World Series Champions: The Plus Years

Sorry for being lazy, folks. I've finally gotten around to doing this post as a follow-up to the last one. Last time we looked at which World Series Champion teams had the most and the fewest of the same players in each year prior to the title. This time we're looking at the years following the title.

Plus-1

Median: 23
Top Teams: 1980 PHI (30), 1952 NYY (29), 1966 BAL (29), 1971 PIT (29), 1973 OAK (29), 2010 SFG (29)
Bottom Teams: 1918 BOS (10), 1903 BOS (13), 1943 NYY (14), 1905 NYG (16), 1945 DET (16), 1934 STL (17), 1908 CHC (18), 1919 CIN (18), 1930 PHA (18), 1942 STL (18)

As with the Minus years, the bottom teams are either from an era of smaller rosters or war. One thing I discovered from doing this exercise is that player usage has gone up over the years. Since the year 2000, only one World Series Champion has used fewer than 40 players over the course of the season (that being the 2005 Chicago White Sox), so in a way I'm surprised that a team from over 30 years ago holds the top spot for players retained. Then again, you look at the teams just behind them, and you see several teams from that middle era as well, so perhaps the rates of player movement have similarly increased.


Plus-2

Median: 16
Top Teams: 1952 NYY (23), 1971 PIT (23), 1954 NYG (21), 1957 MLN (21), 1979 PIT (21), 1983 BAL (21), 1986 NYM (21), 1989 OAK (21)
Bottom Teams: 1918 BOS (6), 1914 BSN (8), 1997 FLA (9), 1916 BOS (10), 1942 STL (10), 1919 CIN (11), 1941 NYY (11)

The top teams here all come from the same "middle era," interestingly enough.


Plus-3

Median: 12
Top Teams: 1951 NYY (20), 1986 NYM (20), 1962 NYY (19), 1943 NYY (18), 1946 STL (18), 1956 NYY (18), 1989 OAK (18), 1957 MLN (17)
Bottom Teams: 2003 FLA (2), 1918 BOS (4), 1974 OAK (4), 1941 NYY (5), 1997 FLA (5), 1914 BSN (7), 1915 BOS (7), 1919 CIN (7), 1944 STL (7), 1990 CIN (7)

The 2003 Marlins' fire sale was really something, wasn't it? Just three years later only two of those players remained!


Plus-4

Median: 9
Top Teams: 1946 STL (16), 1951 NYY (16), 1981 LAD (16), 1942 STL (14), 1957 MLN (14), 1961 NYY (14), 1962 NYY (14)
Bottom Teams: 1918 BOS (0), 1974 OAK (2), 2003 FLA (2), 1934 STL (3)

Harry Frazee's 1918 Red Sox though, have everyone beat by getting rid of everyone in just four years! The top teams are a testament to the strength of the Cardinal, Yankee and Dodger systems that we always hear about. The Braves are a bit underrated in that regard.


Plus-5

Median: 6
Top Teams: 1941 NYY (15), 1946 STL (14), 1932 NYY (12), 1949 NYY (12), 1951 NYY (12), 1971 PIT (12)
Bottom Teams: 1918 BOS (0), 2003 FLA (0), 1972 OAK (1), 1974 OAK (1), 1913 PHA (2), 1991 MIN (2)

Don't forget about that Pirate system either.


Plus-6

Median: 5
Top Teams: 1932 NYY (10), 1956 NYY (10), 1981 LAD (10), 1926 STL (9), 1942 STL (9), 1950 NYY (9), 1959 LAD (9), 1966 BAL (9), 1968 DET (9), 1989 OAK (9)
Bottom Teams: 1918 BOS (0), 1921 NYG (0), 1972 OAK (0), 2003 FLA (0), 1903 BOS (1), 1916 BOS (1), 1930 PHA (1), 1973 OAK (1), 1974 OAK (1), 1983 BAL (1)

A lot of zeros coming up here. I never realized before I compiled this information how much the 1921 Giants turned over their roster.


Plus-7

Median: 3
Top Teams: 1939 NYY (10), 1965 LAD (9), 1959 LAD (8), 1966 BAL (8), 1996 NYY (8)
Bottom Teams: 1916 BOS (0), 1918 BOS (0), 1921 NYG (0), 1929 PHA (0), 1930 PHA (0), 1934 STL (0), 2003 FLA (0)

The 1939 Yankees benefit from World War II. Their Plus-7 year was 1946, so they had a bunch of players returning from the war who might have been traded or released if they hadn't been serving their country.


Plus-8

Median: 3
Top Teams: 1938 NYY (8), 1942 STL (7), 1966 BAL (7), 1948 CLE (6), 1971 PIT (6)
Bottom Teams: 1903 BOS (0), 1913 PHA (0), 1915 BOS (0), 1916 BOS (0), 1918 BOS (0), 1921 NYG (0), 1929 PHA (0), 1934 STL (0), 2001 ARI (0), 2003 FLA (0)

You can see the 1946 phenomenon strike again here.


Plus-9

Median: 2
Top Teams: 1937 NYY (7), 1996 NYY (7), 1933 NYG (6), 1942 STL (6), 1907 CHC (5), 1932 NYY (5), 1966 BAL (5)
Bottom Teams: 21 teams

By this point there are too many teams at the bottom with zero to mention each one individually.


Plus-10

Median: 1
Top Teams: 1932 NYY (5), 1936 NYY (5), 1923 NYY (4), 1937 NYY (4), 1956 NYY (4), 1966 BAL (4), 1996 NYY (4), 1998 NYY (4), 1999 NYY (4), 2000 NYY (4)
Bottom Teams: 24 teams

All these Yankee teams! Where'd they come from? How does that franchise manage to keep their players together like that? Give credit where due though, to the 1966 Orioles.


Plus-11

Median: 1
Top Teams: 1996 NYY (4), 1998 NYY (4), 1999 NYY (4)

Well now, here's an interesting development. The Yankees' famed big four (Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada) make that late-90's dynasty stand apart. If Andy Pettitte hadn't spent the 2011 season in retirement, the 2000 team would be up here too.


Plus-12

Median: 1
Top Teams: 1996 NYY (4), 1998 NYY (4), 1999 NYY (3), 2000 NYY (3)


Plus-13

Median: 1
Top Teams: 1996 NYY (4), 1995 ATL (3), 1998 NYY (3), 1999 NYY (3)

The usual suspects, except the 1995 Braves join the mix. The 2000 Yankees are ineligible because their Plus-13 year is coming up soon and doesn't qualify yet.


Plus-14

Median: 0
Top Teams: 1932 NYY (4), 1996 NYY (4), 1998 NYY (3), 1924 WSH (2), 1942 STL (2), 1946 STL (2), 1953 NYY (2), 1966 BAL (2), 1982 STL (2)

Thanks to WWII, the 1932 Yankees sneak in here.


Plus-15

Median: 0
Top Teams: 1914 BSN (3), 1996 NYY (3), 1913 PHA (2), 1942 STL (2), 1946 STL (2), 1966 BAL (2)

Johnny Evers and Hank Gowdy were coaches for the 1929 Boston Braves, and it looks like they knew this list would be compiled one day, so they had to make some token appearances.


Plus-16

Median: 0
Top Teams: 1996 NYY (3), 1914 BSN (2), 1946 STL (2)


Plus-17

Median: 0
Top Teams: 1913 PHA (2), 1946 STL (2)

The 1963 Cardinals still had Stan Musial and Red Schoendienst hanging around. It looks like their departure was the last thing needed for them to get back to the World Series.


Plus-18

Median: 0
Top Teams: 1910 PHA (1), 1911 PHA (1), 1914 BSN (1), 1916 BOS (1), 1928 NYY (1), 1942 STL (1), 1944 STL (1), 1954 NYG (1), 1966 BAL (1), 1983 BAL (1)


Plus-19

Median: 0
Top Teams: 1910 PHA (1), 1911 PHA (1), 1914 BSN (1), 1915 BOS (1), 1942 STL (1), 1944 STL (1)

They're clearly dwindling now....


Plus-20

Median: 0
Top Teams: 1910 PHA (1), 1942 STL (1)


Plus-21

Median: 0
Top Teams: 1914 BSN (1), 1942 STL (1)

Thanks to two Hall of Famers, Stan Musial and Rabbit Maranville, these two teams are the only ones to suit up a player 21 years after the title.