OK, I was a kid of the 60's and really started to get into Baseball wehn the Seatle Pilots moved to Milwaukee and became the Brewers in 1970.
I was 8 and an am being brought back to a lot of names from my youth I nearly forgot!.
So I have ataken a litel libety, starting in 69, with the Brewers already in place, but there are so many great players "making it" aroud 69 that I decided to start there.
So with a 24 team league mirroring the '69 league structure, and using 50 man rosters (even with 25 players in the minor leagues there is still a fair number of scrubs) I'm starting a full draft to try to assemble my "dream team" of the heroes whose dog eared cards I misplaced years ago...
But the game is like a set of baseball cards come to life, at least in the imagination!Well, I get the 4th pick in the draft - and have a "no lose" decision - do i go with Nolan Ryan or Jim Palmer on he pitching side, or a 23 year old phenom Reggie Jackson. I'm normally a "hit for show, pitch for dough" guy, usuly taking pitchersin the first two rounds. But in this case I can't pass up Mr. October - and though a LOT of guys will go off teh boad before my next pick, I will have two relatively close together to take pitching.
So my first pick is 23 year old Reggie jackson who is 16C/20P/17E/17pot (I like to use the 1-20 rating scale) for 5 yrs at 4.2M/year
What to my wondering eyes appears n the board in the 2nd rnd? Why Nolan s stil there! apparently his mediocre control has scaed teams off!
So in rnd 2 I take 22 year old Nolan Ryan 19S/20V/11C/14pot for 5 years at 2.9M/yr
Now, returing to the pitching board, I have a chice between starter Dock Ellis (18S/16V/17C/17pot) and closer Sparky Lyle (18S/18V/16C/16pot) as there are far more decent cosers than starters, I take 24 year old Dock Ellis for 5 years at just over 4M/year
This getting 2 piks close together is kinda neat. Going from starting pitching to power hitting, I broaden my horizon from high potential types to consider more mature candidates. It doesn't matter that much as the "no brainer" power hitters are taken. All the candidates have an achilles heel - Nate Colbert has questionable hands, Ken Harrelson - poor range and potential, Graig Nettles a suspect arm, Ernie Banks, Age and eye.
It comes down to Tony Conigliaro, whose perfect 20 hands almost makes up for below average range, but its Beltin' Bill Melton (15C/15P/13E/18pot) whose and reasonable contract demands and ablity to play almost every position on the field I go with first, hoping that Conigliaro stays on the board for 6 picks...
Well, checking the pitching board paid off! I fgured Sparky would definately have gone, but he's still there! BUt so is Rick Wise...Rick is pricey at 4.5M so I go with 25 yr old Sparky Lyle 18S/18V/16C/16pot 5 yr at 3.1/ per year.
Round six I'm back to power hitter and of the notables above Graig Nettles is calling me. Darrel Evans is enticing, but i already have a 3d baseman in Melton. A young Carlton Fisk is also on the board, but his contact and eye are still pretty raw to go this high.
A take Nettles 14C/15P/14E/17pot and will go with Evans for DH if he is still on the board...5 yrs at 1.8M per
Darrell Evans is still there - he goes next 12C/15P/18E/17pot 5 yrs for 1.5M
Now round 8 is tough - the power hitters are dried up, but prime defensive contact hitters are starting to go. Generally the quality starters are gone, but Steve Renko 18S/14V/15C/16pot is still on the board, nearly 4M$. Rollie Fingers is also there 18S/14V/18C/17 pot
So I go for pitching with a high quality #3 starter in Renko and Rollie stays on the board to give me an outstanding set up man in front of Sprky, who can be a quality closer himself in case of injury.
Round 10 you have o start considering defese at key positions - with 4 15+ power hitters - one of them 20P Jackson - feel good about my power - so I slice and dice a few ways and find a 22 year old Thurman Munson with his 20 Arm and 20 potential, and vacuum cleaner (and real life long time Brewer Don Money with 16 range, 15 arm, 15 hands, and OK 15C/10P/12E hitting with 17pot.
That works out for me and now back to pitching - I need a "crafty left hander" and again an actual Brewer 29yr old Dick Ellsworth 15C/10V/19C fits the bill nicely as a #4 starter who we'll hope lasts longer than hs real life 3 years before retiring. Don Shaw similarly fits the bill as a lefty for the bullpen the 25 year old 18S/15V/14C/14pot but pricey at 2.5M per year
Round 14, we are starting to fill things out offensively, with CF, 2b and 1B left to be filled its defensive stats that overtake hitting, in which case Cito Gastin with his 19 hands, 19 arm, and 19 range is the obvious choice for CF and for 1st base there is a little bit of Power (12) left in Terry Crowly (11C/12P/14E/12pot).
Round 16 takes us back to the pitching board, here we need a 5th starter and another situational reliver. 23 year old Mike Torrez fits he bill for former (15S/9V/11C/15pot). 25 year old closer Wayne Granger is a surprising choice to still find for the "crucial out" right hander at 17S/12V/18C/13pot. Hs 2.5M price tag could be why he is still on the baord, but we are doing ery well money wise having spent just under 40M with 47M left.
Round 18 we need to fill our remaining need at 2nd base, dfensively again its a no brainer - with 20 Hands, 17 Arm, 13 range Dave Cash, who has decent speed at 15 and 17pot to imporve his lackluster 14C/3P/9E batting stats. A decent hit and run and bunt bet util his eye comes up. With the 19th pick we look for a back-up catcher to spell Thurman and find 20 year old Ted Simmons on the board with a decent 14C/11P/10E/18pot Ted Simmons whose 8 hands and 8 arm could be a defennsive liability, on the other hand, Ellie Rodriguez (14C/5P/14E/13pot may not develop as much offensiely, but 17 hands and 16 arm is much less a defensive liability. I may take Simmons as a DH prospect,, but go with the defensive catcher for now.
Well in round 20 there are still a good assortment of relief pitchers, but position prospects are drying up fast. The best available is RF Bill "ropes" Russell wih his 15C/5P/10E/18pot and 20 hands, 14 Arm and 10 range. At 21 he still wans 1.5M but we have spent only half our bankroll and have nearly completely our major league roster so we are in good shape. We folow up with LF George Foster (11C/12P/9E/18pot)
Round 22 and we check the pitching prospects and we find a 20 year old up and comer named Vida Blue (12S/10V/13C/17pot)
and a 25 year old Chad Morton (13S/8V/11C/19pot) in round 23. Round 24 we get a wacky 23 yer old lefty named Bill "Spaceman" Lee (11S/8V/11C/11pot) and a 25 yr old middle reliver Al Severinsen (14S/8V/11C/10pot).THings have pretty much dried up to scrubs at this point on the position player side we take Jose Martinez, an offensive scrub but a good defensive replacement if hit by injuries. Similarly Fred Stanley at SS. For round 28 and 29 I take the best potential pitchers, just on the off chance he makes a miraculous advancements to approach real life careers, Gene Garber. And Mike Davison, 16pot, but nothig else. Hey, he might grow into trade biat
So at round 30, little remains so we sill trust the scouts to pick the remaining 20 for us.
We run spring training and are surprised to find the preseason rankings have us at 22nd out of 24, and even more surprised we have the high payroll at 56.7M per year. And still more surprised Reggie Jackson is not on the "most feared hitter list" which features Willey McCovey, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Dick Alen and Frank Howard.
Well, enough excitement for one night, but to recap, our lineup:
Starting Pitching:
#1 Dock Ellis 18S/16V/17C
#2 Nolan Ryan 20S/19V/11C
#3 Steve Renko 18S/14V/15C
#4 Dick Elsworth 15S/10V/19C
#5 Mike Torrez 15S/9V/11C
Bullpen
Closer Sparky Lyle 18S/18V/16C
Setup Rollie Fingers 18S/14V/18C
Situational L Don Shaw 18S/15V/14C
Situational R Wayne Granger 17S/12V/18C
Middle #1 Al Severinsen 14S/8V/11C
Middle #2/Mop up Gary Kroll 11S/10V/8C
Catchers:
Thurman Munson 13C/11P/12E 13 hands, 20 arm
Ellie Rodriguez 14C/5P/14E 17 hands, 16 arm
Outfield:
RF Reggie Jackson 16C/20P/17E 20 hands, 19 arm, 8 range (13 spd)
LF Graig Nettles 14C/15P/14E 20 hands, 8 arm, 10 range
CF Cito Gaston 14C/10P/8E 19 hands, 19 arm, 19 range (15 spd)
Infield
1st Terry Crowley 11C/12P/14 13 hands, 12 arm, 8 range
2nd Dave Cash 14C/3P/9E 20 hands, 17 Arm, 13 range (15 spd)
SS Don Money 14C/10P/12E 15 hands, 15 arm, 16 range (13spd)
3rd Bill Melton 15C/15P/13E 13 hands, 12 arm, 11 range
DH (3rd) Darrell Evans 12C/15P/18E 14 hands,11 arm, 10 range
