The 'Golden Age' Returneth

CatKnight · 10-03-2015, 11:32 PM

Introduction

A big part of OOTP is 'What If', and over the years we've seen a number of dynasties where people would add their own players (or historical ones) to the draft and see what happened. Only a few months ago we followed Babe Ruth through a modern career to see what might have become of him in a modern environment.

One of my favorite eras of baseball is the 'Golden Age' immediately after World War II. I've taken five of the greater (if not greatest) players of that era, and will throw them into the modern draft to see what happens. They will be scored/tracked based on their lifetime WAR, their lifetime earnings, and the golden prize: Can they make it back to the Hall of Fame?

May I present our contestants?

All were imported as 18 year olds (except Feller, who joined the Majors at 17), with actual stats and peak years based on the peaks of their careers. How well will they stand up to their modern brethren?

CatKnight · 10-03-2015, 11:32 PM

Bob Feller

Bob Feller (1918-2010) played 18 seasons for the Indians. He played from 1936-1941, then 1945-46 losing four years to the US Navy during World War II.

Feller bypassed the minor leagues, and as mentioned above joined the Indians at age 17. He became the first pitcher to win 24 games in a season before the age of 21. Feller threw no-hitters in 1940, 46 and 51 and helped the Tribe win their last World Series in 1948 as well as a pennant in 1954. Feller led the AL in wins six times, strikeouts seven, and was an eight-time All Star. Sporting News ranked Feller 36th on their list of '100 Greatest Players' and was a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.

Ted Williams called Feller "the fastest and best pitcher I ever saw during my career." Stan Musial believed he was "probably the greatest pitcher of our era." He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 on his first ballot appearance and elected the inaugural President of the Major League Baseball Players' Association. (edited from Wikipedia)

In many ways Feller is the weakest of our five 'contestants.' His 65.2 WAR is good, but lowest of the five, and Warren Spahn beats him in major pitching categories. Nonetheless, Feller has one critical advantage over his fellows: He's at full strength (not to mention younger), while the others will need time to develop.

Feller imports with three great pitches and is working on his changeup. His control seems to be spotty, but should smooth out in the next few years. Can he make it to the Hall of Fame again?
*******

Stan Musial

Stan Musial (1920-2013) was an OF/1B for the Cardinals from 1941-1963, losing only the 1945 season due to service in the US Navy. He's considered to be one of the greatest and most consistent hitters in baseball history and was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1969.

A seven-time batting champion, Musial was named MVP three times, led the Cards to three World Championships, and played in 24 All Star Games, a record shared with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.

Signed by the Cards as a pitcher in 1938, they converted him to outfield before his debut. In Musial's first full season he helped them win the World Series. The next year he earned his first MVP. In 1944 he won his second World Series.

After returning from the War, Musial earned his 2nd MVP and 3rd title in 1946. He earned his third MVP in 1948. After struggling offensively in the late 50s, Musial hired a personal trainer to be able to keep playing until '63. Musial went on to serve as GM for the 67 Champion Cardinals and was named a member of the MLB All Century Team. President Obama presented Musial with a Presidential Medal of Freedom award in 2011. (again, Wikipedia)

Like everyone (but Feller), Musial has a ways to go before he truly reaches his potential. If he follows his historical career progression, Musial will probably peak early, then slowly drop off for the rest of his career.

Musial has good power, but his strength is going to be sheer ability to get on base. Is that enough to get him back to the Hall?
*******

Joe DiMaggio

Joe DiMaggio (1914-1999) played center field for the Yankees from 1936-1951 missing three years due to World War II. He frequently duelled Ted Williams for AL MVP, winning it thrice while appearing in 13 All Star Games. DiMaggio is perhaps best known for his 56 game hitting streak (May 15-July 16, 1941), a record which still stands. During his career the Yankees won ten pennants and 9 World Series Championships.

DiMaggio joined the HoF in 1955, and was voted baseball's greatest living player in a poll taken during the baseball centennial of 1969. (Yep, Wikipedia)

Truthfully, I consider DiMaggio one of our weaker contenders. His 78 WAR is quite good, but his career is a bit short and the accomplishments aren't really there. I suspect at least some of his popularity and awards comes from his association with the dominant team of his era.

Nonetheless, this is not to imply he's a bad player. He has excellent power which should serve well in a modern environment, should walk a fair bit, and as I recall was an outstanding defender. DiMaggio's career may have ended early (age 36), but he never really dropped off until the very end. Longevity should see him through to another invitation to the Hall.

CatKnight · 10-03-2015, 11:32 PM

Warren Spahn

Warren Spahn (1921-2003) was a southpaw who played his entire career in the National League, and all but the last two years with the Boston/Milwaukee Braves. He won 20 or more games in 13 seasons including a 23-7 record at age 42. He won the Cy Young in 1957 and was runner up thrice, which may not sound like much until you remember there was only one award given for both leagues. He joined the Hall of Fame in 1973.

Spahn won 363 games, more than any other left-handed pitcher in history, and more than any other pitcher who played his entire career in the post-1920 live-ball era. He is acknowledged as one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball history. The Warren Spahn Award, given to the major leagues' best left-handed pitcher, is named after him.

Regarded as a "thinking man's" pitcher who liked to outwit batters, Spahn once described his approach on the mound: "Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing." (Wikipedia strikes again)

I consider Spahn a stronger candidate than Feller due to his pitching numbers and WAR, though anything can happen since he starts raw. Certainly his potential is a bit higher, and while the pitches themselves aren't quite as good - they're good enough.

Another potential key, if he follows his historic progression, is Spahn will peak early and drop off late. He won 21 games in 1947 (having lost a few years to World War II) and 23 in 1963. That's eighteen years of potential top-of-the-line performance. Give this version of Spahn a few years to develop and he could be unstoppable.
*******

Ted Williams

Ted Williams (1918-2002) played left field for the Red Sox from 1939-42 and 1946-60, again losing time to the War. He's regarded as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history.

He has the awards to back this claim up: 17 time All Star, 6 time batting champion, 2 Triple Crowns and 2 MVP awards. He might have had more but for the popularity of Joe DiMaggio, and his own penchant for annoying and offending the press.

Joining the Red Sox in 1939, he immediately emerged as one of the sport's best hitters. In 1941, Williams posted a .406 batting average, making him the last MLB player to bat over .400 in a season. He followed this up by winning his first Triple Crown in 1942. He served three years in the US Navy and Marine Corps during World War II. Upon returning in 1946, he won his first MVP and played in his only World Series. In 1947 he won his second Triple Crown. Williams lost part of the 1952 and 53 seasons serving as a Marine combat aviator during the Korean War. In 1957 and 58, at ages 39 and 40, he won the batting title again.

Williams retired in 1960 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966. He managed the Senators/Rangers from 1969-72 and is also a member of the IGFA Fishing H all of Fame. President Bush (Sr.) presented him with a Medal of Freedom in 1991. Williams was selected for the All-Time team in 1997 and the All-Century team in 1999.

Williams should be able to dominate. Like Spahn, his peak begins early and ends late. The only thing that can stand in his way is development, for he starts off pretty raw.

If he reaches his potential though, there's not much he can't do. A power hitter who will maintain a good batting average and should walk a decent amount, he also projects to be a good defender. His one weakness may be speed, but will he really need it to make it back to the Hall?

Let's find out.

Orcin · 10-04-2015, 10:30 AM

That's an excellent selection of players to follow from this era. Looking forward to this one!

Hageneezz · 10-04-2015, 01:22 PM

I`m going to enjoy this! As much as the `League of their own´ thread..

CatKnight · 10-05-2015, 01:44 AM

Orcin: Thanks! I wanted to keep it relatively balanced between batters and pitchers, AL vs. NL. There are many great choices from that era. It would have been hard to find a bad choice.

Hageneezz: Welcome! Do you have a particular player you're going to follow?
*******

Opening Moves: Draft Day 2015

As draft day approached commentators, bloggers, fantasy baseball enthusiasts any number of real, perceived and wannabe experts pored over the lists trying to predict who would play for whom. Even the MLB Network got into the act.

They appreciated Williams' raw power and ability to hit the ball, Musial's interesting batting stance which seemed to work for him regardless, and Feller's blazing fastball and the fact he was or would very soon be Major League ready. DiMaggio and Spahn fell off the radar of many of the 'wannabe's, but the experts knew and watched.

Draft Day arrived, warm and clear. For the first seven picks our challengers went in quick succession: Williams 1st, Feller 3rd, DiMaggio 5th, Musial 7th. Then came a long, worrying pause: What were the objections to Warren Spahn? Well, he was raw, but so were many pitchers that day. He still needed to develop his changeup, but at least the pitch existed and a good coach could see to that. Regardless, uncertainty rippled through the ranks of the Major League GMs, and Spahn fell to 44th overall - the 14th pick of the 2nd round.

Ted Williams
The first pick of the 2015 draft went to Ted Williams. He signed on June 27 with the Diamondbacks in exchange for a $8.8 million dollar bonus and reported to their AZL team. He played against the AZL-Athletics that night going 0 for 0 with a walk in a 6-3 win.

Bob Feller
The third pick of the draft surprised everyone by refusing to sign with the Texas Rangers. I'm not sure whether I'm more disappointed in Texas, who is struggling this season and could have used a Major League ready pitcher, or Feller who has now squandered his extra year of play. He's now playing for the University of California-Fullerton and will try again next year.

Joe DiMaggio
DiMaggio was our longest holdout (that actually signed), needing until July 1 to sign with the Astros for $8.8 million. He went to the Gulf Coast League and played the GCL-Yankees that night. DiMaggio went 1 for 1 with a walk and 2-RBI double as the Astros won 8-4.

Stan Musial
Musial signed relatively quickly: June 17 with Philadelphia for a $4.09 million consideration. Musial's debut occured five days later, when the GCL-Phillies defeated the GCL-Yankees 4-3. Musial went 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Warren Spahn
Spahn didn't play around. He signed on June 7 with the Braves for $1.65 million and reported to Danville. Nonetheless he didn't debut until June 23 against the Pulaski Yankees. He lasted 4.1 innings, giving up 2 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 4 in a no decision as the Braves prevailed 4-3.

CatKnight · 10-05-2015, 09:49 PM

2015 Final Results

The Washington Nationals win their first world championship, besting the Cleveland Indians 4 games to 1.

CatKnight · 10-05-2015, 09:53 PM

Joe DiMaggio

Joltin' Joe didn't give Houston ownership reason to doubt their picking him fifth overall. After only one game in the Gulf Coast League, they transferred him to Greeneville in the Appalachian League.

Though Joe struggled at times in Greeneville, he had some highlights. He earned Player of the Week in July after hitting a 3-run walk off homerun against the Bluefield Blue Jays. He also picked up the league's glove award at center field.

Code:

Team              G   GS  -  AB   R   H   RBI  -  2B  3B  HR  -  BB   K  SB  CS  -  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS  -  WAR
GCL Astros-R	  1    0  -   1   0   1    2   -   1   0   0  -   1   0   0   0  - 1000 1000 2000 3000  -  0.1
Greeneville-R     55   55  - 202  21  47   31   -  11   5   2  -  29  28   0   1  -  233  330  366  697  -  1.1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MLB Totals - None

Stan Musial

Musial didn't win any awards, but he was first to be promoted to short-A ball. He had a pretty good year as well and the Phillies can't be disappointed in their choice.

Code:

Team              G   GS  -  AB   R   H   RBI  -  2B  3B  HR  -  BB   K  SB  CS  -  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS  -  WAR
GCL Phillies-R    7    7  -  28   5   7    6   -   2   1   1  -   7   4   0   0  -  250  421  500  921  -  0.3
Williamsport-SA  60   60  - 210  28  61   35   -  21   6   1  -  56  21   3   0  -  290  442  462  904  -  2.8
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MLB Totals - None

Warren Spahn

Spahn may actually be in trouble. Not only did he have an indifferent year with Danville, but his potential rating has dropped from 4.5/5 stars to 3. The Braves aren't giving up yet, but Spahn needs to improve over the winter.

Code:

Team              G   GS  -  W  L  S   ERA  -  IP   HA  ER  HR  BB  K  -   WHP  HR9  BB9  K/9  -  WAR
Danville-R       14   14  -  4  5  0  4.54  - 69.1  69  35   2  35  44 -  1.50  0.3  4.5  5.7  -  0.6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MLB Totals - None

Ted Williams

Ted spent the entire summer in Arizona where he apparently beat up on Rookie League pitching. He won no awards, but he did put together a 4 run performance with 2 doubles and an RBI vs. the AZL Reds to give his mentors something to look forward to in the future.

Code:

Team              G   GS  -  AB   R   H   RBI  -  2B  3B  HR  -  BB   K  SB  CS  -  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS  -  WAR
AZL Dbacks - R   33   31  - 107  21  37    21  -  16   5   1  -  26  20   0   0  -  346  474  617 1091  -  1.4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MLB Totals - None

*******

Current Standings:

Player of the Year: Stan Musial (highest level of play)

Code:

Name                PotY     Earnings ($M, Career)    WAR (MLB, Career)    Hall of Fame?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DiMaggio              0      $8.80                    0.0                  Active, Minors
Feller                0      $0.00                    0.0                  College
Musial                1      $4.09                    0.0                  Active, Minors
Spahn                 0      $1.65                    0.0                  Active, Minors
Williams              0      $8.80                    0.0                  Active, Minors

CatKnight · 10-08-2015, 04:15 AM

Offseason 2015-2016

Rules Changes:

Major League Baseball announced that players will be eligible for arbitration after two years, free agency after five. While this will allow players to earn more money during their career, it's also hoped that increased movement will continue to support league parity.

(I have the league set to evolve. That may be a mistake, but we'll see what happens.)

Hall of Fame

Ken Griffey, Jr. was inducted into the Hall on his first ballot. He will represent the Seattle Mariners.

Jeff Bagwell and Mike Piazza were 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Notable drops include Mark McGwire, who only had 11% in his tenth and final year, and Nomar Garciaparra who dropped out with 2.1% after his second year.

Preseason Predictions

MLB Network predicts the Indians will repeat as AL Champions with Tampa Bay and Oakland taking the other divisions, while Boston and Los Angeles take the wildcards.

They will be joined by the Cardinals, with Philadelphia and San Francisco winning the other divisions while Miami and Chicago take the wildcards.

Our Competitors

Following a quiet offseason the 'Golden Agers' are back with the following ratings and assignments:

Joe DiMaggio: 1 star/5 stars - Returning to R-Greeneville Astros (Appalachian) (#16 prospect)
Stan Musial: 1 star/4.5 stars - Returning to SA-Williamsport Crosscutters (NY Penn) (#43 prospect)
Warren Spahn: 0.5 stars/2 stars - Demoted to R-GCL Braves (Gulf Coast) (#38 prospect)
Ted Williams: 1 star/5 stars - Promoted to R-Missoula Osprey (Pioneer) (#7 prospect)

Everyone's more or less on course except for Spahn. All are age 19: Williams and Musial didn't debut until age 20, DiMaggio until 21. Spahn's dropping ratings are worrisome, though he's still considered a high level prospect.

Bob Feller: 4.5 stars/5 stars - is preparing to reenter the 2016 draft in June.

CatKnight · 10-11-2015, 01:56 AM

Mid Season, 2016

Bob Feller
Bob Feller was drafted by the Houston Astros with the first pick of the 2016 draft. At first there was some controversy over whether he'd sign this year either or stay out of professional baseball to finish his degree. He finally wavered however, signing on June 28 for a consideration of $8.04 million.

After precisely one start in Greenville (6.1 IP 2 H 13 K in a 9-0 win over the Kingsport Mets), Feller was promoted to A-Lancaster in the California League, the second player to reach that level. At 4.5/5 stars, a September callup isn't impossible.

Joe DiMaggio
Feller's teammate, Joe, has been in Greeneville this spring. In 12 games he's batting .326 with 7 RBI. Doubles and triples account for over half his hits: He has a SLG of .535

Stan Musial
Musial has bounced between S A-Williamsport and A-Lakewood of the South Atlantic League. He struggled a little at Lakewood, batting .221 with 3 HR and 25 RBI in 48 games, but has done better in the NY-Penn League. In 9 games with Williamsport he batted .323 1 HR 7 RBI.

Warren Spahn
Spahn is still with R-Danville of the Appalachian League. In two starts so far he's lasted 11.1 innings with 6 walks, 3 stirkeouts, a 1.50 WHIP and 7.15 ERA.

Ted Williams
Williams, meanwhile, is enjoying a quiet summer with R-Missoula of the Pioneer League. In 12 starts so far, Williams is batting .298 with 1 HR and 3 RBI. Surprisingly, he has a negative WAR for the year. Missoula's primarily using him in right field, where he has a -2.9 zone rating.

Izz · 10-11-2015, 05:38 AM

*subscribed*

CatKnight · 10-11-2015, 04:04 PM

Izz: Hi there! Welcome aboard.
*******

July 13, 2016

After precisely one start in R-Greeneville, one in A-Lancaster, and one in AA-Corpus Christi, the Astros decided Bob Feller is for real and promoted him to the Major League club.

In his career debut Feller used 110 pitches to get through 5.2 innings pitched, sporting the Astros a 4-2 lead. His relief, Manny Parra, couldn't hold it together giving up 4 runs over 0.2 innings on the way to a 10-7 loss versus the Chicago White Sox.

His next two starts went better however, earning him two Players of the Game. After his win on July 27 versus the ChiSox he's 2-0, 1.89 ERA, 1.05 WHIP with 25 K in 19 IP.

CatKnight · 10-11-2015, 09:04 PM

Final Standings, 2016

It's like a story written by an Indians fan: The Tribe returned to the World Series. MLB Network predicted a match between Cleveland and the St. Louis Cardinals, and in the end that's what it boiled down to.

In the end, it was a story written by an experienced Indians fan. For the second straight year the National League proved the stronger as the Cards prevailed 4 games to 3.

How did our Golden Leaguers finish up? Stay tuned!

CatKnight · 10-12-2015, 12:23 AM

2016 Wrapup

Joe DiMaggio

Injuries filled the second half of DiMaggio's year: Fortunately small ones - a bruised shoulder here, a strained hip there, but enough to make coaches wonder if they're pushing the 19 year old phenom too hard.

Whatever challenges he's facing with the trainer though, DiMaggio continued to tear apart the Appalachian League. He finished 2nd in MVP voting behind Collin Ferguson (1B, Pulaski Yankees), hit a walk-off triple to defeat the Princeton Rays in July, and won his second fielder award. After a season that can only be categorized as a success, Houston needs to think about promoting him next year and hoping the minor injuries take care of themselves.

Code:

Team              G   GS  -  AB   R   H   RBI  -  2B  3B  HR  -  BB   K  SB  CS  -  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS  -  WAR
Greeneville-R    65   65  -  248  42  84   40  -  36   6   5  -  41  26   0   0  -  339  430  593 1022  -  4.5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MLB Totals - None

Bob Feller
Feller's rocket-like ascent through the minors thrilled fans and coaches alike. He dashed any worries that the 18 year old might be out of his depth by making positive contributions and maintaining a winning record while pitching for a team that is frankly not very good. He struck out 10 or more four times at a Major League level.

Code:

Team              G   GS  -  W  L  S   ERA  -   IP   HA  ER  HR  BB   K  -  WHIP  HR9  BB9  K/9  -  WAR
Greenville-R      1    1  -  1  0  0  0.00  -   6.1   2   0   0   0   13 -  0.32  0.0  0.0 18.5  -  0.5
Lancaster-A       1    1  -  1  0  0  0.00  -   6.0   2   0   0   2   12 -  0.67  0.0  3.0 18.0  -  0.4
Corpus Chr-AA     1    1  -  0  0  0  0.00  -   7.0   1   0   0   3   13 -  0.57  0.0  3.9 16.7  -  0.4
Houston          17   17  -  7  3  0  2.82  - 102.0  61  32   4  70  145 -  1.28  0.4  6.2 12.8  -  2.4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MLB Totals -     17   17  -  7  3  0  2.82  - 102.0  61  32   4  70  145 -  1.28  0.4  6.2 12.8  -  2.4

Stan Musial

A severe quadriceps strain hampered Musial's development this year. Originally estimated at 3-4 weeks, he suffered a number of setbacks and ended up losing two monthis. His slow performance at Lakewood in the first half resulted in a demotion to Williamsport which he has yet to 'escape' from.

Code:

Team              G   GS  -  AB   R   H   RBI  -  2B  3B  HR  -  BB   K  SB  CS  -  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS  -  WAR
Williamsprt-S A  45   45  - 158  21  37    27  -  11   0   5  -  19  18   1   0  -  234  318  399  717  -  0.9
Lakewood-A       48   48  - 203 181  18    25  -  14   0   3  -  19  27   0   0  -  221  291  348  639  -  0.1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MLB Totals - None

Warren Spahn

After a few starts in Danville which could have gone better, Spahn found himself demoted to the Gulf Coast League. While there he seems to finally be getting the hang of it, putting together a winning record for a mediocre team. He's only 19, so there's no reason to panic...but scouts are starting to refer to him as a fringe player at best.

Code:

Team              G   GS  -  W  L  S   ERA  -  IP   HA  ER  HR  BB  K  -   WHP  HR9  BB9  K/9  -  WAR
GCL Braves-R      8    8  -  4  3  0  4.33  - 43.2  40  21   4  15  21 -  1.26  0.8  3.1  4.3  -  0.4 
Danville-R        6    6  -  1  2  0  5.67  - 27.0  38  17   2  14  13 -  1.93  0.7  4.7  4.3  -  0.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MLB Totals - None

Ted Williams

Ted performed very well in Montana, including a walk-off homer vs. the Ogden Raptors on the way to earning his first player of the week award. As the Pioneer League season wound down, Diamondback officials decided they wanted to see more and promoted him to the S A-Hillsboro Hops. There he did even better in limited appearances and helped win the Northwest League Championship.

Code:

Team              G   GS  -  AB   R   H   RBI  -  2B  3B  HR  -  BB   K  SB  CS  -  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS  -  WAR
Missoula-R       40   40  - 154  23  58    19  -  21   2   5  -  22  25   0   0  -  377  452  636 1088  -  1.5
Hillsboro-S A     7    7  -  26   4  11     4  -   3   1   1  -   7   5   0   0  -  423  545  731 1276  -  0.5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MLB Totals - None

******

Current Standings:

Player of the Year: Bob Feller

Code:

Name       PotY   Earnings        WAR       Team/Status              Ratings
                ($M, Career) (MLB, Career)                           (Stars)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DiMaggio    0      $8.80          0.0      R-Greeneville (HOU)       1.0/4.5
Feller      1      $8.55          2.4      Houston                   4.5/5.0
Musial      1      $4.09          0.0      S A-Williamsport (PHI)    1.0/4.5
Spahn       0      $1.65          0.0      R-GCL Braves (ATL)        0.5/1.5
Williams    0      $8.80          0.0      S A-Hillsboro (ARI)       1.0/5.0

CatKnight · 10-13-2015, 07:35 AM

Offseason 2016-2017

Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame inducted Jeff Bagwell on his seventh ballot with 88.4%. Bagwell spent his entire career (1991-2005) with the Astros and his number will be retired by the club.

Though Bagwell's awards are impressive enough, some feel he might have had more (and been elected sooner) if he hadn't had to compete with Bonds, Sosa and McGwire during the height of the 'Steroids' era. Though he hit 40 homers thrice, he played in an era where that wasn't as impressive as it might have been at other times.

On the outside looking in is LF Manny Ramirez (72.9% on his first ballot) and SP Curt Schilling (65% on his fifth).

The big name coming off the list this year is Tim Raines, who failed to be elected in ten attempts and has been steadily losing support since 2015. Other multi-ballot candidates to drop include CF Jim Edmonds, CL Billy Wagner, C Jason Kendall and SS Julio Franco.

MLB Network Predictions

The Cleveland Indians are tentatively pegged to threepeat as AL Champions, though the competition this year is expected to be intense. Other divisional leaders include the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners, with Tampa Bay and Detroit securing the wildcard positions. Houston's Bob Feller is listed as one of the top ten pitchers.

The NL will be topped by the Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs rounding out the top three. Wildcards will go to San Francisco and Pittsburgh.

Golden Agers

Joe DiMaggio (1s/4.5s) is expected to begin the year at A-Quad Cities.` He proved to be dominant in R-Greeneville last year and is finally ready to begin ascending the ladder. MLB considers him the #36 prospect.

Bob Feller (5s/5s) performed well in his debut with Houston in the second half of last year, and there's no reason to believe he'll slow down. A long, brilliant career should lie ahead for the fastballer.

Stan Musial (1s/4.5s) is back in Lakewood to start the year, hopefully to stay. He began last year in Lakewood as well and struggled, finishing the season back in S A Williamsport. MLB considers him the #35 prospect.

Warren Spahn (0.5s/2s) is looking more and more like a bust. Though he did better in the second half of the season last year, he's beginning this year back in the Gulf Coast League.

Ted Williams (1s/5s) will start the year with the A-Kane County Cougars. Last year he played very well in Missoula, then helped the S A Hillsboro Hops win their championship. He's listed as the #3 prospect in MLB.

10-05-2015, 01:44 AM	#6
CatKnight All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 1,199	Orcin: Thanks! I wanted to keep it relatively balanced between batters and pitchers, AL vs. NL. There are many great choices from that era. It would have been hard to find a bad choice. Hageneezz: Welcome! Do you have a particular player you're going to follow? ***** Opening Moves: Draft Day 2015 As draft day approached commentators, bloggers, fantasy baseball enthusiasts any number of real, perceived and wannabe experts pored over the lists trying to predict who would play for whom. Even the MLB Network got into the act. They appreciated Williams' raw power and ability to hit the ball, Musial's interesting batting stance which seemed to work for him regardless, and Feller's blazing fastball and the fact he was or would very soon be Major League ready. DiMaggio and Spahn fell off the radar of many of the 'wannabe's, but the experts knew and watched. Draft Day arrived, warm and clear. For the first seven picks our challengers went in quick succession: Williams 1st, Feller 3rd, DiMaggio 5th, Musial 7th. Then came a long, worrying pause: What were the objections to Warren Spahn? Well, he was raw, but so were many pitchers that day. He still needed to develop his changeup, but at least the pitch existed and a good coach could see to that. Regardless, uncertainty rippled through the ranks of the Major League GMs, and Spahn fell to 44th overall - the 14th pick of the 2nd round. Ted Williams The first pick of the 2015 draft went to Ted Williams. He signed on June 27 with the Diamondbacks in exchange for a $8.8 million dollar bonus and reported to their AZL team. He played against the AZL-Athletics that night going 0 for 0 with a walk in a 6-3 win. Bob Feller The third pick of the draft surprised everyone by refusing to sign with the Texas Rangers. I'm not sure whether I'm more disappointed in Texas, who is struggling this season and could have used a Major League ready pitcher, or Feller who has now squandered his extra year of play. He's now playing for the University of California-Fullerton and will try again next year. Joe DiMaggio DiMaggio was our longest holdout (that actually signed), needing until July 1 to sign with the Astros for $8.8 million. He went to the Gulf Coast League and played the GCL-Yankees that night. DiMaggio went 1 for 1 with a walk and 2-RBI double as the Astros won 8-4. Stan Musial Musial signed relatively quickly: June 17 with Philadelphia for a $4.09 million consideration. Musial's debut occured five days later, when the GCL-Phillies defeated the GCL-Yankees 4-3. Musial went 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. Warren Spahn** Spahn didn't play around. He signed on June 7 with the Braves for $1.65 million and reported to Danville. Nonetheless he didn't debut until June 23 against the Pulaski Yankees. He lasted 4.1 innings, giving up 2 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 4 in a no decision as the Braves prevailed 4-3. Last edited by CatKnight; 10-05-2015 at 01:57 AM.

10-11-2015, 05:38 AM	#11
Izz Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 2,469	subscribed __________________ Not only do I play OOTP but I also write science-fiction: My Website A brief history of the Australia-New Zealand Baseball League (AUNZBL 2019-2119)--A Dynasty Report The National Penterham Four-Bases Association--A Dynasty Report

10-12-2015, 12:23 AM	#14
CatKnight All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 1,199	2016 Wrapup Joe DiMaggio Injuries filled the second half of DiMaggio's year: Fortunately small ones - a bruised shoulder here, a strained hip there, but enough to make coaches wonder if they're pushing the 19 year old phenom too hard. Whatever challenges he's facing with the trainer though, DiMaggio continued to tear apart the Appalachian League. He finished 2nd in MVP voting behind Collin Ferguson (1B, Pulaski Yankees), hit a walk-off triple to defeat the Princeton Rays in July, and won his second fielder award. After a season that can only be categorized as a success, Houston needs to think about promoting him next year and hoping the minor injuries take care of themselves. Code: Team G GS - AB R H RBI - 2B 3B HR - BB K SB CS - AVG OBP SLG OPS - WAR Greeneville-R 65 65 - 248 42 84 40 - 36 6 5 - 41 26 0 0 - 339 430 593 1022 - 4.5 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MLB Totals - None Bob Feller Feller's rocket-like ascent through the minors thrilled fans and coaches alike. He dashed any worries that the 18 year old might be out of his depth by making positive contributions and maintaining a winning record while pitching for a team that is frankly not very good. He struck out 10 or more four times at a Major League level. Code: Team G GS - W L S ERA - IP HA ER HR BB K - WHIP HR9 BB9 K/9 - WAR Greenville-R 1 1 - 1 0 0 0.00 - 6.1 2 0 0 0 13 - 0.32 0.0 0.0 18.5 - 0.5 Lancaster-A 1 1 - 1 0 0 0.00 - 6.0 2 0 0 2 12 - 0.67 0.0 3.0 18.0 - 0.4 Corpus Chr-AA 1 1 - 0 0 0 0.00 - 7.0 1 0 0 3 13 - 0.57 0.0 3.9 16.7 - 0.4 Houston 17 17 - 7 3 0 2.82 - 102.0 61 32 4 70 145 - 1.28 0.4 6.2 12.8 - 2.4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MLB Totals - 17 17 - 7 3 0 2.82 - 102.0 61 32 4 70 145 - 1.28 0.4 6.2 12.8 - 2.4 Stan Musial A severe quadriceps strain hampered Musial's development this year. Originally estimated at 3-4 weeks, he suffered a number of setbacks and ended up losing two monthis. His slow performance at Lakewood in the first half resulted in a demotion to Williamsport which he has yet to 'escape' from. Code: Team G GS - AB R H RBI - 2B 3B HR - BB K SB CS - AVG OBP SLG OPS - WAR Williamsprt-S A 45 45 - 158 21 37 27 - 11 0 5 - 19 18 1 0 - 234 318 399 717 - 0.9 Lakewood-A 48 48 - 203 181 18 25 - 14 0 3 - 19 27 0 0 - 221 291 348 639 - 0.1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MLB Totals - None Warren Spahn After a few starts in Danville which could have gone better, Spahn found himself demoted to the Gulf Coast League. While there he seems to finally be getting the hang of it, putting together a winning record for a mediocre team. He's only 19, so there's no reason to panic...but scouts are starting to refer to him as a fringe player at best. Code: Team G GS - W L S ERA - IP HA ER HR BB K - WHP HR9 BB9 K/9 - WAR GCL Braves-R 8 8 - 4 3 0 4.33 - 43.2 40 21 4 15 21 - 1.26 0.8 3.1 4.3 - 0.4 Danville-R 6 6 - 1 2 0 5.67 - 27.0 38 17 2 14 13 - 1.93 0.7 4.7 4.3 - 0.0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MLB Totals - None Ted Williams Ted performed very well in Montana, including a walk-off homer vs. the Ogden Raptors on the way to earning his first player of the week award. As the Pioneer League season wound down, Diamondback officials decided they wanted to see more and promoted him to the S A-Hillsboro Hops. There he did even better in limited appearances and helped win the Northwest League Championship. Code: Team G GS - AB R H RBI - 2B 3B HR - BB K SB CS - AVG OBP SLG OPS - WAR Missoula-R 40 40 - 154 23 58 19 - 21 2 5 - 22 25 0 0 - 377 452 636 1088 - 1.5 Hillsboro-S A 7 7 - 26 4 11 4 - 3 1 1 - 7 5 0 0 - 423 545 731 1276 - 0.5 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MLB Totals - None **** Current Standings: Player of the Year:** Bob Feller Code: Name PotY Earnings WAR Team/Status Ratings ($M, Career) (MLB, Career) (Stars) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DiMaggio 0 $8.80 0.0 R-Greeneville (HOU) 1.0/4.5 Feller 1 $8.55 2.4 Houston 4.5/5.0 Musial 1 $4.09 0.0 S A-Williamsport (PHI) 1.0/4.5 Spahn 0 $1.65 0.0 R-GCL Braves (ATL) 0.5/1.5 Williams 0 $8.80 0.0 S A-Hillsboro (ARI) 1.0/5.0

10-03-2015, 11:32 PM	#1
CatKnight All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 1,199	The 'Golden Age' Returneth Introduction A big part of OOTP is 'What If', and over the years we've seen a number of dynasties where people would add their own players (or historical ones) to the draft and see what happened. Only a few months ago we followed Babe Ruth through a modern career to see what might have become of him in a modern environment. One of my favorite eras of baseball is the 'Golden Age' immediately after World War II. I've taken five of the greater (if not greatest) players of that era, and will throw them into the modern draft to see what happens. They will be scored/tracked based on their lifetime WAR, their lifetime earnings, and the golden prize: Can they make it back to the Hall of Fame? May I present our contestants? All were imported as 18 year olds (except Feller, who joined the Majors at 17), with actual stats and peak years based on the peaks of their careers. How well will they stand up to their modern brethren?

10-04-2015, 10:30 AM	#4
Orcin Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Indiana Posts: 9,891	That's an excellent selection of players to follow from this era. Looking forward to this one!

10-04-2015, 01:22 PM	#5
Hageneezz All Star Reserve Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: The Hague,Netherlands Posts: 893	I`m going to enjoy this! As much as the `League of their own´ thread..

10-05-2015, 09:49 PM	#7
CatKnight All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 1,199	2015 Final Results The Washington Nationals win their first world championship, besting the Cleveland Indians 4 games to 1.

10-08-2015, 04:15 AM	#9
CatKnight All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 1,199	Offseason 2015-2016 Rules Changes: Major League Baseball announced that players will be eligible for arbitration after two years, free agency after five. While this will allow players to earn more money during their career, it's also hoped that increased movement will continue to support league parity. (I have the league set to evolve. That may be a mistake, but we'll see what happens.) Hall of Fame Ken Griffey, Jr. was inducted into the Hall on his first ballot. He will represent the Seattle Mariners. Jeff Bagwell and Mike Piazza were 2nd and 3rd respectively. Notable drops include Mark McGwire, who only had 11% in his tenth and final year, and Nomar Garciaparra who dropped out with 2.1% after his second year. Preseason Predictions MLB Network predicts the Indians will repeat as AL Champions with Tampa Bay and Oakland taking the other divisions, while Boston and Los Angeles take the wildcards. They will be joined by the Cardinals, with Philadelphia and San Francisco winning the other divisions while Miami and Chicago take the wildcards. Our Competitors Following a quiet offseason the 'Golden Agers' are back with the following ratings and assignments: Joe DiMaggio: 1 star/5 stars - Returning to R-Greeneville Astros (Appalachian) (#16 prospect) Stan Musial: 1 star/4.5 stars - Returning to SA-Williamsport Crosscutters (NY Penn) (#43 prospect) Warren Spahn: 0.5 stars/2 stars - Demoted to R-GCL Braves (Gulf Coast) (#38 prospect) Ted Williams: 1 star/5 stars - Promoted to R-Missoula Osprey (Pioneer) (#7 prospect) Everyone's more or less on course except for Spahn. All are age 19: Williams and Musial didn't debut until age 20, DiMaggio until 21. Spahn's dropping ratings are worrisome, though he's still considered a high level prospect. Bob Feller: 4.5 stars/5 stars - is preparing to reenter the 2016 draft in June.

10-11-2015, 01:56 AM	#10
CatKnight All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 1,199	Mid Season, 2016 Bob Feller Bob Feller was drafted by the Houston Astros with the first pick of the 2016 draft. At first there was some controversy over whether he'd sign this year either or stay out of professional baseball to finish his degree. He finally wavered however, signing on June 28 for a consideration of $8.04 million. After precisely one start in Greenville (6.1 IP 2 H 13 K in a 9-0 win over the Kingsport Mets), Feller was promoted to A-Lancaster in the California League, the second player to reach that level. At 4.5/5 stars, a September callup isn't impossible. Joe DiMaggio Feller's teammate, Joe, has been in Greeneville this spring. In 12 games he's batting .326 with 7 RBI. Doubles and triples account for over half his hits: He has a SLG of .535 Stan Musial Musial has bounced between S A-Williamsport and A-Lakewood of the South Atlantic League. He struggled a little at Lakewood, batting .221 with 3 HR and 25 RBI in 48 games, but has done better in the NY-Penn League. In 9 games with Williamsport he batted .323 1 HR 7 RBI. Warren Spahn Spahn is still with R-Danville of the Appalachian League. In two starts so far he's lasted 11.1 innings with 6 walks, 3 stirkeouts, a 1.50 WHIP and 7.15 ERA. Ted Williams Williams, meanwhile, is enjoying a quiet summer with R-Missoula of the Pioneer League. In 12 starts so far, Williams is batting .298 with 1 HR and 3 RBI. Surprisingly, he has a negative WAR for the year. Missoula's primarily using him in right field, where he has a -2.9 zone rating.

10-11-2015, 04:04 PM	#12
CatKnight All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 1,199	Izz: Hi there! Welcome aboard. ***** July 13, 2016 After precisely one start in R-Greeneville, one in A-Lancaster, and one in AA-Corpus Christi, the Astros decided Bob Feller** is for real and promoted him to the Major League club. In his career debut Feller used 110 pitches to get through 5.2 innings pitched, sporting the Astros a 4-2 lead. His relief, Manny Parra, couldn't hold it together giving up 4 runs over 0.2 innings on the way to a 10-7 loss versus the Chicago White Sox. His next two starts went better however, earning him two Players of the Game. After his win on July 27 versus the ChiSox he's 2-0, 1.89 ERA, 1.05 WHIP with 25 K in 19 IP.

10-11-2015, 09:04 PM	#13
CatKnight All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 1,199	Final Standings, 2016 It's like a story written by an Indians fan: The Tribe returned to the World Series. MLB Network predicted a match between Cleveland and the St. Louis Cardinals, and in the end that's what it boiled down to. In the end, it was a story written by an experienced Indians fan. For the second straight year the National League proved the stronger as the Cards prevailed 4 games to 3. How did our Golden Leaguers finish up? Stay tuned!

10-13-2015, 07:35 AM	#15
CatKnight All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 1,199	Offseason 2016-2017 Hall of Fame The Hall of Fame inducted Jeff Bagwell on his seventh ballot with 88.4%. Bagwell spent his entire career (1991-2005) with the Astros and his number will be retired by the club. Though Bagwell's awards are impressive enough, some feel he might have had more (and been elected sooner) if he hadn't had to compete with Bonds, Sosa and McGwire during the height of the 'Steroids' era. Though he hit 40 homers thrice, he played in an era where that wasn't as impressive as it might have been at other times. On the outside looking in is LF Manny Ramirez (72.9% on his first ballot) and SP Curt Schilling (65% on his fifth). The big name coming off the list this year is Tim Raines, who failed to be elected in ten attempts and has been steadily losing support since 2015. Other multi-ballot candidates to drop include CF Jim Edmonds, CL Billy Wagner, C Jason Kendall and SS Julio Franco. MLB Network Predictions The Cleveland Indians are tentatively pegged to threepeat as AL Champions, though the competition this year is expected to be intense. Other divisional leaders include the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners, with Tampa Bay and Detroit securing the wildcard positions. Houston's Bob Feller is listed as one of the top ten pitchers. The NL will be topped by the Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs rounding out the top three. Wildcards will go to San Francisco and Pittsburgh. Golden Agers Joe DiMaggio (1s/4.5s) is expected to begin the year at A-Quad Cities.` He proved to be dominant in R-Greeneville last year and is finally ready to begin ascending the ladder. MLB considers him the #36 prospect. Bob Feller (5s/5s) performed well in his debut with Houston in the second half of last year, and there's no reason to believe he'll slow down. A long, brilliant career should lie ahead for the fastballer. Stan Musial (1s/4.5s) is back in Lakewood to start the year, hopefully to stay. He began last year in Lakewood as well and struggled, finishing the season back in S A Williamsport. MLB considers him the #35 prospect. Warren Spahn (0.5s/2s) is looking more and more like a bust. Though he did better in the second half of the season last year, he's beginning this year back in the Gulf Coast League. Ted Williams (1s/5s) will start the year with the A-Kane County Cougars. Last year he played very well in Missoula, then helped the S A Hillsboro Hops win their championship. He's listed as the #3 prospect in MLB.