Baseball Player Won-Loss Records
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1995 Season

The 1995 Season as seen through the Prism of Player Won-Lost Records

This article takes a look at the 1995 season as measured by Player won-lost records.

The 1995 season almost didn't happen and/or almost started with replacement players. But a court ruling by future Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor in favor of the MLBPA ended a brutal 8-month strike that had caused the cancellation of the previous year's World Series.

Because of the late start, the 1995 season was only 144 games long, an issue which will come up later in this article.

The Best of 1995

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
1Greg Maddux16.57.410.0
11.4
1Greg Maddux16.57.410.0
11.4
2Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson16.47.49.1
10.7
2Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson16.47.49.1
10.7
3Barry Bonds25.017.16.9
9.0
3Barry Bonds25.017.16.9
9.0
4Reggie L. Sanders21.513.76.8
8.5
4Reggie L. Sanders21.513.76.8
8.5
5Edgar Martinez16.59.36.4
8.3
5Edgar Martinez16.59.36.4
8.3
6Albert Belle22.616.06.0
7.9
6Albert Belle22.616.06.0
7.9
7Craig Biggio22.417.05.7
7.7
7Craig Biggio22.417.05.7
7.7
8Mike Mussina15.910.45.6
7.4
8Mike Mussina15.910.45.6
7.4
9Jim Thome18.212.55.6
7.1
9Barry Larkin19.915.15.5
7.2
10Barry Larkin19.915.15.5
7.2
10Jim Thome18.212.55.6
7.1


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
1Greg Maddux15.97.99.2
10.7
1Greg Maddux15.97.99.2
10.7
2Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson15.68.37.4
9.1
2Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson15.68.37.4
9.1
3Barry Bonds24.817.26.5
8.6
3Barry Bonds24.817.26.5
8.6
4John Valentin20.115.45.8
7.5
4John Valentin20.115.45.8
7.5
5Edgar Martinez15.810.05.0
6.9
5Edgar Martinez15.810.05.0
6.9
6Mike Mussina15.610.74.9
6.7
6Albert Belle22.116.64.9
6.8
7Mike Piazza14.610.14.9
6.1
7Mike Mussina15.610.74.9
6.7
8Mark McGwire13.78.04.9
6.0
8Tim Salmon21.115.84.5
6.3
9Albert Belle22.116.64.9
6.8
9Mike Piazza14.610.14.9
6.1
10Tim Salmon21.115.84.5
6.3
10Craig Biggio21.517.84.1
6.0


I take a look at some of the most interesting players of 1995 at the end of this article.

1995 Postseason

From 1991 through 2005, the Atlanta Braves made the playoffs all 14 times they took place. The 1995 Braves are the only one of those 14 teams to win the World Series. The Braves beat the Cleveland Indians in the World Series. The Indians won 100 games (a 113-win pace over 162 games) in the first year of a string of 5 straight playoff appearances that featured two World Series appearances, but left the Indians still looking for their first World Series winner since 1948.

Oh, and 1995 was the first season under the new 3-division, one Wild Card, playoff format. The first Wild Card teams in major-league history were the New York Yankees and Colorado Rockies, the latter of whom became the youngest team to make the playoffs (in their third season - a record that was broken four years later).

1995 Postseason: Total
Player Team pWins pLosses pWORL
Orel HershiserCLE2.91.61.7
Tom GlavineATL1.80.91.2
Chipper JonesATL2.31.21.1
David JusticeATL2.11.21.0
Greg MadduxATL2.52.01.0
Mark WohlersATL1.30.50.9
Fred McGriffATL2.21.20.9
Randy 'Big Unit' JohnsonSEA1.71.10.8
Omar VizquelCLE2.21.70.8
Ken Griffey Jr.SEA1.71.00.8


Top postseason players by round were as follows.

1995 World Series
Player Team pWins pLosses Net Wins
David JusticeATL1.40.60.8
Tom GlavineATL1.20.60.6
Mark WohlersATL0.60.20.4
Albert BelleCLE0.80.50.3
Orel HershiserCLE1.21.00.2

1995 Postseason: League Championship Series
Player Team pWins pLosses Net Wins
Kenny LoftonCLE1.20.50.7
Orel HershiserCLE1.00.30.6
Fred McGriffATL0.80.30.5
Chipper JonesATL0.70.30.4
Charlie O'BrienATL0.50.10.4

1995 Postseason: Division Series
Player Team pWins pLosses Net Wins
Tino MartinezSEA0.90.30.5
Ken Griffey Jr.SEA1.00.40.5
Chipper JonesATL0.90.40.5
Orel HershiserCLE0.70.20.5
Fred McGriffATL0.80.30.5


Best of 1995 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 1995 in wins over positional average (WOPA) by factor were as follows.

Batting
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLoss eWOPA Player pWins pLoss pWOPA
1Edgar Martinez14.68.9
5.7
1Edgar Martinez15.58.17.3
2Barry Bonds15.79.7
5.7
2Barry Bonds16.58.97.2
3Albert Belle16.010.4
5.6
3Albert Belle16.59.96.5
4Mark McGwire11.26.2
5.0
4Reggie L. Sanders14.48.45.7
5Tim Salmon14.59.7
4.7
5Manny Ramirez14.28.75.5
6Frank E. Thomas14.49.7
4.7
6Jim Thome13.68.25.4
7Mike Piazza12.38.0
4.0
7Mark McGwire11.46.15.3
8Jim Thome12.88.9
3.9
8Craig Biggio15.09.84.8
9Reggie L. Sanders13.49.4
3.7
9Mike Piazza12.67.84.5
10Bobby Bonilla15.211.4
3.6
10David Justice13.08.24.5
Positional Average excludes pitcher offense
Baserunning
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLoss eWOPA Player pWins pLoss pWOPA
1Barry Larkin2.11.0
1.1
1Barry Larkin2.30.91.4
2Delino DeShields Sr.1.81.0
0.8
2Delino DeShields Sr.1.81.00.7
3Lance Johnson1.70.9
0.8
3Stan Javier1.50.80.7
4Brett Butler1.81.1
0.6
4Carlos Baerga1.20.60.6
5Raul Mondesi Sr.1.61.0
0.6
5Rondell White1.60.90.6
6Kenny Lofton1.81.2
0.5
6Kenny Lofton1.81.20.6
7Rondell White1.61.0
0.5
7Tom Goodwin1.91.30.6
8Bip Roberts1.00.5
0.5
8Raul Mondesi Sr.1.61.00.5
9Steve Finley2.31.8
0.5
9Lance Johnson1.61.10.5
10John Valentin1.30.8
0.5
10Craig Biggio2.01.40.5
Positional Average excludes pitcher offense
Pitching
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLoss Net eWins Player pWins pLoss Net pWins
1Greg Maddux13.76.8
6.9
1Greg Maddux15.05.59.4
2Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson14.58.9
5.6
2Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson16.17.38.8
3Mike Mussina14.710.9
3.8
3Mike Mussina15.79.95.8
4Kevin Appier13.710.5
3.2
4Hideo Nomo13.69.04.6
5J. Kevin Brown9.66.9
2.7
5Jose Mesa6.62.04.6
6Ismael Valdez12.29.7
2.6
6David Cone14.810.44.4
7Jose Mesa5.53.1
2.4
7David Wells13.19.14.0
8Pete Schourek12.610.2
2.4
8Tom Glavine12.08.23.9
9Hideo Nomo12.510.2
2.3
9Tom Henke6.42.83.7
10David Wells12.210.0
2.2
10Todd Worrell6.12.53.5


Fielding by Position


Fielding, P
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Butch Henry0.40.1
0.3
1Dennis Martinez0.60.20.4
2Brian Keyser0.40.2
0.2
2Ricky Bones0.40.10.3
3Randy Myers0.40.1
0.2
3Kenny Rogers0.50.20.3
4Charles Nagy0.30.1
0.2
4Greg Maddux0.60.30.3
5Dennis Martinez0.50.3
0.2
5Butch Henry0.40.10.3


Fielding, C
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Ivan Rodriguez1.91.4
0.5
1Ivan Rodriguez2.01.40.6
2Charles Johnson1.41.0
0.4
2Charles Johnson1.40.90.5
3Rick Wilkins1.10.8
0.3
3Tony Pena Sr.1.10.70.4
4Mike LaValliere0.50.3
0.2
4Joe Girardi1.91.60.3
5Mike Macfarlane1.31.1
0.2
5Dan A. Wilson1.41.10.3


Fielding, 1B
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Rafael Palmeiro2.82.4
0.5
1Greg Colbrunn2.92.20.7
2Jeff Bagwell2.31.9
0.4
2Tino Martinez2.52.00.5
3Hal Morris1.71.3
0.4
3J.R. Phillips1.10.70.5
4Scott Stahoviak1.41.1
0.4
4Mark McGwire1.91.40.4
5Tino Martinez2.42.1
0.3
5Mark Grace2.41.90.4


Fielding, 2B
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Bret Boone5.14.2
0.9
1Luis Alicea5.74.21.5
2Luis Alicea5.44.5
0.9
2Mark Lemke4.53.11.4
3Mark Lemke4.13.5
0.5
3Carlos Baerga6.15.01.1
4Mike Lansing5.14.6
0.5
4Bret Boone5.04.30.7
5Rey Sanchez4.33.8
0.4
5Mickey Morandini4.74.00.7


Fielding, 3B
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Travis Fryman5.14.5
0.6
1Chipper Jones5.13.81.3
2Mike Pagliarulo2.11.5
0.6
2Tim Naehring4.53.41.1
3Tim Wallach2.72.1
0.6
3Travis Fryman5.14.50.7
4Vinny Castilla4.44.0
0.5
4Mike Pagliarulo2.11.50.6
5Jeff Branson2.92.5
0.4
5Charlie Hayes4.53.90.6


Fielding, SS
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Cal Ripken5.44.5
0.8
1Omar Vizquel6.84.91.9
2Kevin Stocker5.75.1
0.6
2Jose Valentin4.93.61.2
3John Valentin5.75.1
0.6
3Greg Gagne5.94.71.2
4Royce Clayton5.44.9
0.5
4Cal Ripken5.54.41.1
5Mark Grudzielanek1.71.2
0.5
5Jeff Blauser5.24.21.0


Fielding, LF
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Moises Alou2.71.8
0.9
1Gerald Williams2.51.31.2
2Gerald Williams2.31.5
0.9
2Mike Greenwell4.83.81.0
3Barry Bonds7.46.6
0.8
3Bobby Higginson3.42.50.9
4Bobby Higginson3.32.6
0.7
4Rusty Greer1.60.90.7
5Rusty Greer1.51.0
0.5
5Garret Anderson3.93.30.7


Fielding, CF
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Darren Lewis4.83.7
1.1
1Marquis Grissom5.33.81.5
2Jim Edmonds4.63.8
0.7
2Jim Edmonds4.93.51.4
3Bernie Williams5.14.5
0.6
3Kenny Lofton4.53.31.2
4Lee Tinsley3.22.7
0.5
4Brian McRae5.44.21.2
5Brian McRae5.04.6
0.4
5Stan Javier4.23.40.8


Fielding, RF
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Brian Jordan5.04.2
0.8
1Sammy Sosa6.95.01.8
2Sammy Sosa6.35.6
0.7
2Reggie L. Sanders5.43.71.7
3Reggie L. Sanders4.94.3
0.6
3Paul O'Neill3.92.91.0
4Jon Nunnally3.22.8
0.5
4Manny Ramirez4.43.50.9
5Mark Whiten3.32.9
0.4
5Raul Mondesi Sr.4.53.70.9


Best by Position
Next, we look at 1995 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
1Mike Piazza14.310.2
4.4
1Mike Piazza14.410.14.6
2Todd Hundley8.06.6
1.6
2Todd Hundley8.46.12.5
3Mike Stanley10.19.2
1.4
3Darren Daulton10.78.62.4
4Scott Servais7.86.7
1.3
4Mike Stanley10.58.72.3
5Darren Daulton10.29.2
1.3
5Javy Lopez9.07.12.1


First Base
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Mark McGwire12.87.5
4.7
1Mark McGwire13.07.35.0
2Frank E. Thomas11.47.5
3.2
2Jeff Bagwell15.210.73.1
3Rafael Palmeiro18.614.4
2.8
3Paul Sorrento10.26.72.8
4Jeff Bagwell15.010.9
2.8
4Eric Karros19.014.92.0
5Mark Grace16.613.3
1.5
5Frank E. Thomas10.88.12.0


Second Base
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Craig Biggio21.318.0
3.6
1Craig Biggio22.416.95.8
2Chuck Knoblauch19.717.2
3.3
2Carlos Baerga19.915.64.9
3Carlos Baerga18.417.1
2.0
3Luis Alicea14.312.62.2
4Eric Young Sr.10.49.1
1.5
4Bret Boone16.214.52.0
5Jeff Kent15.914.7
1.5
5Chuck Knoblauch19.018.01.8


Third Base
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Jim Thome16.913.3
3.5
1Jim Thome17.912.35.6
2Matt D. Williams11.17.8
3.0
2Chipper Jones18.113.04.6
3Bobby Bonilla10.38.0
2.1
3Tim Naehring15.612.33.2
4Ken Caminiti18.916.4
2.0
4Matt D. Williams11.08.02.7
5Gary Gaetti15.713.6
1.9
5Bobby Bonilla10.38.02.1


Shortstop
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1John Valentin19.715.8
5.0
1Barry Larkin19.915.15.5
2Barry Larkin18.916.1
3.5
2John Valentin19.815.75.1
3Kurt Abbott13.512.6
1.5
3Omar Vizquel18.215.53.8
4Cal Ripken17.918.0
1.3
4Jose Valentin12.311.02.1
5Jose Vizcaino16.416.2
1.0
5Jeff Blauser14.313.11.9


Left Field
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Barry Bonds24.417.6
5.7
1Barry Bonds25.017.67.0
2Albert Belle21.916.8
4.5
2Albert Belle22.616.86.0
3Ron Gant16.512.9
2.8
3Ron Gant17.312.94.4
4Ryan Klesko12.49.6
2.1
4Ryan Klesko13.09.63.3
5Rickey Henderson12.610.4
1.8
5Mike Greenwell16.114.62.0


Center Field
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Jim Edmonds18.415.5
3.4
1Kenny Lofton16.412.14.7
2Bernie Williams18.515.8
3.2
2Jim Edmonds19.014.94.5
3Ray Lankford19.316.4
2.9
3Bernie Williams18.415.92.9
4Rondell White14.312.6
1.7
4Brian McRae18.316.51.8
5Ken Griffey Jr.9.18.2
1.1
5Marquis Grissom17.115.41.8


Right Field
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Tim Salmon20.915.8
4.2
1Reggie L. Sanders19.412.26.2
2Reggie L. Sanders17.913.7
3.1
2Manny Ramirez18.312.84.7
3Manny Ramirez17.014.1
2.0
3David Justice18.312.74.5
4David Justice17.013.9
1.9
4Tim Salmon20.815.94.0
5Larry Walker19.916.9
1.7
5Paul O'Neill15.511.13.7


Starting Pitcher
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Greg Maddux14.27.2
7.1
1Greg Maddux15.65.89.8
2Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson14.89.1
5.7
2Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson16.47.49.1
3Mike Mussina15.011.3
3.8
3Mike Mussina15.910.45.6
4Kevin Appier13.910.9
3.1
4Hideo Nomo13.99.24.7
5J. Kevin Brown9.97.2
2.8
5David Cone15.110.54.6
6Pete Schourek12.810.4
2.5
6Tom Glavine12.58.44.2
7Ismael Valdez12.09.6
2.4
7David Wells13.69.54.1
8Tom Glavine11.69.3
2.3
8Kenny Rogers13.39.83.6
9Hideo Nomo12.610.4
2.3
9Dennis Martinez10.97.93.0
10Alex Fernandez12.19.9
2.2
10John Smiley10.37.42.9


Relief Pitcher
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Jose Mesa5.73.3
2.4
1Jose Mesa6.72.24.5
2Troy Percival5.23.4
1.8
2Tom Henke6.52.83.6
3Curt Leskanic6.44.6
1.7
3Todd Worrell6.22.83.3
4Darren Holmes4.83.3
1.5
4Mark Wohlers6.23.23.0
5Steve Reed4.32.8
1.5
5Curt Leskanic6.84.22.6
6Todd Worrell5.23.8
1.4
6Darren Holmes5.32.82.5
7Mark Wohlers5.44.0
1.4
7Rick Aguilera5.22.72.4
8Norm Charlton4.83.4
1.4
8Troy Percival5.53.12.4
9John Wetteland5.03.7
1.3
9Jeff Brantley6.64.22.3
10Jeff Nelson3.82.4
1.3
10Mike Henneman4.32.12.2


Designated Hitter
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Edgar Martinez15.09.5
4.7
1Edgar Martinez15.78.76.3
2Chili Davis11.99.4
1.7
2Eddie Murray9.76.52.7
3Jose Canseco9.67.7
1.2
3Jose Canseco10.27.22.4


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
1Allen Watson0.90.7
0.5
1Tom Glavine1.41.10.9
2Kevin Foster1.11.3
0.5
2Doug Drabek1.31.20.7
3Chris Hammond0.90.9
0.5
3Denny Neagle1.41.50.7


Pinch Hitter
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Chris C. Jones1.40.6
0.9
1Chris C. Jones1.50.51.0
2John Vander Wal2.11.4
0.8
2Rusty Greer1.40.51.0
3Derrick May1.30.7
0.7
3Tony Longmire1.60.80.9


Pinch Runner
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Manny Alexander0.20.1
0.2
1Ray Holbert0.20.10.2
2Lenny Harris0.20.0
0.1
2Lenny Harris0.20.00.2
3Rich Amaral0.30.1
0.1
3Rich Amaral0.30.10.1


Noteworthy Players of 1995

All-Time Great Pitching Seasons: Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson
The top two players on all four of the above tables are the winners of the two Cy Young Awards that season who went on to win over 300 games apiece and be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in each of their first year of eligibility: Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson. Not only did Maddux and Johnson have the two best seasons by any players in 1995, they had two of the best seasons by any players any season for which I have calculated Player won-lost records.

So far, I have calculated Player won-lost records for a total of 164 player-seasons for which a player earned 10 or more pWins over replacement level (pWORL). The vast majority of these players did so over a 162-game season with a smaller number doing so under the old 154-game schedule. Maddux and Johnson did it in only 144 games.

If Player won-lost records are pro-rated to 162-game seasons for all players, the top 50 seasons, as ranked by pWORL, are as follows, among seasons for which I have full play-by-play data.

Top 50 Seasons, pro-rated to 162 Games
(since 1928, ranked by pWORL)
Player Season pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL
1Al Simmons192930.116.312.414.8
2Ted Williams194629.615.812.414.8
3Lefty Grove193124.212.312.514.7
4Al Simmons193028.515.212.114.5
5Barry Bonds200128.315.212.114.4
6Ted Williams194230.617.311.714.4
7Joe DiMaggio193730.217.911.714.3
8Babe Ruth193128.315.211.814.2
9Sandy Koufax196525.014.511.714.1
10Mickey Mantle195726.113.212.014.0
11Steve Carlton197226.015.511.413.9
12Lou Gehrig193427.814.111.513.7
13Lefty Grove193023.012.111.413.7
14Larry Doby195428.015.610.913.5
15Dizzy Dean193423.613.510.913.4
16Barry Bonds200423.711.411.513.3
17Barry Bonds199327.515.411.113.3
18Mel Ott193529.117.610.613.1
19Wes Ferrell193526.717.110.413.0
20Mel Ott193629.717.710.613.0
21Barry Bonds200224.512.611.113.0
22Dwight Gooden198521.111.011.113.0
23Babe Ruth192926.714.610.813.0
24Joe L. Morgan197227.116.910.712.9
25Greg Maddux199518.58.311.212.9
26Willie Mays196229.117.810.412.8
27Jackie Robinson195126.315.910.512.7
28Mickey Mantle196125.814.510.412.7
29Babe Ruth193223.711.910.712.6
30Bobby Avila195425.715.910.112.5
31Mel Ott193429.418.310.012.5
32Hack Wilson193029.119.19.812.5
33Vern Stephens194928.419.19.812.4
34Al Simmons193124.913.410.312.4
35Roger Maris196127.115.210.012.4
36Sandy Koufax196322.413.210.112.4
37Mickey Mantle195525.914.610.212.3
38Mickey Mantle195626.515.510.012.2
39Ted Williams194827.115.99.912.2
40Roy Campanella195320.810.810.412.2
41Rogers Hornsby192927.517.79.812.1
42Greg Maddux199420.411.410.012.0
43Bob Feller194025.917.39.212.0
44Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson199518.48.310.112.0
45Minnie Minoso195429.118.79.212.0
46Dwight Evans198128.518.39.512.0
47Duke Snider195324.413.89.711.9
48Stan Musial194329.218.39.511.9
49Joe DiMaggio193923.713.29.811.9
50Jim Edmonds200424.113.810.011.9


Great Fluke Season: John Valentin
The top 10 lists at the top of these articles are typically littered with famous names and 1995 is no exception (see the last two guys I talked about). But frequently, more anonymous names pop up who can be fun to take a bit closer look at.

In 1995, one such name is Boston Red Sox shortstop John Valentin. Valentin had a very respectable 11-year career, mostly in Boston, and was consistently above positional average. But 1995 was by far his best season with career highs in home runs (27), RBI (102), stolen bases (20), walks (81), and OPS (.931), while playing his usual solid defense at SS.

John Valentin's career, as measured by (context-neutral) Player won-lost records, is shown in the next table.

Expected Player Won-Lost Records
Value Decomposition
Season Team Age Games eWins eLosses eWORL eWOPA
1992BOS25
58
6.46.51.00.4
1993BOS26
144
17.116.43.41.8
1994BOS27
84
10.48.83.22.3
1995BOS28
135
20.115.47.55.8
1996BOS29
131
15.515.22.61.2
1997BOS30
143
17.816.13.72.1
1998BOS31
153
17.816.52.91.2
1999BOS32
113
12.713.50.6-0.7
2000BOS33
10
0.80.9-0.0-0.1
2001BOS34
20
1.72.3-0.3-0.5
2002NYN35
114
5.96.30.4-0.2
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
CAREER (reg. season)
1,105
126.2117.825.013.0
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
PostSeason (career)
17
3.02.21.10.8
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
COMBINED
1,122
129.1120.026.113.8


Great Quality, Not Enough Quantity: Jose Mesa
Jose Mesa was outstanding in 1995: 46 saves in 48 opportunities, a 1.13 ERA. Still, he only pitched 64 innings. As a result, his pWins and pWORL are only pretty good for a relief pitcher. His winning percentage of 0.757, however, was outstanding. The top 25 single-season winning percentages for pWins, for players with at least three pWins are shown in the next table.

Top Single-Season pWinPct
Player Season pWins pLosses pWin Pct. pWOPA pWORL
1Zach Britton20167.81.80.8115.76.7
2Kenley Jansen20177.82.10.7865.46.5
3Joe Nathan20066.71.80.7834.65.5
4Koji Uehara20135.11.50.7743.44.2
5Andrew Miller20167.82.30.7705.26.3
6Mariano Rivera19986.41.90.7674.35.2
7Zach Britton20156.52.00.7644.35.2
8Tim Burke19877.52.30.7624.95.9
9Takashi Saito20076.72.10.7604.35.3
10Keith Foulke20009.12.90.7606.17.4
11Eric Gagne20038.42.60.7605.56.7
12Willie Hernandez19849.83.10.7596.47.7
13Jose Mesa19956.72.20.7574.55.5
14Hong-Chih Kuo20105.01.60.7563.34.0
15Dennis Eckersley19927.42.40.7554.95.8
16Jose Valverde20033.51.10.7552.32.8
17Craig Kimbrel20176.72.20.7544.25.2
18Dennis Eckersley19906.22.10.7524.14.9
19Jim R. Johnson20127.52.50.7514.75.8
20Trevor Hoffman19987.32.40.7494.85.7
21J.J. Putz20076.92.30.7484.25.2
22Mariano Rivera20087.52.60.7444.75.8
23Craig Kimbrel20127.02.40.7434.35.2
24Will M. Smith20197.12.50.7424.65.6
25Bob Wickman20016.32.20.7413.94.8


Notable Debuts
Three long-time teammates debuted in 1995 who would go on to win five World Series together. The next table compares the careers of longtime battery-mates, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada, as measured by Player won-lost records. The career record of their teammate, Derek Jeter, is shown below.

Andy Pettitte Jorge Posada
Season Games pWins pLoss pWOPA pWORL Games pWins pLoss pWOPA pWORL
19953110.69.80.9
2.3
10.00.0-0.0-0.0
19963514.910.84.3
6.0
80.10.4-0.3-0.3
19973513.98.25.8
7.3
604.44.60.00.5
19983313.611.91.9
3.6
1119.47.52.53.4
19993111.711.50.4
1.9
1129.69.31.01.9
20003212.910.72.4
4.0
15115.312.03.95.2
20013113.210.52.9
4.6
13814.312.13.34.7
2002229.56.23.4
4.5
14316.613.24.76.2
20033314.511.63.2
4.9
14215.811.05.66.9
2004155.65.01.0
1.6
13713.411.23.24.5
20053314.09.85.3
6.7
14212.111.21.72.8
20063814.814.61.3
3.0
14314.411.33.85.0
20073612.410.72.0
3.6
14413.412.02.43.6
20083312.913.5-0.4
1.4
514.04.3-0.20.2
20093212.810.32.8
4.3
11111.89.33.24.2
2010218.66.22.5
3.4
12010.09.50.91.9
2011
 
1157.67.8-0.60.4
2012124.13.90.3
0.8
20133010.79.91.1
2.4
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
CAREER RECORDS533210.6175.140.9
66.3
1,829172.1146.835.251.2


Derek Jeter
Value Decomposition
Season Team Age Games pWins pLosses pWORL pWOPA
1995NYA21
15
1.01.6-0.4-0.5
1996NYA22
157
18.219.71.4-0.4
1997NYA23
159
21.120.24.22.2
1998NYA24
149
23.116.89.37.3
1999NYA25
158
26.118.111.29.1
2000NYA26
148
20.516.76.44.6
2001NYA27
150
20.117.45.63.6
2002NYA28
157
20.317.65.43.5
2003NYA29
119
15.812.94.93.5
2004NYA30
154
22.718.17.55.5
2005NYA31
159
23.020.55.43.5
2006NYA32
154
22.717.08.26.4
2007NYA33
156
21.318.15.53.8
2008NYA34
150
18.417.73.31.7
2009NYA35
153
19.416.55.53.8
2010NYA36
157
20.320.03.31.4
2011NYA37
131
15.915.42.71.2
2012NYA38
159
20.319.04.22.2
2013NYA39
17
1.51.7-0.0-0.2
2014NYA40
145
15.918.1-0.0-1.6
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
CAREER (reg. season)
2,747
367.7323.193.760.6
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
PostSeason (career)
158
21.318.45.83.8
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
COMBINED
2,905
388.9341.699.564.4


Farewell Seasons
Finally, the 2015 season was the final season for two Hall-of-Famers: Dave Winfield, and Kirby Puckett. While Winfield and Puckett were both elected to the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility (in 2001), their Hall-of-Fame cases were very different. Winfield played for 22 seasons, finishing his career with 3,110 hits and 1,833 RBI, both of which are still among the top 25 career totals in major-league history. Puckett, in contrast, played only 12 seasons before being forced to retire because of an eye injury.

The final table in this article compares the career Player won-lost records for Winfield and Puckett. The last row compares their career records through age 35 - the 1987 season for Dave Winfield and the 1995 season for Puckett.

Dave Winfield Kirby Puckett
Season Games pWins pLoss pWOPA pWORL Games pWins pLoss pWOPA pWORL
1973564.34.6-0.7
-0.2
197414518.816.31.4
3.1
197514320.516.72.6
4.3
197613722.016.64.4
6.3
197715723.620.80.9
3.1
197815825.118.25.8
7.8
197915926.919.85.4
7.6
198016221.020.2-0.5
1.5
198110514.612.81.3
2.7
198214019.918.80.4
2.1
198315221.418.62.1
3.9
198414120.916.83.0
4.7
12815.116.7-2.1-0.6
198515524.118.74.8
6.8
16121.922.1-0.71.3
198615420.417.62.0
3.8
16121.419.51.53.4
198715620.717.72.3
4.0
15721.118.32.34.1
198814921.817.13.8
5.7
15824.318.85.27.3
1989
 
15922.320.02.44.3
199013216.416.3-0.3
1.2
14619.117.61.02.6
199115016.816.5-0.5
1.1
15220.117.52.44.1
199215617.712.84.3
6.1
16021.518.52.74.5
199314312.914.4-1.8
-0.1
15619.619.8-0.51.5
1994766.16.3-0.6
0.2
10816.012.62.84.2
1995451.32.4-1.2
-1.0
13715.715.5-0.70.9
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
CAREER RECORDS2,971397.3339.838.5
74.7
1,783238.2216.916.137.7
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
THRU AGE 352,120304.2254.135.0
61.5
1,783238.2216.916.137.7


Article last updated: November 24, 2019

Wins over positional average and replacement level are calculated using data only for the 1995 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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