teams of the 70s-Final update-the playoffs

Update for week 2:

Games played: 30

Here are some early results at the team level

Top 3 teams--Runs scored

Bay Area AthleticGiants (NewGuy1912): 182--6.06 per game
Home of the Braves (LMBombers): 175--5.83
New York New York (Cabrera24): 159--5.3

Top 3 teams: Fewest Runs allowed

Cincy Indians (MFL536): 119 runs/116 earned runs (very impressive defense): 3.96
St. Louis Royals (BurleyNorseman) 127/116 4.23
San Diego Phanatics (Generationm1) 139/115 4.63

One other interesting data point---After 21 games, each division was led by a team with a record of 12-9, the second place team was 11-10, the third place team was 10-11 and the fourth place team was 9-12. Perfect symmetry!

Here's a look at the division races and some players off to a great start and other interesting observations about each team.

East---the high rent district

Bay Area Athletics: NewGuy has the team off to an excellent start with a division leading record of 19-11 and a league best run differential of +48. Vida Blue is 6-1 with an ERA of 2.95/WHIO of 1.21. Reggie Jackson has produced .383/.455/.766 with 11 home runs and 33 runs batted in. Bobby Bonds has hit 12 doubles, 5 home runs and is at .301/.390/.553. Willie Mays is off to a tough start-.211/.297/.404 while Dick Dietz is struggling at .097/.282/.226.

Pittesota TwiRates--Jayhawk81 has led the TwiRates is 18-12, just one game off the pace. The TwiRates are +10 in run differential and are lead on offense by Roberto Clemente (.363/.414/.613), Rod Carew (.347/.416/.405 and Dave Parker (.303/.356/.574). Harmon Killebrew has launched 9 home runs. Pitching wise, Jim Kaat is 2-1 with an ERA of 3.16 and Ramon Hernandez has already saved 7 games. The league will likely experience an improving Willie Stargell who is underperforming at .242/.267/.414. Once Willie gets going, the Twirates will be even better.

New York New York: Owner Cabrera24 was very very active on the trade market. Starting the season with Tom Seaver, Ron Guidry, Jon Matlack and Jerry Koosman, none of the big four are currently with New York New York. The club is 15-15 with a run differential of -11. While pitching looked to be the strength, the myriad of trades brought in players such as Cliff Johnson (.288/.382/.712, 9 home runs), Vada Pinson (.360/.340/.660) and Greg Gross (.343/.439/.493). Greg and Cliff were acquired in the Ron Guidry trade while Vada Pinson and others were acquired for Mel Stottlemyre. Phil Niekro was acquired from the Home of the Braves to lead the pitching staff. Jon Matlack was released (7.03/1.75) as was Jerry Koosman (0-3, 6.92/1.58).

Hollywood Angelic Dodgers (Tdkearns) Along with New York, New York, the Dodgers appeared to have an incredible pitching staff to start the season. Things have not gone as planned---the Dodgers are 11-19 with a run differential of -20. Offensively, Joe Ferguson (.283/.410/.556 with 21 RBI) is off to a good start along with Luis Apparicio (.341/.662.455). On the flip side, Don Baylor was released ( .170/.267/.264) as was Willie Crawford (.206/.292/.349). Pitching wise, Don Sutton (1-3, 6.25/1.52) and Frank Tanana (0-2, 10.22/2.11 and only 5 strike outs in 12 innings) were relieved of their duties.

Central: Middle market

Cincy Indians: On paper, this club looked impressive. On the field, they have been highly impressive and are currently on a 10 game winning streak bringing their record to a league best 21-9 +17 run differential. Pete Rose (.351/.410/.458), Tony Perez (.379/.466/.655) and Joe Morgan (.301/.468/.655 and 17 stolen bases) pace the offense. Mel Stottlemyre enhanced the starting rotation and is 6-2. Gaylord Perry (5-2) and Sam McDowell 4-0 have also contributed to the teams fast start.

Baltimore Expos (Drabb9529) has the club in second place with a 16-15 record +3 run differential. Jim Palmer (6-1, ERA 3.00/.95 WHIP) and Mike Flanagan (3-2, 3.83) are off to good starts. Eddie Murray (.313/.386/.522), Ken Singleton (.319/.402/.511) and Rick Dempsey (.346/.410/.655) are all off to good starts. Frank Robinson is off to a good start but the injury bug has struck him--he's missed 20 of the first 30 games with injuries.

Home of the Braves (LMBombers): The Braves are 15-15 with a run differential of +9. The Braves have also been impacted by injuries losing Robin Yount for 15 games, Dale Murphy 4 games, Cecil Cooper 3 and Ruppert Jones for 6 games. Offensively, Ralph Garr is off to a great start (.410/.438/.640), Cecil Cooper (.327/.381/.558) and Darrell Porter (.301/.416/.740) are pacing the offense. On the mound, George Stone has been a pleasant surprise--2-1, 2.97/.99 WHIP. Phil Niekro was dealt to obtain Garry Templeton who is handling the SS position until Robin returns from his injury. Don Money was released after producing .123/.167/.231 in 65 at bats.

Detroit BoSox (MGoren5166): The BoSox are off to a tough start--they are 11-19 with a -32 run differential. JIm Rice has been hot-(/369/.441/.709), Carlton Fisk is producing (.293/.431/.485 with 8 home runs) as is Norm Cash (.303/.418/.461). On the mound, Rick Wise is 3-5 but is at 3.46/1.20 with a complete game shut out while Sonny Siebert is 4-2 3.59/1.37. On the other side, Mickey Lolich is struggling (1-6, 6.57/1.68) along with Carl Yaztremski who was released after 104 plate appearances (.177/.245/.292). Reggie Smith hasn't gotten untracked yet(.165/.278/.296).

West--the division for the rest of us

All is Better in Texas (KaiserWill4): The last team selected in the draft, KaiserWill4 has the team leading the division with a record of 16-14 +13 run differential. Ken Forsch is off to an excellent start--he's at 7-1 with an ERA of 2.39/1.12. Cesar Cedeno is at .322/.366/.512 on the offensive side as is Jimmy Wynn .305/.390/.475). On the not so good side, Mike Hargrove is looking for work after going .222/.340/.289.

St. Louis Royals (BurleyNorseman): The Royals are 14-16 with a run differential of +8. The 4 members of the starting staff--Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, Dennis Leonard and John Denny all have ERAs under 4 with John leading the charge with an ERA of 2.54/1.41. Al Hrbosky has saved 8 games but has blown 3 saves. Tug McGraw was recently acquired from the New York club to help in the pen. On offense, George Brett is off to a dominant start---(.423/.467/.730) and Ivan DeJesus (.321/.376/.359) has been a surprise. Amos Otis is contributing too (.357/.429/.565) However, Ted Simmons (.186/.250/.274) and Frank White (.144/.189/.144) have struggled--if they return to form the Royals will be an even tougher opponent. Joe Torre was released (.189/.218/.302) and Keith Hernandez traded to New York after going .263/.362/.438)

San Diego Phanatics (Generationm1): The Phanatics are 12-18 with a run differential of -19. Clay Kirby has been pitching well (2.88 ERA/1.44) as has Randy Jones 3.59/1.18. Enrique Romo has pitched 16 innings and has only allowed 5 hits--he's at 1.10/.61. Hitting wise, Nate Colbert (.310/.347/.531) has been hot as is Larry Bowa (.345/.361/.381).
On the flip side, Mike Schmidt has been off to a slow start--.246/.341/.381 as has Garry Maddox (.191/.215/.286).

Chicawgo Grifters (JJB92) The Grifters are also 12-18 with a run differential of -26. Wilbur Wood has good numbers--3.88/1.25 but that hasn't translated to success on the win-loss front. Wilbur is 2-6. Hitting wise, Dick Allen is at .342/.412/.513 while Jose Cardenal has contributed .319/.374/.495). John Wathan, acquired from the Royals is at .352/.410/.426. On the disappointing side, Bill Madlock is at .227/.250/.309 while Ron Santo is at .243/.289/.387.

Games played: 51

East---the high rent district--a change at the top

Jayhawks81's Pittesota TwiRates have taken over the top spot in the East. The TwiRates are 32-19 after going 14-7 for the week. Run differential? +29

The Bay Area AthleticGiants are close behind with a record of 31-20 going 12-9 for the week. The Giants still have the best run differential at +72

New York New York is run by Cabrera24 and are now at 25-26 after going 10-11 for the week. The club continues to be active on the trade market. Leo Cardenas was acquired from the Twirates for Jim McAndrew. New York then traded Elliot Maddox, Ron Swoboda and Curt Blefary to division mate Hollywood Angelic Dodgers (tdkearns) for Tommy John and Bill Russell. Finally, New York dealt Roy White to the Cinci Indians (MFL536) for Dennis Eckersley.

Speaking of the Dodgers, the club is now 24-27 after going 13-8 for the week. The Dodgers relieved Andy Messersmith (4-6, 4.73/1.75 of their responsibilities as a starting pitcher, calling up both Rick Rhoden and Claude Osteen as potential starting replacements.

Central: Middle market

No change on the top of the division--the Cinci Reds went 8-13 for the week and now have a +3 run differential.

The Baltimore Expos (Drabb9529) maintained their hold on second place after going 11-10 for the week. The Expos have a -27 run differential.

Home of the Braves (LMBombers): The Braves went 10-11 for the week and are now at 25-26 but they have a +10 run differential.

Detroit BoSox (MGoren5166): The BoSox went 9-12 for the week and now have a record of 20-31 and a -35 run difference.
Al Kaline (.184), Reggie Smith (.186) Rick Miller (.143) Dick Mcauliffe (.168) and Ben Oglivie (..196) are all below .200. Once they return to expected results, the Sox should see some improvement.

West--the division for the rest of us

All is Better in Texas (KaiserWill4): The club went 10-11 for the week but still lead the division with a record of 26-25 and a run differential of -3. All is Better in Texas will be happy not to see the Angelic Dodgers--Texas is 0-6 versus the Dodgers and has been outscored 38-18 in those 6 games.

St. Louis Royals (BurleyNorseman): The Royals also went 10-11 for the week bringing their season record to 24-27 but they do have the third best run differential of +26.

San Diego Phanatics (Generationm1): The Phanatics were also 10-11 and now have a record of 22-29 with a -29 run differential. The Phanatics are the only team in the league that has not made a roster move at this point of the season.

Chicawgo Grifters (JJB92) Consistent with the division mates, the Grifters also went 10-11 for the week and now stand at 22-29 but with a league worst run differential of -38. The Grifters did make a move acquiring Jack Clark and Chris Speier and two others from the AthleticGiants for 4 players including Mike Andrews, Lamar Johnson and Tony Muser.

Who's hot (all players with their expected club unless otherwise indicated)

Five players have OPS of over 1.000

George Brett--1.181
Tony Perez--1.136
JIm Rice--1.125
Ron Blomberg--1.083
Reggie Jackson--1.082

Honorable mention to Ralph Garr who is at .994

Home run leaders

JIm Rice 18
Reggie Jackson 17
Hank Aaron 16

Runs scored leaders

Bobby Bonds 47
Ralph Garr 44
Rod Carew 38
George Brett 38

Stolen Bases

Joe Morgan 22
Bert Campaneris 17
Bobby Bonds 16

Strike outs

Nate Colbert 62
George Foster 54 (dispatched from Indians) roster
Bobby Bonds 49

OPS--lowest

Dick McAuliffe .484
Roger Metzger .538
Ted Simmons (!!!) .573

Pitching

Wins

Vida Blue 11
Don Wilson 8
Jim Palmer 8

ERA

Vida Blue 1.92
Burt Hooten 2.69
John Denny 2.83

Strike outs
Bert Blyleven 82
Tom Seaver 82 (traded by NY NY to Royals)
Sam McDowell 75
Nolan Ryan 75

WHIP---highest
Andy Messersmith 1.75 (released)
Phil Niekro 1.68 (traded by Braves to NY NY--released by NY)
Dennis Martinez 1.67


Leftovers

The Detoit RedSox have not attempted a single stolen base this season......Roberto Clemente had an injury reveal indicating he is on his best statistical year. The problem? Roberto has already missed 32 games with injuries. Highest priced players who have not been put on active roster: Andre Thornton; Steve Garvey; Ellis Valentine. Pitchers: Steve Rogers; Rudy May; Clyde Wright...6 clubs went 10-11 for the week.

Games played: 72—a lot of trading activity

East---the high rent district—

Jayhawks81's Pittesota TwiRates continued their outstanding play going 15-6 for the week and now have a league best record of 47-25 to go along with a league best run differential of +64. The injury bug seems to be behind Roberto Clemente which coincides with the the recent hot streak of the Twirates.

The Bay Area AthleticGiants led by NewGuy1912 now trail by 7 games—the largest deficit for any second place team. The AthleticGiants went 9-12 for the week and a run differential of +58. The AthleticGiants were active on the trade front obtaining 3 players from All is Better in Texas including Steve Hargan, Ken McMullen from the Dodgers for Mike Epstein and Joe Torre from the St. Louis Royals for Don McMahon.

Cabrera24 and his New York New York club remain active on the trade front obtaining Bill Melton from Chicawgo (Felix Milan), Richie Hebner from Pittesota (John Stearns) and reacquired Lou Piniella from Cincy for Vada Pinson. The club is 36-36 after going 11-10 for the week.

The Hollywood Angelic Dodgers directed by tdkearns went 9-12 for the week and now have a record of 33-39, 14 games off the pace. Burt Hooton overcame a tough start and is now 10-6 ERA 2.74/WHIP of 1.11.

Central: Middle market

The MFL536 led Cincy Reds continue to lead the Central--the Cinci Reds went 12-9 for the week brining their record to 41-31. The Indians have a run differential of +17, second best in the division. and now have a +3 run differential. Johnny Bench has launched 19 home runs.

LMBombers and his Home of the Braves reclaimed second place in the division going 10-11 for the week. The Braves are now 35-37 but have the best run differential of +18 and lead the league in runs scored with 405, 5.63 runs per game.

The Baltimore Expos (Drabb9529)had a tough week going 7-14 and are now 33-39, 8 games off the pace. The Expos have a run differential of -42. Jim Palmer continues to pitch like an ace—he’s 9-3 with an ERA of 3.88, WHIP of 1.13.

MGoren5166 and his Detroit BoSox had a decent week going 11-10 and now have a record of 31-41. They now have a run differential of -31. Sonny Siebert has been hot over his past two starts—Sonny has allowed just 1 earned runs in his last 16 innings pitched.

West--the division for the rest of us

BurleyNorseman and his St. Louis Royals took over the division lead going 14-7 for the week and now have a record of 38-34 and division best run differential of +53. George Brett continues his assault against pitchers—he’s at .412/.475/.693.

All is Better in Texas (KaiserWill4) lost the division lead going 10-11 for the second consecutive week. Texas is now36-36 with a run differential of -18. Ron Guidry was replaced with Bob Knepper who was acquired from the AthleticGiants along with Gary Matthews for Steve Hargan, Jeff Burroughs and Paul Casanova.

Chicawgo Grifters (JJB92) went 10-11 for the second consecutive week and are now 32-40 with a run differential of -52. Jack Clark has been a disappointment—he’s at .190/.277/.276in 65 plate appearances.

San Diego Phanatics (Generationm1) went 8-13 for the week and are now 30-42, 8 games off the pace. The Phanatics have a run differential of -68. Mike Schmidt continues to struggle—he’s at .233/.363/.373 .

Here’s a look at some defensive metrics—specifically, the number ion “X” chances for each team and conversion of those chances into outs. We will see if there is an obvious connection between team results and turning “X” chances into outs and see which player has handled the most chances and how they have performed.

Pittesota TwiRates: 372 chances, 251 outs or 67.5%. Phil Garner has had the most chances—turning 86 chances into 62 outs 72.1%

BayArea AthleticGiants: 366 chances, 259 outs or 70.8%. Bert Campaneris has been challenged 78 chances turning 62 into outs or 79.5%

New York New York: 366 chances, 257 outs or 70.2%. Willie Randolph has had 83 chances and turned 66–79.5% into outs.

Hollywood AngelicDodgers: The Dodgers have had 375 chances to make plays—282 (75.2%) have turned into outs. Luis Aparicio has been called upon 89 times and turned 67 into outs—that’s a 75.3% out chance.

Cincy Indians: With 382 chances, 303 were turned into outs or 86.25%. Dave Concepcion has had 80 chances and 69 have turned into outs. Dave is at an impressive 86.3%

Home of the Braves: In 387 chances, Brave players have converted 274 or 70.8% into outs. Julio Cruz has had 54 chances and 40 became outs for 74%.

Baltimore Expos: 365 opportunities have turned into 290 outs for a 79.5%. Mark Belanger 77 chances into 68 outs—that’s 88.3%.

Detroit BoSox: Out of 357 chances, 276 have turned into outs—a 77.3% result. Rick Burelson has had 79 chances and 68 (86.1%) have been turned into outs.

St. Louis Royals: The Royals have had 348 chances with 250 71.8% turned into outs. Ivan DeJesus who was acquired for John Wathan has had 57 chances and 43 turned into outs. That’s a result of 75.4%

All is Better in Texas: Out of 371 chances, 298 have been converted into outs—that’s a 80.3% clip, the best result in the league. Roger Metzger has had 91 chances and 78 have been turned into outs—85.7%

Chicawgo Grifters: With 350 chances, 245 have been turned into outs—70.0%. Don Kessinger has had 62 chances and converted 48 into outs—a 77.4% result.

San Diego Phanatics: A league high 421 chances have been converted to 320 outs, a percentage of 76.0%. Larry Bowa has been challenged league high 102 times—95 have been turned into outs. That’s a league best 93.1% out percentage.

Some observations—

The Phanatics have a league high of 421 chances while the Royals have only had 348 chances—17% fewer chances. The best league conversion team? All is Better in Texas with 80% while the team with the best record—by far——the Pittesota TwiRates trail at 67.5%. This goes to illustrate that range defense might make an owner feel good but is not correlated to team results.

Thanks for posting the information about the "X" fielding chances--very interesting and educational to see the results. It's a good reminder on the impact shortstops and second baseman have on a team but even more interesting to see how the best team in the league is doing on this front.

Games played: 93

East---the high rent district—

Jayhawks81's Pittesota TwiRates cooled off their torrid pace going 10-11 for the week. The TwiRates still have a 3 game lead and have the league best record at 57-36. Starters Bert Blyleven (10), John Candeleria (10) and Jim Kaat (11)are in double digit wins while Jim Perry has 9 wins. Ramon Hernandez has saved 25 games.

The Bay Area AthleticGiants led by NewGuy1912 had a good week going 14-7 and closed the deficit to 3 games. The AthleticGiants now have a record of 54-39 and the best run differential in the league at +90. Vida Blue is having a great year—he’s at 15-4 with an ERA of 1.96/WHIP of 1.11.Reggie Jackson is pacing the offense with a slash line of .318/.398/.623 with 25 home runs.

Cabrera24 and his New York New York club had a stellar week going 16-5 and are now just 5 games out of first place with a record of 52-41. Cabrera24 continues to be open for trades—Bernie Allen was acquired from All is Better in Texas for Chris Chambliss and Rick Reuschel from the Chicawgo Grifters for Jon Matlack. Cabrera24 has the magic touch in terms of trades—for example, Bernie Allen is hitting .433/.528/.600 and Richie Hebner, acquired last week, is contributing .306.371/.518.

The Hollywood Angelic Dodgers directed by tdkearns went 9-12 for the second consecutvie week and now have a record of 42-51. Ron Cey is pacing the offense (.281/.365/.491) while Curt Blefary-acquired from New York New York is at .333/.423/.574.

Central: Middle market

The MFL536 led Cincy Indians continue to lead the Central--the Cinci Reds went 10-11 for the week brining their record to 51-42. The Indians lead the division by 9 games with the remaining three teams all tied with identical records of 42-51. Mel Stottlemyre has 12 wins, Gaylord Perry 11 and Sam McDowell 9. Johnny Bench has hit 27 home runs while Joe Morgan as swiped 36 bases.

LMBombers and his Home of the Braves had a tough week going 7-14 and are now at 42-51. The Braves mainlined a positive run differential of +3. Cecil Cooper continues his torrid hitting (.368/.413/.571) and Dale Murphy has contributed .337/.385.447 although he is out the next 10 games with an injury.

MGoren5166 and his Detroit BoSox continued their improved play going 11-10 for the second consecutive week to land at the 42-51 record. The team run differential is now at -5 suggesting the team continues to improve. Steve Kemp was brought up during the season and is at .343/.437/.426 to compliment Carlton Fisk (.309/.420/.531). Bill Madlock was acquired along with Manny Trillo from the Grifters for Milt May and Rusty Staub. Bill’s tough season continues—he’s at .207/.224/.317 which suggests he has room to improve, likely along with the BoSox.

The Baltimore Expos (Drabb9529) went 9-12 to land at 42-51. The Expos run differential remained at -42 which is the worst in the division The three primary catchers—Rick Dempsey (.193/.285/.340), Barry Foote (.134/.145/.254) and Gary Carter .083/.214/.111) are all having tough seasons contributing to the team record.

West--the division for the rest of us

BurleyNorseman and his St. Louis Royals continued their excellent play—they are on a 9 game winning streak and were 15-6 for the week. They now have the second best run differential at +77 and a record of 53-40. George Brett continues his assault against pitchers—he’s at .420/.484/.701 while Amos Otis is at .301/.372/.496. Tom Seaver and Dennis Leonard both have 12 wins, while John Denny has 11 and Bob Gibson 10.

All is Better in Texas (KaiserWill4) went 12-9 for the week and are now at 48-45. The run differential isn’t as positive—they are at -20. Don Wilson is pacing the staff with a record of 13-7. Joe Sambito has saved 17 games. Cesar Cedeno paces the offense at .279/.324/484 and 19 stolen bases.

Chicawgo Grifters (JJB92) had a horrible week going 6-15 and now have a record of 38-55. The Grifters have a league worst run differential of -116. Hall of Famers Billy Williams .254/.309/.418, Ron Santo .236/.328/.369 and Fergie Jenkins 7-14, ERA of 5.33, WHIP of 1.48 have all been horrible.

San Diego Phanatics (Generationm1) went 7-14 for the week and are now 37-56- 16 games off the pace. The Phanatics have a run differential of -95. Clay Kirby (9-9, ERA 3.25/1.42 and Randy Jones (9-11, 3.84/1.32 have pitched well and Joe Hoerner has contributed 22 saves.

Here are some team statistics of interest

Top 5 team in runs scored:

New York New York—528 runs 5.67 games
Pittesota TwiRates—488/5.24
Home of the Braves—487/5.24
St. Louis Royals-482/5.18
Bay Area AthleticGiants- 466/5.01

Top 5 teams in fewest earned runs allowed

Bay Area AthleticGiants—335/3.60
St. Louis Royals—357/3.83
Detroit BoSox-362/3.89
All is Better in Texas-378/4.06
Pittesota TwiRates—381/4.10

Home Runs

Bay Area Athletic Giants 128
New York New York: 118
Detroit BoSox 118

Stolen Bases

St. Louis Royals 103
Bay Area Athletic Giants 86
All is Better in Texas 79

The Detroit BoSox still have not attempted a stolen base.

Complete games

Cincy Indians 42
Detroit BoSox 34
All is Better in Texas 30

Lowest OBP
Bay Area AthleticGiants: .321
Detroit BoSox: .319
San Diego Phanatics: .309

Shut outs

Hollywood AngelicDodgers: 6
Cincy Indians: 4
Detroit BoSox: 4
Bay Area AthleticGiants: 4

Strikeouts-pitching
Hollywood AngelicDodgers: 500
Baltimore Expos: 500
Cincy Indians: 493

Games played: 114

East---the high rent district—

Jayhawks81's Pittesota TwiRates got hot again going 13-8 for the week and were the first team to reach 70 wins—they are 70-44 with a league best run differential of +100 and extended their lead to 5 games. The TwiRates are dominant at home going 38-19 thus far and are an impressive 49-30 versus right handed pitchers.

The Bay Area AthleticGiants led by NewGuy1912 went 11-10 for the week and are now 65-49 with a still impressive run differential of +90. The team continues to rely of strong pitching allowing a league low 470 runs against them.

Cabrera24 and his New York New York club cooled off dramatically from the previous week going 7-14 for the week. New York New York is now 59-55, 11 games off the pace. Trade acquisitions Joe Niekro (0-2, 11.92 ERA/1.85 WHIP) had a rough start while Bernie Allen is now at .247/.337/.403 after a hot start.

The Hollywood Angelic Dodgers directed by tdkearns went 11-10 for the week and are now at 53-61. The Dodgers have a run differential of -7 which is a sign of continued improvement from their rough start.

Central: Middle market

The MFL536 led Cincy Indians had an excellent week going 15-6 and extended their lead to a league best 12 games. The Indians are now 66-48 with a +43 run differential. The club has the second best home record at 36-24 and have 50 wins against right handed pitching.

The Baltimore Expos (Drabb9529) moved back into second place after going 12-9 for the week and now have a record of 54-60, 12 games off the pace. Interestingly, the Expos have a division worst run differential of -39.


MGoren5166 and his Detroit BoSox continued their improved play going 11-10 for the third consecutive week to land at the 53-61 as they continue their steady record ascent. The BoSox prefer home cooking where they are 34-26 but 19-35 on the road.

LMBombers and his Home of the Braves had a better week than the previous going 11-10 and are now at 53-61. The Braves have a run differential of -2 which suggests they have encountered some tough luck.


West--the division for the rest of us

BurleyNorseman and his St. Louis Royals cooled off going 7-14 after last weeks 16-5 record. However the Royals maintained a 2 game lead with a record of 60-54. The team is tough against right handed pitching going 39-28. The Royals have the same record at home (30-27) as on the road.

Underdog All is Better in Texas (KaiserWill4) went 10-11 for the week and are now at 58-56 which is good for second place. The club is tough on lefties with a record of 19-12 versus southpaws. The run differential deteriorated a bit more and is now at -29.

Chicawgo Grifters (JJB92) had a less horrible week going 9-12 but continue to underperform with a record of 47-67. The Grifters extended their league worst run differential to -132. Hall of Famers Billy Williams .254/.309/.418, was relieved of his duties as was Fergie Jenkins 7-17, ERA of 5.38, WHIP of 1.51.

San Diego Phanatics (Generationm1) went 9-12 for the week and are now 46-68, 12 games off the pace. The Phanatics have a run differential of -101 and lefties have been tough on the Phanatics—the Phanatics are 12-19 versus southpaws.

Team streaks:

TwiRates: Best winning streak of season—7 games (But the club has won 6 in a row 3 other times). Longest losing streak: 6 games (1 time)

AthleticGiants: 10 winning/6 losing

New York New York: 7 winning (twice), 4 losing (twice)

Dodgers: 5 winning/5 losing (twice)

Indians: 10 winning/5 losing

Expos: 4 winning/8 losing

BoSox: 6 (3 times)/8 losing

Braves: 4 winning (twice); 7 losing (included 3 losses in extra innings).

Royals: 9 winning/5 losing (twice)

Texas: 4/5 losing (twice)

Grifters: 3 (8 times!!) /7 losing (twice)

Phanatics: 4/7 losing (twice)

Highest OPS of players with salaries of $5 million or less

Ralph Garr-Braves—.909/$3.91

Lowest OPS of player with salary of $5 million or more

Dusty Baker-Braves .669/$6.20


Most home runs by player with salary of $5 or less

Phil Garner: 12/$4.62


Lowest ERA for pitchers with salary under $3 million

Eddie Fisher (Dodgers); 2.17 in 133 innings

Highest ERA for pitchers over $5 million

Mike Cuellar 6.01 in 170 innings

Awards per SOM

MVP
George Brett
Joe Morgan
Johnny Bench

Cy Young
Vida Blue
John Candeleria
Jim Palmer

Games played: 135

East---the high rent district—

Jayhawks81's Pittesota TwiRates went 11-10 for the week and are now at 81-54. The run differential is now the second best in the league at +89. The TwiRates have a 4 game lead in the division.

The Bay Area AthleticGiants led by NewGuy1912 went 12-9 for the week and are now 77-58 and now have the best run differential at +110. The team continues to rely of strong pitching allowing a league low 571 runs against them.

Cabrera24 and his New York New York had a good week going 13-8 and now have a record of 72-63, only 5 games away from a playoff position. New York has a run differential of +25 and have the second best road win total at 37.

The Hollywood Angelic Dodgers directed by tdkearns went 12-9 for the week and are now at 65-70. The Dodgers now have a positive run differential of +3.


Central: Middle market

The MFL536 led Cincy Indians had another very good week going 13-8 and maintained their lead at a league best 12 games. The Indians are now within 2 games of having the best record in the league at 79-56. The Indians have registered a league best 60 wins against right handed pitching.

The Baltimore Expos (Drabb9529) kept their hold on second place after going back into second place after going 13-8 for the week and now have a record of 67-68.

MGoren5166 and his Detroit BoSox continued their ascent in the standings, going 13-8 for the week extending their winning weekly record to 4 weeks. The BoSox are now just three games from the break even point with a record of 66-69.

LMBombers and his Home of the Braves had a tough week going 7-14 and are now 60-75, 19 games off the pace. better week than the previous going 11-10 and are now at 53-61.


West--the division for the rest of us

BurleyNorseman and his St. Louis Royals had another disappointing week going 8-13 and seeing their lead shrink to a single game. The Royals are now 68-67 but still have a decent run differential of +39.

Underdog All is Better in Texas (KaiserWill4) went 9-12 for the week and are now at 67-68 which is good for second place. The club is tough on lefties with a record of 19-12 versus southpaws. The run differential deteriorated even more and is now at -49 but the club is within one game of

Chicawgo Grifters (JJB92) went 10-11 and are now 57-78, 11 games off the pace and needing a miracle to reach .500.

San Diego Phanatics (Generationm1) had a painful week going 5-16 and now have a record of 51-84, worst in the league.

A look at the league leaders in categories of interest—all players with team they are most associated with unless otherwise noted

Batting average—after leading the league in hitting for most of the year and maintaining an average over .400, George Brett cooled off dramatically and is now third in batting average.

Roberto Clemente.380
Cecil Cooper .372
George Brett .370

On Base Percentage

While the top three are the same—only the order changes to George, Roberto and Cecil. However, two of the next three are faces not always seen in league leader categories—

Carlton Fisk .412
Joe Morgan .410
Merv Rettenmund .409

Home Runs

Johnny Bench 39
Jim Rice 37
Reggie Jackson 34

Runs Batted In

Reggie Jackson 111
Hank Aaron 108
Jim Rice 103

Runs Scored

Bobby Bonds 102
George Brett 100
Ralph Garr 100

Stolen Bases

Joe Morgan 47
Bert Campaneris 40
Bobby Bonds 35

Hitting streak

Pete Rose 25
Rod Carew 19
Phil Garner 19

Batting average vs lefties

Dale Murphy .415
Cesar Cedeno .394
Tony Perez .375

Batting average vs righties

George Brett .421
Roberto Clemente .398
Cecil Cooper .393


Pitching

Wins
Vida Blue 19
Gaylord Perry 19
Burt Hooton 18

Losses

Steve Carlton 17
Randy Jones 17
Bob Gibson-St. Louis/now Chicawgo 16
Larry Christenson 16

ERA

Vida Blue 2.72
Eddie Fisher 2.89
Sonny Siebert 2.95

Complete Games
Gaylord Perry 24
Mel Stottlemyre 19 (Cincinatti Indians)
Tom Seaver 15

Saves

Ramon Hernandez 31
Joe Hoerner 30
Grant Jackson 28

Strike Outs
Tom Seaver 208 (St. Louis Royals)
Bert Blyleven 206
Nolan Ryan 197

Lowest batting average allowed to righties

Nolan Ryan .175
Jim Palmer .189
Burt Hooton .217
Clay Kirby .217 (a tip of the hat to Clay for making the top 3

Lowest batting average allowed to lefties

Sam McDowell .153
Eddie Fisher .167
John Candeleria .168

Run Support

John Denny 6.25
Sam McDowell 6.10
Pat Jarvis 5.86

Games played: 162


East---the high rent district—

Jayhawks81's Pittesota TwiRates picked a great time to get hot, going 19-8 over the last 27 games. The club finished with the best run differential in the league at +116 and won the division by a whopping 13 games. The TwiRates will battle the west division champions the St. Louis Royals in the first round of the playoffs.

The Bay Area AthleticGiants led by NewGuy1912 picked a bad time to slump ending the season going 10-17 finishing at 87-75. The club had the second best run differential at +111 and allowed the fewest runs in league at 685. The AthleticGiants will battle the Cincy Indians in the first round of the playoffs.

Cabrera24 and his New York New York also slumped going 10-17 to finish the season at 82-80. New York New York tied for the most road wins at 43. The club had a run differential of -10. Pitching was a challenge—New York finished allowing 857 runs-most in the league.

The Hollywood Angelic Dodgers directed by tdkearns went 15-12 over the last 27 games and finished at 80-82. The Dodgers finished the year with a +10 run differential.

Central: Middle market

The MFL536 led Cincy Indians also went 10-17 over the last 27 games finishing at 89-73. The Indians finished at a +66 run differential. The club won 69 games versus right handed pitching. The Indians took control of the division after game 20 and held the lead the remainder of the season.

MGoren5166 and his Detroit BoSox overcame a rough start and finished in second place, just 6 games out finishing at 83-79. The BoSox went 17-10 since our last check in. After 80 games, the BoSox were 32-48 but turned it around going an impressive 51-3, missing out on the wild card by just 4 games. The BoSox had a run differential of +30, 5th best in the league.

The Baltimore Expos (Drabb9529) went 15-12 since our last update and finished at 82-80. The Expos finished with a run differential of -9 for the season.


LMBombers and his Home of the Braves went 12-15 for the last 27 games and finished at 72-90. The Braves had a respectable run differential of -32 but only had 43 wins versus right handed pitching—lowest in the league.


West--the division for the rest of us

BurleyNorseman and his St. Louis Royals won the division going 15-12 over the last 27 and finished at 83-79 The Royals had a run differential of +90, third best in the league. The Royals finished 2 games ahead of the Texas club.

Underdog All is Better in Texas (KaiserWill4) went 14-13 over the last 27 and finished right at .500 at 81-81. The last team selected in the team draft, Texas finished just 2 games out of the playoffs despite a run differential of -52.

Chicawgo Grifters (JJB92) went 16-11 over the last 27 to finish at 73-89. The club underperformed all year and finished with a run differential of -143, second lowest in the league.

San Diego Phanatics (Generationm1) went 9-18 over the last 27 finishing at 60-102. The club had the league lowest run differential at -177.

Team awards

Most offensive player

TwiRates: Roberto Clemente—.367/.404/.459 25 doubles 17 triples 14 home runs

AthleticGiants: Reggie Jackson-.305/.393/.594 40 home runs 124 RBI

New York New York: Ron Blomberg-.371/.396/.639 426 at bats 27 home runs 78 RBI

Dodgers: Ron Cey .288/.377/.535 37 home runs 103 RBI

Cincy Indians: Johnny Bench .250/.332/.547 47 home runs 110 RBI

Detroit BoSox: Jim Rice .293/.357/.578 43 home runs 116 RBI

Baltimore Expos: Ken Singleton .275/.363/.454 22 home runs 105 RBI

Home of the Braves: Ralph Garr .333/.365/.482 217 hits; 31 stolen bases; 24 doubles; 20 triples 116 runs scored

St. Louis Royals: George Brett .364/.430/.622 27 stolen bases; 36 home runs 130 RBI; 45 doubles 7 triples

Better in Texas: Cesar Cedeno .289/.336/.534 35 home runs; 37 doubles; 99 RBI; 36 stolen bases

Grifters: Dick Allen .310/.388/.514; 25 home runs 95 RBI;

Phanatics: Nate Colbert .253/.309/.441 21 home runs; 84 RBI

Pitcher you don’t want to face

TwiRates: Jim Kaat 21-10; 3.44 ERA 75 walks in 256 innings pitched

AthleticGiants: Jim Hunter; 22-13 3.16 ERA 1.17 WHIP 22 home runs in 313 innings

New York: Tommy John 12-7 3.82 ERA 14 home runs allowed in 193 innings

Dodgers: Eddie Fisher; 211 IP 12-11 with 21 saves; ERA 2.73/ WHIP 1.16

Indians: Gary Nolan; 15-11 3.60/1.20 WHIP 52 walks in 285 innings pitched

BoSox: Sonny Siebert 19-9; 2.94 ERA/ 1.25 WHIP 272 IP/ 23 home runs allowed

Expos: Jim Palmer; 20-10; 3.88 ERA/ 1.20 WHIP 297 innings pitched

Braves: Mike Caldwell 192 innings pitched; ERA 3.84/ WHIP 1.39; 5 wins/6 losses

Royals: Tom Seaver; 18-15; 297 innings pitched; 3.54 ERA/1.19 WHIP

Texas: JR Richard; 17-15 3.58 ERA; 279 innings pitched; 204 strikeouts

Grifters: Bill Hands; 18-16; 293 innings pitched; 19 home runs allowed; ERA 3.43/ WHIP 1,27

Phanatics: Joe Hoerner; 34 saves in 80 innings pitched; 3.38 ERA;

MVP per Strat

George Brett

Cy Young

Jim Palmer

Every season I review the league that I play in for the value players under 3 million dollars as these are the ones that you get a spark from. In review of this season by team here is what I found as value added from my perspective and would be interested to see if others have any input on these as well.

Pittesota TwiRates – Pitching McAndrew, J. – 9 wins, no losses, 8 saves and ERA 2.00 and WHIP 1.02 2.83 Million - Clines, G. – BA. 343/416/485 – 1.25 Million
Bay Area AthleticGiants - Randle, L. – BA. 329/402/354 - .94 Million and Washington, C. BA. 273/331/462 – 1.84 Million
New York New York - Gross, G. – BA. 278/362/416 – 2.55 Million and Shamsky, A. – BA. 311/384/436 – 2.47 Million
Hollywood Angelic Dodgers – Pitching Fisher, E. – 211.1 innings (WOW) 12 Wins, 11 Losses, 21 Saves, 2.73 ERA and 1.16 WHIP – 2.53 Million. Jackson, R. – BA. 301/345/551 – 2.42 Million, Aparicio, L. BA. 288/341/392 – 2.96 Million, Mota, M. – BA. 316/366/422 – 2.63 Million, and Maddox, E. – BA. 293/361/421 – 2.68 Million

Cincy Indians – Pitching Kern, J. – 10 Wins, 5 losses, 10 Saves ERA 2.46 and WHIP 1.20 – 2.13 Million, Reitz, K. - BA. 302/319/481 – 2.04 Million, Pinson, V. – BA. 285/307/383 – 1.99 Million
Detroit Bosox - Trillo, M. – BA. 297/382/399 – 1.32 Million
Baltimore Expos – Pitching - Watt, E. – 7 Wins, 4 Losses, 2 saves, ERA 2.12, WHIP 1.29 – 2.24 Million
Home of the Braves – Pitching - Linzy, F. – 8 Wins, 13 Losses, 26 Saves, 4.33 ERA, 1.39 WHIP – 1.83 Million, and Yount, R. – BA. 286/321/517 – 2.92 Million

St. Louis Royals – John Denny should be listed but over 3 million, Pitching - Falcone, P. 2 Wins, 2 Losses, 2 Saves, 1 Win in the playoffs, 3.05 ERA, 1.49 WHIP – 1.31 Million, Patek, F. BA. 268/315/378 – 1.38 Million
All is Better in Texas – Pitching - Foucault, S. 1 Win, 3 Losses, 7 Saves, ERA 3.32, WHIP 1.08 – 2.22 Million, Ashby, A. BA. 284/349/409 – 1.27 Million, Howell, R. BA. 308/360/420 – 1.31 Million, Johnson, A. BA. 323/373/467 – 1.33 Million
Chicawgo Grifters – Pitching Barrios, F. – 5 Wins, 3 losses, ERA 2.83, WHIP 1.22 – 2.15 Million, Wathan, J. BA. 260/334/307 – 1.58 Million, Ontiveros, S. BA. 345/435/496 – 2.4 Million
San Diego Phanatics – Pitching - Hoerner, J. 3 Wins, 9 Losses, 34 Saves, ERA 3.38, WHIP 1.43 – 2.64 Million, Taylor, T. BA. 303/329/417 – 2.39 Milion

many thanks to all the teams and for the commish putting this together.

I have reviewed all the teams and have come up with my favorites under 3 million dollars based on their performances and would like to see what others thought.

Relief Pitcher -
Hollywood Angelic Dodgers – Pitching Fisher, E. – 211.1 innings 12 Wins, 11 Losses, 21 Saves, 2.73 ERA and 1.16 WHIP – 2.53 Million

Starting Pitcher -
Chicawgo Grifters – Pitching Barrios, F. – 5 Wins, 3 losses, ERA 2.83, WHIP 1.22 – 2.15 Million

Infielder-
Hollywood Angelic Dodgers – Aparicio, L. BA. 288/341/392 – 2.96 Million

Outfielder-
New York New York -Shamsky, A. – BA. 311/384/436 – 2.47 Million

Thanks again for an exciting season and looking forward to seeing everyone again in future leagues.