How does a team just two years removed from a world championship, with Cy Young runner-up Randy Johnson and emerging stud Brandon Webb at the top of its rotation, lose 111 games -- a whopping 33 more defeats than it had the year before? A 96-loss season in 2014 didn't help, as Colorado had a staggering team ERA of 4.84 and finished down 28.71 betting units. Baltimore's pitching was only marginally worse in 2018 than it had been the year before, but the offense bottomed out, going from middle of the pack to dead last in the American League in runs, batting average and OBP. Oy. In a decade in which the fortunes of MLB teams swung wildly like an out-of-control pendulum, heres our list of how everything shook out at the end. : The Braves of the late 1980s were notoriously awful, none more so than the 1988 squad. What happened? McGwire was traded to the Cardinals in a deadline blockbuster but still managed to lead the A's in WAR. What came next? Coming off a 75-win season, there weren't high expectations for the '18 Orioles. It would have been a lot worse were it not for the phenomenon known as Mike Trout, clearly the decades best player as there was nothing he couldnt do at the plate, on the basepaths or in the outfield. : The Astros of 2010s famously embarked on a radical rebuilding plan that included getting rid of high-priced veterans, refusing to spend money on free agents and relying on young, cheap players. Juan Gonzalez won rather easily in a sign of the times, as he homered 45 times and drove home a whopping 157 runs. With a record of 1,453-1785-2 over the past 20 years, it probably doesn't come as much of a surprise. The most game lost by a team, the worst record by a team, the most consecutive losses, and other similar records are one of the most asked for items on the Internet. It certainly had nothing to do with postseason success; while the Giants won it all three times, the As went 0-for-2 in the ALDS and 0-for-3 in wild card games. Sandwiched between 88-win seasons, the 2002 Cubs were just 67-95 and should have been better. And the pitching was no better: last in the NL in ERA, saves and HR allowed. But the offense? What happened? 3: 2003 Detroit Tigers (45.01). After Detroit lost 106 games the year before, it was hard to imagine a 13-game drop, but that's what Motown got. Result: Seven straight NL West titles to end the decade, the woeful part of which was that it didnt bring them any world titles. Those blessed with longer term memories know that before the Rangers ended the 2010s with three years of rudderless funk to close out overboiled Globe Life Park, they suffered just one losing season and made the postseason five timesincluding their first two trips to the World Series, in 2010-11. Which brings us to Franco, who slashed only .210/.253/.355 in 104 games before Baltimore . : More of the same. The Jays were fun to watch if not always successful, with Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Josh Donaldson constantly providing more than their share of fireworks. As with the 2011 edition, the Astros were in full tank mode in 2012, and a lost season went way off the tracks with an 8-49 stretch over July and August. Eddie Murray was gone, and Mike Scioscia's production plummeted. Its interesting that the As, a virtual afterthought in the Bay Area as the Giants monopolized the region, managed to rank higher. The lineup wasn't good (last in the league in runs scored), but the pitching was truly awful: Three of the five regular starters had ERAs of 5.40 or worse. After two years of internal misery, the Boston Red Sox come together and give an emotional lift to a wounded city with an inspirational championship effort. : They continued to stink for five more seasons, before shocking the baseball world by winning the 2008 AL pennant (but only after dropping "Devil" from their name). When the MLB season will begin and in what form are still uncertainties. At 3-20 on the young season, the Reds may be the most pathetic ballclub since the 1899 Cleveland Spiders Starting pitcher Reiver Sanmartin of the Reds throws against the Colorado Rockies. Well, Arizona's four other pitchers with at least 10 starts (Casey Fossum, Steve Sparks, Casey Daigle and Edgar Gonzalez) went 9-34 with a 6.86 ERA over 65 starts. They won the NL East in 2012 and 2014. But aces were few and far between, and fleeting when present (see Aaron Sanchez, Ricky Romero, J.A. An innocent victim of MLB's work stoppage, Ringler had been laid off from her position as the Mets' director of marketing a few months earlier. The pitching wasn't bad, but San Francisco was last in the league in runs scored thanks to the presence of weak hitters like Manny Trillo and Jose Uribe in the lineup. Fantasy basketball tips and betting picks for Sunday, Fantasy basketball tips and betting picks for Saturday: Sixers and Celtics fight for the division, Fantasy basketball tips and betting picks for Friday: Love to make Heat debut, XFL Week 2 preview: Texas two-step between Renegades and Roughnecks leads slate, Fantasy basketball tips and betting picks for Thursday: LeBron James and Co. look to start strong. But the 2008 squad lacked power and patience and had below average pitching as they lost more than 100 games for the first time since 1983. Established in 1993, they compete in Major League Baseball as a member club of the National League East division. Just ask Frank McCourt; at the helm to start the decade, McCourt was trying to figure out how to sell a once-proud organization to bail him out of the red. The 10 Worst Teams in MLB History Kerry Miller March 25, 2020 2003 Detroit Tigers pitcher Nate Cornejo Ezra Shaw/Getty Images We fondly remember and debate about some of the best teams in. If you thought it was bad last season,. Should the Bucks be favorites to win the East and NBA Championship? They suffered 11 walk-off losses and 12 shutouts. Lost a hundred games twice. 1998 AL MVP. : With an enormous payroll and plenty of big names, the Mets of the early 1990s were supposed to be contenders. Best Year: 2012 (94-68) Worst Year: 2017 (64-98). : The team hovered around .500 for a few years before making back-to-back playoff apperances in 1995-1996. But their offense (the only team in the AL to score fewer than 600 runs) was so bad it couldn't help a solid pitching staff. Fortunately for Seattle, Felix Hernandez would embark on his seven-year run of dominance the next season, giving fans something to root for. Seven teams got to taste championship glory, while only four teams never made it to the postseason. What happened? Fortunately for Seattle, Felix Hernandez would embark on his seven-year run of dominance the next season, giving fans something to root for. : The Twins were coming off two straight division titles, but things went south quickly. The Mariners scored 100 fewer runs than any other AL team and had an OPS of .637, the only AL team below .700. At 43-119, the 2003 Tigers had the worst record in baseball since 1962 and the sixth worst since 1900. The 2008 Padres had a little pop -- with three solid hitters in Adrian Gonzalez, Brian Giles and Jody Gerut as well as a legit ace in defending Cy Young winner Jake Peavy -- but not a whole lot else. What happened? What happened? The 2008 Padres had a little pop -- with three solid hitters in Adrian Gonzalez, Brian Giles and Jody Gerut as well as a legit ace in defending Cy Young winner Jake Peavy -- but not a whole lot else. Best Year:2014 (96-66) Worst Year: 2018 (47-115). : After winning the 1993 NL pennant, Philadelphia started a series of losing seasons culminating in this stinker of a team. And the pitching was no better: last in the NL in ERA, saves and HR allowed. What came next? What came next? The team ended up trading two of their other productive hitters, Gary Sheffield and Fred McGriff. The Astros had a punchless lineup without a 20-homer hitter and that was fourth in the NL in team batting average but 13th in OPS. Find the Countries of Europe - No Outlines Minefield. Sandwiched between 88-win seasons, the 2002 Cubs were just 67-95 and should have been better. The Kings of the Even Year, the Giants used sensational pitching, solid defense and excellent managing from Bruce Bochy to secure the franchises first three world titles since moving to San Francisco in 1958 with crowns in 2010, 2012 and 2014; an imploded bullpen kept them from doing it again in 2016. At 43-119, the 2003 Tigers had the worst record in baseball since 1962 and the sixth worst since 1900. After Detroit lost 106 games the year before, it was hard . : Seven more losing seasons before a breakthrough in 2013. The 1992 squad's ERA was in the middle of the pack and the offense was dead last in terms of runs scored. Best Year: 2012 (98-64) Worst Year: 2010 (69-93). Worst To First MLB Teams 13 improbable turnarounds in MLB history These teams went from worst to first in the span of a year December 9th, 2021 Oliver Macklin Share It took nearly 90 years before a team ascended from last place in its division or league to first place in the very next season. 2023 NBA betting trends: What to look for after the All-Star Break, UEFA Champions League: Betting tips for first leg of round of 16, Everything you need to know ahead of Tiger Woods' return to the Genesis Invitational, Sources: Offer changes delay MLBPA vote again, Olney: What MLB owners need to hear from Rob Manfred to save baseball, Best betting seasons for every MLB team over the past 20 years. Based on run differential, Chicago should have won 76 games, the biggest disparity in baseball that year. : Hargrove took over a squad that included Albert Belle, Carlos Baerga, Sandy Alomar and Jim Thome (for 27 games). After Detroit lost 106 games the year before, it was hard . The only player with an OPS+ above the break-even point of 100 was Nicholas Castellanos, who was dealt away at the July trade deadline. Best Year:2018 (89-73)Worst Year: 2010 (61-101). They haven't exactly been kind to bettors, either. Best Year: 2015 (98-64) Worst Year: 2010 (57-105). Best Year: 2014 (98-64) Worst Year: 2019 (72-90). What came next? Tretter, who retired last year after eight NFL seasons, explained that the survey was conducted anonymously because he didn't want players to receive punishment from teams for their honest . O Rtg. : More losing, basically. Unfortunately, Minnesota was always down when it made the postseason, losing all eight of their playoff gamesall of them to the Yankees, ensuring a popular Twin Cities revival of the stage musical Damn Yankees! But finishing 61 games out of first place isn't your garden variety lousy season. They had a bad lineup and really bad pitching (more than 900 runs allowed). What came next? Based on run differential, Chicago should have won 76 games, the biggest disparity in baseball that year. Continents in Order of Population. Best Year:2019 (107-55) Worst Year: 2013 (51-111). This includes regular season and postseason play. Which 16 teams should you buy or fade ahead of March Madness? No doubt about it, the Tigers are tankingthough that may be of little comfort for Detroit fans who finished the decade watching (or not watching) their team lose 114 games. Among key players, only Ben Sheets remained from that 2002 squad. : The 1994 team was almost as bad as the '93 version. No, it wasnt the Astros. It was a real problem, though, that the team on-base percentage was below league average. Contact us at This Great Game. = 108.4 (24th), D Rtg. This was the first of three 100-loss seasons that set the stage for Houston's massive rebuild that eventually paid off over the second half of the decade. Detroit started the season 1-17, then had stretches of 2-20, 2-17 and 1-15 as the season went on. What came next? The team ERA was just slightly below average, but the Cards were one of only two teams in the league to score fewer than 600 times. Alcantara impressed last season, pitching to a sparkling 2.28 ERA (fifth) across an MLB . Best Year: 2011 (95-67)Worst Year: 2019 (47-114). Like the Mets, the Blue Jays made two trips to the postseason in the 2010sand even though they, too, didnt get to hoist the big trophy prize, Toronto fans have more positive memories to embrace from ittops among them Jose Bautistas bat flip to end all bat flips to help win a particularly tense ALDS against Texas. Sandwiched between 88-win seasons, the 2002 Cubs were just 67-95 and should have been better. Baseball finally embraces extensive video replay to review close calls, but the process leaves a lot to be desired. Best Year: 2018 (108-54) Worst Year: 2012 (69-93). The bullpen had a 4.92 ERA and blew more saves (25) than it converted (23). The sports world has had it with one Major League Baseball umpire.