Here Comes The Paragon Baseball League!

[luckymann]

For this league I have taken the 388 players with the highest total career WAR and placed them into 16 teams with rosters of 25 – 13 position players and 12 pitchers with as even a spread of talent as possible.

Not as simple as it might sound, let me assure you.

Even though I have injuries disabled, I wanted to make sure each roster had at least 2 players at every position. Of course, the table from which I am selecting these players is heavily weighted towards a few positions – 1B and OF mainly – with nowhere near as many catchers or middle infielders. This has meant that some players in this range had to miss out. Not many, though, which is good. The highest-ranked player not to be included is Vada Pinson.

To bring the total up to an even 400, I have also included a smattering of the best Negro League players; 12 in all. Some imported properly, others needed a bit of tinkering. Obviously with the data for this league being so scarce, I could not align these players precisely to their IRL histories, but I worked pretty hard to at least give it some verisimilitude.

Finally, I gave each team a “26th Man” – a current-day player who, if given the time, projects to be on this list sometime down the track.

In the end I’m really happy with how it has turned out. The differential between the team with the highest total WAR and lowest is roughly 4%, well within an acceptable range.

So these 16 teams comprise two sub-leagues with 2 divisions, each containing 4 teams. I thought long and hard about what teams to use and in the end decided on fictional ones because I really like the juxtaposition of really familiar players in unfamiliar environments. Further to this, after long consideration, I settled on using the fantastic Defunct Saga range of graphics done by golem64 and based upon the work of SFGiants58. Thanks to both of these guys for their creativity.

The teams I ended up choosing are as follows:

Northwestern League

North Division
Boston Beacons
Connecticut Colonials
New Jersey Stallions
New York Gothams

West Division
Las Vegas Lizards
Los Angeles Canaries
Portland Stags
Seattle Rainiers

Southeastern League

East Division
Carolina Triplets
Indianapolis Arrows
Virginia Fury
Washington Grays

South Division
Atlanta Firebirds
Florida Panthers
Kansas City Blues
New Orleans Pirates

If I can't get my hands on the interleave schedule I'm after, I’ll be realigning the leagues at five-year intervals to mix it up and give the players as much exposure to each other as possible. So in 1966 these will become the Northeast and Southwest Leagues; in 1971 the Longitude (North-South) and Latitude (East-West) Leagues; and then in 1976 they’ll revert to the original format.

These teams will be playing their games in stadia selected from the amazing array of mod-work done by many different people. Some of the ballparks used will be fictional, others minor league facilities or similar that grab my fancy. Thanks again to silvam, adlon, eriqjaffe and Deft for your amazing skills.

There will be neither trading nor free agents in this league, so the 26 players will stay with their designated team for the duration, which will be 20 seasons each of 168 games. To begin with, there will be no interleague play, with a balanced schedule that has all teams play 24 games against the other seven clubs in their sub-league. (If I can get one of the mods to do it for me, this will change to include interleague games. To increase the suspense, the intradivisional games – 72 in all – in this schedule would be played at the tail-end of the season. This should make some of the pennant races absolute blinders.)

There will be an All-Star Game.

Apologies to the purists, but the DH will be used in both leagues, so that more position players get more gametime.

I have also picked 16 real-life managers and appointed them to each team. This is merely a cosmetic touch that I thought was kind of cool, no strategies have been applied representative of how they managed IRL. To reduce – but not eliminate entirely, as that is not possible – the chances of these skippers being fired, I have made each Owner “Understanding” and “Hands-Off”. If any of them get fired, they stay fired but can obviously be rehired by the same or another club.

So that the players reach their peaks earlier and hold them longer, I have aging set at 0.75 and development at 1.25 for both position players and pitchers alike. TCR is at 75, so that we’ll get a few little surprises but nothing out of the ordinary.

I will also be monitoring the ratings and making any necessary adjustments on a season-by-season basis to avoid any undeserved falling off cliffs.

One final tweak I did was to reduce the ages of a handful of “late-bloomers” such as Jackie Robinson by two or three years, just so they aren’t old men come the last season or two.

While there will obviously be plenty of interest in how the teams go and pennant races / playoffs pan out, the main purpose of this exercise is to see how the players perform in such an elite and intensely competitive environment. There are few weak spots among these 400 players, and I have tweaked the ratings to make it even more a fair fight, namely upping the ratings of pre-1900 and early 20th century pitchers. I simmed out a decade’s worth of results and used those to tailor these ratings.

Just a few more quick points re settings.

This has been set up as a custom league rather than historical, so no recalc. Instead, as I said, I have dev on. AI ratings settings are at 30/40/20/10.

There is no minimum batter rule in place and extra innings will be played out the traditional way.

Financials are off.

The league begins in 1961 and will finish at the end of the 1980 season. I will be using the LTMs and strategy defaults for each corresponding year along the way, with BABIP set to that of the respective historical season.

Playoffs will be held at the end of each regular season. The two divisional winners in each league will meet in a best-of-seven League Championship Series. The two winners of this will meet in the best-of-nine Paragon World Series.

OK before we get started with the action, I’ll give an in-depth analysis of each team. As the rosters won’t be changing, subsequent summaries over the 20 seasons will focus more on what the players have done on the field and how their ratings are changing, that sort of thing.

After that I'll provide daily summaries throughout the regular season and every game day of the playoffs. I’ll also be doing a Game of the Week feature, with a much more detailed description of one game every Sunday on which games are scheduled. As we get to the pennant race part of the season, these featured games will be ones important in the context of the standings.

I am hopeful that this will be a great bookend companion piece for my Footnote League, which features the “also-rans” of baseball history. For any of you that haven’t noticed the FL, the link to it is in my signature. Really looking forward to seeing the best of the best strut their stuff.

And thanks to txrangr for another stunning league logo!

[luckymann]

• MANAGER: Bobby Cox
• HOME PARK: MCM Park
• TOP POSITION PLAYER: SS Pee Wee Reese (16)
• TOP PITCHER: Addie Joss (9)
• TOP PROSPECT: CF Billy Hamilton (3)
• 26TH MAN: Fernando Tatis jr

Look set to be one of the stronger teams in the early seasons, with players such as Mauer, Rolen and Reese getting out of the blocks quickly. Hamilton in the leadoff spot, along with Reese and Anson after him, should set the table nicely for their big bats led by Hammerin’ Hank. Addie Joss fronts a solid rotation, but they’ll need to be at their best as their pen isn’t great and the defence behind them is suspect, especially up the middle.

1961 PREDICTIONS
RECORD: 93-75, 1st in South
HITTING: .287 / 94 HR / 880 R / 210 SB
PITCHING: 4.12 ERA / 922 K / 774 R / 509 BB

[luckymann]

• MANAGER: Terry Francona
• HOME PARK: Harbor Street Yards
• TOP POSITION PLAYER: SS Arky Vaughn (3)
• TOP PITCHER: Doc White (11)
• TOP PROSPECT: 2B Ed Delahanty (5)
• 26TH MAN: Ronald Acuna jr

I must admit to being quite shocked the Beacons have been tipped to win their division. Personally, I just don’t see it. The prediction is for a blanket finish, so I guess anything can happen under those circumstances, with it being such an inexact science. For mine, this starts off as a pretty average squad. Vaughn is undoubtedly the star, along with two-way player White, but the supporting cast looks a few years away from hitting their straps. Fred Clarke and Acuna will be there two main sources of power, which doesn’t say all that much. Their rotation, and pitching staff in general, is the best part of the squad, and that alone may fulfil the lofty estimations of the pundits. They do also have Cobb and Delahanty, and eventually this will be one of the league’s powerhouse teams. I’m just not so sure in the early going.

1961 PREDICTIONS
RECORD: 89-79, 1st in North
HITTING: .263 / 63 HR / 691 R / 267 SB
PITCHING: 3.72 ERA / 997 K / 698 R / 497 BB

[luckymann]

• MANAGER: Joe McCarthy
• HOME PARK: CBi Park
• TOP POSITION PLAYER: 2B Jackie Robinson (6)
• TOP PITCHER: Nap Rucker (6)
• TOP PROSPECT: 1B Frank Thomas (12)
• 26TH MAN: Juan Soto

A very up-and-down squad to begin with, a few guys who shoot out of the blocks but then a bunch who are slower to come on. Thomas should be the key here, because he has Davis, Robinson and Simmons ahead of him, which means he should get plenty of RISP opportunities, as should Soto at 5 behind him. But I think Robinson is the most vital cog in this machine because of all the tools he possesses. If these guys combine for their fair share of runs, the Triplets’ chances improve immeasurably because of the strength of their starting pitching. Rucker heads a rotation that has no weak spots, and which should provide enough innings to get them to the quality end of the bullpen. If they don’t then this team will be vulnerable in the middle innings, and that might prove the difference with Virginia in their group.

1961 PREDICTIONS
RECORD: 80-88, t-2nd in East, 12 GB
HITTING: .251 / 81 HR / 709 R / 108 SB
PITCHING: 3.65 ERA / 721 K / 686 R / 391 BB

[luckymann]

• MANAGER: Connie Mack
• HOME PARK: Community Stadium
• TOP POSITION PLAYER: LF Ted Williams (1)
• TOP PITCHER: CC Sabathia (16)
• TOP PROSPECT: Williams (2)
• 26TH MAN: Freddie Freeman

The absolute dream outfield bookends should carry this team a long way, with The Splendid Splinter in left and Wahoo Sam in right (the quickish fellow named Henderson playing CF isn’t too shabby either, just quietly). But aside from Kendall it’s relatively slim pickings after that, at least to begin with. So if the guns don’t fire this side will struggle mightily, especially seeing as they have one of the weakest staffs in the league. Sabathia is undoubtedly their ace, but as with their offensive unit the drop down from there is a steep one. Not many Gold Gloves among them, and their outfield range or lack thereof will cost them plenty of runs with the boomers playing in this league, so Teddy better bring his best Ballgame because I see them needing plenty of runs along the way. The DH will really benefit this club as it will allow more game time for Bob Johnson and Reggie Jackson, who otherwise may have been sparsely used.

1961 PREDICTIONS
RECORD: 87-81, t-2nd in North, 2 GB
HITTING: .284 / 107 HR / 895 R / 236 SB
PITCHING: 4.01 ERA / 929 K / 772 R / 569 BB

[luckymann]

• MANAGER: Tony LaRussa
• HOME PARK: Sony Field
• TOP POSITION PLAYER: 1B Albert Pujols (5)
• TOP PITCHER: Tom Seaver (3)
• TOP PROSPECT: CF Stan Musial (25)
• 26TH MAN: Trevor Story

One of the more evenly-balanced squads in the league, and I expect them to be pretty consistent and competitive throughout. Pujols leads the offence, and with Kent and Longoria also peaking early this should be an exciting team to watch. (Not sure how the experts have come to predict them to score the least runs in the SE.) Their pitching, anchored by Tom Terrific and the mighty Chief Bender, will eventually be similarly equal-weighted. But in these early years it is this facet of their game that will hinder the Panthers’ performance, with a lot of late-bloomers among them. Defensively, they are one of the better units, with only catcher and 2B looking thin. What Aparicio will lack with bat in hand he’ll make up for with the glove, same goes for Willie Davis in CF. I’m not sure they’ll ever win a Championship in this league, but nor do I think they’ll finish out of the running too many times.

1961 PREDICTIONS
RECORD: 83-85, 3rd in South, 10 GB
HITTING: .245 / 125 HR / 686 R / 123 SB
PITCHING: 3.75 ERA / 801 K / 707 R / 526 BB

[luckymann]

• MANAGER: Sparky Anderson
• HOME PARK: Qualys Field
• TOP POSITION PLAYER: 2B Nap Lajoie
• TOP PITCHER: N/R
• TOP PROSPECT: P Justin Verlander (24)
• 26TH MAN: Mookie Betts

Not quite sure what to make of this group. One thing’s for certain, however—they’ll do it tough in 1961. The tipsters have them in a three-way tie for 2nd / 3rd / last in the East Division but I think they are being overly optimistic. If forced to make a prediction about them it would be this: they’ll struggle to compete year in, year out; but then one season – sometime around the half-way point, I’m thinking – everything will come together and they’ll win it all, only to slip back into the nether regions for the remainder of this league’s duration. While Lajoie is undoubtedly a great player, I just don’t see him carrying the offence in this league like he’ll need to for the Arrows to win more than they lose. Later on Speaker will take over and guys like Edmonds and Betts will come into their own, but until then they’ve only really got slappy gappy hitters leading the charge, guys who are unlikely to put enough runs on the board to cover the weak pitching this squad has in these early campaigns. Not one of the group makes the Top 20 in this inaugural season. Even when it does develop, this staff really only has one headliner in Verlander, making it almost impossible to get a read on how they’ll perform when everyone in the league is reaching their prime. One other longer-term issue is that they are unfortunate enough to have two of the best shortstops in history – Smith and Bancroft – in their squad, neither of whom hits well enough to DH nor plays any other position. So they’ll have to figure out a way around that or they’ll be pretty much a man down for the duration.

1961 PREDICTIONS
RECORD: 80-88, t-2nd in East, 12 GB
HITTING: .251 / 81 HR / 709 R / 108 SB
PITCHING: 3.65 ERA / 721 K / 686 R / 391 BB

[luckymann]

• MANAGER: Casey Stengel
• HOME PARK: Easton Ballyard
• TOP POSITION PLAYER: LF Willie McCovey (8)
• TOP PITCHER: N/R
• TOP PROSPECT: 1B Lou Gehrig (33)
• 26TH MAN: Cody Bellinger

This looks like a team that will start competitive and stay that way throughout. McCovey is ready to rock and roll. Bellinger showed in Spring Training that he’s ready to match it with the big boys. Cabrera and Dahlen also seem likely to star from the off. Then they have Gehrig, Greenburg and Snider all projecting to be the superstars one would expect them to be. If their pitching starts off light, it is unlikely to stay that way for long – not with Alexander, Roberts and Gibson as their top 3 and a bullpen led by Eckersley. To round it off nicely for the Blues, they are up there with the best defensive units in the league. I am eagerly anticipating the yearly battles between KC and Atlanta, which is shaping up to be one of the PBL’s fiercest rivalries.

1961 PREDICTIONS
RECORD: 92-76, 2nd in South, 2 GB
HITTING: .262 / 89 HR / 763 R / 199 SB
PITCHING: 4.01 ERA / 916 K / 750 R / 490 BB

[luckymann]

• MANAGER: Leo Durocher
• HOME PARK: Omnibus Park
• TOP POSITION PLAYER: LF Jesse Burkett (10)
• TOP PITCHER: Don Sutton (14)
• TOP PROSPECT: SS Martin Dihigo (11)
• 26TH MAN: Walker Buehler

If you think this side will be the Barry Bonds plus guests show, you’re wrong. Sosa, Dihigo, Brouthers and Dickey will take plenty of the spotlight off Barry; not to mention help him share the load. This is undoubtedly one of the strongest offensive squads in the league with very few weak members, which will make them very tough to match up against. Their pitching is equally appealing, led by big Randy and the underrated Mark Langston. This squad is reflective of the city it represents and it’ll be Showtime at Omnibus Park more times than not.

1961 PREDICTIONS
RECORD: 87-81, 1st in West
HITTING: .270 / 112 HR / 825 R / 204 SB
PITCHING: 4.04 ERA / 938 K / 757 R / 456 BB

[luckymann]

• MANAGER: Tommy Lasorda
• HOME PARK: Avalon Park
• TOP POSITION PLAYER: N/R
• TOP PITCHER: Roger Clemens (4)
• TOP PROSPECT: P Clayton Kershaw (7)
• 26TH MAN: Francisco Lindor

Another super squad, and the West should be among the most hotly-contested divisions in the competition. It looks likely that the Canaries will need a few years to hit their straps, but in the meantime they have Clemens, Kershaw and Hubble to limit the amount of runs they’ll be chasing. When it does peak, this is a beast of a lineup with Piazza, Griffey jr, Schmidt and Foxx sure to give the spectators many souvenirs in the years to come. Lindor as their 26th man is a godsend, as SS was one position they looked a bit weak at. Now only 2B seems thin, where I presume Randolph and Gardner will platoon. If that’s their worst combo, they are doing OK.

1961 PREDICTIONS
RECORD: 82-86, 3rd in West, 5 GB
HITTING: .230 / 75 HR / 602 R / 161 SB
PITCHING: 3.44 ERA / 1076 K / 647 R / 390 BB

[luckymann]

• MANAGER: Wilbert Robinson
• HOME PARK: Comcast Field
• TOP POSITION PLAYER: SS Honus Wagner (2)
• TOP PITCHER: Roy Oswalt (10)
• TOP PROSPECT: P Pedro Martinez (13)
• 26TH MAN: Gerrit Cole

Another club that should burst out of the blocks thanks to guys like Wagner and Frank Robinson coming fairly much fully-formed and a solid if relatively unspectacular rotation led by Oswalt. Their second wave of pitchers includes Pedro, Orel and Gerrit so they look well-stocked for the entirety. These guys should get plenty of run support right the way through with Sisler, Sheffield, Cano and Cristobal Torriente all projecting well, and are nicely-balanced defensively. An excellent all-round squad that should enjoy its fair share of success in this league.

1961 PREDICTIONS
RECORD: 84-84, 4th in North, 5 GB
HITTING: .262 / 108 HR / 695 R / 148 SB
PITCHING: 3.82 ERA / 1035 K / 705 R / 391 BB

[luckymann]

• MANAGER: Jim Leyland
• HOME PARK: Green Canyon Park
• TOP POSITION PLAYER: 1B Johnny Mize (17)
• TOP PITCHER: Cy Young (17)
• TOP PROSPECT: CF Joe DiMaggio (53)
• 26TH MAN: Corey Seager

The Pirates are certainly one of the more star-studded squads in the league, but may take some time to find their groove. They’ll get solid early production from Mize and DiMaggio, with Ichiro pestering batteries from the leadoff spot, and start strongly enough on the pitching side with their Cy Young-led rotation. But it will be in the middle years this group looks sure to shine, and perhaps even dominate, when players such as their two Joes – Shoeless and Morgan – as well as Posey and Abreu move into their Goldilocks era, and Big Papi starts breaking hearts off the bench. Their pitching stocks look plentiful as well, with Glavine, Dizzy Dean, Niekro and the great Smoky Joe Wood all set to give it a great shake. The only question mark is their defence, but I’m not sure a few unearned runs here and there are going to matter too much with this huge squad.

1961 PREDICTIONS
RECORD: 75-93, 4th in South, 18 GB
HITTING: .262 / 117 HR / 693 R / 133 SB
PITCHING: 4.24 ERA / 818 K / 789 R / 481 BB

[luckymann]

• MANAGER: John McGraw
• HOME PARK: GNB Ballpark
• TOP POSITION PLAYER: N/R
• TOP PITCHER: Dwight Gooden (1)
• TOP PROSPECT: Gooden (8)
• 26TH MAN: Aaron Judge

There’s very much an element of sim imitating life with the Gothams, as Gooden, Judge and deGrom are all here, and this squad is up there among the best, as you’d expect from a team located in NYC (sorry, Mets fans, no disrespect meant...). They’ll be tough to beat from go to whoa, with both Doc and The Big Train rating highly at the start and set to overpower lineups in these early seasons before most players have sufficiently developed, but their offence is a bit of a slow-burner which might mean a few years of frustration before glory comes their way. Bagwell, Alomar, Mathews and Grich give them one of the premier infield groups, and it should be exciting to see Judgey and Andruw Jones – the AJ Twins – sharing the outfield with the mighty Oscar Charleston. Behind the big three pitchers I have mentioned lurks a staff of real smokies such as Bartolo Colon, Spahn, Wells and Kevin Brown – guys who could be great or greatly disappointing. As always in the Big Apple, it sure as Shinola won’t be dull.

1961 PREDICTIONS
RECORD: 87-81, t-2nd in North, 2 GB
HITTING: .248 / 129 HR / 684 R / 114 SB
PITCHING: 3.42 ERA / 1130 K / 636 R / 430 BB

[luckymann]

• MANAGER: Walter Alston
• HOME PARK: Riverfront Stadium
• TOP POSITION PLAYER: N/R
• TOP PITCHER: Cole Hamels (19)
• TOP PROSPECT: 2B Rogers Hornsby (1)
• 26TH MAN: Gleyber Torres

Portland on paper looks to have a squad that will start OK and then steadily improve over time to be one of the league’s powerhouses. Whether or not this comes to pass is almost certainly up to how their staff performs. Besides Scherzer and Valenzuela, it lacks any bona fide superstars but still has plenty of workhorses such as Palmer, Waddell, Three-Finger Brown and Hamels – guys who in any other league would be among the best but who might struggle in this All-Star calibre competition. No such problems among their position players, with a certain Comet from Commerce and a guy named Rogers you may also have heard of, along with Connor, McGwire, Munson, Molitor and Cool Papa Bell to name but a few. 26th Man Torres is a real wildcard and it will be fascinating to see if he can hold his own against the game’s historical elite. Two other elements in this club’s favour are their excellent defensive skills and speed, which will allow them to mix it up strategy-wise if one style of play isn’t getting them anywhere. If that pitching comes to the party, I reckon these guys will do alright.

1961 PREDICTIONS
RECORD: 86-82, 2nd in West, 1 GB
HITTING: .261 / 77 HR / 716 R / 218 SB
PITCHING: 3.83 ERA / 932 K / 734 R / 432 BB

[luckymann]

• MANAGER: Lou Piniella
• HOME PARK: Pike Street Grounds
• TOP POSITION PLAYER: N/R
• TOP PITCHER: N/R
• TOP PROSPECT: SS Alex Rodriguez (16)
• 26TH MAN: Alex Bregman

I must say that, as I work my way through these previews, I am getting more and more excited about what this league promises. Three teams to go and this Seattle crew is one of the best. They won’t be so great to begin with, but boy when they reach their peak they’ll be a force to be reckoned with, in a large part due to the big bats of A-Rod and Mike Trout and the lethal left arm of Sandy Koufax. They might not have the depth of some other squads, but their stars are among the league’s brightest and the supporting cast such as the likes of their version of the Killer B’s – Bench, Brett and Bregman – along with the underrated Joe Gordon, as well as pitchers Smoltz, Keefe and Nichols, look ready to give it a real shake. Another squad whose speed will give opposition batteries the heebie-jeebies, the Rainiers are also arguably the league’s best defensive unit, and certainly its most flexible with plenty of players able to cover multiple positions and therefore share the load when certain players are in form funks.

1961 PREDICTIONS
RECORD: 72-96, 4th in West, 15 GB
HITTING: .228 / 102 HR / 602 R / 119 SB
PITCHING: 4.15 ERA / 667 K / 762 R / 500 BB

[luckymann]

• MANAGER: Earl Weaver
• HOME PARK: Bethlehem Ballpark
• TOP POSITION PLAYER: N/R
• TOP PITCHER: Mike Mussina (18)
• TOP PROSPECT: CF Willie Mays (20)
• 26TH MAN: Christian Yelich

The Fury are almost the antithesis of the Rainiers, in that they should be one of the dominant teams early but look to have somewhat limited upside compared to some of the other sides in the competition. A strong spine is always a good starting-point, and this Virginia squad is up there with the best in this regard, with Torre behind the plate, Boudreau at short and The Say Hey Kid manning CF. But outside of that they are a fairly middling bunch that may struggle to score bunches of runs. That said, with their pitching staff, they may not need to. Mussina, Vazquez and Spalding all look ready from Day One, and Mathewson and Ryan will then slip into the rotation a few years down the track to really bolster it. They also have Brooks Robinson manning the hot corner and Clemente in RF, and are as defensively sound as almost any other group. To see Robby C standing in the outfield next to Willie, who thought so highly of him IRL, will be one of this save’s true pleasures.

1961 PREDICTIONS
RECORD: 92-76, 1st in East
HITTING: .264 / 77 HR / 724 R / 73 SB
PITCHING: 3.61 ERA / 866 K / 653 R / 413 BB

[luckymann]

• MANAGER: Dusty Baker
• HOME PARK: Capital Field
• TOP POSITION PLAYER: 3B Wade Boggs (11)
• TOP PITCHER: N/R
• TOP PROSPECT: LF Babe Ruth (4)
• 26TH MAN: Nolan Arenado

We round off these previews on a high with the Washington Grays. The Bambino’s presence rightfully gobbles up most of the hoopla around this club, but this is far from a one-man band, with players such as Frisch, Charlie Hustle, Yaz, Boggs and Josh Gibson all able to more than hold their own. Big Don Drysdale leads an excellent pitching corps that also features Prince Hal Newhouser, Schilling and Pettite. 26th Man Arenado adds that X Factor to a squad full to the brim with talent, and they are another franchise with solid defence, versatility and speed.

A quick word on The Babe to finish up with. My hope was to have him as a two-way player all the way through but the game simply wouldn’t allow it, so I settled on him being a full-time position player (it was at this time I also decided on adding the DH to the league, truth be told). So his ratings reflect the lack of IRL ABs in the early seasons, which means he won’t be much of a factor for the first few years. But after that, look out Paragon League!

1961 PREDICTIONS
RECORD: 80-88, t-2nd in East, 12 GB
HITTING: .285 / 73 HR / 777 R / 132 SB
PITCHING: 4.52 ERA / 903 K / 825 R / 545 BB

[luckymann]

New Jersey 10 v Boston 8
WP: Roy Oswalt (1-0)
LP: Doc White (0-1)
SV: Gerrit Cole (1)

• BOST: Ronald Acuna 3-5 / 2B / 3B / 5 RBI
• NJER: Robinson Cano 3-5 / 2 HR [2] / 4 RBI; Ivan Rodriguez 3 RBI; Cristobal Torriente 4-5 / 3B / 2 RBI; George Sisler 4-5 / 2B / 4 R.

Connecticut 5 v Seattle 1
WP: C.C. Sabathia (1-0) 9 IP / 5 H / 1 ER / 12 K
LP: Rick Reuschel (0-1)

• CONN: Freddie Freeman 2B / solo HR [1]; Bid McPhee 3-4.

Las Vegas 4 @ Portland 3
WP: Bobby Mathews (1-0)
LP: Cole Hamels (0-1)

• LASV: Don Sutton 6.2 IP / 1 H / 1 ER / 6 K; Dan Brouthers 3-4 / HR [1] / 3 RBI; Ted Simmons solo HR [1].

New Orleans 3 @ Indianapolis 0
WP: Cy Young (1-0) 9 IP / 5 H / 0 ER / 3 K
LP: Schoolboy Rowe (0-1)

Washington 2 @ Carolina 1 (11 innings)
WP: Hal Newhouser (1-0)
LP: Tommy Bond (0-1)

• WASH: Pete Rose 4-5; Carl Yastrzemski 3-5 / RBI; Joe Sewell 3-5 / 2B.

Atlanta 4 @ Virginia 1
WP: Luis Tiant (1-0) 9 IP / 9 H / 1 ER / 6 K
LP: Mike Mussina (0-1)

• ATLA: Pee Wee Reese 3-4 / 3B / RBI.

Kansas City 6 v Florida 4
WP: Pete Alexander (1-0)
LP: Tom Seaver (0-1)
SV: Dennis Eckersley (1)

• KANC: Tony Phillips 3-4 / 2B / 3B / 2 RBI.
• FLOR: Albert Pujols 2 HR [2] / 4 RBI.

[luckymann]

Los Angeles Canaries @ New York Gothams
GNB Ballpark

LOSA: Roger Clemens (0-0, 0.00)
NYOR: Dwight Gooden (0-0, 0.00)

Well the first of our GotW features was a total no-brainer, with Rocket Clemens and the Canaries heading to GNB Ballpark to take on Doc Gooden and the Gothams. It’s the ’86 World Series all over again!

As you can see from the lineups screenshot below, the Gothams have a fairly clear edge here, especially given they are at home. Still, they shouldn’t expect to get it all their own way, with plenty of pop in the LA bats and Rocket obviously ready to go. McGraw and Lasorda will have their charges primed to get the season off on the right foot, so this should be a beauty.

TOP 1ST
A nervy start for Gooden, who walks Bonds to lead it off and then surrenders an RBI triple to Lindor.
A base on balls to Slaughter puts men at the points, and a Griffey jr groundout brings Lindor in from third.
Gooden issues his third walk of the inning but manages to get out of the inning without conceding further.
LOSA 2, NYOR 0

BOTTOM 1ST
No such problems for Clemens, who starts confidently with a 1-2-3 inning.

TOP 2ND
Gooden regathers himself and sends them down in order.

BOTTOM 2ND
Clemens retires the first two men he faces no problem, but then gives up back-to-back singles to Judge and Campanella. He gets out of the inning unscathed, however, when he gets Jones to ground out harmlessly.

TOP 3RD
An infield hit with two out puts Griffey jr on base, and he steals second to move into scoring position, but is stranded there when Molina whiffs.

BOTTOM 3RD
Another incident-free inning for Clemens.

TOP 4TH
Gooden, in the groove now, retires them in order.

BOTTOM 4TH
Medwick leads off the inning with a single to right and moves to second on a Mathews groundout. Bagwell reaches on a HBP, putting the tying run on. After Judge strikes out, Campanella singles to get the Gothams their first run. Jones then grounds out to 2B to end the inning.
LOSA 2, NYOR 1

TOP 5TH
A one-out single puts Bonds on base and a wild pitch allows him to advance to second. He’s erased, though, on an iffy call to steal third. That hurts more when, after Lindor walks, Slaughter singles. Gooden again escapes falling further behind by getting Griffey to ground out to SS and end the inning.

BOTTOM 5TH
Two-out trouble for Clemens when Winfield singles and gets to third on a Medwick double. He escapes as Mathews flies out to deep RF to end the inning.

TOP 6TH
Just a hit and stolen base to Rogan, who is left at second when Williams strikes out looking.

BOTTOM 6TH
Judge walks with one out and moves to second on a Campanella single, but Clemens fans Jones and gets Grich to ground out to 3B to end the threat.

TOP 7TH
Gooden’s control issues continue as he walks Randolph to lead off the inning and McGraw decides he’s seen enough, summoning Colon from the bullpen. Bartolo strikes out Bonds but then puts Lindor aboard with a walk and gives up a 2-run double to Slaughter. They give Griffey jr a free pass to set up the DP, but Colon instead fans Molina and gets Rogan to ground out, ending the inning.
LOSA 4, NYOR 1

BOTTOM 7TH
Things are looking grim for the hosts, but Alomar revives the home fans’ hopes with a leadoff double, steals third and scores on a Winfield groundout. That ends Clemens’ game, with Lasorda bringing in Candelaria. He retires Medwick for the second out but then gives up a solo homer to the lefty Mathews and New York are right back in it. The inning is over when Bagwell flies out to RF.
LOSA 4, NYOR 3

TOP 8TH
Colon walks Schmidt to lead off the inning and Williams bunts him over to second. Randolph then singles to put men at the corners but Bonds can only move the runner to second when he grounds out sharply to 3B. Colon then strikes out Lindor to strand the runner.

BOTTOM 8TH
The raucous GNB crowd goes crazy when Judge leads off the inning with a solo shot to knot the game at 4.
LOSA 4, NYOR 4

TOP 9TH
Griffey jr gets aboard with a one-out bloop hit but Adams, in for Colon, retires the next two men to douse the threat.

BOTTOM 9TH
The crowd smells blood as Alomar leads off with a single and goes to second on a Winfield single. And the comeback is complete when Medwick caps off a great game with a walkoff double.
NYOR 5, LOSA 4 FINAL

WP: Babe Adams (1-0)
LP: John Candelaria (0-1)
POTG: Dwight Gooden

Well that certainly lived up to the hype. Despite his wildness, Gooden hung tough and the Gothams never stopped trying. Clemens was great but the question has to be asked why Lasorda stuck with Candelaria for so long. Then again, it’s easy to wonder these things after the event and the Canaries’ offence had their chances to put the game away. A fantastic start to the league indeed.

[luckymann]

New York 4 v Los Angeles 2
WP: Walter Johnson (1-0)
LP: Clayton Kershaw (0-1)

• NYOR: Andruw Jones 2-4 / 2B / HR [1] / 4 RBI; Dave Winfield 3-4 / 2B.
• LOSA: Ken Griffey jr HR [1].

New Jersey 5 v Boston 0
WP: Clark Griffith (1-0) 9 IP / 4 H / 0 ER / 1 K
LP: Bert Blyleven (0-1)


Connecticut 11 v Seattle 4
WP: Urban Shocker (1-0)
LP: Tim Keefe (0-1)

• CONN: Ted Williams 2-2 / 3 BB / 2 HR [2] / 5 RBI; Jack Glasscock 2-4 / 2B / 3 RBI.
• SEAT: Mike Trout solo HR [1]; Joe Gordon 2-run HR [1]; Chase Utley 3-4 / 2 2B.

Las Vegas 5 @ Portland 3
WP: Mark Langston (1-0)
LP: Mordecai Brown (0-1)
SV: Bobby Mathews (1)


Indianapolis 3 v New Orleans 0
WP: Bob Shawkey (1-0) 9 IP / 5 H / 0 ER / 3 K
LP: Jim Perry (0-1)


Washington 12 @ Carolina 0
WP: Joe McGinnity (1-0) 8.1 IP / 5 H / 0 ER / 7 K
LP: Old Hoss Radbourn (0-1)

• WASH: Joe Sewell 2 3B / 3 RBI; Zack Wheat 3-5 / 3B / RBI; Carl Yastrzemski 3-5 / 2B; Wade Boggs 3 RBI; Frankie Frisch 2B / 3B / 2 RBI; Josh Gibson 3-5 / 2B.

Atlanta 11 @ Virginia 3
WP: Addie Joss (1-0)
LP: Al Spalding (0-1)

• ATLA: Hank Aaron 3-5 / HR [1] / 3 RBI; Fernando Tatis jr 3-run HR [1]; Cap Anson 2 2B / 2 RBI.

Florida 7 @ Kansas City 5 (13 innings)
WP: Jack Chesbro (1-0)
LP: Jack Quinn (0-1)
SV: Bobby Wallace (1)

• FLOR: Jorge Posada 3 2B / RBI; Jack Clark 4-7 / RBI.
• KANC: Jim O’Rourke 3-6 / 2B / 3 RBI; Miguel Cabrera 4-7.