Single Season Leaders Updated - Pitchers

http://www.alltimebaseballsim.net/ATL_Pitt_Single_Season.htm

Multiple Appearances in Top 10

• Pedro Martinez (OFB) 1st in IP
• Pedro Martinez (OFB) 1st in QS
• Pedro Martinez (OFB) 1st in GS
• Pedro Martinez (OFB) 3rd in WHIP
• Pedro Martinez (OFB) 3rd in K
• Pedro Martinez (OFB) 4th in H/9
• Pedro Martinez (OFB) 10th in CERA
• Greg Maddux (SH) 2nd in QS%
• Greg Maddux (SH) 4th in ERA
• Greg Maddux (SH) 4th in CG
• Greg Maddux (SH) 6th in QS
• Greg Maddux (SH) 7th in CERA
• Bobby Jenks (SH) 1st in Reliever ERA
• Bobby Jenks (SH) 1st in Reliever WHIP
• Bobby Jenks (SH) 2nd in Reliever RCERA
• Eric Gagne (SH) 2nd in Reliever ERA
• Eric Gagne (SH) 9th in Reliever RCERA
• Cy Blanton (TWW) 3rd in QS
• Cy Blanton (TWW) 7th in QS%
• Bill Bernhard (OFB) 3rd in IP
• Bill Bernhard (OFB) 4th in GS
• Porter Charleston (MRE) 1st in Reliever W
• Porter Charleston (MRE) 8th in G
• Juan Marichal (OFB) 4th in IP
• Juan Marichal (OFB) 6th in GS
• Randy Johnson (DB) 5th in K/9
• Randy Johnson (DB) 8th in K

Single Appearance in Top 10

• Ed Walsh (DT) 2nd in L
• Graeme Lloyd (BS) 3rd in Reliever WHIP
• Greg Holland (TWW) 3rd in Reliever RCERA
• Red Ryan (WPM) 3rd in Reliever in W
• Randy Jones (DCC) tied for 4th in W
• Ed Reulbach (NVB) 5th in H/9
• Jeff Gray (MRE) 5th in Reliever WHIP
• Bruce Sutter (BS) 6th in Sv
• Greg Vean (NVB) 6th in Reliever RCERA
• Bucky Walters (PRL) 7th in BB
• Dennis Eckersley (OFB) 7th in Reliever WHIP
• Rob Murphy (DCC) 7th in Reliever W
• Jeff Russell (SM) 8th in Reliever RCERA
• Roy Halladay (PBE) 10th in QS
• Ted Lyons (PBE) 10th in GS
• Jeff Russell (SM) 10th in Reliever WHIP

20 Resims: #20 - Platte Country Burnt Ends

Jeff’s Burnt Ends are our first team to show flashes of true high end play.  In resim # 5 they won 89 games and their max win potential ended up at 94, a ful l17 games better than the 21st ranked Detroit Tigers.  That gap is remarkable.

As we saw with the Tigers, the Burnt Ends were also very unlucky in the regular season, winning just 67 games while their resim Avg, OD Resim Avg, and Balanced Resim Avg were all appreciably better.  I tend to believe a more active owner could have reduced this gap, but that's a study for another day.

Their only great offensive player was Stan Musial (below) but Larry Walker (36 HR, 103 RBI), Benny Kauff (.346 OBP, .400 SLG center fielder with Vg defense), and Mickey Cochrane (.714 OPS at catcher) were all above average  at their respective positions.

Top to bottom, both the starting rotation and bullpen were slightly below average.  Among starters, only Herb Score (4.87, 1.57) could be said unworthy of a roster spot while Mark Prior (5.04 ERA, 1.53 WHIP) struggled similarly.  On the other hand, there were no above average starters in the rotation and their best relievers received the least playing time.

With a few tweaks to the roster the Burnt Ends could have competed at a much higher level.

800 OPS Batters:
.818 – Stan Musial

Sub 4.00 ERA Starters
None

Sub 3.25 ERA Relievers
2.99 – Jason Isringhausen
3.01 – Tom Henke (in just 21 IP per season though)

Best Value Draft Pick
Rd 26 – Tyler Clippard (1.27 WHIP, 3.89 ERA, 67 IP, 53 H)

Bust Draft Pick
Rd 5 – Hank Greenberg (.207 / .275 / .414).  One day, Greenberg will slip in the draft and a lucky owner will enjoy his services in a platoon.

20 Resim Results

24) 64 wins, Downsouth Brews

23) 66 wins, Colorado Green Sox

22) 72 wins, Lancaster Pretty Ladies

21) 69 wins, Detroit Tigers

Time Almost Up for the "Mechanics" and Bears

With around 14 games remaining time is running out for the "Mechanics" and Bears.  Both teams are 4.5 games out and do not control their own destiny's.  No matter how well they play, the need the Wild Card leading Fishbiscuits and Wildlings to lose more than they win as well.

In the American League, the "Mechanics" have a legitimate chance at holding up their end of the bargain.  They have 12 games remaining, 9 of which are at home.  The face the Burnt Ends 4 times, the Red Lectroids 3, the Red Eagles 3, and Ball Four 2.  Only the Red Eagles have a winning record.  However, during the season, the "Mechanics" have exactly a .500 record against these squads.

The Bears on the other hand are in a true predicament.  8 of their remaining 13 games are on the road and they face the Miners 6 times, the Pandas 4, and the Pretty Ladies 3.  The Miners are heading to the playoffs and the Pandas are the hottest team in the league.  They've lost 13 of 16 against the Miners, but are well over .500 against the Pandas and Ladies.

Both teams should be considered extreme long shots, with Carlisle having a slightly better chance to catch up.

Power Alley - Week 6

+4 Puerto Cabellas Pandas
+3 John McDonald Fanclub
+3 Rochester Beau Brummels
+3 Downsouth Brews

-4 Platte County Burnt Ends
-3 North Valley Bears
-3 Colorado Green Sox
-3 Leesburg Snowhole

Standings Summary - Week 6

Current Wild Card Race

The most exciting news in either division is the return of meaningful baseball.  Through most of May Divisional Races were non-existent leaving little doubt who the playoff contenders are.  It's still not perfect, but three Divisions are now up for grabs as we head to the All Star Break. More importantly, by my count 14 teams are within 4 games of making the playoffs  and 18 teams are within 8 games. 

As we'll see with tomorrow's installment of Power Alley,  the Brighton Shadows overtook the Manetheren Red Eagles in the PA standings and with another stellar week, opened up a 14 game lead on the DC Chips.  During Sim 6 the Shadows were marvelously efficient, winning three game series against Helena, Leesburg, Niagara Falls, and Spanish Harlem.  They also split a mini two game set against DC and played a winning game against Otherton to start the sim.

Getting on base at just a .299 clip, Ken Griffey Jr showed signs he's human after all, if just barely. He also hit another 8 home runs and drove in 16.  Teammate Lou Gehrig picked up any slack, pounding pitchers and winning Batter of the Week honors.  Shortstop Joe Tinker (.359 / .372 / .513) and catcher Darren Daulton (.350 / .447 / .725) played great too.

From top to bottom the pitching staff was slightly better than average (3.99 team ERA) thanks to a series of poor starts from Cliff Lee, Joe Wood, and Dizzy Dean.  However, Silver King (1.29 ERA in 3 starts) and Danny Haren (2.00 ERA in 3 starts and now 12-0 on the season) were good enough to make up for it. The pen was particularly brilliant with a team 2.45 ERA in 51 innings.

Winning 11 of 15, the Sparta Hoplites win AL Team of the Week and opened up an 11.5 game lead on the Wildlings in the process.  From top to bottom heir offense was firing on all cylinders this week (.313 / .382 / .424) but four player stood out:

.313 / .371 / .412 - Edgar Martinez
.328 / .417 / .443 - Chipper Jones
.361 / .477 / .444 - Fred Carroll
.382 / .453 / .545 - George Gore

The four led the Hoplites to series victories over the Mechanics, Wildlings, Red Lectroids, Red Eagles, and a 3 game sweep of the Burnt Ends.

While Greg Maddux (3-0, 2.52 ERA) and Frank Sullivan (2.35 ERA in 3 starts) received most of the accolades this Sim, it's the bullpen that holds this team together.  We saw yesterday their team ERA was easily the best in ATB and this week was little different.  Eric Gagne, Bobby Jenks, Dean Chance, John Denny, and Kevin Saucier combined to pitch 24 innings without letting in a single run.

Incredibly, on the season in 37 innings, Jenks has only given up a single  unearned run making his ERA exactly the same as John Blutarsky's grade point average.  Much to the chagrin of owner Sean S, he didn't make the All Star roster and here's why:

• He's not a closer, so the two closer slots are off limits.
• He doesn't have enough innings for the Long Reliever and Mop-up slots
• He's not a lefty, and wasn't eligible for the lefty set-up role
• That leaves the righty set-up role.  

Player A - 39 IP, 21 H, 9 BB, 35 K, .77 WHIP, 0.95 RCERA

Player B - 37 IP, 26 H, 7 BB, 12 K, .88 WHIP, 1.47 RCERA

Player B is Jenks of course, and he just happened to give up just 1 run this season.  Player A is Greg Holland, who's clearly pitched better than Jenks, but let in 3 runs.  Holland gets the nod "despite" a 0.69 ERA.

Good Bad Ugly - Week 4

Standings Summary - Week 3

The NL Team of the Week (new!) is the Spanish Harlem Pinata Beaters.  At 11-3 they had the best record of the sim and an incredible +40 run differential to go along side it.

Leesburg took the brunt of the beating, losing 6 games to the Beaters by a combined score of 47-22.  Spanish Harlem also took two series from the Blackbirds but did lose a 3 game set to Otherton.

Oscar Charleston was again a monster, batting .404 / .493 / .825 with 6 homers, 19 runs, and 19 RBI.  He's in the running for player of the week again.  The team as a whole sported an .831 OPS, with Cupid Childs, Ozzie Smith, and John Olerud playing well.

The pen was key for Spanish Harlem, giving up just 11 earned runs in 43 innings (2.30 ERA).  Ed Siever (25 IP, 4 ER) and John Tudor (21 IP, 6 ER) were anchors in the rotation winning 5 games (with no losses) in 6 starts.

The AL Team of the Week are the Green Sox of Colorado.  They ultimately finished 1/2 game worse than Sparta for the week's best record but almost doubled their Run Differential so they get the nod.

Babe Ruth, tired of playing second fiddle to Charleston, had a great week banging 6 home runs and recorded a 1.054 OPS.  Jason Giambi and Brett Boone combined for an .860 OPS and 18 RBI.

The Colorado pitchers were they key to the Green Sox success however.  Starters Harvey Haddix, Al Orth, and Bill McCall were a strong 1-2-3 punch, averaging a combined ERA under 3.00.

En route to the 10 wins, Colorado pummeled the Red Lectroids, taking a 4 game sweep to open the sim, scoring 41 in 4 games (the actually scored 13, 17, and 12 runs in consecutive games between sims).  They also swept the Burnt Ends, split with Manetheren (two 12 innings wins), but lost 3 of 4 to Ball Four.

The Great, the Good, and the Ugly - Week 3

Babe Ruth is on pace for 72 HR and 149 RBI.  

Turkey Stearnes is on pace for 210 RBI.  

It will be interesting to see where Stearnes is drafted next year, yeah yeah, the 26-11 team is complaining about his .629 SLG first round pick but they guy is completely hit or miss.  Can be frustrating - 3 BB, 24 K, the opposite of the kind of player I prefer.

Raise your hand if you thought Arky Vaughan would have 10 HR by May 13

Still no Pedro

12 Questions - American League

East
The AL East is shaping up to be a 3-team battle between the Hoplites, Wildlings, and "Mechanics".  Each of these teams are within 2 games of each other and a total of 2 runs by measure of Run Differential.  The Brews however, are on the outside looking in with a 10-17 record and a -35 RD.

Q1 - Greg Maddux (4-1, 1.84 ERA) is enjoying immense success in League Park (20 HR rate) but Kevin Brown (2-2, 6.23) and last year phenom Jerry Reuss (1-2, 7.11) are struggling.  Will the Hoplite rotation recover or is this team in for a long summery of high scoring games.

Q2 - The Wildlings have about a league average offense (.271 / .320 / .405) but have done so with Willie McGee playing well over his head (1.018 OPS).  Who will step up when McGee falters?  Hopefully it is the new Gabby Hartnett, because he is struggling (.281 OBP) and the Wildlings will need him to keep pace with Sparta.

Q3 - With only 97 runs scored all year, the "Mechanics" are relying on their pitching to remain competitive.  Their rotation, however, is innovative to use a kind word.  Mordecai Brown is 4-1 with a fine ERA and reliever John Smoltz is getting starts.  How long can this keep up and when it fails, can the offense improve?  Cal Ripken has a .334 OPS.

Q4 - The Brews are getting by on offense just fine, just 5 runs off the pace to be considered above league average.  The pitching staff on the other hand, is very bad.  The new year for Randy Johnson is an apparent bust, and others are struggling too, but how long will Allen ride Fred Beene out of the pen?  He has the most appearances and innings out of all relievers, yet has a 6.46 ERA and 1.76 WHIP.  Waiver wire might be in order.

Central
Q5 - Early in the season, the talk of the AL has been the historic start by the Manetheren Red Eagles.  At 23-5 they already have an 11 game lead in the division.  They've scored 184 runs and frankly that is just not sustainable.  The question?  How good is Turkey Stearnes?  He's cooled off from his hot start but with 13 doubles, 6 homers, and 6 triples no one really cares.

Q6 - With no team close to a .500 record, the rest of the division is struggling.  With a recent run of success, Ball Four has vaulted into 2nd place.  They score with the best of the league but the rotation has underperformed.  How long do they stick with Zach Greinke (2-3, 8.06 ERA) and the new Lefty Grove (1-2, 5.61 ERA)?

Q7 - Ball Four is at +1 RD and have a half game lead on the Red Lectroids who are at -27.  That is significant and a bad sign for Planet 10.  The rotation has struggled but a bright spot has been Johan Santana.  At 3-0 and a 1.94 ERA he has been among the best in the game, can he keep it up?

Q8 - Platte County is just 10-19 and have been outscored by 54 runs, by far the worst in the league.  Not sure where to start here, a .302 team OBP or the 4.88 team ERA?  Let's keep it positive and give kudos to Roy Halladay (3-1, 2.44 ERA) and Brandon Webb (3-2, 3.00 ERA).  What happens to this squad if they return to normal?

West
Q9 - The race in the West looks to be a season long battle down to the wire.  Rusty Kuntz is leading the way by 3 games but have relied heavily on Juan Padron (5-0, 2.54) and to a lesser extent Joe DiMaggio (.911 OPS).  Can these two play at this level all year long?

Q10 - The Green Sox have been exiting to watch, on a 3 game winning streak they are now in second place and just a game under .500.  Babe Ruth has been a monster (.408 OBP, .701 SLG) and others like Jim Gentile and Jason Giambi have played above their baseline.  But as is the case with so many other teams, the success will come down to the rotation.  Al Orth has been great, but Dick Ellsworth (5.65 ERA) and Bill McCall (7.01 ERA) have been busts.  Are their Free Agent options to solidify the Green Sox starting five?

Q11 - After a quick start, Fanclub has come back down to earth and are currently enduring a 3 game losing streak.  They have still outscored their opponents by 12 runs but has the Polo Grounds been a mistake?  Sure, the 250+ home run rates are great, but the 70 singles and doubles is hurting the lineup - Alberte Belle, Ed Swartwood, and Mark McGwire each have on base percentages under .290 - is this sustainable for a winning team?

Q12 - Finally, the Beau Brummels.  At 12-15 they are last in the division but just 4 games off the division lead and have a plus run differential.  Their pitching has kept them in games (team 3.58 ERA) but there are warning signs to concern Leanne.  Can Christy Mathewson (3-3, 2.89 ERA) and Pete Alexander (2-3, 3.05 ERA) keep up the pace?  And what happens when Harmon Killebrew (.834 OPS) cools off?

Next week - the National League

The Good, the Great, and the Ugly - Week 2

Comish's Predictions - AL Central

The AL Central may very well be the strongest division in baseball.  Here's how I think it will shape out

1st - Ball Four
2nd - Manetheren Red Eagles
3rd - Platte County Burnt Ends
4th - Planet 10 Red Lectroids

Realistically, any of the four teams can win the division but on paper it seems that Ball Four is best poised to win out of all the teams if they encounter some injuries.  This is simply an above average team everywhere save top end starting pitching. The lineup features ATB greats Joe Morgan, Bill Dickey, and soon to be great Heavy Johnson.  In addition, the second tier players are all top-second tier players - Roger Connor, Jim Edmonds, and Fred Lynn are all very good.  The rotation is skimpy at the top, but a 5-man of Kevin Millwood, Teddy Higuera, Joel Horlen, Zach Greinke, and Lefty Grove is still above average.  Add Craig Kimbrel (we think) and Mariano Rivera in relief and this becomes a good team.  Prediction:  If the new-year Lefty Grove is good, the teams wins, if he's bad then the rotation falls short and so does Ball Four.

The Red Eagles are not a typical Lou team.  I normally focus on on base percentage, but the lure of Turkey Stearns and his 60+ doubles in the resims captured my imagination.  So, I drafted an extreme doubles park and drafted extreme doubles hitters - Joey Votto, Ed Delahanty, and Stearnes may realistically hit 150+ between them alone, driving in John McGraw every game in the process.  The back end of the lineup suspect just like the back end of the rotation.  Similar to Ball Four, my team will live and die by the new players - Delahanty, Frankie Frisch, Tom McCreery, and Eddie Rommel have never been used.  Norman Yokely, Porter Charleston, Stearnes, and Hurley McNair are unproven Negro Leaguers.  I need at least 5 of the 8 to live up to expectations to win.

I don't know that the Burnt Ends will score more runs than any other team, but a top 7 of Benny Kauff, Larry Walker, Stan Musial, Hank Greenberg, Mickey Cochrane, Joe Kelley, and Joe Torre is about as good as a Top-7 I have seen when considering defense too.  Like so many other teams it's the starting pitching that may prevent a playoff run.  The pen will be fine, it's above average with Tom Henke, Hideki Okajima, and Jason Isringhausen but are Ted Lyons and Roy Halladay playoff caliber 1-2's?  Even the three through five of Willie Mitchell, Tiny Bonham, and Brandon Webb have me worried (Webb may end up the best of 'em).

Ty Cobb will need to exceed his 500 resim average in order for the Red Lectroids to make the playoffs.  I said I wasn't going to use numbers, but I had to in this case.  Cobb exceeding expectations likely going to happen.  His .500 resim average was .862 and he exceeded that 50.4% of the time.  Cobb is surrounded by above average hitters in Rickey Henderson, Albert Pujols, and possibly Will Clark but Bill Bradley in the 2-hole and Tim McCarver rightfully batting 6th is problematic.  If McCarver is your best 6th hitter you'll struggle to score runs.  The pitching looks bad on paper, but this is a great defense with Ex defenders at second, short, left and Johnny Bench platooning with McCarver.  Everywhere else is Vg along with 2 of the 3 outfielder arms.  This will make Johan Santana, Mike Scott, and Bucky Walters look better than they are (though it may not help Theodore Trent and Earl Moore).  It's my guess this team will win 85 games a quarter of the time in the end of season 20 resims, whether or not they do during the regular season is a different story.