After Ron Gardenhire took over for Tom Kelly, Minnesota had been in the playoff six times between 2002 and 2010, and their worst record during that period was a 79-83 mark in 2007. But they never got over the hump.
December 13, 1997 – a day that not only spawned the multi-media career of a bro fanboy from Boston, but it signaled to the baseball world that the Toronto Blue Jays had grown impatient of rebuilding from the ground up, and were ready to win now.
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Raines, Carter, Dawson, Wallach and…Pete Rose! That was the splash for the Expos in 1984. Along with that great core group, Rose joined the team as a free agent to lend leadership and wisdom.
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After years in the weeds, the Royals had their first winning record since the Strike of 1994, and the pocketbook is being opened, slightly, to build on that success.
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The 1970 California Angels were one of the franchise’s better squads. They finished 86-76 on the year, in third place behind Minnesota, but as those Twins seemed to be aging 1971 looked like a contending year.
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The entire AL West was hot garbage, but thankfully 1994 was wiped due to a strike. There’s two studs in the rotation, a much better bullpen, and offensive talent through the lineup. If not the Angels, then who?
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It’s always a big deal to move into a new ballpark. It’s always a big deal to defend a division title. So, 2000 was a big, big deal for the Houston Astros.
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Yes, Oakland lost Carney Lansford to retirement, Walt Weiss to expansion, and Harold Baines, Mike Moore and Dave Stewart to free agency. But there was still optimism in 1993 in LaRussa land.
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Stargell, Milner, Garner, Madlock, Foli, Bill Robinson, Moreno, Parker, Ott, Lacy, Blyleven, Candelaria, Bibby, Don Robinson, Tekulve, Romo, Jackson. Add to that a recovering Rhoden and you have a team ready for domination.
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Losing a home-grown All-Star to free agency after a monster year is traumatic. But good organizations can easily overcome those losses. The Brewers lost Prince Fielder, but upgraded the left side of their infield going into 2012.
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