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1992 Week: We should have seen the 1993 Phillies coming

Terry Mulholland, who pitched a no-hitter in 1990 (pictured) anchored the 1992 staff.

Everyone has a different formula for how to build a baseball team.

But in the classic sense, the five most important roster spots, the ones you almost never are going to win a championship without, are above-average 3-4-5 hitters and legitimate No. 1 and 2 starters. You can make up for deficits and scrap together above-average production in other places, but you’re almost always exposed when you get into the playoffs without those five things.

In any one season, there are only about 10 teams that have that basic, five-part franchise-building block.