We are now 10 weeks or so into the 1980 season, and it is a fine time to take a look at the updated standings since we last checked in. Not much has changed at the top of the divisions, as the Giants are fending off the slumping Athletics in the AL West, while the Pirates are staying strong atop the AL Central. Meanwhile, in the AL East, the surging Braves have overtaken the Rays for the division lead. We'll return to the Braves in just a bit. In the Senior circuit, the NL West has earned a few words. The division looks a bit upside down as the expansion teams in San Antonio, Hawaii, and Mexico City have been surging, while the flagship franchises in LA, Anaheim, San Diego, and Arizona have lagged behind. An interesting start out west. Meanwhile, in the NL East, the early season donnybrook between Brooklyn-Queens-Bronx-Boston-& Philly at the top of the division has gone by the wayside, as the Cyclones have dropped to the division's basement, while the Blue Jays have surged to within 3.5 games of the division leading Mets. The Jays have a very strong offense that could bash their way to a playoff birth.
When we last checked in, the surging Yankees were nipping at the heels of the Mets. The Amazins had just lost two starters to injury, although Scott Kazmir recovered quickly after a short 10 day dl stint. Nelson Figueroa has done an admirable job in the #5 slot subbing for Rick Reed, using smoke, mirrors, sandpaper, and the Gerrit Cole approved sticky stuff to pitch to a 2-1, 3.12 line in 12 appearances, including 6 starts. Figeuroa's 19:24 bb:k rato and .246 babip belie his 4.17 FIP. Although the Yankees came to town hot, as the Mets slumped, the Amazins still managed to take 2 of 3 in the series. However, in Game 2 of a double-header, we saw our first no-hitter of 1980, hurled by Andy Pettite against the Amazins. The Mets could not touch Pettite, who threw 8.2 shutout innings against the Amazins the last time he faced them. Someday, the Mets may scratch a run off the young Yankee southpaw.
Ode to Gary Roenicke
Like many of you, as a child I collected baseball cards. One of the coolest cards I remember unpacking was Gary Roenicke. I started collecting in 1987, after getting a couple of Ralston Purina cards in my cereal box and wondering, "what the heck do I do with these?" So, I started watching it on tv to figure out how to play with these picture cards. I remember spending a quarter at the ice cream truck for a pack of the wood bordered Topps cards and unpacking a certain DH-OF, wondering why his card listed him on the Yankees despite my seeing him on TBS playing for the Braves. I was too young to know just how terrible the team was, but this Roenicke guy just looked like a masher. A grownup had to explain to me that players sometimes get traded, or can even become free agents that get to choose their teams. In 1988, I unpacked another Gary Roenicke card, this time in a Braves uniform, although I recognized the shot being from Shea Stadium. I remember being struck by how much this guy just looks like a hitter.
Ode to Gary Roenicke Part 2
As mentioned previously, the first 2 rounds of the inaugural draft saw a run on just about every strong hitter in the league. Although the Mets took Wade Boggs with the first pick, the next three were spent on starting pitchers: Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, and Rick Reed. By the time the fifth round kicked off, with the 169th pick, the Amazins were finally ready to draft some hitters. As the draft unfolded, the Mets found themselves penciling in Jose Cruz Sr-Lee Tinsley-Ryan Church in the outfield left to right. With a pair of lefties in the corners, and Gary Roenicke hanging out in the mid-rounds, we pulled the trigger on the slugging righty with the intention of using him in a platoon with Church. Having read stories of Earl Weaver using John Lowenstein/Gary Roenicke in a platoon that put up all-star caliber numbers, I decided to borrow the idea for my low-wattage outfield. Roenicke has been a godsend, leading the team in homeruns and providing average production in RF since taking over the bulk of the playing time due to inconsistent production from Cruz and Church. Roenicke started ice cold, turned red hot, and has stabilized somewhere in the middle, providing a 107 OPS+ with 11 longballs. Considering the relative weakness of the rostered outfielders, Roenicke has an opportunity to settle into the clean-up slot the rest of the way.
The Atlanta Braves have come up in this post time and again, so it seems appropo to discuss their squad. The Braves as a franchise are known for many things, including incredible pitching throughout their dynastic run in the 90's and early 'oughts. The first place Braves of the Legends League are similarly strong, with Smoltz and Glavine doing their thing at the top of the rotation. This version of the Bravos feature a third HOF caliber pitcher, Phil Niekro. While Knucksie is off to a slow start, Steve Avery, the ace that could've been, is coming on strong with 7 wins and nearly 3 WAR already. Julio Teheran rounds out the starting staff. If you're wondering, Greg Maddux was a draft pick of the Rangers, another team with a rotation to drool for.
The Braves pen looks to be solid as well, with John Rocker and Mark Wohlers providing a boffo lefty righty combo in the late innings. This is a team that promises to be reckoned with as the season unfolds.
Finally, although this is a historical sim, I realize that I am spending an inordinate amount of time discussing players from the (relatively) distant past. Thus, I offer you Mike Trout. The Millville Meteor is off to his typical, ho-hum jaw-dropping start, with a 157 OPS+ and a 9 WAR pace. As art imitates life, the Angels are currently 31 - 40, just a half game ahead of the Diamondbacks to stay out of the cellar of the National League West. It seems bad luck has bitten the Halos in the backside, as they are underplaying their Pythagorean record by 7 games! They "should" be 38 - 33, so hopefully lady luck takes a shining to the Halos as we chug along towards the All Star break.
