The Lahman/Babe Ruth question

[33sherman]

Any other Lahmanners out there?

I like to start 16 team leagues around 1901 and play from there. Of course, Babe Ruth enters the league in 1914 as a pitcher. Do most of you leave him that way, or do you edit him to be a slugger? I'm leaving him as a pitcher for this current association, but I notice there's kind of a lack of a big home run hitter in the league when I do that. Gehrig hits home runs, but never more than thirty or so(at least up until 1930). The way the XML is set, it seems there's no way someone could break out and hit 50-60 HRs during this period.

[DandricSturm]

I never thought too much about this before but you could probably import the Babe again after he becomes a slugger, and force retire him as a pitcher.

[33sherman]

I never thought of that, actually. That's a good idea.

[Sarge]

ORIGINAL: 33sherman

Any other Lahmanners out there?

I like to start 16 team leagues around 1901 and play from there. Of course, Babe Ruth enters the league in 1914 as a pitcher. Do most of you leave him that way, or do you edit him to be a slugger? I'm leaving him as a pitcher for this current association, but I notice there's kind of a lack of a big home run hitter in the league when I do that. Gehrig hits home runs, but never more than thirty or so(at least up until 1930). The way the XML is set, it seems there's no way someone could break out and hit 50-60 HRs during this period.

I left him in Boston as a pitcher,Babe is at the end of his career (1935)

5,456.1 innings pitched

298 wins

3,134 strike outs

3 no hitters

with a 2.98 life time ERA

I will take the Arm over a Bat any day

[33sherman]

Actually, I was completely wrong about a player not being able to hit that many homers. I followed Dandric's suggestion and introduced Babe Ruth as a hitter in 1921(a year after he switched historically) and he hit 49 dingers. As a Brooklyn Dodger, no less. I guess Ruth is hard-wired to hit a lot of home runs.

[roo23]

I started my league in 1919, left him as a hitter, and he's done quite well, in terms of power. However, Gehrig will probably surpass him before it's all said and done with... Home Run totals (stars led league):

Ruth / Gehrig:
1919 - 44*
1920 - 45*
1921 - 38*
1922 - 31*
1923 - 45*
1924 - 37*
1925 - 34* / 32
1926 - 36 / 42*
1927 - 55* / 46
1928 - 34 / 54*
1929 - 25 / 63*
1930 - 38 / 59*
1931 - 28 / 67*
1932 - 21 / 67*
1933 - 29 / 45 - with about a month to go in the season...
Total: 540 / 475

Clearly no trouble with the power totals. It's not the original .xml file though. I forget whose I downloaded - it was back in February I think (that's when my original puresim.xml file was last used).

Numbers for the rest of the league are pretty good for the time. Didn't have the huge offensive surge in the '30's as in real life but I think we're all better off for that [;)]

By the way my best pitcher is a journeyman named Hank Thormahlen who has racked up several 20-win seasons out of nowhere... And it looks like Wes Ferrell is going to be a good one, too...