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waittilnextyear · 02-24-2019, 10:25 PM

This idea popped into my head where I thought it would be cool to try an historical league for a change. An historical league where the teams are randomly seeded with their own players from throughout history. But, not an all-time best type of deal. After a good deal of work invested, the inaugural draft is done and the league is ready to go.

My settings are a little bit eclectic, I think, but there is some method to the madness. I decided to start in 1979 mainly for the 26-team MLB after expansion to Seattle and Toronto (plus, very solid Smashing Pumpkins song). I felt that starting in the 1990s would be tough because I'm not sure I could maintain viable rosters for teams like Colorado, Florida/Miami, Arizona, and Tampa Bay. I figured that 40 years of team history was about the functional minimum for roster viability as players are being pulled randomly from 1930-present. I'd estimate that in 98%+ of cases, players that played for >1 team have been placed on the team for which they were longest tenured and most productive, but some adjustments were made to help younger franchises (Mariners, Brewers, Mets, Angels, Blue Jays, Expos, Astros, Padres) with roster depth.

League history is a blank slate because it seems odd to have a player debut in a league where he already holds some prestigious record.

I am using modern day financials, but no minor leagues. Reserve clause rules. Again, I didn't want to try to maintain 100+ player rosters and thought a 25-man roster and a ~30-man reserve roster would give a large enough player pool for each team. The focus in this league is not on minor leagues, rebuilding, and development; it's strictly about pitting teams against one another for 162 games at the MLB level. Which is good, because I've turned AI roster moves off so the teams maintain their roster purity. There will be no trades or waivers, no free agency. Just teams building through the draft each year, selecting their own players as per the luck of the draw. And getting after it the next year with hopefully a better team than before.

As for my POV, I've decided to jump in and control my favorite real life team, the Chicago Cubs. General Manager Harry Caray is at the reigns. After the inaugural draft, the Cubs' 25-man roster breaks down like this:

1 - LF - Chris Coghlan (L)
2 - RF - Bill Buckner (L)
3 - CF - Adolfo Phillips (R)
4 - 1B - Jim Marshall (L)
5 - 3B - Steve Ontiveros (S)
6 - C - Sammy Taylor (L)
7 - 2B - Manny Trillo (R)
8 - SS - Rey Sanchez (R)

Bench - C - Dick Bertell (R)
Bench - 1B - Heinz Becker (S)
Bench - UTIL - Javier Baez (R)
Bench - LF - Johnny Ostrowski (R)
Bench - CF - Ellis Burton (S)

SP1 - Matt Clement (R)
SP2 - Jim Bullinger (R)
SP3 - Bob Schultz (L)
SP4 - Hy Vandenburg (R)

CL - Bruce Sutter (R)
SU - Paul Assenmacher (L)
SU - Juan Cruz (R)
MR - Bob Scanlan (R)
MR - Ed Mayer (L)
MR - Rob Zastryzny (L)
MR - Emil Kush (R)
LR - Dave Dowling (L)

A couple of comments about this "1979" Cubs squad...

1. It feels weird having Javy Baez on the bench. I want him to be in the starting lineup, but he's debuting at 22 years old and doesn't have ratings like anything close to what he did in real life last season. I will groom him best as I can, but he'll initially be backing up Manny Trillo (my highest paid player), Rey Sanchez, and Steve Ontiveros--all in their prime.

2. The starting pitching depth leaves a lot to be desired. Matt Clement is nice to have, but the inaugural draft was really stingy about producing Cubs pitchers with any degree of high stamina. The game gave a 24-year-old Juan Cruz a stamina rating of 3 (out of 100), which is unfortunate because he was more of a swing man early on. Jim Bullinger has a stamina of 27 and that's the 2nd highest rating on the team. Something tells me this bullpen is going to be worked very hard...

3. ...which is good because the game produced both the legendary Bruce Sutter and lefty-killer Paul Assenmacher. Along with the aforementioned 3-stamina'd Juan Cruz. Zastryzny and Scanlan aren't horrible either. The bullpen will play a pivotal role in holding this team together.

02-24-2019, 10:25 PM	#1
waittilnextyear All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 1,272	Keeping it in the Franchise This idea popped into my head where I thought it would be cool to try an historical league for a change. An historical league where the teams are randomly seeded with their own players from throughout history. But, not an all-time best type of deal. After a good deal of work invested, the inaugural draft is done and the league is ready to go. My settings are a little bit eclectic, I think, but there is some method to the madness. I decided to start in 1979 mainly for the 26-team MLB after expansion to Seattle and Toronto (plus, very solid Smashing Pumpkins song). I felt that starting in the 1990s would be tough because I'm not sure I could maintain viable rosters for teams like Colorado, Florida/Miami, Arizona, and Tampa Bay. I figured that 40 years of team history was about the functional minimum for roster viability as players are being pulled randomly from 1930-present. I'd estimate that in 98%+ of cases, players that played for >1 team have been placed on the team for which they were longest tenured and most productive, but some adjustments were made to help younger franchises (Mariners, Brewers, Mets, Angels, Blue Jays, Expos, Astros, Padres) with roster depth. League history is a blank slate because it seems odd to have a player debut in a league where he already holds some prestigious record. I am using modern day financials, but no minor leagues. Reserve clause rules. Again, I didn't want to try to maintain 100+ player rosters and thought a 25-man roster and a ~30-man reserve roster would give a large enough player pool for each team. The focus in this league is not on minor leagues, rebuilding, and development; it's strictly about pitting teams against one another for 162 games at the MLB level. Which is good, because I've turned AI roster moves off so the teams maintain their roster purity. There will be no trades or waivers, no free agency. Just teams building through the draft each year, selecting their own players as per the luck of the draw. And getting after it the next year with hopefully a better team than before. As for my POV, I've decided to jump in and control my favorite real life team, the Chicago Cubs. General Manager Harry Caray is at the reigns. After the inaugural draft, the Cubs' 25-man roster breaks down like this: 1 - LF - Chris Coghlan (L) 2 - RF - Bill Buckner (L) 3 - CF - Adolfo Phillips (R) 4 - 1B - Jim Marshall (L) 5 - 3B - Steve Ontiveros (S) 6 - C - Sammy Taylor (L) 7 - 2B - Manny Trillo (R) 8 - SS - Rey Sanchez (R) Bench - C - Dick Bertell (R) Bench - 1B - Heinz Becker (S) Bench - UTIL - Javier Baez (R) Bench - LF - Johnny Ostrowski (R) Bench - CF - Ellis Burton (S) SP1 - Matt Clement (R) SP2 - Jim Bullinger (R) SP3 - Bob Schultz (L) SP4 - Hy Vandenburg (R) CL - Bruce Sutter (R) SU - Paul Assenmacher (L) SU - Juan Cruz (R) MR - Bob Scanlan (R) MR - Ed Mayer (L) MR - Rob Zastryzny (L) MR - Emil Kush (R) LR - Dave Dowling (L) A couple of comments about this "1979" Cubs squad... 1. It feels weird having Javy Baez on the bench. I want him to be in the starting lineup, but he's debuting at 22 years old and doesn't have ratings like anything close to what he did in real life last season. I will groom him best as I can, but he'll initially be backing up Manny Trillo (my highest paid player), Rey Sanchez, and Steve Ontiveros--all in their prime. 2. The starting pitching depth leaves a lot to be desired. Matt Clement is nice to have, but the inaugural draft was really stingy about producing Cubs pitchers with any degree of high stamina. The game gave a 24-year-old Juan Cruz a stamina rating of 3 (out of 100), which is unfortunate because he was more of a swing man early on. Jim Bullinger has a stamina of 27 and that's the 2nd highest rating on the team. Something tells me this bullpen is going to be worked very hard... 3. ...which is good because the game produced both the legendary Bruce Sutter and lefty-killer Paul Assenmacher. Along with the aforementioned 3-stamina'd Juan Cruz. Zastryzny and Scanlan aren't horrible either. The bullpen will play a pivotal role in holding this team together.