Earl Weaver Baseball League

Thoughts on Wiederanders

February 12th, 2009 by Admirals GM

Wiederanders is a borderline Hall of Famer; it will be interesting to see which side of the border he falls on.  On the plus side, he won a Gibson Award and 2 World Series Championships (1982 with LA, and 1991 with NY).  On the minus side, his career totals are generally solid, but not indisputable Hall of Fame material.  (Less than 240 Wins, a career ERA around 3.45, etc.) 

 

By the way, Portland could now become real players on the FA market.  For one thing, Wiederanders walked away from $6.7M guaranteed to him for next year.  The Fog Devils are now free to use that money on someone else.  For another thing, Steve "Red Beard" Page is voluntarily taking a whopping $5M pay cut for next year.  Making $5.2M in 1994, Red Beard has agreed to a 1 year extension in 1995 for just $265K.  This was almost certainly a salary mistake on Page's part -- if he became a free agent, I'm sure some team would pay him at least $1M or so (even with his fallen ratings).  But maybe Page just loves Portland so much he's willing to stay there for less.

 

Going beyond Page, Portland has gotten a bunch of players to take dramatic pay cuts for 1995.  1B George Love is going from $2.2M to $575K, even though he's coming off a fairly productive year: .275/30/92.  SP Bob Peterson is going from $2.235M this year to $275K next year.  Now, Peterson is an aging veteran who wasn't very good this year (+5 ERA), but it still is significant that Portland gets to keep him on next year for pennies on the dollar.

 

The Fog Devils have $17.5M in salary commitments for 1995, which is about 1/3 of Washington's commitments (the Admirals already have a payroll pegged around $51M).  Looking at this year's budget, and taking into account that Portland actually lost a little money this year, I assume their budget will be around $32M in 1995.  That gives them about $15M to spend on free agents and/or big salary players acquired through trades.  That's a ton of money for such a small market team.  In fact, I would bet offhand that never in Fog Devils history have they had so much money to throw around in an offseason.  Let's see if they can use that money to good end, and knock off the faltering Admirals.

1994 Washington HOF Ballot

December 23rd, 2008 by Admirals GM

My ballot...

 

1. Thomas: YES.  With 2 Yes's and 1 Undecided, Thomas gets in.  The fact that he didn't get in on a unanimous vote pisses him off though.  He's thinking about making a comeback just to shove it down the Wolverines' throats.

 

2. Kimble: Reconsider.  With1 reconsider and 2 No's, Kimble is eliminated from the ballot.

 

3. Quinones: YES.  With 2 Yes and 1 Reconsider, Quinones is inducted to the Hall of Fame in his 1st year of eligibility.

 

4. Mitchell: No.  With 1 Reconsider and 2 No's, Mitchell is eliminated from the ballot.

 

5. Green: No.  With 1 Yes and 2 No's, Green fails to make the Hall of Fame.  This was his final year of eligibility.

 

6. Nakamura: No.  With 1 Yes and 2 No's, Nakamura fails to make the Hall of Fame.  This was his final year of eligibility.  (BTW: I had voted yes on Nakamura in the past, but changed my vote this year.  If I had voted yes once again, Nakamura would be in.)

 

7. Lopez: YES.  With 2 Yes and 1 No, Lopez makes it in to the Hall of Fame in his final year of eligibility.

8. Nunes: Yes.  Nunes is the first manager inducted into the manager's wing of the Hall of Fame.  He was a unanimous selection.

 

9. Martin: YES.  With 2 Yes and 1 Undecided, Martin makes it in.

 

10. Olsen: Undecided.  With 1 yes and 2 undecideds, Olsen will appear on the ballot next year.

1994 Miami HOF Ballot

December 22nd, 2008 by Banditos GM

1. Thomas - Yes
2. Kimble - NO
3. Quinones - Reconsider
4. Mitchell - NO
5. Green - NO
6. Nakamura - NO
7. Lopez - Yes
8. Nunes - Yes
9. Martin - Reconsider
10. Olsen - Reconsider

1994 Omaha HOF Ballot

December 19th, 2008 by Wolverines GM

1) Reconsider-- I state this because his numbers aren't really that great. He is kind of like a Bert Blyleven/Jack Morris type. He played on some great teams,no doubt, but that doesn't mean (in my book) that should qualify you for the HOF. To me a HOF's numbers should stand out to where there is not any question (again my standards). I just don't see it.

 

2) NO

 

3) Yes

 

4) Reconsider

 

5) yes

 

6) yes

 

7) no

 

8) yes

 

9) yes

 

10) yes

1994 Hall of Fame Ballot

December 19th, 2008 by Admirals GM

The new twist this year: manager have been added to the ballot for the first time ever.  Instead of voting on all prior managers at once, I've decided to roll through 3 at a time, so each manager gets his due consideration.  I've led off with 3 of the strongest candidates.

 

First, the players' ballot...

 

FIRST TIMERS: Vote YES, NO, or UNDECIDED.

 

1. Forest Thomas, SP: 1970-1993 (Boston 1970, Washington 1970-1981 and 1987-1990, Kansas City 1982-1986, and Miami 1991-1993).

On the Ballot: 1st Time

Career Stats (Rank): 313-203 (2nd in Wins, 6th in losses); 3.62 ERA; 2300 K's; 1.20 WHIP (20th); 684 Starts (1st); 4833.2 IP (3rd); 691.1 VORP (13th)

Peak Years: 1973, 21-6, 2.61, 144 K's; 1978, 21-6, 2.48, 151 K's; 1981, 17-4, 2.16, 117 K's

Awards: None.

Leaderboard: Led the league in ERA twice; in winning percentage twice; in BB/9 5 times (including in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s); in Quality Starts twice; in Quality Start % 3 times.

Playoffs: 5 World Series Titles (most of any player, all-time), 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, and 1989 with Washington; 7 World Series Appearances (the 5 wins with Washington, a loss with Washington in 1981, and a loss with Kansas City in 1984); 17 playoff appearances (to my knowledge, the most all time, perhaps by far).

Career Postseason Stats: 17-20 and 3.83 (note: he was 8-2 in the championship years with the Admirals).

All Star: 2 Times (1975 and 1976).

Comment: The greatest winner in EWB history, as measured by World Series titles and playoff appearances.  A lot of snubs in his career, as the 2 All Star appearances and 0 Bob Gibson Awards indicate.  Given the longevity and career totals, an apparent sure thing.

 

2. David Kimble ("Mr. Wolverine"), OF: 1974-1992 (Omaha 1974-1989, and Washington 1990-1992).

On the Ballot: 1st Time.

Career Stats (Rank): .279 BA, 2258 Hits (26th), 142 HR, 881 RBI (64th), 1427 Runs (7th), 1395 BB (10), .383 OBP (41), 944 SB (2nd), 236 CS (4th).

Peak Years: 1977, .363/5/56/69 SB; 1979, .338/7/77/67; 1985: .330/10/47/54 (in just 94 games, during Omaha's World Championship year).

Awards: 1 Gold Glove (1982, RF).

Leaderboard: Led the league in BA twice; in SB 3 times; in BB 3 times; in 3B once.

Playoffs: 1 World Series title (1985 with Omaha), 2 playoff appearances (1977 and 1985 with Omaha).

Career Postseason Stats: .224/3 HR/8 RBI/14 SB, with a .375 OBP.  (In Omaha's World Series year, Kimble batted just .181 but had a .385 OBP, 2 HRs, and 9 SBs).

All Star: 4 times (1979, 1981, 1984, 1986)

Comments: For a real life reference point, his 944 SBs would rank 2nd, behind Rickey Henderson and just ahead of Lou Brock.  In EWB, it ranks just behind former Admiral Charlie Olsen, who figures to be elected once he's eligible.  Kimble started off as a great BA hitter, but lost that ability over time, leading to his .279 career BA.

 

3. Ivan Quinones, 2B: 1976-1992, 2B: All with Memphis.

On the Ballot: 1st Time.

Career Stats (Rank): .283, 2410 Hits (18th), 272 HR (19th), 1223 RBI (13th), 266 SBs.

Peak Years: 1982, .319/35/117/11 SBs; 1987, .333/39/139/22 (during Memphis's World Championship year).

Awards: 10 Gold Gloves, all at 2B (1978-1981, 1984-1988, and 1990).  This is the most all-time at any position.

Leaderboard: Led the league in total bases twice.

Playoffs: 1 World Series title (1987 with Memphis), 2 total playoff appearances (1983 and 1987).

Career Postseason Stats: .314/4/11/1; had a 1.131 OPS in the World Championship year of 1987.

All Star: 3 times (1982, 1985, 1987)

Comments: In terms of Gold Gloves, the greatest defensive player in the history of EWB.  But he wasn't just a defensive specialist, as you'll see by his stat lines in his peak years.  Memphis is making a strong push to get him inducted.

 

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2ND BALLOT PLAYERS: Vote YES, NO, or UNDECIDED.

 

4. Tom Mitchell, SP: 1976-1992 (Detroit 1976-1990, Denver 1991-1992).
On the Ballot: 2nd Time.
Career Stats (Rank): 220-202 (14th in Wins); 3.30 ERA; 3,568 K's (1st); 1.25 WHIP.
Peak Years: 1990, 18-12, 2.70, 235 K's; 1982, 15-12, 2.62, 256 K's
Awards: None.
Leaderboard: Led the League in K's 6 times, in K's/9 5 Times
Playoffs: 0 World Series Titles; 0 World Series Losses; 0 Playoff Appearances.
Career Postseason Stats: None.
All Star: 1 Time.
Comments: The all time K's leader, he had the bad fortune to spend most of his career with a horrible team: the Detroit Cruisers.  This kept his career win total down.  On the other hand, his 3.30 ERA, although solid, isn't absolutely exceptional.  Right after Detroit traded him in the 1990-1991 offseason, they went on to make the playoffs in 1991 for the first time in 20 years.
 

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

FINAL BALLOT: You must either vote YES or NO.  There is no undecided for these players, they either make it now or not.  They will never be on the ballot again.
 
5. Dick Green: 1970-1990 (Washington, 1970-1974, Indianapolis 1974-1980, Pittsburgh 1981-1990, Portland 1990, Austin 1991).
On the Ballot: 3rd Time.
Career Stats (Rank): 1,129 games (1st all time), 362 Saves (17th), 2.57 ERA, 1.22 WHIP.
Peak Years: 1972, 1.37 ERA in 83.1 IP as a MR; 1987, 44 Saves, 1.01 ERA.
Awards: 1 Time Fireman of the Year (1987).
Leaderboard: Led the league in Saves once, in games pitched once.
Playoffs: 0 World Series titles, 2 World Series losses (1975 vs. Washington, 1979 vs. Kansas City), 9 playoff appearances.  Career postseason stats of 9 saves, 1.50 ERA in 48 IP.
All Star: 6 times.
Comments: As Rob said, Green is arguably the greatest middle reliever in EWB history (though see Collier below).  He also did spend a fair amount of time as closer, as his 362 career saves indicates.  If he had been a closer his entire career, his save total probably would have guaranteed him induction into the hall.  For us, the question is whether a (primarily) middle reliever can make it.
 
 

6. Katsuhiko "Poison" Nakamura: 1970-1986 (all with Indianapolis).
On the Ballot: 2nd Time, via Veteran's Committee (computer did not induct him, but worth a 2nd look).
Career Stats: 2.46, 500 Saves (5th), 1.12 WHIP
Peak Years: 1975, 50 Saves, 2.45 ERA; 1978 36 Saves, 0.91 ERA
Awards: 2 Fireman of the Year Awards (1975, 1976)
Leaderboard: Led the league in Saves twice.
Playoffs: 0 World Series Titles, 3 World Series Losses (1975 vs. Washington, 1979 vs. Kansas City, 1981 vs. Kansas City).  Career stats: 24 Saves, 3.82 ERA, 1.33 WHIP.
All Star: 7 times.
Comments: A central cog for the Indianapolis team that lost 3 World Series in the 1970s and early 1980s (think of them as our Buffalo Bills; incidentally, both Dick Green and Daniel Pena were members of those teams as well).  Nakamura has 500 lifetime saves; everyone else with this many saves is already in the hall of fame.  Struggled a bit in the playoffs, as his 3.82 ERA indicates.  Does his lack of postseason success (0 titles, struggles just mentioned) keep him out?
 
 
7. Pedro Lopez: 1974-1991 (Cleveland 1974-1980; Washington D.C. 1981-1986; Denver 1986-1988; Detroit 1989-1991).
On the Ballot: 3rd Time.
Career Stats: .299, 2535 hits (10th), 107 HR, 1016 RBI, 1569 Runs (2nd), 708 SBs (4th), .416 OBP (6th).
Peak Years: 1981, .366/8/85/64 SBs/101 Runs; 1984, .327/6/61/55 SBs/115 Runs.
Awards: 1 time MVP (1981).  1 time Gold Glove Award in CF (1980).
Leaderboard: Won 1 Batting Title; Led the league in SBs once; in Runs once, in OBP twice.
Playoffs: 2 World Series Titles (1984, 1985 with D.C.), 1 World Series Loss (vs. Omaha in 1985), 7 playoff appearances.  Career postseason stats of .293/3/25/21 SBs in 72 games.
All Star: 6 times.
Comments: Along with Chris Henry (inducted to the Hall last year), a cornerstone of the mid 1980s Washington D.C. Diplomats dynasty.  Whereas Henry was the feared power hitter, Lopez was the ideal lead off hitter (lots of runs, OBP, and stolen bases) who played a solid CF as well.  He suffered a career-ending injury this year, keeping his career numbers a bit below where they could have been.  One of the few leadoff men in EWB history to win an MVP award.

 

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

 

MANAGER'S WING: YES, NO, or UNDECIDED

 

8. Mario Nunes: 1972-1988 (Washington 1972-1983, Portland 1985-1987, and D.C. 1988).

Career Record (Rank): In 2430 Games, he went 1406-1024 (4th in Wins, 17th in Losses), for a winning percentage of .579 (officially 2nd, but will probably take 1st once Buckles Stevens has a down year), and 382 Games over .500 (1st by a wide margin)

World Series Titles: 4 (All with Washington: 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978).  Most all-time.

Playoff Appearances: 10 (9 with Washington, 1 with D.C.).  Most all-time.

Comments: Obviously, best known for his dominance with the Admirals.  But also led the formerly hapless Portland Fog Devils to their first ever +.500 finish in franchise history in 1987, and also led the Washington D.C. Diplomats to the playoffs in his 1 season there.  And so, it really can be said that he succeeded wherever he went.

 

9. Billy Martin: 1970-1991 (Philadelphia 1970-1973, Denver 1975-1978, Houston 1980-1983, and Omaha 1990-1991).

Career Record (Rank): In 2101 Games, he went 1123-979 (14th in Wins, 18th in Losses), for a winning percentage of .534 (15th), and 144 Games over .500 (5th).

World Series Titles: 2 (1971 with Philadelphia, 1980 with Houston).  Tied for 2nd most all-time.  Only manager to win titles with 2 separate teams.

Playoff Appearances: 8 (3 with Philadelphia, 3 with Denver, and 2 with Houston).  Tied for 2nd most all-time.

Comments: Won everywhere he went, with the exception of Omaha.  Retired before he had a chance to turn things around there.  Engineered the 1981 upset of the Washington Admirals in the World Series, which on paper looked like one of the greatest Admiral teams of all time, and better than some of their championship teams (in 1981, Sherwood Johnston won the triple crown).

 

10. Dave Olsen: 1972-1990 (Washington D.C. 1972-1986, Austin 1987-1990).

Career Record (Rank): In 2906 Games, he went 1558-1358 (2nd in Wins, 5th in Losses), for a winning percentage of .534 (14th), and 200 games over .500 (2nd).

World Series Titles: 2 (1983 and 1984 with D.C.).  Only manager besides Nunes to lead his team to back-to-back titles.  The 2 titles is tied (with Martin) for 2nd most all-time.

Playoff Appearances: 8 (7 with D.C., 1 with Austin).  Tied with Martin for 2nd most all-time.

Comment: Made the playoffs in both his jobs.  Had a chance at a first-ever three-peat with the Diplomats in 1985, but then lost to the Omaha Wolverines in a heartbreaking 7-game World Series.  Unbelievably, held his job for 14 years even though the Diplomats' owner is the notorious George Steinbrenner.

Hall of Fame

October 30th, 2008 by Admirals GM

Did you know that Daniel Pena enterred the Hall of Fame as an Admiral?  Even though he spent just 1 year with us (1990), while he spent 7 years with Indianapolis (had his most success there; probably his best pick), 4 years with New Orleans, 2 years with Miami, and 3 years with Los Angeles.

 

Carlos Gudino enterred as a Carolina Colonial.  That move doesn't make a ton of sense either -- he should have gone in as an Austin Marshall -- but it's not as bad.

Bart Giamatti's Speech

October 22nd, 2008 by Banditos GM

Here is a transcript of Bart Giamatti's speech at the Earl Weaver Baseball League 1991 Hall of Fame Induction.  It was to be his last Hall of Fame Induction.  Alex Hendrix and Mal Collier were the inductees.

http://mason.gmu.edu/~rmatz/giamatti.html

1992 Washington Admirals Hall of Fame Ballot

October 15th, 2008 by Washington Admirals

My Vote

1. Crespo: No.  (3 No's, meaning Crespo is eliminated in the future.)

2. Gudino: Yes.  (3 Yes's, meaning that Gudino is inducted.)

3. Mitchell: No. (1 Yes, 1 No, 1 Reconsider.  Mitchell doesn't make it this year, but will be on the ballot next year.)

 

4. Green: No.  (1 Yes, 2 No's.  Green doesn't make it this year, but will be on the ballot next year.)
5. Nakamura: Yes.  (1 Yes, 1 Reconsider, 1 No.  Nakamura doesn't make it this year, but will be on the ballot next year.)

6. Lopez: Reconsider.  (1 Yes, 2 Reconsiders.  Lopez doesn't make it this year, but will be on the ballot next year.)

 

7. Pena: Yes.  (2 Yes's, 1 Reconsider, even though the rules prohibit Reconsiders for him.  With 2 Yes's, Pena makes it in.)

 

So, the 1992 Hall of Fame class has two members: Carlos Gudino and Daniel Pena.

1992 Omaha Wolverines Hall of Fame Ballot

October 15th, 2008 by Wolverines GM

1) Crespo---NO

2) Gudino-- Yes

3) Mitchell--- Yes

4) Green --- Yes--- we reward team play and he was exceptional at it to boot

5) Nakamura---- Reconsider

6) Lopez --- Reconsider

7) Pena ----Resonsider-----we are still shaky on the alleged drug use in 1983.

1992 Miami Banditos Hall of Fame Ballot

October 15th, 2008 by Banditos GM

Miami Banditos Hall of Fame Ballot
1) Crespo - NO
2) Gudino - YES
3) Mitchell - RECONSIDER
4) Green - NO
5) Nakamura - NO
6) Lopez - YES
7) Pena - YES

Much more positive than we have been in the past.

1992 Hall of Fame Ballot

October 15th, 2008 by Admirals GM

Here is your hall of fame ballot.  The ballot is separated into 3 divisions: First Time Ballot players, Second Time Ballot Players, and Final Ballot players.  Vote by replying to this e-mail.

 

To start off, here are the First Time Ballot players.  For them, you can vote YES, NO FOREVER (I don't want to reconsider), or Reconsider (meaning No this year, but let me think about it again in the future).  If a player receives 2 Yes votes, he's in.  If he receives 1 Yes vote or 2 Undecideds, he will be included on the ballot again next year.  If a player fails to pass this threshold, he will be left off the Hall ballot in future years.

 

1. Armando "Bonkers" Crespo, CL/MR: 1970-1992 (Pittsburgh 1970-1971, Portland 1971-1977 and 1990, Cleveland 1978-1981 and 1990 and 1992, Chicago 1982, Cincinnati 1982-1986, Dallas 1986-1988, Minneapolis 1989 and 1991, Miami 1990).

On the Ballot: 1st Time.

Career Stats (Rank): 1,030 Games (3rd), 450 Saves (7th), 2.96 ERA, 1.27 WHIP.

Peak Years: 1974, 1.18 ERA in 61 IP, 29 Saves; 1983, 2.13 ERA in 63.1 IP, 50 Saves, 1.31 WHIP.

Awards: 1 Time Freman of the Year (1983).

Leaderboard: Led the league in saves once (1983).

Playoffs: 0 World Series titles, 0 World Series Losses, 3 Playoff appearances

Career postseason stats: 3.1 IP; 8.10 ERA, 0 Saves

All Star: 4 times.

Comments: The paradigm case of a journeyman.  Played for 8 different teams; had 12 different "stints" (where by stint, I mean if you play for Dallas in 1978 and then again in 1992, that's 2 different stints with the same team); played for Minneapolis and Portland on two different occasions (Minneapolis: 1989 and 1991; Portland: 1971-1977 and 1990); played for Cleveland on three separate occasions (1978-1981, 1990, and 1992).  To go with this journeyman career, he has high career totals.

 

YES, NO, or RECONSIDER?

 

 

2. Carlos Gudino, 1B: 1972-1992 (Austin, 1972-1982, Kansas City 1983-1988, Carolina 1989-1992).

On the Ballot: 1st Time.

Career Stats (Rank): .313 BA (13th), 2,571 Games (3rd), 9,940 At Bats (2nd), 1,514 Runs (3rd), 3,112 Hits (2nd), 598 2B (2nd), 206 HR, 1,353 RBI (5th).

Peak Years: 1979, .348/16/105; 1981, .342/12/84

Awards: 1979 NL MVP; 2 time Gold Glove winner at 1B.

Leaderboard: Led the league in Hits 3 times; in Doubles 3 times; in extra base hits 2 times.

Playoffs: 0 World Series titles; 2 World Series losses (in 1976, playing for Austin vs. Carolina; in 1984, for Kansas City vs. Washington D.C.); 7 Playoff Appearances.

Career Postseason Stats: .332/4/31 in 58 career postseason games.

 All Star: 5 Times.

Comments: First EWB player ever to 3,000 hits.  As you can see, his name is all over the EWB career leaderboard.  The computer automatically inducted him, although it's up to us to approve this induction.

 

YES, NO, OR RECONSIDER?

 

 

3. Tom Mitchell, SP: 1976-1992 (Detroit 1976-1990, Denver 1991-1992).

On the Ballot: 1st Time.

Career Stats (Rank): 220-202 (14th in Wins); 3.30 ERA; 3,568 K's (1st); 1.25 WHIP.

Peak Years: 1990, 18-12, 2.70, 235 K's; 1982, 15-12, 2.62, 256 K's

Awards: None.

Leaderboard: Led the League in K's 6 times, in K's/9 5 Times

Playoffs: 0 World Series Titles; 0 World Series Losses; 0 Playoff Appearances.

Career Postseason Stats: None.

All Star: 1 Time.

Comments: The all time K's leader, he had the bad fortune to spend most of his career with a horrible team: the Detroit Cruisers.  This kept his career win total down.  On the other hand, his 3.30 ERA, although solid, isn't absolutely exceptional.  Right after Detroit traded him in the 1990-1991 offseason, they went on to make the playoffs in 1991 for the first time in 20 years.

 

YES, NO, OR RECONSIDER?

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 Now we move on to 2nd time ballot players.  All of these players received either 1 Yes Vote last year or 2 undecideds.  The rules are pretty much the same for them as they were for the 1st ballot players.

 

 

4. Dick Green: 1970-1990 (Washington, 1970-1974, Indianapolis 1974-1980, Pittsburgh 1981-1990, Portland 1990, Austin 1991).

On the Ballot: 2nd Time.

Career Stats (Rank): 1,129 games (1st all time), 362 Saves (17th), 2.57 ERA, 1.22 WHIP.

Peak Years: 1972, 1.37 ERA in 83.1 IP as a MR; 1987, 44 Saves, 1.01 ERA.

Awards: 1 Time Fireman of the Year (1987).

Leaderboard: Led the league in Saves once, in games pitched once.

Playoffs: 0 World Series titles, 2 World Series losses (1975 vs. Washington, 1979 vs. Kansas City), 9 playoff appearances.  Career postseason stats of 9 saves, 1.50 ERA in 48 IP.

All Star: 6 times.
Comments: As Rob said, Green is arguably the greatest middle reliever in EWB history (though see Collier below).  He also did spend a fair amount of time as closer, as his 362 career saves indicates.  If he had been a closer his entire career, his save total probably would have guaranteed him induction into the hall.  For us, the question is whether a (primarily) middle reliever can make it.

 

YES, NO, or RECONSIDER?

 

5. Katsuhiko "Poison" Nakamura: 1970-1986 (all with Indianapolis).

On the Ballot: 2nd Time, via Veteran's Committee (computer did not induct him, but worth a 2nd look).

Career Stats: 2.46, 500 Saves (5th), 1.12 WHIP

Peak Years: 1975, 50 Saves, 2.45 ERA; 1978 36 Saves, 0.91 ERA

Awards: 2 Fireman of the Year Awards (1975, 1976)

Leaderboard: Led the league in Saves twice.

Playoffs: 0 World Series Titles, 3 World Series Losses (1975 vs. Washington, 1979 vs. Kansas City, 1981 vs. Kansas City).  Career stats: 24 Saves, 3.82 ERA, 1.33 WHIP.

All Star: 7 times.

Comments: A central cog for the Indianapolis team that lost 3 World Series in the 1970s and early 1980s (think of them as our Buffalo Bills; incidentally, both Dick Green and Daniel Pena were members of those teams as well).  Nakamura has 500 lifetime saves; everyone else with this many saves is already in the hall of fame.  Struggled a bit in the playoffs, as his 3.82 ERA indicates.  Does his lack of postseason success (0 titles, struggles just mentioned) keep him out?

 

YOUR VOTE: YES, NO, or RECONSIDER?

 

 

6. Pedro Lopez: 1974-1991 (Cleveland 1974-1980; Washington D.C. 1981-1986; Denver 1986-1988; Detroit 1989-1991).

On the Ballot: 2nd Time.

Career Stats: .299, 2535 hits (10th), 107 HR, 1016 RBI, 1569 Runs (2nd), 708 SBs (4th), .416 OBP (6th).

Peak Years: 1981, .366/8/85/64 SBs/101 Runs; 1984, .327/6/61/55 SBs/115 Runs.

Awards: 1 time MVP (1981).  1 time Gold Glove Award in CF (1980).

Leaderboard: Won 1 Batting Title; Led the league in SBs once; in Runs once, in OBP twice.

Playoffs: 2 World Series Titles (1984, 1985 with D.C.), 1 World Series Loss (vs. Omaha in 1985), 7 playoff appearances.  Career postseason stats of .293/3/25/21 SBs in 72 games.

All Star: 6 times.

Comments: Along with Chris Henry (inducted to the Hall last year), a cornerstone of the mid 1980s Washington D.C. Diplomats dynasty.  Whereas Henry was the feared power hitter, Lopez was the ideal lead off hitter (lots of runs, OBP, and stolen bases) who played a solid CF as well.  He suffered a career-ending injury this year, keeping his career numbers a bit below where they could have been.  One of the few leadoff men in EWB history to win an MVP award.

 ---------------

 

We have one final ballot player: Daniel Pena.  You must either vote YES or NO on him.  There is no RECONSIDER vote.  If Pena does not get voted in this year, he will never appear on the Hall of Fame ballot again.

 

7. Daniel Pena: 1973-1990 (Indianapolis 1973-1979; New Orleans 1980-1983; sat out 1984 (???); Miami 1985-1986; Los Angeles 1987-1989; Washington 1990).

On the Ballot: 2nd time, after coming up short last year.
Career Stats (Rank): 228 (11th)-139; 3.51; 3472 Ks (2nd) in 3396.2 IP; 1.23 WHIP; 9.19 K/9 IP (4th)
Peak Years: 1975, 21-7, 2.67, 237 K in 239.1 IP, 1.03 WHIP; 1983, 22-7, 3.70, 269 Ks in 263 IP, 1.27 WHIP
Awards: 1 time NL Bob Gibson (1975)
Leaderboard: Led League in Wins twice, in K's 8 times (ala George Brett, Pena led the league in K's the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s)
Playoffs: 0 World Series Titles, 3 World Series losses (1975 vs. Washington, 1979 vs. K.C., 1983 vs. D.C.) 6 playoff appearances (3 with Indianapolis, 1 with New Orleans, 2 with  Los Angeles), career playoff stats of 13-7, 3.51, 154 Ks in 153.1 IP, 1.31 WHIP
All Star: 5 times
Comments: Worse pitchers are already in the Hall, but that shouldn't be our basis for voting.  A central cog in the 1970s Indianapolis team that kept winning the NL but not the World Series, Pena became more of a mercenary in his later career, switching teams often.  The Cuban Pena was plagued by drug rumors in the early 1980s; it did not help that he sat out the entire 1984 season under mysterious circumstances, and then signed a free agent contract with the dreadful *Miami* Banditos in 1985.  Probably the greatest K pitcher in the history of EWB so far, the question is whether his okay ERA and solid but unspectacular win total keeps him out.

YES or NO?  (Again, there is no RECONSIDER here.)

Hall of Fame Position

August 27th, 2008 by Admirals GM

The Hall includes 6 First Basemen, 2 Outfielders (1 LF and 1 RF), and 1 Catcher.  It includes no other position players: no 2B, 3B, or SS (or CF).  Should this affect our voting, going forward?

 

Once Ronald Ramsey retires from Las Vegas, he's a lock to enter the Hall as a 2B.  He has 3,000 hits.

 

Once Porter Scott retires, he's a lock to enter as a SS.

 

Once Charlie Olsen retires, he has a good chance to enter.  He split time at 3B and SS, with a little more time at 3B.

 

Pedro Lopez retired last year, and was not elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.  If Lopez eventually is voted in, he'll become the first CF in the hall.  Does this speak in his favor?  That's he arguably the greatest CF in EWB history?

1991 Hall of Fame Inductees

August 15th, 2008 by Admirals GM

Summarizing, this year's Hall of Fame class has 2 members: Alex Hendrix and Mal Collier.  Congratulations to both.

1991 Admirals Hall of Fame Ballot

August 15th, 2008 by Admirals GM

Here is my ballot, together with the final results...

 

1. Alex Hendrix: Yes.  Hendrix is a unanimous choice for the hall, as he should be.  Given the awards and world championships, Hendrix is one of the premier players in EWB history.

2. Daniel Pena: Yes.  That's 2 reconsiders and 1 Yes for Pena, meaning he doesn't go in but he's still on the ballot next year, his last year.  Pena is hoping no big name starter retires next year, so he can help sway voters with a framing effect.

3. Dick Green: Reconsider.  That's 1 Yes and 2 Reconsiders for Green.  He doesn't go in but will be on the ballot next year (his 2nd).

4. Juan Marquez: No.  That's 1 Reconsider and 2 No's for Marquez.  This means that Marquez won't be on the ballot next year.  Barring special action by the commisioner in the future, Marquez will never make it to the Hall of Fame.

5. Katsuhiko Nakamura: Yes.  That's 1 Yes, 1 Reconsider, and 1 No for Nakamura.  This means he doesn't get in this year, but he will be on the ballot next year (his 2nd).

6. Mal Collier: Yes.  That's 2 Yes and 1 Reconsider.  This means that thanks to the special action of the veteran's committee, Mal Collier has made it to the Hall of Fame.

7. Pedro Lopez: Reconsider, slight lean Yes.  That's 3 reconsiders.  Lopez will appear on the ballot next year (his 2nd).

8. Mario Rodriguez: No.  That's 3 No's.  Rodriguez will not appear on the ballot next year.  He will never make it to the hall of fame.

1991 Miami Hall of Fame Ballot

August 15th, 2008 by Banditos GM

1) Yes.
2)  Reconsider, starting to lean positive though.
3) Reconsider.  I'm torn on the primary MR players.  One, if they were great they most likely would've have been closers.  What type of career would borderliners Marquez or Nakamura have had as a MR, probably much better than Green or Collier.  On the other hand, in the EWB middle relief is a huge role.  I consider it very important and I believe it is a definitive role, not just a place for guys who fail as starters or closers.  This, I believe, is different than MLB.  For right now I am reconsidering, once again biding for more time.
4) No.  Marquez was good but as a HOF voter, I am upping my standards pretty high for closers.  In fact 500 saves is not a de facto vote for Miami.  I believe that throughout our history we are going to run across a lot of good closers, it is important to distinguish the great.
5) No.  See #4.
6)  Reconsider.  See #3.
7)  Reconsider.  Tough Call.  Can see it going either way for Lopez
8) No.

1991 Omaha Hall of Fame Ballot

August 15th, 2008 by Wolverines GM

1) Yes

2) Reconsider

3) Yes, I think that if you dominate your role you are a HOFer

4) Reconsider, regrettably we cannot  yes on our own inductee, we think he was an excellent player and was an important cog in our '85 championship, but a HOFer I don't know.

5) Reconsider

6) Yes, we will reward him with a yes vote as he was dominant in any role and is a role model for players today and future generations of ballplayers as he did whatever it took for his team to win albeit he could have been a HOF CL alone.

7) Reconsider

8) No, regrettably we cannot give him a yes vote, we appreciate everything he did for our ball club, but we take this HOF voting seriously and are not into the nepotism business, although we would do anything for our current and former players we will not just vote yes just for the mere sake they played for our ball club.

1991 Hall of Fame Ballot

August 15th, 2008 by Admirals GM

Here is your hall of fame ballot.  For each player, vote either Yes, No (meaning NO FOREVER, I don't want to reconsider), or Reconsider (meaning No this year, but let me think about it again in the future).

 

This year's ballot includes first timers, 2nd ballot players (players who failed to get enough votes last year), and Veteran's committee selections (candidates who the computer didn't elect back when it was running things, but who have a case).

 

To remain on the ballot next year, a player must receive at least one Yes vote or 2 Reconsider votes.  A player can appear on the ballot for 3 years.  If he doesn't make it by then, he's kicked off the ballot.  No one is going to be kicked off after this year, since this is just our 2nd year of voting.

 

YOUR BALLOT...

 

 

1. Alex "Air" Hendix: 1970-1991 (Kansas City, 1970-1989; Portland 1989-1991).

Career Stats (League Rank): 268-173 (4th in W); 3.00 ERA; 2,883 Ks in 3960.1 IP (8th in IP), 1.12 WHIP; 172 Saves

On the Ballot: 1st time eligible.

Peak Years: 1974, 44 Saves, 1.17 ERA; 1978, 22-5, 2.68; 1979, 22-9, 2.30

Awards: 3 Time Gibson Award Winner (1979, 1984, 1985); 3 Time Fireman of the Year (1973, 1974, 1976)

Leaderboard: Led league in Wins once; in ERA 3 times; in K's once; in Saves twice; in WHIP 7 times

Playoffs: 2 World Series Titles (1979, 1981), one world series loss (1984), 9 playoff appearances total; career postseason stats of 11-10, 2.49.

All Star: 7 times

Comments: Born and raised in Kansas City, Hendrix became a legend by leading his hometown Wheat Kings to 2 world championships.  The top closer in the game when his career started, he became the top starter in the game in the late 1970s through mid 1980s.  As Rob suggested, probably the second best pitcher in EWB history.

 

YOUR VOTE: YES, NO, or RECONSIDER?

 

2. Daniel Pena: 1973-1990 (Indianapolis 1973-1979; New Orleans 1980-1983; sat out 1984 (???); Miami 1985-1986; Los Angeles 1987-1989; Washington 1990).

On the Ballot: 2nd time, after coming up short last year.
Career Stats (Rank): 228 (11th)-139; 3.51; 3472 Ks (2nd) in 3396.2 IP; 1.23 WHIP; 9.19 K/9 IP (4th)
Peak Years: 1975, 21-7, 2.67, 237 K in 239.1 IP, 1.03 WHIP; 1983, 22-7, 3.70, 269 Ks in 263 IP, 1.27 WHIP
Awards: 1 time NL Bob Gibson (1975)
Leaderboard: Led League in Wins twice, in K's 8 times (ala George Brett, Pena led the league in K's the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s)
Playoffs: 0 World Series Titles, 3 World Series losses (1975 vs. Washington, 1979 vs. K.C., 1983 vs. D.C.) 6 playoff appearances (3 with Indianapolis, 1 with New Orleans, 2 with  Los Angeles), career playoff stats of 13-7, 3.51, 154 Ks in 153.1 IP, 1.31 WHIP
All Star: 5 times
Comments: Worse pitchers are already in the Hall, but that shouldn't be our basis for voting.  A central cog in the 1970s Indianapolis team that kept winning the NL but not the World Series, Pena became more of a mercenary in his later career, switching teams often.  The Cuban Pena was plagued by drug rumors in the early 1980s; it did not help that he sat out the entire 1984 season under mysterious circumstances, and then signed a free agent contract with the dreadful *Miami* Banditos in 1985.  Probably the greatest K pitcher in the history of EWB so far, the question is whether his okay ERA and solid but unspectacular win total keeps him out.
 
YOUR VOTE: YES, NO, or RECONSIDER?

 

3. Dick Green: 1970-1990 (Washington, 1970-1974, Indianapolis 1974-1980, Pittsburgh 1981-1990, Portland 1990, Austin 1991).

On the Ballot: 1st Time.

Career Stats (Rank): 1,129 games (1st all time), 362 Saves (17th), 2.57 ERA, 1.22 WHIP.

Peak Years: 1972, 1.37 ERA in 83.1 IP as a MR; 1987, 44 Saves, 1.01 ERA.

Awards: 1 Time Fireman of the Year (1987).

Leaderboard: Led the league in Saves once, in games pitched once.

Playoffs: 0 World Series titles, 2 World Series losses (1975 vs. Washington, 1979 vs. Kansas City), 9 playoff appearances.  Career postseason stats of 9 saves, 1.50 ERA in 48 IP.

All Star: 6 times.
Comments: As Rob said, Green is arguably the greatest middle reliever in EWB history (though see Collier below).  He also did spend a fair amount of time as closer, as his 362 career saves indicates.  If he had been a closer his entire career, his save total probably would have guaranteed him induction into the hall.  For us, the question is whether a (primarily) middle reliever can make it.

 

YOUR VOTE: YES, NO, or RECONSIDER?

 

4. Juan Marquez: 1973-1990 (Omaha, 1973-1980, 1983-1990; Miami 1981-1982)
On the Ballot: 2nd time, after coming up short last season.

Career Stats: 3.36, 486 Saves (6th), 1107 Ks in 1146.1 IP, 1.28 WHIP
Peak Years: 1979, 1.94/40 Saves/1.31 WHIP; 1981, 2.17/38 Saves/1.07 WHIP
Awards: 1 Fireman of the Year Award (1979).
Leaderboard: Led league in saves once (1979)
Playoffs: 1 World Series Title (1985); 2 Playoff Appearances ('77, '85); career playoff stats, 1.76 ERA, 11 Saves, 1.30 WHIP
All Star: 8 times
Comments: The 8 All Star appearances are a lot, and saved 8 games during the 1985 World Championship run.  No closer presently in the hall has less than 500 saves, as Marquez does.  The 1985 championship helps his case quite a bit, in the sense that without it he would be a real longshot.  Marquez' time in Miami is often forgotten.  Omaha is putting some pressure for a yes vote.  Another borderline case.  There are a lot of relievers up for the vote this year.

 

YOUR VOTE: YES, NO, or RECONSIDER?

5. Katsuhiko "Poison" Nakamura: 1970-1986 (all with Indianapolis).

On the Ballot: Veteran's Committee (computer did not induct him, but worth a 2nd look).

Career Stats: 2.46, 500 Saves (5th), 1.12 WHIP

Peak Years: 1975, 50 Saves, 2.45 ERA; 1978 36 Saves, 0.91 ERA

Awards: 2 Fireman of the Year Awards (1975, 1976)

Leaderboard: Led the league in Saves twice.

Playoffs: 0 World Series Titles, 3 World Series Losses (1975 vs. Washington, 1979 vs. Kansas City, 1981 vs. Kansas City).  Career stats: 24 Saves, 3.82 ERA, 1.33 WHIP.

All Star: 7 times.

Comments: A central cog for the Indianapolis team that lost 3 World Series in the 1970s and early 1980s (think of them as our Buffalo Bills; incidentally, both Dick Green and Daniel Pena were members of those teams as well).  Nakamura has 500 lifetime saves; everyone else with this many saves is already in the hall of fame.  Struggled a bit in the playoffs, as his 3.82 ERA indicates.  Does his lack of postseason success (0 titles, struggles just mentioned) keep him out?

 

YOUR VOTE: YES, NO, or RECONSIDER?

 

6. Mal Collier: 1970-1988 (Montreal 1970-1979, Boston 1979-1988).

On the Ballot: Veteran's Committee (computer did not induct him, but worth a 2nd look).

Career Stats: 2.36 ERA, 375 Saves, 1.19 WHIP, 1034 games (2nd).

Peak Years: 1982, 43 Saves/1.16 ERA/0.94 WHIP; 1986, 52 Saves (tied for league record)/1.99 ERA/1.11 WHIP.
Awards: 4 times Fireman of the Year (1980, 1982, 1984, 1986).  This is tied for the most (with Miguel Villareal) that anyone has won the award.

Leaderboard: Led the league in Saves 3 times, in Holds once. 

Playoffs: 0 World Series Titles, 1 World Series Loss (1987 vs. New Orleans), 8 playoff appearances.  Career postseason stats of 13 Saves, 1.51 ERA in 51.1 IP.

All Star: 5 times.

Comments: With Green, a contender for greatest middle reliever ever.  Like Green, spent a fair amount of time in the closer role, but would almost certainly be a sure thing for the Hall if he had spent his entire career there.  Again, his 4 Fireman of the Year Awards is tied for the most all time.

 

YOUR VOTE: YES, NO, or RECONSIDER?

 

7. Pedro Lopez: 1974-1991 (Cleveland 1974-1980; Washington D.C. 1981-1986; Denver 1986-1988; Detroit 1989-1991).

On the Ballot: 1st Time.

Career Stats: .299, 2535 hits (10th), 107 HR, 1016 RBI, 1569 Runs (2nd), 708 SBs (4th), .416 OBP (6th).

Peak Years: 1981, .366/8/85/64 SBs/101 Runs; 1984, .327/6/61/55 SBs/115 Runs.

Awards: 1 time MVP (1981).  1 time Gold Glove Award in CF (1980).

Leaderboard: Won 1 Batting Title; Led the league in SBs once; in Runs once, in OBP twice.

Playoffs: 2 World Series Titles (1984, 1985 with D.C.), 1 World Series Loss (vs. Omaha in 1985), 7 playoff appearances.  Career postseason stats of .293/3/25/21 SBs in 72 games.

All Star: 6 times.

Comments: Along with Chris Henry (inducted to the Hall last year), a cornerstone of the mid 1980s Washington D.C. Diplomats dynasty.  Whereas Henry was the feared power hitter, Lopez was the ideal lead off hitter (lots of runs, OBP, and stolen bases) who played a solid CF as well.  He suffered a career-ending injury this year, keeping his career numbers a bit below where they could have been.  One of the few leadoff men in EWB history to win an MVP award.

 

8. Mario Rodriguez, 1974-1991 (Omaha 1974-1989, Atlanta 1990, Carolina 1991).

On the Ballot: 1st Time.

Career Stats: .297, 2133 hits, 260 HR, 1310 RBIs (7th), 379 SBs.

Peak Years: 1982, .343/21/92/22, .1983, 298/28/93/21.

Awards: 1 Gold Glove (1979).

Leaderboard: Never led the league in any category.

Playoffs: 1 World Series Title (1985 with Omaha), 2 playoff appearances.  Career postseason stats of .231/5/20/6 in 31 games.

All Star: 2 times.

Comments: A consistently solid player, but never spectacular, and rarely even All Star worthy.  Played alongside David Kimble in the Omaha outfield from 1974-1989; Rodriguez was the Lou Whitaker to Kimble's Alan Trammell.  Will make the Wolverine ring of honor, but unlikely to make the EWB hall of fame.

1990 Washington Admirals Hall of Fame Ballot

June 18th, 2008 by Admirals GM

Our ballot is as follows

 

1. Henry: Yes

2. Pena: Not yet.  Pena will continue to be on the ballot for the next several years, and there's a decent chance we'll eventually vote Yes on him.

3. Lopez: Yes.  The case for him: presently in the hall, Sherwood Jonston has 369 HR, and no one else has more than 220.  Lopez has 413.  That's a huge difference.

4. Marquez: No.  Marquez will continue to be on the ballot for the next several years.  We feel like the Hall is already a bit closer heavy; if no new closer get voted in during the next couple years, we might reconsider Marquez.

 

By the way, inspired by the Bandito Awards, we've decided to do something of our own.  We're going to start a kind of legends monument park thing for former and present Admirals.  The way it works is this: just as there are 4 star, 3 star, 2 star, and 1 star Admirals in the Navy, we're going to develop a similar star system for our players.  Everyone who makes the ML roster is a 1 star Admiral, only the true greats are 4 star Admirals, and others fall in between.  The first Washington great to be named a 4 star Admiral is Sherwood Johnston, whose name and number will be placed in our special 4 star location behind the fence in left field prior to our home opener.  Watch for the Johnston retrospective, and watch for other star announcements over the course of the year.

 

1990 Omaha Wolverine Hall of Fame Ballot

June 17th, 2008 by Wolverines GM

1-Yes

 

2-Yes

 

3-Yes

 

4-YES

Miami Bandito 1990 Hall of Fame Ballot

June 17th, 2008 by Banditos GM

Henry:  YES.  No question, easy yes.

Pena: NO.  This is not an absolute no.  We will take his case again next year.  We want more time to pass.

Lopez:  NO.  Same as Pena, we will reconsider again next year but right now is a NO.

Marquez: NO.  Not HOF worthy.  Did not reach 500 saves and only led league in saves 1 year.  Just doesn't have the merits.  This is a definite no for the Miami Organization, we will not reconsider this vote.

1990 Hall of Fame Ballot

June 17th, 2008 by Admirals GM

This e-mail is your hall of fame ballot.  To vote, reply to this e-mail, putting either a YES or NO under each candidate listed.  There are 4 candidates in total (Villegas did not make the ballot).  The candidates are listed in the order Rob had them; the order does not reflect my own ranking or anything like that.

 

1. Chris Henry: 1973-1990 (D.C. 1973-1986; Carolina 1987-1988; Cleveland 1989-1990).

Career Stats (League Rank): .303, 2702 Hits (3rd), 351 HR (5th), 1446 RBI (2nd), 450 SB.

Peak Years: 1982, .334/44/129/61 (40/60 season); 1983, .325/43/127/33 (triple crown, 2nd ever in league history)

Awards: 3 time NL MVP ('78, '82, '83)

Leaderboard: Led League in BA once, in HR twice, in RBI twice, in SB once

Playoffs: 2 World Series titles (1983, 1984), 1 World Series loss (1985, vs. Omaha), 7 Playoff Appearances (all with D.C.) career playoff stats of .312/11/58/10 in 79 games.

All Star: 8 times.

Comments: The central cog of the last EWB Dynasty, the mid 1980s D.C. Diplomats, Henry should be a sure thing for the Hall. One of the top tier players in the history of the league.

 

YOUR VOTE, YES or NO:

 

 

2. Daniel Pena: 1973-1990 (Indianapolis 1973-1979; New Orleans 1980-1983; sat out 1984 (???); Miami 1985-1986; Los Angeles 1987-1989; Washington 1990).

Career Stats (Rank): 228 (11th)-139; 3.51; 3472 Ks (2nd) in 3396.2 IP; 1.23 WHIP; 9.19 K/9 IP (4th)

Peak Years: 1975, 21-7, 2.67, 237 K in 239.1 IP, 1.03 WHIP; 1983, 22-7, 3.70, 269 Ks in 263 IP, 1.27 WHIP

Awards: 1 time NL Bob Gibson (1975)

Leaderboard: Led League in Wins twice, in K's 8 times (ala George Brett, Pena led the league in K's the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s)

Playoffs: 0 World Series Titles, 3 World Series losses (1975 vs. Washington, 1979 vs. K.C., 1983 vs. D.C.) 6 playoff appearances (3 with Indianapolis, 1 with New Orleans, 2 with  Los Angeles), career playoff stats of 13-7, 3.51, 154 Ks in 153.1 IP, 1.31 WHIP

All Star: 5 times

Comments: A tougher case then Henry.  Worse pitchers are already in the Hall, but that shouldn't be our basis for voting.  A central cog in the 1970s Indianapolis team that kept winning the NL but not the World Series, Pena became more of a mercenary in his later career, switching teams often.  The Cuban Pena was plagued by drug rumors in the early 1980s; it did not help that he sat out the entire 1984 season under mysterious circumstances, and then signed a free agent contract with the dreadful *Miami* Banditos in 1985.  Probably the greatest K pitcher in the history of EWB so far, the question is whether his okay ERA and solid but unspectacular win total keeps him out.

 

YOUR VOTE, YES or NO:

 

 

3. Stefano Lopez: 1975-1990 (all with New York)

Career Stats: .289, 2365 Hits, 413 HR (1st, although soon will be 2nd), 1307 RBI (6th), 299 SB

Peak Years: 1984, .317/44/117/21; 1986, .295/42/113/26

Awards: 0 MVPs

Leaderboard: Led League in Hits once; in HR 5 times;

Playoffs: 0 World Series Titles; 0 World Series Losses; 2 Playoff Appearances ('88, '89); career playoff stats of .296/0/0/0 in just 8 games

All Star: 5 times

Comments: A slugger who spent most of his career with an awful New York team that never made the playoffs until he was well past his prime.  Again, there are worse players already in the Hall, but again that shouldn't be the standard.  One thing to bear in mind is that he came up during the late 1970s "power outage" (e.g., he led the NL in HR in 1978 with just 26), which keeps his career home run totals down a bit.  If he had any playoff accomplishments, he would have a much stronger case.  As it is, he's very much a border line case.  New York is putting a lot of pressure on the league to vote him in.

 

YOUR VOTE, YES or NO:

 

 

4. Juan Marquez: 1973-1990 (Omaha, 1973-1980, 1983-1990; Miami 1981-1982)

Career Stats: 3.36, 486 Saves (6th), 1107 Ks in 1146.1 IP, 1.28 WHIP

Peak Years: 1979, 1.94/40 Saves/1.31 WHIP; 1981, 2.17/38 Saves/1.07 WHIP

Awards: 0 Bob Gibson Awards

Leaderboards: Led league in saves once (1979)

Playoffs: 1 World Series Title (1985); 2 Playoff Appearances ('77, '85); career playoff stats, 1.76 ERA, 11 Saves, 1.30 WHIP

All Star: 8 times
Comments: The 8 All Star appearances are a lot, and saved 8 games during the 1985 World Championship run.  No closer presently in the hall has less than 500 saves, as Marquez does.  The 1985 championship helps his case quite a bit, in the sense that without it he would be a real longshot. Marquez' time in Miami is often forgotten.  Omaha is putting some pressure for a yes vote.  Another borderline case.

 

YOUR VOTE, YES or NO:

Relievers and HoF

May 30th, 2008 - 1990 by Banditos GM

The tough thing for us is going to be setting standards for relievers for the HOF.  I think MLB only has 5 relievers in the HOF.  Obviously our league is different and we have had the role of closer since the beginning.  However, there are a shitload of good relievers in our league and history.  Not just closers, some are MR.

Look at these two players, Dick Green and Mal Collier. They rank 1 and 2 in total career games for pitchers.  They both have had great careers and have a lot of saves as well.  Players like Juan Marquez and Armando Crespo are the same way, and Marquez will not pass the magic 500 save number.

On one hand I am hesitant to let too many relievers in, but I also want to reward excellent careers.  We'll have to set reliever standards, and also make a distinction if we only want to reward Closers.

Another thing is this, the game allows us to create one additional custom yearly award.  If you guys want to institute it, tell me. Possibilities include Fireman of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Manager of the year??? maybe, Community leader of the year, you get the idea.

Possible HOF Candidates: Offense

May 30th, 2008 - 1990 by Banditos GM

Here are a couple of possible candidates for the Hall of Fame soon. This list is not a recommendation, nor these players retiring for certain this year.  Also, I'm not going to much into depth about their stats. I am going to link all players to their profile so you can see their stats clearly for yourself.

Chris Henry- A current note:  To add insult to the injury Henry sustained by being put on waivers and demoted to AAA, he was struck in the head by some young punk AAA pitcher who ended up fracturing Henry's skull.  Henry is out for at least 7 more months, however, his career is most likely over.  Henry, in my opinion, is a shoe in for the Hall of Fame.  Check out his stats.  Here some other notes about him:
    - 8 time All Star
    - 3 time MVP
    - 2 World Series with Washington D.C. in 1983 and 1984
    - 1983 Triple Crown Winner
    - 40-40 in 1982, career 450 SB

Stefano Lopez- Lopez spent his entire career with the NY 5 Points.  He is currently the EWB leader in HR's Career.  However, he too is finishing it up in the minors.  Lopez was a 5 time All Star, no WS Rings.  Good but hard to decide, will certainly be surpassed soon in the HR mark.

Carlos Gudino- Only person in EWB to go over 3000 hits.  Has had a long career hitting a lot of statistical milestones.  Most of career was at Austin and KC. I think Gudino is solid and probably worthy.
    - 6 time All Star
    - 1 MVP 1979
    - 2 Time Platinum Glove Winner at 1B
    - Lifetime .314 and 3071 hits and going

Ronald Ramsey- I kept being surprised by seeing this name at the top of some leaderboards, mostly because I didn't recognize the name.  Ramsey is active playing 2B for LV.  Ramsey, too, has hit some important milestones.  Notes:
    - 10 Time All Star
    - Career leader in Doubles at 650.  57 higher than 2nd place, Gudino.
    - Career Leader in Triples at 117.
    - Lifetime .299, on the threshold of .300 with nearly 2800 hits. 
    - May have 2+ years left in him.

Tim Myers- Retired.  I vote no but felt obligated to put his name out there because he's currently #3 on HR list.

RE: Possible HOF Candidates: Offense (mid 1990)

May 30th, 2008 by Admirals GM

Chris Henry: Very Strong Yes.  He’s one of the premier players in the history of the league given his MVPs , his triple crown , and the dynasty in D.C. that he led.  Also , his 1982 season was actually 40-60 , not just 40-40.  Tidbit: his fractured skull occurred in a 4^th of July game.  Hopefully , this incident convinces him to hang it up.

Stefano Lopez: Slight lean yes.  On the plus side , he led the NL in HRs 5 times and was in the top 5 11 times.  Also , remember that he originally came up during the “power outage” of the late 1970s , which depresses his career HR totals.  He was probably the premier power hitter in the NL during his era.  Also , he had pretty good speed with nearly 300 SBs.  On the minus side , not only did he never make a World Series , but he only made the playoffs very late in his career , in 1988 (when he was 35) and 1989 (when he was 36 and no longer a contributor at all). There are already several players in the hall of fame who had worse careers than Lopez.  On the other hand , I suspect that in real life Lopez would be *at best* a 2^nd or 3^rd ballot vote-in (as opposed to a 1^st ballot guy) , or a veterans’ committee addition , or perhaps would even miss the hall entirely.  I lean slightly YES. But , if others think NO , I wouldn’t fight.

Carlos Gudino: Strong Yes.  I would mention that Gudino never led the league in batting , despite collecting 3 , 000 hits and being the all time hit leader.  Gudino is kind of like Paul Molitor: a very good hitter who was never by any means the best in the league , but his longevity makes him a first ballot vote in.

Ramsey: Yes.  Those 10 All Star appearances are especially impressive – he has Chris Henry beat by 2.  Also , I would note that the Indianapolis team Ramsey played for in the late 1970s was the powerhouse of the NL , making the World Series in 1975 , 1979 , and 1981 , but never capturing the title.  Also noteworthy: he has a .375 career postseason batting average.  If you focus just on his time with Indianapolis , it goes up to .386.  If Ramsey sticks around to get 3 , 000 hits , he’s a sure thing.  Even if he doesn’t , I lean yes.

Tim Myers: No.

As far as relievers and closers , I agree that it’s a tough call.  For whatever reason , there are way more relievers with plausible cases than there are starting pitchers , or perhaps even position players.  I would note that “Poison” Nakamura isn’t in the Hall of Fame , despite recording 500 Saves and despite playing for a very good (but never title-winning) Indianapolis team throughout his career…

http://ewb.allsimbaseball1.com/lgreports/news/html/players/player_815.html

For what it’s worth , Marquez does have Nakamura beat on both All Star appearances (8 to 7) and World Titles (1 to 0) , but Nakamura has the better overall career stats.  Also: Marquez was a better playoff pitcher than Nakamura.  I’m pretty borderline on Marquez , fairly strongly NO on Crespo , and slightly lean NO on Dick Green and Mal Collier.

Finally , I do think we should create a fireman of the year award , a manager of the year award , and a comeback player of the year award.  Also , can we change the name from platinum gloves to Gold Gloves?

Re: Hall of Fame: The Weakest Candidates

April 27th, 2008 by Banditos GM

Without going into detail about each player yet and my vote, the Banditos want to state that is improper to "deduct" a player from the Hall of Fame.  We, of the EWB, can admit are past mistakes and correct them in the future, however you cannot put a player through an elaborate ceremony, give them the ultimate honour of their professional career and then just take it away.  It's is not right.  The Banditos believe that despite whatever merits a player may lack, if they have been inducted, they will remain.

However, as far as inducting worthy players not yet in the HOF, we affirm.  As far as changing future standards, we affirm.  I believe from here on out, ALL, HOF inductions should be manually decided upon by the revered EWB HOF Panel (which will essentially be us 3).

Hall of Fame: The Weakest Candidates

April 27th, 2008 by Admirals GM

Here is the final ballot to consider.  Below, the list consists entirely of players presently included in the Hall; the question is, do we kick them out?  The players themselves as well as the organizations they represent are engaging in a massive PR campaign to stay in, but ignore that...

 

19. Francisco Mendoza, 1B, Carolina Colonials (and St. Louis Savages). Won 0 MVPs but was a 4 time All Star. Made 7 Playoff appearances and captured one World Championship (in 1973, for St. Louis ). Won 2 Batting Titles. The story with Mendoza is longevity, not dominance. He never reached double digits in Home Runs; never had 100 RBIs; never had 200 Hits; score 100 Runs only once. Still, he is 4^th All Time in the league in hits, and was first at the time he retired. His peak years were 1975 when he went for .337/4/88, and 1978 when we went .360/6/86. Also, briefly was an Omaha Wolverine (for the 1982 season). I’m pretty mixed in my view, but lean slightly No.

 

20. Allen Fowler, 1B, Dallas Brahmas. Rob already made the case against Fowler.  I lean No -- more strongly No on Fowler than on Mendoza.  For the record, though: Fowler was (briefly) a Miami Bandito, and the rumor Fowler is spreading is that the Banditos are trying to keep him out just because Fowler is inducted while wearing his Dallas uniform.

 

21. Victor Carlisle, 1B, Atlanta Confederates (and Indianapolis Black Jacks). Won 0 MVPs and was a 2 time All Star. Made 7 Postseason appearances but captured 0 World Championships. Captured 1 Batting Title and also led the league in RBIs once. His peak seasons were 1977 when he went for .348/17/111, and 1979 when he went .335/20/131. A nice player, but not spectacular. Again, the question is do we take an Affirmative Action approach to the offensive stars of the 1970s? If so, maybe he gets in. If not, his career numbers just aren’t good enough. And again, he made only 2 All Star teams. Kind of a John Kruk-like player.  I vote No.

Hall of Fame Ballot: Difficult Cases

April 27th, 2008 by Admirals GM

Here, in my view, are the toughest cases to consider...

 

15. Cesar Olivares, SP, Carolina Colonials (and various other teams). Won 0 Bob Gibson Awards but was a 4 time All Star. Made 5 Playoff appearances but never captured a World Championship. Led the league in Wins once. Had a career record of 240-192, with a 3.42 ERA. The case for Olivares, who presently *is* in the Hall, is based more on longevity than dominance. He stayed around a long time, played for a lot of teams, and racked up 240 victories. Still, 240 isn’t 300 wins (although only one EWB player has ever reached 300). Because of this, I’m a little hesitant, but lean yes.

 

16. Erik Armstrong, RF, Detroit Cruisers (also with the Washington D.C. Diplomats). Won 1 MVP (’76, while with D.C.) and made 5 All Star appearances. Made just 1 Playoff appearance and captured 0 World Championships. Wasn’t much of a power hitter, with only 105 career Home Runs. Also, only had 2,104 career hits, and captured just one batting title. Armstrong’s claim to fame is really his legendary eye: he led the league in walks 6 times and in OBP 7 times. I would lean no except for the fact that the 1970s had such little offense, that it makes sense to take a kind of affirmative action approach to the offensive players from that decade.  If we accept such an approach, I lean yes; if not, then I'm a No. Armstrong presently *is* in the Hall.

 

17. Millard Callahan, SP, Atlanta Confederates. Won 2 Bob Gibson Awards (’70 and ’71) and was a 3 time All Star. Made 4 Playoff appearances but never captured a World Championship. Led the league in Wins twice. Callahan dominated the early years of the league, but then trailed off badly in the late 1970s (he wasn’t even that old then – he was 33 in 1977, when he really started to fall off the map). Because of that, his career numbers aren’t spectacular: 178-135, with a 3.56 ERA, although he was 26 when the league started. On the basis of dominance rather than longevity, I’m inclined to give the nod to Callahan. He is **NOT** presently in the Hall of Fame.

 

18. David Bennett, SP, Washington D.C. Diplomats (and Cleveland Rockers). Won 2 Bob Gibson Awards (’82 and ’83) and was a 2 time All Star. Made 1 Playoff appearance but never captured a World Championship. Led the league in Wins twice. Bennett is **NOT** presently in the Hall of Fame. That’s because he retired while still a relatively young man – just 33 years old, and not because of any obvious, pressing health concerns. His career numbers are solid, though unspectacular: 165-83, with a 3.09 ERA. In addition to his 2 Bob Gibson award years, he also won 19 games twice in other seasons. Has a file much like Callahan's above -- 2 Gibson Awards, less than 200 wins, a +3 ERA (although, in the case of Bennett, it's just barely +3).  Like Callahan, the question is dominance or longevity – what do you value? By all appearances, Bennett could have easily stuck around 5 more years or so, in which case his career totals would probably make him a sure thing. Do we mark him down for walking away? I say no; and so I vote yes on Bennett.

So then, my vote is Yes on all these players except Armstrong, where it's a *conditional* yes: Yes, *if* we accept Affirmative Action for offense.

Hall of Fame: Lean Yes

April 27th, 2008 by Admirals GM

Unlike the sure things, the case for the players below being inducted is more controversial.  Still, I myself am a supporter of each of these players.  I think they all should go in.

 

8. Enrico Molina, SP, Dallas Brahmas (and Cleveland Rockers). Won 1 Bob Gibson Award (’72) and was a 4 time All Star. Made 1 Playoff appearance but never captured a World Championship. Led the league in Wins once; in K’s once; in ERA twice; and in Quality Starts 3 times. Had the greatest single season for a pitcher in EWB history when in 1972 he went 26-3 with a 1.08 ERA. Molina is **NOT** presently in the hall of fame. What’s keeping him out? The fact that when the league started, in 1970, he was already 30 years old.  This prevented him from passing the 200 win threshold the Hall counts on so heavily. Still, in his career he went 178-108 with a 2.59 ERA – remarkable numbers that he posted entirely as a 30-something.

 

9. Ted Swain, RP, Atlanta Confederates (and Denver Amigos). Won 0 Bob Gibson Awards but was a 7 time All Star. Made 7 Playoff appearances and captured 1 World Championship (1972, with Denver ). Led the league in Saves twice. Over 500 career saves. Originally, an Omaha Wolverine.  Presently in the Hall.

 

10. Al “Hodge Podge” Hill, SP, Minneapolis Mutiny. Won 0 Bob Gibson Awards but was a 5 time All Star and captured 3 Platinum Gloves as a pitcher. Made 5 Playoff appearances but never captured a World Championship. Led the league in Wins once and in Quality Starts twice.  Had a career record of 277-258 with a 3.35 ERA – an amazing number of decisions. Hill gets my vote largely on the basis of longevity. Never was fully dominant, but stuck around a long, long time. Had many seasons where he was like, 16-14 (as indicated by his career record). The EWB all-time career leader in losses.  Presently in the Hall.

 

11. Chris Sykes, RP, St. Louis Savages (and New York 5 Points). Won 0 Bob Gibson Awards but was a 7 time All Star. Made 3 Playoff appearances but never captured a World Championship. Led the league in Saves 3 times. Has career numbers very similar to closers mentioned above, with +500 career Saves.  Presently in the Hall.

 

12. Willie Thomas, SP, Cincinnati Rebels. Won 1 Bob Gibson Award (’78) and was a 5 time All Star. Led the league in Wins once; in K’s twice; in ERA once; and in Quality Starts once. Made 2 Playoff appearances but never captured a World Championship. Career record of 224-150 with a very solid 2.87 ERA. Was already 25 when the EWB league formed, keeping his career totals down just a bit.

 

13. George Jones, RF, Austin Marshals (and Boston Irish, and Atlanta Confederates): Won 2 MVP awards (’71 with Austin and ’75 with Boston ) and was a 5 time All Star. Made 3 Playoff appearances and captured 1 World Championship (with Austin in 1970, the league’s first season). He led the league in Stolen Bases twice. His peak year was probably 1971 when he went for .320/19/79/94 (stolen bases). Jones is **NOT** presently in the Hall of Fame. What’s keeping him out? His career numbers are solid but not spectacular: .282/109/798/708. There are 2 reasons for this. First, in 1976 he struggled through injuries which would hamper him the rest of his career. He stuck around until 1983, but just as a shadow of his former self (from 1976 on, his batting average was only .250 or so).  Second, Jones was 25 when the league formed in 1970, keeping his career totals down. Still, Jones is one of the league’s few multiple MVP winners, and one of the brightest offensive stars of the offense-weak 1970s. Because of this, he gets my vote. Jones has already announced that if he gets into the Hall of Fame, he will go in as an Atlanta Confederate; a bizarre choice given that his success was really in Austin and Boston .

 

14. Ernest “Moby Dick” Everhart, SP, St. Louis Savages. Won 1 Bob Gibson Award (1976) and was a 4 time All Star. Led the league in Wins once; in ERA twice; in Quality Starts once; and in Shutouts 5 times. Made 7 Playoff appearances (in just a 9 year career) and won 1 World Championship. Everhart is **NOT** presently in the Hall of Fame. What’s keeping him out? In 1970, when the league started, he was already 33. Still, his career numbers are solid all things considered: 159-85, with a 2.61 ERA. Also, Everhart dominated the 1973 postseason, leading the Savages to a World Championship with a record of 6-0 with a 1.39 ERA.

Hall of Fame Ballot: Sure Things

April 27th, 2008 by Admirals GM

So, we need to decide who gets into the Hall of Fame and who doesn't.  In the next few e-mails, I list the credentials of all the candidates.  First, here are the sure things -- in principle, we could exclude them, but it would be crazy.  Pay attention to the number of awards and achievements they have.  It will be helpful for comparing other (lesser) candidates...

 

 

1. Luis "Gizmo" Delgado, SP, Washington Admirals.  Won 5 Bob Gibson Awards ('74, '75, '76, '78, '80), and was a 9-time All Star (tops so far among pitchers).  Made 13 Playoff appearances, and captured 4 World Championships.  Led the league in Wins 6 times; in K's, 6 times; in ERA, 3 times; and in Quality Starts, 9 times.  Also, threw a no hitter at the age of 40 (in 1987).  Quite simply, Delgado has had the greatest *career* of any player in the history of EWB.

 

2. Sherwood Johnston, 1B, Washington Admirals.  Won 7 MVPs ('72, '74, '75, '78, '79', '80, '81), and was a 10 time All Star.  Made 10 Playoff appearances and captured 4 World Championships.  Led the league in HR 5 times; in RBI, 5 times; and once captured the batting title.  Also, won the 1981 Triple Crown.  The most dominant offensive player in the history of the league so far.  Didn't have the longetivity that Gizmo Delgado did, but at his peak he probably was better than Delgado.

 

3. Marcos Rodriguez, C, Los Angeles Gargoyles (also played for Carolina Colonials): Won 1 MVP (’77) and was a 12 time All Star (tops among all players in the history of the league) and 2 time Platinum Glove Winner. Made 8 Playoff appearances and captured 2 World Championships (1 with Carolina , 1 with Los Angeles ). Won 4 Batting Titles (most so far). The greatest catcher thus far in EWB history. One statistical oddity about him was that he struck out *extremely* rarely. He had a little over 200 K’s in his career, and in 1977 (his MVP season) he struck out only 8 times in 545 at bats!.

 

4. Arturo Reyes, 1B, Carolina Colonials (also played for El Paso Silver Horses). Won 2 MVP’s (’70 for El Paso , and ’73 for Carolina ) and was a 9 time All Star. Made 5 Playoff appearances and captured 1 World Championship (’76 Carolina ). Won 3 Batting Titles. If not for Sherwood Johnston, Reyes might have gone down as the greatest offensive force of the 1970s.

 

5. Ramiro Sandoval, SP, Houston Black Bold. Won 2 Bob Gibson Awards (’79 and ’80) and was a 3 time All Star. Made 6 Playoff appearances and captured 1 World Championship (in 1980, when he dominated the postseason). Led the league in Wins once; in K’s 4 times; in ERA once; and in Quality Starts twice.

 

6. Victor Rivera, RP, Montreal Knights. Won 1 Bob Gibson Award (’77) and was a 6 time All Star. Made 2 Playoff appearances, but never captured a World Championship. Led the league in Saves only once, but is the all-time EWB career Save leader with 545. His career ERA is just 2.45 ERA. Started out as a Miami Bandito in the early 1970s (while with Miami , he made 2 All Star appearances). Showed great longevity, making the All Star team in 1987 at the age of 42. The only reliever in the 1970s to win a Gibson Award.

 

7. Miguel Villareal, RP, Washington Admirals (and Carolina Colonials). Won 0 Bob Gibson Awards but was a 10 time All Star (tops among closers). Made 9 Playoff appearances and captured 4 World Championships. Led the league in saves 5 times. Even though he played for the Admirals from 1970-1983, he evidently had a bad breakup with the team, as he has decided to enter into the Hall of Fame as a Carolina Colonial even though he only played for the team for 1 season (1984) before retiring.

Allen Fowler, Does He Belong?

April 26th, 2008 by Banditos GM

Allen Fowler went into the EWB Hall of Fame this year in his Dallas Brahmas uniform.  Though not without controversy.  Fowler claim the Fame is his .307 career average while having over 2000 hits.  Is this good enough?  In his favor he does have 4 Platinum Glove Awards, but at First Base.  In a 14 year career, he has no championships, only 2 All Star Games, and of course no MVP's.

Other notables:

-Never in his career had a season scoring over 100 Runs.

- 1978 was his career year.  He hit .358/18/113 for the Las Vegas Renegades.  That year Las Vegas had 92 wins but still finished 3rd in division and missed out on playoffs.  The Admirals win WS that year and of course Sherwood gets MVP.  Sherwood hit .337/22/113.  In Fowler's defense, he did get robbed of the MVP, check out the AL league leaderboard for 1978.  The computer puts too much emphasis on VORP.

-Fowler was drafted by Austin, went to LV for a year and then back to Austin. Traded to Miami for half a season, then went to Dallas where he played out the rest of his career.

-I almost feel like he is a Will Clark type player.  Without simulating through a season it's hard to get a feel for their role, but I think Fowler is undeserving of the prestigious honour of the EWB Hall of Fame.

Opinions?