The Detroit Tigers have enjoyed several glorious years during baseball’s Modern Era, which dates back to 1961.
The best season of all was 1984, when the Tigers rolled to a 104-58 record in the regular season and subsequently needed just five games to dispatch the San Diego Padres in the World Series. Detroit’s ’84 squad still ranks first among all 1,656 big-league clubs since the beginning of the Modern Era, based on my calculations of team scores. (Click here to learn more about the TS formula.)
But the franchise has also endured more than its share of misery, with Detroit fielding seven of the era’s 100 worst teams. The 1996 and 2003 versions of the Tigers still rank as the two lousiest major-league clubs since 1961.
The swing in team scores has been amazingly broad. Detroit’s 1984 TS was 97.109 on a 100-point scale, a figure unsurpassed by any other club in the era. The 1996 Tigers, on the other hand, tanked with just 5.197 points, the worst reading for any team since 1961.
Which brings us to another episode of misery.
The 2019 Tigers posted an atrocious record of 47-114, which yielded a team score of 14.908, the worst mark for any big-league club in the half-decade from 2016 through 2020.
I’ve been examining the Modern Era’s worst clubs at five-year intervals every Monday since the first week of July. Today’s story, the penultimate installment in the 13-part series, is concerned with the 2016-2020 span.
Follow these links to see previous pieces about the worst teams in 1961-1965, 1966-1970, 1971-1975, 1976-1980, 1981-1985, 1986-1990, 1991-1995, 1996-2000, 2001-2005, 2006-2010, and 2011-2015.
The runner-up on today’s list of 2016-2020’s most miserable clubs is the 2018 Baltimore Orioles, who suffered 115 losses, one more than the 2019 Tigers, yet finished with a slightly better TS (15.199 for Baltimore vs. 14.908 for Detroit).
Rounding out the rankings of the half-decade’s five worst teams are the 2018 Miami Marlins, 2016 Minnesota Twins, and 2019 Marlins.
Look below for breakdowns of 2016-2020’s 10 tailenders. Each is listed with its win-loss record and its Modern Era percentile, the percentage of all clubs between 1961 and 2022 that it outperformed. Team scores and additional facts and figures are provided for the period’s five worst clubs.
Or you can take a more positive approach by following this link to my story about the best teams in today’s half-decade, 2016-2020.
Subscribe — free — to Baseball’s Best (and Worst)
A new installment will arrive in your email each weekday morning
1. Detroit Tigers (2019)
Record: 47-114
Team score: 14.908 points
Modern Era percentile: 2.0%
Manager: Ron Gardenhire
Stars: Designated hitter Miguel Cabrera led the Tigers in runs batted in (59) and on-base percentage (.346). First baseman Brandon Dixon was Detroit’s power king with 15 home runs. Starting pitcher Matthew Boyd led the staff with a 9-12 record.
Bottom line: The Tigers raised their fans’ expectations by winning 12 of their first 22 games, only to lose three-quarters of the remaining 139 contests. They sputtered to a 35-104 record between April 24 and the end of the season. Detroit finished 53.5 games off the pace in the American League Central.
2. Baltimore Orioles (2018)
Record: 47-115
Team score: 15.199 points
Modern Era percentile: 2.1%
Manager: Buck Showalter
Stars: Shortstop Manny Machado’s 65 RBIs were the most on the club in 2018, even though he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in July. Left fielder Trey Mancini tied Machado for the team lead in homers (24). Dylan Bundy notched eight victories, the most for any Baltimore pitcher.
Bottom line: The Orioles began to tear apart their roster in 2018, as evidenced by their willingness to trade Machado. They would follow their 115-loss season with two more triple-digit flops (108 losses in 2019, 110 in 2021) before being transformed into a legitimate contender in 2023.
3. Miami Marlins (2018)
Record: 63-98
Team score: 15.434 points
Modern Era percentile: 2.1%
Manager: Don Mattingly
Stars: Catcher J.T. Realmuto emerged as Miami’s leader in 2018, topping the club in homers (21), runs batted in (74), and slugging average (.484). He would be traded after the season. Jose Urena’s nine wins established him as the ace of the pitching staff.
Bottom line: Don Mattingly kept the Marlins in the vicinity of .500 in his first two years as manager (2016 and 2017), but trades and free-agent defections stripped his roster by 2018. A 17-30 start doomed Miami to last place in the National League East.
4. Minnesota Twins (2016)
Record: 59-103
Team score: 15.628 points
Modern Era percentile: 2.2%
Manager: Paul Molitor
Stars: Second baseman Brian Dozier enjoyed a strong season, bashing 42 homers and driving home 99 runs. Infielder Eduardo Nunez batted .296 and stole 27 bases. Starting pitcher Ervin Santana fashioned a sterling 3.38 ERA, yet he finished with a pedestrian 7-11 record.
Bottom line: The Twins had finished second in the AL Central in 2015, and they would finish second again in 2017, all of which made their 2016 collapse incomprehensible. The club fell apart in the final months of the ’16 season, especially during a 13-game losing streak in late August.
5. Miami Marlins (2019)
Record: 57-105
Team score: 16.109 points
Modern Era percentile: 2.5%
Manager: Don Mattingly
Stars: Starlin Castro was a solid presence at second base, as demonstrated by his team-leading 22 homers and 86 RBIs. Third baseman Brian Anderson paced the Marlins with a .468 slugging average. Sandy Alcantara, a 23-year-old starting pitcher, showed promise with a 3.88 ERA.
Bottom line: The Marlins suffered seven more losses in 2019 (105) than the year before (98). But the 2018 squad actually ranks slightly worse in terms of team score. Miami’s 2019 season went south from the beginning, with the Marlins losing 24 of their first 33 games.
Next five
6. Pittsburgh Pirates (2020), 19-41, 3.1%
7. Texas Rangers (2020), 22-38, 5.4%
8. Baltimore Orioles (2019), 54-108, 6.8%
9. Detroit Tigers (2020), 23-35, 7.6%
10. Detroit Tigers (2017), 64-98, 8.3%