Archive of SportingNews.com's old SOM Baseball forum

With the free 1986 teams stopping, I created four teams in four consecutive days. I thought it would be interesting to see which one people thought would fare best. I am pasting descriptions below. Please cast your vote!

$80 Million DH League
Playing in Candlestick (4, 4, 8, 8)
Other Division Parks:
Fenway (19, 15, 7, 10) – twice; Veterans (8, 8, 9, 9)
http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/stratomatic/team/team_other.html?user_id=81678&stats=actual

Team Theme: Defense – No starters worse than 2e18.

Line-Up vs. LHP:

# Name (Bats) Pos Def BA OBP SLG Bal
1. Walker, T. (R) CF 2(-2)e6 .222 .307 .367 5L
2. Wohlford, J. (R) DH - .266 .327 .383 9L
3. Pena, T. (R) C 1(-3)e11 .288 .356 .406 3L
4. Winfield, D. (R) RF 1(-4)e6 .262 .349 .462 1L
5. Bell, B. (R) 3B 2e11 .278 .362 .445 E
6. Fernandez, T. (S) SS 1e14 .310 .338 .428 1L
7. Clark, W. (L) 1B 2e18 .287 .343 .444 1L
8. Sandberg, R. (R) 2B 1e5 .284 .330 .411 2R
9. Hatcher, B. (R) LF 2(0)e6 .258 .302 .356 2L

Line-Up vs. RHP:

# Name (Bats) Pos Def BA OBP SLG Bal
1. Fernandez, T. (S) SS 1e14 .310 .338 .428 1L
2. Bell, B. (R) 3B 2e11 .278 .362 .445 E
3. Yount, R. (R) CF 2(+1)e1 .312 .388 .450 5R
4. Clark, W. (L) 1B 2e18 .287 .343 .444 1L
5. Manning, R. (L) LF 1(0)e5 .254 .310 .434 5R
6. Winfield, D. (R) RF 1(-4)e6 .262 .349 .462 1L
7. Sandberg, R. (R) 2B 1e5 .284 .330 .411 2R
8. Palmeiro, R. (L) DH - .247 .295 .425 8R
9. Pena, T. (R) C 1(-3)e11 .288 .356 .406 3L

Bench:

Jeff Reed – C
Dusty Baker – LF, RF, 1B

Pitching:

Name T End. ERA WHIP BAL
King, Eric R S6/R3 3.51 1.24 3R
Young, Curt L S7/R4 3.45 1.18 3L
Allen, Neil R S6/R3 3.82 1.23 2L
Carman, Don L S6/R3 3.22 1.23 2R
McGaffigan, Andy R S6/R3 2.65 1.18 4L
McClure, Bob L R3 3.02 1.21 1L
Jones, Barry R R2 2.89 1.34 1R
Speck, Cliff R R2 4.13 1.41 7R
Andersen, Larry R R3 3.03 1.41 1L
Niemann, Randy L R2 3.78 1.57 4L

$100 Million No-DH League
Playing in Astrodome (10, 10, 2, 2)
Other Division Parks:
Metrodome (16, 13, 11, 11), Kingdome (5, 5, 17, 17), Comiskey (9, 9, 4, 4)
http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/stratomatic/team/team_other.html?user_id=84363&stats=actual

Team Theme: Starting pitching and high .OBP – Had four highest-paid pitchers 1-4 in autodraft; got Clemens and Witt.

Line-Up vs. LHP:

# Name (Bats) Pos Def BA OBP SLG Bal
1. Lopes, D. (R) RF 3(+1)e2 .275 .381 .420 1R
2. Oquendo, J. (S) 3B 3e22 .297 .359 .341 2L
3. Clark, J. (R) 1B 4e8 .237 .362 .422 5L
4. Webster, M. (S) CF 3(0)e9 .290 .355 .431 3L
5. Raines, T. (S) LF 1(+1)e7 .334 .413 .476 1R
6. Moreland, K. (R) C 4(+2)e2 .271 .326 .384 3L
7. Fletcher, S. (R) SS 3e19 .300 .360 .400 E
8. Garcia, D. (R) 2B 2e13 .281 .306 .375 3L
9. Pitcher P

Line-Up vs. RHP:

# Name (Bats) Pos Def BA OBP SLG Bal
1. Mazzilli, L. (S) 1B 4e16 .245 .401 .351 6R
2. Raines, T. (S) LF 1(+1)e7 .334 .413 .476 1R
3. Davis, C. (S) CF 3(-1)e10 .278 .375 .416 4R
4. Trevino, A. (R) C 4(0)e3 .262 .351 .386 2R
5. Lopes, D. (R) RF 3(+1)e2 .275 .381 .420 1R
6. Oberkfell, K. (L) 3B 2e11 .270 .373 .360 2R
7. Fletcher, S. (R) SS 3e19 .300 .360 .400 E
8. Gantner, J. (L) 2B 2e12 .274 .313 .370 4R
9. Pitcher P

Bench:

Dave Kingman – 1B
Rafael Palmeiro – LF, RF

Pitching:

Name T End. ERA WHIP BAL
Clemens, Roger R S8* 2.48 0.97 1R
Witt, Mike R S8* 2.84 1.08 1L
Rasmussen, Dennis L S6* 3.88 1.16 4L
Hough, Charlie R S7* 3.79 1.20 4L
Dotson, Richard R S6* 5.48 1.50 4L (injury replacement only)
Plesac, Dan L R3 2.97 1.21 3R
Robinson, Jeff D. R R3 3.36 1.19 5R
Campbell, Bill R R2 3.88 1.20 2L
DiPino, Frank L R2 4.37 1.29 7L
Ladd, Pete R R2 3.82 1.23 7R

$100 Million DH League
Playing in Kingdome (5, 5, 17, 17)
Other Division Parks:
Another Kingdome, Anaheim (5, 5, 12, 12), Fulton Co. (13, 13, 13, 13)
http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/stratomatic/team/team_other.html?user_id=84050&stats=actual

Team Theme: Home runs. Thwarted a bit by autodraft, in which I lost out on top three choices – Barfield, E. Davis, and Schmidt - but kept all three replacements (Strawberry, Pasqua, and Walling).

Line-Up vs. LHP:

# Name (Bats) Pos Def BA OBP SLG Bal
1. Fletcher, S. (R) SS 3e19 .300 .360 .400 E
2. Galarraga, A. (R) 1B 2e8 .271 .338 .405 4L
3. Deer, R. (R) RF 3(0)e10 .232 .336 .494 4L
4. Mitchell, K. (R) DH - .277 .344 .466 2L
5. Pasqua, D. (L) LF 3(0)e5 .293 .399 .525 5R
6. Parrish, L. (R) C 1(-3)e6 .257 .340 .483 2R
7. Hulett, T. (R) 3B 3e22 .231 .260 .379 3L
8. Moseby, L. (L) CF 2(0)e7 .253 .329 .418 2R
9. White, F. (R) 2B 1e11 .272 .322 .465 2R

Line-Up vs. RHP:

# Name (Bats) Pos Def BA OBP SLG Bal
1. Moseby, L. (L) CF 2(0)e7 .253 .329 .418 2R
2. Walling, D. (L) 3B 2e18 .312 .367 .479 7R
3. Pasqua, D. (L) LF 3(0)e5 .293 .399 .525 5R
4. Strawberry, D. (L) RF 2(-2)e9 .259 .358 .507 6R
5. Walker, G. (L) 1B 3e11 .277 .345 .493 4R
6. Parrish, L. (R) C 1(-3)e6 .257 .340 .483 2R
7. Bryant, R. (L) DH - .253 .305 .600 9R
8. White, F. (R) 2B 1e11 .272 .322 .465 2R
9. Fletcher, S. (R) SS 3e19 .300 .360 .400 E

Bench:

Ted Simmons – C, 1B, 3B
Craig Reynolds – SS, 3B, 1B, LF, RF

Pitching:

Name T End. ERA WHIP BAL
Downs, Kelly R S6 2.75 1.22 E
Honeycutt, Rick L S6/R3 3.32 1.22 E
King, Eric R S6/R3 3.51 1.24 3R
Gubicza, Mark R S6/R4 3.64 1.32 1R
Johnson, Joe R S6 3.89 1.32 1R
Garber, Gene R R2 2.54 1.23 2L
McClure, Bob L R3 3.02 1.21 1L
Clements, Pat L R2 2.80 1.39 6R
Reed, Jerry R R3 3.12 1.47 9L
Howell, Jay R R2 3.38 1.43 9R

$100 Million DH League
Playing in Fulton Co. (13, 13, 13, 13)
Other Division Parks:
Arlington (11, 11, 11, 11), Dodger (11, 11, 6, 6), Tiger (2, 1, 14, 11)
http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/stratomatic/team/team_other.html?user_id=85287&stats=actual

Team Theme: An experiment to see how good a team with no defensive rating better than 3e11 can be. Should be some high scoring games.

Line-Up vs. LHP:

# Name (Bats) Pos Def BA OBP SLG Bal
1. Sax, S. (R) 2B 3e17 .332 .390 .441 1R
2. Clark, J. (R) 1B 4e8 .237 .362 .422 5L
3. Cey, R. (R) 3B 4e19 .273 .384 .508 4L
4. Brooks, H. (R) SS 3e32 .340 .388 .569 3L
5. Incaviglia, P. (R) DH - .250 .320 .463 5L
6. Laudner, T. (R) C 3(0)e12 .244 .333 .451 6L
7. Mitchell, K. (R) CF 4(-1)e6 .277 .344 .466 2L
8. Hendrick, G. (R)RF 4(0)e12 .272 .332 .473 2L
9. Jones, T. (R) LF 4(+2)e1 .349 .406 .453 5L

Line-Up vs. RHP:

# Name (Bats) Pos Def BA OBP SLG Bal
1. Mazzilli, L. (S) LF 4(+3)e6 .245 .401 .351 6R
2. Sax, S. (R) 2B 3e17 .332 .390 .441 1R
3. Daniels, K. (L) DH - .320 .398 .519 9R
4. Grubb, J. (L) RF 4(0)e6 .333 .412 .590 8R
5. Porter, D. (L) C 4(+2)e3 .265 .360 .535 9R
6. Brooks, H. (R) SS 3e32 .340 .388 .569 3L
7. Walker, G. (L) 1B 3e11 .277 .345 .493 4R
8. Cey, R. (R) 3B 4e19 .273 .384 .508 4L
9. Mitchell, K. (R) CF 4(-1)e6 .277 .344 .466 2L

Bench:

Dave Anderson – SS, 2B, 3B

Pitching:

Name T End. ERA WHIP BAL
DeLeon, Jose R S6 2.96 1.15 1R
Ryan, Nolan R S6 3.34 1.13 2L
Honeycutt, Rick L S6/R3 3.32 1.22 E
Candelaria, John L S5 2.55 1.03 1L
Allen, Neil R S6/R3 3.82 1.23 2L
Stoddard, Bob R R2 2.31 1.33 3L
Garber, Gene R R2 2.54 1.23 2L
Assenmacher, Paul L R2 2.50 1.27 3R
McClure, Bob L R3 3.02 1.21 1L – On three of the four rosters!
Dawley, Bill R R3 3.32 1.22 7R

We had lots of views and four pre-season votes:

Reno Vators (the starting pitching team): 2
Baden-Baden Even Worse (the defense team): 1
Winslow Homers (the home-run hitting team): 1

Nobody went out on a limb and predicted the Dr. Strangeloves "bad defense" team.

I'll try to provide an occasional update for those who might be interested. Here are night one results:

Winslow Homers 3-0 - 11 dingers in the first series
Baden-Baden Even Worse 2-1
Reno Vators 1-2 - Clemens takes a loss
Dr. Strangeloves 1-2

The Vators (pitching team) and Even Worse (defense team) have each gotten another vote I see. Still no one going out on a limb for the Dr. Strangeloves.

Below are records and highlights after the 18-game intra-division round robin series kicking off the season. Three of the four teams are in first - with the Reno Vators off to the slowest start.

Winslow Homers, 13-5; 4-game lead.
Third in runs scored; 1st in HRs and slugging; 1st(!) in team ERA; tied for 2nd in fielding percentage.
King 2nd in Cy Young voting; Parrish, Walling, Pasqua and Strawberry all 2nd team All-Stars; White 1st team Gold Glove; Bryant 2nd team Silver Slugger (behind Strawberry); Garber 4th in Rolaids Relief Man

Baden-Baden Even Worse, 12-6; 2-game lead.
Third in runs scored; tied for OBP lead; 1st in doubles, triples; 1st in team ERA; only 6th in fielding percentage.
Young and Allen are 3rd and 4th in Cy Young voting; Pena, Sandberg, Bell are 1st team All-Stars; Fernandez is 2nd team All-Star; Winfield is 1st team Gold Glove.

Dr. Strangeloves, 10-8, tied for first.
First in league in runs scored, batting average, OBP, slugging, and home runs; 9th in ERA; tied for 1st(!) in fielding percentage.
Porter, Sax, Brooks, Grubb are 1st team All-Stars; Cey and Walker are 2nd team Silver Sluggers.

Reno Vators, 9-9, 4 games back in 2nd.
Sixth in league in runs scored; sixth in team ERA; 2nd in fielding percentage.
Campbell is 8th in all-star voting among pitchers; Oberkfell 1st team Gold Glove.

[b:b5c7c49cff]Winslow Homers[/b:b5c7c49cff] 23-13 1st place, 6 games ahead
[b:b5c7c49cff]Dr. Strangeloves [/b:b5c7c49cff]20-16 2nd place, 1 game out, in wild card lead
[b:b5c7c49cff]Baden-Baden Even Worse [/b:b5c7c49cff]20-16, 1 game out, in four-way tie for 2nd-best record in league
[b:b5c7c49cff]Reno Vators [/b:b5c7c49cff]15-21, 9 games out in 4th place, 3rd worst record in league

...all four teams have a positive run differential, and all but the Reno Vators have winning records.

[b:f10689f49f]Winslow Homers [/b:f10689f49f]34-20; 8 games in front; 315 runs scored (1st in league); 229 runs allowed (2nd lowest in league)

[b:f10689f49f]Dr. Strangeloves [/b:f10689f49f]33-21; 3 games in front; 329 runs scored (1st - by 34 runs!); 274 runs allowed (10th lowest)

[b:f10689f49f]Baden-Baden Even Worse [/b:f10689f49f]28-26; 5 games back, tied for wild card lead; 237 runs scored (7th); 214 runs allowed (2nd lowest)

[b:f10689f49f]Reno Vators [/b:f10689f49f]25-29; 4th place, 6 games out; 217 runs scored (8th); 216 runs allowed (lowest in league)

Clearly, outscoring the rest of the league by a lot of runs can be a winning strategy.

[b:a5856e97dd]Dr. Strangeloves [/b:a5856e97dd]- 47-34. Tied for 1st in division and for best record in the league. 485 runs scored, 1st in league (by 63 runs!); 402 runs against, tied for 8th lowest.

[b:a5856e97dd]Baden-Baden Even Worse [/b:a5856e97dd]- 43-38. Four games back, but in Wild Card lead. 353 runs scored, 6th; 314 runs allowed, 2nd lowest.

[b:a5856e97dd]Winslow Homers [/b:a5856e97dd]- 42-39. Injuries to Lance Parrish seem to have hurt quite a bit recently. Still in 1st by four games in weak division. 438 runs scored, 2nd in league; 373 runs allowed, 5th lowest.

[b:a5856e97dd]Reno Vators [/b:a5856e97dd]- 36-45. Tied for 3rd, 11 games back, 10 behind Wild Card leader. 345 runs scored, 7th. 349 runs allowed, 6th lowest.