Six weeks into the 1980 season, here are the updated standings. In the American League East, Tampa Bay is the only team above .500, opening a 2.5 game lead over the Nationals. Small Sample Size alert! - Dick Schofield is the team leader with 6 home runs through the first third of the season. It seems the light hitting shortstop ran into a few, as his overall line of .195/.244/589 has yielded a +68 OPS to go along with only 0.2 WAR. In the AL West, the Giants and A's are neck and neck, just 1 game apart at the top of the standings. This A's squad resembles the money-ball team of yore, as the Tony LaRussa helmed crew is pacing MLB with a league leading .357 team OBP. A potential pennant race may unfold between the two bay area teams- something to keep an eye on as we head into the meat of the season.
As far as the AL Central, we will highlight the Pirates offense in this post. Pittsburgh is currently fourth in the league in runs scored, fueled by a .774 team OPS. Starting off with Jason Kendall, Honus Wagner, and Bobby Bonilla provided a foundation that the team added to expertly in the draft, picking up Andy Van Slyke and Aubrey Huff to provide additional firepower. Van Slyke has catapulted himself into the MVP discussion, slashing .296/11/30 in the Triple Crown stats, yielding nearly 2 WAR through the first quarter of the season. Team defense is an issue, as would be expected of any squad starting both Jose Offerman and Bobby Bonilla. We'll see if the Buccos can build on their 3 game lead over the Brew Crew.
Moving over to my Mets, we'll take a look at the early going for Shohei Otani. Sho Time is an old favorite of mine, as I have closely followed his career since he was an 18 year old all star in ***. I've added him to every team I've used since OOTP began offering Japanese players. Initially, I was fascinated by the juggling act of getting him at bats and innings in an optimal manner. Now, I just love watching his seasons unfold. He imported without fielding ratings, although he had aptitude at first base so I played him there throughout spring training. He has provided a much needed power bat, strong eye, and surprising aggressiveness on the base paths on his way to slashing .269/.357/.835 through 28 starts in the field and 7 toeing the hill. He has been the beneficiary of outstanding defense, as his microscopic .212 BABIP attests. Otani has totaled 1.6 WAR between the dish and hill, and although my hope that he would be the founding member of the 20/20/20 club (homers/steals/wins) may not come to fruition, he has been an absolute rock as the best performer of the Mets' original 6
While we are discussing the Mets, let's shift focus to The Almost Met.
'Ode to Kevin Brown
The Amazin's were fortunate to receive the first pick in the draft. With it, they took Wade Boggs, who despite his warts on defense, could be counted on to provide something north of a .300/.400 line - production that would be hard to come by in 1980. Top offensive players then flew off the board for the rest of the first and second rounds in this serpentine draft. When the Mets finally picked again, with the 84th and 85 picks, it seemed pitching was the most sensible area to focus on. The top starters offered by the RDL gawds were all available for the taking. Five stood out as heads and shoulders above the rest - Steve Carlton, Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, and Kevin Brown. Now, although this may seem like a "one of these is not like the others" activity on Sesame Street, I would counter that Kevin Brown pitched like a HOF'er and, if not for being a HOF jerk to the writers, might have been enshrined in the mold of a Roy Halladay type of entry. Getting caught up in the steroids scandal at the end of his Yankees days probably didn't help matters much either.
Anyway, Pedro Martinez was a no-brainer. So he went with the 84th pick. The Big Unit's control issues crossed him off the board, and Lefty has personality issues that nixed him as well. That left Roger Clemens and Kevin Brown. The Rocket reminded me a lot of Pedro, and his high greed could be problematic. My scouts and OSS both loved the groundballer Brownie, who had slightly higher ratings, both currently and potentially. Additionally, his personality ratings were through the roof (
) as he is a good teammate with leadership qualities that could catapult him into a captain role on a pitching staff eventually. Neither played for the Mets, although both played for the Yankees, so no tie-breaker there. After going back and forth, I decided to return to the decision the next day. Following a good night's sleep, I decided I had to take Kevin Brown!
The Rocket was drafted by the Orioles with the very next pick and that was a wrap. Or so I thought. As I edited other teams, flipping players, I couldn't help but remember that the real Kevin Brown had a bounce back season in Baltimore after flaming out in Arlington. Meanwhile, in one of the greatest what-ifs in Mets history, Roger Clemens was a high school draft pick of the Amazins back (or is it forwards?) in 1981, failing to sign before heading off to college. Could you imagine him and a young Doc Gooden heading a rotation during the mid-80's? I surmised that this must be serendipity and flipped them with one another. Since no games had been played, and I had spent more time than I care to admit debating the choice in the first place, I felt ok about giving myself this mulligan. Brownie is off to a so-so start in Charm City, but I'm sure Earl Weaver and Ray Miller will straighten him out soon. This is a comparison I will continuously return to throughout the sim.
Here is a glimpse of the AL leader boards. I wanted to share it because Hammerin' Hank is atop the home run leaders, and with his passing recently, it seemed an appropriate time to highlight his awesomeness. Yes, it is bizarre seeing him in a Charlotte Knights jersey. The Braves already had Dale Murphy as an original sixer, and with the Knights having the DH to play with in the American League, they were the beneficiaries of receiving perhaps the greatest right-handed hitter of all-time. The middling Knights are only 15th in the AL in runs scored, but it's through no fault of The Hammer, as he has a .973 OPS and is already in double digits in both home runs and steals.
Finally, to pay homage to HumanRainDelay, here are the early season numbers of his namesake, Mike Hargrove. He hasn't done much in the early going, although he is the least of Brooklyn's problems, as their gasoline pouring bullpen has the second worst ERA in the National League. Hargrove really shouldn't be a starting right-fielder, especially with Duke Snider and (old) Barry Bonds joining him on the grass, combining for a -9.5 zone rating among the trio. However, Gil Hodges is at 1B, backed up by both Edwin Encarnacion and Lucas Dudu, so the Human Rain Delay looks to keep taking his starts in RF for the foreseeable future. Hopefully his stick will pick up to make up for the iron glove.
