Max Bishop

[wesleyeugeneclark]

Sooooo....I am considering using Max Bishop (Pre WWII No DH league) as my lead off hitter. I am in Ruppert Stadium (NeL). Has anyone ever used him before? I really like the OB% and the defense.

[andycummings65]

I have never been that pleased with Bishop. He is slow, and wont hit at all.

I am never pleased with Josh Gibson either. Trade him to me.

[wesleyeugeneclark]

Josh Gibson for Gabby Street seems fair to me! :lol:

[andycummings65]

Bring it General Clark...............sounds good to me :D

[PotKettleBlack]

I have used Bishop a couple times in earlier incarnations of ATG.
If you want hits, he will crush your expectations to dust... he will not hit.
In nearly 17K PA on Dope at 100K in ATGVI, he's hit .226. That's a sample size that lets us say he will not hit for average.
IsoP over that time is a fairly anemic .042. So, he will not hit for power, neither.

He's slow.

All that said, I'd use him again.
Because he's a .380 OBA guy (same sample size). And OB, however you get it, has value at either the top or the bottom of the lineup. And that's really where I'd bat him. Leadoff or 8th/9th. At the top, he's a duck on the pond... a very fat duck who doesn't move very fast, but ideal for station to station play. At the bottom, he will churn the lineup and be a fat duck on the pond.

Oh yeah, great glove at a key spot too. The injury thing is what keeps me from using him more.

[Cruiser]

I used Max quite a bit in earlier ATG versions, and he could be a blessing and a curse. If he hits over .230, his defense and OBP make him a plus. On the other hand, I've had him hit well below .200 for me as well, and even 120 walks doesn't make up for a .160 average when the guy runs with a refrigerator on his back.

If you bat him lead off, you might want your #2 hitter to be someone with extra-base power.

[wesleyeugeneclark]

Yeah. I agree he is slow. But the OBP and that defense seem to good to pass up. I am thinking of batting him leadoff and Delahanty second followed by some combination of Mize and Josh Gibson. I figure that even with how slow he is, he should score a ton of runs (even if he hits .230).

[Cruiser]

Yeah, those guys can move even Max around the bases.

[XerXes]

Thoughts about hitting him 2nd? I have him in that slot in Kingdome '78, behind Rickey and in front of Chipper and Killebrew...league just started last night, but hitting 0/10 with 1 walk. I was considering dropping him to 9th (dh league) and hitting Dihigo 2nd.

[JOHNSCHINGEL]

Given the correct context, a bomber park with power hitters behind him, Bishop stands to give you great value for his dollar. He is slow and injury prone, but if used with players like Mize his value increases even more. His OBP and defense combination make him perfect for my normal team composition. Here's a couple examples:

More expensive card putting up a solid OBP yet unspectacular run scored total, partially due to 14 missed games. Only 4 errors all season at 2B!

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/stratomatic/team/team_other.html?user_id=316518

Less expensive card with a much lower OBP but very impressive runs sored total, considering the context. This testifies to the overrated nature of speed in ATG.

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/stratomatic/team/team_other.html?user_id=302693

The fact is with all the great arms behind the plate and in the outfield in ATG, my runners are usually going to hold and look for the big inning when playing in a bomber park. So why pay for speed when it won't be fully utilized. Bishop's defense and OBP, however, gets utilized to its fullest extent in the end of year run differential on teams similar to the above.