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Mar. 4, 1993 • Draft Edition
Mar. 4, 1993 • Draft Edition
1993 Draft Review
Or "I'd Buy That for a Dollar!"
by Sean “He still hasn’t changed his avatar picture” Holloway, Beat Reporter
Everyone remember how this works? Risk level, fit with your team’s needs, and overall value drive my final verdict. Let’s see which picks I’m buying for a dollar (best), .75 cents (better) or .50 (good), and if there are any for which I’m not too keen and may even ask for a refund.
1. ATL – OF Manny Ramirez
Did You Know?
• Full name is Manuel Aristides Ramirez Onelcida – also was known as Man-Ram.
• In 2009, decided to retire instead of face the prospect of a lengthy suspension due to failing a drug test.
• FUN FACT: After retiring, started a child care business “Manny’s Nannies and Mannies – If you need a nanny, better call Manny!”.
• FUNNER FACT: Dickie Thon’s next movie, “Dickie and His Man-Ram”, debuts on Opening Day for the 1993 season.
Wait a minute! GM Chaney is drafting position players? What gives? I’ll tell you what gives. Chaney has stocked up on pitchers, and after winning the #1 overall pick for a second year in a row, he has decided that the Hilltoppers need some offense. Arguably the best player in the draft, Manny should give the Toppers some instant offense, and with their staff, they don’t need much. Manny’s defense is a bit suspect, but if he produces offensively, I don’t think Chaney will mind. Buying this pick at a dollar – great pick-up.
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2. FLO – 3B Chipper Jones
Did You Know?
Real name is Larry Wayne Jones and has seven kids.
One of five players to hit a HR on their 40th birthday.
FUN FACT (that’s true!): When The Commish had Micro League up and running in the early-mid 1990s, some of us GMs lived in DC near him, so we would head over to his apartment to actually manage the games in Tony La Russa Baseball; whenever Jones came up to bat, the entire apartment would growl “Chipperrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”
FUNNER FACT (that’s also true!): Chipper is the co-owner and co-host of the Major League Bowhunter show on the Sportsmen channel.
In the offseason, GM Jo added Ivan “The $20 Million Dollar Man Who Works for COBRA” Calderon in FA, so with this addition, you know he means business. With Ruben Sierra acquired from LA, this is no longer your father’s Oldsmobile. FLO will definitely be better this year. Add a potential franchise player, a switch hitter no less, at 3B, and the team seems to be on the rise. Unfortunately, though, Chipper has a ways to go before he’s cooked, so we’ll go with .85 cents on this pick and hedge a few of our bets. Could FLO have drafted an SP? Possibly, but not sure if there’s an SP in this draft worth the overall #2.
Wait! Where’d the .85 cents come from? You just said you’d use three levels. What gives? One must be cognizant that there may be gradations of goodness/badness for a pick……..and I am a complete and total gangsta, and that is how I roll. Now just move on to the next pick before I Crip Walk your ass into next week.
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3. CLE – CF Jim Edmonds
Did You Know?
4-time All Star; 8-time GG; 1-time NL SS; eleven 20+ HR seasons.
FUN FACT (that’s true!): married four times; opened three restaurants that all closed.
FUNNER FACT: Cousin of Dave Edmunds, so naturally a huge fan of Rockpile.
GM Qualls had an interesting choice at #3: take a position player or the best SP in the entire draft. Qualls, typically a sucker for pitching, surprised the Barons faithful by going with Edmonds, a GG winning, power hitting OF. Qualls is definitely looking to add some pop into his lineup, as the Barons haven’t always been able to come by runs easily. Adding Edmonds to a nearly completely revamped lineup of Lofton, Young, Clark, Caminiti, Biggio, Johnson and Griffin should result in more offense. The Barons are still rebuilding, so while Edmonds won’t put the team over the top, he’s a great player with potential franchise tag heights. I’d buy that for a dollar!
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4. SF – 1B Carlos Delgado
Did You Know?
3-time Silver Slugger; eleven 30 HR seasons; AL Total Bases Leader in 2000.
FUN FACT: Walk out song was Styx’s “Mr. Roboto”; fans would chant “Domo Arigato, Mr. Delgado!”
FUNNER FACT: Favorite song is “In-a-Delgado-Da-Vida” by Iron Butterfly.
So there was this guy who was the SF GM for a bit, and he picked Delgado, and then he left mid-draft in quite a mike-drop moment I must say. With Mark Grace currently at 1B, and with Delgado very young, I do wonder if this would have been the place to draft an SP, an area where SF needs some support. I’ll buy it for .50 cents, as there is tremendous development risk for Delgado as well.
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5. KEY – SP Aaron Sele
Did You Know?
2-time All Star; 4-time 15 win seasons; won WS with Angels in 2002.
FUN FACT: Often played tennis with sister Monica when young (hah!).
FUNNER FACT: Often asked how grandfather, Bud Selig, is doing.
Ahhhh, that sneaky Aiton guy….grabbing the best SP in the 1993 Draft! Despite initially having some issues due to the fact that Mike Hampton #7,934 was somehow in our universe and available, GM Aiton did not let his initial pick of #7,934 – later deemed by The Commish to be invalid due to Hampton “being an individual from another universe in the multiverse other than our own” – slow down the build at KEY. After The Commish stated “This will not do”, Aiton simply pivoted and took the SP that any team would have wanted. Sele is also nearly cooked and has three quality pitches, so definitely buying this for a dollar.
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6. MON – SP Darren Oliver
Did You Know?
Pitched 20 years in the ML; went 15 years and 271 days between his 2nd and 3rd saves, the MLB record.
Nolan Ryan played with Oliver’s father, Bob, a 1970s 1B; Oliver is one of two players to have played for the original four expansion teams; Nolan Ryan is the other.
FUN FACT: will not eat green eggs and ham.
FUNNER FACT: claims to keep hearing Whos.
FUNNEST FACT: calls his change-up “Thing 1” and his curveball “Thing 2”.
With Mike Scott holding steady, GM Gryka is looking to supplement his staff, as Iron Mike has not been kind to Curt Schilling, nor really that nice to Chris Bosio and Kenny Rogers either for that matter. Oliver is nearly developed with a bevy of quality pitches, and this pick should go far in stabilizing MON’s starting rotation. Cannot find a bad thing to say about this pick; buying for a dollar.
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7. TOR – RP/SP Rene Arocha
Did You Know?
Defected from Cuba in 1991 and signed with the Cardinals, had one good year, got hurt, never truly recovered and was out of MLB by 1997.
FUN FACT: does an amazing imitation of Herve Villechaize and Ricardo Montalban, as he learned English by watching Fantasy Island reruns.
FUNNER FACT: favorite singer is Cab Calloway, and his walk out song is Calloway’s “Minnie the Moocher”, sung by fans as “Folks, here’s a story ‘bout Rene Arocha”.
Who out there thought that the Toronto Polar Bears “Beat on the brat” offensive strategy was done? After having to make some difficult decisions due to cap concerns, the guy who’s a GM, a Dr. and even plays the parts of all the Medics, Eric Clemons, screams out “Nay! Nay!” with this pick. Dude! Who let a fully developed 7/6/10 – 23 drop to #7? Uh-oh. I hear the train a-comin, it’s rollin’ ‘round the bend!” Yep, it’s the Swoop Train arriving in Toronto! TOR’s rotation was not shabby to begin with, and the Gooden injury really hurt the club in 1992. With Scott Sanderson getting up there, Arocha could step right into the rotation OR come out the pen, where he may be even better. Buying for two dollars on this one.
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8. BRO – RP Greg McMichael
Did You Know?
53 SV lifetime; 1993 NL ROY runner-up to Mike Piazza; won WS with Braves in 1993.
FUN FACT: met and became good friends with Piazza at MLB Awards Ceremony, and decided to become a silent partner in the Italian restaurant chain created by Piazza that is called “Piazza’s Pizzas.”
FUNNER FACT: Pre-game meal is always McDonald’s, where he has a Big Mac, McShake, McFries, and McApple pie.
Have you looked at BRO’s pen lately? Holy cow. With the addition of McMichael, it’s clear that if you don’t hit BRO’s starters, you likely aren’t going to make anything up in the pen. Wow. It’s that ugly: Henke, Weathers, Wetteland, Timlin, Saenz and Minor, oh, my! And don’t look now, but this 2B Geronimo Pena has been drinking the same stuff that CRob did, so watch the hell out. Combine him with Matt Williams and Griffey Jr, and I will buy this for $1.50; BRO seems to have a plan, and if the SP you want isn’t there, I have no issue in adding a potential 24 RP.
Wait! Why aren’t SV listed in a pitcher’s stats? Dang it. I thought people wouldn’t notice. Apparently I forgot to include that, and the draft review takes quite a long time to do, and I’m just too lazy to go back and mess with every RP’s stats. I’ll get it next year.
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9. BOS – Robb Nen
Did You Know?
Son of Dick Nen, who played MLB in the 1960s.
314 career SV; four more than Goose and 14 more than Glen’s favorite RP, Bruce Sutter.
Won WS with Marlins in 1997; 3-time All Star; seven seasons with 30+ SV.
FUN FACT: After retiring, started a company supplying chicken farmers with enclosures; “Pens by Nen for Hens” became wildly successful with those in the industry.
FUNNER FACT: Followed this success by starting another company focused on supplying free-range chickens corn feed; “Cobs by Rob” (tagline “Cobs by Rob do the job!”).
With GM Marky Mark Waller taking his entire Funky Bunch on the road up north to Boston, he discovered that there was a void in the BOS bullpen. When pressed on what kind of void, Waller responded “an empty one”. Taking Nen at #9 should go far in filling that emptiness. BOS needs to fill so many holes that even the great Dickie Thon would get tired, so while Nen does have considerable development risk, it is difficult to fault actually taking the risk on as the upside could be having one of the best RPs in the game. I’ll buy for .80 cents!
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10. SEA – RP Trevor Hoffman
Did You Know?
601 career SV; 7-time All Star; 3-time RP of the NL; 14 30+ SV seasons; HOF 2018.
FUN FACT: Known for being quite eccentric and a wild man, teammates in the bullpen would often play “Never has Trevor ever” to while away the time before they would have to pitch.
FUNNER FACT: had a cameo role in his brother’s (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) film “Capote”.
This year, the draft was held in Conference Room H, but Seattle fans were still screaming “Let’s go, Brandon!” And did GM Brandon Tucker give the fans what they wanted – a potential 26 RP that should be a lock when called upon. Tucker has done a great job revamping the offense, and now he is taking a shot at his pen. With Doug Jones already a Rainier, this gives Tucker a pretty darn potent 1-2 punch in the late innings. There is some development risk, so I’ll buy it for .90 cents.
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11. TOR - RF Raul Mondesi
Did You Know?
2-time GG; nine seasons with 20+ HR.
FUN FACT: The TOR OF membership goes on sale on Opening Day for $9.95 a month!
The adjustments at TOR continue with the addition of RF and CF Mondesi, a speedy guy that can essentially play anywhere in the OF. I do like this pick a lot, and yeah, I’m buying for that dollar. Mondesi is developed and can make an immediate impact. BUT how can you buy this pick at full price with TOR’s OF already stacked with Shelby, Burks and Gonzalez? Shelby will be pushing 35 this year, while Burks will be soon be pushing a wheelbarrow filled with dough soon, as he is in the last year of his contract. Dr. Feelgood has to do something to ensure that his team remains loaded while not going over his cap, and a player like Mondesi is the smart move since the TOR OF may be in various stages of rebuild after 1993.
Note that Dr. Clemons is doing his part to stave off the salary crunch in TOR by starting his own TOR OF, as he received such a warm reception to his scandalous pic with the 1990 WS trophy that, as he put it, “doing Only Fans with premium content seems like the logical next step to staving off the harsh restrictions the salary cap would impose."
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12. FLO – RP Todd Jones
Did You Know?
319 SV; holds the record for appearances before his first start at 632; AL RP of the Year in 2000; six 30+ SV seasons.
FUN FACT (that’s true!): not related to KEY’s RP Doug Jones.
FUNNER FACT (that’s also true!): not related to WAS’s closer Barry Jones.
FUNNEST FACT: Strangely enough, is related to synth-pop singer Howard Jones.
Jo Lima is back at it! After focusing on offense, the natural bent of Lima to go for pitching rears its head again. Jones is nearly developed, and, with the draft’s remaining players (both batters and starters) being classified as “nice – not thrilling, but nice”, this is a great pick. Jones should complement Belinda – and don’t forget Karsay drafted at #14 – very well. That later pick makes this 1st rounder even more potent, so I’m buying for a dollar!
Ah….now I’m strolling down memory lane, thinking of Belinda Karsay while singing to myself “oooo, baby do you know what that’s worth? We’ll make heaven a place on earth!”
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13. ATL – OF Rondell White
Did You Know?
1-time All Star; 3-times 20+ HR.
FUN FACT (that’s true!): had a cameo on SNL in 1997.
FUNNER FACT: walk-out song is The Crystals singing “Da-Do-Ron-Ron!”.
GM Chaney is back at it! Man, all these GMs from ATL and FLO are just off the hook again this year. One must remember that Chaney LOVES his CFs. Rondell can play all three OF positions, so he can comfortably back-up the current ATL OF starters while he finishes what little bit of development he needs. Heck, Rondell actually may be able to produce better than Lankford or Plantier, so White may find himself starting sooner than he thinks. For the quality of this draft, this is a solid pick that I’ll buy for the dollar. Chaney was able to add some punch to his line-up, something the Toppers need, and there wasn’t much else out there that could fill an ATL need.
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14. FLO – RP Steve Karsay
Did You Know?
Often hurt; seriously injured seven times in his career; currently the Angels bullpen coach.
FUN FACT: Belinda Karsay’s debut single “Going on the DL Down Low”, reached #19 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
Seeing this pick by itself may not be that impressive, but combine that with FLO’s pick at #12, and I can buy this for a dollar. GM Lima went from a “meh” pen to an above average one by adding Todd Jones, Karsay AND Pedro A. Martinez to assist Belinda. Instant relief! FLO should be much tougher in the later innings than in previous years, Karsay is still very young but nearly developed, and the combo of Belinda Karsay has me singing “Mad About You!” and “lost in Jo’s eyes”, so kudos to Jo for a great pick.
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15. DEN – OF Carl Everett
Did You Know?
2-time All Star; four 20 HR seasons; WS with White Sox in 2005
FUN FACT (that’s true!): Everett is quoted as saying “God created the sun, the stars, the heavens and the earth, and then made Adam and Eve. The Bible never says anything about dinosaurs. You can't say there were dinosaurs when you never saw them. Somebody actually saw Adam and Eve. No one ever saw a Tyrannosaurus Rex.”
FUNNER FACT: No, seriously. He said that.
The Commish has once again done his patented quick revamp of the 14ers, with his offense now led by the recently acquired Roberto Alomar. A pitcher may have been a better pick if the pitcher side of the draft pool had been stronger. With what 1993 offered, Everett, a versatile OF that can play all three positions and who possesses speed, is a proto-typical Smith Special, and with DEN’s OFs getting up there in age, Everett should be in the starting lineup sooner rather than later. I’ll buy this for a dollar.
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16. DET – 2B Fernando Vina
Did You Know?
2-time GG; admitted to taking HGH; in 1996, nearly killed by Albert Belle, who was trying to break up a double play.
FUN FACT: Belle Kills Vina
Your beat reporter reached out to GM Holloway to see if he could get the low down on why DET would take yet *another* infielder. I asked Holloway what his motivation was, and he responded that he was looking for “another Jeff Treadway”. Apparently Holloway had misplaced Treadway at some club during celebrations post-WS and couldn’t remember exactly which club. I’m not sure if that’s a valid excuse for a draft pick, but this is Holloway, so we’ll run with it. Vina is, eerily enough, nearly a carbon copy of Treadway ratings-wise, so it seems DET is hoping for the same performance, but with the addition of Tony Fernandez, it’s unclear where Vina fits. I’ll buy for .50 cents.
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17. STL – SP Julian Tavarez
Did You Know?
Known for pitching angry; retired in the top 100 all time in hit batsmen despite pitching only 1,400 innings; won WS with Red Sox in 2007.
FUN FACT: As he was an angry guy, fans coined the term “Julianing”, a humorous take on julienning, which is the cutting of a food item into long, thin strips, when Tavarez made a hitter look foolish and struck him out. “Hey! Tavarez just Julianed him!”
FUNNER FACT: I think this is the first draft in 17 seasons where Glen had a 1st Round pick.
So this guy by the name of Reed had draft picks this year, and I’m so stunned that I don’t even know what to say, but I’ll give it a shot. STL has to replenish its forces, so Reed choose a really young prospect that’s very close to being developed and who has four solid pitches. It will take time for Tavarez to develop, but he’s not as far away as one would think, so he could be seeing some starts within a year or so. Again, as this draft is bereft of copious amounts of talent, I like the pick, so I’ll buy for .90 cents.
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18. DET – SP Jason Bere
Did You Know?
SAD FACT: never developed into a star pitcher as expected; many people cite the heavy workload he had while younger as a reason for his numerous injuries.
FUN FACT: held a press conference before the round and stated “I’m the prototypical TOR pitcher, so I hope they draft me! Tell GM Clemons I’m ready!”.
FUNNER FACT: After Clemons passed with his picks, Bere said “I’ll go anywhere but Detroit”.
FUNNEST FACT: You should have seen Bere’s face when The Commish announced the pick and said “Take him to Detroit!”.
Wait! DET takes another pitcher? Stop the madness! How many pitchers can one team have? Oh, wait a minute – just remembered ATL……anyways. The good is that Bere has solid stuff and five pitches. The bad is that he’s young and unseasoned, and this seems like a lottery ticket pick for Holloway, who must be hoping that Bere develops. In this draft, there may have been no one else worth this high of a pick, but it’s very difficult to tell. I’ll buy this pick for .50, as the jury is still out on Bere, and there were still guys available like Cliff Floyd, Shawn Green and Jeffrey Hammonds that Holloway overlooked.
Mar. 1, 1993 • Offseason Edition
Mar. 1, 1993 • Offseason Edition
Maroons Win Free Agency!
STL GM Glen Reed Signs Every Available FA!
by Sean “Steady On” Holloway, UL Beat Reporter
The 1992 free agent season is upon us! And whoa, Nelly! Did it ever not disappoint. Typically we see some signings early on, but this year we’ve seen a veritable plethora! Your UL Beat Reporter certainly wasn’t expecting so much action – and so many big names – to be signed in FA Round 1 (December).
MAN started the round off with a HUGE signing of C Mike Scioscia, landing him for three years/$18M. Many more players were signed but only to minimum or just above minimum contracts. Then CLE nabbed Craig Biggio for 3/$4500M, and DEN signed Roger Clemens for 3/$9900M. FLO jumped in and landed Ivan Calderon for 3/$19,500M and Mark McGwire for 2/$3400M. But then MAN strikes back with Britt Burns for 3/$9330M and Tom Brunansky for 3/$7500M. At this point, I’m thinking MAN is making a run and looks to be running away with FA.
BUT then STL stomps into the yard and signs EVERY remaining FA. This was a play for the ages: Dion James, Paul Assenmacher, Rob Dibble, John Kruk, Alejandro Pena, Dickie Thon, Chili Davis, Brian Harper, John Shelby, Rene Gonzales, and Mike Macfarlane. Shut the front door! Well, don’t worry about shutting it because there’s no one left to come in or exit.
Reed’s signings left The Commish hastily calling a press conference to explain how the rest of the FA rounds would work seeing how there were no players left. Reed, though, was unphased and more concerned if the plane he had chartered to bring the players to STL from Denver was big enough to accommodate all of them.
MAN and FLO did well, but at face value, it looks like STL won FA this year. It will be interesting to see if MAN’s additions put them over the hump and how competitive FLO’s new guys make that team. But STL is the definite front runner at the moment – assuming Reed can sort out how to play 20 guys at once.
For now, let us celebrate STL’s stunning achievement in song and see how Reed explains his actions and introduces the Round 1 signings to the Maroons’ fans. I’ve Got a Feeling Glen would appreciate that. Click the link and sing along!
I've got a feeling
A feeling it’s time to buy, oh, yeah
(Oh, yeah, that's right)
I've got a feeling
I need some different guys, oh, no, no
Oh, no!
Oh, no
Yeah, yeah, I've got a feeling, yeah
Oh, fans, believe me
We’re now back in the game, oh, yeah
Oh, yeah
And if you leave me
I’ll be in fiscal pain, oh, no
Oh, no
Oh, no
Yeah, yeah, I've got a feeling, yeah
I got a feeling
All these years I've been looking around
Wondering how come nobody told me
All that I was looking for was players who played like you
I've got a feeling
I need some different pros, oh, yeah
(Oh, yeah) Oh, yeah
I've got a feeling
On how to end our playoff woes, oh, yeah
Oh, yeah, oh, yeah
Yeah, yeah, I have got a feeling, yeah
Chili Davis had a hard year
Johnny Kruk is a good time
Dickie Thon had a wet dream
Rob Dibble’s stuff is nine
Oh, yeah, (oh, yeah) oh, yeah, oh, yeah
Dion James had a good year
Alejandro brought his FIP down
Brian Harper pulled his average up (yeah)
John Shelby puts the smack down, oh, yeah
I've got a feeling (Dion James had a good year)
A feeling it’s time to buy, oh, yeah (Chili Davis had a hard time)
(Dickie Thon had a wet dream) Oh, yeah
(Rob Dibble’s stuff is nine)
I've got a feeling (Assenmacher had a good year)
I need some different guys, oh, no (Alejandro brought his FIP down)
(Rene Gonzales will pull his average up) Oh no, no
(Mike Macfarlane guns those runners down, oh, yeah)
Yeah, yeah
I've got a feeling (oh, yeah)
I've got a feeling (oh, yeah)
I've got a feeling
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(Oh, my soul)
League Rankings vs Playoff and World
Series Success: An Analysis
Or as Lance Mueller May Say “1992 Is 1975 All Over Again”
– But Is It? And Would Lance Really Say That?
by Sean “Steady On” Holloway, UL Beat Reporter
Background
Sometimes things happen that are unexplainable, unbelievable, inexplicable, unsolvable, unfathomable. Puzzling, perplexing, mystifying.
DiMaggio’s 56. The Immaculate Reception. How good Pavel Datsyuk was on both sides of the puck—no one was better. The Detroit Lions apparently now being a solid football team. All simply beyond my capability to comprehend. But of the list of improbables from which one could pick, the 1975 Detroit Griffins WS win – one that likely should never have happened and which is still not officially recognized by the UL (go to UL/League History/History Index to see for yourself) – is the most improbable and stunning.
As I was sitting behind a computer, mouth agape, and trying to sort out how Detroit 1992 happened after
I saw that the team won, I couldn’t help but immediately think of Detroit 1975, as it certainly seemed to me that what the 1992 team pulled off was just as unlikely/improbable as the 1975 team. I wanted to see if my initial reaction was correct, and from that desire you get to read—if you want—about the rabbit hole I went down. I surprised myself by what I found. I warn you that this will be a long one, as my goal here is not to bore you but see if there’s anything we can learn about the game engine and how Iron Mike decides our collective fate. And you’ll have to read some additional paragraphs about exactly what I did to see where I was headed, but those will pop up when necessary. Hopefully I didn’t make any errors in methodology.
Preseason Predictions vs Pythagorean vs Fake Reality
Why the 1975 Griffins team? Because at first glance, there appear to be similarities to the 1992 Griffins. First and foremost, no one expected either team to actually win the WS. The 1975 Griffins were not even expected to be a lock for the playoffs, with the Pythagorean record predicted as 80-76 – enough to finish 5th in their division. But these Griffins said “Nay, nay!”, finishing TWELVE games above what Mr. Pythagoras would have predicted, going 92-64 and playing .590 ball to finish 2nd behind Reed’s Montreal team(101-55, .647). Then the Griffins went further by managing to advance in the playoffs and complete the upset, beating MAN 4-3 in the WS.
In 1992, the Griffins finished 103-57 for a .644 clip, but the interesting point to note is that this team also played above predictions. By Pythagorean route, the team was SEVEN wins above expected performance—not as crazy as the 1975 team, but still above where they were predicted to be.
While I don’t think we have pre-season predictions for 1975, we do for 1992, where the Griffins were predicted to finish tied for 5th at 79-81. Note that I did have all my starters and lineups set before Iron Mike spit out his predictions. Also note that I have ZERO idea how the preseason prediction of 79-81 went to a Pythagorean 96-64 in-season, only to see the 1992 Griffins push that out to 103-57. And it wasn’t just the preseason predictions that stated the 1992 team should be “meh”. Glen “Woot! Woot! Woot!” Reed and his Nine Keys to Victory showed signs that did not portend well for this year. Point is that it seems both teams outperformed.
What did that 1975 Team do right on offense?
From reviewing the statistics, I note:
Runs Scored per game – 4.8 (3rd tied with MON and ATL for the League lead)
BA - .258 (tied for 7th)
OBP - .332 (3rd)
SLG - .422 (3rd)
OPS - .754 (2nd)
HR – 202 (1st)
Total Runs Scored – 744 (3rd)
Surprisingly, the 1975 team, while not exactly hitting for average, could hit with the best of them in the other important offensive categories, and with the high OPS and 202 HRs, this team could bang—way more than expected.
How does this compare to the 1992 team?
Runs Scored per game– 4.8 (6th)
BA - .286 (1st)
OBP - .337 (Tie 4th)
SLG - .438 (4th)
OPS - .776 (4th)
HR – 165 (9th)
Total Runs Scored – 771 (6th)
While the 1992 team did not hit as many HRs, the 1992 Griffins were, surprisingly, very good at hitting for average, and by virtue of its OPS, we know this team was getting on base while hitting for average and decent power, so it seems this team may not have killed others with HRs, but they did manage to get guys on base and then plate them. Note, too, that 6th in runs scored seems bad, but if you were to lose TOR’s insane 868 mark, second through sixth were STL 798, MAN 790, BRO 786, BOS 785 and then DET 771. Thus, it’s not like the Griffins were 100 runs behind all the teams ahead of them. This team could score at a decent clip.
What did the 1975 team do right on pitching/defense?
Runs Allowed per game – 4.7 (10th)
ERA – 4.22 (9th)
WHIP – 1.39 (11th)
Total Runs Allowed – 726 (10th)
E – 83 (1st, fewest in the league)
ZR – no stats collected, but in reviewing ratings, my guess is this team was solidly average.
Oooof. Not much, apparently. The team did not have a great staff and gave up nearly as many runs per game as they scored. The only thing done well was leading the league in errors.
How does this compare to the 1992 team?
Runs Allowed per game – 3.9 (3rd)
ERA – 3.68 (3rd)
WHIP – 1.25 (4th)
Total Runs Allowed – 611 (2nd)
E – 52 (4th)
ZR – 2.9 (8th)
Here is where the 1992 Griffins greatly improved over the 1975 team, although committing few errors is common to both. The 1992 Griffins had a staff that was giving up .8 runs LESS per game, so this version of the Griffins was by far a better pitching team. Only WAS at 3.56 and LA at 3.54 had better ERAs.
Ok, but what does this mean?
Good question! I got this far and was stumped for a bit. All I did was prove that yes, the 1975 team likely should not have won the WS, or even made the playoffs, due to its weak pitching staff. Glen has discussed how one approach to building a team is to have league-average pitching and above average batting. The 1975 Griffins took that to heart and then some, especially considering the team had below league average pitching.
Going beyond this, obviously all of us are trying to max out both hitting and pitching, but seeing how it is nearly impossible now to field the best hitting and best pitching team in the league, the question before us is how one tries to build a team. Go all hitting like TOR, or go all pitching like ATL is currently doing? And there is, of course, the question of the hybrid and what variation and balance of hitting vs pitching vs league average for which one should aim. I wondered if there was some way I could compare teams’ rankings with playoff success, or, in short, are there some combinations of hitting/pitching that seem to work better than others?
Sean’s Lame Effort to Come Up With Something
The only way I could think of comparing teams across years was by looking at how playoff teams and WS winners ranked in Runs Scored Per Game and Runs Allowed Per Game, which I’ll just abbreviate as RS and RA from here out. I also added the extremely astute “RS + RA” number to see if I could find a quick and dirty way of judging – by way of one combined number – if a team could make the playoffs/win the WS.
Taking 1975 DET for our example, that team ranked 3rd in the league in RS and 10th in the league in RA for a combined ranking of 13. 1992 DET ranked 6th and 3rd, respectively, for a combined ranking of 9.
These numbers, though, mean nothing unless there is a way to compare them to other teams and/or some median/average for the League. That’s why I went from 1975 to 1992 and took all the teams that made the playoffs and to see respective rankings. I then added up each team’s RS, RA and Combined Ranking (CR) and took the average, which gave me an average ranking of RS, RA and CR for playoff teams for each of those years. Yes, I know it’s an average and not a median, but 1) I’m not a numbers wizard and 2) while I don’t have much of a life, it is true that I cannot do fake baseball 24/7.
Example: For 1975, I averaged these rankings for the playoff teams - MON, DET, MAN and LA. The average RS was 4, the average RA was 5, and the CR (combined ranking) was 9. I took this to mean that if you could get your team to be ranked – relatively speaking – close to these averages in each category, your team would have had a great chance at making the playoffs in 1975. Now, there were variations that one doesn’t see because I used an average. For example, remember that for 1975, DET was 3, 10 and 13, which means it was off for RA and CR (combined ranking) from that year’s average.
I then took each individual year’s average for playoff teams so I could see what things would look like for the 18-year period from 1975–1992. Here are the average rankings of playoff teams: RS 5.1, RA 4.6 and CR 9.7. If you could get your team near those rankings, you had a great chance of making the playoffs.
I then added up all the WS winners’ rankings from each year and got the following ranking averages for them: RS 4, RA 4 and CR 8. In general, these teams were better than the other ones in the playoffs, although again, weird things did happen. MON won in 1982 at 10/2/12; WAS won in 1987 at 10/3/13 and TOR won in 1990 at 1/10/11. 1983 DET, though, won at 1/3/4, and 1988 STL won at 2/2/4.
League Ranking Runs Per Game Runs Allowed Per Game Combined Ranking
Playoffs 5.1 4.6 9.7
WS Winners 4.0 4.0 8.0
If I’m not completely off base, it seems that—within reason—if you can finish with a combined league ranking in Runs Scored and Runs Allowed of around 10, your team stands a good chance of making the playoffs. And to win, you gotta drop that combined score to 8. Going by these metrics, the 1975 Griffins were definitely a surprise; the 1992 Griffins not so much, as that team was better than I certainly thought they were, with a CR of 9.
With all that said, I cannot explain how or why Iron Mike decides to have certain teams in certain years that – against seemingly all odds – catch fire and just run through the playoffs and the WS. Higher ratings would seem to give you a greater probability of winning, but if the game engine is essentially running a Monte Carlo-like simulation, there’s no guarantee that one year a team WON’T find all of its so-so players by ratings all having career years all at the same time, which could – and did in 1975 DET’s case – make the team nigh invincible. In general, whatever you have to do to get close to these numbers should at least get you in the playoffs where – as we all know – anything could happen.
I, unfortunately, also have few words about who you should draft or pry away from another GM in a trade. I have my theories, but every time I think I have something sorted, I Steve Finley myself. Or Mo Vaughn. Or Kevin Appier. The only thing I can say when it comes to building a team is that it is highly, highly improbable that one can build a team from drafting alone. You certainly can find some great guys in the 3rd and 4th rounds, but I don’t think there are enough of them available to build a core; most picks at these levels are lottery tickets. Yes, you can find guys that can help, but we will never see 18 Craig Robinsons drafted in Round 4. Just not going to happen.
I firmly believe that a combination of good drafting, smart trading, and smart FA signings is the only way to actually win a WS. Trades and FA signings don’t need to be blockbusters, but they are necessary for success. I’m not exactly a Peter Vays-type when it comes to trading, but I did find something interesting to me when I reviewed the 1992 line-up and pitching staff.
LF Dwight Smith – DEN, 1989 Round 2, Pick 4
3B Chris James – TOR, 1986 Round 4, Pick 10
RF Ivan Calderon – FA from CHI, 1984 Round 2, Pick 1
1B Crime Dog – DEN, 1986 Round 2, Pick 10
CF Orlando Merced – HAV, 1990 Round 1, Pick 7
C Dave Nilsson – DET, 1991 Round 1, Pick 8
2B Jeff Treadway – DET, 1987 Round 3, Pick 12
SS Ozzie Guillen – SEA, 1985 Round 1, Pick 13
Pitching staff were all draft picks. My point remains, though, that six of my eight position players were NOT drafted by me. So get out there and wheel and deal; with the right mix of talent both on the mound and in your starting lineup - and a buttload lot of luck from Iron Mike - you may find yourself hoisting the next UL WS trophy!
League Standings
League Standings
West W L GB 2ndH R RA
St. Louis 101 59 - 44-32 2 4
Chicago 93 67 8 42-34 7 5
Los Angeles 90 70 11 49-27 12 1
Havana 81 79 20 37-39 9 8
Seattle 80 80 21 40-36 11 15
Denver 78 82 23 35-41 15 7
San Francisco 67 93 34 28-48 13 16
Atlanta 61 99 40 35-41 18 6
Florida 56 104 40 12-15 17 9
East W L GB 2ndH R RA
Detroit 103 57 - 49-27 6 3
Washington 91 69 12 44-32 8 2
Manhattan 89 71 14 44-42 3 13
Toronto 83 77 20 32-44 1 18
Boston 80 80 23 40-36 5 14
Brooklyn 79 81 24 38-38 4 10
Montreal 75 85 28 35-41 10 12
Keystone 67 93 36 32-44 14 17
Cleveland 66 94 37 31-45 16 10
League Leaders
League Leaders
Batting Average
Bip Roberts MON .355
Tony Gwynn ATL .354
Willie McGee SEA .352
Kirby Puckett WAS .342
Chris Brown SEA .340
Fred McGriff DET .338
Ivan Calderon DET .332
Kal Daniels HAV .327
Lenny Dykstra STL .327
Wade Boggs WAS .324
Earned Run Average
Pedro Martinez ATL 2.13
Floyd Youmans LA 2.59
Greg Swindell LA 2.75
Pat Hentgen BOS 2.83
Anthony Young CHI 2.84
Bret Saberhagen WAS 2.87
Teddy Higuera WAS 2.96
Andy Benes DET 2.97
Erik Hanson CHI 3.07
Fern Valenzuela ATL 3.32
Infield Zone Rating
Alan Trammell CHI 16.3
Rey Sanchez LA 16.1
Ozzie Guillen DET 13.7
Bill Spiers CHI 10.1
Dickie Thon FLO 9.2
Home Runs
Fred McGriff DET 55
Jose Canseco MAN 49
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 49
Ellis Burks TOR 48
Cory Snyder LA 46
Rafael Palmeiro TOR 45
Mick Tettleton TOR 45
Mike Stanley HAV 43
Ron Gant TOR 41
Tim Salmon KEY 40
Wins
Andy Benes DET 20
Jeff M Robinson CHI 18
Greg Swindell LA 18
Teddy Higuera WAS 17
Charlie Lea TOR 16
Frank Pastore MAN 16
Kevin Ritz HAV 16
Mike Scott MON 16
Floyd Youmans LA 16
Outfield Zone Rating
Stan Javier WAS 18.8
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 17.3
Sammy Sosa BOS 9.3
Tim Salmon KEY 7.8
Chili Davis WAS 7.7
RBIs
Fred McGriff DET 145
Rich Gedman WAS 124
Mike Piazza BOS 124
Ricky Jordan SEA 123
Barry Bonds BOS 122
Rafael Palmeiro TOR 119
Junior Felix MON 118
Cory Snyder LA 117
Albert Belle CHI 116
Mike Stanley HAV 116
Strikeouts
Floyd Youmans LA 316
Pat Hentgen BOS 261
Roger Clemens BOS 257
Teddy Higuera WAS 256
Mike Mussina FLO 244
Fern Valenzuela ATL 241 Mark Langston HAV 238
Curt Schilling MON 230
Pedro Martinez ATL 212
Mike Scott MON 208
bWAR
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 10.1
Shane Mack HAV 8.3
Alan Trammell CHI 8.3
Fred McGriff DET 8.2
Gary Sheffield CHI 8.2
Ryne Sandberg WAS 7.9
Kal Daniels HAV 7.2
Ivan Calderon DET 7.1
Barry Bonds BOS 6.9
Bip Roberts MON 6.8
pWAR
Floyd Youmans LA 6.9
Teddy Higuera WAS 5.8
Bret Saberhagen WAS 5.6
Andy Benes DET 5.5
Pedro Martinez ATL 5.4
Fern Valenzuela ATL 5.2
Pat Hentgen BOS 5.2
Dave Schmidt STL 5.0
Greg Swindell LA 4.4
Kevin Brown BRO 4.4
Awards
Awards
Batter of the Month
APR Eric Davis MAN
MAY Howard Johnson TOR
JUN Rafael Palmeiro TOR
JUL Jose Canseco MAN
AUG Fred McGriff DET
SEP Fred McGriff DET
Pitcher of the Month
APR Ron Darling DEN
MAY Curt Schilling MON
JUN Pat Hentgen BOS
JUL Frank Pastore MAN
AUG Floyd Youmans LA
SEP Doug Henry SEA
Rookie of the Month
APR Tim Salmon KEY
MAY Pedro Martinez ATL
JUN Mike Piazza BOS
JUL Tim Salmon KEY
AUG Steve Cooke CHI
SEP Frank Castillo SF
Player of the Week
4/6 Phil Bradley CLE
4/13 Wade Boggs WAS
4/20 Mike Devereaux FLO
4/27 Mike Piazza BOS
5/4 Alan Trammell CHI
5/11 Junior Felix MON
5/18 Howard Johnson TOR
5/25 Fred McGriff DET
6/1 Kal Daniels HAV
6/8 Will Clark DEN
6/15 Benito Santiago CHI
6/22 Rafael Palmeiro TOR
6/29 Mike Stanley HAV
7/6 Glenallen Hill WAS
7/13 Frank Thomas LA
7/20 Rich Gedman WAS
7/27 Matt Williams BRO
8/3 Tim Salmon KEY
8/10 Mike Piazza BOS
8/17 Fred McGriff DET
8/24 Willie McGee SEA
8/31 Glenallen Hill WAS
9/7 Tony Phillips STL
9/14 Andy Van Slyke LA
9/21 Chris Brown SEA
9/28 Andy Van Slyke LA
Milestones
Milestones
July 25 - STL Rickey Henderson 2,000 hits (#46 all-time)
Aug 3 - DEN Tim Raines 700 stolen bases (#4 all-time)
Aug 3 - LA Andy Van Slyke 1,000 runs (#46 all-time)
Aug 19 - BRO Willie Upshaw 1,000 runs (#48 all-time)
Aug 25 - BRO Willie Upshaw 1,000 RBIs (#44 all-time)
Sep 1 - SEA Brian Harper 2,000 hits (#46 all-time)
Sep 3 - DEN Tim Raines 1,000 runs (#48 all-time)
Sep 11 - BRO Willie Upshaw 2,000 hits (#47 all-time)
Sep 11 - HAV Kal Daniels 400 stolen bases (#28 all-time)
Sep 13 - SF Jose Oquendo 400 stolen bases (#30 all-time)
Sep 27 - HAV Mark Langston 2,000 strikeouts (#37 all-time)
Injuries
(playoff teams)
Injuries
(playoff teams)
MAN RF Phil Bradley (2 mo)
STL 1B Pat Tabler (3 wk)
East Division
East Division
103-57 (+23)
1st overall
6th in runs • 3rd in runs against
After putting up C-Rob-like power numbers, Fred McGriff is a frontrunner to win Detroit's first MVP since Bob Horner in 1983. His 394 total bases were the third most since 1978 and ninth all-time. But the Crime Dog's exploits have overshadowed the real story: the emergence of a top-3 pitching staff in Motown. Detroit boasted the third lowest runs against and the third best bullpen. Ace Andy Benes (age 24) was 17-1 in early August and finished as the league's only 20-game winner (20-4, 2.97). Lefty Pete Schourek (23) adjusted well to a starting role in his second year, trimming his ERA to 3.39 and notching 11 wins. And 11th overall pick Pedro Astacio (22) had 157 strikeouts and a 1.14 WHIP in his freshman campaign. Closer Mark Wohlers (22) set the single-season save record with 49, along with a 2.02 ERA and 1.20 WHIP.
Offensively, the Flyin' Lions had the best team batting average, led by Ivan Calderon (.332), Kevin Mitchell (.310), and Chris James (.300). Calderon, the former Chicago Colt, drove in 87 and OPSed .945, compiling 7.1 WAR, 8th in the league. And shortstop Ozzie Guillen hit .292 with 57 RBIs while finishing third among infielders in zone rating.
The common denominator on the roster is youth. The entire rotation is 25 or under, and Calderon and Mitchell are the only regulars over 30. This team is built for the long haul and should contender for championships for many years to come.
91-69 (+3)
4th overall
8th in runs • 2nd in runs against
The Monuments made the playoffs for the seventh time in nine years with their usual recipe of elite pitching, solid defense, and league-average offense. The rotation ranked #1 with a 3.41 ERA, led as usual by Bert and Teddy, who both finished in the top 3 in WAR. Saberhagen's 2.87 ERA and 1.01 WHIP were just under his career averages, while Higuera turned in a WHIP under 1.00 for the fourth time in five years. At the bottom of the rotation, 30-year-old righthander Bob Tewksbury set career marks with 14 wins and a 3.68 ERA and Kevin Tapani found his groove (11-7, 3.62) after three years as a #5 starter in Atlanta and Cleveland.
The defense featured three of the best gloves in the league. CF Stan Javier won the Willie Mays Award, 2B Ryne Sandberg had a 8.0 ZR and RF Kirby Puckett 5.7.
The offense ranked just 8th in total runs, but featured some big-name contributors. Sandberg's 7.9 WAR was his best in five seasons, and he drove in over 100 runs for the second year in a row and swiped 32 bases. Wade Boggs had his 8th 200-hit season. Rich Gedman led with 124 RBI. Glenallen Hill led in slugging (.549) and OPS (.899). And 1B Mark McGwire led with 29 HR after coming over from Atlanta in mid-April.
89-71 (+19)
6th overall
3rd in runs • 13th in runs against
Manhattan was the second-most improved team (after Detroit) and also along with Detroit, one of the biggest surprise teams of 1992. The bulk of the credit goes to the offense, which produced the Gray Sox greatest run total since the Dynasty, despite (or perhaps because of) trading away future Hall of Famer Eric Davis on May 1.
The ManSox were 2nd in homers and 3rd in runs, led by LF Jose Canseco (.305-49-109), who had the highest OPS of his career (.991) and his second best overall season after his HR/RBI title in 1989. Rookie infielder John Valentin was the second most productive bat. The #5 overall pick batted .257-30-96, .816, Rookie of the Year numbers in any other season without a Salmon and a Piazza. 1B Ed N. Sprague had a breakout year (28 HR, 81 RBI), and the trades for veteran 3B Gary Gaetti (28/80) and CF Mike Devereaux (24/67) paid immediate dividends.
Meanwhile, the pitching was much improved from last year's last place finish. Sox hurlers allowed 0.7 fewer runs and moved up five spots to 13th in runs against. Of a trio of newcomers in the rotation, only Melido Perez pitched well (4.20 ERA, 1.35 WHIP), but 34-year-old Frank Pastore was a steady presence and an innings-eater and led the staff with 16 wins and 155 Ks. After a year with no legit closers, 25-year-old Heathcliff Slocumb, picked up in the Eric Davis trade on May 1, was thrust into the role and performed admirably with 20 saves and a 2.61 ERA.
83-77 (-17)
7th overall
1st in runs • 18th in runs against
It started with Jose Mesa on March 19, then Dwight Gooden April 21, Scott Sanderson on June 20, Ellis Burks on July 18, Chris Sabo on Aug. 30, Tom Candiotti Sept. 21. Call it the Curse of the Cusp. On nearly every month this season, right around the 20th, a key Toronto player went down to injury. Sum it all up, and the three-time defending division champions lost just under $10 million to the IL, more than a third of the league total. The Gooden injury three weeks into the season was the most damning. But it was also early enough that GM Eric Clemons could make some adjustments. But Gooden and Sanderson combined for 11 WAR last year, so it was always going to be a rough pitching year, but nobody expected the complete collapse to 18th in the league in runs allowed. Sanderson (3.60) and Charlie Lea (3.87) were the only starters with ERAs under 5.00, but Sanderson missed the second half and Lea was traded to Havana in a deal that included Greg Mathews, who tossed a 6.06 in 16 starts. Michael Jackson (31 saves, 3.52) performed well in the closer role, but the rest of the pen was only marginally better than the rotation.
Toronto set a new team home run record with 295 homers. A record four Polar Bears (the Beavertail Brothers) hit at least 40: Ellis Burks, Mickey Tettleton, Rafael Palmeiro, and Ron Gant. Howard Johnson would have made it five; HoJo had 26 HR in the first half but was traded to Havana on July 1 in the Lea/Mathews deal.
Toronto was the highest scoring team since Atlanta in 1971 but also just the second #1 offense in two decades to miss the playoffs (1980 Manhattan) and the first team ever to finish first in runs and last in runs against. Apart from the Beavertails, Roberto Alomar had another fine season (.319-18-83, .831 OPS).
Toronto's 17-game drop was the biggest decline in the league and the slew of pitching injuries illustrates that even a historically good offense can only carry you so far: in this case to 83-77 and their first playoff miss since 1987.
80-80 (+13)
9-T overall
5th in runs • 14th in runs against
Boston produced 4.9 runs per game, the most since 1954's Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby, Lou Boudreau New York Gothams, and they hit .500 or better for the fourth time in six years, but the 14th-ranked pitching staff kept the club from contending.
First, let's talk about that offense. Boston hitters walked over 500 times for the first time in a decade, which contributed to the 2nd-best team OBP of .340. The 3-4-5 trio of Barry Bonds, Mike Piazza, and Sammy Sosa all had 30/100 seasons. Bonds rebounded from last year's slump, but at .290/.949 OPS still hit below his career averages. Piazza, the #2 overall pick, had a stunning debut campaign (.305-36-124, .914, 4.6 WAR) that may still fall short of Rookie of the Year (see Keystone, below). And Sosa, in his second full year as a regular, had a breakout season, driving in 35 more runs and lifting his average 30 points to .287 and his OPS a stunning 170 points to .981. Another sophomore, 2B Chuck Knoblauch, led the team with a .322 average and 1B Edgar Martinez bat over .300 and OPSed over .800 for the second straight year.
Pat Hentgen was the only star on an otherwise lackluster pitching staff. Hentgen were exactly 15-9 for the second year in a row, while slicing his ERA 110 points to 2.83. Hentgen had two 15-strikeout games 15 days apart, the only pitcher to do the feat since Don Wilson had three 15s in 1978. Ace Roger Clemens, fresh off a $12 million contract extension, had his worst ERA (4.47), WHIP (1.33) and WAR (3.2) in a non-injury season since 1985. Rookies Scott Kamieniecki and Tim Wakefield were overmatched, with a combined ERA around 5.00, and the 16th-ranked bullpen was a sieve, with closer Bobby Witt posting a 5.82 ERA. One bright spot in the pen was lefty Chuck Finley, who had a 2.77 ERA in 40 appearances.
79-81 (-14)
11th overall
4th in runs • 10th in runs against
Widely predicted to be a playoff team, the Superbas were perhaps the season's biggest disappointment, other than Toronto, regressing by 14 games to a their first losing record since 1989. The main problem was that last year's top-5 pitching staff could not sustain their excellence. Kevin Brown's ERA shot up 70 points to 4.55, Ramon Martinez' 90 points to 4.50, and Britt Burns' 75 point to 4.22. The rotation ranked 12th in ERA and the bullpen wasn't much better, as Mike Timlin and John Wetteland both had ERAs over 4.00.
It was a different story at the plate, where Brooklyn ranked 2nd in OPS and WAR, 3rd in batting and OBP, and 4th in runs scored. Three regulars slugged over .500 and drove in over 100 runs, led by MVP frontrunner Ken Griffey Jr (.300-49-113, .983) who finished in the top 4 in OPS for the third straight year and led the leageu with 10.1 WAR. 3B Matt Williams had his third straight 100-RBI year, while compiling a career-best .955 OPS. And 34-year-old 1B Willie Upshaw had his best season in five years, batting .308-22-110 for a 4.4 WAR. Last, but not least, 2B Geronimo Pena, a year out from being ranked the #4 league prospect, turned in an All-Star performance with a .299 average and 87 RBIs.
75-85 (-11)
13th overall
10th in runs • 12th in runs against
After last year's 32-game improvement, the Canoeists regressed a bit to 75-85 and 7th place in the East. The pitching staff gave back half of last year's 1.0-run improvement, as Chris Bosio and Kenny Rogers had higher ERAs and newcomers Mike Scott and Larry McWilliams performed at or below league average. Former #1 league prospect Curt Schilling trimmed his ERA 20 points to 3.88 and was the staff workhorse with 252 innings, but suffered control problems, issuing a league-high 107 walks, or 3.8 per nine. At age 33, closer Lee Smith's ERA and WHIP number ticked slightly above his career averages, but he still managed 28 saves with a 3.09 ERA.
The offense scored at the same clip as a year ago (4.5 per game), but dropped four positions to 10th amid the leaguewide increase in scoring. Bip Roberts had 11 multi-hit games in his last 12 games, batting .475 (28-59) to raise his average 11 points and surge to the batting title, his second straight, with a career-high 236 hits, tied for 8th most all-time. In his second year as a full-time regular, RF Junior Felix was a production machine, hitting 35 homers and driving in 110 runs. LF Larry Walker, age 24, lifted his average 30 points and his OPS 85 to .314 and .811, respectively. And second-year catcher Ivan Rodriguez batted .304-10-84, .761. So the young hitters are coming into their stride.
67-93 (+3)
14-T overall
14th in runs • 17th in runs against
Keystone added a pair of #3 draft picks to their lineup and the move had an immediate impact, as the Starlings scored 75 more runs and climbed three spots to 14th in offense. 1B Jeff Bagwell had 21 HR and a .769 OPS in his rookie campaign, while Tim Salmon produced a rare 100-RBI/.900+ OPS rookie season. CF Reggie Sanders batted just .219 in his rookie outing, but still managed to drive in 89 runs and 1991 Rookie of the Year, 2B Carlos Baerga, hit .307 with an .818 OPS and fell one shy of his second straight 200-hit season.
Workhorse Kirk McCaskill led the staff with 239 innings and a 4.51 ERA while former Griffin Scott Bankhead led with 182 strikeouts and a 3.2 WAR. The bullpen was the league's second worst. Rod Beck and Roberto Hernandez failed to build on strong rookie seasons. Beck's ERA nearly tripled from 2.53 to 6.79 while RoHern exploded from 1.56 to 7.04. Former Cleveland Baron John Dopson was much better in the closer role, notching 29 saves with a 3.90 ERA.
66-94 (-8)
16th overall
16th in runs • 10th in runs against
After briefly touching .500 two years ago, the Barons have returned to the second division, suffering their seventh losing season in eight years and extending the league's longest playoff drought to 18 years. The biggest issue in 1992 was the pitching, which allowed 4.58 runs per game, the most since the club's first year in Cleveland in 1959. While the starters were league-average, the bullpen ranked dead last with a 4.83 ERA as Steve Olin's ERA almost doubled and John Costello struggled in the closer role. Joe Magrane was the best starter, but had an off year by his standards and could muster just 10 wins and a 3.40 ERA.
Tony Fernandez (.296, .739 OPS) rebounded from an off year and the Barons stole plenty of bases when they could get on base, which wasn't often, with a .313 team OBP. Midseason trades of their only longball threats Phil Bradley and Bob Horner left 26-year-old 1B Hal Morris as the top hitter, with .296-15-74, .791.
On the plus side, the Barons shelled out their smallest payroll in three decades and turned a profit for the first time in seven years.
West Division
West Division
101-59 (+14)
2nd overall
2nd in runs • 4th in runs against
St. Louis did something this year that only one other team has done—qualify for the postseason 10 years in a row—and won 100 games for the league-most fourth time since 1977. Thepitching rebounded from last year's 11th to place 4th, while the offense returned to the top 2 for the first time since 1988.
The Dark Reds were 1st in OBP and bWAR and the leader in both categories was 2B Tony Phillips, who turned in career highs with 186 and .313 batting to go with a .395 OBP and 6.8 WAR. While leadoff man Rickey Henderson slumped to a career-low .362 OBP, other leadoff man Lenny Dykstra contributed a career best .881 OPS and near career-best .394 OBP. Julio Franco also had a .395 OBP. With that table service, it is no surprised the Maroons scored a second-most 798 runs; those top 3 in the lineup scored over 300 of them.
But the hidden secret behind St. Louis' offensive success this year was the acquistition of a 36-year-old shortstop. Robin Yount, in his 19th season in the UL, hit .314-19-90, .863 with career best .365 OBP, his second best batting average and his highest WAR in four years. Yount was particularly hot in the last third of the season, batting .381 after Aug. 1.
Another oldster who turned back the hands of time was 34-year-old starter Dave Schmidt, who's 1.26 WHIP and 5.0 WAR were his best in three years, and 32-year-old Craig McMurtry, whose 2.85 ERA was his best in eight years and led the staff.
Tom Glavine led the staff with 15 wins and 162 strikeouts, despite a lackluster 4.43 ERA, while closer Steve Howe topped 30 saves for the seventh time and moved to #2 on the all-time save list with 379, just 15 behind Joe Sambito. St. Louis was 12-3 in extra innings, best in the league. The Maroons had their highest payroll in 20 years and suffered their biggest loss since 1983.
93-67 (+2)
3rd overall
7th in runs • 5th in runs against
Despite falling short of a division pennant with a fourth straight 2nd place finish, Chicago won 90 games and made the playoffs for the third year in a row for the first time under GM Steve Haugh and the first time since the 1961-66 dynasty. While the offense slipped a bit, from back-to-back years as #2 to just #5 this year, the offense more than compensated with the best offensive production in 25 years despite the loss of their best hitter Ivan Calderon.
The attack was led by 3-4 hitters Gary Sheffield (.324-28-93) and Albert Belle (.316-30-116), and was augmented by Benny Santiago, John Olerud, and Alan Trammell, who all contributed 80+ RBIs. Eric Davis was disappointing after a blockbuster trade with Manhattan on May 1, but still hit 26 HR and an .816 OPS in 127 games. Trammell led all infielders with a 16.3 zone rating and finished in the top 3 in WAR for the sixth time and the first time in six years.
Steve Cooke (13-5, 3.43) was second only to Pedro Martinez in WAR among rookie hurlers, while Jeff M. Robinson was 2nd in wins (18) and second-year righthander Anthony Young was 5th in ERA (2.84) and 1st in HR/9 (0.5). The bullpen was 3rd in the league and the rotation 4th. Closer Todd Burns (34 SV, 2.63) had a career best ERA and WHIP.
90-70 (-11)
5th overall
12th in runs • 1st in runs against
The defending champs were in 7th on June 1 and 5th at the midway point, but overtook Denver during their successful Founder's Cup campaign and took sole position of third by July 16. Their 49-27 second half tied with Detroit for the best in the league, and secured the Outlaws' 12th straight playoff appearance, despite its worst record and lowest finish during that span.
L.A. led the league in pitching for the ninth time in 11 years, led by Cy Young candidate Floyd Youmans, whose 316 strikeouts were the most since Whitey Ford in 1966, and who 2nd in ERA (2.59) and 1st in WAR (6.9). Greg Swindell followed up last year's solid year with a spectacular 1992 (18-7, 2.75) the 26-year old was third in ERA and tied for 2nd in wins. Former Griffin and 14er Todd Frohwirth seized the closer role by the horns (37 saves, 2.03 ERA).
L.A. ranked 12 in offense, their lowest finish since 1979, but that is misleading since Frank Thomas did not join the roster until June and several players suffered extended slumps in the first half. Indeed, L.A. ranked 15th in runs on July 1, then scored at least five in six of seven games during their 6-1 Founder's Cup run. Cory Snyder had his second straight 40 HR/100 RBI/.900 OPS season, and Andy Van Slyke had a torrid September (.398, 1.176 OPS) to finish with his highest WAR since 1985 and and his seventh 5+ WAR season.
If there are any weaknesses, they would be at the bottom of the rotation and lineup. Dave Beard's 4.74 ERA was a career worst, and Ron Karkovice and Rey Sanchez are close to automatic outs. Having said that, if Youmans and Swindell are on, they will carry this club to their first back-to-back titles in franchise history.
81-79 (-2)
8th overall
9th in runs • 8th in runs against
The Leones were in the playoff zone for much of the summer, then won six straight in late August to pull within one of L.A. on August 28, only to go 9-18 down the stretch to fade out of contention. Still, Havana's third straight winning season put their first six losing seasons further in the rearview mirror.
The Cats hit 198 homers, third in the league and smashing the former club record by 40. The 2-6 hitters (Kal Daniels, Shane Mack, Mike Stanley, Howard Johnson, and Kevin Mitchell) were the most fearsome Murderer's Row this side of the Beavertail Brothers, averaging 34 HR and 98 RBIs. Catcher Mike Stanley, in his second year with the Green-and-Gold, led the pack with 43 HR and 116 RBIs, while Shane Mack led with .975 OPS and Kal Daniels swiped 45 bases to go with his .956 OPS. Mack, Stanley, and Daniels were all in the top 7 in OPS, but so stark was the dropoff after those three that the club ranked just 8th in team OPS.
Veteran righthander Charlie Lea led the staff with a 3.36 ERA in 16 starts after coming over from Toronto midseason. Kevin Ritz trimmed his ERA 70 points to 3.59 and led the club with 16 wins. And Mark Langston had a third straight campaign with 200+ IP, 200+ strikeouts, and an ERA under 3.50. Havana was the worst team in the league in extra innings (3-13), partly attributable to closer Gene Nelson, who suffered 10 blown saves with a pedestrian 4.02 ERA.
80-80 (-2)
9-T overall
11th in runs • 15th in runs against
First year GM Brandon Tucker led the Rainiers to their third straight .500-ish season despite an offensive slump that saw Seattle plate its lowest run tally in eight seasons. Former MVP John Shelby fell short of 100 RBI in a full season for the first time in eight years, and the middle infield duo of Harold Reynolds and Delino DeShields slumped to below league average. On the other hand, 3B Chris Brown approached career highs with a .340 average and .906 OPS, and Willie McGee nearly won the batting title.
McGee had a 21-game hitting streak in September that lifted his batting average to .354 and put him in the thick of the batting race, only to have the streak end at the worst possible moment. McGee went hitless on Sept. 29, and 2-for-8 in his last two games, while Montreal's Bip Roberts went 5-for-10 to nab his second straight batting title.
On the pitching side, closer Doug Henry's 44 saves tied for the third most in league history, but was only second most this year behind record-setter Mark Wohlers. Mike Mason (13-7, 3.59) led the staff in ERA, wins, and innings pitched, while southpaw David West struggled (4.23) in his first full year in the rotation.
The Rainiers struggled again at the gate, ranking 17th in attendance, but improved the farm system, particularly with C Javy Lopez, the #2 rated prospect in the league.
78-82 (+11)
12th overall
15th in runs • 7th in runs against
The ultimate teasers, Denver again overperformed early on, occupying a top-3 spot as late as June 28, but the loss of top slugger Jesse Barfield and a second-half offense slump consigned the 14ers to a familiar under-.500 territory. The club did start to feel the effects of its new pitcher-friendly ballpark; in their second year in Ralph Carr Field, Denver allowed just 4.2 runs per game, the second-best pitching performance in club history.
Bill Swift finally exorcised the demons of his recent seasons and posted a 3.54 ERA and 1.22 ERA, his best season since 1987. Ron Darling led the club with 14 wins, 163 Ks, and 3.3 WAR, despite ballooning his ERA by 65 pts to 3.70. Rookie Donovan Osbourne, the 18th overall pick, was unhittable early on, going 6-0, 2.55 in his first six starts before slumping to a 3-10, 6.10 finish. Fellow rookie Mike Trombley was surprisingly efficient in a short-starter role, posting a 3.74 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 22 mostly-five-inning starts.
The offense was again in the bottom quartile in most categories outside of stolen bases. Tim Raines led the club with a .324 average and league-best .411 OBP, while swiping his 700th career stolen base. Will Clark led the club with 21 HR and 94 RBI while replicating last year's .299 batting and .371 OBP clips. And Mark McLemore continued to develop into an elite middle infielder with his second 4.0+ WAR season and first .800-OPS campaign.
67-93 (-5)
14-T overall
13th in runs • 16th in runs against
Jeff Tonole celebrated his 30th year as GM of the Spiders—the third longest continuous tenure with one team after Charlie Qualls and Peter Vays—if celebrate is the right word for a club that has endured 10 losing seasons in the last 12 years. The Spiders have averaged 88 losses since their last playoff appearance in 1986, but the 1992 team was an uncharacteristically bad pitching team, ranking 16th in runs allowed and giving up the most runs since 1965.
Following the complete meltdown of former frontman Jose Rijo, all eyes were on Jose DeLeon to take over the ace mantel. DeLeon responded with his worst ERA (3.94) and WHIP (1.27) of his career, contributing to a 9-14 record. Lefty Greg Hibbard also regressed to 5.06 after a 3.72 ERA last year. On the plus side, Frank Castillo, the #22 overall pick in 1991, led all rookies with 15 wins and posted a solid 3.43 ERA in 31 starts.
Mark Grace had his first 200-hit, .300 average season since 1989, Rob Deer smashed 30 homers while raising his OPS 80 points to .754, and Barry Larkin (.315, .829 OPS) had his best year at the plate since becoming a regular in 1987.
61-99 (-5)
17th overall
18th in runs • 6th in runs against
In their first year in Aaron-Antonelli Field, the Toppers felt the effect of their new pitcher-friendly confines. Atlanta finished dead-last in offense for the first time ever and had a top-third pitching staff for first time since Woodstock.
The story of the year of course, was rookie phenom Pedro Martinez (10-9, 2.13), who won the ERA title handily and led all rookies with 212 strikeouts and a 5.4 WAR. Pedro started and ended the year on high notes, with 0.92 and 0.54 ERAs in April and September. Fernie Valenzuela showed his amazing consistency, with his fourth straight year with an ERA between 3.32-3.36 in 32-34 starts. Dan Plesac was solid in the closer role, with 19 saves and a 2.29 ERA after a June 16 trade with Cleveland.
Offensively, the team struggled, ranking dead-last in most offensive categories. Tony Gwynn was his usual elite self, compiling his seventh season with at least 200 hits and a .350+ average, though he lost the batting title on the last day to Bip Roberts. 2B Jose Valentin, the 13th overall pick, had a promising first year, batting .267 with a .771 OPS and net-positive defensive.
Most importantly for GM Andy Chaney, attendance skyrocketed 47 percent and the club turned a profit for the first time in six years, thanks in part to its lowest payroll in 11 years.
56-104 (-13)
18th overall
17th in runs • 9th in runs against
The Pink Birds produced exactly the same runs (3.4) and runs allowed (4.5) per game as last year, yet somehow managed to win 13 fewer games, the third biggest drop in the league. What accounts for this strange and sudden shift? The '91 Flamingos were Pythagorean outperformers by 10 wins, the third greatest "outperformance" in UL history. That means they won 10 more games than they should have giving their runs and runs allowed. This year they were five-game underperformers with a -5 differential. Last year's birds were 31-21 in one-run games, this year they were 22-33, an 11.5-game swing.
As for Florida's young stars, Mike Mussina showed little progress, with roughly the same ERA (4.32) and WHIP (1.22) as his rookie season, while leading the league with 36 HR allowed. SS Omar Vizquel (.281, .675 OPS) took a big step forward in his third season, raising his batting by 30 points and his OPS by 75. And of course, the face of the franchise, Frank Thomas, was traded to Los Angeles on June 1, in a deal netting LF Ruben Sierra and four draft picks. Sierra's bat turned ice-cold in the South Florida sun.
Terry Puhl, age 35, was the club's best hitter with a .304 average and 2.0 WAR, while SP Shane Reynolds had a good rookie campaign, leading the team with a 4.13 ERA in 26 starts.
The #18 finish gives Florida the biggest shot at Chipper Jones or Manny Ramirez in next year's draft.
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