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3fbrown · 07-06-2020, 12:47 AM

Apparently I never posted a recap for 1996, so here we go.

In the AL, Toronto and Seattle were clearly the best teams, mostly because each had dominant offenses. Like the real 1990's Mariners, Seattle was led by several big time hitters and one pitcher. Jeff Bagwell won his 3rd MVP award in four years, leading the AL in OBP, OPS, and WAR. They also have Tim Salmon, Barry Bonds, Wil Cordero, Vinny Castilla, and Phil Nevin. It may sound weird to list Bonds in the pile of good hitters, but he has lost some talent and is merely very good. They also have 2nd-year pitcher Paul Byrd, who won the Cy Young Award and is looking like the best pitcher in the AL.

Toronto has a dominant outfield, with Ryan Klesko, Kenny Lofton, and rookie Dmitri Young. Danny Tartabull has been their SS for more than a decade, and his offense has been strong enough to make up for questionable defense. Lofton was also a new edition, having been stuck behind Jim Edmonds in Pittsburgh for a few years. The Blue Jays pried him out of Pittsburgh for the bargain price of Mark Guthrie. They also have Kevin Appier and Hideo Nomo pitching, so their defense wasn't a weak spot. They also traded for Andy Ashby, but he was hurt most of the season and did not contribute.

These two teams had the best records in the AL, and ended up playing in the ALCS, which was won by Toronto.

Unlike in 1995, the NL was dominated by several excellent teams. The Mets won 103 and Pittsburgh won 101, while the wild card team was Montreal sliding in at 98 wins. The Padres won the west with 90 wins, and they got lucky to even get that number.

The Mets you can (and should) read about in previous posts, but for the 4th straight year, Larry Walker won the NL MVP. In addition to their plethora of great hitters, Pat Combs (!) stepped up with a good year on the mound. Pittsburgh also has a great outfield - Brady Anderson, Jim Edmonds, and Johnny Damon (plus Ellis Burks if they need). But John Olerud gained some power and is extremely good as well, since that was rally his only "weak" spot as a hitter. They also have Pedro Astacio, who is probably the most accomplished pitcher in the NL this decade, him and Greg Maddux anyway. He won his 3rd CYA in 1996.

Montreal is a well-balanced team. Their offense is led by Mike Piazza and Brian Giles, and also boasted excellent rookie Darin Erstad. Their pitching staff unexpectedly stepped up in 1996, led by Steve Cooke, perennially good pitcher Tommy Greene, and '96 ERA champ Bob Wickman. As for the Padres...they are actually pretty good, but their best hitter is Cliff Floyd who missed a lot of time with injury. So their biggest contributors were Rich Aurilia, Raul Ibanez, and Carlos Perez. They also have Bill Risley, the NL's best reliever.

To cut this story short, the Padres upset the Pirates and Expos to get to the World Series. There they took down the Blue Jays to win their second championship, and their first since the Miracle Padres of 1972.

Other AL news: the Yankees. They scored 950 runs, but finished in 3rd place because they allowed 930. They have a tradition of picking top 1B in the draft (Kent Hrbek, Will Clark, Ken Phelps, etc.). They got Carlos Delgado in 1994, and he is really good. In 1995 they chose Jason Giambi, who got kicked out to LF, where he smoked everyone. In 1996 they added Mike Sweeney. Sweeney is a really good hitter too, but had no position, so they let him catch a bit and pinch hit. When Delgado got hurt, Sweeney took over at 1B, and went on to hit .372 and take the batting title. BTW, my leagues do not use the DH.

The big news in the NL was Edgardo Alfonzo of the Rockies. He hit .387 to lead the league, and in doing so, broke Max Carey's 74 year old record for hits in a season. Carey had 247 hits in 1922, and Alfonzo easily beat that with 259. Denver! It may not be such a surprise though, in 194 alone, 5 different guys were within 20 of the record.

07-06-2020, 12:47 AM	#2
3fbrown Major Leagues Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 414	1996 Recap Apparently I never posted a recap for 1996, so here we go. In the AL, Toronto and Seattle were clearly the best teams, mostly because each had dominant offenses. Like the real 1990's Mariners, Seattle was led by several big time hitters and one pitcher. Jeff Bagwell won his 3rd MVP award in four years, leading the AL in OBP, OPS, and WAR. They also have Tim Salmon, Barry Bonds, Wil Cordero, Vinny Castilla, and Phil Nevin. It may sound weird to list Bonds in the pile of good hitters, but he has lost some talent and is merely very good. They also have 2nd-year pitcher Paul Byrd, who won the Cy Young Award and is looking like the best pitcher in the AL. Toronto has a dominant outfield, with Ryan Klesko, Kenny Lofton, and rookie Dmitri Young. Danny Tartabull has been their SS for more than a decade, and his offense has been strong enough to make up for questionable defense. Lofton was also a new edition, having been stuck behind Jim Edmonds in Pittsburgh for a few years. The Blue Jays pried him out of Pittsburgh for the bargain price of Mark Guthrie. They also have Kevin Appier and Hideo Nomo pitching, so their defense wasn't a weak spot. They also traded for Andy Ashby, but he was hurt most of the season and did not contribute. These two teams had the best records in the AL, and ended up playing in the ALCS, which was won by Toronto. Unlike in 1995, the NL was dominated by several excellent teams. The Mets won 103 and Pittsburgh won 101, while the wild card team was Montreal sliding in at 98 wins. The Padres won the west with 90 wins, and they got lucky to even get that number. The Mets you can (and should) read about in previous posts, but for the 4th straight year, Larry Walker won the NL MVP. In addition to their plethora of great hitters, Pat Combs (!) stepped up with a good year on the mound. Pittsburgh also has a great outfield - Brady Anderson, Jim Edmonds, and Johnny Damon (plus Ellis Burks if they need). But John Olerud gained some power and is extremely good as well, since that was rally his only "weak" spot as a hitter. They also have Pedro Astacio, who is probably the most accomplished pitcher in the NL this decade, him and Greg Maddux anyway. He won his 3rd CYA in 1996. Montreal is a well-balanced team. Their offense is led by Mike Piazza and Brian Giles, and also boasted excellent rookie Darin Erstad. Their pitching staff unexpectedly stepped up in 1996, led by Steve Cooke, perennially good pitcher Tommy Greene, and '96 ERA champ Bob Wickman. As for the Padres...they are actually pretty good, but their best hitter is Cliff Floyd who missed a lot of time with injury. So their biggest contributors were Rich Aurilia, Raul Ibanez, and Carlos Perez. They also have Bill Risley, the NL's best reliever. To cut this story short, the Padres upset the Pirates and Expos to get to the World Series. There they took down the Blue Jays to win their second championship, and their first since the Miracle Padres of 1972. Other AL news: the Yankees. They scored 950 runs, but finished in 3rd place because they allowed 930. They have a tradition of picking top 1B in the draft (Kent Hrbek, Will Clark, Ken Phelps, etc.). They got Carlos Delgado in 1994, and he is really good. In 1995 they chose Jason Giambi, who got kicked out to LF, where he smoked everyone. In 1996 they added Mike Sweeney. Sweeney is a really good hitter too, but had no position, so they let him catch a bit and pinch hit. When Delgado got hurt, Sweeney took over at 1B, and went on to hit .372 and take the batting title. BTW, my leagues do not use the DH. The big news in the NL was Edgardo Alfonzo of the Rockies. He hit .387 to lead the league, and in doing so, broke Max Carey's 74 year old record for hits in a season. Carey had 247 hits in 1922, and Alfonzo easily beat that with 259. Denver! It may not be such a surprise though, in 194 alone, 5 different guys were within 20 of the record.