Post by Sha-Le Unique on Jun 18, 2015 3:25:44 GMT -5
Missed this last season, so I'll just do this now for our first decade of HOFFBL history.
To make this interesting and a little more creative in an effort to make this look completely legit and feature no opinionated bias speculation, I decided to do a points system for this, as follows:
- Overall 10-year win-loss records will be ranked on a 2-40 point scale, which includes:
1st in Wins - 20 points
2nd in Wins - 18 points
3rd in Wins - 16 points
4th in Wins - 14 points
5th in Wins - 12 points
6th in Wins - 10 points
7th in Wins - 8 points
8th in Wins - 6 points
9th in Wins - 4 points
10th in Wins - 2 points
Some teams may have also had that one great season and did not reach similar success in other seasons. As a result, top win season ranks (in other words, ranking the # of wins in each team's best seasons) will be done on a 1-16 point season, to reflect that overall 10-year records are worth more, which makes sense.
Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 10 points
2nd Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 9 points
3rd Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 8 points
4th Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 7 points
5th Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 6 points
6th Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 5 points
7th Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 4 points
8th Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 3 points
9th Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 2 points
10th Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 1 point
In addition, if a team wins a division title, that's an additional 5 points per division title. If a team has won its league's respective pennant, they will get 10 points per pennant won. As for World Series championships, each team will get 20 points per championship won.
Let's get this started!
10. Houston Colt .45's
The Colt .45's are hoping that Joe Morgan can lead them to some success in the future.
Overall Record: 53-109 (10/10) - 2 points
Best Season: 53-109 in 1962 (10/10) - 1 point
Total: 3 points
The expansion Colt 45's start us off and only played 1 season within the first decade of league history. Expansion drafts of course do not provide teams with much major league talent to work with, so the Colt .45's are on a rebuild trying to get somewhere so that the city of Houston can enjoy some success down the road. The Houston farm is developing and with the NL West being such a tough division, the Colt .45's will have their work cut out going forward.
9. New York Mets
Joe Torre was the Mets' 1st ever draft pick and hopes to help the Mets become the first expansion team to get into the postseason.
Overall Record: 57-105 (9/10) - 4 points
Best Season: 57-105 in 1962 (9/10) - 2 points
Total: 6 points
The Mets' farm system quickly became one of the most developed systems in all of HOFFBL and with quite a bit of depth. On the major league level though, the Mets have struggled to pitch well at the hitter friendly Polo Grounds, while the bats have certainly done a bit better. But with a lot of top prospects close to being major league ready, plus new stadium plans being designed to relocate the team from Manhattan to Queens, there is a lot to look forward to for the Mets as they aim to become the first expansion team to have significant success in HOFFBL.
8. Chicago Cubs
Ernie Banks has spent his entire career with the Cubs and consistently been the face of the team.
Overall Record: 625-931 (8/10) - 6 points
Best Season: 84-70 in 1959 (7/10) - 4 points
Total: 10 points
Next up are the Billy Goat cursed Cubs, who have yet to find any long term success in this league. They were rebuilding from 1953-1958 and then finally put together a winning season in 1959 that saw them miss the playoffs by a close margin. Since then, the Cubbies had 3 more losing seasons to close out the 1st decade of HOFFBL history.
Finding protection in the lineup for the great Ernie Banks and outfielder George Altman seemed to be a problem for quite some time, but more recently, the addition of stud catcher Katsuya Nomura is just what the Cubs' lineup needed. Trading away slugger Leon Wagner cheaply to the rival Pirates certainly came back to bite the Cubs, while another trade involving third baseman Shigeo Nagashima has yet to pay off for them.
Pitching struggles though have hurt the Cubs even more, with no true ace being around pretty much ever. Even the $32.5 million given to the legendary Warren Spahn, who came out of retirement for 1 more season in 1961 didn't end up helping much. Tom Flanigan, Tom Cheney and Curt Barclay have all done serviceable jobs in the Windy City, but the lack of a true ace has not helped the cause at all.
The Cubs' future looks promising with a very good minor league system. The only question though is when the success will finally come. Time will tell.
7. Cincinnati Reds
Frank Robinson had some great seasons with the Reds during his time there through 1962.
Overall Record: 648-908 (7/10) - 8 points
Best Season: 72-82 in 1957 (8/10) - 3 points
Total: 11 points
Over the years, the Reds' hitting was consistently better than their pitching. They've had stars like Frank Robinson, Gus Bell, Ted Kluszewski and more recently, Orlando Cepeda around for quite some time. But because of their pitching struggles, the Reds have yet to put together a winning season. Not surprisingly, 8 of the Reds' top 10 prospects right now are hitters, which shows that more than likely, this trend will continue in the future. Unfortunately for the Reds, they do not have any money in their stadium account to change their stadium dimensions, which could be a solution for the future. It will be interesting to see how long it will take the Reds to finally get to the next level.
6. San Francisco Giants
Like Ernie Banks for the Cubs, Willie Mays has been the face of the Giants since the very beginning.
Overall Record: 778-778 (5/10) - 12 points
Best Season: 90-64 in 1954 (6/10) - 5 points
Total: 17 points
The Giants had an exact .500 record through the first decade of HOFFBL history, which show how much of a roller coaster it's been for them. They've had some solid seasons that just happened to be a bit worse than the competition, but also had some losing seasons in between.
Offensively, it starts with Willie Mays, who's well on track to be an all-time legend at the end of his career, with an NL MVP Award and 7 All-Star appearances under his belt by the end of 1962. Bill White and more recently, Willie McCovey and Gene Oliver have been huge parts of the Giants' lineup as well. Finding more depth in the lineup behind them though has been a struggle. On the pitching end, the Giants have struggled more and haven't really had much of a true ace to lead them over time. All in all, the Giants have had cornerstone hitters to build around, but have consistently lacked the additional role players needed to take a team to the next level.
The Giants' future looks decent, but not particularly promising unless more offensive depth is acquired, as well as an ace to lead the pitching staff. The Giants certainly have the GM to turn them into a consistent winner, but how much effort that GM will put in going forward remains to be seen.
5. Philadelphia Phillies
Longtime Phillies ace Curt Simmons holds just about every team pitching record.
Overall Record: 861-695 (3/10) - 16 points
Best Season: 93-61 in 1953 (5/10) - 6 points
2x Division Titles - 10 points
Total: 32 points
Through the first decade, the Phillies had just 1 losing season. However, despite all the winning seasons, they only have made the postseason twice with a pair of NL East division titles in 1958 and 1960. Both times though, they were victims of the Dodgers in the NLCS, who beat them 4 games to 3 in 1958 and swept them in 1960.
The Phillies have mostly been known for their pitching, which has always been led by Curt Simmons. The lifelong Phillie has yet to win an NL Cy Young Award, but has arguably been a top 10-15 pitcher throughout his career. Ned Garver, Robin Roberts, Roy Face, Roger Craig and Dallas Green have been among the other great Phillies starters over the years, while John Anderson has done very well as the longtime closer. Offensively, the Phillies have not been as strong, but had Hall of Fame outfielder Ted Williams for a while and Richie Ashburn for many years. Smoky Burgess, Jim Command, and Don Buddin are among the other great Phillies hitters historically.
The Phillies have more recently become more of a .500 team as a result of aging and will need to either add pieces to an old team or do a big rebuild in order to make some sort of progress.
4. Milwaukee Braves
Hank Aaron has been with the Braves since the start and quickly became one of the most exciting hitters in all of HOFFBL.
Overall Record: 884-672 (2/10) - 18 points
Best Season: 101-53 in 1953 (2/10) - 9 points
1x NL Pennant: 10 points
Total: 37 points
The Braves have consistently been one of the best teams in the NL. The only problem for them is that they've been stuck in a very tough NL West division. The Braves though started off HOFFBL history with a bang by winning the first ever NL pennant in 1953 before losing to the Yankees in the first ever World Series 4 games to 1.
The Braves for a long time had as solid of a core as anyone, with the trio of sluggers Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews and Joe Adcock leading the offense and the legendary Warren Spahn atop the pitching staff. Ralph Kiner, Wes Covington, Ed Charles have all made their marks in the Braves lineup, while Don Liddle, Johnny Antonelli, Ben Johnson, Joey Jay and more recently, Bill Monboquette have all done well in the Braves' starting rotation. Ernie Johnson Sr. and Don McMahon both had very good seasons as the Braves' closers.
The Braves have consistently had one of the best offenses in the NL, but their lack of pitching depth behind Spahn was what separated them from winning seasons and division titles. Now that Spahn is long gone, the Braves have certainly had trouble filling the void. A difference-making ace could have a huge impact and possibly change the outlook of the NL West. The Braves will keep competing for a while, but it's whether they can make that big trade for an ace that will prove whether they can get back to the playoffs or not.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates
Don Drysdale, the first ever #1 overall draft pick in HOFFBL history led the turn of the rebuilding Pirates into a consistent contender later on.
Overall Record: 662-894 (6/10) - 10 points
Best Season: 96-66 in 1962 (4/10) - 7 points
3x Division Titles - 15 points
2x NL Pennants - 20 points
Total: 52 points
At the beginning of the league, the Pirates started off with a mediocre major league team, but also had an above average farm system. So what did they do? They decided to a full rebuild to eventually bring consistent long-term success. Despite all the criticism from rival GM's for tanking for high draft picks (most of which have certainly paid off in the long run), the Pirates eventually turned into one of the most formidable NL teams, starting in 1958.
The Pirates missed out on the playoffs in 1958 after putting together their first winning record, but then won the NL East division title in 1959. After upsetting the heavily favored Dodgers 4 games to 1 in the NLCS, they lost to the White Sox in the 1959 World Series 4 games to 2.
A very close 2nd place finish in 1960 was disappointing for the Pirates, but they bounced back in 1961 to win their 2nd NL East division title. However, they lost this time to the eventual champion Dodgers in the NLCS 4 games to 3. The Pirates then held off the Phillies to win a 3rd NL East division title in 1962, in what was Stooolfan's first season at the helm (following my departure to the expansion Mets). This time, the Pirates got revenge against the Dodgers in the NLCS and won 4 games to 3, but lost again in the World Series this time to the Yankees 4 games to 3.
Since their winning years began, the Pirates have been led by the pitching of their fire-balling ace Don Drysdale, who has arguably one of, if not the most dominant power pitcher of his era. George Spencer, Ron Kline, Ken McBride, John Buzhardt, Robin Roberts, Vern Law and Bob Purkey have all been big parts to the Pirates' pitching over the years, while longtime closer Ike Delock has been one of the most reliable closers around for quite some time.
The Pirates' offense has not been as dominant as their pitching, but they've certainly had their fair share of good hitters, including Frank Thomas, Dick Stuart, Gail Harris, Clete Boyer, Gene Freese, Bob Skinner and Earl Averill. It was the more recent trades though for sluggers Frank Robinson and Leon Wagner that elevated the Pirates' offense to another level in 1962.
The Pirates should continue to compete for years to come, as long as they can successfully manage their small market finances.
2. St. Louis Cardinals
For many years, Stan Musial was the face of the Cardinals and helped lead them to a pair of championships.
Overall Record: 814-743 (4/10) - 14 points
Best Season: 98-56 in 1956 (3/10) - 8 points
2x NL Pennants - 20 points
2x World Series Championships - 40 points
Total: 82 points
For the first 5 seasons of HOFFBL history, the Cardinals were as good as anyone. They rode the bats of Stan Musial, Red Schoendienst and Roy Sievers, plus the arms of Vinegar Bend Mizell, Jackie Collum, Harvey Haddix, Stu Miller, Vic Raschi, Johnny Hetki and Fritz Dorish to two championships in 1954 and 1956. The 1954 team beat the Yankees in the World Series 4 games to 2 and the 1956 team repeated the trick by beating the Yankees again in the World Series 4 games to 2.
Aside from their championship seasons, the Cardinals were not as consistent in the other seasons. They had six consecutive winning seasons from 1953-1958 before rebuilding from 1959-1962. And with the NL pennant they later won in 1963, it seems like that rebuild clearly went well for them.
This newer generation of Cardinals features Lee Thomas and Shigeo Nagashima leading the offense and young ace Bob Gibson atop the pitching staff. They look to start another run of dominance throughout the rest of the 1960s. Time will tell whether that ends up leading to more championships.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Among all the superstars the Dodgers have had, none have been more crucial for the Dodgers than longtime ace Mickey McDermott, arguably the best pitcher thus far in HOFFBL history.
Overall Record: 1005-552 (1/10) - 20 points
Best Season: 112-50 in 1962 (1/10) - 10 points
5x Division Titles - 25 points
5x NL Pennants - 50 points
2x World Series Championships - 40 points
Total: 145 points
Obviously, this isn't even close. The Dodgers have been by far the most successful NL team to this point. They've had numerous offensive superstars like Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Carl Furillo, Jim Gilliam, Jim Gentile, Roberto Clemente. They've also had dependable pitchers like Mickey McDermott, Carl Erskine, Chris Van Cuyk, Glenn Cox and Sandy Koufax to contain opposing lineups.
The Dodgers have won 91 or more games every season thus far. After missing the playoffs in 1953 and 1954, the Dodgers won the NL pennant in 1955, but lost to the Yankees 4 games to 3 in the World Series. After missing the playoffs again in 1956, the Dodgers won another NL pennant in 1957 and lost to the Yankees in the World Series again 4 games to 1.
The 1958 Dodgers then won the first ever NL West division title (and have won it every season since) and beat the Phillies 4 games to 3 in the NLCS. The third time then was the charm as the Dodgers finally beat the Yankees 4 games to 2 in the World Series to capture their 1st championship. While the 1959 Dodgers lost to the Pirates 4 games to 1 in the NLCS, the 1960 Dodgers swept the Phillies in the NLCS before getting swept by the Tigers in the World Series.
The 1961 Dodgers bounced back and beat the Pirates 4 games to 3 in the NLCS. In the 1961 World Series, they defeated the Yankees 4 games to 2 to win their 2nd championship. The 1962 Dodgers lost to the Pirates in the NLCS 4 games to 3.
The Dodgers have since continued their NL West dominance by winning 2 more division titles in 1963 and 1964. With the talent they have on their roster, plus an above average farm system, the Dodgers could possibly keep winning forever. There is nothing to stop them from doing so. That being said, good luck to the rest of the NL West!
Next edition coming in 1968!
To make this interesting and a little more creative in an effort to make this look completely legit and feature no opinionated bias speculation, I decided to do a points system for this, as follows:
- Overall 10-year win-loss records will be ranked on a 2-40 point scale, which includes:
1st in Wins - 20 points
2nd in Wins - 18 points
3rd in Wins - 16 points
4th in Wins - 14 points
5th in Wins - 12 points
6th in Wins - 10 points
7th in Wins - 8 points
8th in Wins - 6 points
9th in Wins - 4 points
10th in Wins - 2 points
Some teams may have also had that one great season and did not reach similar success in other seasons. As a result, top win season ranks (in other words, ranking the # of wins in each team's best seasons) will be done on a 1-16 point season, to reflect that overall 10-year records are worth more, which makes sense.
Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 10 points
2nd Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 9 points
3rd Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 8 points
4th Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 7 points
5th Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 6 points
6th Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 5 points
7th Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 4 points
8th Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 3 points
9th Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 2 points
10th Most Wins in Team's Best Season - 1 point
In addition, if a team wins a division title, that's an additional 5 points per division title. If a team has won its league's respective pennant, they will get 10 points per pennant won. As for World Series championships, each team will get 20 points per championship won.
Let's get this started!
10. Houston Colt .45's
The Colt .45's are hoping that Joe Morgan can lead them to some success in the future.
Overall Record: 53-109 (10/10) - 2 points
Best Season: 53-109 in 1962 (10/10) - 1 point
Total: 3 points
The expansion Colt 45's start us off and only played 1 season within the first decade of league history. Expansion drafts of course do not provide teams with much major league talent to work with, so the Colt .45's are on a rebuild trying to get somewhere so that the city of Houston can enjoy some success down the road. The Houston farm is developing and with the NL West being such a tough division, the Colt .45's will have their work cut out going forward.
9. New York Mets
Joe Torre was the Mets' 1st ever draft pick and hopes to help the Mets become the first expansion team to get into the postseason.
Overall Record: 57-105 (9/10) - 4 points
Best Season: 57-105 in 1962 (9/10) - 2 points
Total: 6 points
The Mets' farm system quickly became one of the most developed systems in all of HOFFBL and with quite a bit of depth. On the major league level though, the Mets have struggled to pitch well at the hitter friendly Polo Grounds, while the bats have certainly done a bit better. But with a lot of top prospects close to being major league ready, plus new stadium plans being designed to relocate the team from Manhattan to Queens, there is a lot to look forward to for the Mets as they aim to become the first expansion team to have significant success in HOFFBL.
8. Chicago Cubs
Ernie Banks has spent his entire career with the Cubs and consistently been the face of the team.
Overall Record: 625-931 (8/10) - 6 points
Best Season: 84-70 in 1959 (7/10) - 4 points
Total: 10 points
Next up are the Billy Goat cursed Cubs, who have yet to find any long term success in this league. They were rebuilding from 1953-1958 and then finally put together a winning season in 1959 that saw them miss the playoffs by a close margin. Since then, the Cubbies had 3 more losing seasons to close out the 1st decade of HOFFBL history.
Finding protection in the lineup for the great Ernie Banks and outfielder George Altman seemed to be a problem for quite some time, but more recently, the addition of stud catcher Katsuya Nomura is just what the Cubs' lineup needed. Trading away slugger Leon Wagner cheaply to the rival Pirates certainly came back to bite the Cubs, while another trade involving third baseman Shigeo Nagashima has yet to pay off for them.
Pitching struggles though have hurt the Cubs even more, with no true ace being around pretty much ever. Even the $32.5 million given to the legendary Warren Spahn, who came out of retirement for 1 more season in 1961 didn't end up helping much. Tom Flanigan, Tom Cheney and Curt Barclay have all done serviceable jobs in the Windy City, but the lack of a true ace has not helped the cause at all.
The Cubs' future looks promising with a very good minor league system. The only question though is when the success will finally come. Time will tell.
7. Cincinnati Reds
Frank Robinson had some great seasons with the Reds during his time there through 1962.
Overall Record: 648-908 (7/10) - 8 points
Best Season: 72-82 in 1957 (8/10) - 3 points
Total: 11 points
Over the years, the Reds' hitting was consistently better than their pitching. They've had stars like Frank Robinson, Gus Bell, Ted Kluszewski and more recently, Orlando Cepeda around for quite some time. But because of their pitching struggles, the Reds have yet to put together a winning season. Not surprisingly, 8 of the Reds' top 10 prospects right now are hitters, which shows that more than likely, this trend will continue in the future. Unfortunately for the Reds, they do not have any money in their stadium account to change their stadium dimensions, which could be a solution for the future. It will be interesting to see how long it will take the Reds to finally get to the next level.
6. San Francisco Giants
Like Ernie Banks for the Cubs, Willie Mays has been the face of the Giants since the very beginning.
Overall Record: 778-778 (5/10) - 12 points
Best Season: 90-64 in 1954 (6/10) - 5 points
Total: 17 points
The Giants had an exact .500 record through the first decade of HOFFBL history, which show how much of a roller coaster it's been for them. They've had some solid seasons that just happened to be a bit worse than the competition, but also had some losing seasons in between.
Offensively, it starts with Willie Mays, who's well on track to be an all-time legend at the end of his career, with an NL MVP Award and 7 All-Star appearances under his belt by the end of 1962. Bill White and more recently, Willie McCovey and Gene Oliver have been huge parts of the Giants' lineup as well. Finding more depth in the lineup behind them though has been a struggle. On the pitching end, the Giants have struggled more and haven't really had much of a true ace to lead them over time. All in all, the Giants have had cornerstone hitters to build around, but have consistently lacked the additional role players needed to take a team to the next level.
The Giants' future looks decent, but not particularly promising unless more offensive depth is acquired, as well as an ace to lead the pitching staff. The Giants certainly have the GM to turn them into a consistent winner, but how much effort that GM will put in going forward remains to be seen.
5. Philadelphia Phillies
Longtime Phillies ace Curt Simmons holds just about every team pitching record.
Overall Record: 861-695 (3/10) - 16 points
Best Season: 93-61 in 1953 (5/10) - 6 points
2x Division Titles - 10 points
Total: 32 points
Through the first decade, the Phillies had just 1 losing season. However, despite all the winning seasons, they only have made the postseason twice with a pair of NL East division titles in 1958 and 1960. Both times though, they were victims of the Dodgers in the NLCS, who beat them 4 games to 3 in 1958 and swept them in 1960.
The Phillies have mostly been known for their pitching, which has always been led by Curt Simmons. The lifelong Phillie has yet to win an NL Cy Young Award, but has arguably been a top 10-15 pitcher throughout his career. Ned Garver, Robin Roberts, Roy Face, Roger Craig and Dallas Green have been among the other great Phillies starters over the years, while John Anderson has done very well as the longtime closer. Offensively, the Phillies have not been as strong, but had Hall of Fame outfielder Ted Williams for a while and Richie Ashburn for many years. Smoky Burgess, Jim Command, and Don Buddin are among the other great Phillies hitters historically.
The Phillies have more recently become more of a .500 team as a result of aging and will need to either add pieces to an old team or do a big rebuild in order to make some sort of progress.
4. Milwaukee Braves
Hank Aaron has been with the Braves since the start and quickly became one of the most exciting hitters in all of HOFFBL.
Overall Record: 884-672 (2/10) - 18 points
Best Season: 101-53 in 1953 (2/10) - 9 points
1x NL Pennant: 10 points
Total: 37 points
The Braves have consistently been one of the best teams in the NL. The only problem for them is that they've been stuck in a very tough NL West division. The Braves though started off HOFFBL history with a bang by winning the first ever NL pennant in 1953 before losing to the Yankees in the first ever World Series 4 games to 1.
The Braves for a long time had as solid of a core as anyone, with the trio of sluggers Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews and Joe Adcock leading the offense and the legendary Warren Spahn atop the pitching staff. Ralph Kiner, Wes Covington, Ed Charles have all made their marks in the Braves lineup, while Don Liddle, Johnny Antonelli, Ben Johnson, Joey Jay and more recently, Bill Monboquette have all done well in the Braves' starting rotation. Ernie Johnson Sr. and Don McMahon both had very good seasons as the Braves' closers.
The Braves have consistently had one of the best offenses in the NL, but their lack of pitching depth behind Spahn was what separated them from winning seasons and division titles. Now that Spahn is long gone, the Braves have certainly had trouble filling the void. A difference-making ace could have a huge impact and possibly change the outlook of the NL West. The Braves will keep competing for a while, but it's whether they can make that big trade for an ace that will prove whether they can get back to the playoffs or not.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates
Don Drysdale, the first ever #1 overall draft pick in HOFFBL history led the turn of the rebuilding Pirates into a consistent contender later on.
Overall Record: 662-894 (6/10) - 10 points
Best Season: 96-66 in 1962 (4/10) - 7 points
3x Division Titles - 15 points
2x NL Pennants - 20 points
Total: 52 points
At the beginning of the league, the Pirates started off with a mediocre major league team, but also had an above average farm system. So what did they do? They decided to a full rebuild to eventually bring consistent long-term success. Despite all the criticism from rival GM's for tanking for high draft picks (most of which have certainly paid off in the long run), the Pirates eventually turned into one of the most formidable NL teams, starting in 1958.
The Pirates missed out on the playoffs in 1958 after putting together their first winning record, but then won the NL East division title in 1959. After upsetting the heavily favored Dodgers 4 games to 1 in the NLCS, they lost to the White Sox in the 1959 World Series 4 games to 2.
A very close 2nd place finish in 1960 was disappointing for the Pirates, but they bounced back in 1961 to win their 2nd NL East division title. However, they lost this time to the eventual champion Dodgers in the NLCS 4 games to 3. The Pirates then held off the Phillies to win a 3rd NL East division title in 1962, in what was Stooolfan's first season at the helm (following my departure to the expansion Mets). This time, the Pirates got revenge against the Dodgers in the NLCS and won 4 games to 3, but lost again in the World Series this time to the Yankees 4 games to 3.
Since their winning years began, the Pirates have been led by the pitching of their fire-balling ace Don Drysdale, who has arguably one of, if not the most dominant power pitcher of his era. George Spencer, Ron Kline, Ken McBride, John Buzhardt, Robin Roberts, Vern Law and Bob Purkey have all been big parts to the Pirates' pitching over the years, while longtime closer Ike Delock has been one of the most reliable closers around for quite some time.
The Pirates' offense has not been as dominant as their pitching, but they've certainly had their fair share of good hitters, including Frank Thomas, Dick Stuart, Gail Harris, Clete Boyer, Gene Freese, Bob Skinner and Earl Averill. It was the more recent trades though for sluggers Frank Robinson and Leon Wagner that elevated the Pirates' offense to another level in 1962.
The Pirates should continue to compete for years to come, as long as they can successfully manage their small market finances.
2. St. Louis Cardinals
For many years, Stan Musial was the face of the Cardinals and helped lead them to a pair of championships.
Overall Record: 814-743 (4/10) - 14 points
Best Season: 98-56 in 1956 (3/10) - 8 points
2x NL Pennants - 20 points
2x World Series Championships - 40 points
Total: 82 points
For the first 5 seasons of HOFFBL history, the Cardinals were as good as anyone. They rode the bats of Stan Musial, Red Schoendienst and Roy Sievers, plus the arms of Vinegar Bend Mizell, Jackie Collum, Harvey Haddix, Stu Miller, Vic Raschi, Johnny Hetki and Fritz Dorish to two championships in 1954 and 1956. The 1954 team beat the Yankees in the World Series 4 games to 2 and the 1956 team repeated the trick by beating the Yankees again in the World Series 4 games to 2.
Aside from their championship seasons, the Cardinals were not as consistent in the other seasons. They had six consecutive winning seasons from 1953-1958 before rebuilding from 1959-1962. And with the NL pennant they later won in 1963, it seems like that rebuild clearly went well for them.
This newer generation of Cardinals features Lee Thomas and Shigeo Nagashima leading the offense and young ace Bob Gibson atop the pitching staff. They look to start another run of dominance throughout the rest of the 1960s. Time will tell whether that ends up leading to more championships.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Among all the superstars the Dodgers have had, none have been more crucial for the Dodgers than longtime ace Mickey McDermott, arguably the best pitcher thus far in HOFFBL history.
Overall Record: 1005-552 (1/10) - 20 points
Best Season: 112-50 in 1962 (1/10) - 10 points
5x Division Titles - 25 points
5x NL Pennants - 50 points
2x World Series Championships - 40 points
Total: 145 points
Obviously, this isn't even close. The Dodgers have been by far the most successful NL team to this point. They've had numerous offensive superstars like Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Carl Furillo, Jim Gilliam, Jim Gentile, Roberto Clemente. They've also had dependable pitchers like Mickey McDermott, Carl Erskine, Chris Van Cuyk, Glenn Cox and Sandy Koufax to contain opposing lineups.
The Dodgers have won 91 or more games every season thus far. After missing the playoffs in 1953 and 1954, the Dodgers won the NL pennant in 1955, but lost to the Yankees 4 games to 3 in the World Series. After missing the playoffs again in 1956, the Dodgers won another NL pennant in 1957 and lost to the Yankees in the World Series again 4 games to 1.
The 1958 Dodgers then won the first ever NL West division title (and have won it every season since) and beat the Phillies 4 games to 3 in the NLCS. The third time then was the charm as the Dodgers finally beat the Yankees 4 games to 2 in the World Series to capture their 1st championship. While the 1959 Dodgers lost to the Pirates 4 games to 1 in the NLCS, the 1960 Dodgers swept the Phillies in the NLCS before getting swept by the Tigers in the World Series.
The 1961 Dodgers bounced back and beat the Pirates 4 games to 3 in the NLCS. In the 1961 World Series, they defeated the Yankees 4 games to 2 to win their 2nd championship. The 1962 Dodgers lost to the Pirates in the NLCS 4 games to 3.
The Dodgers have since continued their NL West dominance by winning 2 more division titles in 1963 and 1964. With the talent they have on their roster, plus an above average farm system, the Dodgers could possibly keep winning forever. There is nothing to stop them from doing so. That being said, good luck to the rest of the NL West!
Next edition coming in 1968!
