"In the case of Atlanta, it's very simple," said Joe McIlvaine, vice president of baseball operations for the San Diego Padres. "Bobby Cox got beat over the head for four years as general manager while he was quietly drafting good, young left-handed pitchers. Suddenly, this year, they all came together. They added Otis Nixon, Terry Pendleton and Sid Bream, and when the good pitching kicked in, it had good defense behind it."
Nixon stole 72 bases until his suspension for drugs. Pendleton led the league in batting at .319 and hits with 187 and tightened the infield defense, as did Bream and shortstop Rafael Belliard, another free agent pickup.
"Pitching and defense win in the National League," McIlvaine said. "They're a perfect example of that."
McIlvaine said the Braves' success was an affirmation of the player development system.
"Free agency and trades supplement it, but there's no substitute for strong player development," he said. "That's the key to the health and longevity of any organization. It doesn't happen by accident. The trick is not to count on one or two guys. They had a number of good, young pitchers. If you have 20, two might come through. If you have two, your chances are reduced."
Cox cashed in with Tom Glavine, Steve Avery, Kent Mercker, all key parts of Atlanta's staff, all home grown.
Joe McDonald, vice president for player development of the Detroit Tigers, watched the Twins work the same kind of magic in the American League. "It's mind-boggling," he said. "I can account for Atlanta more easily with that good, young pitching. But it's shocking to go from last to first."
Like Atlanta, the Twins came up with some young pitchers in 20-game winner Scott Erickson and Kevin Tapani. Jack Morris arrived as a free agent from Detroit to supply an instant anchor for the pitching staff. Still in place were Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek, holdovers from the Twins' 1987 World Series champions. Catcher Brian Harper had a big year.
"Sometimes everything just falls in place," said McDonald, who saw the same phenomenon occur with the 1969 New York Mets. "A team gets in a winning frame of mind. Players begin to believe in themselves. They believe they can win and they go out and do it."