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wcofombl
Forum Admin
USA
381 Posts |
 Posted - 12/09/2008 : 11:30:48 AM
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This is yet another thread where managers may differ. I encourage you to post your own assessments on this one, also. Here we look at the Hidden Treasures and the Best Buys. This will also be updated with each passing round.
Round 1 – Hidden Treasure – None. Who doesn’t know these guys? Best Buy – Harmon Killebrew. $11 is nearly highway robbery.
Round 2 – Hidden Treasure – Overshadowed by teammate Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard was Gehrig to Gibson’s Ruth, with great defense. Best Buy – Even at $32, Leonard was a steal for what he’ll produce.
Round 3 – Hidden Treasure – Relatively unknown beside others of his era, Ed Delahanty may have been as good a hitter as MLB ever saw. His premature death (presumed suicide) at the peak of his career may have been responsible for his being less well known. Best Buy – Roy Campanella is a bargain at anything below $50.
Round 4 – Hidden Treasure – Dobie Moore was one the Negro Leagues’ greatest shortstops and his legend undoubtedly would have grown more if his career hadn’t ended due the broken leg he suffered when he leaped from a hotel balcony to avoid his gun-toting prostitute girlfriend. Best Buy – Considering the quality available at his primary position, third baseman Jud (Boojum) Wilson was a real bargain. The nickname came from the thunderous sound opposing outfielders said his line drives made as they rattled off the outfield fences. His belligerent demeanor doesn’t translate into his Strat card, so no clubhouse cancer here.
Round 5 – Hidden Treasure – Not only was Isao Harimoto one of a handful of Japanese players in the 500 homerun club, he was the only Japanese player to accumulate 3,000 plus hits in Nippon league play. Best Buy – Shigeo Nagashima at $3. A Gold Glove caliber third baseman, 500 plus career homers, and arguably the greatest manager in the history of Japanese baseball, he teamed with Sadaharu Oh to give the Yomiuri Giants the best 1-2 punch in Japanese history. A gem at a position scarce in big stars, he is the biggest bargain in the first five rounds.
Round 6 - HIDDEN TREASURE - At first glance, the rankings for Hall of Famer George Davis don’t jump right out at you, until you consider the vast numbers of players who have played the game. An excellent defender at SS, 3B and CF, Davis excelled at all phases of the game, yet is rarely mentioned when discussions of the game’s greatest shortstops ensue. 2,368 Games ranks him tied for 79th all-time with Al Oliver. 9,031 At Bats ranks him tied for 58th all-time with Bill Dahlen. 1,539 Runs ranks him 50th all-time. 2,660 Hits ranks him tied for 62nd all-time with Harry Heilmann. 451 Doubles ranks him tied for 73rd all-time with Paul O'Neill and Jimmy Ryan. 163 triples ranks him tied for 33rd all-time, with Nap Lajoie, Lou Gehrig, and Bill Dahlen. 1,437 RBI ranks him 53rd all-time. 616 Stolen Bases ranks him 17th all-time. 1,973 Singles ranks him 46th all-time. 3,605 Times on Base ranks him 71st all-time. 50.2 At Bats per Strikeout ranks him 72nd all-time. 6,546 Outs ranks him 79th all-time. On June 14, 1893, he became the first player in big league history to hit a triple and a home run in the same inning. BEST BUY – Robin Yount was worth far more than $3. Believe me, I’ve got him in another league. Big time production and solid D, he’s a real plus.
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Father of the Keeper
Master of his own Domain |
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samurgie6
Hall of Famer
USA
217 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2008 : 1:40:26 PM
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Round 1 - Oh was a steal
Round 2 - Mantle was the Best Buy - no hiddens
Round 3 - Pete Alexander was the best value - I agree that Delahanty was the hidden treasure
Round 4 - I agree that Boojum is the HT - Berra might be the best use of budget in this round
Round 5 - Johnny Mize was a huge bargain - I know that it's hard to thing of him as being hidden but Joe Morgan is going to do better than the interest shown in this (and the other) draft |
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Bulldog Bob
Starter
74 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2008 : 11:50:53 AM
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Here are my humble opinions. I'm not familiar with a lot of the Negro League, Carribbean, and Japanese players.
BB round 1-Ernie Banks, a 500 Homerun hitter, better defense than Killebrew
BB round 2-Mantle, I thought Koufax and Mathewson, while not cheap, were good buys also.
BB round 3-Alexander, HT-I agree with Delahanty
BB round 4-Bill Dickey,HT- Probably Wilson, although if I remember correctly his defense wasn't good, maybe I overrate defense.
BB round 5-Joe Morgan, can't believe he went for only 20 dollars, thought he would go for at least 40. Thought Clemente was a bargain also. |
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samurgie6
Hall of Famer
USA
217 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2008 : 12:32:44 PM
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| Defense IS important and Wilson's defense is poor (4's). If defense wasn't important then Kiner was a steal at $15, but with his poor defense I probably overpaid by double... |
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wcofombl
Forum Admin
USA
381 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2008 : 07:34:56 AM
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Round 7 – HIDDEN GEMS - Ratio wise (WHIP, BB/K), Adrian (Addie) Joss is one of the best to ever play the game. Illness cut short a career that could have stamped him as one of the best. Who knows? We could be honoring baseball’s best pitchers with the Addie Joss Award, had things been different. BEST BUY – No names really jump out at one as exceptional bargains, but Steve Carlton comes close at $18.
Round 8 – HIDDEN GEMS - Tetsuya Yoneda - Although not as well known as some of the other top pitchers, Yoneda's 350 lifetime victories is the second best in the history of Japanese ball. Yoneda is also second on the all-time strikeout list and in innings pitched. He appeared in more games than any other Japanese pitcher. During his career, he won 20 or more games eight times and appeared in 14 All-Star games. In 1968 he won 29 games and was named the MVP. Also a great batter, Yoneda hit 33 career homeruns. BEST BUY – With the way our auction is going, $35 for Ed Walsh may seem like a lot. It isn’t. This guy is everything his stats suggest he is. In a ballpark with 1-20 singles and 1-20 homeruns, Big Ed still won 20 in the WLOC’s American League, the only AL pitcher to reach 20. (Yoneda profile is courtesy of Strat player Rob Fitts, an author of numerous books on Japanese baseball. Visit at http://www.robsjapanesecards.com/)
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Father of the Keeper
Master of his own Domain |
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wcofombl
Forum Admin
USA
381 Posts |
Posted - 12/31/2008 : 11:54:03 AM
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Round 9- The Japanese Cy Young, Eiji Sawamura was a teen sensation before going on to pitch professionally. As a teenager, he struck out Charlie Gehringer, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx in succession in a game he lost 1-0 on a homerun by Gehrig. Sawamura was killed in WWII, while serving in the Japanese Navy. The Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young Award is named in his honor. BEST BUY – Sawamura is a bona fide wipe-em-out, nail-em-down closer. (Sawamura profile is courtesy of Strat player Rob Fitts, an author of numerous books on Japanese baseball.)
Round 10 – It’s hard to be a HIDDEN GEM when you have numbers like Pop Lloyd. Ruth called him “the greatest player who ever lived” and Honus Wagner said it was a privilege to even be mentioned in the same sentence as Pop Lloyd. A gem among gems. BEST BUY – There are better outfielders out there, but they’re probably going to cost you a lot more than the $8 Grover paid for Al Kaline.
Round 11- Roberto Clemente’s mentor, Pancho Coimbre was considered the greatest player to come out of Puerto Rico, a claim made frequently by Clemente himself. A sure-handed, power-hitting outfielder, Coimbre once played back-to-back seasons in Cuba without striking out. BEST BUY - $19 may seem a steep price for a catcher, but Grover picks up a second consecutive best buy in Mickey Cochrane.
Round 12- Charles (Chino) Smith was yet another player with a brilliant career cut short by illness. Considered by Satchel Paige as one of the greatest Negro League hitters that ever lived, Smith was a contemporary of Ruth who hit for power and average. A career average of .423 in Negro League play and an identical average in exhibitions against major leaguers, his career ended with his death at age 28, from Yellow Fever. BEST BUY – Who would have thought he would go for less than $25? Not me. Given versatility and numbers $9 is a huge bargain for Dennis Eckersley.
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Father of the Keeper
Master of his own Domain |
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wcofombl
Forum Admin
USA
381 Posts |
Posted - 02/10/2009 : 11:25:31 AM
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Round 13 - Antonio Pacheco was a three time Olympic Gold Medalist (2 as player, 1 as manager), two time Silver Medalist (one each as player and manager); Career batting average over .400 in International competition. Considered one of Cuba’s Greatest players
Round 14 - Roger Connor was the MLB career homerun leader twice in his career, passed once by Ned Williamson, and then by Babe Ruth. Hit the first Grand Slam in MLB history, a two-out, bottom of ninth shot that gave his team a 4-3 win. Sportswriters called it “a majestic blast,” “a terrific hit,” and one called it a “grand slam.” The name stuck.
Round 15 - Louis Santop was the Negro League’s first true power-hitting catcher. Actually, the first true power-hitter period. Santop possessed a fragile psyche, though. After dropping a foul ball that prolonged an at bat and eventually resulted in the series winning hit in the Negro League World Series, his production dropped drastically and he was out of baseball within a year, never having recovered from the emotional impact.
Round 16 - Lazaro Salazar is a member of the Hall of Fame in both Cuba and Mexico, a hard-throwing lefty who made the Cuban HOF as a pitcher and the Mexican HOF as an outfielder.
Round 17 - Earl Averill is seldom mentioned with Ruth, Simmons, Gehrig or Foxx, But he was a power-hitting outfielder who hit for an average comparable to Ruth and Simmons. Comparable to Simmons defensively. One of the best. Son Earl, Jr., played with the Indians and Angels in the 50s and 60s.
Round 18 - Sam Thompson was one of three HOFers who spent two or more years as a cleanup hitter behind Ty Cobb (the others were Wahoo Sam Crawford and Harry Heilmann). Nicknamed “Big Sam,” was bigger than almost every other MLBer of his time, and possessed the kind of throwing arm that other outfielders envied. By the standards by which throwing arms are measured, early comparison were to Thompson, then Simmons, Carl Furillo, Clemente, Dwight Evans and now Ichiro.
Round 19 -Buck Ewing was the MLB’s first standout catcher, a solid hitter whose offensive skills were similar to Cobb’s, although at a lower level, and was without a match as a defender at several positions, particularly catcher.
Round 20 - Elmer Flick was another unknown Indians’ HOFer whose defense was matched only by Speaker, and whose offense consistently placed him among league leaders.
Round 21 - Will White has the unique distinction of being the only pitcher in MLB history to start every game of a season for his team (Reds). He completed about 90 percent of those starts. A member of the Reds’ HOF.
Round 22 - Sam Rice was an unknown star of the Senators’ teams led by Walter Johnson. A better than average hitter with speed but virtually no power.
Round 23 - Cupid Childs was a 19th century second baseman who is a virtual unknown despite being one of the premier players of his day. Superb defender who could more than hold his own at the plate.
Round 24 - Gil Hodges was one of the premier power hitters of the 50s, who played alongside Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, PeeWee Reese and Carl Furillo on the Dodgers. Possibly the greatest player never elected to the HOF.
Round 25 - Wally Yonamine is a Hawaiian born former 49er’s defensive back known as the Japanese Jackie Robinson. His aggressive play was a revelation to Japanese fans and ushered in a new approach to baseball in Japan. A several time batting champion, Yonamine is now in his 80s and serves as Japan’s baseball ambassador.
Round 26 - Hiromitsu Ochiai was a power hitting first baseman, a contemporary of Sadaharu Oh. Ochiai played in the opposite league and is remembered for winning three Triple Crowns in a four year period.
Round 27 - Jiro Noguchi was one of Japan’s greatest pitchers, probably the Japanese equivalent of Lefty Grove, career-wise.
Round 28 - Tim Keefe was a 19th century pitcher who was the MLB’s first strikeout specialist. Frequent 30-game winner, he was as much a weapon at the plate as on the mound.
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Father of the Keeper
Master of his own Domain |
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Round Analysis
