Post by Captain America on May 28, 2015 3:55:25 GMT -5
Erbes in the past has done some historical team rankings based on regular season records and postseason success. However, I wanted to analyze our league's history at this point from a different angle.
Sure, getting to the playoffs is awesome, but once you get there, does it really matter if your team had 108 wins or 102 wins? Not after the fact. Once your team gets to the playoffs, it's like a brand new shortened season begins with a clean slate for everyone.
That being said, I decided to rank all the AL teams based on historical postseason success. I came up with a very reasonable points scale to determine all this. The points scale consists of the following:
Division Winner - 2 points each
Wild Card - 1 point each
ALDS/NLDS Win - 1 point each
ALDS/NLDS Series Win - Additional 3 points each
ALCS/NLCS Win - 2 points each
ALCS/NLCS Series Win - Additional 5 points each
World Series Win - 3 points each
World Series Championship - Additional 10 points each
To clarify, "ALDS/NLDS Win" for example refers to each win a team has in a divisional series match-up and not necessarily the series win itself. That's why I distinguished the two from each other.
I also typed up a (somewhat) brief history of each AL team thus far and discussed each postseason series that has occurred among these teams. Hat tip to CATO for the 1996-2013 data and the league site for the 2014-2015 data.
So which teams have done well when the games have actually mattered? Which AL teams should be considered the most successful in postseason play? Let's find out!
Being that the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers both have never made it to the postseason, they unfortunately could not not be included in this ranking for obvious reasons.
12. Los Angeles Dodgers
GM History: Jeff Hixon 1996-1996, Greg 1997-2000, Dale 2001-
1x Wild Card - 1 point (1996)
1x ALDS/NLDS Win - 1 point
Total - 2 points
Before everyone starts wondering when the Dodgers actually made the playoffs, please take a quick look at CATO. Some of you weren't around here yet and others may have forgotten, but the Dodgers were actually the first ever NL Wild Card team in BBSBL3 history. That team was managed by Jeff Hixon, who was the former commissioner of LBB and left this league after the inaugural 1996 season. The Dodgers that season lost 3 games to 1 to the eventual champion Braves.
Greg took over in 1997 for four seasons and Dale has been running the show in Chavez Ravine ever since. The Dodgers though have not had a winning season since 1998. Hopefully, the Dodgers will one day find their way back to the postseason.
11. Anaheim Angels
GM History: Game 1996-1996, JMich 1997-2003, Greg 2004-2011, Aaron 2012-2015
2x Division Winner - 4 points (2010, 2011)
1x Wild Card - 1 point (1999)
4x ALDS/NLDS Win - 4 points
Total - 9 points
The Angels have had a lot of GM changes over the years and right now, they currently do not even have a GM. After Game's 1 season with the Angels in 1996, JMich ran them from 1997-2003 and won the AL Wild Card in 1999. The Angels ended up getting swept against the Red Sox that year in the ALDS.
During Greg's run from 2004-2011, he ended his time on a high note winning back to back AL West titles in 2010 and 2011. The Angels went on to lose to the Indians 3 games to 2 in the 2010 ALDS and then lost to the Red Sox 3 games to 2 in the 2011 ALDS. Habes then took over the Angels and put them into rebuild mode, but now that he has disappeared again, the Angels have begun yet another quest to find a sufficient GM.
10. San Diego Padres
GM History: Aaron 1997-2009, Ryan 2010-2010, Greeme 2011-
4x Division Winner - 8 points (2003, 2005, 2010, 2015)
1x Wild Card - 1 point (2014)
ALDS/NLDS Win - 4 points
Total - 13 points
During his long stint with the Padres, Habes had quite a bit of regular season success. He ended Spencer's run atop the NL West in 2003 with the Padres' first NL West title and then won another NL West title in 2005. He then disappeared in the middle of 2010 and Ryan took that team to another NL West title. Since 2011 though, Greeme has been in charge of the Padres and has led them to an NL Wild Card in 2014 and an NL West title in 2015.
Did I mention the Padres have had a good amount of regular season success? It's been a different story though in the postseason. The 2003 Padres lost to the eventual NL champion Pirates in the NLDS 3 games to 1, while the 2005 Padres got swept in the NLDS against the Cubs. The 2010 Padres lost again to the Pirates in the NLDS, but this time 3 games to 2. The Greeme-run Padres haven't had much more luck thus far. The 2014 Padres got swept by the eventual champion Giants in the NLDS, while the 2015 Padres lost to the Reds 3 games to 1 in the NLDS.
All in all, the Padres have made the playoffs 5 times, but only have four total postseason wins to show for and have yet to win a postseason series. Greeme's got a solid team now though and will look to eventually break that barrier in the future.
8. Cincinnati Reds
GM History: Jeffers 1996-1997, Stutter 1998-
1x Division Winner - 2 points (2008)
1x Wild Card - 1 point (2015)
4x ALDS/NLDS Win - 4 points
1x ALDS/NLDS Series Win - 3 points
2x ALCS/NLCS Win - 4 points
Total - 14 points
The Reds suffered through many seasons of failure with only 1 winning season over the first decade. Jeffers was the original Reds GM for the first 2 seasons, but Stutter has been running them since 1998. The second decade though has been better for the Reds. They've had 7 winning seasons since 2006, including an NL Central title in 2008 and an NL Wild Card in 2015.
The 2008 Reds lost to the Pirates 3 games to 1 in the NLDS, while the 2015 Reds won their NLDS series against the Padres 3 games to 1 before losing to the eventual champion Cubs in the NLCS 4 games to 2. Stutter will look to get back to the playoffs this year, but with an aging team, time is running short.
8. Colorado Rockies
GM History: Shale 1996-
2x Division Winner - 4 points (2006, 2007)
2x Wild Card - 2 points (1998, 2009)
3x ALDS/NLDS Win - 3 points
1x ALDS/NLDS Series Win - 3 points
1x ALCS/NLCS Win - 2 points
Total - 14 points
It pains me to be tied with the Reds in this list, but if that's what it is, then that's what it is. I started off with an awesome lineup, but no pitching at all. I made a few big mistakes early on when trading, but ended up putting together a decent pitching staff to go along with the Blake Street Bombers.
The Rockies started off with 4 consecutive winning seasons and even though they ended up losing the 1997 NL Wild Card in a tiebreaker game to the Braves, they redeemed themselves by winning the 1998 NL Wild Card before unfortunately getting swept by the Phillies in the NLDS. That sucked.
After another winning season in 1999, it was time to rebuild. The Rockies' next winning season was not until 2005, but in 2006 and 2007, the Rockies won back-to-back NL West titles. The Rockies would then get swept by the Marlins in the 2006 NLDS, but then surprised everyone and especially myself by beating the Cubs 3 games to 2 in the 2007 NLDS. Unfortunately, the next opponent was the Marlins. The Rockies finally won a playoff game against them, but it wasn't enough, as the Marlins would win the NL pennant before losing to the Mariners in the 2007 World Series.
After an underachieving 2008 season, the Rockies bounced back to take their 2nd NL Wild Card in 2009. But guess who was waiting for them in the 2009 NLDS? The Marlins once again. The Marlins swept the NLDS en route to an eventual championship that year. Since then, the Rockies have not had a winning season, but did a successful rebuild and are looking to start a new era of success in 2016. Hopefully with the Marlins now in the AL, greater achievements will occur in the future.
7. Arizona Diamondbacks
GM History: Darell 2002-
1x Division Winner - 2 points (2012)
3x ALDS/NLDS Win - 3 points
1x ALDS/NLDS Series Win - 3 points
4x ALCS/NLCS Win - 8 points
1x ALCS/NLCS Series Win - 5 points
3x World Series Win - 3 points
Total - 24 points
Talk about making the most of an opportunity! Here's an expansion team that didn't have a single winning record until its 8th season in 2009. But the Diamondbacks finally persevered in 2012 and held off the Giants by 1 game to make their first trip to the postseason and win an NL West title. The Diamondbacks' magical postseason run began by a shocking sweep of the Cubs in the NLDS, which was followed by an even more shocking 4 games to 3 defeat of the defending champion Marlins. The Cinderella run ended though in the 2012 World Series, when the D-Backs lost to the champion Yankees 4 games to 3.
Despite losing in the 7th game of the World Series, 2012 was still one heck of a season for the Diamondbacks. The D-Backs have since put up 3 solid seasons, but have not been back to the playoffs. Darell though is primed to return this season, so we'll see how that goes.
6. Chicago White Sox
GM History: Waldo 1996-2004, Crazy Mike 2005-
7x Division Winner - 14 points (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
11x ALDS/NLDS Win - 11 points
3x ALDS/NLDS Series Win - 9 points
7x ALCS/NLCS Win - 14 points
1x ALCS/NLCS Series Win - 5 points
2x World Series Win - 6 points
Total - 59 points
There have pretty much been 2 distinct eras in the White Sox' history. The first era was the Waldo era. After 2 mediocre seasons in 1996 and 1997, the White Sox began a 7-year run atop the AL Central through 2004. Their first trip to the postseason in 1998 ended up being their best, as they beat the Yankees in the ALDS 3 games to 2, then beat the Red Sox 4 games to 3 before losing in the 1998 World Series to the Giants 4 games to 2.
The 1999 White Sox got swept in the ALDS by the A's and swept again in the 2000 ALDS by the Red Sox. The 2001 White Sox lost again to the A's in the ALDS 3 games to 2. The 2002 White Sox then got revenge and defeated the A's in the ALDS 3 games to 1. The 2003 White Sox swept the Yankees in the ALDS, but then lost to the eventual champion Blue Jays 4 games to 2 in the ALCS. Finally, the 2004 White Sox got swept in the ALDS by the Mariners.
After 2004, Waldo pretty much left without even saying goodbye. The Crazy Mike era then began and he has led the White Sox to just 5 winning seasons and no postseason appearances since 2005. It will take a lot for Mike to catch up to the success Waldo had when he was here, and time will tell if that ever happens.
5. Cleveland Indians
GM History: DRowe 1996-
5x Division Winner - 10 points (1996, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)
13x ALDS/NLDS Win - 13 points
3x ALDS/NLDS Series Win - 9 points
11x ALCS/NLCS Win - 22 points
2x ALCS/NLCS Series Win - 10 points
2x World Series Win - 6 points
Total - 70 points
The Indians started off BBSBL history by becoming the first division winner of the AL Central in 1996. They lost though in the ALDS to the Yankees 3 games to 2. After that season, DRowe decided to do a big rebuild, which he completed in three seasons. In 2000, the Indians started a stretch of 13 winning seasons in the next 14, with the only losing season occurring in 2005. However, they played second fiddle in the AL Central from 2000-2004 to the White Sox during their run atop the division.
After 2 more good seasons in 2006 and 2007 that still didn't result in a postseason appearance, the Indians finally broke out in 2008 to win the first of four consecutive AL Central titles. In their return to the postseason, the Indians beat the Red Sox 3 games to 1 in the ALDS and then defeated the Mariners 3 games to 1 in the ALCS. In the 2008 World Series though, they lost to the Marlins 4 games to 2.
The 2009 Indians lost to the Rays 3 games to 2 in the ALDS. The 2010 Indians bounced back though and beat the Angels 3 games to 2 in the ALDS and then got past the Rays 4 games to 2 in the ALCS. The 2010 World Series featured a rematch between the Indians and Marlins, but this time, the Marlins swept the Indians to win yet another championship. The 2011 Indians beat the Orioles 3 games to 2 in the ALDS before losing to the Red Sox 4 games to 3 in the ALCS.
The Indians nearly won a 5th consecutive AL East title, but lost to the Brewers in a tiebreaker game at the end of the season and would finish in 2nd place again in 2013. Since 2014, the Indians have been rebuilding and are hoping to one day get back to the World Series and win the championship that eluded them twice so far.
4. Oakland A's
GM History: Broph 1996-
6x Division Winner - 12 points (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2014)
2x Wild Card - 2 points (2005, 2007)
17x ALDS/NLDS Win - 17 points
4x ALDS/NLDS Series Win - 12 points
15x ALCS/NLCS Win - 30 points
3x ALCS/NLCS Series Win - 15 points
11x World Series Win - 33 points
2x World Series Championship - 20 points
Total - 141 points
After a short rebuild in 1996 and 1997, the A's had their first winning season in 1998, but missed the playoffs. They'd then win 4 consecutive AL West titles from 1999-2002.
The 1999 A's swept the White Sox in the ALDS, but lost the Red Sox 4 games to 3 in the ALCS. The 2000 A's though fared better, as they swept the Orioles in the ALDS and beat the Red Sox in the ALCS 4 games to 2. In the 2000 World Series, the A's won their first championship over the Cubs 4 games to 1.
The 2001 A's tried to repeat and beat the White Sox in the ALDS again 3 games to 2, then followed up by conquering the Red Sox in the ALCS for the second straight year 4 games to 2. However, they lost in the 2001 World Series to the Giants 4 games to 3. The 2002 A's lost in the ALDS to the White Sox 3 games to 1.
The A's retooled in 2003 and then had a winning season in 2004, but missed the playoffs. The 2005 A's won the AL wild card and lost the AL West to the Mariners by 1 game, but lost in the ALDS to those same Mariners 3 games to 1.
The 2006 A's redeemed themselves and won the AL West and swept the Tigers in the ALDS. They then got revenge against the Mariners and won the ALCS 4 games to 1. They faced the Cubs again in the 2006 World Series and won their second championship 4 games to 3. The 2007 A's won the AL Wild card and eerily similar to 2005, they lost the AL West again to the Mariners by a 1-game tiebreaker and then lost in the ALDS to the eventual champion Mariners 3 games to 1.
The A's then rebuilt from 2008 to 2011. They had winning seasons in 2012 and 2013 but missed the playoffs both times. They bounced back though in 2014 to win the NL West after being relocated in the mass realignment. They lost in the NLDS though to the Cubs 3 games to 2. The 2015 A's barely missed the playoffs and lost the NL West by 1 game.
The A's are currently trying to redeem themselves in what is now an even more competitive NL West.
3. Seattle Mariners
GM History: Nanz 1996-2010, Chris 2011-2014, Jacob 2015-
12x Division Winner - 24 points (1996, 1997, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015)
1x Wild Card - 1 point (2006)
26x ALDS/NLDS Win - 26 points
6x ALDS/NLDS Series Win - 18 points
16x ALCS/NLCS Win - 32 points
3x ALCS/NLCS Series Win - 15 points
7x World Series Win - 21 points
1x World Series Championship - 10 points
Total - 147 points
During his time here, Nanz wasn't always around, but he had quite a successful run that may be overlooked by some. The Mariners won the first AL West titles from 1996-1998. However, they didn't have too much success in the postseason for a while. The 1996 Mariners lost to the Red Sox 3 games to 1 in the ALDS. The 1997 Mariners lost 3 games to 1 to the Yankees in the ALDS. And the 1998 Yankees lost again to the Red Sox in the ALDS 3 games to 2.
After another winning season in 1999, the Mariners did a 3-year rebuild from 2000-2002. They'd then win the next 3 AL West titles from 2003-2005. While the 2003 Mariners got swept in the ALDS by the Blue Jays, the 2004 Mariners had more success. They first swept the White Sox in the ALDS and then defeated the Orioles 4 games to 1 in the ALCS. But in the 2004 World Series, the Mariners got swept by the champion Expos.
The 2005 Mariners beat the rival A's 3 games to 1 in the ALDS before losing to the Blue Jays 4 games to 1 in the ALCS. The 2006 Mariners won the only AL wild card in team history and beat the Blue Jays 3 games to 2 in the ALDS before losing again in the ALCS to the eventual champion A's 4 games to 1.
Everything though came together for the Mariners in 2007. They won another AL West title and got past the A's in the ALDS 3 games to 1. They then beat the Rays 4 games to 3 in the ALCS. In the 2007 World Series, the Mariners faced the Marlins and won their first championship 4 games to 2.
The 2008 Mariners the first of 2 more AL West titles and beat the Rays 3 games to 1 in the ALDS before losing to the Indians in the ALCS 4 games to 2. The 2009 Mariners lost to the Red Sox 3 games to 1 in the ALDS. Unfortunately for them, they ran into financial problems by then and were forced to tear down and rebuild. The Mariners had a losing season in 2010, which would end up being Nanz's last season here before his departure.
Chris then returned from a long hiatus and took over the Mariners in 2011. The 2011 Mariners had a winning season but were mediocre. The 2012 Mariners though bounced back to win the AL West, but lost in the ALDS to the eventual champion Yankees 3 games to 1. The 2013 Mariners won yet another AL West title and beat the Red Sox 3 games to 2 in the ALDS. They then defeated the Brewers 4 games to 2 in the ALCS. But in the 2013 World Series, the Mariners lost to the Giants 4 games to 3.
2014 brought another winning season for the Mariners as they were relocated to the new NL Pacific division, but they missed the postseason. This would be Chris' last season with the team and Jacob took over in 2015 to lead them to their first NL Pacific title. They'd lose though to the eventual champion Cubs in the NLDS 3 games to 2.
The Mariners right now are aging, but will hope to keep their success going in the future.
2. Chicago Cubs
GM History: Play 1996-
12x Division Winner - 24 points (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015)
2x Wild Card - 2 points (1999, 2013)
29x ALDS/NLDS Win - 29 points
6x ALDS/NLDS Series Win - 18 points
19x ALCS/NLCS Win - 38 points
4x ALCS/NLCS Series Win - 20 points
12x World Series Win - 36 points
2x World Series Championship - 20 points
Total - 187 points
One of the most dominant NL teams over time has certainly been the Cubs. They rebuilt at first from 1996-1998 before starting a run of 9 consecutive winning seasons.
The Cubs won the 1999 NL wild card, but lost to the rival Astros 3 games to 2 in the NLDS. The Cubs then won 8 consecutive NL Central titles from 2000-2007. The 2000 Cubs beat the Braves in the NLDS 3 games to 2 and then defeated the Marlins 4 games to 1 in the NLCS. But in the 2000 World Series, they lost to the A's 4 games to 1.
The 2001 Cubs got swept by the Giants in the NLDS. The 2002 Cubs lost in the NLDS to the Expos 3 games to 1. The 2003 Cubs swept the Expos in the NLDS, but then lost to the rival Pirates 4 games to 1 in the NLCS. The 2004 Cubs lost to the Giants in the NLDS 3 games to 2.
Everything came together though for the Cubs in 2005. First, they swept the Padres in the NLDS. Then, they defeated the Expos 4 games to 3 in the NLCS. In the 2005 World Series, the Cubs faced the Blue Jays and swept them to win their first championship.
In an attempt to repeat, the 2006 Cubs beat the Pirates in the NLDS 3 games to 1 and then got past the Marlins in the NLCS 4 games to 1 before losing to the A's again in the 2006 World Series 4 games to 3. The 2007 Cubs lost in the NLDS to the Rockies 3 games to 2.
The Cubs then did a 3-year rebuild from 2008-2010 before returning to form in 2011 to win the first of 2 consecutive NL Central titles. The 2011 Cubs lost in the NLDS to the eventual champion Marlins 3 games to 2. The 2012 Cubs got swept in the NLDS by the Diamondbacks.
The 2013 Cubs won the NL wild card and lost 3 games to 2 in the NLDS to the Pirates. In 2014, the Cubs moved to the new NL Midwest division and won the first ever NL Midwest title. The 2014 Cubs beat the A's in the NLDS 3 games to 2 before losing to the Giants in the NLCS 4 games to 2.
The 2015 Cubs won another NL Midwest title and beat the Mariners in the NLDS 3 games to 2. They then defeated the Reds in the NLCS 4 games to 2. In the 2015 World Series, the Cubs matched up with the Rays and won their second championship 4 games to 1.
The Cubs aim to continue their NL dominance this season and get back to the World Series.
1. San Francisco Giants
GM History: Spencer 1996-
13x Division Winner - 26 points (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014)
1x Wild Card - 1 point (2010)
29x ALDS/NLDS Win - 29 points
8x ALDS/NLDS Series Win - 24 points
24x ALCS/NLCS Win - 48 points
5x ALCS/NLCS Series Win - 25 points
17x World Series Win - 51 points
4x World Series Championship - 40 points
Total - 244 points
No team has won more division titles than the Giants, who have done so a record 13 times and during the original alignment, represented the NL West in the majority of all postseasons. In fact, the Giants won the first 7 NL West titles from 1996-2002.
The 1996 Giants beat the Astros in the NLDS 3 games to 2 before losing to the eventual champion Braves in the NLCS 4 games to 2. The 1997 Giants lost in the NLDS to the Astros 3 games to 1.
The 1998 Giants though achieved greater accomplishments. They beat the Astros in the NLDS 3 games to 1 and then got past the Phillies 4 games to 3 in the NLCS. In the 1998 World Series, the Giants won their first championship over the White Sox 4 games to 2.
The 1999 Giants tried to repeat their success. They swept the Braves in the NLDS and then beat the high powered Astros in the NLCS 4 games to 2. In the 1999 World Series, the Giants ultimately repeated against the Red Sox and won their second consecutive championship 4 games to 3.
The 2000 Giants got swept in the NLDS by the Marlins. But the 2001 Giants bounced back and swept the Cubs in the NLDS. They then beat the Expos in the NLCS 4 games to 1. In the 2001 World Series, the Giants prevailed against the A's 4 games to 3 and won their third championship. 3 championships in the first 6 seasons of a league is quite impressive and the Giants were that successful.
The 2002 Giants lost in the NLDS to the eventual champion Braves 3 games to 1. The Giants then missed the playoffs for the first time in 2003, but still had a very solid winning season. The 2004 Giants though won another NL West title and beat the Cubs 3 games to 2 in the NLDS before losing to the eventual champion Expos 4 games to 1 in the NLCS.
The Giants retooled in 2005 and had their first ever losing season. They then had 2 winning seasons in 2006 and 2007, but missed the postseason in both years. The 2008 Giants though were much better and won the NL West title, but lost to the eventual champion Marlins 3 games to 1 in the NLDS. The 2009 Giants won another NL West title, but lost to the Pirates in the NLDS 3 games to 1. The 2010 Giants won the NL wild card for the first time, but got swept by the eventual champion Marlins in the NLDS.
The 2011 Giants won the NL West title and then conquered the Expos in the NLDS 3 games to 2 before losing again to the eventual champion Marlins in the NLCS 4 games to 1. After missing the playoffs by 1 game in 2012, the Giants certainly redeemed themselves in 2013. They got some revenge on the Marlins and swept them in the NLDS. In the NLCS, the Giants beat the Pirates 4 games to 3. The Giants met up with the Mariners in the 2013 World Series and won their fourth championship 4 games to 3.
In 2014, the Giants were realigned to the new NL Pacific division and won the first ever NL Pacific title. The 2014 Giants then swept the Padres in the NLDS and beat the Cubs 4 games to 2 in the NLCS before losing to the Marlins in the 2014 World Series 4 games to 1. The 2015 Giants missed the playoffs by 1 game and decided to rebuild afterward.
The Giants are currently rebuilding for the future, but we'll see how long Spencer sticks to it.
Now that the NL ranks are complete, here are the final overall ranks:
25. Los Angeles Dodgers - 2 points
23. Detroit Tigers - 5 points
23. New York Mets - 5 points
22. Anaheim Angels - 9 points
21. San Diego Padres - 13 points
17. Milwaukee Brewers - 14 points
17. Philadelphia Phillies - 14 points
17. Cincinnati Reds - 14 points
17. Colorado Rockies - 14 points
16. Arizona Diamondbacks - 24 points
15. Baltimore Orioles - 40 points
14. Chicago White Sox - 59 points
13. Cleveland Indians - 70 points
11. Tampa Bay Rays - 72 points
11. Toronto Blue Jays - 72 points
10. Pittsburgh Pirates - 78 points
9. Montreal Expos - 83 points
8. Atlanta Braves - 92 points
7. New York Yankees - 99 points
6. Oakland A's - 141 points
5. Seattle Mariners - 147 points
4. Boston Red Sox - 181 points
3. Chicago Cubs - 187 points
2. San Francisco Giants - 244 points
1. Florida Marlins - 325 points
I'll do this again in 5 seasons!
Sure, getting to the playoffs is awesome, but once you get there, does it really matter if your team had 108 wins or 102 wins? Not after the fact. Once your team gets to the playoffs, it's like a brand new shortened season begins with a clean slate for everyone.
That being said, I decided to rank all the AL teams based on historical postseason success. I came up with a very reasonable points scale to determine all this. The points scale consists of the following:
Division Winner - 2 points each
Wild Card - 1 point each
ALDS/NLDS Win - 1 point each
ALDS/NLDS Series Win - Additional 3 points each
ALCS/NLCS Win - 2 points each
ALCS/NLCS Series Win - Additional 5 points each
World Series Win - 3 points each
World Series Championship - Additional 10 points each
To clarify, "ALDS/NLDS Win" for example refers to each win a team has in a divisional series match-up and not necessarily the series win itself. That's why I distinguished the two from each other.
I also typed up a (somewhat) brief history of each AL team thus far and discussed each postseason series that has occurred among these teams. Hat tip to CATO for the 1996-2013 data and the league site for the 2014-2015 data.
So which teams have done well when the games have actually mattered? Which AL teams should be considered the most successful in postseason play? Let's find out!
Being that the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers both have never made it to the postseason, they unfortunately could not not be included in this ranking for obvious reasons.
12. Los Angeles Dodgers
GM History: Jeff Hixon 1996-1996, Greg 1997-2000, Dale 2001-
1x Wild Card - 1 point (1996)
1x ALDS/NLDS Win - 1 point
Total - 2 points
Before everyone starts wondering when the Dodgers actually made the playoffs, please take a quick look at CATO. Some of you weren't around here yet and others may have forgotten, but the Dodgers were actually the first ever NL Wild Card team in BBSBL3 history. That team was managed by Jeff Hixon, who was the former commissioner of LBB and left this league after the inaugural 1996 season. The Dodgers that season lost 3 games to 1 to the eventual champion Braves.
Greg took over in 1997 for four seasons and Dale has been running the show in Chavez Ravine ever since. The Dodgers though have not had a winning season since 1998. Hopefully, the Dodgers will one day find their way back to the postseason.
11. Anaheim Angels
GM History: Game 1996-1996, JMich 1997-2003, Greg 2004-2011, Aaron 2012-2015
2x Division Winner - 4 points (2010, 2011)
1x Wild Card - 1 point (1999)
4x ALDS/NLDS Win - 4 points
Total - 9 points
The Angels have had a lot of GM changes over the years and right now, they currently do not even have a GM. After Game's 1 season with the Angels in 1996, JMich ran them from 1997-2003 and won the AL Wild Card in 1999. The Angels ended up getting swept against the Red Sox that year in the ALDS.
During Greg's run from 2004-2011, he ended his time on a high note winning back to back AL West titles in 2010 and 2011. The Angels went on to lose to the Indians 3 games to 2 in the 2010 ALDS and then lost to the Red Sox 3 games to 2 in the 2011 ALDS. Habes then took over the Angels and put them into rebuild mode, but now that he has disappeared again, the Angels have begun yet another quest to find a sufficient GM.
10. San Diego Padres
GM History: Aaron 1997-2009, Ryan 2010-2010, Greeme 2011-
4x Division Winner - 8 points (2003, 2005, 2010, 2015)
1x Wild Card - 1 point (2014)
ALDS/NLDS Win - 4 points
Total - 13 points
During his long stint with the Padres, Habes had quite a bit of regular season success. He ended Spencer's run atop the NL West in 2003 with the Padres' first NL West title and then won another NL West title in 2005. He then disappeared in the middle of 2010 and Ryan took that team to another NL West title. Since 2011 though, Greeme has been in charge of the Padres and has led them to an NL Wild Card in 2014 and an NL West title in 2015.
Did I mention the Padres have had a good amount of regular season success? It's been a different story though in the postseason. The 2003 Padres lost to the eventual NL champion Pirates in the NLDS 3 games to 1, while the 2005 Padres got swept in the NLDS against the Cubs. The 2010 Padres lost again to the Pirates in the NLDS, but this time 3 games to 2. The Greeme-run Padres haven't had much more luck thus far. The 2014 Padres got swept by the eventual champion Giants in the NLDS, while the 2015 Padres lost to the Reds 3 games to 1 in the NLDS.
All in all, the Padres have made the playoffs 5 times, but only have four total postseason wins to show for and have yet to win a postseason series. Greeme's got a solid team now though and will look to eventually break that barrier in the future.
8. Cincinnati Reds
GM History: Jeffers 1996-1997, Stutter 1998-
1x Division Winner - 2 points (2008)
1x Wild Card - 1 point (2015)
4x ALDS/NLDS Win - 4 points
1x ALDS/NLDS Series Win - 3 points
2x ALCS/NLCS Win - 4 points
Total - 14 points
The Reds suffered through many seasons of failure with only 1 winning season over the first decade. Jeffers was the original Reds GM for the first 2 seasons, but Stutter has been running them since 1998. The second decade though has been better for the Reds. They've had 7 winning seasons since 2006, including an NL Central title in 2008 and an NL Wild Card in 2015.
The 2008 Reds lost to the Pirates 3 games to 1 in the NLDS, while the 2015 Reds won their NLDS series against the Padres 3 games to 1 before losing to the eventual champion Cubs in the NLCS 4 games to 2. Stutter will look to get back to the playoffs this year, but with an aging team, time is running short.
8. Colorado Rockies
GM History: Shale 1996-
2x Division Winner - 4 points (2006, 2007)
2x Wild Card - 2 points (1998, 2009)
3x ALDS/NLDS Win - 3 points
1x ALDS/NLDS Series Win - 3 points
1x ALCS/NLCS Win - 2 points
Total - 14 points
It pains me to be tied with the Reds in this list, but if that's what it is, then that's what it is. I started off with an awesome lineup, but no pitching at all. I made a few big mistakes early on when trading, but ended up putting together a decent pitching staff to go along with the Blake Street Bombers.
The Rockies started off with 4 consecutive winning seasons and even though they ended up losing the 1997 NL Wild Card in a tiebreaker game to the Braves, they redeemed themselves by winning the 1998 NL Wild Card before unfortunately getting swept by the Phillies in the NLDS. That sucked.
After another winning season in 1999, it was time to rebuild. The Rockies' next winning season was not until 2005, but in 2006 and 2007, the Rockies won back-to-back NL West titles. The Rockies would then get swept by the Marlins in the 2006 NLDS, but then surprised everyone and especially myself by beating the Cubs 3 games to 2 in the 2007 NLDS. Unfortunately, the next opponent was the Marlins. The Rockies finally won a playoff game against them, but it wasn't enough, as the Marlins would win the NL pennant before losing to the Mariners in the 2007 World Series.
After an underachieving 2008 season, the Rockies bounced back to take their 2nd NL Wild Card in 2009. But guess who was waiting for them in the 2009 NLDS? The Marlins once again. The Marlins swept the NLDS en route to an eventual championship that year. Since then, the Rockies have not had a winning season, but did a successful rebuild and are looking to start a new era of success in 2016. Hopefully with the Marlins now in the AL, greater achievements will occur in the future.
7. Arizona Diamondbacks
GM History: Darell 2002-
1x Division Winner - 2 points (2012)
3x ALDS/NLDS Win - 3 points
1x ALDS/NLDS Series Win - 3 points
4x ALCS/NLCS Win - 8 points
1x ALCS/NLCS Series Win - 5 points
3x World Series Win - 3 points
Total - 24 points
Talk about making the most of an opportunity! Here's an expansion team that didn't have a single winning record until its 8th season in 2009. But the Diamondbacks finally persevered in 2012 and held off the Giants by 1 game to make their first trip to the postseason and win an NL West title. The Diamondbacks' magical postseason run began by a shocking sweep of the Cubs in the NLDS, which was followed by an even more shocking 4 games to 3 defeat of the defending champion Marlins. The Cinderella run ended though in the 2012 World Series, when the D-Backs lost to the champion Yankees 4 games to 3.
Despite losing in the 7th game of the World Series, 2012 was still one heck of a season for the Diamondbacks. The D-Backs have since put up 3 solid seasons, but have not been back to the playoffs. Darell though is primed to return this season, so we'll see how that goes.
6. Chicago White Sox
GM History: Waldo 1996-2004, Crazy Mike 2005-
7x Division Winner - 14 points (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
11x ALDS/NLDS Win - 11 points
3x ALDS/NLDS Series Win - 9 points
7x ALCS/NLCS Win - 14 points
1x ALCS/NLCS Series Win - 5 points
2x World Series Win - 6 points
Total - 59 points
There have pretty much been 2 distinct eras in the White Sox' history. The first era was the Waldo era. After 2 mediocre seasons in 1996 and 1997, the White Sox began a 7-year run atop the AL Central through 2004. Their first trip to the postseason in 1998 ended up being their best, as they beat the Yankees in the ALDS 3 games to 2, then beat the Red Sox 4 games to 3 before losing in the 1998 World Series to the Giants 4 games to 2.
The 1999 White Sox got swept in the ALDS by the A's and swept again in the 2000 ALDS by the Red Sox. The 2001 White Sox lost again to the A's in the ALDS 3 games to 2. The 2002 White Sox then got revenge and defeated the A's in the ALDS 3 games to 1. The 2003 White Sox swept the Yankees in the ALDS, but then lost to the eventual champion Blue Jays 4 games to 2 in the ALCS. Finally, the 2004 White Sox got swept in the ALDS by the Mariners.
After 2004, Waldo pretty much left without even saying goodbye. The Crazy Mike era then began and he has led the White Sox to just 5 winning seasons and no postseason appearances since 2005. It will take a lot for Mike to catch up to the success Waldo had when he was here, and time will tell if that ever happens.
5. Cleveland Indians
GM History: DRowe 1996-
5x Division Winner - 10 points (1996, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)
13x ALDS/NLDS Win - 13 points
3x ALDS/NLDS Series Win - 9 points
11x ALCS/NLCS Win - 22 points
2x ALCS/NLCS Series Win - 10 points
2x World Series Win - 6 points
Total - 70 points
The Indians started off BBSBL history by becoming the first division winner of the AL Central in 1996. They lost though in the ALDS to the Yankees 3 games to 2. After that season, DRowe decided to do a big rebuild, which he completed in three seasons. In 2000, the Indians started a stretch of 13 winning seasons in the next 14, with the only losing season occurring in 2005. However, they played second fiddle in the AL Central from 2000-2004 to the White Sox during their run atop the division.
After 2 more good seasons in 2006 and 2007 that still didn't result in a postseason appearance, the Indians finally broke out in 2008 to win the first of four consecutive AL Central titles. In their return to the postseason, the Indians beat the Red Sox 3 games to 1 in the ALDS and then defeated the Mariners 3 games to 1 in the ALCS. In the 2008 World Series though, they lost to the Marlins 4 games to 2.
The 2009 Indians lost to the Rays 3 games to 2 in the ALDS. The 2010 Indians bounced back though and beat the Angels 3 games to 2 in the ALDS and then got past the Rays 4 games to 2 in the ALCS. The 2010 World Series featured a rematch between the Indians and Marlins, but this time, the Marlins swept the Indians to win yet another championship. The 2011 Indians beat the Orioles 3 games to 2 in the ALDS before losing to the Red Sox 4 games to 3 in the ALCS.
The Indians nearly won a 5th consecutive AL East title, but lost to the Brewers in a tiebreaker game at the end of the season and would finish in 2nd place again in 2013. Since 2014, the Indians have been rebuilding and are hoping to one day get back to the World Series and win the championship that eluded them twice so far.
4. Oakland A's
GM History: Broph 1996-
6x Division Winner - 12 points (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2014)
2x Wild Card - 2 points (2005, 2007)
17x ALDS/NLDS Win - 17 points
4x ALDS/NLDS Series Win - 12 points
15x ALCS/NLCS Win - 30 points
3x ALCS/NLCS Series Win - 15 points
11x World Series Win - 33 points
2x World Series Championship - 20 points
Total - 141 points
After a short rebuild in 1996 and 1997, the A's had their first winning season in 1998, but missed the playoffs. They'd then win 4 consecutive AL West titles from 1999-2002.
The 1999 A's swept the White Sox in the ALDS, but lost the Red Sox 4 games to 3 in the ALCS. The 2000 A's though fared better, as they swept the Orioles in the ALDS and beat the Red Sox in the ALCS 4 games to 2. In the 2000 World Series, the A's won their first championship over the Cubs 4 games to 1.
The 2001 A's tried to repeat and beat the White Sox in the ALDS again 3 games to 2, then followed up by conquering the Red Sox in the ALCS for the second straight year 4 games to 2. However, they lost in the 2001 World Series to the Giants 4 games to 3. The 2002 A's lost in the ALDS to the White Sox 3 games to 1.
The A's retooled in 2003 and then had a winning season in 2004, but missed the playoffs. The 2005 A's won the AL wild card and lost the AL West to the Mariners by 1 game, but lost in the ALDS to those same Mariners 3 games to 1.
The 2006 A's redeemed themselves and won the AL West and swept the Tigers in the ALDS. They then got revenge against the Mariners and won the ALCS 4 games to 1. They faced the Cubs again in the 2006 World Series and won their second championship 4 games to 3. The 2007 A's won the AL Wild card and eerily similar to 2005, they lost the AL West again to the Mariners by a 1-game tiebreaker and then lost in the ALDS to the eventual champion Mariners 3 games to 1.
The A's then rebuilt from 2008 to 2011. They had winning seasons in 2012 and 2013 but missed the playoffs both times. They bounced back though in 2014 to win the NL West after being relocated in the mass realignment. They lost in the NLDS though to the Cubs 3 games to 2. The 2015 A's barely missed the playoffs and lost the NL West by 1 game.
The A's are currently trying to redeem themselves in what is now an even more competitive NL West.
3. Seattle Mariners
GM History: Nanz 1996-2010, Chris 2011-2014, Jacob 2015-
12x Division Winner - 24 points (1996, 1997, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015)
1x Wild Card - 1 point (2006)
26x ALDS/NLDS Win - 26 points
6x ALDS/NLDS Series Win - 18 points
16x ALCS/NLCS Win - 32 points
3x ALCS/NLCS Series Win - 15 points
7x World Series Win - 21 points
1x World Series Championship - 10 points
Total - 147 points
During his time here, Nanz wasn't always around, but he had quite a successful run that may be overlooked by some. The Mariners won the first AL West titles from 1996-1998. However, they didn't have too much success in the postseason for a while. The 1996 Mariners lost to the Red Sox 3 games to 1 in the ALDS. The 1997 Mariners lost 3 games to 1 to the Yankees in the ALDS. And the 1998 Yankees lost again to the Red Sox in the ALDS 3 games to 2.
After another winning season in 1999, the Mariners did a 3-year rebuild from 2000-2002. They'd then win the next 3 AL West titles from 2003-2005. While the 2003 Mariners got swept in the ALDS by the Blue Jays, the 2004 Mariners had more success. They first swept the White Sox in the ALDS and then defeated the Orioles 4 games to 1 in the ALCS. But in the 2004 World Series, the Mariners got swept by the champion Expos.
The 2005 Mariners beat the rival A's 3 games to 1 in the ALDS before losing to the Blue Jays 4 games to 1 in the ALCS. The 2006 Mariners won the only AL wild card in team history and beat the Blue Jays 3 games to 2 in the ALDS before losing again in the ALCS to the eventual champion A's 4 games to 1.
Everything though came together for the Mariners in 2007. They won another AL West title and got past the A's in the ALDS 3 games to 1. They then beat the Rays 4 games to 3 in the ALCS. In the 2007 World Series, the Mariners faced the Marlins and won their first championship 4 games to 2.
The 2008 Mariners the first of 2 more AL West titles and beat the Rays 3 games to 1 in the ALDS before losing to the Indians in the ALCS 4 games to 2. The 2009 Mariners lost to the Red Sox 3 games to 1 in the ALDS. Unfortunately for them, they ran into financial problems by then and were forced to tear down and rebuild. The Mariners had a losing season in 2010, which would end up being Nanz's last season here before his departure.
Chris then returned from a long hiatus and took over the Mariners in 2011. The 2011 Mariners had a winning season but were mediocre. The 2012 Mariners though bounced back to win the AL West, but lost in the ALDS to the eventual champion Yankees 3 games to 1. The 2013 Mariners won yet another AL West title and beat the Red Sox 3 games to 2 in the ALDS. They then defeated the Brewers 4 games to 2 in the ALCS. But in the 2013 World Series, the Mariners lost to the Giants 4 games to 3.
2014 brought another winning season for the Mariners as they were relocated to the new NL Pacific division, but they missed the postseason. This would be Chris' last season with the team and Jacob took over in 2015 to lead them to their first NL Pacific title. They'd lose though to the eventual champion Cubs in the NLDS 3 games to 2.
The Mariners right now are aging, but will hope to keep their success going in the future.
2. Chicago Cubs
GM History: Play 1996-
12x Division Winner - 24 points (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015)
2x Wild Card - 2 points (1999, 2013)
29x ALDS/NLDS Win - 29 points
6x ALDS/NLDS Series Win - 18 points
19x ALCS/NLCS Win - 38 points
4x ALCS/NLCS Series Win - 20 points
12x World Series Win - 36 points
2x World Series Championship - 20 points
Total - 187 points
One of the most dominant NL teams over time has certainly been the Cubs. They rebuilt at first from 1996-1998 before starting a run of 9 consecutive winning seasons.
The Cubs won the 1999 NL wild card, but lost to the rival Astros 3 games to 2 in the NLDS. The Cubs then won 8 consecutive NL Central titles from 2000-2007. The 2000 Cubs beat the Braves in the NLDS 3 games to 2 and then defeated the Marlins 4 games to 1 in the NLCS. But in the 2000 World Series, they lost to the A's 4 games to 1.
The 2001 Cubs got swept by the Giants in the NLDS. The 2002 Cubs lost in the NLDS to the Expos 3 games to 1. The 2003 Cubs swept the Expos in the NLDS, but then lost to the rival Pirates 4 games to 1 in the NLCS. The 2004 Cubs lost to the Giants in the NLDS 3 games to 2.
Everything came together though for the Cubs in 2005. First, they swept the Padres in the NLDS. Then, they defeated the Expos 4 games to 3 in the NLCS. In the 2005 World Series, the Cubs faced the Blue Jays and swept them to win their first championship.
In an attempt to repeat, the 2006 Cubs beat the Pirates in the NLDS 3 games to 1 and then got past the Marlins in the NLCS 4 games to 1 before losing to the A's again in the 2006 World Series 4 games to 3. The 2007 Cubs lost in the NLDS to the Rockies 3 games to 2.
The Cubs then did a 3-year rebuild from 2008-2010 before returning to form in 2011 to win the first of 2 consecutive NL Central titles. The 2011 Cubs lost in the NLDS to the eventual champion Marlins 3 games to 2. The 2012 Cubs got swept in the NLDS by the Diamondbacks.
The 2013 Cubs won the NL wild card and lost 3 games to 2 in the NLDS to the Pirates. In 2014, the Cubs moved to the new NL Midwest division and won the first ever NL Midwest title. The 2014 Cubs beat the A's in the NLDS 3 games to 2 before losing to the Giants in the NLCS 4 games to 2.
The 2015 Cubs won another NL Midwest title and beat the Mariners in the NLDS 3 games to 2. They then defeated the Reds in the NLCS 4 games to 2. In the 2015 World Series, the Cubs matched up with the Rays and won their second championship 4 games to 1.
The Cubs aim to continue their NL dominance this season and get back to the World Series.
1. San Francisco Giants
GM History: Spencer 1996-
13x Division Winner - 26 points (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014)
1x Wild Card - 1 point (2010)
29x ALDS/NLDS Win - 29 points
8x ALDS/NLDS Series Win - 24 points
24x ALCS/NLCS Win - 48 points
5x ALCS/NLCS Series Win - 25 points
17x World Series Win - 51 points
4x World Series Championship - 40 points
Total - 244 points
No team has won more division titles than the Giants, who have done so a record 13 times and during the original alignment, represented the NL West in the majority of all postseasons. In fact, the Giants won the first 7 NL West titles from 1996-2002.
The 1996 Giants beat the Astros in the NLDS 3 games to 2 before losing to the eventual champion Braves in the NLCS 4 games to 2. The 1997 Giants lost in the NLDS to the Astros 3 games to 1.
The 1998 Giants though achieved greater accomplishments. They beat the Astros in the NLDS 3 games to 1 and then got past the Phillies 4 games to 3 in the NLCS. In the 1998 World Series, the Giants won their first championship over the White Sox 4 games to 2.
The 1999 Giants tried to repeat their success. They swept the Braves in the NLDS and then beat the high powered Astros in the NLCS 4 games to 2. In the 1999 World Series, the Giants ultimately repeated against the Red Sox and won their second consecutive championship 4 games to 3.
The 2000 Giants got swept in the NLDS by the Marlins. But the 2001 Giants bounced back and swept the Cubs in the NLDS. They then beat the Expos in the NLCS 4 games to 1. In the 2001 World Series, the Giants prevailed against the A's 4 games to 3 and won their third championship. 3 championships in the first 6 seasons of a league is quite impressive and the Giants were that successful.
The 2002 Giants lost in the NLDS to the eventual champion Braves 3 games to 1. The Giants then missed the playoffs for the first time in 2003, but still had a very solid winning season. The 2004 Giants though won another NL West title and beat the Cubs 3 games to 2 in the NLDS before losing to the eventual champion Expos 4 games to 1 in the NLCS.
The Giants retooled in 2005 and had their first ever losing season. They then had 2 winning seasons in 2006 and 2007, but missed the postseason in both years. The 2008 Giants though were much better and won the NL West title, but lost to the eventual champion Marlins 3 games to 1 in the NLDS. The 2009 Giants won another NL West title, but lost to the Pirates in the NLDS 3 games to 1. The 2010 Giants won the NL wild card for the first time, but got swept by the eventual champion Marlins in the NLDS.
The 2011 Giants won the NL West title and then conquered the Expos in the NLDS 3 games to 2 before losing again to the eventual champion Marlins in the NLCS 4 games to 1. After missing the playoffs by 1 game in 2012, the Giants certainly redeemed themselves in 2013. They got some revenge on the Marlins and swept them in the NLDS. In the NLCS, the Giants beat the Pirates 4 games to 3. The Giants met up with the Mariners in the 2013 World Series and won their fourth championship 4 games to 3.
In 2014, the Giants were realigned to the new NL Pacific division and won the first ever NL Pacific title. The 2014 Giants then swept the Padres in the NLDS and beat the Cubs 4 games to 2 in the NLCS before losing to the Marlins in the 2014 World Series 4 games to 1. The 2015 Giants missed the playoffs by 1 game and decided to rebuild afterward.
The Giants are currently rebuilding for the future, but we'll see how long Spencer sticks to it.
Now that the NL ranks are complete, here are the final overall ranks:
25. Los Angeles Dodgers - 2 points
23. Detroit Tigers - 5 points
23. New York Mets - 5 points
22. Anaheim Angels - 9 points
21. San Diego Padres - 13 points
17. Milwaukee Brewers - 14 points
17. Philadelphia Phillies - 14 points
17. Cincinnati Reds - 14 points
17. Colorado Rockies - 14 points
16. Arizona Diamondbacks - 24 points
15. Baltimore Orioles - 40 points
14. Chicago White Sox - 59 points
13. Cleveland Indians - 70 points
11. Tampa Bay Rays - 72 points
11. Toronto Blue Jays - 72 points
10. Pittsburgh Pirates - 78 points
9. Montreal Expos - 83 points
8. Atlanta Braves - 92 points
7. New York Yankees - 99 points
6. Oakland A's - 141 points
5. Seattle Mariners - 147 points
4. Boston Red Sox - 181 points
3. Chicago Cubs - 187 points
2. San Francisco Giants - 244 points
1. Florida Marlins - 325 points
I'll do this again in 5 seasons!
