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20th Century All-Star Tournament
The 20th Century All-Star Tournament was a collaboration between the Strat-O-Matic Game Company and Spring Training. The results were first published in the 2000 issue of Spring Training Baseball Yearbook.
20th Century All-Star Tournament: Overview
They call to us from the pages of baseball's encyclopedia, the great ones (and the bums, too) asking to be remembered and revered, not forgotten in the dust of each shattered record. And lately, there's been a lot of dust. So, how do we keep our heroes from yesterday from slowly vanishing into obscurity? Let's put them back on the field to match fastballs and bat speed with the super-muscled, personally-trained stars of today. Walter Johnson vs. Mark McGwire. Ty Cobb vs. Randy Johnson. The sluggers of the 90s vs. the deadball artists of the teens. In conjunction with the Strat-O-Matic Game Company, we have assembled baseball's all-time greats for a full-season tournament matching All-Star teams representing each of the century's 10 decades. Ten teams, 162-game balanced schedule, 25 players per team in baseball's most statistically accurate and realistic computer simulation. Let the best decade win. Each team is composed roughly of the 10 best pitchers and 15 best hitters of its decade. With a few exceptions, every team has two catchers, eight infielders and five outfielders, along with a 10-man pitching staff. The players have been chosen based, first, on overall performance during their primary decade; then on criteria such as left- and right-handed balance or their ability to bring a special skill (baserunning, relieving, fielding) to their team. If a player was a substantial performer in two decades, he has been paced on the team where he would have the greatest impact. Each decade has been assigned a home stadium that was especially important during the period. Games played in those parks reflect the statistical effect the park had on games during that time. Strat-O-Matic's computer is the manager for all teams, choosing the lineups and pitching rotations, using pinch-hitters, pinch-runners and defensive replacements, and employing a full range of game strategies. Most importantly, Strat-O-Matic has normalized the statistical profiles of all the players so that they compete on a level field. The best home run hitter in 1909 (Cobb) would certainly hit more than nine homers if he were playing today; just as McGwire would not likely have hit 65 homers had he been playing in 1968. In Strat-O-Matic, a player's normalized ability will reflect how much he stands apart from the average player during his time. Finally, players are performing based on their lifetime achievements, their career stats. Players still active today are represented only by what they have done through the 1998 season.
In the end it was their balance that separated the 1930s squad from the competition. Led by Jimmie Foxx, Met Ott and Lefty Grove, the 1930s won the 20th Century All Star Tournament. They weren't the best hitting decade (that was the 1920s) and they weren't the best pitching decade (that was the 1910s), but they were near the top in both departments and were overall the best defensive team. Challenged from the beginning by the 1910s and later by the '90s and '40s, the 1930s team was never more than two games out of first and led nearly the whole season. After mid-July, their hold on first place was uninterrupted. They entered September with a two-game lead, and finished on a 18-10 run. The final margin was five games over the second-place 1940s. The 1930's clinched the pennant in dramatic fashion on September 26, as Ott drove in pinch runner Paul Waner with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth to beat Jim Bunning and the 1960s, 2-1. Grove was the complete-game winner, with a six hitter.
Won Lost Pct. GB 1930 Decade '30 97 65 .599 ---- 1940 Decade '40 92 70 .568 5.0 1990 Decade '90 91 71 .562 6.0 1910 Decade '10 86 76 .531 11.0 1920 Decade '20 85 77 .525 12.0 1950 Decade '50 76 86 .469 21.0 1900 Decade '00 75 87 .463 22.0 1960 Decade '60 73 89 .451 24.0 1980 Decade '80 71 91 .438 26.0 1970 Decade '70 64 98 .395 33.0
The 1990s squad fared very well, finishing 91-71, just six games out, in third place. However, contrary to our current perceptions of today's record-setting hitters, it was pitching that carried the team. Sluggers like Ken Griffey Jr. and McGwire found they didn't compare favorably when matched against the great hitters of the past. The '90s pitchers though, Roger Clemens especially, proved to be as good as any in baseball history. The 1960s team played in the Astrodome and found runs extremely scarce, even with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays in the lineup nearly every day. Teams from the deadball era played the game as you might expect, namely, good pitching, line-drive hitting and very little power. But even though the 1910s hit fewer than half as many homers as the '90s, they still outscored them by 48 runs. The 1970s and 1980s were the century's doormats. Both squads came up short in both pitching and hitting, although the '80s had the excuse of suffering the season's most injuries. Several overlooked players stacked up well against Hall-of-Fame competition. Chief Myers didn't qualify for the batting title, but hit .414 as the right-handed half of the 1910s catching platoon. Cecil Travis (.329) was instrumental in the 1930s pennant success. First baseman Jake Daubert hit .328 for the 1910s while sparkling in the field. Lon Warneke was 12-1 for the 1930s, with a 2.56 ERA (and was one of just seven pitchers with ERAs under 3.00). Some players banished from baseball returned to the field with mixed results. Joe Jackson ('10s) batted .336 and led the Tournament with 12 triples. But his teammate Ed Cicotte's ERA of 4.76 was well above the Tournament's 4.12 average. And Pete Rose ('60s) led his team in hits and finished third in the tournament with 28 steals. The Strat-O-Matic computer named Babe Ruth ('20s) the MVP of the Tournamnet while Roger Clemens captured the Cy Young Award. 20th Century Tournament All-Star Team Catcher Johnny Bench First base Lou Gehrig Second base Rogers Hornsby Third base Mike Schmidt Shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. Left field Ted Williams Center field Joe DiMaggio Right field Babe Ruth RH starter Roger Clemens LH starter Lefty Grove Reliever John Franco
The Aughts (1900-1909)
Ballpark: West Side Park, Chicago MVP: Honus Wagner Finish: 7th Place Season: Nap Lajoie and Christy Mathewson each missed a month with injuries, but by September the 1900s were the league's hottest team. They ended the season with six straight wins. Jesse Burkett was the Tournament's second leading hitter, Mordecai Brown was fourth in ERA. Roster: Vic Willis and Jack Chesbro were late cuts, as were Mike Donlin and Roy Thomas. An all left-handed hitting outfield created some roster problems, but the infield is heavily right-handed. The pairing of Honus Wagner and Lajoie created the greatest keystone combo in baseball history. 1900s Batter Bats Pos AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R SB AVE Roger Bresnahan R c 452 113 25 5 3 61 45 16 .250 O.Schreckengost R c 244 50 9 2 1 23 18 2 .205 Jake Beckley L 1b 417 125 26 8 7 63 50 17 .300 Harry Davis R 1b 196 49 12 1 1 21 19 3 .250 Johnny Evers L 2b 248 62 7 0 4 22 34 7 .250 Nap Lajoie R 2b 473 155 29 4 5 53 68 14 .328 Jimmy Collins R 3b 370 86 19 4 8 60 39 7 .232 Honus Wagner R ss 540 156 34 11 7 76 84 27 .289 Bobby Wallace R ss 260 59 17 5 0 23 19 2 .227 George Davis S ss 255 60 11 2 2 2 37 12 .235 Jesse Burkett L lf 449 151 26 2 5 65 69 18 .336 Fred Clarke L lf 230 54 6 3 3 27 28 5 .235 Sam Crawford L cf 494 149 27 9 4 76 58 15 .302 Elmer Flick L rf 399 113 13 9 3 29 70 21 .283 Wille Keeler L rf 233 77 3 2 0 12 32 9 .330 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 5664 1507 271 67 53 654 691 181 .266 1900s Pitcher T W L SV IP G GS CG H BB K ERA Ch. Mathewson R 8 16 0 227.0 34 34 7 255 62 112 4.68 Cy Young R 10 21 0 253.2 34 34 13 285 57 101 4.36 Joe McGinnity R 9 12 0 210.2 31 30 8 235 65 79 4.02 Mordecai Brown R 13 10 0 201.1 31 27 8 184 76 93 3.22 Eddie Plank L 6 9 1 134.2 23 18 5 109 53 83 3.88 Addie Joss R 5 5 0 106.0 18 12 6 99 23 47 3.40 Rube Waddell L 3 4 0 48.2 11 7 0 59 20 41 5.73 Ed Reulbach R 8 2 8 93.2 67 0 0 78 40 46 3.17 Jesse Tannehill L 8 5 6 102.1 60 0 0 100 25 46 3.52 Noodles Hahn L 5 3 2 87.1 55 0 0 76 19 69 3.19 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 75 87 17 1465.1 162 47 1480 440 717 3.93
The Teens (1910-1919)
Ballpark: Fenway Park, Boston MVP: Tris Speaker Finish: 4th Place Season: On July 16, the 1910s scored in the bottom of the ninth to give Ed Cicotte a 3-2 win over Dennis Eckersley, moving the club into first place at 55-35. But the next day the club began a seven-game slide and were never close again. At the time, Pete Alexander, Ed Walsh and Carl Mays were 1-2-3 in the league in ERA. By season's end only Alexander was in the top five. Still, this was a pitching dominated club, allowing the tournament's fewest runs and holding hitters to a combined .243 average. Roster: Hall of Famer Edd Roush and Sherry Magee just missed making the squad in the outfield, but Gavy Cravath's right-handed power was needed. Max Carey was added for late-inning defense and baserunning. At shortstop, Ray Chapman was a late cut, as Art Fletcher and Rabbit Maranville were selected for defense. The last pitcher chosen was Rube Marquand, beating out Babe Adams and Lefty Tyler. 1910s Batter Bats Pos AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R SB AVE Chief Meyers R c 203 84 11 0 3 36 28 2 .414 Wally Schang S c 433 118 16 7 4 68 28 9 .273 Jake Daubert L 1b 411 135 17 4 7 50 66 12 .328 Ed Konetchy R 1b 202 40 2 2 2 27 19 4 .198 Eddie Collins L 2b 541 157 13 2 4 31 90 22 .290 Buck Herzog R 2b 289 76 8 4 2 34 37 11 .263 Home Run Baker L 3b 460 133 22 2 6 61 55 10 .289 Heinie Groh R 3b 199 44 7 0 1 17 15 6 .221 Art Fletcher R ss 315 81 13 1 0 30 18 7 .257 R. Maranville R ss 221 49 5 2 1 13 25 5 .222 Max Carey S lf 152 42 10 1 2 13 31 18 .276 Joe Jackson L lf 452 152 19 12 6 61 69 11 .336 Ty Cobb L rf 562 193 34 3 5 81 92 25 .343 Gavy Cravath R rf 222 65 8 4 10 35 46 1 .293 Tris Speaker L cf 586 197 45 8 8 121 93 20 .336 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 5710 1629 241 52 65 701 741 167 .285 1910s Pitcher T W L SV IP G GS CG H BB K ERA Walter Johnson R 15 11 0 258.1 34 34 12 208 75 204 3.31 Pete Alexander R 15 13 0 259.0 34 33 10 231 60 158 3.06 Rube Marquard L 12 9 1 211.2 32 29 8 200 67 140 3.49 Carl Mays R 10 12 0 202.0 28 27 10 222 49 69 4.23 Ed Walsh R 7 9 0 180.1 27 26 6 162 46 96 3.44 Chief Bender R 8 1 0 82.0 12 10 5 57 21 53 1.32 Hippo Vaughn L 2 2 0 21.0 7 3 0 26 12 13 4.29 Joe Wood R 4 7 15 54.2 49 0 0 41 29 38 5.10 Ed Cicotte R 3 7 9 79.1 57 0 0 82 33 40 4.76 Slim Sallee L 10 5 6 116.1 68 0 0 121 31 45 3.79 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 86 76 31 1464.2 162 51 1350 423 856 3.51
The Twenties (1920-1929)
Ballpark: Yankee Stadium, New York MVP: Babe Ruth Finish: 5th Place Season: Ruth and Gehrig tried, but couldn't carry the team whose pitching could not keep pace with the top squads. The 1920s were the highest scoring team and, by far, the most prolific in home runs. Ruth and Gehrig ranked first and second in both homers and runs and first and fourth in RBIs. With Rogers Hornsby they ranked 1-2-3 in total bases. And Ruth lost the season's last 17 games to injury. Starting pitching was a problem as no true ace emerged. Eddie Rommel missed two months with an injury. Roster: The toughest call was placing Gehrig in the 20s, rather than the 30s. With Jimmie Foxx and Hank Greenberg available for the 1930s, the Ruth-Gehrig duo was kept together. Because Frankie Frisch could backup at both second and third, the club carried Bill Terry as a third first baseman. Terry, however, playing behind Gehrig and George Sisler, rarely got into a game. Kiki Cuyler, Sam Rice, Earl Combs and Chick Hafey couldn't crack the outfield and Travis Jackson and two Hall of Fame pitchers, Waite Hoyt and Herb Pennock, also failed to make the team. 1920s Batter Bats Pos AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R SB AVE Mickey Cochrane L c 492 125 21 1 16 66 51 18 .254 Ray Schalk R c 104 16 2 0 0 6 8 2 .154 George Sisler L 1b 241 65 7 3 7 34 30 8 .270 Lou Gehrig L 1b 579 171 26 8 51 133 116 5 .295 Bill Terry L 1b 83 23 3 0 1 8 10 1 .277 Rogers Hornsby R 2b 526 170 20 4 38 100 112 5 .323 Frankie Frisch S 2b 280 66 12 1 8 32 36 8 .236 Pie Traynor R 3b 547 149 17 9 5 47 68 17 .272 Dave Bancroft S ss 248 62 7 1 1 27 40 3 .250 Joe Sewell L ss 371 96 11 1 5 40 35 9 .259 Zack Wheat L lf 114 37 7 3 3 13 17 1 .325 Hack Wilson R cf 396 105 14 6 28 88 65 6 .265 Goose Goslin L lf 501 124 21 5 17 49 78 13 .248 Harry Heilmann R lf 211 56 8 3 11 34 31 2 .265 Babe Ruth L rf 523 154 25 3 56 108 118 6 .294 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Total 5630 1470 206 48 247 805 835 104 .261 1920s Pitcher T W L SV IP G GS CG H BB K ERA Eppa Rixey L 15 14 0 225.2 35 34 6 223 76 95 4.31 Ted Lyons R 12 6 0 228.2 31 31 5 259 77 83 4.01 Burleigh Grimes R 10 9 1 206.2 32 30 7 213 78 108 4.27 Red Faber R 7 14 0 199.0 31 29 4 221 79 105 5.11 Dazzy Vance R 11 8 0 188.0 27 25 7 178 52 159 3.69 Stan Coveleski R 5 3 3 79.0 15 10 4 87 24 40 4.33 Dolph Luque R 1 2 1 22.1 9 3 0 23 12 12 6.45 Urban Shocker R 9 6 15 105.1 70 0 0 118 27 47 3.93 Eddie Rommel R 1 4 7 46.1 37 0 0 49 12 21 2.91 Wilbur Cooper L 14 11 3 152.0 83 0 0 170 59 72 3.85 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 85 77 30 1453.0 162 33 1541 496 742 4.20
The Thirties (1930-1939)
Ballpark: Polo Grounds, New York MVP: Lefty Grove Finish: 1st Place Season: The Hall of Fame has been criticized for including too many players from this era, but the results of this tournament argue that the 1930s was baseball's greatest decade. In head-to-head play, they played .500 or better against every decade and were the only team to have a winning record every month. In early September the 90s got within a game and a half, but over the last three weeks of the season the 30s' lead never fell below four games. The club got great contributions from the bench (Waner, Billy Herman and Joe Medwick) and nine different hitters hit more than 10 homers. Roster: Thirteen of the club's 15 position players are Hall of Famers; Earl Averill, Heinie Manush, Fred Lindstrom, Tony Lazzeri, Lloyd Waner and Rick Ferrell are among the immortals not making the squad. Hank Greenberg played behind Jimmie Foxx and Gabby Hartnett got most of the playing time over Bill Dickey. Lon Warneke, "The Arkansas Hummingbird," was sensational as a swing man for a pitching staff so deep that Carl Hubbell got just 14 starts. 1930s Batter Bats Pos AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R SB AVG Bill Dickey L c 218 56 3 4 3 20 19 1 .257 Gabby Hartnett R c 449 121 23 2 20 75 55 2 .269 Jimmie Foxx R 1b 460 124 10 0 27 71 80 7 .270 Hank Greenberg R 1b 188 49 3 1 16 42 42 2 .261 Char. Gehringer L 2b 542 146 24 5 15 42 83 16 .269 Babe Herman R 2b 125 40 5 1 0 14 16 2 .320 Harland Clift R 3b 326 77 16 1 15 42 57 4 .236 Cecil Travis L 3b 425 140 19 7 3 35 55 3 .329 Arky Vaughan L ss 205 51 7 4 4 21 24 5 .249 Joe Cronin R ss 492 125 28 2 11 51 51 2 .254 Joe Medwick R lf 203 62 9 3 8 30 30 0 .305 Al Simmons R cf 511 162 13 4 26 86 74 7 .317 Chuck Klein L lf 435 139 19 1 28 87 68 7 .320 Mel Ott L rf 551 147 25 1 29 98 98 4 .267 Paul Waner L rf 122 42 10 1 2 14 22 3 .344 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 5660 1536 222 37 211 750 788 65 .271 1930s Pitcher T W L SV IP G GS CG H BB K ERA Mel Harder R 12 8 0 216.0 34 32 5 236 55 79 4.29 Red Ruffing R 11 10 0 221.0 31 30 6 232 74 139 3.87 Lefty Grove L 17 6 0 225.0 31 30 13 215 70 177 3.08 Tommy Bridges R 10 5 0 149.1 26 20 4 137 62 118 3.19 Dizzy Dean R 11 9 4 182.2 49 19 6 177 61 142 3.55 Carl Hubbell L 9 6 1 123.0 34 14 5 130 35 90 4.68 Wes Ferrell R 5 7 0 87.0 16 14 1 95 33 37 4.97 Lon Warneke R 12 1 7 119.1 68 2 0 97 32 49 2.56 Lefty Gomez L 7 8 8 74.1 53 1 0 73 29 55 3.75 Johnny Murphy R 3 5 16 72.1 52 0 0 63 33 27 3.86 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 97 65 36 1470.0 162 40 1455 484 913 3.72
The Forties (1940-1949)
Ballpark: Sportman's Park MVP: Ted Williams Finish: 2nd Place Season: After a nine-game winning streak in May put the 1940s within one game of first, it looked like Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams might be enough to carry the team. DiMaggio was hitting .404 and Williams was leading the league in RBIs pacing the league's highest scoring offense. But the pitching staff allowed nearly 100 more runs than the '30s, preventing the 40s from finishing closer than five games back. Though Bob Feller and Dutch Leonard were dependable starters, no '40s pitcher ranked among the top 10 in ERA. Roster: The 1940s were rich in under-appreciated third basemen, two of whom (George Kell and Ken Keltner) were unable to make the team. Stan Hack was chosen for his left-handed bat and Bob Elliott for his power. Because Stan Musial could play first, there was room for left-handed outfielder Charlie Keller, the last player chosen, who got the nod over Rudy York, Mickey Vernon, Frank McCormick, Vern Stephens, Marty Marion and Dom DiMaggio. 1940s Batter Bats Pos AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R SB AVG Walker Cooper R c 195 56 13 4 3 25 16 3 .287 Ernie Lombardi R c 399 117 14 4 17 70 39 2 .293 Stan Musial L 1b 478 143 29 3 13 66 83 8 .299 Johnny Mize L 1b 324 113 18 4 20 56 57 2 .349 Bobby Doerr R 2b 305 94 11 7 7 31 46 10 .308 Joe Gordon R 2b 363 99 15 4 19 50 54 8 .273 Stan Hack L 3b 314 83 11 1 5 30 39 7 .264 Bob Elliott R 3b 347 97 16 2 11 37 51 5 .280 Luke Appling R ss 416 120 16 2 1 35 61 15 .288 Lou Boudreau R ss 431 104 25 3 4 52 39 5 .241 Charlie Keller L rf 171 56 6 2 18 40 36 1 .327 Ralph Kiner R lf 122 35 2 1 10 26 22 2 .287 Ted Williams L lf 497 163 20 1 41 117 109 3 .328 Enos Slaughter L rf 459 126 20 9 8 37 69 13 .275 Joe DiMaggio R cf 523 170 33 18 24 100 86 3 .325 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Total 5772 1638 260 65 202 794 831 87 .284 1940s Pitcher T W L SV IP G GS CG H BB K ERA Bob Feller R 16 9 0 257.0 36 35 10 226 87 205 3.78 Bucky Walters R 11 15 0 208.2 32 31 8 238 89 100 5.39 Dutch Leonard R 16 5 1 207.1 32 31 4 216 57 97 3.56 Hal Newhouser L 11 8 0 172.0 26 26 5 156 78 130 4.60 Allie Reynolds R 8 5 0 152.2 26 23 3 155 67 82 4.66 J. Vander Meer L 4 3 0 77.1 13 10 1 67 45 59 4.31 Harry Brecheen L 9 8 8 128.2 61 6 1 126 48 69 3.85 Mort Cooper R 4 5 14 90.1 58 0 0 83 31 62 3.79 Joe Page L 4 4 9 50.2 42 0 0 54 24 49 5.15 Dizzy Trout R 9 8 4 132.1 67 0 0 130 34 62 2.99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 92 70 36 1477.0 162 32 1451 560 915 4.17
The Fifties (1950-1959)
Ballpark: Ebbetts Field MVP: Mickey Mantle Finish: 6th Place Season: The second worst pitching in the league kept the 1950s from taking advantage of its slugging lineup and a great season from Mickey Mantle. Especially disappointing were the performances of Whitey Ford and Don Newcombe, who were each 6-10. The dismal showing of Elroy Face (1-11, 7.47) was damaging, also. Minnie Miņoso provided excitement as one of two players in the league to reach double figures in doubles, triples and homers (DiMaggio was the other). Roster: With Mantle in center field for the '50s, Willie Mays was placed on the 1960s team. Duke Snider shifted to right, where he and Al Kaline platooned. Left field belonged to Miņoso. Ernie Banks kept Pee Wee Reese on the bench and Phil Rizzuto off the squad. Richie Ashburn was unable to beat out Larry Doby for the last spot on the team. The 1950s were the earliest decade with more than one reliever (Bobby Shantz and Face), but the results were not good. Injury kept Yogi Berra on the bench for six weeks. 1950s Batter Bats Pos AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R SB AVG Yogi Berra L c 355 110 17 4 24 68 53 4 .310 Roy Campanella R c 303 75 6 1 10 37 27 3 .248 Gil Hodges R 1b 261 70 3 4 9 38 26 6 .268 Ted Kluszewski L 1b 481 150 23 1 14 67 64 4 .312 Nellie Fox L 2b 460 128 15 6 4 40 56 15 .278 Jackie Robinson R 2b 353 110 20 4 8 32 69 26 .312 Ken Boyer R 3b 312 88 18 3 13 38 53 5 .282 Eddie Mathews L 3b 438 116 15 0 25 84 66 2 .265 Ernie Banks R ss 555 142 22 3 26 87 65 4 .256 Pee Wee Reese R ss 99 22 4 0 3 15 15 3 .222 Minnie Minoso R lf 488 145 21 12 16 59 81 8 .297 Larry Doby L cf 97 27 5 2 8 16 14 2 .278 Mickey Mantle S cf 486 158 23 9 28 105 106 20 .325 Duke Snider L rf 452 150 25 9 18 62 71 13 .332 Al Kaline R rf 197 62 14 2 4 24 27 3 .315 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Total 5748 1602 242 60 213 793 816 118 .279 1950s Pitcher T W L SV IP G GS CG H BB K ERA Early Wynn R 11 13 0 246.2 39 38 6 250 81 112 4.38 Robin Roberts R 14 10 0 244.0 38 35 5 278 48 109 4.13 Warren Spahn L 17 9 0 252.0 34 32 10 250 74 117 3.89 Whitey Ford L 6 10 0 137.1 29 24 2 177 61 82 6.29 Don Newcombe R 6 10 0 145.1 24 23 7 171 47 76 5.33 Billy Pierce L 6 10 4 130.0 60 7 1 137 56 77 4.71 Bob Lemon R 0 4 2 29.1 14 2 1 36 14 14 4.30 Bobby Shantz L 6 4 5 81.1 51 1 0 101 27 40 5.20 Roy Face R 1 11 18 62.2 53 0 0 101 27 31 4.47 Lew Burdette R 9 5 0 132.1 66 0 0 177 35 44 4.90 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 76 86 29 1461.0 162 32 1678 470 702 4.77
The Sixties (1960-1969)
Ballpark: Astrodome MVP: Hank Aaron Finish: 8th Place Season: The 1960s inability to hit consistently can be traced to the cavernous Astrodome, and is illustrated by the 118 percent more homers the club hit on the road than at home (85 to 39). Particularly affected were Willie Mays and Ron Santo (they combined for two homers at home, 22 on the road). Only Hank Aaron drove in as many as 70 runs. Maury Wills was a terror on the bases, but his .281 on-base average minimized his value. Bob Gibson lead the league with five shutouts and Sandy Koufax was the leader in strikeouts per inning. Roster: With right-handed hitting outfielders Mays, Aaron, Frank Robinson and Roberto Clemente as the backbone of the team, lefty Tony Oliva was added forcing Orlando Cepeda off the squad. Carl Yastrzemski played often at first base. Because of Pete Rose's versatility, he was in the lineup nearly every day. Others who just missed the cut were Billy Williams, Ken Boyer, Gary Peters, Jim Kaat and Ferguson Jenkins. 1960s Batter Bats Pos AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R SB AVG Joe Torre R c 480 134 27 4 9 47 47 2 .279 Bill Freehan R c 290 83 19 1 8 36 28 3 .286 Harmon Killebrew R 1b 417 100 21 2 24 67 56 8 .240 Bill Mazeroski R 2b 143 33 4 1 2 19 10 0 .231 Brooks Robinson R 3b 131 35 4 2 1 15 10 1 .267 Pete Rose S 2b 591 158 29 9 1 43 72 28 .267 Ron Santo R 3b 359 97 22 1 11 44 42 2 .270 Maury Wills S ss 466 121 15 2 4 26 55 59 .260 Luis Aparicio R ss 269 74 11 2 0 16 39 19 .275 Hank Aaron R rf 514 153 30 1 18 85 70 14 .298 Carl Yastrzemski L lf 371 90 16 2 14 60 48 14 .243 Willie Mays R cf 532 138 21 9 13 69 68 20 .259 Roberto Clemente R rf 202 59 7 3 4 25 29 4 .292 Tony Oliva L rf 119 33 4 1 2 12 17 4 .277 Frank Robinson R lf 308 63 13 4 10 39 43 6 .205 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 5555 1400 246 44 124 616 646 184 .252 1960s Pitcher T W L SV IP G GS CG H BB K ERA Juan Marichal R 7 18 0 222.1 36 35 1 253 58 106 4.66 Jim Bunning R 6 17 0 209.0 37 31 2 245 64 111 4.22 Bob Gibson R 13 13 0 214.1 30 30 9 196 81 118 3.44 Sandy Koufax L 10 8 0 169.1 28 26 2 137 73 167 3.56 Don Drysdale R 6 5 0 141.1 22 21 2 141 47 88 3.12 Dean Chance R 6 3 1 97.1 16 14 2 86 39 53 2.96 Hoyt Wilhelm R 9 11 5 140.0 86 4 2 140 48 76 4.05 Stu Miller R 3 4 7 95.2 50 1 0 77 32 46 3.01 Dick Radatz R 9 7 10 77.0 52 0 0 62 35 60 3.16 Ron Perranoski L 4 3 9 95.1 64 0 0 98 39 43 4.15 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 73 89 32 1461.2 162 20 1435 516 868 3.75
The Seventies (1970-1979)
Ballpark: Riverfront Stadium MVP: Willie Stargell Finish: 10th Place Season: As the first decade to establish the late-inning closer as an institution on every team, this club might have expected its relief pitching to give it an edge. Instead the trio of Goose Gossage, Rollie Fingers and Sparky Lyle combined for an ERA of 6.49. The starters weren't much better and the club was last in the league in pitching. On offense, the club forged the deadly combination of the league's most strikeouts and fewest walks. The team highlight was the power hitting of Willie Stargell (fifth in the league in homers and sixth in RBIs) and Willie McCovey (seven pinch homers). Roster: With its Hall-of-Fame rotation (Jim Palmer, Gaylord Perry, Steve Carlton, Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan), Catfish Hunter was left off the team. Vida Blue was chosen as a left-hander for the bullpen over Ron Guidry. Fred Lynn was chosen for center field over Cesar Cedeņo and Amos Otis. With Stargell playing most days at first, McCovey was relegated to the bench. Jim Rice, Dave Parker and Graig Nettles found their names in the lineup even less frequently. 1970s Batter Bats Pos AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R SB AVG Johnny Bench R c 518 142 25 2 19 65 62 5 .274 Carlton Fisk R c 282 80 12 1 11 30 33 4 .284 Willie Stargell L 1b 562 157 26 1 34 102 71 4 .279 Willie McCovey L 1b 152 46 7 1 14 29 27 1 .303 Joe Morgan L 2b 479 120 13 6 13 45 77 25 .251 Rod Carew L 2b 319 105 11 8 3 30 51 8 .329 Graig Nettles L 3b 69 11 2 0 1 6 4 2 .159 Dick Allen R 3b 534 144 25 7 23 85 76 13 .270 Bert Campaneris R ss 213 56 2 3 3 20 33 12 .263 Dave Concepcion R ss 407 119 18 1 5 44 41 12 .292 George Foster R lf 480 122 13 2 17 53 54 5 .254 Jime Rice R lf 96 20 3 1 2 5 12 0 .208 Fred Lynn L cf 569 144 16 4 18 75 74 10 .253 Reggie Jackson L rf 483 112 16 4 16 56 51 6 .232 Dave Parker L rf 70 12 4 0 2 5 2 0 .171 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 5561 1429 197 42 181 661 685 108 .257 1970s Pitcher T W L SV IP G GS CG H BB K ERA Steve Carlton L 10 19 0 234.0 42 38 4 255 88 140 4.73 Tom Seaver R 12 15 0 243.2 38 37 6 271 76 153 4.10 Nolan Ryan R 8 17 0 241.0 41 37 5 248 139 225 5.34 Gaylord Perry R 9 16 0 178.1 36 29 4 222 38 102 5.40 Jim Palmer R 5 5 0 134.2 32 16 1 131 49 62 4.14 Vida Blue L 2 3 0 60.2 26 4 0 53 14 29 3.41 Goose Gossage R 2 1 11 43.1 37 1 0 49 22 34 5.19 Sparky Lyle L 5 14 11 79.2 64 0 0 106 36 37 7.34 Rollie Fingers R 4 6 1 107.1 72 0 0 152 52 81 6.37 Mike Marshall R 7 2 0 115.0 66 0 0 146 29 54 4.23 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 64 98 23 1437.2 162 20 1633 543 917 4.94
The Eighties (1980-1989)
Ballpark: Wrigley Field MVP: Mike Schmidt Finish: 9th Place Season: More than any other team, the 1980s suffered from the injury bug, losing Ryne Sandberg, Dale Murphy, Jesse Orosco, Dan Quisenberry and Dave Righetti for extended periods. The 1980s tied for the fewest runs scored and the lowest on-base average in the league and were last in batting average. Neither of the team's two leadoff hitters had much success with the bat: Wade Boggs hit .233 and Ricky Henderson, .225. Henderson did lead the league in steals with 74. The team had the fewest errors in the league, led by the incredible Sandberg who had but three in his 130 games. Roster: The most notable name missing from the team is Ozzie Smith, who couldn't beat out Robin Yount and Cal Ripken. And Yount found himself on the bench. Paul Molitor, Alan Trammell, Eddie Murray, Kirby Puckett, Andre Dawson and Tim Raines are other obvious omissions. All-time saves leader Lee Smith was bypassed for Dan Quisenberry and Bruce Sutter. In order to keep three third basemen (Mike Schmidt, George Brett and Wade Boggs), Don Mattingly was the only first baseman selected. Eight of the team's 25 players are still active. 1980s Batter Bats Pos AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R SB AVG Gary Carter R c 425 101 14 0 12 41 43 5 .238 Lance Parrish R c 219 53 8 4 7 26 14 2 .242 Don Mattingly L 1b 499 135 17 2 15 62 43 1 .271 Ryne Sandberg R 2b 537 151 25 7 15 62 70 15 .281 Mike Schmidt R 3b 540 130 17 2 32 93 77 9 .241 Lou Whitaker L 2b 162 42 4 0 3 11 29 7 .259 Wade Boggs L 3b 116 27 4 2 0 7 11 1 .233 George Brett L 3b 223 58 11 3 3 21 27 6 .260 Cal Ripken Jr. R ss 551 161 28 7 17 65 47 4 .292 Robin Yount R ss 101 16 2 1 0 6 11 2 .158 Dale Murphy R cf 496 117 12 1 25 70 69 6 .236 Rickey Henderson R lf 506 114 11 2 14 43 92 74 .225 Tony Gwynn L rf 493 151 20 5 6 55 57 16 .306 Jose Canseco R rf 198 47 8 1 10 27 20 1 .237 Dave Winfield R rf 115 33 5 2 7 15 23 3 .287 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Total 5530 1369 189 39 166 615 646 154 .248 1980s Pitcher T W L SV IP G GS CG H BB K ERA Fer. Valenzuela L 13 14 0 222.1 39 36 3 260 100 122 5.59 Jack Morris R 8 17 0 231.0 45 34 1 243 101 122 4.52 Frank Viola L 6 14 0 170.0 30 27 1 202 61 80 4.92 Orel Hershiser R 10 12 0 220.1 45 27 5 230 74 108 3.92 Dave Stieb R 5 9 0 138.1 28 20 2 137 49 57 3.90 Dwight Gooden R 6 6 0 99.1 15 15 1 99 34 64 3.81 Dave Righetti L 6 7 7 70.2 43 3 0 86 31 41 5.60 Bruce Sutter R 9 6 20 79.0 67 0 0 90 25 49 4.33 Jesse Orosco L 2 3 6 99.1 70 0 0 104 42 55 4.53 Dan Quisenberry R 6 3 1 112.2 63 0 0 147 38 39 5.59 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 71 91 34 1443.0 162 13 1598 555 737 4.66
The Nineties (1990-1998)
Ballpark: Jacobs Field MVP: Roger Clemens Finish: 3rd Place Season: Fans who flock to the ballparks to see the home run feats of today's sluggers might be paying attention to the wrong thing. Based on the outcome of this tournament, the 1990s players that truly stand out are the great pitchers. Roger Clemens was the tournament's outstanding pitcher, winning the ERA crown and finishing tied for second in wins. Baseball's greatest hitters batted a league-low .209 against him. David Cone, Mike Mussina and Pedro Martinez weren't far behind. McGwire and company did not fare as well, finishing in the second division in most offensive categories, including home runs. Roster: This tournament was based on players' lifetime stats. However, since stats from the 1999 season were not included, Sammy Sosa failed to beat out Juan Gonzalez or Albert Belle. Kenny Lofton was added for center field defense and baserunning help. Alex Rodriguez was selected over Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra based on having an extra year in the majors. McGwire and Frank Thomas kept Jeff Bagwell off the team. Kevin Brown, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Curt Schilling were also late cuts. 1990s Batter Bats Pos AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R SB AVG Mike Piazza R c 379 114 19 0 15 57 49 4 .301 Ivan Rodriguez R c 240 71 11 4 2 33 19 5 .296 Mark McGwire R 1b 463 115 20 1 19 86 60 0 .248 Frank Thomas R 1b 217 61 4 0 5 23 20 4 .281 Roberto Alomar S 2b 407 113 15 6 3 35 62 10 .278 Craig Biggio R 2b 385 108 19 1 9 36 59 21 .281 Robin Ventura L 3b 367 87 8 3 6 31 35 0 .237 Matt Williams R 3b 301 80 17 1 9 44 35 6 .266 Barry Larkin R ss 426 128 20 7 4 35 68 18 .300 Alex Rodriguez R ss 185 55 9 2 4 15 30 10 .297 Barry Bonds L lf 431 117 17 8 19 72 70 14 .271 Juan Gonzalez R rf 347 82 12 1 17 50 42 0 .236 Ken Griffey Jr. L cf 443 116 14 5 12 52 57 9 .262 Kenny Lofton L cf 241 54 8 4 1 18 25 18 .224 Albert Belle R rf 374 100 26 1 17 57 53 8 .267 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 5541 1443 223 44 142 652 693 129 .260 1990s Pitcher T W L SV IP G GS CG H BB K ERA Randy Johnson L 12 11 0 198.2 34 32 0 177 117 170 3.99 Greg Maddux R 11 14 0 201.1 32 32 1 227 60 115 4.38 Roger Clemens R 16 6 1 215.0 38 27 3 164 84 169 2.89 David Cone R 10 10 3 195.0 45 25 2 180 71 138 3.46 Pedro Martinez R 9 6 0 161.0 26 23 0 152 65 118 3.58 Mike Mussina R 7 5 0 125.1 20 20 0 141 22 66 3.45 Dennis Eckersley R 7 11 22 93.2 62 3 1 112 17 67 3.27 John Franco L 7 2 16 66.0 53 0 0 62 30 32 2.86 John Wetteland R 5 3 3 96.0 73 0 0 80 33 69 3.28 Randy Myers L 7 3 2 115.0 72 0 0 107 67 87 3.76 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 91 71 47 1467.0 162 7 1402 566 1031 3.56