WAR Leaders: Alomar 6.6, Edmonds 6.0, I Valdez 5.5, A-Rod 5.5, A Fernandez 3.7

The Barons won a second straight President’s Trophy and division pennant and a third straight playoff berth (all firsts). GM Charlie Qualls' 2nd-ranked pitching staff was revitalized by the resurgence of 36-year-old Dominican righthander Jose DeLeon (12-7, 2.79), who had his best year since leaving San Francisco in 1993. Young ace Ismael Valdez (11-7, 2.61) continued to develop, with career bests in ERA, WHIP and WAR. And the trades for a pair of former Outlaw lefties, Greg Swindell and Bruce Hurst, didn’t hurt either. Swindell was 9-4, 2.81 in 23 starts in brown-and-orange. The offense was just 9th, as the big three of Edmonds, A-Rod, and Delgado all had down years. Edmonds’ OPS dipped 150 points, A-Rod’s -120, and Delgado’s a whopping -280 from last year’s league-leading 1.084. Though to be fair, A-Rod (108) and Delgado (97) were still 3rd and 7th in RBIs. Veteran Roberto Alomar finished 2nd in the batting race and had his first 200-hit year since 1992 and the second highest WAR of his career (6.6). Cleveland lost the Semi Series to eventual champions Los Angeles in 1995 and in seven games to Atlanta last year, and will be looking to take the next step and return to the Fall Classic for the first time in a quarter century.

WAR Leaders: M Morris 5.3, Nunnally 4.8, Graffanino 4.7, Easley 3.9, Clemens 3.8

Manhattan was pegged for a midtable finish in the preseason polls. Despite tying for 1st in the division last year, the Gray Sox did not dominate, ranking just 9th and 5th in runs and runs against. But a surge of great pitching, backed by the league’s best defense, made Manhattan the toughest team to score on—no small feat for a club that plays in the pinball machine they call Hudson Yards. The league’s #1 rotation was led by Rookie of the Year frontrunner Matt Morris (15-10, 2.52), and bolstered by Bobby Munoz (2.61, 1.09 WHIP), a 4th round pick in 1993, and Pat Hentgen (15-10, 2.92, 1.06 WHIP). Rookies Damian Miller and Bubba Trammell hit .302 and .280, and third-year RF Jon Nunnally (.277-21-68) led the team in HR, RBI, and OPS. The 92 wins were the most since 1987 and the repeat playoff appearance the first since the club swept all six Atlantic Division pennants during the four division era (1984-89).

WAR Leaders: Rolen 8.6, Daniels 4.3, Isringhausen 4.0, Abreu 3.6, G Anderson 3.0 

Starting the year in rebuilding mode—picked 8th by both BNN and Reed’s Read—the Fridley Foxes instead were the most-improved club of the year, as three stellar rookie performances lifted the franchise to its most wins since 1978 and a second place finish. Scott Rolen (.306-31-103, .914 OPS), the fourth overall pick, led the 6th-ranked offense at the tender age of 22 and was the only player to homer twice in the three-game All-Star Classic. Jose Rosado was 3.38 with a 1.17 WHIP and 3.1 WAR, and closer Ricky Rincon (42 SV) challenged the rookie saves record and helped the club to a 30-21 record in one-run games. Young CF Garrett Anderson hit .302 and contributed 80 RBIs, and Kal Daniels hit .281-21-70 and added his veteran presence. Ace starter Jason Isringhausen (13-10, 3.23) continued his rise and a June trade for Floyd Youmans gives the Foxes a two-time Cy Young winner for the playoffs, though he struggled in the regular season (1-7, 4.35). Attendance rose 23 percent to 1.98 million, which was still the smallest gate in the league, but the club turned a $9 million loss into a $1.4 million profit by slashing player expenses by $8 million.

WAR Leaders: Griffey Jr 6.4, Timlin 5.9, Jn Valentin 5.2, Nilsson 4.9, Sanderson 4.1

The Superbas celebrated the return of longtime GM Glen Reed (1952-64) by leading the league in scoring for just the second time in two decades, thanks to the addition of All-Star catcher Dave Nilsson (.311, .893 OPS) and rookie 3B Scott Spiezio (83 RBI, .802 OPS). Brooklyn’s pitching tanked from 7th to 14th this year, but so good was the offense that the club battled for 1st until early September and finished 14 games over .500. And they did it despite an injury-curtailed and slumpy season from All-UL CF Ken Griffey Jr. (.262, .798 OPS). Reed inherited the classic balance offense of the Tim Widholm era; no batter drove in more than 84 runs, but six drove in at least 70. Nilsson was the leader in batting (.310) and OPS (.891), but veteran RF Ivan Calderon (.298-18-74, .863) had a fine season, and Spiezio was 3rd among rookies in batting (.289) and OPS (.800). Mike Timlin successfully transitioned from six years in the bullpen to become the staff ace. The 31-year-old righty was 16-12 with a 3.38 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. Free agent signing Scott Sanderson was his usual workhorse self, racking up 228 innings, 16 wins, and 185 strikeouts despite turning 40 in July. And closer Greg McMichael trimmed his ERA to 2.06 on his way to 28 saves. The turnstiles were spinning, to the tune of 3.14 million fans, a club record, pushing revenues over $79 million for the first time in two decades.

WAR Leaders: Erstad 6.0, Mathews 5.4, Grace 5.2, L Walker 4.4, J Bell 4.3

Denver’s 86 wins is a club record, and the long-suffering team now sets its sights on its first playoff series win. The 14ers secured their second postseason in their 24-year history—and first since the Third World War (1980)—with a combination of hitting, pitching, and defense. Mark Grace (.313-21-91, 5.2 WAR) was 8th in batting, Darin Erstad (20 SB, 84 runs) was 3rd in outfield ZR, and new ace Greg Mathews (17-12, 3.26, 5.4 WAR) had a career year at age 34 and quickly emerged as the team leader. Joe Magrane (14-9, 3.48, 3.7 WAR) gave the rotation a powerful 1-2 lefty punch, but the Teeners' rotation was thinned out by a midseason trading spree and the loss of Andy Benes (8-11, 3.62, 3.4 WAR) to a shoulder injury in early September. Hideo Nomo thrived in the bullpen workhorse role, pitching in a league-high 86 games and notching 13 wins and 14 saves with a 3.66 ERA and 10.4 K/9. And closer Todd Frohwirth had 24 saves and a career-best 1.84 ERA. All that success came at a cost; the club spent $73.5 million and took a nearly $11 million loss, so there is some belt-tightening ahead. 

WAR Leaders: Thome 8.1, Belle 6.9, Sosa 6.0, Lieber 5.1, Tavarez 4.7

The defending champs’ offense improved from 6th to 2nd but the club won one fewer game for a repeat third place finish. The Feds ranked 2nd in runs, home runs, OPS, and bWAR, and fielded a balanced lineup with five batters with 20+ HR and 78+ RBI. Albert Belle (.310-21-92) and Sammy Sosa (.305-32-88) both topped .300, and Jim Thome (.294-35-104) led the club in HR and RBI and was 4th in WAR (8.1). On the other hand, C Mike Piazza slumped hard, slicing his average (.240) and OPS (.698) by 80 and 250 points, and the bottom of the lineup was below average. The deadline acquisition of Alan Trammell bolsters the infield defense and gives SS prospect Rey Ordonez a Hall of Fame mentor. Boston’s pitching ranked just 13th, but the rotation was 5th and Julian Tavarez (21-5, 2.11) was the league’s only 20 game winner, finished 2nd in ERA, and is the best pitcher among the six playoff teams. Jon Lieber (12-9, 3.72) had the best WAR (5.1) of his four-year career, 24-year-old Andy Pettitte (3.94 in 32 starts) continued to develop, and closer Billy Taylor (35 SV, 3.18) saved 35+ games for the third time in four years.

WAR Leaders: Pedro 8.1, Js Valentin 5.7, Fernie 3.9, B Boone 3.9, Boggs 3.0

When Bart Giamatti said “baseball is designed to break your heart,” he may have been talking about the Atlanta Hilltoppers. Over the last four years, the Toppers have treated their fans (and GM Andy Chaney) to a variety of crushing disappointments. In 1994, they produced the best pitching performance ever and the most wins (110) in three decades, only to lose the Semi Series to a team with 22 fewer wins. In 1996, they advanced to their first World Series in three decades, took a 3-2 series lead, then lost twice at home, including in 10 innings in Game 7. So how did the Toppers flop in ‘97?

Out of contention for most of the second half, Atlanta waited until September to start playing to its full potential, going including a 10-2 run Sept. 12-27, only to lose two of its last three to get eliminated on the last day of the season. Pedro Martinez (18-2, 2.05, 0.82 WHIP, 8.1) had a career year, winning the ERA, strikeout, and WHIP titles and leading the circuit with an 8.1 WAR. But sadly his 1997 season will be remembered for the one that got away. Entering the final day 18-1 and needing a win to stay alive, Pedro suffered a 2-0 loss to Cleveland rookie Rick Helling. His .900 sets a new league record for winning percentage, and he is a shoo-in for his third Cy Young Award. Fernie Valenzuela (15-12, 3.06) had another fine season, with a career best 6.9 H/9. Manny Ramirez hit 33 HR, but batted just .230 with a .750 OPS and Bret Boone (.256-27-78) likewise slumped to a .765 OPS. The club’s emerging hitting stars were SS Jose Valentin (.276-20-59, 5.7 WAR) and CF Rondell White (.299-18-61, 6.1 WAR), but Rondell was traded to Keystone in a deal that returned fan favorite Darryl Kile to the club along with John Kruk and draft picks. Wade Boggs joined teammate Tony Gwynn in the 3,000 hit club (membership: 7) on June 3, while Gwynn (.319) put up his 14th straight .300 season, 12th straight top-4 finish in batting, and 12th 200-hit season. “Mr. Topper” turns 37 next season and needs only 385 hits to surpass Joe Torre as the all-time hit king.

WAR Leaders: Ju Gonzalez 6.2, Karros 4.0, Stanley 3.2, Mondesi 3.0, Lowe 2.9

It was quite a run while it lasted. For nine years, from 1988-96, the Toronto Polar Bears were a winning team, making the playoffs seven times, the World Series four times, and running the table in 1990 and 1994 (the latter championship also earning Oscar nominations for its ensuing victory film). But all good things must come to an end, and that was the story of the ‘97 P-Bears. Always an offensive powerhouse, the club is an elite UL franchise when it has league average—or even slightly below average—pitching. But this year, Toronto’s hurlers were in the bottom 3. Rookies Derek Lowe (14-10, 3.51) and Kevin Millwood (8-12, 4.05) were thrown into the rotation and performed well, but Aaron Sele (6.61) and Mike Grace (5.91) were a disgrace. And while the team again led the league in home runs, it did so with its smallest tally in a decade, just 213. RF Juan Gonzalez (.319-36-124, .948), made a strong case to repeat as MVP. The 26-year-old Puerto Rican led the league in RBIs and finished 3rd in batting and 4th in home runs, putting him in the top 4 in all three Triple Crown categories (no other hitter was in the top 10). Eric Karros hit 38 home runs, but like Detroit’s Klesko, most were solo shots, netting just 80 RBI. CF Raul Mondesi (.253-27-75. .754) had the lowest production of his four UL seasons, but former Starling Mike Stanley (26 HR, 81 RBI) was a solid upgrade at catcher. Attendance dipped to its lowest level since 1990 (2.82 million), but the club still turned a profit for the 14th consecutive year.

WAR Leaders: Olerud 6.8, Salmon 4.8, Kendall 3.9, J Mitchell 3.0, Bailey 3.0

After moving the Colts from Comiskey to Wrigley and leading them to a surprise playoff run, GM Peter Vays’ personal run of 16 straight playoff years came to an end in 1997. Chicago was in contention into the final week, but fell flat with a 4-8 finish. The Colts were the only team to rank in the top five in runs and runs against, but were the league’s biggest underperformers, falling eight wins shy of their Pythagorean win-loss record. The offense was led by 28-year-old 1B John Olerud (.318-25-93, .916), who contended for the batting title, but settled for 6th in batting and 7th in WAR. Olerud also continued to be a workhorse, leading the league in PA for the second year running (721) and logging over 650 PA for the fifth time in his career. Tim Salmon had trouble adjusting his New Shibe Park swing to Wrigley. He managed 30 HR and 94 RBI, but hit career lows in batting (.252) and OPS (.785). Staff ace Steve Cooke (13-11, 3.20, 3.0 WAR) trimmed his ERA by 87 points and his WHIP by 19 points, but won eight games fewer than last year’s 21-8, 5.6 WAR. Free agent pickups Charlie Lea (39) and Don Robinson (38) were identical 11-12 and combined for 5.1 WAR, and closer Cory Bailey (10-5, 2.02, 30 SV) emerged as an elite closer. Three youngsters broke into the regular lineup, led by sophomore backstop Jason Kendall (.265-9-60), who doubled his WAR to 3.9. Rookie Frank Catalanotto, the 26th overall pick, won the starting LF job with a respectable .274, and 1996 1st round pick Todd Walker (.297, 23 doubles, 1.1 WAR) took over the starting 2B job after the trade of Robin Yount in May. A South Side boycott organized by disgruntled fans drove attendance down nearly 30 percent, to just 2.25 million, the Colts’ smallest gate since 1991. The decline in revenue resulted in a net loss of over $5 million, presenting GM Vays with a situation he never faced in cash-rich Los Angeles.

WAR Leaders: Vladi 9.1, Floyd 6.3, I Rodriguez 5.8, Fullmer 4.8, Dye 3.6

Since GM Bryan Gryka took over in La Bell Province in 1990, the Canoeists have managed just two winning seasons, but they came close in 1997, thanks to their hitting. Montreal boasted the league’s fifth-most prolific offense, and ranked 3rd in batting WAR, led by a quartet of sluggers under the age of 25. Last year’s Rookie of the Year RF Vladimir Guerrero (21) led the attack (.331-29-88, .929, 9.1 WAR), winning both the batting title and the WAR title (such that it is). 1B Brad Fuller (22) was fast on his heels with a .319 average, 86 RBI, and a league-best 4.8 WAR among rookie batters. LF Cliff Floyd (24) produced the highest WAR of his career (6.3) with 25 HR and 82 RBI, as did C Pudge Rodriguez (25, 5.8 WAR), who hit .278 and 34 doubles and was the starting World catcher in all three All-Star Classic games. The pitching was again a weakness, with a bottom-3 finish for the third time in four years, the main issue being the slow progress of so-called prospects. Steve Avery trimmed his WHIP 28 points to 1.24, but still had an ERA of 4.44. The 6th overall pick in 1990, Avery has a career ERA of 4.06 and an average WAR of 2.3. Livan Hernandez, the 9th overall pick last year, regressed to 8-14, 5.38. Korean righty Chan Ho Park, the 10th pick in 1994, finally broke into the rotation in his fourth pro season. With 191 Ks and 11.5 K/9 ratio, Park (9-7, 3.66) could be the ace GM Gryka has been looking for. In the pen, righthander Jerry DiPoto, who had a 5.19 ERA and 1.67 WHIP last year, transformed into an effective closer (33 SV, 2.23 ERA).

WAR Leaders: Saberhagen 7.9, C Jones 6.7, Bonds 6.6, Sanchez 5.0, Gott 4.0

First-year GM Jeremy Lemmon took a cautious approach to his first year in the UL, executing exactly one trade: buying a late draft pick from Minneapolis for $400k, partly out of boredom since he had a single draft pick (Richie Sexson). The Maroons he inherited were an aging roster with a single draft pick, the prior GM having left the cupboard bare. The Maroons roster he inherited was populated mostly with aging veterans, and while the offense flamed out, the strict four-man rotation with three 36-year-olds somehow produced the league’s third-best pitching performance. That feat was largely due to Bret Saberhagen (19-11, 2.48), who rode a late-career resurgence to his finest season since his 1987 Cy Young campaign. “Bert” famously fell one shy of 20 wins three years in a row with Washington in 1988-90 and repeated this feat this year for the fourth 19-win season of his career. Saberhagen also won 2nd Star in the All-Star Classic with an eight-hit shutout in the third and decisive game for a 2-1 USA win. Fellow oldsters Jim Gott (13-8, 3.07) and Britt Burns (10-14, 3.16) also had good years, aided no doubt by one of the best defenses in baseball.

The offense struggled, highlighted by four-time MVP Barry Bonds’ lackluster season. Bonds hit just .279-31-87, .880, all career lows since his 1986 rookie season. The Maroons' three young stars all had solid seasons. Chipper Jones (.299-29-78, .922) had a breakout year, more than doubling his WAR to 6.7 and Michael Tucker (+13.9) was 7th in outfield ZR. Tony Batista’s offensive production regressed a bit, but his +24.3 ZR ranked third among infielders. SS Rey Sanchez won his second Willie Mays Award with a +28.4 ZR, giving the Maroons an all-time great middle infield. Lemmon’s first offseason decisions will include how to deal with Barry Bonds’ expiring $19.8 million contract, with one possible answer being "don’t let the door hit you on the way out."

WAR Leaders: Cordero 6.4, Henry 4.8, Encarnacion 3.8, Van Landingham 3.3, Bagwell 3.0

Two years ago, the Keystone Starlings won their first pennant while smashing the single-season scoring record (6.0 runs per game). The young core of Tim Salmon, Jeff Bagwell, MVP Wil Cordero, and Carlos Baerga seemed poised to dominate the East for years to come. Keystone finished in 6th place each of the last two seasons, while ranking 7th in runs, prompting Starlings fans (those who came; attendance was down 19 percent to 2.08 million) to ponder what the hell happened? The short answer is that Salmon was traded and Bagwell and Baerga have fallen into slumps. Of the four, only Cordero continues to produce. In February, Salmon, 1992 Rookie of the Year, was traded along with his $7.6 million (and growing) contract to Chicago for draft picks. Bagwell (.256-24-84, .790) stumbled to his worst year since his 1991 rookie year. Only Cordero has performed at the same level as the pennant year. The 25-year-old moved from shortstop to third base this year, and his batting responded (.305-37-109, .944, 6.4 WAR), good for 3rd in home runs and 2nd in RBI. GM Doug Aiton found a cornerstone piece with the acquisition of CF Rondell White from Atlanta at the trade deadline. Keystone’s pitching improved to a franchise best 11th best in terms of runs allowed. Butch Henry (15-11, 3.30, 4.8 WAR) recorded the second best ERA and WAR in the club’s short history and William Van Landingham, a 1st round pick in 1994, posted a career best 3.58 ERA and notched 176 strikeouts. 

WAR Leaders: Gooden 5.1, Damon 4.8, Nomar 4.5, Burks 3.9, Gil 3.7

The Rainiers were the second-most improved team in 1997, winning 19 more games after an active offseason that brought in some established stars to a long-suffering team. Seattle had lost 100+ games three years in a row after mostly dormant offseasons, but this one brought in SP Dwight Gooden and Erik Hanson, and CF Ellis Burks. How did they do? Gooden (13-9, 2.57) had his lowest ERA since 1989 and posted a 5.1 WAR, Hanson was 13-8, 3.10 with 3.4 WAR, and Burks (.255-24-91) led the team in HR and RBI. The veterans helped accelerated the development of Seattle’s young core. Third-year CF Johnny Damon (.317, .366 OBP, 4.8 WAR) led the league with 118 runs and 42 stolen bases, second-year SS Nomar Garciaparra led all shortstops with a .308 average and .860 OPS, and 2B Benji Gil was a top-4 defensive infielder. With a trio of 21-year-olds—1B David Ortiz, RF Jose Guillen, and CF Torii Hunter—just waiting to explode, Seattle should be knocking on the playoff door faster than you can say King County Multipurpose Domed Stadium. 

WAR Leaders: Mason 5.2, A Jones 4.8, Sheffield 3.9, Jefferies 2.8, Sandberg 2.6

It was a tale of two halves in the nation’s capital. The Mons were the surprise team of the first half, leading the East Division on July 1 with a 47-38 mark, before a league-worst 27-49 second half dropped them to 7th place, 18 games back. The late collapse soured what was all things considered the best season of GM Jason Gudim’s five-year run. Gudim ran his career win total to 340, climbing to 29th on the all-time GM list. The club has improved by exactly four runs three years in a row since their 98-loss 1994 season. Ace Mike Mason, signed to a massive free-agent deal two years ago, silenced his critics after a bad 1996. The 37-year-old southpaw tied his career record with 16 wins to go with a 3.28 ERA and 5.2 WAR (8th in the league). Mason also tossed a four-hit shutout in the very first game of the All-Star Classic, earning 1st Star in the league’s new midseason showcase. Ryne Sandberg won 3rd Star, going 4-for-6 with a 2.214 OPS in two games. Six weeks later, the 37-year-old second baseman collected his 2500th hit, just the 22nd player to reach that lofty height. Andruw Jones led all outfielders in Zone Rating (+23.5) and smashed 26 HR and 85 RBI, but youngsters Shawn Green (.219, .676 OPS) and Jason Giambi (.249, .696) stagnated. GM Gudim sparked controversy in June by trading away #1 overall prospect Magglio Ordonez to Chicago for veteran slugger Gary Sheffield, but looked like a genius when Magglio broke his elbow a month later sliding into second in a Triple-A game and Sheffield hit 17 HR and put up 3.9 WAR in just 89 games with the Mons. The pitching staff got a boost from former Atlanta Hilltopper Julio Valera (3-1, 2.72 in 9 starts) and Tom Glavine (3.71 ERA, 188 K) trimmed his ERA by a point from last year. In the bullpen, Bobby Thigpen had a renaissance, notching 38 saves with a 2.82 ERA after posting two negative WARs in the last three years. Down on the farm, top prospects SP Jamey Wright and 3B Aaron Boone helped lead the Nashville Trappers to the International League Governor's Cup. 

WAR Leaders: Klesko 6.9, Adams 4.8, Ju Thompson 3.5, Leftwich 3.1, Helton 2.6

It was another rough year for the Flying Lions, who finished 8th for the second year running. The pitching improved marginally, but was still in the bottom four, and the offense wasn’t much better. The unquestioned star of the season was LF Ryan Klesko, who paced the circuit with 44 HR, .403 OBP, .652 SLG, and 1.055 OPS for a 6.9 WAR. Klesko’s put up MVP-like numbers, except for his RBIs. The 25-year-old slugger drove in just 95 runs, thanks in part to 30 of his 44 homers coming with no one on base. Rookie 1B Todd Helton, the 1st overall pick, had an excellent first year (.289-18-97, .804), as did relative unknown LF Marc Newfield, a fifth round pick in 1993 who came out of nowhere to bat .277-21-47. On the pitching side, the season saw the emergence of two promising 24-year-olds to complement staff ace Denny Neagle. Terry Adams, a third round pick, posted a 3.86 ERA led the team with a 4.8 WAR, and Justin Thompson, acquired in the Luis Gonzalez-Larry Walker trade with Denver, won 10 games with a 3.49 ERA, 166 Ks, and a 3.5 WAR. Detroit were sellers in their eight trades, six of which landed draft picks. Among those packing their bags were SPs Andy Benes and Scott Sanders, RF Larry Walker, C Dave Nilsson, and 2B Quilvio Veras. But Detroit will have 10 picks in the next draft, including six in the first three rounds. 

WAR Leaders: Bergman 8.0, Guillen 3.3, Lawton 3.3, Reynolds 3.2, Osborne 3.1

After another playoff near-miss last year, the Leones plummeted to their lowest finish and worst record since 1988, as the bottom fell out of a once-promising offense. Havana finished dead last in runs (3.4 per game) and its 79 home runs was the third fewest in the decade. The club’s biggest issue, in terms of both performance and finances, is the long-term decline of its $10 million man. LF Shane Mack, who had five straight 6+ WAR seasons in 1990-94, has hit just 17 HR two seasons in a row, and his average and OPS dropped to career lows since his rookie year this year (.260 and .716), and two-time HR champion Rafael Palmeiro, who his 62 HR in his first years with his hometown club, hit just 6 in 330 PA this year. And the problem wasn’t just power: Bip Roberts—a .321 career hitter—could muster just .255. Midseason acquisition Dion James (.299, .838 OPS) proved to be the only regular to hit over .275 and OPS over .716. The team’s superstar was ace Sean Bergman (13-8, 2.61, 236 K, 8.0 WAR). The 27-year-old righthander from Joliet, Ill. was 1st in FIP, 2nd in WAR, and 3rd in strikeouts. However, Shane Reynolds (9-14, 3.71) and Donovan Osborne (11-16, 4.26) failed to regain their earlier form, not to mention recoup their combined $8.8 million paychecks. Closer Tim Scott continued his run as one of the league’s elite closers. With a 2.88 ERA and 39 saves, the 30-year-old has amassed 165 saves in the last five years and is the career save leader for all pitchers under 32. 

WAR Leaders: E Davis 3.3, Van Slyke 3.1, Phillips 2.9, Seitzer 2.3, Greene 1.5

A year after ending a 15-year playoff run, the Outlaws went into full teardown and rebuild mode. Facing one of the oldest rosters in the league, second-year GM Tim Widholm. In eight trades, L.A. shipped away starting pitchers Floyd Youmans, Greg Swindell, Bruce Hurst, Rheal Cormier, and Dave Schmidt, as well as 3B Jeff Cirillo, CF Kenny Lofton, and SS Jay Bell. Youmans, Swindell, and Hurst combined for 351 wins and rank just behind club legends Larry Dierker and Fritz Peterson in career WAR for the club. Swindell was the 17th overall pick in 1986, Hurst arrived from Brooklyn in 1988, and Youmans was acquired by trade from Montreal in 1990. From 1990-95, with the three at their peak, the Outlaws averaged 96 wins a year and won three pennants and two UL titles.

On the field, the Outlaws were horrible, ranking dead last in pitching for the first time since 1959, their fourth year, and next to last in offense. Fans were treated to aging likely Hall of Famers (Van Slyke, Eric Davis, Robin Yount) running up their career stats, while franchise player Frank Thomas had his worst season by far (.257-11-49, .761, 1.0 WAR)—a forgettable campaign that was thankfully cut short by a broken hand in mid-August. But the front office has its eyes firmly on the future, and the trading spree yielded a haul of high draft picks: L.A. will have five picks in the first three rounds next year and six in 1999. 

WAR Leaders: Norton 3.7, Mussina 3.4, Felix 3.3, B Williams 3.2, E Young 3.2

The Pink Birds perched in the Waffle House for the fourth time in their eight seasons, as once again their offense failed to match the performance of their league-average pitching, with RF Junior Felix and CF Bernie Williams having off years. But GM Joao Lima continued to amass one of the UL’s best young rotations. Mike Mussina bounced back from an off year to lead the club with a 2.88 ERA and 3.4 WAR and sophomore righty Francisco Cordova was a workhorse with 188 Ks in 200+ innings. But the story of the year was rookie sensation Bartolo Colon (11-12, 3.61 ), who led all rookies with 24 quality starts and 198 strikeouts. The Flamingos have five picks in the first three rounds next year and will likely focus on their impotent lineup, which other than Felix features no players ranked in the top half in the league at the position.