The World Series League

abell1198 · 09-03-2013, 10:40 PM

In the ultimate quest to determine the unending argument of which is the best team ever, I put together a league of every World Series participant to battle it out over 162 games. Say what you will about your favorite team, or what might have been, but if your team didn't win it's own league that year, it doesn't deserve to be in the conversation of the greatest team ever.

So, with that being said, the World Series League has 108 teams in both the American League and National League. There are no teams for 1904 and 1994, since there were no World Series played. Teams are placed into divisions by the decade they played, in an attempt to give each team a fair chance to make the playoffs against teams of their own era. Therefore, there are 12 divisions in each league, with each division winner making the playoffs as well as four wild card teams.

The rules for the league are as follows: DH in the American League, no DH in the National League; no injuries or suspensions; no inter-league play. Games are being played in 2013 and the schedule was randomly generated by OOTP.

One of my favorite features of OOTP, and the frequent topic on anything sports, are the preseason predictions. Will the teams live up to the expectations or fail under the pressure? The preseason favorites for the American League are the 1913 Philadelphia Athletics, the 1927 New York Yankees (no surprise there!!) and the 1912 Boston Red Sox, all of which are picked to finish with 100+ wins. Ty Cobb of the 1909 Detroit Tigers is the favorite to win the batting title, while Schoolboy Rowe of the 1934 Detroit Tigers is predicted to win the Cy Young Award. As for the National League, the preseason favorites to win 100+ games are the 1906 Chicago Cubs, the 1910 Chicago Cubs and the 1969 New York Mets. Honus Wagner of the 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates is the hands down favorite to win the batting title, while teammate Howie Camnitz is considered the Cy Young favorite.

Regardless of the predictions, I'm a firm believer of letting the teams settle it on the field. With that being said, I'm looking forward to how this turns out. I'll post updates for every month of the season, with more detailed posts for the playoffs. Follow along with me and root for your favorite team (I'll be rooting for the Cardinals!) as we attempt to determine the greatest team ever.

Being fairly new to OOTP, I would love to hear others suggestions and opinions on how to make this as realistic as possible. Who knows, maybe I'll take those suggestions and replay another World Series League season in the future.

abell1198 · 09-04-2013, 09:55 AM

Nothing is as thrilling as Opening Day! The beginning of Spring, the fresh start for all teams and the idea that a win on the first day of the season will translate into a successful season. As many have said, and continue to say, baseball is a marathon, not a sprint.

Regardless, the thrill of Opening Day remains, even for me while running this simulation. What will the top pitching match-ups be? How will some of the greatest players ever fare against even better competition? Will they rise to the occasion or fail to deliver on their promise?

The World Series League opened with some amazing lines on Opening Day!! Here are some of the highlights:

Ted Williams of the 1946 Red Sox goes 4-4 with 2 HR, 5 RBI in a 13-4 win over the '67 Red Sox.

Eddie Cicotte of the 1919 White Sox pitched a 3 hit complete game shutout over the '87 Twins, winning 6-0. 10 K, 0 BB

Ken Holtzman of the 1974 Oakland A's struck out 9 and walked 0, allowing only two hits while throwing a 1-0 complete game shutout over Dave Stewart's 1990 A's. Stewart had 7 K, 0 BB in the loss.

Whitey Ford's 1956 Yanks won 5-2 over Babe Ruth's 1916 Red Sox.

Curt Schilling's 2004 Red Sox outdueled Bret Saberhagen's '85 Royals, 1-0.

Lefty Grove led his 1930 Philadelphia Athletics to a 7-0 win over Justin Verlander and the 2012 Detroit Tigers.

John Smoltz strikes out 14, but gets no decision in the 1996 Atlanta Braves win over the 1948 Boston Braves, 1-0.

John Tudor of the 1985 Cardinals pitches a 3 hit complete game shutout over the 1961 Reds, striking out 8 and walking none.

Gil McDougald hits for the cycle as the '55 Yankees win 7-1 over the 1917 White Sox.

Nick Soulis · 09-04-2013, 12:31 PM

Awesome idea and job. I was wondering if you could give us a visual or a breakdown of the divisions you are using and the teams that are in them.

Again love the idea and good luck!

abell1198 · 09-09-2013, 02:11 PM

The first month of the World Series League has been completed. The division monthly reports will be by chronological order, so we'll start with the 1900's divisions.

In the American league, the 1900's Division is led by the 1906 Chicago White Sox at 16-12. This team was predicted to finish 3rd in the division, but started their season strong with a sweep of the 2000 New York Yankees. The team is led by SS George Davis, who is currently batting .330 and is tied for fourth in the AL with 15 doubles. Starting pitchers Doc White and Ed Walsh have both started their season 3-1. Walsh made news with his victory over the 1992 Toronto Blue Jays, when he pitched 8 innings, striking out 15, while walking one and giving up five hits.

The 1909 Detroit Tigers are 3 GB in 2nd place. The preseason favorites to win the division, their only highlight appears to be RF Ty Cobb, who leads the Majors with 22 stolen bases.

The 1908 Detroit Tigers are 5 GB in 3rd place. SS Charley O'Leary leads the Majors with 17 doubles.

The 1907 Detroit Tigers are 6 GB in 4th place, followed by the 1905 Philadelphia Athletics at 7 GB and the 1903 Boston Americans at 8 GB. Americans SP Cy Young has gotten little run support while posting a 3-3 record and an ERA of 2.50.

The National League 1900's Division is led by the 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates at 20-8. This team was predicted to finish 3rd in the division, but started strong by sweeping the 1939 Cincinnati Reds and 1917 New York Giants, then took 2 of 3 from the 1995 Atlanta Braves. LF Fred Clarke leads the team with a .356 batting average, but the story of this team is their solid starting pitching. CL Brickyard Kennedy has slammed the door on the competition, going 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA and is tied for the NL lead for saves with 11.

The 1906 Chicago Cubs, the preseason favorite to win the division, are 2 GB in second place at 18-12. The Cubs have only lost two series so far, to the 1911 New York Giants and the 2004 St. Louis Cardinals and they have swept the 1949 Brooklyn Dodgers and 1943 St. Louis Cardinals. 3B Harry Steinfeldt leads the team in batting with a .360 average, while 2B Johnny Evers is 4th in the NL with 13 stolen bases. SP Mordecai Brown has struggled, going 1-4 with a 4.30 ERA. Fortunately for him, the rest of the starters have gone 13-1, led by Fred Beebe. Beebe is 4-0, with a 2.05 ERA and leads the Majors with allowing only 4.50 H/9 and holding opponents to a .147 average.

The 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates are 5 GB in third place and were the victims of a no-hitter on April 2, one of four no-hitters thrown in the first week of the season.

The 1907 Chicago Cubs are 6 GB in fourth place. RF Frank Schulte currently has a 27 game hit streak.

The 1908 Chicago Cubs are 8 GB in fifth place and the 1905 New York Giants bring up the rear, 9 GB. Giants CF Mike Doulin is tied for 2nd place in the NL for hits with 46.

The Game · 09-09-2013, 06:01 PM

Do you have a quickstart for this? I was planning on doing this myself but without the Dynasty report. I like the fact you broke it down by decade, I am not sure I would have thought to do that. It does make the most sense.
Teams I will watch and cheer for:
2005, 1917, 1919, 1959, 1906 White Sox. Hope the Cubs teams all fail.

abell1198 · 09-09-2013, 08:18 PM

I don't, but when I get the chance, I'll put one together and let you know when it's done.

abell1198 · 09-10-2013, 03:38 PM

In the American League, the 1910's Division is led by the surprising 1916 Boston Red Sox at 19-9. I say surprising because they were predicted to finish 9th in the division. Instead, they've won eight of their first nine series. CF Tillie Walker leads the team with a .350 batting average. Starting pitching has been key for this team, with SP Carl Mays leading the staff with a 3-0 record and 1.82 ERA. SP Ernie Shore is 5-0, 2.56 ERA and SP Dutch Leonard is 4-1, 3.27 ERA. If SP Babe Ruth can improve from 2-2, 4.26 ERA, this team could hold on to this lead.

The preseason favorite for this division are the 1913 Philadelphia Athletics, who are 1 GB at 18-10. 2B Eddie Collins Sr. leads the team with a .362 batting average.

Tied for second place at 18-10 are the 1912 Boston Red Sox. They've stayed in the race so far by sweeping the 2007 Boston Red Sox and the 1960 New York Yankees. CF Tris Speaker leads the team batting .345 while SP Eddie Cicotte is dominating opponents. Cicotte has gone 4-1, with a 2.41 ERA and 4 CG. Cicotte pitched three straight shutouts against the 1956 New York Yankees, 2007 Boston Red Sox and 1960 New York Yankees. His 3 shutouts leads the Majors.

Tied for fourth place are the 1917 Chicago White Sox and 1915 Boston Red Sox, with both teams settling in 2 GB at 17-11. White Sox RF Nemo Leibold leads his team with a .372 batting average. Add in his 20 BB, and Leibold has an amazing .487 OBP!!! The Red Sox have been led by a strong pitching staff and swept both the 1934 and 1935 Detroit Tigers.

In sixth place is the 1919 Chicago White Sox at 15-13, 4 GB. LF Shoeless Joe Jackson is batting .368 and 3B Buck Weaver is tied for fourth in the AL with 15 doubles. SP Dickey Kerr is 4-0, 2.18 ERA.

The 1911 Philadelphia Athletics are even at 14-14 and 5 GB. 2B Eddie Collins Sr is batting .373 and CF Rube Oldring is tied for first in the AL with five triples.

2B Eddie Collins Sr of the 1914 Philadelphia Athletics (12-16, 7 GB) is fourth in the AL batting .390. SP Bullet Joe Bush is 3-1, 2.22 ERA. If SP Chief Bender can turn around an atrocious April (0-5, 9.57 ERA), this team might still have a chance.

The 1918 Boston Red Sox are 10-18 and 9 GB. Their team batting average is a miserable .222, with a .294 OBP. LF Babe Ruth is only batting .179.

The 1910 Philadelphia Athletics are in last at 9-19, 10 GB.

In the National League, the 1910's Division is led by the 1913 New York Giants at 19-9. Their year started off on the right foot when they started the season by sweeping the 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers and 1993 Philadelphia Phillies, then took 2 of 3 from the 1908 Chicago Cubs. A streaky team thus far, they also swept series from the 2010 San Francisco Giants and 1905 New York Giants. The team leads the NL in stolen bases with 53.

The favorites to win this division are the 1910 Chicago Cubs, who settle into 2nd place at 18-10. They are 2nd in the NL with an OBP of .375. C Johnny Kling is batting .400, which has him tied for 5th in the NL. SP Mordecai Brown is 4-1, 2.81 ERA, but the rest of the staff will need to improve to keep this team in the race.

The 1915 Philadelphia Phillies are one of four teams tied for third at 15-13. Their pitching has been strong thus far, but they have had little hitting outside of RF Gavvy Cravath's 11 HR, which is 3rd in the NL.

The 1912 New York Giants are also 15-13, led by 2B Larry Doyle (.316 avg) and SP Christy Mathewson (4-1, 2.44 ERA)

The 1916 Brooklyn Robins (15-13) are led by SP Larry Cheney (4-1, 1.42 ERA), SP Rube Marquard (4-2, 2.20 ERA) and C Lew McCarty, who is batting .326.

The 1914 Boston Braves (15-13) are led by LF Joe Connolly (.352 avg) and SP Lefty Tyler (5-0, 1.77 ERA). SP Bill James made news by pitching a no-hitter on the road against the 1957 Milwaukee Braves on April 7, while walking six and striking out four in the 2-0 win.

The 1911 New York Giants and 1918 Chicago Cubs are even at 14-14 and 5 GB. The Giants are led by LF Red Murray's .368 batting average. The Cubs have had strong starting pitching, but have been sabotaged by their weak bullpen. The Cubs have four players at .300 or better, led by SS Charlie Hollocher at .359. Hollocher is also tied for 4th in the NL with 14 doubles.

In the basement of the division are the 1917 New York Giants and 1919 Cincinnati Reds, both at 11-17 and 8 GB.

abell1198 · 09-13-2013, 11:40 PM

The American League 1920's Division has proven interesting in the first month. This division was suppose to be won by a landslide according to preseason predictions, but has been competitive thus far. Leading the division after the first month are two teams: The 1925 Washington Senators and the 1921 New York Yankees, both at 17-11.

The Senators were picked to finished 7th in the division, but a five game winning streak has them tied for the lead. The Senators are led by RF Sam Rice, who is batting .371. SP Dutch Ruether (3-2, 2.86 ERA, 2 SHO) and Walter Johnson (3-1, 3.89 ERA) lead the team in pitching.

The 1921 Yankees started out the season 6-0, sweeping the 1924 Chicago White Sox and 1909 Detroit Tigers. The team also brought out the brooms against the 1918 Boston Red Sox. C Wally Schang is batting .333, but LF Babe Ruth is only hitting .220. However, the Babe is 2nd in the AL in walks with 34.

The overwhelming favorite to win the division, and possibly the pennant, are the 1927 New York Yankees, who find themselves 1 GB at 16-12. The '27 Yanks were surprised to start the season 0-3 after being swept by the 1958 Yankees, but later returned the favor on the road against them. The Yankees were also swept by the 1988 Oakland A's, but managed to sweep the 1975 Boston Red Sox. They finished the month strong though, winning 9 of their last 10 and currently have a six game winning streak. LF Babe Ruth leads the Yankees, batting .313, 10 HR 24 RBI. SP Wilcy Moore, Herb Penneck and Waite Hoyt all have ERA's under 2.00.

In fourth place are the 1929 Philadelphia Athletics and 1920 Cleveland Indians at 15-13, 2 GB. The Athletics are led by 1B Jimmie Foxx (.343 avg) and SP Lefty Grove (3-2, 1.47 ERA). Indians CF Tris Speaker is batting .355.

In sixth place are the 1928 New York Yankees at 14-14, 3 GB. The team started out with promise, as they started 6-0, sweeping the 2006 Detroit Tigers and 1949 New York Yankees. They've gone 8-14 since, with three of those wins coming in a sweep of the 2005 Chicago White Sox. 2B Tony Lazzeri leads the team with a .392 batting average. RF Babe Ruth is batting .326, with 8 HR and 20 RBI. Ruth is tied for 3rd in the AL with 31 walks.

Tied for sixth place are the 1926 New York Yankees, also at 14-14, 3 GB. The pitching staff so far has been problematic. RF Babe Ruth is carrying the team at this point and is leading the Majors in most offensive categories. Ruth won AL Batter of the Month honors, hitting .406, with 17 HR and 44 RBI.

In eighth place are the 1924 Washington Senators at 13-15, 4 GB. The team has a struggling bullpen and a lack of power. 1B Joe Judge (.321 avg) and CF Nemo Leibold (.320 avg) lead the team in hitting, while SP George Magridge (4-1, 2.96 ERA) and Tom Zachary (3-1, 2.92 ERA) lead the pitching staff. SP Walter Johnson has struggled at 0-4, 3.19 ERA.

The 1923 New York Yankees are in 9th place at 12-16, 5 GB. The team has won only one series. No hitter is batting .300 and three players are hitting under .200.

The 1922 New York Yankees finish out in last place at 10-18, 7 GB. Although LF Babe Ruth is batting .367, with 11 HR and 23 RBI, their bullpen is the worst in the AL.

The National League 1920's Division is led by the 1928 St. Louis Cardinals and the 1926 St. Louis Cardinals at 17-11. The 1928 Cards are one of the favorites to win the division. LF Chick Hafey is 4th in the NL, hitting .407. Hafey is 2nd in the NL in hits with 46 and 3rd in the NL in doubles with 15. SP Syl Johnson has started strong at 3-1, 1.40 ERA. The 1926 Cards were predicted to finish in the middle of the pack, but have won their last four games to keep in contention. SP Bill Sherdel is pitching well at 3-1, 2.21 ERA.

The 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates are in third place at 16-12, 1 GB. The team is streaky, with two 4 game and one 5 game winning streaks. Starting pitching has been a weakness, but their solid bullpen is keeping them alive. CF Max Carey leads the team hitting .382, while SP Vic Aldridge has started out 4-1, 3.89 ERA.

Tied for fourth in the division are the 1922 New York Giants and the 1929 Chicago Cubs at 14-14, 3 GB. The Giants are led by C Frank Snyder (.324 avg) and CF Casey Stengel (.321 avg). The Cubs are 6th in the NL in batting, but their weak bullpen is costing them. The Cubs do seem to have the Cardinals number, winning 2 of 3 from the 1924, 1964 and 2004 squads. 1B Charlie Grimm is hitting .386, while SP Pat Malone leads the pitchers at 4-1, 2.28 ERA.

The 1923 New York Giants are in sixth place at 13-15, 4 GB. 2B Frankie Frisch is batting .375 and four other players are batting over .300, placing the team in the top 10% in hitting in the NL. Unfortunately, their pitching is in the bottom 10% of the NL teams.

The 1921 New York Giants and the 1920 Brooklyn Robins find themselves at 11-17, 6 GB and tied for seventh in the division. The Giants have struggled with their pitching, although three starters have shown promise with each throwing a shutout. RF Ross Youngs leads the hitters with a .318 batting average. The Robins were one of the favorites to win the division, but find themselves struggling with hitting and consistent play. 3B Jimmy Johnston is hitting .340, but three players are hitting under .200. The starting pitching has a combined ERA of 2.95, which is 10th in the NL. The Robins have been swept three times and swept other teams twice.

In ninth place are the 1924 New York Giants at 10-18, 7 GB. The team has shown good pitching, but has poor hitting. 2B Frankie Frisch (.304 avg) is the only hitter over .300. The Giants have had losing streaks of five and six games.

The 1927 Pittsburgh Pirates are in last place at 8-20, 9 GB. Their only highlight has been 3B Pie Traynor (.324 avg). At one point in the middle of April, the Pirates had lost 11 of 12 games.

abell1198 · 09-14-2013, 10:12 PM

The 1930's Division has proven to be very interesting. In the American League, only one team in this division is under .500. Of the five Yankees teams, four of them are at the top of the division. In the National League, there is the good, the bad and the ugly.

The 1938 New York Yankees lead the American League 1930's Division with a 20-8 record. They've only lost one series, to the 1981 New York Yankees and have swept the 2010 Texas Rangers and 1935 Detroit Tigers. LF George Selkirk leads the team with a .360 average. SP Lefty Gomez leads the starting pitching staff at 4-1, 1.80 ERA with 40 strikeouts. CL Johnny Murphy is 2-0, with a 0.69 ERA and 7 saves in 11 appearances.

The 1939 New York Yankees and 1936 New York Yankees are tied for second at 18-10, 2 GB. The 1939 Yankees are the favorites to win this division and looked the part as they started the season 9-3 with a seven game winning streak. CF Joe DiMaggio is the only hitter over .300, batting .362. SP Lefty Gomez is 4-1, 1.68 ERA and 53 strikeouts to lead the pitching staff. The 1936 Yankees started out their season 5-0 after opening the year by sweeping the 1962 Yankees. They also completed a sweep of the 1985 Kansas City Royals. 1B Lou Gehrig is batting .340 and the pitchers are led by SP Pat Malone, who is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA.

In fourth place are the 1932 New York Yankees at 17-11, 3 GB. They got off to a slow start at 1-6 and were swept by the 1971 Baltimore Orioles. Since then, they've swept both the 1925 Chicago White Sox and 2008 Tampa Bay Rays. Their pitching staff is one of the best in the American League. The starters are 8th in the AL with a 3.00 ERA, while the bullpen ranks 3rd in the AL with a 1.90 ERA. RF Babe Ruth is hitting .361 with 9 HR and 32 RBI. Ruth is tied for 2nd in the AL for RBI. SP Lefty Gomez (4-1, 1.91 ERA) is 6th in the AL in strikeouts with 60. SP George Pipgras is also 4-1, with a 2.27 ERA. SP Red Ruffing is second in the AL with 65 strikeouts.

The 1930 Philadelphia Athletics are in fifth place at 16-12, 4 GB. The Athletics are 9th in the AL in batting average, with 3B Jimmy Dykes hitting .355, while three others are also batting over .300. 2B Max Bishop is tied for fifth in the AL with 29 walks. Starting pitching has been decent so far and is led by SP Lefty Grove (3-2, 1.09 ERA, 61 K's). Grove is tied for 4th in the AL for strikeouts and is 2nd in the AL in ERA. But the bullpen is what is holding this team back. If it can improve, the Athletics might have a chance.

Three teams are tied for sixth place in the division at 15-13, 5 GB. The first of these teams is the 1933 Washington Senators. The Senators are 2nd in the AL in batting average and 4th in OBP. SS Joe Cronin (.384 avg) and four others are hitting over .300. CF Fred Schulte is 4th in the AL with four triples, while RF Goose Goslin is tied for 5th in the AL with 31 RBI. Unfortunately for the Senators, their pitching staff hasn't performed as well, with the exception of starting pitchers Earl Whitehill (4-1, 2.88 ERA) and Monte Weaver (3-1, 3.38 ERA).

Next is the 1931 Philadelphia Athletics. 2B Max Bishop leads the team in hitting with a .351 batting average. CL Jim Peterson has been impressive (2-0, 0.95 ERA) and is tied for 3rd in Saves with 10.

The 1934 Detroit Tigers are the third team at 15-13. They have no hitters batting over .300, but their starting pitching is 3rd in the AL with a 2.62 ERA.

In ninth place are the 1937 New York Yankees at 14-14, 6 GB. C Bill Dickey is leading the team with a .330 batting average. The starting pitching has been poor, but the bullpen has been decent enough to keep the team competitive. The team is currently on a four game winning streak.

In last place are the 1935 Detroit Tigers at 12-16, 8 GB. The team has five players batting .300 or better, led by LF Goose Goslin at .358. As a matter of fact, the team is 5th in the AL in batting average and 1st in OBP. However, the pitching has been horrible and will need to improve if they're going to contend.

In the National League, an old rivalry is showing it's true colors, as the 1934 St. Louis Cardinals and the 1932 Chicago Cubs share the lead at 19-9. The Cardinals have four players over .300, led by LF Joe Medwick at .361. SP Paul Dean (5-1, 2.19) and SP Flint Rhem (5-1, 2.66) lead the pitching staff. Dean is sixth in the NL with 58 strikeouts. CL Bill Walker (0-0, 1.35 ERA) is tied for 1st in the Majors with 11 saves. The Cardinals swept the 1905 New York Giants, 1946 Cardinals and 1985 Cardinals, but were swept by the 2012 San Francisco Giants.

The Cubs have been a huge surprise, as they were picked to finished tied for last in the division. The team started the year 5-1 as they opened up the season by sweeping the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cubs are currently ninth in the NL in batting average. Five players are batting over .300, led by CF Danny Taylor at .388. Taylor also had a 20 game hit streak in April. SP Pat Malone (5-0, 2.23 ERA) leads a solid pitching staff. The team has won the close games this month, as shown by their three game sweep of the 1983 Philadelphia Phillies by a total of four runs.

The 1938 Chicago Cubs, also picked to finish in the basement of the division, are holding on to third place at 15-13, 4 GB. LF Augie Galam is the only .300 hitter at .307. The starting pitching has been average, but their bullpen has been weak so far.

The favorites to win the division are the 1931 St. Louis Cardinals, who are currently 14-14, 5 GB. The team has no .300 hitters and the bullpen has been problematic. The starting pitching has been solid, led by Syl Johnson (4-1, 2.36 ERA).

Two other teams are tied for fourth place with the Cardinals. The 1937 New York Giants and the 1935 Chicago Cubs. The Giants hitters are led by 2B Burgess Whitehead, who is hitting .333. The starting pitching staff is 4th in the NL with a 2.74 ERA, led by Slick Castleman at 3-1, 1.18 ERA. The Giants have won 7 of their last 8 games. The Cubs are riding a five game winning streak. 3B Stan Hack is hitting .326 to lead the team in hitting. The starting pitching has been good and the bullpen has been even better. CL Fabian Kowalik (0-0, 0.75 ERA, 6 SV) leads a bullpen which is ninth in the NL in ERA.

In seventh place are the 1933 New York Giants at 13-15, 6 GB. RF Mel Ott is hitting .333 and SP Carl Hubbell leads the pitching staff at 4-1, 2.13 ERA. The bullpen has been trouble and needs to perform better.

Tied for eighth place are the 1930 St. Louis Cardinals and 1936 New York Giants at 12-16, 7 GB. The Cardinals hitters are led by C Gus Mancuso with a .341 average, while SP Bill Hallahan is 2nd in the NL with 61 strikeouts. The Giants have no hitters over .300 and their pitching has been average at best.

The downright ugly team, the worst in the National League, are the last place 1939 Cincinnati Reds, who come in at 6-22, 13 GB. Their lone bright spot has been 3B Billy Werber (.303 avg). The team is last in the NL in homeruns with five. They lost eight games in a row in the middle of April and are currently in a five game losing streak.

dynaboyj · 09-15-2013, 01:15 AM

This is an amazing idea. I will be following. I really like the team reports you're doing.

abell1198 · 09-17-2013, 07:20 PM

In the American League, the 1948 Cleveland Indians are leading the division at 18-10. For a team predicted to finish 4th in the division, the Indians have definitely outdone themselves. CF Larry Doby (.327 avg) leads the team in hitting and is one of four players who are batting over .300. The Indians pitching staff, SP Bob Lemon (3-1 1.88 ERA), SP Bob Feller (3-0 1.50 ERA), SP Gene Bearden (4-1 1.58 ERA), SP Satchel Paige (2-2 3.51 ERA) and SP Al Gettel (2-2 4.72) are the 2nd best pitching staff in the AL with a combined ERA of 2.41. The bullpen has been weak and will need to improve for the Indians to stay on top. Highlights of the Indian's April includes sweeps of the 1941 New York Yankees and the 1962 New York Yankees.

In second place are the 1943 New York Yankees at 17-11, 1 GB. 3B Billy Johnson leads all hitters, batting .361. The pitching has been solid, led by SP Spud Chandler at 3-0, 0.96 ERA, 45 K's.

Tied for third place in the division are the 1942 New York Yankees and the 1941 New York Yankees at 16-12, 2 GB. The 1942 Yankees are 8th in the AL in batting average and 3rd in OBP. 2B Joe Gordon (.360 avg) is one of four hitters batting over .300. Their pitching has been solid, led by SP Atley Donald at 3-1, 2.85 ERA. The team is streaky, with four and six game winning streaks in the first month. The 1941 Yankees are the favorites to win the division. C Bill Dickey is batting .340, but the real reason this team is performing is because of their pitching. The pitching staff, led by SP Atley Donald (3-1, 1.88 ERA) and SP Marius Russo (5-0, 2.01 ERA), is ranked 4th in the AL with an ERA of 2.87. The starters have an ERA of 2.83 and the bullpen is at 3.05.

Two teams are tied for fifth place in the division at 15-13, 3 GB: the 1947 New York Yankees and the 1946 Boston Red Sox. The Yankees have six players hitting over .300. Led by 1B George McQuinn (.336), the team is fourth in the AL in batting average at .293. The pitching, however, has not performed as well, other than SP Spud Chandler (5-1, 1.39 ERA). The Red Sox are 1st in the AL in batting average (.301) and 2nd in OBP (.377). The team's best hitters are SS Johnny Pesky (.352) and 2B Bobby Doerr (.350). Pesky is currently on a 20 game hitting streak. The Red Sox pitching staff is another story, as the starting pitching is bad and the bullpen average.

The 1944 St. Louis Browns and 1940 Detroit Tigers are tied for seventh place at 12-16, 6 GB. Browns DH Milt Byrnes (.360 avg) is the only hitter over .300 and the team ranks in the bottom half of the league in nearly every category. The Tigers have been streaky, with a nine game losing streak and five game winning streak in April. LF Hank Greenberg leads the hitters with a .336 batting average, while SP Bobo Newsom (3-1, 3.45 ERA) has been the lone bright spot for a staff ranking near the bottom of the AL.

In ninth place are the 1949 New York Yankees at 10-18, 8 GB. The team lost six of their first seven games and their only hitters over .300 are 3B Bobby Brown (.333) and CF Joe DiMaggio (.313). The pitching staff is ranked 106th out of 108 teams.

The basement team is the 1945 Detroit Tigers at 6-22, 12 GB. The Tigers started their season 0-9, as they were swept by the 1960 New York Yankees, the 1977 New York Yankees and the 2004 Boston Red Sox. The team also had another six game losing streak during the month. 3B Don Ross (.308) is the team's only .300 hitter.

In the National League, two teams share the lead: the surprising 1945 Chicago Cubs and 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers at 16-12. The Cubs were predicted to finish 9th in the division. The team lacks power, but they rank in the top 20 in the NL in average, OBP and bullpen ERA. 3B Stan Hack leads all hitters with a .376 batting average. SP Claude Passeau (3-1, 2.90 ERA), SP Ray Prim (3-1, 3.18 ERA) and SP Paul Derringer (3-1, 3.10 ERA) lead a solid starting pitching corp. The Dodgers are led by LF Joe Medwick (.398 avg) and three other .300 hitters and are 7th in the NL in batting average and 8th in OBP at .360. SP Hugh Casey has started strong at 4-0, 1.57 ERA.

Three teams are tied for third at 15-13, 1 GB. The first of these teams are one of the preseason favorites, the 1944 St. Louis Cardinals. CF Johnny Hopp (.315 avg) is the only .300 hitter thus far. SP Max Lanier leads the starting pitching staff at 3-1, 1.71 ERA. The bullpen is 7th in the NL, led by CL Blix Donnelly (1-0, 0.61 ERA, 6 SV). The second team a game back is the 1940 Cincinnati Reds. The Reds have been streaky so far, having swept the 1946 Cardinals and 1933 New York Giants, but were swept by the 1985 Cardinals and 1975 Reds. C Ernie Lombardi (.330 avg) is the only .300 hitter. The pitching staff has been a regular Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. SP Paul Derringer (4-2, 1.88 ERA) and SP Bucky Walters (3-2, 1.02 ERA, 4 CG, 2 SHO) lead a starting staff which ranks 7th in the NL with a combined ERA of 2.81. The bullpen is another story, as they rank 103rd with a 6.75 ERA. The third team of this group is the 1949 Brooklyn Dodgers, led by 2B Jackie Robinson's .361 batting average. The Dodger's pitching has been poor, as they lost 10 games in a two week period. The team has been 8-1 since and is currently riding a five game winning streak.

Two teams are tied for sixth place with a record of 14-14, 2 GB: the 1942 St. Louis Cardinals and another favorite to win the division, the 1948 Boston Braves. The Cardinals dug themselves in a hole early, starting the season 1-5. RF Enos Slaughter (.375 avg) and LF Stan Musial (.320 avg) are the leading hitters. The pitching staff as a whole ranks 15th in the NL with a combined ERA of 3.16, led by SP Mort Cooper (3-2, 3.03 ERA) and SP Lon Warneke (3-2, 3.58 ERA). The Braves have no .300 hitters and have a team batting average of .227. SP Johnny Sain leads the pitching staff at 3-1, 2.80 ERA.

Tied for eighth place are the 1943 St. Louis Cardinals and 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers at 11-17, 5 GB. The Cardinals have no .300 hitters and are next to last (107th) in team batting average in the NL with a .223 average. St. Louis has only one stolen base and is last in hits, runs scored and slugging percentage. The pitching staff has been outstanding, ranking 10th in the NL with a 3.09 ERA. SP Mort Cooper leads the staff at 3-3, 1.96 ERA. The Cardinals also had two 6 game losing streaks in April. The Dodgers, who started 1-6, have the opposite problem, with players who can hit, but not pitch. CF Pete Reiser (.342 avg) and LF Carl Furillo (.341 avg) lead the hitters. The bullpen is one of the worst in the NL.

In last place are the 1946 St. Louis Cardinals at 8-20, 8 GB. The team started 1-7 after being swept by the 1940 Cincinnati Reds to start the season. St. Louis has only won two series so far and have been swept by the 1934 Cardinals and 1938 Chicago Cubs. LF Stan Musial has been impressive, batting .411.

abell1198 · 09-21-2013, 02:25 PM

The 1950's Divisions are both led by the favorites to win their divisions. Both teams bolted from the starting blocks, leaving the other teams to play catch up. We'll start with the American League.

The leader of the AL 1950's Division, a division featuring eight Yankees teams, are the 1954 Cleveland Indians at 18-10. CF Larry Doby is hitting .343 so far and is one of three players batting .300 or higher. The starting pitchers are the best in the AL with a combined ERA of 2.24. The staff consists of SP Mike Garcia (3-1, 1.25 ERA, 2nd in AL ERA), SP Early Wynn (5-0, 1.38 ERA, 3rd in AL ERA, April Pitcher of the Month), SP Bob Lemon (2-3, 3.65 ERA), SP Art Houtteman (3-0, 1.55 ERA) and SP Bob Feller (1-3, 3.90 ERA). The bullpen is a weakness, however, and needs to improve their 5.77 ERA. The team started 9-3, as they swept the 2011 Texas Rangers to start the season. The team had a four game skid, including being swept by the 2008 Tampa Rays, but have been 8-2 since, including sweeps of the 2006 and 1908 Detroit Tigers.

In second place are the 1955 New York Yankees at 17-11, 1 GB. The Yankees are led by 2B Gil McDougald (.327 avg), who is one of three .300 hitters. SP Johnny Kucks leads the pitching staff at 2-0, 2.17 ERA. The bullpen is 4th in the AL with a 1.99 ERA. The team started out at 11-3, but have struggled since.

The 1953 New York Yankees hold down third place at 16-12, 2 GB. DH Gene Woodling (.333 avg) is the team's only .300 hitter. The entire pitching staff is ranked 8th in the AL. The team had a six game winning streak during the month, which included a sweep of the 1977 Yankees. They also swept the 1959 Chicago White Sox. The winner of Nick Soulis' tournament as The Best Team Of All Time is out to prove they weren't a fluke.

In fourth place are two teams tied at 15-13, 3 GB: The 1957 New York Yankees and the 1952 New York Yankees. The '57 squad is led by DH Mickey Mantle, who is batting .361. SP Bob Turley (5-0, 2.63 ERA) and SP Johnny Kucks (3-0, 2.16 ERA) lead the team in pitching. The team started the season 5-1, sweeping the 1983 Baltimore Orioles, then lost four games, including a sweep by the 1995 Cleveland Indians. This team was also swept by the 1947 Yankees. The 1952 Yankees are led by LF Hank Bauer (.327 avg), who is one of four .300 hitters in the lineup. SP Eddie Lopat (5-0, 1.82 ERA) and SP Allie Reynolds (2-1, 3.00 ERA, 63 K) lead a good starting pitching staff, but the team has no bullpen. Reynolds ranks 3rd in the AL in strikeouts.

The 1951 New York Yankees are 14-14, 4 GB and are in sixth place in the division. RF Mickey Mantle leads four .300 hitters, batting .340. SP Allie Reynolds (4-1, 3.30 ERA) is the lone bright spot on the pitching staff. Reynolds struck out 15 in a 9-2 win against the 1911 Philadelphia Athletics. Yogi Berra made the news when he hit 3 home runs against the 2010 Texas Rangers in a 13-10 loss. The team was also the victim of a no-hitter on April 4th to the 1995 Cleveland Indians.

The 1950 New York Yankees are in seventh place at 13-15, 5 GB. LF Gene Woodling (.333 avg) is the only .300 hitter. SP Whitey Ford (2-0, 2.56 ERA) leads a decent staff of starters, but the team has no bullpen to speak of.

In eighth place are the 1958 New York Yankees at 11-17, 7 GB. LF Norm Siebern is batting .348, but the team's pitching has been poor. The Yanks started the season 4-0 as they swept the 1927 Yankees, but the team has proven to be streaky. They had a four game losing streak, then swept the 1918 Boston Red Sox during a four game winning streak. The team then hit an eight game skid while being swept by the 1998 and 1927 Yankees. The team is currently on a three game skid.

Tied for last place are the 1956 New York Yankees and the 1959 Chicago White Sox, both at 9-19, 9 GB. The Yankees are led by CF Mickey Mantle (.291 12 HR 26 RBI), who is currently 3rd in the AL in home runs. The team's starters have been bad, but the bullpen has been great, ranking 11th in the AL with a 2.54 ERA. The Yankees, who have won only one series, have had four and seven game losing streaks and were swept by the 1999 Yankees. The White Sox are led by 2B Nellie Fox (.331 avg), who is the team's only .300 hitter. SP Early Wynn is the best pitcher at 3-2, 2.23 ERA. The White Sox have been swept by the 1953 Yankees, 1963 Yankees and 1909 Detroit Tigers.

In the National League, the division is led by the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers at 19-9. This team has won by being consistent, with winning two of three games in nearly every match-up. The Dodgers have only one sweep, as they took three from the 1913 New York Giants and have lost only one series. The Dodgers are led by CF Duke Snider (.358 avg), one of three .300 hitters. Snider is 4th in the NL with 30 RBI. 1B Gil Hodges made news when he hit three home runs against the 1932 Chicago Cubs in a 19-11 loss. Hodges has 10 HR, which is tied for 4th in the NL. This potent lineup is 1st in the NL in HR (40), 2nd in runs (166), 8th in average (.288) and 4th in OBP (.371). SP Russ Meyer (3-0, 3.47 ERA) leads a mediocre staff.

The surprise of the month has been the second place team, the 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers at 15-13, 4 GB. The team was picked to finish last in the division. That may still happen however, as the team has no .300 hitters and sub par pitching. The Dodgers started the season 1-5 when they opened up the season by being swept by the 1913 New York Giants. They won four games, including a sweep of the 1968 Cardinals, but have also had another four game skid.

In third place are the 1958 Milwaukee Braves at 14-14, 5 GB. LF Wes Covington (.346 avg) and RF Hank Aaron (.327 avg) are the leading hitters. SP Warren Spahn (3-1, 3.18 ERA) leads a solid pitching staff. The team has been streaky thus far, losing four while being swept by the 1920 Brooklyn Dodgers, then winning six, sweeping the 1952 Dodgers and 1930 Cardinals. The team is currently on a three game losing streak.

The 1954 New York Giants are one of three teams tied for fourth place at 13-15, 6 GB. The Giants only good hitters are RF Don Mueller (.349 avg) and SS Al Dark (.327 avg). SP Jim Hearn (3-1, 1.60 ERA) leads a starting staff ranked 2nd in the NL with a 2.67 ERA, but the bullpen has been weak. The Giants have had six shutouts so far, but have also been shutout five times.

The 1951 New York Giants are the second team at 13-15. The team was swept by the 1985 St. Louis Cardinals. 3B Hank Thompson (.348 avg) and SS Al Dark (.302 avg) lead the team in hitting. Dark is tied for 1st in the NL with 16 doubles. The team has had poor pitching so far.

The third team in the tie for fourth are the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers started themselves into a hole when they opened up 1-5. C Roy Campanella (.388 avg) and CF Duke Snider (.387 avg) are two of four .300 hitters in the lineup, which ranks in the top 20 in every offensive category. But what has been really offensive has been the starting pitching, which ranks last in ERA at 6.19. SP Billy Loes (3-0, 3.58 ERA) is the best of the worst. The bullpen is doing their best to salvage the situation.

The 1950 Philadelphia Phillies are in seventh place at 12-16, 7 GB. SS Garnny Hamner leads the way, hitting .355. Another streaky team, they won five while sweeping the 1920 Brooklyn Dodgers. The team then lost seven in a row while being swept by the 1923 New York Giants and 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates. The Phillies are currently on a three game losing streak.

The 1957 Milwaukee Braves and 1952 Brooklyn Dodgers are tied for eighth place at 8-20, 11 GB. The Braves started out 1-8 and have no .300 hitters. The team has good starting pitching and a great bullpen, but need the bats to win games. SP Bob Buhl is a great example, as he is 1-4 with a 2.22 ERA. The team fell victim to a no-hitter on April 7 by the 1914 Boston Braves. The team has won only one series so far. The Dodgers are led by CF Duke Snider (.324 avg) and SP Carl Erskine (2-2, 2.57 ERA). The team has had terrible pitching and little hitting, which has led to streaks of six and four game losing, followed by a four game win streak. The Dodgers are currently on an eight game losing skid.

In last place are the 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers at 7-21, 12 GB. The team has no .300 hitters and bad pitching. The Dodgers started their season 1-11.

abell1198 · 09-28-2013, 10:54 PM

When I started this simulation, I assumed the steroid era would produce high numbers of home runs compared to the other decades. However, in the month of April, many of the 1960's teams are in the top 10 in HR in their respective leagues. I guess only time will tell whether this trend will continue.

The American League leaders for the 1960's Division are the 1963 New York Yankees at 18-10. The team was projected to finish tied for sixth in the division, but so far, they are proving the experts wrong. The Yankees are 3rd in the AL in HR with 38. 1B Joe Pepitone leads all hitters with a .336 batting average. The starting pitching and bullpen have been good enough to keep the team competitive. CL Steve Hamilton is tied for 3rd in the AL with 10 saves. Highlights for the month of April include an eight game winning streak in which were sweeps of the 1962 Yankees and 1959 Chicago White Sox. Another four game winning streak included a sweep of the 1983 Baltimore Orioles.

Two teams are tied for second place at 17-11, 1 GB: The 1961 New York Yankees and the 1969 Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees were predicted to finish tied for sixth with the 1963 squad, but apparently they didn't get the memo. The team is tied for sixth in the AL in HR with 36. C Elston Howard is the leading hitter at .318. RF Roger Maris (.313, 12 HR, 25 RBI) is third in the AL in HR. The starting pitching has been average, but the bullpen is 9th in the AL with a 2.39 ERA. CL Luis Arroyo (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 SV, 11 G) leads the bullpen, while SP Ralph Terry (4-1, 2.44 ERA) sets the pace for the starters. The Yankees won 9 of their last 10 games in April. The Orioles are the preseason favorites to win this division. They are tied for 6th place for HR in the AL with 36. SS Mark Belanger (.336 avg) is one of four .300 hitters in the lineup. SP Jim Palmer leads the pitching staff at 4-1, 2.40 ERA. The starting staff is 11th in the AL with a combined ERA of 3.06. The Orioles finished the month winning 8 of their last 10.

In fourth place are the 1960 New York Yankees at 16-12, 2 GB. C Yogi Berra (.307 avg) is the teams only .300 hitter. RF Roger Maris won Player of the Week honors in the first week of April after he hit three home runs, with 12 RBI, in a 14-0 win over the 1979 Baltimore Orioles on April 5th. Maris hit a two run shot in the 1st inning and followed it up by hitting a grand slam in the 2nd and 3rd innings. SP Ralph Terry leads the pitchers at 4-1, 2.14 ERA.

The 1967 Boston Red Sox hold down fifth place with a record of 13-15, 5 GB. The team is 2nd in the AL in HR with 39. DH Tony Horton and 1B George Scott are batting .300, while LF Carl Yastrzemski is hitting .299 with 11 HR and 26 RBI. The pitching has been terrible so far. The Red Sox started their season 1-7 while being swept by the 1998 New York Yankees. On a positive note, the Red Sox did sweep the 1924 Chicago White Sox and 2009 New York Yankees during April.

Tied for sixth place in the division at 12-16, 6 GB, are the 1965 Minnesota Twins and 1968 Detroit Tigers. The Twins starters have struggled, but their bullpen is 1st in the AL with a 1.77 ERA. C Earl Battey is the best hitter at .353. The team has only won two series so far and were swept by the 1964 New York Yankees to open their season. The Tigers are tied for 4th in the AL with 37 HR. DH Willie Horton is the only .300 hitter at .386, which is good enough for 6th for average in the AL. Horton has hit 10 HR, with 30 RBI. The pitching staff has performed poorly so far, with SP Denny McClain being the lone highlight at 2-1, 2.25 ERA. The Tigers had a positive moment when it swept the 1906 Chicago White Sox, but then they lost ten in a row, being swept by the 1933 Chicago White Sox, the 1961 Yankees and the 1943 Yankees. The Tigers currently have won three straight.

In eighth place are the 1964 New York Yankees at 11-17, 7 GB. This team should be better, but they keep falling into slumps and can't seem to win close games, going 4-9 in one run games. The team started the season winning 6 of their first 7, sweeping the 1965 Twins in the process. But losing streaks of five and four games have hurt the team, and the team is currently on a three game skid. The team has been swept by the 2000 Yankees and 1991 Twins. 2B Bobby Richardson (.388 avg, 5th in AL) is one of four .300 hitters. SP Mel Stottlemyre Sr. is 3-1, 2.53 ERA, while the entire pitching staff is 16th in the AL with a 3.43 ERA.

Tied for last place are the 1962 New York Yankees and the 1966 Baltimore Orioles, with both teams sitting at 10-18, 8 GB. The Yankees have a .228 team batting average, which is 106th out of 108 teams in the AL. They also rank last in stolen bases with zero. The team, needless to say, have no .300 hitters. SP Rollie Sheldon (3-0, 2.36 ERA) is doing his best, unlike SP Whitey Ford (0-5, 5.27), who needs to improve to give this team a chance. The team was swept by the 1936 Yankees, the 1963 Yankees and the 1948 Cleveland Indians. The Orioles 1B Boog Powell is the teams only .300 hitter at .337. RF Frank Robinson is 5th in the AL with 11 HR. The pitching has been average.

The National League 1960's Division has two teams at the top. The favorites, the 1969 New York Mets and the team predicted to finish 9th in the division, the 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers, are both at 19-9. The Mets have three .300 hitters, led by LF Cleon Jones at .368. 2B Ken Boswell is tied for 2nd in the NL with 5 triples, while C Jerry Grote is tied for 4th in the NL with 4 triples. The Mets starting pitching is ranked #15, led by SP Jerry Koosman (4-1, 3.54 ERA) and SP Tom Seaver (3-2, 1.72 ERA). The bullpen is the second best in the NL with a 1.53 combined ERA. CL Tug McGraw is 2-1, with a 1.32 ERA and 8 saves. The team lost only one series in April. The Dodgers have been led by their pitching staff. SP Sandy Koufax (3-1, 1.34 ERA), SP Claude Osteen (3-1, 2.11 ERA) and SP Don Drysdale (4-2, 2.27) have all started out strong. CL Bob L. Miller (1-1, 1.93 ERA) is tied for 1st in saves in the NL with 11. The Dodgers best hitter is LF Lou B. Johnson, who is hitting .358 so far. The team started the season 7-1 and has had winning streaks of five and six games. Currently though, the Dodgers have a three game losing streak.

In third place are the 1967 St. Louis Cardinals at 18-10, 1 GB. CF Curt Flood is the only .300 hitter at .360. SP Dick Hughes (3-1, 2.22 ERA) and SP Ray Washburn (2-0, 2.08) lead the starting staff, but the bullpen needs to improve. CL Jack Lamabe (2-2, 5.87 ERA) is tied for 4th in the NL in saves with 10. Notable wins include sweeps of the 1935 Chicago Cubs and 1984 San Diego Padres.

The 1966 Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in fourth place at 17-11, 2 GB. CF Willie Davis (.358 avg) is one of four .300 hitters in the lineup. SP Claude Osteen (2-0, 1.54 ERA) leads a pitching staff ranked 11th in the NL with a combined ERA of 3.09. As a matter of fact, the Dodgers are in the top 20 in nearly every offensive and pitching category. At one point, the team had an eight game winning streak which included sweeps of the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers and 1983 Philadelphia Phillies.

In fifth place are the 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers, at 16-12, 3 GB. LF Tommy Davis (.306 avg) is the teams only .300 hitter. The starting pitching staff is fifth in the NL with a 2.78 ERA, led by SP Sandy Koufax (4-1, 1.52 ERA, 53 K). The team managed to sweep the 1975 Cincinnati Reds, who currently have the National League's best record.

The 1962 San Francisco Giants are in sixth place at 15-13, 4 GB. The team is 4th in the NL with 35 HR's, led by CF Willie Mays' 10 HR. Mays is tied for 4th in homers. 1B Orlando Cepada is hitting .304, and is the Giant's only .300 hitter. The rest of the lineup is solid at the plate, but the pitching has been average. The team managed a six game win streak during the month, but currently have a three game losing skid.

At 14-14, 5 GB, are the 1961 Cincinnati Reds in seventh place. The team is 8th in the NL with 32 home runs. CF Vada Pinson is the best hitter at .370. The starting pitching has been average and the bullpen has done very well so far to keep the team competitive.

The 1968 St. Louis Cardinals find themselves in eighth place at 10-18, 9 GB. 3B Mike Shannon is the teams only .300 hitter at .333. The Cardinals have been struggling to score runs and suffered an eleven game losing streak in the middle of the month. During that streak, the Cardinals were swept by the 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers, 1993 Philadelphia Phillies and 1908 Chicago Cubs.

In ninth place are the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates at 9-19, 10 GB. The team is hitting well, but not scoring runs. SS Dick Groat leads the lineup with a .387 average.

The 1964 St. Louis Cardinals find themselves in the basement at 8-20, 11 GB. C Tim McCarver (.326 avg) is the only .300 hitter in the lineup. The Cardinals are the worst team in the league with a .279 OBP and have won only one series, which was against the 1998 San Diego Padres.

abell1198 · 10-01-2013, 03:49 PM

The 1970's proved to be a great combination of pitching and hitting. Or maybe it is just more enjoyable to look through the teams you grew up with. Either way, this decade proves itself to have many teams who could make the playoffs by the end of the year.

In the American League, the 1979 Baltimore Orioles are leading the way at 19-9. The Orioles are 11th in the AL in runs scored, tied for 9th in HR with 34 and the starting pitching ERA is 9th best at 3.00. RF Ken Singleton (.313 avg) is the lone .300 hitter. This team is all about pitching, with starting pitchers Mike Flanagan (3-1, 2.40 ERA), Dennis Martinez (3-1, 1.96 ERA) and Scott McGregor (4-0, 3.31 ERA) leading the way. In mid-April, the Orioles managed a 10 game winning streak where they swept the 1922 and 2000 New York Yankees.

In second place are the 1971 Baltimore Orioles at 17-11, 2 GB. 3B Brooks Robinson (.372) is the teams only .300 hitter. Pitching is once again the story with the Orioles, with the bullpen ranked #5 in ERA at 2.11. Closer Eddie Watt (1-2, 2.63 ERA, 10 SV) is tied for third in the AL in saves. SP Pat Dobson (6-0, 3.35 ERA) is tied for the most wins in the major leagues. Notable wins include sweeps of the 1932 New York Yankees, 1907 Detroit Tigers and 1933 Chicago White Sox.

The 1970 Baltimore Orioles are in third place with a record of 16-12, 3 GB. 1B Boog Powell (.372) is the only .300 hitter and is tied for 2nd in the AL with 32 RBI. The Orioles are 8th in the AL in HR with 35. SP Dave McNally leads the pitchers at 4-1, 3.91 ERA. One of the best games so far into this young season was provided by SP Jim Palmer. On April 6, Palmer pitched a no-hitter for 11 innings against the 2007 Boston Red Sox!!! Then, with 2 outs in the top of the 12th, Palmer faced off with pinch-hitter Royce Clayton. With the count 2-2, Clayton hits a home run 418 feet to right-center for the games only run!!! Boston closed out the bottom of the 12th to secure the 1-0 win. Palmer finished with a 1-hit loss on 144 pitches.

Tied for fourth place are the 1973 Oakland A's and the 1972 Oakland A's. Both teams have a record of 15-13, 4 GB. The '73 squad has no .300 hitters, with five players hitting under .200. As a matter of fact, this lineup is so bad, they are last (108th) in the AL in runs scored, batting average (.208) and OBP (.279). So, how do they even have a winning record? Pitching. The staff is ranked #10 in the AL with a 3.03 ERA. Closer Rollie Fingers (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 SV) is shutting the door on opponents. The '72 team is the favorite to win the division, but aren't showing it so far. SS Bert Campaneris (.304) is the best hitter, while SP Catfish Hunter leads the staff at 3-0, 3.70 ERA. Closer Bob Locker (0-1, 0.56 ERA, 11 SV) is tied for 1st in the Majors in saves.

Four teams are tied for fifth place at 14-14, 5 GB. The first of the four teams are the 1974 Oakland A's. LF Claudell Washington leads all hitters with a .317 batting average. SP Ken Holtzman (4-1, 1.58 ERA) and SP Vida Blue (3-1, 1.59 ERA) lead the pitching staff. Holtzman started out his season by pitching back to back complete game shutouts. If SP Catfish Hunter (0-6, 6.68 ERA) can find his way, this team may be able to compete. Hunter is 1st in the AL in losses. The second team is the 1978 New York Yankees. 3B Graig Nettles (.343) is the team's only .300 hitter. SP Ed Figueroa (3-1, 3.76 ERA) leads the staff. SP Ron Guidry (1-4, 3.59 ERA, 60 K) could use some run support. The Yankees have been shutout five times so far, but are currently on a three game winning streak. The third team at .500 are the 1976 New York Yankees. DH Lou Piniella leads the team with his .346 batting average. CF Mickey Rivers is hitting .333 and is tied for 2nd in doubles in the AL with 16. SP Catfish Hunter is the best pitcher at 3-0, 3.13 ERA. The '76 Yankees started their season by sweeping the 1973 Oakland A's en route to a 5-0 start, but then lost six straight, including being swept by the 2006 Detroit Tigers. Last but not least in this group of four are the 1975 Boston Red Sox. RF Dwight Evans (.364 avg.) and DH Jim Rice (.355 avg.) lead the team in hitting, but the pitching has been poor thus far.

In last place are the 1977 New York Yankees at 13-15, 6 GB. The team has no .300 hitters, although 3B Graig Nettles is tied for 5th in the AL in HR with 11. The pitching staff has done well, led by SP Ron Guidry (3-2, 1.88 ERA, 52 K).

The National League 1970's Division leader are also the favorites to win the division, the 1975 Cincinnati Reds at 21-7. Five of their seven losses have been by one run and the Reds are 13-0 at home. The team is 1st in the NL in runs scored (189) and OBP (.383), 2nd in Slugging Pct. (.493) and 3rd in batting average (.310) and home runs (36). CF Cesar Geronimo is the best in the lineup with a .379 batting average. Six other players are also hitting .300 or better. C Johnny Bench (.356, 8 HR, 33 RBI) in 2nd in the NL in RBI. 2B Joe Morgan (.318, 8 HR, 29 RBI) is tied for 5th in the NL in RBI. SP Gary Nolan (4-0, 2.51 ERA) leads a pitching staff which hasn't been great, but has been good enough to win.

Three teams find themselves tied for second place at 18-10, 3 GB. The first team is the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates are 2nd in the NL in HR (38) and batting average (.312). RF Roberto Clemente (.408 avg) leads a team with six other players hitting over .300. Clemente is 3rd in the NL in batting average, but 1st in the Majors in hits with 51. Clemente also had a 20 game hit streak in April. LF Willie Stargell is making a statement early. Stargell is hitting .339, with 19 HR and 34 RBI. He leads the Majors in home runs and is 1st in the NL in RBI. Stargell also took home the NL Batting Award for April. SP Luke Walker (3-0, 3.29 ERA) leads the pitching staff. Second in this three way tie are the 1978 Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers are 7th in home runs with 33. 1B Steve Garvey leads the lineup with a .333 batting average. Garvey also hit for the cycle on April 30 in a 15-1 win over the 1950 Philadelphia Phillies. The Dodgers starting pitching is the best in the NL, with a 2.63 ERA. The staff consists of Tommy John (1-2, 2.23), Burt Hooton (5-1, 2.35 ERA), Don Sutton (5-1, 2.68 ERA), Bob Welch (0-4, 5.28 ERA) and Rick Rhoden (4-1, 1.18 ERA). If Welch could find his way back, this team will be a force to deal with. This team started their season 8-2, sweeping the 1927 Pittsburgh Pirates in the process and have only lost one series when they were swept by the 2007 Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The third team is the 1976 Cincinnati Reds. 2B Joe Morgan (.347 avg.) is the best of the lineup, which contains three other hitters at .300 or better. The team is in the top 25 in most hitting and pitching categories. However, this team has been streaky. They started 5-1, then lost 5 of 6. Next they won 7, but then lost 3 of 4. The Reds currently have a four game winning streak.

In fifth place are the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates at 16-12, 5 GB. This team was predicted to finish tied for 2nd, but they will have to start hitting better in order to do that. RF Dave Parker (.339 avg.) is the teams only .300 hitter. The pitching on this team is ranked #2 overall, with a 2.63 ERA. The Pirates pitchers have thrown six shutouts. The starting pitching has been great and the bullpen has been even better.

The 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in sixth place with a record of 15-13, 6 GB. SS Bill Russell (.348 avg.) is one of three hitters at .300 or better. SP Don Sutton (6-0, 2.09 ERA) is tied for 1st in the Majors in wins.

A pair of Reds teams find themselves tied for seventh place at 14-14, 7 GB. The 1972 Cincinnati Reds have been led at the plate by 2B Joe Morgan (.350 avg.) and CF Bobby Tolan (.322 avg.). The starting pitchers have a combined ERA of 3.12, but the bullpen has been weak. The 1970 Cincinnati Reds are tied for 4th in home runs in the NL with 35. RF Pete Rose (.342 avg.) is one of four .300 hitters in the lineup. The pitching staff has been average, however.

In ninth place are the 1973 New York Mets at 13-15, 8 GB. 3B Jim Fregosi is the only .300 hitter for the team, batting .330. Fregosi is also tied for 4th in the NL in doubles with 14. SP Jerry Koosman (4-0, 0.56 ERA) leads the Majors in ERA. The starters have been good for the Mets, but the bullpen has been bad. SP Jon Matlack (2-1, 3.53 ERA, 60 K) made news on April 12 when he faced off against the 2010 San Francisco Giants. Matlack struck out 17 in 7 1/3 innings and was pulled from the close game because Giants 2B Freddy Sanchez had gone 2 for 3 against him. Matlack got the win as the Mets won 2-0. Matlack is also third in the NL in strikeouts.

In last place are the 1977 Los Angeles Dodgers at 12-16, 9 GB. 1B Steve Garvey is hitting .321, but the team is last in batting average at .220. The starting pitching has been average, but the bullpen has been better, keeping the Dodgers in some games.

abell1198 · 10-10-2013, 10:33 PM

The 1980's teams performed below average, which I found a bit surprising considering it was the beginning of the steroid era. Half of the American League teams finished with a winning record, while only two National League teams managed to do the same.

The American League 1980's Division is led by the 1988 Oakland A's at 19-9. The A's are 1st in the AL in HR (41), Slugging Pct. (.465) and runs scored (174). C Terry Steinbach (.359 avg.) leads a lineup with five .300 hitters. RF Jose Canseco is hitting .311, with 15 home runs and 24 RBI. Canseco is 2nd in the AL for homers. SP Dave Stewart (4-0, 2.89 ERA) and SP Storm Davis (5-1, 2.45 ERA) lead the pitching staff. The A's hit their stride with a nine game winning streak in the middle of April, which saw them sweep the 1927 New York Yankees, the 1940 Detroit Tigers and the 1978 Yankees.

Two teams are tied for second place in the division at 17-11, 2 GB. The first team is the 1981 New York Yankees. The Yankees are tied for 9th in the AL in home runs with 34. RF Reggie Jackson (.327 avg) is the best hitter in the lineup and one of four .300 hitters. The starting pitching has been average, but the bullpen, led by Rich "Goose" Gossage (1-0, 2.38 ERA, 8 SV) has been very good. The second team is the 1986 Boston Red Sox. 3B Wade Boggs (.337) is one of three .300 hitters in the lineup. CF Dave Henderson made news when he hit for the cycle on April 2 in a 10-3 win over the 2009 Yankees. SP Roger Clemens leads the starting pitchers at 4-2, 3.10 ERA. CL Calvin Schiraldi (1-0, 0.69 ERA, 8 SV) has been dominant from the bullpen.

In fourth place are the division favorites, the 1989 Oakland A's, who come in at 16-12, 3 GB. LF Luis Polonia (.330 avg) is the team's only .300 hitter. The starting pitching has been average so far, but the bullpen is ranked 7th in the AL with a 2.30 ERA. CL Dennis Eckersley (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 8 SV) has been lights out. The A's were the victim of a no-hitter against the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays.

The 1984 Detroit Tigers are in fifth place at 15-13, 4 GB. CF Chet Lemon (.328 avg) is the only .300 hitter in the lineup and is 2nd in doubles in the AL with 16. The starting pitching has been good enough, but the bullpen ranks 6th in the AL with a 2.27 ERA. The Tigers started the season 2-7 before winning seven in a row, including a sweep of the 1952 Yankees.

The 1982 Milwaukee Brewers are one of two teams tied for sixth place in the division at 10-18, 9 GB. 2B Jim Ganter is the leading hitter with a .360 batting average and the lineup consists of two more .300 hitters. The starting pitching has been poor and the bullpen average so far. The second team in sixth are the 1980 Kansas City Royals. 3B George Brett (.384 avg) is one of four .300 hitters in the Royals lineup, but their starting pitching is virtually non-existent, although the bullpen has been decent. Brett is tied for 2nd in the AL with 32 RBI. LF Willie Wilson is 5th in the AL with 45 hits and his 5 triples has him tied for 1st in the AL.

Two teams find themselves tied for eighth place at 9-19, 10 GB. The first team is the 1985 Kansas City Royals. 3B George Brett (.324 avg) is the only .300 hitter in a lineup which boasts three hitters under .200. The hitting has been so bad, the Royals are 101st in average (.236), 104th in runs scored (95) and 105th in OBP (.294). SP Bret Saberhagen is proof of the lack of hitting, as he is 0-4 with a 2.63 ERA. The starting pitching has been decent, but the bullpen has been terrible. The Royals started out 2-10, won 5 of their next 6, then lost eight in a row before winning their last game of the month. The second team is the 1983 Baltimore Orioles. LF John Lowenstein is the only .300 hitter at .306. The Orioles are below average in nearly every hitting and pitching category.

In last place are the 1987 Minnesota Twins at 8-20, 11 GB. The Twins have no .300 hitters and their starting pitching is last (108th) in ERA at 8.06. The bullpen isn't much better, ranking 99th with a 6.34 ERA, although CL Juan Berenguer (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 SV) is doing his best. The Twins have won only one series and have been swept four times.

The National League 1980's Division is led by the favorites, the 1986 New York Mets at 18-10. The Mets started their season 6-1 and haven't slowed down. 1B Keith Hernandez (.350 avg) is the best of four .300 hitters. SP Sid Fernandez (4-0, 2.92 ERA) and SP Ron Darling (4-0, 1.57 ERA) lead a starting pitching staff ranked 11th in the AL with a 2.97 ERA. The Mets bullpen is their weakness, however.

In second place is the only other team in this division with a winning record: the 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers at 16-12, 2 GB. 1B Pedro Guerrero (.327 avg) and 2B Steve Sax (.308 avg) lead the team in hitting. The starting pitchers are ranked #3 in the NL with a 2.71 ERA, led by SP Orel Hershiser. Hershiser is 4-1 with a 1.15 ERA, placing him tied for 3rd in the NL for ERA. CL Jay Howell (2-1, 1.83 ERA, 10 SV) leads a very good bullpen. Howell is tied for 4th in the NL for saves. The Dodgers started their season well, but have lost their last three series.

Tied for third place are three teams. The first are the 1982 St. Louis Cardinals at 13-15, 5 GB. SS Ozzie Smith (.327 avg) is the only .300 hitter. SP Joaquin Andujar leads the pitching staff at 4-1, 2.47 ERA. The second team is the 1989 San Francisco Giants. C Terry Kennedy is the team's only .300 hitter at .303. LF Kevin Mitchell is 2nd in the NL for home runs with 12. Starting pitching for the Giants has been average, but the bullpen is ranked #5 in the NL with a 2.19 ERA. The third team is the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies. LF Lonnie Smith (.328 avg) is one of three .300 hitters in the Phillies lineup. SS Larry Bowa is tied for 4th in the NL with four triples. The starting pitching for the Phillies has been poor and the bullpen average. The Phillies started out 2-5 while being swept by the 1910 Chicago Cubs.

Two teams are tied for sixth place at 12-16, 6 GB. The 1985 St. Louis Cardinals are the first of the two. 2B Tom Herr (.355 avg) is one of three .300 hitters. SP John Tudor (3-2, 1.16 ERA, 2 CG, 2 SHO) leads a solid pitching staff. The Cardinals are tied for third in stolen bases with 44. The redbirds started their season 8-2, but two 6 game losing streaks have set them back in the standings. The second team is the 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers. RF Pedro Guerrero (.363 avg) is one of two .300 hitters. SP Fernando Valenzuela (3-1, 3.45 ERA) is doing his part, but the starting staff is ranked 100th in ERA, while the bullpen is ranked 95th. The Dodgers have been streaky, starting out 1-6, then alternating winning and losing streaks throughout the month.

The 1987 St. Louis Cardinals find themselves in eighth place at 11-17, 7 GB. CF Willie McGee leads the lineup with a .316 batting average, while two others are hitting .300 or better. The pitching staff as a whole has been bad, with the exception of SP Bob Forsch (4-2, 3.24 ERA). The Cardinals started 5-2, but have been struggling to win since that first week, being swept by the 2006 Cardinals and 1915 Phillies.

In ninth place are the 1984 San Diego Padres at 10-18, 8 GB. C Terry Kennedy is the leading hitter with a .300 batting average. 2B Alan Wiggins is tied for 4th in the NL with 13 stolen bases. SP Mark Thurmond (4-1, 3.19 ERA) and SP Eric Show (4-2, 2.49 ERA) are the only highlights of the starting pitching staff. The bullpen has performed well.

In last place are the 1983 Philadelphia Phillies at 8-20, 10 GB. The Phillies are batting .223, ranking them at 106th in the NL. C Bo Diaz (.309 avg) is the only .300 hitter. The starting pitchers have been average and the bullpen very good, but the team is currently suffering an eight game losing streak.

abell1198 · 10-30-2013, 04:22 PM

The Steroid Era continues with mixed results. I thought there would be more power, which was true for some teams. Pitching still wins championships and the 1990's teams showed plenty of it. In the American League, two teams share the lead at the end of April at 18-10. The first team is the 1999 New York Yankees. SS Derek Jeter (.327 avg) is one of two .300 hitters in the lineup. SP Roger Clemens is 5-0, 2.03 ERA to lead the pitching staff. The Yankees started out 5-1 and swept the 1940 Detroit Tigers. The 1956 New York Yankees were also swept by the 1999 squad. Tied with the Yankees for the lead are the 1995 Cleveland Indians. The Indians have four .300 hitters, led by 2B Carlos Baerga at .355. CF Kenny Lofton is tied for 1st in the AL in triples with five. SP Ken Hill leads the pitching staff at 2-0, 2.50 ERA. Hill threw a no-hitter on April 4 in an 8-0 win over the 1951 New York Yankees, even though he walked seven batters while striking out five. CL Jose Mesa leads the bullpen at 0-0, 1.42 ERA and 9 saves. The Indians have had winning streaks of three and five games and currently has a three game winning streak.

In third place are the 1997 Cleveland Indians at 16-12, 2 GB. They are #2 in runs scored in the AL with 167. 3B Matt Williams (.320 avg) is one of two .300 hitters in the lineup. The team is batting .282, which is good enough for 16th in the AL. The starting pitching, however, is in trouble. The starters have struggled with a 6.24 ERA, placing them 103rd in the AL. Fortunately for the Indians, the bullpen has stepped up with a 2.64 ERA, which is 13th in the AL.

Two Yankees teams are tied for fourth place at 14-14, 4 GB. The 1998 New York Yankees have three .300 hitters in their lineup, led by 1B Tino Martinez at .384. As a team, the 1998 Yankees are 20th in the AL with a .278 average. Their starting pitching is failing to perform and is 94th in the AL with a 5.36 ERA, while the bullpen has been good enough to help the team win. The 1996 New York Yankees have the same record and the same issues as the 1998 team. The team is hitting well, with a team average of .291, which places them 6th in the AL. 2B Mariano Duncan (.352 avg) is one of three .300 hitters. Starting pitching is 96th in the AL with a 5.49 ERA, but the bullpen has helped out the team with their 2.55 ERA, which places them 12th in the AL. Closer Mariano Rivera is 0-0, 0.00 ERA with 5 saves.

Tied for sixth in the division at 13-15, 5 GB, are the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays and the 1990 Oakland A's. The Blue Jays are led by 2B Roberto Alomar (.305 avg), who is one of two .300 hitters on the team. The starting pitching has been dismal, ranking 102nd in the AL with a 6.03 ERA. The lone bright spot was SP Juan Guzman's no-hitter thrown on April 6 against the 1989 Oakland A's in a 2-0 win. The 1990 A's, who were the preseason favorites, have struggled at the plate. The team has no .300 hitters, is 107th in runs scored (87), 103rd in batting average (.231) and 104th in OBP (.296). The A's starting pitching has been average, but the bullpen has been spectacular, placing 8th in ERA at 2.31.

Finishing out the division, and tied for last at 11-17, 7 GB, are the 1992 Toronto Blue Jays and the 1991 Minnesota Twins. The Blue Jays have only one .300 hitter in 2B Roberto Alomar, who is hitting .350. Their hitting overall has been poor and the pitching has been average. The Jays won their first two series of the year before falling into a six game losing streak and have been a .500 club since then. The Twins have only one .300 hitter in RF Randy Bush (.314 avg). The team, overall, is hitting poorly. The starting pitching has been bad as well. The bullpen has been performing and may be the reason why this team doesn't have a worse record. The Twins have been streaky. They started out winning five of their first six games, but have put together losing streaks of three and seven and currently are on a six game skid.

In the National League, the division is led by two teams, who are tied at 18-10. The first team is the 1990 Cincinnati Reds, who are one of the favorites to win this division. The Reds have been the Big Red Machine for the month of April. They lead the NL in hitting with a .312 average and are third in OBP at .374. 1B Hal Morris (.390 avg) leads a lineup of .300 hitters!!! Seriously, the entire batting order outside of the pitcher is batting .300 or higher. Morris is tied for 2nd in the NL with 46 hits. SP Jose Rijo leads the starters at 5-0, 2.84 ERA, while CL Rob Dibble leads the bullpen at 1-1, 1.35 ERA, 6 saves. The bullpen is ranked 10th in the NL with a 2.37 ERA. SP Jack Armstrong (3-1, 1.69 ERA) made news when he threw a no-hitter on April 2 against the 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates in a 2-0 win. The Reds have put together winning streaks of four and five games, and are currently on a three game winning streak. The second team is the 1999 Atlanta Braves. CF Andruw Jones is the team's only .300 hitter at .320. Pitching has carried this team, with the starting staff ranked 8th in the NL with a 2.88 ERA. SP Terry Mulholland leads the staff at 5-0, 2.45 ERA. The bullpen is ranked 17th with a 2.71 ERA, led by CL John Rocker at 0-0, 0.59 ERA, 9 saves. The Braves started the season 9-1, sweeping the 1996 Braves and 2006 St. Louis Cardinals in the process. The Braves also swept the 1908 Chicago Cubs, but were swept by the 1993 Philadelphia Phillies.

Speaking of the 1993 Philadelphia Phillies, they find themselves in third place at 17-11, 1 GB. 1B John Kruk (.369 avg) is one of two .300 hitters in the lineup. Kruk is third in the NL in OBP at .489. SP Curt Schilling leads the starters at 4-2, 2.84 ERA. The Phillie bullpen is #3 in the NL with a 1.68 ERA. The Phillies started 2-4 and were swept by the 1913 New York Giants. Since then, they've swept the 1937 New York Giants, the 1968 St. Louis Cardinals and the 1999 Atlanta Braves.

In fourth place, and the second favorite to win this division, are the 1992 Atlanta Braves at 16-12, 2 GB. The team has no .300 hitters and is 96th in the NL in average (.238) and OBP (.298). The surprise hitter has been SS Jeff Blauser. Blauser is hitting .296 and is tied for 4th in the NL with 10 home runs. Personally, I think Blauser should be tested after hitting 10 homers in one month. SP Mike Bielecki leads the starters at 3-1, 3.00 ERA. The bullpen is sixth in the NL with a 2.27 ERA, led by CL Mark Wohlers (3-0, 0.00, 5 SV). The Braves started 5-1, but struggled the rest of the month.

In fifth place are the 1997 Florida Marlins at 15-13, 3 GB. 3B Bobby Bonilla is the teams only .300 hitter with his .333 average. SP Kevin Brown has been lights out!!! Brown is 6-0 and tied for 1st in the majors in wins. Brown's ERA of 1.15 has him tied for third in the NL. Needless to say, Brown earned the National League Pitcher of the Month for April.

The 1998 San Diego Padres are in sixth place at 13-15, 5 GB. 1B Wally Joyner (.339 avg) is one of two .300 hitters in the lineup. SP Kevin Brown (4-1, 1.64 ERA), SP Andy Ashby (5-1, 1.79 ERA) and CL Trevor Hoffman (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 SV) lead the pitching staff.

In seventh place are the 1991 Atlanta Braves at 12-16, 6 GB. 2B Jeff Treadway leads all hitters with a .336 average. CF Otis Nixon is 3rd in the NL in stolen bases with 15. The starting pitching has completely failed, ranked 104th with a 5.32 ERA.

The 1996 Atlanta Braves are in eighth place with a 11-17 record, 7 GB. The team has no .300 hitters and is 101st in the NL with a team average of .228. The starting pitching staff ranks 20th in the NL with a 3.10 ERA, led by SP Greg Maddux at 4-2, 1.89 ERA. The Braves are currently on a six game skid.

In last place are the 1995 Atlanta Braves at 9-19, 9 GB. CF Mike Devereaux is the team's only .300 hitter at .316. SP Greg Maddux is the only bright spot at 3-1, 1.57 ERA. The starting staff as a whole is 101st in the NL with a 4.92 ERA, while the bullpen is 91st in the NL with a 5.63 ERA.

abell1198 · 11-08-2013, 03:59 PM

The American League finds itself with a not so surprising leader, the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who finished April with a 20-8 record and a three game lead in the division. The Red Sox leading hitter thus far has been SS Nomar Garciaparra, who is hitting .347. With only one other .300 hitter, this team has relied on it's starting pitching. The starting staff is 13th in the American League with a combined ERA of 3.15. SP Curt Schilling (4-1, 1.49 ERA) and SP Tim Wakefield (4-1, 1.63 ERA) lead the staff. However, if the Red Sox are going to hold this lead, the bullpen is going to have to improve. The bullpen is currently ranked 105th with a 7.95 ERA, as CL Keith Foulke is the lone bright spot at 2-1, 2.12 ERA and 10 saves, which ranks him tied for 3rd in the AL. The Red Sox have lost only two series so far, sweeping the 1985 Kansas City Royals, 1945 Detroit Tigers and 1983 Baltimore Orioles in the first month. DH Manny Ramirez also made news on April 8 when he went 5-5, hitting 2 HR, with 7 RBI in a 12-4 win over the 1945 Detroit Tigers.

Two teams are tied for second place at 17-11, 3 GB. The 2008 Tampa Bay Rays are led by their lone .300 hitter, C Dioner Navarro (.330 avg). The Rays pitching has been outstanding. SP Andy Sonnanstine (4-1, 1.93 ERA) and SP Edwin Jackson (4-1, 1.96 ERA) lead the starters, who are ranked 15th in the AL with a 3.22 ERA. But the bullpen has performed even better, ranking 2nd in the AL with a 1.80 ERA. Their combined stats give the Rays pitching staff a ranking of 6th overall. The 2000 New York Yankees are the other team in second place. DH Glenallen Hill leads a lineup with three .300 hitters with a .325 batting average. SP Andy Pettitte leads the starting pitchers at 4-1, 3.54 ERA. The Yankees have been streaky so far with three 3-game losing streaks this month, including being swept by the 1906 Chicago White Sox and 1979 Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees also had winning streaks of three and four games, as well as two five game streaks. These streaks included sweeps of the 1933 Chicago White Sox, 1964 New York Yankees, 1972 Oakland A's and 1985 Kansas City Royals.

The favorites in the preseason polls to win this division, the 2007 Boston Red Sox, find themselves in fourth place at 16-12, 4 GB. 2B Dustin Pedroia is the only .300 hitter at .321. Pitching has paved the way for the Red Sox. SP Josh Beckett is 2-1, with a 1.40 ERA, which is good enough for 6th in the AL. SP Daisuke Matsuzaka is 4-0, 1.60 ERA. Closer Jonathan Papelbon leads the bullpen at 2-1, 1.02 ERA, with 8 saves. The Red Sox swept the 1970 Baltimore Orioles and 1905 Philadelphia Athletics and were swept by the 1912 Boston Red Sox.

In fifth place are the 2003 New York Yankees at 15-13, 5 GB. The team is tied for 4th in the AL in home runs with 37. SS Derek Jeter is hitting .407, which ranks him #1 in the AL, one point ahead of Babe Ruth of the 1926 Yankees. Jeter is also #1 in hits in the AL with 48. SP Roger Clemens is the only pitcher in the starting rotation performing well, as he has started 4-2, 2.22 ERA. The bullpen is ranked 10th in the AL with a 2.48 ERA. The Yankees started well at 5-1, sweeping the 1997 Cleveland Indians in the process, but have struggled since.

The 2009 New York Yankees, 2001 New York Yankees and 2002 Anaheim Angels find themselves tied for sixth place at 13-15, 7 GB. The 2009 squad is led by LF Johnny Damon at .333, with RF Nick Swisher hitting .320. The only good pitching for the team has been SP C.C. Sabathia (4-1, 1.87 ERA, 45 K) and CL Mariano Rivera (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 SV). The 2009 Yankees have only won three series. The 2001 Yankees are having the same pitching struggles. SP Roger Clemens (4-0, 2.31 ERA) is performing well, but the bullpen is 103rd with a 7.26 ERA. CF Bernie Williams (.314 avg) is one of three .300 hitters in the lineup. The 2001 Yankees started 2-9, but then won five in a row before settling in as a .500 club. The Angels are led by SS David Eckstein (.346 avg) and DH Brad Fullmer (.340 avg). SP Kevin Appier (4-2, 2.20 ERA) leads a solid pitching staff. The Angels, however, have been streaky. They started 2-0, lost 7, won 9 of 10 and then went 2-7.

In ninth place are the 2005 Chicago White Sox at 11-17, 9 GB. The White Sox have three .300 hitters in their lineup, led by CF Aaron Rowand at .346, but their starting pitching has been poor so far. The White Sox have won four series, but were swept three times in April.

In last place are the 2006 Detroit Tigers at 7-21, 13 GB. The Tigers started their year 6-6, but then lost 14 straight. SS Carlos Guillen (.376 avg) is the lone .300 hitter on the team, which is 106th in runs scored (92), 107th in OBP (.288), 104th in runs against (174), 106th in starting pitching ERA (6.82) and dead last (108th) in defense.

The National League 2000 Division is led by the 2003 Florida Marlins at 20-8. 2B Luis Castillo (.359 avg) is one of four .300 hitters in the lineup. SP Brad Penny (3-0, 2.56 ERA) leads a starting staff ranked 13th in the NL with a combined ERA of 2.98. The Marlin bullpen has been the best in the NL, ranked #1 with an ERA of 1.38. The Marlins have won six of their nine series, including sweeps of the 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers, 1989 San Francisco Giants, 1924 New York Giants and 1970 Cincinnati Reds.

In second place at 18-10, 2 GB, are the 2002 San Francisco Giants. LF Barry Bonds is the leading hitter, batting .319, with 8 HR and 19 RBI. SP Jason Schmidt (4-2, 2.89 ERA) and SP Livan Hernandez (3-0, 3.16 ERA) lead the starting pitching staff, while CL Robb Nen (1-0, 0.00, 10 SV) leads a bullpen ranked 8th in the NL with a 2.35 ERA. The Giants started their season 3-0 with a sweep of the 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers, but lost their next two series. The Giants have won every series since.

The 2004 St. Louis Cardinals are in third place at 17-11, 3 GB. SS Edgar Renteria is the team's only .300 hitter at .330. SP Jason Marquis (4-2, 2.49 ERA) leads a solid, but average pitching staff. The Cardinals find a way to win, however, losing only three series in April.

In fourth place are the 2000 New York Mets at 16-12, 4 GB. 2B Edgardo Alfonzo (.317 avg) and SS Mike Bordick (.315 avg) are the lone bright spots in a lineup ranked 91st with a .242 batting average and .302 OBP. The starting pitching has been average, while closer Armando Benitez (1-0, 1.50 ERA, 8 SV) has been performing well from the bullpen.

The favorites to win this division, the 2005 Houston Astros, find themselves in a tie for fifth place at 15-13, 5 GB. The lineup is led by C Brad Ausmus (.308 avg) and 2B Craig Biggio (.300 avg). SP Roy Oswalt (4-2, 2.33 ERA) and SP Roger Clemens (3-2, 2.38 ERA) lead a starting pitching staff with a combined ERA of 3.24. But the bullpen's ERA is a staggering 6.02. The Astros started 2-7 after losing all three series. But they've only lost one series since while going 13-6. The other team in fifth place are the 2007 Colorado Rockies. In true Rockie fashion, this team is hitting well, but not pitching well. 1B Todd Helton is one of five .300 hitters in the lineup. Helton is hitting .388 and is 5th in the NL with a .484 OBP. CF Willy Tavaras is 2nd in the NL in stolen bases with 17 while also hitting .374. The Rockies are 3rd in runs scored (162), 4th in average (.307) and 6th in OBP (.364). SP Jeff Francis is the only good pitcher so far with a record of 4-1 and ERA of 2.09. The starting pitching staff, however, is ranked 102nd with a combined ERA of 5.06.

Two teams are tied for seventh place at 13-15, 7 GB. The first team is the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies. CF Shane Victorino leads the team with a .324 batting average. The only other .300 hitter in the lineup is SS Jimmy Rollins, who is hitting .313 and is 1st in the Majors with six triples. The starting pitching has been terrible, ranking next to last (107th) with a combined ERA of 5.95. The Phillies only won three series in April, with two of them coming in the first week and a half. The second team is the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks. LF Luis Gonzalez is the only .300 hitter at .363. SP Randy Johnson is dominant, posting a 2-1 record with a 1.15 ERA and 71 strikeouts. Johnson is tied for 5th in the NL in ERA and 1st in the Majors in strikeouts. The Diamondback bullpen has performed well, ranking 14th in the NL with a 2.58 ERA. Arizona's play has been streaky thus far, sweeping the likes of the 1937 New York Giants, 1922 New York Giants and 1991 Atlanta Braves while being swept by the 1932 Chicago Cubs and 1968 St. Louis Cardinals.

In ninth place are 12-16, 8 GB, are the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies. LF Raul Ibanez (.333 avg) is the best of a lineup with two other .300 hitters, but the pitching has been sub par. The Phillies swept the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers to start the season, but have struggled since.

The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals find themselves in last place with a record of 11-17, 9 GB. 1B Albert Pujols (.351 avg) is the team's only .300 hitter. SP Chris Carpenter is pitching well, finishing the month 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA. The Cards have been streaky. They lost seven in a row while being swept by the 1999 and 1991 Atlanta Braves, then won four in a row while sweeping the 1987 Cardinals. The Cards are currently on a four game losing skid, highlighted by a sweep at the hands of the 2005 Houston Astros.

abell1198 · 11-10-2013, 07:00 PM

The 2010's divisions have been disappointing to say the least. Neither division winner is predicted to finish at .500 in this simulation and only one team is playing well through the first month.

The American League 2010's division is led by the 2011 Texas Rangers at 13-15. C Mike Napoli leads the lineup with his .347 batting average while three others are hitting over .300. The Rangers have the 12th best team average at .286 and is 7th in runs scored with 157. But the Ranger's pitchers are ranked 93rd and the team has shown no consistency. The Rangers were swept by the 1954 Cleveland Indians and 1913 Philadelphia Athletics, but managed to sweep the 2001 New York Yankees.

The preseason favorite to win the division, the 2012 Detroit Tigers, find themselves in 2nd place at 12-16, 1 GB. DH Miguel Cabrera leads all hitters with his .314 batting average. There is one other .300 hitter, but three hitters batting under .200. As a team, the Tigers are hitting .229, which ranks them 105th. The Tigers pitching has been average so far. The team started 0-10, as they were swept by the 1930 Philadelphia Athletics, 1920 Cleveland Indians and 1913 Philadelphia Athletics.

In last place are the 2010 Texas Rangers at 7-21, 6 GB. 3B Michael Young is the leading hitter with a .375 batting average. Young took home player of the week honors on April 22. The Rangers are 3rd in hitting with their .294 team batting average, but unfortunately, their starting pitching is ranked 105th with a 6.61 ERA. Throw in a defense ranked 107th, and you understand why this team has won only one series. On a positive note, they won the last game of the month to end a nine game skid.

In the National League, the leader is the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals at 17-11. RF Lance Berkman is leading the team and the Major Leagues with his .429 batting average and won player of the week honors on April 15th. Berkman also had a 21 game hitting streak in April. The Cardinals starting pitching has been below average, but the bullpen has picked up the slack and is ranked 11th in the NL with a 2.46 ERA. The Cardinals have lost only three series and swept the 1942 Cardinals and 1920 Brooklyn Robins.

In second place are the 2012 San Francisco Giants at 13-15, 4 GB. Juiced up LF Melky Cabrera leads the lineup with his .398 average while SP Barry Zito is surprising everyone with his 3-0 start and 2.13 ERA. The Giants lost 6 of their last 7 games in April.

The favorites to win the division find themselves in last place. The 2010 San Francisco Giants finished the month at 10-18, 7 GB. LF Pat Burrell leads the team with a .316 batting average. The Giants pitching has been solid, but the hitting has been below average. The team got off to a slow start at 2-5, but thought they had turned it around when they won four straight. Then came the nine game losing streak.

So there you have it for the first month. Is your favorite team performing like you thought? Fortunately for some teams, the season is just beginning, giving them all time to turn things around. Let's see what the next month brings.

abell1198 · 11-16-2013, 04:04 PM

The American League 1900's Division is living up to preseason (lack of) expectations, as all teams are under .500. The division lead has two teams at the top at 26-31. The 1908 Detroit Tigers improved their position by five games while having a winning May. The Tigers are 15th in the AL with a team batting average of .278 and are 7th in the AL in stolen bases with 79. LF Matty McIntyre (.327 avg) leads the Tigers, who have three others hitting .300 or better. SP George Mullin (5-3, 3.43 ERA) leads a below average pitching staff. RF Ty Cobb made news on May 7 when he went 5-7 in a 9-7 win over the 1917 Chicago White Sox, who the Tigers ended up sweeping. The 1906 Chicago White Sox share the lead with the Tigers, who they swept in May. Unfortunately, they had trouble beating other teams, ending May with a 10-19 record and losing the three game lead they had at the end of April. The White Sox were swept by the 1973 Oakland A's, 2006 Detroit Tigers and 1929 Philadelphia Athletics. The White Sox ended the month on a four game losing streak and have lost 8 of their last 9. SS George Davis still leads the team in hitting, raising his average 15 points to .345. Davis is the only .300 hitter on a team with below average hitting. Davis is also tied for 2nd in the AL with 26 doubles. Davis also made news on May 5 when he went 5-7 in an 11-8, 13 inning loss to the 1990 Oakland A's.

In third place are the 1909 Detroit Tigers at 23-34, who have maintained staying at 3 GB. The Tigers lead the AL in stolen bases with 112, with RF Ty Cobb (.342 avg) tied for the Major League lead with 32. Cobb is one of two .300 hitters on the team. The Tiger's starting pitching has been terrible, ranking 107th in ERA at 5.71. The Tigers are currently on an eight game losing streak, highlighted by sweeps at the hands of the 1957 New York Yankees and 1969 Baltimore Orioles.

The 1907 Detroit Tigers find themselves in fourth place at 22-35, 4 GB. The Tigers have actually gained two games on the division leaders this month. RF Ty Cobb (.316 avg) is one of two .300 hitters. SP Bill Donovan leads the pitching staff at 5-5, 2.17 ERA.

In fifth place, the 1905 Philadelphia Athletics remain 7 GB of the division lead with a record of 19-38. The team has no .300 hitters in the lineup. SP Andy Coakley (7-1, 2.73 ERA) is the only winning pitcher, although SP Rube Waddell (3-6, 3.40 ERA) leads the AL in strikeouts with 139.

In last place are the 1903 Boston Americans at 18-39. Good news for them is they are still 8 GB in a weak division. DH Chick Stahl is the team's only .300 hitter at .305, while three players in the lineup are hitting under .200. SS Freddy Parent (.284, 2 HR, 20 RBI) is tied for 2nd in the AL with seven triples. SP Cy Young is 4-7, with a 3.63 ERA. The Americans only won two series in May and were swept by the 1913 Philadelphia Athletics and 1961 New York Yankees.

The National League 1900's Division is led by the 1906 Chicago Cubs at 36-21. The Cubs took over first place in May and have built a four game lead. The Cubs are ranked #1 in defense and are 6th in stolen bases with 81. 3B Harry Steinfeldt still leads the team in hitting with his .359 average and SP Fred Beebe (7-2, 2.51 ERA) is still the best pitcher on the staff. The starters all have ERA under 4.00 and are ranked 8th overall with a 2.94 ERA. But the bullpen is still this team's weakness. The Cubs did manage to sweep both the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates and 2006 St. Louis Cardinals this month, but lost their last three series of May.

In second place are the former first place team, the 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates, at 32-25. The Pirates had a two game lead at the end of April, but a 12-17 May has them four games out. The Pirates were swept by the 1949 Brooklyn Dodgers this month and also suffered sweeps by the 1954 New York Giants and 1911 New York Giants during a seven game skid. The Pirates look to be turning things around, finishing May with a four game winning streak in which they swept the 1926 St. Louis Cardinals. LF Fred Clarke (.316, 6 HR, 34 RBI) and CF Ginger Beaumont (.314, 6 HR, 38 RBI) lead the Pirate hitters, while SP Deacon Phillippe (6-3, 2.74 ERA) and SP Sam Leever (8-2, 3.10) lead the way for the pitching staff. CL Brickyard Kennedy (2-2, 2.20 ERA, 19 SV) continues his good performance and is tied for 1st in the NL in saves.

The 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates (31-26) find themselves in third place and are still 5 GB. C George Gibson (.315 avg) and SS Honus Wagner (.308 avg) lead all hitters. SP Nick Maddox (7-3, 2.95 ERA) made news on May 17 when he pitched a four hit shutout over the 1961 Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates won 9-0, as Maddox struck out three and walked none. Notable wins for the Pirates included sweeps of the 1984 San Diego Padres and 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers.

In fourth place are the 1908 Chicago Cubs at 28-29, which keeps them 8 GB of the division lead. The Cubs have no .300 hitters in the lineup. SP Orval Overall (6-4, 2.87 ERA) and SP Jack Pfiester (6-4, 2.95 ERA) are doing what they can to win games. The Cubs were 16-13 in May after a 12-16 record in April. The Cubs managed to sweep the 2005 Houston Astros and 1982 St. Louis Cardinals.

The 1905 New York Giants are in fifth place at 26-31. The Giants fell another game back of the lead and are currently 10 GB. The Giants were 15-14 in May after their initial 11-17 mark in April. The Giants hitters are performing well, as the team is 1st in the NL in OBP (.365), 1st in walks (267), 4th in stolen bases (89) and 6th in runs scored (299). CF Mike Donlin is hitting .379, which is 6th in the NL. Donlin is also tied for 5th in the NL in hits with 85. Donlin had a 36 game hit streak, which ended on May 23. LF Sam Mertes is hitting .355 and is tied for 5th in the NL in stolen bases with 23. SP Christy Mathewson leads the pitching staff at 7-2, 3.36 ERA.

The 1907 Chicago Cubs find themselves in last place after a truly disastrous month. The Cubs are 22-35 after starting out 14-14. They dropped 8 GB of the division lead and now find themselves 14 GB. The Cubs have no .300 hitters and are 96th in batting average at .243. RF Frank Schulte had his 27 game hit streak end on the first day of May. SP Orval Overall leads the pitchers at 6-2, 2.23 ERA. The Cubs managed losing streaks of 3,4,5 & 6 games this month and were swept by the 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers and 1921 New York Giants.

abell1198 · 11-18-2013, 02:19 PM

The 1910's Division, surprisingly enough, has the two teams with the league's best record after two months of play, with one from each league. In the American League, we'll start with the leader, the 1912 Boston Red Sox, who are 40-17. The Red Sox had an outstanding May, finishing the month at 22-7. CF Tris Speaker is the team's only .300 hitter at .376, which places him 5th in the AL. The real story behind this team has been it's pitching. SP Smokey Joe Wood (8-2, 2.72 ERA) is 6th in the AL with 117 strikeouts. SP Ray Collins (6-2, 3.07 ERA) made news on May 1 with a 2-hit shutout over the 1984 Detroit Tigers in a 1-0 win. Collins struck out 10 and walked one. SP Buck O'Brien (6-2, 2.50 ERA) threw a no-hitter on May 16, defeating the 2012 Detroit Tigers 4-0 while striking out 8 and walking one. SP Eddie Cicotte (7-3, 3.42 ERA) and SP Hugh Bedient (7-4, 2.84 ERA) round out the starting staff. Closer Charley Hall (1-2, 2.84 ERA, 17 SV) is currently tied for 4th in the AL in saves. The Red Sox had sweeps of the 2000 New York Yankees, 1991 Minnesota Twins, 2012 Detroit Tigers and 1955 New York Yankees.

Second place is currently held by the 1913 Philadelphia Athletics at 37-20, 3 GB. The Athletics were consistent, following up their 18-10 April with a 19-10 May performance. The Athletics extended their six game winning streak at the end of April to ten games by winning their first four games of May. 1B Stuffy McInnis (.349 avg) is the best hitter in a lineup with four players at .300 or higher. 2B Eddie Collins (.338 avg) is tied for 2nd in the AL in stolen bases with 22, while CF Amos Strunk (.291 avg) is tied for 4th with 21. SP Chief Bender (7-2, 2.49 ERA) and SP Eddie Plank (6-2, 2.52 ERA) lead the starters, while CL John Taff (2-2, 2.70, 17 SV) leads the bullpen. The Athletics managed sweeps of the 1990 Oakland A's, 1903 Boston Americans and 2006 Detroit Tigers, but were swept by the 1929 Philadelphia Athletics.

The 1919 Chicago White Sox find themselves in third place, 8 GB of first place at 32-25. The White Sox played well this month, finishing May with a record of 17-12, but still lost ground on first place by four games. The White Sox had a five game losing streak in early May, highlighted by a sweep at the hands of the 1949 New York Yankees. But, they've won six of seven series since that point, sweeping both the 1938 New York Yankees and 2005 Chicago White Sox. The White Sox have a losing record on the road and will need to improve to have a chance. LF Shoeless Joe Jackson (.371, 9 HR, 50 RBI) leads the lineup and is tied for 4th in the AL with 6 triples. Jackson also hit for the cycle on May 16. SP Eddie Cicotte (4-3, 2.61 ERA), SP Dickey Kerr (6-2, 3.01 ERA) and SP Grover Lowdermilk (5-1, 3.22 ERA) lead the charge for the pitching staff.

In fourth place are three teams at 31-26, 9 GB. The first is the 1911 Philadelphia Athletics. 2B Eddie Collins (.365 avg) is one of four .300 hitters in the lineup. 3B Home Run Baker (.308, 8 HR, 47 RBI) is tied for 4th in the AL with 23 doubles. SP Eddie Plank (6-3, 2.97 ERA), SP Chief Bender (7-4, 3.39 ERA) and SP Jack Coombs (6-2, 3.26 ERA) lead the pitching staff. The Athletics won 9 of 10 in the first half of May, sweeping the 1928 and 1976 New York Yankees. But a lackluster effort in the second half put them four more games away from first place, even though they finished May at 17-12. The next team is the 1917 Chicago White Sox. The White Sox started May with a five game losing streak while being swept by the 1908 Detroit Tigers. LF Shoeless Joe Jackson (.324 avg) is the team's only .300 hitter. SP Reb Russell (7-3, 3.56 ERA) and SP Joe Benz (6-3, 3.62 ERA) are doing what they can to help the team, but a losing record in May has really hurt this team. The final team is the 1915 Boston Red Sox. 2B Bill Rodgers (.301 avg) is the only .300 hitter in the lineup, which has really struggled, ranking 106th overall with a .230 team average. The Red Sox are running when they are on base, ranking 5th in stolen bases with 86. The pitching staff has been superb, ranking 2nd in the AL with a 2.87 ERA. SP Dutch Leonard (5-4, 1.59 ERA) is 6th in the AL in ERA. SP Smoky Joe Wood (8-2, 2.99 ERA) made news on May 23 when he threw a 2-hit shutout over the 1930 Philadelphia Athletics in a 2-0 win.

The 1916 Boston Red Sox find themselves in seventh place at 30-27, 10 GB. The Red Sox suffered a complete collapse in May, with an 11-18 mark after finishing April at 19-9 and first place. 3B Larry Gardner (.322 avg) and CF Tillie Walker (.314 avg) lead the hitters, while SP Ernie Shore is 7-0, with a 1.66 ERA.

In eighth place are the 1914 Philadelphia Athletics at 28-29, 12 GB. The Athletics managed to put together a 16-13 record in May, but still lost ground on first place. 2B Eddie Collins put together a 25 game hitting streak and is hitting .379, which has him tied for 2nd in the AL. 3B Home Run Baker also put together a 21 game hitting streak. SP Bullet Joe Bush (6-3, 2.97 ERA) and SP Eddie Plank (6-4, 3.02 ERA) lead the pitching staff. The Athletics are currently 3rd in the AL in stolen bases with 106.

The 1910 Philadelphia Athletics are in ninth place with a mark of 25-32, 15 GB. The Athletics put together a winning record in May at 16-13, sweeping the 1956 New York Yankees, 2009 New York Yankees and 1980 Kansas City Royals. 2B Eddie Collins (.343 avg) and 3B Home Run Baker (.312 avg) lead the hitters, while SP Chief Bender (7-5, 3.33 ERA) and SP Eddie Plank (4-4, 2.76 ERA) lead the pitchers.

In last place are the 1918 Boston Red Sox at 22-35, 18 GB. The team has no .300 hitters and is ranked 104th with their .232 team batting average. LF Babe Ruth (.221, 17 HR, 43 RBI) made news on May 18 when he went 3-3 with 3 home runs and 6 RBI in a 10-3 win over the 1914 Philadelphia Athletics. SP Bullet Joe Bush is the best pitcher at 5-3, 3.57 ERA.

The National League is led by the 1913 New York Giants at 40-17. The Giants are 1st in the NL in stolen bases with 111. The team started May with a nine game winning streak en route to a 21-8 record for the month. In the process, the Giants swept the 1946 St. Louis Cardinals, 1940 Cincinnati Reds, 2012 San Francisco Giants and 1933 New York Giants. C Chief Meyers (.339 avg) is one of three .300 hitters in the lineup. The starting pitching staff is ranked 11th in the NL. SP Al Demaree (7-2, 2.85 ERA) was named May Pitcher of the Month. Demaree went 5-0 with a 1.10 ERA, while striking out 33 and walking 11 in 49 innings of work. Demaree held opposing hitters to a .200 batting average. The other members of the starting staff are Christy Mathewson (7-1, 3.01 ERA), Jeff Tesreau (6-2, 2.37 ERA), Red Ames (7-2, 2.63 ERA) and Rube Marquard (5-4, 4.26 ERA).

In second place are the 1910 Chicago Cubs at 37-20, 3 GB. The Cubs were a model of consistency, going 19-10 in May after their 18-10 start in April. The Cubs only have one .300 hitter (C Johnny Kling .328 avg) but the team boasts a .270 team average, ranking them 23rd in the NL. The Cubs are also ranked 8th in stolen bases with 69. SP Ed Reulbach (7-3, 3.27 ERA) and CL Lew Richie (0-0, 2.33, 17 SV) are the best on a staff which is struggling with a 4.36 combined ERA, ranking them 89th in the NL. CF Solly Hofman (.290, 4 HR, 35 RBI) made news on May 6 when he went 5-5 in an 11-5 win over the 1978 Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cubs are currently on a seven game winning streak in which they've swept the 1986 New York Mets and 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 1912 New York Giants are in third place at 34-23, 6 GB. The Giants posted a mark of 19-10 in May, but still dropped two more games out of first place. 2B Larry Doyle (.338, 11 HR, 35 RBI) and C Chief Meyers (.321 avg) lead the Giant hitters. SP Christy Mathewson (8-2, 2.27 ERA) leads an above average staff. The Giants are ranked 5th in stolen bases with 82.

In fourth place are the 1916 Brooklyn Robins at 31-26, 9 GB. 1B Jake Daubert (.329 avg) and C Lew McCarty (.315 avg) lead a lineup ranked 9th in the NL with a .282 batting average. SS Ivy Olson (.298, 0 HR, 15 RBI) made the news on May 8 with a 5-5 performance in a 9-6 win over the 1992 Atlanta Braves. SP Larry Cheney (7-2, 2.26 ERA) leads a solid starting staff, but the bullpen has been this team's weakness. Cheney also made the news on May 21 when he only allowed five hits in a 6-2 win over the 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers, striking out 16 and walking two.

Two teams find themselves tied for fifth place at 29-28, 11 GB. The first team is the 1911 New York Giants. The Giants have no .300 hitters and are led by LF Red Murray (.298, 2 HR, 17 RBI). Murray has 23 stolen bases and is tied for 5th in the NL, while the team is ranked 2nd in the NL with 97 stolen bases. SP Christy Mathewson (6-4, 2.40 ERA) leads a solid starting staff, but the lack of a bullpen is hurting the team. The second team is the 1914 Boston Braves. The Brave's lineup is led by 1B Possum Whitted (.301 avg) and LF Joe Connolly (.298, 10 HR, 32 RBI). SP Lefty Tyler (8-1, 2.14 ERA) and CL Paul Strand (2-2, 1.27 ERA, 18 SV) lead an overall weak pitching staff. The Braves have a losing record at home, while winning on the road.

In seventh place are the 1915 Philadelphia Phillies at 27-30, 13 GB. The Phillies have no .300 hitters and are ranked 107th in the NL in batting average (.230) and 108th (last) in OBP (.281). RF Gavvy Craveth (.258, 18 HR, 35 RBI) and LF Beals Becker (.235, 15 HR, 35 RBI) are putting up some numbers when they do hit the ball. Craveth is tied for 4th in the NL in home runs.

The 1919 Cincinnati Reds are in eighth place with a mark of 26-31, 14 GB. The Reds managed to put together a winning record in May at 15-14, but also fell victim to a no-hitter on May 10 against Sal Maglie and the 1951 New York Giants. CF Edd Roush is the team's best hitter with a .333 average. The starting pitching has been average, while the bullpen is below average.

Two teams are tied for last place in the division at 25-32, 15 GB. The first team is the 1917 New York Giants. CF Benny Kauff (.321 avg) and 3B Heinie Zimmerman (.301 avg) are hitting well, but overall the rest of the lineup has been hitting poorly. The pitching staff has been above average overall. The Giants put together two four game winning streaks this month, sweeping the 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers and 1961 Cincinnati Reds. The second team is the 1918 Chicago Cubs. 1B Fred Merkle (.380, 7 HR, 41 RBI) has been a hitting machine. Merkle is 5th in the NL in batting average and 3rd in hits. Merkle also made news on May 7 when he went 6 for 8 in a 7-6 loss to the 1943 St. Louis Cardinals in 15 innings. LF Les Mann (.281, 4 HR, 32 RBI) is tied for 4th in the NL in doubles with 25. SP Claude Hendrix (7-3, 3.46 ERA) is the best of a pitching staff with weak starters and a poor bullpen. The Cubs were swept by the 1926 St. Louis Cardinals and 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates during separate four and five game losing streaks.

09-09-2013, 02:11 PM	#4
abell1198 All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Columbia, MO Posts: 846	1900's Division-April The first month of the World Series League has been completed. The division monthly reports will be by chronological order, so we'll start with the 1900's divisions. In the American league, the 1900's Division is led by the 1906 Chicago White Sox at 16-12. This team was predicted to finish 3rd in the division, but started their season strong with a sweep of the 2000 New York Yankees. The team is led by SS George Davis, who is currently batting .330 and is tied for fourth in the AL with 15 doubles. Starting pitchers Doc White and Ed Walsh have both started their season 3-1. Walsh made news with his victory over the 1992 Toronto Blue Jays, when he pitched 8 innings, striking out 15, while walking one and giving up five hits. The 1909 Detroit Tigers are 3 GB in 2nd place. The preseason favorites to win the division, their only highlight appears to be RF Ty Cobb, who leads the Majors with 22 stolen bases. The 1908 Detroit Tigers are 5 GB in 3rd place. SS Charley O'Leary leads the Majors with 17 doubles. The 1907 Detroit Tigers are 6 GB in 4th place, followed by the 1905 Philadelphia Athletics at 7 GB and the 1903 Boston Americans at 8 GB. Americans SP Cy Young has gotten little run support while posting a 3-3 record and an ERA of 2.50. The National League 1900's Division is led by the 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates at 20-8. This team was predicted to finish 3rd in the division, but started strong by sweeping the 1939 Cincinnati Reds and 1917 New York Giants, then took 2 of 3 from the 1995 Atlanta Braves. LF Fred Clarke leads the team with a .356 batting average, but the story of this team is their solid starting pitching. CL Brickyard Kennedy has slammed the door on the competition, going 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA and is tied for the NL lead for saves with 11. The 1906 Chicago Cubs, the preseason favorite to win the division, are 2 GB in second place at 18-12. The Cubs have only lost two series so far, to the 1911 New York Giants and the 2004 St. Louis Cardinals and they have swept the 1949 Brooklyn Dodgers and 1943 St. Louis Cardinals. 3B Harry Steinfeldt leads the team in batting with a .360 average, while 2B Johnny Evers is 4th in the NL with 13 stolen bases. SP Mordecai Brown has struggled, going 1-4 with a 4.30 ERA. Fortunately for him, the rest of the starters have gone 13-1, led by Fred Beebe. Beebe is 4-0, with a 2.05 ERA and leads the Majors with allowing only 4.50 H/9 and holding opponents to a .147 average. The 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates are 5 GB in third place and were the victims of a no-hitter on April 2, one of four no-hitters thrown in the first week of the season. The 1907 Chicago Cubs are 6 GB in fourth place. RF Frank Schulte currently has a 27 game hit streak. The 1908 Chicago Cubs are 8 GB in fifth place and the 1905 New York Giants bring up the rear, 9 GB. Giants CF Mike Doulin is tied for 2nd place in the NL for hits with 46. Attached Images

09-10-2013, 03:38 PM	#7
abell1198 All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Columbia, MO Posts: 846	1910's Division-April In the American League, the 1910's Division is led by the surprising 1916 Boston Red Sox at 19-9. I say surprising because they were predicted to finish 9th in the division. Instead, they've won eight of their first nine series. CF Tillie Walker leads the team with a .350 batting average. Starting pitching has been key for this team, with SP Carl Mays leading the staff with a 3-0 record and 1.82 ERA. SP Ernie Shore is 5-0, 2.56 ERA and SP Dutch Leonard is 4-1, 3.27 ERA. If SP Babe Ruth can improve from 2-2, 4.26 ERA, this team could hold on to this lead. The preseason favorite for this division are the 1913 Philadelphia Athletics, who are 1 GB at 18-10. 2B Eddie Collins Sr. leads the team with a .362 batting average. Tied for second place at 18-10 are the 1912 Boston Red Sox. They've stayed in the race so far by sweeping the 2007 Boston Red Sox and the 1960 New York Yankees. CF Tris Speaker leads the team batting .345 while SP Eddie Cicotte is dominating opponents. Cicotte has gone 4-1, with a 2.41 ERA and 4 CG. Cicotte pitched three straight shutouts against the 1956 New York Yankees, 2007 Boston Red Sox and 1960 New York Yankees. His 3 shutouts leads the Majors. Tied for fourth place are the 1917 Chicago White Sox and 1915 Boston Red Sox, with both teams settling in 2 GB at 17-11. White Sox RF Nemo Leibold leads his team with a .372 batting average. Add in his 20 BB, and Leibold has an amazing .487 OBP!!! The Red Sox have been led by a strong pitching staff and swept both the 1934 and 1935 Detroit Tigers. In sixth place is the 1919 Chicago White Sox at 15-13, 4 GB. LF Shoeless Joe Jackson is batting .368 and 3B Buck Weaver is tied for fourth in the AL with 15 doubles. SP Dickey Kerr is 4-0, 2.18 ERA. The 1911 Philadelphia Athletics are even at 14-14 and 5 GB. 2B Eddie Collins Sr is batting .373 and CF Rube Oldring is tied for first in the AL with five triples. 2B Eddie Collins Sr of the 1914 Philadelphia Athletics (12-16, 7 GB) is fourth in the AL batting .390. SP Bullet Joe Bush is 3-1, 2.22 ERA. If SP Chief Bender can turn around an atrocious April (0-5, 9.57 ERA), this team might still have a chance. The 1918 Boston Red Sox are 10-18 and 9 GB. Their team batting average is a miserable .222, with a .294 OBP. LF Babe Ruth is only batting .179. The 1910 Philadelphia Athletics are in last at 9-19, 10 GB. In the National League, the 1910's Division is led by the 1913 New York Giants at 19-9. Their year started off on the right foot when they started the season by sweeping the 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers and 1993 Philadelphia Phillies, then took 2 of 3 from the 1908 Chicago Cubs. A streaky team thus far, they also swept series from the 2010 San Francisco Giants and 1905 New York Giants. The team leads the NL in stolen bases with 53. The favorites to win this division are the 1910 Chicago Cubs, who settle into 2nd place at 18-10. They are 2nd in the NL with an OBP of .375. C Johnny Kling is batting .400, which has him tied for 5th in the NL. SP Mordecai Brown is 4-1, 2.81 ERA, but the rest of the staff will need to improve to keep this team in the race. The 1915 Philadelphia Phillies are one of four teams tied for third at 15-13. Their pitching has been strong thus far, but they have had little hitting outside of RF Gavvy Cravath's 11 HR, which is 3rd in the NL. The 1912 New York Giants are also 15-13, led by 2B Larry Doyle (.316 avg) and SP Christy Mathewson (4-1, 2.44 ERA) The 1916 Brooklyn Robins (15-13) are led by SP Larry Cheney (4-1, 1.42 ERA), SP Rube Marquard (4-2, 2.20 ERA) and C Lew McCarty, who is batting .326. The 1914 Boston Braves (15-13) are led by LF Joe Connolly (.352 avg) and SP Lefty Tyler (5-0, 1.77 ERA). SP Bill James made news by pitching a no-hitter on the road against the 1957 Milwaukee Braves on April 7, while walking six and striking out four in the 2-0 win. The 1911 New York Giants and 1918 Chicago Cubs are even at 14-14 and 5 GB. The Giants are led by LF Red Murray's .368 batting average. The Cubs have had strong starting pitching, but have been sabotaged by their weak bullpen. The Cubs have four players at .300 or better, led by SS Charlie Hollocher at .359. Hollocher is also tied for 4th in the NL with 14 doubles. In the basement of the division are the 1917 New York Giants and 1919 Cincinnati Reds, both at 11-17 and 8 GB. Attached Images

09-13-2013, 11:40 PM	#8
abell1198 All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Columbia, MO Posts: 846	1920's Division-April The American League 1920's Division has proven interesting in the first month. This division was suppose to be won by a landslide according to preseason predictions, but has been competitive thus far. Leading the division after the first month are two teams: The 1925 Washington Senators and the 1921 New York Yankees, both at 17-11. The Senators were picked to finished 7th in the division, but a five game winning streak has them tied for the lead. The Senators are led by RF Sam Rice, who is batting .371. SP Dutch Ruether (3-2, 2.86 ERA, 2 SHO) and Walter Johnson (3-1, 3.89 ERA) lead the team in pitching. The 1921 Yankees started out the season 6-0, sweeping the 1924 Chicago White Sox and 1909 Detroit Tigers. The team also brought out the brooms against the 1918 Boston Red Sox. C Wally Schang is batting .333, but LF Babe Ruth is only hitting .220. However, the Babe is 2nd in the AL in walks with 34. The overwhelming favorite to win the division, and possibly the pennant, are the 1927 New York Yankees, who find themselves 1 GB at 16-12. The '27 Yanks were surprised to start the season 0-3 after being swept by the 1958 Yankees, but later returned the favor on the road against them. The Yankees were also swept by the 1988 Oakland A's, but managed to sweep the 1975 Boston Red Sox. They finished the month strong though, winning 9 of their last 10 and currently have a six game winning streak. LF Babe Ruth leads the Yankees, batting .313, 10 HR 24 RBI. SP Wilcy Moore, Herb Penneck and Waite Hoyt all have ERA's under 2.00. In fourth place are the 1929 Philadelphia Athletics and 1920 Cleveland Indians at 15-13, 2 GB. The Athletics are led by 1B Jimmie Foxx (.343 avg) and SP Lefty Grove (3-2, 1.47 ERA). Indians CF Tris Speaker is batting .355. In sixth place are the 1928 New York Yankees at 14-14, 3 GB. The team started out with promise, as they started 6-0, sweeping the 2006 Detroit Tigers and 1949 New York Yankees. They've gone 8-14 since, with three of those wins coming in a sweep of the 2005 Chicago White Sox. 2B Tony Lazzeri leads the team with a .392 batting average. RF Babe Ruth is batting .326, with 8 HR and 20 RBI. Ruth is tied for 3rd in the AL with 31 walks. Tied for sixth place are the 1926 New York Yankees, also at 14-14, 3 GB. The pitching staff so far has been problematic. RF Babe Ruth is carrying the team at this point and is leading the Majors in most offensive categories. Ruth won AL Batter of the Month honors, hitting .406, with 17 HR and 44 RBI. In eighth place are the 1924 Washington Senators at 13-15, 4 GB. The team has a struggling bullpen and a lack of power. 1B Joe Judge (.321 avg) and CF Nemo Leibold (.320 avg) lead the team in hitting, while SP George Magridge (4-1, 2.96 ERA) and Tom Zachary (3-1, 2.92 ERA) lead the pitching staff. SP Walter Johnson has struggled at 0-4, 3.19 ERA. The 1923 New York Yankees are in 9th place at 12-16, 5 GB. The team has won only one series. No hitter is batting .300 and three players are hitting under .200. The 1922 New York Yankees finish out in last place at 10-18, 7 GB. Although LF Babe Ruth is batting .367, with 11 HR and 23 RBI, their bullpen is the worst in the AL. The National League 1920's Division is led by the 1928 St. Louis Cardinals and the 1926 St. Louis Cardinals at 17-11. The 1928 Cards are one of the favorites to win the division. LF Chick Hafey is 4th in the NL, hitting .407. Hafey is 2nd in the NL in hits with 46 and 3rd in the NL in doubles with 15. SP Syl Johnson has started strong at 3-1, 1.40 ERA. The 1926 Cards were predicted to finish in the middle of the pack, but have won their last four games to keep in contention. SP Bill Sherdel is pitching well at 3-1, 2.21 ERA. The 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates are in third place at 16-12, 1 GB. The team is streaky, with two 4 game and one 5 game winning streaks. Starting pitching has been a weakness, but their solid bullpen is keeping them alive. CF Max Carey leads the team hitting .382, while SP Vic Aldridge has started out 4-1, 3.89 ERA. Tied for fourth in the division are the 1922 New York Giants and the 1929 Chicago Cubs at 14-14, 3 GB. The Giants are led by C Frank Snyder (.324 avg) and CF Casey Stengel (.321 avg). The Cubs are 6th in the NL in batting, but their weak bullpen is costing them. The Cubs do seem to have the Cardinals number, winning 2 of 3 from the 1924, 1964 and 2004 squads. 1B Charlie Grimm is hitting .386, while SP Pat Malone leads the pitchers at 4-1, 2.28 ERA. The 1923 New York Giants are in sixth place at 13-15, 4 GB. 2B Frankie Frisch is batting .375 and four other players are batting over .300, placing the team in the top 10% in hitting in the NL. Unfortunately, their pitching is in the bottom 10% of the NL teams. The 1921 New York Giants and the 1920 Brooklyn Robins find themselves at 11-17, 6 GB and tied for seventh in the division. The Giants have struggled with their pitching, although three starters have shown promise with each throwing a shutout. RF Ross Youngs leads the hitters with a .318 batting average. The Robins were one of the favorites to win the division, but find themselves struggling with hitting and consistent play. 3B Jimmy Johnston is hitting .340, but three players are hitting under .200. The starting pitching has a combined ERA of 2.95, which is 10th in the NL. The Robins have been swept three times and swept other teams twice. In ninth place are the 1924 New York Giants at 10-18, 7 GB. The team has shown good pitching, but has poor hitting. 2B Frankie Frisch (.304 avg) is the only hitter over .300. The Giants have had losing streaks of five and six games. The 1927 Pittsburgh Pirates are in last place at 8-20, 9 GB. Their only highlight has been 3B Pie Traynor (.324 avg). At one point in the middle of April, the Pirates had lost 11 of 12 games. Attached Images Last edited by abell1198; 09-13-2013 at 11:44 PM.

09-14-2013, 10:12 PM	#9
abell1198 All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Columbia, MO Posts: 846	1930's Division-April The 1930's Division has proven to be very interesting. In the American League, only one team in this division is under .500. Of the five Yankees teams, four of them are at the top of the division. In the National League, there is the good, the bad and the ugly. The 1938 New York Yankees lead the American League 1930's Division with a 20-8 record. They've only lost one series, to the 1981 New York Yankees and have swept the 2010 Texas Rangers and 1935 Detroit Tigers. LF George Selkirk leads the team with a .360 average. SP Lefty Gomez leads the starting pitching staff at 4-1, 1.80 ERA with 40 strikeouts. CL Johnny Murphy is 2-0, with a 0.69 ERA and 7 saves in 11 appearances. The 1939 New York Yankees and 1936 New York Yankees are tied for second at 18-10, 2 GB. The 1939 Yankees are the favorites to win this division and looked the part as they started the season 9-3 with a seven game winning streak. CF Joe DiMaggio is the only hitter over .300, batting .362. SP Lefty Gomez is 4-1, 1.68 ERA and 53 strikeouts to lead the pitching staff. The 1936 Yankees started out their season 5-0 after opening the year by sweeping the 1962 Yankees. They also completed a sweep of the 1985 Kansas City Royals. 1B Lou Gehrig is batting .340 and the pitchers are led by SP Pat Malone, who is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA. In fourth place are the 1932 New York Yankees at 17-11, 3 GB. They got off to a slow start at 1-6 and were swept by the 1971 Baltimore Orioles. Since then, they've swept both the 1925 Chicago White Sox and 2008 Tampa Bay Rays. Their pitching staff is one of the best in the American League. The starters are 8th in the AL with a 3.00 ERA, while the bullpen ranks 3rd in the AL with a 1.90 ERA. RF Babe Ruth is hitting .361 with 9 HR and 32 RBI. Ruth is tied for 2nd in the AL for RBI. SP Lefty Gomez (4-1, 1.91 ERA) is 6th in the AL in strikeouts with 60. SP George Pipgras is also 4-1, with a 2.27 ERA. SP Red Ruffing is second in the AL with 65 strikeouts. The 1930 Philadelphia Athletics are in fifth place at 16-12, 4 GB. The Athletics are 9th in the AL in batting average, with 3B Jimmy Dykes hitting .355, while three others are also batting over .300. 2B Max Bishop is tied for fifth in the AL with 29 walks. Starting pitching has been decent so far and is led by SP Lefty Grove (3-2, 1.09 ERA, 61 K's). Grove is tied for 4th in the AL for strikeouts and is 2nd in the AL in ERA. But the bullpen is what is holding this team back. If it can improve, the Athletics might have a chance. Three teams are tied for sixth place in the division at 15-13, 5 GB. The first of these teams is the 1933 Washington Senators. The Senators are 2nd in the AL in batting average and 4th in OBP. SS Joe Cronin (.384 avg) and four others are hitting over .300. CF Fred Schulte is 4th in the AL with four triples, while RF Goose Goslin is tied for 5th in the AL with 31 RBI. Unfortunately for the Senators, their pitching staff hasn't performed as well, with the exception of starting pitchers Earl Whitehill (4-1, 2.88 ERA) and Monte Weaver (3-1, 3.38 ERA). Next is the 1931 Philadelphia Athletics. 2B Max Bishop leads the team in hitting with a .351 batting average. CL Jim Peterson has been impressive (2-0, 0.95 ERA) and is tied for 3rd in Saves with 10. The 1934 Detroit Tigers are the third team at 15-13. They have no hitters batting over .300, but their starting pitching is 3rd in the AL with a 2.62 ERA. In ninth place are the 1937 New York Yankees at 14-14, 6 GB. C Bill Dickey is leading the team with a .330 batting average. The starting pitching has been poor, but the bullpen has been decent enough to keep the team competitive. The team is currently on a four game winning streak. In last place are the 1935 Detroit Tigers at 12-16, 8 GB. The team has five players batting .300 or better, led by LF Goose Goslin at .358. As a matter of fact, the team is 5th in the AL in batting average and 1st in OBP. However, the pitching has been horrible and will need to improve if they're going to contend. In the National League, an old rivalry is showing it's true colors, as the 1934 St. Louis Cardinals and the 1932 Chicago Cubs share the lead at 19-9. The Cardinals have four players over .300, led by LF Joe Medwick at .361. SP Paul Dean (5-1, 2.19) and SP Flint Rhem (5-1, 2.66) lead the pitching staff. Dean is sixth in the NL with 58 strikeouts. CL Bill Walker (0-0, 1.35 ERA) is tied for 1st in the Majors with 11 saves. The Cardinals swept the 1905 New York Giants, 1946 Cardinals and 1985 Cardinals, but were swept by the 2012 San Francisco Giants. The Cubs have been a huge surprise, as they were picked to finished tied for last in the division. The team started the year 5-1 as they opened up the season by sweeping the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cubs are currently ninth in the NL in batting average. Five players are batting over .300, led by CF Danny Taylor at .388. Taylor also had a 20 game hit streak in April. SP Pat Malone (5-0, 2.23 ERA) leads a solid pitching staff. The team has won the close games this month, as shown by their three game sweep of the 1983 Philadelphia Phillies by a total of four runs. The 1938 Chicago Cubs, also picked to finish in the basement of the division, are holding on to third place at 15-13, 4 GB. LF Augie Galam is the only .300 hitter at .307. The starting pitching has been average, but their bullpen has been weak so far. The favorites to win the division are the 1931 St. Louis Cardinals, who are currently 14-14, 5 GB. The team has no .300 hitters and the bullpen has been problematic. The starting pitching has been solid, led by Syl Johnson (4-1, 2.36 ERA). Two other teams are tied for fourth place with the Cardinals. The 1937 New York Giants and the 1935 Chicago Cubs. The Giants hitters are led by 2B Burgess Whitehead, who is hitting .333. The starting pitching staff is 4th in the NL with a 2.74 ERA, led by Slick Castleman at 3-1, 1.18 ERA. The Giants have won 7 of their last 8 games. The Cubs are riding a five game winning streak. 3B Stan Hack is hitting .326 to lead the team in hitting. The starting pitching has been good and the bullpen has been even better. CL Fabian Kowalik (0-0, 0.75 ERA, 6 SV) leads a bullpen which is ninth in the NL in ERA. In seventh place are the 1933 New York Giants at 13-15, 6 GB. RF Mel Ott is hitting .333 and SP Carl Hubbell leads the pitching staff at 4-1, 2.13 ERA. The bullpen has been trouble and needs to perform better. Tied for eighth place are the 1930 St. Louis Cardinals and 1936 New York Giants at 12-16, 7 GB. The Cardinals hitters are led by C Gus Mancuso with a .341 average, while SP Bill Hallahan is 2nd in the NL with 61 strikeouts. The Giants have no hitters over .300 and their pitching has been average at best. The downright ugly team, the worst in the National League, are the last place 1939 Cincinnati Reds, who come in at 6-22, 13 GB. Their lone bright spot has been 3B Billy Werber (.303 avg). The team is last in the NL in homeruns with five. They lost eight games in a row in the middle of April and are currently in a five game losing streak. Attached Images

09-17-2013, 07:20 PM	#11
abell1198 All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Columbia, MO Posts: 846	1940's Division-April In the American League, the 1948 Cleveland Indians are leading the division at 18-10. For a team predicted to finish 4th in the division, the Indians have definitely outdone themselves. CF Larry Doby (.327 avg) leads the team in hitting and is one of four players who are batting over .300. The Indians pitching staff, SP Bob Lemon (3-1 1.88 ERA), SP Bob Feller (3-0 1.50 ERA), SP Gene Bearden (4-1 1.58 ERA), SP Satchel Paige (2-2 3.51 ERA) and SP Al Gettel (2-2 4.72) are the 2nd best pitching staff in the AL with a combined ERA of 2.41. The bullpen has been weak and will need to improve for the Indians to stay on top. Highlights of the Indian's April includes sweeps of the 1941 New York Yankees and the 1962 New York Yankees. In second place are the 1943 New York Yankees at 17-11, 1 GB. 3B Billy Johnson leads all hitters, batting .361. The pitching has been solid, led by SP Spud Chandler at 3-0, 0.96 ERA, 45 K's. Tied for third place in the division are the 1942 New York Yankees and the 1941 New York Yankees at 16-12, 2 GB. The 1942 Yankees are 8th in the AL in batting average and 3rd in OBP. 2B Joe Gordon (.360 avg) is one of four hitters batting over .300. Their pitching has been solid, led by SP Atley Donald at 3-1, 2.85 ERA. The team is streaky, with four and six game winning streaks in the first month. The 1941 Yankees are the favorites to win the division. C Bill Dickey is batting .340, but the real reason this team is performing is because of their pitching. The pitching staff, led by SP Atley Donald (3-1, 1.88 ERA) and SP Marius Russo (5-0, 2.01 ERA), is ranked 4th in the AL with an ERA of 2.87. The starters have an ERA of 2.83 and the bullpen is at 3.05. Two teams are tied for fifth place in the division at 15-13, 3 GB: the 1947 New York Yankees and the 1946 Boston Red Sox. The Yankees have six players hitting over .300. Led by 1B George McQuinn (.336), the team is fourth in the AL in batting average at .293. The pitching, however, has not performed as well, other than SP Spud Chandler (5-1, 1.39 ERA). The Red Sox are 1st in the AL in batting average (.301) and 2nd in OBP (.377). The team's best hitters are SS Johnny Pesky (.352) and 2B Bobby Doerr (.350). Pesky is currently on a 20 game hitting streak. The Red Sox pitching staff is another story, as the starting pitching is bad and the bullpen average. The 1944 St. Louis Browns and 1940 Detroit Tigers are tied for seventh place at 12-16, 6 GB. Browns DH Milt Byrnes (.360 avg) is the only hitter over .300 and the team ranks in the bottom half of the league in nearly every category. The Tigers have been streaky, with a nine game losing streak and five game winning streak in April. LF Hank Greenberg leads the hitters with a .336 batting average, while SP Bobo Newsom (3-1, 3.45 ERA) has been the lone bright spot for a staff ranking near the bottom of the AL. In ninth place are the 1949 New York Yankees at 10-18, 8 GB. The team lost six of their first seven games and their only hitters over .300 are 3B Bobby Brown (.333) and CF Joe DiMaggio (.313). The pitching staff is ranked 106th out of 108 teams. The basement team is the 1945 Detroit Tigers at 6-22, 12 GB. The Tigers started their season 0-9, as they were swept by the 1960 New York Yankees, the 1977 New York Yankees and the 2004 Boston Red Sox. The team also had another six game losing streak during the month. 3B Don Ross (.308) is the team's only .300 hitter. In the National League, two teams share the lead: the surprising 1945 Chicago Cubs and 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers at 16-12. The Cubs were predicted to finish 9th in the division. The team lacks power, but they rank in the top 20 in the NL in average, OBP and bullpen ERA. 3B Stan Hack leads all hitters with a .376 batting average. SP Claude Passeau (3-1, 2.90 ERA), SP Ray Prim (3-1, 3.18 ERA) and SP Paul Derringer (3-1, 3.10 ERA) lead a solid starting pitching corp. The Dodgers are led by LF Joe Medwick (.398 avg) and three other .300 hitters and are 7th in the NL in batting average and 8th in OBP at .360. SP Hugh Casey has started strong at 4-0, 1.57 ERA. Three teams are tied for third at 15-13, 1 GB. The first of these teams are one of the preseason favorites, the 1944 St. Louis Cardinals. CF Johnny Hopp (.315 avg) is the only .300 hitter thus far. SP Max Lanier leads the starting pitching staff at 3-1, 1.71 ERA. The bullpen is 7th in the NL, led by CL Blix Donnelly (1-0, 0.61 ERA, 6 SV). The second team a game back is the 1940 Cincinnati Reds. The Reds have been streaky so far, having swept the 1946 Cardinals and 1933 New York Giants, but were swept by the 1985 Cardinals and 1975 Reds. C Ernie Lombardi (.330 avg) is the only .300 hitter. The pitching staff has been a regular Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. SP Paul Derringer (4-2, 1.88 ERA) and SP Bucky Walters (3-2, 1.02 ERA, 4 CG, 2 SHO) lead a starting staff which ranks 7th in the NL with a combined ERA of 2.81. The bullpen is another story, as they rank 103rd with a 6.75 ERA. The third team of this group is the 1949 Brooklyn Dodgers, led by 2B Jackie Robinson's .361 batting average. The Dodger's pitching has been poor, as they lost 10 games in a two week period. The team has been 8-1 since and is currently riding a five game winning streak. Two teams are tied for sixth place with a record of 14-14, 2 GB: the 1942 St. Louis Cardinals and another favorite to win the division, the 1948 Boston Braves. The Cardinals dug themselves in a hole early, starting the season 1-5. RF Enos Slaughter (.375 avg) and LF Stan Musial (.320 avg) are the leading hitters. The pitching staff as a whole ranks 15th in the NL with a combined ERA of 3.16, led by SP Mort Cooper (3-2, 3.03 ERA) and SP Lon Warneke (3-2, 3.58 ERA). The Braves have no .300 hitters and have a team batting average of .227. SP Johnny Sain leads the pitching staff at 3-1, 2.80 ERA. Tied for eighth place are the 1943 St. Louis Cardinals and 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers at 11-17, 5 GB. The Cardinals have no .300 hitters and are next to last (107th) in team batting average in the NL with a .223 average. St. Louis has only one stolen base and is last in hits, runs scored and slugging percentage. The pitching staff has been outstanding, ranking 10th in the NL with a 3.09 ERA. SP Mort Cooper leads the staff at 3-3, 1.96 ERA. The Cardinals also had two 6 game losing streaks in April. The Dodgers, who started 1-6, have the opposite problem, with players who can hit, but not pitch. CF Pete Reiser (.342 avg) and LF Carl Furillo (.341 avg) lead the hitters. The bullpen is one of the worst in the NL. In last place are the 1946 St. Louis Cardinals at 8-20, 8 GB. The team started 1-7 after being swept by the 1940 Cincinnati Reds to start the season. St. Louis has only won two series so far and have been swept by the 1934 Cardinals and 1938 Chicago Cubs. LF Stan Musial has been impressive, batting .411. Attached Images

09-03-2013, 10:40 PM	#1
abell1198 All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Columbia, MO Posts: 846	The World Series League In the ultimate quest to determine the unending argument of which is the best team ever, I put together a league of every World Series participant to battle it out over 162 games. Say what you will about your favorite team, or what might have been, but if your team didn't win it's own league that year, it doesn't deserve to be in the conversation of the greatest team ever. So, with that being said, the World Series League has 108 teams in both the American League and National League. There are no teams for 1904 and 1994, since there were no World Series played. Teams are placed into divisions by the decade they played, in an attempt to give each team a fair chance to make the playoffs against teams of their own era. Therefore, there are 12 divisions in each league, with each division winner making the playoffs as well as four wild card teams. The rules for the league are as follows: DH in the American League, no DH in the National League; no injuries or suspensions; no inter-league play. Games are being played in 2013 and the schedule was randomly generated by OOTP. One of my favorite features of OOTP, and the frequent topic on anything sports, are the preseason predictions. Will the teams live up to the expectations or fail under the pressure? The preseason favorites for the American League are the 1913 Philadelphia Athletics, the 1927 New York Yankees (no surprise there!!) and the 1912 Boston Red Sox, all of which are picked to finish with 100+ wins. Ty Cobb of the 1909 Detroit Tigers is the favorite to win the batting title, while Schoolboy Rowe of the 1934 Detroit Tigers is predicted to win the Cy Young Award. As for the National League, the preseason favorites to win 100+ games are the 1906 Chicago Cubs, the 1910 Chicago Cubs and the 1969 New York Mets. Honus Wagner of the 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates is the hands down favorite to win the batting title, while teammate Howie Camnitz is considered the Cy Young favorite. Regardless of the predictions, I'm a firm believer of letting the teams settle it on the field. With that being said, I'm looking forward to how this turns out. I'll post updates for every month of the season, with more detailed posts for the playoffs. Follow along with me and root for your favorite team (I'll be rooting for the Cardinals!) as we attempt to determine the greatest team ever. Being fairly new to OOTP, I would love to hear others suggestions and opinions on how to make this as realistic as possible. Who knows, maybe I'll take those suggestions and replay another World Series League season in the future.

09-04-2013, 09:55 AM	#2
abell1198 All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Columbia, MO Posts: 846	Opening Day!! Nothing is as thrilling as Opening Day! The beginning of Spring, the fresh start for all teams and the idea that a win on the first day of the season will translate into a successful season. As many have said, and continue to say, baseball is a marathon, not a sprint. Regardless, the thrill of Opening Day remains, even for me while running this simulation. What will the top pitching match-ups be? How will some of the greatest players ever fare against even better competition? Will they rise to the occasion or fail to deliver on their promise? The World Series League opened with some amazing lines on Opening Day!! Here are some of the highlights: Ted Williams of the 1946 Red Sox goes 4-4 with 2 HR, 5 RBI in a 13-4 win over the '67 Red Sox. Eddie Cicotte of the 1919 White Sox pitched a 3 hit complete game shutout over the '87 Twins, winning 6-0. 10 K, 0 BB Ken Holtzman of the 1974 Oakland A's struck out 9 and walked 0, allowing only two hits while throwing a 1-0 complete game shutout over Dave Stewart's 1990 A's. Stewart had 7 K, 0 BB in the loss. Whitey Ford's 1956 Yanks won 5-2 over Babe Ruth's 1916 Red Sox. Curt Schilling's 2004 Red Sox outdueled Bret Saberhagen's '85 Royals, 1-0. Lefty Grove led his 1930 Philadelphia Athletics to a 7-0 win over Justin Verlander and the 2012 Detroit Tigers. John Smoltz strikes out 14, but gets no decision in the 1996 Atlanta Braves win over the 1948 Boston Braves, 1-0. John Tudor of the 1985 Cardinals pitches a 3 hit complete game shutout over the 1961 Reds, striking out 8 and walking none. Gil McDougald hits for the cycle as the '55 Yankees win 7-1 over the 1917 White Sox.

09-04-2013, 12:31 PM	#3
Nick Soulis Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Chicago IL Posts: 3,842 Blog Entries: 2	Awesome idea and job. I was wondering if you could give us a visual or a breakdown of the divisions you are using and the teams that are in them. Again love the idea and good luck!

09-09-2013, 06:01 PM	#5
The Game Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Inside The Game Posts: 30,803	Do you have a quickstart for this? I was planning on doing this myself but without the Dynasty report. I like the fact you broke it down by decade, I am not sure I would have thought to do that. It does make the most sense. Teams I will watch and cheer for: 2005, 1917, 1919, 1959, 1906 White Sox. Hope the Cubs teams all fail. __________________ Go today don't wait for tomorrow It isn't promised, all the time you get borrowed Don't live your life for other people Don't bottle your emotions till they crack and fill a couple just sorrows Take your mind and refocus go get a paper write your goals out Throw your middle fingers to all your haters "Stay Strong"

09-09-2013, 08:18 PM	#6
abell1198 All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Columbia, MO Posts: 846	I don't, but when I get the chance, I'll put one together and let you know when it's done.

09-15-2013, 01:15 AM	#10
dynaboyj Major Leagues Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Baltimore Posts: 307	This is an amazing idea. I will be following. I really like the team reports you're doing.

09-21-2013, 02:25 PM	#12
abell1198 All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Columbia, MO Posts: 846	1950's Division-April The 1950's Divisions are both led by the favorites to win their divisions. Both teams bolted from the starting blocks, leaving the other teams to play catch up. We'll start with the American League. The leader of the AL 1950's Division, a division featuring eight Yankees teams, are the 1954 Cleveland Indians at 18-10. CF Larry Doby is hitting .343 so far and is one of three players batting .300 or higher. The starting pitchers are the best in the AL with a combined ERA of 2.24. The staff consists of SP Mike Garcia (3-1, 1.25 ERA, 2nd in AL ERA), SP Early Wynn (5-0, 1.38 ERA, 3rd in AL ERA, April Pitcher of the Month), SP Bob Lemon (2-3, 3.65 ERA), SP Art Houtteman (3-0, 1.55 ERA) and SP Bob Feller (1-3, 3.90 ERA). The bullpen is a weakness, however, and needs to improve their 5.77 ERA. The team started 9-3, as they swept the 2011 Texas Rangers to start the season. The team had a four game skid, including being swept by the 2008 Tampa Rays, but have been 8-2 since, including sweeps of the 2006 and 1908 Detroit Tigers. In second place are the 1955 New York Yankees at 17-11, 1 GB. The Yankees are led by 2B Gil McDougald (.327 avg), who is one of three .300 hitters. SP Johnny Kucks leads the pitching staff at 2-0, 2.17 ERA. The bullpen is 4th in the AL with a 1.99 ERA. The team started out at 11-3, but have struggled since. The 1953 New York Yankees hold down third place at 16-12, 2 GB. DH Gene Woodling (.333 avg) is the team's only .300 hitter. The entire pitching staff is ranked 8th in the AL. The team had a six game winning streak during the month, which included a sweep of the 1977 Yankees. They also swept the 1959 Chicago White Sox. The winner of Nick Soulis' tournament as The Best Team Of All Time is out to prove they weren't a fluke. In fourth place are two teams tied at 15-13, 3 GB: The 1957 New York Yankees and the 1952 New York Yankees. The '57 squad is led by DH Mickey Mantle, who is batting .361. SP Bob Turley (5-0, 2.63 ERA) and SP Johnny Kucks (3-0, 2.16 ERA) lead the team in pitching. The team started the season 5-1, sweeping the 1983 Baltimore Orioles, then lost four games, including a sweep by the 1995 Cleveland Indians. This team was also swept by the 1947 Yankees. The 1952 Yankees are led by LF Hank Bauer (.327 avg), who is one of four .300 hitters in the lineup. SP Eddie Lopat (5-0, 1.82 ERA) and SP Allie Reynolds (2-1, 3.00 ERA, 63 K) lead a good starting pitching staff, but the team has no bullpen. Reynolds ranks 3rd in the AL in strikeouts. The 1951 New York Yankees are 14-14, 4 GB and are in sixth place in the division. RF Mickey Mantle leads four .300 hitters, batting .340. SP Allie Reynolds (4-1, 3.30 ERA) is the lone bright spot on the pitching staff. Reynolds struck out 15 in a 9-2 win against the 1911 Philadelphia Athletics. Yogi Berra made the news when he hit 3 home runs against the 2010 Texas Rangers in a 13-10 loss. The team was also the victim of a no-hitter on April 4th to the 1995 Cleveland Indians. The 1950 New York Yankees are in seventh place at 13-15, 5 GB. LF Gene Woodling (.333 avg) is the only .300 hitter. SP Whitey Ford (2-0, 2.56 ERA) leads a decent staff of starters, but the team has no bullpen to speak of. In eighth place are the 1958 New York Yankees at 11-17, 7 GB. LF Norm Siebern is batting .348, but the team's pitching has been poor. The Yanks started the season 4-0 as they swept the 1927 Yankees, but the team has proven to be streaky. They had a four game losing streak, then swept the 1918 Boston Red Sox during a four game winning streak. The team then hit an eight game skid while being swept by the 1998 and 1927 Yankees. The team is currently on a three game skid. Tied for last place are the 1956 New York Yankees and the 1959 Chicago White Sox, both at 9-19, 9 GB. The Yankees are led by CF Mickey Mantle (.291 12 HR 26 RBI), who is currently 3rd in the AL in home runs. The team's starters have been bad, but the bullpen has been great, ranking 11th in the AL with a 2.54 ERA. The Yankees, who have won only one series, have had four and seven game losing streaks and were swept by the 1999 Yankees. The White Sox are led by 2B Nellie Fox (.331 avg), who is the team's only .300 hitter. SP Early Wynn is the best pitcher at 3-2, 2.23 ERA. The White Sox have been swept by the 1953 Yankees, 1963 Yankees and 1909 Detroit Tigers. In the National League, the division is led by the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers at 19-9. This team has won by being consistent, with winning two of three games in nearly every match-up. The Dodgers have only one sweep, as they took three from the 1913 New York Giants and have lost only one series. The Dodgers are led by CF Duke Snider (.358 avg), one of three .300 hitters. Snider is 4th in the NL with 30 RBI. 1B Gil Hodges made news when he hit three home runs against the 1932 Chicago Cubs in a 19-11 loss. Hodges has 10 HR, which is tied for 4th in the NL. This potent lineup is 1st in the NL in HR (40), 2nd in runs (166), 8th in average (.288) and 4th in OBP (.371). SP Russ Meyer (3-0, 3.47 ERA) leads a mediocre staff. The surprise of the month has been the second place team, the 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers at 15-13, 4 GB. The team was picked to finish last in the division. That may still happen however, as the team has no .300 hitters and sub par pitching. The Dodgers started the season 1-5 when they opened up the season by being swept by the 1913 New York Giants. They won four games, including a sweep of the 1968 Cardinals, but have also had another four game skid. In third place are the 1958 Milwaukee Braves at 14-14, 5 GB. LF Wes Covington (.346 avg) and RF Hank Aaron (.327 avg) are the leading hitters. SP Warren Spahn (3-1, 3.18 ERA) leads a solid pitching staff. The team has been streaky thus far, losing four while being swept by the 1920 Brooklyn Dodgers, then winning six, sweeping the 1952 Dodgers and 1930 Cardinals. The team is currently on a three game losing streak. The 1954 New York Giants are one of three teams tied for fourth place at 13-15, 6 GB. The Giants only good hitters are RF Don Mueller (.349 avg) and SS Al Dark (.327 avg). SP Jim Hearn (3-1, 1.60 ERA) leads a starting staff ranked 2nd in the NL with a 2.67 ERA, but the bullpen has been weak. The Giants have had six shutouts so far, but have also been shutout five times. The 1951 New York Giants are the second team at 13-15. The team was swept by the 1985 St. Louis Cardinals. 3B Hank Thompson (.348 avg) and SS Al Dark (.302 avg) lead the team in hitting. Dark is tied for 1st in the NL with 16 doubles. The team has had poor pitching so far. The third team in the tie for fourth are the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers started themselves into a hole when they opened up 1-5. C Roy Campanella (.388 avg) and CF Duke Snider (.387 avg) are two of four .300 hitters in the lineup, which ranks in the top 20 in every offensive category. But what has been really offensive has been the starting pitching, which ranks last in ERA at 6.19. SP Billy Loes (3-0, 3.58 ERA) is the best of the worst. The bullpen is doing their best to salvage the situation. The 1950 Philadelphia Phillies are in seventh place at 12-16, 7 GB. SS Garnny Hamner leads the way, hitting .355. Another streaky team, they won five while sweeping the 1920 Brooklyn Dodgers. The team then lost seven in a row while being swept by the 1923 New York Giants and 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates. The Phillies are currently on a three game losing streak. The 1957 Milwaukee Braves and 1952 Brooklyn Dodgers are tied for eighth place at 8-20, 11 GB. The Braves started out 1-8 and have no .300 hitters. The team has good starting pitching and a great bullpen, but need the bats to win games. SP Bob Buhl is a great example, as he is 1-4 with a 2.22 ERA. The team fell victim to a no-hitter on April 7 by the 1914 Boston Braves. The team has won only one series so far. The Dodgers are led by CF Duke Snider (.324 avg) and SP Carl Erskine (2-2, 2.57 ERA). The team has had terrible pitching and little hitting, which has led to streaks of six and four game losing, followed by a four game win streak. The Dodgers are currently on an eight game losing skid. In last place are the 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers at 7-21, 12 GB. The team has no .300 hitters and bad pitching. The Dodgers started their season 1-11. Attached Images

09-28-2013, 10:54 PM	#13
abell1198 All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Columbia, MO Posts: 846	1960's Division-April When I started this simulation, I assumed the steroid era would produce high numbers of home runs compared to the other decades. However, in the month of April, many of the 1960's teams are in the top 10 in HR in their respective leagues. I guess only time will tell whether this trend will continue. The American League leaders for the 1960's Division are the 1963 New York Yankees at 18-10. The team was projected to finish tied for sixth in the division, but so far, they are proving the experts wrong. The Yankees are 3rd in the AL in HR with 38. 1B Joe Pepitone leads all hitters with a .336 batting average. The starting pitching and bullpen have been good enough to keep the team competitive. CL Steve Hamilton is tied for 3rd in the AL with 10 saves. Highlights for the month of April include an eight game winning streak in which were sweeps of the 1962 Yankees and 1959 Chicago White Sox. Another four game winning streak included a sweep of the 1983 Baltimore Orioles. Two teams are tied for second place at 17-11, 1 GB: The 1961 New York Yankees and the 1969 Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees were predicted to finish tied for sixth with the 1963 squad, but apparently they didn't get the memo. The team is tied for sixth in the AL in HR with 36. C Elston Howard is the leading hitter at .318. RF Roger Maris (.313, 12 HR, 25 RBI) is third in the AL in HR. The starting pitching has been average, but the bullpen is 9th in the AL with a 2.39 ERA. CL Luis Arroyo (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 SV, 11 G) leads the bullpen, while SP Ralph Terry (4-1, 2.44 ERA) sets the pace for the starters. The Yankees won 9 of their last 10 games in April. The Orioles are the preseason favorites to win this division. They are tied for 6th place for HR in the AL with 36. SS Mark Belanger (.336 avg) is one of four .300 hitters in the lineup. SP Jim Palmer leads the pitching staff at 4-1, 2.40 ERA. The starting staff is 11th in the AL with a combined ERA of 3.06. The Orioles finished the month winning 8 of their last 10. In fourth place are the 1960 New York Yankees at 16-12, 2 GB. C Yogi Berra (.307 avg) is the teams only .300 hitter. RF Roger Maris won Player of the Week honors in the first week of April after he hit three home runs, with 12 RBI, in a 14-0 win over the 1979 Baltimore Orioles on April 5th. Maris hit a two run shot in the 1st inning and followed it up by hitting a grand slam in the 2nd and 3rd innings. SP Ralph Terry leads the pitchers at 4-1, 2.14 ERA. The 1967 Boston Red Sox hold down fifth place with a record of 13-15, 5 GB. The team is 2nd in the AL in HR with 39. DH Tony Horton and 1B George Scott are batting .300, while LF Carl Yastrzemski is hitting .299 with 11 HR and 26 RBI. The pitching has been terrible so far. The Red Sox started their season 1-7 while being swept by the 1998 New York Yankees. On a positive note, the Red Sox did sweep the 1924 Chicago White Sox and 2009 New York Yankees during April. Tied for sixth place in the division at 12-16, 6 GB, are the 1965 Minnesota Twins and 1968 Detroit Tigers. The Twins starters have struggled, but their bullpen is 1st in the AL with a 1.77 ERA. C Earl Battey is the best hitter at .353. The team has only won two series so far and were swept by the 1964 New York Yankees to open their season. The Tigers are tied for 4th in the AL with 37 HR. DH Willie Horton is the only .300 hitter at .386, which is good enough for 6th for average in the AL. Horton has hit 10 HR, with 30 RBI. The pitching staff has performed poorly so far, with SP Denny McClain being the lone highlight at 2-1, 2.25 ERA. The Tigers had a positive moment when it swept the 1906 Chicago White Sox, but then they lost ten in a row, being swept by the 1933 Chicago White Sox, the 1961 Yankees and the 1943 Yankees. The Tigers currently have won three straight. In eighth place are the 1964 New York Yankees at 11-17, 7 GB. This team should be better, but they keep falling into slumps and can't seem to win close games, going 4-9 in one run games. The team started the season winning 6 of their first 7, sweeping the 1965 Twins in the process. But losing streaks of five and four games have hurt the team, and the team is currently on a three game skid. The team has been swept by the 2000 Yankees and 1991 Twins. 2B Bobby Richardson (.388 avg, 5th in AL) is one of four .300 hitters. SP Mel Stottlemyre Sr. is 3-1, 2.53 ERA, while the entire pitching staff is 16th in the AL with a 3.43 ERA. Tied for last place are the 1962 New York Yankees and the 1966 Baltimore Orioles, with both teams sitting at 10-18, 8 GB. The Yankees have a .228 team batting average, which is 106th out of 108 teams in the AL. They also rank last in stolen bases with zero. The team, needless to say, have no .300 hitters. SP Rollie Sheldon (3-0, 2.36 ERA) is doing his best, unlike SP Whitey Ford (0-5, 5.27), who needs to improve to give this team a chance. The team was swept by the 1936 Yankees, the 1963 Yankees and the 1948 Cleveland Indians. The Orioles 1B Boog Powell is the teams only .300 hitter at .337. RF Frank Robinson is 5th in the AL with 11 HR. The pitching has been average. The National League 1960's Division has two teams at the top. The favorites, the 1969 New York Mets and the team predicted to finish 9th in the division, the 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers, are both at 19-9. The Mets have three .300 hitters, led by LF Cleon Jones at .368. 2B Ken Boswell is tied for 2nd in the NL with 5 triples, while C Jerry Grote is tied for 4th in the NL with 4 triples. The Mets starting pitching is ranked #15, led by SP Jerry Koosman (4-1, 3.54 ERA) and SP Tom Seaver (3-2, 1.72 ERA). The bullpen is the second best in the NL with a 1.53 combined ERA. CL Tug McGraw is 2-1, with a 1.32 ERA and 8 saves. The team lost only one series in April. The Dodgers have been led by their pitching staff. SP Sandy Koufax (3-1, 1.34 ERA), SP Claude Osteen (3-1, 2.11 ERA) and SP Don Drysdale (4-2, 2.27) have all started out strong. CL Bob L. Miller (1-1, 1.93 ERA) is tied for 1st in saves in the NL with 11. The Dodgers best hitter is LF Lou B. Johnson, who is hitting .358 so far. The team started the season 7-1 and has had winning streaks of five and six games. Currently though, the Dodgers have a three game losing streak. In third place are the 1967 St. Louis Cardinals at 18-10, 1 GB. CF Curt Flood is the only .300 hitter at .360. SP Dick Hughes (3-1, 2.22 ERA) and SP Ray Washburn (2-0, 2.08) lead the starting staff, but the bullpen needs to improve. CL Jack Lamabe (2-2, 5.87 ERA) is tied for 4th in the NL in saves with 10. Notable wins include sweeps of the 1935 Chicago Cubs and 1984 San Diego Padres. The 1966 Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in fourth place at 17-11, 2 GB. CF Willie Davis (.358 avg) is one of four .300 hitters in the lineup. SP Claude Osteen (2-0, 1.54 ERA) leads a pitching staff ranked 11th in the NL with a combined ERA of 3.09. As a matter of fact, the Dodgers are in the top 20 in nearly every offensive and pitching category. At one point, the team had an eight game winning streak which included sweeps of the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers and 1983 Philadelphia Phillies. In fifth place are the 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers, at 16-12, 3 GB. LF Tommy Davis (.306 avg) is the teams only .300 hitter. The starting pitching staff is fifth in the NL with a 2.78 ERA, led by SP Sandy Koufax (4-1, 1.52 ERA, 53 K). The team managed to sweep the 1975 Cincinnati Reds, who currently have the National League's best record. The 1962 San Francisco Giants are in sixth place at 15-13, 4 GB. The team is 4th in the NL with 35 HR's, led by CF Willie Mays' 10 HR. Mays is tied for 4th in homers. 1B Orlando Cepada is hitting .304, and is the Giant's only .300 hitter. The rest of the lineup is solid at the plate, but the pitching has been average. The team managed a six game win streak during the month, but currently have a three game losing skid. At 14-14, 5 GB, are the 1961 Cincinnati Reds in seventh place. The team is 8th in the NL with 32 home runs. CF Vada Pinson is the best hitter at .370. The starting pitching has been average and the bullpen has done very well so far to keep the team competitive. The 1968 St. Louis Cardinals find themselves in eighth place at 10-18, 9 GB. 3B Mike Shannon is the teams only .300 hitter at .333. The Cardinals have been struggling to score runs and suffered an eleven game losing streak in the middle of the month. During that streak, the Cardinals were swept by the 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers, 1993 Philadelphia Phillies and 1908 Chicago Cubs. In ninth place are the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates at 9-19, 10 GB. The team is hitting well, but not scoring runs. SS Dick Groat leads the lineup with a .387 average. The 1964 St. Louis Cardinals find themselves in the basement at 8-20, 11 GB. C Tim McCarver (.326 avg) is the only .300 hitter in the lineup. The Cardinals are the worst team in the league with a .279 OBP and have won only one series, which was against the 1998 San Diego Padres. Attached Images

10-01-2013, 03:49 PM	#14
abell1198 All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Columbia, MO Posts: 846	1970's Division-April The 1970's proved to be a great combination of pitching and hitting. Or maybe it is just more enjoyable to look through the teams you grew up with. Either way, this decade proves itself to have many teams who could make the playoffs by the end of the year. In the American League, the 1979 Baltimore Orioles are leading the way at 19-9. The Orioles are 11th in the AL in runs scored, tied for 9th in HR with 34 and the starting pitching ERA is 9th best at 3.00. RF Ken Singleton (.313 avg) is the lone .300 hitter. This team is all about pitching, with starting pitchers Mike Flanagan (3-1, 2.40 ERA), Dennis Martinez (3-1, 1.96 ERA) and Scott McGregor (4-0, 3.31 ERA) leading the way. In mid-April, the Orioles managed a 10 game winning streak where they swept the 1922 and 2000 New York Yankees. In second place are the 1971 Baltimore Orioles at 17-11, 2 GB. 3B Brooks Robinson (.372) is the teams only .300 hitter. Pitching is once again the story with the Orioles, with the bullpen ranked #5 in ERA at 2.11. Closer Eddie Watt (1-2, 2.63 ERA, 10 SV) is tied for third in the AL in saves. SP Pat Dobson (6-0, 3.35 ERA) is tied for the most wins in the major leagues. Notable wins include sweeps of the 1932 New York Yankees, 1907 Detroit Tigers and 1933 Chicago White Sox. The 1970 Baltimore Orioles are in third place with a record of 16-12, 3 GB. 1B Boog Powell (.372) is the only .300 hitter and is tied for 2nd in the AL with 32 RBI. The Orioles are 8th in the AL in HR with 35. SP Dave McNally leads the pitchers at 4-1, 3.91 ERA. One of the best games so far into this young season was provided by SP Jim Palmer. On April 6, Palmer pitched a no-hitter for 11 innings against the 2007 Boston Red Sox!!! Then, with 2 outs in the top of the 12th, Palmer faced off with pinch-hitter Royce Clayton. With the count 2-2, Clayton hits a home run 418 feet to right-center for the games only run!!! Boston closed out the bottom of the 12th to secure the 1-0 win. Palmer finished with a 1-hit loss on 144 pitches. Tied for fourth place are the 1973 Oakland A's and the 1972 Oakland A's. Both teams have a record of 15-13, 4 GB. The '73 squad has no .300 hitters, with five players hitting under .200. As a matter of fact, this lineup is so bad, they are last (108th) in the AL in runs scored, batting average (.208) and OBP (.279). So, how do they even have a winning record? Pitching. The staff is ranked #10 in the AL with a 3.03 ERA. Closer Rollie Fingers (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 SV) is shutting the door on opponents. The '72 team is the favorite to win the division, but aren't showing it so far. SS Bert Campaneris (.304) is the best hitter, while SP Catfish Hunter leads the staff at 3-0, 3.70 ERA. Closer Bob Locker (0-1, 0.56 ERA, 11 SV) is tied for 1st in the Majors in saves. Four teams are tied for fifth place at 14-14, 5 GB. The first of the four teams are the 1974 Oakland A's. LF Claudell Washington leads all hitters with a .317 batting average. SP Ken Holtzman (4-1, 1.58 ERA) and SP Vida Blue (3-1, 1.59 ERA) lead the pitching staff. Holtzman started out his season by pitching back to back complete game shutouts. If SP Catfish Hunter (0-6, 6.68 ERA) can find his way, this team may be able to compete. Hunter is 1st in the AL in losses. The second team is the 1978 New York Yankees. 3B Graig Nettles (.343) is the team's only .300 hitter. SP Ed Figueroa (3-1, 3.76 ERA) leads the staff. SP Ron Guidry (1-4, 3.59 ERA, 60 K) could use some run support. The Yankees have been shutout five times so far, but are currently on a three game winning streak. The third team at .500 are the 1976 New York Yankees. DH Lou Piniella leads the team with his .346 batting average. CF Mickey Rivers is hitting .333 and is tied for 2nd in doubles in the AL with 16. SP Catfish Hunter is the best pitcher at 3-0, 3.13 ERA. The '76 Yankees started their season by sweeping the 1973 Oakland A's en route to a 5-0 start, but then lost six straight, including being swept by the 2006 Detroit Tigers. Last but not least in this group of four are the 1975 Boston Red Sox. RF Dwight Evans (.364 avg.) and DH Jim Rice (.355 avg.) lead the team in hitting, but the pitching has been poor thus far. In last place are the 1977 New York Yankees at 13-15, 6 GB. The team has no .300 hitters, although 3B Graig Nettles is tied for 5th in the AL in HR with 11. The pitching staff has done well, led by SP Ron Guidry (3-2, 1.88 ERA, 52 K). The National League 1970's Division leader are also the favorites to win the division, the 1975 Cincinnati Reds at 21-7. Five of their seven losses have been by one run and the Reds are 13-0 at home. The team is 1st in the NL in runs scored (189) and OBP (.383), 2nd in Slugging Pct. (.493) and 3rd in batting average (.310) and home runs (36). CF Cesar Geronimo is the best in the lineup with a .379 batting average. Six other players are also hitting .300 or better. C Johnny Bench (.356, 8 HR, 33 RBI) in 2nd in the NL in RBI. 2B Joe Morgan (.318, 8 HR, 29 RBI) is tied for 5th in the NL in RBI. SP Gary Nolan (4-0, 2.51 ERA) leads a pitching staff which hasn't been great, but has been good enough to win. Three teams find themselves tied for second place at 18-10, 3 GB. The first team is the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates are 2nd in the NL in HR (38) and batting average (.312). RF Roberto Clemente (.408 avg) leads a team with six other players hitting over .300. Clemente is 3rd in the NL in batting average, but 1st in the Majors in hits with 51. Clemente also had a 20 game hit streak in April. LF Willie Stargell is making a statement early. Stargell is hitting .339, with 19 HR and 34 RBI. He leads the Majors in home runs and is 1st in the NL in RBI. Stargell also took home the NL Batting Award for April. SP Luke Walker (3-0, 3.29 ERA) leads the pitching staff. Second in this three way tie are the 1978 Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers are 7th in home runs with 33. 1B Steve Garvey leads the lineup with a .333 batting average. Garvey also hit for the cycle on April 30 in a 15-1 win over the 1950 Philadelphia Phillies. The Dodgers starting pitching is the best in the NL, with a 2.63 ERA. The staff consists of Tommy John (1-2, 2.23), Burt Hooton (5-1, 2.35 ERA), Don Sutton (5-1, 2.68 ERA), Bob Welch (0-4, 5.28 ERA) and Rick Rhoden (4-1, 1.18 ERA). If Welch could find his way back, this team will be a force to deal with. This team started their season 8-2, sweeping the 1927 Pittsburgh Pirates in the process and have only lost one series when they were swept by the 2007 Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The third team is the 1976 Cincinnati Reds. 2B Joe Morgan (.347 avg.) is the best of the lineup, which contains three other hitters at .300 or better. The team is in the top 25 in most hitting and pitching categories. However, this team has been streaky. They started 5-1, then lost 5 of 6. Next they won 7, but then lost 3 of 4. The Reds currently have a four game winning streak. In fifth place are the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates at 16-12, 5 GB. This team was predicted to finish tied for 2nd, but they will have to start hitting better in order to do that. RF Dave Parker (.339 avg.) is the teams only .300 hitter. The pitching on this team is ranked #2 overall, with a 2.63 ERA. The Pirates pitchers have thrown six shutouts. The starting pitching has been great and the bullpen has been even better. The 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in sixth place with a record of 15-13, 6 GB. SS Bill Russell (.348 avg.) is one of three hitters at .300 or better. SP Don Sutton (6-0, 2.09 ERA) is tied for 1st in the Majors in wins. A pair of Reds teams find themselves tied for seventh place at 14-14, 7 GB. The 1972 Cincinnati Reds have been led at the plate by 2B Joe Morgan (.350 avg.) and CF Bobby Tolan (.322 avg.). The starting pitchers have a combined ERA of 3.12, but the bullpen has been weak. The 1970 Cincinnati Reds are tied for 4th in home runs in the NL with 35. RF Pete Rose (.342 avg.) is one of four .300 hitters in the lineup. The pitching staff has been average, however. In ninth place are the 1973 New York Mets at 13-15, 8 GB. 3B Jim Fregosi is the only .300 hitter for the team, batting .330. Fregosi is also tied for 4th in the NL in doubles with 14. SP Jerry Koosman (4-0, 0.56 ERA) leads the Majors in ERA. The starters have been good for the Mets, but the bullpen has been bad. SP Jon Matlack (2-1, 3.53 ERA, 60 K) made news on April 12 when he faced off against the 2010 San Francisco Giants. Matlack struck out 17 in 7 1/3 innings and was pulled from the close game because Giants 2B Freddy Sanchez had gone 2 for 3 against him. Matlack got the win as the Mets won 2-0. Matlack is also third in the NL in strikeouts. In last place are the 1977 Los Angeles Dodgers at 12-16, 9 GB. 1B Steve Garvey is hitting .321, but the team is last in batting average at .220. The starting pitching has been average, but the bullpen has been better, keeping the Dodgers in some games. Attached Images

10-10-2013, 10:33 PM	#15
abell1198 All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Columbia, MO Posts: 846	1980's Division-April The 1980's teams performed below average, which I found a bit surprising considering it was the beginning of the steroid era. Half of the American League teams finished with a winning record, while only two National League teams managed to do the same. The American League 1980's Division is led by the 1988 Oakland A's at 19-9. The A's are 1st in the AL in HR (41), Slugging Pct. (.465) and runs scored (174). C Terry Steinbach (.359 avg.) leads a lineup with five .300 hitters. RF Jose Canseco is hitting .311, with 15 home runs and 24 RBI. Canseco is 2nd in the AL for homers. SP Dave Stewart (4-0, 2.89 ERA) and SP Storm Davis (5-1, 2.45 ERA) lead the pitching staff. The A's hit their stride with a nine game winning streak in the middle of April, which saw them sweep the 1927 New York Yankees, the 1940 Detroit Tigers and the 1978 Yankees. Two teams are tied for second place in the division at 17-11, 2 GB. The first team is the 1981 New York Yankees. The Yankees are tied for 9th in the AL in home runs with 34. RF Reggie Jackson (.327 avg) is the best hitter in the lineup and one of four .300 hitters. The starting pitching has been average, but the bullpen, led by Rich "Goose" Gossage (1-0, 2.38 ERA, 8 SV) has been very good. The second team is the 1986 Boston Red Sox. 3B Wade Boggs (.337) is one of three .300 hitters in the lineup. CF Dave Henderson made news when he hit for the cycle on April 2 in a 10-3 win over the 2009 Yankees. SP Roger Clemens leads the starting pitchers at 4-2, 3.10 ERA. CL Calvin Schiraldi (1-0, 0.69 ERA, 8 SV) has been dominant from the bullpen. In fourth place are the division favorites, the 1989 Oakland A's, who come in at 16-12, 3 GB. LF Luis Polonia (.330 avg) is the team's only .300 hitter. The starting pitching has been average so far, but the bullpen is ranked 7th in the AL with a 2.30 ERA. CL Dennis Eckersley (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 8 SV) has been lights out. The A's were the victim of a no-hitter against the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays. The 1984 Detroit Tigers are in fifth place at 15-13, 4 GB. CF Chet Lemon (.328 avg) is the only .300 hitter in the lineup and is 2nd in doubles in the AL with 16. The starting pitching has been good enough, but the bullpen ranks 6th in the AL with a 2.27 ERA. The Tigers started the season 2-7 before winning seven in a row, including a sweep of the 1952 Yankees. The 1982 Milwaukee Brewers are one of two teams tied for sixth place in the division at 10-18, 9 GB. 2B Jim Ganter is the leading hitter with a .360 batting average and the lineup consists of two more .300 hitters. The starting pitching has been poor and the bullpen average so far. The second team in sixth are the 1980 Kansas City Royals. 3B George Brett (.384 avg) is one of four .300 hitters in the Royals lineup, but their starting pitching is virtually non-existent, although the bullpen has been decent. Brett is tied for 2nd in the AL with 32 RBI. LF Willie Wilson is 5th in the AL with 45 hits and his 5 triples has him tied for 1st in the AL. Two teams find themselves tied for eighth place at 9-19, 10 GB. The first team is the 1985 Kansas City Royals. 3B George Brett (.324 avg) is the only .300 hitter in a lineup which boasts three hitters under .200. The hitting has been so bad, the Royals are 101st in average (.236), 104th in runs scored (95) and 105th in OBP (.294). SP Bret Saberhagen is proof of the lack of hitting, as he is 0-4 with a 2.63 ERA. The starting pitching has been decent, but the bullpen has been terrible. The Royals started out 2-10, won 5 of their next 6, then lost eight in a row before winning their last game of the month. The second team is the 1983 Baltimore Orioles. LF John Lowenstein is the only .300 hitter at .306. The Orioles are below average in nearly every hitting and pitching category. In last place are the 1987 Minnesota Twins at 8-20, 11 GB. The Twins have no .300 hitters and their starting pitching is last (108th) in ERA at 8.06. The bullpen isn't much better, ranking 99th with a 6.34 ERA, although CL Juan Berenguer (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 SV) is doing his best. The Twins have won only one series and have been swept four times. The National League 1980's Division is led by the favorites, the 1986 New York Mets at 18-10. The Mets started their season 6-1 and haven't slowed down. 1B Keith Hernandez (.350 avg) is the best of four .300 hitters. SP Sid Fernandez (4-0, 2.92 ERA) and SP Ron Darling (4-0, 1.57 ERA) lead a starting pitching staff ranked 11th in the AL with a 2.97 ERA. The Mets bullpen is their weakness, however. In second place is the only other team in this division with a winning record: the 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers at 16-12, 2 GB. 1B Pedro Guerrero (.327 avg) and 2B Steve Sax (.308 avg) lead the team in hitting. The starting pitchers are ranked #3 in the NL with a 2.71 ERA, led by SP Orel Hershiser. Hershiser is 4-1 with a 1.15 ERA, placing him tied for 3rd in the NL for ERA. CL Jay Howell (2-1, 1.83 ERA, 10 SV) leads a very good bullpen. Howell is tied for 4th in the NL for saves. The Dodgers started their season well, but have lost their last three series. Tied for third place are three teams. The first are the 1982 St. Louis Cardinals at 13-15, 5 GB. SS Ozzie Smith (.327 avg) is the only .300 hitter. SP Joaquin Andujar leads the pitching staff at 4-1, 2.47 ERA. The second team is the 1989 San Francisco Giants. C Terry Kennedy is the team's only .300 hitter at .303. LF Kevin Mitchell is 2nd in the NL for home runs with 12. Starting pitching for the Giants has been average, but the bullpen is ranked #5 in the NL with a 2.19 ERA. The third team is the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies. LF Lonnie Smith (.328 avg) is one of three .300 hitters in the Phillies lineup. SS Larry Bowa is tied for 4th in the NL with four triples. The starting pitching for the Phillies has been poor and the bullpen average. The Phillies started out 2-5 while being swept by the 1910 Chicago Cubs. Two teams are tied for sixth place at 12-16, 6 GB. The 1985 St. Louis Cardinals are the first of the two. 2B Tom Herr (.355 avg) is one of three .300 hitters. SP John Tudor (3-2, 1.16 ERA, 2 CG, 2 SHO) leads a solid pitching staff. The Cardinals are tied for third in stolen bases with 44. The redbirds started their season 8-2, but two 6 game losing streaks have set them back in the standings. The second team is the 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers. RF Pedro Guerrero (.363 avg) is one of two .300 hitters. SP Fernando Valenzuela (3-1, 3.45 ERA) is doing his part, but the starting staff is ranked 100th in ERA, while the bullpen is ranked 95th. The Dodgers have been streaky, starting out 1-6, then alternating winning and losing streaks throughout the month. The 1987 St. Louis Cardinals find themselves in eighth place at 11-17, 7 GB. CF Willie McGee leads the lineup with a .316 batting average, while two others are hitting .300 or better. The pitching staff as a whole has been bad, with the exception of SP Bob Forsch (4-2, 3.24 ERA). The Cardinals started 5-2, but have been struggling to win since that first week, being swept by the 2006 Cardinals and 1915 Phillies. In ninth place are the 1984 San Diego Padres at 10-18, 8 GB. C Terry Kennedy is the leading hitter with a .300 batting average. 2B Alan Wiggins is tied for 4th in the NL with 13 stolen bases. SP Mark Thurmond (4-1, 3.19 ERA) and SP Eric Show (4-2, 2.49 ERA) are the only highlights of the starting pitching staff. The bullpen has performed well. In last place are the 1983 Philadelphia Phillies at 8-20, 10 GB. The Phillies are batting .223, ranking them at 106th in the NL. C Bo Diaz (.309 avg) is the only .300 hitter. The starting pitchers have been average and the bullpen very good, but the team is currently suffering an eight game losing streak. Attached Images

10-30-2013, 04:22 PM	#16
abell1198 All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Columbia, MO Posts: 846	1990's Division-April The Steroid Era continues with mixed results. I thought there would be more power, which was true for some teams. Pitching still wins championships and the 1990's teams showed plenty of it. In the American League, two teams share the lead at the end of April at 18-10. The first team is the 1999 New York Yankees. SS Derek Jeter (.327 avg) is one of two .300 hitters in the lineup. SP Roger Clemens is 5-0, 2.03 ERA to lead the pitching staff. The Yankees started out 5-1 and swept the 1940 Detroit Tigers. The 1956 New York Yankees were also swept by the 1999 squad. Tied with the Yankees for the lead are the 1995 Cleveland Indians. The Indians have four .300 hitters, led by 2B Carlos Baerga at .355. CF Kenny Lofton is tied for 1st in the AL in triples with five. SP Ken Hill leads the pitching staff at 2-0, 2.50 ERA. Hill threw a no-hitter on April 4 in an 8-0 win over the 1951 New York Yankees, even though he walked seven batters while striking out five. CL Jose Mesa leads the bullpen at 0-0, 1.42 ERA and 9 saves. The Indians have had winning streaks of three and five games and currently has a three game winning streak. In third place are the 1997 Cleveland Indians at 16-12, 2 GB. They are #2 in runs scored in the AL with 167. 3B Matt Williams (.320 avg) is one of two .300 hitters in the lineup. The team is batting .282, which is good enough for 16th in the AL. The starting pitching, however, is in trouble. The starters have struggled with a 6.24 ERA, placing them 103rd in the AL. Fortunately for the Indians, the bullpen has stepped up with a 2.64 ERA, which is 13th in the AL. Two Yankees teams are tied for fourth place at 14-14, 4 GB. The 1998 New York Yankees have three .300 hitters in their lineup, led by 1B Tino Martinez at .384. As a team, the 1998 Yankees are 20th in the AL with a .278 average. Their starting pitching is failing to perform and is 94th in the AL with a 5.36 ERA, while the bullpen has been good enough to help the team win. The 1996 New York Yankees have the same record and the same issues as the 1998 team. The team is hitting well, with a team average of .291, which places them 6th in the AL. 2B Mariano Duncan (.352 avg) is one of three .300 hitters. Starting pitching is 96th in the AL with a 5.49 ERA, but the bullpen has helped out the team with their 2.55 ERA, which places them 12th in the AL. Closer Mariano Rivera is 0-0, 0.00 ERA with 5 saves. Tied for sixth in the division at 13-15, 5 GB, are the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays and the 1990 Oakland A's. The Blue Jays are led by 2B Roberto Alomar (.305 avg), who is one of two .300 hitters on the team. The starting pitching has been dismal, ranking 102nd in the AL with a 6.03 ERA. The lone bright spot was SP Juan Guzman's no-hitter thrown on April 6 against the 1989 Oakland A's in a 2-0 win. The 1990 A's, who were the preseason favorites, have struggled at the plate. The team has no .300 hitters, is 107th in runs scored (87), 103rd in batting average (.231) and 104th in OBP (.296). The A's starting pitching has been average, but the bullpen has been spectacular, placing 8th in ERA at 2.31. Finishing out the division, and tied for last at 11-17, 7 GB, are the 1992 Toronto Blue Jays and the 1991 Minnesota Twins. The Blue Jays have only one .300 hitter in 2B Roberto Alomar, who is hitting .350. Their hitting overall has been poor and the pitching has been average. The Jays won their first two series of the year before falling into a six game losing streak and have been a .500 club since then. The Twins have only one .300 hitter in RF Randy Bush (.314 avg). The team, overall, is hitting poorly. The starting pitching has been bad as well. The bullpen has been performing and may be the reason why this team doesn't have a worse record. The Twins have been streaky. They started out winning five of their first six games, but have put together losing streaks of three and seven and currently are on a six game skid. In the National League, the division is led by two teams, who are tied at 18-10. The first team is the 1990 Cincinnati Reds, who are one of the favorites to win this division. The Reds have been the Big Red Machine for the month of April. They lead the NL in hitting with a .312 average and are third in OBP at .374. 1B Hal Morris (.390 avg) leads a lineup of .300 hitters!!! Seriously, the entire batting order outside of the pitcher is batting .300 or higher. Morris is tied for 2nd in the NL with 46 hits. SP Jose Rijo leads the starters at 5-0, 2.84 ERA, while CL Rob Dibble leads the bullpen at 1-1, 1.35 ERA, 6 saves. The bullpen is ranked 10th in the NL with a 2.37 ERA. SP Jack Armstrong (3-1, 1.69 ERA) made news when he threw a no-hitter on April 2 against the 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates in a 2-0 win. The Reds have put together winning streaks of four and five games, and are currently on a three game winning streak. The second team is the 1999 Atlanta Braves. CF Andruw Jones is the team's only .300 hitter at .320. Pitching has carried this team, with the starting staff ranked 8th in the NL with a 2.88 ERA. SP Terry Mulholland leads the staff at 5-0, 2.45 ERA. The bullpen is ranked 17th with a 2.71 ERA, led by CL John Rocker at 0-0, 0.59 ERA, 9 saves. The Braves started the season 9-1, sweeping the 1996 Braves and 2006 St. Louis Cardinals in the process. The Braves also swept the 1908 Chicago Cubs, but were swept by the 1993 Philadelphia Phillies. Speaking of the 1993 Philadelphia Phillies, they find themselves in third place at 17-11, 1 GB. 1B John Kruk (.369 avg) is one of two .300 hitters in the lineup. Kruk is third in the NL in OBP at .489. SP Curt Schilling leads the starters at 4-2, 2.84 ERA. The Phillie bullpen is #3 in the NL with a 1.68 ERA. The Phillies started 2-4 and were swept by the 1913 New York Giants. Since then, they've swept the 1937 New York Giants, the 1968 St. Louis Cardinals and the 1999 Atlanta Braves. In fourth place, and the second favorite to win this division, are the 1992 Atlanta Braves at 16-12, 2 GB. The team has no .300 hitters and is 96th in the NL in average (.238) and OBP (.298). The surprise hitter has been SS Jeff Blauser. Blauser is hitting .296 and is tied for 4th in the NL with 10 home runs. Personally, I think Blauser should be tested after hitting 10 homers in one month. SP Mike Bielecki leads the starters at 3-1, 3.00 ERA. The bullpen is sixth in the NL with a 2.27 ERA, led by CL Mark Wohlers (3-0, 0.00, 5 SV). The Braves started 5-1, but struggled the rest of the month. In fifth place are the 1997 Florida Marlins at 15-13, 3 GB. 3B Bobby Bonilla is the teams only .300 hitter with his .333 average. SP Kevin Brown has been lights out!!! Brown is 6-0 and tied for 1st in the majors in wins. Brown's ERA of 1.15 has him tied for third in the NL. Needless to say, Brown earned the National League Pitcher of the Month for April. The 1998 San Diego Padres are in sixth place at 13-15, 5 GB. 1B Wally Joyner (.339 avg) is one of two .300 hitters in the lineup. SP Kevin Brown (4-1, 1.64 ERA), SP Andy Ashby (5-1, 1.79 ERA) and CL Trevor Hoffman (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 SV) lead the pitching staff. In seventh place are the 1991 Atlanta Braves at 12-16, 6 GB. 2B Jeff Treadway leads all hitters with a .336 average. CF Otis Nixon is 3rd in the NL in stolen bases with 15. The starting pitching has completely failed, ranked 104th with a 5.32 ERA. The 1996 Atlanta Braves are in eighth place with a 11-17 record, 7 GB. The team has no .300 hitters and is 101st in the NL with a team average of .228. The starting pitching staff ranks 20th in the NL with a 3.10 ERA, led by SP Greg Maddux at 4-2, 1.89 ERA. The Braves are currently on a six game skid. In last place are the 1995 Atlanta Braves at 9-19, 9 GB. CF Mike Devereaux is the team's only .300 hitter at .316. SP Greg Maddux is the only bright spot at 3-1, 1.57 ERA. The starting staff as a whole is 101st in the NL with a 4.92 ERA, while the bullpen is 91st in the NL with a 5.63 ERA. Attached Images

11-08-2013, 03:59 PM	#17
abell1198 All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Columbia, MO Posts: 846	2000's Division-April The American League finds itself with a not so surprising leader, the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who finished April with a 20-8 record and a three game lead in the division. The Red Sox leading hitter thus far has been SS Nomar Garciaparra, who is hitting .347. With only one other .300 hitter, this team has relied on it's starting pitching. The starting staff is 13th in the American League with a combined ERA of 3.15. SP Curt Schilling (4-1, 1.49 ERA) and SP Tim Wakefield (4-1, 1.63 ERA) lead the staff. However, if the Red Sox are going to hold this lead, the bullpen is going to have to improve. The bullpen is currently ranked 105th with a 7.95 ERA, as CL Keith Foulke is the lone bright spot at 2-1, 2.12 ERA and 10 saves, which ranks him tied for 3rd in the AL. The Red Sox have lost only two series so far, sweeping the 1985 Kansas City Royals, 1945 Detroit Tigers and 1983 Baltimore Orioles in the first month. DH Manny Ramirez also made news on April 8 when he went 5-5, hitting 2 HR, with 7 RBI in a 12-4 win over the 1945 Detroit Tigers. Two teams are tied for second place at 17-11, 3 GB. The 2008 Tampa Bay Rays are led by their lone .300 hitter, C Dioner Navarro (.330 avg). The Rays pitching has been outstanding. SP Andy Sonnanstine (4-1, 1.93 ERA) and SP Edwin Jackson (4-1, 1.96 ERA) lead the starters, who are ranked 15th in the AL with a 3.22 ERA. But the bullpen has performed even better, ranking 2nd in the AL with a 1.80 ERA. Their combined stats give the Rays pitching staff a ranking of 6th overall. The 2000 New York Yankees are the other team in second place. DH Glenallen Hill leads a lineup with three .300 hitters with a .325 batting average. SP Andy Pettitte leads the starting pitchers at 4-1, 3.54 ERA. The Yankees have been streaky so far with three 3-game losing streaks this month, including being swept by the 1906 Chicago White Sox and 1979 Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees also had winning streaks of three and four games, as well as two five game streaks. These streaks included sweeps of the 1933 Chicago White Sox, 1964 New York Yankees, 1972 Oakland A's and 1985 Kansas City Royals. The favorites in the preseason polls to win this division, the 2007 Boston Red Sox, find themselves in fourth place at 16-12, 4 GB. 2B Dustin Pedroia is the only .300 hitter at .321. Pitching has paved the way for the Red Sox. SP Josh Beckett is 2-1, with a 1.40 ERA, which is good enough for 6th in the AL. SP Daisuke Matsuzaka is 4-0, 1.60 ERA. Closer Jonathan Papelbon leads the bullpen at 2-1, 1.02 ERA, with 8 saves. The Red Sox swept the 1970 Baltimore Orioles and 1905 Philadelphia Athletics and were swept by the 1912 Boston Red Sox. In fifth place are the 2003 New York Yankees at 15-13, 5 GB. The team is tied for 4th in the AL in home runs with 37. SS Derek Jeter is hitting .407, which ranks him #1 in the AL, one point ahead of Babe Ruth of the 1926 Yankees. Jeter is also #1 in hits in the AL with 48. SP Roger Clemens is the only pitcher in the starting rotation performing well, as he has started 4-2, 2.22 ERA. The bullpen is ranked 10th in the AL with a 2.48 ERA. The Yankees started well at 5-1, sweeping the 1997 Cleveland Indians in the process, but have struggled since. The 2009 New York Yankees, 2001 New York Yankees and 2002 Anaheim Angels find themselves tied for sixth place at 13-15, 7 GB. The 2009 squad is led by LF Johnny Damon at .333, with RF Nick Swisher hitting .320. The only good pitching for the team has been SP C.C. Sabathia (4-1, 1.87 ERA, 45 K) and CL Mariano Rivera (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 SV). The 2009 Yankees have only won three series. The 2001 Yankees are having the same pitching struggles. SP Roger Clemens (4-0, 2.31 ERA) is performing well, but the bullpen is 103rd with a 7.26 ERA. CF Bernie Williams (.314 avg) is one of three .300 hitters in the lineup. The 2001 Yankees started 2-9, but then won five in a row before settling in as a .500 club. The Angels are led by SS David Eckstein (.346 avg) and DH Brad Fullmer (.340 avg). SP Kevin Appier (4-2, 2.20 ERA) leads a solid pitching staff. The Angels, however, have been streaky. They started 2-0, lost 7, won 9 of 10 and then went 2-7. In ninth place are the 2005 Chicago White Sox at 11-17, 9 GB. The White Sox have three .300 hitters in their lineup, led by CF Aaron Rowand at .346, but their starting pitching has been poor so far. The White Sox have won four series, but were swept three times in April. In last place are the 2006 Detroit Tigers at 7-21, 13 GB. The Tigers started their year 6-6, but then lost 14 straight. SS Carlos Guillen (.376 avg) is the lone .300 hitter on the team, which is 106th in runs scored (92), 107th in OBP (.288), 104th in runs against (174), 106th in starting pitching ERA (6.82) and dead last (108th) in defense. The National League 2000 Division is led by the 2003 Florida Marlins at 20-8. 2B Luis Castillo (.359 avg) is one of four .300 hitters in the lineup. SP Brad Penny (3-0, 2.56 ERA) leads a starting staff ranked 13th in the NL with a combined ERA of 2.98. The Marlin bullpen has been the best in the NL, ranked #1 with an ERA of 1.38. The Marlins have won six of their nine series, including sweeps of the 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers, 1989 San Francisco Giants, 1924 New York Giants and 1970 Cincinnati Reds. In second place at 18-10, 2 GB, are the 2002 San Francisco Giants. LF Barry Bonds is the leading hitter, batting .319, with 8 HR and 19 RBI. SP Jason Schmidt (4-2, 2.89 ERA) and SP Livan Hernandez (3-0, 3.16 ERA) lead the starting pitching staff, while CL Robb Nen (1-0, 0.00, 10 SV) leads a bullpen ranked 8th in the NL with a 2.35 ERA. The Giants started their season 3-0 with a sweep of the 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers, but lost their next two series. The Giants have won every series since. The 2004 St. Louis Cardinals are in third place at 17-11, 3 GB. SS Edgar Renteria is the team's only .300 hitter at .330. SP Jason Marquis (4-2, 2.49 ERA) leads a solid, but average pitching staff. The Cardinals find a way to win, however, losing only three series in April. In fourth place are the 2000 New York Mets at 16-12, 4 GB. 2B Edgardo Alfonzo (.317 avg) and SS Mike Bordick (.315 avg) are the lone bright spots in a lineup ranked 91st with a .242 batting average and .302 OBP. The starting pitching has been average, while closer Armando Benitez (1-0, 1.50 ERA, 8 SV) has been performing well from the bullpen. The favorites to win this division, the 2005 Houston Astros, find themselves in a tie for fifth place at 15-13, 5 GB. The lineup is led by C Brad Ausmus (.308 avg) and 2B Craig Biggio (.300 avg). SP Roy Oswalt (4-2, 2.33 ERA) and SP Roger Clemens (3-2, 2.38 ERA) lead a starting pitching staff with a combined ERA of 3.24. But the bullpen's ERA is a staggering 6.02. The Astros started 2-7 after losing all three series. But they've only lost one series since while going 13-6. The other team in fifth place are the 2007 Colorado Rockies. In true Rockie fashion, this team is hitting well, but not pitching well. 1B Todd Helton is one of five .300 hitters in the lineup. Helton is hitting .388 and is 5th in the NL with a .484 OBP. CF Willy Tavaras is 2nd in the NL in stolen bases with 17 while also hitting .374. The Rockies are 3rd in runs scored (162), 4th in average (.307) and 6th in OBP (.364). SP Jeff Francis is the only good pitcher so far with a record of 4-1 and ERA of 2.09. The starting pitching staff, however, is ranked 102nd with a combined ERA of 5.06. Two teams are tied for seventh place at 13-15, 7 GB. The first team is the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies. CF Shane Victorino leads the team with a .324 batting average. The only other .300 hitter in the lineup is SS Jimmy Rollins, who is hitting .313 and is 1st in the Majors with six triples. The starting pitching has been terrible, ranking next to last (107th) with a combined ERA of 5.95. The Phillies only won three series in April, with two of them coming in the first week and a half. The second team is the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks. LF Luis Gonzalez is the only .300 hitter at .363. SP Randy Johnson is dominant, posting a 2-1 record with a 1.15 ERA and 71 strikeouts. Johnson is tied for 5th in the NL in ERA and 1st in the Majors in strikeouts. The Diamondback bullpen has performed well, ranking 14th in the NL with a 2.58 ERA. Arizona's play has been streaky thus far, sweeping the likes of the 1937 New York Giants, 1922 New York Giants and 1991 Atlanta Braves while being swept by the 1932 Chicago Cubs and 1968 St. Louis Cardinals. In ninth place are 12-16, 8 GB, are the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies. LF Raul Ibanez (.333 avg) is the best of a lineup with two other .300 hitters, but the pitching has been sub par. The Phillies swept the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers to start the season, but have struggled since. The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals find themselves in last place with a record of 11-17, 9 GB. 1B Albert Pujols (.351 avg) is the team's only .300 hitter. SP Chris Carpenter is pitching well, finishing the month 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA. The Cards have been streaky. They lost seven in a row while being swept by the 1999 and 1991 Atlanta Braves, then won four in a row while sweeping the 1987 Cardinals. The Cards are currently on a four game losing skid, highlighted by a sweep at the hands of the 2005 Houston Astros. Attached Images

11-10-2013, 07:00 PM	#18
abell1198 All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Columbia, MO Posts: 846	2010's Division-April The 2010's divisions have been disappointing to say the least. Neither division winner is predicted to finish at .500 in this simulation and only one team is playing well through the first month. The American League 2010's division is led by the 2011 Texas Rangers at 13-15. C Mike Napoli leads the lineup with his .347 batting average while three others are hitting over .300. The Rangers have the 12th best team average at .286 and is 7th in runs scored with 157. But the Ranger's pitchers are ranked 93rd and the team has shown no consistency. The Rangers were swept by the 1954 Cleveland Indians and 1913 Philadelphia Athletics, but managed to sweep the 2001 New York Yankees. The preseason favorite to win the division, the 2012 Detroit Tigers, find themselves in 2nd place at 12-16, 1 GB. DH Miguel Cabrera leads all hitters with his .314 batting average. There is one other .300 hitter, but three hitters batting under .200. As a team, the Tigers are hitting .229, which ranks them 105th. The Tigers pitching has been average so far. The team started 0-10, as they were swept by the 1930 Philadelphia Athletics, 1920 Cleveland Indians and 1913 Philadelphia Athletics. In last place are the 2010 Texas Rangers at 7-21, 6 GB. 3B Michael Young is the leading hitter with a .375 batting average. Young took home player of the week honors on April 22. The Rangers are 3rd in hitting with their .294 team batting average, but unfortunately, their starting pitching is ranked 105th with a 6.61 ERA. Throw in a defense ranked 107th, and you understand why this team has won only one series. On a positive note, they won the last game of the month to end a nine game skid. In the National League, the leader is the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals at 17-11. RF Lance Berkman is leading the team and the Major Leagues with his .429 batting average and won player of the week honors on April 15th. Berkman also had a 21 game hitting streak in April. The Cardinals starting pitching has been below average, but the bullpen has picked up the slack and is ranked 11th in the NL with a 2.46 ERA. The Cardinals have lost only three series and swept the 1942 Cardinals and 1920 Brooklyn Robins. In second place are the 2012 San Francisco Giants at 13-15, 4 GB. Juiced up LF Melky Cabrera leads the lineup with his .398 average while SP Barry Zito is surprising everyone with his 3-0 start and 2.13 ERA. The Giants lost 6 of their last 7 games in April. The favorites to win the division find themselves in last place. The 2010 San Francisco Giants finished the month at 10-18, 7 GB. LF Pat Burrell leads the team with a .316 batting average. The Giants pitching has been solid, but the hitting has been below average. The team got off to a slow start at 2-5, but thought they had turned it around when they won four straight. Then came the nine game losing streak. So there you have it for the first month. Is your favorite team performing like you thought? Fortunately for some teams, the season is just beginning, giving them all time to turn things around. Let's see what the next month brings. Attached Images

11-16-2013, 04:04 PM	#19
abell1198 All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Columbia, MO Posts: 846	1900's Division-May The American League 1900's Division is living up to preseason (lack of) expectations, as all teams are under .500. The division lead has two teams at the top at 26-31. The 1908 Detroit Tigers improved their position by five games while having a winning May. The Tigers are 15th in the AL with a team batting average of .278 and are 7th in the AL in stolen bases with 79. LF Matty McIntyre (.327 avg) leads the Tigers, who have three others hitting .300 or better. SP George Mullin (5-3, 3.43 ERA) leads a below average pitching staff. RF Ty Cobb made news on May 7 when he went 5-7 in a 9-7 win over the 1917 Chicago White Sox, who the Tigers ended up sweeping. The 1906 Chicago White Sox share the lead with the Tigers, who they swept in May. Unfortunately, they had trouble beating other teams, ending May with a 10-19 record and losing the three game lead they had at the end of April. The White Sox were swept by the 1973 Oakland A's, 2006 Detroit Tigers and 1929 Philadelphia Athletics. The White Sox ended the month on a four game losing streak and have lost 8 of their last 9. SS George Davis still leads the team in hitting, raising his average 15 points to .345. Davis is the only .300 hitter on a team with below average hitting. Davis is also tied for 2nd in the AL with 26 doubles. Davis also made news on May 5 when he went 5-7 in an 11-8, 13 inning loss to the 1990 Oakland A's. In third place are the 1909 Detroit Tigers at 23-34, who have maintained staying at 3 GB. The Tigers lead the AL in stolen bases with 112, with RF Ty Cobb (.342 avg) tied for the Major League lead with 32. Cobb is one of two .300 hitters on the team. The Tiger's starting pitching has been terrible, ranking 107th in ERA at 5.71. The Tigers are currently on an eight game losing streak, highlighted by sweeps at the hands of the 1957 New York Yankees and 1969 Baltimore Orioles. The 1907 Detroit Tigers find themselves in fourth place at 22-35, 4 GB. The Tigers have actually gained two games on the division leaders this month. RF Ty Cobb (.316 avg) is one of two .300 hitters. SP Bill Donovan leads the pitching staff at 5-5, 2.17 ERA. In fifth place, the 1905 Philadelphia Athletics remain 7 GB of the division lead with a record of 19-38. The team has no .300 hitters in the lineup. SP Andy Coakley (7-1, 2.73 ERA) is the only winning pitcher, although SP Rube Waddell (3-6, 3.40 ERA) leads the AL in strikeouts with 139. In last place are the 1903 Boston Americans at 18-39. Good news for them is they are still 8 GB in a weak division. DH Chick Stahl is the team's only .300 hitter at .305, while three players in the lineup are hitting under .200. SS Freddy Parent (.284, 2 HR, 20 RBI) is tied for 2nd in the AL with seven triples. SP Cy Young is 4-7, with a 3.63 ERA. The Americans only won two series in May and were swept by the 1913 Philadelphia Athletics and 1961 New York Yankees. The National League 1900's Division is led by the 1906 Chicago Cubs at 36-21. The Cubs took over first place in May and have built a four game lead. The Cubs are ranked #1 in defense and are 6th in stolen bases with 81. 3B Harry Steinfeldt still leads the team in hitting with his .359 average and SP Fred Beebe (7-2, 2.51 ERA) is still the best pitcher on the staff. The starters all have ERA under 4.00 and are ranked 8th overall with a 2.94 ERA. But the bullpen is still this team's weakness. The Cubs did manage to sweep both the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates and 2006 St. Louis Cardinals this month, but lost their last three series of May. In second place are the former first place team, the 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates, at 32-25. The Pirates had a two game lead at the end of April, but a 12-17 May has them four games out. The Pirates were swept by the 1949 Brooklyn Dodgers this month and also suffered sweeps by the 1954 New York Giants and 1911 New York Giants during a seven game skid. The Pirates look to be turning things around, finishing May with a four game winning streak in which they swept the 1926 St. Louis Cardinals. LF Fred Clarke (.316, 6 HR, 34 RBI) and CF Ginger Beaumont (.314, 6 HR, 38 RBI) lead the Pirate hitters, while SP Deacon Phillippe (6-3, 2.74 ERA) and SP Sam Leever (8-2, 3.10) lead the way for the pitching staff. CL Brickyard Kennedy (2-2, 2.20 ERA, 19 SV) continues his good performance and is tied for 1st in the NL in saves. The 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates (31-26) find themselves in third place and are still 5 GB. C George Gibson (.315 avg) and SS Honus Wagner (.308 avg) lead all hitters. SP Nick Maddox (7-3, 2.95 ERA) made news on May 17 when he pitched a four hit shutout over the 1961 Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates won 9-0, as Maddox struck out three and walked none. Notable wins for the Pirates included sweeps of the 1984 San Diego Padres and 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. In fourth place are the 1908 Chicago Cubs at 28-29, which keeps them 8 GB of the division lead. The Cubs have no .300 hitters in the lineup. SP Orval Overall (6-4, 2.87 ERA) and SP Jack Pfiester (6-4, 2.95 ERA) are doing what they can to win games. The Cubs were 16-13 in May after a 12-16 record in April. The Cubs managed to sweep the 2005 Houston Astros and 1982 St. Louis Cardinals. The 1905 New York Giants are in fifth place at 26-31. The Giants fell another game back of the lead and are currently 10 GB. The Giants were 15-14 in May after their initial 11-17 mark in April. The Giants hitters are performing well, as the team is 1st in the NL in OBP (.365), 1st in walks (267), 4th in stolen bases (89) and 6th in runs scored (299). CF Mike Donlin is hitting .379, which is 6th in the NL. Donlin is also tied for 5th in the NL in hits with 85. Donlin had a 36 game hit streak, which ended on May 23. LF Sam Mertes is hitting .355 and is tied for 5th in the NL in stolen bases with 23. SP Christy Mathewson leads the pitching staff at 7-2, 3.36 ERA. The 1907 Chicago Cubs find themselves in last place after a truly disastrous month. The Cubs are 22-35 after starting out 14-14. They dropped 8 GB of the division lead and now find themselves 14 GB. The Cubs have no .300 hitters and are 96th in batting average at .243. RF Frank Schulte had his 27 game hit streak end on the first day of May. SP Orval Overall leads the pitchers at 6-2, 2.23 ERA. The Cubs managed losing streaks of 3,4,5 & 6 games this month and were swept by the 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers and 1921 New York Giants. Attached Images

11-18-2013, 02:19 PM	#20
abell1198 All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Columbia, MO Posts: 846	1910's Division-May The 1910's Division, surprisingly enough, has the two teams with the league's best record after two months of play, with one from each league. In the American League, we'll start with the leader, the 1912 Boston Red Sox, who are 40-17. The Red Sox had an outstanding May, finishing the month at 22-7. CF Tris Speaker is the team's only .300 hitter at .376, which places him 5th in the AL. The real story behind this team has been it's pitching. SP Smokey Joe Wood (8-2, 2.72 ERA) is 6th in the AL with 117 strikeouts. SP Ray Collins (6-2, 3.07 ERA) made news on May 1 with a 2-hit shutout over the 1984 Detroit Tigers in a 1-0 win. Collins struck out 10 and walked one. SP Buck O'Brien (6-2, 2.50 ERA) threw a no-hitter on May 16, defeating the 2012 Detroit Tigers 4-0 while striking out 8 and walking one. SP Eddie Cicotte (7-3, 3.42 ERA) and SP Hugh Bedient (7-4, 2.84 ERA) round out the starting staff. Closer Charley Hall (1-2, 2.84 ERA, 17 SV) is currently tied for 4th in the AL in saves. The Red Sox had sweeps of the 2000 New York Yankees, 1991 Minnesota Twins, 2012 Detroit Tigers and 1955 New York Yankees. Second place is currently held by the 1913 Philadelphia Athletics at 37-20, 3 GB. The Athletics were consistent, following up their 18-10 April with a 19-10 May performance. The Athletics extended their six game winning streak at the end of April to ten games by winning their first four games of May. 1B Stuffy McInnis (.349 avg) is the best hitter in a lineup with four players at .300 or higher. 2B Eddie Collins (.338 avg) is tied for 2nd in the AL in stolen bases with 22, while CF Amos Strunk (.291 avg) is tied for 4th with 21. SP Chief Bender (7-2, 2.49 ERA) and SP Eddie Plank (6-2, 2.52 ERA) lead the starters, while CL John Taff (2-2, 2.70, 17 SV) leads the bullpen. The Athletics managed sweeps of the 1990 Oakland A's, 1903 Boston Americans and 2006 Detroit Tigers, but were swept by the 1929 Philadelphia Athletics. The 1919 Chicago White Sox find themselves in third place, 8 GB of first place at 32-25. The White Sox played well this month, finishing May with a record of 17-12, but still lost ground on first place by four games. The White Sox had a five game losing streak in early May, highlighted by a sweep at the hands of the 1949 New York Yankees. But, they've won six of seven series since that point, sweeping both the 1938 New York Yankees and 2005 Chicago White Sox. The White Sox have a losing record on the road and will need to improve to have a chance. LF Shoeless Joe Jackson (.371, 9 HR, 50 RBI) leads the lineup and is tied for 4th in the AL with 6 triples. Jackson also hit for the cycle on May 16. SP Eddie Cicotte (4-3, 2.61 ERA), SP Dickey Kerr (6-2, 3.01 ERA) and SP Grover Lowdermilk (5-1, 3.22 ERA) lead the charge for the pitching staff. In fourth place are three teams at 31-26, 9 GB. The first is the 1911 Philadelphia Athletics. 2B Eddie Collins (.365 avg) is one of four .300 hitters in the lineup. 3B Home Run Baker (.308, 8 HR, 47 RBI) is tied for 4th in the AL with 23 doubles. SP Eddie Plank (6-3, 2.97 ERA), SP Chief Bender (7-4, 3.39 ERA) and SP Jack Coombs (6-2, 3.26 ERA) lead the pitching staff. The Athletics won 9 of 10 in the first half of May, sweeping the 1928 and 1976 New York Yankees. But a lackluster effort in the second half put them four more games away from first place, even though they finished May at 17-12. The next team is the 1917 Chicago White Sox. The White Sox started May with a five game losing streak while being swept by the 1908 Detroit Tigers. LF Shoeless Joe Jackson (.324 avg) is the team's only .300 hitter. SP Reb Russell (7-3, 3.56 ERA) and SP Joe Benz (6-3, 3.62 ERA) are doing what they can to help the team, but a losing record in May has really hurt this team. The final team is the 1915 Boston Red Sox. 2B Bill Rodgers (.301 avg) is the only .300 hitter in the lineup, which has really struggled, ranking 106th overall with a .230 team average. The Red Sox are running when they are on base, ranking 5th in stolen bases with 86. The pitching staff has been superb, ranking 2nd in the AL with a 2.87 ERA. SP Dutch Leonard (5-4, 1.59 ERA) is 6th in the AL in ERA. SP Smoky Joe Wood (8-2, 2.99 ERA) made news on May 23 when he threw a 2-hit shutout over the 1930 Philadelphia Athletics in a 2-0 win. The 1916 Boston Red Sox find themselves in seventh place at 30-27, 10 GB. The Red Sox suffered a complete collapse in May, with an 11-18 mark after finishing April at 19-9 and first place. 3B Larry Gardner (.322 avg) and CF Tillie Walker (.314 avg) lead the hitters, while SP Ernie Shore is 7-0, with a 1.66 ERA. In eighth place are the 1914 Philadelphia Athletics at 28-29, 12 GB. The Athletics managed to put together a 16-13 record in May, but still lost ground on first place. 2B Eddie Collins put together a 25 game hitting streak and is hitting .379, which has him tied for 2nd in the AL. 3B Home Run Baker also put together a 21 game hitting streak. SP Bullet Joe Bush (6-3, 2.97 ERA) and SP Eddie Plank (6-4, 3.02 ERA) lead the pitching staff. The Athletics are currently 3rd in the AL in stolen bases with 106. The 1910 Philadelphia Athletics are in ninth place with a mark of 25-32, 15 GB. The Athletics put together a winning record in May at 16-13, sweeping the 1956 New York Yankees, 2009 New York Yankees and 1980 Kansas City Royals. 2B Eddie Collins (.343 avg) and 3B Home Run Baker (.312 avg) lead the hitters, while SP Chief Bender (7-5, 3.33 ERA) and SP Eddie Plank (4-4, 2.76 ERA) lead the pitchers. In last place are the 1918 Boston Red Sox at 22-35, 18 GB. The team has no .300 hitters and is ranked 104th with their .232 team batting average. LF Babe Ruth (.221, 17 HR, 43 RBI) made news on May 18 when he went 3-3 with 3 home runs and 6 RBI in a 10-3 win over the 1914 Philadelphia Athletics. SP Bullet Joe Bush is the best pitcher at 5-3, 3.57 ERA. The National League is led by the 1913 New York Giants at 40-17. The Giants are 1st in the NL in stolen bases with 111. The team started May with a nine game winning streak en route to a 21-8 record for the month. In the process, the Giants swept the 1946 St. Louis Cardinals, 1940 Cincinnati Reds, 2012 San Francisco Giants and 1933 New York Giants. C Chief Meyers (.339 avg) is one of three .300 hitters in the lineup. The starting pitching staff is ranked 11th in the NL. SP Al Demaree (7-2, 2.85 ERA) was named May Pitcher of the Month. Demaree went 5-0 with a 1.10 ERA, while striking out 33 and walking 11 in 49 innings of work. Demaree held opposing hitters to a .200 batting average. The other members of the starting staff are Christy Mathewson (7-1, 3.01 ERA), Jeff Tesreau (6-2, 2.37 ERA), Red Ames (7-2, 2.63 ERA) and Rube Marquard (5-4, 4.26 ERA). In second place are the 1910 Chicago Cubs at 37-20, 3 GB. The Cubs were a model of consistency, going 19-10 in May after their 18-10 start in April. The Cubs only have one .300 hitter (C Johnny Kling .328 avg) but the team boasts a .270 team average, ranking them 23rd in the NL. The Cubs are also ranked 8th in stolen bases with 69. SP Ed Reulbach (7-3, 3.27 ERA) and CL Lew Richie (0-0, 2.33, 17 SV) are the best on a staff which is struggling with a 4.36 combined ERA, ranking them 89th in the NL. CF Solly Hofman (.290, 4 HR, 35 RBI) made news on May 6 when he went 5-5 in an 11-5 win over the 1978 Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cubs are currently on a seven game winning streak in which they've swept the 1986 New York Mets and 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers. The 1912 New York Giants are in third place at 34-23, 6 GB. The Giants posted a mark of 19-10 in May, but still dropped two more games out of first place. 2B Larry Doyle (.338, 11 HR, 35 RBI) and C Chief Meyers (.321 avg) lead the Giant hitters. SP Christy Mathewson (8-2, 2.27 ERA) leads an above average staff. The Giants are ranked 5th in stolen bases with 82. In fourth place are the 1916 Brooklyn Robins at 31-26, 9 GB. 1B Jake Daubert (.329 avg) and C Lew McCarty (.315 avg) lead a lineup ranked 9th in the NL with a .282 batting average. SS Ivy Olson (.298, 0 HR, 15 RBI) made the news on May 8 with a 5-5 performance in a 9-6 win over the 1992 Atlanta Braves. SP Larry Cheney (7-2, 2.26 ERA) leads a solid starting staff, but the bullpen has been this team's weakness. Cheney also made the news on May 21 when he only allowed five hits in a 6-2 win over the 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers, striking out 16 and walking two. Two teams find themselves tied for fifth place at 29-28, 11 GB. The first team is the 1911 New York Giants. The Giants have no .300 hitters and are led by LF Red Murray (.298, 2 HR, 17 RBI). Murray has 23 stolen bases and is tied for 5th in the NL, while the team is ranked 2nd in the NL with 97 stolen bases. SP Christy Mathewson (6-4, 2.40 ERA) leads a solid starting staff, but the lack of a bullpen is hurting the team. The second team is the 1914 Boston Braves. The Brave's lineup is led by 1B Possum Whitted (.301 avg) and LF Joe Connolly (.298, 10 HR, 32 RBI). SP Lefty Tyler (8-1, 2.14 ERA) and CL Paul Strand (2-2, 1.27 ERA, 18 SV) lead an overall weak pitching staff. The Braves have a losing record at home, while winning on the road. In seventh place are the 1915 Philadelphia Phillies at 27-30, 13 GB. The Phillies have no .300 hitters and are ranked 107th in the NL in batting average (.230) and 108th (last) in OBP (.281). RF Gavvy Craveth (.258, 18 HR, 35 RBI) and LF Beals Becker (.235, 15 HR, 35 RBI) are putting up some numbers when they do hit the ball. Craveth is tied for 4th in the NL in home runs. The 1919 Cincinnati Reds are in eighth place with a mark of 26-31, 14 GB. The Reds managed to put together a winning record in May at 15-14, but also fell victim to a no-hitter on May 10 against Sal Maglie and the 1951 New York Giants. CF Edd Roush is the team's best hitter with a .333 average. The starting pitching has been average, while the bullpen is below average. Two teams are tied for last place in the division at 25-32, 15 GB. The first team is the 1917 New York Giants. CF Benny Kauff (.321 avg) and 3B Heinie Zimmerman (.301 avg) are hitting well, but overall the rest of the lineup has been hitting poorly. The pitching staff has been above average overall. The Giants put together two four game winning streaks this month, sweeping the 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers and 1961 Cincinnati Reds. The second team is the 1918 Chicago Cubs. 1B Fred Merkle (.380, 7 HR, 41 RBI) has been a hitting machine. Merkle is 5th in the NL in batting average and 3rd in hits. Merkle also made news on May 7 when he went 6 for 8 in a 7-6 loss to the 1943 St. Louis Cardinals in 15 innings. LF Les Mann (.281, 4 HR, 32 RBI) is tied for 4th in the NL in doubles with 25. SP Claude Hendrix (7-3, 3.46 ERA) is the best of a pitching staff with weak starters and a poor bullpen. The Cubs were swept by the 1926 St. Louis Cardinals and 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates during separate four and five game losing streaks. Attached Images