 OPS, 25 SB), shortstop Luis Rivas (.331 average, 61 RBI, .766 OPS, 69 SB) and right fielder Odell Gess (.270 average, 27 HR, 80 RBI, .831 OPS) led the Padres' offense.
The Padres bounced back in 2005 by winning 101 games and the NL West title.
5. 2002 San Diego Padres
Record: 96-66
Division Finish: 3 GB in NL West
Wild Card Finish: 3 GB in NL Wild Card
The 2002 Padres were slightly better than the 2004 team. They finished three games behind the Giants in the division and three behind the Expos in the Wild Card.
The Padres' 2002 pitching staff was led by Livan Hernandez (12 wins; 2.45 ERA) and also included Pat Hentgen (13 wins; 3.69 ERA), Brandon Webb (12 wins; 4.37 ERA), Jeff Suppan (12 wins; 2.58 ERA) and Terry Bross (10 wins; 4.02 ERA). Octavio Dotel (18 saves) and Bob Howry (10 saves) split time with closing duties.
At the plate, rookie right fielder Odell Gess (.271 average, 32 HR, 101 RBI, .846 OPS) won the 2002 NL Rookie of the Year Award and had what has been his best season thus far in his career. Ken Griffey Jr hit 24 home runs before getting traded midseason and Ichiro Suzuki hit .305 and stole 88 bases.
Habes of course found a way to end Spencer's 7-year run atop the NL West by winning the 2003 NL West title.
4. 2000 Philadelphia Phillies
Record: 97-65
Division Finish: 20 GB in NL East
Wild Card Finish: 10 GB in NL Wild Card
What a season 2000 was for the NL East! The Marlins won the division with 117 wins. The Braves won the NL Wild Card with 107 wins. And then, there were the Expos with 98 wins and the Phillies with 97 wins!
First, the Phillies. 97 wins for a fourth place team is incredible, but that's how amazing the NL East was that season.
The Phillies' pitching was led by Mike Grace (17 wins; 2.85 ERA) and Hideki Irabu (16 wins; 2.90 ERA). Rod Beck saved 22 games. The offense was powered by the bats of center fielder Reggie Sanders (.290 average, 37 HR, 97 RBI, .913 OPS), right fielder Jay Buhner (.268 average, 28 HR, 99 RBI, .802 OPS), and first baseman John Olerud (.298 average, 21 HR, 91 RBI, .870 OPS).
BigBuhner stuck around for two more seasons and did decently. After he left, DJMyte started rebuilding the Phillies, who are now in the hands of CC.
3. 2000 Montreal Expos
Record: 98-64
Division Finish: 19 GB in NL East
Wild Card Finish: 9 GB in NL Wild Card
Styro's Expos were as good of a third place as we have seen thus far. Wilson Alvarez (14 wins; 3.55 ERA), Hideo Nomo (13 wins; 3.30 ERA), Eric Milton (12 wins; 2.78 ERA) and Gil Meche (12 wins; 4.63 ERA) formed one of the better rotations in the NL. Erik Sabel won 10 games out of the bullpen and Mike Timlin racked up 36 saves.
Offensively, catcher Robert Fick (.305 average, 18 HR, 72 RBI, .838 OPS), left fielder Cliff Floyd (.271 average, 20 HR, 88 RBI, .825 OPS), second baseman Alfonso Soriano (.304, 22 HR, 71 RBI, .884 OPS, 31 SB), right fielder Vladimir Guerrero (.348 average, 19 HR, 67 RBI, .951 OPS, 26 SB), and shortstop Miguel Tejada (.320 average, 21 HR, 65 RBI, .932 OPS) all had very good seasons at the plate.
The Expos would then go on to win two of the next three division titles before Styro's brief leave of absence occurred, which led to Kobe relocating to the Expos and Styro eventually taking over the abandoned Twins.
2. 2005 Pittsburgh Pirates
Record: 98-64
Division Finish: 12 GB in NL Central
Wild Card Finish: 3 GB in NL Wild Card
Just this past season, the Pirates had a great team that did not play particularly well down the stretch and ended up falling short to the red hot New York Mets in the NL Wild Card race.
Stevie B's Pirates though had some great individual accomplishments to be proud of. Left fielder Vladimir Guerrero (.335 average, 35 HR, 138 RBI, .998 OPS, 56 SB) is the defending NL MVP, while first baseman Lance Berkman (.376 average, 21 HR, 109 RBI, 1.033 OPS), center fielder Jody Gerut (.269 average, 19 HR, 115 RBI, .783 OPS), and right fielder Gary Sheffield (.269 average, 12 HR, 84 RBI, .746 OPS) all had great seasons as well. Berkman won the 2005 NL batting title.
On the pitching side, southpaw Jeremy Affeldt led the team with 21 wins, a 2.57 ERA and a league leading 325 strikeouts. Mark Prior (19 wins; 3.83 ERA), Adam Pettyjohn (15 wins; 3.06 ERA) and rookie Patrick Schrum (13 wins; 4.41 ERA) rounded out a very strong Pirates rotation. Closer Scott Downs had 41 saves.
The Pirates will look to bounce back this season and fight once again for a postseason spot.
1. 1997 Baltimore Orioles
Record: 100-62
Division Finish: 17 GB in AL East
Wild Card Finish: 3 GB in AL Wild Card
Usually, teams that win 100 or more games are pretty much ensured of getting into the postseason. But as we've seen, that hasn't always been the case! Jah's 1997 Orioles team is a great example. They won 100 games and finished in third place in a loaded AL East division. The Yankees won the AL East title with 117 wins and the Red Sox won the AL Wild Card with 103 wins. All Jah could do was watch as his own great team missed the postseason, and as shown here, that wasn't the first time he would end up finishing real close but with no cigar in the end.
Orioles ace Mike Mussina won his second consecutive AL Cy Young Award with 23 wins, a 2.80 ERA and 203 strikeouts in 325 innings pitched. Jimmy Key (19 wins; 2.80 ERA), Doug Drabek (14 wins; 4.81 ERA), David Wells (11 wins; 3.93 ERA) and Scott Erickson (10 wins; 2.95 ERA) all had good seasons of their own. Roberto Hernandez finished third in the AL with 43 saves.
The bats of first baseman Rafael Palmeiro (.266 average, 39 HR, 108 RBI, .863 OPS) and right fielder Bobby Bonilla (.307 average, 30 HR, 111 RBI, .895 OPS) led the Orioles' offense that season. Palmeiro's 39 home runs were tied for fourth most in the AL. Second baseman Roberto Alomar finished third in the AL with 58 steals and center fielder Brady Anderson added 45 steals of his own.
Despite winning as many games as he did, it took a long time for Jah to actually squeeze into the postseason. And even though his Orioles won least 86 games in each of the first 10 seasons in BBSBL history, Jah only has three postseason appearances to show for. Playing third wheel to the Yankees and Red Sox for so long was no easy task. One of those appearances did get Jah to the World Series though, so at least he can be thankful for that.
Whenever there are winners, there are also losers. For all the success that certain BBSBL teams have had in the postseason, these teams were the ones that ended up being on the outside looking in and wondering what they could have done to win even just one more game. Time will tell if any other teams that win 100+ games will join the 1997 Orioles on the infamous list of teams to win that many games and still miss the postseason.
Until next time...
