Looking at the Forbes MLB valuations

Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday, Forbes published its yearly valuation of all 30 MLB teams. Below you will find this list separating the teams into their respective divisions along with each team’s overall ranking.

[table id=1 /]

So where does Forbes rank your team?

Upon a quick scan of the above table, here are a few items that were interesting to me.

1. Combine the total valuations of the New York Yankees ($2.5B) and the Boston Red Sox ($1.5B) for a total of $4.0B. That’s greater than the total valuations of four other divisions. Only the NL West avoids this distinction.

2. If you’re wondering which league has the highest, that would be the National League…barely. The NL’s total is roughly $12.25B while the AL’s rounds out to $12.10B. If you’re wanting to dig for an explanation, consider that the bottom three teams (Oakland, Kansas City and Tampa Bay) are all AL teams.

3. The most “balanced” division (the division with the least discrepancy between the highest valued compared to the lowest) is the AL Central. Yet, from a total standpoint, the AL Central is the lowest valued of all six divisions. They are also the only division without a team in the top 10.

4. The division with the greatest difference: the AL East (Yankees – $2.5B to Rays $485M). It just so happens that this division also has the highest valued and lowest valued.

5. Look at teams which share the same market (as defined by Nielsen).
– New York: Yankees ($2.5B) and the Mets ($800M)
– Los Angeles: Dodgers ($2.0B) and Angels ($775M)
– Chicago: Cubs ($1.2B) and White Sox ($695M)
– San Francisco/Oakland: Giants ($1.B) and A’s ($495M)
In all but one case (Chicago) does the higher team have at least a 2 to 1 margin regarding their respective values. The Yankees have more than a 3 to 1 edge over the Mets. This also is an indication on which franchise has their roots within a particular market.

6. If you’re sniffing around for some east coast bias, you won’t find it among the top 5 teams. Two are east (Yankees and Red Sox), two are west (Dodgers and Giants), and one is “central” (Cubs). Stays consistent throughout the top 10 as well. Take the results from the top 5 and simply double them for 4-4-2. Toss in the Phillies and Mets for the east, Rangers and Angels for the west, and Cardinals for central.

I’m sure there are other oddities or “patterns” you might find with this list. If so, let us know with your comment below.