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FuzzyRussianHat · 06-13-2024, 04:47 PM

Pitcher Chris Greer was the lone inductee into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2006, earning a slam dunk first ballot addition at 98.5%. CF Will Kemme was the closest to the 66% threshold, getting 61.1% on his second try. RF Xavier Chojnacki had 59.0% on his third try. SP Ollie Husband (eighth ballot) and 1B Roy Cote (ninth) both received 58.7%. Reliever Brendan Gordon debuted at 55.1%. Also just above 50% were RF Brian Ostrovskaya on his second ballot, RF Mike Castaneda on his fifth, and CL Alex Cantos on his eighth.

Dropped after ten ballots was SP Dorian Ferrer, the 1981 Pitcher of the Year with Hartford. In 17 seasons with four teams, he had a 202-205 record, 3.38 ERA, 3691.1 innings, 3225 strikeouts, 8881 walks, 110 ERA+, 86 FIP, and 76.4 WAR. Aside from one great year, Ferrer was largely an above average guy with some longevity. He peaked at 26.3% on his second ballot and ended at only 7.8%.

3B Owen Brewster fell off the ballot after ten tries as well. The popular 13-time all-star won two Silver Sluggers over a 23 year career with seven teams, but only started 125+ games in six of his 23 seasons thanks to injuries. Still, Brewster had 2269 hits, 1135 runs, 354 doubles, 346 home runs, 1244 RBI, a .308/.384/.506 slash, 158 wRC+, and 86.6 WAR. He had many great flashes, but couldn’t stay healthy long enough to reach his potential. Still, Brewster got 39.2% on his second ballot before ending at 6.3%.

Another 3B, Christopher Sollinger, fell from the ballot after ten failed tries. He’s arguably the greatest defensive 3B in baseball history with 15 Gold Gloves and the all-time lead in zone rating at the position in any league (204.6). Only the 1910s Dusty Knight and South Asia Baseball’s Manju Abbas have 15 Gold Gloves at third base.

Sollinger had a 19 year career almost exclusively with Louisville, finishing with 3058 hits, 1250 runs, 451 doubles, 300 home runs, 1388 RBI, a .293/.316/.429 slash, 117 wRC+, and 91.4 WAR. He was merely above average as a batter, but by no means a liability. You’d think 15 GGs and 3000+ hits would get Sollinger more love, but he peaked at 42.5% in 1998. He fell below the 20% range for most of his run and ended at only 6.0%. Still, his defensive technique at 3B would be shown as the gold standard for decades to come.

Chris Greer – Starting Pitcher – Austin Amigos – 98.5% First Ballot

Chris Greer was a 6’6’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher from St. Petersburg, Florida; on the other side of the Bay from Tampa. Greer threw fire with terrific stuff and movement along with above average to good control. His fastball hit 99-101 mph regularly and was mixed with a forkball, changeup, and splitter; each of which was equally potent. Greer’s sharp movement led to an extreme groundball tendency.

Greer had reliably solid stamina and was very durable in the front end of his career with 265+ innings in each of his first 10 seasons. He was below average defensively, but strong at holding runners. Greer was known as a prankster in the clubhouse and was generally well liked by both teammates and fans.

Greer remained a Florida Man in college and became a Gator. After three great seasons for the University of Florida, he was a top prospect in the 1982 MLB Draft. This was the second rookie draft for the 1982 expansion teams and one of those squads, Austin, had the #2 overall pick. They used it on Greer, but couldn’t come to terms with him. He returned for his senior season with the Gators and finished his college career with a 23-11 record, 2.06 ERA, 331.1 innings, 382 strikeouts, 172 ERA+, and 14.3 WAR.

Austin was still interested in Greer in the 1983 MLB Draft and picked him again, this time with the #3 pick. They were able to come to terms and made Greer a full-time starter immediately. In the 1980s for the Amigos, they had a remarkable one-two punch atop the rotation with Greer and 2005 Hall of Famer T.J. Nakabayashi. Greer was even more electric in his earliest seasons, while Nakabayashi’s best years came later on.

Greer’s rookie season saw a remarkable 9.9 WAR effort, but because of how hard it was for pitchers to win Rookie of the Year, he somehow was third in voting. His first six seasons saw 8.9 WAR or better with three years above 10+. Greer led the American Association in both WAR and strikeouts in 1986, 1987, and 1988. 1988 was a career high for Ks with 301 and his second best WAR total at 11.1.

1986 would be Greer’s finest season, winning Pitcher of the Year and taking third in MVP voting. His 11.9 WAR broke the single-season MLB record by a pitcher and still sits sixth best as of 2037. Greer also had an AA and career best in ERA at 1.96 and innings pitched at 302.2. His 21-10 record fell one short of earning a Triple Crown season.

Greer was second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1988, but wouldn’t be a finalist for the rest of his Austin run. The Amigos signed him to a seven-year, $15,580,000 extension after the 1988 campaign. Although not a league leader during the extension, Greer was consistently great with five seasons worth 6.9 WAR or better.

He also pitched in seven editions of the World Baseball Championship for the United States from 1986-93, posting a 10-1 record, 2.35 ERA, 115 innings, 165 strikeouts, 155 ERA+, and 4.1 WAR. Greer earned world champion rings with the 1988 and 1992 American squads.

Austin became a contender for the first time with division titles in 1988, 89, and 1992. The Amigos fell in the AACS in both 88 and 89 and lost in the second round of 92. You couldn’t fault Greer for them not doing deeper, as he posted a 2.40 ERA in 78.2 playoff innings, 6-3 record, 58 strikeouts, 165 ERA+, and 2.5 WAR. In total with Austin, Greer had a 178-128 record, 2.94 ERA, 2949.1 innings, 2760 strikeouts, 873 walks, 135 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 94.4 WAR.

In 1994, Greer was now 32 years old. He and the Amigos got off to a slow start with Austin ultimately finishing 74-88 that year. A sprained ankle would put Greer out for all of June. At the deadline, Austin were sellers and opted to move Greer and LF Martin Herrera to Denver in exchange for prospects. Greer would remain very popular in the Texas capital long after being traded and his #2 uniform would eventually be retired.

In his third week with Denver, Greer tossed the lone no-hitter of his career, striking out 14 on August 17 against Miami. He had a strong finish to the year, but the Dragons still only went .500. They had Greer for one more year and hoped he could help them make a run in 1995.

They were right, as he a 7.1 WAR effort and led the AA with 27 complete games. Denver was the weakest division winner at 86-76, but went on a tear in the playoffs, culminating in a World Series win over Boston. Greer had an outstanding playoff run as all four starts were complete games and quality starts. He tossed two shutouts for a 1.25 ERA over 36 innings, 3-1 record, 29 strikeouts, and 319 ERA+. Greer would be a popular figure in Denver as well for his role in the title.

That run also earned him a five-year, $19,000,000 extension in the offseason. Denver wouldn’t see team success for that run, finishing below .500 each time. Injuries cost Greer about two months in 1996, but he bounced back with his second Pitcher of the Year in 1997. It was 11 years since his first POTY, as he led in ERA (2.43) for the second time. Greer posted 8.5 WAR at age 35, solidifying his status as an all-timer.

Greer had a good 1998, but looked very pedestrian in 1999 as his velocity dropped now towards the mid 90s after previously being reliably near 100. His strikeouts and dominance were gone in the last two years, but he still provided positive value and ate innings. Greer’s deal expired after the 2000 season and he decided to retire with that at age 39. With Denver, he had a 91-77 record, 3.14 ERA, 1528.2 innings, 1153 strikeouts, 393 walks, 126 ERA+, and 39.0 WAR.

The final stats for Greer was a 269-205 record, 3.01 ERA, 4478 innings, 3915 strikeouts, 1266 walks, 353/551 quality starts, 286 complete games, 53 shutouts, 131 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 133.4 WAR. As of 2037, Greer is 7^th all-time in pitching WAR, 13^th in strikeouts, 8th in complete games, 7^th in shutouts, and 25^th in wins. Only he and Spenser Emond have 130+ WAR in fewer than 4500 career innings.

His greatness was almost underappreciated due to being on an expansion team with another Hall of Fame ace early on, then on some weaker Denver teams at the end. Advanced stats suggested Greer might deserve more consideration than he gets when discussing the top ten pitchers in MLB history. Despite that, his Hall of Fame status was undisputed. With 98.5%, Greer stood alone for MLB’s 2006 class.

06-13-2024, 04:47 PM	#1334
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,372	2006 MLB Hall of Fame Pitcher Chris Greer was the lone inductee into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2006, earning a slam dunk first ballot addition at 98.5%. CF Will Kemme was the closest to the 66% threshold, getting 61.1% on his second try. RF Xavier Chojnacki had 59.0% on his third try. SP Ollie Husband (eighth ballot) and 1B Roy Cote (ninth) both received 58.7%. Reliever Brendan Gordon debuted at 55.1%. Also just above 50% were RF Brian Ostrovskaya on his second ballot, RF Mike Castaneda on his fifth, and CL Alex Cantos on his eighth. Dropped after ten ballots was SP Dorian Ferrer, the 1981 Pitcher of the Year with Hartford. In 17 seasons with four teams, he had a 202-205 record, 3.38 ERA, 3691.1 innings, 3225 strikeouts, 8881 walks, 110 ERA+, 86 FIP, and 76.4 WAR. Aside from one great year, Ferrer was largely an above average guy with some longevity. He peaked at 26.3% on his second ballot and ended at only 7.8%. 3B Owen Brewster fell off the ballot after ten tries as well. The popular 13-time all-star won two Silver Sluggers over a 23 year career with seven teams, but only started 125+ games in six of his 23 seasons thanks to injuries. Still, Brewster had 2269 hits, 1135 runs, 354 doubles, 346 home runs, 1244 RBI, a .308/.384/.506 slash, 158 wRC+, and 86.6 WAR. He had many great flashes, but couldn’t stay healthy long enough to reach his potential. Still, Brewster got 39.2% on his second ballot before ending at 6.3%. Another 3B, Christopher Sollinger, fell from the ballot after ten failed tries. He’s arguably the greatest defensive 3B in baseball history with 15 Gold Gloves and the all-time lead in zone rating at the position in any league (204.6). Only the 1910s Dusty Knight and South Asia Baseball’s Manju Abbas have 15 Gold Gloves at third base. Sollinger had a 19 year career almost exclusively with Louisville, finishing with 3058 hits, 1250 runs, 451 doubles, 300 home runs, 1388 RBI, a .293/.316/.429 slash, 117 wRC+, and 91.4 WAR. He was merely above average as a batter, but by no means a liability. You’d think 15 GGs and 3000+ hits would get Sollinger more love, but he peaked at 42.5% in 1998. He fell below the 20% range for most of his run and ended at only 6.0%. Still, his defensive technique at 3B would be shown as the gold standard for decades to come. Chris Greer – Starting Pitcher – Austin Amigos – 98.5% First Ballot Chris Greer was a 6’6’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher from St. Petersburg, Florida; on the other side of the Bay from Tampa. Greer threw fire with terrific stuff and movement along with above average to good control. His fastball hit 99-101 mph regularly and was mixed with a forkball, changeup, and splitter; each of which was equally potent. Greer’s sharp movement led to an extreme groundball tendency. Greer had reliably solid stamina and was very durable in the front end of his career with 265+ innings in each of his first 10 seasons. He was below average defensively, but strong at holding runners. Greer was known as a prankster in the clubhouse and was generally well liked by both teammates and fans. Greer remained a Florida Man in college and became a Gator. After three great seasons for the University of Florida, he was a top prospect in the 1982 MLB Draft. This was the second rookie draft for the 1982 expansion teams and one of those squads, Austin, had the #2 overall pick. They used it on Greer, but couldn’t come to terms with him. He returned for his senior season with the Gators and finished his college career with a 23-11 record, 2.06 ERA, 331.1 innings, 382 strikeouts, 172 ERA+, and 14.3 WAR. Austin was still interested in Greer in the 1983 MLB Draft and picked him again, this time with the #3 pick. They were able to come to terms and made Greer a full-time starter immediately. In the 1980s for the Amigos, they had a remarkable one-two punch atop the rotation with Greer and 2005 Hall of Famer T.J. Nakabayashi. Greer was even more electric in his earliest seasons, while Nakabayashi’s best years came later on. Greer’s rookie season saw a remarkable 9.9 WAR effort, but because of how hard it was for pitchers to win Rookie of the Year, he somehow was third in voting. His first six seasons saw 8.9 WAR or better with three years above 10+. Greer led the American Association in both WAR and strikeouts in 1986, 1987, and 1988. 1988 was a career high for Ks with 301 and his second best WAR total at 11.1. 1986 would be Greer’s finest season, winning Pitcher of the Year and taking third in MVP voting. His 11.9 WAR broke the single-season MLB record by a pitcher and still sits sixth best as of 2037. Greer also had an AA and career best in ERA at 1.96 and innings pitched at 302.2. His 21-10 record fell one short of earning a Triple Crown season. Greer was second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1988, but wouldn’t be a finalist for the rest of his Austin run. The Amigos signed him to a seven-year, $15,580,000 extension after the 1988 campaign. Although not a league leader during the extension, Greer was consistently great with five seasons worth 6.9 WAR or better. He also pitched in seven editions of the World Baseball Championship for the United States from 1986-93, posting a 10-1 record, 2.35 ERA, 115 innings, 165 strikeouts, 155 ERA+, and 4.1 WAR. Greer earned world champion rings with the 1988 and 1992 American squads. Austin became a contender for the first time with division titles in 1988, 89, and 1992. The Amigos fell in the AACS in both 88 and 89 and lost in the second round of 92. You couldn’t fault Greer for them not doing deeper, as he posted a 2.40 ERA in 78.2 playoff innings, 6-3 record, 58 strikeouts, 165 ERA+, and 2.5 WAR. In total with Austin, Greer had a 178-128 record, 2.94 ERA, 2949.1 innings, 2760 strikeouts, 873 walks, 135 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 94.4 WAR. In 1994, Greer was now 32 years old. He and the Amigos got off to a slow start with Austin ultimately finishing 74-88 that year. A sprained ankle would put Greer out for all of June. At the deadline, Austin were sellers and opted to move Greer and LF Martin Herrera to Denver in exchange for prospects. Greer would remain very popular in the Texas capital long after being traded and his #2 uniform would eventually be retired. In his third week with Denver, Greer tossed the lone no-hitter of his career, striking out 14 on August 17 against Miami. He had a strong finish to the year, but the Dragons still only went .500. They had Greer for one more year and hoped he could help them make a run in 1995. They were right, as he a 7.1 WAR effort and led the AA with 27 complete games. Denver was the weakest division winner at 86-76, but went on a tear in the playoffs, culminating in a World Series win over Boston. Greer had an outstanding playoff run as all four starts were complete games and quality starts. He tossed two shutouts for a 1.25 ERA over 36 innings, 3-1 record, 29 strikeouts, and 319 ERA+. Greer would be a popular figure in Denver as well for his role in the title. That run also earned him a five-year, $19,000,000 extension in the offseason. Denver wouldn’t see team success for that run, finishing below .500 each time. Injuries cost Greer about two months in 1996, but he bounced back with his second Pitcher of the Year in 1997. It was 11 years since his first POTY, as he led in ERA (2.43) for the second time. Greer posted 8.5 WAR at age 35, solidifying his status as an all-timer. Greer had a good 1998, but looked very pedestrian in 1999 as his velocity dropped now towards the mid 90s after previously being reliably near 100. His strikeouts and dominance were gone in the last two years, but he still provided positive value and ate innings. Greer’s deal expired after the 2000 season and he decided to retire with that at age 39. With Denver, he had a 91-77 record, 3.14 ERA, 1528.2 innings, 1153 strikeouts, 393 walks, 126 ERA+, and 39.0 WAR. The final stats for Greer was a 269-205 record, 3.01 ERA, 4478 innings, 3915 strikeouts, 1266 walks, 353/551 quality starts, 286 complete games, 53 shutouts, 131 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 133.4 WAR. As of 2037, Greer is 7^th all-time in pitching WAR, 13^th in strikeouts, 8th in complete games, 7^th in shutouts, and 25^th in wins. Only he and Spenser Emond have 130+ WAR in fewer than 4500 career innings. His greatness was almost underappreciated due to being on an expansion team with another Hall of Fame ace early on, then on some weaker Denver teams at the end. Advanced stats suggested Greer might deserve more consideration than he gets when discussing the top ten pitchers in MLB history. Despite that, his Hall of Fame status was undisputed. With 98.5%, Greer stood alone for MLB’s 2006 class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)