January 1, 1935
It's New Year's Day, and that means it's time for the Top Players, Top Pitchers, and Top Prospects lists.
First, the 20 best position players in the majors:
Code:
PLAYER TEAM AGE POS LY AVG HR RBI
1 Buck Leonard NYY 27 1B 1 .359 52 146
2 Al Simmons NYY 32 CF 4 .364 30 124
3 Charlie Gehringer WAS 31 2B 9 .346 9 73
4 Lou Gehrig PIT 31 1B 2 .295 35 123
5 Jimmie Foxx KC 27 1B 5 .317 44 115
6 Chuck Klein POR 30 RF 3 .348 36 133
7 Earl Averil STL 32 CF 7 .329 24 84
8 Josh Gibson POR 22 C 17 .292 20 65
9 Arky Vaughan CHW 22 SS 10 .370 11 94
10 Bob Fothergill WAS 37 RF 14 .358 12 84
11 Harlond Clift DET 22 3B NR .310 15 77
12 Jim Bottomley WAS 34 1B 8 .337 23 108
13 Cool Papa Bell SD 31 CF 6 .305 3 68
14 Zeke Bonura BKN 26 1B NR .316 27 128
15 Buzz Boyle BOS 26 LF 11 .330 10 69
16 Wally Berger STL 29 LF 12 .305 30 114
17 Joe Medwick BKN 23 LF NR .346 23 103
18 Mule Suttles WAS 33 LF 13 .297 37 123
19 Mel Ott BKN 25 RF NR .298 43 113
20 Mickey Cochrane STL 31 C NR .328 9 75
- For the first time ever, all 20 players on this list are "real."
- The Yankees manager must enjoy penciling Leonard and Simmons into the third and fourth spot on his lineup card every day.
- Gehringer had a tremendous season. He didn't make the All-Star team; if I'd noticed that sooner, I would have added him to the roster.
- Gehrig's batting average is dropping some, but his ratings are holding steady. I confess; Lou is one of the guys I root for in every dynasty I do. I hope he keeps playing well for another decade or so.
- Averill is the Cardinals' leadoff man. That's why he doesn't drive in many runs. He scores somewhere between 100-120 runs a year.
- Gibson, Vaughan, Clift, and Medwick are going to be a lot of fun to watch.
- Cool Papa Bell has 281 career triples. His single season high is 40 (!!), and he's hit at least 23 three-baggers every year since 1925.
- Cool Papa also has 710 career steals. He's not the all-time leader, though; Frank Jenkins is, with 803.
- Mel Ott has 227 career home runs at the age of 25.
And here are the top 20 pitchers:
Code:
PITCHER TEAM AGE LW W-L ERA K
1 Satchel Paige BOS 28 1 19-12 2.98 237
2 Tommy Bridges PHI 28 2 17-12 3.58 202
3 Ray Brown CHW 26 5 16-13 3.34 162
4 Bill Swift NYY 26 6 25-5 2.14 91
5 Ed Brandt BOS 29 10 16-13 3.14 161
6 Whit Wyatt SF 27 7 18-6 3.07 116
7 Carl Hubbell HOL 31 4 22-9 3.38 136
8 Mike Crawford BAL 38 9 18-12 2.72 106
9 Brian Whaley NYY 26 NR 16-14 3.59 127
10 Jesse Hester CHC 34 3 8-18 3.88 52
11 Jonathon Vance SAC 37 11 9-15 4.29 45
12 Paul Baker POR 26 13 14-14 3.51 134
13 Dutch Leonard SD 25 NR 13-12 3.15 48
14 Jack Sutherland WAS 21 NR 13-8 3.73 139
15 Dizzy Dean WAS 24 16 18-15 3.36 183
16 Gabriel de Klerk CHW 26 19 17-7 2.48 137
17 Grady Price CHC 28 14 12-16 4.51 121
18 Johnny Allen SEA 30 NR 17-10 3.43 162
19 Gordon Rhodes CHW 27 NR 16-8 3.57 109
20 Gene Schott KC 21 NR 7-6 4.44 44
- Imaginary pitchers seem to fare much, much better in this world than imaginary batters do. Six of the above are fictional.
- Bill Swift ended the season with more wins (25) than walks allowed (19).
- Jim Jessup retired at the end of the 1934 season, which is why he's not on the list anymore.
- The Hollywood Stars have never made the postseason, which means Carl Hubbell has never had a chance to display his talent on the biggest stage of all. That's a shame.
- There might be something to the Curse of Jesse Hester after all. The Red Sox made the playoffs the year they traded him away; they haven't been back since.
- Jonathon Vance is an original Solon who has been as steady as they come for a long time. He'll win his 200th career game early in 1935.
- It's good to see Dizzy Dean's arm has apparently come back to life.
And, finally,the ten best prospects in the game:
Code:
PROSPECT TEAM AGE POS
1 Bob McBryde WAS 22 C
2 Gene Schott KC 21 P
3 Hal Trosky CHC 22 1B
4 Rudy York NYY 22 C/1B
5 Augie Galan CLE 22 LF
6 Felix Guerrero DET 22 C
7 Buddy Lewis SD 18 3B
8 Hank Leiber PHI 23 CF
9 Cookie Lavagetto SAC 22 2B
10 Vicente Ortiz PIT 23 P
- McBryde, fictional, embarrassed AA pitchers to the tune of a .442 average before his promotion to Chattanooga. He hit .301 for the Lookouts.
- Trosky batted .286 in 70 AB for the Cubs, and .333-9-52 for the Nashville (AAA) Vols.
- York, like McBryde, was too good for AA (.363-6-19, 91 AB), and was challenged more at AAA (.241 for the Newark Bears).
- Galan spent the entire '34 season with the Indians, but they got him only 97 AB. He hit .304. but would he have been better off playing every day in the minors?
- Guerrero is a brand-new fictional free agent with a decent bat and very, very good defensive skills. He has a rocket launcher for a throwing arm.
- Lewis hit .373-9-38 in 59 games at Salem (A). Opposing pitchers will be glad to see him move up.
- Leiber's .322-9-98 line for the Toronto (AAA) Maple Leafs has Phillies fans eager for his arrival.
- I didn't know Lavagetto was ever an infielder. He earned a cup of coffee with the Solons by hitting .322 for the Toledo (AAA) Mud Hens.
- Ortiz, fictional, is a native of Chile who went 15-12, 3.33 for the New Orleans (AAA) Pelicans. His inability to throw strikes is standing in his way right now.