What Could Have Been: An Alternate Baseball Reality

[Big Six]

For the purpose of this ranking, a "reliever" is considered the bullpen pitcher who does not have the primary responsibility of finishing games for his team. Most major league teams carry seven pitchers on their roster: five starters, a relief man, and a "closer."

Here are the best in the business at bridging the gap between a tired starter and a closer:

1. Bill Walker, Brooklyn
2. Rufus Smith, San Diego
3. Firpo Marberry, Chicago White Sox
4. Lance Thompson, Seattle
5. Ed Heusser, Philadelphia
6. Roy Parmelee, Boston
7. Bill Lee, Philadelphia
8. Spades Wood, Hollywood
9. Mark Marshall, Washington
10. Jesse Hester, Chicago Cubs
11. Homer Blankenship, Portland
12. Lorenzo Garcia, Sacramento
13. Lucas Turk, Pittsburgh
14. Brandon Watts, Oakland
15. Jumbo Brown, Kansas City
16. Harry Hulihan, St. Louis
17. Manuel Silva, Baltimore
18. Pete Gallagher, Detroit
19. Les Bartholomew, San Francisco
20. John Campbell, Los Angeles
21. Steve Swetonic, Cincinnati
22. Hank Winston, New York Yankees
23. Syd Cohen, Milwaukee
15. Darrel Lewis, Cleveland

Several of these men are former starters who have lost their spots in the rotation due to age or the arrival of more talented arms (Walker, Hester, Blankenship), while others have filled the "middle man" role with distinction throughout their careers (Marberry, Thompson, Swetonic). One or two, such as Walker and Thompson, pick up a good number of saves, too.

The best young relief arms are those of:

1. Silva
2. Ken Heintzelman, Boston
3. Russell Hatfield, New York Giants
4. Bill Zuber, Chicago White Sox
5. Frank Gabler, San Diego

Silva has been a starter throughout his minor league career, and will probably fill that role in the majors some day. The other four pitchers listed here lack the stamina to start, and are projected as career relievers.

[Big Six]

Oops, duplicate post.

[Big Six]

Over the past few years, more and more teams have designated a member of their pitching staff as the "closer." This pitcher's primary responsibility lies in protecting late-inning leads, and he's rewarded with a healthy number of saves.

Who's the best at closing the deal?

1. Clyde Shoun, Boston
2. Ray Harrell, Philadelphia
3. Brennan Thomas, Seattle
4. Jud McLaughlin, Portland
5. Mike Harris, Chicago Cubs
6. Pat Richardson, Detroit
7. Bob Lewis, Cleveland
8. Milt Shoffner, New York Yankees
9. Jaime Soto, Chicago White Sox
10. Dave Bailey, Los Angeles
11. Allyn Stout, Kansas City
12. Clay Bryant, Milwaukee
13. Don Brennan, Baltimore
14. Ken Smith, Oakland
15. Bob Adams, San Francisco
16. Merle Settlemire, Cincinnati
17. Hugh Casey, New York Giants
18. William Jones, St. Louis
19. Jim Winford, Hollywood
20. Mike MacMoran, Brooklyn
21. Raul Rodriguez, Sacramento
22. Jed Carter, San Diego
23. Herb Bradley, Pittsburgh
24. Ed Fallenstein, Washington

Most of these names aren't well known; they're often fictional players, because few "real" major leaguers established themselves as late relievers in the 1930s. Still, it's been a lot of fun to watch some of them over the course of their careers.

The best of the young pitchers who are being groomed as closers are:
1. Angelo Sandoval, Los Angeles
2. Shoun
3. Harry Eisenstat, Seattle
4. Red Barrett, Chicago White Sox
5. McLaughlin

Sandoval and McLaughlin throw particularly wicked fastballs, the likes of which only a very few starters, such as Paige, Bridges, and Feller, can match. They also have only one other pitch in their arsenal. Sandoval is only 18, and he looks like he'll be a genuine beast one day. Shoun, Eisenstat, and Barrett have more traditional repertoires.

[ifspuds]

Nice rundown, Big Six! Thanks for walking us through the organizations.

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by ifspuds

Nice rundown, Big Six! Thanks for walking us through the organizations.

Thanks very much! I found it very helpful myself, because I'd lost track of where a lot of players had ended up. In a 24-team league, it's tough to keep everyone straight.

[tpaine]

Originally Posted by Big Six

I wanted to include several PCL legends in this dynasty story. Most of them played only a few hundred games in the AL or NL, at most, but went out West and enjoyed long, productive careers.

The first group of these players joined my dynasty at the beginning. I didn't put them all into the rookie draft, because they were slightly older than most of the rookies, and were already fairly established players by 1920.

One such player was outfielder Jigger Statz, who signed with the New York Yankees. As a 22-year-old rookie in 1920, Statz hit a solid .347 with a .418 OBP. He hit only one home run, but demonstrated lots of gap power--48 doubles, 11 triples.

Another outfielder, Ike Boone, alternated between RF and LF for the St. Louis Cardinals. Boone, 23, batted .334-7-92 and, like Statz, stroked a ton of doubles--47, along with 5 triples.

One younger star, OF Oscar "Ox" Eckhardt, entered the 1920 draft and was chosen in the second round by the Chicago White Sox. In 70 games, the Ox was very productive, turning in a .339-2-48 line with 28 doubles.

One pitcher, righthander Frank Shellenback, made his debut with the Hollywood Stars after the Stars took hiim in the third round of the rookie draft. Shellenback got hit hard, though, and didn't get much support from the cellar-dwelling Stars (4-10, 5.30).

All four of these players made the major leagues, with Eckhardt making the least impact and Statz, perhaps, the most. They were bona fide stars in the PCL, though, with thousands of base hits, hundreds of wins, and batting averages well in the .300s to their credit. I rated them to be about as good as a solid MLB player, perhaps an All-Star. I think it will be fun to see how they do in this alternative baseball universe.

I have been following the posts reporting this dynasty sim and find them and the concept to be fascinating. Thanks very much.

I could not tell from the posts, however, whether the ratings for original PCL players that you introduced towards the start of the sim - such as Ox Eckhardt, Jigger Statz, and Ike Boone -- were derived from their real life stats or whether they were created as fictional players whose names you changed for the sim. If they were based on real life stats, did you use the players' minor league stats or the stats generated in their brief major league careers. Judging from the sucess of these players during the successive seasons, I can't imagine that the ratings for these players were derived from MLB stats.

Any insights would be appreciated. Thanks for doing this sim and these posts.

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by tpaine

I have been following the posts reporting this dynasty sim and find them and the concept to be fascinating. Thanks very much.

I could not tell from the posts, however, whether the ratings for original PCL players that you introduced towards the start of the sim - such as Ox Eckhardt, Jigger Statz, and Ike Boone -- were derived from their real life stats or whether they were created as fictional players whose names you changed for the sim. If they were based on real life stats, did you use the players' minor league stats or the stats generated in their brief major league careers. Judging from the sucess of these players during the successive seasons, I can't imagine that the ratings for these players were derived from MLB stats.

Any insights would be appreciated. Thanks for doing this sim and these posts.

I'll be honest; I didn't derive the ratings for players like Eckhardt, Statz, or Boone in any truly systematic fashion. I looked at their PCL stats and formed an impression of them as players. Then I looked at the ratings of major leaguers they resembled and worked from there.

I assumed that these guys were very good baseball players, despite the fact that they didn't produce the major portion of their body of work in the major leagues. Anybody who hits .370 or so in the PCL, like Eckhardt did, could rake. He hasn't hit .370 in my dynasty, but he's hit .325. Statz didn't get 4000 career hits in my world, but he got 3000.

I follow the same kind of logic when I create Negro League and Japanese players. Whenever I want to bring a non-major leaguer into my universe, I create a fictional player who plays his position and edit his ratings and attributes to fit the profile I've decided fits the player best. I've been happy with the results so far and, most of all, I've had a tremendous amount of fun playing the games and writing about them.

Thanks for your post, tpaine. I hope you continue to enjoy the story, and I hope you found my comments helpful.

[Big Six]

I've had a busy, busy week--school is back in session, so I haven't had much time for OOTP. That should change very soon, so there should be more news from this front before long.

[Big Six]

May 1, 1937

• Things are looking up in greater New York, where all three local teams are within two games of the lead in the National League Northern Division. The Yankees took the bold step of trading the ace of their pitching staff, Bill Swift, to the Sacramento Solons for talented young shortstop Jesus Lopez. The deal has worked out well for the Yankees so far; Lopez is hitting .313 and making all the plays defensively, while Swift has struggled (2-3, 4.60).
  
  
• Chuck Klein, the pride of Portland, reached the 2000-hit milestone on April 5. Klein's landmark single drove in the Beavers' first run in a 4-2 victory over Oakland. The RBI was the 1200th of Klein's career; his other career marks include 374 home runs, 1069 runs scored, and a .365 lifetime average that is the highest in baseball history. Chuck is 32 years old, and should have plenty of productive years ahead of him.
  
  
• The San Diego Padres have picked up right where they left off in 1936, with a 17-4 record that is the best in either league. Their ace, Cliff Melton, was named the American League Pitcher of the Month. Melton went 5-1 with a 1.70 ERA during April.
  
  
• It's still early, but the Milwaukee Braves' hot start has the team's fans dreaming of pennant glory. Hard hitters like Hank Greenberg (9 home runs) and Les Mallon (.354) are leading the way for the new-look Braves.
  
  
• Lou Gehrig is off to a splendid start in 1937, too. The Pirates slugger won the NL Batter of the Month award, hitting .408 with seven homers and 26 RBI. He's reaching base just over half the time.
  
  
• Gehrig's teammate, Buster Ross, won April's Pitcher of the Month honors for the National League. Ross, a 34-year-old southpaw, won four of his five starts and recorded a 1.60 ERA.
  
  
• The AL Batter of the Month for April is, like Gehrig, a slugging first baseman. The K.C. Athletics' Jimmie Foxx hit .358 and hammered 11 homers during April, driving in 26 runs.

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by Big Six

May 1, 1937

• Things are looking up in greater New York, where all three local teams are within two games of the lead in the National League Northern Division. The Yankees took the bold step of trading the ace of their pitching staff, Bill Swift, to the Sacramento Solons for talented young shortstop Jesus Lopez. The deal has worked out well for the Yankees so far; Lopez is hitting .313 and making all the plays defensively, while Swift has struggled (2-3, 4.60).

Interesting move by the Yankees. Didn't look like the Yankees rotation had the pitching depth to trade their ace. Hopefully young Mr. Lopez won't disappoint me!

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by NYY #23

Interesting move by the Yankees. Didn't look like the Yankees rotation had the pitching depth to trade their ace. Hopefully young Mr. Lopez won't disappoint me!

Swift didn't exactly tear it up in 1936. He went 13-15 for a Yankees team that finished 10 games under .500, so he had a mediocre year for a mediocre team. His ERA was 4.54, way up from the 2.95 mark he posted in 1936. Bill should be in his prime, so his poor season might be simply an aberration. His ratings haven't dropped, so the talent is still there.

Lopez looks like one of the better young infielders in the game right now. He was ranked #7 among the league's regular shortstops at the beginning of the 1937 season, and placed third among young players at his position. He's backed that rating up with his play so far this year, and he's actually been a good deal better defensively than I thought he'd be. Miguel Rincon of Portland is currently the gold standard for shortstops, and while Lopez is no Rincon, he's not a liability with the glove, either.

Thanks for the comments, NYY#23.

[Big Six]

June 1, 1937

• Mule Suttles has enjoyed many great moments over the course of his fifteen-year career with the Washington Senators, but he'll probably always remember May 1937 with special fondness. On May 13, the Mule connected with a 1-1 pitch from Cleveland righthander Chris Bradley and drove it 442 feet over the center field wall at Griffith Stadium for his 500th career home run. Suttles is the first player in history to achieve this feat. The Senators won the game, 12-8. Nearly 42,000 fans came out to the park to see Suttles reach this historic milestone.
  
  
• On May 28, Suttles homered three times against the Baltimore Orioles, driving in five runs in an 8-5 Nats victory. He went deep a total of 13 times during the month, driving in 34 runs and scoring 31 times himself, and he was an easy choice for the National League Batter of the Month Award. Suttles leads both leagues with 19 home runs this year.
  
  
• Suttles' Senators are tied for first place in the Mid-East Division with the Milwaukee Braves, who seem to be determined to stay in the race to the end. Hank Greenberg leads a powerful tribe of sluggers whose 46 home runs are the most of any team in baseball.
  
  
• Red Sox ace Satchel Paige took a while to get in gear this season, but he appears to be back to his usual form. He went 5-0 in May, striking out 38 in 42 innings and pitching to a 2.27 ERA, and was named the NL's top pitcher for the month.
  
  
• Hal Trosky dominated the International League for four years before he earned a full-time job in the Show. The Chicago Cubs rookie first baseman has punished big league hurlers this year, batting .357 with 17 homers and 61 RBI in 51 games. A .354-10-34 line in May earned him the American League Batter of the Month award, and he's clearly the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year honors, too.
  
  
• The Hollywood Stars are languishing in fourth place, but they can't blame Carl Hubbell. The veteran southpaw held opposing batters to a .155 average in May, winning all six of his starts and AL Pitcher of the Month honors.
  
  
• The injury bug has bitten New York Yankees outfielder Al Simmons once again. He's expected to miss up to three months with a torn calf muscle. Can Simmons, 35, recover and resume his place among the game's top sluggers? He was hitting .334-7-34 when he got hurt on May 26.
  
  
• Will the Yankees be able to maintain their spot atop the Northern Division standings without Simmons? Much will depend on the ability of Vince DiMaggio, who replaces Simmons in the lineup, to replace Al's production as well. The Yanks will also depend on the continued excellence of 41-year-old Milt Gaston, who leads all major league pitchers with a 10-1 record.
  
  
• The annual rookie draft will take place on June 15, and there are a number of intriguing prospects on the draft list. Infielders Lou Boudreau and Joe Gordon, outfielders Enos Slaughter and Taffy Wright, catcher Willard Hershberger, and pitchers Leon Day, Mort Cooper, and Preacher Roe are drawing raves from scouts throughout the baseball world.

[Big Six]

June 15, 1937

In three out of the last four years, the Kansas City Athetics have held the first pick in the rookie draft. Each time, they've selected a righthanded pitcher.

Their 1934 selection, Gene Schott, has developed into one of the most dependable starters in the league (11-4 this year, with a 2.85 ERA). Their '36 edition, Russian product Victor Starffin, is also progressing well (2.04 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 67 K/102 IP for Class A York).

Today, the A's called the name of Virginia fireballer Leon Day, who will join Starffin in the White Roses' rotation. Day, 18, is said to throw nearly as hard as Bob Feller, whom the A's could have had with the #2 overall pick in 1935.

The Los Angeles Angels drafted next and selected a local hero, righthander Mort Cooper. Cooper, 24, should be a popular choice with Angels fans.

The first position player drafted was shortstop Lou Boudreau, a 19-year-old Illiinois product who went to the St. Louis Cardinals at #4.

Other notable selections from the first round included P Bill Posedel (#7, New York Yankees), 2B Joe Gordon (#8, Baltimore), RF Enos Slaughter (#13, Brooklyn), and RF Taffy Wright (#16, Pittsburgh).

[NYY #23]

Just curious, but how is Mike Crawford doing this year? Is he getting closer to the big 300?

[Big Six]

Iron Mike has pitched extremely well this year. In fact, his 1.35 (!!) ERA leads the major leagues. In nine starts, he has a 5-2 record, and his five wins give him a career total of 292.

His ratings haven't dropped off at all, so it's now very likely that he'll manage to pick up eight more wins and reach the magic 300 plateau. He's the last remaining link to the great Orioles teams of the 20s.

I'd meant to provide a Crawford update in my June 1 post, but I got distracted and forgot it. Thanks for the reminder!

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by Big Six

Iron Mike has pitched extremely well this year. In fact, his 1.35 (!!) ERA leads the major leagues. In nine starts, he has a 5-2 record, and his five wins give him a career total of 292.

His ratings haven't dropped off at all, so it's now very likely that he'll manage to pick up eight more wins and reach the magic 300 plateau. He's the last remaining link to the great Orioles teams of the 20s.

I'd meant to provide a Crawford update in my June 1 post, but I got distracted and forgot it. Thanks for the reminder!

No problem, I knew that you'd get to him soon, I was just anxious to see how he was doing.

[William Foster]

In three out of the last four years, the Kansas City Athetics have held the first pick in the rookie draft. Each time, they've selected a righthanded pitcher.

Guess someone really likes pitching..

What franchises have been the most futile throughout this experiment? I know very well who the greats have been but I'm curious as to how many teams have been left rudderless?

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by William Foster

What franchises have been the most futile throughout this experiment? I know very well who the greats have been but I'm curious as to how many teams have been left rudderless?

At the end of the 1939 season, I'll post the complete all-time standings. I usually do that a decade at a time.

In the meantime, here are the five winningest and the five losingest teams, through June 15, 1937. First, the five most successful teams, in order of their all-time records:

TEAM                        RECORD      PCT
1.  Oakland Oaks            1507-1177  .561
2.  Baltimore Orioles       1499-1186  .558
3.  Cleveland Indians       1412-1272  .526
4.  Pittsburgh Pirates      1402-1282  .522
5.  Seattle Rainiers        1391-1293  .518

I doubt if anyone's surprised to see the Oaks at the top of this list. They have made nine postseason appearances, the most of any team in history, and have won four World Series. Fans with long memories will remember how dominant the Orioles once were; they've made the playoffs eight times and, like the Oaks, have won the Series four times. No other team has won more than two World Series or made the playoffs more than five times. The Pirates have made the postseason four times but have never won the Series. The Rainiers have only made the playoffs twice, but they've also never been really lousy, either. They've finished 72-82 twice, and that's the worst they've ever been.

Here are the five least successful teams in history:

TEAM                        RECORD      PCT
20. St. Louis Cardinals     1294-1390  .482
21. New York Giants         1283-1401  .478
22. Hollywood Stars         1267-1417  .472
23. Kansas City Athletics   1218-1446  .454
24. Milwaukee Braves        1203-1481  .448

The Cardinals, Giants, A's, and Braves are the only teams who have never qualified for postseason play. The Braves have a good shot at ending their drought this year. The Stars made their first, and only, appearance in the postseason in 1935.

[ifspuds]

Makes me happy to no longer see Portland on that least successful list.

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by ifspuds

Makes me happy to no longer see Portland on that least successful list.

Three consecutive seasons with a winning percentage over .600 will move a team off the least successful list in a hurry. In fact, another good start by the Portlanders (they're currently 40-26) have lifted them over the .500 mark all-time. Right now, the Beavers are eight games over .500 in their history.

As you might guess, that record places them 12th among the 20th teams on the all-time standings board, seven games better than the Tigers.