If you were to ask me my thoughts on the best baseball team, I’d have to say the Oakland Athletics—the rich history, many hall of famers, and even the uniform colors. That said, if you were to ask my parents, they’d say the San Francisco Giants. Ask my best friend? Well then it would be the Yankees.
See where I’m going with this? It’s difficult to come to any sort of conclusion in determining the best baseball team—and not because we let “favorites” cloud or judgment, but because there isn’t one simple measure.
So, we are going to get to the bottom of it, talking about the best baseball teams, but for a few different reasons.
Best Baseball Team by World Series Wins: Yankees
If awarding the best baseball team title to the franchise with the most World Series victories, the Yankees would be the best, and it’s not close. It’s actually for that exact reason that many make a strong argument for being the all-around best, and it’s difficult to argue.
All that said, even if we count World Series victories, there still might not be a clear answer. For example, here are the teams with the most World Series wins:
- New York Yankees: 27
- St. Louis Cardinals: 11
- Oakland A’s: 9
- Boston Red Sox: 9
- San Francisco Giants: 8
- Los Angeles Dodgers: 7
Besides there being a lot of California baseball teams, these are some of the game’s oldest franchises. My point is, could you make an argument for the Tampa Bay Rays to be considered the best baseball team? They’ve had a pretty good run for being a relatively new franchise. Or what about the Astros?
Before you jump through the screen, I’m not at all saying that the Rays are in fact the best, and in the context of this list, a better team than the Yankees, but just introducing a different way to look at things.
Best Baseball Team by Recent World Series Win: Atlanta Braves
If you’re in the “what have you done for me lately?” crowd, then arguing for the Atlanta Braves as the best team in baseball would go a long way. It would have gone further had they not just gotten bounced from the 2022 playoffs, but oh well.
If you’re going to make this argument, though, I think you also have to take a look at historical context as well. While the Braves aren’t on the list of most World Series wins above, they would be if you extended the list a few more entries thanks to their five total championships.
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Not to mention that you’ll be changing your answer quite often, crowning either the Astros or the Phillies as the best team in baseball once the 2023 season concludes.
Best Baseball Team by Lineup: Cincinnati Reds
This is one that probably holds the least weight, just because sure, a team on paper is one thing, but that team needs to produce as well. Anyway, it’s fun to look at the best lineup of all time, and I think many would say the 1927 “Murderers Row” Yankees lineup including Ruth and Gehrig. However, and maybe I’m showing my age and era here, but how can you argue against one single lineup that includes these names:
- Johnny Bench
- Tony Perez
- Joe Morgan
- Pete Rose
- Dave Concepcion
- George Foster
- Ken Griffey
- Cesar Geronimo
The 1975 team won the pennant, and the Reds have won five total. Not bad. Not bad at all.
Best Remaining Teams
All that said, we have only talked about three teams, leaving many great and potentially best teams sitting on the bench.
Oakland Athletics
I mentioned the A’s above, and while I was half-joking, that also means I’m being half-serious. The A’s have won nine World Series titles in total, good for third on the list behind the aforementioned Yankees and hte yet-to-be-mentioned Cardinals. Rickey Henderson, Reggie Jackson, Jose Canseco, and Mark McGwire are among the best to ever play the game.
Aside from this year, the A’s have also had a ton of success despite having one of the lowest payrolls in baseball. They’ve been the focus of a blockbuster movie and a great one in that in Moneyball so that has to count for something too, right?
And while the team’s attendance has been pretty bad of late, their bleachers are some of the best seats in baseball.
St. Louis Cardinals
Speaking of the Cardinals, you have to mention the team that has the second-most World Series titles of all time, right? With 11 championships total, the Cardinals are definitely in the conversation, with talent like Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Albert Pujols, and many many others.
The Cardinals were also at the center of baseball when Mark McGwire went on his historic home run chase, and the team seems to be good year in and year out if we want to talk recency.
Boston Red Sox
If you’re going to mention the A’s with 9 World Series wins, you need to do the same for the Red Sox, given they’ve accumulated an equal amount. Not to mention that recency plays in their favor, winning a World Series in 2013 and 2018. For comparison’s sake, the Yankees haven’t won a title since 2009. Plus, you can’t talk about the game of baseball without mentiong Ted Williams—one of the best to ever do it.
I won’t go much further, but if I were, you can bet the Dodgers, Astros, Phillies, Giants, and others would be mentioned.
Why? Given the game’s rich history, you almost have to default to the best team being the one that just won the World Series, or perhaps look back to the last decade. T
The Dodgers won the World Series in 2020 and appeared in 2017 and 2018 (losing to the Astros and Red Sox, respectively.
The Astros won the World Series in 2017, and appeared in 2019 and 2021 (losing to the Nationals and Braves, respectively.
The Giants won three titles in six years, capturing the trophy in 2010, 2012, and 2014.
The Phillies won the World Series in 2008, beating the Rays, and then lost the World Series in 2009 to the Yankees. I’m also adding the Phillies here as the dark horse for the 2022 title.
