The Expansion Washington Senators

Hekeziah · 07-18-2024, 07:08 PM

I can already tell that the flexibility of OOTP is leading to me starting more new games than I should, but I decided to try to take charge of one of the saddest teams to see what I might be able to do with it - the expansion 1961 Senators.

I'm using default historical settings, starting in 1961. Historic rookies become free agents (until the draft begins, at least) and are freely signable by all. Automatic expansion/minors/finances/strategies are all on, as is retire and miss seasons according to history. Recalc is also on.

For this one, I'll post season recaps - IF (and it's a big IF), I can turn the Sens respectable, they may stay in Washington, although I wouldn't hold my breath.

Hekeziah · 07-19-2024, 06:08 PM

Preseason expectations for the expansion Senators were bleak, with many suggesting the team would be lucky to avoid 100 losses and near unanimity the team was destined for the second division.

And for good reason - the first-ever expansion draft, from which the Senators and their fellow expansion Los Angeles Angels drew their rosters, was a motley collection of players past their prime and AAAA in-betweens.

Nonetheless, after the bad taste Cal Griffith had left in the mouth of the Capital, there was excitement on the field for the future - and besides, it wasn’t like the old Senators were anything to write home about.

The Sens got off to a great start and were even on top of the league at the end of April - of course, they faded as the season progressed, but to the shock of many, they finished in the first division, with a winning record of 85-77, 17 games behind the Yankees, who repeated as League Champion (but lost to the Braves in the World Series). Overall, it was a successful season, and what made it extra sweet was that the new Senators finished in front of the old Senators, now playing in Minnesota.

It was also a bit of luck - the Senators had a negative 79-run differential and outperformed their Pythagorean by eleven games (the largest gap in the majors). The team was devoid of stand-outs, but also, to their credit, devoid of any massive holes. Mediocrity may not win pennants, but it’s not terrible for a first-year club.

The primary catcher was Harry Bright, 31 years old and with 59 games in the majors prior to the year. Slashing 256/312/439 along with 18HR and 61RBI and respectable fielding, he was good for 1.7 WAR. At first, was Dale Long, the seven-year veteran slashed 251/310/481 with 31 homers and 98 RBIs (leading the team in both), in his best season since 1958. At second was the team’s only all-star, eight-year veteran Danny O’Connell, whose 241/353/315 slash line didn’t turn any heads, but whose durability and solid fielding led to a 3.3 WAR. At third was slugger Gene Green, with a modest 239/288/413 slash to go with his 24 homers and team-leading 98 RBIs (tied with Dale Long) for 1.8 WAR. At short was second-year player Bob Johnson, slashing 257/324/385 with 12 homers and 80 RBIs, and solid defense, good for 2.7 WAR. In the outfield, Gene Woodling (292/415/425), former Oriole Willie Tasby (272/345/400), and four-year veteran Jim King (248/335/383)

The regulars got most of the games, thanks to both durability and a lack of depth; only three other batters got more than 100 at-bats: Marty Keough (239/298/381), Ken Retzer (248/306/331), and Chuck Hinton (251/333/434)

With a team ERA of 4.41 (8th in the league), pitching was hardly a strength, but the staff did enough to get by, at least. Eight different pitchers started games, with six pitchers being the core staff - Dick Donovan (17-9, 3.94 in 34GS), Carl Mathias (14-6, 4.01 in 33G/25GS), Hall Woodeshick (6-8, 4.09 in 36G/22GS) and Bennie Daniels (8-12, 4.20 in 32GS) led the rotation, while Tom Sturdivant (7-6, 2.89, 8sv in 65G) and John Gabler (8-4, 2.75, 20SV in 63G) powered the bullpen.

For 1961, the Senators only had two lower-level farm clubs - the Middlesboro Senators in the Appy League (Class C) and the Pensacola Senators in the Florida-Alabama League (Class D). Both won league championships, although this had less to do with a high-quality farm system as it did with a good deal of players playing below their ideal level (lacking higher-level teams). Overall, the Senators ranked 17th in the majors with one prospect in the top 100 (and he was a mid-season acquisition, ranked 86th) improvements to the system are badly needed.

Without many pieces to move, the team was not active on the transaction market, save for a few trades in late July - minor league 2B John Kennedy was traded to the Red Sox for RHP Billy Muffett and RHp Dave Morehead (7/27/61), Muffett and minor league LHP Paul Wennik were flipped to the Athletics a day later for OF Hank Bauer (who had been having a good season in K.C. but didn’t do much in Washington. Lastly, utilityman Chuck Hinton was traded to the White Sox for RHP Al Worthington, LPH Joe Joerner, and CF Ken Berry (the aforementioned prospect).

On the business side of things, the year was a success. The Senators drew about 950K on the year, much better than the “old” Senators had done in the prior season, and made a profit of a bit over a million dollars.

Briefly around the rest of the league - The Braves won the World Series, 4 games to 2, over the Yankees. Ruth’s home run record wasn’t broken - but was tied by Harmon Killebrew. Al Downing of the Yankees (20-7, 3.02 ERA) was the AL Rookie of the Year. Ray Culp (12-12, 3.02 ERA) of the Phillies was the NL Rookie of the Year. Gary Peters of the White Sox (21-8, 2.98 ERA) won the AL Cy Young, Sandy Koufax (19-7, 2.73 ERA) won in the NL. Mickey Mantle was the AL MVP (.300,42,105) and Milwaukee’s Hank Aaron (.309,44,132) won in the National League.

Brad K · 07-20-2024, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hekeziah

IF (and it's a big IF), I can turn the Sens respectable, they may stay in Washington,

If they're respectable Washington is no place for them!

Hekeziah · 07-23-2024, 07:04 PM

A busy off-season for the Senators; pundits graded it well, with a big bat acquired and aggressive spending on amateur free agents (with generous use of signing bonuses) leading to a wholescale restocking of the minors. While it will be several seasons, at least, before the majority are ready for the majors, BNN praised the additions grading the new-look system as one of the best in the majors.

The big splashes were two trades - top batter and fan favorite Gene Woodling (39 years old) was traded back to the Yankees for three minor leagues. While Woodling had a strong year, his age was a concern and we wanted to trade him at peak value. The Sens picked up Bob Cerv from the Angels to replace him for five minor leaguers. Cerv had a monster 1961 for the Angels (320/362/610, 48HR, and a league-leading 150 RBIs and 7.4 WAR). While he’s not likely to be quite as good with us, he should still be a valuable middle-of-the-order bat acquired for a bunch of warm bodies.

Players Out (38):
P Gerard Andrews (retired); OF Hank Bauer (retired); P Paul Beebe (retired); IF Chet Boak (trade to LAA); OF Jay Bucher (retired); P Pete Burnside (minor league free agent); C Willis Cheesman (retired); OF Jerry Cocktell (retired); P Dalton Coram (retired); 2B John DeJarnette (retired); 2B Thomas Dunn (trade to LAA); P Mike Garcia (retired); P Juan Gomez (released); OF Joe Hicks (expansion draft to NYM); P Dennis Hill (trade to NYY); OF Vincent Hoch (retired); C Walter Holloway (trade to LAD); C Alan Kirkes (trade to PHI); P Johnny Klippstein (trade to DET); P Thomas Kraus (retired); 1B Roger Lacny (retired); 2B Jim Lefebvre (trade to LAD)
3B Phil Linz (trade to LAA); P Hector Maestri (minor league free agent); 3B Jim Mahoney (minor league free agent); SS Stanley Majesky (trade to LAA); P Carlos Medrano (trade to LAA); 2B Richard Nichols (retired); 3B Lawrence Plet (retired); OF James Reidy (retired); P Frank Slusser (retired); OF Jesse Snead (released); IF R.C. Stevens (trade to NYM); 2B Harold Templin (retired); OF Gene Woodling (trade to NYY); P Al Worthington (expansion draft to NYM)
2B James Yarbrough (retired); OF Bud Zipfel (expansion draft to HOU)

Players In (48):
P Ted Abernathy (trade from NYM); 2B Sparky Anderson (free agent); 2B Mike Andrews (amateur free agent); P Jose Arcia (amateur free agent); 3B George Banks (trade from NYY) SS Mark Belanger (amateur free agent); SS Paul Blair (amateur free agent); OF Curt Blefary (amateur free agent); P Jim Britton (amateur free agent); OF Ellis Burton (free agent); OF Bob Cerv (trade with LAA); OF Ernie Fazio (amateur free agent); C Joe Foy (amateur free agent); OF Jim Frey (free agent); 2B Tito Fuentes (amateur free agent); C Francisco Garcia (amateur free agent); P Manuel Gazmuri (amateur free agent); OF Jim Gosger (amateur free agent); P Granny Hamner (free agent); P Bob Hartman (Rule 5 pick from MLN); 1B Jack Hiatt (trade from NYY); OF Willie Horton (amateur free agent); P Fergie Jenkins (amateur free agent); OF Alex Johnson (amateur free agent); 2B Davey Johnson (amateur free agent); C Ed Kirkpatrick (amateur free agent); OF Ed Kranepool (amateur free agent); P Frank Kreutzer (trade from NYY); 2B Jim Lefebve (amateur free agent); 2B Bob Lillis (trade from LAD); 3B Phil Linz (trade from NYY); P Pete Lovrich (amateur free agent); P Jim McGlothlin (amateur free agent); P Denny McLain (amateur free agent); P Vinegar Bend Mizell (free agent); OF Bubba Morton (trade from DET); 1B Bobo Osborne (Rule 5 pick from DET); OF Lou Pinella (amateur free agent); P Linwood Robinson (amateur free agent); P Herb Score (free agent); 3B George Scott (amateur free agent); P Bill Singer (amateur free agent); OF Rusty Staub (amateur free agent); OF Carl Taylor (amateur free agent); 2B Hector Torres (amateur free agent); P Dwight Weatherholtz (amateur free agent); P Rooney Williams (amateur free agent); 3B Ron Woods (amateur free agent)

07-18-2024, 07:08 PM	#1
Hekeziah Minors (Single A) Join Date: Apr 2024 Posts: 51	The Expansion Washington Senators I can already tell that the flexibility of OOTP is leading to me starting more new games than I should, but I decided to try to take charge of one of the saddest teams to see what I might be able to do with it - the expansion 1961 Senators. I'm using default historical settings, starting in 1961. Historic rookies become free agents (until the draft begins, at least) and are freely signable by all. Automatic expansion/minors/finances/strategies are all on, as is retire and miss seasons according to history. Recalc is also on. For this one, I'll post season recaps - IF (and it's a big IF), I can turn the Sens respectable, they may stay in Washington, although I wouldn't hold my breath.

07-19-2024, 06:08 PM	#2
Hekeziah Minors (Single A) Join Date: Apr 2024 Posts: 51	1961 Senators Recap Preseason expectations for the expansion Senators were bleak, with many suggesting the team would be lucky to avoid 100 losses and near unanimity the team was destined for the second division. And for good reason - the first-ever expansion draft, from which the Senators and their fellow expansion Los Angeles Angels drew their rosters, was a motley collection of players past their prime and AAAA in-betweens. Nonetheless, after the bad taste Cal Griffith had left in the mouth of the Capital, there was excitement on the field for the future - and besides, it wasn’t like the old Senators were anything to write home about. The Sens got off to a great start and were even on top of the league at the end of April - of course, they faded as the season progressed, but to the shock of many, they finished in the first division, with a winning record of 85-77, 17 games behind the Yankees, who repeated as League Champion (but lost to the Braves in the World Series). Overall, it was a successful season, and what made it extra sweet was that the new Senators finished in front of the old Senators, now playing in Minnesota. It was also a bit of luck - the Senators had a negative 79-run differential and outperformed their Pythagorean by eleven games (the largest gap in the majors). The team was devoid of stand-outs, but also, to their credit, devoid of any massive holes. Mediocrity may not win pennants, but it’s not terrible for a first-year club. The primary catcher was Harry Bright, 31 years old and with 59 games in the majors prior to the year. Slashing 256/312/439 along with 18HR and 61RBI and respectable fielding, he was good for 1.7 WAR. At first, was Dale Long, the seven-year veteran slashed 251/310/481 with 31 homers and 98 RBIs (leading the team in both), in his best season since 1958. At second was the team’s only all-star, eight-year veteran Danny O’Connell, whose 241/353/315 slash line didn’t turn any heads, but whose durability and solid fielding led to a 3.3 WAR. At third was slugger Gene Green, with a modest 239/288/413 slash to go with his 24 homers and team-leading 98 RBIs (tied with Dale Long) for 1.8 WAR. At short was second-year player Bob Johnson, slashing 257/324/385 with 12 homers and 80 RBIs, and solid defense, good for 2.7 WAR. In the outfield, Gene Woodling (292/415/425), former Oriole Willie Tasby (272/345/400), and four-year veteran Jim King (248/335/383) The regulars got most of the games, thanks to both durability and a lack of depth; only three other batters got more than 100 at-bats: Marty Keough (239/298/381), Ken Retzer (248/306/331), and Chuck Hinton (251/333/434) With a team ERA of 4.41 (8th in the league), pitching was hardly a strength, but the staff did enough to get by, at least. Eight different pitchers started games, with six pitchers being the core staff - Dick Donovan (17-9, 3.94 in 34GS), Carl Mathias (14-6, 4.01 in 33G/25GS), Hall Woodeshick (6-8, 4.09 in 36G/22GS) and Bennie Daniels (8-12, 4.20 in 32GS) led the rotation, while Tom Sturdivant (7-6, 2.89, 8sv in 65G) and John Gabler (8-4, 2.75, 20SV in 63G) powered the bullpen. For 1961, the Senators only had two lower-level farm clubs - the Middlesboro Senators in the Appy League (Class C) and the Pensacola Senators in the Florida-Alabama League (Class D). Both won league championships, although this had less to do with a high-quality farm system as it did with a good deal of players playing below their ideal level (lacking higher-level teams). Overall, the Senators ranked 17th in the majors with one prospect in the top 100 (and he was a mid-season acquisition, ranked 86th) improvements to the system are badly needed. Without many pieces to move, the team was not active on the transaction market, save for a few trades in late July - minor league 2B John Kennedy was traded to the Red Sox for RHP Billy Muffett and RHp Dave Morehead (7/27/61), Muffett and minor league LHP Paul Wennik were flipped to the Athletics a day later for OF Hank Bauer (who had been having a good season in K.C. but didn’t do much in Washington. Lastly, utilityman Chuck Hinton was traded to the White Sox for RHP Al Worthington, LPH Joe Joerner, and CF Ken Berry (the aforementioned prospect). On the business side of things, the year was a success. The Senators drew about 950K on the year, much better than the “old” Senators had done in the prior season, and made a profit of a bit over a million dollars. Briefly around the rest of the league - The Braves won the World Series, 4 games to 2, over the Yankees. Ruth’s home run record wasn’t broken - but was tied by Harmon Killebrew. Al Downing of the Yankees (20-7, 3.02 ERA) was the AL Rookie of the Year. Ray Culp (12-12, 3.02 ERA) of the Phillies was the NL Rookie of the Year. Gary Peters of the White Sox (21-8, 2.98 ERA) won the AL Cy Young, Sandy Koufax (19-7, 2.73 ERA) won in the NL. Mickey Mantle was the AL MVP (.300,42,105) and Milwaukee’s Hank Aaron (.309,44,132) won in the National League.

07-23-2024, 07:04 PM	#4
Hekeziah Minors (Single A) Join Date: Apr 2024 Posts: 51	1961-62 Offseason A busy off-season for the Senators; pundits graded it well, with a big bat acquired and aggressive spending on amateur free agents (with generous use of signing bonuses) leading to a wholescale restocking of the minors. While it will be several seasons, at least, before the majority are ready for the majors, BNN praised the additions grading the new-look system as one of the best in the majors. The big splashes were two trades - top batter and fan favorite Gene Woodling (39 years old) was traded back to the Yankees for three minor leagues. While Woodling had a strong year, his age was a concern and we wanted to trade him at peak value. The Sens picked up Bob Cerv from the Angels to replace him for five minor leaguers. Cerv had a monster 1961 for the Angels (320/362/610, 48HR, and a league-leading 150 RBIs and 7.4 WAR). While he’s not likely to be quite as good with us, he should still be a valuable middle-of-the-order bat acquired for a bunch of warm bodies. Players Out (38): P Gerard Andrews (retired); OF Hank Bauer (retired); P Paul Beebe (retired); IF Chet Boak (trade to LAA); OF Jay Bucher (retired); P Pete Burnside (minor league free agent); C Willis Cheesman (retired); OF Jerry Cocktell (retired); P Dalton Coram (retired); 2B John DeJarnette (retired); 2B Thomas Dunn (trade to LAA); P Mike Garcia (retired); P Juan Gomez (released); OF Joe Hicks (expansion draft to NYM); P Dennis Hill (trade to NYY); OF Vincent Hoch (retired); C Walter Holloway (trade to LAD); C Alan Kirkes (trade to PHI); P Johnny Klippstein (trade to DET); P Thomas Kraus (retired); 1B Roger Lacny (retired); 2B Jim Lefebvre (trade to LAD) 3B Phil Linz (trade to LAA); P Hector Maestri (minor league free agent); 3B Jim Mahoney (minor league free agent); SS Stanley Majesky (trade to LAA); P Carlos Medrano (trade to LAA); 2B Richard Nichols (retired); 3B Lawrence Plet (retired); OF James Reidy (retired); P Frank Slusser (retired); OF Jesse Snead (released); IF R.C. Stevens (trade to NYM); 2B Harold Templin (retired); OF Gene Woodling (trade to NYY); P Al Worthington (expansion draft to NYM) 2B James Yarbrough (retired); OF Bud Zipfel (expansion draft to HOU) Players In (48): P Ted Abernathy (trade from NYM); 2B Sparky Anderson (free agent); 2B Mike Andrews (amateur free agent); P Jose Arcia (amateur free agent); 3B George Banks (trade from NYY) SS Mark Belanger (amateur free agent); SS Paul Blair (amateur free agent); OF Curt Blefary (amateur free agent); P Jim Britton (amateur free agent); OF Ellis Burton (free agent); OF Bob Cerv (trade with LAA); OF Ernie Fazio (amateur free agent); C Joe Foy (amateur free agent); OF Jim Frey (free agent); 2B Tito Fuentes (amateur free agent); C Francisco Garcia (amateur free agent); P Manuel Gazmuri (amateur free agent); OF Jim Gosger (amateur free agent); P Granny Hamner (free agent); P Bob Hartman (Rule 5 pick from MLN); 1B Jack Hiatt (trade from NYY); OF Willie Horton (amateur free agent); P Fergie Jenkins (amateur free agent); OF Alex Johnson (amateur free agent); 2B Davey Johnson (amateur free agent); C Ed Kirkpatrick (amateur free agent); OF Ed Kranepool (amateur free agent); P Frank Kreutzer (trade from NYY); 2B Jim Lefebve (amateur free agent); 2B Bob Lillis (trade from LAD); 3B Phil Linz (trade from NYY); P Pete Lovrich (amateur free agent); P Jim McGlothlin (amateur free agent); P Denny McLain (amateur free agent); P Vinegar Bend Mizell (free agent); OF Bubba Morton (trade from DET); 1B Bobo Osborne (Rule 5 pick from DET); OF Lou Pinella (amateur free agent); P Linwood Robinson (amateur free agent); P Herb Score (free agent); 3B George Scott (amateur free agent); P Bill Singer (amateur free agent); OF Rusty Staub (amateur free agent); OF Carl Taylor (amateur free agent); 2B Hector Torres (amateur free agent); P Dwight Weatherholtz (amateur free agent); P Rooney Williams (amateur free agent); 3B Ron Woods (amateur free agent)