What is the best MLB team of all time? This is such a tough question, with a whole lot of answers. If you ask most fans of any MLB franchise, they will no doubt back their own side to be the best of all time, but realistically, only one team can be the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). Only one team can claim to be better than all the others. But how do we work it out?

Do we go off the odds that are given out at the start of a season? Because although there are lots of betting options available at Caesars, the odds for a team to win their division or even the world series change constantly throughout the season. One team may start off with the odds favoring them at +500, but a poor run of games could soon see them hitting +2000.

And realistically, although the better odds may be given to the team favorite to win, that’s not always the case with the outcome. Every underdog has their day, just look over the water for a prime example, when Leicester City of the English Premier League won their domestic title at odds of 5000/1 back in 2016. Which means relying on betting odds alone for our answer might just not be enough.

We could look at silverware as a sign of how great a team is. But the problem there is it takes into account the whole franchise not a specific team. Plus if we consider some claim the Red Sox could put a claim forward to be the GOAT, sitting joint 3rd in the number of World Series titles won, we then have to take into effect the fact they had an 86-year drought without winning the biggest prize in MLB. Is a franchise that fails to win for 86-years the best? No.

Source: https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/nbcsports.com/files/styles/gallery_image/public/2015/09/05/100601_2004RedSox_h.jpg?itok=x41W306t&timestamp=1441442453 

We could also jump straight to the Yankees too, who with 27 World Series titles to their name, have more than double the next franchise who are the St. Louis Cardinals with 11 titles. But not every Yankees side has been great, just look at their record between 1965-1972, which saw a period where they posted their first losing record in 40 years when they went 77-85 in 1965. So although more of their teams have been successful than any others, they too have had bad times as well.

The only real way to look at this in an objective way, is to look at stats. See which teams have had the best records, the most impressive numbers, the teams who struck fear into their opponents when they had to face them. And with changes to the game over the years, there will no doubt be disagreements with that method too. But it is probably going to be the fairest way to call it.

But rather than just cutting straight to the best, let’s count it down with a top three of all time:

3 – Philadelphia Athletics – 1929 (Now the Oakland Athletics)

The Red Sox would rue the day they traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees, and with good reason. They went on an 86-year drought, whereas the Yankees dominated MLB for the entire 1920s. Well nearly the entire decade, because in 1929, the Philadelphia Athletics ended a run of dominance that was set about by the franchise in New York, and they did so in incredible fashion. Maybe that’s why the current Phillies owner said he would never trade Babe Ruth for Zach Wheeler?

Anyway, getting to the stats, the Athletics managed to finish their season 104-46, which included a 4-1 record in the postseason as they went on to win the World Series. They were so impressive that they won the American League (AL) pennant by over 18 games against the very same team who had been dominating year after year. Did they take advantage of them going through a rough patch? Maybe, but it wouldn’t be long before the Yankees reclaimed their crown.

Check out a few of the impressive stats that the Philadelphia Athletic managed to post:

  • Run Differential: +286
  • Team ERA: 3.44
  • Team BA: .295
  • Team OBP: .365
  • Team SLG: .450

2 – Cincinnati Reds – 1975

This was a team that had a period of dominance in the 1970s, earning themselves the nickname of the Big Red Machine. And no lineup was more deserving of that than the 1975 Cincinnati Reds team. It was packed full of stars such as Joe Morgan, Gary Nolan, Tony Perez and Don Gullett.

They battled over a long season that saw them finish with a record of 108-54. That record included 7-3 in the postseason as they pipped the Red Sox to win the first of two back to back World Series titles. It was probably one of the best series ever watched, and if you ever get a chance to rewatch it, you won’t regret it.

Here are the stats that helped Cincinnati make it into 2nd place of our list:

  • Run Differential: +254
  • Team ERA: 3.37
  • Team BA: .271
  • Team OBP: .353
  • Team SLG: .401

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1 – New York Yankees – 1927

Finally, we get to arguably the greatest team of all time within MLB, the 1927 New York Yankees. We’ve already mentioned this franchise has the most World Series titles, and much of that is thanks to the players within this fantastic roster of players. We’ve spoken about Babe Ruth already, and how the Red Sox made a huge mistake trading the Bambino to the Yankees, but he wasn’t the only star in this lineup; there was Lou Gehrig, Waite Hoyt and Herb Pennock too, all legends of the game that would make it into the Hall of Fame many years down the line.

But this particular team, they were one that everyone who faced them feared. The team that no one wanted to play, because they knew this team had runs for days packed in their locker. They would go on to finish this season in impressive style, with a record of 110-44, including a 4-0 record to win the World Series without recording a loss in the postseason. If that wasn’t enough though, just check outcome of their other stats below:

  • Run Differential: +376
  • Team ERA: 3.20
  • Team BA: .307
  • Team OBP: .384
  • Team SLG: .488

Final Words

What more is there to say than there you have it, our top MLB team of all time. It’s hard to agree with the statistics, and not just that, to ignore some of the legends of the game. They are the men who made Baseball what it is, the reason so many people fell in love with the game. Do you agree with us? Or do you think we’ve overlooked some of the modern greats? Either way, let us know in the comments who you would claim to be the best of all time and why.

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