Your Expansion Seattle Mariners!!!

BoilerRocketScientist · 04-12-2013, 11:17 PM

Well, I got back into OOTPB this past summer after losing a 5-year run with the Cubs on an old, decrepit computer. So, I rebooted my OOTP playing with a new laptop and Version 13! Instead of starting back where I was before with the 1979 Cubs (to try to mimic my old Statis-Pro Baseball), I decided to step back 2 years and start with one of the expansion teams of 1977. I decided on choosing the Seattle Mariners ... no particular reason except that loved my one vacation to the Pacific NW and I always liked the uniforms too.

I'm the middle of my 5th season (1981) but I'm going to go back an recap the first four seasons before I continue and finish out 1981. This is my first attempt at a Dynasty log. We'll see how it goes.

Painmantle · 04-12-2013, 11:21 PM

Wellcome! Good Luck. I always like to see how expansion teams are developed! and I'll be following.

BoilerRocketScientist · 04-13-2013, 11:25 AM

As expected, the cupboard is pretty bare for an expansion team. So, let's see what moves I made.

Traded Jose Baez (2B) to Chicago Cubs for Dennis Lamp (SP) - I always liked Lamp so I though I'd get him on my squad.
Traded Rick Jones (SP) & Tommy Smith (LF) to Pittsburgh for Ken Macha (3B)
Traded Carlos Lopez (RF) to Philadelphia for Jerry Martin (RF)
Traded Bill Stein (2B) to Chicago White Sox for Ralph Garr (RF)

BoilerRocketScientist · 04-13-2013, 11:27 AM

I'll go into the season with the following starters.

C: Bob Stinson
1B: Ken Macha
2B: Julio Cruz
3B: Steve Braun
SS: Craig Reynolds
LF: Dan Meyer
CF: Ruppert Jones
RF: Jerry Martin
DH: Ralph Garr

Reserves included Larry Milbourne (IF), Leroy Stanton (OF), Dave Collins (OF), Jimmy Sexton (IF), Larry Cox (C) and a dearth of scrubs in the minors.

ThatSeventiesGuy · 04-13-2013, 12:11 PM

I'm doing the same thing! I just took over the expansion 1977 Mariners after 16 seasons with the Senators/Rangers franchise (9 World Champs). They won the division with a great late season comeback in '77, won the World Series in '78, and lost the Series in 7 games (blew a 3-1 lead) to the Astros in '79. Good luck!

I lost patience with the expansion lineup when they were at .500 around the all-star break and traded for a bunch of my old Rangers and a few other pitchers. After losing over 100 games my first season with the Senators, I didn't want to risk going through that again.

I had Jones and Meyer when I started, too. I traded for Fred Lynn around June to replace Jones. Meyer didn't even last that long...by the middle of May, he was in the minors, and a OOTP-created 38-year old rookie named Gideon Williams took his spot at 1B.

BoilerRocketScientist · 04-13-2013, 12:19 PM

Yeah, the first year was pretty tough. Things did get better as I went along and made some off-season free agent signings but you'll have to wait for that news.

BoilerRocketScientist · 04-13-2013, 12:44 PM

My starting pitchers were dreadful. They included Gary Wheelock, Glenn Abbott, Dick Pole (snicker), Diego Sequi, and Dennis Lamp. Relievers include such luminaries as Tommy Moore, Bill Laxton, Steve, Burke, Dave Pagan, John Montague, and closer Enrique Romo.

Obviously, this pitching staff doesn't scare anyone.

BoilerRocketScientist · 04-13-2013, 12:49 PM

I made some in-season moves to help the team, especially on the pitching staff.

Picked up Mickey Stanley on waivers
Traded minor leaguer Joe Lis (1B) to Oakland for Steve Renko (SP)
Traded Jimmy Sexton (SS) to Detroit for Vern Ruhle (SP)
Traded Leroy Stanton (CF) and Stan Thomas (CL) to Houston for Floyd Bannister (SP)

I was surprised later when looking at the Baseball-Reference website that Bannister eventally played for Seattle in real life. It's always funny when the simulation imitates life!

Most of the trades were made to help my pitching, which was atrocious.

BoilerRocketScientist · 04-13-2013, 08:58 PM

Well, the team finished with a respectable 79-83 record but finished in 5th place, 21 games behind the AL West champion Texas Rangers.

Our top position players are below.

C: Bill Stinson - .281/.374/.756, 10 HR's, 54 RBI's
1B: Ken Macha - .281/.338/.694, 2 HR's, 53 RBI's
2B: Julio Cruz - .252/.320/.657, 7 HR's, 65 RBI's
3B: Steve Braun - .255/.374/.716, 6 HR's, 51 RBI's
SS: Craig Reynolds - .265/.289/.689, 11 HR's, 68 RBI's
LF: Dan Meyer - .269/.313/.719, 17 HR's, 75 RBI;
CF: Ruppert Jones - .269/.354/.828, 28 HR's, 108 RBI's
RF: Jerry Martin - .255/.315/.752, 19 HR's, 86 RBI's
DH: Ralph Garr - .311/.338/.786, 17 HR's, 103 RBI's

We had a nice balanced lineup and scored over 800 runs, good enough for 5th in the AL.

Unfortunately, we gave up 867 runs - 13th in the AL. The pitching staff had the 12th worst ERA with the starting pitchers posting a 5.30 ERA - 13th in the AL. Verne Ruhle led the staff with 11 wins (11-12, 4.50) and was "helped" by Steve Renko (10-13, 5.29), Gary Wheelock (10-10, 5.66), Glenn Abbott (7-8, 4.65), and Floyd Bannister (7-5, 4.15). My bullpen was the 2nd best in the AL and was led by closer Enrique Romo (4-3, 31 Saves, 2.35) who was my only All-Star.

BoilerRocketScientist · 04-13-2013, 09:05 PM

The 1977 AL award winners were ...

MVP: George Brett (KC) - .322/.377/.535, 28 HR, 109 RBI, 61.3 VORP
CyYoung: Bert Blyleven (TEX) - 30-8, 2.48 ERA, 312.2 IP, 242 K, 91.8 VORP
ROY: Mitchell Page (OAK) - .296/.396/.453, 16 HR, 89 RBI, 47.1 VORP

The New York Yankees flew to a 109-53 record, good enough for a 20 game destruction the next nearest AL East team Detroit. The Texas Rangers, behind Blyleven's 30 wins, won the AL West with a 100-62 record by 8 games over 2nd place Kansas City.

In a surprise, the Texas Rangers beat the Yankees 3-2 for the AL Pennant and would head to their first World Series!

BoilerRocketScientist · 04-13-2013, 09:15 PM

The 1977 NL award winners were ...

MVP: Greg Luzinski (PHI) - .314/.383/.624, 45 HR, 111 RBI, 67.3 VORP
CyYoung: Steve Rogers (MON) - 28-7, 2.01 ERA, 314.0 IP, 210 K, 107.2 VORP
ROY: Andre Dawson (MON) - .260/.307/.450, 18 HR, 66 RBI, 24.8 VORP

The Chicago Cubs won the NL East crown with a 90-73 record when they won a 1-game playoff against the New York Mets. In the NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers (90-72) edged out the Houston Astros by 1 game.

Unfortunately for the Cubs, the curse continues as the Dodgers swept the NL Pennant 3-0 to advance to the World Series against the Texas Rangers.

BoilerRocketScientist · 04-13-2013, 09:23 PM

The 1977 season ended with the Texas Rangers winning the World Series in 7 games over the Los Angeles Dodgers!

BoilerRocketScientist · 04-13-2013, 10:19 PM

Towards the end of the 1977 season, I re-signed several players - Ralph Garr (LF), Diego Sequi (SP), Bob Stinson (C), Steve Braun (3B), and Steve Renko (SP). As luck would have it, the day after I signed Renko, he promptly blew out his right elbow in his next start and would be lost for 10 months - doh!!!

My draft slot was number 11. The Toronto Blue Jays selected first and took outfielder Lonnie Smith. The next 9 slots were starting pitchers that included such luminaries as Scott Sanderson, Bob Welch, and Mike Morgan.

At spot number 11 I was overjoyed to take Paul Molitor!!! I followed in subsequent rounds Phil Nastu (SP), Dave Geisel (MR), Dave Rajsich (MR), and Brian Doyle (2B).

Free agent signings include Rich Gossage, Bill Buckner (my favorite player when I was growing up), Fergie Jenkins, and I coaxed Phil Niekro out of an early retirement. Jenkins and Niekro should be an upgrade for my starting pitching while Buckner should help my offense.

BoilerRocketScientist · 04-15-2013, 10:21 PM

Well, we went .500 this season with an 81-81 record, two whole games better than our maiden season.

The offense came alive posting the second best batting average in the AL while also scoring the 2nd most runs. The team leaders are below.

C: Bob Stinson - .302/.380/.850, 20 HR's, 72 RBI's
1B: Dan Meyer - .263/.302/.720, 15 HR's, 88 RBI's
2B: Paul Molitor - .268/.324/.723, 11 HR's, 69 RBI's
3B: Steve Braun - .247/.366/.713, 5 HR's, 49 RBI's
SS: Craig Reynolds - .265/.309/.688, 8 HR's, 73 RBI's
LF: Bill Buckner - .326/.345/.809, 14 HR's, 109 RBI's
CF: Ruppert Jones - .276/.385/.854, 15 HR's, 87 RBI's
RF: Ralph Garr - .290/.315/.696, 4 HR's, 73 RBI's
DH: Dave Collins - .265/.345/.690, 4 HR's, 63 RBI's

Again, the pitching was the primary problem for the team - 10th or worse in mostly every major pitching category. The pitching staff was "anchored" by Phil Niekro who I coaxed out of an early retirement. Niekro led the team with a 17-13 mark while posting a 5.31 ERA. My other starters included Floyd Bannister (16-16, 3.80), Fergie Jenkins (10-11, 4.04), Glenn Abbott (12-4, 4.51). A mid-season trade for Bob Shirley didn't pan out too well as he posted a 2-8 record after joining the team from San Diego. My relief corps was led by Enrique Romo who led the team with 23 saves ... but posted a 1-7 record. Again, some pitching help is sorely needed.

BoilerRocketScientist · 04-15-2013, 10:28 PM

The 1978 AL award winners were ...

MVP: Mike Schmidt (NYY) - .279/.400/.588, 49 HR, 130 RBI, 80.5 VORP
CyYoung: Ron Guidry (NYY) - 25-14, 2.65 ERA, 319.1 IP, 219 K, 78.5 VORP
ROY: Mike Bruhert (OAK) - 22-9, 2.92 ERA, 304.2 IP, 105 K, 65.1 VORP

The New York Yankees repeated as AL East champs with a 95-67, good enough for a 11 game lead over Cleveland. In the AL West, the Minnesota posted a 91-71 record to take the division by 3 games over Kansas City and Texas.

The New York Yankees swept the Twins in 3 games to take the AL pennant and advance to the World Series.

BoilerRocketScientist · 04-15-2013, 10:33 PM

The 1978 NL award winners were ...

MVP: George Foster (CIN) - .299/.360/.612, 43 HR, 135 RBI, 61.4 VORP
CyYoung: Tommy John (LAD) - 24-12, 2.28 ERA, 328.1 IP, 128 K, 96.0 VORP
ROY: Don Robinson (PIT) - 21-10, 2.90 ERA, 279.0 IP, 184 K, 64.8 VORP

The St Louis Cardinals posted a major league best record of 104-58 and outlasted the Chicago Cubs who finished 7 games back in the NL East. In the NL West, the San Francisco posted a 91-71 record, 6 games ahead of 2nd place Houston.

Despite the best record in the majors, the Cardinals couldn't beat San Francisco and the Giants will face the Yankees in the World Series.

BoilerRocketScientist · 04-15-2013, 10:35 PM

In a big surprise, the San Francisco Giants sweep the New York Yankees to take the 1978 World Series!!!

BoilerRocketScientist · 04-15-2013, 10:49 PM

Phil Niekro's nice performance during the season earned him a 2-year contract to help bolster the staff. Pitcher Wayne Twitchell was obtained from Philadelphia for Larry Cox (C) and Rick Honeycutt (SP).

By the time the draft came to pick #15, there wasn't much for me so Brian Kingman was my first round pick. Subsequent rounds yielded Mark Clear (MR), Mike Chris (MR), and Kevin Stanfield (MR) ... not much help.

I made my first big splash in free agency in signing starting pitcher Don Gullet ($2.5M for 5 years) and right fielder Dave Winfield ($1.4M for 4 years). Both players are Type A free agents so next years draft is shot as I will lose my first 2 draft picks as compensation ... they better pay dividends!

Just before the season starts I decided to unload the aging Ralph Garr to Cincinnati for outfielder Tony Scott. Garr was arguably the MVP in our expansion year but I decided to unload his contract and make way for Dave Collins to move into a full-time position in left field and I'll move Bill Buckner to the DH role.

BoilerRocketScientist · 04-16-2013, 09:55 PM

Amazingly, at the halfway point we had a 46-35 record, good enough for a 1/2 game lead on Minnesota. We were paced by Paul Molitor, who was hitting a blistering .407 midway, and Ruppert Jones (.323, 1.046 OPS, 22 HR's, 75 RBI's).

A July trade brought Andre Thornton over to provide some more pop at first base. He helped considerably but the team went relatively cold in July going 13-14 while Minnesota (21-7) and Kansas City (20-7) got red hot. We never got close to the lead again and, despite a 95-67 record, we finished 6 games back of Minnesota who won 101 games.

Paul Molitor (.347) slumped in September and lost the batting title to Rod Carew (.354). Rupert Jones had a fantastic season and barely lost the MVP.

Here's how our hitters fared.

C: Bob Stinson - .232/.318/.665,10 HR's, 38 RBI's
1B: Andre Thornton - .272/.383/.906, 12 HR's, 45 RBI's (53 games)
2B: Paul Molitor - .347/.390/.894, 13 HR's, 86 RBI's
3B: Steve Braun - .249/.359/.709, 5 HR's, 57 RBI's
SS: Larry Milbourne - .269/.314/.667, 3 HR's, 52 RBI's
LF: Dave Collins - .281/.342/.714, 3 HR's, 54 RBI's
CF: Ruppert Jones - .313/.396/.983, 38 HR's, 135 RBI's
RF: Dave Winfield - .266/.322/.778, 19 HR's, 93 RBI's (missed 6 weeks)
DH: Bill Buckner - .306/.332/.791, 18 HR's, 102 RBI's

So, one free agent pickup Winfield provided some "pop" to our lineup despite missing 6 weeks. The other free agent, Don Gullet ended up 14-14, not quite earning his big free agent contract. My other starters did well enough - Bob Shirley (13-8, 4.48), Fergie Jenkins (13-9, 5.03) and Phil Niekro (7-6, 4.22) before he was traded to San Diego for Thornton. A pleasant surprise was 5th starter Wayne Twitchell who posted a 17-6 record (4.35 ERA) to lead the team in wins. Overall, the pitching staff was a pleasant surprise, ending near the top of the AL in most pitching categories.

Despite the positive signs, a second place finish is equivalent to being the first loser.

BoilerRocketScientist · 04-16-2013, 10:01 PM

The 1979 AL award winners were ...

MVP: Mike Schmidt (NYY) - .296/.408/.604, 51 HR, 132 RBI, 91.3 VORP
Cy Young: Ron Guidry (NYY) - 23-7, 3.04 ERA, 292.2 IP, 212 K, 68.7 VORP
ROY: Mike Bruhert (OAK) - .284/.347/.376, 4 HR, 72 RBI, 4.1 VORP

So, Schmidt and Guidry repeat as MVP and Cy Young winners for New York but that was good enough for a tie with Baltimore in the AL East with 97-65 records. But, the New York Yankees beat the Orioles 4-3 in a playoff to repeat as AL East champs. In the AL West, the Minnesota posted a 101-61 record to take the division by 6 games over Seattle, setting up a rematch with New York for the AL crown.

In the end, we get the same result though the Twins put up a fight and took the Yankees to 5 games before succumbing to the Yankees sending New York to the World Series for the second straight year.

04-12-2013, 11:21 PM	#2
Painmantle Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Greenfield ,IN Posts: 3,053	Wellcome! Good Luck. I always like to see how expansion teams are developed! and I'll be following. __________________ “As soon as I got out there I felt a strange relationship with the pitcher's mound. It was as if I'd been born out there. Pitching just felt like the most natural thing in the world. Striking out batters was easy.” -Babe Ruth “Ruth made a grave mistake when he gave up pitching. Working once a week, he might have lasted a long time and become a great star.”-Tris Speaker My Dynasties The Beantown Bambino

04-13-2013, 11:25 AM	#3
BoilerRocketScientist All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 611	1977 Pre-Season As expected, the cupboard is pretty bare for an expansion team. So, let's see what moves I made. Traded Jose Baez (2B) to Chicago Cubs for Dennis Lamp (SP) - I always liked Lamp so I though I'd get him on my squad. Traded Rick Jones (SP) & Tommy Smith (LF) to Pittsburgh for Ken Macha (3B) Traded Carlos Lopez (RF) to Philadelphia for Jerry Martin (RF) Traded Bill Stein (2B) to Chicago White Sox for Ralph Garr (RF)

04-13-2013, 11:27 AM	#4
BoilerRocketScientist All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 611	1977 - Position Players I'll go into the season with the following starters. C: Bob Stinson 1B: Ken Macha 2B: Julio Cruz 3B: Steve Braun SS: Craig Reynolds LF: Dan Meyer CF: Ruppert Jones RF: Jerry Martin DH: Ralph Garr Reserves included Larry Milbourne (IF), Leroy Stanton (OF), Dave Collins (OF), Jimmy Sexton (IF), Larry Cox (C) and a dearth of scrubs in the minors.

04-13-2013, 12:11 PM	#5
ThatSeventiesGuy Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Midland, MI Posts: 3,421	I'm doing the same thing! I just took over the expansion 1977 Mariners after 16 seasons with the Senators/Rangers franchise (9 World Champs). They won the division with a great late season comeback in '77, won the World Series in '78, and lost the Series in 7 games (blew a 3-1 lead) to the Astros in '79. Good luck! I lost patience with the expansion lineup when they were at .500 around the all-star break and traded for a bunch of my old Rangers and a few other pitchers. After losing over 100 games my first season with the Senators, I didn't want to risk going through that again. I had Jones and Meyer when I started, too. I traded for Fred Lynn around June to replace Jones. Meyer didn't even last that long...by the middle of May, he was in the minors, and a OOTP-created 38-year old rookie named Gideon Williams took his spot at 1B. Last edited by ThatSeventiesGuy; 04-13-2013 at 12:14 PM.

04-13-2013, 12:44 PM	#7
BoilerRocketScientist All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 611	1977 - Pitchers My starting pitchers were dreadful. They included Gary Wheelock, Glenn Abbott, Dick Pole (snicker), Diego Sequi, and Dennis Lamp. Relievers include such luminaries as Tommy Moore, Bill Laxton, Steve, Burke, Dave Pagan, John Montague, and closer Enrique Romo. Obviously, this pitching staff doesn't scare anyone.

04-12-2013, 11:17 PM	#1
BoilerRocketScientist All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 611	Your Expansion Seattle Mariners!!! Well, I got back into OOTPB this past summer after losing a 5-year run with the Cubs on an old, decrepit computer. So, I rebooted my OOTP playing with a new laptop and Version 13! Instead of starting back where I was before with the 1979 Cubs (to try to mimic my old Statis-Pro Baseball), I decided to step back 2 years and start with one of the expansion teams of 1977. I decided on choosing the Seattle Mariners ... no particular reason except that loved my one vacation to the Pacific NW and I always liked the uniforms too. I'm the middle of my 5th season (1981) but I'm going to go back an recap the first four seasons before I continue and finish out 1981. This is my first attempt at a Dynasty log. We'll see how it goes.

04-13-2013, 12:19 PM	#6
BoilerRocketScientist All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 611	Yeah, the first year was pretty tough. Things did get better as I went along and made some off-season free agent signings but you'll have to wait for that news.

04-13-2013, 12:49 PM	#8
BoilerRocketScientist All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 611	1977 - In-Season Moves I made some in-season moves to help the team, especially on the pitching staff. Picked up Mickey Stanley on waivers Traded minor leaguer Joe Lis (1B) to Oakland for Steve Renko (SP) Traded Jimmy Sexton (SS) to Detroit for Vern Ruhle (SP) Traded Leroy Stanton (CF) and Stan Thomas (CL) to Houston for Floyd Bannister (SP) I was surprised later when looking at the Baseball-Reference website that Bannister eventally played for Seattle in real life. It's always funny when the simulation imitates life! Most of the trades were made to help my pitching, which was atrocious.

04-13-2013, 08:58 PM	#9
BoilerRocketScientist All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 611	1977 Seattle Results Well, the team finished with a respectable 79-83 record but finished in 5th place, 21 games behind the AL West champion Texas Rangers. Our top position players are below. C: Bill Stinson - .281/.374/.756, 10 HR's, 54 RBI's 1B: Ken Macha - .281/.338/.694, 2 HR's, 53 RBI's 2B: Julio Cruz - .252/.320/.657, 7 HR's, 65 RBI's 3B: Steve Braun - .255/.374/.716, 6 HR's, 51 RBI's SS: Craig Reynolds - .265/.289/.689, 11 HR's, 68 RBI's LF: Dan Meyer - .269/.313/.719, 17 HR's, 75 RBI; CF: Ruppert Jones - .269/.354/.828, 28 HR's, 108 RBI's RF: Jerry Martin - .255/.315/.752, 19 HR's, 86 RBI's DH: Ralph Garr - .311/.338/.786, 17 HR's, 103 RBI's We had a nice balanced lineup and scored over 800 runs, good enough for 5th in the AL. Unfortunately, we gave up 867 runs - 13th in the AL. The pitching staff had the 12th worst ERA with the starting pitchers posting a 5.30 ERA - 13th in the AL. Verne Ruhle led the staff with 11 wins (11-12, 4.50) and was "helped" by Steve Renko (10-13, 5.29), Gary Wheelock (10-10, 5.66), Glenn Abbott (7-8, 4.65), and Floyd Bannister (7-5, 4.15). My bullpen was the 2nd best in the AL and was led by closer Enrique Romo (4-3, 31 Saves, 2.35) who was my only All-Star.

04-13-2013, 09:05 PM	#10
BoilerRocketScientist All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 611	1977 AL Results The 1977 AL award winners were ... MVP: George Brett (KC) - .322/.377/.535, 28 HR, 109 RBI, 61.3 VORP CyYoung: Bert Blyleven (TEX) - 30-8, 2.48 ERA, 312.2 IP, 242 K, 91.8 VORP ROY: Mitchell Page (OAK) - .296/.396/.453, 16 HR, 89 RBI, 47.1 VORP The New York Yankees flew to a 109-53 record, good enough for a 20 game destruction the next nearest AL East team Detroit. The Texas Rangers, behind Blyleven's 30 wins, won the AL West with a 100-62 record by 8 games over 2nd place Kansas City. In a surprise, the Texas Rangers beat the Yankees 3-2 for the AL Pennant and would head to their first World Series! Last edited by BoilerRocketScientist; 04-15-2013 at 10:29 PM.

04-13-2013, 09:15 PM	#11
BoilerRocketScientist All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 611	1977 NL Results The 1977 NL award winners were ... MVP: Greg Luzinski (PHI) - .314/.383/.624, 45 HR, 111 RBI, 67.3 VORP CyYoung: Steve Rogers (MON) - 28-7, 2.01 ERA, 314.0 IP, 210 K, 107.2 VORP ROY: Andre Dawson (MON) - .260/.307/.450, 18 HR, 66 RBI, 24.8 VORP The Chicago Cubs won the NL East crown with a 90-73 record when they won a 1-game playoff against the New York Mets. In the NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers (90-72) edged out the Houston Astros by 1 game. Unfortunately for the Cubs, the curse continues as the Dodgers swept the NL Pennant 3-0 to advance to the World Series against the Texas Rangers.

04-13-2013, 09:23 PM	#12
BoilerRocketScientist All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 611	1977 - World Series The 1977 season ended with the Texas Rangers winning the World Series in 7 games over the Los Angeles Dodgers!

04-13-2013, 10:19 PM	#13
BoilerRocketScientist All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 611	1977-78 Off-Season Towards the end of the 1977 season, I re-signed several players - Ralph Garr (LF), Diego Sequi (SP), Bob Stinson (C), Steve Braun (3B), and Steve Renko (SP). As luck would have it, the day after I signed Renko, he promptly blew out his right elbow in his next start and would be lost for 10 months - doh!!! My draft slot was number 11. The Toronto Blue Jays selected first and took outfielder Lonnie Smith. The next 9 slots were starting pitchers that included such luminaries as Scott Sanderson, Bob Welch, and Mike Morgan. At spot number 11 I was overjoyed to take Paul Molitor!!! I followed in subsequent rounds Phil Nastu (SP), Dave Geisel (MR), Dave Rajsich (MR), and Brian Doyle (2B). Free agent signings include Rich Gossage, Bill Buckner (my favorite player when I was growing up), Fergie Jenkins, and I coaxed Phil Niekro out of an early retirement. Jenkins and Niekro should be an upgrade for my starting pitching while Buckner should help my offense.

04-15-2013, 10:21 PM	#14
BoilerRocketScientist All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 611	1978 Regular Season Well, we went .500 this season with an 81-81 record, two whole games better than our maiden season. The offense came alive posting the second best batting average in the AL while also scoring the 2nd most runs. The team leaders are below. C: Bob Stinson - .302/.380/.850, 20 HR's, 72 RBI's 1B: Dan Meyer - .263/.302/.720, 15 HR's, 88 RBI's 2B: Paul Molitor - .268/.324/.723, 11 HR's, 69 RBI's 3B: Steve Braun - .247/.366/.713, 5 HR's, 49 RBI's SS: Craig Reynolds - .265/.309/.688, 8 HR's, 73 RBI's LF: Bill Buckner - .326/.345/.809, 14 HR's, 109 RBI's CF: Ruppert Jones - .276/.385/.854, 15 HR's, 87 RBI's RF: Ralph Garr - .290/.315/.696, 4 HR's, 73 RBI's DH: Dave Collins - .265/.345/.690, 4 HR's, 63 RBI's Again, the pitching was the primary problem for the team - 10th or worse in mostly every major pitching category. The pitching staff was "anchored" by Phil Niekro who I coaxed out of an early retirement. Niekro led the team with a 17-13 mark while posting a 5.31 ERA. My other starters included Floyd Bannister (16-16, 3.80), Fergie Jenkins (10-11, 4.04), Glenn Abbott (12-4, 4.51). A mid-season trade for Bob Shirley didn't pan out too well as he posted a 2-8 record after joining the team from San Diego. My relief corps was led by Enrique Romo who led the team with 23 saves ... but posted a 1-7 record. Again, some pitching help is sorely needed.

04-15-2013, 10:28 PM	#15
BoilerRocketScientist All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 611	1978 AL Results The 1978 AL award winners were ... MVP: Mike Schmidt (NYY) - .279/.400/.588, 49 HR, 130 RBI, 80.5 VORP CyYoung: Ron Guidry (NYY) - 25-14, 2.65 ERA, 319.1 IP, 219 K, 78.5 VORP ROY: Mike Bruhert (OAK) - 22-9, 2.92 ERA, 304.2 IP, 105 K, 65.1 VORP The New York Yankees repeated as AL East champs with a 95-67, good enough for a 11 game lead over Cleveland. In the AL West, the Minnesota posted a 91-71 record to take the division by 3 games over Kansas City and Texas. The New York Yankees swept the Twins in 3 games to take the AL pennant and advance to the World Series.

04-15-2013, 10:33 PM	#16
BoilerRocketScientist All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 611	1978 NL Results The 1978 NL award winners were ... MVP: George Foster (CIN) - .299/.360/.612, 43 HR, 135 RBI, 61.4 VORP CyYoung: Tommy John (LAD) - 24-12, 2.28 ERA, 328.1 IP, 128 K, 96.0 VORP ROY: Don Robinson (PIT) - 21-10, 2.90 ERA, 279.0 IP, 184 K, 64.8 VORP The St Louis Cardinals posted a major league best record of 104-58 and outlasted the Chicago Cubs who finished 7 games back in the NL East. In the NL West, the San Francisco posted a 91-71 record, 6 games ahead of 2nd place Houston. Despite the best record in the majors, the Cardinals couldn't beat San Francisco and the Giants will face the Yankees in the World Series.

04-15-2013, 10:35 PM	#17
BoilerRocketScientist All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 611	1978 World Series In a big surprise, the San Francisco Giants sweep the New York Yankees to take the 1978 World Series!!!

04-15-2013, 10:49 PM	#18
BoilerRocketScientist All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 611	1978-79 Off-Season Phil Niekro's nice performance during the season earned him a 2-year contract to help bolster the staff. Pitcher Wayne Twitchell was obtained from Philadelphia for Larry Cox (C) and Rick Honeycutt (SP). By the time the draft came to pick #15, there wasn't much for me so Brian Kingman was my first round pick. Subsequent rounds yielded Mark Clear (MR), Mike Chris (MR), and Kevin Stanfield (MR) ... not much help. I made my first big splash in free agency in signing starting pitcher Don Gullet ($2.5M for 5 years) and right fielder Dave Winfield ($1.4M for 4 years). Both players are Type A free agents so next years draft is shot as I will lose my first 2 draft picks as compensation ... they better pay dividends! Just before the season starts I decided to unload the aging Ralph Garr to Cincinnati for outfielder Tony Scott. Garr was arguably the MVP in our expansion year but I decided to unload his contract and make way for Dave Collins to move into a full-time position in left field and I'll move Bill Buckner to the DH role.

04-16-2013, 09:55 PM	#19
BoilerRocketScientist All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 611	1979 Regular Season Amazingly, at the halfway point we had a 46-35 record, good enough for a 1/2 game lead on Minnesota. We were paced by Paul Molitor, who was hitting a blistering .407 midway, and Ruppert Jones (.323, 1.046 OPS, 22 HR's, 75 RBI's). A July trade brought Andre Thornton over to provide some more pop at first base. He helped considerably but the team went relatively cold in July going 13-14 while Minnesota (21-7) and Kansas City (20-7) got red hot. We never got close to the lead again and, despite a 95-67 record, we finished 6 games back of Minnesota who won 101 games. Paul Molitor (.347) slumped in September and lost the batting title to Rod Carew (.354). Rupert Jones had a fantastic season and barely lost the MVP. Here's how our hitters fared. C: Bob Stinson - .232/.318/.665,10 HR's, 38 RBI's 1B: Andre Thornton - .272/.383/.906, 12 HR's, 45 RBI's (53 games) 2B: Paul Molitor - .347/.390/.894, 13 HR's, 86 RBI's 3B: Steve Braun - .249/.359/.709, 5 HR's, 57 RBI's SS: Larry Milbourne - .269/.314/.667, 3 HR's, 52 RBI's LF: Dave Collins - .281/.342/.714, 3 HR's, 54 RBI's CF: Ruppert Jones - .313/.396/.983, 38 HR's, 135 RBI's RF: Dave Winfield - .266/.322/.778, 19 HR's, 93 RBI's (missed 6 weeks) DH: Bill Buckner - .306/.332/.791, 18 HR's, 102 RBI's So, one free agent pickup Winfield provided some "pop" to our lineup despite missing 6 weeks. The other free agent, Don Gullet ended up 14-14, not quite earning his big free agent contract. My other starters did well enough - Bob Shirley (13-8, 4.48), Fergie Jenkins (13-9, 5.03) and Phil Niekro (7-6, 4.22) before he was traded to San Diego for Thornton. A pleasant surprise was 5th starter Wayne Twitchell who posted a 17-6 record (4.35 ERA) to lead the team in wins. Overall, the pitching staff was a pleasant surprise, ending near the top of the AL in most pitching categories. Despite the positive signs, a second place finish is equivalent to being the first loser.

04-16-2013, 10:01 PM	#20
BoilerRocketScientist All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 611	1979 AL Results The 1979 AL award winners were ... MVP: Mike Schmidt (NYY) - .296/.408/.604, 51 HR, 132 RBI, 91.3 VORP Cy Young: Ron Guidry (NYY) - 23-7, 3.04 ERA, 292.2 IP, 212 K, 68.7 VORP ROY: Mike Bruhert (OAK) - .284/.347/.376, 4 HR, 72 RBI, 4.1 VORP So, Schmidt and Guidry repeat as MVP and Cy Young winners for New York but that was good enough for a tie with Baltimore in the AL East with 97-65 records. But, the New York Yankees beat the Orioles 4-3 in a playoff to repeat as AL East champs. In the AL West, the Minnesota posted a 101-61 record to take the division by 6 games over Seattle, setting up a rematch with New York for the AL crown. In the end, we get the same result though the Twins put up a fight and took the Yankees to 5 games before succumbing to the Yankees sending New York to the World Series for the second straight year.