Stars of MLB 1871-2040

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I love running historical simulations within OOTP to watch how historic players perform compared to their real life selves. Along with that I love to read biographies of these players on both the SABR and Wikipedia websites and wondered how I would fair trying to do the same for one of my historical runs.

With that in mind I ran a historical simulation on OOTP22 from 1871 right through to 2040 (2021 onwards with fictional players) to gather together the stars of that simulation to give them this write up. The league was played until 2040 to allow for current real life players to finish their careers to allow them to join the list of player I could use to write up. I will not include any fictional players in my write up as I am not interested in those players for this biographical set of stories.

The simulation used the OOTP recalc engine set to 5 years along with the development system turned on and the AI using ratings at 90% for its main assessment of players. Players were always added to the league in the year they joined the league via the first year player draft. The All Star game was pegged at 25 players per conference for the whole run of the league. Injuries, free agency and League rules and statistics were set as per the OOTP settings for the historical model.

The selection of players to write up will be a personal one but the things I will take into consideration will include a players JAW's rating, their career WAR figure, their Hall of Fame Monitor score, how many all star appearances they made and also any other personal awards, statistical accomplishments or achievements they had.

If anyone wishes to inquire about their favourite player then please do but don't be offended if I say that based on my personal selection they will not have a write up from my historical run.

I will probably use the early life histories of the players to craft my lead into my write ups but will change it to fit the use of a first year player draft.

I would like to say thank you here to SABR and Wikipedia for providing this info that I could tweak to fit my own stories.

While I will not give a run down of how teams faired people will probably be able to glean when a team won a World Championship as things like this will be mentioned in the player write ups.

I am not sure yet how many players I will write up or how long this project will take but hopefully people will enjoy reading about my historical players fictional careers.

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13 time AL Player of the Year
3 time World Champion
20 time All Star
AL Rookie of the Year

Babe Ruth was the ultimate baseball player who could do everything the game required. He could club a ball 400 feet for a home run or he could pitch a mean game getting opposing batters out at every turn. In his career he played a total of 2511 games of which 704 were as a starting pitcher and the majority of the rest were as an outfielder.

George Herman Ruth Jr. was born on the 6th February 1895 in Baltimore Maryland to George and Katherine Ruth. Ruth's early life was not a settled one with his father working hard to make ends meet while his mother was not a well woman. Without any direction or care from either parent Ruth soon became a trouble in the neighbourhood and this led to him being sent to the St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys to try and give him some direction. It was while he was at the Industrial School that he found baseball thanks to Brother Matthias. Brother Matthias saw him hitting balls a long way while playing in the grounds and decided to take the young Ruth under his wing and teach him Baseball.

During his later teenage years Ruth was allowed to spend time playing for local amateur teams and this is where he was first noticed by scouts from MLB. The MLB knew that Ruth could not leave the Industrial School until he was 21 but somehow managed to buy him out from the school so that he could enter the first year player draft at the end of 1913.

The 1913 Draft saw Ruth drafted as the 9th overall pick by the Cleveland Naps. The Naps had him slated to start out as a starting pitcher for them in 1914 and were looking forward to his development into this role. 1914 did prove to be a strong year for the 19 year old Ruth as he started 35 games for the Naps and posted a 23 and 9 record for the year. He would also go on to appear in a further 55 games as a batter 10 of which were starts but his hitting was muted in that first season. Ruth's season came to a premature end after he pulled a hamstring in late September that would see him miss the final few games of the season. The missing of these final few games would not hurt Ruth overall as he was voted the AL Rookie of the Year for 1914

Ruth came back stronger in 1915 as he continued in his primary role as a starting pitcher for the newly renamed Cleveland Indians. He started 36 games and posted a second winning record of 19-9 as the Indians made it to their first world championship since 1881. Ruth also batted in another 53 games but his batting was still a work in Progress. The Indians would go on to lose that championship attempt and Ruth struggled on the mound in the series as he lost both games he started.

1916 saw Ruth finally make a breakthrough with the bat as he hit a league leading 16 home runs as well as posting a 23-13 record from his 37 starts on the mound. Sadly the Indians team struggled to live up to the previous years heroics as they fell back to 5th. 1916 did see Ruth attend the first of his 20 All Star games as well as his first Player of the Year award. 1917 was another year of steady play by the Indians and Ruth himself saw his pitching fall backwards a bit. He went 17-13 over the year while starting on the mound. His hitting continued to blossom as his pitching started to fall off. He hit 18 home runs to again lead the league and his batting average finally topped .300 with it settling at .310 for the year. There were MVP and All Star awards again for the year.

1918 saw Ruth and the Indians back on the championship hunt as they pushed their way back into the World Series. Ruth led the way with a league leading 17 home runs and a batting average of .354 as well as a 21-11 record from 39 starts on the mound. Sadly the Indians and Ruth came across a red hot New York Giants team that beat them 4 games to 1. Ruth picked up the solitary Indians win but his batting fell away badly in the series which hurt his teams chances. While Ruth gained individual honours again as both an All Star and the league MVP he didn't know at the time that his next shot at the world championship was some way off.

Ruth continued to perform at a very high level with both the bat and the ball over the next 3 seasons (1919-1921) as he continued to lead the league in home runs (21, 29 and 34) as well as leading the league in batting average in 1921 at .370. He also continued to be one of the Indians top 2 pitchers as he won 16, 19 and 22 games during those seasons. He also won the MVP and gained all star appearances in all 3 years. The Indians though never quite had enough to get them back to the world series as they ended up finiashing 4th, 2nd and 2nd in in American League over those 3 years.

After the 1921 season the Indians and Ruth were to go into a period where their play would be less than impressive on the field. Ruth would continue to hit over 20 home runs a year between 1922 and 1927 with the exception of 1926 but he would no longer be the leading home run scorer. His pitching also trailed off a little as his win percentage fell as his work with the bat took a toll on his ability to be at his best on the mound. Ruth would not get a 20 win season again until 1933 as this period saw him around the 14-17 win mark most seasons. The Indians themselves were back into the bottom half of the league with 6th being the highest position they finished. Ruth's popularity in the game and with fans would see him still gain the in 1922 and 1927 MVP and all star appearances in every year but he was no longer the biggest star in the league.

1928 saw Ruth at 33 starting to look at the waning year of his career without a championship. 1928 would prove to see that remain but Ruth's own play would see him back into the top tier of players as he once again led the league for home runs at 32. His pitching continued to be adequate as he went 16-15 but the Indians with Ruth's help were again moving back in the correct direction to get that championship. Ruth won MVP and All Star honours again. The next chance at a championship medal for Ruth and the Indians came in 1929. Ruth himself got his pitching back online as he went 19-8 for the year as well as hitting 38 home runs. This propelled him to the MVP and All Star game again. Also for the first time Ruth made a major contribution to the Indians World Series challenge but the team would still come up short as they lost the series 4-3 to the Boston Braves. Ruth himself won 2 games from the mound and hit 5 home runs in the series with a batting average of .320

1930 saw the Indians and Ruth fall off again as they moved back to 3rd in the league. Ruth himself kept up his impressive All Star record while again winning the MVP. The MVP award came thanks to another 38 home run year as well as a 14-9 year on the mound. This though was a precursor to the most prolific period for the Indians in the time Ruth would be with them.

1931 saw the first of a consecutive 4 championship visits by the Indians. Sadly for Ruth he would not be with them when they went for glory. The season for Ruth was one of woe as he firstly sprained an ankle that saw him miss 8 weeks of the season. He then managed to pick up a sever hip strain in early July that meant he would miss the rest of the season. The Cleveland Indians would go on without Ruth to win their first world title since 1879 and Ruth would get his first championship medal. Ruth always dismissed this one as one he didn't earn as he was not with the team when they won it due to injury.

1932 saw Ruth back to fitness but the champion Cleveland Indians were starting to move away from their star player. Ruth started 28 games for the Indians with a record of 19-8 as well as playing in another 95 games. His home run count for the year was again at 31 but he was needing more time off between starts. He did help the Indians make it back to the World Series for 1932 and this time Ruth was able to take part. In fact Ruth had his best showing in any of the World Series he played in. He started 1 game as a pitcher which he won and he also hit for an average of .647 from 17 at bats with 2 home runs smacked. This saw him help the Indians to a second consecutive world title and his second Championship Medal. This was the one he always treasured the most as he felt he had earned it. Ruth won the MVP for the first time since 1929

The Indians would be back in the Championship Series in 1933 and Ruth was back to his best in the regular season to get them there. 30 home runs and a .350 batting average along with a pitching record of 21 wins and 7 losses saw the Indians cruise to the AL pennant. It also saw Ruth get his second MVP in a row. The Indians came up against a vengeful Philadelphia Phillies side that had lost the previous 2 world series to the Indians. This time round the Phillies would not be denied as they beat the Indians 4-1. Ruth would hit 1 home run in the series as well as going 1-1 in his 2 starts.

Ruth turned 39 going into the 1934 season but he was ready for another big push for a third world title. He went 14-8 over his 30 pitching starts as the Indians tried to manage his playing time. He didn't see as many at bats as previous years as he was limited by niggling injuries but still hit 27 home runs in the games he played in. With Ruths help the Indians were back into their 4th world title attempt on the bounce. Ruth tried his best in the games that were played but he was not the same with the bat against the best pitching. He won his 1 game he started on the mound but he hit for only .083 in the series. The Indians won him his 3rd championship medal but Ruth did not contribute like he would have wanted. 1934 was also the last time Ruth would win the MVP.

After 4 glorious years the Indians found themselves going backwards and Ruth found himself seeing more time in the treatment room than he would like. 1935 saw him miss 7 weeks of the season with a strained shoulder as the wear and tear of both batting and pitching started to catch up with him. Ruth Managed 23 starts on the mound going 11-10 for the year while his batting was limited to another 28 games as he struggled for fitness. He still hit 13 home runs during the year and his popularity got him one last All Star game but Ruth new the end of his career was getting close.

Ruth played through the 1936 season but the wear and tear on his body meant injury was inevitable. He missed most of the season with shoulder inflammation which limited his playing time to 5 starts and only 26 games in total. 1937 was the year that Ruth finally knew his time was up as the Cleveland Indians kept him on the roster for the year but never made an attempt to get him into a game. At the end of the 1937 Ruth decided that it was time to leave the stage.

Ruth retired at the end of the 1937 season with a mass of accolades and awards as well as 3 championship medals. Cleveland fans were sad to see him go but knew that for their team to continue to flourish they had to move on from the greatest player of all time.

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2 time AL MVP
4 time AL Pitcher of the Year
17 time All Star
3 time World Champion

Charlie Ferguson was one of the superstar pitchers of the late 1880's and 1890's as he dominated batters while playing for what in modern times is the Minnesota Twins Franchise. In total Ferguson started 808 games as a pitcher for the franchise with 443 wins in total.

Charles Ferguson was born on the 17th April 1863 to G.M. and Teresa Ferguson in Charlottesville, Virginia. He grew up in the shadow of the University of Virginia among the Irish quarter of Charlottesville where his father had a bakers. The young Charlie Ferguson was introduced to baseball by the students at the University and he grew up with a love for it. He turned out for the University team a number of times in 1882 even though he was not a student at the University. His play as both an outfielder and as a Pitcher caught the attention of Henry Boachen of the Richmond Baseball team. Henry took the young Charlie Ferguson to Richmond where he played the 1883 season. His play for Richmond saw him catch the attention of MLB scouts and he was invited to join the December 1883 First Year Player Draft.

The 20 year old Ferguson was drafted as the 11th pick of the 1st round of the draft by the Washington Nationals. The Nationals were very quick to see the possibility of a two way player in Ferguson and slated him to play both in the field and on the mound for them. 1884 was the first year that Ferguson would see time on the playing field in the MLB. He started 32 games as the Nationals starting pitcher and another 39 games as an outfielder. In total he played in 87 games. He had a record of 20 wins and 11 losses during that first season as well as a batting average of .261 for the year. The Nationals themselves were struggling both on the field and at the bank and the year was not successful for the team. At the end of the year the team and Charlie Ferguson were on the move to Buffalo to become the Bisons.

Charlie Ferguson and the team would only spend one year in Buffalo as the team continued to struggle. Charlie himself also struggled in Buffalo as he had a pitching record of 16-21 over 37 starts. His batting saw an improvement but he still played only sporadically in the field. Even with his slight troubles Ferguson saw his first All Star appearance. The team moved back to Washington for the 1886 season and this saw Charlie continue his batting improvements as he had his best year with the bat. He hit for .358 on the year which proved to be the best of his career when playing in the outfield. He also saw his pitching return to its best as he went 28 and 16 over 47 starts. He again went to the All Star game.

The 1887 and 1888 seasons saw the Washington Nationals push to try and make the World Series but the team was to come up short both years. Charlie Ferguson was a big part of those pushes as he pitched 94 games over the 2 years with 50 wins and 44 losses. He batting started to take a back seat during those 2 seasons as he saw slightly less playing time in the outfield. His batting average also suffered from the lack of play. He went to the All Star games in both years. He also won the AL Most Valuable Player award in 1888

At the start of the 1889 season the Nationals and Ferguson made a decision to use him primarily as a starting pitcher going forward. He would continue to play occasionally in the outfield but his days as a two way player were coming to an end. The 1889 season saw Charlie start another 47 games and gain a record of 18 and 27 as the Nationals again struggled to find the wins. Ferguson continued to pick up All Star honours during the season. The teams struggles saw ownership decide to move again as they shipped the team to Syracuse to become the Stars and Charlie was going with them.

The 1890 season saw Charlie Ferguson and the team in Syracuse. It was another tough year for the team but Charlie, who was concentrating on his pitching had a good year. He went 26-20 over the 47 games he started. He was once again an All Star as his play continued to be of the highest quality. For his work Charlie won the AL Most Valuable Player award in 1890.

Charlie Ferguson was going back to Washington for the 1891 season as the ownership gave up on their attempt to relocate the team to better pastures. The team did change the name to the Statesmen as opposed to the Nationals as they looked to find a new identity for the team. Sadly this new identity did not start well and Charlies stats were hurt as he went 17-28 over his 47 starts. He was still an All Star but he had to find his feet in Washington again.

1892 saw Charlie start to get back to his best form as he went 21-25 over his 47 starts. He helped to start the turn around for the newly named Washington Senators as they tried to find a way out of their troubles they had been in for the last couple of seasons. He was again an All Star in 92 as he continued to be one of the fans favourites.

1893 finally saw Charlie Ferguson break into the elite class of pitchers as he won at least 30 games for the first time. His 47 starts saw him go 32-12 for the year as he gave the Washington Senators a big push forward. The team were starting to turn the corner as Ferguson led them forward. He won another All Star award in the year.

With Ferguson in the lead on the mound the Washington Senators made a big jump in 1894 as they moved from the bottom half of the table back to the top half. Charlie himself won 31 of his 47 starts as well as only losing 13. This strong work saw him win the AL Pitcher of the Year award along with another All Star Appearance

This big push came to its fruition in 1895 as the Washington Senators finally made it to a world championship with Charlie Ferguson. Ferguson for his part went 27-16 over his 47 games. Sadly he would miss out on the world title as the Senators lost 4-3 against the New York Giants. Ferguson went 2-1 in his 3 starts in the World Series. Ferguson was again an All Star

The Senators fell back slightly in 1896 as they missed out on another world series by 2.5 games. Charlie went 24-18 over his 47 starts as he continued to pitch at a high level for the team. This set back for the team was only short lived though as Charlie and his team mates would start a run of 9 consecutive visits to the World Series. Charlie would be present for 6 of them with 1897 being the first. Charlie went 25-19 in the regular season to help the team get to the World Series. In the Series he went 2-1 as he helped the Senators to their second title and his first. Both 1896 and 1897 saw Ferguson voted in as an All Star.

Charlie would have individual success in the 1898 season as he would become Pitcher of the Year for the second time. Sadly the team would miss out on consecutive titles as they would go down to the Cincinnati Reds 4-3. The regular season would see Charlie go 30-16 over his 47 starts. He would also go 1-1 from his 3 starts in the World Series. Ferguson saw Individual glory with the AL Pitcher of the Year Award along with another All Star appearance.

1899 would see the Washington Senators back on top of the MLB world as they got their World Series trophy back. Charlie Ferguson was at his best as he pitched 47 games for a record of 30-16 for a second season in a row. He was less effective in the World Series going 1-2 over his 3 starts. He won the AL Pitcher of the Year award for the second year along with another All Star appearance.

The Washington Senators were going back to the world series in 1900 but sadly for Charlie Ferguson he would not be there. The start of the year for Charlie was not quite right as he went 11-15 over his 26 starts and he was puzzled why he was not getting the wins as he was. He doubled down to try and work harder to turn things round only for them to completely fall apart. He was pitching in a game in July only to suddenly pull up and feel a pain in his elbow. Diagnosis showed he had Bone Chips in his elbow that needed cleaning up and he would miss the rest of the year with the injury. He had to sit on the side lines and watch as the Washington Senators turned their season around and make the world series. Sadly he could not help as they lost the World Series to the Brooklyn Superbas. Charlie would get to go to the All Star game for the year.

Charlie was back to his best form in 1901 as he bounced back from his injury, He pitched 36 starts and went 26-9 for the Senators as they headed back to the World Series again. Ferguson and the Senators would come across the Philadelphia Phillies and come up short again as they lost another World Series. Charlie went 1-1 in his 2 starts. Ferguson was again an All Star.

Going into 1902 Charlie Ferguson knew his time was coming towards an end but he wanted one last push for another title. Ferguson started 19 regular season games going 11-7 as the Senators used him less than they had been. This was enough with his popularity to see him at one last All Star game. His 11 wins were enough to help the team make another World Series and keep him in the post season roster. The Senators got revenge on last seasons loss to the Phillies with a win in the 1902 series. Ferguson got his 3rd Medal after pitching in 2 games going 0-1 with 1 starts.

After the 1902 season was over Ferguson decided to call it a day on his career with 3 championship medals. The fans of the Senators were sad to see him go but knew it was time for him to move on as he was unlikely to be the pitcher he was just a couple of season before.

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4 time World Champion
8 time AL MVP
20 time All Star
6 time Play Off MVP

Fernando Tatis Jr. Proved that the modern day baseball player is every bit as big a star as those from the golden days of Baseball. The 6 foot 3 right handed short stop from the Dominican Republic blitzed modern day pitchers on his way to 1088 home runs and 2622 runs scored in his 22 year career to lead all batters in these categories.

Tatis was born on the 2nd of January 1999 in San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic. He is the son of professional baseball player Fernando Tatis Sr. and his wife. With a father playing professional baseball the young Fernando was always around baseball players and major league ball club houses. This sparked his interest in baseball and his athletic ability that he gained from his father led him to soon show a lot of promise on the field. When he came to his 20th year he was already good enough to have baseball scouts clamouring to get him to sign up to the MLB draft. He was very happy to do so after guidance from his father. He entered the December 2018 first year player draft.

With his credentials and background along with influence from his father he was never going to wait long to be selected in the draft. The Minnesota Twins were very quick of the mark to select him and made him their 1st and the drafts 2nd overall pick. The Twins were very eager to get their new acquisition started and had him slated to be their short stop for hopefully the rest of his career.

Going into the 2019 season the Minnesota Twins decided to let the young Fernando find his feet but he soon shoved his way into the starting line up. In the end his first season saw him start 99 games for the Twins and club 31 home runs to show the future power he was going to have. He would have started more but a herniated disc in his neck meant he missed 2 the last 2 months of the season. That first year the Twins would miss out on a play off spot but that would be the only year that Fernando Tatis and the Twins would not see post season play for the rest of his career.

Fernando Tatis Jr. saw 2020 as his breakout year as he solidified his position as the Minnesota Twins starting shortstop. He started 118 games for the team as his 42 home runs helped to propel the Twins into the post season. He did suffer some more fitness issues as he suffered the first of 3 strained cruciate ligament injuries that would plague his early career. This first one saw him miss 7 weeks of the season but he was still fit to be back for the Twins play off push. The twins made the wildcard round of the play offs but sadly would go no further. Tatis had 2 hits in 4 at bats in the game but his home run power was not evident. 2020 would see Tatis enjoy the first of 20 consecutive years as an All Star.

2021 turned out to be Fernando Tatis Jr.'s break out year as he led the Twins to 110 victories for the regular season. His 42 home runs came in 144 starts. But his post season chances were almost derailed as he suffered his second strained cruciate ligament in 2 years. This time it was not so severe and he missed the final 2 weeks of the regular season and the first few games of the Play offs. He managed to get fit again to play for the Twins in the world series. Tatis was outstanding in the World series as he hit 2 home runs over the 6 games played to lead his team to a 4-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants. He was MVP of the world series for this to add to his second All Star appearance.

2022 would be another superb year for Tatis and the Twins as they would go on to retain their World title. During the regular season Tatis played in 140 games and hit 45 home runs along with the best average of his career at .375. This propelled the Twins to another world series run but they were again worried that the star short stop would miss the play offs. He helped the team move through the play offs to a second world title in 2 years with some stylish play. He played in the Twins 17 play off games and hit 8 home runs as he was once again the World Series MVP. There would also be individual honours for the first time as he won the first of his 8 AL MVP titles.

2023 saw Tatis and the Minnesota Twins hoping to capitalise on their previous 2 years success. Tatis was outstanding during the regular season again hitting 36 home runs in 121 games. Sadly he then went down with his 3rd Strained Cruciate Ligament injury and missed the whole of September. This gave the Twins a headache on the fitness of their star and if he would be able to play in the play offs. Despite some lingering injury doubts Tatis made the play off roster and managed to help the Twins get through the divisional round but both he and the Twins fell at the next hurdle as the Boston Red Sox convincingly trounced them in the championship round. Tatis only managed 1 home run in the 7 play off games he played as he struggled to find form after his injury.

Tatis and the Minnesota twins were dead set on regaining the trophy they had to give up the previous year and went into 2024 with renewed vigour. Tatis had consulted with his coaches and slightly tweaked his batting position to hopefully cure the issue he was having with strained cruciate ligaments late in the season. With his new batting stance Tatis would prove to be even more effective than before as he scored the most runs he had scored in a season yet. He also blasted 49 home runs his best ever as he played in 142 games. Even better he felt the healthiest he had felt going into September in any season and he was not having the same issues with his cruciate ligament that he had previously. The Twins once again easily won the central division and this time with a fit and healthy Tatis were able to slide through the play offs easily. The World Series would see them face the New York Mets and they would have a tough battle but would ultimately come out on top 4-3. Tatis hit 5 home runs in 17 playoff games and was again the World Series MVP. He also won the AL MVP for the regular season for the second time. Tatis was also rewarded for all of his achievements as the Twins tied him to an 8 year contract to keep him with the team for the bulk of the rest of his career.

The 2025 season saw another push for a world series title for the Twins and Tatis. Tatis had 48 home runs in 148 regular season starts. This along with another 4 in the post season but he was unable to push the Twins into the World Series as they fell short in the Championship round.

The next 3 seasons for the Minnesota Twins were to be down years compared to the previous 4. They came second in the AL Central Division all 3 years and had to go through the Wildcard games. They failed every time and struggled to move further in the play offs with only 1 division series in those years. For Tatis the downward movement was not in evidence as he continued to perform at the top of his game. 2 In 2026 he hit another 48 home runs in 151 games. The 2027 season saw an explosion in power from Tatis as he suddenly found his rhythm even more than he had. He clubbed 66 home runs in 152 games. He backed this up in 2028 with another 64 in 2028 in 152 games. The 2027 season and the 2028 season saw Fernando pick up 2 more AL MVP awards for his regular season play.

The 2029 season saw the Twins back on top of the AL Central Division as they started a run of 9 consecutive Division titles. Tatis picked up only 48 home runs in 142 games as he lost some of the power he had found in the previous 2 years. The Twins failed to make it to the World Series again falling in the Championship round to the New York Yankees. The 2029 MVP award again went to Tatis as he continued to be the best player in the league.

Tatis would also win the MVP 2030 award as he hit another 53 home runs over 150 games. He helped the Twins into the divisional round but again they failed to go further. In 2031 it would be the Championship[ round that stopped the Twins as they again fell short of their aimed World Series title. Fernando also missed out on the MVP award as his regular season stats saw him hit 48 home runs in 150 games.

The Twins finally made it back to the fabled World Series in 2032. Tatis was a big factor in that as another MVP year saw him hit 57 home runs in 148 regular season games. In the play offs he hit another 9 but the Twins fell short of the title as they fell 4-2 against old rivals the Philadelphia Phillies. Tatis signed a new 5 year contract with the Twins that would see him look to finish his career with the Twins.

The 2033 season saw the Twins get as far as the Championship round before the Red Sox stopped their run. Tatis Jr. struggled in the post season but went wild in the regular season as he hit another 64 home runs over his 154 games. Tatis saw his last AL MVP award for this work as he was again the voters favourite.

The Twins went all out for the 2034 season to try and get back to the World Series and win a world title that they had not won since 2024. Tatis was a major part of that all out push as he went and scored 50 home runs in 122 games. He did miss some playing time due to a sprained thumb but he made it back to fitness in late September to be ready for the play offs. Tatis was again the player to stop in the play offs as he hit 9 home runs on the Twins run to the world title as they beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4 games to 2 for Tatis's 4th Title of his career.

The 2035 and 2036 seasons would see the Minnesota Twins fall at the Championship series in the play offs as Tatis continued to be their star player. In 2035 he claimed 59 home runs in 159 games while 2036 would see him claim 55 in 153 games. The 2037 season would be worse for the Twins as they would only reach the Division round and Tatis finally started to see some minor signs that father time was catching up with him. Early 2037 saw Tatis resign for the Twins for another 2 years but and his home run total in the season held up at 63 in 147 games but his batting average started to fall off a little.

2038 would see the Twins fail at the Divisional round again after navigating the wildcard round after finish second in the AL Central division. Tatis was a big help for that second place with 51 home runs in 150 games and this earned him his final 2 year contract extension with the Twins.

2039 saw the Twins back into 1st place and also to make the League Championship series. For Tatis it would be another solid year at short stop as he claimed 49 home runs but his batting average continued to fall away but he was still the main starter with 154 games played.

Tatis entered the 2040 season knowing that the Twins had decided to move on from him at the end of the year so he decided to give it one final shot. He played 151 games but his home run production fell off badly as his power just deserted him. He hit only 18 home runs and his batting average was down to .206. The Twins fell back to 2nd place and were out after the wildcard round.

At the end of the 2040 season Tatis knew he was no longer wanted in Minnesota and he did not want to play for any other team so he decided to retire. He left the professional game with the cheers and thanks of the Minnesota fans after bringing them a period of success unrivalled in their history along with 4 world Championships.

[amead17]

Tris Speaker

2 time World Champion
4 time AL MVP
17 time All Star

Tris Speaker was a star outfielder during the dead ball era of baseball. His play for the Philadelphia Athletics saw him lauded by the Athletics fans every year. Between 1907 and 1930 Speaker would play in 2969 games and rack up a career batting average of .331. He would score 1833 runs and also have 1427 RBI's.

Tris Speaker was born in Hubbard, Texas on the 4th April 1888 to Archie and Nancy Speaker. A horse riding accident early in his life made Speaker become a left hander which would help him in his future career. He played baseball from an early age and was playing for Fort Worth Polytechnic University when he was spotted by MLB scouts. He was invited to the December 1906 First Year player draft to become a professional baseball player.

The Philadelphia Athletics were looking for just such a player as Tris Speaker as they made him the 1st overall pick in the 1906 draft. This draft pick was the Athletics attempt to try and get into the World Series conversation more often than they were. Speaker moved to Philadelphia to start the 1907 season. He started really well as he made Centre Field his own. Sadly just as he found himself being voted into the All Star game for that year he fell foul of injury. He tore his Labrum in his shoulder which meant he would miss the rest of the 1907 season and also struggle to be fit for the start of the 1908 season. Tris finished the year with 63 games played and a batting average of .276 with 16 runs scored and 28 RBI's.

Going into the 1908 season Speaker was still struggling to regain fitness from his torn Labrum. He played in just 5 games at the start of the season before he once again had to sit out due to injury. This time he fractured a knee this injury meant that the rest of the 1908 season was written off for Speaker as he tried to get fit.

After 2 injury hit seasons Speaker was hoping that 1909 would prove to be a proper start to his career. He regained his starting place as the Philadelphia Athletics Centre Fielder and played in 154 games. He batted for an average of .345 as he finally made a splash in the league. He scored 98 runs with 75 RBI's as he gained his second All Star appearance. The voters of the MVP award were so impressed with this bounce back that they made him the 1909 AL MVP. The Philadelphia Athletics were not as special as they continued to be a bottom half team in the league.

After a few years in the bottom of the league the Athletics were going to start a run of sustained excellence in the AL. 1910 saw the team start a run of 3 2nd place finishes. Speaker was a major part of this as he became a mainstay in the Athletics lineup. 1910 saw him play 152 and bat for an average of .305 with 106 runs and 65 RBI's. 1911 was another strong year for Speaker as he hit for .344 and 112 runs over 154 games. He was also again the AL MVP for 1910. 1911 saw Speaker hit for .344 over 154 games as he continued to produce for a strong Athletics team. The 1912 season saw him have a similar year as he hit for .343 in 153 games.

All this work in those 3 years paid off for both the Athletics and Tris Speaker as the 1913 season came round. The Athletics made their first world series run in 30 years. Speaker played really well to help them get there. He did miss 7 weeks of the season with a sprained knee but in the 110 games he played he hit for .327 to propel the team into the world series. In the world series Speaker played all 6 games with a batting average of .320 but that along with other play by Athletics players was not enough to win the world title as the team lost 4-2 to Chicago Cubs.

After losing the World Series the Athletics attempted to get back to the world series for a couple of years but ultimately they would fall back to the bottom half of the table again. 1914 saw them finish 3rd and 1915 they would finish 2nd. For Tris Speaker 1914 and 1915 would see him continue on his steady career as he hit for .343 in 1914 and .319 in 1915. He would also score 173 runs over those 2 years. He would win the last 2 of his 4 AL MVP titles in 1914 and 1915

In 1916 with the Athletics falling backwards Tris new he needed to step up and help the team even more. This led him to hit his biggest amount of runs in a season for 4 years as he crossed the plate 110 times. He also hit for .328 in the season but it was no help as the Athletics went back to 4th place.

1917 saw the Athletics back to 6th and Speaker also saw his production drop a little as he hit for .322 and 89 runs in 152 games. His 154 games in 1918 would see him have another strong year with his batting average as he got it back up to .356 with 98 runs but with the backwards steps of the Athletics he was nowhere near his dream of a world championship.

1919 saw Speaker have his best year yet at the plate as he hit for .369 over 132 games. His run production dropped to 69 as his teammates around him struggled to help get him home. 1920 turned out to be another very tough year for Speaker as the team struggled and he missed a 3rd of the year with injury. The injury came in August and was diagnosed as a ruptured disc in his back. It would mean a long 6 month recovery period. In the 108 games he played in he hit for .338and 68 runs.

Going into 1921 Speaker was very wary about his fitness and wasn't sure what to expect. The Athletics had managed to rebuild around him so that gave him support. He played 141 games and hit for an average of .295 and 88 runs scored. The Athletics made it to 3rd place. They also made it to 3rd place in 1922. Speaker had another injury hit year in 1922 as a sprained knee saw him miss 5 weeks. In total he played in 145 games for a .365 average along with 103 runs.

These two 3rd places for the Athletics were only a precursor to what was to come in 1923 as they made another push for a world series title. Speaker was a big part of that push as he hit for .353 and 123 runs in 149 games. This work from Speaker along with his teammates saw the Athletics win the AL title and get to represent the AL in the World Series. The World series would again see Speaker play in 6 games as the Athletics won their first title for over 35 years. They beat the Cincinnati Reds 4 games to 2. This gave Speaker the first of his 2 World Title Medals and the one he felt he had earned.

1924 and 1925 saw the Athletics attempt to repeat what they had done in 1923 but they fell short both times. Speaker did his best in those 2 seasons as he hit for .346 in 1924 and .350 in 1925 along with 227 runs across both seasons. Sadly there was not to be another world series appearance in these seasons.

After this strong period Speaker would again catch the injury bug as age started to catch up with him. 1926 saw him miss 7 weeks with a sprained knee and 5 weeks with a strained oblique. He would play82 games in the season with 49 runs scored and a .296 average.

1927 was even worse for Speaker as he picked up 3 injuries that saw him miss 19 weeks of the season. In total he played only 46 games for a batting average of .329 along with 30 runs scored.

1928 saw Speaker attempt to come back to his best form and he did manage to get his starting position in the outfield back. In total he played 126 games in the season with a batting average of .307 along with 64 runs scored.

Going into the 1929 season the 41 year old speaker was told he was no longer the starter for the Philadelphia Athletics. With that knowledge Speaker decided he wanted to go else where to find if he could be a starter and also find that second championship ring. He played for the Athletics for 52 games while only starting 5 before they decided to trade him to the Boston Braves. At the Braves Speaker soon found himself sat on the bench again. He played 42 games for the Braves but only started 11. The one consolation he got from being at the Braves organisation was that he suddenly found himself on a contender come seasons end he was going to the World Series again. The braves won the 1929 series with a 4-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Speaker played in 1 world series game and got his second Championship Medal.

1930 saw Speaker decide to give Baseball one more year with the Boston Braves. In total he played in 85 games but started only 3 as he became a bit part player. With the year playing out without any chance at the World Series title Speaker decided to call this his last season.

Speaker retired at the end of the 1930 season with 2 Championship Medals and the cheers of fans from all over the league.

[amead17]

11 time NL Pitcher of the Year
5 time World Series Champion
14 time All Star

Rube Waddell was one of the best pitchers of the dead ball era. He started 769 games and pitched in 890 to rack up a win-loss ratio of 449-279. He was also one of the biggest strikeout merchants the league had seen up to that point as he took 4615 scalps over his 24 year career including some of the biggest batting names on numerous occasions.

George Edward Waddell was born on the 13th October 1876 in Bradford, Pennsylvania to a farming family. Waddell was always a strange sort of child while growing up. He rarely attended school and would walk all over his families land. While on these walks he would throw rocks at birds that caused his arm to strengthen. Waddell was spotted by MLB scouts while playing in a local amateur game in Bradford and quickly got him to sign on for the December 1896 MLB first year player draft.

When the draft came around there were a few teams that were in need of a strong left handed pitcher. The Philadelphia Phillies were the ones to get him as they drafted him as the second overall pick in the draft. The Phillies had very high hopes that Waddell teamed with their other talents would very quickly lead them to sustained success.

The Phillies were right as it became obvious very quickly that Waddell would be a star in the MLB. The 1897 season saw the Phillies finish 7th in their division but Waddell shows good promise on the mound. He started 47 games for the Phillies and went 17-27 over those games. He took 129 strikeouts which already showed what the Phillies could expect from the left hander going forward.

Going into the 1898 season the Phillies were ready to start the teams first period of sustained success. Rube Waddell was at the heart of that success as he led the teams pitching unit. Waddell would pitch in 50 games in 1899 with 47 starts. He would take a league leading 200 strikeouts as well as getting a 26-19 record. His work helped to push the Phillies up to 3rd in the NL as they started to challenge for the pennant.

Waddell and his team mates knew going into 1899 that the world series was just around the corner for them. Waddell pitched 47 starts to claim a 30-16 record. He struck out another 177 batters as he helped to guide the Phillies to their first world series since 1884. Waddell would start 3 games in the World series of 1899 and would have a win/loss record of 2-1. Sadly for him the Phillies would not win their first title as they fell short 4-3 against the Washington Senators. Waddell won his first of 14 All Star appearances in 1899 and was also voted the NL Pitcher of the year for the first time.

The Phillies would miss out on a return trip to the world series in 1900 as they fell just short of the NL pennant in 2nd place. Waddell himself would have to face more work than he had done in any previous season as he pitched in 59 games including his 47 starts. In total he won 27 and lost 19 as well as striking out another league leading 266 batters. He would miss out on the NL Pitcher of the year award by just a few votes but still had an all star appearance.

After the disappointment of missing the pennant by a narrow margin in 1900 the Phillies were back on top for 1901. Waddell was again a big factor in that pennant win as he pitched in 45 games with 35 starts as the league went to a 4 pitcher rotations. He won 26 and lost 10 on his way to again leading the strikeout count at 250. While the World Series turned out to be a huge win for the Phillies, for Waddell it was not a complete success. He pitched 3 games with 2 starts but ended up with a 0-1 record along with 14 strikeouts. Luckily for him the other pitchers were on form as the Phillies beat the Washington Senators 4-2. the setback in the post season did not hurt Waddell's standing as he regained the NL Pitcher of the year award to add to his first championship medal.

Waddell would return to the World Series with the Phillies in 1902. The regular season saw him go 23-11 from 38 games with 35 starts as well as racking up 261 strikeouts to again lead the league. The world series for Waddell would prove to be slightly better than the previous one as he went 1-1 over 2 starts and 3 games but his win proved to be the only one the Phillies would get as they lost to the Washington Senators to give up the title. Waddell would have to console himself with another NL Pitcher of the year award for his regular season work.

After suffering the loss to the Senators in 1902 the Phillies and Waddell were determined to again sit at the pinnacle of the baseball world in 1903. Waddell proved to be a big part of that cause as he had probably his best season ever. He pitched 44 games with 35 starts for a 29-7 regular season record. He struck out 308 batters along the way. This helped to propel the Phillies into a 3rd consecutive World Series. They would again face the Washington Senators this time over a best of 9 games. Waddell would get to start 2 of those games and pitch in 4 as he posted a 3-1 record with 21 strikeouts. This strong work from him helped to get his and the Phillies their second world title with a 5-1 victory. He again won the NL Pitcher of the year award.

1904 saw the Phillies suffer a dip in form as they struggled to maintain their previous 3 years performance. The team slipped back to 3rd in the NL but Waddell did not see any dip in form. He posted a 23-14 record from 44 games with 39 starts along with his best ever regular season strikeout count of 322. This allowed Waddell to again top the NL Pitcher of the year voting.

After the dip in form of 1904, Waddell and the 1905 Phillies were back to their best. They easily cruised to the NL title with Waddell providing 25 wins against 12 losses from his 42 games (36 starts). He again topped 300 strikeouts with a total of 305 to lead the league. Going into the World Series the Phillies would again face their fierce rivals the Washington Senators. This time round it was no contest as the Phillies easily ran out 4-0 winners. Waddell started 2 games and posted a 2-0 record with 16 strikeouts. Waddell finished the season with his 3rd Championship medal and another NL Pitcher of the year award.

The Phillies would spend 1906 again trying to add to their recent success with another world series push. Waddell would play another major part in that push with a 28-11 record over 47 games with 38 starts. He would strike out 300 batters, the last time he would get above 300. Sadly for Waddell the Phillies would fall short of their aim of the World Series as they finished 2nd in the NL. The NL Pitcher of the year award again came to Waddell to make it number 7.

After missing out on the 1906 pennant and title the Phillies were determined to get another trophy in 1907. Waddell joined them in that determination as he won 30 games with only 10 losses from 48 games pitched, 39 of them starts. He struck out 249 batters to continue to lead the league but it was a drop off from where he had been previously. This determination did see the Phillies make the World Series again, this time to face the St. Louis Browns. Waddell performed admirably in the world series as he picked up 2 wins from 2 starts as the Phillies knocked the Browns off 4-1. With his 4th Championship Medal Waddell added NL Pitcher of the year number 8

No team, however well built and maintained can expect to stay at the top forever. That was the case with the Phillies as the next 3 seasons saw them not make the World Series. They were still a force to be reckoned with in the regular season but did not have just enough to get them to the top. 1908 saw the Phillies finish second in the NL with Waddell going 24-14 from 38 starts and 46 games played along with 249 strikeouts. The 1909 season saw the Phillies drop to 3rd with Waddell going 25-13 and claiming 258 strikeouts. Waddell did still win the NL Pitcher of the year awards in both these years. The 1910 season saw the Phillies drop further down to 4th place and Waddell start to suffer from wear and tear injuries. Waddell pitched in 33 games for a 10-20 record with 163 strikeouts. He missed 6 weeks of the season due to a herniated disc in his back. This injury would never fully heal and would cause Waddell issues for the rest of his career.

The 1911 season saw Waddell back to fitness and the Phillies back to their best as they again sat atop the NL table. Waddell would go 22-12 over the regular season from 41 games pitched in with 39 starts. His strikeout count was back to 240 for the year. The team would face another ne opponent in the world series in the form of the Boston Red Sox. Waddell would struggle in the world series as he would go 0-2 from his 3 starts but his team mates carried him and took the world series by 4 games to 3. the 1911 year would see Waddell win the last of his NL Pitcher of the year awards along with his 5th Championship Medal.

After a strong showing in 1911 the Phillies were ready to repeat in 1912. Waddell would again suffer back issues during the season missing 3 weeks with a herniated disc and another 3 weeks with back tightness. He managed to pitch in 39 games with 34 starts as he went 19-13 along with another 199 strikeouts. Even though he missed playing time Waddell still managed to help the Phillies into another world series. They would again face the Boston Red Sox. This time the Phillies were not good enough to carry a struggling Waddell as the team lost 4-3. Waddell lost 2 of his 3 starts and did not get the decision in the other. This was the first year for a long time Waddell did not win the NL Pitcher of the year trophy and he also missed out on the All Star game for the first time since 1898

As in previous seasons after 2 years of play off appearances the Phillies again dropped their level slightly. 1913 saw them finish second. The 36 year old Waddell was still performing well but was not at the height of his powers. He went 19-17 over 39 starts and struck out 231. He again did not see any individual honours and the Phillies finished 3rd.

1914 saw the Phillies continue to produce good results in the regular season but never threaten to go over the top and win the pennant. They finished 2nd in the league. Waddell struggled to give them the help he gave them in previous years as he went 10-16 over his 33 games. He also struck out 152.

After a tough year in 1914 for Waddell, 1915 would get no better. He would manage a 17-8 record over 30 game starts but he would see the return of his niggly injuries as he missed 1 week to a dead arm, and 4 weeks to the herniated disc injury. The Phillies themselves would finish 3rd.

Waddell went into the 1916 season knowing his 39 year old body was starting to give out on him but he wanted one last push at a championship. Sadly the 1916 season was not to be it. He missed 5 days of the early April season with a dead arm before in a May game he blew out a flexor tendon in his elbow. There were serious worries from the Phillies and Waddell that this would be the end of his career with a return time frame given as 14 months. Waddell finished the 1916 season with a 6-3 record from 12 starts.

Waddell struggled for fitness the rest of 1916 and for the first 4 months of the 1917 season as he tried to come back from the injury. He finally managed to get back to the team in late July but by then the team had moved on and he played only 2 games for the Phillies in the 1917 season.

Waddell continued to play into the 1918 season as he tried to come back into the form he had previously but he was now seen as not needed by the Philadelphia Phillies. He started 2 games for them and played in 9 before they decided to make a trade with the Cleveland Indians. Waddell finished 1918 with the Indians. To his surprise they wanted him and played him in 17 games with 11 starts. He went 4-1 in those starts and found himself on a team that made the world series again. Sadly he was not to get lucky and win a sixth Championship medal as the Indians went down 4-1 against the New York Giants.

The 1919 season started with Waddell feeling refreshed on his new team with a hope for more success. He got the season going only to suffer with his herniated disc in his back again. He missed a week of playing time but that along with poor play meant the Indians only let him start 14 games for an 8-4 record. The Indians also fell short of their goal of another world series.

Waddell vowed to continue into the 1920 season as he wanted to prove he could still do it but at 43 and with a bad back it was never going to happen. He missed another week of playing time due to his herniated disc and also never got to start a game just appearing in 10 games as relief.

After the 1920 season was over Waddell finally decided to succumb to father time and his back issues and declared that he was retiring. He left the game as one of the greatest pitchers ever along with 5 championship medals.

[amead17]

2 time World Series Champion
6 time NL Pitcher of the Year
1 time World Series MVP
19 time All Star

Dick Burns was one of the best Pitchers in the late 1880's and 1890's era of baseball. He played for 23 years and racked up 481 wins along with 3271 strikeouts to keep the Boston faithful happy.

Richard Simon Burns was born on the 26th December 1863 in Holyoke, Massachusetts to Thomas and Bridget. His parents were poor Irish immigrants and Dick had to learn to help contribute to the family coffers from an early age. By the time he was sixteen he was working in a cotton mill and by 18 had started playing baseball for the local Holyoke club. It was during one of these games that Burns was spotted by MLB scouts and invited to the December 1882 first year player draft.

There were a number of good pitchers in the 1882 draft and Dick Burns was one of them. The Boston Beaneaters liked what they saw of Burns and decided to make him the 5th overall pick in that years draft. There was real hope that Burns could help turn the Boston Beaneaters around from a club that had struggled for the previous few years to a power house of the NL.

Going into his first season in 1883 Dick Burns just wanted to make the rotation and prove himself. He managed early on to get a few starts that led him into being one of the mainstays of the Beaneaters rotation that year. In total Burns started 38 games and posted a 14-21 record. The Beaneater did not do well as they came last in the NL.

After his first taste of a regular season Dick Burns wanted more and knuckled down to work hard into the 1884 season. He helped to push the Beaneaters slowly forward as they moved from 8th to 5th. His record for that year was 17-16 over 35 games with 34 starts.

With another season under his belt Burns was starting to find some form going into the 1885 season. He again started 38 games for the Beaneaters and this time posted a 21-15 record. The Beaneaters finished 6th but there were signs the team was on the move for higher. This work saw Burns recognised as he gained the first of his 19 consecutive All Star appearances.

The Beaneaters entered the 1886 season with a renewed optimism and Dick Burns was right there with them. The Regular season seemed to fly past as the Beaneaters tore up the opposing NL teams. Burns was at his best as he went 31-13 over his 47 game starts. This work by Burns and the team saw them finish 1st in the NL and going to the teams first World Series in 8 years. The Beaneaters faced the St. Louis Browns in the World Series. Burns Started 2 games in the World Series and posted a 1-0 record. Sadly that was the only game the Beaneaters would win as they went down 4-1.

After their beating in 1886, the Beaneaters were in no mood to be messed about with in their goal to make it back to the World Series again in 1887. Dick Burns was party to that as he went 29-13 over the regular season to help maintain the Beaneaters position atop the NL. The Beaneaters would again face the St. Louis Browns and this time they were going to put a lot of their faith in Burns to lead them to victory. Burns started 3 games and posted a 2-1 record as the Beaneaters managed to get revenge over the Browns 4-2 and win the World Title. Burns would win his first Championship Medal along with personal recognition as his first NL Pitcher of the Year award was gained.

After tasting glory with a Championship Series win Burns and his teammates wanted more. Burns went all out in his 47 starts in the regular season to post a 32-14 record to help the Beaneaters again make the number 1 spot in the NL their own and head to a 3rd consecutive World Series. This time round the Beaneaters would be facing different opposition as the Detroit Wolverines represented the AL. Burns did not care who he was facing in that world series as he was just determined to win a second title. He started 3 games in the series and won all of them as the Beaneaters blew past the Detroit Wolverines 4-2. Burns would win his second Championship Medal as well as being voted the MVP for the series. He would also be voted NL Pitcher of the year for the second time.

After 3 successful years the Beaneaters were again looking to be in the world series in 1889. Sadly they would fall just short as they finished 2nd in the NL. Dick Burns still played a big part in the teams push to 2nd place as he went 26-16 over his 47 games. He would remain in the conversation over NL Pitcher of the year but would ultimately lose that accolade this year.

The Beaneaters were stung by missing out on the World Series the previous year and the whole team doubled down to get back there in 1890. Dick Burns was one of those with the aim to get back to the showcase final as he went 29-15 over his 47 regular season starts. With this renewed hunger the Beaneaters did get back to being number 1 in the NL and head to the world series. They faced the Columbus Solons of the AL and put up a good fight but ultimately fell just short as they lost 4-3. Burns won 2 of the 3 games he started and lost the other and he put up a strong showing in the series. Sadly Burns did not get another championship medal but had the consolation of again becoming the NL Pitcher of the Year.

The 1891 season was a slight drop by the Beaneaters again as they could not maintain the hunger of the previous year. They slipped back to 2nd in the NL with Dick Burns going 27-20 over his 47 regular season starts. Burn was again the NL Pitcher of the year.

The Beaneaters were again ready in 1892 to prove that they were the team to beat in the NL. Sadly for Dick Burns he would not be with them for most of the way. In mid May during a game he tore a Rotator Cuff which saw him sidelined. He would miss the rest of the season. His stats in 1892 were 15 games started with an 8-6 record. The Beaneaters made it to the World Series without him but missed him in the final reckoning as they lost the world series 4-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers.

After a tough end to the 1892 season Dick Burns was looking to bounce back in 1893. He was fully fit and ready to go when the season started. He played 48 regular season games for the Beaneaters, starting 47 but he was not quite the same as previous as he went 20-28 over those 48 games. The Beaneaters were also struggling as they fell right back to 7th place in the NL.

The Beaneaters struggles continued into 1894 as they finished 5th. A fully fit and ready to go Dick Burns did as much as he could with 47 game starts and a record of 24-19. As his form returned Burns was again in the conversation for NL Pitcher of the year which he duly won for a 5th time.

The 1895 season saw the Boston Beaneaters continue to struggle and this affected Dick Burns play. He went 25-21 over his 47 game starts as the Beaneaters posted another 5th place finish. 1896 got even worse for the Beaneaters as they fell right to the bottom of the NL. Burns posted his first losing record in a very long time going 19-27 over his 47 game starts. 1897 proved slightly better for Burns and the Beaneaters as they moved back to 6th. Burns managed a 22-12 record over 37 starts after elbow inflammation and a strained should caused him to miss a few games. 1898 proved to be a fourth tough season on the bounce for the Beaneaters and Burns. The team finished 7th and Burns managed a record of only 24-23 over his 47 game starts. Somehow that record and his excellent pitching got Burns noticed as he won his last NL Pitcher of the year award.

Going into the 1899 season the Beaneaters team had finally had enough of the poor play and decided to try and get back into the conversation. The 35 year old Dick Burns was one of those that was most vocal about improving things. He himself managed to go 28-17 over the regular season of 47 starts as he helped propel the team back up to 3rd place in the NL.

1900 would see the Beaneaters again push for success but again fall short as they finished 3rd again. Burns would go 26-20 over his 47 regular season starts as the team continued to build. Sadly that building would be put on pause for the Beaneaters in 1901 as they would fall back to 5th. For Burns 1901 was a tough year as he managed to fracture his shoulder blade in June which would ultimately lead to him missing 10 weeks of the season. He started 23 games in 1901 and posted a record of 14-8.

1902 would see the Beaneaters again challenging for the NL title but with the loss of Dick Burns to injury again half way through the year they would finish second. Burns himself managed a 9-9 record from 22 starts before he had to end the season in July with bone chips in his elbow.

Going into 1903 Burns was just hoping for a healthy season while the Beaneaters were hoping for respectability. In the end the Beaneaters were 5th and Burns managed to play a full season. From his 34 starts burns managed a record of 18-16 to prove he still had what it takes at the highest level.

Sadly that proof would not last long as 1904 would be the beginning of the end for Dick Burns career. With the Beaneaters play being mediocre, Burns was trying everything he had to get them back into the conversation. In the end he tried too hard as a late May game saw him tear the same Rotator Cuff he tore back in 1892. This would see his season end and him sidelined again. His 1904 season was 8 wins and 3 losses from 13 starts.

After Dick Burns second rotator cuff injury doctors had told him that perhaps it was time to give up the professional game. He was not ready to do so and got himself fit, ready for the 1905 season with the Beaneaters. Sadly Burns would again see injury raise its ugly head as he strained an abdominal muscle in May meaning a 5 week layoff. He would then return to pitch a few more games before his career came to an abrupt end as he tore a UCL while pitching. This time Doctors were adamant his career was over as he would be out 14 months with this injury.

Dick Burns finally had to agree that yes his career was over and he announced at the end of the 1905 season that he had played his last. He retired with 481 wins from the game he loved and the adulation of the Boston fans as he took his 2 Championship Medals off into the sunset.

[amead17]

1 time AL and 4 time NL Most Valuable Player
5 time World Series Champion
20 time All Star
3 time World Series MVP
1951 Rookie of the Year

Willie Mays was one of the leading batters of the 1950's and 1960's. He played Centre Field for both the Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies in a 23 year career that spanned 3184 games with 674 home runs, 2294 RBI's and 2112 runs scored.

Willie Howard Mays Jr was born on the 6th May 1931 in Westfield, Alabama to Cat and Annie Mays. Willie got early exposure to baseball as his father played at a high level for the local iron works team. With a mother that played high school basket ball and his fathers baseball skill, sports was always going to be the future for Willie. He played multiple sports at high school but excelled at baseball. Mays started playing professional baseball for the Birmingham Black Barons in the Negro leagues at 18. He spent 2 season with the Barons before he was spotted by the MLB scouts. The MLB invited him to the December 1950 first year player draft.

After a very tough year the Chicago White Sox had the first overall pick in the 1950 draft. They decided that Willie Mays was their man and took him with that selection. They had him slated as a starter from the beginning and hoped he could bring them success. Mays was an instant hit in Chicago as he won the starting job in centre field from the off. He played 139 games over his rookie season claiming 21 home runs and a batting average of .304. His work along with the rest of the team saw the White Sox move from 8th to 2nd in just one year. He won the first of his 20 All Star appearances and he was also voted the AL Rookie of the year.

Going into 1952 Mays and the White Sox were looking to go one better than the previous year. Sadly they would again fall short and drop to 3rd place. Mays managed 139 games but did miss some playing time due to back spasm. He had 16 home runs and a .278 batting average. 1953 would see the White Sox again finish 3rd as Mays played 138 games for 39 home runs and a batting average of .339. 1954 would prove equally frustrating for the White Sox and Willie Mays as they again finished third. Mays would play 152 games during the season with 27 home runs and a batting average of .312.

After 3 seasons of third place the White Sox and Willie Mays were determined to improve in 1955. That they managed to do that but again fell short of the pennant finishing in second place. Mays played 153 games with 28 home runs and a .336 batting average. 1956 saw the White Sox in contention again but for a 6th season they were not good enough to win the AL pennant as another second place would come their way. Mays continued his solid form as he hit for .324 and 39 home runs over his 154 games.

1957 saw a change of fortunes for the White Sox as they fell back to 7th place in the division. Mays continued to play well with a .310 batting average and 33 home runs. 1958 saw an improvement from the White Sox as they came 5th with Mays again a leading player for them. He hit for .311 and 23 home runs over his 153 games.

Going into the 1959 season the White Sox would again struggle. They would go backwards and fall to the bottom of the table in 8th place. Mays saw a slight dip in performance as he started to get frustrated with the White Sox play. He hit for an average of .293 along with 28 home runs over 145 games. 1960 Would see the White Sox continue to struggle as they finished 7th. Mays continued to be frustrated with the lack of winning in Chicago. Mays put together a strong season against the teams struggles with a batting average of .324 along with 35 home runs from 151 games. This strong work won him the AL Most Valuable Player award for 1960. Towards the end of the season Mays finally made his frustration known to the White Sox as he looked to leave for a championship team that would appreciate his strong play. He got his wish on the 23rd of October when he was traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The 1961 season saw Willie Mays in a new city and in a new conference as he started his journey with the Philadelphia Phillies. Mays felt at home straight away as his 152 games with a .316 batting average and his best ever of 46 home runs saw him help the Phillies to a world series championship shot. The World Series saw the Phillies playing the Detroit Tigers. The Phillies would easily win the series 4-1 with Mays being the MVP of the series after going 8 from 20 with 1 home run over the 5 games. He was also the NL MVP for the year.

1962 would see the Phillies and Willie Mays again dominate the NL as they easily swept into the second world series with Mays present. Mays went 156 games in the regular season with a batting average of .346 and a league leading 58 home runs. The Phillies would face the Minnesota Twins in the world series. They easily swept past the Twins 4-0 as Mays hit 1 home run and a .357 batting average to help them there. He was again voted the NL MVP.

1963 would see the Phillies and Mays slightly hampered as they fell back to 5th place in the division. Mays would play only 96 games in the season as he struggled with hamstring and intercostal strains that saw him miss 9 weeks of the season. Over those 96 games Mays managed a batting average of .289 along with 24 home runs. There would be further injury issues for Mays in 1964 as he fractured a finger which meant he would miss 7 weeks of the season. In total he played 91 games in 1964 to hit an average of .341 along with 26 home runs. The Phillies just missed out on another world series finishing second in their division.

Going into 1965 Willie Mays was hoping to bounce back from two injury hit seasons and help the Phillies back to the world series. In the end he would miss 2 weeks with a foot contusion but in total he would play 126 games for a batting average of .306 with 39 home runs. This along with his team mates saw the Phillies win the NL pennant again and move into another world series. The 1965 World Series would see the Phillies face the Cleveland Indians but sadly they did not have enough to beat them as they went down 4-2. Mays hit for .261 over the series and was disappointed how it finished. Mays won the NL MVP award for the 3rd time and his 4th MVP trophy overall.

The 1966 season saw a determined Mays want to help the Phillies win the world series again after the loss in 1965. The Phillies managed to again win the AL Pennant and finish atop the division. Mays had his first year without major injury in 4 as he played in 156 games. He hit for an average of .293 with 44 home runs as he struggled a little at the plate. Going into the World Series Mays was even more determined as the Phillies would face his old team the Chicago White Sox. That determination along with some skilful play saw the Phillies over come the White Sox by 4 games to 2. Mays hit .348 along with 1 home run to help his team win.

Going into 1967 the 36 year old Mays was starting to see his skills diminish slightly. He still hit for .291 over the season with 27 home runs in 161 games. His drop in form along with some struggles from other Phillies saw the team drop back to 3rd in the NL. 1968 proved to be even worse for the Phillies as they finished dead last in 10th. Mays hit for .296 with 34 home runs over his 157 games. Mays won the NL MVP for the final time for his work for the Phillies.

1969 saw a change with the Phillies transferred to the East division of the NL as the conference split into 2 division. This split helped the Phillies slightly as they finished 3rd in the east. Mays had his best year for a while hitting for .315 along with 28 home runs. After an improvement in 1969 the Phillies were again ready for a push to the play offs and world series glory in 1970. Mays would play his part in this even if his skills were not what they once were. He played 143 games with 33 home runs and a batting average of .274. This push by the Phillies saw them into the play offs and past the Los Angeles Dodgers of the west to face the Oakland Athletics in the World Series. Mays had a steady play off run hitting for .275 with 4 home runs. 3 of those home runs came in the World Series which saw him voted the world series MVP as the Phillies beat the Oakland Athletics 4 games to 1.

The Phillies were ready to repeat the world series success in 1971. Mays would not contribute much to the teams push for the AL pennant as he would miss 3-4 months of action due to a strained hamstring. He played 57 games in the regular season before the injury with 8 home runs and a poor batting average of .218. He managed to get himself fit just as the play offs came round. He played in 4 games during the Phillies playoff run but he and the Phillies came up short as they lost the world title to the Oakland Athletics 4-2

Mays was determined to have one last push for a world title while he still had the skills and motivation to play. He entered 1972 fully fit and ready to go. He played 155 games for the Phillies and batted for an average of .298 along with 23 home runs. He helped the Phillies to the play offs. This time the Phillies would again face the Oakland Athletics after navigating the championship round. Mays had an excellent play off run culminating in a fine performance in the Phillies 4-0 sweep of the Oakland Athletics. He batted for .364 along with 3 home runs to again get the MVP of the play offs.

After a strong finish to the 1972 year Mays decided to give the game one last go in 1973. The season started solidly for him but as May and June came around he found himself more and more on the bench as younger fitter players became the first choice at centre field. In total he played in 101 games during the season with only 41 starts. He batted for a .264 average along with 5 home runs as he saw his career winding down. The Phillies finished 3rd in the east and with no World Series to play and with his prospect as a bench player only in front of him Willie Mays decided to retire.

Mays retired at the end of the 1973 season with 5 championship medals, 5 MVP awards and 20 All Star appearances. He left the game with the cheers of the Phillies fans in his ears.

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5 time AL Most Valuable Player
18 time All Star
4 time World Series Champion
1 time World Series MVP
1915 AL Rookie of the Year

Rogers Hornsby was a premier second baseman and short stop over his 22 year career. The vast bulk of his career was spent in Washington before finishing in Philadelphia. He played a total of 2945 games picking up 3786 hits, 1781 RBI's and 333 homer runs.

Rogers Hornsby was born on the 27th April 1896 in Winters, Texas. He was the 6th child of Ed and Mary Hornsby. Hornsby lost his father when he was 2 and had to move to Fort Worth with his family for them to survive. Hornsby started playing baseball at an early age. By the age of 10 he was working as a messanger boy in the Meat Packing Industry while also playing for the baseball for the company team as a relief fielder. By 15 Hornsby was playing semi professional baseball. Ir was here that at the age of 18 he was spotted by MLB scouts and invited to the December 1914 first year player draft.

In the 1914 draft Hornsby was a hot prospect and he was picked by the Washington Senators as the first overall selection that year. Washington initially had him slated as a Short Stop but he would go on to become their regular second baseman. In his rookie season in 1915 Hornsby got a lot of playing time for the Senators. He played in 135 games with 129 starts. He picked up a batting average of .348 over those games along with 71 RBI's.. Hornsby did missed 2 weeks of the season with a strained Cruciate Ligament. The Senators finished 5th in Hornsby's first season but he himself had been noticed as he won the AL Rookie of the Year award. He also won the first of 18 All Star appearances.

Going into the 1916 season Hornsby and the Senators were looking to build on their first season together. Sadly for Hornsby the season was not going to go well. He tore a thumb ligament early in the season that required a couple of weeks rest to repair. Then just as he was getting going again he partially tore his Labrum in his shoulder. This injury would see him miss the bulk of the rest of the season. In the end Hornsby played 59 games over the year with a batting average of .325 and 33 RBI's. The Senators without the use of Hornsby for a big chunk of the season ended up finishing 6th.

After a tough season in 1916 Hornsby was looking to bounce back in 1917. The Senators were also looking to push on after a few tough years. Hornsby played 152 regular season games and batted for an average of.299. He bought home 66 RBI's as well as scoring 95 himself. This work along with his team mates saw the Washington Senators jump right to the top of the AL for the year. Hornsby would be heading into his first world series at only 21 years of age. In the world series the Senators would face the New York Giants. Hornsby would struggle in his first taste of post season play as the 7 games saw him hit for only .214 with 3 runs scored and 6 RBI's. Luckily for him his teammates played much better as the Senators went on to win the World Series by 4 games to 3. This gave Hornsby his first championship medal.

Hornsby and the Senators were hoping to return to the World Series in 1918 only to see themselves fall short in that attempt. The team finished 3rd over the regular season. Hornsby had his best season so far as he played 154 games with 87 runs and 76 RBI's.

After the drop in form for the Senators in 1918 there was hope they could turn it around in 1919. This they did as they made the World Series for a second time in 3 years. Hornsby was a major part of that turn around as he put together a season that would see him voted the AL player of the year. He hit for an average of .361 over 140 games as well as scoring 100 runs along with 69 RBI's. The Senators would face the Cincinnati Reds over a 9 game World Series and Hornsby would be a big part of it. Hornsby would hit .367 over the 8 games the teams played along with 8 runs scored and 9 RBI's. This work along with his teammates contributions saw the Senators home by 5 games to 3 to give Hornsby his second championship medal.

Going into 1920 the Senators saw a couple of pieces move on from the team and this left them a little exposed. This exposure would mean the next 4 years for Hornsby would be tough on the team front as the Senators were not close to the World Series. The Senators would finish 6th in 1920, and then 5th in 1921, 22 and 23. For Hornsby he would play well over those season and also start to develop some power for home run production. 1920 saw him hit for .365 with 18 home runs and 88 RBI's over 152 games. 1921 he played 151 games for .351 hitting average along with 24 home runs and 96 RBI's. 1922 saw Hornsby grab 18 home runs, 77 RBI's with a batting average of .361 in 149 games. Going into 1923 Hornsby again found himself in the conversation for MVL as he hit for .373 along with 22 home runs and 104 RBI's in 152 games. He was not just in the conversation he won the 1923 AL MVP award.

After 4 years in the bottom half of the table the Senators finally got the pieces together to sustain a push for the World Series again. Hornsby would play his part as he continued to play at an MVP level. His 151 games saw him hit for .360 with 122 runs, 30 of them homers and 111 RBI's. This work saw the Senators gain back the AL World Series spot to face the NL Boston Braves. The Series went the full 7 games as both sides put up a fight. The Senators finally came out on top 4-3. Hornsby struggled again in the world series hitting for .233 with no home runs and only 2 RBI's. Hornsby was the MVP for a third time and also won his third Championship Medal.

Going into 1925 Rogers Hornsby was at the peak of his powers and the Senators were on top of the Baseball world. The 1925 regular season saw Hornsby again win the MVP award with a .406 average along with 26 home runs and 116 RBI's over 152 games. The Senators finished top of the AL again and were going back to the world series. In the World Series Rogers Hornsby finally bought his batting gifts to the biggest series of the year. He hit for an average of .542 along with 4 runs and 5 RBI's to be the MVP of the world series. The Senators also won the series against the St. Louis Cardinals by 4 games to 2.

With 2 world titles in 2 years Hornsby and the Senators were feeling unbeatable going into 1926. Hornsby continued to produce superb performances in the regular season as he was again the AL MVP. He played in 150 games with a batting average of .351 along with 103 runs and 104 RBI's. The Senators were going to the world series again as the AL champions after the performance from Hornsby. They would face the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hornsby tried his best in the series but he could just not get round the bases to score. He hit for an average of .375 but only scored 1 run as the Pirates took the series by 4 games to 2.

After another run of 3 world series appearances and 2 wins the Senators were again back to rebuilding the team in 1927. The Senators went back to 5th place but Hornsby was still a highlight for them. He hit at an average of .341 along with 95 runs and 74 RBI's. .

The next 3 years saw high performances from the Washington Senators and Rogers Hornsby but they would always drop just short of the World series. The Senators finished 2nd in 1928. Hornsby hit for .384 along with 134 runs and 110 RBI's over 153 games. In 1929 Hornsby hit for .336 with 110 runs and 96 RBI's over 152 games to help the Senators to 3r4d place. The Senators would again finish 2nd in 1930 as Hornsby's 152 games saw him hit for .401 along with 154 runs and 144 RBI's.

After 3 high performance years from the Senators they would slip backwards in play in 1931, 32 and 33. The Senators finished 6th in 1931 Hornsby was still a top player for them with an avergae of .346 with 91 runs scored. In 1932 the Senators finished 5th and Hornsby hit .357 with 107 runs. The 1933 season saw the Senators back to the bottom of the AL and Hornsby saw his worst season for a long time. He hit for only .311 along with 67 runs and 67 RBI's.

At the end of the 1933 season the Senators decided to move on from the ageing Hornsby. They traded him to the Philadelphia Athletics. Going into the 1934 season Hornsby was hoping to return to his earlier form but his age again saw a regression in play. He played only 105 games for the Athletics as he missed 7 weeks with a torn thumb ligament. He hit for .288 along with 52 runs. In 1935 Hornsby finally saw his career catch up with him as he again tore his thumb ligament in August that would end his season. He played 86 games for an average of .213. At the end of the season he had to have major surgery on his thumb and there were question marks over his return to the Athletics in 1936.

Hornsby did return to the Athletics in 1936 but they were no longer looking to him for their play. He sat the entire season on the bench and did not make the starting roster at any point. At the end of the season Hornsby k new his time was up and he retired from baseball with 4 championship medals and 5 MVP awards.

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8 Time MVP
19 time All Star
World Championship Winner
1994 NL Rookie of the Year

Alex Rodriguez was a superstar Short Stop of the late 1990's and early 2000's who played for 25 years in the league. He spent time with the Rockies, Diamondbacks, Indians and Giants organisations on a career that had many different stops. His record of 878 home runs and 2606 RBI's puts him up with the best of the best to hit in the major leagues.

Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez was born on the 27 July 1975 in New York City to Victor and Lourdes. At an early age he and his family moved back to the Dominican Republic where he first gained his interest in baseball. By the time he was ready for high school the family had moved to Miami in Florida. In high school Rodriguez was the top baseball player and also the quarterback for the American Football team. At the end of his high school career Rodriguez signed a letter of intent to join the University of Miami on a scholarship. He ended up turning this down after MLB scouts persuaded him to join the December 1993 First Year player draft.

At age 17 Rodriguez went into the draft as a highly rated prospect at short stop or third base. The Colorado Rockies used the first overall pick on Rodriguez to make him their new star piece in the fledgling organisations future.

1994 saw Rodriguez enter the MLB with the Rockies as they started only their second season. That first year saw some struggles for the Rockies but Rodriguez was a star from the very start. He played in 160 games and hit 39 home runs, had 122 RBI's and batted an average of .334. The team finished 4th in the NL west and Rodriguez would pick up the NL Rookie of the year award. Rodriguez was also invited to appear in the first of his 19 All Star appearances.

1995 saw the Rockies and Rodriguez try to continue to build on the 1994 achievements. Rodriguez would bat for a league high .381 batting average along with 45 home runs and 137 RBI's over 158 games as he helped the Colorado Rockies improve to 3rd in the NL west. This superb Performance saw Rodriguez win the first of his 8 MVP awards. 1996 also proved to be a strong year for Rodriguez as he helped propel the Rockies to 3rd in the NL west again. He hit for .364 along with 46 home runs and 137 RBI's over 161 games. He picked up his second NL MVP award but he and the team still were not in the post season conversation.

Going into 1997 the Rockies and Rodriguez wanted to change the conversation about them. They were seen as a team that just didn't quite have what was required. Rodriguez put together a solid 160 games with 40 home runs, 131 RBI's and a batting average of .328 during the regular season. This along with his teammates saw the Rockies up to 2nd place in the NL West and secure a record good enough to take the NL Wild Card spot. Going into his first post season Rodriguez was ready to perform. Colorado beat the San Francisco Giants 3-2 in the Divisional Round before the fell a round short by losing to the Atlanta Braves 4-2 in the NL League Series. Rodriguez played in all 11 games of the post season and hit for .320 along with 2 RBI's and 9 runs scored.

1998 would see the Colorado Rockies and Alex Rodriguez back into the playoffs as they again secured 2nd place in the NL West and a record good enough to take the wild card spot. Rodriguez would play 154 games and club 47 home runs, 141 RBI's and hit for an average of .345 during the regular season. With the experience of the previous year the Rockies were convinced that 1998 was their year. They again beat the San Francisco Giants in the Divisional Round 3 games to 1 before facing the Chicago Cubs in the League Series. The Rockies put up a strong fight in the League Series but again went down 4-2. Rodriguez again played all 10 post season games but struggled for his best form. His average was .286 but he did have 2 home runs and 6 RBI's.

After 2 strong years the Rockies and Rodriguez would find themselves falling back into the pack in 1999. Rodriguez played 157 regular season games to hit for .363 along with 52 home runs and 156 RBI's. This helped the Rockies to stay above water as they finished 3rd in the NL West. Rodriguez did get the satisfaction of winning his 3rd NL MVP award on the back of this work. At the end of the year Rodriguez and the Colorado Rockies came to a contract agreement that saw him sign on for 8 years at $76 million.

The next 3 years for the Rockies and Rodriguez would see up and down play as both the team and player would miss out on any post season success. 2000 saw the Rockies place 5th in the NL West as Alex Rodriguez's play dropped a bit. Hit still hit for .310 over 159 games but his RBI production was down to 128 along with 50 home runs. 2001 saw Rodriguez back to his best form as 159 regular season games saw him hit for .361 along with 49 home runs and 152 RBI's. He won NL MVP award number 4 on his way to helping his team back to second spot in the NL west. 2002 Saw the Rockies finish 3rd in the NL West as Rodriguez played solidly for an average of .332 along with 52 home runs and 138 RBI's. Rodriguez again won the NL MVP award.

At the end of the 2002 season the Rockies and Rodriguez had come to a cross roads in their paths. Rodriguez had a contract opt out and he decided to take it as he could not see the Rockies getting him to a championship any time soon. He hit the free agent market and it didn't take long for suitors to come banging on his door. Within days of free agency opening he had teams throwing cash at him and he ended up signing an 8 year $90.8 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Rodriguez was hopeful that the Diamondbacks would be his ticket to a championship medal.

In the 2003 season the Diamondbacks and Rodriguez were soon in the thick of a post season run. Rodriguez posted a regular season batting average of .351 along with 41 home runs and 108 RBI's. This helped the Diamondbacks to take the NL West title and move into the Post Season. Sadly for Rodriguez and the Diamondbacks they would come up against the San Diego Padres and would be swept in the Divisional round 3-0. Rodriguez struggled in the 3 games hitting for .308 but no home runs and only 1 RBI. His consolation was another NL MVP award.

The Diamondbacks and Rodriguez were not down for long as the 2004 season would see them back into another post season run. Rodriguez had a tough year in 2004 as his batting average slumped to .276 along with 41 home runs and 116 RBI's over 158 games. The Diamondbacks made up for that slump though as they still won the NL West handily. The Diamondbacks faced Rodriguez's old team the Rockies in the Divisional round and they managed to squeeze past them with a 3 games to 2 victory. The League Series saw them face the Atlanta Braves but this time the Diamondbacks were found wanting as they fell 4 games to 2. Rodriguez played 11 games over the post season to hit for .366 along with 7 home runs and 15 RBI's.

After 2 years of play off losses the Diamondbacks and Rodriguez were determined in 2005 to make it to the big show and win the last series of the year. The Regular season saw Rodriguez back on form as his 160 games saw him hit for .320 along with 40 home runs and 124 RBI's. The Diamondbacks would again win the NL West and move into the post season. In the Divisional Round they faced the Chicago Cubs who they dispatched easily 3-1. The league series saw them overcome the New York Mets 4-1. This put them in the World Series facing the AL Cleveland Indians. In the world series the Diamondbacks and Indians traded early games before the west coast team came out on top 4-2 and give Rodriguez the Championship Medal he craved. Rodriguez himself had a tough post season. He hit 7 home runs and 16 RBI's over the 15 games but he hit for only .212 in average. He once again became the NL MVP on the back of his regular season work.

Having won his Championship Medal in 2005 Rodriguez came to another one of those points in his career where he had a decision to make. He had an opt out clause in his contract if he wanted to take it. He could see how others were now earning far more than he was and he wanted a piece of that action. He decided to exercise his opt out clause to see what else was available in the free agency market. He was again a hot property when free agency started and was quickly inundated with offers. In a surprise move Rodriguez decided to jump conferences and join the team that he had just beaten in the world series. He signed a 7 year $134.2 million dollar contract with the Cleveland Indians.

The 2006 season with the Cleveland Indians would be a good year for Rodriguez as he continued his fine form, this time winning the AL MVP award. He would hit for .315 along with 49 home runs and 143 RBI's over 159 games. Sadly for him the Indians were starting a downward spiral as the team finished 3rd in the AL Central Division.

2007 would see the Indians continue their spiral downwards as they would drop to 4th. Rodriguez still tried his hardest to help the team hitting for .322 along with 41 home runs and 114 RBI's. 2008 would be even worse for the Indians as they dropped to 5th in the AL Central. For Rodriguez it would also be a tough year as he missed the first significant period of time due to injury. He was out for 6 weeks with an Ankle Sprain and ended up playing 124 games for an average of .282 along with 36 home runs and 95 RBI's.

After 3 disappointing years in the AL with the Cleveland Indians, Rodriguez decided to again exercise his opt out clause in his contract. Once he became a free agent he noticed that this time around the offers were not quite as quick in coming in. At 33 he was starting to see a drop off in his play and the teams knew it. He finally saw the contract offers coming in during December and in late December he decided to go back to the NL and also back out west as he joined the San Francisco Giants. He signed a 5 year $100 million contract.

Going into his first year with the Giants, Rodriguez was hoping to get back into the post season picture. His play in the regular season still saw him struggling for form after his injury the previous year. His 160 games saw him hit for .292 along with 30 home runs and 104 RBI's. The Giants would make it to 2nd place in the NL west and take the Wildcard spot. The Post Season would not be good for Rodriguez or the Giants as they would go down 3-1 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rodriguez would hit for .333 over the 4 games along with 1 home run and 1 RBI.

2010 saw Rodriguez start to accept that at 34 he was no longer the player he was and that he would now have to become more of a part of the team rather than the star player of the team. He played 145 games in 2010 for a batting average of .262 along with 25 home runs and 78 RBI's. The Giants again finished second in the NL West but this time did not get the wildcard spot. 2011 was very similar to 2010 as the Giants again finished 2nd without the wildcard while Rodriguez hit for .266 with 21 home runs and 78 RBI's over 157 games.

2012 would see Rodriguez play one last season in San Francisco. The team would finish 4th in the NL West and Rodriguez would hit .262, 23 home runs and 59 RBI's over 156 games. Through most of the off season Rodriguez and the Giants were looking towards the 2013 season with a look to try and rebuild the team. Come February the Giants still could not find the pieces they wanted until they found a trade partner in the Atlanta Braves. For Rodriguez this would signal the end of his journey with the Giants as the Braves wanted him and the Giants decided to send him and another player over to them for a prospect they wanted.

Alex Rodriguez was on the east coast for the 2013 season with his new team the Atlanta Braves. Sadly for him and the Braves it was not going to be a successful season. The Braves finished 3rd in the NL East and Rodriguez would hit for .279 along with 32 home runs and 87 RBI's. At the end of the season the Braves gave Rodriguez a qualifying offer but he decided to turn it down as he looked for one last chance at a championship medal.

Going into free agency at 38 Rodriguez was not quite sure what he would find. He had not had spectacular play the last few years but he could still hit a ball and could still contribute to a team. Late December saw the interest in him appear and he signed a 2 year $13 million contract with the Minnesota Twins of the AL Central Division.

2014 would be the first year he would spend in Minnesota as he and the team would win the AL Central title. Rodriguez himself would be mainly a bench player as he would see action in only 75 games. He would hit for .237 along with 9 home runs and 26 RBI's over those 75 games. The Twins would get to the League Series against the Oakland Athletics before losing 4-1 but Rodriguez only played a small part in that run as he appeared in only 3 games with 4 at bats for a batting average of .500

2015 would see Rodriguez move into a more prominent position for the Minnesota Twins as he played 154 games with 150 starts. He hit for an average of .260 along with 25 home runs and 86 RBI's. This would help the Twins to again win the AL Central title. Sadly for Rodriguez he would not be joining his team mates in the post season as he picked up a high ankle sprain very late in the season that would see him sidelined for the whole of the play offs. The Twins without Rodriguez would lose in the League Series again, this time to the Detroit Tigers 4-2.

The end of the year saw the Minnesota Twins give Alex Rodriguez a qualifying offer of $14 Million for 1 year. With little prospect of anyone matching that Rodriguez took the offer. Just one month later Rodriguez found himself on the move back to the East Coast as the Twins traded him to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for a prospect.

2016 would see Rodriguez in Boston but both he and the Red Sox would not have an enjoyable year. The Red Sox would finish 3rd in the AL East and Rodriguez would again become a bit part player. He played in 115 games with 87 starts. He had the worst batting average of his career at .233 along with 19 home runs and 52 RBI's. As expected the Red Sox and Rodriguez soon parted ways after the season ended.

At 41 Rodriguez was very uncertain about continuing to play going into another round of Free Agency. It was not until January that the offers to play started to come in and he decided to stay in the east but move back to the NL with the Philadelphia Phillies. He signed a 1 year $7.3 million contract to play for them.

Rodriguez's experience of Philadelphia would be one of the worst of his career as a fractured hand would see him miss most of the season. He would play in 60 games for a batting average of .249 along with 12 home runs and 38 RBI's. The Phillies finished 3rd in the NL East and at season's end decided to part ways with Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was very tempted not to return for the 2018 season after his injury struggles in 2017. He was at home right up until early March of the 2018 season before an offer from the Cleveland Indians finally lured him back into the world of professional baseball. He signed a 1 year deal worth $1.46 million to play for the Indians.

Rodriguez played in 127 games during the 2018 season for the Indians. He hit for an average of .216, his worst career number for a full season, along with 14 home runs and 56 RBI's. He missed 5 weeks with a calf strain and the Indians finished 3rd in the AL Central.

At the end of the 2018 season Rodriguez finally decided that there was no offer worth his attention going forward and decided to retire. He left the game with 1 championship medal and 8 MVP awards along with the plaudits from many baseball fans around the league.