The Bucs Start Here - A Pirates Do-Over

[luckymann]

Originally Posted by Lord Byron

Yes, it is better than the Yankees winning, @luckymann...

At least the White Sox won their first one since 1908...

Now we just need the Indians to win one, they are the only foundation club yet to do so.

[luckymann]

Loads going on with the new clubs and the ED and a unique decision I have made each coming into play. In all of which, just five new Legacies are entering the league.

Now, with regard to Trammell and Sweet Lou Whitaker, I’m pulling the Commish Card here and giving both of them to Detroit – I just can’t face the thought of such an iconic DP combo not playing together. Watch the Tigers go trade one or both of them now. They don’t get either Lance Parrish (39.5; 1146) or Jack Morris (43.5; 408 GS), each of whom is also eligible. That is, of course, unless they manage to do so by natural means. I have adapted the Draft Order to cater for this.

These are the Legacy Players for the 1977 Season:

Baltimore Orioles: Eddie Murray (68.6; 1884)
Cincinnati Reds: Mario Soto (25.8; 224 GS – one-club player)
Detroit Tigers: Lou Whitaker (75.1; 2390 – one-club player) MARQUEE + Alan Trammell (70.6; 2293 – one-club player) MARQUEE
Houston Astros: Terry Puhl (28.3; 1516)

There are 223 rookies for this season (including some MiLBer holdovers from last season), and the Draft will consist of 8 rounds, remembering there are now 26 clubs in the league.
The Draft order will be as follows (winning percentage from 1976 IRL season in brackets; bold indicates Legacy Pick in 1st Round):


Round 1

1. Detroit Tigers (460)
2. Detroit Tigers (460)
3. Baltimore Orioles (543)
4. Houston Astros (494)
5. Cincinnati Reds (630)
6. Toronto Blue Jays
7. Seattle Mariners
8. Montreal Expos (340)
9. Chicago White Sox (398)
10. Milwaukee Brewers (410)
11. Atlanta Braves (432)
12. St. Louis Cardinals (444)
13. San Diego Padres (451)
14. San Francisco Giants (457)
15. Chicago Cubs (463)
16. Texas Rangers (469; dice roll)
17. California Angels (469; dice roll)
18. Cleveland Indians (509)
19. Boston Red Sox (512)
20. Minnesota Twins (525)
21. New York Mets (531)
22. Oakland Athletics (540)
23. Kansas City Royals (556)
24. Los Angeles Dodgers (568; dice roll)
25. Pittsburgh Pirates (568; dice roll)
26. New York Yankees (610)


Round 2

1. Philadelphia Phillies (623)
2. Toronto Blue Jays
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Montreal Expos (340)
5. Chicago White Sox (398)
6. Milwaukee Brewers (410)
7. Atlanta Braves (432)
8. St. Louis Cardinals (444)
9. San Diego Padres (451)
10. San Francisco Giants (457)
11. Chicago Cubs (463)
12. Texas Rangers (469; dice roll)
13. California Angels (469; dice roll)
14. Houston Astros (494)
15. Cleveland Indians (509)
16. Boston Red Sox (512)
17. Minnesota Twins (525)
18. New York Mets (531)
19. Oakland Athletics (540)
20. Baltimore Orioles (543)
21. Kansas City Royals (556)
22. Los Angeles Dodgers (568; dice roll)
23. Pittsburgh Pirates (568; dice roll)
24. New York Yankees (610)
25. Philadelphia Phillies (623)
26. Cincinnati Reds (630)


Rounds 3 thru 8

1. Toronto Blue Jays
2. Seattle Mariners
3. Montreal Expos (340)
4. Chicago White Sox (398)
5. Milwaukee Brewers (410)
6. Atlanta Braves (432)
7. St. Louis Cardinals (444)
8. San Diego Padres (451)
9. San Francisco Giants (457)
10. Detroit Tigers (460)
11. Chicago Cubs (463)
12. Texas Rangers (469; dice roll)
13. California Angels (469; dice roll)
14. Houston Astros (494)
15. Cleveland Indians (509)
16. Boston Red Sox (512)
17. Minnesota Twins (525)
18. New York Mets (531)
19. Oakland Athletics (540)
20. Baltimore Orioles (543)
21. Kansas City Royals (556)
22. Los Angeles Dodgers (568; dice roll)
23. Pittsburgh Pirates (568; dice roll)
24. New York Yankees (610)
25. Philadelphia Phillies (623)
26. Cincinnati Reds (630)


Eligible PIT players: 9 position players + 7 pitchers = 16.


No Legacy for us this year and our clear first pick has little (read: no) chance of still being available for our late R1 pick. So we keep him only in the back of our mind and go into the Draft with a clearly-formulated more realistic plan of how to proceed, although with just 8 eligibles from which to choose a fair few of those we take will likely be depth pieces or trade bait. Not far away from ’79 now and so those we do take for keeps need to be useful to us then.

Here's our new batch of Buccos:

1. C Lance Parrish, 20 (ineligible)

• Our plan for some time has been to try and acquire eligible Gene Tenace as our Catcher for the ’79 push. This selection relieves us of having to do so, saving us near enough to a million per in salary for a roughly equivalent guy. We have all 3 CC slots free now and we will be using them.

2. IF Dale Berra, 20

• Not much chop (see what I did there?) with the lumber but will provide us some around the D utility value. Just need to keep the dealers at bay now…

3. P Bob Stanley, 22 (ineligible)

• Worst case he stays with us and comes in very handy for ’79. Best case, we flip him for the guy we really want.

4. C / OF Bill Swoope, 20 (ineligible)
5. IF Jim Gabella, 20 (ineligible)
6. P Reno Aragon, 19 (ineligible)
7. OF Douglas Foster, 19 (ineligible)
8. 3B Mike Sember, 23 (ineligible)

• AAA depth.

By dint of the Parrish add alone this was a good day for us.

FULL DRAFT LOG

[luckymann]

With so many recently-added clubs still finding their feet, the challenge here was to find the sweet spot that doesn't decimate them but allows the Jays and M's some recourse to assemble a semi-decent squad and at least not embarrass themselves.

To which end, I settled on the following settings for the ED:




A bit of confusion with our Protected List after the Hebner trade, in that I have Madlock being past the cutoff but they are showing him as auto-protected. I will be undoing the pick if he gets taken here.

So, without him in it, here are our 18 protected players:




We lose the following five guys:

[luckymann]

Bunning and Roberts, who didn't miss by much last year, get in this time along with first-balloter Eddie Mathews.

[luckymann]

Shaken and stirred into action by big offseason Free-Agent signing Reggie Jackson, the Yankees surge late and overcome one of the most tumultuous and toxic clubhouses ever to win it all for the first time in a decade and a half, beating the Dodgers in six to rekindle an old rivalry. October will never be the same.


AL EAST / WEST CHAMPIONS: New York Yankees (100-62) / Kansas City Royals (102-60)
NL EAST / WEST CHAMPIONS: Philadelphia Phillies (101-61) / Los Angeles Dodgers (98-64)
ALCS: Yankees 3, Royals 2
NLCS: Dodgers 3, Phillies 1
WORLD SERIES: Yankees 4, Dodgers 2

Pittsburgh Pirates: 96-66, 2nd in NL East

AL MVP: Rod Carew (Twins)
NL MVP: George Foster (Reds)

AL CYA: Sparky Lyle (Yankees)
NL CYA: Steve Carlton (Phillies)

AL RoY: Eddie Murray (Orioles)
NL RoY: Andre Dawson (Expos)


Top Ten Lists (courtesy of thisgreatgame.com)

NL Hitters

1. GEORGE FOSTER, CINCINNATI

• Key Numbers: .320 average, 124 runs, 197 hits, 31 doubles, 52 home runs, 149 RBIs, .631 slugging percentage.
• Once a mere supporting cast member of Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine, Foster exploded into the role of the game’s top gun; he’d be the only major leaguer to crush 50 or more homers in a season between 1966-89.

2. GREG LUZINSKI, PHILADELPHIA

• Key Numbers: .309 average, 99 runs, 171 hits, 35 doubles, 39 home runs, 130 RBIs, 80 walks, 140 strikeouts.
• Hitting .300 with power for the third straight year, Luzinski for now looked to have better odds of taking up future Hall-of-Fame space over Phillies teammate Mike Schmidt. He also managed to wrestle away nine first-place MVP votes from Foster and his juggernaut numbers—probably because the Phillies went to the postseason and the Reds didn’t.

3. MIKE SCHMIDT, PHILADELPHIA

• Key Numbers: .274 average, 114 runs, 27 doubles, 11 triples, 38 home runs, 101 RBIs, 104 walks, 15 stolen bases.
• Schmidt hit 13 of his home runs over just a 21-day stretch in June; overall, he hit 38 for the fourth straight year.

4. REGGIE SMITH, LOS ANGELES

• Key Numbers: .307 average, 104 runs, 27 doubles, 32 home runs, 87 RBIs, 104 walks, .427 on-base percentage.
• Tied for most home runs by those named Reggie in 1977: Reggie Jackson and Reggie Smith. The latter was one of four Dodgers to hit at least 30, a major league first; all four, including Smith, set career highs.

5. JOE MORGAN, CINCINNATI

• Key Numbers: .288 average, 113 runs, 21 doubles, 6 triples, 22 home runs, 78 RBIs, 117 walks, 49 stolen bases.
• A mild drop-off for the two-time defending NL MVP—hey, you can’t be Superman forever—but still very dangerous.

6. DAVE PARKER, PITTSBURGH

• Key Numbers: .338 average, 107 runs, 215 hits, 44 doubles, 8 triples, 21 home runs, 88 RBIs, 17 stolen bases, 19 caught stealing.
• The Cobra won his first of back-to-back batting titles, edging out teammate Rennie Stennett by two points; twice he ran up hitting streaks to 22 games.

7. JOHNNY BENCH, CINCINNATI

• Key Numbers: .275 average, 34 doubles, 31 home runs, 109 RBIs.
• Like Joe Morgan above, Bench had his last statistically impressive year as age and general wear-and-tear began to take its toll.

8. STEVE GARVEY, LOS ANGELES

• Key Numbers: 162 games, .297 average, 646 at-bats, 91 runs, 192 hits, 25 doubles, 33 home runs, 115 RBIs.
• Despite accessing some of the best slugging numbers of his career, Garvey failed to reach 200 hits for the only time between 1974-80.

9. BILL ROBINSON, PITTSBURGH

• Key Numbers: 137 games, .304 average, 32 doubles, 26 home runs, 104 RBIs, 12 stolen bases.
• Baseball’s ultimate version of the sixth man, Robinson made good on filling in for numerous injured Pirates and proved that, after 11 years of doing a lot of bench-warming, maybe he should have been a starter all along.

10. JEFF BURROUGHS, ATLANTA

• Key Numbers: .271 average, 91 runs, 41 home runs, 114 RBIs, 86 walks.
• Relocated in Atlanta after burning out from his MVP form in Texas, Burroughs became only the second player (after Chuck Klein for the 1930 Phillies) to hit 40 home runs for a 100-loss team.

AL Hitters

1. ROD CAREW, MINNESOTA

• Key Numbers: .388 average, 128 runs, 239 hits, 38 doubles, 16 triples, 14 home runs, 100 RBIs, 15 intentional walks, 23 stolen bases, .449 on-base percentage.
• Carew finished the closest to .400 since Ted Williams after hitting above the mark well into July; for a guy who batted .343 for the entire decade, it’s rather amazing that only once—in 1977—he was able to plate 100 runs.

2. JIM RICE, BOSTON

• Key Numbers: .320 average, 644 at-bats, 104 runs, 206 hits, 29 doubles, 15 triples, 39 home runs, 114 RBIs, 21 grounded into double plays, .593 slugging percentage.
• After a few solid years to begin his career, Rice broke out into more prodigious territory—but it was still a warm-up for what he had in store for 1978.

3. REGGIE JACKSON, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: .286 average, 93 runs, 39 doubles, 32 home runs, 110 RBIs, 17 stolen bases.
• Oddly enough, the first-year Yankee hit only 11 of his 32 home runs at Yankee Stadium, although the recently revised ballpark was still tailored to reward left-handed power.

4. LARRY HISLE, MINNESOTA

• Key Numbers: .302 average, 95 runs, 36 doubles, 28 home runs, 119 RBIs, 21 stolen bases.
• Along with Carew, Hisle became the first Twins player to knock in 100 runs in six years.

5. CARLTON FISK, BOSTON

• Key Numbers: .315 average, 106 runs, 169 hits, 26 doubles, 26 home runs, 102 RBIs.
• The 29-year-old catcher underscored why offense suddenly shot up across the majors in 1977; he hit .357 with eight of his home runs against Seattle and Toronto, the AL’s two expansion teams.

6. BOBBY BONDS, CALIFORNIA

• Key Numbers: .264 average, 103 runs, 23 doubles, 9 triples, 37 home runs, 115 RBIs, 41 stolen bases.
• Bonds was the perfect slugging tonic for the Angels—a team that had been so anemic at the plate over the past few years that pitcher Bill Lee once joked, “They couldn’t break a chandelier if they held batting practice in a hotel lobby.”

7. HAL MCRAE, KANSAS CITY

• Key Numbers: 162 games, .298 average, 641 at-bats, 104 runs, 191 hits, 54 doubles, 11 triples, 21 home runs, 92 RBIs, 13 hit-by-pitches, 18 stolen bases.
• The all-hit, no-glove McRae gave thanks to the Lords every night for continuing to allow the designated hitter; he set a Royals record with 54 doubles.

8. MITCHELL PAGE, OAKLAND

• Key Numbers: .307 average, 85 runs, 28 doubles, 8 triples, 21 home runs, 75 RBIs, 78 walks, 42 stolen bases, 5 caught stealing.
• Nicknamed “The Rage,” Page provided a rare burst of excitement for Charles Finley’s collapsing A’s of the late 1970s.

9. LYMAN BOSTOCK, MINNESOTA

• Key Numbers: .336 average, 104 runs, 199 hits, 36 doubles, 12 triples, 14 home runs, 90 RBIs, 16 stolen bases.
• Bostock’s second full season showed a ballplayer earmarked for superstardom; a shotgun blast later, we’ll never know.

10. KEN SINGLETON, BALTIMORE

• Key Numbers: .328 average, 90 runs, 176 hits, 24 home runs, 99 RBIs, 107 walks.
• The quiet Singleton let his bat talk loud as a way of thanking the Orioles for giving him a five-year, $1.1 million contract before Opening Day.

NL Pitchers

1. TOM SEAVER, NEW YORK-CINCINNATI

• Key Numbers: 2.58 ERA, 21 wins, 6 losses, .778 win percentage, 33 starts, 19 complete games, 7 shutouts, 261.1 innings, 22 stolen bases allowed.
• Seaver fled New York just in time for the Mets’ collapse, but came to Cincinnati too late to experience the championship peak of the Big Red Machine.

2. RICK REUSCHEL, CHICAGO

• Key Numbers: 2.79 ERA, 20 wins, 10 losses, 1 save, 39 appearances, 37 starts, 252 innings, 15 stolen bases allowed, 19 caught stealing/picked off.
• After bouncing around the .500 mark for five years with a hefty frame that earned him the nickname “Big Daddy,” Reuschel finally bolted into All-Star territory—and suddenly no one was questioning his weight.

3. TOMMY JOHN, LOS ANGELES

• Key Numbers: 2.78 ERA, 20 wins, 7 losses, .741 win percentage, 31 starts, 220.1 innings, 50 walks, 32 grounded into double plays.
• Steve Austin he wasn’t, but John’s remarkable comeback from groundbreaking elbow surgery made some wonder if he was bionic.

4. JOHN CANDELARIA, PITTSBURGH

• Key Numbers: 2.34 ERA, 20 wins, 5 losses, .800 win percentage, 33 starts, 230.2 innings, 50 walks.
• Never to be confused for a workhorse, Candelaria certainly made the most out of his innings, winning 20 games and an ERA title for the only time in his 19-year career.

5. STEVE CARLTON, PHILADELPHIA

• Key Numbers: 2.64 ERA, 23 wins, 10 losses, .697 win percentage, 36 starts, 283 innings, 7 balks, 29 stolen bases allowed.
• The home cooking was especially good for Carlton, who captured 17 of his 23 wins at Veterans Stadium; his overall effort was good for his second of four Cy Young Awards—getting twice the number of voting points as second-place Tommy John.

6. BURT HOOTON, LOS ANGELES

• Key Numbers: 2.62 ERA, 12 wins, 7 losses, 1 save, 31 starts, 223.1 innings.
• There can be peace among enemies within the same team; the lone relief appearance of the year by Hooton—a University of Texas grad—ended in a save for winning pitcher Doug Rau, who studied at rival Texas A&M.

7. GOOSE GOSSAGE, PITTSBURGH

• Key Numbers: 1.62 ERA, 11 wins, 9 losses, 26 saves, 10 blown saves, 72 appearances, 133 innings, 151 strikeouts.
• With an intimidating frame and fastball considered second in nastiness after Nolan Ryan, Gossage enjoyed his one year with the Pirates, wedged in between long stays with the White Sox and Yankees; opponents hit just .170 against him.

8. STEVE ROGERS, MONTREAL

• Key Numbers: 3.10 ERA, 17 wins, 16 losses, 40 starts, 301.2 innings, 14 wild pitches, 24 stolen bases allowed, 23 grounded into double plays.
• His progress seemingly stalled for three years after an explosive half-season debut in 1973, Rogers retained his positive bearings with the help of an Expos offense awakened with a move to modern Olympic Stadium.

9. J.R. RICHARD, HOUSTON

• Key Numbers: 2.97 ERA, 18 wins, 12 losses, 36 starts, 267 innings, 104 walks, 21 grounded into double plays.
• Richard cut down on the walks (to ‘only’ 104), helping him to maintain his ace status in Houston.

10. BRUCE SUTTER, CHICAGO

• Key Numbers: 1.34 ERA, 7 wins, 3 losses, 31 saves, 9 blown saves, 62 appearances, 107.1 innings, 23 walks.
• The future Hall-of-Fame closer kept his ERA below 1.00 into July and helped put the Cubs into rare contention for the postseason—but a shoulder injury modified things.

AL Pitchers

1. JIM PALMER, BALTIMORE

• Key Numbers: 2.91 ERA, 20 wins, 11 losses, 39 starts, 22 complete games, 319 innings, 15 stolen bases allowed, 30 caught stealing/picked off, 22 grounded into double plays.
• To paraphrase Carly Simon: Nobody continued to do it better than Palmer—except against Boston; 10 of his 24 home runs were swatted by Red Sox players.

2. DENNIS LEONARD, KANSAS CITY

• Key Numbers: 3.04 ERA, 20 wins, 12 losses, 1 save, 37 starts, 292.2 innings, 13 wild pitches.
• Locked down for five years and $1 million, Leonard overcame a rough start and ended up completing more games (21) than the rest of the Royals’ staff combined (20).

3. RON GUIDRY, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: 2.82 ERA, 16 wins, 7 losses, .696 win percentage, 1 save, 31 appearances, 25 starts, 210.2 innings.
• While one Southern Yankee (Catfish Hunter) began to fade, another (Guidry) began to rise—impressing manager Billy Martin, who initially thought he was too pint-sized to make a difference.

4. NOLAN RYAN, CALIFORNIA

• Key Numbers: 2.77 ERA, 19 wins, 16 losses, 37 starts, 22 complete games, 299 innings, 204 walks, 341 strikeouts, 21 wild pitches, 43 stolen bases allowed, 19 caught stealing/picked off.
• Ryan became so tough to hit in 1977, he allowed more walks (204) than hits (198). No other AL pitcher even walked 100.

5. BERT BLYLEVEN, TEXAS

• Key Numbers: 2.74 ERA, 14 wins, 12 losses, 30 starts, 234.2 innings.
• The latest future Hall of Famer to experience a brief tenure in Texas (after Ferguson Jenkins and Gaylord Perry), Blyleven threw his only career no-hitter on September 27 at California.

6. DAVE GOLTZ, MINNESOTA

• Key Numbers: 3.36 ERA, 20 wins, 11 losses, 39 starts, 303 innings, 18 stolen bases allowed, 16 caught stealing/picked off, 26 grounded into double plays.
• Even, schmeven: Tired of four .500 finishes in his first five years, Goltz finally tilted the won-loss scale firmly in his favor.

7. FRANK TANANA, CALIFORNIA

• Key Numbers: 2.54 ERA, 15 wins, 9 losses, 31 starts, 7 shutouts, 241.1 innings, 12 hit-by-pitches.
• While Nolan Ryan resumed gorging on innings, strikeouts and walks, Tanana quietly went about being his silent partner in pitching crime, hanging on to the AL ERA crown despite a throwing arm that died out by September.

8. SPARKY LYLE, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: 2.17 ERA, 13 wins, 5 losses, .722 win percentage, 26 saves, 8 blown saves, 72 appearances, 137 innings, 10 wild pitches.
• Lyle became the first reliever to win the AL Cy Young Award.

9. BILL CAMPBELL, BOSTON

• Key Numbers: 2.96 ERA, 13 wins, 9 losses, 31 saves, 11 blown saves, 69 appearances, 140 innings.
• In much quieter fashion than say, Reggie Jackson, Campbell was one of the first batch of modern free agents who profited both financially and philosophically, making an immediate imprint in Boston.

10. DAVE ROZEMA, DETROIT

• Key Numbers: 3.09 ERA, 15 wins, 7 losses, .682 win percentage, 28 starts, 218.1 innings, 34 walks, 11 stolen bases allowed, 15 caught stealing/picked off.
• Right time, right place for both Rozema and the Tigers, as the tall rookie’s presence filled the void left behind by a career-ending injury to 1976 wonder Mark Fidrych. Nobody else on the Tigers won more than eight games; over his next nine years, Rozema himself would never win more than nine.

[luckymann]

We get what I think is the first ever $10m contract as salaries continue to zoom. Bill Buckner is no longer a Met, Jim Gantner no longer a Brewer, Gaylord Perry or Willie McCovey no longer a Giant. And welcome to the world of Free-Agency, Toronto Blue Jays!

• OF Gary Maddox: Dodgers, 8 years / $10160000 (extension)
• 3B Eric Soderholm: Cubs, 7 years / $6820000
• OF Cesar Cedeno: Yankees, 7 years / $5950000
• P Ed Halicki: White Sox, 7 years / $5524000 (extension)
• P Reggie Cleveland: Red Sox, 6 years / $4140000
• 3B Buddy Bell: Cardinals, 3 years / $3780000
• P Burt Hooton: White Sox, 4 years / $3360000 (extension)
• C Bob Boone: Rangers, 4 years / $3220000
• OF Johnny Grubb: Blue Jays, 4 years / $3150000
• P Larry Gura: Tigers, 4 years / $3100000
• P Larry Christenson: Giants, 4 years / $3086000 (extension)
• SS Bill Russell: Expos, 3 years / $2880000
• 1B Rico Carty: Braves, 3 years / $2820000
• P Mickey Lolich: Cardinals, 3 years / $2760000
• 2B Don Money: Astros, 4 years / $2600000
• P Les Cain: Yankees, 4 years / $2400000
• C Tim McCarver: Tigers, 3 years / $2280000
• OF Bake McBride: Cubs, 4 years / $2246000 (extension)
• P Gaylord Perry: Yankees, 2 years / $2120000
• P Sparky Lyle: Padres, 3 years / $1590000
• 1B Willie McCovey: Angels, 2 years / $1280000 (extension)

• 1B Dan Driessen from Indians to Royals for 2B Junior Kennedy, 3B Jerry Royster and 3B Ron Jackson
• 1B Bill Buckner, OF Dan Ford and OF Dan Meyer from Mets to Orioles for OF Al Cowens
• OF Gorman Thomas from Orioles to Royals for P Kevin Kobel
• OF Rowland Office, OF Frankie George, P Don Demola and P Dennis Eckersley from A’s to Rangers for P Wayne Garland
• OF Morris Nettles, OF Terry Whitfield, P Adrian Devine and P Butch Metzger from Cubs to Tigers for C Darrell Porter
• P John Denny and OF Claudell Washington from Twins to Yankees for P Jerry Koosman
• P Hal Haydel and P Mike Norris from Cubs to Yankees for SS Chris Speier and P Paul Hartzell
• P Dan Larson from Twins to Brewers for P Casey Cox and 3B Jim Gantner

ALL TRANSACTIONS


We go 9-9 for Spring Training and lose Kurt Bevacqua for a fortnight.

Tight races expected in all but the AL West, with BNN favouring the Phillies in our div with us not far behind. We shall see. Looks like we can expect plenty of homers this year.

FULL PRESEASON PREDICTIONS

[luckymann]

A very quiet offseason for us - just the Madlock trade and we pick up Woodie Fryman on a cheap 1+1 deal just for LHP depth purposes. That means we still have all of our trade tickets and CC slots unused.

We had Bob Moose on the books after a minors deal last year and he'll now join us at the big club in a LR / Spot Starter role. Lee Mazzilli comes up, Bill Almon stays up. No other changes other than a couple positional switches with Scoop in LF and George Hendrick in CF. Henny will lead off this year, Bill will hit third and Al second. Candy is now our SP1.

It's still a decent squad but thin should injury hit, so those trade coupons will be kept close by just in case. Kurt Bevacqua will be back in less than a week.

Look at those fancy threads - I might just keep them in use for the rest of the save. So cool!

[luckymann]

So from here for the next two years, every decision we make is in the context of winning it all in 1979. I get the feeling I'm setting us up for a fall here but I'm still enjoying the singular focus. When I do my short pause at the end of that season, it'll mean my return will involve a substantial reset for the final phase of this timeline, which should also be fun.

Madlock is the top focus for us. He'll cost a pretty penny but importantly only wants a 2-year deal which suits the club perfectly. So we've got a deal in the works that will make him our franchise's first-ever million-dollar player. EDIT: He eventually signs for two years at right on that figure.

Gossage is another must keep. Others such as Robinson, Forster and Bibby we're still mulling over and will be very much dependent on their demands.

As I mentioned, all three CC slots are vacant and we have a bucketload of money at our disposal. So I won't be shy about hiring top-notch rentals on multo denarii to help us achieve our goal.

[luckymann]

They look like one of the teams to beat again this year and two of their big guns go wild here against the Tribe.

They do a similar job on the Tigers a week later, an 18-3 belting in which Rice has 2 HR and 8 RBI.

[luckymann]

This, if I do say so myself, is a ballsy move. With it, we are pretty much trashing this season to get the guy we feel is our X factor for the next few.




From the moment we saw he was coming into the league unspoken for in a Legacy sense, we knew we had to have Ron for '79. Our pitching problems early only made me more eager to lock him down. As you can see, it took a passel of players to get it done.

Wayne will at least partway offset the loss of Mazzilli, who is really the only piece here who we had earmarked for '79. With Lacy and Robinson already filling the extra OF roles, we felt we weren't going to get much value from Lee anyway, although an injury or two will flip that on its head.






The sally we've dumped should pay for the first two of of Ron's arb years, which he is into at season's end. He'll take up one of our CC slots, leaving two free. Wayne, who played for us IRL in 1982, is therefore an eligible.

We're for now going to move Bill Madlock across to 2B and insert Bill Robinson at 3B. Makes us a very weak defensive unit but we'll just have to tolerate that for the time being until a more permanent solution is conjured up. We've called up our old pal Gene Alley, who we acquired via a minors deal, to help around the D.

[luckymann]

6 hits and 7 ribbies is a decent night's work by anyone's standards...

[luckymann]

A dreadful start by our pitchers sees our ERA blow out to an NL-worst 5.34 after 15 games. Reuss and Rhoden just cannot get their act together and Bibby looks a shot duck—thus the subsequent inclusion of him in the Guidry trade.

After 40 games, we sit at a dead-even 20-20, which seems accurate given one half of our game is working well and the other terribly.

And, thanks to a win over Lefty Carlton and the Phils on the last day of May, we enter the middle third with a (barely) winning record and 4 GB our friends from the City of Brotherly Love.










As mentioned earlier, Bill Madlock is locked down with a 2-year, $2m extension. We splash more cash on Rich Gossage (2/1050) and Bill Robinson (2+1/1610), then do what we feel is a very friendly 7/2635 deal to keep Ron Guidry - who settles in nicely after the trade - here thru 1984. We’ll hold off on others just for now.


The defending Champs are looking strong again, going a stellar 23-7 over their first 30 games to get an early jump on their AL West rivals.




Monthly Award Winners

April

American League

• Batter – Jim Rice (Red Sox): 434 / 12 HR / 32 RBI
• Pitcher – Gaylord Perry (Yankees): 5-0 / 0.81 / 26 K / 44.2 IP
• Rookie – Eddie Murray (Orioles): 394 / 2 HR / 9 RBI

National League

• Batter – Greg Luzinski (Phillies): 397 / 6 HR / 17 RBI
• Pitcher – Ron Guidry (Mets): 4-1 / 1.54 / 33 K / 41 IP
• Rookie – Jim Norris (Mets): 329 / 1 HR / 12 RBI

May

American League

• Batter – Reggie Smith (Red Sox): 344 / 10 HR / 30 RBI
• Pitcher – Ed Halicki (White Sox): 4-1 / 3.06 / 36 K / 50 IP
• Rookie – Craig Reynolds (Brewers): 327 / 4 HR / 18 RBI

National League

• Batter – Davey Johnson (Expos): 330 / 9 HR / 24 RBI
• Pitcher – Jon Matlack (Mets): 4-1 / 1.13 / 36 K / 47.2 IP
• Rookie – Silvio Martinez (Padres): 4-0 / 2.93 / 19 K / 43 IP

News and Leaders






Milestones and Observations of Note

• 2500 Hits: Pete Rose (slightly behind his IRL pace, which had him at about 2700 thru 1976; let’s see if he can make up the difference and catch Ty’s 4125 in this timeline)
• The Red Sox retain superstar Reggie Smith with a 5/6200 deal as well as Gene Tenace on a 7/6820 extension. Our Lance Parrish pick-up in the recent Draft just took on a whole lot more significance. Sadly for the Sox, for Reggie and for any lover of the game – he was on track for one heck of a season including 60 HR, 180 RBI pace – Reggie subsequently gets knocked out for a monthlong stint on the sidelines after doing his hammy. They call up Ruppert Jones from AAA to fill the hole, who proceeds to mash two taters in his first game. Tough for some, innit…
• The Phils lose Bruce Sutter for 6 weeks through an elbow strain, while the Blue Jays lose Don Wilson for the season to a torn labrum.

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[luckymann]

Isn't Ed Halicki having a nice little time of it in this universe...

IRL Ed threw the 193rd no-no in MLB history in August, 1975. He has had to wait a couple extra years in this timeline.

[luckymann]

Ron Guidry, Rich Gossage and Dave Parker are our representatives this year.


American League

• SP Ed Halicki (CWS) - 9-5, 2.44 ERA, 158.2 IP, 1.00 WHIP, 6.4 K/9, 2.4 WAR
• SP Mike Krukow (CWS) - 10-6, 3.28 ERA, 140.0 IP, 1.36 WHIP, 6.0 K/9, 1.9 WAR
• SP Dennis Martinez (BAL) - 11-4, 3.10 ERA, 145.0 IP, 1.24 WHIP, 5.3 K/9, 3.4 WAR
• SP Gaylord Perry (NYY)* - 14-3, 2.27 ERA, 162.2 IP, 1.13 WHIP, 4.6 K/9, 4.0 WAR
• SP Eric Rasmussen (CLE) - 4-5, 2.95 ERA, 116.0 IP, 1.10 WHIP, 4.0 K/9, 1.6 WAR
• SP Frank Tanana (DET) - 12-2, 3.24 ERA, 147.0 IP, 1.15 WHIP, 7.2 K/9, 4.1 WAR
• RP Bill Bonham (SEA) - 3-4, 2.99 ERA, 99.1 IP, 1.19 WHIP, 4.6 K/9, 2.0 WAR
• CL Rollie Fingers (OAK) - 5-5, 15 SV, 1.86 ERA, 38.2 IP, 1.22 WHIP, 6.3 K/9, 1.6 WAR
• CL Dave LaRoche (BAL)* - 6-2, 14 SV, 2.40 ERA, 41.1 IP, 1.45 WHIP, 6.5 K/9, 0.5 WAR
• CL Lance Rautzhan (TOR) - 4-5, 9 SV, 2.36 ERA, 61.0 IP, 1.15 WHIP, 4.3 K/9, 1.8 WAR
• C Bob Boone (TEX) - .329/.387/.435, 246 AB, 4 HR, 2 SB, 129 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
• C Gene Tenace (BOS)* - .300/.410/.600, 240 AB, 18 HR, 1 SB, 172 wRC+, 3.3 WAR
• 1B Cecil Cooper (DET)* - .359/.381/.646, 373 AB, 26 HR, 4 SB, 103 RBI, 4.6 WAR
• 1B Eddie Murray (BAL) - .317/.407/.502, 331 AB, 14 HR, 3 SB, 148 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
• 1B Carl Yastrzemski (BOS) - .306/.388/.506, 320 AB, 16 HR, 3 SB, 142 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
• 2B Willie Randolph (NYY)* - .323/.411/.492, 319 AB, 6 HR, 37 SB, 152 wRC+, 5.2 WAR (Injured)
• 3B George Brett (KC)* - .300/.369/.494, 310 AB, 12 HR, 13 SB, 130 wRC+, 1.9 WAR
• 3B Enos Cabell (CWS) - .358/.385/.524, 355 AB, 9 HR, 46 SB, 150 wRC+, 3.6 WAR
• SS Craig Reynolds (ML4)* - .316/.354/.478, 291 AB, 9 HR, 6 SB, 122 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
• SS Frank Taveras (DET) - .333/.368/.459, 303 AB, 1 HR, 52 SB, 124 wRC+, 3.3 WAR
• SS Robin Yount (ML4)* - .297/.361/.387, 367 AB, 3 HR, 11 SB, 108 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
• LF Larry Hisle (ML4) - .324/.389/.556, 324 AB, 18 HR, 18 SB, 156 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
• LF Mitchell Page (TOR) - .320/.387/.575, 325 AB, 18 HR, 17 SB, 154 wRC+, 3.2 WAR
• LF Jim Rice (BOS)* - .366/.411/.697, 347 AB, 27 HR, 3 SB, 196 wRC+, 4.4 WAR
• CF Chet Lemon (DET)* - .318/.392/.554, 258 AB, 11 HR, 3 SB, 157 wRC+, 3.4 WAR (Injured)
• RF Reggie Smith (BOS)* - .344/.434/.674, 224 AB, 18 HR, 2 SB, 187 wRC+, 3.6 WAR
• RF Ellis Valentine (CAL) - .323/.371/.540, 337 AB, 17 HR, 17 SB, 142 wRC+, 2.9 WAR

National League

• SP Steve Carlton (PHI) - 9-7, 3.33 ERA, 164.2 IP, 1.15 WHIP, 6.4 K/9, 3.5 WAR
• SP Mark Fidrych (HOU) - 15-3, 2.29 ERA, 169.0 IP, 1.00 WHIP, 5.1 K/9, 4.9 WAR
• SP Dave Goltz (CIN) - 11-5, 3.02 ERA, 163.2 IP, 1.30 WHIP, 5.0 K/9, 3.7 WAR
• SP Ron Guidry (PIT) - 10-7, 2.86 ERA, 148.0 IP, 1.16 WHIP, 7.4 K/9, 3.6 WAR
• SP Sandy Koufax (LAD) - 9-4, 3.28 ERA, 126.1 IP, 1.24 WHIP, 4.1 K/9, 2.7 WAR (Injured)
• SP J.R. Richard (HOU) - 5-11, 2.95 ERA, 152.2 IP, 1.32 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 3.8 WAR
• SP Tom Seaver (NYM)* - 8-9, 3.94 ERA, 164.1 IP, 1.36 WHIP, 7.9 K/9, 2.8 WAR
• RP Bill Campbell (SD) - 4-2, 3.28 ERA, 49.1 IP, 1.18 WHIP, 5.3 K/9, 0.4 WAR
• RP Gary Lavelle (PHI) - 7-4, 8 SV, 2.49 ERA, 47.0 IP, 1.40 WHIP, 4.0 K/9, 0.0 WAR
• CL Rich Gossage (PIT)* - 4-3, 21 SV, 2.03 ERA, 31.0 IP, 0.97 WHIP, 8.1 K/9, 0.3 WAR
• CL John Verhoeven (NYM) - 6-5, 8 SV, 2.37 ERA, 49.1 IP, 1.16 WHIP, 6.0 K/9, 1.5 WAR
• C Johnny Bench (CIN) - .277/.349/.545, 253 AB, 17 HR, 1 SB, 142 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
• C Ted Simmons (STL)* - .337/.380/.529, 276 AB, 11 HR, 150 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
• 1B Davey Johnson (MON)* - .304/.398/.557, 316 AB, 19 HR, 4 SB, 159 wRC+, 3.3 WAR
• 1B Jason Thompson (CHC) - .292/.367/.567, 312 AB, 19 HR, 145 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
• 2B Joe Morgan (CIN)* - .301/.451/.518, 276 AB, 12 HR, 33 SB, 165 wRC+, 4.3 WAR
• 2B Bump Wills (CHC) - .310/.397/.462, 329 AB, 4 HR, 32 SB, 136 wRC+, 3.3 WAR
• 3B Ron Cey (LAD) - .282/.365/.505, 309 AB, 15 HR, 1 SB, 139 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
• 3B Mike Schmidt (PHI)* - .264/.375/.565, 292 AB, 23 HR, 7 SB, 153 wRC+, 3.7 WAR
• SS Garry Templeton (SD)* - .311/.330/.428, 367 AB, 7 HR, 38 SB, 108 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
• LF Gary Matthews (SD) - .306/.371/.481, 337 AB, 12 HR, 12 SB, 136 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
• LF Hal McRae (CHC)* - .338/.416/.531, 320 AB, 10 HR, 13 SB, 154 wRC+, 3.2 WAR
• CF Andre Dawson (MON) - .302/.367/.515, 301 AB, 13 HR, 16 SB, 141 wRC+, 3.5 WAR
• CF Garry Maddox (LAD)* - .321/.352/.451, 368 AB, 10 HR, 24 SB, 122 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
• RF Dave Parker (PIT) - .335/.389/.563, 316 AB, 12 HR, 10 SB, 152 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
• RF Dave Winfield (SD)* - .352/.398/.608, 324 AB, 20 HR, 15 SB, 171 wRC+, 4.1 WAR

Mike Schmidt beats Davey Johnson to win the HR Derby, with the AL narrowing the running score to 21-23 with a 6-1 win and Robin Yount named MVP.

[luckymann]

Only what's left of this year and one full season left before we're into 1979, so we can't be leaving our trade tickets on the shelf if it can be avoided. This is a fairly even trade that swaps out a guy for whom we have no use for one who will be a really handy OF depth guy with some nice pop.

Tony, who came up with us briefly and played for the club in 1976 before heading to the A's, still has almost his full TC complement intact.

He comes into the parent club at the expense of Mario Mendoza, who heads back to AAA after going 0-for-1.

[luckymann]

Alternating wins and losses mean we hover around that 500 mark in the first half of June. Unable to abide by how poorly Rick Rhoden continues to pitch, he and his near-7 ERA go off in shame to the BP to think about things, with Bob Moose called into the rotation for a while.

After that, just disaster, plain and simple as this pitching horror show continues as we give up 14 and then 16 runs on consecutive days against the Giants. By this point our team ERA is pushing 5 with both the SP and BP back to ranking next-to-last. And that’s with Candy, Guidry and Kison all doing well. The lower end and parts of the relief corps, on the other hand, have just melted.

We are once again fortunate in that none of our competitors really take the bull by the horns as all this is playing out, and we remain in touch with the division-leading Phillies throughout.

Just as we get a bit of a run going with 6 straight wins that put us 43-38 at the midpoint and get us within one of the lead, we lose Bill Robinson for 5 weeks to a labrum tear. Not wanting to start the clock just yet on Dale Berra, we call up Mario Mendoza and his mighty bat for his first go in the bigs.

We struggle a bit for the next bit, as the Phils flatten us taking three of four at TRC and hand Bruce Kison his first loss of the year after 9 wins, but are still just one off the pace at the All-Star Game in a super tight race with four teams within a game or so of the lead.

The lads would be the first to admit we aren’t playing great baseball, but we keep scratching together the wins and eventually move into first place for a while then regress once more.

After 100 games we sit at a barely-winning 51-49 and yet still lead the div by a half-game, and this looks set to be an utterly gripping stretch run as we close out the sectional similarly-placed.





Strong performances abound but you really are only ever as good as your worst performers let you be.




Dave Parker wins the June hitter prize...




... and Candyman the July pitcher gong.




It isn't just our div that seems destined for late drama, wit hall four races incredibly tight with many chances.


News, Leaders and Top 20s











Monthly Award Winners

June

American League

• Batter – Cecil Cooper (Tigers): 417 / 10 HR / 34 RBI
• Pitcher – Dennis Martinez (Orioles): 5-1 / 2.30 / 29 K / 54.2 IP
• Rookie – Mike Paxton (Rangers): 5-1 / 2.36 / 21 K / 42 IP

National League

• Batter – Dave Parker (Pirates): 340 / 4 HR / 26 RBI
• Pitcher – Steve Carlton (Phillies): 5-1 / 2.01 / 43 K / 53.2 IP
• Rookie – Jack Morris (Cardinals): 4-2 / 3.16 / 32 K / 42.2 IP

July

American League

• Batter – Jim Rice (Red Sox): 349 / 8 HR / 25 RBI
• Pitcher – Fritz Peterson (Royals): 5-0 / 2.66 / 18 K / 40.2 IP
• Rookie – Matt Keough (Indians): 4-1 / 1.90 / 26 K / 42.2 IP

National League

• Batter – Greg Luzinski (Phillies): 317 / 11 HR / 22 RBI
• Pitcher – John Candelaria (Pirates): 4-0 / 2.47 / 37 K / 43.2 IP
• Rookie – Ed Whitson (Expos): 4 1/ 2.11 / 37 K / 42.2 IP

Milestones and Observations of Note

• 2000 Hits: Rico Carty
• The Mariners lose rookie outfielders Barry Bonnell (to a torn ACL) and Steve Kemp (to a finger injury) for the season, while Tigers outfielder Chet Lemon is sidelined for 5 weeks with an ankle sprain.
• Both Jim Rice and Dave Winfield are having a strong run at the Triple Crown.
• We are not involved in any of the noteworthy Deadline trades:

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[luckymann]

Less than a year after brother Joe did it, Phil Niekro gets a matching no-no.

[luckymann]

Our club's all-time leader in the category reaches a nice HR milestone.




That makes him the 21st to reach this mark and, with the better part of a decade likely left in the great man's career, he has some chance of making 500 vs his IRL total of 475.

[luckymann]

Who holds the single season record in the MLB for extra base hits?

• John Beckwith, DET, 103, 1929
• Hank Greenberg, DET, 99, 1938
• Lou Gehrig, NYY, 98, 1928
• Willie Mays, SF, 95, 1956
• Hank Greenberg, DET, 94, 1933

[luckymann]

He's become one of the most important cogs in our structural wheel and it's nice to see Lee Lacy have his moment in the sun here.