Time Warp Baseball

[jdw]

Matt wrote:

Okay... I feel better now.


> I always figured Murphy was your
> favorite TWB player from the
> 10's-20's era. Was Woody your
> favorite from the early years then?
> I was also shocked to see no one
> voted for Murphy as their all-time
> favorite in TWB. I expected you to.

He was. I accidentally clicked on Patrick right next to him. Murph would be my fav of the era, with Jed next. Patrick over time has become one of my favs, so I'm not heart broken over the mistake.


> That really is staggering.

At some point I'll have to go back and see if Woody's HBP numbers are the career record. Possibly not, but probably really high on the list.


> Unfortunately, I can't edit his html
> report to insert those leaderboards.

Really? They're just HTML Files. They should be fairly easy to edit in a text editor.

*poking and playing around*

Okay, attached below is a file. It's saved as a TXT file, but when you download it, change the extension to HTML. OOTP's board don't let me save a HTML file, so this is my way around it.

Drop it into one of your TWB league files and see how it comes up.

Added are the 1918 GG, the hitting leaderboards I listed above, and the 1916 BB title (which seems to be where his Leaderboard cuts off)... and... deleted that annoying "Age" and "Date" part of the header (on the Big Name line and right below it) and added "Hall of Famer" below his Name Position.

Let me know how it works for you. It worked for me when I dropped it in my version of the 1945 Almanac.

If it loads okay, maybe we can do some clean-up of the retired files like adding that change to the header I did and those multiple All Star appearances, and the phantom World Series of 1901, 1902 and 1904. If the player makes the All 50 TWB Team, we can add that below in the Player History section right after the HOF (which OOTP seems to auto add). We can also add things like historical events that don't get added - Miller setting the Run Record and the SB record aren't in his profile. Frank setting the Win Record isn't. Oscar setting the all-time HR record isn't in there.

I know in the Big Thread you pretty much always noted the date of those historic events. If we can sift the Big Thread for some of that info, I can start the process of adding it to the retired players. It will take a while (as in don't expect it finished anytime soon), but would be cool.

We could do a lot of things with it. For example, look down in the Player History and see what I did with the Major Awards for Woody. I haven't even poked around with Color Coding those Major Awards so they're easier to pick up, but I think even just the way I did it makes them stand out.

Let me know.


> Wasn't that when the GG's went
> missing too? Anyway, I need to
> get around to adding in those GG's.

Yep. They should be on the Awards file I sent you back in the 30's. I think it was the 1918 season, and I put in (with highlighting) the guys I thought should have won and that we discussed on the boards. I seem to recall there are a general agreement on the guys that I ended up putting in the file. Woody was won of them, since he won the GG a billion straight times and had another fine fielding year.


John

[jdw]

Who's kid is Scotch's again? Junior's or Bourbon's? Or was he the last one the Old Man knocked off? Let's hope Bourbon's since he seemed to get Sr's talent for baseball, while Junior got the drinkin' talent.

We really need a family tree at some point.


John

[Matt from TN]

Yes John, that file works fine for me. Everyone can view it here. I can easily edit all players' histories at the bottom of this page. It's generated from a text file. The leaderboards come straight from ootp, so I'd have to edit it every time it was generated. So IOW, leaderboards would be a waste to do for current players, but it could be done for retired guys as long as I backed it up & never copied over it on the server.

BTW, the bold looks really nice & could be done for everyone over time. It's a real shame ootp doesn't track when career records are set. Heck, when new season records are set, all you get is a blurb on the general news page.

Oh, and no, ootp does not add the "inducted into HOF" in a player's history. I did that. I just stopped doing it after the 1st few classes.

[ifspuds]

Originally Posted by scprideandms

lets hope Scotch is better than Tequila

Yes, let's. He's going to move fast -- or at least be challenged as much as he can stand.

Originally Posted by jdw

Who's kid is Scotch's again? Junior's or Bourbon's? Or was he the last one the Old Man knocked off? Let's hope Bourbon's since he seemed to get Sr's talent for baseball, while Junior got the drinkin' talent.

We really need a family tree at some point.

I second that motion. Just what are the relationships here, anyway?

[jdw]

Matt wrote:

> Yes John, that file works fine for me. Everyone can
> view it here. I can easily edit all players' histories
> at the bottom of this page. It's generated from a
> text file. The leaderboards come straight from ootp,
> so I'd have to edit it every time it was generated.
> So IOW, leaderboards would be a waste to do for
> current players, but it could be done for retired
> guys as long as I backed it up & never copied
> over it on the server.

Good idea. It's really hard to tell if Leaderboad stuff is missing anyway - I only run into it from time to time. I think someone mentioned that there was some limit in earlier versions of OOTP to how much Leaderboard stuff could get added. Woody had a tone and probably just maxed out in 1916.

On the Player History Text Files, do they disappear after the player retires and the info is simply held in the R*.html file for the player? In which case we'd be editing the R*.html files rather than a text file?

Did you like the way I got rid of the no longer need Date & Age, cleaned it up and added Hall of Famer below the name? I was going for that baseball-reference.com look where they have this for the HOFers:



They have another one for All Stars (who aren't yet or never will be HOFers). Do you think it would be kinda nice when you click on Woody or Murph or (down the road) Oscar and see that Hall of Famer text right there under his name.

> BTW, the bold looks really nice & could be
> done for everyone over time.

Cool~!


> It's a real shame ootp doesn't track
> when career records are set. Heck,
> when new season records are set,
> all you get is a blurb on the general
> news page.

So you think we want to, over time, add some of that stuff? Like I said, you've done a wonderful job over time of listing the records being set each year. It would take some time to pull it, and the Big Thread isn't called that for no reason. But we do have some GM's sifting through the thread for Team Histories. We might want to hip them to grabbing some of the stuff as they come across it.


> Oh, and no, ootp does not add the
> "inducted into HOF" in a player's
> history. I did that. I just stopped
> doing it after the 1st few classes.

Well, we're going to have to talk to the Commish about that. :P


John

[Matt from TN]

When a player retires, his p*.txt file just gets converted to a r*.txt file. Same thing.

Yes I like the deletions at the top of the page & I like adding HOF'er to the title very much. All-star wouldn't be necessary, but HOF'er yes. I've said before & added this for the 2nd year to the suggestions thread for future game improvements, but we need upgrades to the HOF page, and at least a HOF report generated with all other reports.

[canadiancreed]

I second that motion. Just what are the relationships here, anyway?

yes it probably would be a good idea for folks such as myself and metsgeek, among others

[Matt from TN]

1949 Offseason News

Several teams made managerial changes in the offseason. First, the Yankees declared Ervin Skjerly as their full-time manager. He took over the job on September 1st of last season after returning to the Yanks in a trade with the Phillies. Swervin' Ervin retired as a player this winter, but he will remain with the club in a different capacity. "I really like the direction this team is taking," said Skjerly in a recent interview during Spring Training in Florida. "I will put all my efforts into returning this franchise to its rightful spot at the top of the AL." Skjerly, a potential Hall of Famer, is the winningest player in baseball history. He played in 10 World Series, eight of them with New York.

Four other AL teams changed managers. Washington third baseman and catcher Carl Kahle, who retired after last season, was retained by the team as their new skipper. The White Sox hired Phillies hitting coach Shane Kolber, the Indians brought in their former catcher Cookie DeWitt, and the A's signed former big league catcher Adam Phelphs to head their team.

In the NL, the Giants promoted hitting coach George Ward to manager after long-time skipper Michael McAinsh stepped down. McAinsh left as the 11th winningest manager in history. Ward managed the Braves in his final seasons as a player. Phillies manager Bop Vacha also retired. He is in elite company among former Phillies managers. Bill Shettsline won 1306 games and 3 pennants from 1901-17, the beloved Dark Horse Allen won 1146 games and 6 pennants from 1925-37 and Vacha won 772 games and 3 pennants from 1939-48. Taking over in Philly will be Vacha's bench coach and a former catcher, Whit Sard. The final change came in Pittsburgh where Hall of Fame second baseman Jerry "Slap" Hertzog will test his skills as a manager of arguably the most hapless franchise in baseball history. The Pirates have gone longer than any other team since winning their last pennant, which came in 1912.

In The News

Feb 2: Brothers Bill DeWitt and Charlie DeWitt gain control of the Browns by acquiring 57 percent of the stock from Dick Muckerman for $1 million.

Mar 1: The Browns, owners of Sportsman's Park, move to evict the Cardinals in order to gain a rental increase.

Hall of Fame

This is the biggest class ever inducted into the HOF. The five players elected by the BBWAA tied that record, and one player added by the VC set a new overall mark.

Otto "Kaiser" Kahle, SP
Cap: Braves
Inducted: BBWAA 87.5%
Teams: Cleveland A.L. 1924-1930, Boston N.L. 1930-1941, St. Louis N.L. 1941-1943
Plaque: The Kaiser became a dominant pitcher at a young age with the Indians, but he made his mark on baseball after being traded to the Braves. There he won one World Series in 1931. Altogether, he posted 11 20+ win seasons, but surprisingly was never named POTY. He retired with a 363-236 record (3rd Most Wins All-Time), 3.43 ERA, 1388 walks, 2392 K's (5th All-Time), 397 CG (20th All-Time), 45 SHO (20th All-Time) and 1.18 WHIP.


"Fat Gus" Kahle, 3B
Cap: Yankees
Inducted: BBWAA 87.5%
Teams: New York A.L. 1921-1942
Plaque: Kahle was a major part of the great Yankees dynasty. With them, he won 5 World Series and two Gold Gloves. In 1927, he won his only batting title and he had a 34-game hitting streak which still stands as an American League record. He retired as the all-time hits leader among third basemen with 3424 (3rd All-Time). He also had a .323 average, 477 doubles (21st All-Time), 194 homeruns, 1501 RBI (15th All-Time), 1556 runs scored (17th All-Time) and 974 walks.


Punchy Cote, SP
Cap: Cubs
Inducted: BBWAA 81.3%
Teams: Boston N.L. 1926-1927, Philadelphia A.L. 1927-1934, Chicago N.L. 1934-1942
Plaque: Cote was part of two incredible teams, winning 2 AL pennants with the A's and 3 consecutive NL pennants with the Cubs. After being unable to win a WS with the A's, he lost his first two WS with the Cubs before finally winning one in 1938. He formed some impressive pitching duos, with Ahrend Nagel in Philadelphia and with David Wickersham in Chicago. After leaving for WWII after the 1942 season, he retired with a 316-177 record (12th Most Wins All-Time), 3.09 ERA, 1400 BB, 2168 K (10th All-Time), 346 CG, 49 SHO (14th All-Time) and 1.13 WHIP. He was the 1927 ROY and won two POY's with the Cubs.


John Schmeider, LF
Cap: Braves
Inducted: BBWAA 81.3%
Teams: Boston N.L. 1922-1941
Plaque: Schmieder was a major ingredient in Boston's offense for most of his 20 seasons. He helped lead the team to its most competitive era throughout the 1930's. He was a solid run producer, but his biggest strength was his ability to draw walks, twice leading the NL in that category. He won one Gold Glove and one World Series. He retired with a .306 average, 2972 hits (19th All-Time), 462 doubles (25th All-Time), 239 homeruns (12th All-Time), 1660 RBI (5th All-Time), 1615 runs scored (12th All-Time) and 1564 walks (3rd All-Time).


Salvatore Rossi, 1B
Cap: Athletics
Inducted: BBWAA 75.0%
Teams: Philadelphia A.L. 1921-1943
Plaque: Rossi won 4 Gold Gloves and retired as the all-time hits leader among first basemen. He won 4 AL pennants and served 9 years as the team's manager (4 of those years while still a player). He retired with a .300 average, 3320 hits (8th All Time), 469 doubles (24th All-Time), 197 homeruns, 1757 RBI (3rd All-Time), 1684 runs (6th All-Time) and 1694 BB (1st All-Time).


Johnny Cakes Sutton, SP
Cap: Highlanders (Yankees)
Inducted: VC
Teams: Baltimore A.L. 1901-1902, New York A.L. 1903-1910
Plaque: Sutton was one of the top pitchers of his time. After 10 seasons, he finished with a record of 193-121 with a 2.38 ERA, 946 strikeouts, 300 complete games and 47 shutouts. He finished in the top 3 in ERA seven of his first eight seasons, leading the AL twice. He left the game with the 3rd highest career win total, 3rd best career ERA, 24th most K's, 9th most complete games and 3rd most shutouts. He won the World Series with the Highlanders in 1908.


*Note that all rankings (i.e. 2nd All-Time) were at the time of the players retirement. What happened after they retired does not reflect on their plaque.

[Matt from TN]

1949 Season Preview

American League

The league's overall talent seems to have improved recently. For a while, the NL had become the dominant league, and the Senior Circuit still has won the last 3 World Series. Yet many teams in the AL are improving, and it should be a tough battle for the pennant this season, unlike last year when the Tigers ran away with it.


1. Tigers (102-52, 1st) - They set a team record with 102 wins and were one of the winningest teams in baseball history last season. They ran away with the pennant, finishing 18 games ahead of Boston, but they went home empty-handed after losing the World Series. Their core remains very much intact, but they should expect stiffer competition from the rest of the league this season.

Top Starters:
SP Hal Andrew (22-9, 2.93)
SP Billy Crowell (25-10, 3.22)
SP Harley Melzer (12-6, 3.74)

C Bud Moore (.277, 18 HR, 100 RBI)
2B Matt Perly (.309, 27 HR, 121 RBI)
3B Luther Ormiston (.311, 39 HR, 140 RBI, 112 BB)
LF Ray Kress (.333, 39 HR, 126 RBI, 131 BB)

Top Prospects:
SP Bud Ulrich (Majors)
C John Degal (Majors)


2. Red Sox (84-70, 2nd) - Boston still has not yet claimed another pennant since the final war-depleted season of 1945, when they rattled off their 3rd straight. They are on the verge of returning to the World Series with a talented team, but the mighty Tigers stand in their way.

Top Starters:
SP Sonny Faulkner (15-15, 3.76)
SP Sloppy Mosich (19-12, 3.45)
SP Trent Roberts (21-9, 3.41)

C Em Pelto (.355, 11 HR, 79 RBI)
1B Bobby Johnson (.286, 23 HR, 94 RBI)
2B Skeeter Schaldemose (.326, 21 HR, 71 RBI)
3B Tequila Allen (.288, 17 HR, 67 RBI)
SS Morris Lutske (.324, 68 RBI)
LF Don Myer (.333, 13 HR, 101 RBI)
CF Al Arsenault (.258, 26 HR, 116 RBI)

Top Prospects:
SP Alter Sennelnekoff (Majors)
SP Nippy Schnaubert (AAA)


3. White Sox (73-81, 5th) - An offseason trade with the Phillies could make Chicago a dark horse candidate to win the pennant. That will be a tough road, but this is a tough team.

Top Starters:
SP Earl Boyd (9-11, 3.68)
SP Mickey Lonergan (18-12, 4.18)
SP Corky Stell (15-10, 3.18)

C Cecil Marziani (.224, 18 HR, 68 RBI)
1B Lonny Arrendale (.323, 33 HR, 99 RBI)
2B Tony Seats (.279, 10 HR, 82 RBI)
CF Homer Jewell (.295, 55 RBI, 29 SB)
RF Stu Cripps (.303, 75 RBI)

Top Prospects:
P Bourbon Allen Jr (Majors)
SP Maximo Matamoros (AA)
SP Michael Schiffer (A)
C Jimmy Swofford (A)
1B Glenn Yeager (A)


4. Senators (75-79, 4th) - Washington was very disappointed in their attempted pennant defense last season. However, they finished the season very strongly and seem poised to challenge for the pennant yet again, this time under new manager Dutch Kahle. They need to get a lot more out of their underachieving rotation and offense first.

Top Starters:
SP Bill Finley (18-12, 2.74)
SP Raul Velazquez (10-9, 3.04)

C Robert Reed (.226, 17 HR, 74 RBI)
3B Jim Dunkel (.329, 34 HR, 124 RBI)
SS Blake Crocitto (.314, 77 RBI)
RF Chris Anderson (.281, 15 HR, 57 RBI)

Top Prospects:
CF Pete Pugliese (A)


5. Browns (76-78, 3rd) - Some say that a 3rd place finish last year was overachieving for this team. If they had any pitching help at all behind Cotton Simson, the best pitcher in the game today, the Browns could be a real pennant contender. But without any pitching help, they should continue to waste one of the best offenses of the late '40s.

Top Starters:
SP Cotton Simson (23-11, 2.50)

C Frankie Bowers (.310, 19 HR, 94 RBI)
2B Vern Piernatzski (.260, 17 HR, 81 RBI)
SS Dale Thompson (.330, 64 RBI)
LF Johnny Champagne (.313, 60 RBI)
CF Cy Helbig (.323, 12 HR, 81 RBI)
RF Tony Monachino (.287, 44 RBI, 113 BB, 32 SB)

Top Prospects:
CF Tom Valeriano (AAA)
SP Denny Evers (A)
1B Irving Korr (A)


6. Indians (70-84, 6th) - Cleveland is stuck in the middle between rebuilding and contention. They have some solid players, but not quite enough to be a real force this season. Once again, they have some incredible pitching talent in the minors, and this team could be a tough opponent all year long.

Top Starters:
SP Charley Nagel (7-10, 3.53)

2B John Valcarcel (.273, 72 RBI)
3B Emerson Meggs (.275, 71 RBI)
LF Bill Berry (.258, 10 HR, 80 RBI)
CF William Morgan (.316, 64 RBI)
RF Al Jackson (.296, 15 HR, 86 RBI)

Top Prospects:
SP George Kauffman (Majors)
SS Victor Estevez (Majors)
SP Bernard Homic (AAA)
SP Herman Labombard (AAA)
SP Lex Tjeenk-Willink (AAA)
SP Houston Boler (AA)
LF Sherm Rorabeck (AA)
SP Martin Gwaltney (A)
RF Frank Winsett (A)


7. Yankees (67-87, 8th) - Despite another last place finish, the Yankees are an improving team. With Ervin Skjerly at the helm, there is even some excitement around the clubhouse. They continue to rebuild slowly, and many of their young stars should see action in the majors this season.

Top Starters:
SP Chief Harrington (16-17, 3.51)

3B Tim Dilworth (.289, 81 RBI)
LF Jesse Baker (.282, 16 HR, 81 RBI)
CF Ping Hung (.272, 77 SB)
RF Jimmy Ditty (.323, 25 HR, 95 RBI)

Top Prospects:
SP Maury Baum (Majors)
SP Carpenter Erickson (Majors)
SP Jesse Baker (Majors)
C Alton Kee (AAA)
2B Lonny Christensen (AAA)
CF John Young (AAA)
1B Arnie Stewart (AA)
3B Wilford Woodworth (AA)
P Donald Sinton (A)


8. Athletics (69-85, 7th) - Several big trades last season gutted the pitching staff. That will likely doom the A's to the cellar this season, but it may pay off in the long run. They now have a strong farm system, but most of those key prospects are still a few years away from contributing in the majors. Fan support has waned so much for the A's, who must compete with the dominant Phillies for ticket sales, that the team has hinted at potentially moving to another city.

Top Starters:
C Hershel Lee (.299, 28 HR, 101 RBI)
3B Bud Ayers (.288, 14 HR, 83 RBI)
CF Peaches Badeau (.395, 13 HR, 97 RBI)
RF Hershel Cooley (.303, 49 RBI, 54 SB)

Top Prospects:
SP Bob Stevens (Majors)
SP Ellis Weeks (Majors)
SP Harvey Gaunt (AA)
SP Tad Zonkas (AA)
C Sal Poulos (AA)
LF Chip Sinton (AA)
1B Charlton Brown (A)

[Matt from TN]

National League

Last season saw a dogfight between the Phillies and Cardinals. Things should be the same this year, except that we can expect the Braves and Reds to be fully in the fold. Teams like Brooklyn and Chicago could even be spoilers.


1. Phillies (96-58, 1st) - This franchise continues to pile on accomplishments. They are slowly surpassing the Yankees as the top franchise in baseball history. Many fans and journalists in the Philadelphia area were shocked when the team traded star 1B Lonny Arrendale and 1947 POY Mickey Lonergan to the White Sox. However, the team was excited to get Bob Bussmann to improve their rotation. However, Bussmann seemed to tire late last season, causing some in the White Sox organization to question his durability now at age 37. The Phillies offense is weakened without Arrendale, and some wonder how team chemistry will be affected.

Top Starters:
SP Bob Bussmann (22-10, 3.18)
SP John Nolting (31-6, 2.99)
SP Garland Sisk (11-5, 3.29)
SP Dan Volpe (16-10, 3.92)

C Chuck Rauch (.318, 30 HR, 114 RBI)
1B Ed Rossi (.303, 96 RBI)
2B Pokey Dorsey (.271, 76 RBI)
3B Maurice Misisca (.291, 38 HR, 116 RBI)
RF Nicky Barker (.303, 26 HR, 97 RBI, 25 SB)
CF Lee Friedman (.313, 26 HR, 109 RBI)

Top Prospects:
1B Bob Finley (AA)


2. Cardinals (92-62, 2nd) - St. Louis led the NL for much of last season, but they faded down the stretch. Their rotation is not great, but they are adequate. And that may be enough with such a strong offense as this one. However, they will have to play hard every day to overcome the mighty Phils.

Top Starters:
SP Rock Charnley (19-9, 3.68)
SP Wally Saeger (19-12, 3.19)

C Herman Dunkel (.328, 31 HR, 122 RBI)
1B Ted McMurray (.320, 85 RBI)
2B Cliff Stoller (.312, 12 HR, 89 RBI)
3B Ben Cook (.275, 55 RBI, 26 SB)
3B Junior Nunez (.313, 10 HR, 55 RBI)
SS Milford Vanden (.306, 46 RBI)
LF Ogden Wing (.333, 15 HR, 79 RBI, 30 SB)
CF Morton Chamblee (.303, 29 HR, 120 RBI)
RF Thurman Perry (.259, 17 HR, 80 RBI)

Top Prospects:
3B Ben Cook (Majors)
SP Rufus Nagel (A)
SS Roger Joyce (A)


3. Braves (77-77, 3rd) - Boston had a great second half last season. If it were not for a miserable start, they could have had their first winning season since 1938. That should happen this year though. Their pitching staff has finally started to carry their weight. Now it is up to the offense to take this team as far as it can go.

Top Starters:
SP Scottie Allen (15-16, 3.45)
SP Glenn Howell (12-8, 3.25)

1B Ken Chaucer (.279, 40 HR, 126 RBI)
SS Cutter Brekke (.335, 57 RBI)
LF Mitch Leibowitz (.268, 28 HR, 101 RBI)
CF Jack Zenisek (.222, 12 HR, 51 RBI, 31 SB)

Top Prospects:
C Don Lock (Majors)
RF Matt Praks (AA)
3B Boris Zimyanin (A)
CF David Mau (A)


4. Reds (76-78, 4th) - Cincinnati failed to defend their 1947 World Series championship, but their squad is still good enough to compete for another pennant this season. Everyone knows how good their pitching is, so the key rests with the offense.

Top Starters:
SP Schoolboy Emberling (18-12, 2.83)
SP Ernie Janke (15-13, 3.49)
SP Ace Shipley (19-11, 2.91)

1B Orval Mitts (.330, 57 RBI)
2B Maurice Goza (.284, 64 RBI)
SS Doc Barton (.248, 13 HR, 46 RBI, 135 BB)


5. Dodgers (67-87, 7th) - Man, what Frank Smith would give to have had this Dodgers offense back when he, Remmy Paul and Oscar Vancini were in their prime. Now the tables have turned. The offense carries the team, and every pitcher not named Frank Smith is suspect.

Top Starters:
SP Frank Smith (18-12, 3.47)

C Leroy Daurio (.250, 15 HR, 61 RBI, 29 SB)
1B Dennis Kitterman (.298, 10 HR, 59 RBI, 21 SB)
2B Jonny Perly (.272, 53 RBI, 43 SB)
3B Paul Varghese (.273, 11 HR, 60 RBI)
SS Mike Fellner (.277, 34 HR, 108 RBI)
RF Jonathan Wright (.309, 28 HR, 112 RBI)

Top Prospects:
CF Abraham Noel (Majors)
SP Matt Keyes Jr (AAA)


6. Cubs (73-81, 5th) - Chicago looks like they are building a competitive team. They do not have an ace, but their rotation is solid from top to bottom. They still need some work on offense, but there are several quality hitters. They could be a surprise team, but the NL is very tough this season.

Top Starters:
SP Chubby Allen (16-12, 3.98)
SP Jeronimo Arsenault (14-11, 3.68)
SP Charlie Lustgarten (20-15, 3.90)

C Vern Bogardus (.278, 11 HR, 58 RBI)
1B Dan Troge (.291, 14 HR, 55 RBI)
2B Edgar Mackin (.280, 10 HR, 53 RBI)
LF Will Groaning (.299, 15 HR, 60 RBI, 113 BB)
CF Chris Hulliberger (.291, 13 HR, 64 RBI)
RF Cliff Wynne (.270, 20 HR, 76 RBI)

Top Prospects:
SP Jack Garvin (Majors)
SP John Caffee (AAA)
SP Randy Liebermann (AAA)
2B Alan Liao Jr (A)


7. Pirates (71-83, 6th) - After failing to be much of a force in the pennant race last season, many around the Pittsburgh area think this team's time has come and gone. Many of their stars are on their last legs, and much of their talented youth still needs a lot of seasoning.

Top Starters:
SP James Bajofer (7-3, 3.00)
SP Lefty Bowden (16-13, 3.76)
SP Ron Fleischmann (11-13, 4.11)

3B Ike Walker (.258, 17 HR, 85 RBI)
SS Elmer Menard (.309, 60 RBI)
LF Ed Monchak (.263, 12 HR, 58 RBI)
RF Rudy Young (.347, 54 RBI)

Top Prospects:
2B Herm Vardaman (Majors)
RF Harold Perry (Majors)
3B Bill Reed (AAA)
SS Kenneth Whitt (AA)
CF Scotch Allen (A)


8. Giants (64-90, 8th) - Their pitching is decent, but questionable. Their offense is a total mess. Andy Martineau will not be back until mid-May, and by the time he returns, the team could already be deep in last place. The tedious rebuilding process continues, but impatient fans are getting angrier with every passing year. Long-time manager Michael McAinsh stepped down, and some are saying he just could not stand to put such a sorry lineup on the field anymore. "New York fans deserve better," he said in his last interview of the 1948 season.

Top Starters:
SP Randall Bray (14-14, 3.95)

1B Nick Pursell (.288, 72 RBI)
SS Tom Howard (.343, 26 HR, 105 RBI)
3B Andy Martineau (.351, 16 HR, 63 RBI)

Top Prospects:
SP Danny Mau (AA)
SP Bryce Ostrander (AA)
1B Paul Lett (AA)

[Vris]

Yes, yes, we all know what you have to say about the AL. Now, what about the NL?


I haven't been this excited about a preseason synopsis in forever. WHO'S GONNA WIN THE NL MATT?


Oh man. I feel so cheated. I guess we just have to go out there and prove that we aren't going to be the "best of the rest". The Phils and Cards are going down!

[ifspuds]

Originally Posted by Matt from TN

7. Pirates (71-83, 6th) - After failing to be much of a force in the pennant race last season, many around the Pittsburgh area think this team's time has come and gone. Many of their stars are on their last legs, and much of their talented youth still needs a lot of seasoning.

Apparently many outside of the Pittsburgh area think this team's time has come and gone too...

Sadly, I think they're right. Man, the light at the end of the tunnel's a long way off.

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by ifspuds

Apparently many outside of the Pittsburgh area think this team's time has come and gone too...

Sadly, I think they're right. Man, the light at the end of the tunnel's a long way off.

Hmm....I must have been the only one that though otherwise

then agian Im not seeing why the Reds are ranked the best of the rest so maybe that ahs something to do with it

[Carlton]

I can't stay logged int the TWB forums

Is anyone else having this problem?

[metsgeek]

Originally Posted by Carlton

I can't stay logged in at the TWB forums

Is anyone else having this problem?

Nope. Perhaps Matt decided you have too much of an advantage

[jdw]

canadiancreed wrote:

> then agian Im not seeing why
> the Reds are ranked the best
> of the rest so maybe that ahs
> something to do with it

The top three pitchers is probably why Matt rates them high.

The offense is again an issue. There are rooms for improvement:

* Catcher - a full season of the developing Betters is an improvement over a half year of Sennelnekoff and half year of Betters. Betters is also an improvement over Sennelnekoff defensively.

* 3B - Jones may improve on the year he and Go Go combined at last year. He's also a much better fielder, so a full year of him improves the defense. However, his hitting ratings haven't gone up. There's the potential for a .300 hitter with gap power and not a blackhole with the BB. He just hasn't gotten the ratings up, which is disappointing.

* CF - Albrecht isn't a .258/.356/.365 hitter. He went into a funk after his best friend Skeeter was traded and never came out of it. He had a fine spring training. He's got a shot not just to better his poor 1948 season, but also .281/.359/.431 in the championship season. I don't know about getting back to his 1945-46 form, but he's just turned 30, and may be in for a very good year.

But I'm not sure about the rest of the spots. Goza may hit better than he did last year, however 1/2 Skeeter + 1/2 Goza > 100% Goza. It's doubtful the team will be better at 2B this season. At SS, I'd love to see Doc hit .280, but I'm not holding my breath. .260 and another 130 BB and improved defense would be fine from him. They really just need to leave him alone in the leadoff spot *both* against lefties and righties and let him do what he does best - get on base. It's the job of the rest of the folk on the team to move him around the bases. Mitts at 1B may have another year in him, and Veney at 23 is probably old enough to be on the big roster and getting some playing time spotting Mitts. Can't predict "improvement" there, but matching last season is possible.

The wing OF spots continue to be an issue with the team.


John

[Matt from TN]

Originally Posted by jdw

The top three pitchers is probably why Matt rates them high.

You must also consider the competition.

I rate Cincinnati's pitching and Brooklyn's offense approximately equal. Assuming that, I'd take the Reds offense over the Dodgers pitching any day, Frank or no Frank at this point. That's why Cincy is higher.

The Cubs are moving up, the Pirates going down, and the Giants should easily be the 8th team in the NL.

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by Matt from TN

You must also consider the competition.

I rate Cincinnati's pitching and Brooklyn's offense approximately equal. Assuming that, I'd take the Reds offense over the Dodgers pitching any day, Frank or no Frank at this point. That's why Cincy is higher.

The Cubs are moving up, the Pirates going down, and the Giants should easily be the 8th team in the NL.

Hmm I must be missing something, maybe i'm being too hard on them

[jdw]

Time to update this:

> 1. Phillies (96-58, 1st) - This franchise
> continues to pile on accomplishments. They are
> slowly surpassing the Yankees as the top
> franchise in baseball history. Many fans and
> journalists in the Philadelphia area were
> shocked when the team traded star 1B Lonny
> Arrendale and 1947 POY Mickey Lonergan to
> the White Sox. However, the team was excited
> to get Bob Bussmann to improve their rotation.
> However, Bussmann seemed to tire late last
> season, causing some in the White Sox
> organization to question his durability now at
> age 37. The Phillies offense is weakened
> without Arrendale, and some wonder how team
> chemistry will be affected.
>
> Top Starters:
> SP Bob Bussmann (22-10, 3.18)
> SP John Nolting (31-6, 2.99)
> SP Garland Sisk (11-5, 3.29)
> SP Dan Volpe (16-10, 3.92)
>
> C Chuck Rauch (.318, 30 HR, 114 RBI)
> 1B Ed Rossi (.303, 96 RBI)
> 2B Pokey Dorsey (.271, 76 RBI)

SS Jonny Perly (.272, 53 RBI, .374 OBP, 43 SB)

> 3B Maurice Misisca (.291, 38 HR, 116 RBI)
> RF Nicky Barker (.303, 26 HR, 97 RBI, 25 SB)
> CF Lee Friedman (.313, 26 HR, 109 RBI)

LF Jonathan Wright (.309, 28 HR, 112 RBI)


> Top Prospects:
> 1B Bob Finley (AA)

The Phils actually played Friedman more in LF than CF, going with Rutty down the stretch in CF. Given Friedman's 3/4 defense in CF, if he plays down to his ratings (4/3/5/5), I can't imagine the Phils going long with him there. What he hit in Sept (.227/.329/.333) should set off alarms, and his August was well below his career numbers (.268/.339/.443).

Rutty has good range in CF (7/4), but he hit like "Rutty" as a Phil - .237/.338/.305 in September. Granted, the OF defense is pretty weak with Baker (2/2) in RF and Rhino (6/5) in LF. But the Phils won last year with *worse* defense on the wings. No doubt if the Rutty/Friedman combo tanks, the Phils awarding winning GM will be poking around for improvement.

The Phils were the favorites before this deal. The fill two weaknesses with good players while giving up nothing that will help them this year (or probably ever). Even more of the favorites.

Huge deal on the eve of the season, and puts the chasing Cards in a major bind on whether they want to blink in their arms race with the Phils.


John

[jdw]

More trades left and right before the season starts. Might need to have a redo on all the Previews, Matt.


John, thinking this was probably the more exciting off seasons in TWB History...