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Since its founding in 1876, Major League Baseball has had some great players and teams. This article explores the 10 best teams to ever set foot on a baseball field.
Sergio Romo after beating Miguel Cabrera to win the World Series in 2012.
stand report
Since the National League was founded in 1876, I think it’s time to evaluate the 10 best teams of all time in Major League Baseball. Baseball’s greatest teams have similar characteristics. They all have Hall of Famers, World Series winners and odd success stories. However, even though you’re not from Sports Illustrated or ESPN, you’re probably pretty picky about my list. However, at the end of the day, I base this ranking on statistics and various other criteria.
1931 Philadelphia Athletics.
10. 1931 Philadelphia Athletics
- Season record: 107-45-1
- Season Ranking: No. 1 in the American League
- Playoff Ranking: American League Champions
- Hall of Famers: Mitch Cochran, Jimmy Foxx, Lefty Grove, Waite Hoyt and Al Simmons
Before becoming the Oakland Athletics, the A’s lived in Philadelphia and shared the City of Brotherly Love with the Phillies. However, the A’s we know today were a very different team in 1931. The 1931 Athletics won 107 regular-season games under arguably the greatest manager of all time, Connie Mack.
What makes this team very strange is their record tie. Early on, they didn’t have overtime or anything like that. If both teams score the same score at the end of the ninth inning, the game is declared a tie. Mike actually played and managed 76 games that ended in this way. His Aces, however, have a strong roster that includes five Hall of Famers. They are one of the oldest teams to win a World Series, with an average player age of 32.
To add insult to injury, their batting was terrific. Their run differential was +232 (they had 232 more runs than allowed). Hitting is their strong suit, but they also haven’t lost more than eight games to a starter. Just as impressive is a star like Jimmy Fox with a .947, which is almost insane by modern gaming standards. They were a century-defining team with multiple players hitting 20+ home runs.
This team is special. The one mark they had on them was the 1931 World Series. In seven games, they lost to the equally impressive but forgotten St. Louis Cardinals. It took another 41 years for the A’s to return to the World Series. This is the last time the A’s will play in a tournament with Connie Mack. Still, the team is baseball royalty for a crucial all-around success that few even teams that win the World Series can match.
The 1976 Cincinnati Reds.
9. 1976 Cincinnati Reds
- Season record: 102-60
- Season Ranking: No. 1 in the National League West
- Playoff Ranking: World Series Champions
- Hall of Famers: Johnny Bunch, Joe Morgan and Tony Perez
The Big Red Machine may have been the only lineup that would have given the 1927 Yankees the greatest lineup ever. The Reds have Peter Rose, a hitter and phenomenal lineman. Charlie Hustle led a team that included Hall of Famers such as Joe Morgan, Tony Perez and Johnny Bench. Also on the team is Ken Griffey, the father of future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.
The Reds won the World Series in 1975, and they’re looking to do it again. Essentially, they’re like the 2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, fresh off a title and able to keep their entire roster. Led by Sparky Anderson, the Reds’ roster is a championship lineup in all offensive categories. However, they struggled defensively. The team committed 102 turnovers in 162 regular-season games. Overall, the team finished with a 3.51 ERA, but they had multiple pitchers with at least a 3.60 ERA. This is very rare for a championship team.
Still, the team took advantage entirely on offense and won. A +224 run differential isn’t surprising for a Cincinnati lineup. Morgan hit lights out and the World Series was an easy one. Although the Yankees were the team that won the 1977 and 1978 World Series, they weren’t even close to being competitive. If you’re looking for a World Series to watch, 1976 sucks.
The Reds have 42 hits in four games. The Yankees gave them a game in Game 2, but both defenses were terrible. The Reds made it look easy, but the next few years weren’t easy, as they wouldn’t return to the World Series until 1990. The biggest problem in Cincinnati is Peter Rose’s dealings with corruption and gambling. Still, this team deserves to be here.
The New York Giants in 1904.
8. 1904 New York Giants
- Season record: 106-47-5
- Season Ranking: 1st in the National League
- Playoff standings: National League champions (technically no playoffs)
- Hall of Famers: Joe McInnity and Kristy Matthewson
This might be the craziest playoff team on this list. Imagine playing in Major League Baseball without a championship. It makes it feel like any other 9-to-5 job. This appears to be just the beginning of things to come, as the power brokers can’t come to an agreement to game each other.
The Giants are the best team in their league. They won the pennant by 13 games to win the National League Championship. However, there was no World Series in the 1904 season. The Giants owners didn’t want to play the Boston Yankees (American League champions) because they thought the American League was inferior. Boston’s season record is very solid, at 95 wins and 59 losses.
Like the first two teams on this list, the Giants are run by a legend. John McGraw is stubborn and rude, but he’s well-liked by the people he manages and works with. McGraw is a tough player-manager, which is less of an issue these days. His work ethic is to win every game no matter what.
McGraw coached the Giants from 1902 to 1932. During that time, he won three World Series titles. 1904 might give him a fourth. The team is full of great talent. Pitching alone is enough to scare the minds of talented guys like Kristy Matthewson, Joe McInnity and Luther Taylor. That year the Giants didn’t have a starter over 3.00 for the entire season. That’s 162 games without a start allowing more than three points. It’s unbelievable by any standard.
The Giants pissed off their opponents with a +274 run margin. They won 106 games that year. However, not having a chance to play in the World Series led many players astray, so they avenged themselves in 1905 by defeating Connie Mack’s upstart Philadelphia A’s. The 1904 Giants were arguably the greatest team to never win a World Series. They were quite possibly the best team of their era.
Pitcher Bob Gibson, the fearless fireballer.
7. 1967 St. Louis Cardinals
- Season record: 101-60
- Season Ranking: 1st in the National League
- Playoff Ranking: World Series Champions
- Hall of Famers: Louis Bullock, Steve Carlton, Orlando Cepeda and Bob Gibson
The 1967 Cardinals changed the game in the late 1960s. They think the modern era of baseball is all about intimidation and aggression. On defense, they have human missiles Bob Gibson and Steve Carlton. Both of them are residents of Cooperstown. Offensively, their numbers might tell a different story, but this team is full of energy.
Curt Flood, an aging Roger Maris, Tim McCarver and Lou Brock lead one of the least exciting offenses in baseball history. They’re not running machines, but they’re great defensively. As a result, they got the ultimate prize of baseball. In the postseason era, the Cardinals came close to losing the World Series on several occasions. Boston hadn’t been to the World Series in a long time, and the 1967 Red Sox were the favorites to have the “impossible dream.” However, most of the series is pitch duels.
The Cardinals would never have succeeded without Gibson. The Red Sox would never have made it to the World Series without Carl Yazstremski. Game 1 was a strong defensive performance. Games 2, 4, 6 and 7 were all blowouts because the Red Sox offense simply couldn’t run. The Red Sox remember this series as much as they remember their many World Series appearances. It’s close, but it’s not enough.
For the Cardinals, the 1960s may have been one of their best decades. Gibson was their flash. He started to stand out, and by the mid-1960s he was the second-best pitcher on the planet behind Sandy Koufax. Gibson was simply an aggressive player whose actions often drew retaliation. He’s also an intimidator, which is why he’s in the Hall of Fame.
The team won 101 games while allowing less than 3 points per game. They might have one of the best defenses in major league history. Just like in any other sport, defense wins championships.
Tom Glavine (left), John Smoltz (middle), Greg Maddux (right).
6. 1995 Atlanta Braves
- Season record: 90-54
- Season Ranking: No. 1 in the NFC East
- Playoff Ranking: World Series Champions
- Hall of Famers: Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux, Fred McGriff and John Smoltz
The names Glavine, Maddux and Smoltz should all sound familiar. These were the juggernauts of the Warriors in the 1990s. This era of the Atlanta Braves is arguably one of the greatest dynasties in baseball history. The team appeared in the World Series in 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996 and 1999. The 1994 and 1995 teams were arguably the best of that time.
The 1994 season ended with a strike, and the 1995 season ended with two teams trying to end a championship drought that’s outlived me. Atlanta has been called the closest to the Warriors for the longest time. Despite their talent on both sides, they consistently won the division title but struggled in the World Series.
The Warriors got off to a slow start to the season, going 20-17 initially. Then they suddenly turned hot; they entered the All-Star Game with a 24-12 record. Maddux received his fourth CY Young Award while Smoltz and Glavine waited for a bigger challenge.
The Warriors swept the Rockies and Reds in the playoffs. It seems like it’s their year again. They won 90 games and earned a berth in the Fall Classic. However, they will face a team that is also considered one of the greatest of all time (yet, they did not make this list).
The 1995 Cleveland Indians came in a rare form not seen since the late 1950s. With Albert Belle and Jim Thome hitting the ball, the Indians’ offensive output was ridiculous. The lineup also includes Manny Ramirez and pitchers like Orel Herschiser and Jose Mesa. The problem with a great offense is that the Warriors have a better defense. The Indians gave Atlanta all they had in the first three games, and then Game 4 was a bit miserable. That sealed the Indians’ fate; they were in the World Series in 1997 and 2016, but they still haven’t won since 1954.
The Warriors proved that their “Big Three” are good enough. That World Series was the last time Atlanta won a title in any sport in nearly two decades. The Warriors have since lost two more World Series to the Yankees, who eventually became the greatest dynasty in modern sports second only to the New England Patriots. The 1995 Warriors were arguably the franchise’s greatest team ever, and it’s a shame they won just one championship.
The 1986 Mets celebrate a victory.
5. 1986 New York Mets
- Season record: 108-54
- Season Ranking: No. 1 in the NFC East
- Playoff Ranking: World Series Champions
- Hall of Famer: Gary Carter
The 1986 Mets had arguably one of the most notorious rosters in baseball. They are famous enough to…
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