LEG National League Season 4 Rankings
Just to remind you how I got to all these rankings,...You can rank teams in so many different ways that if 20 people did it, you would probably get 20 different rankings. It just depends of what you rank them on and the rating scale you decide to use. That said, this was just done for some fun. It does not mean that the teams are as good or bad as I have ranked them and it doesn't mean they will preform like I may have suggested. It's just one of probably a thousand ways to rank teams. Me? I am not good with numbers so I try to keep it simple for me. Therefore, I ranked pitching based on a 5 man rotation using starting pitchers with at least 750 MBF's. Relief was based on the top 4 relievers. A pitcher could not be rated at both. Pitchers were divided into BBW pitcher grades (25-30, 20-24, 15-19, 10-14, 5-9) and given a rank value for each grade,...so a grade 25 got the same rank as a grade 30.
The hitting rankings were based on OPS. For me, you need runners to be on base (OB%) to score runs and you need hits to score them. Because different grade pitchers turn different hit numbers into outs, AND since ALL hit numbers EXCEPT the power numbers 1 and 0 get changed, that makes SLG an important category for me,...therefore I used OPS. Some of the players you may use as starters may or may not actually be starters for you. I counted only the players that had a PR/SF rating of 750/100 or above. Again, you can rate and rank the teams in any way you want. I just did it this way. It may not be right, but it may not be wrong,...it just is what it is...a simple way for my non mathematical mind to put order to something that I wanted to order.
Remember, this is just for fun and is only one way of doing this. It does not take into account actual lineups and managerial acumen. So, read and laugh and enjoy.
Pitching - Based on 5 starters – rated 1-5 based on A+,A,B,C,D
Relievers - Based on 4 Relievers – rated as above
Hitters – rated 1-3 based on OPS – 1= 800+ 2= 900+ 3=1000+
In the NL East there were,...are you ready? Six (6) teams with 40 or over scores. Six out of eight! Hey,...ready for this? Not one of them is Coastline! The team with the highest score is (and I'm not kidding here) Virginia (45). Virginia checked in with a score of (31) for their pitching. The starters (15) stepped in with 16,16,17,18,19 with Juan Guzman (19) leading the way and Bob Turley (18) right behind. The bullpen came in at (16) with a 21*, 21*, 23*, 24*. Rafael Betancourt claims the closer spot with his 24* while Keith Foulke backs him up with his 23*. While the pitching was first in the Division, their hitting (14) was tied for second. Al Rosen (1.028) leads the attack with ample help from five players with over .900 OPS, including Harry Heilmann and Mickey Mantle. A nice set up for a team that has yearly lacked in the hitting arena.
Right behind Virginia is Pigtown (44). Tim's team has been climbing the standings for three years now and he appears ready to take a shot at the title. Pigtown's pitching scored is a (29) with the starters coming in with a (13). Joe McGinnity (16) and Roy Halladay (15) sorta lead the staff. I say sorta because Pigtown has John Tudor (18) and Luis Tiant (16) but neither qualified due to low MBF's. However we all know that both will pitch as much as they can. And the pen will help stretch them out. The pen scored (16), tied with Virginia. The 19*, 20*, 22*, and 26*, relievers are headed by JJ Putz (26*) and Felix Rodriguez (22*). Like Virginia, facing this bullpen is not going to be fun.
Coming in third was Charm City (41). Charm City had a pitching score of (29). The starters scored a (14) with Mike Mussina (17) in the #1 slot and Jim Palmer (16) behind him. Grade 15's and 14's followed them. Maybe not great, but they're solid. The relievers came in at (15), just a little bit better than the starters. With Huston Street (25*) and Bryan Harvey (24*) they have a strong back end and two 19*'s to hand off to those two. A very good bullpen. Charm City's hitting score (12) was a little low. Jimmie Foxx (1.110 OPS) brings a big bat along with Ken Caminiti and Matt Holliday. Nigel may have wanted another bigger bat, but he got what he got. He will get the best out of what he's got.
The Fantomz (40), Climax (40) and Detroit (40) were a close fourth. The Fantomz pitching score was a (27), The starters came in at (14). But that is a little off due to Satchel Paige (18) not being counted due to lack of MBF. But, Paige will be a major factor if used enough. Stan Coveleski (18) was counted and is the ACE of the staff. Johnny Niggeling (16) and Roy Oswalt (15) along with Ed Killian (15) give Coveleski support. The bullpen score of (13) features Steve Cishek (20*) along with Brad Ziegler (17*) and Jason Frasor (17*).A decent mound corps if they could get some support. And the hitting gave some. The hitters came in at (13). Honus Wagner and his 1.156 OPS leads the offense. With a .375 BA along with 65 doubles and 34 homers, Wagner is a formidable weapon. Ben Taylor (.941 OPS) also added some offense for the Fantomz. Gordon probably would have liked some more heavy hitters, but he knows how to handle a lineup.
Climax (40) is in the mix for the top teams in the Division. Nik doesn't like me to say his team is any good because it's the “kiss of death.” Sorry. His pitchers recorded a (28) score,...not bad. His starters (17) scored the best in the NL. I'm not going to say they are any good but, look at this,... Chet Brewer (20), Rube Waddell (20), Amos Rusie (20) and Smokey Joe Wood (19)! And each one has over 1400 MBY. That means when playing Climax you will face four (4) top of the line pitchers every series (technically, if each of the four face 40 batters per game that would be 35 games per pitcher and 140 games out of the 162 season). Now the relief (11) corps is a different story. They do have a grade (26*) but he has only 88 MBF and doesn't count. After that the pen consists of Brad Hand (19*) and Joe Smith (19*). ThFrom there is drops to 15*'s and 14*'s. Ouch.e hitters (12) had a decent rating. Ed Delahanty (1.106 OPS) was the top hitter with a .346 BA along with 57 doubles and 40 homers. Johnny Mize and Sam Crawford are the other top hitters on the team. However, the pitchers will carry this team.
Detroit (40) also tied for fourth. Frankly it doesn't matter what his team looks like,...this guy Kirk can manage a team! Count on Detroit to be somewhere near the top. Detroit's pitching scored a (25). Not great but not bad. The starters (13) are led by Jeff Tesreau (17) and Virgil Trucks (16). Look for them to get the bulk of the work. Jose Mendez came in with a grade (26) but only 90 MBF. He won't be too much of an impact. The pen (12) came in a little light but is led by Casey Janssen (20*) with support from John Hiller (16*) and Bill Sherdel (15*). The hitting (15) is very good (always is). Three players have OPS over 1.000. They are Roger Connor (1.012), Charlie Hickman (1.063) and Chuck Klein (1.030). For once, Nap Lajoie did not get a super power card,...but he did get a 12 hit card. Keep your eyes on this team.
Coastline (37),..WHAT?!? Brian told me he liked being an underdog because it made it easier to sneak up on the leaders. We'll see. The pitching staff (25) is really not that bad. Sandy Koufax (20) leads the way with Jack Chesbro (18) and Don Sutton (18). Yes, it drops to a 14, 13 and 12 after that but Brian plans to work the bullpen to cover them. Speaking of the bullpen (13), Santiago Casilla (20*), a re-draft, is the big grade in the pen but Bruce Sutter (18*) will probably be the closer with Paul Shuey (17*) the pass to Sutter man. As for offense, the hitters (12) posted an unfamiliar low grade. Coastline still has Lou Gehrig with his 1.022 OPS and Duke Snider with his 1.016 OPS but the rest of the hitters took a little hit this year. It may be a little tougher for Coastline this year , but you never know.
In the last spot in the NL East is the new team on the block, Tonka (34). The pitching came in with a score of (25) but the starters (15) had a score which tied with Virginia for the top score in the NL East. Christy Mathewson (21) is the ACE of the staff and Billy Pierce (19) slots in at number two. Now, there is Red Ruffing (21) but he only has 279 MBF so was not in the scoring for the team. The relievers (10) didn't score so good. Marv Grissom (16*) and Eddie Watt (15*) led the way and leave a little bit of a gap in the closer role. Bob Shawkey (15/18*) could be used out of the pen in some situations but he should be mostly in a starting role. The hitters (9) received the lowest score in the NL (sorry Robert). They did have a player over 1.000 OPS as Robert grabbed Aaron Judge (1.033) in the Draft. Heinie Manush (.353 BA, 29 Homers and a .908 OPS) adds some pop as well as Frank Howard (.298 BA, 30 Homers and .916 OPS). We'll have to see how Robert does with his team this season.
TEAM SCORE Starters Relief Pitching Hitting
Virginia 45 15 16 31 14
Pigtown 44 13 16 29 15
Charm City 41 14 15 29 12
Fantomz 40 14 13 27 13
Climax 40 17 11 28 12
Detroit 40 13 12 25 15
Coastline 37 12 13 25 12
Tonka 34 15 10 25 9
And now the NL West Division. San Tan (42) came out as the top numbers team here. Last year Barry's team struggled to a below .500 season and now he's retooled his team into a contender. The pitching staff came in with a nice score of (28), tops in the West Division. The starters put up a score of (16), challenging Climax for the best starting rotation in the NL. Flame thrower Randy Johnson (22) is the Ace with a strong grade and he has William Bell (17) and Hilton Smith (17) right behind him. The bullpen only scored a (12) but they do have Jim Brewer (24*) as a top rated closer. To get to him, San Tan has Luke Gregerson (18*) and Sparkey Lyle (16*). As for the hitting, they scored a Division high (14). With eight players having over .800 OPS, these guys can hit. Harry Davis leads the way with a .308 BA and 46 Homers with a 1.111 OPS. Four other players have OPS over .900. They are, Sherry Magee (.995), Cesar Cedeno (.987), Mike Piazza (.918) and Reggie Smith (.912). A scary lineup.
Behind San Tan, there were two teams tied for second. Madison East (39) and Southlake (39). Madison East's pitching scored a (27). But they got that score on the basis of two outstanding pitchers. Hal Newhouser (20) and Vida Blue (20) will lead the staff and give Rick's team a nice one-two top of the rotation. After them they have Jarrod Washburn (17) and then a couple of 14's. Out of the pen (12) Madison East will have Duane Ward (20*) as the closer and Koji Uehara (17*) as set-up. Split grade George Britt (13/16*) could be called on if needed but will probably see more starts than relief appearances. In the hitting area, Madison East scored a (12), about average for the Division. They are led by Carlos Pena (.271 BA, 35 Homers and a .942 OPS) who is helped by Cliff Floyd (.324 BA, 22 Homers and a .927 OPS) and Richie Ashburn (.345 BA, 1 Homer and a .901 OPS). Not great in home run pop but decent in hits.
Right there with Madison East is Southlake (39). Southlake did not have as good a starting pitchers' score (12) as Madison East but that was because they didn't have the big grade Ace. Waite Hoyt (15) and Bill Walker (15) stand at the top of the rotation with Carlos Zambrano (14) right behind them. Several big name pitchers succumbed to mediocre rolls and ended up with grades of (13). (Don Drysdale, Juan Marichal and Grover Cleveland Alexander). However the relievers (15) did much better. With Wade Davis (25*) as the closer the pen has Robb Nen (21*) along with Troy Percival (19*) and David Robertson (18*). In addition, they have a (17*) and a couple of (16*'s). The hitters scored a (12), the same as three others in the Division. Cy Seymour (.386 BA, 60 Doubles, 20 Homers and a 1.075 OPS) led the offense. He got good support from Albert Pujols (.942 OPS), Danny Murphy (.920 OPS) and Larry Walker (.970 OPS). The bullpen and offense looks like it might compensate for the starters.
West Michigan (38) had the fourth best score. But that may not mean much. Kevin has a habit of trading throughout the season, changing his roster constantly. And his managerial skills are well known as he constantly finishes in the playoff hunt. So, The pitchers scored (26), about middle of the pack. The starters scored (13). Willie Foster (21) was not counted as he had less than 750 MBF. But Billy Rhines (19) is a solid frontline starter and he is backed up by Robin Roberts (16) and Ned Garvin (16). The relievers also scored a (13). Raisel Iglesias (20*) and Mark Eichorn (19*) are the top relievers and one of them (or both) will end up as stopper. Tyler Clippard (16*) and Steve Gromek (15*) are the middle relievers. Like several other teams, Michigan's hitters scored a (12). Babe Herman (.337 BA, 33 Homers and a .991 OPS) and Ducky Medwick (.331 BA, 34 Homers and a .960 OPS) are the top two hitters getting good help from Willie Stargell (.983 OPS) and Harry Stovey (.951 OPS). A tough team with a smart manager,...watch them.
Pittsburg (35) was in the next spot. The pitching was (23). They scored a low score of (10) for their starters. The top of the rotation features Andy Messersmith (14), George Cuppy (14) and Jim Scott (14/17*). Not what Phil was hoping for to lead his staff. After that is a group of (13's) and (12's). The bullpen (13) was a little better. The Mad Hungarian, Al Hrabosky (22*), should be the closer with Bill Caudill (18*) setting him up. After that it's in the hands of Clay Carroll (16*) and Al McBean (15*). If used judiciously, Jim Scott (14/17*) could see a few innings. The hitters scored a mid-range (12). With Derrek Lee (.332 BA, 32 Homers and a .997) leading the way, several other hitters jumped in to help,...Andrew McCutchen (.341 BA with a .968 OPS), Joe Mauer (.363 BA with a .969 OPS), Hanley Ramirez (.347 BA with a .923 OPS) and Ryan Braun (.328 BA with a .914 OPS). Phil probably hopes those bats take up for the lack of pitching.
Yucaipa (34) ended up number six in the NL West. The pitching was a (24), not what they wanted. The starters (12) are led by Tommy John (16) which is not too bad. It drops from there to Bob Veale (15) and then Fernando Valenzuela (14) and Earl Moore (14). And the bullpen (12) was not as strong as Mark was hoping. Yucaipa does have the best reliever ever in Mariano Rivera (21*). Don't get me wrong,...the pen is not bad,...it just needed to be higher graded. BJ Ryan (19*) is a fine setup man and Rollie Fingers (16* in an off year) is also good. But after those guys it drops way down. As for the hitters (10)? Well, not much help there unfortunately. Roberto Clemente ( .369 BA, 30 Homers and a 1.030 OPS) is the big gun on the team and Joe Dimaggio (.324 BA, 29 Homers and a .965 OPS) is no slouch. Now if Eddie Murray (.300 BA, 24 Homers and a .874 OPS) can get his bat cooking it would certainly help.
Iowa (33) got just enough points to keep them from last place. The pitching got a very low score of (22). The starters came in with a score of (12). Bob Feller (16) and Laymon Yokely (16) share to role of Ace. From there it goes to Cy Young (14), who didn't get as good of a grade as Jim wanted. Dizzy Dean (19) got a good grade but he only had 338 MBF, not enough to be counted, though I'm sure Jim will use him as much as he can. The bullpen (10) was a little thin. Goose Gossage (20*) stands to be the closer while Roy Face (16*) should be the set-up man. After that there is Steve Kline (14*) and that is basically it. The offense (11) did okay but not real good. Joe Morgan led the team (.331 BA, 31 Homers and a 1.072 OPS) and gets help from Todd Helton (.345 BA, 23 Homers with a .993 OPS). Also lending a hand is Bryce Harper (.340 BA, 19 Homers and a .996 OPS). Leave it to Jim to get the best out of these guys.
Ending up in last by just one point was Motown (32), Motown had a good score of (14) for their starters. Tim Lincecum (19) heads the staff that features three (17's),...Ron, Guidry, Gary Nolan and Dave Stewart. David Cone (20) only had 322 MBF and will only be a little help so the (12) and (13) will be pressed into duty. Motown had a low score of (11) for their group of relievers. They do have Jeff Brantley (20*) in the stopper slot, but they drop to Joakim Soria (14*) and David Weathers (13*) after him. Looks like Jim will be relying a lot on the starters. Motown's hitters scored a Division and League low (7) but they still have a couple of good hitters. Johnny Bench (.292 BA, 45 Homers and a .989 OPS) stands out as the top slugger along with Chipper Jones (.313 BA, 27 Homers and a .914 OPS). First round Draft pick Al Kaline (.314 BA, 22 Homers and a .881 OPS) should also lend some help. Hang in there Jim.
TEAM SCORE Starters Relief Pitching Hitting
San Tan 42 16 12 28 14
Madison East 39 15 12 27 12
Southlake 39 12 15 27 12
W. Michigan 38 13 13 26 12
Pittsburgh 35 10 13 23 12
Yucaipa 34 12 12 24 10
Iowa 33 12 10 22 11
Motown 32 14 11 25 7
So there it is. The predictions for the National League. Accurate? Of course they are!? Real accurate? Well, they are real. There is that thing called probability and chance that may influence the outcome. Oh, and human error,...or even luck. Who knows? But it was fun to do. As I did the research on these teams I must say that I was not agreeable to all the final scores on all the teams. Some seemed too high and some too low. I think part of that may be putting the pitching grades into five groups based on APBA/BBW pitching grades of A+, A, B, C, D. Is it really fair to give the same value to a grade 15 and a grade 19 pitcher? Probably not. But it is easier to total the points. Anyway. It is what it is. Good luck to all. Enjoy.
Paul
Virginia