1998 Yankees

The 1998 New York Yankees won 114 games, setting a (now eclipsed) record for wins in a single season. Unsurprisingly, the amount of wins in a season usually translates to a team's Showdown strength, so I was extremely excited to see what kind of firepower the 1998 Yanks brought to the game. The answer: not as much as expected. Oh sure, each component of this team is at least GOOD, but there is no unit that screams "wow!" like the 2004 Red Sox lineup or the 2016 Cubs rotation. The Big Four are still in their relative infancy (with Bernie Williams and Mariano Rivera putting up prime seasons), and Roger Clemens has not yet joined the rotation.

On closer inspection, this team still looks like an all-timer, although it is not as instantly sexy on paper as, say the 2003 Yankees. However, the rotation is extremely solid (which was so important in the year of the HR), the bullpen is steadfast, and the lineup is incredibly deep. Trading HRs for consistency, speed, and enough OB to steal some charts from even the best aces, the Yankees will score runs while limiting opposing offenses. It will be fun to put this team up against other recent greats, especially the 2016 Cubs!