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Post by Admin on Feb 4, 2021 15:50:42 GMT
Eternal Baseball includes all thirty current Major League franchises, as well as the returning Montreal Expos and the new Birmingham Knights (featuring the greatest players from the Negro Leagues). Having 32 teams gives us the opportunity for a little realignment, into eight four-team divisions. Today we introduce the streamlined National League East - Montreal Expos, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and the Washington Nationals. Who's your favorite to win this division in the inaugural season of Eternal Baseball?  Like and subscribe on YouTube at www.youtube.com/channel/UCWGphMCjA37mggIgDhX5ghAFollow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/eternalbaseballFollow us on Instagram at www.instagram.com/eternalbaseball/Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BaseballEternal |
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Post by Joe on Feb 8, 2021 19:13:19 GMT
Ok, Randy Johnson I get, but it just seems wrong to have an all-time Expos rotation without Pedro. We did make him the star he was, winning his first Cy Young as an Expo. I get that he went on to incredible heights in Boston, but couldn't we at least lay claim to his NL stats? (Actually in retrospect, losing Pedro was almost as painful as losing the Expos, and was the most prominent example of the fire sale mentality that lost the fans and eventually doomed the team.)
Also, I haven't checked the stats, but in terms of mind share, perhaps Bill Stoneman deserves consideration over the likes of, say, Pascual Perez or Dan Shatzeder (the latter whom I remember more as a reliever than a starter anyway). Stoneman pitched 2 no-hitters, and surely his stats were bogged down by playing for a poor team.
And where's Ross Grimsley, our only 20-game winner? And Bill Lee?
As for the bullpen, where's John Wetteland? Also Woodie Fryman.
Raines at second base, I remember as an experiment that failed miserably, so my vote would be no.
As for shortstop, Cabrera would certainly be my starter, but if defense counts, Chris Speier and Tim Foli were more than adequate.
And if the Pirates and Rangers aren't using him, how about Al Oliver, at first or off the bench? He did win a batting title as an Expo.
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Post by Admin on Feb 8, 2021 22:47:47 GMT
Joe, thanks for stopping by! The sim is based on the best three consecutive seasons of a player's career averaged together, so it isolates a player's peak performance. Also, since all these players will be competing in a 162-game season starting on February 16, they can only belong to one team (sort of like the "which hat will they wear" debate in the Hall of Fame). I mean, we can't have Pedro winning BOTH Cy Young Awards - especially with Cy Young being his actual teammate on Boston's all-time team. You obviously know your Expos really well - I had to look up the three-year averages for some of your suggestions. Here's what I learned:
Bill Stoneman's 1970-72 average out to 12-15, 3.49 ERA, 1.357 WHIP, 1.68 K/BB - that's good enough for an inactive spot on Montreal's roster, bumping out Javier Vazquez.
Ross Grimsley was only an Expo for 2.5 seasons, so he probably belongs to Baltimore. Either way with full three seasons (including his half year with Cleveland only brings an ERA of 4.48 - not good enough to make the Expos squad.
Bill Lee is on Boston's roster, John Wetteland is on Texas' roster.
I wasn't familiar with Woodie Fryman but his 1979-81 seasons are incredible. Thank you for bringing him to our attention - he will definitely make the main roster - bumping Dan Schatzeder to an inactive slot and Floyd Youmans off the roster entirely.
A couple of Expos fans of Facebook were mortified at the suggestion of playing Raines at 2B. In this sim, his defense at 2B is rated a 4 (out of 10) and Jose Vidro is only a little better, ranked at a 5. Playing Raines at 2B lets you go Alou/Dawson/Vlad across the outfield. If Vidro is playing 2B, you can go Raines/Dawson/Vlad. Do you think Raines' lower defense is made up for in Alou's batting advantage over Jose Vidro?
Al Oliver had a great 1982, but he only spent two seasons in Montreal. Even if you average his better neighboring season (his last year in Texas) his .814 OPS ranks him behind first basemen Galarraga and Staub, and only a little ahead of Ron Fairly and Warren Cromartie. Would you take Al Oliver over those two Expos?
Love the fan feedback - I often say that we will never know any team better than their own die hard fans.
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