OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - Replay League

3fbrown · 11-02-2019, 12:45 PM

In 1987, Mark McGwire’s rookie campaign was absolutely the most insane thing ever to happen in the Replay League. To get right to the point: he hit 84 HR. While circumstances were certainly working in his favor - 1987 was the year of the rabbit ball, he played for the Mariners in the friendly confines of the Kingdome - the year was still straight insanity. This was not due to some crazy hot streak, that’s not even possible. He was basically on a hot streak for the entire season. He hit HRs in every month, against every opponent, in every ballpark. As the totals piled up, I figured he was just hot and would cool off and settle down to a reasonable pace, but it just never happened. He hit 84 freaking home runs.

To elaborate on the season, he played in every game that year. He hit 84 HR and drove in 162 runs, which tied Babe Ruth’s RBI record from 1923. He hit 72 singles, 20 doubles, and 1 triple, but still hit .297 thanks to all the home runs. He also walked 92 times, so his triple slash line was a solid .297/.399/.757. Those slugging and OPS marks are not records, but the leaderboards for those two stats are a bunch of Babe Ruth seasons plus McGwire in 1987.

How many HR is 84? Well, the next season he hit 44 fewer HR, and still led the league. But there is a surprising epilogue to that crazy rookie season. Yes, he led the league in HR in 1988 as well, but his batting average plummeted to .192 and his OBP to .290. He played in every game again, but now he only hit 58 singles and 16 doubles. He wasn’t all that great! His OPS+ plummeted an astounding 100 points, from 206 to 106.

In 1989, McGwire again got significantly worse. His HRs got cut in half again, down to 20. He hit .207 and was now a below average hitter. He rebounded slightly in 1990, but his defense went downhill so he was below average again. By 1991 he was a bench player, starting only 4 games the entire season. Granted, the Mariners had just drafted Jeff Bagwell, but this is still an amazing turn of events from a guy that terrorized the league like nobody had ever seen, or even imagined, just a few years earlier.

After a 1992 season where he started only one game and had an OPS of .599, he was unprotected in the expansion draft and chosen by the Florida Marlins. This has led to a bit of a career renaissance for McGwire. His talents never really got much worse, so he was a good pick for an expansion team. In 1993 he surged back to prominence, leading the NL in HR with 45. Though he didn’t really do anything else well (.228 batting average, 62 walks, 11 doubles and no triples), 45 HRs will cover for a multitude of sins, and he was back to being a respectable starting player on a quality team. In 1994 he played in all but one of his team’s games, and hit 55 HR. Despite the HRs, he is no superstar - he was only worth 3 WAR. But considering where he was a couple of years previous, this is another surprise in a career that is full of surprise twists, even as McGwire is only 31 years old.

11-02-2019, 12:45 PM	#20
3fbrown Major Leagues Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 414	Mark McGwire, Enigma In 1987, Mark McGwire’s rookie campaign was absolutely the most insane thing ever to happen in the Replay League. To get right to the point: he hit 84 HR. While circumstances were certainly working in his favor - 1987 was the year of the rabbit ball, he played for the Mariners in the friendly confines of the Kingdome - the year was still straight insanity. This was not due to some crazy hot streak, that’s not even possible. He was basically on a hot streak for the entire season. He hit HRs in every month, against every opponent, in every ballpark. As the totals piled up, I figured he was just hot and would cool off and settle down to a reasonable pace, but it just never happened. He hit 84 freaking home runs. To elaborate on the season, he played in every game that year. He hit 84 HR and drove in 162 runs, which tied Babe Ruth’s RBI record from 1923. He hit 72 singles, 20 doubles, and 1 triple, but still hit .297 thanks to all the home runs. He also walked 92 times, so his triple slash line was a solid .297/.399/.757. Those slugging and OPS marks are not records, but the leaderboards for those two stats are a bunch of Babe Ruth seasons plus McGwire in 1987. How many HR is 84? Well, the next season he hit 44 fewer HR, and still led the league. But there is a surprising epilogue to that crazy rookie season. Yes, he led the league in HR in 1988 as well, but his batting average plummeted to .192 and his OBP to .290. He played in every game again, but now he only hit 58 singles and 16 doubles. He wasn’t all that great! His OPS+ plummeted an astounding 100 points, from 206 to 106. In 1989, McGwire again got significantly worse. His HRs got cut in half again, down to 20. He hit .207 and was now a below average hitter. He rebounded slightly in 1990, but his defense went downhill so he was below average again. By 1991 he was a bench player, starting only 4 games the entire season. Granted, the Mariners had just drafted Jeff Bagwell, but this is still an amazing turn of events from a guy that terrorized the league like nobody had ever seen, or even imagined, just a few years earlier. After a 1992 season where he started only one game and had an OPS of .599, he was unprotected in the expansion draft and chosen by the Florida Marlins. This has led to a bit of a career renaissance for McGwire. His talents never really got much worse, so he was a good pick for an expansion team. In 1993 he surged back to prominence, leading the NL in HR with 45. Though he didn’t really do anything else well (.228 batting average, 62 walks, 11 doubles and no triples), 45 HRs will cover for a multitude of sins, and he was back to being a respectable starting player on a quality team. In 1994 he played in all but one of his team’s games, and hit 55 HR. Despite the HRs, he is no superstar - he was only worth 3 WAR. But considering where he was a couple of years previous, this is another surprise in a career that is full of surprise twists, even as McGwire is only 31 years old.