20 Resims: #18 Haven Tommyknockers

At the end of each season owners may submit a new lineup that is used in the 20 Resim competition.  This competition is purely for speculation and is used as a gauge to determine who had the best draft.  The true ATB champion remains the World Series winner.


20 seasons are automatically simulated and compiled.  No lineup changes are allowed and injuries are turned off.  Through a formula that considers Win-Loss record, Playoff Appearances, and Pythagorean Record the teams are ranked in order from worst to first. 


Special thanks to Justin B who provided the formula and methodology behind the raw park OPS values, which provides a new way to interpret park factors.

We’re now moving into teams that put forth solid seasons more often than not.  TJ O’s Haven Tommyknockers show a resim minimum of 63 wins, but that appears to be a freak occurrence from sim 12 – the next worst season was 8 games better (sim 14).  For all intents and purposes, the Tommyknockers won between 70-85 games each year.

Playing in a pitchers park, the average team ERA was quite good at 3.55.  In fact, four of their starting 5 pitchers are listed below, and the 5th starter Tim Hudson narrowly missed the cut-off with a 4.21 ERA.

Led by Bobby Jenks (below) the relief corps was generally adequate if not spectacular, featuring a host of average to better than average pitchers.  Unlike the previous teams we’ve analyzed, there were no glaring mistakes to point out.

The same is not true offensively.  Using the 2nd and 4th picks in the draft for starting pitching damaged the Tommyknockers as they could not find any value batters late in the draft.  Lou Gehrig was great of course, but only one other regular had an OBP better than .310.  The park is to blame for some of the struggles, but with regulars such Tony Gwynn, Roberto Alomar, Barry Larkin, Charlie Keller and Willie McGee the offense was bound to struggle.

The poor play from Eddie Mathews does warrant a mention.  In the 79 resims the third basemen batted .263 / .341 / .474.   In his ATB career he batted .252 / .331 / .453.  This season, he batted .219 / .287 / .408. The lesson?  If you choose a pitchers park, the lineup needs to feature good on-base skills.  Mathews, along with 6 other regulars (including platoons) had OBP’s under .300.    This led to the worst offense in the game, not an easy feat with Lou Gehrig in the lineup.

800 OPS Batters: 
Lou Gehrig: .912 OPS, .278 / .352 / .560

Sub 4.00 ERA Starters
Cy Blanton: 14 W, 3.16 ERA, 1.22 WHIP
Tim Lincecum: 3.50 ERA, 1.35 WHIP
Monty Stratton: 3.94 ERA
Whit Wyatt: 3.96 ERA

Sub 3.25 ERA Relievers
Bobby Jenks: 2.64 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 87 IP

Best Value Draft Pick
Rd 24: Mike Williams, 3.22 ERA in 29 IP

Bust Draft Pick
Rd 3: Eddie Matthews and his .696 OPS.

 Tally
#24 - Downsouth Brews
#23 - Leesburg Snow
#22 – dogphin29
#21 – Team America World Police
#21 – Uncle Robbie’s Daffiness Boys
#19 – Indiana Black Sox
#18 – Haven Tommyknockers

National League MVP

In a landslide win, center fielder Mickey Mantle wins his second consecutive MVP award.  The Fanclub outfielder batted .342 / .453 / .521 with 56 extra base hits and 124 runs scored.  He played Vg/101 defense and had league high ATB Value score of .387

Ted Williams received two first place votes and finished a distant second.

(# Ballots) Total Points (1st, 2nd, 3rd Place Votes)
(14)58 - Mickey Mantle, JMF (10, 2, 2)
(12)30 - Ted Williams, RKA (2, 5, 5)
(6) 16 - Ross Barnes, NOT (1, 3, 2)
(3) 9 - Stan Musial, HH (1, 1, 1)
(3) 7 - Willie McCovey, HH (0, 2, 1)
(1) 5 - Reggie Jackson, NPB (1, 0, 0)
(1) 3 - Josh Gibson, SWR (0, 1, 0)
(1) 1 - Hank Aaron, OFB (0, 0, 1)
(1) 1 - Albert Belle, JMF (0, 0, 1)
(1) 1 - Honus Wagner, OFB (0, 0, 1)
(1) 1 - Mike Schmidt, NOT (0, 0, 1)
(1) 1 - Lou Gehrig, HT (0, 0, 1)

National League Cy Young Award

The Otherton Fishbiscuits' Addie Joss is the National League Cy Young Award winner.  Joss outpaced Pedro Martinez by receiving 8 of 15 first place votes and only missing a vote on 1 ballot.  Joss not only had a stellar W-L record at 23-14 and a superb ERA of 2.60, he led both leagues in innings pitched at 294.  Voters took that into consideration when comparing to Martinez, who may have had slightly better rate stats but threw 40 less innings.

Cy Blanton came in third and was on more ballots than Martinez.

(# Ballots) Total Points (1st, 2nd, 3rd Place Votes)
(14)56 - Addie Joss, OFB (8, 5, 1)
(13)37 - Pedro Martinez, EYO (4, 4, 5)
(14)30 - Cy Blanton, HT (2, 4, 8)
(2) 8 - Walter Johnson, HH (1,1,0)
(2) 4 - Jesse Tannehill, NPB (0, 1, 1)

National League Reliever of the Year

The NL Reliever of the Year is Jonathan Papelbon of the Haven Tommyknockers.  Papelbon had one of the best years in ATB history with a 1.23 ERA and 0.95 WHIP and 41 saves.  Papelbon received 8 of 15 votes for first place and was left off one ballot.

Cla Meredith, Mariano Rivera, and Kent Tekulve also received 1st place votes.

(# Ballots) Total Points (1st, 2nd, 3rd Place Votes)
(14)56 - Jonathan Papelbon, HT (8, 3, 1)
(9) 33 - Cla Meredith, JMF (4, 4, 1)
(6) 20 - Mariano Rivera, NOT (2, 3, 1)
(8) 12 - JJ Putz, RKA (0, 2, 6)
(2) 6 - Kent Tekulve, OFB (1, 0, 0)
(1) 3 - Dick Hall, JMF (0, 1, 0)
(2) 2 - Mike Myers, EYO (0, 0, 2)
(1) 1 - Joakim Soria, OFB (0, 0, 1)
(1) 1 - Rafael Betancourt, EYO (0, 0, 1)
(1) 1 - Joe Neale, NOT (0, 0, 1)

Standings Summary

National League Week 9

All eyes were pointed East this week as the New Orleans Thrill came out of the season long funk with a 12-2 sim, leapfrogging three teams in the process, and taking the lead in the NL East Wild Card race.  Few pitchers were better than Scott Stratton who went undefeated in 3 starts, pitching two complete games and giving up just 20 hits in 27 innings.  Mike Schmidt teed off with 6 homers and 20 RBI and might be the best third basemen in the game.

After an 8-5 week, the North Podunk Banana Bears, however, still feel they are the team to beat. They maintained a 3 ½ game lead on the division and appear to be in cruise control; Reggie Jackson led the team with 5 home runs while Lefty Gomez maintained a 1.90 ERA in 3 starts (23.2 IP).  Just a game out of the Wild Card, the Haven Tommyknockers made some noise as well, winning 9 of 13 contests.  Their bullpen was top notch, with no member recording an ERA over 3.00.

The rest of the East struggled and are starting to fall out of the playoff hunt.  After starting the week with a 3 ½ game lead in the Wild Card, the Ee-Yah Orators will finish it 3 ½ games out.  The White Rats, a +47 Run Differential team fighting with bad luck all year, are 4 ½  games out while the Saginaw Slammers are all but finished, 8 ½ out of the Wild Card.

The NL West remains an incredibly tight four horse race that is simply too close to call.  The Otherton Fishbiscuits finished last week in first, but are now in third.  John McDonald Fanclub moved from fourth to first and Helena dropped from 3rd to 4th.  The All Stars went 8-7 and maintained the Wild Card lead but just a ½ game.

The best player in the division might have been Cla Meredith, who pitched in 8 games, recorded 7 saves, and didn’t give up a run in over 10 innings for the Fanclub.  While much of the rest of the staff struggled, the offense more than made up for it giving the team a 10-4 record on the week.  Joe Sewell and Brooks Robinson batted close to .400; Rod Carew and Tommy Tucker approached a .400 OBP, and Albert Belle, Carl Yastrzemski, Mickey Mantle, and George Hall combined to hit 10 home runs and a .550 slugging.  The Fanclub's record over the past two weeks is 18-9.

There are several key series during Sim 10:

• Otherton twice travels to John McDonald for a total of 7 games
• Wild Card hopefuls from each league, the All Stars and Tommyknockers, face off in a 3 game set
• New Orleans faces those Tommyknockers twice on road;
• In between of which, they stay home for a 3 game series with Helena.  We’ll learn a lot about the Thrill over these 9 games.

The Great, The Good, and the Ugly

Week 6

All Star Rotation - National League

NL All Star Rotation and Bullpen

Yesterday we saw that both the NL and AL lineups were fairly similar in overall quality.  While both teams offer superb pitching, there is a slight and noticeable edge for the AL

Average Starting Pitcher Line
AL: 9-3, 2.24 ERA, 100 IP, 83 H, 26 BB, 60 K, 1.07 WHIP, 2.36 RCERA
NL: 8-4, 2.85 ERA, 107 IP, 93 H, 22 BB, 75 K, 1.08 WHIP, 2.60 RCERA

Average Relieve Pitcher Line
AL: 4-1, 1.25 ERA,, 49 IP, 32 H, 11 BB, 32 K, 0.89 WHIP, 1.60 RCERA
NL: 2-1, 1.44 ERA,, 37 IP, 23 H, 11 BB, 20 K, 0.99 WHIP, 1.91 RCERA

The NL rotation is headed by the 12-1 Cy Blanton.  The righty started quickly out of the gate and hasn't slowed down since; his 7.1 H/9 is the best the NL. 

Greg Maddux and Noodles Hahn follow in the 2nd and 3rd slots.  Maddux is enjoying another career type of season with a 10-2 record and 1.04 WHIP, while Hahn has struggled with injury and is just 4-6 despite a 1.37 ERA.

Surprisingly, Sandy Koufax is still going strong and gets the nod for fourth starter.  Koufax has a 2.69 RCERA and is second in the league in strikeouts behind the NL's 5th starter, Pedro Martinez.  With a pedestrian 3.62 ERA Martinez was a difficult choice, but his peripherals are still among the best in the league. 

The pen features JJ Putz and his ATB best 0.28 ERA at closer.  Backing him up is Jonathan Papelbon and his own league best 0.76 WHIP.  The rest of the reliever corps is rounded out by Joe Berry in long relief, Hideki Okajima as the lefty setup, and Kent Tekulve as the righty setup.

Oh so close:

Lefty Stewart (OFB) - 2.54 ERA
Kevin Millwood (NPB) - 2.54 ERA
Jesse Tannehill (OFB) - 11 Wins
Harry Brecheen (NPB) - 2.89 RCERA
Mike Adams (NPB) - 1.73 ERA, 7 Wins in relief
Rafael Betancourt (EYO) - 2.23 CERA

NL All Star Lineup Announced

Introducing the NL All Star Lineup

The lineup for NL All-Stars is highlighted by an incredible top of the order.  Leading off and playing second base will be the 1800s superstar, Ross Barnes.  Barnes is having a slightly less productive year than last, but a middle infielder with a .384 OBP, 16 EBH, and great range is a true asset.

After Barnes follows arguably the best all around player in the game today, Mickey Mantle.  The center fielder is batting .361 / .464 / .497 with 13 doubles and 8 home runs.  At 3, 4, and 5 are the great sluggers Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, and Stan Musial.  They combine for a .940 OPS and almost 50 home runs between them.

The tail half of the lineup is quite good as well.  Each  of the four - George Brett, Honus Wagner, Goose Goslin, and Bill Dickey - have great batting averages well over .300 and while they don't offer much thread with the long ball, each has the ability to drive the ball around the park.

The bench is superb.  George Hall, Reggie Jackson, and Jimmie Foxx each sport better than .900 OPS and the backup infielder, Hughie Jennings, is among the best in the game at getting on base.  It's also good to see a new face at catcher, Elston Howard is in the midst of a great year, batting .350 with a Vg arm.

A few great players missed the cut:
George Sisler (SWR) - .339 AVG
Bill Terry (OFB) - .387 OBP
Chipper Jones (HH) - .414 OBP
Mike Schmidt (NOT) - 15 HR, 48 RBI
Hank Aaron (OFB) - 24 HR, 68 RBI
Willie Stargell (NOT) - 19 HR, 62 RBI
Dan Brouthers (NOT) - .804 OPS, 26 wB
Eddie Mathews (HT) - .367 ATB Value

Standings Summary - Week 5

The water cooler around the National League this week centered around the Otherton Fishbiscuits.  With a 10-5 record during the Sim, the Fishbiscuits took sole possession of first place in the National League West. Pitching was their key to success.  Starters Lefty Stewart (2-1, 1.59 ERA), Dizzy Dean (2-0, 2.30 ERA), and Noodles Hahn (2-1, 2.67 ERA) all pitched extremely well, but the bullpen was even better.  Hong-Chih Kuo, Tom Glavine, Al Grabowski, Keith Foulke, and Kent Tekulve combined for a stellar line of : 34.2 IP, 26 H, 1.04 ERA.

After a dismal Week 4, Helena Handbasket played 2 games over .500 and moved back into the playoff picture with a 1/2 game lead on Rusty Kuntz.   Those All-Stars struggled a bit thanks to a very poor showing from the bulk of the starting rotation.  Al Roth, Ben Sheets, Pascual Perez, and Catfish Hunter combined to go 0-4 with an ERA over 10.00.

Lastly in the West, John McDonald Fanclub is starting to make some noise themselves.  With an 8-6 week they're now over .500 on the season and are within a game and a half of the Wild Card.  This is the tightest race in baseball, with 4 of the 6 teams in the Division within 1.5 games of a playoff spot.

The only team to make a move in the National League East were the Haven Tommyknockers.  Lou Gehrig pounded 5 home runs and drove in 12, while Cy Blanton (2-0, 2.11) and Jonathan Papelbon (5 Sv, 1.59 ERA).  Haven went 9-4 on the week and are now in the Wild Card lead.

The rest of the division all played around .500 ball, without much fanfare for good or ill.

Week 4 Hero's
Jim Gentile (Banana Bears) - .345 / .387 / .690, 6 HR, 13 RBI
Jimmie Foxx (Brews) - 4 HR, 16 RBI
Ted Williams (All Stars) - .418 / .508 / .655, 12 R, 14 RBI

Greg Maddux (White Rats) - 3-0, 2.16 ERA
Ted Lilly (Thrill) - 3-0, 0.86 ERA
Rafael Betancourt (Orators) - 12.1 IP, 0 R, 11 K
Russ Ford (Snow) - 22 IP, 15 H, 3 BB, 20 K
John Tudor (Handbasket) - 26 IP, 1.37 ERA

Scrolling Through the Leader Boards Makes Me Happy

I was scrolling through the leader boards last night and it struck me how great an idea leader boards are in the first place.  (Well, first it struck me that baseball itself is so great that someone actually thought it was a good idea sink a lot of money into a computer game that would allow 24 nutty fans watch a fictitious universe play out on one man's laptop over the course of 16 weeks.  And then want to do it again eight months later.  We are the epitome of the "mother's basement" stereotype.)

Anyway, the ATB leader boards are particularly exciting to peruse this year as so many categories are littered with names that normally wouldn't grace any top 10 lists.

For instance, Joe Mauer (TWP) is batting .333 in 213 at bats.  His career ATB average is .279.  Reggie Jackson is a good player, no doubt.  He even hit 34 home runs with a .562 slugging in ATB 8 for the Franklin Lakes Pillpoppers, driving in 168 (!).  This year he already has 23 home runs and is slugging .650 and is arguably the MVP of the league for the Banana Bears.

Elsewhere, the career .674 OPS Jimmy Williams (EYO) has a .744 OPS and is tied for the league lead in triples at 9, Willie McGee (HT) is second in the league in stolen bases, and Lou Boudreau (URB) is hitting .456 versus lefties.

And the batters have nothing on their counterparts.  One glance at the Top-10 ERA charts is enough to make your eyes bulge.  Not one pitcher with a Top-10 career average is mentioned in this year's Top 10, not one.  New names like Verlander (BS) and Ruess (BIC) are listed next to cult favorites such as Hughson (GCG) and Blanton (HT).  Others like Hubbell (GCG) and Schilling (BIC) were targeted specifically by their owners due to hunches about defense and parks.

Sandy Koufax (SS) is finally where he belongs - in the Top-10 in strikeouts, and so is Hal Newhouser (URB).  My favorite though is Nels Potter (PRL) and his minuscule 2.05 ERA.

Take a stroll when you get a chance, these names might not be around for long.  Remember that Dwight Gooden (TWP) start? He's now 3-5 with a 4.61 ERA.

Glory of Their Times: Cy Blanton

All Time Baseball salutes the Haven Tommyknocker’s Cy Blanton as this week’s pitcher of the week. Blanton bested Addie Joss as well as the red-hot Dwight Gooden, raising his record to 5-1 with a sizzling 1.83 ERA.  Owner TJO made what appeared to have a major risk when he drafted the erratic right-hander with the club’s second pick, but at this early stage in the season, Blanton appears to be a bargain at any price.

Renowned for both his devastating “Dewdrop” curve as well as his reputation as a souse, Manager Bucky Harris appears to be doing his best in keeping Blanton’s rowdy behavior in check. Just several years ago, Cy had won Rookie of the Year honors, posting a mark of 18-13 with a league-leading 2.58 ERA. Many baseball wags predicted that Blanton had the makings of a Hall of Fame pitcher, but in recent years, the hurler has not lived up to his early career promise.  Rumors of Cy’s bacchanalian bouts during his years with  the Pirates are legendary, and some Pittsburgh fans place the blame for the Pirates collapse during the 1938 season on what one sportswriter from the Pittsburgh Gazette described as “…an epidemic of moral debauchery.” Gabby Hartnett’s “Homer in the Gloamin’ off of Mace Brown was perhaps the final nail in the coffin for this underachieving bunch; Bucs Manager Pie Traynor became increasingly desperate during the campaign; Traynor’s health spiraled downwards as the collapse appeared more and more inevitable; friends and family were increasingly concerned about his weight loss and pallid appearance.

Improbably as it may appear, sources close to the manager report that he seriously considered responding to the telegram sent by Chester Washington, writer for the black newspaper The Pittsburgh Courier, in which he made the bold suggestion to integrate the team that season with players from the two Pittsburgh Negro League franchises, the Pittsburgh Crawfords and the Homestead Greys. This writer managed to obtain a copy of that telegraph:

"KNOW YOUR CLUB NEEDS PLAYERS STOP HAVE ANSWER TO YOUR PRAYERS RIGHT HERE IN PITTSBURGH STOP JOSH GIBSON CATCHER FIRST BASE B. LEONARD AND RAY BROWN PITCHER OF HOMESTEAD GRAYS AND S. PAIGE PITCHER COOL PAPA BELL OF PITTSBURGH CRAWFORDS ALL AVAILABLE AT REASONABLE FIGURES STOP WOULD MAKE PIRATES FORMIDABLE PENNANT CONTENDERS STOP WHAT IS YOUR ATTITUDE? STOP WIRE ANSWER

Traynor’s response, or lack, to the telegraph remains a mystery. However, there is reason to believe that he considered the offer, as was implied in his interview the following season with the famous black journalist Wendell Smith:

“Personally, I don’t see why the ban against Negro players exists at all.”

The baseball grapevine has it that Kennesaw Mountain Landis, an inveterate racist, heard about the offer, and put the kibosh on the deal before it could get past the contemplative stage.

You can be sure that Harris is well aware of Blanton’s reputation in leading teammates astray, and perhaps is especially concerned about Rudy York and Eddie Mathews, both of whom have been known to arrive at the ball park bleary-eyed after an occasional bender. Yet Harris knows full well that without the heroics of Blanton and fellow teammates Lou Gehrig and Barry Bonds, the Tommyknockers would be trailing the field in the National League East.

By Paul J. Nebenfuhr
a.k.a. Paulie Allnuts

Unfortunately, Blanton never succeeded in winning his battle with John Barleycorn. In an attempt to make a comeback, Cy pitched several seasons in the minors for the PCL Hollywood Stars. He was suspended for breaking training rules in late March of ’45. Within five months, Blanton was admitted to the Psychiatric ward of Central State Hospital in Norman Oklahoma, and passed but 13 days after admittance, at the age of 37.

Players of the Week

The Batter of the Week honors for Sim 2 goes to Barry Bonds of the Haven Tommyknockers.  The 37 year old left fielder batted .383 / .491 / .702 with a 1.193 OPS.  He hit 4 HR, scored 8, and drove in 12.  With 18.0 Runs Created, he led both leagues for this sim.

Pitcher of the Week, incredibly, is Bonds' teammate Cy Blanton.  The righty made just two starts, but completed both games giving up just 1 run combined.  His line:  18 IP, 10 H, 2 BB, 13 K, 0.67 WHIP, and 2 Wins.

The Good, the Great, and The Ugly

Week 1

Twelve Questions: National League

Random musings for the National League teams...

1. With Ross Barnes, Willie Stargell, Dan Brouthers and company playing half their games in a batters park, the New Orleans Thrill should have no trouble scoring runs.  However, is Cole Hamels a viable ace and can the average durability starters Ted Lilly and Andy Pettitte hole up under the rigors of a 4-man rotation?
2. St Louis White Rats offer a balanced attack and look to have both a good offense and defense.  With a park factor for singles of 108, it may simply be too much for the back end of the rotation to overcome.  Will Vida Blue and especially Johnny Allen be exposed?
3. The Ee-Yah Orators have plenty of top of the line household names - King Kelly, Hughie Jennings, and Pedro Martinez to name a few.  But they gambled with many unproven starters early in the draft and if two of the three don't pan out it may be a long season.  How good are Larry Doby, Josh Hamilton, and Cap Anson (as lead-off, third and fourth hitters)?
4. Defense is now a proven weapon in ATB.  The Haven Tommyknockers eschewed this ideal and went all offense with very little defense.  Will their poor defense ruin their pitching staff?
5. The North Podunk Banana Bears feature 4-5-6 batters that combined for 133 real life home runs.  Reggie Jackson, Ken Griffey Jr, and Jim Gentile will hit their fair share of long balls, but will their expected poor batting average and on-base percentage snuff out the offense?
6. Jason Seeley took over the franchise in mid daft as Brad H disappeared without a trace.  Left with questionable early round picks, Jason is gambling a bit and trying a new 1977 Tom Seaver year.  Will this change be enough for the Saginaw Slammers to compete for a wild card?
7. The Downsouth Brews have always love power and this season is no different.  However, is Gaylord Perry a legit #1 starter and is Francisco Rodriguez good enough to closer every day?
8. The Otherton Fishbiscuits easily sport the best defense in the game, with all positions fielding Excellent range and averaging a 57 error rate.  This came at a high cost though, will their team OPS crack .700?
9. John McDonald Fanclub drafted great hitters such as Mickey Mantle, Buck Leonard, and Mickey Cochrane.  They skimped on the pitch staff and mistakenly drafted Ben Sanders in Round 12.  They further went with another 1800s pitcher in Tim Keefe seven rounds later.  Will their reliance on 1800s pitchers work?
10. After a one year hiatus, Jay H is back with Leesberg Snow.  Will the newly created Jacoby Elsbury, a 6th round choice, end up being a viable lead off hitter?
11. For the first time every (thank you very much 79 resims) a team needs to rely on Nomar Garciaparra and Andy Vanslyke as full time players.  Can Helena Handbasket win despite this potential lack of offense?
12. The Rusty Kuntz Traveling All Stars haven't submitted a lineup yet, and it's difficult to tell their exact intentions.  However, it does appear Candy Nelson will be given a starting job and one can't help but wonder if the average defending slap hitter is worth a sixth round choice?  Especially considering the 1800s reset.