EDIT: Individual game links available in this thread upon request.

Welp. Decided not to wait for the exhibition team option to open up, so I started this as a regular season. Also, I'm stepping outside of my comfort zone for this one. Usually I use players only from 1885 to 1899, but this team I went through the entire list. Got it planned out from the spreadsheets, then made changes after I got to building the team for the sim.

This here is a team I put together using 8 of the worst players in the 550 to 700 IP/162 category. Well, give or take a bit for one or two players. The point of this is to see what a subpar starting lineup can do, when backed up by a relief crew with a (historical) baseball average ranging from .340 to .412, along with a 6-man pitching staff led by Cy Young and Jack Chesbro.

Hoping to see what happens. *laughs* Kind of started out with the intention of trying for a 0-162 record, but that kind of thing will happen later.

Wish me luck, guys. If anyone wants me to bother, I'll post game results or just the overall after the season ends.

Player

SN

B

G

AB

R

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

BB

SO

HBP

SB

CS

AVG

OBP

SLG

OPS

PA

SF

SH

Kendall, Jason	2005	R	150	601	70	163	28	1	0	53	50	39	20	8	3	.271	.345	.321	.666	676	5	0
Lochhead, Harry	1899	R	156	570	55	136	7	1	1	45	22	49	11	24	25	.238	.280	.261	.540	609	0	6
Flynn, Doug	1978	R	156	532	37	126	12	8	0	36	30	50	1	3	5	.237	.277	.289	.567	572	3	6
Griffith, Tommy	1924	L	147	508	45	127	20	5	3	70	36	20	0	0	5	.251	.300	.330	.630	559	0	16
Carr, Charlie	1904	R	132	512	40	111	19	4	0	50	19	43	1	6	11	.217	.246	.271	.517	556	0	23
Hassamaer, Bill	1895	R	134	562	61	148	25	7	1	92	36	21	0	10	12	.264	.308	.341	.650	608	0	10
Casey, Doc	1903	S	131	511	66	148	9	4	1	47	22	46	4	13	18	.290	.324	.329	.653	560	0	23
Young, Cy	1892	R	58	214	15	34	5	0	1	16	8	37	1	3	11	.158	.191	.199	.390	222	0	0
Chesbro, Jack	1904	R	59	187	18	44	10	3	1	18	4	16	0	1	3	.236	.253	.339	.592	195	0	3
Earl, Howard	1891	R	140	581	94	144	22	9	4	76	22	58	4	14	18	.248	.281	.341	.623	608	0	0
Dellucci, Dave	1999	L	63	109	27	43	7	1	1	15	11	24	3	2	0	.394	.463	.505	.968	123	0	0
Wehner, John	1991	R	37	106	15	36	7	0	0	7	7	17	0	3	0	.340	.381	.406	.786	113	0	0
Anderson, Dave	1990	R	60	100	14	35	5	1	1	6	3	20	0	1	2	.350	.369	.450	.819	104	0	1
Perkins, Broderick	1980	L	43	100	18	37	9	0	2	14	11	10	0	2	1	.370	.432	.520	.952	111	0	0
Witek, Mickey	1941	R	28	100	12	36	5	0	1	17	4	2	0	0	0	.362	.388	.447	.835	106	0	2
Brown, Gates	1968	L	67	92	15	34	7	2	6	15	12	4	0	0	0	.370	.442	.685	1.127	104	0	0
Ortiz, Hector	2000	R	26	88	15	34	6	0	0	5	8	8	1	0	0	.386	.443	.455	.898	99	0	2
Archdeacon, Maurice	1923	L	23	92	24	37	5	1	0	4	6	8	0	2	3	.402	.441	.483	.924	99	0	1
Pafko, Andy	1943	R	14	62	7	23	3	0	0	11	2	5	0	1	0	.379	.400	.431	.831	64	0	0
Zimmerman, Ryan	2005	R	20	58	6	23	10	0	0	6	3	12	0	0	0	.397	.419	.569	.988	62	1	0
Waner, Lloyd	1941	L	20	54	7	22	1	0	0	4	2	0	0	1	1	.412	.434	.431	.865	56	0	0
Burke, Tim	1987	R	55	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	12	0	2
Beck, Rod	1992	R	65	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	.500	.500	.500	1.000	2	0	0
Lidge, Brad	2004	R	80	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	1	0	0
Pitcher Totals	--	--	317	414	33	79	15	3	2	34	12	60	1	4	14	.191	.215	.256	.471	432	0	5
Hitter Totals	--	--	1547	5338	628	1463	207	44	21	573	306	436	45	90	104	.274	.318	.341	.659	5789	9	90
Totals	--	--	1864	5752	661	1542	222	47	23	607	318	496	46	94	118	.268	.311	.335	.646	6221	9	95

That lecture by Bill James that I posted in another thread includes the comment that James realized only later that the way he wrote offended some people: Doug Flynn stopped talking to the press everywhere because of anger at James. Wondering what he could have said about Flynn to make him so angry, he went back and read that he had written that Flynn was a terrible excuse for a big league ballplayer.

Good luck ! and keep us posted.

Italyprof,

It took me about five minutes for my sleep-addled brain to register your words. Realization about your message was quick after that. Then I mulled it over for a couple hours. That is when it hit me.

It is easy to not think, isn't it.

This is a simulation. With player stats and stadium effects and team management options. But it can sometimes cause me to not think of the people who are behind those stats.

I apologize to the players who I called worst.

So, every once in a while, I will do a couple paragraphs for a post about each of the players I chose for this team.

Thanks, Italyprof, for making me think.

--DarthMetool

Thank you DarthMetool, but I assure you I meant no criticism of you. That you thought about this in this profound way shows your character, for which my compliments. I look forward to reading more as you post it.

Charlie Carr
(from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Carr

Charles Carbitt Carr (December 27, 1876 – November 25, 1932) was a Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman who played seven seasons with the Washington Senators (1898), Philadelphia Athletics (1901), Detroit Tigers (1903–1904), Cleveland Naps (1904–1905), Cincinnati Reds (1906), and Indianapolis Hoosiers (1914). Born in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, Carr attended Lehigh University before playing in the major leagues. Over his seven-year major league career, Carr had a .252 batting average with 493 hits, 106 extra base hits, and 240 runs batted in (RBIs).

Carr had his best season in 1903 with the Detroit Tigers when he hit .281 in 135 games, scoring 59 runs, and collecting 154 hits, 79 RBIs, 23 doubles, 11 triples, and 10 stolen bases. His 1903 hitting performance was second only to Sam Crawford among the Tigers in extra base hits and RBIs. Carr's 1903 performance also ranked among the American League leaders in at bats (548), RBIs (79), singles (118), and outs (407). Carr also showed great range as a first baseman in 1903; his range factor of 10.27 was higher than that year's league average of 7.41.

Carr holds the Detroit Tigers team record for fewest base on balls in a season by a player with at least 500 plate appearances. In 1903, he walked only 10 times in 573 plate appearances, a rate of one walk in every 57 at-bats.^[1]

His major league career appeared to be at an end in 1906, when he was a backup first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds, batting .191 in 22 games. But he continued playing for the Indianapolis Indians for several years. When the Federal League formed a third major league, Carr made a comeback and won a starting spot for the Indianapolis Hoosiers. At age 37, Carr hit .295 for the Hoosiers and collected 11 doubles, 10 triples, 19 stolen bases, and 69 RBIs.

After his playing career ended, Carr operated a successful sporting goods manufacturing business, Bradley & Carr, which supplied baseballs to several minor leagues.^[2]

Carr died in 1932 at age 55 in Memphis, Tennessee. He was buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana.

(from SABR.org, excerpt from "Opening Day Is No Trivial Matter To SABR Members…Or Is It?" article)
https://web.archive.org/web/20100613022044/http://sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,1636,40,0

SABR member Mark Pattison, co-author of Detroit Tigers Lists and More Runs, Hits and Eras, seems to agree, “I like how trivia can connect otherwise disconnected events, like how Ivan Rodriguez' 11 walks in 2005 was the fewest by any Tiger with at least 500 plate appearances since Charlie Carr, with 10 walks in 573 plate appearances in 1903, when walks weren't valued nearly as much then.”

Darth's Comments--

So here is a guy who played for 6 teams over several seasons, had a career batting average of .252 and holding the Detroit Tigers team record for lowest base on balls. (Since the article says 'holds' and not 'held', I imagine that that record still stands today.) He even made a good comeback with the Indianapolis Hoosiers after a slump. This guy is more impressive than I really imagined. And to retire to making sports equipment for the minor leagues is a noteworthy accomplishment, especially as playing for so many teams netted him a lot of contacts.

good post, look forward to more tidbits... don't see how Jason Kendall and Doc Casey ended up on the list?

good post, look forward to more tidbits... don't see how Jason Kendall and Doc Casey ended up on the list?

*gets home from work, checks forum*

....uhhhhh.

*checks notes*

......

*checks spreadheets*

Huh. I.... guess I clicked the wrong player from the search. Neither player is on the lineup I did on the spreadsheet.

......dang it.

How close did Enzo hernandez 1971 come to making this roster.

Honestly, I don't know. I did mess up somewhere.

First Nine Games (MLB113313)

3/27
at Skeletons
0-4 loss
1-4 loss
3-2 win

3/28
Tampa Gunners
1-3 loss
0-7 loss
4-1 win

3/29
at Seagulls
0-4 loss
8-7 win
3-4 loss

That's 3 wins and 6 losses.

Second Nine Games

3/30
at AaTtHhLlEeTtIiCc OoAaKkLlAaNnDd
3-4 loss
1-5 loss
1-8 loss

3/31
Simply Ravishing
1-3 loss
3-7 loss
2-1 win

4/01
Simply Ravishing
1-4 loss
P+D+S=W??
0-1 loss
4-6 loss

Makes my record here 4 wins to 14 losses.

EDIT: Doing something a bit different, but I'm leaving this post as is.

I'll be brief. Been feeling under the weather all day.

Day 3
at Seagulls 0-4
at Seagulls 8-7
at Seagulls 3-4

That second game went a decent 11 innings, with my team making 5 runs in the first inning. Bill Hassamaer, for instance, got 2 line drive singles to LCF in the first and sixth innings.

Link below
https://www.whatifsports.com/slb/Boxscore.aspx?gid=26341135&pid=1&pbp=0&tf=10

Bill Hassamaer
(from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Hassamaer)

William Louis Hassamaer (July 26, 1864 in St. Louis, Missouri – May 25, 1910 in St. Louis, Missouri), is a former professional baseball player who played outfielder in the Major Leagues from 1894 to 1896. He would play for the Louisville Colonels and Washington Senators.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Bill_Hassamaer
"Roaring Bill Hassamaer played three seasons in the majors. He was a regular on the 1894 Washington Senators, playing right field as well as infield and posting the second highest batting average on the team."

Unfortunately, his batting average slipped the following year and was sold to the Louisville Colonels for $200 near the end of the season. His 1896 season saw his average stay low, and he played in the minor leagues after his last major league game (July 6) until 1899.

This was all I could find about Bill Hassamaer on the internet. He is a decent player on my team so far (early as it is), going so far as to bat .600 against left-handed pitchers, with a combined average of .276 after 9 games.

As always, much obliged to le6rand for the good games.

Can't say that Louisville got their $200 worth

Third Nine Games

4/02
P+D+S=W??
4-1 win
3-2 win
DOMINICAN BOGGS OR JOSE OFFERMAN
0-1 loss

4/03
at DOMINICAN BOGGS OR JOSE OFFERMAN
0-5 loss
at I'm Picking up Good Vibrations
0-4 loss
I'm Picking up Good Vibrations
1-4 loss

4/04
at Detroit Renaissance
1-4 loss
2-4 loss
3-1 win

Another 3 wins and 6 losses, bringing my total up to 7 wins and 20 losses.