1 v. 16: Babe Ruth & Tony Gwynn. It took a lot of tweaking to get the play balance right because they're both such extreme players. The game doesn't credit Ruth as a defensive player, although in 1923 he was an above-average corner OF and got a few games at 1B and CF. I had to touch him up or Gwynn's
team BA was usually in the low .400s. Gwynn wins about one in six seasons, which is much better odds than most 16 seeds, but usually loses 90+ games. Very different players make for fun box scores. Because Gwynn is capable of stringing together such long on-base sequences, this is a MUCH tougher matchup for Ruth than any of the other 15/16 seeds.
2 v. 15: Honus Wagner v. Hank Greenberg. Greenberg's a bubble player until you factor in missed seasons due to WWII. The best all-round SS against a typical corner fielder
should be a mismatch ...
3 v. 14: Barry Bonds v. Manny Being Manny Ramirez. Bonds' edges in speed & overall athleticism give Manny just a puncher's chance.
4 v. 13: Mel Ott v. Jim Thome. Thumper is essentially a poor man's Ott. Lots of high-scoring, station-to-station baseball in this one. Will either team have 10 SB by the end of the season? If so, why?
5 v. 12: Mickey Mantle v. Frank Thomas. Upset special right here at the 12 seed, just like in the NCAA bracket. Contact monsters like Thomas have a real chance against five-tool players who strike out, and that pitching staff can throw some K's on the board.
6 v. 11: Carl Yastrzemski v. Ozzie Smith. How the game treats Ozzie's D will likely make or break his chances. Yaz is a very limited player (decent average, Fenway power) and Ozzie never strikes out and can fly. Should be fun and VERY low-scoring.
7 v 10: Eddie Mathews v. Luke Appling. Another boxer-puncher matchup. Coin toss?
8 v. 9 Chipper Jones v. Charlie Gehringer. Our first all-infield battle. Gehringer's numbers are based mostly off his one monster season (215 hits, 64 BB,
19 Ks). Chipper could be in tough.