384 to 1 -- Massive playdown to crown Greatest Team of All Time

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How do you define “best?” It’s one thing to be the best team in a seven-game series. It’s an entirely different accomplishment to be the best over a span of 1,540 games.


(Or nearly 8,000 games, which our eventual champion will have played in the GTOAT tourney.)


That’s the premise of the GTOAT tournament – that what are perhaps the “best” teams don’t always appear so in a short span. After all, that’s the nature – and charm – of baseball. There are few certainties. No one wins ‘em all, even all the ones they should win by virtue of having superior talent.


IRL, you can’t beat a seven-game series for both practicality and potential drama. But does the best team always come out on top?


If the early results of our Quarterfinals are any indication, the answer is probably not.


Of the 38 teams that have qualified for the Semifinals thus far:

• only 13 are World Series champs
• 14 claim pennants as their highest achievement (one of these pre-dates the World Series, so 13 of these are “World Series losers”)
• 5 can only claim division titles
• 6 were second-place finishers in their division or league -- not necessarily good enough to make the post-season IRL, but formidable over the theoretical 10-season span OOTP allows us to simulate each round.

Pool 6 includes a real wildcard … as in a real wildcard. The 1988 Twins didn’t qualify for the tourney by winning a pennant or posting a .599 or better win percentage IRL. They were added to round out the tournament field to 384 teams … and they weren’t my first choice for that role. They were fifth or sixth. They went .562 (91-71) and finished 13 games back IRL. But Frank Viola won the Cy Young and Alan Anderson had the lowest ERA in the AL, and there was enough offense with Kirby Puckett and company to apparently make that formidable in the GTOAT tourney.


The point is – if the .562 1988 Twins make it to the Semifinals, it seems like a pretty solid case for lowering the bar for entrance in the GTOAT from the current .599 benchmark.


Probabilities dictate that the truly “best” teams will tend to come out on top if the sample size is large enough. The GTOAT tourney provides an opportunity to compare historical teams in that framework.


Of course, we’ll also find ways to improve the process. That’s why GTOAT I has a Roman numeral. Just like World War I.

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LEAGUE 1

2001 Mariners
116-46
Lost ALCS in five games to Yankees
HOF – Edgar Martinez
Notable – John Olerud (.302, 21 HR), Bret Boone (.331, 37 HR), Ichiro Suzuki (.350, 8 HR, 56 SB), Freddy Garcia (18-6, 3.05 ERA), Jamie Moyer (20-6, 3.43 ERA)
Originally seeded 6th; .625 in First Chance, 6th

1998 Yankees
114-48
1st in AL East; won World Series in four games over Padres
HOF – Derek Jeter (.324, 19 HR, 30 SB), Tim Raines (.290, 5 HR), Mariano Rivera (1.91 ERA, 36 SV)
Notable -- Bernie Williams (.339, 26 HR), Paul O’Neill (.317, 24 HR)
Originally seeded 9th; .587 in First Chance, 18th

1988 Mets
100-60
1st in NL East; lost NLCS in seven games to Dodgers
HOF – Gary Carter (.242, 11 HR)
Notable – Darryl Strawberry (.269, 39 HR), David Cone (20-3, 2.22 ERA), Dwight Gooden (18-9, 3.19 ERA), Bob Ojeda (10-13, 2.88 ERA), Sid Fernandez (12-10, 3.03 ERA), Ron Darling (17-9, 3.25 ERA), Randy Myers (1.72 ERA, 26 SV)
Originally seeded 136th; .571 in First Chance, 30th

1999 Astros
97-65
1st in NL Central; lost division series in four games to Braves
HOF – Jeff Bagwell (.304, 42 HR, 30 SB), Craig Biggio (.294, 16 HR, 28 SB)
Notable – Carl Everett (.325, 25 HR), Mike Hampton (22-4, 2.90 ERA), Jose Lima (21-10, 3.58 ERA), Billy Wagner (1.57 ERA, 39 SV)
Originally seeded 300th; .564 in First Chance, 42nd

1988 Twins
91-71
2nd in AL West
HOF – Bert Blyleven (10-17 5.43 ERA), Steve Carlton, Kirby Puckett (.356, 24 HR)
Notable – Kent Hrbek (.312, 25 HR), Gary Gaetti (.301, 28 HR), Alan Anderson (16-9, 2.45 ERA), Frank Viola (24-7, 2.64 ERA)
Wildcard team, but would have been seeded 366th by win percentage; .557 in First Chance, 54th

1952 Yankees
95-59
1st in AL; won World Series in seven games over Dodgers
HOF – Yogi Berra (.273, 30 HR), Mickey Mantle (.311, 23 HR), Johnny Mize (.263, 4 HR), Phil Rizzuto (.254, 2 HR)
Notable – Allie Reynolds (20-8, 2.06 ERA), Eddie Lopat (10-5, 2.53 ERA), Vic Raschi (16-6, 2.78 ERA), Tom Morgan (5-4, 3.07 ERA)
Originally seeded 173rd; .542 in First Chance, 87th

1967 Cardinals
101-60
1st in NL; won World Series in seven games over Red Sox
HOF – Lou Brock (.299, 21 HR, 52 SB), Steve Carlton (14-9, 2.98 ERA), Orlando Cepeda (.325, 25 HR), Bob Gibson (13-7, 2.98 ERA)
Notable – Curt Flood (.335, 5 HR), Dick Hughes (16-6, 2.67 ERA)
Originally seeded 128th; .521 in First Chance, 127th; .534 in Second Chance, 6th in tourney


1958 Yankees
92-62-1
1st in AL; won World Series in seven games over Braves
HOF – Yogi Berra (.266, 22 HR), Whitey Ford (14-7, 2.01 ERA), Mickey Mantle (.304, 42 HR), Enos Slaughter (.304, 4 HR)
Notable – Bob Turley (21-7, 2.97 ERA, Don Larsen (9-6, 3.07 ERA)
Originally seeded 305th; .549 in First Chance, 69th; .525 in Second Chance; .548 in Last Chance, 6th in tourney


LEAGUE 2

1955 Dodgers
98-55-1
1st in NL; won World Series in seven games over Yankees
HOF – Roy Campanella (.318, 32 HR), Gil Hodges (.289, 27 HR), Sandy Koufax (2-2, 3.02 ERA), Tommy Lasorda, Pee Wee Reese (.282, 10 HR), Jackie Robinson (.256, 8 HR), Duke Snider (.309, 42 HR)
Notable – Carl Furillo (.314, 26 HR), Don Newcombe (20-5, 3.20 ERA)
Originally seeded 82nd; .602 in First Chance, 12th

1993 Phillies
97-65
1st in NL East; lost World Series in six games to Blue Jays
HOF – N/A
Notable – Lenny Dykstra (.305, 19 HR, 37 SB), Terry Mulholland (12-9, 3.25 ERA)
Originally seeded 284; .579 in First Chance, 24th

1998 Braves
106-56
1st in NL East; lost NLCS in six games to Padres
HOF – Tom Glavine (10-6, 2.47 ERA), Chipper Jones (.313, 34 HR), Greg Maddux (18-9, 2.22 ERA), John Smoltz (17-3, 2.90 ERA)
Notable – Javy Lopez (.284, 34 HR), Andres Galarraga (.305, 44 HR), Andruw Jones (.271, 31 HR, 27 SB)
Originally seeded 56th; .565 in First Chance, 36th

1944 Cardinals
105-49-3
HOF – Stan Musial (.347, 12 HR)
Notable – Johnny Hopp (.336, 11 HR), Mort Cooper (22-7, 2.46), Ted Wilks (17-4, 2.64 ERA), Max Lanier (17-12, 2.65), Harry Brecheen (16-5, 2,85 ERA)
Originally seeded 21st; .561 in First Chance, 48th

2011 Rangers
96-66
1st in AL West; lost World Series in seven games to Cardinals
HOF – Adrian Beltre (.296, 32 HR)
Notable – Ian Kinsler (.255, 32 HR), Josh Hamilton (.298, 25 HR), Nelson Cruz (.263, 29 HR), Michael Young (.338, 11 HR)
Originally seeded 317th; .546 in First Chance, 75th

1977 Yankees
100-62
1st in AL East; won World Series in six games over Dodgers
HOF – Catfish Hunter (9-9, 4.71 ERA), Reggie Jackson (.286, 32 HR)
Notable – Graig Nettles (.255, 37 HR), Mickey Rivers (.326, 12 HR), Ron Guidry (16-7, 2.82 ERA)
Originally seeded 172nd; .520 in First Chance, 131st

1913 Giants
101-51-4
HOF – Rube Marquard (23-10, 2.50 ERA), Christy Mathewson (25-11, 2.06 ERA)
Notable – Larry Doyle (.280, 5 HR, 38 SB), Jeff Tesreau (22-13, 2.17 ERA), Al Demaree (13-4, 2.21 ERA)
Originally seeded 42nd; .556 in First Chance, 55th; .527 in Second Chance, 12th in tourney

1960 Yankees
97-57-1
1st in AL; lost World Series in seven games to Pirates
HOF – Yogi Berra (.276, 15 HR), Whitey Ford (12-9, 3.08 ERA), Mickey Mantle (.275, 40 HR)
Notable – Bill Skowron (.309, 26 HR), Roger Maris (.283, 39 HR), Art Ditmar (15-9, 3.06 ERA)
Originally seeded 116th; .513 in First Chance, 155th; .536 in Last Chance, 12th in tourney

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The 2001 Mariners enter Pool 6 as the favorite after posting a .625 win percentage in the First Chance. The Mariners have the bats, with Edgar Martinez (.306, 23 HR), John Olerud (.302, 21 HR), Bret Boone (.331, 37 HR) and Ichiro Suzuki (.350, 56 SB). The question will be if the pitching staff is deep enough behind Freddy Garcia (18-6, 3.05 ERA) and Jamie Moyer (20-6, 3.43 ERA).


The same can be said about the 1955 Dodgers, who are looking to join the ’52 and ’53 Dodgers in the Semifinals. The Dodgers rose from the 82nd seed to put up the 12th-best win percentage in the First Chance. They have Roy Campanella (.318, 32 HR), Gil Hodges (.289, 27 HR), Duke Snider (.309, 42 HR) and Carl Furillo (.314, 26 HR), backed by the arms of Sandy Koufax (2-2, 3.02 ERA) and Don Newcombe (20-5, 3.20 ERA).


As dominant as the Yankees have been in the GTOAT tourney, with 22 teams in the 100-team Quarterfinals, the most modern Yanks squad to qualify for the Semis so far is from 1954. And of the eight Yankees teams already qualified for the Semis, the ’54 squad is the only post-war Yanks team to do so.


Four teams get the last chance to extend the dynasty in Pool 6 – the 1958 Yankees, 1960 Yankees, 1977 Yankees and the 1998 Yankees. Despite some gaudy offensive names, these teams look a bit pitching poor, by GTOAT standards, with the exception of the ’58 squad, which might have the pitching but lacks bats.


An earlier Yanks team, the 1952 Yankees, is also in Pool 6, and they appear to have a rotation that makes ‘em a GTOAT contender -- Allie Reynolds (20-8, 2.06 ERA), Eddie Lopat (10-5, 2.53 ERA), Vic Raschi (16-6, 2.78 ERA), Tom Morgan (5-4, 3.07 ERA). But other than Mickey Mantle (.311, 23 HR) and Yogi Berra (.273, 30 HR), the offense is suspect.


The 1988 Mets are in the same boat. The pitching looks impeccable, with David Cone (20-3, 2.22 ERA), Dwight Gooden (18-9, 3.19 ERA), Bob Ojeda (10-13, 2.88 ERA), Sid Fernandez (12-10, 3.03 ERA), Ron Darling (17-9, 3.25 ERA) and Randy Myers (1.72 ERA, 26 SV). But can Darryl Strawberry (.269, 39 HR) drive in enough runs to keep ‘em in contention?


The 1998 Braves are a team that may have the full package: Lights-out pitching from HOFers Tom Glavine (10-6, 2.47 ERA), Greg Maddux (18-9, 2.22 ERA) and John Smoltz (17-3, 2.90 ERA), plus plenty of offense from the likes of Chipper Jones (.313, 34 HR), Javy Lopez (.284, 34 HR), Andres Galarraga (.305, 44 HR) and Andruw Jones (.271, 31 HR, 27 SB).


Although lacking the Braves’ outstanding rotation, the 1999 Astros are a similarly balanced squad. Mike Hampton (22-4, 2.90 ERA), Jose Lima (21-10, 3.58 ERA) and Billy Wagner (1.57 ERA, 39 SV) provide the arms, with the offense coming from HOFers Jeff Bagwell (.304, 42 HR, 30 SB) and Craig Biggio (.294, 16 HR, 28 SB), with help from Carl Everett (.325, 25 HR).


Believe it or not, not a single Phillies team has qualified for the Semifinals yet. And the 1993 Phillies come in as a bit of a question mark. Originally seeded 284th, they went .579 in the First Chance, 24th in the tournament. And yet they can’t boast of attention-grabbing individual performances, other than Lenny Dykstra (.305, 19 HR, 37 SB) and Terry Mulholland (12-9, 3.25 ERA).


It seems few teams have had success in the GTOAT tourney without dominant pitching, but the 2011 Rangers may have enough power to pull it off. It will be up to Adrian Beltre (.296, 32 HR), Ian Kinsler (.255, 32 HR), Josh Hamilton (.298, 25 HR), Nelson Cruz (.263, 29 HR) and Michael Young (.338, 11 HR). This is one of only two Rangers teams to qualify for the GTOAT tourney (2010 was the other), and the last one standing.

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Standings after three seasons of play (pennants and championships in parentheses):


--- 2001 Mariners .548 (2-0)
4 1913 Giants .539 (2-1)
6 1993 Phillies .535 (1-1)
8 2011 Rangers .530
12 1955 Dodgers .522
12 1998 Braves .522
17 1988 Mets .511 (1-1)
18 1998 Yankees .509
24 1958 Yankees .496
26 1952 Yankees .491
26 1999 Astros .491
30 1944 Cardinals .483
31 1988 Twins .481
33 1967 Cardinals .476
50 1960 Yankees .439
54 1977 Yankees .431

Bret Boone finished second and third in MVP voting as the 2001 Mariners won two pennants and eked out a 4-game lead atop Pool 6 in the GTOAT Quarterfinals.


In second place are the 1913 Giants, seeking to join the 1911 and 1912 versions of the club in the Semifinals. The ’13 Giants were seeded 42nd at the start of the tourney, but dropped to the 84th seed in the Quarters. Rube Marquard has two third-place finishes for Pitcher of the Year.


Darren Daulton (.277, 31 HR) won an MVP for the 1993 Phillies, lurking in third place just six games back. They’re closely followed by the longshot 2011 Rangers, who rode two MVP performances from Mike Napoli (.294, 37 HR and .318, 42 HR) and a runner-up finish by Ian Kinsler to a .530 win percentage. The Rangers were seeded 317th at the start of the tourney. If they make it to the Semis, they would be the second-lowest seed to advance. (The 2018 Dodgers were seeded 361st.)


The 1998 Yankees have a shot at becoming the only post-‘50s Yanks team to make the Semis. The Yanks are in eighth place, just 18 games back, with a .509 win percentage.


Anything greater than a .498 win percentage will likely qualify for the Semis. Eight teams in Pool 6 are currently playing above that level. If that prevails, only two of the five teams who previously completed pool play at .497 would advance.


The 1988 Twins, the only wildcard team to make the Quarters, entered pool play hoping to make a case to lower the barrier for entry in the GTOAT tourney. That bid is not going well. The Twins are at .481.

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Standings after six seasons of play (pennants and championships in parentheses):



GB
--- 1998 Braves .535 (1-1)
1 1913 Giants .534 (2-1)
3 1993 Phillies .531 (1-1)
9 2001 Mariners .525 (2-0)
14 2011 Rangers .519
15 1988 Mets .518 (2-2)
19 1944 Cardinals .514 (2-1)
21 1955 Dodgers .512
26 1999 Astros .506
29 1952 Yankees .503 (1-0)
29 1958 Yankees .503 (1-0)
39 1967 Cardinals .492
52 1988 Twins .478
55 1998 Yankees .475
85 1960 Yankees .443
112 1977 Yankees .413

Greg Maddux (29-9, 2.60 ERA) won his second Pitcher of the Year award and Chipper Jones was an MVP runner-up as the 1998 Braves surged from a fifth-place tie to first place over the last three seasons.


The Braves are clinging to a one-game lead over the 1913 Giants.


The 1993 Phillies remain in third place, but have cut the deficit from six games to three. More importantly, their .531 win percentage with only four seasons remaining means it’s highly likely they’ll become the first and only Phillies team to make it to the Semis. John Kruk got an MVP (.312, 25 HR).


The 2001 Mariners slid from first place and a .548 win percentage after three seasons to fourth place and just .525 after six, and they’ll need to steady the ship to avoid sinking out of contention.


An amazing 11 teams are playing .503 or better after six seasons. If that somehow holds, it would upend the expectations of teams hoping to sneak into the Semifinals. Five teams have already completed pool play with .497 win percentages, and it appeared at least two of those teams would advance. Under the new scenario, five teams would finish at .503, and only four of those would advance. The .497 teams would be eliminated.


The 1998 Yankees, seeking to become the only post-‘50s Yanks team to make the Semis, had two absolutely disastrous seasons and plummeted from a .509 win percentage after three seasons to .475 after six. They experienced this futility even though Bernie Williams earned his second and third MVPs (.330, 40 HR and .315, 27 HR).


The 2011 Rangers have slipped to a .519 win percentage, but they’re still in good shape to become the second-lowest seed (317th) to make it to the Semis. Mike Napoli (.311, 31 HR) picked up his third MVP.


The 1944 Cardinals won two pennants and a championship while improving their mark from .483 to .514 over the last three seasons. They’re looking to join the ’42 and ’43 squads as the only Cards team in the Semifinals. Max Lanier took home two Pitcher of the Year awards (26-10, 2.45 ERA and 22-10), and Stan Musial (.346, 20 HR) got an MVP.


The 1999 Astros improved from .491 to .506 over the last three seasons. The 1952 Yankees won a pennant and went from .491 to .503. The 1958 Yankees improved from .496 to .503, with Mickey Mantle (.296, 39 HR) getting his second MVP.

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Standings after nine seasons of play. (Pennants and championships in parentheses.)


GB

--- 1944 Cardinals .537 (4-2)
7 1913 Giants .532 (3-2)
11 1998 Braves .529 (1-1)
23 1999 Astros .520 (1-0)
24 1993 Phillies .519 (1-1)
26 1988 Mets .518 (3-3)
38 2001 Mariners .509 (2-0)
38 2011 Rangers .509
40 1955 Dodgers .508
44 1952 Yankees .505 (1-0)
57 1988 Twins .496 (1-0)
58 1967 Cardinals .495
61 1958 Yankees .493 (1-0)
99 1998 Yankees .465
122 1960 Yankees .449
165 1977 Yankees .418

Mort Cooper won his second and third Pitcher of the Year awards (24-9, 2.75 ERA and 22-9, 2.70 ERA) as the 1944 Cardinals surged to a seven-game lead atop Pool 6 with one season to go. Walker Cooper (.330, 34 HR) added an MVP. Over the last three seasons, the Cards jumped from seventh place with a.514 win percentage to first place at .537.

The 1913 Giants cling to second place with a very respectable .532 win percentage despite zero attention-getting individual performances.

Greg Maddux (23-16, 3.37 ERA) got his second POTY for the 1998 Braves, who hung on to third place, 11 games behind the leader.

The top three teams are joined by three others who have nearly guaranteed themselves a spot in the Semifinals – the 1988 Mets, the 1993 Phillies and the 1999 Astros. Jeff Bagwell (.286, 34 HR) got his second MVP, and Carl Everett was an MVP runner-up for the Astros. Shane Reynolds (19-13, 3.41 ERA) won a POTY for the ‘Stros, while teammates Billy Wagner and Mike Hampton finished second and third in the voting the same season. David Cone was a POTY runner-up for the Mets. Lenny Dykstra and John Kruk finished third and fourth in MVP voting one season for the Phils.

Here’s where it gets interesting: Four more teams are close to being “comfortably” above .500, which would lock down the last four remaining slots in the Semis. Barring disaster, the 1952 Yankees, 1955 Dodgers, 2001 Mariners and 2011 Rangers are in. Bret Boone (.340, 39 HR) got an MVP for the Mariners. Mike Napoli got his fourth MVP for the Rangers.

If all 10 teams currently over .500 maintain that status, all will qualify, and the 48-team Semifinal will be filled by teams with winning records. There are 38 teams that have already completed pool play with win percentages of .503 and above.

But it may not be quite that simple. Three more teams are within striking distance of .500 – the 1958 Yankees, 1967 Cardinals and 1988 Twins.

The Twins, of course, are the only wildcard team to make the tournament. Frank Viola strung together three straight POTY awards (22-11, 2.91 ERA and 22-11, 3.48 ERA in two of the last three seasons), and Kirby Puckett (.370, 25 HR) picked up an MVP as the Twins won their first pennant. Seeming out of contention three seasons ago, they need 83 wins in the final season to finish at .500 and have a chance at advancing. But they've only accomplished that twice in nine seasons.

Despite Bob Gibson winning three POTY awards in the first nine seasons, the ’67 Cards have faded badly the last two campaigns and will need a 94-win final season to hit .500. That would leave the war-era Cards of Stan Musial as the only representatives of the franchise in the Semis.

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Final standings after 10 seasons of play (pennants and championships in parentheses):


GB
--- 1944 Cardinals .534 (4-2)
1 1913 Giants .534 (3-2)
11 1998 Braves .527 (1-1)
19 1993 Phillies .522 (1-1)
24 1999 Astros .519 (1-0)
31 2011 Rangers .514 (1-0)
34 1988 Mets .512 (3-3)
40 1952 Yankees .508 (1-0)
44 2001 Mariners .506 (2-0)
50 1955 Dodgers .502
58 1958 Yankees .496 (1-0)
63 1988 Twins .494 (1-0)
65 1967 Cardinals .492
93 1998 Yankees .474 (1-1)
134 1960 Yankees .447
177 1977 Yankees .419

Strong pitching helped the 1944 Cardinals cling to first place by just one game after 10 seasons of play (1,540 games). Max Lanier and Mort Cooper each won three Pitcher of the Year awards. The duo finished second and third in voting for the pool’s top pitcher.


The 1913 Giants finished second. Rube Marquard was 10th in voting for top pitcher in the pool.


Greg Maddux was voted the pool’s top pitcher, helping the 1998 Braves finish just 11 games back, in third place. Chipper Jones was 13th in league MVP voting.


Ten teams finished above .500, meaning all qualified for the Semifinals. It also means the door is closed for five teams that were hoping to advance despite finishing .497 in pool play.


Mike Napoli (2011 Rangers) won five MVPs and was named the pool’s top player. The Rangers finished sixth, becoming the franchise's only representative in the Semis.


The 1988 Twins, the only wildcard team to make the Quarterfinals, fell short of moving on. But the Twins acquitted themselves well, playing .494 ball. Frank Viola edged Whitey Ford for top pitcher in his league, and finished fourth in voting for the pool’s top pitcher. Kirby Puckett, Gary Gaetti and Kent Hrbek finished fifth, 10th and 11th in voting for their league’s MVP.

Most Valuable Players
Ranked by total MVP votes. Number of seasonal awards listed after team.
1383 Mike Napoli (2011 Rangers) 5
1238 Jeff Bagwell (1999 Astros) 3
1001 Bret Boone (2001 Mariners) 1
777 Mickey Mantle (1958 Yankees) 2
772 Kirby Puckett (1988 Twins) 1
728 Roy Campanella (1955 Dodgers)
654 Mickey Mantle (1960 Yankees) 1
648 Duke Snider (1955 Dodgers)
645 Lenny Dykstra (1993 Phillies)
635 Mickey Mantle (1952 Yankees)
626 Orlando Cepeda (1967 Cardinals)
600 Stan Musial (1944 Cardinals) 1
590 Chipper Jones (1998 Braves)
468 Yogi Berra (1952 Yankees)
460 Carl Everett (1999 Astros)

Most Valuable Pitchers
Ranked by total Pitcher of the Year votes. Number of seasonal awards listed after team.
815 Greg Maddux (1998 Braves) 3
626 Max Lanier (1944 Cardinals) 3
481 Mort Cooper (1944 Cardinals) 3
429 Frank Viola (1988 Twins) 3
424 Whitey Ford (1958 Yankees) 1
412 Bob Gibson (1967 Cardinals) 3
272 David Cone (1998 Mets) 1
255 Dick Hughes (1967 Cardinals) 1
211 Ron Guidry (1977 Yankees)
143 Mike Hampton (1999 Astros)
143 Rube Marquard (1913 Giants)

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Get yer programs!

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We started with 384 teams. Now, after nearly half a million simulated games, here's the ranking of top 100 teams after the Quarterfinal tournament.

The top 48 teams move on to the Semifinals. They'll be split into three pools of 16 teams, then put through 10 seasons of play. The 16 teams with the best winning percentages will move on to the Finals.

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So, there’s 48 teams in the Semifinals, right? Well, you could just as easily say there are about 28 teams, with multiple versions of some.


Our Semifinals will include eight dynasties, which we’ll loosely define as at least three teams of similar vintage with pretty much the same core roster. Here’s who we’re talking about:

Pirates -- 1902, 1905, 1909
Cubs -- 1906, 1909, 1910
Giants -- 1911, 1912, 1913
Yankees -- 1936, 1937, 1939, 1941, 1942
Cardinals -- 1942, 1943, 1944
Dodgers -- 1952, 1953, 1955
Orioles -- 1969, 1970, 1971
Dodgers -- 2017, 2018, 2019

Now, it’s important to point out that two Yankees teams were excluded from the dynasty above. The 1932 squad had Babe Ruth, and that simple fact makes it an entirely different team than those that followed, although there are other differences, as well. And the 1943 team was considerably different than the ’42 version, after the departure of HOFers Joe DiMaggio, Lefty Gomez, Phil Rizzuto and Red Ruffing. I guess you could split it into two dynasties – ’32, ’36, ’37 and ’39, and 1941-43 … but you get the point. (And you could argue for excluding the ’42 squad because it was competing against diminished war-era competition – but that excludes the fact the ’42 squad was pretty much the same as the pre-war ’41 outfit.)

Anyway, there are dynasties. But it’s interesting that dynasties – at least in our definition – appeared to have passed into extinction before the recent Dodgers teams.

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Well … it looks like another “Homer Hillebrand” issue has come to light, only this time from the offensive side of the equation.


If you came in late, the issue of OOTP managers using pitchers that had no business being in the starting rotation was first talked about in Post #59, back on page 3 of this thread. As a result, it’s become routine to make sure each team’s rotation consists of the four pitchers who started the most games IRL. (There are some minor exceptions, but you get the idea: Let’s see how these teams do with the players they actually used the most.)


I was aware that “Homer” situations could be happening with lineups, but kind of brushed it off on the assumption that it would be difficult for one batter to have the same impact as a starting pitcher. The aforementioned Homer Hillebrand, for example, won six Pitcher of the Year awards and finished second four more times in 10 seasons … even though there were seven other pitchers on his team who started more games than he did IRL that year. His real-life workload did not in any way validate him as a top four starter, and taking advantage of statistics that were generated from a small sample size is simply unfair.



But the recent recap of Season 5 revealed two players who had an outsized impact after being inserted into the starting lineup when they didn’t really belong there. We’re talking about Mike Donlin of the 1911 Giants, and Sammy Byrd of the 1932 Yankees.


Donlin was with the Giants for only 12 games in 1911. OOTP has him as the starting CF. Fred Snodgrass, who started 151 games IRL for the Giants, got just 18 starts from the OOTP manager. Donlin was .333 with 1 HR in his 12 games with Brooklyn, but boasted a .583 slugging percentage in that short frame. That translated into .318 with 20 HR as a full-time starter in OOTP, good enough to finish 11th in MVP voting. Snodgrass was .294 with 1 HR as a starter in 1912. He was .325 with 1 HR in 140 plate appearances in OOTP. That’s nothing to sneeze about, but I imagine Donlin’s left-handed bat may have been more important to the OOTP manager. Understandable, but not acceptable for a guy that played considerably less than 10 percent of that team’s games IRL.


Sammy Byrd started 44 games but appeared in 105 for the 1932 Yankees, often in CF in relief of 33-year-old Earle Combs, who was in his penultimate year as a starter. OOTP turned Byrd into a full-time starter at the expense of Ben Chapman. Chapman started 149 games IRL, hitting .299 with 10 HR. OOTP gave him just 28 starts (.271, 4 HR in 197 plate appearances). Byrd parlayed his extra 98 starts into a .282, 20 HR performance in 619 plate appearances (close to triple the PA he logged IRL) and finished fourth in MVP balloting.



So … Season 6 of Pool 1 is already in the books, and the recap will be coming soon. But starting in Season 7, all lineups will be checked to make sure they’re composed of legitimate starters, a process that will continue to the end of the GTOAT tourney. This will likely slow things down a bit, but it will hopefully move us closer to the goal of getting a better idea how these teams may have fared if a tourney such as this was possible in real life.