MLB: Does a Big Payroll Mean More Wins and Fans in the Stands?

For MLB franchises, does a big payroll mean more wins for the big league teams and more fans in the stands?  With 30 MLB teams and an average MLB franchise value of US$744m, early on through April,18, payrolls don't necessarily mean more wins, but the fans are still filling the stands.

Based on the published Forbes Franchise Values, MLB Attendance data from ESPN http://espn.go.com/mlb/attendance  to measure the fans in the stands, and MLB information on team payroll, here's how things look....

Lets look at the American League first.  Here's how the data is formatted:

Current MLB standings - 2013 (W/L) Record - Forbes Franchise Value (US$) (MLB rank) - Avg.Home Attendance (MLB rank) - Team Payroll (US$) (MLB rank)

AL East

1. Red Sox  - (11-4) - $1.3B (3) - 33,543 (9) -  $140m (5)

2. Yankees - (8-6) - $2.3B (1) - 38,731 (6) - $203m (2)

3. Orioles -  (8-7) - $618m (17) - 30,009 (16) - $91m (15)

4. Blue Jays - (7-9) - $568m (21) - 30,317 (15) - $117m (9)

5. Rays - (5-10) - $451m (30) - 22,838 (22) - $58m (28)

AL Central

1. Tigers - (9-6) -  $643m (13) - 35,787 (8) - $148m (4)

2. Royals - (8-6) - $457m (29) - 20,984 (24) - $ 79m (20)

3. Twins - (6-7) - $578m (20) - 26,487 (21) - $76m (21)

4. White Sox - (7-9) - $692m (11) - 20,790 (26) - $120m (8)

5. Indians - (5-9) - $559m (23) - 15,517 (30) - $74m (23)

AL West

1. A's - (12-4) - $468m (28) - 19,309 (28) - $60m (27)

2. Rangers - (9-6) - $764m (8) - 37,246 (7) - $113m (11)

3. Mariners - (7-10) - $644m (12) - 18,841 (29) - $73m (24)

4. Angels - (4-10) - $718m (9) - 40,146 (4) - $128m (7)

5. Astros - (4-11) - $626m (16) - 22,267 (23) - $21m (30)

And now, here's the National League:

Current MLB standings - 2013 (W/L) Record - Forbes Franchise Value (US$) (MLB rank) - Avg.Home Attendance (MLB rank) - Team Payroll (US$) (MLB rank)

NL East

1. Braves - (13-2) - $629m (15) - 32,649 (10) - $90m (16)

2. Nationals - (9-6) - $631m (14) - 31,662 (12) - $114m (10)

3. Mets - (7-7) - $811m (6) - 28,000 (18) - $74m (22)

4. Phillies - (6-10) - $893m (5) - 39,441 (5) - $171m (3)

5. Marlins - (3-13) - $520m (26) - 19,586 (27) - $36m (29)

NL Central

1. Cardinals - (9-6) - $716m (10) - 41,637 (3) - $103m (14)

2. Reds - (9-7) - $546m (24) - 27,439 (19) - $109m (12)

3. Pirates - (7-8) - $479m (27) - 20,901 (25) - $80m (19)

4. Brewers - (6-8) - $562m (22) - 30,901 (13) - $89m (18)

5. Cubs - (5-9) - $1B (4) - 32,007 (11) - $107m (13)

NL West

1. Rockies - (11-4) - $537m (25) - 30,603 (14) - $71m (25)

2. Diamondbacks - (9-6) - $584m (19) - 29,044 (21) - $90m (17)

3. Giants - (9-7) - $786m (7) - 41,638 (2) - $136m (6)

4. Dodgers - (7-8) - $1.6B (2) - 47,112 (1) - $220m (1)

5. Padres - (5-10) - $600m (18) - 27,427 (20) - $66m (26)

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