Absolute Blockbuster of a Trade in my 42 year old Historical Random Debut

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by David Watts

One of those names really jumped out at me, Carmen Fanzone. Fanzone just had a 28 home run season for the Texarkana Grasshoppers in 1958. He hit .271. Also had 35 doubles and drove in 88. Kind of a never was in real life, yet he had a least one good season in both our games. Will have to see what happens to him in 59

What age was Fanzone in your 1958 season? He was 28 in mine when he had his big 1943 season. He hit .246/.325/.418/.743 which was good for a 120 wRC+ and a 115 OPS+, with 87 R, 26 2B, 1 3B, 26 HR, 84 RBI, 70 BB, and 127 K. He finished at .239/.319/.386/.705 which was good for a 102 wRC+ and a 102 OPS+, with 359 R, 667 H, 141 2B, 85 HR, 347 RBI, 319 BB, and 519 K. Not bad for a never was.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by actionjackson

What age was Fanzone in your 1958 season? He was 28 in mine when he had his big 1943 season. He hit .246/.325/.418/.743 which was good for a 120 wRC+ and a 115 OPS+, with 87 R, 26 2B, 1 3B, 26 HR, 84 RBI, 70 BB, and 127 K. He finished at .239/.319/.386/.705 which was good for a 102 wRC+ and a 102 OPS+, with 359 R, 667 H, 141 2B, 85 HR, 347 RBI, 319 BB, and 519 K. Not bad for a never was.

Yup 28 in mine as well. 1958 was his rookie season, even though he imported as part of the 1954 draft. He came in second to Sandy Amoros for rookie of the year.

[David Watts]

Oh man, it looks like the end is near for Mr. Kershaw. Clayton got hurt early in the 58 season, but came back strong to finish 15-7, 2.29 over 28 starts. The offseason proved to be a rough one though as Kershaw fell to the bottom of his teams bullpen to start 1959. After 12 appearances, 3 of them starts, Kershaw is 0-3 6.75, 25 walks, 5 strikeouts and now resides on his teams reserve roster. UGH!

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by David Watts

Oh man, it looks like the end is near for Mr. Kershaw. Clayton got hurt early in the 58 season, but came back strong to finish 15-7, 2.29 over 28 starts. The offseason proved to be a rough one though as Kershaw fell to the bottom of his teams bullpen to start 1959. After 12 appearances, 3 of them starts, Kershaw is 0-3 6.75, 25 walks, 5 strikeouts and now resides on his teams reserve roster. UGH!

Yeah, it happened real quickly to him in mine as well. It's sad to see isn't it?

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by actionjackson

Yeah, it happened real quickly to him in mine as well. It's sad to see isn't it?

He's 37 though and had a stellar career. 221 wins, career 150+ era+, 96.8 WAR. Would be nice to see him strikeout 14 more batters to reach 2000 though. 3 time league champion and 4 time Cy Young winner.

[David Watts]

Wow, bizarre trade nearing the 59 deadline. Birmingham(44-51,5th place) trades Justin Verlander(27) to the Biloxi Cardinals (38-55, 5th place) for 3B Jim Ray Hart(20) and 2B David Newhan(24), Verlander finished 1958 19-12, second in the Cy Young race. As of July 26th 1959, Verlander is 7-8, 2.51. Verlander has one more season before he becomes a free agent, so it will be interesting to see if Biloxi gets him to sign an extension. Even with Aaron, Biloxi has been a bottom feeder for some time.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by David Watts

He's 37 though and had a stellar career. 221 wins, career 150+ era+, 96.8 WAR. Would be nice to see him strikeout 14 more batters to reach 2000 though. 3 time league champion and 4 time Cy Young winner.

That's a HoF career for sure. Unless you believe that nobody should get in without winning 300, which is ridiculous, at least IMHO. A 150 ERA+ is spectacular for the amount of innings he probably pitched.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by actionjackson

That's a HoF career for sure. Unless you believe that nobody should get in without winning 300, which is ridiculous, at least IMHO. A 150 ERA+ is spectacular for the amount of innings he probably pitched.

Yeah, 190 career complete games. 35 shutouts. Averaged 21 complete games per season.

[David Watts]

Meanwhile, Felix Hernandez is pitching like he belongs on his teams reserve roster as well. After a season an injury plagued 1958 season in which he was demoted to the Slammers bullpen, Felix signed a 1 year contract with the Corpus Christi Beachbums. The Bums put Felix back in the rotation, but wow is he done. 2-13, 5.99 12 strikeouts, 40 walks. He's 38 and needs just 4 wins to reach 200.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by David Watts

Meanwhile, Felix Hernandez is pitching like he belongs on his teams reserve roster as well. After a season an injury plagued 1958 season in which he was demoted to the Slammers bullpen, Felix signed a 1 year contract with the Corpus Christi Beachbums. The Bums put Felix back in the rotation, but wow is he done. 2-13, 5.99 12 strikeouts, 40 walks. He's 38 and needs just 4 wins to reach 200.

What are "The King"'s other numbers like? I don't even believe (I'm probably in the minority on this one) that pitchers need to reach 200 wins, as long as their other stats demonstrate a pattern of excellence, in order to be seriously considered for the HoF.

Perhaps my opinion derives from the fact that I believe Dave Stieb deserves a place in the HoF, despite only having 176 Wins. The man has a 122 ERA+, and in my mind (you may not agree, which is fine) was the pitcher of the 1980s. I'd say it goes something like Stieb, Clemens, Blyleven, Gooden and Morris. Stieb, Blyleven and Morris were the only three of this quintet to pitch through the entire decade, but Clemens and Gooden were sooo dominant in the six years that they pitched in (1984-1989) that they have to be in the conversation too.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by actionjackson

What are "The King"'s other numbers like? I don't even believe (I'm probably in the minority on this one) that pitchers need to reach 200 wins, as long as their other stats demonstrate a pattern of excellence, in order to be seriously considered for the HoF.

Perhaps my opinion derives from the fact that I believe Dave Stieb deserves a place in the HoF, despite only having 176 Wins. The man has a 122 ERA+, and in my mind (you may not agree, which is fine) was the pitcher of the 1980s. I'd say it goes something like Stieb, Clemens, Blyleven, Gooden and Morris. Stieb, Blyleven and Morris were the only three of this quintet to pitch through the entire decade, but Clemens and Gooden were sooo dominant in the six years that they pitched in (1984-1989) that they have to be in the conversation too.

He is 196-127 5 saves, 3.28, 125 ERA+ 1644 strikeouts, 899 walks, 1.25
WHIP, 75.2 WAR. 4 time league champion. 147 complete games. Debuted at age 26

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by David Watts

He is 196-127 5 saves, 3.28, 125 ERA+ 1644 strikeouts, 899 walks, 1.25
WHIP, 75.2 WAR. 4 time league champion. 147 complete games. Debuted at age 26

Whoa! Unfortunate late debut date there. Must have been in the inaugural draft at age 25, and then debuted the next year. Those are still excellent numbers though. What about awards like Cy Youngs, ROY, GG, ASG, SS etc?

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by actionjackson

Whoa! Unfortunate late debut date there. Must have been in the inaugural draft at age 25, and then debuted the next year. Those are still excellent numbers though. What about awards like Cy Youngs, ROY, GG, ASG, SS etc?

He does have a wildcard series MVP for 1949. He was 8-3, 3.29, 73 strikeouts over 14 post season starts. Since I only have the one subleague, I don't have an all star game. I also use the DH, so no silver slugger.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by David Watts

He does have a wildcard series MVP for 1949. He was 8-3, 3.29, 73 strikeouts over 14 post season starts. Since I only have the one subleague, I don't have an all star game. I also use the DH, so no silver slugger.

Oof! Forgot about the subleague thing and all-star games. I love having the all-star game, not because of the spectacle itself, but to gauge who the stars of the league are through the years.

[David Watts]

Entering the league in the November 59 draft
Round 1

Shreveport Captains Pete Rose Sr.
Birmingham Slammers Dwight Evans
Baton Rouge Artillery Bernie F Williams
Texarkana Grasshoppers Milt Stock
Beaumont Crush Johnny Podres
Corpus Christi Beachbums Gorman Thomas
Alexandria Aces Ken Raffensberger
Lake Charles Pirates Dave Goltz
Biloxi Cardinals Jackie Brandt
Fort Worth Mustangs Graeme Llyod
Mobile Hustlers Steve Farr
Jackson Browns Tim Stoddard

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by David Watts

Entering the league in the November 59 draft
Round 1

Shreveport Captains Pete Rose Sr.
Birmingham Slammers Dwight Evans
Baton Rouge Artillery Bernie F Williams
Texarkana Grasshoppers Milt Stock
Beaumont Crush Johnny Podres
Corpus Christi Beachbums Gorman Thomas
Alexandria Aces Ken Raffensberger
Lake Charles Pirates Dave Goltz
Biloxi Cardinals Jackie Brandt
Fort Worth Mustangs Graeme Llyod
Mobile Hustlers Steve Farr
Jackson Browns Tim Stoddard

That's quite the draft class there. Johnny Podres is in my 1957 draft class, which I will post when I get a chance. First up though, the 1957 Awards. A little foreshadowing though, that straight up one for one trade between the Cardinals and the Tigers (C Mike Stanley to Detroit for LHSP Jose Quintana) is looking better and better all the time. Both went to the All-Star game in 1957, and Stanley won the Silver Slugger at catcher, while Jose Quintana finished third in Cy Young voting. Absolute win/win trade, and not something you see everyday in OOTP-land.

[David Watts]

Well, Jackson capped off a 105 win season by defeating Mobile (103 wins) 4 games to 3 to take the crown in 1959. Once again, Vada Pinson, Boog Powell and Tony Perez led the charge.

The Cy Young once again went to Van Mungo(Mobile) 22-8 2.15 298 strikeouts. This is Mungo's 3rd Cy Young.

MVP honors went to Lou Gehrig(Mobile). Lou hit .337, 42 home runs, 108 RBI, .466 OBP, .662 SLG and 1.128 OPS. 9.9 WAR

Graig Nettles took home Rookie of the Year honors. The Alexandria 3B hit .291/.367/.555 30 Home Runs and 5.4 WAR

Strange offseason free agent signing. Jackson a team that already has Tony Perez and Boog Powell signed free agent 1B/3B Paul Konerko. Now the logjam could be lessened if the AI would simply start Puig to RF and move Pinson to LF. But, so far, they have Puig at DH, Pinson in RF and some cat named Bill Collins in LF. It looks like the computer has set up a Powell/Perez platoon. In the end, I expect a trade.

[actionjackson]

Top ten AL MVP for 1957:

1. Red Ehret, 24, BOS, RHSP
2. Wally Joyner, 26, BOS, 1B
3. Andy Pettitte, 27, BAL, LHSP
4. Jimmy Ryan, 22, KC1, DH/LF
5. John E Briggs, 21, KC1, CF/LF/DH
6. Chino Smith, 20, KC1, 2B/DH
7. Wes Ferrell, 22, CLE, RHSP
8. Lyle Overbay, 27, BAL, 1B
9. Euel Moore, 25, CWS, RHSP
10. Jamie Moyer, 22, CLE, LHSP

Top five AL CYA for 1957:

1. Red Ehret, 24, BOS, RHSP
2. Andy Pettitte, 27, BAL, LHSP
3. Wes Ferrell, 22, CLE, RHSP
4. Euel Moore, 25, CWS, RHSP
5. Jamie Moyer, 22, CLE, LHSP

Top three AL Mariano Rivera Award for 1957:

1. Brad Lidge, 27, CLE, RHRP
2. Robb Nen, 31, DET, RHRP
3. Brian Wilson, 28, WS1, RHRP

Top three AL Jackie Robinson Award for 1957:

1. Euel Moore, 25, CWS, RHSP
2. Jamie Moyer, 22, CLE, LHSP
3. Paul Molitor, 20, CWS, SS/3B

The Cleveland Indians (84-79) barely squeaked into the postseason with an 8-1 thrashing of the Chicago White Sox (83-80) as the American League featured a Game 163 to conclude the 1957 season. Cleveland rode that momentum all the way to a 3-1 series lead in the World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers before stalling out and dropping the final three games of the World Series by a combined 20-6 score.

On the way, they fell behind the Baltimore Orioles two games to one in the ALCS, before rallying to win the series in six. LF Tom York was the LCS MVP, going 11 for 26 (.423/.423/.615/1.038) with 3 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, and 5 RBI, and 3 R. He hit .247/.292/.404/.696 for the regular season with 49 2B, 13 3B, 9 HR, 87 RBI, 76 R, 38 BB, 133 K, 19 SB, and 3 CS. He cooled off in the World Series though, going 6 for 32 (.188/.212/.281/.493), with 3 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, and 1 R.

Rookie LHSP Jamie Moyer was 2-0 in the series with a 1.76 ERA. He eventually took that to 4-0 with a 1.78 ERA for the postseason before falling 4-1 to Tom Seaver and the Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series. Not bad for a rook. Cleveland only had a +9 run differential in the regular season ([677 RS/668 RA] +7 of that came from Game 163, so they had been pretty mediocre all year before getting hot when it counted most), so they were quite possibly playing over their heads, but I guess we'll find out for sure in 1958.

[actionjackson]

Top ten NL MVP for 1957:

1. Bill Foster, 25, ML1, LHSP
2. Walter Johnson, 23, CHC, RHSP
3. Hal Trosky Sr., 26, BRO, 1B
4. John Kane, 26, STL, CF/SS/2B/3B
5. Jose Quintana, 26, STL, LHSP
6. Ginger Beaumont, 27, BRO, CF
7. Tom Seaver, 26, BRO, RHSP
8. Hal Morris, 23, PIT, RF
9. Greg Swindell, 21, PIT, LHSP
10. Eddie Hogan, 25, ML1, RHRP

Top five NL CYA for 1957:

1. Bill Foster, 25, ML1, LHSP
2. Walter Johnson, 23, CHC, RHSP
3. Jose Quintana, 26, STL, LHSP
4. Tom Seaver, 26, BRO, RHSP
5. Greg Swindell, 21, PIT, LHSP

Top three NL Mariano Rivera Award for 1957:

1. Eddie Hogan, 25, ML1, RHRP
2. Chief Yellow Horse, 23, BRO, RHRP
3. Steve Cishek, 26, ML1, RHRP

Top three NL Jackie Robinson Award for 1957:

1. Tony Perez, 21, PIT, 3B
2. Junior Thompson, 20, NY1, RHRP
3. Wally Post, 18, ML1, CF

What a season for Hal Trosky Sr! A .339/.409/.526/.935 slash line (165 OPS+, 166 wRC+) with 99 R, 223 H, 40 2B, 4 3B, 25 HR, 129 RBI, 80 BB, and just 58 K. The only reason he didn't win MVP was the transcendent pitching of Bill Foster and Walter Johnson. He was certainly qualified for it, but they were fantastic in 1957. Foster went 17-10, 2.27 ERA (170 ERA+), 2.16 FIP, and a 0.98 WHIP. He allowed just 198 H in 250.0 IP, to go with just 46 BB against 230 K and only 10 HRA. Johnson was 20-6 (on a team that went just 73-89!), with a 2.46 ERA (157 ERA+), 2.37 FIP, and a 0.91 WHIP. He gave up just 184 H in a league leading 263.1 IP, walking just 55, while striking out 272, and allowing 17 HR.

Trosky Sr.'s team won the big prize though, and they did it in style. They erased a 3-1 deficit to come back and win in seven games with a combined score of 20-6 in those games. Trosky Sr. was the MVP of both the NLCS and the World Series. I don't keep track of such things, but off the top of my head that's a pretty rare combination. Not only was he the best position player and hitter in the National League for the regular season, but he was able to keep that up through the postseason as well. And how! He hit a whopping .411/.476/.661/1.137 (23 for 56) with 10 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 7 BB, and 7 K for the two series, leading his team to their fourth title.

The only downside is that the Dodgers joined the Giants in abandoning New York for California, with the Dodgers moving to Los Angeles and the Giants moving to San Francisco. I wonder if that would've happened IRL if one of the teams had won the World Series. Makes it a bit more difficult to justify moving. Ah, who am I kidding? They still would've done it 'cause money talks.

Side note: 2B Carlos Febles was at it again for the St. Louis Cardinals, despite his team losing in six to the Dodgers. He hit .400/.444/.720/1.164 with 4 R, 10 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, and 3 K. He now owns a postseason line of .323/.377/.629/1.006 (183 OPS+, 187 wRC+) with 9 R, 20 H, 3 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 6 BB, 7 K, 3 SB, and 2 CS in 69 career postseason plate appearances. In 1368 regular season plate appearances, he's at .264/.344/.379/.723 (108 OPS+, 107 wRC+) with 159 R, 317 H, 37 2B, 20 3B, 20 HR, 147 RBI, 139 BB, 160 K, 50 SB, and 24 CS. I know the postseason represents a very small sample size, but at what point do you start believing in the magic? He'll probably regress if he gets more postseason appearances, but it's interesting to watch for sure.

[actionjackson]

1st round of 1957 Amateur Draft:

1. Giants: Bump Hadley, RHP
2. Redlegs: Tom Candiotti, RHP
3. Tigers: Johnny Podres, LHP
4. Cubs: Rheal Cormier, LHP
5. Athletics: Bill Campbell, RHP
6. Orioles: Steve Gromek, RHP
7. Senators: Eddie Robinson, 1B
8. Senators: Fred Hutchinson, RHP
9. Orioles: Jose G Santiago, RHP
10. Indians: Cory Lidle, RHP
11. White Sox: Marty Perez, INF
12. Pirates: Adam Comorosky, LF
13. Braves: Carlos Villanueva, RHP
14. Yankees: Doug Strange, IF/LF
15. Cardinals: Owen Friend, 2B
16. Dodgers: Lon Knight, RHP

The Detroit Tigers also drafted Red Wilson C, Dylan Axelrod RHP, Sam W Narron C, Don R Williams RHP. Johnny Podres has a shot at being the best player in this draft, so they were fortunate to get him at the number three spot.