Historical Teams from Different Seasons

[hvs1717]

I have been curious about trying something like this for some time and decided to try this as a career league. The universe starts on Feb 23, 1983 with 26 teams just like in 1983. The same leagues and the same divisions with one change. Instead of the actual 83 team each team will be one of their best (or my favorite) throughout their history. I was born in 69 so a lot of the teams are from the 70s and 80s but I tried to get some older and newer teams. But I didn't go back to before teams had minor league systems. Here are the standings with each team to start. I will introduce everyone to the different teams by division, starting with the AL East.

[hvs1717]

American League East
1979 Baltimore Orioles - For me it was either going to be the 69 or 79 Orioles. Being the Mets fan that I am, there was no way I was bringing in the 69 Orioles without the 69 Mets. Baltimore went 102-57 in 1979 losing the World Series to the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3. Baltimore was led by RF Ken Singleton 35 hr 111 rbi .295 avg. Youngsters 1B Eddie Murray (23) 25 hr 99 rbi .295 avg and LF Gary Roenicke (24) 25 hr 64 rbi .261 avg were among the team leaders. The pitching staff was led by Mike Flanagan (23-9, 3.08 ERA). The Orioles also have a young talent in the minors, including Cal Ripken.

1946 Boston Red Sox - This one really hurt me to pick. Jim Rice is one of my favorite players of all time. I really wanted the 77/78 era teams with Rice, Lynn, Hobson, Yaz, Evans but again had to go outside my era. So if that was the case the only choice that I had was the 46 Sox. The 1946 Sox went 104-50 and lost to St Louis 4-3 in the World Series in 1946. Ted Williams led Boston with 38 hr 123 rbi .342 avg. 2B Bobby Doerr (28) 18 hr 116 rbi .271 avg and 1B Rudy York 17 hr 119 rbi .276 avg also each drove in over 100 runs. The pitching staff was led by Dave Ferriss (25-6, 3.25 ERA), Tex Hughson (20-11, 2.75 ERA) and Mickey Harris (17-9, 3.64 ERA)

1995 Cleveland Indians - Finished 100-44 and lost World Series to Atlanta 4-2. The Indians had 4 players with 25 or more home runs. Cleveland was led by LF Albert Belle 50 hr 126 rbi .317 avg, RF Manny Ramirez 31 hr 107 rbi .308 avg, CF Kenny Lofton 7 hr 53 rbi .310 54 sb and 3B Jim Thome 25 hr 73 rbi .314. The pitching staff was led by Orel Hershiser (16-6, 3.87) Charles Nagy (16-6, 4.55) and Dennis Martinez (12-5, 3. 08) and had an elite closer in Jose Mesa (3-0, 1.13 era 46 sv)

1968 Detroit Tigers - I really, really wanted to bring in the 84 Tigers but I was really trying to get a few teams not from that era so I went with the 1968 Tigers. They went 103-59 and won the World Series over St Louis 4-3. Led by the last 30 game winner in MLB history, Denny McLain (31-6, 1.96 era 280 ks) and Mickey Lolich (17-9, 3.19 era 197 ks) had solid pitching. The Tigers had 4 players with 20 or more HRs led by Willie Horton 36 hr 85 rbi .285 avg and still had an aging Al Kaline coming off the bench.

1982 Milwaukee Brewers - In my mind, this was the only Brewers team that could be included. They went 95-67 and lost the World Series 4-3 to St Louis. They were so much fun. They started the season 23-24 and fired their manager, Buck Rodgers. They hired Harvey Kuenn and went 72-43 the rest of the way. The Brewers just mashed the ball in 82 with CF Gorman Thomas 39 hr 112 rbi .245, LF Ben Oglivie 34 hr 102 rbi .244, 1B Cecil Cooper 32 hr 121 rbi .313 and SS Robin Yount 29 hr 114 rbi .331 14 sb all hit 29 or more hrs. Plus C Ted Simmons hit 23 hr 97 rbi .269, 3B Paul Molitor 19 hr 71 rbi .302 avg 41 sb had all star caliber seasons. The Pitching Staff wasn't too bad either, led by Pete Vuckovich (also known as Clu Haywood in the movie Major League) (18-6, 3.34) and Rollie Fingers (5-6, 2.60 29 sv)

1961 New York Yankees - I really, really wanted the 77 Yankees but again I was trying for some diversity. I couldn't do the 27 Yankees because I wanted teams with more in depth minor leagues if possible. So if I can't have Babe Ruth, then Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris competing for the HR record will have to do. The 61 team went 109-53 and dominated the Reds 4-1 in the World Series. Besides Maris 61 hr 141 rbi .269 avg and Mantle 54 hr 128 rbi .317 avg, the Yankees were led by 1B Bill Skowron 28 hr 89 rbi .267 avg, C Elston Howard 21 hr 77 rbi .348 avg, LF Yogi Berra 22 hr 61 rbi .271 avg. Not to be outdone, Whitey Ford led the pitching staff going 25-4 with a 3.21 era and 209 ks.

1985 Toronto Blue Jays - This was a really fun team with a lot of young talent heading into the best decade of Toronto baseball. The Jays were led by LF George Bell 28 hr 95 rbi .274 avg 21 sb, RF Jesse Barfield 27 hr 84 rbi .289 avg 22 sb, C Ernie Whitt 19 hr 64 rbi .245 avg, CF Lloyd Moseby 18 hr 70 rbi .259 37 sb. They also had a 21 year old Cecil Fielder in their minor league system.

[hvs1717]

American League West

1979 California Angels - Probably my favorite Angels team of all time. They only won 88 regular season games but and lost to Baltimore in the ALCS 3-1 so they aren't one of the best teams in here but they had Nolan Ryan and Rod Carew. The Angels had a ton of hitters led by LF Don Baylor 36 hr 139 rbi .296 avg 22 sb, 2B Bobby Grich 30 hr 101 rbi .294 avg, RF Dan Ford 21 hr 101 rbi .290 avg, DH Willie Mays Aikens 21 hr 81 rbi .280 avg, 3B Carney Lansford 19 hr 79 rbi .287 avg 20 sb, C Brian Downing .326 avg, 1B Carew .318 avg.

1965 Chicago White Sox - I will admit, I know very little about this team. I really wanted the mid 80s Sox led by Ron Kittle and they have very few elite teams in their history. They won 95 games in 65. Every one of their starters hit at least 10 home runs. They had a young Tommie Agee coming up from the minors also. The pitching staff was led by a young 22 year old Tommy John (14-7, 3.09).

1980 Kansas City Royals - George Brett hit .390 this season. They won 97 games and lost the World Series 4-2 to Philadelphia. After leading the AL with 83 stolen bases in 79, Willie Wilson followed up with 79 in 1980. Dennis Leonard (20-11 3.79) and Larry Gura (18-10, 2.95) led the pitching staff, while CL Dan Quisenberry (12-7 3.09 33 sv) was just establishing himself as the best AL closer for the next 5-6 years

1970 Minnesota Twins - Since I couldn't go with Kirby and the last 80s Twins, I went with one of their better teams with a young Rod Carew. The Twins were 98-64 and got swept in the playoffs by Baltimore. Carew hadn't established himself as a starter yet but still hit .366 in only 191 ab. This was still Harmon Killebrew's team with 41 hr 113 rbi .271 avg. The pitching staff also had talent with Jim Kaat, Luis Tiant and a 19 year old Bert Blyleven.

1973 Oakland Athletics - I really wanted a Rickey Henderson team but I couldn't find one I liked so I went with the 73 team, even if they did beat my Mets in the Series. This A's team could hit and pitch with the best of them. The hitting was led by RF Reggie Jackson 32 hr 117 rbi .293 avg 22 sb, 3B Sal Bando 29 hr 98 rbi .287, 1B Gene Tenace 24 hr 84 rbi .259. The A's also had speed with CF Bill North 53 sb and SS Bert Campaneris 34 sb. The pitching staff had 3 20 game winners, Ken Holtzman (21-13 2.97), Catfish Hunter (21-5, 3.34) and Vida Blue (20-9, 3.28), and an elite closer in Rollie Fingers 7-8 1.92 22 sv

1997 Seattle Mariners - I know the team that won 116 games is probably better, but I really wanted Junior and Randy Johnson in this. CF Ken Griffey Jr had one of the all time great seasons with 56 hr 147 rbi .304 avg 15 sb. RF Jay Buhner also hit 40 hr and drove in 109 runs. A Rod was a 21 year old SS showing a glimpse of what is to come with 23 hr 84 rbi .300 avg 29 sb. Besides Randy Johnson (20-4, 2.28 291 ks) Jamie Moyer (17-5, 3.86) and Jeff Fassero (16-9, 3.61) had solid seasons for the Mariners.

1977 Texas Rangers - I didn't include any teams after 2000 so that leaves very few choices for Rangers teams. Led by 3B Toby Harrah 27 hr 87 rbi .263 avg 27 sb and 1B Mike Hargrove 18 hr 69 rbi .305 avg. The pitching staff was solid but not spectacular led by Doyle Alexander (17-11, 3.65), Gaylord Perry (15-12, 3.37 177 ks), Bert Blyleven (14-12, 2.72 182 ks), Dock Ellis (10-6, 2.90).

[hvs1717]

National League East

1984 Chicago Cubs - Won 96 games in the regular season but lost to the Padres in the NLCS. Led by 2B Ryne Sandberg, 1B Leon Bull Durham, C Jody Davis and 3B Ron Cey the Cubbies were a dangerous hitting team. They also had speed in CF Rob Dernier 45 sb and Ryne Sandberg 32 sb. SP Rick Sutcliffe went 16-1 with a 2.69 era. Dennis Eckersley was still a SP at this point and a pretty good one. Lee Smith was a very good closer but not quite as consistent as Bruce Sutter was.

1979 Montreal Expos - Having grown up in this era it had to be an Expos team and not the Nationals. The Expos won 95 games and were led by CF Andre Dawson, C Gary Carter, 3B Larry Parrish, 2B Rodney Scott and RF Ellis Valentine. All of them were 25 or younger. The pitching staff had some talent also with Bill Lee, Steve Rogers, Dan Schatzeder and Ross Grimsley. Elias Sosa was a dominant closer that season also.

1986 New York Mets - My choice was 69 or 86. I had to go with Doc and Darryl over Tom Terrific. This is the team that I hope wins it but we will see. Their minor league system has a ton of talent too.

1976 Philadlephia Phillies - The Phillies won 101 games but again couldn't get past the Big Red Machine to get to the World Series. But I wanted a team with a younger Steve Carlton. And this team has 3B Mike Schmidt, LF Greg Luzinski and CF Garry Maddox entering their primes.

1979 Pittsburgh Pirates - My favorite Pirates team. Won 98 games, and beat Baltimore in the World Series. 39 year old Willie Stargell was NL Co MVP. RF Dave Parker, 3B Bill Madlock, LF Bill Robinson and CF Omar Moreno led the bats, while John Candelaria, Bruce Kison, Jim Bibby and Bert Blyleven, appearing on his 3rd team, and closer Kent Tekulve anchor the pitching staff.

1968 St Louis Cardinals - I had to have Bob Gibson with his 1.12 era in here. They won 97 games and lost the World Series to the Tigers. The lineup was solid with 1B Orlando Cepeda, LF Lou Brock, CF Curt Flood. The pitching staff with Bob Gibson and Steve Carlton was dominant.

[hvs1717]

National League West

1993 Altanta Braves - I really wanted to have a team with Hank Aaron but it was hard to not have this Braves team in here. Not only did it have Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Dave Justice and Ron Gant but Deion Sanders was on that team. I really want to see how he handles full time baseball.

1975 Cincinnati Reds - Won 108 games and the World Series. May be one of the best teams of all time. They were great at almost every position. C Johnny Bench, 1B Tony Perez, 2B Joe Morgan, SS Dave Concepcion, 3B Pete Rose, LF George Foster, CF Cesar Geronimo, RF Ken Griffey.

1986 Houston Astros - I really did not want to put them in here but Houston has so few choices I had to go with this team. Plus if this team makes the playoffs, Mike Scott was scary to see 3 times in a 7 game series.

1977 Los Angeles Dodgers - My favorite Dodgers team. They had hitting and pitching. 4 players with 30 or more home runs - 1B Steve Garvey 33, RF Reggie Smith 32, 3B Ron Cey 30, and LF Dusty Baker 30. Tommy John won 20 games and Don Sutton and Burt Hooton were two of the better starters in the NL.

1962 San Francisco Giants - I got to put a team in with a dominant Willie Mays so that was a no brainer. Willie McCovey was just a talented youngster during 1962. Juan Marichal was the dominant starter and Gaylord Perry was a youngster that hadn't quite figured out the majors.

1984 San Diego Padres - This was one of my easiest choices. A young Tony Gwynn and Kevin McReynolds. Goose Gossage and Graig Nettles, too of my favorite Yankees from 77-78, Steve Garvey was brought over from LA. The pitching staff was solid even if they are not really a well known group.

[hvs1717]

I forgot to mention that I will be playing this in Commissioner mode and I will not be managing a team.

[hvs1717]

It is opening day and the preseason predictions have been released. Only 3 teams are projected to win at least 90 games. The 1977 Rangers are the favorite to win the AL West but with only 87 wins.

1. 1986 Mets 94 wins
2. 1975 Reds 92 wins
3. 1961 Yankees 91 wins


I hope the experts are right.

[hvs1717]

A month into the season and the Mets got off to a 17-4 start and looked like they were going to be dominant. They finished the month on a 7 game losing streak.

There haven't been a lot of injuries but the Astros lost CF Billy Hatcher in spring training for 3-4 months. To make up for the loss of Hatcher they swung a trade with the Atlanta Braves to get Deion Sanders to man CF in his absence.

The Pirates lost 21 year old SP Don Robinson to a UCL injury and is out for 12-13 months.

Early Season Performances:
Steve Avery, 93 Braves 4-0, 0.88 era
Dwight Gooden, 86 Mets 3-2, 1.66 era
Dennis Martinez, 61 Yankees 5-1, 1.75 era
Mike Flanagan, 79 Orioles 4-1, 1.77 era
Earl Wilson, 68 Tigers 4-1, 1.77 era

Joe Morgan, 75 Reds 2 hr 14 rbi .271 avg 20 sb
Willie Mays, 62 Giants 6 hr 21 rbi .380 avg
Mickey Mantle, 61 Yankees 6 hr 17 rbi .374 avg
Jim Sundberg, 77 Rangers .420 avg
Cesar Tovar, 70 Twins .419 avg

[hvs1717]

I decided to sim next up to the All Star Break.

Surprisingly, the 1970 Minnesota Twins have the best record in baseball. My Mets have the best record in the NL so far. I am really surprised at how badly the 97 Mariners are doing.

The NL West has four teams within 1/2 game of each other for the top.

Manny Ramirez (95 Indians) is the only player still hitting above .400 at .407. Ramirez also has a 36 game hitting streak going into the All Star Break.

Wally Backman (86 Mets) leads the NL at .367

Larry Parrish (79 Expos) leads the majors with 19 homers.
Harmon Killebrew (70 Twins) leads the AL in homers 18 and rbis 63.
George Foster (75 Reds) leads the majors 71 rbis.

Mike Scott (86 Astros) (9-4, 1.89) is the only pitcher in either league with an ERA south of 2.00

[hvs1717]

The All Star Rosters were announced for both leagues also

[hvs1717]

All Star Roster Continued:

[italyprof]

Fantastic reporting of a well-designed and great league idea. Thanks ! I would have liked to see the 1977 or 78 Yankees or the 1998 Yankees in there instead - Bill James has a famous essay on why the 1961 Yankees were not a great team - see the RBI totals for Maris and Mantle for example - Richardson and Kubeck were NOT good leadoff hitters, rarely on base, Whitey Ford was the only great pitcher, but they are doing well in your league just as they did in real life. Who knows? I think the 1969 Mets are underrated - certainly they are not an all-time powerhouse like the great 1986 team or the very underrated 1999 team that SHOULD have beaten Atlanta to face the Yankees on more even terms than they did a year later. But the 1969 team dominated baseball the last third of the season, won 100 games, won the division by 8 over a very, very good Cubs team, beat the Atlanta Braves (Aaron, Cepeda, Niekro) in three straight and after losing the opener of course won four straight against an alltime great Orioles team that could not hit the Mets' pitching. I don't think it was just luck, or getting hot at the right time. They had real accomplishments, but they remain highly under-rated.

[splat58]

Cool idea. What's Dennis Martinez doing on the '61 Yanks?

[VitoA]

Exactly what I have been trying to figure out how to do! I just don't see a way of adding just a team from a particular season, i.e just the '27 yankees, etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[moore4807]

Nice Job! will be reading!

[seasideda]

Im playing a similar structure as well, except my league only has teams from the same decade. I started with the greatest teams from the 30's-40's then will do the 50's-60's, 70's-80's and so on. I decided to set it up this way because Im not sure how OOTP handles teams from the 80's vs teams from the 30's. But the world series winners from each league will play the world series from other teams in other decades, so I guess Ill find out.



So far doing it this way I am very happy with the results. I have played 100 games so far and the stats seem to be very much on par with real results with consideration to better hitters facing better pitchers and vise versa, playing in different ballparks etc. so there of course will be some diviation to actual stats.


I did do some work and downloaded each teams roster from BA so I could compare players and teams real life stats vs ootp.



So far my leagues hitting is .273 vs .276 real life, ERA 4.06 vs 3.74, pitchers are completing about 30% of games vs 48% in real life, which would make sense considering the better teams they are facing,

and all the hitting and pitcher leaders are for the most part ranked where they should be. The only issue I see is the lack of Hr's from some of the very top power hitters like Ruth who has only hit 21 hrs in 100 games vs the 60 he hit in '27. So I brought the hr modifier up about 10%. Im using the 1940 season as a base for the modifier.



One thing to note, is I did also include four VERY BAD teams from that era to help normalize the stats a bit. So for example the 1935 boston braves who lost 115 games.


I set the playoffs to a bye for the 1st place AL and NL team and a wildcard game between the 2nd and 3rd place teams from the AL and NL.



So far its been a good race, I have control of the '46 Redsox.