Quote:
Originally Posted by ukhotstove
Question for you Eugene, at the moment as you know I'm doing the dynasty around the Brooklyn Dodgers and as I've said Gil Hodges is a favourite of mine but having fictional teams and players in your league do you have a favourite team and player within your dynasty ?
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As far as fictional players, these are several favorites of mine:
SS Flipper Bird of the Sugar Valley Rattlers. His name caught my attention. He has led them to a third place, first place and second place finishes in his three seasons. Bird is a .309 hitter lifetime with an average of 115 runs, 34 doubles, 12 triples, 23 home runs, 78 RBIs and 37 stolen bases. 78 RBIs a year in the lead-off spot is pretty darn good. Bird is a solid shortstop with a .978 FA with 451 assists a year, but he is getting better. He had 505 assists this past season.
RF Jett Kazmarek of the Valmara Vipers is only 5' 6" and 153 pounds and is a lousy outfielder, but he can flat hit a baseball and run like a gazelle. He hit .428 in 2002 and is a career .358 batter. An average year gives him 214 hits, 120 runs, 43 doubles, 24 triples, 12 home runs, 97 RBIs and 86 stolen bases, including a record 103 stolen bases this season. I think of Babe Herman, who was such a great hitter for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 30s, but was also renowned for his varied misadventures as a defensive player and baserunner, which earned him derision – and eventually affection – among fans.
Kazmarek has a poor .952 fielding average and very poor range in the outfield, but makes up for it with his potent bat.
Come to think of it, I am kind of partial to the Volusia Vigilantes because they play at "the Jailhouse", the nickname of their home park, Silver River Stadium. Also because they won the first IPA Pro Cup in 2001, led by 2B and playoff MVP Francisco Abreu, who came to them in mid-season via a trade, and pitchers Raul Sandoval and Ricky Moreno. Abreu is a lifetime .254 hitter with 19 homers a season. Abreu always seems to come through with a crucial hit for the V's. Moreno was the closer in the title season with a 5-5 record and 1.76 ERA. He had 26 regular season saves and 5 more in the playoffs. He didn't give up a run in 13 innings in that postseason performance and was 2-0. The last two years he has been a starter and posted a 13-8 mark with a 3.41 ERA in 2002 and 18-12 and 3.43 ERA this past season. Sandoval was 4-1 in the postseason in 2001 with a 1.50 ERA and 18-15 with 3.15 ERA in the regular season. I let the AI control the teams in 2002 and it shipped Sandoval (5-7 3.77 ERA) to the bullpen and made a starter out of Moreno. This year I took over all the league teams and restored Sandoval to a starting slot in July and he responded with a 12-5 record and a 2.49 ERA.
Zarek Zalewski of Valmara is another of my favorite because of the double Zs in his name and his great 2001 season. He was 20-7 with a 2.87 ERA. Plus he is a teammate of Jet Kazmarek and also Jan Szymanski, one of the best clutch hitters in the IPA. Szymanski always seemed to be listed in the game write-ups in this Dynasty thread. Szymanski only hits .250 for a career, but averages 26 homers and 104 RBIs a year. In addition he is a fine outfielder in center field. Zalewski slumped since that great first season, going 12-13 with a 4.04 ERA in 2002 and 9-3 and 3.94 this year, mainly as the team's closer.