Could There Be An America's Team? Let's try

[Brad K]

August 1 1967

Had a couple interesting offers near the trade deadline. Baltimore offered 24 yo SS Davey Johnson for 29 yo CF Curt Flood. I don't have a place to play Johnson, same problem as I have with Flood, and Flood is a better PH plus he's a defensive replacement while Johnson isn't better than existing fielders.

The other trade I would have loved to make. The White Sox offer 30 yo RP Joe Hoerner 3.0 stars and a couple minor leaguers for my AAA C Donald Nipp age 28 2.5 stars. Hoerner is a leftie and I already have two so sending down RH RP Steve Blass to make room for Hoerner doesn't work. Too many lefties in the bullpen. I am OK with having a majority of lefty SPs but I think a lot in the pen is a bad ida.

Leftie Woodie Fryman is the bullpen ace this year, 85 IP with a 1.91 ERA and 3.0 stars. So that left LH RP Joe Gibbon 2.5 stars, one option year left, but he refused demotion. So I had to decline the offer of Hoerner.

We're in first place 65-39 (.625) 5 1/2 ahead of LA and 9 ahead of SF. Pitching remains best in the NL and we've moved up to second in scoring.

Camilo Pascual just came back from the IL. In his first game back he got no run support and we lost 1-0. Bob Moose is back in AAA. I considered sending Blass down but I haven't used an option on him this year and he has only one left.

[Brad K]

September 1 1967

81-53 (.604) 5 1/2 ahead of SF, 6 ahead of LA.

[uruguru]

A 5+ game lead in September! If you lose now, it'll be considered a choke. Don't lose, lol

[Brad K]

Originally Posted by uruguru

A 5+ game lead in September! If you lose now, it'll be considered a choke. Don't lose, lol

Yea, really.

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September 27 1967

Lead built to 8 games then shrank. Lost the first two of a 3 game series at LA before winning yesterday to clinch.


September 29 1967

2B Bill Mazeroski injured his wrist off field and is out for two weeks. I have the post season rosters feature enabled. I called up 1B 2B LF RF Bob Oliver who started the season on the 25 man as a reserve OF. He gets the starting job at 2B over Bob Johnson and Bobby Wine. Oliver and Johnson are equal fielders at 2B while Oliver is a slightly better hitter. Wine is a much better fielder but much weaker at the plate.

[uruguru]

Congrats! Now all that's left is to dethrone the Yankees

[Brad K]

October 2 1967

We face the Yankees again in the World Series after having lost to them in our two most recent World Series appearances. This time the Yankees don't appear as formidable as in the past. We won 99 games and they won 96. However The Python calls our expected wins 99 while it calls theirs on 89.

The Yankees are first in the AL in runs scored but eighth in runs allowed. Staff ERA is sixth and poor fielding (-23.0 ZR) allows more runs to score. We are first in the NL in both runs scored and runs allowed.

The Yankees rotation for the Series is all left handed. Right hander Sonny Siebert was the fifth starter during the season (fourth before the Yankees traded for staff ace Chris Short) and is in the pen for the Series.

The Yankee hitters have good power but several have BAs below what would be expected based on their contact ratings. However I did some quick calculations and MLB scoring per game per team is 3.83 which is the lowest since 1918. Maybe the Year of the Pitcher arrived early.

We led MLB in attendance this year beating the second place Yankees by about 125k. Our attendance was 2.3m. However $5.6m in total revenue puts us fourth in MLB with the number one Dodgers leading us by $400k. The Yankees are second and the Giants third. The move west by the NL NY teams was a good decision for them.

We got an incredible performance from rookie RP Woodie Fryman. Set as Stopper 7th or later close with secondary high leverage he got into 76 games (NL high), with 143 IP, 2.08 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 18 saves. Incredible? Not done yet. He lost 7 games but won 15, exceeded on the team only by Bob Veale who won 18.

[Brad K]

...

[uruguru]

Very nice!

So... best record in baseball. Highest attendance of all teams. World Series champion.

At least for the moment, the Pirates look like America's team

[Brad K]

Originally Posted by uruguru

Very nice!

So... best record in baseball. Highest attendance of all teams. World Series champion.

At least for the moment, the Pirates look like America's team

For the moment! I need to extend the moment.

[uruguru]

Remember... the day after the last game of the World Series, everyone is back to being tied at 0-0.

[Brad K]

Originally Posted by uruguru

Remember... the day after the last game of the World Series, everyone is back to being tied at 0-0.

That's for sure. Sometimes there's more concern how about to continue winning after a good season than there is concern about how to win after a poor one.

-----------------------------

October 14 1967

Owner gave us a $900k budget increase. Joe Brown got a raise to $70k. Previous contract was $30k

Have offers out to arb players SP Mike Cuellar, 1B 3B Danny Cater. 3B 2B 1B Bob Johnson, SS 2B 3B Bobby Wine, and OF Lou Johnson. RP Al McBean was offended by my $36k offer (arb est is $38k) and countered with $1.1m. I'm sending him to arb at $38k. He is 2.5 stars, no options left, and spent last year in AAA. I may release him before arb. Haven't decided yet.

Offered seven AAA pending FAs minor league contracts.

I'm considering that a reasonable way to handle minor league roster management (this save has historical minors) might be to let guys age into being minor league FAs rather than micro manage it. When they become minor league FAs offer extensions to the AAA guys and don't think about the rest.

However the lowest level often starts with 100+ players on the roster. This season I released about 40 and got the roster down to 73. Wouldn't it be wild if one of those guys I released made an AL team and was the decisive factor in me losing a World Series?!?!?!

Rule 5 eligible is a different story. I lost historical Pirate C Jerry May to Rule 5 because I didn't check deep enough into the minors and so didn't move him to the 40 man. So all the Rule 5 guys need a look.

Joe Brown, Lou Johnson, Jerry May

[uruguru]

What I do for Rule 5 is, on the day of the draft, I sort the draft pool by team and then look at everyone in the pool who is from my organization. Then I immediately protect those I don't want to be exposed.

It's a good last-minute sanity check..

[luckymann]

Did you know that in 24, you can offer MiLB contracts to all who are set to walk with one click of the button?

Is this save on 23 or 24?

EDIT Actually it's in 23 as well. Just go to your Upcoming FA screen and it's under SCREEN ACTIONS in the top RHC. Handy little time-saver.

[Brad K]

Thank yinz for the suggestions!

------------------------

October 15 1967

I offered arb eligible IF Bob Johnson 2.0 stars $68k/1 year. He has a $70k arb estimate. He came back at $83k. He really can play only first and second. Hit .329 in 67 on 70 ABs but his contact rating is 10.

Shopped him around and got offered C Tim McCarver 4.0 stars who is arb eligible with a $253k estimate. I can see why StL wants to trade McCarver. They have 11 arb eligible players currently making $556k with arb estimates of $959k. If the estimates are on the money that leaves them only $200k in the extension budget.

OK, so some readers are thinking this is a trade I should decline to do because I'm robbing St Louis. Am I? St Louis is dumping next year's payroll which they can't afford. Their issue is not the talent of the player.

It's clear McCarver is leaving St L for somewhere else so I made somewhere else Pittsburgh.

Bob Johnson, Tim McCarver

[uruguru]

The issue with signing McCarver is the real risk that he might become your team's TV color commentator after he retires.

[Brad K]

Originally Posted by uruguru

The issue with signing McCarver is the real risk that he might become your team's TV color commentator after he retires.

LOL. Another ex Cardinal, Nelson Briles did.


--------------------------------------

October 19 1967

There is a 5.0 star FA this year, 29 yo 1B Willie McCovey. He wants $3.2m/7yr AAV $457k starting $380k increasing to $464k. LF Lou Brock age 28 is 4.0 stars. He wants $3.4m/10 yr $336k AAV starting at $360k declining to $320k.

The other four star players are Mickey Mantle and... ready?... Milton Hite. SS Luis Aparicio and 2B Pete Rose are 3.5 stars and everyone else is 3.0 and below.

C Tim McCarver signed for a year and $260k. I couldn't get him to go any longer. No wonder StL wanted him gone. Big money for one year only for a team that's not a contender.

I decided to withdraw the arb offer on Al McBean. He'll be a FA.

[Brad K]

October 24 1967

RP Woodie Fryman got the RP of the year award but finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. C Johnny Bench got all 20 first place votes and 100 total points. Bench hit .297 with 18 HRs. Bobby Bonds finished second with 44 points. He hit .250 with 11 HRs.

Fryman pitched 143 innings, all in relief, and had a W-L record of 15-7, 18 saves, and a 2.08 ERA. He received 17 points in the voting.


October 25 1967

Murtaugh is NL Manager of the Year

[Brad K]

Remember Milton Hite, the guy who is having a decent MLB career in this save despite having never played MLB in real life? Here is how he's doing. "He gets on base." - Brad Pitt as Billy Beane in Moneyball

[Brad K]

November 15 1967

SP Bob Gibson 32 yo 4.5 stars agreed to extension for 1969-74 $2.4m/6 yr $403k AAV. 1971-72 are $430k each, others are $390k each, last year is players option.

Danny Cater age 27 2.5 stars really can only play 1B now. His ratings at 2B and 3B are below acceptable. He's a good base hit pinch hitter and defensive sub at first but I'll probably trade him during spring training.

Freddie Patek is in AAA and looks set to step up to MLB as the first or second IF off the bench. He has acceptable or better ratings at 2B 3B and SS. The spare IFs would be Patek, Bob Oliver (who played 2B in the World Series due to Mazeroski's injury), and good field no hit Bobby Wind.

It troubles me that I have two reserve OF, Matty Alou and Curt Flood, who would be starting on many teams. I think I need to keep Flood because Mays defensive ability could crash at any time (he's 36 yo) and trade Alou. Flood is being paid like a star starter, Alou is paid like a backup. But Alou and Flood were a potent PH combo last year. Alou hit .370 and Flood hit .320.

Years ago I started playing Clemente CF in spring training, so long ago it was for him to replace Bill Virdon if Virdon's defense faltered. I've played Clemente in CF in spring training ever since. He's currently rated 12 in CF with a 17 potential. Yea, I worry a bit about CF.

I'd like a 3.5 star SP. There are 8 in baseball. Can't pry a single one loose. I understand with the young ones making minimum wage or close to it. But there are only two true veterans, Marichal and Perry, and the Giants have no glaring weaknesses so they're not going to trade them.

[Brad K]

February 10 1968

Fan interest is 99 with a +26 modifier. Predictions are for game attendance to drop 3000. I have season ticket price the same as last year. Surely people didn't spend all their money over winter going to ABA games. Maybe we need a red white and blue baseball!