In “Hardball Retrospective: Evaluating Scouting and Development Outcomes for the Modern-Era Franchises”, I placed every ballplayer in the modern era (from 1901-present) on their original team. Therefore, Bobby Grich is listed on the Browns / Orioles roster for the duration of his career while the Phillies declare Dick Allen and the Pirates claim Jose A. Bautista. I calculated revised standings for every season based entirely on the performance of each team’s “original” players. I discuss every team’s “original” players and seasons at length along with organizational performance with respect to the Amateur Draft (or First-Year Player Draft), amateur free agent signings and other methods of player acquisition.  Season standings, WAR and Win Shares totals for the “original” teams are compared against the “actual” team results to assess each franchise’s scouting, development and general management skills.

Expanding on my research for the book, the following series of articles will reveal the finest single-season rosters for every Major League organization based on overall rankings in OWAR and OWS along with the general managers and scouting directors that constructed the teams. “Hardball Retrospective” is available in digital format on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, GooglePlay, iTunes and KoboBooks. The paperback edition is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and CreateSpace. Supplemental Statistics, Charts and Graphs along with a discussion forum are offered at TuataraSoftware.com.

Don Daglow (Intellivision World Series Major League Baseball, Earl Weaver Baseball, Tony LaRussa Baseball) contributed the foreword for Hardball Retrospective. The foreword and preview of my book are accessible here.

Terminology

OWAR – Wins Above Replacement for players on “original” teams

OWS – Win Shares for players on “original” teams

OPW% – Pythagorean Won-Loss record for the “original” teams

Assessment

The 1992 San Diego Padres          OWAR: 52.6     OWS: 324     OPW%: .595

GM Jack McKeon acquired 84.2% (32/38) of the ballplayers on the 1992 Padres roster. Based on the revised standings the “Original” 1992 Padres won 96 contests but came up two games short of the Atlanta Braves for the division title. San Diego led the National League in OWAR and OWS.

The Padres’ offense featured seven players that registered at least 20 Win Shares. Roberto Alomar (.295/8/76) scored 105 runs, stole 49 bases and topped the Friars with 31 Win Shares. Carlos Baerga (.312/20/105) accrued 205 safeties and earned his first All-Star appearance. Shane Mack posted a .315 BA with 101 tallies and 26 steals. Dave Winfield crushed 33 two-baggers and 26 big-flies while plating 108 baserunners. The corner infield was anchored by John Kruk (.323/10/70) and Dave “Head” Hollins (.270/27/93). Ozzie “The Wizard” Smith batted .295 and continued his dazzling defensive displays to earn his 13^th consecutive Gold Glove Award. Tony Gwynn aka “Mr. Padre” batted .317 in the midst of an 19-year streak in which he hit .300 or better.

Gwynn ranked sixth among right fielders according to Bill James in “The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract.” Eight ballplayers from the 1992 Padres roster placed in the “NBJHBA” top 100 rankings including Ozzie Smith (7^th-SS), Roberto Alomar (10^th-2B), Dave Winfield (13^th-RF), Kevin McReynolds (45^th-LF), John Kruk (72^nd-1B), Ozzie Guillen (74^th-SS) and Carlos Baerga (93^rd-2B).

Andy Benes furnished a 3.35 ERA and notched 13 wins for the ’92 squad. Omar Olivares crafted an ERA of 3.84 and managed 9 victories in 30 starts. Bob Patterson saved 9 contests while Jim Austin fashioned a 1.85 ERA in 47 relief appearances.

The “Original” 1992 San Diego Padres roster

Honorable Mention

The “Original” 1989 Padres    OWAR: 46.4     OWS: 303     OPW%: .552

Tony Gwynn collected his fourth batting crown with a .336 BA and topped the circuit with 203 base knocks. Roberto Alomar batted .295 and pilfered 42 bases during his sophomore season. Ozzie Smith contributed 30 doubles and nabbed 29 bags while Kevin McReynolds jacked 22 long balls and knocked in 85 baserunners. Greg W. Harris accrued 8 wins and 6 saves to complement an ERA of 2.60, pitching primarily out of the bullpen. The Friars tied the Giants for second place in the National League West, two games behind the division-leading Reds.

On Deck

The “Original” 1986 Mets

References and Resources

Baseball America – Executive Database

Baseball-Reference

James, Bill. The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. New York, NY.: The Free Press, 2001. Print.

James, Bill, with Jim Henzler. Win Shares. Morton Grove, Ill.: STATS, 2002. Print.

Retrosheet – Transactions Database

Seamheads – Baseball Gauge

Sean Lahman Baseball Archive