MLB Replay....A new History

[HerbertMcHoover]

So, Horner has an outside shot at 650! This will be very interesting.

[George_Bell]

1995 MLB Regular Season

Here are the top prospects for the 1995 season


Mariano Rivera signs a 1 year deal with the Detroit Tigers. They are loading up. He’ll be a free agent again after this season.


With the addition of Rivera, the Tigers officially have a loaded roster. With 5 titles since 1987, this team has not been withered down to a has been dynasty. They keep reloading. Dwight Gooden and Rivera add to the already fantastic talent base that includes vets Ron Gant, Darryl Strawberry, Bobby Bonilla and Bret Saberhagen. Just a great lineup from top to bottom. Hard to imagine they wont make another World Series.

My Bo Jackson watch continues. The 32 year old Expos star just hit his 400^th career homerun. He’s having the kind of career he should have had. No fake hips in this man. 600 home runs is the goal now. Would put him in elite company!


Quite the battle going on in the AL east at the all-star break. The 3 best records in the AL belong to Baltimore, Detroit and New York, separated by just 2.5 games. I thought Detroit would be running away with the division, but the O’s and Yankees have been right there the whole way. Who is the best team in baseball at the break? The Chicago Cubs have won 60 games, and have a 9.5 game lead.

The somewhat surprising vote lead for this years all-star game, is Doc Goodens Chicago replacement, Ramon Martinez, whose 14-1 at the moment. He will start. Martinez received 3.2 million votes, about 300k more then Greg Maddux, who was second.

Well, that’s weird. Ramon Martinez is the top vote getter, and Dwight Gooden starts instead. BUG!!!

Here are the trades that took place during the 95 season


September begins with a amazing 3 way race in the AL east. Baltimore leads the divison with 79 wins. Detroit is a game and a half back with 77 wins, and the Yankees have 76 wins. Minnesota has a game lead on the White Sox, but both teams records would put them in the playoffs today. The AL west continues to be awful, but Texas is in first place. Over in the NL, Atlanta is hold off a charging Marlins team, who trail by 2 games. The Cubs and Padres have practically clinched.

I’ve found another instance of “HOW THE HELL DOES THE CPU LET THIS GUT PITCH.” Sid Fernandez, former stud pitcher is now 32 years old, pitching in Seattle. Fernandez started this season 0-3, before winning his first game in late April. That was the high point. Heading into September, Fernandez is now 1-14, with an ERA of 8.10 over 23 starts. HOW DOES THE CPU CONTINUE TO START. Do results not matter in OOTP.



Realistically, when you have a pitcher playing this bad, you will give any other pitcher a chance before you keep going back to this guy. This is a problem with the game. Results need to matter more. There’s a reason why players don’t have seasons this bad in real life in general. They aren’t given the chance!!

The Yankees have fallen off, and are now eliminated. Baltimore loses 7 of their last 10, while Detroit wins 7 of their last 10. That sets up the final series of the season between Baltimore and Detroit. The Tigers have a 1 game lead on the Orioles. Also of note, the White Sox trail the Orioles by 1 game for the Wildcard.




Bo Jackson finishes the year with 29 home runs, putting his career total to 419.

Bob Horner finishes his return season in Chicago with just 7 dingers playing a bench role.

Mariano Rivera saves 32 games with a 2.45 ERA for the AL east champs.

[Mike45]

As always, great job.

Just a quick point...you talk about El Sid and the CPU continuing to start him. Isn't there a setting someplace about what the AI evaulation is? It's ratings, current year stats, past year stats, 2 year ago stats.

Maybe jack up current year stats % if you want things like this to stop happening. I think the default places the majority of the weight on ratings.

[HerbertMcHoover]

Every ML Central team is above .500! Also: the power shift of bad divisions shifted to the NL this time -- their version of the West.

[rjl518]

the marlins finished with a .500 record only 4 GB of the braves...here come the fish

[George_Bell]

[George_Bell]

[George_Bell]

Cubs ace Curt Schilling tore his rotators cuff during the NLCS. The best pitcher in the NL will miss the next 9 months at a minimum. Without Schilling, baseballs best team is vulnerable.

The Schilling injury puts these teams on even ground. His pressence would have made the Cubs the favourites, but that ship has sailed. Chicago's offense was better then Minnesota's, but i still like the Twins hitters better. Javy Lopez and Mark McGwire have higher ceilings, and could be difference makers in this series.

[HerbertMcHoover]

I don't know any people in either team's rotation, but the Twins offense looks impressive on paper again.

[George_Bell]

With Curt Schilling out, Scott Bankhead starts the opening game of the World Series. It did not go well. Down early, 2-0, in the second, Ricky Gutierrez found himself up with the bases loaded and hit a World Series Grand Slam. That made it 6-0 Twins. They added another in the third. The Cubs fought back, but the deficit was too big. Twins win game one, 7-5.

A tight, well pitched game. Greg Swindell and Jose de Jesus both did their jobs, giving their teams a chance to win. Javy Lopez and Albert Belle each homered for their respective teams, and heading into the 8^th, we were knotted at 2. In the bottom of the inning, the Cubs Rob Ducey hit a 2-out home run, which was the difference. Cubs ties the series with a 3-2 win.

Bob Horner in the lineup for Chicago, who score early on. Herbert Perry knocks in a run in the first with a double. Horner then comes up with the bases loaded and………walks… 2-0 before the Twins get to the plate. Minnesota was ready. They single 6 times in the inning, scoring 4 runs themselves, and it’s 4-2 after one inning. Back come the Cubs. Troy Neel and Herbert Perry combine for 3 second inning RBI’s, and Chicago leads again 5-4. They took a 7-4 lead before the Twins got 2 late runs, but that’s as close as they would get. 7-6 Cubs and a 2-1 series lead.

Dominant. Steve Trout is dominant, putting in one of the greatest World Series performances of all-time. Trout is perfect through 6 innings before Bret Barberie led off the 7^th with a single. Nick Delvecchio got a 8^th inning ifield single, and that was it. Trout throws 8 innings, allows 2 baserunners on 97 pitches. Struck out 5. Edgar Martinez knocked in two in the 1^st and it held up. Twins win 3-0.

3 batters in, and this seems like every game at this point, it’s 3-0. Todd Greene hits a 3-run shot. The very next inning, Herbert Perry hits a 3 run homer. 6-0 after two. Mark McGwire would hit his first home run of the series, but the lead is too much, and the Cubs cruise to a 8-5 win. They lead the series 3-2.

In the FIRST inning, Troy Neel and Herbert Perry hit back to back home runs. Pitcher Greg Swindell gets one back in the fourth, but Chicago extends the lead back to 2 right after thanks to a Bret Barberie RBI single. The Twins bats stayed cold, Jeff Fassero came on in the ninth, to get a 1-2-3 inning, and clinch the World Series for Chicago. 3-1 Cubs to win in 6 games!!

[George_Bell]

[rjl518]

the north side is loving life right now

[prisonerno6]

I really thought Minnesota had a chance to win.

[HerbertMcHoover]

Shocked but there was a lot of power to go around in the Cubs lineup.

[George_Bell]

[George_Bell]

1995-96 Offseason News and Notes

Bob Horner retires a champion. Sitting on the bench all year was tough to take for the guy whose started 2322 games during his 17 year career. Horner hit well in the regular season when given the chance, but his playoff performance was discouraging. Despite winning the World Series, Horner started 5 games, and played in 11, hitting just .091, without a home run. A sure fire Hall of Famer, at least Horner went home, and went out on top! He finishes with 570 home runs.


Bob Horner

Roy Halladay is the clear cut number 1 pick in the draft. I think there is an ocean of difference between #1 and #2. Great pick by the Mariners. They also pick up Kerry Wood in the 2^nd round. He’s a boom or bust type arm. No clue how that is gonna turn out. Names of interest to this Blue Jays fan, RA Dickey to the Expos and AJ Burnett to the Mets.




I’ve decided there will be no Hall of Fame inductions this year. 4 players were recommended for induction, but I think each player falls a tad short of what it takes to make it. There still a chance ill change my mind in the future, but for the moment, no inductions for the first time in a long time.

Mariano Rivera is a free agent again after signing a 1 year deal with the Tigers. He was very good, and will be a prize this offseason. The top target is Pedro Martinez, who, at 24, is asking initially for almost 11 million a year.



The Braves are buying the best player available. I see them challenging the Cubs. I love the Pirates picking up batting champion Quintana on the cheap. He was overlooked.

Here are the offseason trades. Alot of them this year!



Here's a look at each teams World Series drought. We are 95 seasons into this replay. There is one team who has yet to win a world series, that's been around since the beginning. For those who have been following, any guess before looking?!





Here is OOTP Meet the team feature on the NL Central


Well this is a first. I don’t have any logo or uniform changes to make. No 1996 files, so everything remains the same. Boring offseason!!

[rjl518]

The marlins and the mets made some nice picks...looking forward to the future

[HerbertMcHoover]

Love what the Phillies did. Yanks got Dibble for Nathan. Nervous. Great job on the WS droughts.

[George_Bell]

1996 MLB Preview





Top Player


Top Pitcher


Top Prospect

[George_Bell]

1996 Regular Season

Here are the top prospects for the 1996 season


Oh man, Greg Maddux injures his shoulder and received a devastating diagnosis. Torn UCL, with a minimum of 14 months. That’s all of this season, and realistically, half of next. Huge blow to the Mets and the career of Maddux, which has been going great. He missed all of 1992, and came back to win 2 straight Rube Waddell awards. He’s 29 right now. He’ll be 31 when he throws another pitch. He is a free agent after this season though, so, it’s anyone’s guess where he’ll be playing, as OOTP doesn’t seem to sign guys who are injured. Might be realistic in this case.



Atlanta and their newest prize acquisition Pedro Martinez are off to a very fast start. They win their first 12 games of the season, start April 20-7, and Pedro is 3-0 with a 1.69 era in his first 6 starts. Pedro is earning 6.1 million this year, which is 11^th in all of baseball. Numbers 2 and 3 also reside in Atlanta. Jim Thome, and Eddie Taubensee making 7.6 and 7.4 respectively.

Here are the top earners in baseball


The Pirates Don Mattingly records his 3000^th hit. He’s the 21^st person to accomplish this, but the feat is getting rarer by the day. Before Mattingly, the last person to get to the mark was George Brett, in the 1989 season. Before Brett, it was HOFer Brooks Robinson in the early 70s. So there have only been 3 players accomplish 3000 hits in 30 years now. Interesting.



Again, I will tease the AL east. Baltimore, Detroit, Boston and NY are all atleast 10 games over .500 and separated by just 3 games. It’s anyones race to win unless you’re the Blue Jays.

All star voting is complete. Derrick White is the top vote getter in baseball. The KC 3^rd baseman received 3.1 million votes, 300,000 ahead of the Cubs Todd Greene.


Here are the trades that took place during the 1996 season



I’m going to question this decision. The Red Sox trade Eric Gagne, the number 1 prospect in baseball, along with 25 year old Ozzie Timmons, a decent outfielder, for backup catcher Eric Wedge. CRAZY. I wouldn’t have traded Timmons for Wedge straight up. The Braves commited a crime here. Deal doesn’t make any sense for the Sox. Should Gagne be the top prospect in baseball, no, the game seems to be overvaluing relievers in the prospect charts, but he’s still got a lot of talent. Stupid deal.

As we hit September, Detroit has put a little distance between them and the rest of the division. The White Sox and Rangers have safe division leads also. Baltimore, Boston and NY look like they are fighting for the wildcard. In the NL the Padres have basically clinched, the Phillies look safe, and the Cubs have a 5 game lead on both the Reds and Cardinals. Those two teams are both fighting for the NL wildcard.

3 games remaining in the season. Baltimore and NY have both put together runs to give them a chance in the AL East. The Tigers lead the O’s by 1, and the Yanks by 2. Also, the Orioles lead the Yankees by 1 for the wildcard. NY has won 6 in a row to put give themselves a chance. Lets see how it plays out.







The Tigers win the playoff with Baltimore 9-1 to take the AL East.

Pedro Martinez goes 16-5 with a 3.06 era in his first season with the Braves. Pretty solid in a season where offense was king.

Mattingly hits .298 with 18 home runs ad 100 RBI's. Pretty good for his age 35 season. Mattingly was done by now in real life.

Rusty Greer wins the NL batting title with a .373 mark. That’s the highest single season average since 1936, when Lou Gehrig hit .391. It’s the first time some has hit over .370 since Ted Williams hit .371 in 1943.