1972 World Series Teams
1972 is a fun year for me to write about, because my favorite real-life team, the Oakland Athletics, won the World Series! Not only that, it would be the first season of a three-year dynasty, which spanned the introduction of the Designated Hitter in the American League in 1973. The A’s defeated the Cincinnati Reds in ’72 to start their run, which is notable because those two teams would meet again in the 1990 Fall Classic, with the Reds coming out on top that time, thwarting another potential Oakland dynasty, following their win in 1989.
If this looks like an espeically colorful graphic, remember that there were only 24 Major League teams in 1972, as opposed to 30 today. So that means the each team would have a better chance at representation throughout the 12 Fantasy Astrology signs, a number that remains unchanged throughout the years. Starting with the team’s top fantasy point total, we have Aries ace Catfish Hunter with a whopping 3,508 points on the year. However, believe it or not, this was just the fourth-highest total of the season, trailing Capricorn’s 4,000-point scoring Steve Carlton, Virgo’s Gaylord Perry, and Libra’s Wilbur Wood. But Hunter’s contribution was arguably more important than the others’ as the Rams took home the fantasy point title at the end of the season.
Case in point, the A's number two starter Ken Holtzman fell behind two Hall of Famers in the Scorpio rotation: Bob Gibson and Tom Seaver. Blue Moon Odom was fourth amongst Gemini starters, although the only really recognizable name above him would be surgery namesake Tommy John. Vida Blue didn’t even technically make the Leo top five based on full-season fantasy points, although he had the fourth-best points-per-game total on the team. And rookie Dave Hamilton would be involved in a battle for the fifth starter spot on Sagittarius, making all five Oakland starters fantasy relevant in 1972.
Closer Rollie Fingers would not only make the Hall of Fame, but the Virgo also had arguably the coolest moustache in the history of the game. While Fingers was unquestionably the preferred ninth inning option, garnering 47% of the team’s save opportunities (26 of 55, converting 21 of those chances), the ’72 A’s did have somewhat of a closer-by-committee approach. Sagittarius reliever Darold Knowles had 14 SV Opps (25.5%) with Pisces Bob Locker picking up 13 of his own (23.6%). This means that Leo Joe Horlen (who started 6 of his 23 appearances) was the only A’s pitcher with at least 40 innings to not make their Fantasy Astrology squad.
Each member of the bullpen had a sign-mate elsewhere on the team. We’ve seen the other SAG and LEO in the starting rotation, but the other two come at the top of the lineup. Cuban shortstop Bert Campaneris was a staple in the Pisces Fish infield for 14 years, spanning 1964 to 1977. Joe Rudi didn’t have quite the same longevity, but his versatility (he played left field and first base throughout his career) helped him get in the Virgo starting lineup for seven times in an eight-year period. But the most iconic Athletics batter of this period was the brash Taurus slugger Reggie Jackson, who in 1972 played the last significant portion of his career games in center field, before shifting full time to right field in the next season.
While Aquarius third baseman Sal Bando doesn’t have Reggie’s star power, he ranks the highest on the A’s career WAR list of anyone on this 1972 championship team. Bando clocks in at sixth all-time, with Campaneris and Jackson at ninth and tenth, respecitvely. (Catfish Hunter is also on the list at #22.) While Aries first baseman Mike Epstein had a nice season, his name would not go down in the annals of A’s history. Libra catcher Dave Duncan didn’t exactly have a storied playing career, but he has the unusual distinction of serving as a pitching coach, without having been a pitcher himself.
Wow, I went a little overboard writing about the Swingin’ A’s, so I’ll be a little more economical with the Big Red Machine. Leading off, we have Aries left fielder Pete Rose, the all-time MLB leader in hits, who has been frozen out of the Hall of Fame due to a gambling scandal. He’s followed in the batting order by second baseman Joe Morgan, the heir apparent to Bill Mazeroski among Virgo keystones. Scorpio center fielder Bobby Tolan bat third, mostly on the strength of a 1970 season where he eclipsed 2,500 fantasy points, before getting injured playing basketball in 1971. Skipping a spot in the batting order, we have Taurus first baseman Tony Perez, who moved across the diamond in 1972, after five years at the hot corner.
I skipped catcher Johnny Bench because I wanted to keep all the Sagittarius players together, of which the Reds had four. Bench was clearly the best of the bunch, hitting 40 homers and winnings his second NL MVP award in three years. But Cincinnati’s bullpen also had two very strong non-closer contributors in Tom Hall and Pedro Borbon. Taurus Clay Carroll was the primary stopper, with 57.9% of the team’s save opportunities (40 out of 67, converting 37 of them, for a 93% success rate). But the Dominican Borbon (father of Pedro Jr., who pitched for a decade in the 1990’s-2000’s) saved 11 of his 12 opportunities, while the lefty Hall converted all eight of his chances.
Meanwhile, rounding out the Sagittarius contributors, starter Wayne Simpson didn’t have a very strong year overall, but he had a tenuous hold on the SP5 slot on a very weak Archers starting staff – with Oakland’s Dave Hamilton serving as his main competition. The rest of the Reds rotation didn’t have too much name recognition, nor were they as effective as their World Series competitors. Gemini Gary Nolan had an All-Star season, with more than 2,000 points and 80 points-per-game. But Pisces Jack Billingham and Capricorn Ross Grimsley aren’t exactly household names.