Another interesting find from SABR-L, this time from SABRite Pete Ridges on players who left too soon (e.g., Nomar Garciaparra, who had 176 Win Shares for the Bosox but never won the World Series, then he leaves and they win it that same season). According to Ridges, Nomah’s 176 WS isn’t even the record; it’s Don “I Still Can’t Believe He’s in the HOF” Sutton, “whose brief second spell with the Dodgers, in fact his career, ended when the Dodgers released him on August 10, 1988. And the Dodgers won the Series in October 1988.” (238 Win Shares for the Dodgers).

Ridges goes on to list players who left the season before what would have been their first World Series win (no guarantees, of course):

1. Don Mattingly (263 WS for the Yankees, 1982 to 1995)
2. Wilbur Cooper (250 WS for the Pirates, 1912 to 1924)
3. Don Sutton again (236 WS for the Dodgers, 1966 to 1980)
4. Mel Harder (234 WS for the Indians, 1928 to 1947)
5. Art Fletcher (197 WS for the Giants, 1909 to 1920)
6. Johnny Mize (180 WS for the Cardinals, 1936 to 1941)

Ridges notes: Mattingly and Harder never played for other teams. Cooper, Sutton and Fletcher never won the World Series. Mize didn’t play in the postseason until the last five years of his career, but then he won five straight championships with the Yankees. Only considers Win Shares after 1903.

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