Considering the MLB A-List
by Robert McKercher on 11/03/14
With the 2014 San Francisco Giants winning the teams's third World Series in five years and adding another chapter to the franchise's storied history, it started me wondering whether my perceptions and the statistical record agreed on Major League Baseball's marquee franchises. Instinctively, I think of franchises with sustained cross-generational success across the decades - teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, Cardinals, and Giants. Since the goal of every team is to win, I spent the morning at Baseball-Reference.com looking at franchise winning percentages, World Series championships, pennants, division titles, and playoffs appearances. Admittedly, this is only one, imperfect measure, but I think the high-level picture presented is accurate. For the most part the leaders in these categories are the teams I expected to be on baseball's A-list; however, there were a few surprises and oddities.
