Major League Baseball: 1990 and Beyond...

[kenyan_cheena]

I've finally come to a decision on what my next baseball dynasty will be. I'll be running it using version 6.5 and will start with the 1990 season using real teams and players.

There's a couple of reasons why I chose 1990. Firstly, the 1990 World Series was the first one I followed as a fan, as a 15 year-old in Australia. We didn't have cable down here back then and if my memory serves me correctly the WS games were the only ones I saw from the season, shown on delay late at night. But I was hooked, and I've now been following the sport for exactly twenty seasons.

Secondly, it's the start of a new decade, making it a "tidy" time to start a dynasty. None of the current day superstars have appeared yet so it'll be exciting to see who they end up being drafted by and how this changes the fortunes of each team.

Will the dynasties of the Yankees and Braves eventuate? Will Ken Griffey Jr enjoy a relatively injury-free career and therefore have a chance to break the home run record? Will the Red Sox or Cubs break the curse?

I have some ideas I'm tossing up in regards to expansion and re-alignment but haven't reached any definite decisions yet. I'm considering a four-team expansion rather than just two teams for '98 to take the league to 32 teams. One thing I'll guarantee is that there will be NO WILDCARDS. We'll either see two divisions or four divisions per league, but not three.

I'm hoping this will be a dynasty I'm able to take all the way through to the present day, as I'll be trying to cover each season pretty quickly, much like EM's doing with his fantastic PBL dynasty.

The first write-up should appear within a week.

k_c

[EMSoccerCoach]

Looking forward to seeing this evolve, KC.

And thanks for the plug!

[kenyan_cheena]

SportingNews

Monday, July 9, 1990

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 1990
MID-SEASON REVIEW

~~~

DIVISIONAL STANDINGS

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AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

1ST: TORONTO BLUE JAYS 52-37 (.584)
2nd: Baltimore Orioles 48-40 (.545) (3.5 G.B.)
3rd: Boston Red Sox 42-47 (.472) (10.0 G.B.)
4th: Detroit Tigers 42-48 (.467) (10.5 G.B.)
5th: Cleveland Indians 39-49 (.443) (12.5 G.B.)
6th: Milwaukee Brewers 39-50 (.438) (13.0 G.B.)
7th: New York Yankees 30-55 (.353) (20.0 G.B.)

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

1ST: OAKLAND ATHLETICS 59-29 (.670)
2nd: California Angels 51-37 (.580) (8.0 G.B.)
3rd: Texas Rangers 50-39 (.562) (9.5 G.B.)
4th: Kansas City Royals 48-40 (.545) (11.0 G.B.)
5th: Minnesota Twins 47-42 (.528) (12.5 G.B.)
6th: Seattle Mariners 37-51 (.420) (22.0 G.B.)
7th: Chicago White Sox 33-53 (.384) (25.0 G.B.)

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NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

1ST: MONTREAL EXPOS 54-34 (.614)
2nd: Pittsburgh Pirates 52-36 (.591) (2.0 G.B.)
3rd: Philadelphia Phillies 41-45 (.477) (12.0 G.B.)
4th: Chicago Cubs 42-47 (.472) (12.5 G.B.)
5th: St. Louis Cardinals 41-46 (.471) (12.5 G.B.)
6th: New York Mets 39-47 (.453) (14.0 G.B.)

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

1ST: HOUSTON ASTROS 51-37 (.580)
2nd: San Diego Padres 47-41 (.534) (4.0 G.B.)
3rd: San Francisco Giants 43-44 (.494) (7.5 G.B.)
4th: Cincinnati Reds 42-45 (.483) (8.5 G.B.)
5th: Los Angeles Dodgers 37-50 (.425) (13.5 G.B.)
6th: Atlanta Braves 35-52 (.402) (15.5 G.B.)

~~~

STATISTICAL LEADERS
TEAM RANKINGS

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AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING AVG

League AVG .265

1ST: CLEVELAND INDIANS .281
2nd: Kansas City Royals .278
3rd: Minnesota Twins .274
4th: Texas Rangers .273
5th: Boston Red Sox .271
6th: California Angels .269
7th: Toronto Blue Jays .267
8th: New York Yankees .263
9th: Oakland Athletics .262
10th: Chicago White Sox .262
11th: Milwaukee Brewers .260
12th: Seattle Mariners .255
13th: Baltimore Orioles .252
14th: Detroit Tigers .244

AMERICAN LEAGUE PITCHING ERA

League ERA 4.27

1ST: BALTIMORE ORIOLES 3.43
2nd: Texas Rangers 3.66
3rd: Minnesota Twins 3.68
4th: California Angels 3.76
5th: Oakland Athletics 3.80
6th: Toronto Blue Jays 3.99
7th: Kansas City Royals 4.21
8th: Boston Red Sox 4.44
9th: Seattle Mariners 4.56
10th: Milwaukee Brewers 4.60
11th: Chicago White Sox 4.68
12th: New York Yankees 4.81
13th: Cleveland Indians 4.92
14th: Detroit Tigers 5.30

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NATIONAL LEAGUE BATTING AVG

League AVG .265

1ST: SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS .278
2nd: San Diego Padres .277
3rd: Cincinnati Reds .270
4th: Los Angeles Dodgers .267
5th: Houston Astros .265
6th: New York Mets .263
7th: Chicago Cubs .263
8th: Montreal Expos .261
9th: Pittsburgh Pirates .260
10th: Philadelphia Phillies .260
11th: St. Louis Cardinals .255
12th: Atlanta Braves .255

NATIONAL LEAGUE PITCHING ERA

League ERA 4.21

1ST: MONTREAL EXPOS 3.71
2nd: Houston Astros 3.81
3rd: Pittsburgh Pirates 3.85
4th: St. Louis Cardinals 3.96
5th: Cincinnati Reds 3.98
6th: San Francisco Giants 4.14
7th: Chicago Cubs 4.18
8th: San Diego Padres 4.20
9th: Philadelphia Phillies 4.28
10th: Los Angeles Dodgers 4.81
11th: Atlanta Braves 4.81
12th: New York Mets 4.90

~~~

STATISTICAL LEADERS
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS

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AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING

AVG

1ST: LUIS POLONIA, NEW YORK YANKEES .366
2nd: Dan Pasqua, Chicago White Sox .357
3rd: Billy Ripken, Baltimore Orioles .347
4th: Shane Mack, Minnesota Twins .328
5th: Randy Milligan, Baltimore Orioles .325

HR

1ST: ROB DEER, MILWAUKEE BREWERS 25
2nd: Jose Canseco, Oakland Athletics 24
3rd: Dave Winfield, New York Yankees 23
3rd: Bo Jackson, Kansas City Royals 23
3rd: Fred McGriff, Toronto Blue Jays 23
3rd: Danny Tartabull, Kansas City Royals 23

RBI

1ST: JOSE CANSECO, OAKLAND ATHLETICS 81
2nd: Kelly Gruber, Toronto Blue Jays 74
3rd: Danny Tartabull, Kansas City Royals 73
4th: Rickey Henderson, Oakland Athletics 66
5th: Pete Incaviglia, Texas Rangers 65

AMERICAN LEAGUE PITCHING

ERA

1ST: DENNIS ECKERSLEY, OAKLAND ATHLETICS 2.52
2nd: John Mitchell, Baltimore Orioles 2.73
3rd: Curt Schilling, Baltimore Orioles 3.01
4th: Bret Saberhagen, Kansas City Royals 3.01
5th: Bill Krueger, Milwaukee Brewers 3.06

K

1ST: NOLAN RYAN, TEXAS RANGERS 121
2nd: Dennis Eckersley, Oakland Athletics 117
3rd: Roger Clemens, Boston Red Sox 116
4th: Bobby Witt, Texas Rangers 104
5th: Dave Stewart, Oakland Athletics 99

W

1ST: DENNIS ECKERSLEY, OAKLAND ATHLETICS 13
2nd: Scott Garrelts, Texas Rangers 12
3rd: Nolan Ryan, Texas Rangers 11
3rd: Tom Gordon, Kansas City Royals 11
3rd: Dave Stewart, Oakland Athletics 11

---

NATIONAL LEAGUE BATTING

AVG

1ST: KEVIN MITCHELL, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS .360
2nd: Barry Larkin, Cincinnati Reds .347
3rd: Hal Morris, Cincinnati Reds .347
4th: Tony Gwynn, San Diego Padres .342
5th: Bobby Bonilla, Pittsburgh Pirates .332

HR

1ST: DAVID JUSTICE, ATLANTA BRAVES 30
2nd: Glenn Davis, Houston Astros 29
2nd: Kevin Mitchell, San Francisco Giants 29
2nd: Eric Davis, Cincinnati Reds 29
5th: Darryl Strawberry, New York Mets 24

RBI

1ST: MATT WILLIAMS, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS 68
1ST: GLENN DAVIS, HOUSTON ASTROS 68
1ST: HAL MORRIS, CINCINNATI REDS 68
4th: Eddie Murray, Los Angeles Dodgers 66
5th: Bobby Bonilla, Pittsburgh Pirates 65
5th: Joe Carter, San Diego Padres 65

NATIONAL LEAGUE PITCHING

ERA

1ST: JOSE DELEON, ST. LOUIS CARDINALS 2.30
2nd: Jack Armstrong, Cincinnati Reds 2.67
3rd: Ken Howell, Philadelphia Phillies 2.77
4th: Mark Grant, San Diego Padres 2.98
5th: Zane Smith, Montreal Expos 3.11

K

1ST: DAVID CONE, NEW YORK METS 94
1ST: SID FERNANDEZ, NEW YORK METS 94
3rd: Dwight Gooden, New York Mets 88
4th: Jose DeLeon, St. Louis Cardinals 85
4th: Greg Harris, San Diego Padres 85

W

1ST: JOHN SMILEY, PITTSBURGH PIRATES 12
2nd: Orel Hershiser, Los Angeles Dodgers 10
3rd: Bill Sampen, Montreal Expos 9
3rd: Zane Smith, Montreal Expos 9
3rd: Neal Heaton, Pittsburgh Pirates 9
3rd: Ed Whitson, San Diego Padres 9
3rd: Mark Grant, San Diego Padres 9
3rd: Greg Harris, San Diego Padres 9

~~~

MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS

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AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING

April: Mitch Webster, Cleveland Indians .347 AVG, 7 HR, 21 RBI
May: Jose Canseco, Oakland Athletics .424 AVG, 11 HR, 37 RBI
June: Gary Gaetti, Minnesota Twins .395 AVG, 7 HR, 29 RBI

AMERICAN LEAGUE PITCHING

April: Bobby Witt, Texas Rangers 0.85 ERA, 2-0, 26 K
May: Dennis Eckersley, Oakland Athletics 2.36 ERA, 5-1, 36 K
June: Mark Guthrie, Minnesota Twins 2.17 ERA, 6-0, 41 K

---

NATIONAL LEAGUE BATTING

April: Tony Gwynn, San Diego Padres .464 AVG, 3 HR, 22 RBI
May: Matt Williams, San Francisco Giants .380 AVG, 11 HR, 27 RBI
June: Kevin Mitchell, San Francisco Giants .412 AVG, 10 HR, 21 RBI

NATIONAL LEAGUE PITCHING

April: Kevin Gross, Montreal Expos 0.94 ERA, 4-0, 20 K
May: Jose DeLeon, St. Louis Cardinals 1.56 ERA, 5-0, 26 K
June: Zane Smith, Montreal Expos 2.06 ERA, 5-1, 20 K

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

Sorry for not getting back to this. I've started the continuation of the mid-season review and hope to have it posted within a week.

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

AMERICAN LEAGUE REVIEW

The Oakland Athletics ended the '80s as the premier team in Major League Baseball and through the first half of the 1990 season they've only strengthened that status. The ballclub took a league-best 59-29 record and an eight-game western division lead into the All-Star break. The power hitting of '88 MVP Jose Canseco, baserunning excellence of Rickey Henderson and a great pitching unit led by Dennis Eckersley is the foundation upon which their success has been built. Canseco was the AL's Batter of the Month for May. He's batting .318, leads the league in RBI with 81 and is 2nd in home runs (24). Meanwhile Henderson has already recorded 44 steals and swung the bat in a timely fashion as his average of .300, 22 home runs and 66 RBI (4th in the AL) illustrate.

At 35 years of age Dennis Eckersley is in his 16th year in the majors but shows no signs of slowing down. After being used out of the Athletics bullpen in his first three years with the club he has resumed the familiar role of starter this season with spectacular results. In nineteen outings he's 13-3 with an AL-best ERA of 2.52. He's 2nd only behind the Rangers' ageless wonder Nolan Ryan (121) in strikeouts with 117 and has been ably supported by the #2 man in the Athletics rotation Dave Stewart (11-3, 3.25 ERA, 99 K) and Mike Moore (8-5, 3.47 ERA, 44 K). Veteran reliever Rick Honeycutt has been outstanding in the role of closer, recording nineteen saves with an ERA of 3.09.

The Athletics were remarkably consistent through the first three months of the season, going 17-8 in April and 19-8 in both May and June. They slowed down somewhat to start July, taking a 4-5 mark into the break. Oakland are not only the best team in the majors, they're also the best team in the best division in the majors. Struggling to stay with them are a quartet of teams who would be right in the midst of a pennant race in any other division. As it is the California Angels (51-37), Texas Rangers (50-39), Kansas City Royals (48-40) and Minnesota Twins (47-42) can only look up at the big lead the Athletics have built, a lead that will be extremely difficult for those other ballclubs to cut into.

After going down in five games to the Athletics in the '89 ALCS the Toronto Blue Jays are determined to make it back to the post-season this year and gain some redemption. They've made a good start in their attempt to achieve that goal, taking a 3.5-game eastern division lead into the All-Star break. The Blue Jays (52-37) have succeeded so far with a balanced gameplan. They're ranked 7th in the American League in batting average and 6th in ERA. 1st baseman Fred McGriff has excelled, the 26 year-old ranking 3rd in the AL in homers with 23 while driving in 62 runs and batting .321. His fellow infielder Kelly Gruber has also contributed to the cause, recording a team-leading 74 RBI, which sees him ranked 2nd in the AL.

NATIONAL LEAGUE REVIEW

In an unexpected situation the senior circuit is being paced by a trio of ballclubs that only a handful of experts expected good things from. The Montreal Expos (54-34) and Pittsburgh Pirates (52-36) boast the two best records in the National League and have been waging an entertaining battle for 1st place in the east through the season's opening three months. Montreal is home to one of the top pitching staffs in the majors with the trio of Dennis Martinez (7-3, 3.33 ERA, 73 K), Zane Smith (9-4, 3.11 ERA, 55 K) and Kevin Gross (6-3, 2.87 ERA) making things miserable for opposing lineups. The Expos aren't as strong at the plate, but have received solid production from Andres Galarraga (.313, 14 HR, 62 RBI) and Tim Raines, who ranks 3rd in the majors in stolen bases with 33.

The Pittsburgh Pirates finished ahead of only their Pennsylvania state rivals the Phillies in '89 but they're making a push for the post-season this year. Led by the All-Star double Bs, Bobby Bonilla (.332, 17 HR, 65 RBI) and Barry Bonds (.300, 22 HR, 58 RBI) they've brought renewed hope to the Keystone State. However, it's actually their pitching that's gotten them this far. Number one hurler John Smiley is 1st in the NL in wins with twelve. He's posted an ERA of 3.90 and like Bonilla and Bonds he's been selected to take part in the All-Star Game. Neal Heaton (9-6, 3.49) and Bob Walk (8-3, 3.92) have also been outstanding.

Meanwhile the Houston Astros find themselves on top out west. Although the ballclub finished 3rd last year, just six games behind division champs San Francisco they weren't considered to be one of the contenders this season. They've taken a four-game lead into the break on the back of strong pitching and confident hitting, with 1st baseman Glenn Davis (29 HR) on target to threaten the single season home run record. Veteran starting pitcher Dan Schatzeder has turned back the clock, recording ten wins from fifteen starts as the #5 man in the rotation. Schatzeder hasn't been a regular starter since his days with Montreal in '85 but 2nd year Astros manager Art Howe has shown belief in him and the lefty has repaid it with some great performances.

This year the senior circuit has witnessed some fantastic hitting, with a quartet of batters all going into the break with at least 29 homers. They're led by 2nd year Braves 1st baseman David Justice, who's cleared the fences an amazing thirty times already. Also threatening Maris' record are Houston's Glenn Davis, Giants outfielder Kevin Mitchell and Cincinnati's Eric Davis (all with 29). It will be fascinating to follow them as they attempt to climb one of baseball's highest mountains in the months ahead.

***

NOTEABLE INCIDENTS

24 April: Chicago Cubs ace Greg Maddux suffered a broken hand when he deflected a line drive in the 3rd inning of a game against the Padres. Maddux was out for six weeks as a result of the injury.

1 May: Milwaukee Brewers designated hitter Rob Deer blasted three homers and drove in nine runs in a 21-4 decimation of the Royals.

4 May: Boston Red Sox 3rd baseman Wade Boggs was ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a torn hamstring muscle in a matchup against the Athletics at Fenway Park.

23 May: The Oakland Athletics recorded a 13-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Centrefielder Dave Henderson hit two homers and drove in four runs in the victory, which was the third straight for the Athletics. Over the course of the three games they scored 33 runs and conceeded four.

25 May: At 43 years of age, Texas Rangers starter Nolan Ryan threw the sixth no-hitter of his career. Ryan walked three batters and struck out seven in the Rangers' 8-0 win over Baltimore.

1 June: New York Mets rightfielder Darryl Strawberry went 5-for-5 in an 11-2 rout of the Phillies. Strawberry homered twice, doubled and drove in four runs.

19 June: Cincinnati Reds 2nd baseman Mariano Duncan hit for the cycle in a 7-3 win over the Braves in Atlanta. Duncan was 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI.

27 June: Oakland Athletics starter Dennis Eckersley threw the second no-hitter of the season, walking two and striking out nine in a 4-0 win over the Detroit Tigers.

30 June: Baltimore Orioles 1st baseman Randy Milligan smashed three home runs in a 8-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Milligan drove in six of Baltimore's eight runs.

[EMSoccerCoach]

The Ryan Express!!!!

Good to see you back at it.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by EMSoccerCoach

The Ryan Express!!!!

Good to see you back at it.

Thanks, EM. I was amazed to learn that in real life Ryan pitched no-hitters in '90 and '91. I'll admit I don't know much about him but will have to learn. He must have been a great player to follow.

Gonna be doing monthly summaries for July and August and then go into more detail once September rolls around.

[kenyan_cheena]

Opened up the game last night to simulate the rest of July. Walked away from the computer for five minutes and came back to discover that I'd accidentally simmed the rest of the season! Hadn't backed up the league file so while I can still do the monthly summaries I won't be able to post the progressive stats as at the end of each month.

I am truly a bonehead.

[kenyan_cheena]

Seeing as I ballsed up the simming I've decided to write one large post reviewing the second half of the season. Not sure when I'll be able to get it posted, though.

[EMSoccerCoach]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Opened up the game last night to simulate the rest of July. Walked away from the computer for five minutes and came back to discover that I'd accidentally simmed the rest of the season! Hadn't backed up the league file so while I can still do the monthly summaries I won't be able to post the progressive stats as at the end of each month.

I am truly a bonehead.

[kenyan_cheena]

Not sure if I'll keep going with this. I've come to the realisation that, with baseball dynasties, I prefer to do them as a series of brief posts rather than big ones with a bunch of information in them. My previous dynasty, which started in the '59 season, used the brief posts method and it worked until I got burnt out 'cause I wasn't choosey enough with what I wrote about.

Even so, I like the idea of starting a uni in '90 and seeing what happens with an alternate history. Perhaps what I should do is just summarise the rest of the '90 season with one big post and then move on to '91 and use the brief posts format from there on.