sportznut
02-22-2005, 08:51 PM
Best Fantasy Seasons of All Time (100-81)
Monday, February 14, 2005
Modified: Thursday, February 17, 2005
As we count down the days to the 2005 fantasy baseball season, we're also taking a look back at the history of our game. Taking into account both the years before and after the advent of Rotisserie Baseball in the early 1980s, we're counting down the top 100 single seasons in fantasy baseball history. Here are Nos. 100-81:
100. Mike Schmidt, 3B, 1981 Philadelphia Phillies
Stats: .316 AVG, 31 HR, 91 RBI, 12 SB, 78 R, 354 AB
A performance from the strike-shortened 1981 season warrants mention on this list? Schmidt's statistics in that shortened year were head and shoulders above the rest of the league. Project his numbers to a full year and he would have had 47 homers, 138 RBI, 18 steals and 118 runs. Schmidt winds up as the first of only two third basemen in the top 100; the position has simply lacked a true five-category superstar.
99. Nolan Ryan, SP, 1973 California Angels
Stats: 21-16 record, 1 SV, 2.87 ERA, 1.227 WHIP, 383 K, 326 IP
He might not have excelled in the early days of Rotisserie 4x4 scoring, but Ryan is still considered the greatest power pitcher in baseball history. His 383 strikeouts are still a modern (post-1900) record, and he did manage the fifth-most wins in the majors, while finishing in the top 10 in the American League in ERA and WHIP.
98. Mike Marshall, RP, 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers
Stats: 15-12 record, 21 SV, 2.42 ERA, 1.186 WHIP, 143 K, 208.1 IP
From 1972-74, Marshall was perhaps the game's most dominant, durable closer. In his first year with Los Angeles in 1974, he managed to earn the National League's Cy Young award and set major-league records with 106 appearances and 208.1 innings pitched in relief. To put that into perspective, only 27 starters threw that many frames in 2004. That made his 2.42 ERA -- fourth in baseball -- about as valuable as a starter's today.
http://www.espn.go.com/media/fantasy/2005/0216/photo/a_campanella_fht.jpg
Roy Campanella was great behind the dish.
97. Roy Campanella, C, 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers
Stats: .312 AVG, 41 HR, 142 RBI, 4 SB, 103 R, 519 AB
The first of two catchers to make the top 100, Campanella finished in the top five in homers and RBI en route to winning his second of three NL Most Valuable Player awards. He and Yogi Berra, who also won three AL MVP awards in the 1950s, would have been the class of the position in fantasy leagues, but Campanella's 1953 represents the decade's best effort. Sadly, he would have been one of the more frustrating fantasy selections; in his career, he averaged .301-28-100 totals in odd-numbered years, .248-20-71 in even-numbered years.
96. Greg Maddux, SP, 1994 Atlanta Braves
Stats: 16-6 record, 1.56 ERA, 0.896 WHIP, 156 K, 202 IP
In the other major strike-shortened season in 1994, Maddux was effectively a model of perfection. The NL's Cy Young award winner, Maddux led the majors in ERA and WHIP and finished in the top five in wins and strikeouts. How dominant was he? Maddux's ERA was 1.09 lower and his WHIP was 0.130 lower than anyone else's that year.
95. Bruce Sutter, RP, 1977 Chicago Cubs
Stats: 7-3 record, 31 SV, 1.34 ERA, 0.857 WHIP, 129 K, 107.1 IP
He finished second in the majors in saves and sixth in the NL Cy Young balloting, but Sutter's 1977 was still one of the best by fantasy standards. Back then, a closer threw more innings than they do today, which is what makes Sutter's ratios so impressive. He finished with an ERA a full run lower than the leading starter, John Candelaria, and a WHIP 0.157 lower than Tom Seaver's.
94. Willie Mays, OF, 1956 New York Giants
Stats: .296 AVG, 36 HR, 84 RBI, 40 SB, 101 R, 578 AB
This won't be the last time you see the great Willie Mays on this list, so why not start with one of his two 30/30 campaigns? In 1956, he became only the second member of that club, and the first in 34 years. He led the majors in just one prominent offensive category -- stolen bases -- just a year after topping the majors in home runs. Now that's a well-rounded fantasy superstar.
93. Mike Piazza, C, 1997 Los Angeles Dodgers
Stats: .362 AVG, 40 HR, 124 RBI, 5 SB, 104 R, 556 AB
The second and final catcher to make the top 100, Piazza finished second in the NL MVP voting in the best year of his career in 1997, to a player you'll also find in the top 100. Piazza finished in the top 10 in the majors in batting average, home runs and RBI, and he batted 38 points higher and had 10 more homers and 38 more RBI than any other backstop. Most will tell you this was the best hitting season by a catcher in baseball history; fantasy owners certainly won't disagree.
BEYOND THE BEST
It's pretty incredible that just two third basemen cracked the top 100, and the ones who did, Mike Schmidt and Al Rosen, ranked no higher than 92nd. Sadly, the position has seen few truly record-setting campaigns, with no third baseman ever topping 48 homers or 145 RBI in a single season. There have been some impressive feats from third basemen, including four 30/30 efforts, but few all-around dominant years. Here are some of the "honorable mentions":
Tommy Harper, 1970 Milwaukee Brewers:
.296 AVG, 31 HR, 82 RBI, 38 SB, 104 R
George Brett, 1980 Kansas City Royals:
.390 AVG, 24 HR, 118 RBI, 15 SB, 87 R
Mike Schmidt, 1980 Philadelphia Phillies:
.286 AVG, 48 HR, 121 RBI, 12 SB, 104 R
Howard Johnson, 1987 New York Mets:
.265 AVG, 36 HR, 99 RBI, 32 SB, 93 R
Howard Johnson, 1989 New York Mets:
.287 AVG, 36 HR, 101 RBI, 41 SB, 104 R
Howard Johnson, 1991 New York Mets:
.259 AVG, 38 HR, 117 RBI, 30 SB, 108 R
Adrian Beltre, 2004 Los Angeles Dodgers:
.334 AVG, 48 HR, 121 RBI, 7 SB, 104 R
92. Al Rosen, 3B, 1953 Cleveland Indians
Stats: .336 AVG, 43 HR, 145 RBI, 8 SB, 115 R
The second and final third baseman to make the top 100, Rosen set a single-season record for the position with his 145 RBI in 1953. He finished the year as the major-league leader in the category, placed second in homers, fifth in runs scored and sixth in batting average en route to winning the AL MVP. Unfortunately, Rosen's homers and RBI would decline in each of the following three seasons, and he'd be out of baseball just four years later.
91. Lindy McDaniel, RP, 1960 St. Louis Cardinals
Stats: 12-4 record, 26 SV, 2.09 ERA, 0.937 WHIP, 105 K, 116.1 IP
The "save," one of Rotisserie Baseball's primary categories, was "invented" just one year before McDaniel's career year, and it wouldn't become an official statistic for another six years. But we're applying the dynamics of fantasy baseball to a history that largely didn't even entertain our game, so why can't we also retroactively consider McDaniel's save total from 1960? He led the majors with 26 saves, at the time setting an NL record.
90. Ernie Banks, SS, 1958 Chicago Cubs
Stats: .313 AVG, 47 HR, 129 RBI, 4 SB, 119 R, 617 AB
Until "Mr. Cub" burst onto the scene, power hitting was an unheard of trait in a shortstop. Banks set a major-league record for homers at the position just three years earlier, but he would break that mark in 1958 by swatting 47 homers, a record that would stand for another 43 years. Banks led the majors in homers and RBI and finished in the top 10 in batting average and runs scored, earning NL MVP honors. He might serve as baseball history's best example that fantasy stars can be found on losing teams; his Cubs finished below .500 in his first 10 seasons, and he would never appear in the postseason.
89. Rickey Henderson, OF, 1982 Oakland Athletics
Stats: .267 AVG, 10 HR, 51 RBI, 130 SB, 119 R, 536 AB
Though he had the lowest batting average of any player in the top 100, Henderson was one of the best players in the early days of Rotisserie Baseball, and it was all a result of his speed. His 130 steals are still a modern record, and they were 52 more than anyone else in the majors. In fact, he had more steals than nine of the 13 other AL teams in 1982.
88. Dan Quisenberry, RP, 1983 Kansas City Royals
Stats: 5-3 record, 45 SV, 1.94 ERA, 0.928 WHIP, 48 K, 139 IP
He was never a strikeout artist, which set him apart from the game's all-time great closers, but Quisenberry was about as effective as they come in 1983. At the time, he shattered the single-season record for saves, finishing 12 ahead of anyone else that year, and finished second in the AL Cy Young balloting to LaMarr Hoyt.
87. Barry Bonds, OF, 1990 Pittsburgh Pirates
Stats: .301 AVG, 33 HR, 114 RBI, 52 SB, 104 R, 519 AB
This was the year in which Bonds elevated himself to superstar level, as he joined the 30/30 club for the first time and set a career high with 52 stolen bases en route to his first NL MVP award. Though he didn't lead the league in any prominent fantasy category, he did finish in the top 10 in the majors in homers, RBI, stolen bases and runs scored, while winning the first of his nine career NL OPS crowns.
86. Willie Mays, OF, 1965 San Francisco Giants
Stats: .317 AVG, 52 HR, 112 RBI, 9 SB, 118 R, 558 AB
The first player to appear twice on this list, Mays' 1965 is most notable in that it was the final time he managed either a .300 average or 40 homers. He set a new career high with 52 homers, leading the majors by 13, and finished in the top five in batting average, RBI and runs scored. His 1.043 OPS was the third-highest of his career.
85. Randy Johnson, SP, 1997 Seattle Mariners
Stats: 20-4 record, 2.28 ERA, 1.052 WHIP, 291 K, 213 IP
The Big Unit's first 20-win campaign came one year after back surgery limited him to just 14 appearances. In one of the best comeback campaigns in fantasy history, Johnson finished second in the majors in wins, fourth in ERA and strikeouts and sixth in WHIP. While he finished second in the AL Cy Young race, his 2.28 ERA remains a career high.
Rollie Fingers (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlbhist/alltime/playercard?playerId=4288&type=1)
Relief Pitcher
Milwaukee Brewershttp://www.espn.go.com/media/fantasy/2005/0214/photo/fingers_m.jpgProfile (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlbhist/alltime/playercard?playerId=4288&type=1)
1981 SEASON STATISTICSGMWLSvKERA476328611.0484. Rollie Fingers, RP, 1981 Milwaukee Brewers
Stats: 6-3 record, 28 SV, 1.04 ERA, 0.872 WHIP, 61 K, 78 IP
The final member of the 1981 fantasy baseball class to make the all-time top 100, Fingers won both the AL MVP and Cy Young awards in that strike-shortened season. Most people who remember that year will tell you that he was about as automatic as a closer has been in history, as he managed a win or save in 54.8 percent of the Brewers' victories.
83. Al Simmons, OF, 1930 Philadelphia Athletics
Stats: .381 AVG, 36 HR, 165 RBI, 9 SB, 152 R, 554 AB
He didn't garner a single AL MVP vote for his efforts in 1930, but Simmons gets much-deserved attention in our top 100. Even though that was a hitting-friendly season, Simmons still should have received more credit despite finishing third in the majors in runs scored, fourth in RBI, fifth in batting average and ninth in homers. His 165 RBI rank 13th all-time, and his .381 average and 152 runs also rank highly among the all-time greats.
82. Ed Walsh, SP, 1908 Chicago White Sox
Stats: 40-15 record, 6 SV, 1.42 ERA, 0.860 WHIP, 269 K, 464 IP
He's one of two pitchers since 1900 to win 40 games in a season, and Walsh led the majors in wins and strikeouts while finishing in the top five in ERA and WHIP. He was one of the early masters of the split-finger fastball, and he earned 45.5 percent of the White Sox's 88 wins that year -- still an AL record.
81. Jackie Robinson, 2B, 1949 Brooklyn Dodgers
Stats: .342 AVG, 16 HR, 124 RBI, 37 SB, 122 R, 593 AB
Breaking the "unwritten" color barrier was an impressive feat in itself, but Robinson would establish himself as one of the game's all-around greats in 1949, his third season in the majors and the year he won the NL MVP award. In his first full year at second base -- he began in the majors as a first baseman -- he led the majors in stolen bases and finished third in batting average, fifth in RBI and sixth in runs scored.
Monday, February 14, 2005
Modified: Thursday, February 17, 2005
As we count down the days to the 2005 fantasy baseball season, we're also taking a look back at the history of our game. Taking into account both the years before and after the advent of Rotisserie Baseball in the early 1980s, we're counting down the top 100 single seasons in fantasy baseball history. Here are Nos. 100-81:
100. Mike Schmidt, 3B, 1981 Philadelphia Phillies
Stats: .316 AVG, 31 HR, 91 RBI, 12 SB, 78 R, 354 AB
A performance from the strike-shortened 1981 season warrants mention on this list? Schmidt's statistics in that shortened year were head and shoulders above the rest of the league. Project his numbers to a full year and he would have had 47 homers, 138 RBI, 18 steals and 118 runs. Schmidt winds up as the first of only two third basemen in the top 100; the position has simply lacked a true five-category superstar.
99. Nolan Ryan, SP, 1973 California Angels
Stats: 21-16 record, 1 SV, 2.87 ERA, 1.227 WHIP, 383 K, 326 IP
He might not have excelled in the early days of Rotisserie 4x4 scoring, but Ryan is still considered the greatest power pitcher in baseball history. His 383 strikeouts are still a modern (post-1900) record, and he did manage the fifth-most wins in the majors, while finishing in the top 10 in the American League in ERA and WHIP.
98. Mike Marshall, RP, 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers
Stats: 15-12 record, 21 SV, 2.42 ERA, 1.186 WHIP, 143 K, 208.1 IP
From 1972-74, Marshall was perhaps the game's most dominant, durable closer. In his first year with Los Angeles in 1974, he managed to earn the National League's Cy Young award and set major-league records with 106 appearances and 208.1 innings pitched in relief. To put that into perspective, only 27 starters threw that many frames in 2004. That made his 2.42 ERA -- fourth in baseball -- about as valuable as a starter's today.
http://www.espn.go.com/media/fantasy/2005/0216/photo/a_campanella_fht.jpg
Roy Campanella was great behind the dish.
97. Roy Campanella, C, 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers
Stats: .312 AVG, 41 HR, 142 RBI, 4 SB, 103 R, 519 AB
The first of two catchers to make the top 100, Campanella finished in the top five in homers and RBI en route to winning his second of three NL Most Valuable Player awards. He and Yogi Berra, who also won three AL MVP awards in the 1950s, would have been the class of the position in fantasy leagues, but Campanella's 1953 represents the decade's best effort. Sadly, he would have been one of the more frustrating fantasy selections; in his career, he averaged .301-28-100 totals in odd-numbered years, .248-20-71 in even-numbered years.
96. Greg Maddux, SP, 1994 Atlanta Braves
Stats: 16-6 record, 1.56 ERA, 0.896 WHIP, 156 K, 202 IP
In the other major strike-shortened season in 1994, Maddux was effectively a model of perfection. The NL's Cy Young award winner, Maddux led the majors in ERA and WHIP and finished in the top five in wins and strikeouts. How dominant was he? Maddux's ERA was 1.09 lower and his WHIP was 0.130 lower than anyone else's that year.
95. Bruce Sutter, RP, 1977 Chicago Cubs
Stats: 7-3 record, 31 SV, 1.34 ERA, 0.857 WHIP, 129 K, 107.1 IP
He finished second in the majors in saves and sixth in the NL Cy Young balloting, but Sutter's 1977 was still one of the best by fantasy standards. Back then, a closer threw more innings than they do today, which is what makes Sutter's ratios so impressive. He finished with an ERA a full run lower than the leading starter, John Candelaria, and a WHIP 0.157 lower than Tom Seaver's.
94. Willie Mays, OF, 1956 New York Giants
Stats: .296 AVG, 36 HR, 84 RBI, 40 SB, 101 R, 578 AB
This won't be the last time you see the great Willie Mays on this list, so why not start with one of his two 30/30 campaigns? In 1956, he became only the second member of that club, and the first in 34 years. He led the majors in just one prominent offensive category -- stolen bases -- just a year after topping the majors in home runs. Now that's a well-rounded fantasy superstar.
93. Mike Piazza, C, 1997 Los Angeles Dodgers
Stats: .362 AVG, 40 HR, 124 RBI, 5 SB, 104 R, 556 AB
The second and final catcher to make the top 100, Piazza finished second in the NL MVP voting in the best year of his career in 1997, to a player you'll also find in the top 100. Piazza finished in the top 10 in the majors in batting average, home runs and RBI, and he batted 38 points higher and had 10 more homers and 38 more RBI than any other backstop. Most will tell you this was the best hitting season by a catcher in baseball history; fantasy owners certainly won't disagree.
BEYOND THE BEST
It's pretty incredible that just two third basemen cracked the top 100, and the ones who did, Mike Schmidt and Al Rosen, ranked no higher than 92nd. Sadly, the position has seen few truly record-setting campaigns, with no third baseman ever topping 48 homers or 145 RBI in a single season. There have been some impressive feats from third basemen, including four 30/30 efforts, but few all-around dominant years. Here are some of the "honorable mentions":
Tommy Harper, 1970 Milwaukee Brewers:
.296 AVG, 31 HR, 82 RBI, 38 SB, 104 R
George Brett, 1980 Kansas City Royals:
.390 AVG, 24 HR, 118 RBI, 15 SB, 87 R
Mike Schmidt, 1980 Philadelphia Phillies:
.286 AVG, 48 HR, 121 RBI, 12 SB, 104 R
Howard Johnson, 1987 New York Mets:
.265 AVG, 36 HR, 99 RBI, 32 SB, 93 R
Howard Johnson, 1989 New York Mets:
.287 AVG, 36 HR, 101 RBI, 41 SB, 104 R
Howard Johnson, 1991 New York Mets:
.259 AVG, 38 HR, 117 RBI, 30 SB, 108 R
Adrian Beltre, 2004 Los Angeles Dodgers:
.334 AVG, 48 HR, 121 RBI, 7 SB, 104 R
92. Al Rosen, 3B, 1953 Cleveland Indians
Stats: .336 AVG, 43 HR, 145 RBI, 8 SB, 115 R
The second and final third baseman to make the top 100, Rosen set a single-season record for the position with his 145 RBI in 1953. He finished the year as the major-league leader in the category, placed second in homers, fifth in runs scored and sixth in batting average en route to winning the AL MVP. Unfortunately, Rosen's homers and RBI would decline in each of the following three seasons, and he'd be out of baseball just four years later.
91. Lindy McDaniel, RP, 1960 St. Louis Cardinals
Stats: 12-4 record, 26 SV, 2.09 ERA, 0.937 WHIP, 105 K, 116.1 IP
The "save," one of Rotisserie Baseball's primary categories, was "invented" just one year before McDaniel's career year, and it wouldn't become an official statistic for another six years. But we're applying the dynamics of fantasy baseball to a history that largely didn't even entertain our game, so why can't we also retroactively consider McDaniel's save total from 1960? He led the majors with 26 saves, at the time setting an NL record.
90. Ernie Banks, SS, 1958 Chicago Cubs
Stats: .313 AVG, 47 HR, 129 RBI, 4 SB, 119 R, 617 AB
Until "Mr. Cub" burst onto the scene, power hitting was an unheard of trait in a shortstop. Banks set a major-league record for homers at the position just three years earlier, but he would break that mark in 1958 by swatting 47 homers, a record that would stand for another 43 years. Banks led the majors in homers and RBI and finished in the top 10 in batting average and runs scored, earning NL MVP honors. He might serve as baseball history's best example that fantasy stars can be found on losing teams; his Cubs finished below .500 in his first 10 seasons, and he would never appear in the postseason.
89. Rickey Henderson, OF, 1982 Oakland Athletics
Stats: .267 AVG, 10 HR, 51 RBI, 130 SB, 119 R, 536 AB
Though he had the lowest batting average of any player in the top 100, Henderson was one of the best players in the early days of Rotisserie Baseball, and it was all a result of his speed. His 130 steals are still a modern record, and they were 52 more than anyone else in the majors. In fact, he had more steals than nine of the 13 other AL teams in 1982.
88. Dan Quisenberry, RP, 1983 Kansas City Royals
Stats: 5-3 record, 45 SV, 1.94 ERA, 0.928 WHIP, 48 K, 139 IP
He was never a strikeout artist, which set him apart from the game's all-time great closers, but Quisenberry was about as effective as they come in 1983. At the time, he shattered the single-season record for saves, finishing 12 ahead of anyone else that year, and finished second in the AL Cy Young balloting to LaMarr Hoyt.
87. Barry Bonds, OF, 1990 Pittsburgh Pirates
Stats: .301 AVG, 33 HR, 114 RBI, 52 SB, 104 R, 519 AB
This was the year in which Bonds elevated himself to superstar level, as he joined the 30/30 club for the first time and set a career high with 52 stolen bases en route to his first NL MVP award. Though he didn't lead the league in any prominent fantasy category, he did finish in the top 10 in the majors in homers, RBI, stolen bases and runs scored, while winning the first of his nine career NL OPS crowns.
86. Willie Mays, OF, 1965 San Francisco Giants
Stats: .317 AVG, 52 HR, 112 RBI, 9 SB, 118 R, 558 AB
The first player to appear twice on this list, Mays' 1965 is most notable in that it was the final time he managed either a .300 average or 40 homers. He set a new career high with 52 homers, leading the majors by 13, and finished in the top five in batting average, RBI and runs scored. His 1.043 OPS was the third-highest of his career.
85. Randy Johnson, SP, 1997 Seattle Mariners
Stats: 20-4 record, 2.28 ERA, 1.052 WHIP, 291 K, 213 IP
The Big Unit's first 20-win campaign came one year after back surgery limited him to just 14 appearances. In one of the best comeback campaigns in fantasy history, Johnson finished second in the majors in wins, fourth in ERA and strikeouts and sixth in WHIP. While he finished second in the AL Cy Young race, his 2.28 ERA remains a career high.
Rollie Fingers (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlbhist/alltime/playercard?playerId=4288&type=1)
Relief Pitcher
Milwaukee Brewershttp://www.espn.go.com/media/fantasy/2005/0214/photo/fingers_m.jpgProfile (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlbhist/alltime/playercard?playerId=4288&type=1)
1981 SEASON STATISTICSGMWLSvKERA476328611.0484. Rollie Fingers, RP, 1981 Milwaukee Brewers
Stats: 6-3 record, 28 SV, 1.04 ERA, 0.872 WHIP, 61 K, 78 IP
The final member of the 1981 fantasy baseball class to make the all-time top 100, Fingers won both the AL MVP and Cy Young awards in that strike-shortened season. Most people who remember that year will tell you that he was about as automatic as a closer has been in history, as he managed a win or save in 54.8 percent of the Brewers' victories.
83. Al Simmons, OF, 1930 Philadelphia Athletics
Stats: .381 AVG, 36 HR, 165 RBI, 9 SB, 152 R, 554 AB
He didn't garner a single AL MVP vote for his efforts in 1930, but Simmons gets much-deserved attention in our top 100. Even though that was a hitting-friendly season, Simmons still should have received more credit despite finishing third in the majors in runs scored, fourth in RBI, fifth in batting average and ninth in homers. His 165 RBI rank 13th all-time, and his .381 average and 152 runs also rank highly among the all-time greats.
82. Ed Walsh, SP, 1908 Chicago White Sox
Stats: 40-15 record, 6 SV, 1.42 ERA, 0.860 WHIP, 269 K, 464 IP
He's one of two pitchers since 1900 to win 40 games in a season, and Walsh led the majors in wins and strikeouts while finishing in the top five in ERA and WHIP. He was one of the early masters of the split-finger fastball, and he earned 45.5 percent of the White Sox's 88 wins that year -- still an AL record.
81. Jackie Robinson, 2B, 1949 Brooklyn Dodgers
Stats: .342 AVG, 16 HR, 124 RBI, 37 SB, 122 R, 593 AB
Breaking the "unwritten" color barrier was an impressive feat in itself, but Robinson would establish himself as one of the game's all-around greats in 1949, his third season in the majors and the year he won the NL MVP award. In his first full year at second base -- he began in the majors as a first baseman -- he led the majors in stolen bases and finished third in batting average, fifth in RBI and sixth in runs scored.