Baseball Player Won-Loss Records
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1982 Season

The 1982 Season as seen through the Prism of Player Won-Lost Records

Next in my continuing series of looking at individual seasons through the prism of Player won-lost records is the 1982 season.

The Best of 1982

I calculate Player won-lost records two ways: pWins, which tie to team wins and eWins, which control for context and the ability of one's teammates. For players with more pWins than eWins, their Player wins contributed to more team wins than one might expect; for players with more eWins than pWins, just the opposite is true: their Player wins translated into fewer team wins than expected. Or more briefly: a player with more pWins than eWins was better in context, a player with more eWins than pWins was worse in context.

The top 10 players in pWins above Positional Average and Replacement Level were as follows.

pWins over Positional Average
Top 10 Players
pWins over Replacement Level
Top 10 Players
Player pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL Player pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL
1Robin Yount24.917.98.3
10.2
1Robin Yount24.917.98.3
10.2
2Steve Carlton21.515.57.5
9.4
2Steve Carlton21.515.57.5
9.4
3Andre Dawson24.116.96.6
8.5
3Andre Dawson24.116.96.6
8.5
4Steve Rogers17.412.85.8
7.4
4Steve Rogers17.412.85.8
7.4
5Mike Schmidt22.616.35.6
7.3
5Mike Schmidt22.616.35.6
7.3
6Fernando Valenzuela19.115.05.4
7.3
6Fernando Valenzuela19.115.05.4
7.3
7Dale Murphy24.718.65.3
7.3
7Dale Murphy24.718.65.3
7.3
8Jim Palmer14.99.95.3
6.8
8Pedro Guerrero24.618.55.1
7.0
9Eddie Murray18.913.15.1
6.6
9Jim Palmer14.99.95.3
6.8
10Pedro Guerrero24.618.55.1
7.0
10Eddie Murray18.913.15.1
6.6


The top 10 players in eWins above Positional Average and Replacement Level were as follows.

eWins over Positional Average
Top 10 Players
eWins over Replacement Level
Top 10 Players
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA eWORL Player eWins eLosses eWOPA eWORL
1Robin Yount24.318.57.2
9.1
1Robin Yount24.318.57.2
9.1
2Mike Schmidt22.716.15.9
7.6
2Mike Schmidt22.716.15.9
7.6
3Pedro Guerrero24.718.45.4
7.3
3Pedro Guerrero24.718.45.4
7.3
4Gary Carter19.614.65.3
6.8
4Fernando Valenzuela18.815.35.0
6.9
5Steve Rogers16.913.35.1
6.7
5Gary Carter19.614.65.3
6.8
6Fernando Valenzuela18.815.35.0
6.9
6Dale Murphy24.518.94.9
6.8
7Dale Murphy24.518.94.9
6.8
7Steve Rogers16.913.35.1
6.7
8Doug DeCinces21.116.44.4
6.0
8Dwight Evans24.219.14.3
6.3
9Dwight Evans24.219.14.3
6.3
9Steve Carlton19.817.24.2
6.1
10Steve Carlton19.817.24.2
6.1
10Doug DeCinces21.116.44.4
6.0


I take a look at some of the most interesting players of 1982 at the end of this article.

1982 Postseason

The 1982 ALCS matched up two teams who had never appeared in a World Series: the California Angels and Miwaukee Brewers. The Brewers made the their first (and, thus far, only) World Series appearance, while the Angels would have to wait another 20 years. Meanwhile, the National League Championship Series featured a team trying to make its first World Series in its current city, Atlanta - ironically, the only franchise to win a World Series in Milwaukee.

So, with all these opportunities for firsts, of course, the St. Louis Cardinals ended up winning their ninth World Series (although their first in 15 years).

The best players of the 1982 postseason, as measured by pWins over replacement level, are shown in the next table.

The stars of the 1982 postseason were Cardinals outfielder Willie McGee and catcher Darrell Porter. McGee scored 10 runs and had 10 RBI in 9 postseason games, while Porter batted .351/.442/.568 across the two rounds.

1982 Postseason: Total
Player Team pWins pLosses pWORL
Willie McGeeSLN2.11.01.2
Darrell PorterSLN1.70.81.1
George HendrickSLN1.71.00.7
Bruce SutterSLN0.80.20.7
Joaquin AndujarSLN1.30.80.7
Bruce KisonCAL1.00.60.5
Bob ForschSLN1.61.40.5
Mike CaldwellMIL1.41.10.5
Charlie MooreMIL1.41.00.5
Mark BrouhardMIL0.50.10.4


Top postseason players by round were as follows.

1982 World Series
Player Team pWins pLosses Net Wins
Mike CaldwellMIL1.10.40.7
Willie McGeeSLN1.20.70.6
Joaquin AndujarSLN0.90.40.5
Darrell PorterSLN1.00.60.4
Bruce SutterSLN0.50.10.4

1982 Postseason: League Championship Series
Player Team pWins pLosses Net Wins
Bob ForschSLN0.80.20.6
Darrell PorterSLN0.70.10.6
Willie McGeeSLN0.90.30.5
George HendrickSLN0.80.30.5
Don SuttonHOU0.70.30.4


Best of 1982 by Factor and Position

Next, let's look at the top players in various aspects of the game.
Best by Factor: Batting, Baserunning, Pitching, Fielding
There are four basic factors for which players earn Player won-lost records: Batting, Baserunning, Pitching, and Fielding. The top players in 1982 in wins over positional average (WOPA) by factor were as follows.

Batting
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLoss eWOPA Player pWins pLoss pWOPA
1Mike Schmidt16.110.2
5.5
1Mike Schmidt16.69.86.4
2Pedro Guerrero17.311.6
5.3
2Eddie Murray15.910.15.9
3Dale Murphy16.311.3
4.6
3Dale Murphy16.910.75.8
4Reggie Jackson15.010.5
4.5
4Pedro Guerrero17.411.55.4
5Robin Yount15.911.6
4.3
5Robin Yount16.411.05.4
6Jason D. Thompson15.010.4
4.2
6Jack Clark16.611.15.1
7Dwight Evans15.711.4
4.2
7Reggie Jackson15.110.44.7
8Eddie Murray15.011.0
4.0
8Gorman Thomas14.910.24.7
9Al Oliver15.911.5
4.0
9Cecil Cooper16.311.74.6
10Jack Clark15.911.7
3.8
10Fred Lynn13.38.94.4
Positional Average excludes pitcher offense
Baserunning
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLoss eWOPA Player pWins pLoss pWOPA
1Mookie Wilson3.11.7
1.3
1Mookie Wilson3.01.81.2
2Alan Wiggins1.70.5
1.2
2Paul Molitor2.41.41.0
3Lonnie Smith3.32.1
1.1
3Rudy Law1.90.91.0
4Rickey Henderson4.13.1
1.0
4Alan Wiggins1.60.61.0
5Paul Molitor2.41.4
1.0
5Harold Baines1.60.60.9
6Rudy Law1.91.0
0.9
6Robin Yount1.80.90.9
7Willie Wilson2.41.5
0.9
7Luis Salazar1.81.00.8
8Luis Salazar1.81.0
0.8
8Steve Sax2.81.90.8
9Robin Yount1.71.0
0.7
9Damaso Garcia2.61.80.7
10Steve Sax2.72.0
0.6
10Lonnie Smith3.12.30.7
Positional Average excludes pitcher offense
Pitching
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLoss Net eWins Player pWins pLoss Net pWins
1Steve Rogers15.411.8
3.5
1Steve Carlton19.012.86.2
2Fernando Valenzuela16.413.1
3.2
2Steve Rogers16.211.05.1
3Mario Soto15.312.2
3.1
3Jim Palmer14.69.84.8
4Rich Gossage8.15.2
2.9
4Fernando Valenzuela17.012.54.4
5Joaquin Andujar12.49.7
2.6
5Rollie Fingers7.73.74.0
6Len Barker13.711.2
2.5
6Bill Caudill9.35.43.9
7Steve Carlton17.214.7
2.5
7Rich Gossage8.64.73.9
8Dave Stieb17.314.8
2.5
8Dan Quisenberry10.06.23.9
9Jim Beattie10.68.3
2.3
9Steve Bedrosian9.86.03.8
10La Marr Hoyt13.911.6
2.3
10Rick Sutcliffe12.69.03.6


Fielding by Position


Fielding, P
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Bob Stanley0.80.3
0.5
1Bob Stanley0.80.30.4
2Dan Petry0.50.2
0.3
2Dave Stieb0.50.10.3
3Larry Gura0.60.3
0.3
3Steve Bedrosian0.40.10.3
4John Candelaria0.40.1
0.3
4Larry Gura0.60.30.3
5Dave Stieb0.40.2
0.2
5Fernando Valenzuela0.80.50.3


Fielding, C
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Gary Carter2.62.0
0.6
1Tony Pena Sr.2.61.90.7
2Jim Sundberg2.21.6
0.6
2Steve Yeager1.30.70.6
3Jody Davis2.31.7
0.6
3Gary Carter2.62.00.6
4Rick Dempsey1.61.1
0.5
4Milt May2.41.90.5
5Steve Yeager1.20.7
0.5
5Rick Dempsey1.61.10.5


Fielding, 1B
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Cecil Cooper2.52.0
0.5
1Keith Hernandez3.22.40.8
2Chris Chambliss2.72.2
0.5
2Cecil Cooper2.61.90.7
3Mike Hargrove2.62.2
0.4
3Darrell Evans1.30.70.6
4Ray Knight1.91.5
0.3
4Mike Hargrove2.72.20.5
5Darrell Evans1.10.8
0.3
5Rod Carew2.72.10.5


Fielding, 2B
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Tom Herr5.34.1
1.2
1Tom Herr5.53.91.5
2Johnny C. Ray6.45.4
1.0
2Lou Whitaker5.94.61.2
3Julio Cruz5.34.6
0.7
3Frank White5.84.71.2
4Lou Whitaker5.55.0
0.5
4Glenn Hubbard6.85.81.1
5Glenn Hubbard6.66.1
0.5
5Bobby Grich5.84.90.9


Fielding, 3B
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Buddy Bell5.74.9
0.8
1Doug DeCinces5.94.71.2
2Aurelio Rodriguez3.63.1
0.6
2Ken Oberkfell4.84.00.8
3George Brett4.33.7
0.6
3George Brett4.43.70.7
4Doug DeCinces5.65.0
0.5
4Luis Salazar5.04.40.7
5Art Howe2.62.1
0.4
5Cal Ripken2.51.90.6


Fielding, SS
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Ozzie Smith7.66.1
1.5
1Ozzie Smith7.95.82.1
2Dave Concepcion6.55.5
1.0
2Tim Foli5.64.61.1
3Alan Trammell6.25.4
0.7
3Alan Trammell6.45.31.1
4Dickie Thon5.54.9
0.6
4Dickie Thon5.74.71.0
5Dale Berra6.96.4
0.5
5U L Washington5.14.30.8


Fielding, LF
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Gary Ward6.55.3
1.3
1Gary Ward6.65.21.4
2Larry Herndon6.85.7
1.1
2Willie Wilson6.75.31.4
3Willie Wilson6.55.5
1.1
3Gary Roenicke3.32.11.2
4Gary Roenicke3.12.4
0.7
4Keith Moreland3.22.40.9
5George Foster6.55.8
0.7
5Lonnie Smith6.65.80.8


Fielding, CF
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Dave Henderson3.72.6
1.1
1Andre Dawson7.45.02.4
2Andre Dawson6.65.7
0.9
2Dwayne Murphy7.45.61.7
3Dwayne Murphy7.06.0
0.9
3Chili Davis6.14.51.6
4Chili Davis5.64.9
0.7
4Amos Otis5.03.91.1
5Scott Loucks1.10.5
0.6
5Kirk Gibson2.31.40.9


Fielding, RF
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Von Hayes5.24.2
1.0
1Tom Brunansky4.93.31.6
2Tom Brunansky4.63.6
1.0
2Charlie Moore5.23.91.3
3Charlie Moore4.94.2
0.7
3Warren Cromartie6.45.21.2
4Tony Armas Sr.6.55.9
0.6
4Jerry Martin5.95.00.8
5Paul Householder4.94.3
0.6
5Dwight Evans7.36.60.7


Best by Position
Next, we look at 1982 Major-League leaders by position. The figures shown here only include Player decisions earned while playing this particular position.

Catcher
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Gary Carter19.514.7
5.1
1Lance Parrish14.911.54.0
2Lance Parrish14.511.8
3.3
2Gary Carter18.815.43.7
3Terry Kennedy14.613.0
1.8
3Terry Kennedy15.312.43.1
4Gene Tenace4.22.7
1.5
4John Wathan12.210.62.1
5Bo Diaz15.914.7
1.5
5Darrell Porter10.89.01.9


First Base
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Eddie Murray18.014.0
3.3
1Eddie Murray18.913.15.1
2Al Oliver19.715.3
3.2
2Cecil Cooper19.814.44.6
3Cecil Cooper18.915.2
2.9
3Keith Hernandez18.413.53.8
4Jason D. Thompson18.013.9
2.9
4Jason D. Thompson18.113.83.1
5Dan Driessen15.312.8
1.4
5Chris Chambliss15.712.32.3


Second Base
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Joe L. Morgan16.913.6
3.5
1Joe L. Morgan17.413.24.5
2Lou Whitaker19.317.3
2.7
2Lou Whitaker19.816.93.7
3Bobby Grich17.915.9
2.6
3Bobby Grich18.015.72.9
4Phil Garner18.617.4
1.6
4Glenn Hubbard18.316.12.5
5Tony Bernazard17.016.2
1.4
5Tom Herr16.714.62.4


Third Base
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Mike Schmidt22.516.4
5.3
1Mike Schmidt22.616.35.6
2Doug DeCinces20.916.4
4.2
2Paul Molitor21.616.84.4
3Toby Harrah20.115.7
4.1
3Doug DeCinces20.816.53.9
4Bob Horner18.214.4
3.1
4Bob Horner18.414.23.5
5Paul Molitor20.717.7
2.6
5Toby Harrah19.616.33.0


Shortstop
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Robin Yount24.018.6
6.7
1Robin Yount24.917.78.5
2Dickie Thon16.014.3
2.5
2U L Washington15.613.13.5
3Cal Ripken12.411.1
2.2
3Ozzie Smith19.516.93.5
4Alan Trammell16.615.6
2.1
4Alan Trammell17.015.22.9
5Roy Smalley III10.28.7
2.1
5Cal Ripken12.810.72.8


Left Field
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Gary Ward19.215.5
3.0
1Gary Ward19.115.52.8
2Rickey Henderson21.017.4
2.7
2Gary Matthews Sr.24.822.12.8
3Brian Downing21.718.2
2.7
3John Lowenstein13.410.62.4
4John Lowenstein13.210.6
2.2
4Brian Downing21.418.22.1
5Willie Wilson18.315.5
2.1
5Dale Murphy7.65.51.9


Center Field
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Andre Dawson22.718.3
3.7
1Andre Dawson24.116.96.6
2Dwayne Murphy21.417.9
3.3
2Amos Otis19.014.94.0
3Dale Murphy16.012.7
3.0
3Gorman Thomas21.317.33.8
4Gorman Thomas20.717.9
2.7
4Dwayne Murphy21.417.93.4
5Fred Lynn17.514.8
2.6
5Dale Murphy16.112.63.1


Right Field
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Dwight Evans24.119.1
4.3
1Dwight Evans24.218.94.6
2Pedro Guerrero15.511.6
3.2
2Jack Clark24.419.04.2
3Jack Clark23.819.6
2.9
3Pedro Guerrero15.811.33.8
4Sixto Lezcano19.315.7
2.6
4Tom Brunansky13.310.42.6
5Tom Brunansky13.110.6
2.0
5Sixto Lezcano19.315.72.6


Starting Pitcher
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Steve Rogers15.712.1
4.0
1Steve Carlton19.413.46.5
2Fernando Valenzuela17.113.8
3.8
2Jim Palmer14.69.25.8
3Joaquin Andujar12.89.8
3.3
3Steve Rogers16.511.35.6
4Mario Soto15.412.5
3.3
4Fernando Valenzuela17.813.15.2
5Dave Stieb17.715.0
3.2
5Joe Niekro15.812.04.1
6Steve Carlton17.515.3
2.7
6Dave Stieb18.114.54.1
7Len Barker13.911.6
2.7
7Rick Sutcliffe11.88.43.7
8Jim Beattie10.88.6
2.5
8Joaquin Andujar12.99.73.5
9Joe Niekro14.912.9
2.5
9Jim Clancy16.213.23.5
10La Marr Hoyt13.010.9
2.5
10Geoff Zahn12.89.93.3


Relief Pitcher
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Rich Gossage8.25.3
2.5
1Rollie Fingers7.93.93.5
2Bob Stanley10.57.9
2.0
2Rich Gossage8.74.83.4
3Steve Howe6.34.1
1.8
3Steve Bedrosian9.15.13.4
4Rollie Fingers7.04.8
1.7
4Dan Quisenberry10.56.63.4
5Bill Caudill8.56.3
1.7
5Bill Caudill9.35.53.3
6Steve Bedrosian8.16.1
1.5
6Greg Minton9.65.93.2
7Dan Quisenberry9.67.5
1.5
7Bob Stanley11.07.43.0
8Kent Tekulve8.97.1
1.3
8Kent Tekulve9.66.42.6
9Dan Spillner9.37.5
1.3
9Bruce Sutter9.56.42.5
10Dale Murray6.85.2
1.2
10Salome Barojas8.96.22.2


Designated Hitter
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Andre Thornton16.513.4
2.3
1Andre Thornton16.513.42.3
2Hal McRae15.312.3
2.3
2Greg Luzinski15.513.01.8
3Greg Luzinski15.413.1
1.6
3Hal McRae15.112.61.8


Finally, here are the best at three oft-forgotten positions that can nevertheless matter: pitcher offense, pinch hitting, and pinch running.

Pitcher Offense
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Don Robinson1.51.6
0.7
1Don Robinson1.81.31.1
2Rick Rhoden1.61.7
0.6
2Steve Carlton2.12.11.0
3Tim Lollar1.51.9
0.5
3Tim Lollar1.81.61.0


Pinch Hitter
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Jeff Burroughs1.61.1
0.7
1Biff Pocoroba1.50.80.7
2Champ Summers1.20.7
0.6
2Fred Lynn0.80.20.6
3Duane Kuiper1.61.1
0.6
3Bob Bailor0.70.10.6


Pinch Runner
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1John Moses0.40.0
0.4
1John Moses0.40.00.4
2Rudy Law0.40.2
0.3
2Rudy Law0.50.10.4
3Nick Capra0.20.0
0.2
3Nick Capra0.20.00.2


Noteworthy Players of 1982

Robin Yount
The best player in 1982, as measured by Player won-lost records, was Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Robin Yount. Robin Yount's 1982 season was exceptional - .331/.379/.578, 46 doubles, 29 home runs, 129 runs scored, 114 RBI, all while playing Gold Glove shortstop. And just when it looked like my beloved Baltimore Orioles might steal a division title from the Brewers, Robin Yount went out and hit two home runs in the first three innings of the winner-take-all Game 162.

Not surprisingly, Robin Yount's season looks exceptional when measured by Player won-lost records as well. The next table shows the top 40 seasons since 1969, as measured by pWins over replacement level.

pWins over Replacement Level
Top 50 Single Seasons since 1969
Player Season pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL
1Barry Bonds200128.315.212.1
14.4
2Steve Carlton197225.014.911.0
13.4
3Barry Bonds200423.711.411.5
13.3
4Barry Bonds199327.515.411.1
13.3
5Barry Bonds200224.512.611.1
13.0
6Dwight Gooden198521.111.011.1
13.0
7Joe L. Morgan197225.716.110.2
12.3
8Jim Edmonds200424.113.810.0
11.9
9Joe L. Morgan197326.817.29.7
11.9
10Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson200219.010.59.6
11.5
11Greg Maddux199516.57.410.0
11.4
12Pedro J. Martinez199916.36.59.9
11.4
13Derek Jeter199926.118.19.1
11.2
14Darryl Strawberry198826.716.29.1
11.2
15Dick Allen197223.312.19.4
11.1
16Alex Rodriguez200023.515.19.3
11.1
17Joe L. Morgan197623.214.49.2
11.0
18Jim Rice197826.516.98.9
11.0
19Pedro J. Martinez200016.47.19.5
11.0
20Roger Clemens199718.69.79.0
10.9
21Albert Pujols200623.212.69.2
10.9
22Joe L. Morgan197524.315.49.0
10.8
23Bob Gibson197021.513.69.0
10.8
24Miguel Tejada200226.519.08.4
10.8
25Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson199516.47.49.1
10.7
26Kevin Mitchell198927.117.18.6
10.7
27Alex Rodriguez200725.316.38.8
10.6
28Fergie Jenkins197422.714.48.4
10.6
29Barry Bonds200321.211.48.9
10.5
30Ron Guidry197818.59.68.8
10.5
31Rickey Henderson199023.914.58.8
10.5
32Harmon Killebrew196924.615.28.4
10.5
33Cal Ripken198425.919.48.4
10.5
34Scott Rolen200423.013.88.5
10.4
35Joe Torre197126.217.18.2
10.4
36Eric Chavez200121.713.38.5
10.3
37Denny McLain196922.715.58.0
10.3
38Albert Pujols200925.214.88.5
10.3
39Manny Ramirez200824.415.28.4
10.3
40Robin Yount198224.917.98.3
10.2
41Carlos Beltran200623.314.68.5
10.2
42Jose Canseco198825.716.68.1
10.2
43J.D. Drew200423.814.98.2
10.2
44Jim Palmer197520.212.18.2
10.2
45Barry Bonds199124.715.68.3
10.1
46Curt Schilling200119.212.48.1
10.1
47Mike Trout201424.415.78.3
10.1
48Pedro Guerrero198523.614.68.3
10.1
49Alex Rodriguez200525.517.28.2
10.1
50Alan Trammell198723.116.08.3
10.0


The career record of Robin Yount, as measured by Player won-lost records, is presented in the next table.

Robin Yount
Basic Player Won-Lost Records
Value Decomposition
Season Team Age Games pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL eWins eLosses eWOPA eWORL
1974MIL18
107
10.513.4-1.8
-0.7
11.612.30.21.3
1975MIL19
147
16.020.0-2.1
-0.4
17.019.0-0.21.4
1976MIL20
161
18.822.6-2.0
0.1
19.122.3-1.40.7
1977MIL21
154
17.520.9-1.1
0.9
18.719.71.23.1
1978MIL22
127
18.316.43.1
4.8
17.617.01.83.5
1979MIL23
149
18.517.72.5
4.2
17.418.90.32.0
1980MIL24
143
21.618.15.1
6.9
21.817.95.57.4
1981MIL25
96
14.610.74.8
6.2
13.711.63.24.6
1982MIL26
156
24.917.98.3
10.2
24.318.57.29.1
1983MIL27
149
21.216.55.6
7.3
20.916.85.06.7
1984MIL28
160
20.019.41.8
3.8
20.818.63.45.3
1985MIL29
122
15.615.4-0.3
1.2
16.114.90.72.2
1986MIL30
140
16.915.90.6
2.2
17.315.51.53.0
1987MIL31
158
20.917.92.5
4.3
20.418.41.53.3
1988MIL32
162
24.219.54.2
6.4
23.819.93.65.7
1989MIL33
160
22.218.33.9
5.8
22.518.04.56.4
1990MIL34
158
18.718.7-0.6
1.1
19.118.30.42.1
1991MIL35
130
16.014.81.1
2.5
15.215.6-0.50.9
1992MIL36
150
18.217.00.9
2.5
17.617.6-0.41.3
1993MIL37
127
12.114.7-2.8
-1.4
13.113.6-0.70.7
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
CAREER (reg. season)
2,856
366.7345.733.9
67.8
368.2344.336.970.8
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
PostSeason (career)
17
2.53.1 -0.22.82.7 0.6
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
COMBINED
2,873
369.2348.9
67.6
371.0347.1 71.4


Steve Carlton
The best pitcher in major-league baseball in 1982, as measured by pWins over either positional average or replacement level, was Philadelphia Phillies ace Steve Carlton.

The 1982 season was the last truly great season of Steve Carlton's excellent career, exactly a decade after Steve Carlton's 1972 season for the ages.

The career record of Steve Carlton, as measured by Player won-lost records, is presented in the next table.

Steve Carlton
Basic Player Won-Lost Records
Value Decomposition
Season Team Age Games pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL eWins eLosses eWOPA eWORL
1965SLN20
15
0.90.9-0.0
0.1
0.90.9-0.00.1
1966SLN21
9
3.23.20.2
0.6
3.33.10.30.6
1967SLN22
30
13.011.02.6
4.0
12.112.00.92.3
1968SLN23
35
14.214.10.8
2.3
14.114.20.62.1
1969SLN24
32
16.115.11.8
3.7
16.514.82.54.4
1970SLN25
34
16.017.8-1.0
0.8
17.016.81.13.0
1971SLN26
37
18.616.13.2
5.2
16.718.0-0.31.7
1972PHI27
41
25.014.911.0
13.4
23.616.48.410.7
1973PHI28
40
18.521.6-2.0
0.3
19.620.50.32.5
1974PHI29
39
18.116.02.9
4.7
17.516.61.83.6
1975PHI30
37
16.216.21.0
2.8
16.016.40.72.5
1976PHI31
35
17.012.65.3
6.9
15.813.83.04.6
1977PHI32
36
20.315.65.7
7.8
19.616.44.36.5
1978PHI33
34
15.515.40.9
2.6
15.615.21.22.9
1979PHI34
36
16.815.02.9
4.7
16.515.32.44.2
1980PHI35
38
19.813.27.8
9.6
18.514.55.47.2
1981PHI36
24
11.48.33.7
4.9
10.98.83.04.2
1982PHI37
38
21.515.57.5
9.4
19.817.24.26.1
1983PHI38
37
17.516.92.0
3.9
18.016.43.04.9
1984PHI39
34
12.911.92.0
3.3
12.512.31.32.6
1985PHI40
16
4.76.9-1.7
-1.1
5.26.4-0.8-0.1
1986CHA41
32
10.313.9-3.1
-1.7
10.313.9-3.0-1.6
1987CLE42
32
7.612.3-4.7
-3.4
8.711.2-2.4-1.1
1988MIN43
4
0.51.5-1.0
-0.9
0.51.5-1.1-0.9
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
CAREER (reg. season)
745
335.6305.947.7
83.7
328.8312.637.073.0
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
PostSeason (career)
16
6.86.6 1.36.76.7 1.1
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
COMBINED
761
342.3312.4
85.0
335.5319.3 74.1


Andre Dawson
The best position player in the National League, as measured by pWins over either positional average or replacement level was Montreal Expos centerfielder Andre Dawson.

I think that a lot of people don't remember exactly how great Andre Dawson was in his prime with the Expos. His Hall-of-Fame candidacy was pushed heavily by the Chicago media and there was even some debate here about whether Dawson should wear a Cubs cap on his Hall-of-Fame plaque. But Andre Dawson is (deservedly) in the Hall of Fame because of what he did as a Montreal Expo.

The next table compares Andre Dawson's career record as an Expo with his career record elsewhere.

Games pWins pLosses pWin Pct. pWOPA pWORL eWins eLosses eWin Pct. eWOPA eWORL
Expos
1443
209.7176.60.54323.9
42.2
208.7177.60.54021.940.2
Rest of Career
1184
140.7133.10.514-0.3
13.2
142.0131.90.5192.616.1


The difference is stark.

The career record of Andre Dawson, as measured by Player won-lost records, is presented in the next table.

Andre Dawson
Basic Player Won-Lost Records
Value Decomposition
Season Team Age Games pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL eWins eLosses eWOPA eWORL
1976MON21
24
2.53.4-1.0
-0.7
2.73.2-0.7-0.4
1977MON22
139
16.415.40.3
1.9
16.815.11.12.7
1978MON23
157
22.518.73.0
5.0
22.518.73.15.0
1979MON24
155
22.818.53.3
5.3
21.919.51.33.3
1980MON25
151
22.318.63.0
4.9
22.618.23.75.6
1981MON26
103
18.113.24.2
5.9
18.213.14.56.2
1982MON27
148
24.116.96.6
8.5
22.918.24.15.9
1983MON28
159
23.219.82.7
4.6
23.819.23.95.8
1984MON29
138
20.118.10.3
2.1
20.118.10.21.9
1985MON30
139
21.017.42.6
4.4
19.818.60.22.0
1986MON31
130
16.516.5-1.1
0.4
17.315.70.52.0
1987CHN32
153
23.220.11.6
3.6
23.419.92.14.0
1988CHN33
157
22.218.72.1
4.1
22.018.91.63.6
1989CHN34
118
15.512.81.9
3.2
14.813.50.72.0
1990CHN35
147
20.120.0-0.8
1.0
21.019.11.02.8
1991CHN36
149
16.916.6-0.8
0.7
17.515.90.52.0
1992CHN37
143
18.317.5-0.0
1.7
19.016.91.32.9
1993BOS38
121
11.211.1-0.2
1.2
10.811.5-1.00.5
1994BOS39
75
5.87.0-1.7
-0.8
5.77.0-1.8-0.9
1995FLO40
79
5.97.5-2.1
-1.4
6.17.3-1.6-0.9
1996FLO41
42
1.71.9-0.2
-0.0
1.71.9-0.20.0
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
CAREER (reg. season)
2,627
350.4309.723.6
55.4
350.7309.424.556.3
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
PostSeason (career)
15
1.22.3 -1.01.52.0 -0.5
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
COMBINED
2,642
351.7312.0
54.4
352.2311.5 55.8


Steve Rogers
The second-best pitcher in the major leagues in 1982, as measured by pWins over either positional average or replacement level was Montreal Expos ace Steve Rogers.

The next table shows the top 10 players in Montreal Expos history, as measured by pWins over replacement level.

Player pWins pLosses pWinPct pWOPA pWORL
Andre Dawson209.7176.60.54323.942.2
Steve Rogers170.0160.70.51420.238.7
Tim Raines Sr.204.4172.90.54220.137.6
Gary Carter163.3144.70.53019.534.1
Vladimir Guerrero Sr.152.6128.70.54213.227.2
Larry Walker91.971.20.56316.123.8
Dennis Martinez95.889.70.51613.023.7
Tim Wallach208.9197.30.5144.823.5
Marquis Grissom92.477.50.54411.919.9
Tim Burke41.230.00.57810.116.9


Steve Rogers sits comfortably among the Expos' Hall-of-Famers (based purely on his time as an Expo), at least as measured by Player won-lost records. The career record of Steve Rogers, as measured by Player won-lost records, is presented in the next table.

Steve Rogers
Basic Player Won-Lost Records
Value Decomposition
Season Team Age Games pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL eWins eLosses eWOPA eWORL
1973MON23
17
9.66.04.0
4.8
8.96.72.73.6
1974MON24
38
15.916.60.1
1.9
16.316.21.02.7
1975MON25
35
15.714.12.2
3.9
15.414.41.93.6
1976MON26
35
12.114.2-1.3
0.1
13.912.42.43.8
1977MON27
40
19.116.93.5
5.7
19.316.84.26.4
1978MON28
30
12.512.31.0
2.4
12.612.21.42.8
1979MON29
40
15.814.62.2
3.9
15.714.72.13.8
1980MON30
38
15.714.62.3
3.9
15.814.62.33.9
1981MON31
23
10.28.32.6
3.7
9.88.61.93.0
1982MON32
35
17.412.85.8
7.4
16.913.35.16.7
1983MON33
36
16.114.92.5
4.2
15.715.31.73.4
1984MON34
31
7.912.7-4.2
-3.0
8.911.8-2.3-1.1
1985MON35
8
2.02.7-0.5
-0.2
2.12.6-0.4-0.1
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
CAREER (reg. season)
406
170.0160.720.2
38.7
171.3159.524.042.5
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
PostSeason (career)
4
2.01.3 0.91.81.5 0.6
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
COMBINED
410
172.0162.0
39.6
173.1161.0 43.1


Notable Debuts
The 1982 season saw the major-league debuts of two players who would go on to win a combined 13 batting titles and both collect 3,000 career hits and first-ballot induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame: Wade Boggs and Tony Gwynn.

Their careers, as measured by Player won-lost records, are compared below.

Wade Boggs Tony Gwynn Sr.
Season Games pWins pLoss pWOPA pWORL Games pWins pLoss pWOPA pWORL
198210410.49.11.0
1.9
545.76.4-1.0-0.4
198315322.218.33.5
5.3
8611.09.70.81.7
198415718.017.60.5
2.2
15825.418.15.67.6
198516122.918.74.2
6.2
15422.019.81.13.1
198614922.015.16.5
8.2
16022.220.00.72.7
198714719.614.84.5
6.1
15721.119.10.62.4
198815520.015.74.4
6.1
13318.915.42.34.0
198915617.915.92.0
3.6
15821.018.91.53.3
199015518.017.70.5
2.1
14118.119.7-2.8-1.2
199114419.515.63.9
5.4
13418.615.42.03.5
199214316.316.9-0.9
0.7
12816.614.11.83.2
199314316.415.60.9
2.5
12216.615.50.31.9
19949714.110.14.1
5.3
11014.914.6-0.70.8
199512613.712.01.6
2.9
13519.316.71.23.0
199613213.413.3-0.1
1.2
11614.113.4-0.40.9
19971049.28.70.5
1.4
14919.817.11.23.0
199812310.511.3-1.1
0.1
12714.112.10.92.2
1999907.89.4-1.6
-0.8
11113.113.0-1.20.1
2000
 
363.74.2-0.7-0.3
2001
 
713.23.2-0.00.3
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
CAREER RECORDS2,439291.6255.834.5
60.5
2,440319.4286.113.141.8


Last Hurrahs
Finally, 1982 was the final season for one player who has been elected to the Hall of Fame, Willie Stargell and two players who have been elected to Baseball Think Factory's Hall of Merit, Luis Tiant and Reggie Smith.

The final table of this article compares the career records of Willie Stargell and Luis Tiant (who was just elected to the Hall of Merit last month - January 2020).

Willie Stargell Luis Tiant Jr.
Season Games pWins pLoss pWOPA pWORL Games pWins pLoss pWOPA pWORL
1962100.61.0-0.5
-0.4
19631089.310.1-1.6
-0.7
196411712.512.3-0.8
0.4
199.16.92.63.7
196514419.016.11.5
3.3
4113.013.10.62.3
196614021.113.86.5
8.1
4611.610.11.93.4
196713316.815.00.2
1.8
3314.112.42.33.8
196812716.615.9-1.1
0.6
3418.912.67.39.0
196914519.115.72.3
4.1
3816.121.0-4.2-1.9
197013618.615.71.2
3.0
186.25.31.31.9
197114123.013.98.0
9.8
213.85.6-1.5-0.9
197213820.313.05.5
7.1
4311.68.93.14.4
197314825.517.36.7
8.8
3517.613.44.26.1
197414021.915.55.2
6.9
3820.113.56.68.6
197512415.710.93.5
4.8
3515.413.51.93.7
197611711.310.20.1
1.1
3817.415.71.83.7
1977635.74.01.4
1.9
3213.110.52.74.3
197812013.99.73.4
4.5
3213.110.22.94.3
197912614.410.33.2
4.4
3011.49.32.23.5
1980676.45.30.6
1.2
257.47.6-0.10.8
1981381.61.7-0.1
0.1
92.93.9-0.7-0.3
1982742.42.6-0.1
0.2
61.71.9-0.2-0.0
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
CAREER RECORDS2,356295.7230.045.1
71.0
573224.7195.634.660.4


Article last updated: February 4, 2020

Wins over positional average and replacement level are calculated using data only for the 1982 season. Positional averages for starting pitching and relief pitching are calculated using single-year data for all starting pitchers and all relief pitchers.

All articles are written so that they pull data directly from the most recent version of the Player won-lost database. Hence, any numbers cited within these articles should automatically incorporate the most recent update to Player won-lost records. In some cases, however, the accompanying text may have been written based on previous versions of Player won-lost records. I apologize if this results in non-sensical text in any cases.

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