We’re now exactly two and a half months into the baseball season, which is long enough to discern the relative strengths and weaknesses of all 30 big-league clubs.
The ups and downs of April, May, and the first half of June have divided fans into two groups, triggering these wildly different reactions to their favorite teams:
We’re really good. Could we end the year with a championship celebration?
We’re not very good. Remember when we actually contended for titles?
Optimists and pessimists are measuring their current squads against the glory days of the past, looking for signs of future success or failure. So I decided to do the same thing. I collected data for all 1,390 clubs that played during the past half-century (1971 to 2020), searching for the peak performance by each franchise.
The following results are based on my team score (TS) formula, which allows direct comparisons of clubs from different seasons.
The formula gives equal weight to four factors: winning percentage, the differential between runs scored and allowed per game, the differential between bases per out (BPO) attained by batters and allowed by pitchers, and postseason success.
It generates a score for each club on a 100-point scale, which is equalized from year to year. That means it’s possible to say that a 1975 club with a TS of 85 was better than a 2016 team with a score of 83.
Two clubs reached their zeniths at the very start of the 50-year period. The Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles, who met in the 1971 World Series, achieved their highest team scores of the 50-year span that year.
At the opposite end of the timeline is another pair of World Series opponents, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays, who both reached their highest scores in 2020’s truncated season.
Each entry below gives a franchise’s best team score between 1971 and 2020, along with that particular club’s rank (both in raw number and percentage) among the period’s 1,390 teams. You’ll also see its win-loss record, postseason ledger, bases per out (achieved and allowed), runs per game (scored and allowed), and most valuable player. The latter is based solely on wins above replacement (WAR), as measured by Baseball-Reference.com.
If your club is doing well this season, feel free to assess your title chances by comparing your current squad to the peak performance listed below.
If you’re struggling, well, you can always dream about better times.
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Angels (2002)
Team score: 77.467 points
Era rank: 54 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 96.18% of teams
Record: 99-63 (.611)
Postseason: Won AL title and World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .088 (.742 vs. .654)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 1.27 (5.25 vs. 3.98)
Team MVP: Darin Erstad, center field, 6.3 WAR
Astros (2017)
Team score: 84.140 points
Era rank: 18 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 98.78% of teams
Record: 101-61 (.623)
Postseason: Won AL title and World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .120 (.801 vs. .681)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 1.21 (5.53 vs. 4.32)
Team MVP: Jose Altuve, second base, 7.7 WAR
Athletics (1990)
Team score: 89.366 points
Era rank: 7 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 99.57% of teams
Record: 103-59 (.636)
Postseason: Won AL title, but lost World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .106 (.708 vs. .602)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 1.00 (4.52 vs. 3.52)
Team MVP: Rickey Henderson, left field, 9.9 WAR
Blue Jays (1993)
Team score: 82.767 points
Era rank: 23 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 98.42% of teams
Record: 95-67 (.586)
Postseason: Won AL title and World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .081 (.776 vs. .695)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 0.65 (5.23 vs. 4.58)
Team MVP: John Olerud, first base, 7.8 WAR
Braves (1995)
Team score: 84.662 points
Era rank: 16 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 98.92% of teams
Record: 90-54 (.625)
Postseason: Won NL title and World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .067 (.699 vs. .632)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 0.73 (4.48 vs. 3.75)
Team MVP: Greg Maddux, pitcher, 9.6 WAR
Brewers (1982)
Team score: 74.675 points
Era rank: 80 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 94.31% of teams
Record: 95-67 (.586)
Postseason: Won AL title, but lost World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .057 (.750 vs. .693)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 1.07 (5.47 vs. 4.40)
Team MVP: Robin Yount, shortstop, 10.5 WAR
Cardinals (2004)
Team score: 81.249 points
Era rank: 33 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 97.70% of teams
Record: 105-57 (.648)
Postseason: Won NL title, but lost World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .130 (.788 vs. .658)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 1.21 (5.28 vs. 4.07)
Team MVP: Scott Rolen, third base, 9.2 WAR
Cubs (2016)
Team score: 92.166 points
Era rank: 5 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 99.71% of teams
Record: 103-58 (.640)
Postseason: Won NL title and World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .161 (.755 vs. .594)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 1.56 (4.99 vs. 3.43)
Team MVP: Kris Bryant, third base, 7.3 WAR
Diamondbacks (2001)
Team score: 81.168 points
Era rank: 34 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 97.62% of teams
Record: 92-70 (.568)
Postseason: Won NL title and World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .088 (.757 vs. .669)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 0.87 (5.05 vs. 4.18)
Team MVP: Randy Johnson, pitcher, 9.5 WAR
Dodgers (2020)
Team score: 94.085 points
Era rank: 4 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 99.78% of teams
Record: 43-17 (.717)
Postseason: Won NL title and World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .245 (.811 vs. .566)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 2.27 (5.82 vs. 3.55)
Team MVP: Mookie Betts, right field, 3.6 WAR
Giants (2002)
Team score: 77.832 points
Era rank: 50 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 96.47% of teams
Record: 95-66 (.590)
Postseason: Won NL title, but lost World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .128 (.767 vs. .639)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 1.03 (4.83 vs. 3.80)
Team MVP: Barry Bonds, left field, 11.7 WAR
Indians (1995)
Team score: 87.220 points
Era rank: 10 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 99.35% of teams
Record: 100-44 (.694)
Postseason: Won AL title, but lost World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .158 (.835 vs. .677)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 1.61 (5.83 vs. 4.22)
Team MVP: Albert Belle, left field, 7.0 WAR
Mariners (2001)
Team score: 81.959 points
Era rank: 27 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 98.13% of teams
Record: 116-46 (.716)
Postseason: Made playoffs, but did not win AL title
BPO: Beat opponents by .187 (.811 vs. .624)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 1.85 (5.72 vs. 3.87)
Team MVP: Bret Boone, second base, 8.8 WAR
Marlins (1997)
Team score: 73.229 points
Era rank: 89 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 93.66% of teams
Record: 92-70 (.568)
Postseason: Won NL title and World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .035 (.720 vs. .685)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 0.44 (4.57 vs. 4.13)
Team MVP: Kevin Brown, pitcher, 6.8 WAR
Mets (1986)
Team score: 94.962 points
Era rank: 3 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 99.86% of teams
Record: 108-54 (.667)
Postseason: Won NL title and World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .114 (.714 vs. .600)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 1.26 (4.83 vs. 3.57)
Team MVP: Keith Hernandez, first base, 5.5 WAR
Nationals (2019)
Team score: 76.595 points
Era rank: 61 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 95.68% of teams
Record: 93-69 (.574)
Postseason: Won NL title and World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .097 (.787 vs. .690)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 0.92 (5.39 vs. 4.47)
Team MVP: Anthony Rendon, third base, 7.2 WAR
Orioles (1971)
Team score: 83.333 points
Era rank: 21 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 98.56% of teams
Record: 101-57 (.639)
Postseason: Won AL title, but lost World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .145 (.717 vs. .572)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 1.35 (4.70 vs. 3.35)
Team MVP: Brooks Robinson, third base, 6.0 WAR
Padres (1998)
Team score: 70.298 points
Era rank: 121 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 91.36% of teams
Record: 98-64 (.605)
Postseason: Won NL title, but lost World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .058 (.707 vs. .649)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 0.70 (4.62 vs. 3.92)
Team MVP: Kevin Brown, pitcher, 9.1 WAR
Phillies (2008)
Team score: 78.344 points
Era rank: 47 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 96.69% of teams
Record: 92-70 (.568)
Postseason: Won NL title and World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .061 (.762 vs. .701)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 0.73 (4.93 vs. 4.20)
Team MVP: Chase Utley, second base, 9.0 WAR
Pirates (1971)
Team score: 87.094 points
Era rank: 11 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 99.28% of teams
Record: 97-65 (.599)
Postseason: Won NL title and World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .096 (.693 vs. .597)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 1.16 (4.86 vs. 3.70)
Team MVP: Willie Stargell, left field, 7.9 WAR
Rangers (2011)
Team score: 78.226 points
Era rank: 49 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 96.54% of teams
Record: 96-66 (.593)
Postseason: Won AL title, but lost World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .135 (.774 vs. .639)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 1.10 (5.28 vs. 4.18)
Team MVP: Ian Kinsler, second base, 7.0 WAR
Rays (2020)
Team score: 77.699 points
Era rank: 51 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 96.40% of teams
Record: 40-20 (.667)
Postseason: Won AL title, but lost World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .107 (.748 vs. .641)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 1.00 (4.82 vs. 3.82)
Team MVP: Brandon Lowe, second base, 2.4 WAR
Red Sox (2007)
Team score: 85.711 points
Era rank: 13 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 99.14% of teams
Record: 96-66 (.593)
Postseason: Won AL title and World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .137 (.797 vs. .660)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 1.29 (5.35 vs. 4.06)
Team MVP: Josh Beckett, pitcher, 6.5 WAR
Reds (1975)
Team score: 90.713 points
Era rank: 6 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 99.64% of teams
Record: 108-54 (.667)
Postseason: Won NL title and World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .123 (.748 vs. .625)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 1.57 (5.19 vs. 3.62)
Team MVP: Joe Morgan, second base, 11.0 WAR
Rockies (2007)
Team score: 75.518 points
Era rank: 70 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 95.03% of teams
Record: 90-73 (.552)
Postseason: Won NL title, but lost World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .059 (.772 vs. .713)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 0.63 (5.28 vs. 4.65)
Team MVP: Troy Tulowitzki, shortstop, 6.8 WAR
Royals (2015)
Team score: 75.761 points
Era rank: 67 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 95.25% of teams
Record: 95-67 (.586)
Postseason: Won AL title and World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .021 (.680 vs. .659)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 0.51 (4.47 vs. 3.96)
Team MVP: Lorenzo Cain, center field, 7.0 WAR
Tigers (1984)
Team score: 97.109 points
Era rank: 1 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 100.00% of teams
Record: 104-58 (.642)
Postseason: Won AL title and World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .141 (.747 vs. .606)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 1.15 (5.12 vs. 3.97)
Team MVP: Alan Trammell, shortstop, 6.7 WAR
Twins (1991)
Team score: 82.261 points
Era rank: 25 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 98.27% of teams
Record: 95-67 (.586)
Postseason: Won AL title and World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .055 (.717 vs. .662)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 0.77 (4.79 vs. 4.02)
Team MVP: Kevin Tapani, pitcher, 6.8 WAR
White Sox (2005)
Team score: 75.291 points
Era rank: 72 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 94.89% of teams
Record: 99-63 (.611)
Postseason: Won AL title and World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .054 (.710 vs. .656)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 0.59 (4.57 vs. 3.98)
Team MVP: Mark Buehrle, pitcher, 4.8 WAR
Yankees (1998)
Team score: 96.123 points
Era rank: 2 of 1,390 teams (1971-2020)
Era percentile: Better than 99.93% of teams
Record: 114-48 (.704)
Postseason: Won AL title and World Series
BPO: Beat opponents by .174 (.823 vs. .649)
Runs per game: Beat opponents by 1.91 (5.96 vs. 4.05)
Team MVP: Derek Jeter, shortstop, 7.5 WAR