sportznut
02-22-2005, 08:53 PM
Best Fantasy Seasons of All-Time (80-61)
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. 80-61:
80. Maury Wills, SS, 1962 Los Angeles Dodgers
Stats: .299 AVG, 6 HR, 48 RBI, 104 SB, 130 R, 695 AB
The third and final player to make the top 100 despite registering a batting average below .300, Wills makes the list thanks to his stolen base contribution, which earned him National League Most Valuable Player honors. Consider that from 1892-1961, a span of 60 seasons, no player in the major leagues topped 100 stolen bases in a single year. Wills, at the time, set a new modern record for steals, swiping 72 more than anyone else in 1962 and accumulating 7.7 percent of all major-league stolen bases that year.
79. Vida Blue, SP, 1971 Oakland Athletics
Stats: 24-8 record, 1.82 ERA, 0.952 WHIP, 301 K, 312 IP
Though he wasn't technically a rookie, Blue's first full year became the best of his career. In finishing second in the majors in wins, ERA, WHIP and strikeouts, he set what would be personal bests in all four categories and earned both American League MVP and Cy Young honors. Fantasy owners would never have seen it coming; who would have figured it from a 21-year-old left-hander who had just 165 strikeouts in Triple-A ball in 1970?
78. John Hiller, RP, 1973 Detroit Tigers
Stats: 10-5 record, 38 SV, 1.44 ERA, 1.021 WHIP, 124 K, 125.1 IP
The AL Comeback Player of the Year in 1973, Hiller's performance was all the more remarkable because he achieved it just two years after suffering a heart attack. Even his own general manager didn't think he should pitch again, but Hiller achieved the seemingly impossible, leading the majors in saves -- by seven more than anyone else -- and finishing fourth in both the AL Most Valuable Player and Cy Young races. He would set a single-season save record that would stand for 10 years.
77. Ted Williams, OF, 1941 Boston Red Sox
Stats: .406 AVG, 37 HR, 120 RBI, 2 SB, 135 R, 456 AB
The first of the Splendid Splinter's two appearances in the top 100, 1941 represents the last time any player in major-league baseball hit .400 or better in a season. Williams finished second in the AL MVP race to Joe DiMaggio that year, but he clearly had the better fantasy totals of the two. Williams paced all major leaguers in batting average, homers and runs scored, besting DiMaggio in every category but RBI (the Yankee Clipper had 125).
76. Tom Seaver, SP, 1971 New York Mets
Stats: 20-10 record, 1.76 ERA, 0.946 WHIP, 289 K, 286.1 IP
A three-time Cy Young award winner, Seaver's best fantasy season came in 1971, a year where he finished as the runner-up to Ferguson Jenkins. Seaver finished second in the NL in wins, but that was primarily the result of a Mets offense that averaged just 3.63 runs per game that season. He led the majors in ERA and WHIP and was third in strikeouts.
75. Honus Wagner, SS, 1908 Pittsburgh Pirates
Stats: .354 AVG, 10 HR, 109 RBI, 53 SB, 100 R, 568 AB
Baseball card collectors know this name from his pricey tobacco card, but the name Wagner would have stood for five-category superstar had fantasy baseball been around in the early 20th century. In the years before the MVP award, Wagner led the majors in batting average, RBI and stolen bases, finished second in homers, and third in runs scored.
http://www.espn.go.com/media/fantasy/2005/0216/photo/a_carlton_150.jpg
Lefty was a 4-time Cy Young winner.
74. Steve Carlton, SP, 1972 Philadelphia Phillies
Stats: 27-10 record, 1.97 ERA, 0.993 WHIP, 310 K, 346.1 IP
One of the game's all-time great left-handers, Carlton's best single season came in 1972, in his first year with the Phillies after being traded by the Cardinals for Rick Wise. Carlton won the NL Cy Young and the NL's Triple Crown, and in 1972 alone he struck out more batters than Wise did in his two years in St. Louis. Carlton led the majors in wins and finished among the top five in ERA, WHIP and strikeouts.
73. Greg Maddux, SP, 1995 Atlanta Braves
Stats: 19-2 record, 1.63 ERA, 0.811 WHIP, 181 K, 209.2 IP
The fourth and final performance from a strike-shortened year, Maddux's 1995 remains one of the best pitching efforts in history. He's the only starting pitcher in the top 100 who was never considered a strikeout artist in his career, but he earns a spot on the list because he managed an ERA a full 2.60 points below the league average. Maddux led the majors in wins, ERA and WHIP, and his WHIP still stands as the fifth-lowest in history.
72. Chuck Klein, OF, 1930 Philadelphia Phillies
Stats: .386 AVG, 40 HR, 170 RBI, 4 SB, 158 R, 648 AB
His numbers are often overlooked in the annals of history, as 1930 was generally known as a year friendly to offense. That was the year in which nine of the 16 major-league teams batted .300 or better, Klein's Phillies hit .315 and Hack Wilson set the single-season RBI record. Nevertheless, Klein's statistics still go down as some of the best in fantasy baseball history. He led the majors in runs scored, placed third in batting average and RBI, and finished fourth in homers; his 170 RBI are eighth-best all-time.
71. Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown, SP, 1906 Chicago Cubs
Stats: 26-6 record, 3 SV, 1.04 ERA, 0.934 WHIP, 144 K, 277.1 IP
A farming accident at age 7 left Brown with only part of an index finger and therefore his distinct nickname, but he used his handicap to gain better movement on his pitches and become a pitcher who would have been known as a three-category stud in the early 20th century. Brown's ERA still stands as the third-lowest of all-time, and he also finished in the top five in the majors in wins and WHIP.
70. Bruce Sutter, RP, 1984 St. Louis Cardinals
Stats: 5-7 record, 45 SV, 1.54 ERA, 1.076 WHIP, 77 K, 122.2 IP
"Contract-year" players haven't just sprung up in the past decade; they can be found as far back as the advent of free agency. Sutter was a prime example in 1984. Playing out the final year of his deal with the Cardinals, he matched Dan Quisenberry's single-season record for saves, while logging an impressive 122.2 innings pitched.
69. Ted Williams, OF, 1942 Boston Red Sox
Stats: .356 AVG, 36 HR, 137 RBI, 3 SB, 141 R, 522 AB
The second of Williams' two Triple-Crown campaigns, the Splendid Splinter actually led the major leagues in batting average, homers, RBI and runs scored in 1942. Incredibly, he finished second in the AL MVP balloting to Joe Gordon, whose Yankees edged the Red Sox out for first place. What made Williams' year stand out even more was that scoring was down overall in the majors in 1942; the league batted .253, down from .262 the year before.
68. Christy Mathewson, SP, 1909 New York Giants
Stats: 25-6 record, 2 SV, 1.14 ERA, 0.828 WHIP, 149 K, 275.1 IP
He had many great fantasy seasons, but Mathewson's 1909 performance stands out because his ERA still ranks as the fifth-lowest of all-time, and his WHIP still stands eighth-lowest in history. Mathewson's ERA was 1.40 runs lower than the league average, and he finished third in the majors in wins and 10th in strikeouts.
http://www.espn.go.com/media/fantasy/2005/0216/photo/a_cobb_150.jpg
The Georgia Peach led the league in swipes six times.
67. Ty Cobb, OF, 1909 Detroit Tigers
Stats: .377 AVG, 9 HR, 107 RBI, 76 SB, 116 R, 573 AB
Cobb, who remains the record holder with a .366 lifetime batting average, earned the only Triple Crown of his career in one of the least homer-friendly seasons in baseball history in 1909. He led the majors in batting average, homers, RBI and stolen bases, an extremely rare feat, and finished second in runs scored. Fortunately for fantasy owners, however, World Series performances wouldn't have hurt. Cobb went 0-for-4 in Game 7 as his Tigers fell to the Pirates in the Fall Classic.
66. Hal Newhouser, SP, 1946 Detroit Tigers
Stats: 26-9 record, 1 SV, 1.94 ERA, 1.069 WHIP, 275 K, 292.2 IP
No, it wasn't either of his two MVP seasons in 1944-45; Newhouser's best fantasy effort was the one he put forth in 1946, when he set career highs in WHIP and strikeouts. Newhouser led the majors in wins, ERA and WHIP, on his way to "settling" for a second-place finish to strikeout king Bob Feller in the MVP race.
65. Rube Waddell, SP, 1904 Philadelphia Athletics
Stats: 25-19 record, 1.62 ERA, 1.039 WHIP, 349 K, 383 IP
The 20th century's first true strikeout artist, Waddell set a single-season record with his 349 strikeouts in 1904. He was also a master of control, averaging 3.84 strikeouts per walk and 2.14 walks per nine innings, numbers comparable to Johan Santana today. Waddell finished sixth in the majors in wins and third in ERA that season.
64. Joe Morgan, 2B, 1976 Cincinnati Reds
Stats: .320 AVG, 27 HR, 111 RBI, 60 SB, 113 R, 472 AB
In case you've ever worried that players coming off an MVP year or World Series championship relax somewhat the following season, Morgan's 1976 performance should ease your concerns. He earned his second straight NL MVP award and finished in the majors' top 10 in batting average, homers, RBI, stolen bases and runs scored.
63. Dazzy Vance, SP, 1924 Brooklyn Robins
Stats: 28-6 record, 2.16 ERA, 1.022 WHIP, 262 K, 308.1 IP
The 1924 season saw a Triple-Crown winner (wins, ERA and strikeouts) in both the AL and NL, but Vance also pulled off the major-league Triple Crown, topping AL leader Walter Johnson in all three categories as well as WHIP. Actually, it wasn't even a contest; Johnson won just 23 games, had a 2.72 ERA, 1.116 WHIP and 158 strikeouts by comparison.
BEYOND THE BEST
Guidry was virtually unhittable for his entire 25-3 season in 1978, but his first half was one of the most flawless efforts in baseball history. He made 35 starts that year and didn't lose a game until his 18th turn, going 13-0 with a 1.75 ERA, 1.045 WHIP and 124 strikeouts in his first 17 games. Guidry's numbers during that stretch bring to mind another pitcher who enjoyed one of the most dominant half-seasons in fantasy baseball history: Johan Santana, during the second half of 2004. Another left-handed strikeout artist, Santana went 14-1 with a 1.19 ERA, 0.717 WHIP and 153 strikeouts in his final 17 starts, even better fantasy totals than Guidry's. Santana's totals also came in a hitter-friendly era -- in 2004, the major-league average for ERA was 4.46, WHIP 1.400; in 1978, those ratios were 3.68 and 1.335. Had he just gotten off to a better start, Santana might have found himself among the top 100 fantasy full seasons of all time. 62. Babe Herman, OF, 1930 Brooklyn Dodgers
Stats: .393 AVG, 35 HR, 130 RBI, 18 SB, 143 R, 614 AB
The first time you'll see a man named "Babe" on this list, but it's not the one you're probably thinking of. Herman was one of the many high-profile sluggers of the 1930 offensive explosion, finishing with the majors' second-highest batting average and ranking among the top 10 in homers and runs scored. He would also place fourth in stolen bases, serving as the most complete five-category fantasy player in that hitting-friendly season.
61. Ron Guidry, SP, 1978 New York Yankees
Stats: 25-3 record, 1.74 ERA, 0.946 WHIP, 248 K, 273.2 IP
Another of the many dominant pitching performances in baseball history, Guidry led the majors in wins, ERA and WHIP while ranking third in strikeouts in 1978. He earned AL Cy Young honors, finished second in the MVP race, matched a league record with nine shutouts and set a new AL mark with 18 strikeouts in a June 17 game.
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. 80-61:
80. Maury Wills, SS, 1962 Los Angeles Dodgers
Stats: .299 AVG, 6 HR, 48 RBI, 104 SB, 130 R, 695 AB
The third and final player to make the top 100 despite registering a batting average below .300, Wills makes the list thanks to his stolen base contribution, which earned him National League Most Valuable Player honors. Consider that from 1892-1961, a span of 60 seasons, no player in the major leagues topped 100 stolen bases in a single year. Wills, at the time, set a new modern record for steals, swiping 72 more than anyone else in 1962 and accumulating 7.7 percent of all major-league stolen bases that year.
79. Vida Blue, SP, 1971 Oakland Athletics
Stats: 24-8 record, 1.82 ERA, 0.952 WHIP, 301 K, 312 IP
Though he wasn't technically a rookie, Blue's first full year became the best of his career. In finishing second in the majors in wins, ERA, WHIP and strikeouts, he set what would be personal bests in all four categories and earned both American League MVP and Cy Young honors. Fantasy owners would never have seen it coming; who would have figured it from a 21-year-old left-hander who had just 165 strikeouts in Triple-A ball in 1970?
78. John Hiller, RP, 1973 Detroit Tigers
Stats: 10-5 record, 38 SV, 1.44 ERA, 1.021 WHIP, 124 K, 125.1 IP
The AL Comeback Player of the Year in 1973, Hiller's performance was all the more remarkable because he achieved it just two years after suffering a heart attack. Even his own general manager didn't think he should pitch again, but Hiller achieved the seemingly impossible, leading the majors in saves -- by seven more than anyone else -- and finishing fourth in both the AL Most Valuable Player and Cy Young races. He would set a single-season save record that would stand for 10 years.
77. Ted Williams, OF, 1941 Boston Red Sox
Stats: .406 AVG, 37 HR, 120 RBI, 2 SB, 135 R, 456 AB
The first of the Splendid Splinter's two appearances in the top 100, 1941 represents the last time any player in major-league baseball hit .400 or better in a season. Williams finished second in the AL MVP race to Joe DiMaggio that year, but he clearly had the better fantasy totals of the two. Williams paced all major leaguers in batting average, homers and runs scored, besting DiMaggio in every category but RBI (the Yankee Clipper had 125).
76. Tom Seaver, SP, 1971 New York Mets
Stats: 20-10 record, 1.76 ERA, 0.946 WHIP, 289 K, 286.1 IP
A three-time Cy Young award winner, Seaver's best fantasy season came in 1971, a year where he finished as the runner-up to Ferguson Jenkins. Seaver finished second in the NL in wins, but that was primarily the result of a Mets offense that averaged just 3.63 runs per game that season. He led the majors in ERA and WHIP and was third in strikeouts.
75. Honus Wagner, SS, 1908 Pittsburgh Pirates
Stats: .354 AVG, 10 HR, 109 RBI, 53 SB, 100 R, 568 AB
Baseball card collectors know this name from his pricey tobacco card, but the name Wagner would have stood for five-category superstar had fantasy baseball been around in the early 20th century. In the years before the MVP award, Wagner led the majors in batting average, RBI and stolen bases, finished second in homers, and third in runs scored.
http://www.espn.go.com/media/fantasy/2005/0216/photo/a_carlton_150.jpg
Lefty was a 4-time Cy Young winner.
74. Steve Carlton, SP, 1972 Philadelphia Phillies
Stats: 27-10 record, 1.97 ERA, 0.993 WHIP, 310 K, 346.1 IP
One of the game's all-time great left-handers, Carlton's best single season came in 1972, in his first year with the Phillies after being traded by the Cardinals for Rick Wise. Carlton won the NL Cy Young and the NL's Triple Crown, and in 1972 alone he struck out more batters than Wise did in his two years in St. Louis. Carlton led the majors in wins and finished among the top five in ERA, WHIP and strikeouts.
73. Greg Maddux, SP, 1995 Atlanta Braves
Stats: 19-2 record, 1.63 ERA, 0.811 WHIP, 181 K, 209.2 IP
The fourth and final performance from a strike-shortened year, Maddux's 1995 remains one of the best pitching efforts in history. He's the only starting pitcher in the top 100 who was never considered a strikeout artist in his career, but he earns a spot on the list because he managed an ERA a full 2.60 points below the league average. Maddux led the majors in wins, ERA and WHIP, and his WHIP still stands as the fifth-lowest in history.
72. Chuck Klein, OF, 1930 Philadelphia Phillies
Stats: .386 AVG, 40 HR, 170 RBI, 4 SB, 158 R, 648 AB
His numbers are often overlooked in the annals of history, as 1930 was generally known as a year friendly to offense. That was the year in which nine of the 16 major-league teams batted .300 or better, Klein's Phillies hit .315 and Hack Wilson set the single-season RBI record. Nevertheless, Klein's statistics still go down as some of the best in fantasy baseball history. He led the majors in runs scored, placed third in batting average and RBI, and finished fourth in homers; his 170 RBI are eighth-best all-time.
71. Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown, SP, 1906 Chicago Cubs
Stats: 26-6 record, 3 SV, 1.04 ERA, 0.934 WHIP, 144 K, 277.1 IP
A farming accident at age 7 left Brown with only part of an index finger and therefore his distinct nickname, but he used his handicap to gain better movement on his pitches and become a pitcher who would have been known as a three-category stud in the early 20th century. Brown's ERA still stands as the third-lowest of all-time, and he also finished in the top five in the majors in wins and WHIP.
70. Bruce Sutter, RP, 1984 St. Louis Cardinals
Stats: 5-7 record, 45 SV, 1.54 ERA, 1.076 WHIP, 77 K, 122.2 IP
"Contract-year" players haven't just sprung up in the past decade; they can be found as far back as the advent of free agency. Sutter was a prime example in 1984. Playing out the final year of his deal with the Cardinals, he matched Dan Quisenberry's single-season record for saves, while logging an impressive 122.2 innings pitched.
69. Ted Williams, OF, 1942 Boston Red Sox
Stats: .356 AVG, 36 HR, 137 RBI, 3 SB, 141 R, 522 AB
The second of Williams' two Triple-Crown campaigns, the Splendid Splinter actually led the major leagues in batting average, homers, RBI and runs scored in 1942. Incredibly, he finished second in the AL MVP balloting to Joe Gordon, whose Yankees edged the Red Sox out for first place. What made Williams' year stand out even more was that scoring was down overall in the majors in 1942; the league batted .253, down from .262 the year before.
68. Christy Mathewson, SP, 1909 New York Giants
Stats: 25-6 record, 2 SV, 1.14 ERA, 0.828 WHIP, 149 K, 275.1 IP
He had many great fantasy seasons, but Mathewson's 1909 performance stands out because his ERA still ranks as the fifth-lowest of all-time, and his WHIP still stands eighth-lowest in history. Mathewson's ERA was 1.40 runs lower than the league average, and he finished third in the majors in wins and 10th in strikeouts.
http://www.espn.go.com/media/fantasy/2005/0216/photo/a_cobb_150.jpg
The Georgia Peach led the league in swipes six times.
67. Ty Cobb, OF, 1909 Detroit Tigers
Stats: .377 AVG, 9 HR, 107 RBI, 76 SB, 116 R, 573 AB
Cobb, who remains the record holder with a .366 lifetime batting average, earned the only Triple Crown of his career in one of the least homer-friendly seasons in baseball history in 1909. He led the majors in batting average, homers, RBI and stolen bases, an extremely rare feat, and finished second in runs scored. Fortunately for fantasy owners, however, World Series performances wouldn't have hurt. Cobb went 0-for-4 in Game 7 as his Tigers fell to the Pirates in the Fall Classic.
66. Hal Newhouser, SP, 1946 Detroit Tigers
Stats: 26-9 record, 1 SV, 1.94 ERA, 1.069 WHIP, 275 K, 292.2 IP
No, it wasn't either of his two MVP seasons in 1944-45; Newhouser's best fantasy effort was the one he put forth in 1946, when he set career highs in WHIP and strikeouts. Newhouser led the majors in wins, ERA and WHIP, on his way to "settling" for a second-place finish to strikeout king Bob Feller in the MVP race.
65. Rube Waddell, SP, 1904 Philadelphia Athletics
Stats: 25-19 record, 1.62 ERA, 1.039 WHIP, 349 K, 383 IP
The 20th century's first true strikeout artist, Waddell set a single-season record with his 349 strikeouts in 1904. He was also a master of control, averaging 3.84 strikeouts per walk and 2.14 walks per nine innings, numbers comparable to Johan Santana today. Waddell finished sixth in the majors in wins and third in ERA that season.
64. Joe Morgan, 2B, 1976 Cincinnati Reds
Stats: .320 AVG, 27 HR, 111 RBI, 60 SB, 113 R, 472 AB
In case you've ever worried that players coming off an MVP year or World Series championship relax somewhat the following season, Morgan's 1976 performance should ease your concerns. He earned his second straight NL MVP award and finished in the majors' top 10 in batting average, homers, RBI, stolen bases and runs scored.
63. Dazzy Vance, SP, 1924 Brooklyn Robins
Stats: 28-6 record, 2.16 ERA, 1.022 WHIP, 262 K, 308.1 IP
The 1924 season saw a Triple-Crown winner (wins, ERA and strikeouts) in both the AL and NL, but Vance also pulled off the major-league Triple Crown, topping AL leader Walter Johnson in all three categories as well as WHIP. Actually, it wasn't even a contest; Johnson won just 23 games, had a 2.72 ERA, 1.116 WHIP and 158 strikeouts by comparison.
BEYOND THE BEST
Guidry was virtually unhittable for his entire 25-3 season in 1978, but his first half was one of the most flawless efforts in baseball history. He made 35 starts that year and didn't lose a game until his 18th turn, going 13-0 with a 1.75 ERA, 1.045 WHIP and 124 strikeouts in his first 17 games. Guidry's numbers during that stretch bring to mind another pitcher who enjoyed one of the most dominant half-seasons in fantasy baseball history: Johan Santana, during the second half of 2004. Another left-handed strikeout artist, Santana went 14-1 with a 1.19 ERA, 0.717 WHIP and 153 strikeouts in his final 17 starts, even better fantasy totals than Guidry's. Santana's totals also came in a hitter-friendly era -- in 2004, the major-league average for ERA was 4.46, WHIP 1.400; in 1978, those ratios were 3.68 and 1.335. Had he just gotten off to a better start, Santana might have found himself among the top 100 fantasy full seasons of all time. 62. Babe Herman, OF, 1930 Brooklyn Dodgers
Stats: .393 AVG, 35 HR, 130 RBI, 18 SB, 143 R, 614 AB
The first time you'll see a man named "Babe" on this list, but it's not the one you're probably thinking of. Herman was one of the many high-profile sluggers of the 1930 offensive explosion, finishing with the majors' second-highest batting average and ranking among the top 10 in homers and runs scored. He would also place fourth in stolen bases, serving as the most complete five-category fantasy player in that hitting-friendly season.
61. Ron Guidry, SP, 1978 New York Yankees
Stats: 25-3 record, 1.74 ERA, 0.946 WHIP, 248 K, 273.2 IP
Another of the many dominant pitching performances in baseball history, Guidry led the majors in wins, ERA and WHIP while ranking third in strikeouts in 1978. He earned AL Cy Young honors, finished second in the MVP race, matched a league record with nine shutouts and set a new AL mark with 18 strikeouts in a June 17 game.