All Time Draft #3 Rosters

[The Splendid Splinter]

I figured I would put our thread containing our rosters. So please try to keep it up to date with your roster so people can see who been picked and who hasn't...


Here's the link to the discussion page:
http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?t=78812

Here's the link to the draft page:
http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?t=78951

Team Name:
Earl Park Squirrels


Stadium: Seals Stadium

Dimensions:
LF: 365
LC: 375
LCF( just left of dead center): 404
CF: 410
RCF (just right of dead center in the corner): 415
RC (just right of the 415 mark where the seats jutted out): 397
RF: 355

backstop: 55.42 ft.

fence height:

LF: 15 ft. (5 ft. concrete below 10 ft. wire)
CF: 30.5 ft.
RF: 16 ft. (5 ft. concrete below 11 ft. wire)

Manager:

M: Earl Weaver

Starters:

C: SH- Biz Mackey
1B: RH- Frank Thomas
2B: LH- Chino Smith
SS: RH- Ernie Banks
3B: RH- Dick Allen
LF: LH- Mel Ott
CF: RH- Willie Mays
RF: LH- Oscar Charleston
DH: LH- Ted Williams

Bench:

Position/Name/AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS+

BN: 1B/OF SH- Lance Berkman .304/.414/.566/149
BN: IF SH- George Davis .295/.361/.405/121
BN: C RH- Gabby Hartnett .297/.370/.489/126
BN: OF SH- Tim Raines .294/.385/.425/123
BN: PH RH- Smokey Joe Williams (If I really needed a PH here and there due to long games or a couple people got injured)



Starting Rotation: (career ERA+)

SP: LH- Randy Johnson 137
SP: RH- Smokey Joe Williams
SP: LH- Carl Hubbell 130
SP: RH- Kazuhisa Inao
SP: LH- Whitey Ford 133

Relief:

(both of my LRs are actually SPs that are converted to RPs, they will come in and pitch as much as needed or if they had to start every now and then)

LR: RH- Kevin Brown 127
LR: RH- Fergie Jenkins 115

RP: LH- Jesse Orosco 125 basically my lefty inning eater out of the pen...
RP: LH- B.J. Ryan 137 my lefty specialist also pitches an inning here and there to relieve Orosco from a heavy workload

RP: RH- Armando Benitez 139
RP: RH- Dan Quisenberry 146
CL: RH- Trevor Hoffman 144


Lineup: (career AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS+)

1. LH- Chino Smith
2. SH- Biz Mackey
3. LH- Ted Williams .344/.482/.634/191
4. RH- Frank Thomas .302/.420/.558/157
5. LH- Oscar Charleston
6. RH- Willie Mays .302/.384/.557/156
7. LH- Mel Ott .304/.414/.533/155
8. RH- Dick Allen .292/.378/.534/156
9. RH- Ernie Banks .274/.330/.500/122

Analysis:

My Analysis(before the draft): Basically what I was going for was a great offense with a great OBP overall and a very solid pitching staff with 2 Aces along with it. I believe I did just that.

Offense: My offense basically does have sluggers from 1-9. Chino Smith is my leadoff hitter because he is the best hitter in my lineup AVG-wise. He was basically a LH Hornsby. Yes, he did a short career and it was all peak, but you could argue it was one of the best ever even with an adjustment. Biz Mackey is there more for his defense, but he was solid offensively. He's 2nd in my lineup cuz I really didn't know where else to put him. Ted Williams at the 3 spot... No need to say why. Same with Frank Thomas at cleanup. My next 2 players in Charleston and Mays are basically the same so they can flip-flop but I'm going with the RH/LH pattern. Mel Ott is a great hitter with a very good OBP that will drive in a lot of runs and be on base for my pure sluggers. Dick Allen is on my team mainly for his peak, which I consider the best ever at 3B. Ernie Banks is a pretty good guy at the 9 spot. I got him basically because the best available SS left and his defense was very good when he was at SS. Overall, I think it is great and top 3 easily IMO if when you consider how good my team does in OBP compare to other teams (only Banks is below .378 career in my lineup).

Defense: I think my team is probably average or maybe barely above average. Mackey is a top tier defensive C and a great leader/teacher to others. Banks was great while he was a SS. Both Charleston and Mays are top notch CFers with Ott as being one of the best defensive RFers as well. I think I have the best defensive OFs in this league. Smith at 2B is the only position I'm unsure of, but with his offense... I can afford having him there. Thomas and Allen are my black holes on defense, but make up for it on offense. Overall, I think I'm decent defensively. I don't know where I am compared to the other teams here.

Baserunning: I have some station to station runners with Mackey, Thomas, and Williams. Allen, Banks, Ott, and Smith had some speed. Charleston and Mays are my stealers on this team. While this team won't steal a lot of bases or very fast overall, they make up for it with hitting a lot of extra base hits.

Bench: My bench is more towards filling roles on my team than getting the best player available. Berkman will be my slugger off the bench and pinch hitter with a very good eye at the plate. He also can play the corner OFs with mainly being a 1B. George Davis is basically my defensive replacement at 2B/SS/3B where he is above average at all 3 position which is really hard to find and also a pinch runner as well. Gabby Hartnett is a very good offensive C with good D to go with it. Tim Raines is a guy I picked based on who was a better fit or need on my team. He will be my pinch runner since he has a great SB% and pinch hitter since he got a very good eye and will be a leadoff hitter in my lineup when he starts in the OFs. Berkman, Davis, and Raines are all switch hitter so that's a big advantage to me when other teams put in their specialist relievers.

Pitching: I have 2 Aces on my team with 3 great #3 starters to fill out my rotation. Randy Johnson is who I consider the best lefty ever, but I go back and forth between him and Grove sometimes so he's 2nd best at worst. Smokey Joe Williams is considered the best negro league pitcher ever over Paige. He is definately top 10 material and maybe top 5 even. Smokey Joe was also a good hitter so he can even pitch hit for me if I needed it. Even my great grandpa rated Williams over Walter Johnson in his all time list so I couldn't pass him up. My next three guys are all very good and solid. Hubbell, who is my 2nd lefty in the rotation, has that great screwball and anybody who strikes out Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx in a row gets a place on my rotation. He has a very good peak as well. Whitey Ford also has a good peak like Hubbell, but he has the most experience pitching in the big games and does quite well as his postseason numbers show. Inao is a question mark on my pitching staff. He does get a knock for pitching in the Japanese League. From what I've read and look at his stats, he seems like Sandy Koufax but with a longer peak. He has a very good postseason experience like Ford in the Japan Series. I also got him because he pitched very well against Oh, Nomura, and Nagashima in his career. Overall I think my rotation stack up very well against anybody. I cover all 3 areas of the poll we're doing: a series, prime/best years, and career.

Bullpen: My bullpen doesn't have any superstar name. I believe it is very VERY solid with enough innings to go around. The closest one to a superstar name is my closer Trevor Hoffman, who is really underrated IMO. I have B.J. Ryan to be like a lefty specialist as he's nasty against them (.172/.273/.260 line), but he is the only guy I have with a short career or no decline years. Orosco is a great consistent lefty reliever to have on a team. Quisenberry is a great control reliever with a long peak (9 years) that a lot of relievers don't have with a lot of IP on top of that. Benitez is more of my Ks reliever. He has great K/9 with a couple of great years. Pretty much all of these guys can close, but Hoffman will be the main closer. Now I have two SP that will be converted to spot starters/long relievers. Kevin Brown is a guy I picked solely on his great peak. People will knock him down a little for being mentioned in the Mitchell Report, but as a long reliever he'll work and we don't know the extent of how long he was using. Fergie Jenkins was a personal favorite of mine. While he doesn't have a great peak like the others, he was very consistent. I also got him for his WHIP and his K:BB, but the only knock on him was all his runs given up were like HRs as he is 2nd all time. While my bullpen has some weakness, but I believe there a lot more pros than cons to make up for it. In a league like this, I think it's very important to have a great bullpen. Even more important than the bench. With this group of relievers, my starters don't have to worry about going deep into games.

Overall: Overall, I did what I set out to do before this draft started. I have a great offense with average defense. Then I have a great rotation with a very solid bullpen that can go 4 or 5 innings if needed. My team is mainly towards peak/career since I only have 3 guys with 10 seasons or less (Berkman and BJ Ryan on their 10th season so it could be only Chino Smith with a short career). The teams does well in a series since my rotation were good in the postseason, where pitching is more important in a series than through a whole season. My team will get a knock on having some Negro League and Japanese players, but I believe the guys I drafted were top tier and would've been able to play in MLB if they had the chance.

Stadium: I went with Seals Stadium because it is more of a neutral/pitching park. I think it will fit with my team very nicely. It'll give a little boost to my pitching while my offense pretty much stays the same.

[Erik Bedard]

Team Name: EB's Placeholders



Stadium: Placeholder Park

LF:
CF:
RF:

backstop:

fence height-

LF:
CF:
RF:

Manager:

M:

Starters:

C: Johnny Bench
1B: Albert Pujols
2B: Joe Morgan
SS: Cal Ripken, Jr.
3B: Mike Schmidt
LF: Chipper Jones
CF: Ty Cobb
RF: Reggie Jackson
DH: George Brett

Bench:

BN: Roy Campanella
BN: Hank Greenberg
BN: Bullet Joe Rogan
BN: Roberto Clemente
BN: Luke Appling



Starting Rotation:

SP: Satchel Paige
SP: Ed Walsh
SP: Kid Nichols
SP: Dizzy Dean
SP: Gaylord Perry

Relief:

SS/LR: Bullet Joe Rogan

RP: Mike Marshall
RP: Willie Hernandez
RP: Eric Gagne
RP: Tom Henke
RP: Lee Smith
CL: Jeff Reardon


Lineup:

1. Joe Morgan
2. Cal Ripken, Jr.
3. Ty Cobb
4. Reggie Jackson
5. Mike Schmidt
6. George Brett
7. Albert Pujols
8. Johnny Bench
9. Chipper Jones

Analysis:

[BlueBlood]

Team Name: BB's Bestest

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stadium

Stadium Location/Name: Fenway Park (Boston, MA)

Dimensions

LF: 310 ft.
CF: 389 9" ft.
RF: 302 ft.
Backstop: 60 ft.

Fence Height

LF: 37 ft.
CF: 18 ft.
RF: 5 ft.
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Manager

M: Walter Alston
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Players


Starters

C: Mike Piazza
1B: Lou Gehrig
2B: Jackie Robinson
SS: Honus Wagner
3B: Wade Boggs
LF: Rickey Henderson
CF: Joe DiMaggio
RF: Tony Gwynn
DH: Dan Brouthers

Bench

Backup C: Gary Carter (115 Career OPS+) - RH
2B/SS: Roberto Alomar (116 Career OPS+) - SH
Outfielder/1B/PH: Willie Stargell (147 Career OPS+) - LH
Outfielder/3B/PH: Harmon Killebrew (143 Career OPS+) - RH

Starting Rotation

SP: Tom Seaver (127 Career ERA+, 3640 Ks, 1.121 WHIP, 5 Year Win Share Peak: 142) - RH
SP: Juan Marichal (123 Career ERA+, 2303Ks, 1.101 WHIP, 5 Year Win Share Peak: 134) - RH
SP: Curt Schilling (127 Career ERA+, 3116Ks, 1.137 WHIP) - RH
SP: Eddie Plank (122 Career ERA+, 2246Ks, 1.119 WHIP, 5 Year Win Share Peak: 133) - LH
SP: Hal Newhouser (130 Career ERA+, 1796Ks, 1.311 WHIP, 5 Year Win Share Peak: 157) - LH

Bullpen

SS/LR: Dennis Eckersley (116 Career ERA+, 2401 Ks, 1.161 WHIP) - RH
SS/LR: Wilbur Cooper (116 Career ERA+, 216 Wins, 1.226 WHIP) - LH

RP: Dave Righetti (113 Career ERA+, 252 Saves, 1.338 WHIP) - LH
RP: Roberto Hernandez (130 Career ERA+, 326 Saves, 1.367 WHIP) - RH
RP: Rollie Fingers (118 Career ERA+, 341 Saves, 1.156 WHIP) - RH

Setup/CL: Troy Percival (152 Career ERA+, 343 Saves, 1.084 WHIP) - RH
CL: Mariano Rivera (198 Career ERA+, 466 Saves, 1.028 WHIP) - RH


Starting Lineup

1. RH - Rickey Henderson (127 Career OPS+)
2. RH - Jackie Robinson (132 Career OPS+ from age 28 on)
3. LH - Lou Gehrig (179 Career OPS+)
4. RH - Honus Wagner (150 Career OPS+)
5. RH - Joe DiMaggio (157 Career OPS+)
6. LH - Dan Brouthers (170 Career OPS+)
7. LH - Tony Gwynn (132 Career OPS+)
8. RH - Mike Piazza (142 Career OPS+)
9. LH - Wade Boggs (130 Career OPS+)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analysis:

One of the best offensive teams in the league, helped by a strong bench and bullpen. Our weakness is our starting pitching but our homefield advantage in Fenway is great and helps nullify the strengths of left handed pitchers which hardly hurts us but absolutely maims opponents whose chances are pinned on a lefty heavy rotation.

Once again, arguably the best offense in the league, surely the best bullpen, quality defense, strong bench. Seaver's a top tier pitcher, the best of the modern day while our other four starters are historically second tier and about on par with anyone in that group of greats that aren't among the best dozen in history. As seen in All Star games, offensive juggernauts will nearly always balloon the ERAs of the best pitchers in baseball. Offense > run control in this context.

[Wolverineman]

Team Name: Detroit Wolverines



Stadium:

LF:
CF:
RF:

backstop:

fence height-

LF:
CF:
RF:

Manager:

M:

Starters:

C: Josh Gibson
1B: Todd Helton
2B: Ryne Sandberg
SS: Pop Lloyd
3B: Brooks Robinson
LF: Barry Bonds
CF: Billy Hamilton
RF: Ichiro Suzuki
DH: Mule Suttles

Bench:

BN: Martin Dihigo
BN: Turkey Stearnes
BN: Mark McGwire
BN: Derek Jeter
BN: Buck Ewing


Starting Rotation:

SP: Lefty Grove
SP: Pedro Martinez
SP: Roger Clemens
SP: Addie Joss
SP: Nolan Ryan

Relief:

RP/LR: Martin Dihigo
SS/RP: Kerry Wood
SS/LR/RP: Scott Kazmir
RP: Randy Myers
RP: Kazuhiro Sasaki
RP: Arthur Rhodes
CL: Robb Nen


Lineup:

1. Billy Hamilton
2. Pop Lloyd
3. Barry Bonds
4. Josh Gibson
5. Mule Suttles
6. Todd Helton
7. Ryne Sandberg
8. Brooks Robinson
9. Ichiro Suzuki

Analysis:

First thing's first, I think with every new person that's outed in the steroid controversy, the legitimacy of the #s of the people that were alleged to take steroids increases. If a good portion of the league was on juice, both offense and pitchers, how is it any different than the deadball era helping pitchers/speedsters, or any different than people like Ruth/Gehrig/Hornsby not having to go up against the top black players? It's just another era in baseball. Make some era adjustments as you wish, but I don't think it's fair to just throw out the #s of people or even try to figure out who benefited and who didn't. It is it's own era and I think we should just treat it as such. Now, onto the team itself.


Lineup: My lineup isn't a traditional one for a league like this, I don't just have sluggers 1-9. I built the lineup based on spot in the order somewhat, and just overall talent.

Billy Hamilton is easily one of the top 2 leadoff hitters ever along with Rickey.

Pop Lloyd is often favorably compared to Honus Wagner, and his batting ability and eye at the plate were renowned through his Negro League days, making him an ideal #2 hitter in my eyes.

Barry Bonds, well we all know who he is. Even if you blank out his days past the year 2000, he deserves this spot. Quite possibly the best hitter ever and capable of doing anything at the plate.

Josh Gibson is a slight departure from my first 3 picks in that he wasn't an OBP machine. However, his slugging prowess fits perfectly at this spot with 3 very high OBP players hitting in front of him. Being able to get that kind of production from my catcher is one of the main reasons I took him with the #2 pick.

Mule Suttles is probably the most controversial of my picks for my lineup, but I think he also fits here in a similar way that Gibson fits. Quite possibly the single best pure slugger in the history of the Negro Leagues, he seems like an ideal fit at DH and to hit behind Gibson to give him some protection. And for you clutch believers, former teammate Willie Wells described him as the "best 1 run hitter ever".

Todd Helton, I believe, is one of the most underrated hitters in today's game. Or at least was during his prime. High average, high OBP, high SLG, and elite defense. Everything you can want from a 1B.

Ryne Sandberg is another great fit for the team. While not an on-base machine, he had great power for the position and is one of the best defensive 2B ever.

Brooks Robinson. Well, he's obviously more well known for being the best defensive 3B ever. A career 104 OPS+ is obviously a bit lackluster, but that's weighed down by playing in his early 20s and into his 40s.

Ichiro Suzuki. I love him as my #9 hitter. In the mold of a 2nd leadoff hitter, he's perfect. Good OBP, high average, and great speed. Following an obvious trend, he's also one of the best defensive players ever at his position. And since this league takes into account everything, he gets a nice boost from his Japanese league days as well.


Bench: Everyone on the bench serves a direct purpose and I feel they each excel at that thing. Dihigo can play basically anywhere, along with being one of my long relievers. McGwire is purely there to be a pinch hitter. Being able to bring him in for my 7-8-9 hitters in a key spot would be huge. Ewing is there to be the backup catcher and can also play a few other positions if needed. Jeter is the backup middle infielder and Stearnes the backup outfielder. Either of them can also serve as a pinch runner in a key spot.


Defense: This is where I think my team shines and has an edge on every single other team in the league. Outside of maybe Hamilton, I have elite defenders at every position. While defense isn't a huge part of the game, it's still very significant and I hope the edge I have there is enough to turn the tables on other teams.


Starting Rotation: 1 through 3 is pretty self explanatory. I got who I consider to be the best left handed starter ever, and 2 more all-time(probably top 10) great pitchers in Pedro and Clemens. Joss had an amazing peak before his life was cut short. And Nolan Ryan, well, he had the ability to be the single most dominant pitcher in history, you just never knew when that version was going to show up.

I think the rotation balances out very well. Grove, Clemens, and Ryan all had very long and durable careers. These guys will hold up. Pedro and Joss were obviously a bit more fragile, but two of the best peak pitchers ever. I do think Nolan Ryan is overrated by a lot of people, but I think as a #5 starter he is absolutely perfect. If he's on, he's probably better than any team's #1. If he's not, well he's just the #5 starter and can be yanked out of the game for any of my long relievers.


Bullpen: The bullpen as a whole isn't that star heavy or super strong, but each person serves a purpose and should be enough to not be a weakness. Dihigo is mainly there as a mop-up pitcher to take the stress off the rest of the pen in games that aren't that close. Wood is mainly there to be the guy to come in for Ryan if he's off, and can be a serviceable middle reliever on other days.

Kazmir can also play the long reliever role if needed, but his strength, and the reason I took him, is his ability to get out lefties. He's went up against the leagues best in his few years in the majors being in the AL East and has dominated lefties over his career to a .214/.275/.308 line.

Randy Myers, Kaz Sasaki, and Arthur Rhodes are there to be the set-up men to get to Nen. 2 more lefties here, which I felt was necessary considering the staggering amount of left handed sluggers that are out there in a league like this. I suspect Rhodes was a surprise pick to a lot of people, but if you ignore his years starting at the beginning of his career, he's been a very good lefty with a GREAT strikeout rate.

I love having a guy like Nen as my closer. Granted, his career didn't last as long as a lot of guys, but he was great to amazing in those years he pitched. Over 9 K/9 and good control. He was dominant and pitched well under pressure.


Overall: I think balance is the key word to describe my offense. They're not going to blast homers from each spot and they aren't going to grind you into the ground with insanely high OBPs at each position. Each person fills their spot and should score enough runs to win games for what I feel is the best run prevention team in the league.

Yes, I may not have the best rotation, and I certainly don't have the best bullpen. I feel my rotation is at least top 3 though, and combined with out of this world defense, I feel confident in saying they're the best at preventing runs, which is the point.

[SamtheBravesFan]

Team Name: Charleston (SC) Swamp Foxes
Dimensions: Foul lines: 325 ft. (1966), 330 ft. (1967); power alleys: 385 ft. (1966), 375 ft. (1969), 385 ft. (1974); center field: 402 ft. (1966), 400 ft. (1969), 402 ft. (1973); backstop: 59.92 ft. (1973); foul territory: large (1966), medium (1977).

Fences: 6 ft. (wire, 1966), 10 ft. (4 ft. plexiglass above 6 ft. wire, 1983), 10 ft. (plexiglass, 1985).

Stadium: Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium

LF: 330 ft.
CF: 402 ft.
RF: 330 ft.

backstop: 60 ft.

Fence height:

LF: 10 ft. plexiglass w/padding
CF: 10 ft. plexiglass w/padding
RF: 10 ft. plexiglass w/padding

Manager:

M: Bobby Cox (1978-85, 1990-present, 2302-1816 record, 15 division titles, 5 pennants, 1 World Series)

Starters:

C: Katsuya Nomura (1954-80, career line of .277/.357/.508, 657 HR) - R
1B: Sadaharu Oh (1959-80, career line of .301/.446/.634, 868 HR) - L
2B: Rod Carew (1967-85, .328/.393/.429, 353 SB, 131 OPS+, 93 HR) - L
SS: Robin Yount (1974-93, .285/.342/.430, 115 OPS+, 251 HR) - R
3B: Jim Thome (1991-present, .280/.408/.562, 149 OPS+, 525 HR) - L
LF: Manny Ramirez (1993-present, .312/.409/.590, 154 OPS+, 509 HR) - R
CF: Ken Griffey, Jr. (1989-present, .288/.373/.548, 139 OPS+, 606 HR) - L
RF: Hank Aaron (1954-76, .305/.374/.555, 155 OPS+, 755 HR) - R
DH: Edgar Martinez (1987-2004, .312/.418/.515, 147 OPS+, 309 HR) - R

Bench:

BN: UT (OF-1B-C) Dale Murphy (1976-93, .265/.346/.469, 121 OPS+, 398 HR) - R
BN: OF-DH Sammy Sosa (1989-2007, .273/.344/.534, 128 OPS+, 609 HR, 234 SB) - R
BN: UT (2B-C-OF) Craig Biggio (1998-2007, .281/.363/.433, 111 OPS+, 668 2B, 291 HR) - R
BN: UT (3B-1B-LF-SS) Darrell Evans (1969-89, .241/.361/.431, 119 OPS+, 1605 BB, 414 HR) - L

Starting Rotation:

SP: Walter Johnson (1907-27, 417-279, 2.17 ERA, 147 ERA+, 3,509 Ks, 1.061 WHIP) - R
SP: Christy Mathewson (1900-16, 373-188, 2.13 ERA, 135 ERA+, 2,502 Ks, 1.059 WHIP) - R
SP: Masaichi Kaneda (1950-69, 400-298, 2.34 ERA, 4,490 Ks, 1.073 WHIP) - L
SP: Bert Blyleven (1970-92, 287-250, 3.31 ERA, 118 ERA+, 3,701 Ks, 1.198 WHIP) - R
SP: Steve Carlton (1965-88, 329-244, 3.22 ERA, 115 ERA+, 4,136 Ks, 1.247 WHIP) - L

Relief:

SS/LR: Don Sutton (1966-88, 324-256, 3.26 ERA, 106 ERA+, 3,574 Ks, 1.142 WHIP) - R

RP: Wilbur Wood (1961-78, 164-156, 3.24 ERA, 113 ERA+, 1.232 WHIP, 1,411 Ks) - L
RP: Greg Swindell (1986-2002, 123-122, 3.86 ERA, 107 ERA+, 1.260 WHIP, 1,542 Ks) - L
RP: Jeff Montgomery (1987-99, 46-52, 3.27 ERA, 134 ERA+, 304 career sv, 733 Ks) - R
RP: Brad Lidge (2002-present, 25-20, 3.10 ERA, 141 ERA+, 144 career sv, 617 Ks) - R
RP: Kent Tekulve (1974-89, 94-90, 2.85 ERA, 132 ERA+, 184 career sv, 779 Ks) - R
CL: Hoyt Wilhelm (1952-72, 143-122, 2.52 ERA, 146 ERA+, 227 career sv, 1,610 Ks) - R

Lineup:

1. Rod Carew
2. Edgar Martinez
3. Sadaharu Oh
4. Hank Aaron
5. Manny Ramirez
6. Ken Griffey, Jr.
7. Katsuya Nomura
8. Jim Thome
9. Robin Yount

Analysis: My lineup features a more traditional leadoff hitter, with Rod Carew up there. Edgar Martinez is an ideal #2 hitter; he can pop extra base hits with regularity and take walks. Next comes the parade of sluggers. I took Sadaharu Oh not only because he's organized baseball's career leader in home runs, but because he was a historically great player. There's no doubt in my mind. Hitting behind him is the former career home run leader in MLB, Hank Aaron. Seems poetic for me, and it might play into the "protecting the hitter" idea. Manny Ramirez and Ken Griffey, Jr. are two of baseball's most-prolific sluggers. Catcher Katsuya Nomura is a bargain find for a catcher with a lot of pop (he's Japan's second-best career home run hitter). Keeping with alternating left and right, I have Jim Thome batting eighth. It may be that people would be willing to walk Thome with men on to get to shortstop Robin Yount, but that's a risk I'd be willing to take.

On the bench are men that can play all the positions. It's as simple as that. Dale Murphy will primarily be an outfielder for this team. Craig Biggio can be the backup catcher if the situation calls for it, but he'd be starting at second if Carew was "slumping". While Darrell Evans is a bit of a drop off of power from Jim Thome, he'll be a leg up on patience and defense. However, he's the only left-hander on the bench, so he may be held back to pinch-hit often, but that's okay. Sammy Sosa is another pinch-hit/DH option with quite a bit of pop in his bat.

The starting rotation has very strong control and can strike out a lot of batters. Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson are two of the greatest control pitchers in history. Masaichi Kaneda is one of Japan's longest-lasting pitchers, and he has a sparkling WHIP to go with it. Bert Blyleven is a truly underrated starter who should be in the Hall of Fame and Steve Carlton is simply one of the greatest lefties in history whose stats are skewed because he tried to hang on past his expiration date. However, the fact that Don Sutton is a swing man speaks to how talented this rotation is.

In the bullpen, the two lefties, Greg Swindell and Wilbur Wood can serve as either specialists, or long relivers thanks to their good control and experience as starters. Having four pretty spectacular one-inning pitchers doesn't hurt either. Jeff Montgomery, Brad Lidge and Kent Tekulve make for a strong trio for set-up men. I'm also proud to have the first real closer in the history of the game (Hoyt Wilhelm) keep those small leads of three runs or less. ;)

Bobby Cox will manage this team. His (alledged) shennanigans with starting the "wrong" players and sticking with one bullpen pitcher "too much" will work a lot better with this team. The pitchers are quite durable and the team can adjust to most any situation with the DH/pinch-hit options. They'll make Cox look good. :)

[Wade8813]

Team Name:
Gotham Knights


Stadium:

LF:
CF:
RF:

backstop:

fence height:

LF:
CF:
RF:

Manager:

M:

Starters:

C: Bill Dickey
1B: Johnny Mize
2B: Nap Lajoie
SS: Alex Rodriguez
3B: Eddie Matthews
LF: Mickey Mantle
CF: Jim Edmonds
RF: Vladimir Guerrero
DH: Rogers Hornsby



Lineup:

Name BA OB SLG OPS+ HR SB Bats
1. Lajoie .338 .380 .467 150 083 380 R
2. Mize .312 .397 .562 158 359 28 L
3. Hornsby .358 .434 .577 175 301 64 R
4. Mantle .298 .421 .557 172 536 153 S
5. A-Rod .306 .389 .578 148 537 278 R
6. Matthews .271 .376 .509 143 512 68 L
7. Guerrero .323 .389 .574 147 380 170 R
8. Edmonds .285 .377 .527 132 372 65 L
9. Dickey .313 .382 .486 127 202 37 L


Bench:

Name BA OB SLG OPS+ HR SB Bats
BN: Larkin .295 .371 .444 116 198 379 R
BN: Posada .277 .380 .477 124 221 16 S
BN: Heilmann .342 .410 .520 148 183 113 R
BN: McGriff .284 .377 .509 134 493 72 L


Starting Rotation:

Name ERA+ WHIP IP Throws
SP: Mordecai Brown 138 1.066 3172 R
SP: Rube Waddell 135 1.102 2961 L
SP: John Smoltz 127 1.170 3395 R
SP: Johan Santana 141 1.103 1435 L
SP: Stan Coveleski 127 1.251 3082 R


Relief:


Name ERA+ WHIP IP Throws
SS/LR: Tom Glavine 118 1.312 4409 L
RP: John Franco 137 1.333 1245 L
RP: Francisco Cordero 149 1.342 549 R
RP: Billy Wagner 180 1.012 810 L
RP: Joe Nathan 151 1.139 588 R
CL: Francisco Rodriguez 186 1.100 425.3 R



Analysis:

The Knights are a well balanced team. I have solid fielding and decent baserunning. I have good balance of lefties and righties in the lineup and from the mound. The lineup poses a threat 1 through 9, with extra pop from Mantle and Hornsby. Between the lineup and bench, the players have enough flexibility that I have two people available to play at any position. Mize and McGriff are first basemen, Lajoie and Hornsby cover 2nd, A-Rod and Larkin play Short, and A-Rod and Matthews are at the hot corner. Dickey and Posada are behind the plate. I have two CFers in my starting 9, so we don't need an extra one off the bench. Heilmann can sub in for the corner outfielders.

My pitching staff is quite strong, and able to eat innings. Wagner and Franco are two of the best lefties in a bullpen.

Westlake's team is my toughest competition for hitting (if you look at career numbers). Part of the issue is how much of a decline you give to Shoeless Joe, and how well you think Shigeo Nagashima would be able to do in MLB.

[Windy City Fan]

Team Name:
(To be determined)

Stadium:

LF:
CF:
RF:

backstop:

fence height:

LF:
CF:
RF:

Manager:


Starters
C: Yogi Berra
1B: Jeff Bagwell
2B: Eddie Collins
SS: Arky Vaughan
3B: Ron Santo
LF: Frank Robinson
CF: Duke Snider
RF: Al Kaline
DH: Gary Shefield

Bench
BN: Ivan Rodriguez
BN: Willie McCovey
BN: Pete Rose
BN: Ed Delahanty
BN: Ozzie Smith
BN: Richie Ashburn

Starting Rotation
SP: Greg Maddux
SP: Cy Young
SP: Grover Alexander
SP: Warren Spahn
SP: Dazzy Vance

Relief
SS/LR:
RP:
SU: John Hiller
SU: Bruce Sutter
CL: Goose Gossage


Lineup:

1. Vaughan
2. Collins
3. Kaline
4. Robinson
5. Snider
6. Sheffield
7. Bagwell
8. Berra
9. Santo

Draft Commentary: Young and Maddux went in rounds one and two giving me two of the top 5 pitchers in most people's book. Personally, I rank Maddux #1 and Young #3. Collins was a great pick up the third round as he has an argument over both Hornsby and Morgan who were taken much earlier. I couldn't resist Alexander in the 4th which gives me 3 of the top 6 or 7 pitchers according to most our greatest pitcher's polls. Frank Robinson was another guy who slipped far and I snagged him in the 5th round. And then in the sixth Arky Vaughan was snagged to complete my double play combo. Seventh round saw Eddie Mathews taken just a few picks before I was set to grab him, but I landed Yogi Berra - a guy who is arguably the best catcher over instead. Considering he was the 4th catcher taken overall, I'm quite pleased. Then there was another pitcher on the board I just couldn't pass up - Warren Spahn. Now I have four pitchers that I (and many others) rank in the top 10. A reliever run began in the 8th and I grabbed Goose Gossage after Rivera, Wagner, and Wilhelm went.

Analysis: Pitching wise, no one can touch me. Maddux, Young, Alexander, Spahn is a dominant rotation and one that can go deep into games. Goose Gossage is a top tier closer and anchors my pen.

Hitting wise, Collins and Vaughan make a great duo at the top of the lineup. Both guys will get on base a ton. I need some more pop in the middle right now, but Frank Robinson is a solidly dependable clean up hitter. Berra will provide a potent bat from a tough position.

[Westlake]

C: Mickey Cochrane
1B: Jimmie Foxx
2B: Charlie Gehringer
3B: Shigeo Nagashima
SS: Joe Cronin
RF: Babe Ruth
CF: Tris Speaker
LF: Stan Musial
DH: Joe Jackson

Reserve outfielder: Sam Crawford
Reserve outfielder, pinch-runner: Vince Coleman
INF, utility: Johnny Pesky
Back-up Catcher/1B: Gene Tenace

P: Sandy Koufax
P: Bob Gibson
P: Bob Feller
P: Jim Palmer
P: Phil Niekro

Spot starter - Long man: Don Drysdale

RP: Sparky Lyle
RP: John Wetteland
RP: Roy Face
RP: Firpo Marberry
RP: Tug McGraw
RP: Keith Foulke