Alternative history (1871-2010)

[HonusCobb]

Davey Lopes

Lopes was the 7th pick overall in the 1972 draft by the Mets. He played for a bunch of different ball clubs.

1972-1977 New York Mets
1978-1980 San Francisco Giants
1981 - Minnesota Twins
1982 - Cincinnati Reds
1983-1984 - Cleveland Indians
1985 - St. Louis Cardinals
1986 - Los Angeles Dodgers
1987 - Houston Astros

The only year he made the all-star team was in 73. His career line is .259/.340/.384 with over 1,800 hits and 492 stolen bases.

Despite playing for so many teams, Lopes never played in the postseason. His best season was that 73 season he was an all-star. He hit .290/.369/.410 with 28 doubles, 12 home runs, and 49 stolen bases. Lopes is 4th in Mets history with 229 stolen bases.

Fred Lynn

Lynn was drafted 4th overall in the 1974 class to the Chicago Cubs. He won two gold gloves and was selected to the all-star team five times. He played for three teams in his career:

1974-1979 - Chicago Cubs
1980-1983 - San Francisco Giants
1984-1990 - California Angels

Lynn's career line is .286/.364/.481 with over 2,000 hits and 324 home runs. His best season was his second when he hit .335/.406./.575 with 38 doubles and 17 home runs. Lynn was bothered by injuries much of his career. His highest total of games in any season was 152. He made it to the World Series in 1989 with the Angels but they lost to the Astros. Glen Davis (49 HRs) and a young Brian Giles were also on that team. Their best pitcher was Erik Hanson.

On the Angels leaderboard Lynn is:
8th in On Base Percentage
10th in Slugging Percentage
and 9th in Home runs (143)

Carl Yastzremski

Yaz was the 4th overall pick in the 1961 class for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played his whole career in a Pirate uniform (1961-1983), won the rookie of the year award, one Babe Ruth Award, one Gold Glove Award, and was sent to the all-star game 8 times. His career line is .283/.376/.449 with 2,851 hits and 362 home runs. His best season was 1969 when he hit .331/.443/.455 with 200 hits, 31 home runs, and 17 stolen bases and earned the MVP that season.

The Pirates went to the postseason five times during Yaz's tenure, going to the World Series twice, and winning them both (1968 & 1973).

The Pirates have had some great players so it's tough to get onto any top 10 lists but Yaz is:

3rd in VORP
1st in Games played
Tied for first in runs with Ed Delahanty
1st in hits
1st in total bases
3rd in doubles
3rd in home runs
2nd in RBIs
and 1st in walks

[HonusCobb]

Jim Rice

Rice was selected 6th overall by the Braves in the 74 class. He was an all-star three times. He played for:

1974-1979 - Atlanta Braves
1980-1981 - Los Angeles Dodgers
1982-1984 - Philadelphia Phillies
1985 - Texas Rangers
1986-1988 - Minnesota Twins
1988-1989 - Atlanta Braves (was traded in 88 from Twins to Braves in exchange for Kent Tekulve

His career saw over 2,200 hits, 361 home runs and a line of .290/.345/.552. He made the postseason once with the Phillies in 1983. He hit three home runs and they lost to the Angels in the World Series. His best season was that 83 season with the Phils when he hit .310/.361/.552 with 110 runs, 189 hits, 25 doubles, 39 home runs, and 108 RBIs. His two career highs in home runs were with the Phillies the three years he was there. 38 and 39 in 82 and 83.

Rice's best years were with two franchises that started in 1871 (Braves and Phils) and he wasn't able to get on any of the career leaderboards.

[HonusCobb]

Oh and I just noticed that awkward season rice had in 77. 7 doubles, 5 triples, and 33 home runs.

[thehef]

Cool stuff! Interesting that in some of your screenshots, the players' pic looks a lot like the real person (Ruth, Aaron, for example). Some more than others... But that sure doesn't look like Davey Lopes!!! ;-)

[gglennwill]

Originally Posted by HonusCobb

The player ratings were recalculated every year. Potential ratings were based on remaining years of career. Mostly everything else was default. The only things I messed with was changing the market size when it seemed off. I also added fictionaly crappy players when teams didn't have enough players on their teams. This happened the most early in the simulation.

I'm glad you liked it! I wish people would send me on some research missions though. Any favorite players that you're curious about?

I'm curious how two potential Hall of Famers did, Tim Raines and Jeff Bagwell.

[HonusCobb]

Tim Raines

Raines was drafted as the second overall pick in the 1979 class of rookies. He played for eight different teams totaling 2,754 hits, 885 stolen bases (2nd in MLB history behind Henderson), and a slash line of .289/.378/.416. He was only a 3 time all-star selection and his best season was in 1982. He had a line of .327/.396/.451 with 23 doubles, 8 triples, 10 home runs, 108 stolen bases (!) and 98 RBIs.

Raines made the postseason 7 times with 5 different teams going to the World Series 3 times and winning all three. In 83 with the Angels, 88 with the Tigers, and 98 with the Diamondbacks. He swiped 18 bags in the posteason (being caught 3 times).

He spent his first 7 seasons with the Angels and is:
3rd in batting average (.293)
3rd in OBP (.378)
6th in VORP
10th in games
9th in runs
8th in hits (1,076)
10th in doubles
6th in triples
1st in stolen bases (516)
and 7th in walks

Jeff Bagwell

Bagwell was the third overall pick by the Rangers in the 1991 rookie class. He spent every season but his last in Texas hitting 397 of his 398 career home runs there. His career slash is .293/.390/.504 with 2301 hits. He won rookie of the year, two gold gloves, and was selected to the all-star game six times.

His best season was in 1998 when he hit .322/.429/.553 with 31 doubles, 31 home runs, and 123 RBIs. He and the Rangers made the postseason 8 times including 21 postseason home runs. In 1996 he hit .397/.440/.750 with 6 home runs. He went to the World Series 4 times and won two of them (93 & 97).

On the Texas leaderboards Bagwell is
9th in batting average (.294)
4th in on base percentage (.390)
2nd in slugging percentage (.505)
3rd in VORP
3rd in games
2nd in runs
3rd in hits (2,294)
1st in total bases
3rd in doubles
1st in home runs
1st in RBIs
8th in stolen bases (184)
and 2nd in Walks

[HonusCobb]

In any postseason that a series came down to one last game, I would sim until the 9th inning. Here are the only walk-off hits in postseason history:

1874 WS - Tommy Beals hit a walk off double to help the Baltimore Canaries beat the Brooklyn Atlantics 4 games to 3 after being down 3 games to 0.

1923 WS - Ray Grimes hit a walk off single to give the Brooklyn Robins the championship over the St. Louis Browns.

1931 WS - The 31 World Series saw Ben Chapman hit a walk off home run to lead the New York Giants over the New York Yankees.

Then we had to wait a while...

1973 NLDS - Andy Etchebarren hit a walk off home run to lead the Pirates over the Astros. Pittsburgh would go on to beat Detroit in the World Series.

1994 - This isn't a walk off but I have it written down on my walk off paper. In the first year of the Wildcard the Braves won the NL East with a 77-85 record. They went on to the World Series but lost to the Red Sox 4 games to 2.

1995 NLDS - Damian Easley hit a walk off 2-run home run as the Giants beat the Braves.

1996 ALCS - Walk off 3-run home run by Larry Walker as Texas beat Boston. They lost the World Series in six to Houston.

1997 NL West 1 game playoff - Mario Valdez hit a walk off sacrifice fly to send the Dodgers to the playoffs after beating the Giants

1997 NLDS - Chad Fonville hit a walk off single to lead the AStros over the Braves.

1997 NLCS - Again, not a walk off. But Pedro Martinez threw a 2-hit complete game with 13 strikeouts to lead the Reds over the Astros in game 7.

2003 NLCS - Ron Coomer hit a walk off single to lead the Pirates over their Pennsylvania rivals Philadelphia. The Pirates went on to win the world series. Albert Pujols hit 9 home runs in that postseason.

2005 ALDS - Endy Chavez hit a walk off double with 2 outs to lead the Rays over the White Sox. The Rays went on to win the World Series.

2010 ALDS - Jarrod Dyson hit a walk off home run to put the White Sox over the Red Sox.

2010 NLCS - Chris Young hit a walk-off home run as the Mets beat the Giants. The Mets won the World Series.

Attached are images of players with postseason heroics.

[Skyflame21]

This was a fantastic read. Something that I may just try and start tonight while I wait for OOTP13 to be released.

A couple of finds for me.

Bob Feller
Rance Mulliniks
Derek Jeter
Dwight Gooden
Darryl Strawberry
Deion Sanders
Michael Jordan (did he ever appear?)


A couple of questions

Did you have the players retire according to real life?
How did you make sure that no Fictional Players were used? What settings did you use?
How did the players make it to the Hall of Fame?
- Did you select them or did the CPU elect?


Thanks

[HonusCobb]

I'm glad you liked it. Unfortunately Jordan did not make an appearance. The players did retire according to real life. When you go into the advanced league set up I think you can make sure that no fictional players are used. However, I had to create some to fill some rosters early in the sim (they were awful and didn't amount to anything).

I didn't worry about the Hall of Fame. I just kept the same computer standards that the game has on default. In past sims I elected players in myself but after a certain amount of time it would take me longer than I liked so I deemed it not worth it.

Now to your players

[HonusCobb]

Bob Feller

Rapid Bob pitched the better years of his career with the Chicago Cubs (missing the war years). Then he finished up with the Braves (he was traded there after the 1948 season for catcher Joe Astroth. He was the second overall pick by the Cubs in the 1936 draft class. He finished with 213 wins and 198 losses, 1 Bobby Mathews Award, and 4 all-star appearances.

His outstanding pitcher award was in 1939 when he went 26-11 with 260 K's and a 2.56 ERA. His most impressive "Old Man" season was in 1952 during the Braves last year in Boston. He went 20-17 with a 2.57 ERA.

Feller made it to the World Series 4 times (3 with the Cubs, 1954 with the Braves). The Cubs lost all three championships and he won with the Braves despite not making an appearance in the postseason. He threw 15.2 innings in the regular season. The stars on that 54 championship were Joe Adcock, Roy Campanella, and a young Willie Mays.

On the Cubs all-time list, Feller is:

9th in complete games
7th in shutouts
6th in strikeouts
and 8th in VORP


Rance Mulliniks

Mulliniks was the 10th overall pick in the 77 draft class by the Philadelphia Phillies and was selected to the all-star team three times. His career slash line is .276/.340./.406. He had a really good stretch from 82 to 87 with the Phillies and I'm not sure what his best season was.

He made it to the World Series twice. He lost with the Phillies in 83 and won with the Astros in 89, but he separated his shoulder in mid September and wasn't able to participate in the playoffs.

On Phillies top 10 lists Rance finished:
3rd in VORP (impressive considering how long the Phillies franchise has existed)
3rd in doubles
and 5th in walks


Derek Jeter

Jeter was selected 7th overall by the Orioles in the 1995 draft class. He has had a solid career, making the all-star game 8 times. If I had simmed the 2011 season, he would have broke the 3,000 hits mark. Instead, he's stuck at 2,952 and a career slash line of .310/.377/.438.

He spent his first six seasons in Baltimore but signed on as a free agent with the Twins in 2001. His best season was 2003 when he finished .354/.419/.500 with 215 hits, 35 doubles, and 18 home runs. He would have competed for the Babe Ruth Award if Carlos Beltran hadn't had such a big year for the Rays. He made the postseason 3 times (96, 01, 06) but never made the World Series. He had a 31 game hit streak in 2005 which was ended by his former team the Orioles.

In Baltimore Jeter is:
10th in hit by pitch

In Minnesota:
9th in batting average (.308)
5th in VORP
8th in Games played
8th in runs
3rd in hits (1,868)
7th in total bases
3rd in doubles
10th in RBIs
9th in stolen bases
and 3rd in hit by pitch

[HonusCobb]

Dwight Gooden

Doc was the first overall pick by the Orioles in the 1984 draft class. He finished with one Bobby Mathews Award, one Gold Glove, and three all-star selections. He finished with 216 wins and 192 losses. His outstanding pitcher award season was in 1987 when he went 20-9 with a 2.23 ERA.

He went to the postseason twice, winning the World Series with Baltimore in 1986. Other stars on the team were Alan Trammel, John Kruk, and Todd Worrell.

With the Orioles, Gooden is
5th in wins (182)
4th in games started
5th in shutouts
2nd in strikeouts (behind Larry Dierker)
and 4th in VORP

Darryl Strawberry

Straw was the 6th overall pick by the Giants in the 1983 draft class. He won rookie of the year, one Babe Ruth Award, and was an all-star four times. He played for 4 different teams and hit 438 home runs with a career slash line of .259/.359/.491.

His best season was in 1985 when he won the MVP while playing in only 131 games. He hit .314/.421/.641 with 41 home runs. He played in the postseason twice (90 and 94), losing the World Series with the Braves in 1994. He had an impressive last season hitting 39 home runs with the Angels.

With the Giants he is:
4th in slugging percentage
9th in VORP
and t-5th in home runs (214)

Deion Sanders

Sanders was the 44th overall pick with the Tigers in the 89 draft class. Sanders never won any awards but did hit for the cycle once in 1994. His career line was .258/.327/.398 and stole 50 bases in his only season in Montreal in 1997. He had two good seasons in 93 and 94 (see below).

He made it to the World Series in his final major league season with the Angels. He had one at bat and they lost.

[Skyflame21]

Anything with managers, Did you track that?

Connie Mack
John McGraw

?

[HonusCobb]

Originally Posted by Skyflame21

Anything with managers, Did you track that?

Connie Mack
John McGraw

?

Nope...I didn't have a managers database. I could have made players (i.e. McGraw) managers when they retired which is an interesting idea for the future but I hadn't thought of it at the time.

[dynaboyj]

I request stats for Cal Ripken Jr, Ray Chapman and Roberto Clemente, as well as David Purcey.

Speaking of which, did you include minor leagues in the simulation?

[PW MAX]

Dang. I tried this once before, (Ruth went with the Cubs for me also, but I can't remember where anyone else went). I've never made it all that far, but this is giving me the itch to try it again, just to see what happens.

I love alternate histories.