The 20 worst MLB teams from the 1990s

The Tigers set a franchise record with 109 losses in 1996, due in large part to an atrocious pitching staff that allowed 1,103 runs. The offensive power did make the team slightly more watchable, as Tony Clark, Travis Fryman, Bobby Higginson, and Melvin Nieves each hit over 20 home runs.

The Marlins won the World Series in 1997, but opted to have a firesale during the offseason. The result was a 54-108 season, with the Marlins easily allowing the most runs in the NL (923). All of the team's regular members of the starting rotation were under 25, while the lineup was led by 25-year-old left field Cliff Floyd and 22-year-old first baseman Derrek Lee.

The Indians hit their lowest point in 1991 by losing 105 games before turning around the franchise a few years later. The team scored the fewest runs in baseball (576), as only Albert Belle produced an OPS above .800.

The Mets lost 103 games despite a run differential of only negative-102, losing their fair share of close games with a leaky bullpen. The offense was the second-worst in baseball, though Bobby Bonilla hit 34 home runs and Eddie Murray hit 27 bombs.

The Padres had their fifth 100-loss season in franchise history in 1993. The lineup struggled to generate runs in spite of a roster that included Tony Gwynn, Fred McGriff, Gary Sheffield, and Phil Plantier.

The expansion Devil Rays were predictably terrible in their inaugural season, losing 99 games and finishing 51 games back in the AL East. The team's 620 runs scored was last in MLB despite a lineup that included recognizable players like Fred McGriff and Wade Boggs.

The 1992 season was easily manager Tommy Lasorda's worst in 21 seasons as manager, losing 99 games. First baseman and eventual NL Rookie of the Year Eric Karros was the team's only hitter with double-digit home runs, as the team scored only 548 runs.

Florida's losing ways continued after their post-World Series firesale prior to the 1998 season. They lost 98 games with a young lineup that continued to struggle, scoring only 691 runs. Center fielder Preston Wilson did finish second in NL Rookie of the Year balloting after hitting .280-26-71.

The Marlins were to see better days than their inaugural 1993 season, losing 98 games. The team struggled to generate offense with a league-worst 581 runs scored, though midseason acquisition Gary Sheffield did help with a strong second half.

The Mariners lost 98 games in 1992, but they were setting the foundation for exciting baseball later in the decade with an impressive group of hitters that included Ken Griffey Jr., Tino Martinez, Edgar Martinez, and Jay Buhner. Unfortunately, the pitching staff allowed the most runs in MLB despite strong seasons from starters Dave Fleming and Randy Johnson.

The Twins lost plenty of games in the late-1990's before their turnaround over the next decade. The 1999 squad lost 97 games, scoring a league-worst 686 runs. Young players like Torii Hunter, Corey Koskie, and Brad Radke would become foundational pieces in the years to come.

The Royals' youth movement included many prominent hitters like Johnny Damon, Carlos Beltran, Jermaine Dye, and Mike Sweeney. Unfortunately, the organization had a much tougher time developing pitching, and allowed the most runs in the AL (921) en route to a 97-loss season in 1999.

Arizona lost 97 games in their first MLB season, flashing some big power bats but also having multiple holes in their lineup. Some members of the starting rotation did shine, including Andy Benes, Brian Anderson, and Omar Daal, and the team would win 100 games the following year after augmenting the team with stars like Randy Johnson, Luis Gonzalez, and Steve Finley.

The 1998 Tigers weren't nearly as bad as the squad from two years prior, but they also weren't anything to write home about. The team had four 20-plus home run hitters, led by Tony Clark, Damion Easley, and Luis Gonzalez, but the pitching staff was thin behind Brian Moehler and Justin Thompson. Detroit would finish the season with 97 losses.

The 1998 season started a streak of four consecutive years with over 90 losses for Montreal, and perhaps the beginning of the end for the franchise that would move to Washington in 2005. Despite 97 losses, the Expos weren't without talent, featuring superstar right fielder Vladimir Guerrero and young pitchers who went up to have excellent careers like Javier Vazquez, Carl Pavano, Dustin Hermanson, and Ugueth Urbina.

Oakland suffered through a brutal year in 1997, losing 97 games and trading superstar first baseman Mark McGwire. The Athletics' 946 runs allowed was easily tops in MLB as they failed to find any reliable starting pitching. Following the season, legendary MLB executive Billy Beane was promoted to general manager and would become the subject of the famous book and movie Moneyball.

The 1991 Astros were loaded with young talent that just wasn't quite ready. That included AL Rookie of the Year Jeff Bagwell and All-Star Craig Biggio, now both Hall of Famers. The team lost 97 games in spite of those talented young players, along with Steve Finley, Ken Caminiti, Luis Gonzalez, and ace Pete Harnisch.

Braves fans would have to undergo one more losing season in 1990 before the franchise took off and dominated their division for the rest of the decade. The team lost at least 97 games for the third straight season, but the seeds were planted after excellent offensive seasons from Ron Gant and David Justice, along with developing starting pitchers John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, and Steve Avery.

Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire took the baseball world by storm with the home run race in 1998, and Sosa had plenty left in 1999, hitting .288-63-141. The Cubs lost 95 games in spite of Sosa's contribution, with a pitching staff that was second to the Rockies in runs allowed in the NL. Steve Trachsel lost 18 games with a 5.56 ERA as the staff's leader.

The Phillies underwent a steep decline after reaching the World Series in 1993 with seven consecutive losing seasons. Their worst showing of the decade was 1996, losing 95 games. The team finished last in runs scored with only 650, though catcher Benito Santiago did hit 30 home runs and ace Curt Schilling had a breakout season.