The bad times returned to Detroit in 1994.
The Tigers had teased their fans with an unexpectedly strong 85-77 record in 1993, seemingly hinting at better times ahead. But they slipped back to their losing ways in ’94, finishing nine games below .500 over a strike-truncated schedule.
And there was worse to come, a decade-long streak of losing seasons that reached its nadir with 2003’s abysmal record of 43-119.
The latter version of the Tigers takes the spotlight today, as we examine the worst major-league clubs of the half-decade from 2001 through 2005. Detroit’s 2003 squad ranks at the very bottom, based on my calculations of team scores (TS).
All scores are plotted on an equalized 100-point scale, allowing fair comparisons of clubs from different seasons. (Click here to learn about the TS formula.) The ’03 Tigers posted a score of 7.040 points, easily the worst mark for any club during the 2001-2005 span — and, indeed, the second-worst of the entire Modern Era, the period between 1961 and 2022. (And who was dead last in the era? Another Detroit club, the 1996 version.)
The 2004 Arizona Diamondbacks, with a score of 10.445, are the runners-up in today’s parade of the half-decade’s weakest teams. They’re followed by the 2005 and 2004 versions of the Kansas City Royals and the 2002 Milwaukee Brewers.
Scroll downward to see a list of the bottom 10 teams of the half-decade. Each is shown with its win-loss record and the percentage of Modern Era clubs that it outperformed. (A total of 1,656 big-league clubs played in the era.) Team scores and additional information are provided for the five squads that were the very worst.
If you’re curious about the previous rankings in this series, follow these links to see the lowest-rated teams from 1961-1965, 1966-1970, 1971-1975, 1976-1980, 1981-1985, 1986-1990, 1991-1995, and 1996-2000.
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1. Detroit Tigers (2003)
Record: 43-119
Team score: 7.040 points
Modern Era percentile: 0.1%
Manager: Alan Trammell
Stars: Designated hitter Dmitri Young led the club with 29 homers, 85 runs batted in, and a .297 batting average. Mike Maroth topped the pitching staff with nine wins, though he also piled up 21 losses.
Bottom line: The Tigers had been submerged under .500 for the previous nine seasons, twice losing more than 100 games. But they sank even further in 2003, suffering a franchise-record 119 losses. Detroit finished 47 games behind Minnesota, the champs of the American League Central.
2. Arizona Diamondbacks (2004)
Record: 51-111
Team score: 10.445 points
Modern Era percentile: 0.7%
Manager: Bob Brenly and Al Pedrique
Stars: Future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson was saddled with a weak supporting cast, yet he still won 16 games, led the National League with 290 strikeouts, and finished second in voting for the Cy Young Award. Center fielder Steve Finley topped the club with 23 home runs.
Bottom line: The Diamondbacks dropped into last place in the National League West in the first week of July, a few days before they spiraled into the 14-game losing streak that tanked their season for good. The final standings showed Arizona 42 games behind division-leading Los Angeles.
3. Kansas City Royals (2005)
Record: 56-106
Team score: 10.715 points
Modern Era percentile: 0.9%
Manager: Tona Pena, Bob Schaefer, and Buddy Bell
Stars: Designated hitter Mike Sweeney put up solid numbers, including 21 homers, 83 RBIs, and a .300 batting average. Right fielder Emil Brown led the Royals in runs scored (75) and driven in (86). Closer Mike MacDougal picked up 21 saves.
Bottom line: The previous season was bad enough with 104 losses — see the next entry on this list — but the 2005 Royals were even worse with 106 defeats. The low point of the year was a 19-game losing streak that droned on from late July to the latter half of August.
4. Kansas City Royals (2004)
Record: 58-104
Team score: 14.882 points
Modern Era percentile: 1.9%
Manager: Tony Pena
Stars: Pitcher Zack Greinke, who was only 20 years old, went 8-11 with a 3.97 ERA. He finished fourth in the race for the American League’s Rookie of the Year Award. DH Mike Sweeney was the club leader in homers (22) and runs batted in (79).
Bottom line: The hopelessness of the 2004 season became obvious to Kansas City fans at the very start. The Royals took permanent possession of last place in the AL Central in late April. They posted losing records in each of the six months, bottoming out at 7-20 in July.
5. Milwaukee Brewers (2002)
Record: 56-106
Team score: 15.584 points
Modern Era percentile: 2.2%
Manager: Davey Lopes and Jerry Royster
Stars: First baseman Richie Sexson was Milwaukee’s chief power source. He swatted 37 doubles, launched 29 home runs, and drove home 102 runs, topping the club in all three categories. Ben Sheets anchored the starting rotation with an 11-16 record and 170 strikeouts.
Bottom line: The 2002 Brewers, with 106 losses, still stand as Milwaukee’s only big-league club to lose more than 97 games. They finished 41 games behind the champions of the National League Central, the St. Louis Cardinals.
Next five
6. Pittsburgh Pirates (2001), 62-100, 2.7%
7. Detroit Tigers (2002), 55-106, 3.7%
8. Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2002), 55-106, 4.4%
9. Colorado Rockies (2005), 67-95, 6.0%
10. Cincinnati Reds (2003), 69-93, 7.1%