Worst franchises of the Modern Era

The San Diego Padres enter the 2022 season with big hopes, repeating their sunny optimism of 2021.

Last year didn’t work out. The Padres counted on their dynamic infield duo of Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. to power them to first place in the National League West. But an epic collapse — an 11-30 record after August 15 — stranded San Diego 28 games behind the unexpected divisional titlist, the San Francisco Giants.

This year isn’t starting out well, either. Tatis suffered a fractured wrist over the winter, with some accounts attributing it to a motorcycle accident. He is likely to remain on the sidelines until mid-June.

San Diego fans are no strangers to such disappointment. The Padres, who were admitted to the National League as an expansion team in 1969, posted the worst record in the majors during their inaugural year: 52 wins and 110 losses. And they remained underneath the 50-50 line in two-thirds of their 52 subsequent seasons.

The organization’s winning percentage was mired below .400 for the first six years, resulting in six straight last-place finishes in the NL West. It wasn’t until 1978 — their 10th season of play — that the Padres finally poked their heads above the .500 mark.

Success came sporadically in the years that followed. San Diego has made six playoff appearances, including two visits to the World Series. But the latter proved to be quick disappointments, with the Padres winning only a single game from the Tigers in 1984 and none at all from the Yankees in 1998.

The bottom line shows San Diego with an overall winning percentage of .462, the worst for any franchise that dates back at least 50 years in the Modern Era, which runs from 1961 to the present. The Padres and the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals are tied for the fewest postseason berths for any of the 24 organizations in the same age group. (The 29-year-old Miami Marlins are a touch worse in both categories: .461 and three playoff appearances.)

This litany of failure explains why the Padres hold first place in my unhappy rankings of the era’s worst franchises. I based my standings (which you can see below) on a three-part formula that I explained on Tuesday. Suffice it to say that San Diego’s average score of minus-1.43 per year is the lowest.

Rounding out the bottom five are four other organizations with scores worse than minus-1.00: the Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies, Marlins, and Texas Rangers, who were created in 1961 as the Washington Senators. (The Marlins, should you be wondering, score slightly better than the Padres because they have enjoyed higher highs — including two world championships — over a shorter period.)

I broke down the 15 most successful franchises of the Modern Era on Tuesday, leaving the others — the 15 least successful — for today.

The list below is littered with expansion teams, including the five mentioned above. Only four of the 15 worst organizations predate the Modern Era: the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians/Guardians, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Minnesota Twins (also known as the Washington Senators before 1961).

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1. San Diego Padres

Seasons: 53
Regular-season record: 3,863-4,495 (.462)
Era average: -1.43 points per year
Playoffs: 6
League titles: 2
World titles: 0

2. Seattle Mariners

Seasons: 45
Regular-season record: 3,336-3,727 (.472)
Era average: -1.36 points per year
Playoffs: 4
League titles: 0
World titles: 0

3. Colorado Rockies

Seasons: 29
Regular-season record: 2,133-2,401 (.470)
Era average: -1.24 points per year
Playoffs: 5
League titles: 1
World titles: 0

4. Miami Marlins

Also known as: Florida Marlins
Seasons: 29
Regular-season record: 2,088-2,438 (.461)
Era average: -1.14 points per year
Playoffs: 3
League titles: 2
World titles: 2

5. Texas Rangers

Also known as: Washington Senators
Seasons: 61
Regular-season record: 4,582-5,052 (.476)
Era average: -1.10 points per year
Playoffs: 8
League titles: 2
World titles: 0

6. Chicago Cubs

Seasons: 61
Regular-season record: 4,663-4,966 (.484)
Era average: -0.93 points per year
Playoffs: 11
League titles: 1
World titles: 1

7. Milwaukee Brewers

Also known as: Seattle Pilots
Seasons: 53
Regular-season record: 4,037-4,315 (.483)
Era average: -0.83 points per year
Playoffs: 8
League titles: 1
World titles: 0

8. (tie) Kansas City Royals

Seasons: 53
Regular-season record: 4,001-4,344 (.479)
Era average: -0.77 points per year
Playoffs: 9
League titles: 4
World titles: 2

8. (tie) Los Angeles Angels

Also known as: California Angels, Anaheim Angels
Seasons: 61
Regular-season record: 4,812-4,838 (.499)
Era average: -0.77 points per year
Playoffs: 10
League titles: 1
World titles: 1

10. Washington Nationals

Also known as: Montreal Expos
Seasons: 53
Regular-season record: 4,068-4,280 (.487)
Era average: -0.68 points per year
Playoffs: 6
League titles: 1
World titles: 1

11. Cleveland Guardians

Also known as: Cleveland Indians
Seasons: 61
Regular-season record: 4,763-4,865 (.495)
Era average: -0.64 points per year
Playoffs: 12
League titles: 3
World titles: 0

12. Tampa Bay Rays

Also known as: Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Seasons: 24
Regular-season record: 1,826-1,958 (.483)
Era average: -0.63 points per year
Playoffs: 7
League titles: 2
World titles: 0

13. New York Mets

Seasons: 60
Regular-season record: 4,551-4,927 (.480)
Era average: -0.53 points per year
Playoffs: 9
League titles: 5
World titles: 2

14. Pittsburgh Pirates

Seasons: 61
Regular-season record: 4,728-4,899 (.491)
Era average: -0.52 points per year
Playoffs: 12
League titles: 2
World titles: 2

15. Minnesota Twins

Seasons: 61
Regular-season record: 4,789-4,852 (.497)
Era average: -0.39 points per year
Playoffs: 14
League titles: 3
World titles: 2