The History of the Great Leap Forward Amended 9-7-06 DETROIT TIGERS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1906 6th 71 78 .477 21 1907 1st 92 58 .613 +1.5 AL CHAMPIONS 66 Win Share Increase on Offense, emergence of Cobb. Manager - Hugh Jennings - First Year Prior Year Deficit - 7 games under .500 - .477 Note: Ty Cobb arrives and teams with Sam Crawford to dominate the American League late in the decade. ------------------------------- BOSTON BRAVES YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1913 5th 69 82 .457 31.5 1914 1st 94 59 .614 +10.5 WORLD CHAMPIONS 41 Win Share Increase in Pitching, 51 in Defense. Manager - George Stallings - Second Year Prior Year Deficit - 13 games under .500 - .457 Note: Federal League Year, First Modern Era team to win World Series after being below .500 in the prior season. First use of platooning in the National League ------------------------------- Philadelphia Phillies YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1914 6th 74 80 .481 20.5 1915 1st 90 62 .592 +7 NL CHAMPIONS An increase of 43 Pitching Win Shares and 18 Defensive Manager - Pat Moran - First Year Prior year Deficit 6 games under .500 - .481 Note: Federal League Year ------------------------------- CHICAGO CUBS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1917 5th 74 80 .481 24 1918 1st 84 45 .651 +10.5 NL CHAMPIONS Increase in one year of one player with 20 Win Shares to seven total. Manager - Fred Mitchell - Second Year Prior year Deficit 6 games under .500 - .481 Note: War Year ------------------------------- CHICAGO WHITE SOX 1918 6th 57 67 .460 17 1919 1st 88 52 .629 +3.5 AL CHAMPIONS 54.4 Win Share Increase in Hitting, 13.2 in Defense and 25.2 in Pitching. Manager - Jim Fregosi - Third Year Prior Year Deficit - 10 games under .500 - .460 Note: A war year, and maybe the worst year of Eddie Colins career to date. ------------------------------- BROOKLYN DODGERS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1919 5th 69 71 .493 27 1920 1st 93 61 .604 +7 NL CHAMPIONS Increase in one year of one player with 20 Win Shares to seven total. Manager - Wilbert Robinson - Third Year Prior year Deficit 2 games under .500 - .493 Note: The season is highlighted in Frank Grahams Dodger history as "Another Pennant out of Nowhere." ------------------------------- WASHINGTON SENATORS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1923 4th 75 78 .490 23.5 1924 1st 92 62 .597 +2 WORLD CHAMPIONS Increase of 21 Offensive Win Shares. Manager - Bucky Harris - First Year Prior year Deficit 3 games under .500 - .490 Note: Harris was 27 when named manager, he would still managing 32 years later. ------------------------------- NEW YORK YANKEES YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1925 7th 69 85 .448 28.5 1926 1st 91 63 .591 +3 AL CHAMPIONS Increase of 60 Hitting Win Shares. Manager - Miller Huggins - Seventh Year Prior year Deficit 16 games under .500 - .448 Note: The losing season is highlighted by Ruth's absence, the only season from 1920-1929 that Ruth didn't hold or share the team lead in Win Shares. ------------------------------- NEW YORK GIANTS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1932 T6th 72 82 .468 18 1933 1st 91 61 .599 +5 WORLD CHAMPIONS Increase of 35 Pitching Win Shares. Manager - Bill Terry - First Whole Year Prior year Deficit 10 games under .500 - .468 Note: The losing season is highlighted by the exit of John McGraw who could not find the resolve to finish the year; perhaps it was the 58 errors the team made in the first 15 games of the season? ------------------------------- DETROIT TIGERS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1933 5th 75 79 .487 25 1934 1st 101 53 .656 +7 AL CHAMPIONS Increase of 76 Hitting Win Shares. Manager - Mickey Cochrane - First Year Prior year Deficit 4 games under .500 - .487 Note: A team with four Hall of Fame hitters and an offensive park is a good thing. ------------------------------- ST LOUIS BROWNS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1943 6th 72 80 .474 25 1944 1st 89 65 .578 +1 AL CHAMPIONS Increase of 20 Pitching Win Shares, 20 Hitting and 10 Fielding. Manager - Luke Sewell - Fourth Year Prior year Deficit 8 games under .500 - .474 Note: A War Year, the Browns stocked the team with older players and 4F's, capturing their only Pennant in the franchises St Louis existence. ------------------------------- CHICAGO CUBS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1944 4th 75 79 .487 30 1945 1st 98 56 .636 +3 NL CHAMPIONS 16.4 Win Share Increase in Hitting, 16.2 in Defense and 36.5 in Pitching. Manager - Charlie Grimm - First Year Prior year Deficit 4 games under .500 - .487 Note: A war year with the power of Phil Cavarretta and teh steal of Hank Bowry from the Yankees. ------------------------------- BOSTON REDSOX YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1945 7th 71 83 .461 17.5 1946 1st 104 50 .675 +12 AL CHAMPIONS Increase of 105 total Win Shares, 57 of them hitting. Manager - Bill Terry - First Whole Year Prior year Deficit 12 games under .500 - .461 Note: The losing season is highlighted by being the last full year affectedby World War 2, to accent the difference one year makes below is the leaders in at bats for the Reds Sox in 1945 and 1946 1945 Catfish Metkovich 539 Bob Johnson 529 Eddie Lake 473 Skeeter Newsome 438 Tom McBride 344 1946 Johnny Pesky 621 Bobby Doerr 583 Rudy York 579 Dom DiMaggio 534 Ted Williams 514 ------------------------------- NEW YORK GIANTS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1953 5th 70 84 .455 35 1954 1st 97 57 .630 +5 WORLD CHAMPIONS 12 Win Share Increase in Hitting, 18.7 in Defense and 50.7 in Pitching. Manager - Leo Durocher - Sixth Year Prior Year Deficit - 14 games under .500 - .455 Note: Mays returns from Army and the team ERA drops more then a run. ------------------------------- LOS ANGELES DODGERS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1958 7th 71 83 .461 21 1959 1st 88 68 .564 +2 WORLD CHAMPIONS Increase of 15 Offensive Win Shares, 7 Fielding and 22 Pitching. Manager - Walter Alston - Sixth Year Prior year Deficit 12 games under .500 - .461 Note: Three things highlight the losing season: The move to Los Angeles and the new park,Roy Campanella's career ending injury and the transition from the Reese/Snider/Campanella Dodgers to The Drysdale/Koufax/Wills Dodgers. The next season was fixed by the redesignof the Park dimensions, the acquisition of Wally Moon to batter the short leftfield fenceand the emergence of the Dodgers younger pitchers. Don Newcomb never won a game as a Los Angeles Dodger and Roy Campanella never caught a game on the west coast. ------------------------------- CINCINNATI REDS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1960 6th 67 87 .435 28 1961 1st 93 61 .604 +4 NL CHAMPIONS Increase of 28.5 Offensive Win Shares, 14 Fielding and 35 Pitching. Manager - Fred Hutchinson - Third Year Prior year Deficit 20 games under .500 - .435 Note: A team marked by the new blood in the front office, after 24 seasons of Warren Giles and Gabe Paul; Bill DeWitt steps in and reshapes the club. Bill Jamescovers the moves DeWitt made in his essay "Miracle in Western Avenue" in his Historical Abstract. DeWitt reshaped a team that had longed been together and not succeeded, his main focus was reshaping the teams pitching and defense, he traded everyone over 26 andmoved Frank Robinson back to the outfield. DeWitt also was the General manager for the 1944 Browns making him the first man to participate in the Giant Leap Forward. ------------------------------- Post Expansion Years --------------------------------- LOS ANGELES DODGERS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1964 T6th 80 82 .494 13 1965 1st 97 65 .599 +2 WORLD CHAMPIONS Increase of 18 Offensive Win Shares, 12 Fielding and 32 Pitching. Manager - Walter Alston - Eleventh Year Prior year Deficit 2 games under .500 - .461 Note: Sandwiched in-between two Championship seasons is this mediocre season that
never got going for the Dodgers. ------------------------------- MINNESOTA TWINS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1964 T6th 79 83 .488 20 1965 1st 102 60 .630 +7 AL CHAMPIONS Increase of 40 Offensive Win Shares, 10 Fielding and 20 Pitching. Manager - Sam Mele - Fourth Year Prior year Deficit 4 games under .500 - .488 Note: 6 Players with more then 15 home runs and the demise of the Yankee dynasty helped the Twins grab the crown. ------------------------------- BOSTON REDSOX YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1966 9th 72 90 .444 26 1967 1st 92 70 .568 +1 AL CHAMPIONS Increase of 33 Offensive Win Shares, 7 Fielding and 29 Pitching. Manager - Dick Williams - First Year Prior year Deficit 18 games under .500 - .444 Note: The Resd Sox completed the "Impossible Dream" season by clinching the pennant on the 1st of October, Minnesota and Detroit finished 1 game behind and Yaz won the Triple Crown. ------------------------------- The Two Divisions Years ------------------------------- MINNESOTA TWINS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1968 7th 79 83 .488 24 1969 1st 97 65 .599 +9 AL WEST CHAMPIONS Increase of 38 Offensive Win Shares, 6 Fielding and 10 Pitching. Manager - Billy Martin - First Year Prior year Deficit 4 games under .500 - .488 Note: Martin and Fowler spun their magic by getting more innings out of a pitching staff then expected and the Twins rolled trough the league, only to get swept by the Orioles in the 1st Divisional Playoffs. ------------------------------- NEW YORK METS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1968 9th 73 89 .451 24 1969 1st 100 62 .617 +8 WORLD CHAMPIONS Increase of 44 Offensive Win Shares, 5 Fielding and 10 Pitching. Manager - Gil Hodges - Third Year Prior year Deficit 16 games under .500 - .451 Note: The Amazing Mets, enough has been written about them for me to pass in this space. ------------------------------ CINCINNATI REDS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1971 T4th 79 83 .488 11 1972 1st 95 59 .617 +10.5 NL CHAMPIONS Increase of 52 Offensive Win Shares, 3.4 Fielding and - Pitching. Manager - Sparky Anderson - Third Year Prior year Deficit 4 games under .500 - .488 Note: Howsam transfer the grass based Crosley Reds to the new astroturf centric Reds
with his blockbuster with Houston in 1971, the move brought in the speed up the middle
with Morgan and Geronimo and also enabled Perez to be moved to 1st base. Plus Jack Billingham
was an anchor on the staff for the next several seasons. ------------------------------- PITTSBURGH PIRATES YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1989 5th 74 88 .457 19 1990 1st 95 67 .586 +4 NL EAST CHAMPIONS Increase of 30 Offensive Win Shares, 10 Fielding and 24 Pitching. Manager - Danny Murtaugh - First Year (Back) Prior year Deficit 2 games under .500 - .457 Note: Team On Base Percentage went up .20 points ------------------------------- KANSAS CITY ROYALS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1983 2nd 79 83 .488 20 1984 1st 84 78 .519 +3 AL WEST CHAMPIONS Increase of 28.5 Offensive Win Shares, 14 Fielding and 35 Pitching. Manager - Dick Howser - Third Year Prior year Deficit 4 games under .488 - .435 Note: The first team to win a Division title and have a negative run differential. A team that perplexed by Bill James to no end as he reported to us in the 85 Abstract that they had no chance of succeeding in the near future. ------------------------------- CHICAGO CUBS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1983 5th 71 91 .438 19 1984 1st 96 65 .596 +6.5 NL EAST CHAMPIONS Increase of 33 Offensive Win Shares, 10 Fielding and 22 Pitching. Manager - Jim Frey - First Year Prior year Deficit 20 games under .500 - .438 Note: Rick Sutcliff, Ryno and Leon Durham, most of us saw it on TV for free, most of us are still wondering how the Padres got in the Series. ------------------------------- LOS ANGELES DODGERS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB TITL 1984 4th 79 83 .488 13 1985 1st 95 67 .586 +5.5 NL WEST CHAMPIONS Increase of 50 Offensive Win Shares, 0 Fielding and 22 Pitching. Manager - Tommy Lasorda - Ninth Year Prior year Deficit 4 games under .500 - .488 Note: Only two years removed from a divisions championship, the Dodgers (like most teams in pitching parksneeded an extreme surge in hitting to get back to the top. Pedro Guerrero boasted a .320/.422/.577 linein 487 at bats. ------------------------------- ST. LOUIS CARDINALS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1986 3rd 79 82 .491 28.5 1987 1st 95 67 .586 +3 NL CHAMPIONS Increase of 56 Offensive Win Shares, 7 Fielding and 1 Pitching. Manager - Whitey Herzog - Seventh Year Prior year Deficit 3 games under .500 - .491 Note: If your teams offense is driven by batting average you're likely to occasionally drive down the wrong road, the 1986 Cardinals did that all season, the 1987 Cardinals didn't, there lies the difference of the two seasons. ------------------------------- MINNESOTA TWINS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1986 6th 71 91 .438 21 1987 1st 85 77 .525 +2 WORLD CHAMPIONS Increase of 1 Offensive Win Share, 4 Fielding and 13 Pitching. Manager - Tom Kelly - First Whole Year Prior year Deficit 20 games under .500 - .438 Note: Kelly the first year skipper took a team that should not have won their weak division all the way to the Championship. ------------------------------- BOSTON RED SOX 1987 5th 78 84 .481 20 1988 1st 89 73 .549 +1 AL EAST CHAMPIONS 13.6 Win Share Increase in Hitting, 5.8 in Defense and 13.7 in Pitching. Manager - John McNamara and Joe Morgan Prior Year Deficit - 6 games under .500 - .455 Note: At 43-42 the Red Sox canned Mcnamera, the team went 19-1 and entered a series in
August with Detroit tied for first with the Tigers. They promptly lost 4 in a row, but
eeked it out in the end. ------------------------------- LOS ANGELES DODGERS 1987 4th 73 89 .451 17 1988 1st 94 67 .584 +7 WORLD CHAMPIONS 29 Win Share Increase in Hitting, 11.6 in Defense and 24.4 in Pitching. Manager - Tommy Lasorda - Twelfth Year Prior Year Deficit - 4 games under .500 - .451 Note: Team ERA ninth best since move west, Kirk Gibson OPS's .861 in his first season in the NL. ------------------------------- CHICAGO CUBS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1988 4th 77 85 .475 24 1989 1st 93 69 .574 +6 NL EAST CHAMPIONS Increase of 14 Offensive Win Shares, 10 Fielding and 23 Pitching. Manager - Don Zimmer - Second Year Prior year Deficit 8 games under .500 - .475 Note: Don Zimmer? Just having to watch him and Harry was a gas, rookie tandem Dwight Smith and Jerome Walton appeared as fast as the vanished, as did the Cubs brief flame of being a contender, the next 3 season would be losing ones for the Northsiders. ------------------------------- PITTSBURGH PIRATES YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1989 5th 74 88 .457 19 1990 1st 95 67 .586 +4 NL EAST CHAMPIONS Increase of 30 Offensive Win Shares, 10 Fielding and 24 Pitching. Manager - Jim Leyland - Fifth Year Prior year Deficit 14 games under .500 - .457 Note: Superstar Barry Bonds arrives .301/.406/.565, Pirates lead MLB in sacrifices with 96, lost in the playoffs to the Reds in 6 games. ------------------------------- CINCINNATI REDS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1989 5th 75 87 .463 17 1990 1st 91 71 .562 +5 WORLD CHAMPIONS Increase of 8 Offensive Win Shares, 11 Fielding and 24 Pitching. Manager - Lou Pinella - First Year Prior year Deficit 12 games under .500 - .463 Note: Jack Armstrong and a fast Reds start propel the team to the top, all in the shadow of Pete entering Federal Prison, a sweet and sour season in the Rhineland. ------------------------------- MINNESOTA TWINS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1990 7th 74 88 .457 29 1991 1st 95 67 .586 +8 WORLD CHAMPIONS Increase of 31 Offensive Win Shares, 10 Fielding and 24 Pitching. Manager - Tom Kelly - Fifth Year Prior year Deficit 21 games under .500 - .457 Note: Any other year and the Twins would have been Americas sweetheart, the problem was their turnaround was eclipsed by the Braves that season, and they had the Superstation,but in the end the Twins had Jack Morris. ------------------------------- ATLANTA BRAVES YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1990 6th 65 97 .401 26 1991 1st 94 68 .580 +1 NL CHAMPIONS 1992 1st 98 64 .605 +8 NL CHAMPIONS Increase of 18 Offensive Win Shares, 20 Fielding and 49 Pitching. Manager - Bobby Cox - First Year Prior year Deficit 32 games under .500 - .401 Note: The largest single season climb in the history of the game, all with pitching and defense, the addition of Terry Pendleton, young starters and the rookie of the year (David Justice)helped start something that is just now coming to an end. ------------------------------- PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES 1992 6th 70 92 .432 26 1993 1st 97 65 .599 +3 NL CHAMPIONS 29.3 Win Share Increase in Hitting, 13.4 in Defense and 38.3 in Pitching. Manager - Jim Fregosi - Third Year Prior Year Deficit - 18 games under .500 - .457 Note: Four players with on base percentages better then .370, two above .420. Terry Mulholland has perhaps his best season. ------------------------------- The Three Division Years ------------------------------- ST. LOUIS CARDINALS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1995 4th 62 81 .434 22.5 1996 1st 88 74 .543 +6 NL CENTRAL CHAMPIONS Increase of 56 Offensive Win Shares, 7 Fielding and 1 Pitching. Manager - Tony LaRussa - First Year Prior year Deficit 19 games under .500 - .434 Note: LaRussa shows up and the average team in the average division
title goes to the Cards. ------------------------------- SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1996 4th 68 94 .420 23 1997 1st 90 72 .556 +2 NL WEST CHAMPIONS Increase of 40 Offensive Win Shares, 4 Fielding and 22 Pitching. Manager - Dusty Baker - Fifth Year Prior year Deficit 26 games under .500 - .420 Note: Add Jeff Kent, JT Snow, Darryl Hamilton and Bill Mueller to you team and see what happens, if your name is Dusty, your legacy just cuts deeper. ------------------------------- SAN DIEGO PADRES YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1995 3rd 70 74 .486 8 1996 1st 91 71 .562 +1 NL WEST CHAMPIONS 1997 4th 76 86 .469 14 1998 1st 98 64 .605 +9.5 NL CHAMPIONS Increase of 13 Offensive Win Shares, 11 Fielding and 37 Pitching. Decrease of 15 Offensive Win Shares, 17 Fielding and 65 Pitching. Manager - Bruce Bochy - Second and Fourth Year Prior year Deficit 4 games under .500 - .486 Prior year Deficit 20 games under .500 - .469 Note: The Padres pulled the trick off twice in 4 seasons, getting career years from Ken Caminitti and Greg Vaughn and riding the back of Kevin Browne to the division title. ------------------------------- TEXAS RANGERS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1997 3rd 77 85 .475 13 1998 1st 88 74 .543 +3 AL WEST CHAMPIONS Increase of 34 Offensive Win Shares, 2 Fielding and 0 Pitching. Manager - Johnny Oates - Fourth Year Prior year Deficit 8 games under .500 - .475 Note: Hitting, hitting, hitting... a team that scores 940 runs is going to be hard to beat,a team with an ERA of 5.00 is also going to find it hard to win it all. ------------------------------- ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1998 5th 65 97 .401 33 1999 1st 100 62 .617 +14 NL WEST CHAMPIONS Increase of 48 Offensive Win Shares, 13 Fielding and 54 Pitching. Manager - Buck Showalter- First Year Prior year Deficit 32 games under .500 - .401 Note: This is not your daddy's expansion team, money and hunger to succeed quickly drove this team to the 100 win territory. ------------------------------- ST. LOUIS CARDINALS 1999 4th 75 86 .466 21.5 2000 1st 95 67 .586 +10 NL CENTRAL CHAMPIONS 32.7 Win Share Increase in Hitting, 10 in Defense and 17.1 in Pitching. Manager - Tony LaRussa - Fifth Year Prior Year Deficit - 14 games under .500 - .466 Note: Jim Edmonds arrives (literally) JD Drew arrives, and both McGwire and Will Clark OPS
over 1.000 in limited appearances. Meanwhile the picthing shaved .36 off the team ERA in a big offensive year. ------------------------------- CHICAGO WHITE SOX 1999 2nd 75 86 .466 21.5 2000 1st 95 67 .586 +5 AL CENTRAL CHAMPIONS 38.4 Win Share Increase in Hitting, 5 in Defense and 15. in Pitching. Manager - Jerry Manuel - Third Year Prior Year Deficit - 11 games under .500 - .466 Note: Six regulars with an OPS above .800 and a league leading 938 Runs. ------------------------------- HOUSTON ASTROS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 2000 4th 72 90 .444 23 2001 1st 93 69 .574 +0 NL CENTRAL CHAMPIONS Increase of 11 Offensive Win Shares, 14 Fielding and 37 Pitching. Manager - Larry Dierker - Fifth Year Prior year Deficit 18 games under .500 - .444 Note: 2000 a new park and a staff unprepared, none of the starters had an ERA below 4.80, the closer had an ERA above 5.00. It was as ugly as it can get, redefining the term "Lima Time." ------------------------------- CHICAGO CUBS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 2002 5th 67 95 .414 30 2003 1st 88 74 .543 +1 NL CENTRAL CHAMPIONS No Win Share Information (If you have the Cubs 2002 numbers feel free to send them to me) Manager - Dusty Baker - First Year Prior year Deficit 28 games under .500 - .414 Note: Prior, Wood and Zambrano, the Cubs saw pitching that had avoided them for years and they ended up getting Steve Bartman some airtime that fall. ------------------------------- ANAHEIM ANGELS YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 2003 3rd 77 85 .475 19 2004 1st 92 70 .568 +1 AL WEST CHAMPIONS Incomplete Win Share Information (Please send 2003 if you have it) Manager - Mike Scioscia - Fifth Year Prior year Deficit 8 games under .500 - .475 Note: One year removed from their Wild Card World Series win the Angels pitching collapsed and they had a power outage, the arrival of Vlad took care of the power part.
