A Yankees fans random debut dream team

italyprof · 03-18-2023, 06:35 AM

So I started a random debut with all players from 1934-2004.

I moved to Italy permanently in 2004 when I met my wife, and since then, while I avidly follow baseball - despite all my - and some of you share them - complaints about contemporary baseball, and even though I often subscribe to MLBTV to watch the games, I haven't been able to follow the game with the same level of detailed knowledge of players and teams ever since then that I always had before. So that's why that is the cut-off date.

Also I find that post-2000 players tend to dominate random debuts and I don't love that, especially when it's players who I haven't seen play much.

Why 1934? Because by that date you have a reasonable fascimile to our game - not the dead ball, not the jack-rabbit ball of the 1920s. And there's players I like from that era.

Anyway, in the initial draft - there were for once a whole bunch of my favorite players at one time or another associated with the Yankees !

So my team, the Yankees, consists of:

C Thurman Munson (31 but I am going to clone poor Thurman and give him some more time in the league. I still...let me not go there)
1B Don Mattingly (30 years old in this case, but I might clone him once his career winds down and re-start him young to give him the HOF career he should have had - the other cheat here)
2B Toni Lazzeri
3B Wade Boggs
SS Ozzie Smith
LF Mel Hall/Lou Piniella platoon
CF Bernie Williams - we'll see what happens after his real life stats end, since I set 2004 as the limit
RF Ken Singleton (who was a well-liked Yankees announcer for many years and according to everyone who ever met him one of the finest people ever associated with baseball).

Starting rotation: not very Yankees however

Vida Blue
Charlie Hough
Denny McClain
Don Newcombe
Billy Pierce

Bullpen:
Luke Hamlin
Sparky Lyle
Mike Marshall
Paul Assenmacher
Jim Hardin

Bench:

Terry Pendleton
Luis Sojo
Raul Ibanez
Brian Johnson
Tony Taylor
Curt Flood age 32

This team is too much fun to not play through, so I am so far playing every game of our first, 1934 season.

We are currently 16-16, in sole possession of third place, behind powerful Detroit with Roy Cullenbine (8 homers already) and Jackie Robinson, and second place Minnesota with Mike Cuellar (5-1, 0.94 ERA).

I am using the old ballparks, we are playing in Yankees Stadium pre-1973 for example, the Tigers in Tiger Stadium, etc.

In the NL, Willie Horton has started out with a triple crown bid hitting .421 with 9 homers and 29 RBI all to lead the league, and his St. Louis Cardinals to first place in the first month of the season. In the AL, Cecil Travis (.347), Gene Clines (.336) and Don Mattingly (.336) are the batting leaders. The White Sox' Cliff Johnson has 9 homers.

The Wins leaders among pitchers are John Burkett of Minnesota with 6 and Mike Flanagan of the Cubs with 5.

I want to play these games out, so progress will be slow, but I will try this time to be consistent with updates as our season progresses.

03-18-2023, 06:35 AM	#1
italyprof All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 998	A Yankees fans random debut dream team So I started a random debut with all players from 1934-2004. I moved to Italy permanently in 2004 when I met my wife, and since then, while I avidly follow baseball - despite all my - and some of you share them - complaints about contemporary baseball, and even though I often subscribe to MLBTV to watch the games, I haven't been able to follow the game with the same level of detailed knowledge of players and teams ever since then that I always had before. So that's why that is the cut-off date. Also I find that post-2000 players tend to dominate random debuts and I don't love that, especially when it's players who I haven't seen play much. Why 1934? Because by that date you have a reasonable fascimile to our game - not the dead ball, not the jack-rabbit ball of the 1920s. And there's players I like from that era. Anyway, in the initial draft - there were for once a whole bunch of my favorite players at one time or another associated with the Yankees ! So my team, the Yankees, consists of: C Thurman Munson (31 but I am going to clone poor Thurman and give him some more time in the league. I still...let me not go there) 1B Don Mattingly (30 years old in this case, but I might clone him once his career winds down and re-start him young to give him the HOF career he should have had - the other cheat here) 2B Toni Lazzeri 3B Wade Boggs SS Ozzie Smith LF Mel Hall/Lou Piniella platoon CF Bernie Williams - we'll see what happens after his real life stats end, since I set 2004 as the limit RF Ken Singleton (who was a well-liked Yankees announcer for many years and according to everyone who ever met him one of the finest people ever associated with baseball). Starting rotation: not very Yankees however Vida Blue Charlie Hough Denny McClain Don Newcombe Billy Pierce Bullpen: Luke Hamlin Sparky Lyle Mike Marshall Paul Assenmacher Jim Hardin Bench: Terry Pendleton Luis Sojo Raul Ibanez Brian Johnson Tony Taylor Curt Flood age 32 This team is too much fun to not play through, so I am so far playing every game of our first, 1934 season. We are currently 16-16, in sole possession of third place, behind powerful Detroit with Roy Cullenbine (8 homers already) and Jackie Robinson, and second place Minnesota with Mike Cuellar (5-1, 0.94 ERA). I am using the old ballparks, we are playing in Yankees Stadium pre-1973 for example, the Tigers in Tiger Stadium, etc. In the NL, Willie Horton has started out with a triple crown bid hitting .421 with 9 homers and 29 RBI all to lead the league, and his St. Louis Cardinals to first place in the first month of the season. In the AL, Cecil Travis (.347), Gene Clines (.336) and Don Mattingly (.336) are the batting leaders. The White Sox' Cliff Johnson has 9 homers. The Wins leaders among pitchers are John Burkett of Minnesota with 6 and Mike Flanagan of the Cubs with 5. I want to play these games out, so progress will be slow, but I will try this time to be consistent with updates as our season progresses.