Baseball Hodgepodge

[NYY #23]

I like trying to find different ways to play the game and do something a little different. Sometimes I need a change of pace from being a General Manager of a team, or playing out the games as a manager. I've gone through history a few times following the home run leaders, and I'm looking for a similar experience. Things move pretty fast from year to year, and the focus is on the players rather than the teams. I've thought about replicating that experience with another milestone - 300 game winners, 3000 hit club, or something else, but I'm not quite ready to go there. I always seem to start a league, go through 10 or 20 years and leave it unfinished. For whatever reason I have much better success when I write things down.

So I'll usually go through start a league with a specific idea in mind, and write out posts. Some of the leagues I'll abandon, but it's a good way of weeding out bad ideas, or making sure things go in the direction that you want. Usually when I break my rules and get an idea and post a dynasty right away it turns out bad. But I've got a few leagues that I've been working on for a while, and maybe one day they'll reach the point where I'm ready to post it, if it gets past a certain point.

But I've also get a list of ideas that I've wanted to try, and instead of doing a "big project" I thought I would go through some of those mini dynasties. This idea all started with watching an episode of Prime 9 on the MLB Network a few years ago. If your not familiar the basic premise is to countdown the top 9 of a category - unbreakable records, centerfielders, etc. Or other topics that are fun to debate, but harder to settle because everybody has an opinion.

But instead of doing a big dynasty to settle one of those questions, I thought I would take a different approach, and go through a series of topics or categories. The concept is pretty simple, I'll pick a topic, select the list of players that will compete, they'll import as rookies, and I'll play a career to determine the rankings. It will depend on the category to determine how it will be measured, but I'll point that out before I get the category started.

I've decided on 16 teams, 8 in the American League, and 8 in the National League. Modern settings will be used, and the league will be fictional, except for the 16 players that have been selected. The teams aren't the primary focus, but I've tried to use teams with a long history.

The AL is composed of:
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Minnesota Twins
New York Yankees
Oakland Athletics

The NL is composed of:
Atlanta Braves
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Los Angeles Dodgers
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals
San Francisco Giants

I'll be using the Spritze-Gambo database with recalc off. Injuries will be set to very low, with the amateur draft occurring after the season. If there are any questions on the set-up feel free to ask.

My intent is to complete a category fairly quickly, moving year to year. Hopefully it'll be a fun little exercise, and I'll move on to the next category. I'll keep an updated list in the next post. I won't guarantee how long this will last, but I'll at least finish a category once I start it. I do have a list of categories I'd like to get through though.

I did a test run through of a category, and I thought it turned out pretty well, and more importantly I had a lot of fun with it, so I'm encouraged that this will work. I've already completed about 3/4 of the first category, and I'll begin posting that while I finalize the second category, and should be caught up by the time that gets started.

I'll be going over the first category next, but if there is a category that you'd like to see, or someone you'd like to see included let me know and I'll do my best to include them.

[NYY #23]

I'm going to plan on starting this off with an easy category to get things started.

1) Most Career hits
2) Best catcher
3) Greatest rotation
4) A look at the worst teams
5) Greatest by Position Tournament:
Position Brackets:
Catchers
First Baseman
Second Baseman
Third Baseman
Shortstop
Left Field
Center Field
Right Field
Designated Hitter
Starting Pitchers
Closers

Just to give an idea of some of the upcoming categories I've thinking about, in no particular order I'll tackle the following:

Greatest base stealers
Greatest Power Hitter
Greatest Negro League Player

[NYY #23]

I started off the selection process with the top 14 players in career hits -

Pete Rose
Ty Cobb
Hank Aaron
Stan Musial
Tris Speaker
Cap Anson
Honus Wagner
Carl Yastrzemski
Paul Molitor
Eddie Collins
Derek Jeter
Willie Mays
Nap Lajoie

And with two spots left I passed on Cal Ripken Jr. He'll get an opportunity soon, and at some point the winner of round one may have to defend their title so maybe some other players that missed the cut will get a chance, but I wanted to include Tony Gwynn in the competition. That's really just a personal preference of liking Gwynn better than Ripken.

The final entry was the newest member of the 4000 hit club - Ichiro Suzuki.



The first round of the draft was heavy with the real life players, with only Tony Gwynn, Eddie Murray, Pete Rose, and Ichiro falling to the top of the second round.

While I won't get into which team drafted every player, I couldn't help but notice this:



That is definitely painful for a Yankee fan to see.

On to year 1.

[NYY #23]

First it's important to note that players imported at a young age - 18 or 19. Most of the players are not fully developed, but I also don't see any warning signs yet.

Cap Anson got off to an early lead, picking up 227 hits while hitting .364. This isn't a sprint though, so there is plenty of time for anybody to catch him.

1. Cap Anson - 227
2. Ty Cobb - 156
3. Honus Wagner - 155
4. Eddie Collins Sr - 58
5. Willie Mays - 57
6. Tris Speaker - 52
7. Nap Lajoie - 52
8. Stan Musial - 36
9. Derek Jeter - 32
10. Pete Rose - 26
11. Paul Molitor - 21
12. Hank Aaron - 10
13. Ichiro - 7
14. Carl Yastrzemski - 2
15. Tony Gwynn - 0
16. Eddie Murray - 0

[NYY #23]

Cap Anson went on an impressive hitting streak this year, hitting safely in 42 straight games. That wasn't enough to get much breathing room for him though, as Cobb remains firmly on his heels.

Ty Cobb set a record for most hits in a season with 249 while winning the batting title.

Nap Lajoie won the Rookie of the Year, picking up 239 hits and hitting .342. He also moved up to 5th place on the list.

Derek Jeter moved up to 6th place on the list.

1. Cap Anson - 436
2. Ty Cobb - 405
3. Honus Wagner - 354
4. Eddie Collins Sr - 283
5. Nap Lajoie - 276
6. Derek Jeter - 232
7. Tris Speaker - 188
8. Pete Rose - 182
9. Stan Musial - 181
10. Willie Mays - 177
11. Paul Molitor - 176
12. Carl Yastrzemski - 139
13. Ichiro - 125
14. Tony Gwynn - 97
15. Eddie Murray - 39
16. Hank Aaron - 34

[dynaboyj]

Are there any levels of minor leagues included in this?

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by dynaboyj

Are there any levels of minor leagues included in this?

There are no minor leagues, I'm only using reserve rosters.

[NYY #23]

Ty Cobb jumped into first place on the career hit list, passing Anson. Cobb has the advantage of age, being two years younger than Anson, and is currently playing much better. There is still plenty of time though.

Paul Molitor moved into 8th place this year.

1. Ty Cobb - 647
2. Cap Anson - 617
3. Honus Wagner - 550
4. Eddie Collins Sr - 494
5. Nap Lajoie - 482
6. Derek Jeter - 436
7. Tris Speaker - 372
8. Paul Molitor - 368
9. Pete Rose - 350
10. Carl Yastrzemski - 350
11. Stan Musial - 347
12. Willie Mays - 329
13. Ichiro - 307
14. Tony Gwynn - 282
15. Hank Aaron - 175
16. Eddie Murray - 118

[NYY #23]

Ty Cobb once again led all participants with 255 hits, 25 more than second place Nap Lajoie. He did lose his season hit record to a fictional player, Jayson 'Megaphone' Davenport. Davenport had an impressive total of 260, which would have been second to Ichiro's real life total of 262. I hesitated to even mention a fictional player, but why not.

1. Ty Cobb - 902
2. Cap Anson - 821
3. Honus Wagner - 778
4. Nap Lajoie - 712
5. Eddie Collins Sr - 705
6. Derek Jeter - 654
7. Tris Speaker - 582
8. Paul Molitor - 569
9. Pete Rose - 553
10. Carl Yastrzemski - 525
11. Willie Mays - 518
12. Stan Musial - 502
13. Ichiro - 491
14. Tony Gwynn - 490
15. Hank Aaron - 376
16. Eddie Murray - 174

[NYY #23]

Once again Ty Cobb led the pack with 235 hits this year, with Pete Rose a narrow second with 225. Cobb won the AL Batting Title, while Eddie Collins won the NL Batting Title.

Ichiro made the big leap this year, with 221 hits he moved from 13th to 10th place on the list.

Stan Musial was injured in August causing him to miss the rest of the season. Hank Aaron had the longest hitting streak of the year at 27 games.

While we are still early in the process, the goal is to have more career hits than any other player. However, everyone involved also got more than 3000 hits during their career. I wonder how many will get 3000 again. Again, it's real early, but using the favorite toy Ty Cobb currently has an 80% chance of hitting 3000. Cap Anson is currently at a 32% chance, Honus Wagner 39%, Nap Lajoie 52%, and Eddie Murray 0%.

1. Ty Cobb - 1137
2. Cap Anson - 989
3. Honus Wagner - 965
4. Nap Lajoie - 933
5. Eddie Collins Sr - 928
6. Derek Jeter - 877
7. Tris Speaker - 790
8. Paul Molitor - 785
9. Pete Rose - 778
10. Ichiro - 712
11. Carl Yastrzemski - 705
12. Willie Mays - 692
13. Stan Musial - 641
14. Tony Gwynn - 628
15. Hank Aaron - 575
16. Eddie Murray - 335

[NYY #23]

Nap Lajoie, Derek Jeter, Ty Cobb, and Ichiro Suzuki were the four players who collected more than 200 hits this year, with Lajoie leading the way with 227 hits.

Derek Jeter again had the longest hitting streak of any player with a 28 game hitting streak, just 1 shy of his career long 29 game hitting streak.

Stan Musial again suffered an injury causing him to miss 25 games. He's having a hard time staying on the field, although he did hit .311 this year for the second straight year.


1. Ty Cobb - 1344
2. Cap Anson - 1177
3. Honus Wagner - 1161
4. Nap Lajoie - 1160
5. Eddie Collins Sr - 1103
6. Derek Jeter - 1091
7. Tris Speaker - 974
8. Paul Molitor - 973
9. Pete Rose - 966
10. Ichiro - 915
11. Carl Yastrzemski - 904
12. Willie Mays - 849
13. Stan Musial - 805
14. Hank Aaron - 768
15. Tony Gwynn - 743
16. Eddie Murray - 496

[NYY #23]

Nap Lajoie led the league this year with 209 hits, and was one of 5 players who collected more than 200 hits. It was his 6th straight year with 200 or more hits and he's now moved up to 2nd place.

Derek Jeter also finished his 6th straight year of 200 or more hits, with Ichiro Suzuki reaching his 3rd straight year. Hank Aaron and Eddie Collins both were back over 200 hits after a year off.

Honus Wagner moved up to 3rd on the list, with Cap Anson falling into fourth.

Pete Rose moved up one spot to 7th place, with Paul Molitor moving up one to 8th, and Tris Speaker dropping into 9th.

Willie Mays may not be racking up the hits yet, but he was named the Outstanding Hitter after hitting .305 with 56 home runs and 135 RBI.

1. Ty Cobb - 1541
2. Nap Lajoie - 1369
3. Honus Wagner - 1359
4. Cap Anson - 1340
5. Eddie Collins Sr - 1304
6. Derek Jeter - 1299
7. Pete Rose - 1157
8. Paul Molitor - 1154
9. Tris Speaker - 1134
10. Ichiro - 1122
11. Willie Mays - 1038
12. Stan Musial - 977
13. Hank Aaron - 972
14. Tony Gwynn - 922
15. Carl Yastrzemski - 904
16. Eddie Murray - 651

[NYY #23]

Seven of our players had more than 200 hits this season, led by Nap Lajoie and 222, his 7th straight year with more than 200 hits. Derek Jeter also finished his 7th straight year with 200 hits, and moved up to 5th on the list. Ichiro reached 200 for the 4th straight year and moved up to 8th.

Hank Aaron and Eddie Collins both had 200 hits for the second straight year, while Stan Musial and Honus Wagner also picked up 200 hits.

A change of scenery did a lot of good for Cap Anson. Anson was traded from the Phillies to the Reds, and hit .364 in 478 at-bats following the trade. Last year Anson hit .289.

1. Ty Cobb - 1719
2. Nap Lajoie - 1591
3. Honus Wagner - 1574
4. Cap Anson - 1526
5. Derek Jeter - 1518
6. Eddie Collins Sr - 1506
7. Pete Rose - 1341
8. Ichiro Suzuki- 1336
9. Tris Speaker - 1330
10. Paul Molitor - 1322
11. Willie Mays - 1203
12. Hank Aaron - 1190
13. Stan Musial - 1181
14. Tony Gwynn - 1105
15. Carl Yastrzemski - 1096
16. Eddie Murray - 830

[NYY #23]

There were a couple of new names atop the hit leaders this year, with Paul Molitor leading the league with 217, followed by Pete Rose and 208. Hank Aaron had 207 hits, reaching 200 or more for the third straight year, with Ty Cobb was back over 200 with 202.

Derek Jeter moved into 4th place, although both he and Nap Lajoie saw their streak of consecutive years above 200 hits come to an end.

Eddie Collins moved up to 5th place, while Cap Anson dropped down to 6th place.

At the end of the year all of the contestants ranged from 26-28 years old. While Ty Cobb still holds a respectable lead, it's far from over.

Most of the career leaderboards are still dominated by fictional players with a half year head start plus development time, but Ty Cobb sits atop the career leaders for batting average (.361), doubles (465), and caught stealing (143). Honus Wagner currently holds the lead for triples (159).

1. Ty Cobb - 1921
2. Nap Lajoie - 1785
3. Honus Wagner - 1767
4. Derek Jeter - 1703
5. Eddie Collins Sr - 1694
6. Cap Anson - 1691
7. Pete Rose - 1549
8. Paul Molitor - 1539
9. Ichiro Suzuki- 1533
10. Tris Speaker - 1525
11. Hank Aaron - 1397
12. Willie Mays - 1378
13. Stan Musial - 1376
14. Carl Yastrzemski - 1277
15. Tony Gwynn - 1273
16. Eddie Murray - 985

[NYY #23]

Ty Cobb became the first player to reach 2000 career hits this year, while Eddie Murray became the last of the players to reach 1000 career hits.

This year only two players had 200 hits or more, Ichiro with exactly 200, and Tony Gwynn who led the league with 221 hits.

Eddie Collins moved up to 4th place on the career hit list.

Paul Molitor had a 31 game hitting streak this year, and then was shipped from the Twins to the Reds in exchange of Cap Anson.

Willie Mays missed 3 weeks with injury this year, while Ty Cobb missed 5 weeks.

While Mays and Aaron aren't in the top 10 on the career hit list, they definitely aren't having bad careers. They both passed the 300 career home run mark this year.

1. Ty Cobb - 2088
2. Nap Lajoie - 1972
3. Honus Wagner - 1928
4. Eddie Collins Sr - 1893
5. Derek Jeter - 1879
6. Cap Anson - 1838
7. Paul Molitor - 1734
8. Ichiro Suzuki- 1733
9. Pete Rose - 1714
10. Tris Speaker - 1702
11. Hank Aaron - 1587
12. Stan Musial - 1554
13. Tony Gwynn - 1494
14. Willie Mays - 1453
15. Carl Yastrzemski - 1434
16. Eddie Murray - 1134

[NYY #23]

Year number 11 is now in the books for our 16 candidates.

Ichiro led the group with 207 hits and moved into 7th place. Both Hank Aaron and Tris Speaker had 204 hits, the only other players with more than 200 hits.

This was a big year to reach 2000 career hits, with Nap Lajoie, Honus Wagner, Eddie Collins, Derek Jeter, and Cap Anson reaching 2000. We should see another four players get there next year.

Ty Cobb missed 5 weeks with injury, although he still increased his lead to 141 hits. There is still plenty of players within striking distance though, and it's going to come down to longevity it appears.

1. Ty Cobb - 2272
2. Nap Lajoie - 2131
3. Honus Wagner - 2104
4. Eddie Collins Sr - 2078
5. Derek Jeter - 2073
6. Cap Anson - 2006
7. Ichiro Suzuki- 1940
8. Paul Molitor - 1911
9. Tris Speaker - 1906
10. Pete Rose - 1893
11. Hank Aaron - 1791
12. Stan Musial - 1742
13. Tony Gwynn - 1683
14. Willie Mays - 1645
15. Carl Yastrzemski - 1625
16. Eddie Murray - 1305

[NYY #23]

Paul Molitor led the league with 206 hits this year, passing 2000 for his career and moving into 7th place.

Ichiro Suzuki, Tris Speaker, and Pete Rose also passed 2000 career hits this year.

Ty Cobb had a 30 game hitting streak this season.

Willie Mays won the Outstanding Hitter in the American League hitting .332 with 49 home runs and 154 RBI. Mays joined the 400 home run club this year with Hank Aaron.

Paul Molitor was the Outstanding Hitter in the National League hitting .326 with 33 home runs, 86 RBI, and 108 runs scored.

1. Ty Cobb - 2473
2. Nap Lajoie - 2304
3. Honus Wagner - 2288
4. Eddie Collins Sr - 2252
5. Derek Jeter - 2235
6. Cap Anson - 2188
7. Paul Molitor - 2117
8. Ichiro Suzuki- 2096
9. Tris Speaker - 2090
10. Pete Rose - 2054
11. Hank Aaron - 1960
12. Stan Musial - 1894
13. Tony Gwynn - 1867
14. Willie Mays - 1849
15. Carl Yastrzemski - 1810
16. Eddie Murray - 1482

[fromtheline]

I'm rooting for Ichiro!

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by fromtheline

I'm rooting for Ichiro!

He's definitely not doing bad, although maybe not as well as I thought he would. I'm pulling for Ichiro to go on a tear too!

[NYY #23]

Ty Cobb led the league with 228 hits, and increased his league. At 30 years old Cobb is tied for the youngest player in the league, and he's going to be tough to overcome. Cobb became the first player to get 6 hits in a game multiple times, as he achieved that feat for the second time this year.

Eddie Collins moved up to 3rd place on the career list.

Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, and Willie Mays all reached 2000 career hits this year.

Both Hank Aaron and Honus Wagner missed significant time with injuries this year, while Nap Lajoie was traded to the Tigers right before the trade deadline.

1. Ty Cobb - 2707
2. Nap Lajoie - 2477
3. Eddie Collins Sr - 2440
4. Honus Wagner - 2427
5. Derek Jeter - 2410
6. Cap Anson - 2352
7. Paul Molitor - 2336
8. Tris Speaker - 2290
9. Ichiro Suzuki- 2278
10. Pete Rose - 2239
11. Hank Aaron - 2109
12. Stan Musial - 2109
13. Willie Mays - 2023
14. Carl Yastrzemski - 1998
15. Tony Gwynn - 1886
16. Eddie Murray - 1655