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| Decade: The World War II Years (1940-1949) |
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| Team Decade Pages (Average Win Shares /
Points per year in decade): |
Top Team Builders In Decade: |
| AMERICAN LEAGUE: |
NATIONAL LEAGUE: |
1 - Branch Rickey (GM) -
Dodgers |
| New York Yankees - 121 |
St. Louis Cardinals - 125 |
2 - Branch Rickey (GM) -
Cards |
| Boston Red Sox - 111 |
Brooklyn Dodgers - 116 |
3 - Ed Barrow (GM), George
Weiss (Farm Director, GM) - Yankees |
| Detroit Tigers - 108 |
Cincinnati Reds - 100 |
4 - Larry MacPhail (GM), Leo
Durocher (Manager) - Dodgers |
| Cleveland Indians - 105 |
Pittsburgh Pirates - 99 |
5 - Herb Pennock (GM) -
Phillies |
| Chicago White Sox -92 |
Chicago Cubs - 96 |
6 - Billy Southworth
(Manager), John Quinn (GM) - Braves |
| St. Louis Browns - 91 |
New York Giants - 95 |
7 - Bill Veeck Jr (Owner), Hank Greenberg (GM) -
Cleveland |
| Washington Senators - 88 |
Boston Braves - 94 |
8 - Jack Zeller (GM) -
Detroit |
| Philadelphia A's -
83 |
Philadelphia Phillies - 76 |
9 - Joe Cronin (Manger), Billy Evans (GM), Eddie
Collins (GM) - Red Sox |
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10 - Bill McKechnie (Manager), Larry MacPhail (GM).
Powel Crosley (Owner) - Reds |
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| Decade Highlights |
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| □ The backdrop for baseball the entire
decade was World War II. Beginning with the 1942 season, the major leagues
were losing all of their stars to the war. A number of executives also |
| enlisted such as GM
Larry MacPhail of the Dodgers. It's hard to imagine in this day and age,
privileged people going to war in this country. Back then, everybody went,
rich or poor. |
| The fact that the
normalcy of baseball was continuing during the war was a great inspiration to
many during those dark times. |
| Aside from MacPhail,
other executives were also affected by the war. Powel Crosley of the Reds,
whose teams just won the '39 and '40 pennants, completely lost interest in
his ballclub |
| and concentrated on
the war effort. There was an executive meeting of baseball owners scheduled
for December 7th 1941 that was to be a vote on the Browns moving to Los
Angeles. |
| Had the Browns moved
to LA, the course of baseball history would have been radically changed. As
it was, Pearl Harbor put the kibosh on that one and Browns owner Donald
Barnes |
| was left reeling. |
| |
| □ From 1942 thru 1945, baseball was a
diluted product, talent wise. By 1945, career minor leaguers were the stars.
Of course, there was one executive who was ahead of the curve, twice. |
| Seeing what was
coming, Cards GM Branch Rickey was able to load up his club with 4F's. These
were major league quality players who had a disability that precluded them
from going |
| into the army. Not
surprisingly, the Cards, a team of bonafide major leaguers, dominated in the
period, winning titles in '42, '43 and '44. |
| As if that wasn't enough, Rickey hired on as
Dodgers GM in 1942 after Larry MacPhail had gone off to war. Rickey
immediately began signing the very top youngsters out of high school to |
| contracts despite
the uncertainty of their status with the war. Only one other GM, Herb Pennock
of the Phillies was on Rickey's wavelength. This policy paid huge dividends
as Brooklyn |
| signed future stars
Gil Hodges, Duke Snider, Ralph Branca and Cal McLish that others were not
persuing. |
| |
| □ The other huge happening in the Forties
also involved Branch Rickey. The Dodgers broke the color line bringing Jackie
Robinson to the Big Leagues in 1947. |
| Rickey was a good
Christian, but he was also a competitor. He was always looking for an edge
and there were some great black ballplayers out there. Rickey had his pick of
the litter. |
| Aside from Robinson,
the Dodgers also signed ace righthander Don Newcombe and HOF catcher Roy
Campanella before anybody knew what hit them. Other teams that followed suit |
| were the Indians,
whose owner Bill Veeck was an exception to the mogul rule of baseball
ownership. He was a man of the people and was truly colorblind. The New York
Giants and the |
| Boston Braves also
began signing black players early on. It's not surprising that all four clubs
were at or near the top of the standings in the late Forties and early
Fifties. |
| |
| □
1946 began Baseball's Golden Age. The war was over. Things were good
for everybody in America. There was a huge middle class. Lots of vets getting
inexpensive housing, inexpensive |
| education, good
jobs. Babies were booming. Nice time to be in America. Baseball was a part of
the fabric of America. The Golden Age was golden in part because all three
New York clubs |
| were doing really
well on the field. This meant lots of exposure to the sport, lots of media
coverage. |
| |
| □ The top team in the National League during
the decade was the Cards with four pennants, three World Series titles, five
second place finishes and a third place finish. |
| St. Louis averaged a
gaudy 96-58 mark. Brooklyn was the only other top NL team during the decade
with three pennants, three seconds and three thirds. |
| |
| □ In the American League, it was the Yankees
with five pennants and four World Series titles. Detroit had two pennants and a World
Series, Cleveland a World Series and Boston and the |
| Browns a pennant
each. New York, Detroit, Cleveland and Boston were the top teams throughout
the decade while the Browns had their one season in the sun in 1944, their
only pennant |
| in St. Louis.
Ironically, it was the Cards that beat them in the '44 World Series. |
| |
| □ Baseball was also a lot more balanced in
the Forties. The Live Ball Era of the Twenties and Thirties was over. Not
exactly clear why, but hitting was a couple of notches down. |
| Maybe it was night
baseball. Not only was the ball not as visible, but night baseball changed
travel and player's routines. Hard to say, but there was a clear
difference. |
| You would think that
with the lesser reliance on the home run, that teams would have ramped up
manufacturing runs, going back to emphasizing speed. Not so. The only team |
| to emphasize running
moving forward into the Golden Age was the Dodgers. And they were very
successful. Yet nobody copied them. |
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| Top Players In Decade Pages (Win Shares /
Points and WAR (in parentheses) for Decade ): |
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| All Positions - Top 50 |
Top Starting Pitchers |
Top Catchers |
Top Outfielders |
| 1 - Lou Boudreau Cleveland (59.86) - 114 |
2 - Hal Newhouser Detroit (54.87) - 113 |
43 - Walker Cooper Cards (19.08) - 65 |
3 - Ted Williams Boston (65.83) - 112 |
| 2 - Hal Newhouser Detroit (54.87) - 113 |
7 - Bob Feller Cleveland (38.65) - 100 |
Phil Masi Braves (12.59) - 50 |
4 - Stan Musial Cards (57.56) - 110 |
| 3 - Ted Williams Boston (65.83) - 112 |
12 - Bucky Walters Reds (28.59) - 92 |
Birdie Tebbetts Boston (4.13) - 48 |
5 - Joe DiMaggio Yankees (43.59) - 102 |
| 4 - Stan Musial Cards (57.56) - 110 |
13 - Dutch Leonard Washington
(31.84) - 89 |
Ernie Lombardi Giants (19.16) - 46 |
8 - Dominic DiMaggio Boston (24.73) - 98 |
| 5 - Joe DiMaggio Yankees (43.59) - 102 |
19 - Rip Sewell Pittburgh (25.12) - 83 |
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15 - Tommy Holmes Braves (32.77) - 85 |
| 6 - Vern Stephens Browns (35.16) - 101 |
21 - Dizzy Trout Detroit (37.62) - 79 |
Top First Basemen |
16 - Swish Nicholson Cubs (39.21) - 84 |
| 7 - Bob Feller Cleveland (38.65) - 100 |
22 - Claude Passeau Cubs (27.87) - 77 |
23 - Phil Cavarretta Cubs (29.79) -75 |
17 - Dixie Walker Brooklyn (35.15)- 84 |
| 8 - Dominic
DiMaggio Boston (24.73) - 98 |
29 - Mort Cooper Cards (28.6) - 74 |
26 - Rudy York Detroit (24.06) - 75 |
18 - Johnny Hopp Pittsburgh (19.75) -83 |
| 9 - Luke Appling Chicago (40.76) - 97 |
30 - Kirby Higbe Brooklyn (18.55) - 74 |
27 - Johnny Mize Cards (41.1) - 74 |
24 - Vince DiMaggio
Pittsburgh (12.79) - 75 |
| 10 - Pee Wee Reese Brooklyn (33.68) - 93 |
34 - Allie Reynolds Yankees (12.76) - 71 |
36 - George McQuinn Yankees (16.88) - 68 |
25 - Jeff Heath Cleveland (30.5) - 75 |
| 11 - Marty Marion Cards (30.7) - 92 |
37 - Hank Borowy Yankees (16.57) - 68 |
39- Frank McCormick Reds (26.33) - 67 |
28 - Country Slaughter Cards (32.77) - 74 |
| 12 - Bucky Walters Reds (28.59) - 92 |
38 - Harry Brecheen Cards (32.68) - 68 |
45 - Mickey Vernon Washington
(12.92) - 64 |
31 - George Case
Washington (11.51) - 73 |
| 13 - Dutch Leonard Washington (31.84) - 89 |
42 - Johnny Van Der Meer Reds
(23.63) - 66 |
Hank Greenberg Pirates (20.35) - 40 |
32 - Roy Cullenbine Detroit (31.72) - 72 |
| 13 - Joe Gordon Cleveland (45.64) - 88 |
50 - Johnny Sain Braves (18.04) - 60 |
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33 - Stan Spence Washington (22.34) - 72 |
| 14 - Bob Elliott Pittsburgh (39.67) - 86 |
Spud Chandler Yankees (18.87) - 58 |
Top Second Basemen |
35 - Charlie Keller Yankees (37.28) - 68 |
| 15 - Tommy Holmes Braves (32.77) - 85 |
Eddie Lopat Yankees (15.35) - 58 |
13 - Joe Gordon Cleveland (45.64) - 88 |
41- Mel Ott Giants (27.68) - 66 |
| 16 - Swish Nicholson Cubs (39.21) - 84 |
Bobo Newsom Washington (23.26) - 58 |
20 - Bobby Doerr Boston (41.71) - 82 |
44 - Pete Reiser Brooklyn (21.06) - 65 |
| 17 - Dixie Walker Brooklyn (35.15)- 84 |
Tex Hughson Boston (25.61) - 57 |
Snuffy Stirnweiss Yankees (27.7) - 59 |
47 - Wally Moses A's (19.19) - 63 |
| 18 - Johnny Hopp Pittsburgh (19.75) -83 |
Tiny Bonham Yankees (24.53) - 56 |
Eddie Stanky Brooklyn (25.04) - 37 |
48 - Tommy Henrich Yankees (27.46) - 62 |
| 19 - Rip Sewell Pittburgh (25.12) - 83 |
Virgil Trucks Detroit (22.17) - 54 |
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49 - Jim Russell Pittsburgh (16.27) - 62 |
| 20 - Bobby Doerr Boston (41.71) - 82 |
Paul Derringer Reds (10.55) - 53 |
Top Shortstops |
Indian Bob Johnson Boston (24.21) - 58 |
| 21 - Dizzy Trout Detroit (37.62) - 79 |
Joe Dobson Boston (17.54) - 53 |
1 - Lou Boudreau Cleveland (59.86) - 114 |
Ralph Kiner Pirates (25.3) - 50 |
| 22 - Claude Passeau Cubs (27.87) - 77 |
Howie Pollett Cards (24.13) - 51 |
6 - Vern Stephens Browns (35.16) - 101 |
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| 23 - Phil Cavarretta Cubs (29.79) -75 |
Schoolboy Rowe Phillies (18.91) - 50 |
9 - Luke Appling Chicago (40.76) - 97 |
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| 24 - Vince DiMaggio Pittsburgh (12.79) - 75 |
Warren Spahn Braves (20.33) - 48 |
10 - Pee Wee Reese Brooklyn (33.68) - 93 |
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| 25 - Jeff Heath Cleveland (30.5) - 75 |
Max Lanier Cards (21.06) - 45 |
11 - Marty Marion Cards (30.7) - 92 |
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| 26 - Rudy York Detroit (24.06) - 75 |
Nels Potter Browns (24.54) - 42 |
40 - Phil Rizzuto Yankees (20.63) - 67 |
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| 27 - Johnny Mize Cards (41.1) - 74 |
Preacher Roe Pirates (20.39) - 30 |
Johnny Pesky Boston (23.64) - 59 |
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| 28 - Country Slaughter Cards (32.77) - 74 |
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| 29 - Mort Cooper Cards (28.6) - 74 |
Top Relief Pitchers |
Top Third Basemen |
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| 30 - Kirby Higbe Brooklyn (18.55) - 74 |
Joe Page Yankees (7.59)
- 37 |
14 - Bob Elliott Pittsburgh (39.67) - 86 |
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| 31 - George Case Washington (11.51) - 73 |
Joe Haynes Chicago (10.05)
- 35 |
46 - Stan Hack Cubs (31.54) - 63 |
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| 32 - Roy Cullenbine Detroit (31.72) - 72 |
Ace Adams Giants (7.05)
- 23 |
Ken Keltner Cleveland (27.34) - 59 |
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| 33 - Stan
Spence Washington (22.34) - 72 |
Joe Beggs Reds (10.34)
- 23 |
Whitey Kurowski Cards (23.98) - 53 |
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| 34 - Allie Reynolds
Yankees (12.76) - 71 |
Ted Wilks Cards (13.83)
- 20 |
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| 35 - Charlie Keller Yankees (37.28) - 68 |
Johnny Murphy Yankees (6.09) - 19 |
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| 36 - George McQuinn Yankees (16.88) - 68 |
Satchell Paige Cleveland (3.27) - 3 |
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| 37 - Hank Borowy Yankees (16.57) - 68 |
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| 38 - Harry Brecheen Cards (32.68) - 68 |
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| 39- Frank McCormick Reds (26.33) - 67 |
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| 40 - Phil Rizzuto Yankees (20.63) - 67 |
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| 41- Mel Ott Giants (27.68) - 66 |
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| 42 - Johnny Van Der Meer Reds (23.63) - 66 |
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| 43 - Walker Cooper Cards (19.08) - 65 |
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| 44 - Pete Reiser Brooklyn (21.06) - 65 |
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| 45 - Mickey Vernon Washington (12.92) - 64 |
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| 46 - Stan Hack Cubs (31.54) - 63 |
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| 47 - Wally Moses A's (19.19) - 63 |
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| 48 - Tommy Henrich Yankees (27.46) - 62 |
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| 49 - Jim Russell Pittsburgh (16.27) - 62 |
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| 50 - Johnny Sain Braves (18.04) - 60 |
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