Quote:
Originally Posted by NYY #23
Just one word to say about 1936 - ouch 
Nice to see one DiMaggio in pinstripes though.
Eckhardt is a nice story.  For me it is nice to learn a little bit more about the Western League guys. You have to love a guy who is loyal to his dog too.
At least we've got some good milestones coming up soon, great stuff as usual. |
I often have to tweak the fielding ratings for players I know to have been great glovemen, but I didn't need to touch
Vince DiMaggio's ratings. He imported as a tremendous defensive player, with outstanding range and a rifle arm. He'll be great in either center or right, and will be a perennial Gold Glove candidate. Offensively, he projects as a .275 hitter with good power.
I've had fun with Eckhardt, Statz, and some of the other career minor leaguers. I figured since the PCL teams got a chance at the majors, some of their stars should, too.
I think I did a decent job creating the Ox. For some reason he hasn't run much in my universe, and he's hit with more power. The "real" Ox never hit more than 12 home runs in a season; in this world, he's surpassed that figure five times, with a career high of 20 in three different seasons. The story about the dog is great, isn't it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by William Foster
The Oaks dynasty keeps on pluggin' . Any of the other teams in the Pacific positioned to catch them for good in the next few years? |
That's a tough question, WF.
Hollywood stole the Oaks' crown for a year, but they've slid all the way to last place this year. The Stars have stopped hitting.
Joe Hauser (.236-2-12) looks like he could be all through at age 37.
Billy Herman's average is in the .250s. They're getting no production out of their outfielders at all.
Right now, the
San Francisco Seals have the best shot at taking the Oaks down. Their core players--outfielders
Carlos Chavez, Frank Demaree, and
Ival Goodman, 3B
Bill Werber, pitchers
Palmer Foley and
Whit Wyatt--are in their prime. They have a great veteran leader in C
Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe. The Seals' minor league system contains promising sluggers like OF
Bill Nicholson and 1B
Luke Easter, the team's first-round pick in the June draft, and
Johnny Rigney has some promise as a pitcher. The key for the Seals will lie in how quickly the youngsters develop. If at least one of their fence-bashing kids grows up before the current lineup ages, I think they'll overtake the Oaks. I'd also think about trading an outfielder for some pitching help if I ran the club.
Sacramento has the best young talent in the division.
Joe DiMaggio is already one of the best players in the game, they have two good young infielders in
Cecil Travis and
Jesus Lopez, and it looks like 22-year-old
Hugh Mulcahy will develop into a solid major league pitcher. If all these youngsters stay in Sacramento, the Solons could be decent in a few years.
San Diego has
Cool Papa Bell and teenage sensation
Buddy Lewis, but the rest of their lineup is distinctly mediocre. Lefthander
Cliff Melton has three wins since joining the team after the June draft; his ratings indicate he has the potential to be a good one. Still, I think the Padres have too many holes to seriously challenge the Oaks right now, and Cool Papa's not getting any younger.
Los Angeles has struggled for a while now. The Angels last had a winning record in 1929, and made their last playoff appearance in 1927.
Ed Montague is an All-Star shortstop, and
Del Bissonette has had a fine career after breaking in at age 27. However, Montague is all bat, no glove, and Bissonette is 36 years old. Their first round pick in June,
Spud Chandler, stepped right in as the team's #1 starter, but since Spud's nearly 30, the Angels needed him to do just that.
Honestly, the biggest reason why the Oaks are still riding high is the fact that the other teams in their division are so mediocre. Oakland's offense is among the worst in the league--only
Art Scharein and
Luke Appling are hitting well, and the team has absolutely no power.
Lou Gehrig has hit as many home runs (22) as the entire Oaks team this year. Oakland's pitching staff is outstanding, with four solid starters, and that's what's keeping them in first place.
The Team Power Rankings place Oakland a close third, behind Boston and Portland. I'd tend to agree with that assessment. I don't think the Oaks would win the NL Northern or AL Continental divisions on a regular basis. Their pitching might neutralize the Capital Punishers' hitting enough to give them an edge over Washington in the NL Mid-Eastern, but I'm not sure about that.
Thanks for the comments, guys.