9. Atlanta Braves - 3,452 Points
Boston Beaneaters (1901-06) (Boston, MA)
Boston Doves (1907-10) (Boston, MA)
Boston Rustlers (1911) (Boston, MA)
Boston Braves (1912-35, 1941-52) (Boston, MA)
Boston Bees (1936-40) (Boston, MA)
Milwaukee Braves (1953-65) (Milwaukee, WI)
Atlanta Braves (1966- ) (Atlanta, GA)
The Braves have a storied history, but for much of that history found themselves short on rings. Prior to 1956, the team had only made the playoffs twice. However, in the 1950's, Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews and Warren Spahn led the Braves to back-to-back WS appearances. Their most consistent success, however, has come in the past 20 years, under Bobby Cox. Between 1991 and 2005 (with the exception of the strike-shortened 1994 season), the Braves won 13 straight division championships. Their numbers are sure to rise as Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine will soon be eligible for the HOF, as well. Much like the Orioles, the Braves have had to overcome a mediocre first-half of the 20th century to place this high.
Seasons: 108
World Series Champ.: 3
NL Champ.: 9
Division Champ.: 16
Total Playoffs: 20
Winning Seasons: 52
HOFers: 11
Points Per Year (PPY): 31.96
PPY Rank: 10th
8. Chicago Cubs - 3,585 Points
Chicago Orphans (1901-02) (Chicago, IL)
Chicago Cubs (1903- ) (Chicago, IL)
Yes, that's right, everyone's beloved Cubs are only the 8th most prestigious franchise in baseball history. But, that's what 100+ years without a title will do to you. In fact, they've had 14 bites at the apple, and have come up empty every time. A team marred by futility, I imagine that most people would have a tough time naming Cubs players who have gone down as some of the best ever. Ernie Banks would make that list, but who else? Ryne Sandberg - I doubt that one. Billy Williams - underrated, but not elite in the all-time sense.
Ultimately, although they have a rabid fanbase, and an awesomely preserved piece of baseball history in Wrigley Field, all the Cubs really have is professional sports' most famous losing streak. It's kind of a wonder that they're ranked this high.
Seasons: 108
World Series Champ.: 2
NL Champ.: 10
Division Champ.: 5
Total Playoffs: 16
Winning Seasons: 52
HOFers: 13
Points Per Year (PPY): 33.19
PPY Rank: 9th
7. Pittsburgh Pirates - 3,749 Points
Pittsburgh Pirates (1901- ) (Pittsburgh, PA)
Haha, ouch. The team, with an all-sports record of 17 consecutive losing seasons in the 7th best franchise in baseball history. Well, up until 1992, they were a pretty damn good franchise, which had boasted such HOF talent as Honus Wagner, Paul Waner, Ralph Kiner, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Barry Bonds. Their five WS banners are the highest of any team up to this point, which is really a testament to how good this team was for the 90 years of the century. I am may get nailed for being a homer, but just look at the numbers below, and consider these as well: 33 times in their 108 years the Pirates had a winning percentage above .560, and they have 7 MVP awards to their credit. Although now an embarrassment, this team was a contender for a long, long time.
Seasons: 108
World Series Champ.: 5
NL Champ.: 9
Division Champ.: 9
Total Playoffs: 16
Winning Seasons: 62
HOFers: 12
Points Per Year (PPY): 34.71
PPY Rank: 8th
6. Boston Red Sox - 4,406 Points
Boston Americans (1901-07) (Boston, MA)
Boston Red Sox (1908- ) (Boston, MA)
The BoSox, like the Cubs, are now fabled for their history, futility, and stadium. However, they actually have some measure of success in recent years to point to. The long-time doormat to the more robust Yankees, the Sox have once again become relevant through solid management, and the dissolution of reasonable spending league-wide.
Although they went almost 90 years without a title, the Sox have seen a number of all-time players grace the diamond at Fenway - Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and Roger Clemens, just to name a few. Although better known for some of their heroic losses - 1-game playoff for the 1978 AL East crown, Game 6 of the 1986 Series - the recent version has erased a lot of those memories, and the Sox stand to make a move towards being one of the top-5 teams on this list.
Seasons: 108
World Series Champ.: 7
AL Champ.: 12
Division Champ.: 6
Total Playoffs: 19
Winning Seasons: 71
HOFers: 9
Points Per Year (PPY): 40.80
PPY Rank: 7th
5. Oakland Athletics - 4,844 Points
Philadelphia Athletics (1901-54) (Philadelphia, PA)
Kansas City Athletics (1955-67) (Kansas City, MO)
Oakland Athletics (1968- ) (Oakland, CA)
Slowly making their way across the country, the Athletics success since reaching Oakland has been astounding. Since 1968 alone, they have 4 World Titles and 6 Pennants to their credit. The Philadelphia version was home to Jimmie Foxx for the better part of his career, and somehow found a way to pick up 5 more titles along the way. Although the current economic status of the league has pushed the A's towards the bottom of the heap, between 2000 and 2006, the A's made the playoffs 5 of 7 seasons.
Seasons: 108
World Series Champ.: 9
AL Champ.: 15
Division Champ.: 13
Total Playoffs: 24
Winning Seasons: 51
HOFers: 14
Points Per Year (PPY): 44.85
PPY Rank: 6th
4. Los Angeles Dodgers - 5,241 Points
Brooklyn Superbas (1901-10, 1913) (New York, NY)
Brooklyn Robins (1914-31) (New York, NY)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1911-12, 1932-57) (New York, NY)
Los Angeles Dodgers (1958- ) (Los Angeles, CA)
Not much needs to be said about the Dodgers. The reason they sit at 4th, and not higher, is that they only got one title while in Brooklyn. Everyone knows the names, though: Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale. Once again the cream of the crop in the NL West, the Dodgers appear geared to reclaim their glory days.
Seasons: 108
World Series Champ.: 6
NL Champ.: 18
Division Champ.: 9
Total Playoffs: 25
Winning Seasons: 69
HOFers: 14
Points Per Year (PPY): 48.53
PPY Rank: 4th
3. St. Louis Cardinals - 5,567 Points
St. Louis Cardinals (1901- ) (St. Louis, MO)
Another one of the league's class franchises, the Cardinals have a long litany of great players - from the gas-house gang, to Stan Musial, to the Gibson-Brock-led Cardinals of the '60s, to the small-ball mastering Cards of the mid '80s, who featured Vince Coleman, Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee 1-2-3, to the present-day Cardinals who claim the best right-handed hitter of our era in Albert Pujols, and one of the best right-handed pitchers in Chris Carpenter. With one of the best fan bases in all of sports, the Cards have the potential to move into 2nd soon.
Seasons: 108
World Series Champ.: 10
NL Champ.: 17
Division Champ.: 10
Total Playoffs: 22
Winning Seasons: 69
HOFers: 15
Points Per Year (PPY): 51.55
PPY Rank: 3rd
2. San Francisco Giants - 6,077 Points
New York Giants (1901-57) (New York, NY)
San Francisco Giants (1958- ) (San Francisco, CA)
Although the Dodgers and Cards have been stronger in the last 50 years, the Giants were the original dominant team in all of baseball. It was the Giants in 1904 who felt so superior in their abilities that they refused to play a team from the lowly AL in the World Series. From Christy Mathewson and Mel Ott, to perhaps the greatest all-around player of all time in Willie Mays, to perhaps the greatest hitter of all-time in Barry Bonds, the Giants have been defined as much by their talent as by their accomplishments. Ultimately, though, they may be the most dominant NL team of all-time, but spent much of that time as second fiddle to our number 1...
1. New York Yankees - 11,000 Points
Baltimore Orioles (1901-02) (Baltimore, MD)
New York Highlanders (1903-12) (New York, NY)
New York Yankees (1913- ) (New York, NY)
For those of you who are wondering, no, I didn't make up some arbitrary round number that was double the next-best team. The Yankees are, plain and simple, that great. If you just think about an all-time Yankees team, you could field HOFers at basically every position... Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera. And the 26 world championships. Perhaps the most dominant team in all of professional sports.
Also worth noting is that 3 of the top 4 teams spent the first half of the century in New York City. And this was back when a lot of your talent was local - just goes to show how big a role the New York area played in the early development of MLB.
Seasons: 108
World Series Champ.: 26
AL Champ.: 39
Division Champ.: 15
Total Playoffs: 47
Winning Seasons: 85
HOFers: 21
Points Per Year (PPY): 101.85
PPY Rank: 1st
Seasons: 108
World Series Champ.: 4
NL Champ.: 20
Division Champ.: 6
Total Playoffs: 22
Winning Seasons: 75
HOFers: 25
Points Per Year (PPY): 56.27
PPY Rank: 2nd
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