10 Best Teams of the Decade, By Lightning Badger + Franzes
Finally, Franchise Ball has reached the century mark and we have seen some great teams during this stretch from the Cincinnati Reds to the Spokane Warriors to the San Diego Bombers. Today though we will only be looking at this past decade and some of the greatest teams we saw during this stretch. We saw teams win multiple world series and teams make multiple world series appearances, we even saw some teams break records we never thought could be broken. All these factors were put into our consideration in choosing the top ten of this decade. Finally, let's dive into this list and start with honorable mention teams that performed great in the 90s but just missed out on this list.
Honorable Mentions-
Calgary Fire Birds- The Firebirds were dominant in the first half of the 90s, winning three division titles and eclipsing the season 94 World Series title. Despite the rather underwhelming campaigns that followed, their dominance in the first half of the 90s is more than sufficient enough to earn them an honorable mention as one of the best teams in the 90s.
Stamford Demo Yankees- Another team that just missed the cut due to their second-half record, the Demo Yankees proved to be a force to be reckoned with in the early to mid-90s. In this span, they captured four division titles and the World Series in season 93. There wasn’t much more for us that would put him in the top ten after season 93 forcing him to miss the cut.
Dallas Grease Lightning- Taken under the Reds’ wing, the Grease Lightning is the newest member of this list (with more time, they could have potentially made the top 10). In three short seasons, they’ve won three division titles and a World Series Championship (came in their FIRST season (season 97)).
Canberra Cranberries- This well-accomplished team acquired two league titles and five division titles during the 90s. Falling a bit short of the World Series twice, the Cranberries look to climb the mountain and obtain their first World Series Championship this decade.
Spokane Warriors- Arguably one of the best teams to ever do it, the Warriors are still rolling. Despite not adding the big trophy to the case, they did add another league title along with a division title for every season in the decade.
Those teams did big things this past decade, but the teams we are about to list went above and beyond what those teams did this decade. In our top 10, we see the best of the best. We see teams with championships, teams with loaded talent, and teams with more broken records to count. This list, though subject to debate, is filled with some of the greatest teams and managers ever to log into FranchiseBall. With all of this being said, here is a rather no bias list of the top ten teams in FranchiseBall of the 90s.
-List created by the Milwaukee Lightning Badger and Providence Franzes
10. Kansas City Flying Squirrels- For only being created in just season 92, the Kansas City Flying Squirrels have accomplished a lot in their 7 seasons. They’ve collected 5 league titles and 6 division titles, and have even come within one game of winning a World Series. With these accomplishments in just their first seven seasons, Flying Squirrels fans are filled with optimism for their next decade. Who knows, with this success, a championship might come to Kansas City very shortly. Their early dominance in the Theta Premier has helped them claim the number 10 spot on this list.
9. Yonkers Renegades- The Yonkers Renegades have always been a threat in Ocean Star; every season always seems to come down to an intense battle with the Manchester Maniacs for a division title. Though the Renegades have won a whopping 8 division titles this decade, their biggest accomplishment came in a season they didn’t win the division title. Instead, he accomplished the almost impossible: ran the wildcard to make the world playoffs. The Renegades ended up representing the wild card well, making history as the first wildcard team to win the world series in the new playoff format. The Renegades had a great decade to place them 9th on this list, but we wouldn’t doubt they’re looking for more next decade (first-ever league title?).
8. Fort Worth Horned Frogs- Horned Frogs entered the 90s intending to be a powerhouse (spoiler: they did just that). They would go on to dominate their division, bringing home 8 division titles in the decade. In addition, the Horned Frogs found success beyond their division, bringing home 6 Alpha Ruby league titles as well. Although the Horned Frogs never was able to bring home the World Series this decade, it’s very well on their bucket list for the next decade. All in all, this squad showed consistent talent and strong potential throughout the decade, looking like they’re well on their way to becoming a powerhouse. We are excited to see them continue their dominance in Alpha Ruby and beyond as they look to bring home more titles this next decade.
7. San Diego Giants- Although the Giants didn’t bring home a World Series title, they did bring home a division title for every season this decade, which is pretty impressive considering how many divisions they were in this past decade. In addition, they brought home an Alpha Ruby league title in season 94 as well. Even though their hopes of bringing home a third World Series didn’t quite happen, their numerous division titles and a league title in season 94 are enough to earn a spot on this list. Hopefully, with the powerhouse lineup, the Giants have built over the past few seasons they will be able to bring home the World Series trophy (trophies?) over this next decade.
6. St. Johns Deadly Sins- There is only one thing the Sins didn’t do in the 90s: win their first World Series. Other than that the Sins did everything a team could do this decade. They set records in season 94 with their explosive offense, winning 56 games (only 2 other teams have done that before) and tied for the best record in Franchise Ball history. They won a division title in each of the first 6 seasons (sad to say they didn’t bring home that Delta league title any of those seasons). In season 97 they would move to Silver Sunset and dominate, they brought home a division title and league title all 3 seasons and even had a world series appearance (lost to their good friend Codfish). Sins made the most of their first full decade in Franchise Ball, and hope to continue their excellence into this next decade as one of Franchise Ball’s newest powerhouse teams.
5. Baltimore Orioles- The Orioles had such a good first half of the 90s that not making the World Series was “underperforming”. With 3 World Series appearances (One which they won) in 5 seasons, the Orioles made a name for themselves as one of Franchise Ball’s greatest teams this decade. Despite the Orioles going 10/10 on division titles, they, unfortunately, did not bring home any league titles or world titles. However, the Orioles did put together strong, consistent showings throughout the decade, earning a spot in our list as one of the best teams to play in the 90s.
4. Eugene Spitters- The Spitters surprised everyone when they came about to win the World Series in season 92, that would only be the start of greatness they achieved this decade. After being restored in season 91, the Spitters came back better than ever winning the division title all 9 seasons and claiming the league title 4 of those seasons, they were a tough team to beat. Not only did they do that, but they made the most World Series appearances this decade (3 times) and went on to win the World Series twice. There wasn’t much more the Spitters could do to show how great they were this decade and they hope to show that they can stick around the powerhouse level next decade.
3. Cincinnati Reds- The Cincinnati Reds are a team that has done well in the past and is respected in part due to their success. However, when one looks at the performance their squads put up in the 90s, one might realize that the Reds have also done a great job of putting together great teams in recent seasons. Although the Reds got off to a slower start by their standards (in part due to joining elite divisions), the Reds collected six division titles in their last seven seasons and winning the league in four of those. In addition, the Reds made it to back-to-back World Series appearances in 93-94. Let’s also not forget this team set Franchise Ball records new Home Run and Slugging Percentage in season 98. The Reds may not have been number one on this list, but it may kick a fire in them to be number one on the list next decade as they enter every season as one of the favorites to win the World Series.
2. St. Johns Codfish- If there was an offense that could beat the Reds it would be Codfish; their offense was putting up consistent off the chart numbers. They have yet not to win their division title in team history (which is mind-blowing itself), and have won the league title every season since season 94 (6 in a row!)! To put the icing on the cake, they would win the World Series in season 99 hitting all the checkmarks there is to do in just 10 seasons. The Codfish have built a dynasty without many people knowing, and their future is very bright as they look to jump their name up on the Greatest Teams in Franchise Ball history list. The expectations are high for Codfish this next decade and they look to continue their success from the 90s.
1. San Diego Bombers- The Bombers went into every season with the mindset of being the best team in Franchise Ball, and every season they would do great things in an attempt to achieve their goal. While they did not accomplish this goal every season, they still were a top ten team in the world every season, hitting 50 wins in every season (minus season 99). They have one of the most explosive offenses in the game and each season we see their pitching getting better and better. The Bombers have created one of the most complete teams we have ever seen in this game. To recap their success, they would kick off the decade winning back-to-back World Series in seasons 90 and 91. While they did take a step back (still won a league title and won 5/8 division titles since 91), their success has them as our number one team in Franchise Ball this decade. The Bombers are looking to continue to be one of the top teams in Franchise Ball every season, hoping to bring home some more titles next decade, and maybe even retain this spot on the next decade list.
Congrats to the teams that made this list for all they did this decade? For those reading, it’s your chance to start fresh and make your legacy in an attempt to make this list next decade. We wish every team the best of luck as we move into season 100 of Franchise Ball!
