RRosternomics
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JG

Joe Garagiola

Born 1952 · St. Louis, MO · age 74

Joe Garagiola Jr. built the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks into a 2001 World Series champion in just the franchise's fourth season.

8 seasons with salary-era data across 1 stint. All figures are franchise-level outcomes during the tenure, not solely attributable to one executive.

Overview

Titles1
Pennants1
Playoffs3
Record652–644
Win %0.503
-1.8GM WAR — wins above a replacement GM (org-adjusted, shrunk; per season) ±4.9123rd/195 execs
6.2Depth — 2+ WAR regulars per season (the breadth that drives TAB, not stars)95th/195 execs
-5.8Dead WAR — WAR/yr bled by sub-replacement players (closer to 0 = better)130th/195 execs
29%Dead money — payroll on <0.5-WAR players (lower = better)51st/195 execs
$3MCheap-talent surplus — $/yr of value from cost-controlled (pre-arb/arb) players above their pay; the selection engine, and the stickiest GM skill we track148th/195 execs
$2MDrafted surplus — cheap-talent surplus from his own draftees (the develop-from-the-draft engine)147th/195 execs
$-0MTraded-for surplus — cheap-talent surplus from cost-controlled players he acquired via trade153rd/195 execs
$0MInt'l surplus — cheap-talent surplus from his own international signees105th/195 execs
-18.4TAB — talent above budget — roster-construction alpha (talent your budget bought above expectation), tenure total140th/195 execs
-18.3WAB — realized wins (TAB + the non-repeatable luck of converting talent to wins)143rd/195 execs
1.94Acquisition Leverage — playoff pts per acquired WAR, graded once in the year each deal's wins arrive (the repeatable decision skill)83rd/195 execs
-168Roster surplus $M151st/195 execs

Tenure breakdown

TeamRoleYearsSzns WAB WAB/yr TAB WAR surp HG Trade FA R5 AcqLev W-L% POPenWS Surp $M
▸ Diamondbacks GM 1995–2005 8 -18.3 -2.29 -18.4 -104.3 +133.7 +6.0 +92.5 +0.1 1.94 0.503 311 -168
Career total (1985+ data) 8 -18.3 -18.4 -104.3 +133.7 +6.0 +92.5 +0.1 1.94 0.503 31 1 -168

Roster Construction

How the roster was sourced

by valueby volume

Share of acquired fWAR by channel vs. league average.

Build channels — net fWAR

Acquired minus surrendered / signed minus walked.

Home-grown (draft/intl)+133.7
Trade+6.0
Free agency+92.5
Rule 5 / minor draft+0.1
Sourcing mix: 38% draft · 37% FA · 26% trade · 0% R5

Roster value distribution — career average — depth vs. stars

Every roster slot ranked best→worst by WAR, averaged across Joe Garagiola's seasons. Bars = his rosters; the black line = the league-average player at each slot. Staying above the line deep into the roster is the depth edge.

Players acquired — 180 players, by realized fWAR for the franchise (scroll for more)

PlayerPosTeam How Year Szns fWAR WAR/yr Lev
Randy Johnson P ARI Free agency 1998 8 +53.4 +6.7 25.3
Luis Gonzalez OF ARI Trade 1998 8 +33.8 +4.2 19.3
Brandon Webb P ARI Draft 2000 6 +27.7 +4.6 –
Miguel Montero C ARI Intl FA 2001 7 +24.2 +3.5 –
Curt Schilling P ARI Trade 2000 4 +21.4 +5.4 9.6
Steve Finley OF ARI Free agency 1998 6 +17.0 +2.8 13.2
Justin Upton OF ARI Draft 2005 5 +16.3 +3.3 –
Chris Young OF ARI Trade 2005 7 +14.5 +2.1 –
Stephen Drew SS ARI Draft 2004 5 +10.8 +2.2 –
Jay Bell SS ARI Free agency 1997 4 +10.2 +2.5 0.1
Craig Counsell 2B/3B/SS ARI Free agency 2000 6 +9.3 +1.6 4.8
Matt Williams 3B ARI Trade 1997 5 +8.8 +1.8 0.1
Miguel Batista P ARI Free agency 2000 4 +8.0 +2.0 6.3
Gerardo Parra OF ARI Intl FA 2004 5 +8.0 +1.6 –
Mark Reynolds 1B/3B ARI Draft 2004 4 +8.0 +2.0 –
Omar Daal P ARI Trade 1998 3 +7.6 +2.5 0.1
Damian Miller C ARI Trade 1998 5 +7.5 +1.5 0.0
Chad Tracy 1B/3B ARI Draft 2001 4 +6.6 +1.7 –
Brian Anderson P ARI Trade 1998 5 +6.2 +1.2 0.0
Eric Byrnes OF ARI Free agency 2005 3 +5.8 +1.9 0.7
Andy Benes P ARI Free agency 1998 2 +5.2 +2.6 0.1
Byung-Hyun Kim P ARI Intl FA 1999 5 +5.1 +1.0 –
Chris Snyder C ARI Draft 2002 6 +5.1 +0.9 –
Junior Spivey 2B ARI Draft 1996 3 +5.0 +1.7 –
José Valverde P ARI Intl FA 1997 4 +5.0 +1.2 –
Erubiel Durazo 1B/DH ARI Draft 1999 4 +4.9 +1.2 –
Greg Colbrunn 1B ARI Free agency 1998 4 +4.1 +1.0 1.4
Micah Owings P ARI Draft 2005 2 +4.0 +2.0 –
Javier Vázquez P ARI Trade 2005 1 +4.0 +4.0 0.4
Devon White OF ARI Trade 1998 1 +3.7 +3.7 0.1
Troy Glaus 3B ARI Free agency 2004 1 +3.2 +3.2 0.4
Reggie Sanders OF ARI Free agency 2001 1 +3.0 +3.0 18.9
Conor Jackson 1B/OF ARI Draft 2003 3 +2.9 +1.0 –
Tony Batista 3B ARI Trade 1998 2 +2.9 +1.4 0.1
Miguel Batista P ARI Trade 2005 4 +2.6 +0.6 6.3
Todd Stottlemyre P ARI Free agency 1998 2 +2.5 +1.2 3.9
Elmer Dessens P ARI Trade 2002 2 +2.4 +1.2 4.4
Armando Reynoso P ARI Free agency 1998 3 +2.4 +0.8 3.7
Tony Clark 1B ARI Free agency 2005 2 +2.2 +1.1 0.3
Claudio Vargas P ARI Trade 2005 2 +2.2 +1.1 0.1
Brad Halsey P ARI Trade 2005 1 +1.8 +1.8 0.2
Mike Koplove P ARI Draft 1998 4 +1.7 +0.4 –
Chad Moeller C ARI Trade 2001 2 +1.7 +0.8 3.9
Enrique González P ARI Intl FA 1998 1 +1.6 +1.6 –
Tony Peña P ARI Intl FA 2002 3 +1.6 +0.5 –
Tony Womack 2B/SS ARI Trade 1999 3 +1.6 +0.5 1.7
Andy Fox 2B/SS ARI Trade 1998 2 +1.5 +0.7 0.1
Rick Helling P ARI Free agency 2002 1 +1.4 +1.4 6.3
Matt Mantei P ARI Trade 1999 4 +1.4 +0.3 2.9
David Dellucci OF ARI Trade 1999 3 +1.4 +0.5 2.6
Albie Lopez P ARI Trade 2001 1 +1.4 +1.4 8.7
Mark Grace 1B ARI Free agency 2000 1 +1.3 +1.3 16.4
Gregg Olson P ARI Free agency 1998 2 +1.3 +0.6 0.0
Greg Swindell P ARI Free agency 1998 2 +1.2 +0.6 1.3
Óscar Villarreal P ARI Intl FA 1998 2 +1.1 +0.5 –
Alex Cintrón SS ARI Draft 1997 3 +1.0 +0.3 –
Mike Morgan P ARI Free agency 2000 2 +1.0 +0.5 3.3
Shea Hillenbrand 1B/3B ARI Trade 2003 1 +0.8 +0.8 0.0
Lyle Overbay 1B ARI Draft 1999 4 +0.8 +0.2 –
Carlos Quentin OF ARI Draft 2003 1 +0.8 +0.8 –
Raúl Mondesí OF ARI Trade 2003 1 +0.8 +0.8 1.6
Richie Sexson 1B ARI Trade 2004 1 +0.8 +0.8 0.0
Amaury Telemaco P ARI Trade 1998 1 +0.8 +0.8 0.0
Travis Lee 1B ARI Trade 1998 2 +0.7 +0.4 –
Carlos Baerga 2B ARI Free agency 2003 1 +0.6 +0.6 1.7
Shawn Estes P ARI Free agency 2005 1 +0.6 +0.6 0.1
Geraldo Guzmán P ARI Trade 2000 1 +0.6 +0.6 –
Luis Vizcaíno P ARI Trade 2005 1 +0.6 +0.6 0.2
Bobby Chouinard P ARI Trade 1998 2 +0.6 +0.3 0.0
Shawn Green OF ARI Trade 2005 1 +0.6 +0.6 0.2
Danny Bautista OF ARI Free agency 2001 3 +0.5 +0.2 3.2
Alex Cabrera 1B/OF ARI Trade 2000 1 +0.5 +0.5 –
Robert Ellis P ARI Free agency 2000 1 +0.5 +0.5 2.9
Rusty Ryal 1B/OF ARI Draft 2005 1 +0.5 +0.5 –
Nick Bierbrodt P ARI Draft 1996 1 +0.4 +0.4 –
Darren Holmes P ARI Trade 1999 2 +0.4 +0.2 1.1
Dan Plesac P ARI Trade 1999 2 +0.4 +0.2 1.1
Steve Sparks P ARI Free agency 2004 1 +0.4 +0.4 0.0
Chris Capuano P ARI Draft 1999 1 +0.3 +0.3 –
Randy Choate P ARI Free agency 2005 2 +0.3 +0.2 0.0
Doug DeVore OF ARI Draft 1999 1 +0.3 +0.3 –
Félix José OF ARI Free agency 2003 2 +0.3 +0.1 0.7
Brandon Medders P ARI Draft 2001 2 +0.3 +0.2 –
Clint Sodowsky P ARI Trade 1998 1 +0.3 +0.3 0.0
Jeff Suppan P ARI Trade 1998 1 +0.3 +0.3 0.0
Jason Conti OF ARI Draft 1996 2 +0.2 +0.1 –
Matt Kata 2B ARI Draft 1999 3 +0.2 +0.1 –
Willie Banks P ARI Trade 1998 1 +0.2 +0.2 0.0
Tim Worrell P ARI Trade 2005 1 +0.2 +0.2 0.0
Jason Bulger P ARI Draft 2001 1 +0.1 +0.1 –
Dan Carlson P ARI Free agency 1998 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.4
Royce Clayton SS ARI Free agency 2004 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.0
Jack Cust DH/OF ARI Draft 1997 1 +0.1 +0.1 –
Robby Hammock C ARI Draft 1998 2 +0.1 +0.0 –
Eric Knott P ARI Draft 1996 1 +0.1 +0.1 –
Bret Prinz P ARI Draft 1998 2 +0.1 +0.0 –
Doug Slaten P ARI Draft 2000 2 +0.1 +0.0 –
Kelly Stinnett C ARI Free agency 2004 4 +0.1 +0.0 0.1
Bobby Witt P ARI Free agency 2001 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.7
Roberto Alomar 2B ARI Trade 2004 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.0
Brent Mayne C ARI Trade 2004 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.0
Ed Vosberg P ARI Trade 1999 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.2
Ryan Christenson OF ARI Trade 2001 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.3
Mark Little OF ARI Trade 2002 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.4
Emilio Bonifácio 2B/OF ARI Intl FA 2001 – -0.0 – –
Ricky Bottalico P ARI Free agency 2003 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.0
Troy Brohawn P ARI Trade 1998 1 +0.0 +0.0 –
Midre Cummings OF ARI Free agency 2000 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.2
Nelson Figueroa P ARI Trade 1998 – -0.0 – –
Mike Gosling P ARI Draft 2001 1 -0.0 -0.0 –
Ken Huckaby C ARI Trade 2001 – -0.0 – –
Quinton McCracken OF ARI Free agency 2002 2 +0.0 +0.0 10.5
Dustin Nippert P ARI Draft 2002 2 -0.0 -0.0 –
Vladimir Núñez P ARI Intl FA 1996 2 +0.0 +0.0 –
José Parra P ARI Free agency 2001 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.1
Ricky Pickett P ARI Trade 1998 – -0.0 – –
Shane Reynolds P ARI Free agency 2004 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.0
Rob Ryan OF ARI Draft 1996 1 +0.0 +0.0 –
Mike Schultz P ARI Draft 2000 1 +0.0 +0.0 –
Juan Sosa OF ARI Trade 2001 – -0.0 – –
Neil Weber P ARI Trade 1998 1 +0.0 +0.0 –
Bobby Estalella C ARI Trade 2004 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.0
Jorge Fábregas C ARI Trade 1998 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.0
Jeff Fassero P ARI Trade 2004 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.0
Buddy Groom P ARI Trade 2005 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.0
Matt Mieske OF ARI Trade 2000 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.1
Armando Almanza P ARI Free agency 2005 – -0.1 – –
Scott Brow P ARI Free agency 1997 – -0.1 – –
Brian Bruney P ARI Draft 2000 1 -0.1 -0.1 –
Chris Donnels 3B ARI Free agency 2002 – -0.1 – –
Damion Easley 2B ARI Free agency 2005 – -0.1 – –
Mike Fetters P ARI Free agency 2004 1 -0.1 -0.1 0.6
Jason Grimsley P ARI Free agency 2005 – -0.1 – –
Hensley Meulens OF ARI Free agency 1997 – -0.1 – –
Chris Michalak P ARI Trade 1998 – -0.1 – –
Bill Murphy P ARI Trade 2004 – -0.1 – –
Russ Ortiz P ARI Free agency 2004 – -0.1 – –
César Valdez P ARI Intl FA 2005 – -0.1 – –
Brandon Villafuerte P ARI Free agency 2004 – -0.1 – –
Ernie Young OF ARI Free agency 1998 – -0.1 – –
Bernard Gilkey OF ARI Trade 1999 1 -0.1 -0.1 3.1
Mike Myers P ARI Trade 2002 1 -0.1 -0.1 1.2
Edwin Díaz 2B/SS ARI Trade 1998 1 -0.2 -0.2 –
Mike Mohler P ARI Free agency 2001 – -0.2 – –
Vicente Padilla P ARI Intl FA 1998 1 -0.2 -0.2 –
Mike Robertson 1B/DH/OF ARI Free agency 1998 – -0.2 – –
Félix Rodríguez P ARI Trade 1997 – -0.2 – –
Erik Sabel P ARI Draft 1996 – -0.2 – –
Donnie Sadler 2B/OF ARI Free agency 2003 – -0.2 – –
Alan Zinter 1B ARI Free agency 2003 – -0.2 – –
Hanley Frias SS ARI Trade 1999 1 -0.2 -0.2 0.6
Casey Daigle P ARI Draft 1999 1 -0.3 -0.3 –
Jamie D'Antona 1B ARI Draft 2003 – -0.3 – –
Édgar González P ARI Intl FA 2000 3 -0.3 -0.1 –
Andrew Good P ARI Draft 1998 – -0.3 – –
Josh Kroeger OF ARI Draft 2000 – -0.3 – –
Kerry Ligtenberg P ARI Free agency 2005 – -0.3 – –
Shane Nance P ARI Trade 2003 – -0.3 – –
Johnny Ruffin P ARI Free agency 2000 – -0.3 – –
Scott Service P ARI Free agency 2003 1 -0.3 -0.3 0.9
Esmerling Vásquez P ARI Intl FA 2003 1 -0.3 -0.3 –
Turner Ward OF ARI Free agency 1999 1 -0.3 -0.3 0.9
Greg Aquino P ARI Intl FA 1995 1 -0.4 -0.4 –
Eddie Oropesa P ARI Free agency 2001 1 -0.4 -0.4 0.4
Russ Springer P ARI Free agency 1999 1 -0.4 -0.4 0.0
Barry Manuel P ARI Free agency 1997 – -0.5 – –
Lance Cormier P ARI Draft 2002 1 -0.6 -0.6 –
Jordan Norberto P ARI Intl FA 2004 – -0.6 – –
Tim Olson 3B/SS ARI Draft 2000 – -0.6 – –
Steve Randolph P ARI Rule 5 1997 – -0.6 – –
Scott Hairston OF ARI Draft 2001 1 -0.7 -0.7 –
Juan Brito C ARI Free agency 2004 – -0.8 – –
Jerry Gil SS ARI Intl FA 1999 – -0.8 – –
Andy Stankiewicz 2B/SS ARI Free agency 1998 – -0.8 – –
Lenny Harris 3B ARI Trade 1999 1 -0.8 -0.8 0.5
Luis Terrero OF ARI Intl FA 1997 – -0.9 – –
Andy Green 2B/3B ARI Draft 2000 1 -1.1 -1.1 –
Danny Klassen 2B/3B ARI Trade 1998 1 -1.3 -1.3 –
Alfredo Marte OF ARI Intl FA 2005 – -1.3 – –
Rod Barajas C ARI Intl FA 1996 1 -1.6 -1.6 –

WAB = wins above what the team's payroll predicted (resource-controlled). WAR surplus = era-neutral value (WAR minus payroll in win-equivalents). Roster surplus $M = dollar value of WAR over cost. Build channels (realized fWAR): HG = home-grown via amateur draft / international signing; Trade = acquired minus surrendered (incl. purchases/waivers); FA = signed minus walked; R5 = Rule-5 / minor-league-draft pickups. Credit follows the acquisition year — home-grown to the regime at the player's draft/signing (not whoever was in the chair when he peaked), trade/FA/R5 to the GM who made the move. Players acquired as prospects before debuting (e.g. Smoltz, Bagwell; Rule-5 picks like Uggla) are counted as trade/R5, not home-grown. All are franchise-level outcomes during the stint, not solely attributable to one executive.

Graphs

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Rosternomics — quantifying front-office skill, attribution-clean. Follow @rosternomics on X. Decision-makers on record back to 1933; resource-controlled metrics (WAR & payroll) cover 1985–2026.
Data: FanGraphs (WAR), Baseball-Reference & the Chadwick Bureau register (rosters, IDs), the Lahman Database, Baseball America prospect rankings (via The Baseball Cube), and public payroll records. Transaction and trade data was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Executive birth/death data via Wikidata (CC0); bios are original. Emoji graphics by OpenMoji (CC BY-SA 4.0).
All figures are franchise-level outcomes credited to the decision-maker in the acquisition year — not solely attributable to one executive.