I did some analysis on season selected by each person.

schwarze 1944 (5 times)
schwarze 1907 (4 times)
3dayrotation 1970 (4 times)
bigsteve12 1929 (4times)
footballmm11 2007 (4 times)
kstober 1969 (4 times)
njbigwig 1913 (4 times)
ybjsports 1984 (3 times / only drafted 4 teams)

League 11 - Pittsburgh Pirates
Team Name: Pirates w /Kiner (51,28,63,32,70)
Ballpark: PNC Park
Salary: 117,877,923
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Round 2, Pick 3 - 1928 (.559)
As I mentioned in my "Round 1" writeup, this was the only franchise I selected a hitter in round 1. I was one of the last people to select a Pirate. I decided to pick '51 Kiner to get an early round 2 pick, where I fully planned on grabbing 1902 to land three deadball pitchers (860 innings). But when my turn came up, I looked at that .741 winning% and chickened out. Dumb, dumb move by me. Had I locked up those innings, I could have put together a pretty good offense from those 1920's and 1930's high octane offenses. But instead I went with 1928, which landed me a decent SP, Burleigh Grimes (353 ip, 2.68 erc#) plus two really good bats, 1B/OF Paul Waner (.370, .437, .539, C+/B) and 3B Pie Traynor (.337, .362, .455, C/A). This does get me pick #5 in round 3, which is nice, but you will soon see why this was a bad pick.
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Round 3, Pick 5 - 1963 (.457)
So instead of focusing on getting some stud hitting seasons, I focused on getting pitching in quantity, since I had just one pitcher thru two rounds 1963 gets me a pretty good SP, Bob Friend (269 ip, 2.47), along with bullpen arms Al McBean (123, 2.62) and Tommie Sisk (108, 2.94). The hitting from this season isn't great. I originally had Roberto Clemente (.320, .368, .480, D/D+) on the roster, but later upgraded to a better version since 1963 is not one of his better seasons. Instead, I added a catcher, lefty-hitting Smoky Burgess (.280, .338, .394). 1B Don Clendenon (.275, .338, .440, B-/A+) isn't the ideal first baseman despite his great range. He eventually was slotted into a platoon role. Note that thejuice6 took 1902 and was able to land 1933 at pick 16 this round where he gets five solid hitters... Arky Vaughan, Paul Waner, Freddie Lindstrom, Pie Traynor and Tony Piet. Sigh... I really screwed up this draft,
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Round 4, Pick 1 - 1932 (.558)
It does help getting pick #1 in round 4, as I need all the help I can get. Of course, I was hoping for 1933, but 1932 will have to suffice. Because I already drafted 1928, I can't even use the two best hitters from 1932. But I can use the following hitters... SS Arky Vaughan (.318, .375, .405, C-/B+), CF Lloyd Waner (.333, .368, .423, B+/A+), 2B Tony Piet (.282, .344, .383, C/B-) and OF Adam Comorosky (.286, .337, .382, B/A). This season does give me two pretty good SPs... Bill Swift (226 ip, 2.62 erc#), Steve Swetonic (172, 2.69). The seventh player is a crappy Bill Harris (3.40 erc#) who will only pitch in mop-up duty. I'm slowly piecing together a team, but it's not a very good team.
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Round 5, Pick 10 - 1970 (.549)
I had a long wait for my next pick. I badly needed a near full-time catcher. I had my heart set on 1970 and had no backup plan if I got sniped. Thankfully, that season fell to me at pick 10. Manny Sanguillen (.324, .344, .439, B/A/A+) has 510 PA and I'll have to do the reverse-platoon where my lefty-hitting catcher starts vs LHP and my righty-hitting catcher starts vs RHP. Yep, that's great strategy. I'm an idiot. Roberto Clemente (.352, .407, .551, C-/C-) is the best player on this 1970 squad but only has 455 PA. I still decided to replace 1963 Sanguillen. Bob Robertson (.287, .366, .559, A-/B) will be the starting 1B but he only has 451 PA (which is why Don Clendenon has to play some at 1B). 2B Dave Cash (.314, .365, .414, C/B+) will platoon with Tony Piet. Gene Alley plays 2B/3B/SS and has a good fielding rating at all three but can't hit a lick. 3B Richie Hebner (.290, .362, .459) only has 475 PA and may play some DH. On the pitching side of things, Mudcat Grant (136 ip, 2.45 erc#) becomes my best RP option. John Lamb (33, 2.60) and Luke Walker (163, 3.02) add pitching depth.
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Outlook:
This is going to be a disaster. I think my pitching is probably below average, my hitting is below average. I have no deadball pitching. My defense sucks and due to my pitchers giving up too many HRs, I decided to play my home games at PNC Park. Did I mention I used a first round pick on Ralph Kiner? 42 HRs, playing home games at PNC. Just a brilliant all-around strategy. Why didn't I just draft 1902 in round 2 like I oriiginally intended? I hope thejuice6 wins 90 games. i like his team way better than mine. This team will lose 90+ games.

League 03 - San Francisco Giants
Team Name: Giants w /Mathewson (07,36,24,16,11)
Ballpark: AT&T Park
Salary: 121,155,301
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Round 2, Pick 5 - 1936 (.597)
When I made my 1907 pick in round 1, I knew I would get a high pick in round 2 and was hoping to get 1936 in round 2 (since 1933 went in round 1). I was thrilled 1936 was still available at pick 5 in round 2. Everybody knows I love Carl Hubbell (320 ip,, 2.19 erc#). Although 1933 Hubbell is better than 1936 Hubbell, it's very close. But 1936 Mel Ott (.328, .444, .586, B+/D+) is way better than 1933 Mel Ott. And landing SS Dick Bartell (.298, .352, .416, B-/A+) is more important than landing 1933 Bill Terry. I am very satisfied with my second round selection.
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Round 3, Pick 7 - 1924 (.608)
There are so many great Giant franchises, that a .597 win% still gets me a pick in the top half of round 3. I knew all along that I would take either 1924 or 1923 in round 3, if either made it to me. Although 1923 has Dave Bancroft, I preferred 1924. 2B Frankie Frisch (.328, .383, .463, B-/A+) is my favorite sim 2B of any era. OF/DH Ross Youngs (.356, .436, .516, D+/D+) is a stud hitter. Hank Gowdy (232 pa, .325, .407, .440, B-/D/A-) will platoon at catcher. And 1B George Kelly (.324, .367, .526, B/A) gives me four hitters from this year. I considered Hack Wilson (.,295, .365, .481) but decided on adding a RP, Claude Jonnard (95 ip, 2.46 erc#). I love my start. I was hoping to get a good Willie Mays season, but his remaining seasons don't have much in terms of other useful pieces.
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Round 4, Pick 13 - 1916 (.566)
The 1924 pick dropped me to pick 13 this round. After taking 4 hitters with the last pick, I decided I needed more pitching, as I only have Mathewson, Hubbell and Jonnard and I don't expect much pitching to be left in round 5. Of course, the two pitching gems of 1916 are Ferdie Schupp (150, 1.55) and Slim Sallee (120, 2.18). I originally also added Rube Benton (255, 3.05) but after my round 5 pick, I no longer needed him. Much to my surprise, this season provided me many useful hitting pieces. Catcher Lew McCarty (266 pa, .339, .419, .455, B+/B/B+) is part of a 3-player catching platoon. Walter Holke (129 pa, .351, .404, .452) will play some DH and pinch hit. Benny Kauff (.264, .362, .436, C-/B+) will get some time in the OF. Heinie Zimmerman (.286, .331, .418) will split time at 3B. And Buck Herzog (.264, .340, .360) can play 2B, 3B, SS and OF. Not yet sure what his role will be.
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Round 5, Pick 10 - 2011 (.531)
I still needed a third catcher, but I also wanted to upgrade the 3B position, add another OF/DH and also add some more decent pitching. 2011 was the best fit for all these needs. Buster Posey (185 pa, .284, .373, .385, A-/A+/A) fills the catcher spot. Pablo Sandoval (466 pa, .315, .362, .547, B+/A-) fills the 3B upgrade. Carlos Beltran (598 pa, .300, .390, .520, A/D+) will start in the OF. He also makes it three switch-hitters in the starting lineup. The fourth batter is a pinch hitter, Brett Pill (53 pa, .300, .326, .556). Since I added 4 hitters, that means I added 5 pitchers. SP Matt Cain (222 ip, 2.35 erc#) is way too good to still be available this late in the draft. Tim Lincecum (217, 2.98) gives me the cushion in innings that I like to have. I also added 3 RPs, Ramon Ramirez (69, 2.62), Santiago Casilla (52, 2.15) and Sergio Romo (48, 1.10). Romo is the best but his 0.74 ip/g scares the crap out of me. I guess I am supposed to his pitch count 5? In fact, all three of these modern RPs scare me.
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Outlook:
Based on the raw stats, my pitching staff should be very good. Including all 1626 innings, the staff average is 1.04 whip, .216 oav, 2.2 bb/9 and 0.28 hr/9. I have Frisch and Bartell with A+ range up the middle. My OF range is weak with B+ in CF and D+ in RF and LF. Ugh. The hitting is ok, not great. I was very optimistic about my team after my 3rd round pick (1924), but somehow the last two rounds didn't go exactly as I had hoped. By taking 1916 in round 4 instead of a good Willie Mays-led hitting season, my team is a bit too pitching heavy and does not have enough offense. I am playing in AT&T which will hopefully mute all the Barry Bonds, Willie McCovery and Willie Mays seasons that I will be facing. I was expecting more from this draft but I think this team will disappoint me. Feels like 82-84 wins and just missing a round 2 advancement.

League 08 - Oakland Athletics
Team Name: Athletics w /Plank (08,12,81,75,48)
Ballpark: Municipal Stadium
Salary: 123,812,405
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Round 2, Pick 5 - 1912 (.592)
I was hoping for 1913 here but njbigwig sniped me at pick 4. 1912 was a fine consolation prize. One could make an argument that the 1912 hitters are marginally better than the 1913 hitters. Frank Baker (.347, .402, .559, C+/A+) is a stud 3B. Eddie Collins (.348, .448, .453, C/B-) is a stud 2B. Stuffy McInnis (.327, .382, .451, C-/A) is a decent enough 1B. But 1913 has two very good deadball starting pitchers while I didn't think any of the 1912 pitchers were worth rostering. In fact, njbigwig didn't even roster 1913 Frank Baker, opting to go with both of his good SPs (I probably would've done the same).
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Round 3, Pick 6 - 1981 (.587)
One advantage of selecting 1912 over 1913 was getting pick 6 in round 2 (instead of pick 11). Since I didn't add a pitcher in round 2, I decided to embrace the pitching and defense angle in round 3. 1981 provides SPs Steve McCatty (276, 2.45) and Matt Keough (209, 3.15) plus RP Tom Underwood (76, 3.02). But I also get OFs Rickey Henderson (.319, .412, 443, C+/A+) and Dwayne Murphy (.251, .373, .413, B/A+).
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Round 4, Pick 9 - 1975 (.605)
I still needed more pitching and getting a quality team like 1975 in the middle of round 4 was fantastic. How about this for pitching depth... I get to add five pitchers, including SP Ken Holtzman (267, 2.94) and four 100+ inning RPs... Rollie Fingers (127, 2.48), Jim Todd (122, 2.49), Paul Lindblad (123, 2.73) and Stan Bahnsen (100, 2.87). I went from 820 innings to 1560 innings with this pick. I also got to add my starting (full-time) catcher, Gene Tenace (.255, .396, .466, C+/C/B+). And just for fun, I now have three A+++ range outfielders with Billy North (.273, .374, 332, C/A+) joining Henderson and Murphy in the OF. These three guys can total 90 + plays if they play 162 games each.
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Round 5, Pick 16 - 1948 (.545)
The downside of getting such a great season last round is that I am now picking last in round 5. In fact, this was the last draft to finish, and I was the last person selecting in this draft. There were only two seasons that I wanted... either 1949 or 1948. You see, I badly needed a SS. kstober provided me a proxy (1949), then I had to wait for Ribbentrop to pick. I had no backup pick if he took 1948... I would've been screwed. But thankfully he didn't. It's kind of sad that I badly needed Eddie Joost (.250, .382, .395, B+/A-). But 1948 provided more needed pieces, including OF Elmer Valo (.305, .420, .395, B/C-) and 1B/DH Ferris Fain (.281, .401, .396, C/B). Hank Majeski (.310, .357, .455, A/C+) is a decent 3B but he'll never start over Frank Baker. Barney McCoskey (.326, .394, .387, A-/D+) is a decent hitting OF and maybe he gets some starts. It's always hard to weigh the difference between a light-hitting defensive wizard like Billy North vs a better hitting lesser defensive OF like McCoskey or Valo. I also rostered OF Sam Chapman (.258, B/A+). Although I don't plan on ever starting him, Herman Franks represents my second catcher. 1948 also provides a pretty good long-reliever, Nels Potter (120 ip, 2.36 erc#). My ninth player from this season is RP Bubba Harris (99, 3.01).
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Outlook:
I have very little power on this roster (Tenace w/29 HRs, Joost w/16 has 2nd most) so playing home games in Municipal Stadium will help suppress HRs. My offense is more OBP-based than SLG. I have a bunch of guys with OBP > .380 but only one player with SLG > .465. My pitching is decent and my great defense will make the pitching look even better. I expect a lot of 3-2 games. It's always tricky trying to predict success when you expect to be involved in a bunch of low-scoring games because too much depends on 1-run game luck. Generally speaking, good range equates to winning, but I think my range of outcomes pretty wide... from 76 wins to 84 wins, all dependent on 1-run game luck. Let's split the difference and call this an 80-win team.

Posted by schwarze on 8/11/2026 9:41:00 PM (view original):
League 13 - Cincinnati Reds
Team Name: Reds w/ Rijo (93,24,03,11,98)
Ballpark: Palace of the Fans
Salary: 109,994,242
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Round 2, Pick 5 - 1924 (.542)
Coming into round 2, my only player was '93 Jose Rijo... not exactly a 330+ inning deadball stud. I was hoping to get 1944 or 1925 early in round 2, but those two seasons went at picks 2 and 3. I would have considered 1969 but ff09 took that season with pick 4. I would have loved to grab a Big Red Machine season like 1972, 1973, 1974 or 1976 but there just isn't enough pitching. I looked at 1903 but I thought they might last to me next round. I need pitching and 1924 has three pitchers (666 innings) that all are decent. Eppa Rixey (253 ip, 2.37 erc#) and Carl Mays (240, 2.92) represents 50% of my four-man rotation while Rube Benton (173, 2.73) will pitch in long relief. Throw in Rijo and I have over 900 innings. I have zero batters so far, though,
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Round 3, Pick 7 - 1903 (.532)
Not surprisingly, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1974 and 1970 all got taken. Thankfully, the season that I had my eye on since last round was still available and I grabbed them right away. I get four of my nine starting batters with 1903 including OF Mike Donlin (.351, .419, .534), OF Cy Seymour (.342, .381, .497), OF Joe Kelley (.316, .401, .435) and 3B Harry Steinfeldt (.312, .385, .499). Even SP Noodles Hahn (345 ip, 2.85 erc#) is worthy of making the rotation. I am thrilled with this start.
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Round 4, Pick 6 - 2011 (.488)
Not only did 1903 provide me with 5 usable players, but I also move up to pick #6. It didn't take me long to decide on 2011, which was a perfect fit. 1B Joey Votto (.309, .421, .536, A-/A), 2B Brandon Phillips (.300, .358, .453, A/A), C Ramon Hernandez (.282, .347, .442, A+/A/A), C Ryan Hanigan (.267, .356, .357, B+/A/A-) fill out 3 of the remaining 5 spots in the starting lineup plus all are great defensive players. That alone would make this pick a very strong choice, but I even get to add two very useful pitchers... Johnny Cueto (156 ip, 2.60) and Francisco Cordero (70, 2.39). The seventh batter is a decent pinch hitter, Yonder Alonzo (98 pa,.330, .403, 541). I am really liking this team. I only really need a SS, a DH and some RPs.
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Round 5, Pick 7 - 1998 (.475)
Despite being the last team to pick a Reds season in round 1, the 1993 (Jose Rijo) pick allowed me to pick seasons where I was able to draft in the top 7 in each round. I needed a SS and 1998 gives me one of the top seasons of Barry Larkin (.309, .396, .489, A/D) even though his range is poor. Dmitri Young (.310, .363, .467) is a switch-hitter who will DH for me. Jeffrey Hammonds (.280, .375, .414, B-/C-) will DH some and sub in for my OFs. C Eddie Taubensee (.278, .351, .404) is my third catcher, and another lefty bat. RP Jeff Shaw (50 ip, 2.07) is my team's best reliever. Steve Parris (99, 3.08) and Gabe White (99, 3.16) adds some pitching depth. The last two spots aren't really needed, but I added hitters Willie Green and Roberto Petagine.

Outlook:
Despite not rostering Bench, Morgan, Rose, Foster, etc., I really like this team. I have a bunch of .300+ hitters in the starting lineup. I didn't draft much HR-power so playing home games in Palace of the Fans makes sense. The HR/9 of my starting rotation is 0.09, 0.11, 0.12 and 0.66 so I should lead the league in fewest HRs. My defense is solid. My low salary should put me in the American League. I drafted some bad teams, but I do think this team can win 87-90 games.

It's time to review the results of my drafts. What did I get right? What did I get wrong? I realize most of you don't care, but writing this out makes me re-evaluate everything and helps me improve my process in future drafts.

Final Record: 94-68, .580 (1st in AL West)
Expected Win%: .591 (Best in league)
1-Run Games: 18-12
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Rank in Offense: 1st
Rank in Pitching: 8th
Rank in Fielding Range: 1st
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Comments:
Although '93 Jose Rijo (my first round pick) was awful (11-14, 6.16), the low win% of 1993 enabled me to roster 1924 in round 2. That provided me the AL Cy Young winner, Eppa Rixey (25-8, 3.57) plus another solid SP with Carl Mays (22-15, 5.06). And the relatively modest winning% of 1924 allowed me to pick high in round 3 and I was able to load up on high average hitters with 1903. Seymour hit .333, Donlin hit .352, Steinfeldt hit .316 and Kelley hit .321. Oh, and SP Noodles Hahn threw 334 innings and went 19-17, 5.04. So I guess you can say the 1993 Rijo *sacrifice* allowed me to draft those two key seasons. As I predicted, I allowed the fewest HRs in the league. I actually underestimated how well this team would play. Grade: A+

Posted by schwarze on 8/13/2026 4:39:00 PM (view original):
League 10 - Cleveland Indians
Team Name: Naps w/ Joss (09,23,44,51,67)
Ballpark: League Park II
Salary: 127,924,331
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Round 2, Pick 5 - 1923 (.536)
I decided to write about this Indians team next, because this draft went the opposite way of my Reds draft. In the Reds draft, I took 1924 to add three pitchers. In this draft, I went with 1923 and added three hitters, OF Tris Speaker (.380, .457, .607, C/B+), OF Charlie Jamieson (.345, .410, .444, B-/B) and SS Joe Sewell (.353, .444, .476, D+/C+). I wanted 1911 but they went two picks before my turn. The defense at SS will hurt, but I should score some runs with this start.
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Round 3, Pick 5 - 1944 (.468)
This was a no-brainer pick. This season has mulitple useful position players, a strong SP and a low winning%, resulting in an early pick in round 4. Lou Boudreau (.327, .408, .452) is a fine SS, but of course I will be playing him at catcher. 3B Ken Keltner (.295, .357, .482, A-/B+) is a solid 3B. OF Roy Cullenbine (.284, .382, .460) can play OF or DH and you know I love switch-hitters. Jeff Heath (179 pa, .331, .404, .506) is a pinch hitter and part-time DH. SP Steve Gromek (215 ip, 2.48 erc#) is a top-15 post dead-ball SP in Indians history. Based on who I ended up drafting later, I will use Gromek as my multiple-inning setup pitcher.
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Round 4, Pick 3 - 1951 (.604)
Normally, I wouldn't select a team with this high of a winning% (especially in round 4, meaning I would pick last in round 5), but I only have 500 innings and 1951 gives me three pitchers (670 ip) plus a starting 2B, OF, and DH. So, I get six useful pieces here. The pitchers aren't what I'd call great, but are serviceable, including Early Wynn (289, 2.80), Mike Garcia (268, 2.96) and Lou Brissie (119, 3.13). Not too bad for a round 4 pick. The hitters include two stars, DH Minnie Minoso (,326, .415, .501) and OF Larry Doby (,295, .421, .513, C/B+). 2B Bobby Avila (.304, .367, .410, B/A) is fine. The seventh player I rostered from this season is my weakest starting batter. I couldn't find a 1B in round 5 while also adding quality pitching, so I reluctantly rostered Luke Easter (.270, .326, .482, C/C-).
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Round 5, Pick 16 - 1967 (.463)
I had fewer than 1200 innings rostered going into this round, so I wanted to add at least 300 more. As you can imagine, there isn't much left picking last in round 5. The best pitching season left was 1967, as it had four somewhat usable pitchers, but no useful offensive players. Steve Hargan (223, 2.72) slides into the SP4 slot, while Sonny Siebert (186, 2.62), Orlando Pena (89, 2.41) and Stan Williams (79, 2.83) represent most of the bullpen. The rest of the 1967 players aren't impactful.

Outlook:
I'm not all that optimistic about this team. The pitching isn't great. The offense was going to be great until I f*cked up the 1B position. The defense isn't very good. Unless I score 7+ runs per game, I don't think this team can finish above .500. Picking three hitters in round 2 was probably not the best idea as I was chasing pitching the next three rounds. I got quantity but not necessarily quality. Prediction: 78-84,

Final Record: 89-73, .549 (1st in NL West)
Expected Win%: .532 (Best in NL, 4th best overall)
1-Run Games: 25-17
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Rank in Offense: 4th
Rank in Pitching: 8th
Rank in Fielding Range: 10th
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Comments:
Well, I didn't score 7 runs per game, but 6 runs per game was good enough for fourth best in the league. Surprisingly, League Park II (1.09 park factor) did not effect my offense that much as I ranked only 8th in runs scored at home. My top pick ('09 Joss) was just ok (16-12, 4.21). My 1923 batters were good, Tris Speaker (.344, .431, .548, 157 runs, 133 RBIs, 3rd in MVP) was my team's best hitter (also led my team with 24 HRs). Joe Sewell (.345, .427, .433, 125 RBIs) was very good, but he did commit 49 errors at SS. The strategy of using SPs Steve Gromek (16-10, 11/15 saves, 4.98) and Sonny Seibert (9-8, 26/35 saves, 4.72) out of the bullpen worked out well. Just like my Reds team, this team overperformed expectations. Grade: B

Posted by schwarze on 8/12/2026 8:57:00 PM (view original):
League 02 - New York Yankees
Team Name: Highlanders w/ Chesbro (04,26,75,41,96)
Ballpark: Yankee Stadium III
Salary: 150,022,734
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Round 2, Pick 10 - 1926 (.591)
When I decided on 1904 Jack Chesbro as one of my first two picks, I also considered 1910 Russ Ford. Both are defensible top choices. Ford's team had a .583 winning% so I had to weigh getting an earlier 2nd round pick vs. the extra innings Chesbro provides. Of course, footballmm11 selected 1910 and so he drafted two spots in front of me. And sure enough, he selected the season I was hoping to land in round 2 (1956 with Mantle & Ford). I guess I chose wrong. There were only two really good Ruth seasons left, 1924 and 1926. Based on his previous successes, I went with 1926. Babe Ruth (.372, .503, .734, B/C) won the MVP in this last tournament. Although this isn't one of his better seasons, Lou Gehrig (.313, .408, .544, B-/B) is still pretty darn good. SP Waite Hoyt (229 ip, 3.09) isn't terrible. At the time of this selection, I was scheduled to pick 3rd in round 3.
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Round 3, Pick 6 - 1975 (.519)
Of course, the last three people to pick in round 2 undercut me, pushing me to pick #6. With two picks to go, I was all set to grab 1939 and lock up an awesome offense even though it would push me to the end of round 4. Then Ribbentrop sniped 1939 from me. I really had no backup plan. I strongly considered 1999 to get Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter plus a good Mariano Rivera. But there are many seasons available with different versions of those players. I really needed a 2nd stud SP. 1975 provides a strong season from Catfish Hunter (333 ip, 2.19 erc#). Rudy May (215, 3.14) is a lefty who could be useful vs all these lefty bats. I originally had Roy White penciled in to start in the OF, but later replaced him. The three batters I rostered aren't your typical juggernaut hitters, but are all great defensive players, including C Thurman Munson (.318, .367, 431, D+/A/A+), 3B Graig Nettles (.267, .323, .432, B+/A) and backup OF Elliott Maddox (255 pa, .307, .382, .396, A+/A+). I hated this pick as soon as I made it. Although Hunter has good raw stats, he got destroyed in the last tournament (14-16, 6.96, 70 HRs allowed) for a team that won 90 games. What was I thinking? Sure, enough, 1999 went on the very next pick to 3dayrotation.
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Round 4, Pick 2 - 1941 (.656)
Well, if I'm going to blow my third round pick solely to pick high this round, I'd better not blow this pick. I know this selection will have me drafting near the end in round 5, but 1941 filled a bunch of holes that I had. Most importantly, I needed another stud hitter and Joe DiMaggio (.354, .433, .640, B-/A+) is exactly that. OF Charlie Keller (.298, .410, .576, B-/B+) will be my team's third best hitter (behind Ruth and DiMaggio). I also planned on getting my starting middle infield with 2B Joe Gordon (.276, .352, .462, C-/A) and SS Phil Rizzuto, but I later upgraded to Jeter. C Bill Dickey (.284, .365, .413, A/C/B) gives me another catching option. Spud Chandler (173, 2.78) is a solid long reliever option. Marius Russo (221, 3,.23) and Red Ruffing (196, 3.10) are two more warm bodies to throw out there. Now comes the long wait for my fifth round pick.
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Round 5, Pick 16 - 1996 (.568)
As we got close to my turn, I really had my heart set on 1996. I needed solid relief pitching. Mariano Rivera (108 ip, 1.38 erc#), David Cone (72, 2.10) and John Wetteland (64, 2.67) fill that need nicely. With Ruth, DiMaggio and Keller, I really only needed one more OF/DH type. But I ended up rostering both Bernie Williams (.305, .379, .503, B/A-) and Paul O' Neill (.302, .399, .484, A+/C-). Derek Jeter (.314, .359, .398, B/C+) is a slight upgrade offensively compared to Rizzuto. I also rostered 3B Wade Boggs (.311, .378, .359, A/D-) although his D- range means that I'll probably play Nettles more often. 2B/3B Mariano Duncan (.340, .341, .467) can't field worth a lick and you gotta love that his OBP is .001 better than his AVG.

Outlook:
In the last two franchise drafts, my Yankees teams ended up with the best record both times (96 and 104 wins). Both teams proceeded to lose in the playoffs (what else is new)? Despite the advantage of having Chesbro to start 80 times, I don't think this team is a 90-win team. The offense has a couple of nice pieces, but Gordon, Munson and Nettles are below average and even my Jeter is ok, not great. I'm hopeful my pitching and defense will keep me in a lot of games, but I don't have a great feeling. Chesbro could go 35-15 and this team could still finish around .500. With above average 1-run game luck, maybe 85 wins. With below-average 1-run game luck, below .500 is possible.

Final Record: 91-71, .562 (1st in NL East)
Expected Win%: .530 (3rd best in NL, 7th best overall)
1-Run Games: 30-15
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Rank in Offense: 6th
Rank in Pitching: 7th
Rank in Fielding Range: 1st
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Comments:
This team was very lucky to win 91 games. My last comment in the original writeup was that they were an 83-win team with average 1-run game luck. Well, if you change their 1-run game record from 30-15 to 23-22, that puts them at 84 wins. Even their expected winning% implies an 85-win team. This team does not advance under either of those circumstances. So yes, very lucky. That being said, the bullpen on this team was atrocious. I already documented how many big leads Rivera and Cone below late in games. I'm not talking about 1 or 2 run leads, I am talking about 4, 6 and even 8 run leads. Overall, this team blew 24 of 56 save chances. Rivera was 9 for 17. Cone 11 for 20. Jack Chesbro (32-21, 4.69) was good, not great. In fact, the lesser talented '05 Chesbro (23-14, 4.47) was better. No complaints with '26 Ruth (.326, .481, .737, 72 HRs, 179 RBIs, 4th in MVP). My Gehrig (.249, .350, .452) was disappointing. His 21 real life triples translated into just TWO for the season. The biggest surprise was Charlie Keller (.258, .343, .574, 54 HRs, 134 RBIs). Excluding Babe Ruth seasons, Keller finished only behind '34 Gehrig (60) and '61 Maris (55) in HRs. Overall, I will take it, since I really should have advanced. We will see if my pitching is better in round 2. Grade: A-

Posted by schwarze on 8/12/2026 9:52:00 PM (view original):
League 16 - Baltimore Orioles
Team Name: Browns w/ Howell (04,84,08,24,77)
Ballpark: Sportsman Park (II)
Salary: 129,489,226
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Round 2, Pick 5 - 1984 (.525)
My first pick was Harry Howell and I am happy with that start considering how late I drafted from the Orioles franchise. The top two years I was hoping to get in round 2 was 1984 and 1995. I drafted 1995 at the end of round 1 in the 5x5 franchise draft and I was disappointed in how those players performed so I was happy to take 1984 this time around. The key to this pick are the two A+ range guys, 1B Eddie Murray (.305, .411, .500, B/A+) and SS Cal Ripken Jr. (.304, .374, .502, B/A+). Mike Boddicker (262 ip, 2.85 erc#) isn't as good as '95 Mussina or '95 K.Brown, but he's serviceable, especially with great defense behind him,
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Round 3, Pick 9 - 2008 (.422)
Normally, a .525 win% would net me a higher pick than #9, but the Browns/Orioles franchise have a lot of bad years. For these bad franchises, the third round pick is really important. You really need a team with five usable pieces. 2008 gets me three batters and two pitchers. 2B Brian Roberts (.296, .375, .431, A-/C+) nets me a second switch-hitter. 3B Aubrey Huff (.304, .357, .532, B+/B-) leads my team in HRs. And OF Nick Markakis (.306, .402, .471, A-/B-) is a quality OF with over 700 pa. SP Jeremy Guthrie (191, 3.40) isn't a great SP, but the starting pitching thins out very fast. Jim Johnson (69, 2.31) is a good RP. The best thing about this pick is the .422 win%, allowing me to pick early next round.
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Round 4, Pick 3 - 1924 (.487)
This was a key pick for me as I was able to fill many holes. Ken Williams (.324, .409, .525, C/B) only has 511 PA but they are very good. Baby Doll Jacobson (.318 ,.346, .521, B+/A+) will play CF for me. Hank Severeid (.308, .347, .391, B+/C/A+) and Pat Collins (.315, .415, .400) provide 605 PA at catcher. Marty MacManus (.333, .393, .434, B-/B) gives me another 2B option if Brian Roberts falters. SPs Urban Shocker (263, 3.28) and Ernie Wingard (233, 3.30) give me plenty of SP innings now.
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Round 5, Pick 4 - 1977 (.602)
Actually, this was my favorite pick in the entire draft. How often does a team with a .600+ winning% fall to round 5? Especially when the franchise doesn't have many great seasons. Jim Palmer (321, 2.68) becomes a top SP on the roster. Adding SPs Mike Flanagan (237, 3.47) and Dennis Martinez (168, 3.48) means that 8 of my 9 pitchers are starters with at least 168 innings. That's fine by me. I've had more success with a SP with a 3.50 erc# than I have with modern RPs with a 2.50 erc#. I have over 2000 innings which will probably put me in the NL East. On offense, I get to add one of my sim favorites, Ken Singleton (.328, .437, .496, B/D+). Al Bumbry (.317, .370, .400, A/A) makes for a crowded OF. One of Singleton, Bumbry, K.Wlliams, Jacobson, Markakis won't be a regular starter. I'm still keeping them all, salary be damned. The rest of the hitters added won't start but provides depth and some defense, including 3B Doug DeCinces (B/A), C Dave Skaggs (A+ arm),

Outlook:
The offense on this team is very good and I have A+ range at 1B, SS and CF and B to C+ everywhere else. After Howell and Palmer, the pitching is very suspect, but I have to imagine most of the teams in this league do not have strong pitching staffs. If my defense can make my pitching look better than they really are, then maybe we can finish over .500, The lack of a decent bullpen will most likely be the downfall of this team, but if the game goes into extra innings, my guys will have no problem throwing 4+ innings in relief while all your modern RPs will hit their pitch count quickly and be removed. I don't have a good feel for how good this team is. Feels like 82-84 wins.

Final Record: 98-64, .605 (1st in NL East)
Expected Win%: .636 (Best in league)
1-Run Games: 28-16
-------------------------------
Rank in Offense: 2nd
Rank in Pitching: 1st
Rank in Fielding Range: 1st
-----------------------------------------
Comments:
This team turned out to be my favorite team in this tournament. To finish in the top 2 in offense, pitching and defense doesn't happen very often.. Harry Howell (27-11, 3.25, N.L. Cy Young winner) has been awesome. Jim Palmer (23-15, 4.12) was way better than expected and finished 4th in Cy Young. The key was Mike Boddicker (18-14, 4.1 era, 29/34 in saves, 3rd in Cy Young). He started out in the pen and was pitching in almost every game. He was getting too close to 100 appearances so I moved him into the rotation, where he went 9-3, 2.91 in 14 starts down the stretch. On offense, my best hitter was Ken Williams (.294, .385, .524) which isn't MVP quality. Ironically, I had three different position players finish 1-3-4 in MVP, two of them because of their defense. Baby Doll Jacobson (.277, .303, .450, 114 runs, 131 RBIs, 27+ plays in CF) wins the MVP with pedestrian hitting stats. Eddie Murray (.259, .360, .395, 28+ plays) finished 3rd and Ken Singleton (.301, .405, .451, 112 RBIs) finished 4th. Take a look at those stats for Jacobson. How did he drive in 131 RBIs? I guess my team had great balance as 7 players scored between 95 and 114 runs while seven batters hit between 18 and 29 HRs. I will be interested to see how they do in round 2. Grade: A+.

Posted by schwarze on 8/12/2026 10:32:00 PM (view original):
League 05 - Chicago Cubs
Team Name: Orphans w/ Taylor (02,64,43,28,91)
Ballpark: Cubs Park
Salary: 129,855,590
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Round 2, Pick 5 - 1964 (.469)
Without an obvious choice (like the 1914 Red Sox or 1941 Dodgers), the thing I look for in round 2 is a team with a low win% that has a solid SP and two solid hitters (or vice versa). 1963 went one pick before me, but 1964 is nearly as good with SP Larry Jackson (298 ip, 2.60 erc#), 3B Ron Santo (.317, .408, .569, B+/A-) and OF/DH Billy Williams (.316, .379, .536). And I get a very early draft pick next round. Great start.
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Round 3, Pick 2 - 1943 (.484)
Seriously, had anybody ever heard of Hi Bithorn (265, 2.84) before? His 4-game performance vs me in the other draft tournament totally convinced me to take 1943 here. Lon Warneke (94, 2.75) is good enough to use in long relief. But this year also provides two really solid hitters, with OF Bill Nicholson (.309, .389, .550, C+/C+) and 1B Phil Cavarretta (.291, .384, .439, C-/B). There are a couple of different ways I could've gone with my third hitter, but I ultimately needed a CF. Peanuts Lowrey (.292, 342, .418, B/A) is barely decent enough to start.
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Round 4, Pick 4 - 1928 (.591)
Coming into round 4, I still needed C, 2B, SS, OF and more pitching. 1928 hurts my draft position, but I get to add Gabby Hartnett (.302, .396, .516, B+/C/A+), SS Woody English (.299, .335, .368, C/A), OF Hack Wilson (.313, ,396, .581, D+/B-), OF Riggs Stephenson (.324, .398, .469, B/D+), OF Kiki Cuyler (.285, .351, .465, B/C+) and 2B Freddie Maguire (.279, B/A+). I do plan on upgrading 2b, but am keeping Maguire for defense. The one SP worth rostering is Sheriff Blake (254, 2.90). Now, a long wait for my last pick.
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Round 5, Pick 14 - 1991 (.481)
I wanted 1937 but nocomm999 sniped me two picks before my turn. I decided on 1991 in order to get two key players... 2B Ryne Sandberg (.297, .386, .491, A+/C+) and SP Greg Maddux (267 ip, 2.88 erc#). C Hector Villanueva (.276, .346, .542) will platoon with Hartnett. 1B Mark Grace (A-/A+) and SS Shawon Dunston (B/B) are nothing more than very expensive defensive replacements. I also added two lefty RPs... Paul Assenmacher (104, 2.89) and Chuck McElroy (103, 3.08). SP Frank Castillo (114, 3.20) is a warm body.

Outlook:
I really like my starting rotation of Jack Taylor, Greg Maddux, Larry Jackson and Hi Bithorn. The bullpen isn't great, I'll probably use Sheriff Blake as a SP so I can move Larry Jackson as my main long-setup guy. My offense is good with five guys with 26+ HRs so I will be playing at Cubs Park. I wish my defense was better. The biggest issue is that my team is too right-handed (only three lefty bats in the starting lineup). It was probably not a great idea to draft a power hitting team with all the good deadball pitchers in this league. Expectation: 78-84.

Final Record: 85-77, .525 (1st in NL East)
Expected Win%: .536 (3rd in NL, i5th n league)
1-Run Games: 20-14
-------------------------------
Rank in Offense: 1st
Rank in Pitching: 12th
Rank in Fielding Range: 5th
-----------------------------------------
Comments:
Well, this team did lead the league in HRs hit and in runs scored, despite not having a single player in the top 5 in the MVP race. Balance was the key. No hitter had an OPS over .900 but seven hitters had an OPS in the 800's. And the two that didn't were two of my better fielders (CF Peanuts Lowrey w/14 + plays and SS Woody English w/13+ plays). Bill Nicholson (.300, .359, .504, 129 RBIs) and Ron Santo (.300, .386, .512, 132 RBIs) were my two best hitters.

My first round pick, '02 Jack Taylor (29-13, 3.56) was as good as expected (3rd in Cy Young, behind only '08 and '09 Mordecai Brown). He would've finished higher in the Cy Young race but he had a 5-game stretch in the middle of the season were he went 0-4 with 27 runs allowed in 39.2 innings. Hi Bithern was not good (8-11, 7.86) and was relegated to mop-up. Sheriff Blake (15-12, 5.00) and Greg Maddux (16-16, 5.00) were both decent enough. I was fortunate to win a relatively weak division. Grade: B

Posted by schwarze on 8/13/2026 10:48:00 AM (view original):
League 14 - Detroit Tigers
Team Name: Tigers w/ Trout (44,12,07,33,82)
Ballpark: Tiger Stadium
Salary: 132,305,834
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Round 2, Pick 9 - 2012 (.543)
Having 371 innings from a non deadball pitcher is a nice luxury to have. I really wanted to take 1907 here, but it would push me back to the end of round 3, so I decided to grab a solid Verlander season and hope 1907 was still available next round. 2011 was the very first Tigers season taken. I felt verry fortunate to get the second best Justin Verlander (238 ip, 2.42 erc#) with the ninth pick in round 2. Better yet, he comes with two stud hitters... 3B Miguel Cabrera (.330, 398, .592, A-/C-) and 1B Prince Fielder (.313, .416, .513, C+/D). The moderate win% keeps me picking the middle of the next round.
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Round 3, Pick 8 - 1907 (.613)
As each selection was being made, I kept holding my breath that 1907 would make it back to me. I actually couldn't believe my luck, when it did make it back to me! Like I said before, I generally try to find a team with a low win%, but when a gift falls into your lap, you jump at it and figure out the rest later. Let's start with Ty Cobb (.350, .395, .507, C/C+) and Sam Crawford (.323, .380, .500, C/A)... that's two guys with OPS+ of 139 and 135, in round 3! Davey Jones (.273, .371, .353, C+/A+) is nice defensive OF. Deadball pitchers Bill Donovan (293 ip, 2.75 erc#) and Ed Siever (297, 3.06) give me four SPs with nearly 1200 innings already. I do have a long wait until my next pick, but maybe I can find a season with a low win% and make two picks in a row.
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Round 4, Pick 16 - 1933 (.487)
From about the midpoint of round 4, I had my eye on 1933 and was shocked when they were still around. I needed C, 2B, SS and it's not easy to find a team that has all three this late, but 1933 fills two of those positions, with quality players. 2B Charlie Gehringer (.325, .386, .464, B/B-) and SS Billy Rogell (.295, .374, .400, C/A-) both have over 700 PA, can hit and are decent enough fielders. 1B Hank Greenberg (.301, .360, .464, C/B) will push Prince Fielder to DH. OF John Stone (.280, .338, .430) is an extra OF who probably won't play much. As far as pitching goes, you don't expect much from 1933, but Firpo Marberry (251, 2.97) and Tommy Bridges (246, 2.93) are actually two of the top 10 overall SPs from that season. We're up 1700 innings with just six SPs on the roster. Who needs RPs, anyway? My seventh 1933 player is a cheap scrub.
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Round 5, Pick 3 - 1982 (.512)
The low win% of 1933 allowed me an early pick in round 5. I didn't need much. Mostly just catching and maybe a few more bodies to throw in the pitching staff. I am using the same catching platoon I am using in the other draft tournament. 1982 gives me Lance Parrish (.284, .339, .518, B/B/A+) and John Wockenfuss (.301, .389, .461, C/D+/D+). These two guys combined to hit .283 with 22 HRs and 97 RBIs in 633 ABs in the other league. I added a bunch of expensive defensive replacements who probably won't ever start, including SS Alan Trammell (.258 avg, A/B), 2B Lou Whitaker (.286, A-/A), OF Glenn Wilson (.292, B/A+). OF Chet Lemon (.806 ops#, B/C+) may start a few games. I rostered three pitchers from this season, including RP Dave Rozema (28 ip, 1.54 erc#) despite his awful stats for me in the other tournament. He went 20/26 in saves with a 6.00 ERA in 32 appearances. He blew 3 saves in the last week of the season which cost me a playoff spot. Dave Tobik (99, 3.10) is my second RP on the roster. SP Dan Petry (246, 3.24) qualifies as a warm body. I know I have wasted a lot of salary on unnecessary innings and on expensive defensive replacements but if they can help the team, then so be it.

Outlook:
It's weird that of the writeups I've done so far, the teams I like the best are teams like the Reds and Tigers. Maybe it's because seasons that I thought should've got taken early fell all the way to me in the round after I almost took them. One of the fun parts of this type of tournament is not really knowing if your team is going to be good or not. Unless you are tracking the rosters of every team, you cannot know where your team stands. I really like my starting rotation. I will probably go with a 3-man rotation (Trout, Donovan, Siever) and use Verlander out of the pen as my long-setup guy. My offense is pretty good with Parrish, Greenberg, Gehringer, Cabrera, Rogell, Cobb, Crawford, D.Jones/Lemon and Fielder. The defense is respectable (maybe slightly above average). I think this team could compete for a division title. Let's say 88-90 wins.

Final Record: 84-78, .519 (3rd in NL West)
Expected Win%: .569 (2nd in NL, 2nd overall)
1-Run Games: 17-20
-------------------------------
Rank in Offense: 4th
Rank in Pitching: 4th
Rank in Fielding Range: 5th
-----------------------------------------
Comments:
The big story of this team is the shockingly bad (or maybe just unlucky?) performance of first round pick, '44 Dizzy Trout (15-27, 4.74). In the other draft tournament, Trout went 25-19, 4.74 and finished 2nd in Cy Young for an 85-win team. Maybe he was just unlucky for me. He's finished both tournaments with the same ERA and my team finished with 84 wins. I did finish below .500 in 1-run games. Maybe he was on the losing end of many of those. The offense wasn't the problem, as my pick of 2012 paid dividends. Prince Fielder (.333, .442, .497, 134 RBIs) and Miguel Cabrera (.318, .388, .507, 157 RBIs) were my two best hitters. '07 Cobb (.364, .397, .483, 132 runs) wasn't too shabby either. My 1907 pick really saved my pitching. Ed Siever (18-10, 4.11, 4th in Cy Young) and Bill Donovan (17-17, 5.17) combined for 54 starts and 85 relief appearances. Defensively, Sam Crawford and Davy Jones combined to make 35 "plus" plays. Luckily, the team still advances to round 2 as the second wildcard. Finishing in the top 5 in offense, pitching and range is a good sign for the next round. Grade: B+

Posted by schwarze on 8/13/2026 2:44:00 PM (view original):
League 12 - Minnesota Twins
Team Name: Senators w/ Chance (68,30,44,01,13)
Ballpark: American League Park (I)
Salary: 113,128,433
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Round 2, Pick 9 - 1930 (.610)
As I mentioned in the Round 1 writeup, I should have taken 1959. That would have landed me 2006 in round 2 and this team's outlook would have been so much better. Instead, I was hoping 2004 or 2005 would fall to me. 2004 went at pick 4 and 2005 went one spot in front of me. So, I panicked and thought to myself, "Since my pitching is going to suck anyway, let's get a stud offense". I grabbed a season with three stud hitters. 1930 gives me OF Goose Goslin (,308, .371, 582, C/C+), OF Heinie Manush (.350, .373, .511, A/D+) and SS Joe Cronin (.346, .410, .493, B/A). What I forgot to consider was that this pick would have me picking last in round 3. So not only do I not have Walter Johnson, I won't secure my second pitcher until pick number 48. This team is doomed.

Round 3, Pick 16 - 1944 (.416)
After what seemed like a week, I finally got to pick again. I missed 1974 by one spot. I settled on 1944 which has two usable SPs, Dutch Leonard (242 ip, 2.76 erc#) and Johnny Niggeling (217, 2.84). I also get three starting position players, including defensive whiz, 1B/OF Stan Spence (.316, .393, .502, A-/A+). 2B George Myatt (.285, .359, .356/ D+/C+) is not good at defense. Rick Ferrell (.277, .366, .329, C+/C+/A-) will contribute 400 PA toward the catching position. I also get to pick early in round 4.
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Round 4, Pick 2 - 2001 (.525)
Searching for the best available starting pitcher led me to 2001. Joe Mays (234, 2.83) is a one-hit wonder as he never approached these numbers in any other season of his career. Brad Radke (226, 3.21) provides long-relief innings. Eddie Guardado (67, 1.97) and Jack Cressend (57, 2.83) bring my total inning count to 1325. Well, so much for having a great offense. I just added two mediocre-hitting starting batters, 1B Doug Mientkiewicz (.306, .384, .440, A/B-) and 3B Corey Koskie (.276, .360, .464, B+/B+). Matt Lawton (444 pa, .293, .394, .415, B/C) can platoon in the OF. Overall, I got 6.5 usable players with this pick. Of course the term "usable" is synonymous with mediocre.
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Round 5, Pick 9 - 2013 (.407)
At this point in the draft, there isn't much left. I strongly considered going with 1989 to get C Brian Harper and OF Kirby Puckett, but I went with 2013 to get some RP depth along with a stud catcher. Joe Mauer (508 pa, .324, .408, .455, A/B/A+) and Josmil Pinto (83 pa, .342, .402, .555, C/C-/A+) represent a huge upgrade over Rick Ferrell (who I still need to keep for the extra PAs). But I also added four RPs, including Caleb Thielbar (46, 1.36), Glen Perkins (63, 1.99), Casey Fien (62, 2.56) and Anthony Swarzak (96, 2.91). So, I'm now up to 1600 innings. The other pieces I added from 2013, include defensive replacements 2B Brian Dozier (A/B+), 1B Justin Morneau (A/A).

Outlook:
Ugh... this team had no chance before I even made a pick in round 2. All those Walter Johnsons will shut my offense down. Meanwhile, my pitching staff consists of a hodgepodge of no-names like Dean Chance, Dutch Leonard, Johnny Niggeling and Joe Mays. I have a starting 2B with D+/C+ defense. I don't even have a Rod Carew or Tony Oliva on the roster. My only hope is that my offense is good enough to offset my poor pitching. Maybe this team can get to 76 wins, if everything falls right.

Final Record: 91-71, .562 (1st in AL East)
Expected Win%: .539 (1st in AL, 4th overall)
1-Run Games: 22-16
-------------------------------
Rank in Offense: 1st
Rank in Pitching: 14th
Rank in Fielding Range: 9th
-----------------------------------------
Comments:
Re-read the second to last comment in my writeup above... "My only hope is that my offense is good enough to offset my poor pitching." Clearly, this team outperformed expectations, by a wide margin. And the offense is the reason why. Is this how footballmm11's teams always win? Just draft as much offense as possible and overwhelm your opponent's pitchers? Even the mediocre batters performed well. Here are the ranks (by OPS) for each of my position players (compared to all others qualifying batters at that position), (C) '13 Mauer 2nd, (1B) '01 Mientkiewicz 5th, (2B) '44 Myatt 7th, (3B) '01 Koskie 3rd, (SS) '30 Croinin 3rd, OF '30 Goslin 3rd, '44 Spence 4th, '30 Manush 15th. My best pitcher (and 1st round pick), '68 Dean Chance finished 21st in ERA (3.66) but went 24-12 and was the only SP not named Walter Johnson to finish in the top 5 in Cy Young in both leagues (he was 3rd). '06 Joe Nathan finished 4th in the NL. Dutch Leonard, Joe Mays and Brad Radke combined to go 33-39 in the other 116 starts, But my bullpen was mostly decent as I babied their outings to 10 pitches/game. Excluding SP Joe Niggeling who I used as a long reliever, my six modern RPs combined for 310 innings over 400 appearances and went 23-12 with a combined ERA of 4.12. On the hitting side, '44 Stan Spence won the AL MVP with a line of .308, .359, .478 with a ridiculous league-leading 165 RBIs. He also had 19 plus plays in CF. '30 Goose Goslin finished 4th in MVP with slash of .279, .339, .504, 41 HRs (first in league) and 151 RBIs (2nd in league). '30 Joe Cronin went .295, .365, .410 with a league-leading 138 runs. '30 Heinie Manush went .315, .346, .436. Now, maybe playing in the lower-salaried A.L. helped this team win more games than they deserved to win, but we'll take it. Based on expectations, Grade: A

Posted by schwarze on 8/13/2026 5:19:00 PM (view original):
League 07 - Los Angeles Dodgers
Team Name: Superbas w/ Wilhelm (08,30,54,82,98)
Ballpark: Memorial Coliseum
Salary: 128,809,288
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Round 2, Pick 2 - 1930 (.558)
Of course, I was hoping for 1941 but bigsteve12 selected the only Dodgers season worse than 1908. The thing about the Dodgers franchise is that there is plenty of pitching options, so my focus will be on getting hitting early and often. I will find pitching in rounds 4-5. 1930 gives me two hitters and a strong SP. OF Babe Herman (.393, .437, .647, B/D) is the gem of this selection. He went .301/.370/.512 with 133 RBIs (playing in Dodger Stadium) in the previous draft tournament and finished 2nd in MVP for a 97-win team. I originally assumed I'd take SS Glenn Wright but later changed to CF Johnny Frederick (.334, .367, .490, A/A+). 1930 is the third best season for Dazzy Vance (273 ip, 2.40 erc#). 1924 and 1928 were first round picks. I feel good about this start

Round 3, Pick 9 - 1954 (.597)
It;s tough watching all those great pitching seasons get taken, but I am sticking with my plan. 1954 provides five starting batters... 1B Gil Hodges (.304, .370, .566, A-/A-), 2B Jim Gilliam (.282, .358, .406, B-/C), SS Pee Wee Reese (.309, .401, .442, B/C+), OF Duke Snider (.341, .420, .635, B/B) and part-time DH Jackie Robinson (490 pa, .311, .410, .492). My offense is going to crush it.
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Round 4, Pick 9 - 1982 (.543)
When I picked 1954, I was actually hoping 1982 would make it back to me. I get five solid pitchers from this season, including two lefty SPs, Jerry Reuss (255 ip, 2.56 erc#), Fernando Valenzuela (285, 2.73) and three RPs, Steve Howe (100, 2.13), Vicente Romo (26, 2.32) and Terry Forster (83, 2.57). With so much pitching from this season, you'd think the hitting sucks, but I was able to get another starting batter, 3B/DH Pedro Guerrero (.304, 383, .541, D/D). 3B Ron Cey (.254, .328, .433, B/C) was added to sub in for defense, assuming I start Guerrero at 3B. Six usable players from my fourth round pick... I like how this team is coming together. I still need a catcher and some more bullpen arms.
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Round 5, Pick 6 - 1998 (.512)
I decided to grab one of the best available seasons of Mike Piazza (.328, .389, 556, B/A+/D+) to fill the catching position. Charles Johnson (A+ arm) was added for defense. Gary Sheffield (383 pa, .316, .443, .520, A-/D+) can platoon at DH with Jackie Robinson. 1B Eric Karros (.296, .353, .461, C/A-) and OF Raul Mondesi (.279, .315, .482, C+/C) are extra batters who probably won't play much, but who knows for sure. I was able to add four bullpen arms, including Ramon Martinez (102 ip, 2.59 erc#), Jeff Shaw (85, 2.64), Brian Bohanon (98, 2.75) and Carlos Perez (78, 3.29).

Outlook:
Although I would have rather had 1941 over 1930, the fact is that I was able to build a pretty strong team. (bigsteve12 had to pick 15th in round 3). Sure, I don't have Kershaw or Koufax on my team, but my pitching should be close to league average and my offense should be among the top 3 in the league, especially playing at Memorial Coliseum. My defensive range isn't what I'd normally like to have (only one A+), but my fielding ratings are mostly B or better (except for Guerrero). I think this team has 90-win potential.

Final Record: 82-80, .506 (1st in NL East)
Expected Win%: .514 (5th in NL, 8th overall)
1-Run Games: 24-22
-------------------------------
Rank in Offense: 2nd
Rank in Pitching: 16th
Rank in Fielding Range: 10th
-----------------------------------------
Comments:
This team was awful. There is no way they should have advanced to round 2 but they won a bad division. Sure, the offense played well, but the pitching was atrocious. My supposed two best SPs ('08 Wilhelm 17-19, 5.32 & '30 Vance 17-15, 5.96) turned out to be my two worst SPs. Thru 13 starts, Vance (2.40 erc#) was one of the worst pitchers in the entire league (3-8, 8.35). Then he turned it around and went 10-2, 4.50 for a stretch. But he finished 4-6 in his last 14 starts as my team went 5-12 down the stretch. '82 Jerry Reuss (10-17, 5.10) and '82 Fernando Valenzuela (16-11, 5.09) had similar ERAs but I guess Reuss didn't get the run support that Fernando did. On the hitting side, '30 Babe Herman (.310, .377, .525, 37 HRs, 123 RBIs) finished 2nd in MVP race. In a league where pitching dominated, Herman's 37 HRs tied for first and his .902 OPS was third best in the league. My defense was below average, which kills me. I hate playing bad defenders. Pedro Guerrero started all year at 3B (D/D). He had 23 errors and 21 minus plays. I think I will have to start Ron Cey at 3B in round 2. Speaking of round 2, this team will get killed. I should have let somebody else advance. Grade: C-

Posted by schwarze on 8/13/2026 6:49:00 PM (view original):
League 15 - Atlanta Braves
Team Name: Bees w/ Nehf (19,20,66,37,21)
Ballpark: Atlanta Fulton County Stadium
Salary: 132,207,819
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Round 2, Pick 4 - 2020 (.583)
I was the last team to draft a season from the Braves in round 1. After 2008 got taken, I wanted a season that had two impact hitters plus decent SP. 2020 fit the bill perfectly. 1B Freddie Freeman (.341, .464, .621, A/C) is an absolute stud. Marcell Ozuna (.338, 433, .617, D/B-) is also a stud. I passed on Ronald Acuna in order to grab the best SP from this staff, Max Fried (151 ip, 2.33 erc#).

Round 3, Pick 8 - 1966 (.525)
The main reasoning for taking 1966 was to secure a stud full-time catcher with Joe Torre (.315, .391, .560, C/A-/A+). OFs Hank Aaron (.279, .364, .538, B+/B-) and Felipe Alou (.327, .369, .532, B/B) are also very strong hitters. I could've taken Rico Carty as well, but the outfield is getting crowded and I need pitching. RP Clay Carroll (145, 2.58) averages 2 ip/g which is good, because I plan on using all 145 of his innings. Pat Jarvis (63, 1.69) will make a perfect closer with his 6.2 ip/g. The low winning% made this a perfect selection
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Round 4, Pick 4 - 1937 (.520)
I knew I was taking 1937 this round as soon as I selected 1966 last round. My guess is that many never put in "Boston Bees" in their search engine and missed the fact that Jim Turner (274, 2.44) is a very good SP and shouldn't still be on the board in round 4. Milt Shoffner (46, 2.37) will make a nice 8th-inning setup man. SPs Lou Fette (277, 2.94) and Danny Macfayden (263, 3.10) may start and/or pitch in long relief. Not much on the offensive side, but Tony Cuccinelli (.271, .340, 405, C/A) will start at 2B. Gene Moore (.283, .356, .456, B-/A-) will find some time in the OF. Wally Berger (.285, .352, .532, C+/C) has some pop.
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Round 5, Pick 2 - 1921 (.516)
Somehow, a .520 win% got me pick #2 in round 5. That was unexpected. I still needed 3B and SS, and 1921 provided those positions with players I've never heard of or used before. Has anybody ever used 3B Tony Boeckel (.313, .365, .433, C-/C), SS Walter Barbare (.302, .326, .360, B-/B+) before? 2B/SS Hod Ford (.279, .323, .353, B/A+ at 2B, A-/A+at SS) may even get some starts at 2B and SS. OF Walton Cruise (427 pa, ..346, .424, .495, C/B-) has done well for me in past leagues and I will get him into the starting lineup somehow. Fred Nicholson (287 pa, .327, .365, .482) may DH some. Hank Gowdy (.299, .363, 395) will back up Torre at catcher. Lloyd Christopher (160 pa, .352, .444, .496) can't field but will pinch hit and DH. OF Ray Powell (.306, .364, .454, D+/A) may start in the OF. Holy crap... that's 8 hitters that all may be useful. The best pitcher from this roster is Mule Watson (275, 3.27). He'll be a mop-up guy.

Outlook:
Sure, I don't have any Maddux, Smoltz or Chipper seasons. Big deal. I have a bunch of dudes I've never heard of. So what? I have a ton of power and am playing home games at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium so we should be near the top of the league in HRs and runs scored. Of my 1800 innings, 1000 are pretty strong. But even my two weak SPs (Lou Fette and Danny Macfayden) have low HR/9 rates (< 0.20). I don't have a single pitcher with a HR/9 greater than 0.50. This feels like a decent but not great team... maybe 84-85 wins. I'm cautiously optimistic.

Final Record: 86-76, .531 (2nd in NL East)
Expected Win%: .543 (1st in NL (tied), 4th overall)
1-Run Games: 19-23
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Rank in Offense: 6th
Rank in Pitching: 10th
Rank in Fielding Range: 3rd
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Comments:
This team was sitting in last place at 35-41 thru 76 games. I had pretty much written them off. Then they win 6 of 7. After a period of slightly below .500 ball, they pull off a W8. Then after a 6-8 stretch, they win 12 in a row (15 out of 17). All of a sudden, they have a realistic shot at getting the Wildcard #2. But then, a complete fade at the end of the season, losing 6 in a row with one game to play. They win game 162 12-8 while footballmm11 loses his last game 9-1 and we edge his team in Exp Win% .543 to .542 to steal the wildcard 2 spot! My 2020 pick in round 2 produced two strong offensive players including Freddie Freeman (.359, .447, .588, 145 RBIs, MVP winner) and Marcell Ozuna (.322, .394, .500, 123 RBIs). 1966 also produced two strong hitters, Hank Aaron (.288, .363, .537, 43 HRs, 113 RBIs) and Joe Torre (.318, .370, .520, 122 RBIs). My 4th round pick, 1937, provided the best SP on the staff, Jim Turner (23-9, 4.77). He was the only player not named Greg Maddux to finish in the top 5 in NY Cy Young (3rd place). My first round pick, 19 Art Nehf (23-20, 4.59) was a bit disappointing. I was surprised a deadball pitcher could give up 38 HRs. But Mule Watson (15-15, 4.75) was a huge surprise based on his real life stats. Moving him from mop-up to a rotation pitcher turned this team around. Grade: A-

Posted by schwarze on 8/16/2026 12:46:00 PM (view original):
League 06 - Chicago White Sox
Team Name: White Sox w /Walsh (11,37,27,51,90)
Ballpark: Comiskey Park (I)
Salary: 119,249,795
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Round 2, Pick 8 - 1937 (.549)
I cannot believe 1920 fell to pick #4 in round 2. And it falls to the team with 1910 Ed Walsh. This team is the heavy favorite to win the league. So the rest of us are playing for 2nd place. I wanted two good hitters and a stud pitcher with my 2nd round pick and 1937 was close to providing that. 1B Zeke Bonura (.345, .398, .556, C/A-) is a pretty decent hitter, albeit in only 529 PA. I wanted a good hitting shortstop and Luke Appling (.317, .393, .422, C-/A) fill that role. 1936 went 3 picks before my turn. And of course, SP Monty Stratton (174 ip, 2.13 erc#) is a sim favorite of many.

Round 3, Pick 7 - 1927 (.458)
I was hoping 1926 would make it to me in round 3. With two picks away, I texted bigsteve12 that he was due up and added "please don't snipe me". Well, he must've known who I wanted, because he grabbed 1926. After careful deliberation, I determined that 1927 was the next best choice. Although the 1926 hitters are better than the 1927 hitters, the 1927 pitchers are pretty good. '27 Ted Lyons (326, 2.49) and '27 Tommy Thomas (326, 2.72) are light years better than their 1926 counterparts. OF Bibb Falk (.327, .379, .457, B/A-) and Alex Metzler (.319, .384, .420, C/A+) are decent hitters and better fielders than the 1926 hitters I wanted. Sadly, I don't get Eddie Collins. My fifth player is part time switch-hitting OF, Bernie Neis (223 pa, .297, .383, .439, C-/B). The good news is that the .458 win% puts me at pick 3 next round (while 1926's .529 win% put him at pick 7)
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Round 4, Pick 3 - 1951 (.526)
I think it actually worked out better that I got 1927. Not only did I get better pitching, but the higher pick allowed me to steal 1951 in round 4. 3B Minnie Minoso (.326, .415, .501, C-/B-) is the prize of this season. Nellie Fox (.313, .366, .426, B/A) isn't Eddie Collins but is a much better fielder. 3B Hank Majeski (.282, .345, .411, A/B) provides defense at 3B and can start if I move Minoso to DH. 1B Eddie Robinson (.282, .364, .495, C/B+) gives me another lefty bat who can fill in at 1B or play DH. Catcher Gus Niarhos (.256, .412, .310, B-/C/A-) will platoon at catcher. Saul Rogovin (203 ip, 2.78 erc#) is a usable SP while Luis Aloma (73, 2.29) is one of the better RPs on my roster.

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Round 5, Pick 8 - 1990 (.580)
If you told me that I could get a top two catching season in White Sox history in round 5, along with some useful RPs and a nice partial Frank Thomas season, I would take it, Adding Carlton Fisk (521 pa, .285, .379, .449, A/A/A) means that I don't have a weak spot in the entire batting order. Frank Thomas (240 pa, .330, .455, .526, C/C+) will platoon with Bonura at 1B while Eddie Robinson will be my DH. Dan Pasqua (.274, .348, .493) is a lefty pinch hitter if I need a HR. Ozzie Gullen (A-/B+) is a defensively replacement. Lance Johnson can be a pinch runner (36 SBs, 95 speed) and defensive replacement in the OF. I have enough innings, but I am always willing to add more. Bobby Thigpen (89, 2.04) will be the team's best RP. Eric King (151, 2.91) can be a long-reliever and spot starter. Barry Jones (74, 2.79) and Donn Pall (76, 2.90) are more bullpen arms

Outlook:
I drafted 1888 innings. I have a $4.2M defensive replacement and a $3.8M pinch runner, yet my team salary is still ranked tenth overall. That's probably not a good sign. Although I don't have a stud like Joe Jackson, my offense turned out ok. Excluding the non-essential batters, my raw total hitting stats are .310, .394, .462 in 6229 PA. The defense is solid (except Minoso). Walsh, Lyons and Thomas provide 1050 starting innings, allowing me to use Strattion as my "long-setup" guy. Aloma and Thigpen will pitch the 8th-9th. Rogovin, King, Jones, Pall can pitch on long relief and aren't terrible. This team feels like a potential playoff team, especially playing in the A.L. We'll guess 86 wins.

Final Record: 83-79, .512 (1st in AL East)
Expected Win%: .511 (3rd in AL, 7th overall)
1-Run Games: 22-23
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Rank in Offense: 7th
Rank in Pitching: 11th
Rank in Fielding Range: 3rd
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Comments:
Thru 119 games, my White Sox were 55-64 and tied for last in a weak division. We were 13-22 in 1-run games. I decided to make a lineup change. I benched Lance Johnson (.sim stats: 215, .246, .277) and started part-time OF Bernie Nels (sim stats: .270 ,.373, .375). I also pulled Tommy Thomas (4.53 era) from the rotation and went with a 2-man rotation of '11 Ed Walsh (3.70 era) and '27 Ted Lyons (3.54 era). My team went on a tear, winning 19 of 22 games. Of course, we turned around our 1-run game luck (going 9-1 to finish with a respectable 22-23 record). It came down to a 3-game series vs DarthDurron, needing just one win (which I got in the second game). I didn't have any great hitting performances on the season (Minoso .829 and Bonura .808) were the only players over 800 ops. Bonura led my team with 99 RBIs (nobody else had over 80). My defense was solid with Alex Metzler making 30 plus plays in CF. Appling had 18 at SS. Although my team ranked 11th in pitching, '11 Ed Walsh (25-21, .370) finished 2nd in Cy Young and '37 Monty Stratton (79 G, 179 IP, 15-9, 18/28 in saves, 2.71) finished 5th in Cy Young. Once again, this team only advanced to round 2 because of a bad division. But my late-season lineup/rotation changes made a huge difference. Grade: B-

Posted by schwarze on 8/16/2026 1:57:00 PM (view original):
League 04 - Boston Red Sox
Team Name: Americans w /Young (07,44,49,36,72)
Ballpark: Huntington Ave Baseball Grounds
Salary: 135,739,576
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Round 2, Pick 3 - 1944 (.500)
Of course, 1907 was one of the first two teams I selected when I opened the league. I could have taken 1910 White Sox or 1972 Phillies or 1910 Senators or 1928 Braves or.... But I figured a team with a .396 win% would net my 1st or 2nd pick and I assumed both 1914 and 2002 would still be available in round. They were both available, but I dropped to third pick and there wasn't a clear and obvious choice to make. I finally settled on 1944 for a few reasons. Tex Hughson (214 ip, 2.20 erc#) is a top 10 (post deadball) SP in Red Sox history. Bob Johnson (.324, .433, .543, C+/D+) is a stud OF. I get the best season for 2B Bobby Doerr (.325, .401, .543, B/B+) and finally, the win% of this season will surely result in a high draft pick in round 3. I really want to get a stud Ted Williams season.
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Round 3, Pick 1 - 1949 (.500)
I can't complain about getting the first pick of this round. I've mentioned this before, but I generally try to find a season with a relatively low win%, but when the opportunity to draft a season with a bunch of studs presents itself, I throw out the win% calculation. My two choices here are 1946 and 1949. (I really wanted 1942 but footballmm11 stole that season two picks before my turn). Both 1946 and 1949 have a stud Ted Williams season. Both have a starting SS. Both have a good 2B season (which I don't need). Both have a good starting CF. 1946 has the better SP option but 1949 gives me a starting 3B. I went with 1949 (and 1946 went on the very next pick). 1949 will pick one spot ahead of 1946 next round, which may be important. Here are the numbers for my hitters... OF Ted Williams (.343, .477, .652, B/C), OF Dom DiMaggio (.307, .391, .422, C+/A+), SS Vern Stephens (.290, .378, .541, B/C+), 3B Johnny Pesky (.306, .395, .386, A/A-). One of the cool features of these four batters is that the average number of PA is 752 per batter. I considered also taking Bobby Doerr (.309, .380, .499, B/A+) but it's an offensive downgrade from '44 Doerr. I could've added '44 Hal Wagner (272 pa, .332, .420, .455) at catcher. Instead, I added SP Mel Parnell (311 ip, 2.98 erc#). He has a low HR/9 rate. Now the long wait for my next pick.
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Round 4, Pick 15 - 1936 (.500)
The year I wanted actually made it to me. My offense is pretty darn good after three rounds, but I still needed a 1B and a C. Plus, I can always use more pitching. The perfect season was still on the board. How about this guy for my starting 1B? Jimmie Foxx (.338, .421, .612, B-/C-) will join the potent lineup of Ted Williams, Bob Johnson, Ven Stephens, Johnny Pesky, Dom DiMaggio and Bobby Doerr. The second best hitter on the 1936 Red Sox... how about catcher Rick Ferrell (.312, .388, .441, B/C+/C). As far as pitching, how about a top 16 (non deadball) SP in Red Sox history... Lefty Grove (267 ip, 2.52 erc#). Because I have so many good full-time players, I don't really need much else. Rube Walberg (106, 3.16) adds bullpen depth. OF Doc Cramer (.292 avg, C+/A+) can start and/or be a defensive replacement. John Kroner (.292, .332, .423) is eligible at 2B/3B/SS and may have to start a few games at 2B (when Doerr has to rest). 3B/OF Billy Werber (.275, .364, .388) probably won't play much. Oh, and I should mention that DarthDurron (he took 1946) picked one spot after me in this round and drafted 1935. I feel like he would've taken 1936 this round had we flip-flopped 1949/1946 last round. So, I'm happy I grabbed 1949 over 1946.
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Round 5, Pick 1 - 1972 (.548)
I need a little more pitching, a second catcher and one more OF/DH type. I was deciding between 1972 and 1973. I used 1973 with my previous Red Sox team. Tiant was awful, although Reggie Smith was good. But 1972 has a better season for Luis Tiant (188 ip, 2.34) and he will be my long-setup guy. Marty Pattin (265, 3.39) was probably a wasted pick but I wanted to ensure that I have enough innings. These Red Sox games are going to be high scoring. Bill "Spaceman" Lee (89, 3.46) and Bobby Bolin (33, 3.10) round out the pitching staff with a total of 1878 innings. The key player from 1972 is Cartlon Fisk (538 pa, .293, .383, .559, C/A+/A+). OF Reggie Smith (.270, .377, .496, B-/C) will get some playing time. OF Tommy Harper (.254, .353, .409, B.B-) can pinch run (25 SBs, 8 speed) and can be a defensive replacement. I also added two cheap players which didn't matter, since I ended up with the third highest salary anyway. Had I left off one of the extra SPs, I could've moved from the NL East to the NL West. Oh well.

Outlook:
I know that everybody probably loves their offense. But this sure feels like a top 5 offense. My starting rotation is strong, but my bullpen sucks. I will end up using SP Tex Hughson as my long-setup guy. He will end up pitching close to 100 games in relief. I have good range in the OF with two A+ guys. My infield defense is average. Somehow, I avoided being in the same division as bigsteve12 (1914 Red Sox) and thejuice6 (2002 Red Sox). I even avoided footballmm11 (1942 Red Sox) and redcped (2000 Red Sox). I really like this team and feel that it can win 90 games.

Final Record: 82-80, .506 (2nd in NL East)
Expected Win%: .519 (3rd in NL, 9th overall)
1-Run Games: 20-15
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Rank in Offense: 6th
Rank in Pitching: 7th
Rank in Fielding Range: 5th
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Comments:
This was one my two teams that did not advance to round 2. They struggled early, made a late push (11-2 run) to get close to the division lead, but I needed to sweep SAKABAKBRG in the last series, but he went 2-1 and we finished 3 games out. Finishing top 7 in offense, defense and pitching should result in a W-L record better than 82-80. But here's the problem. My 7th ranked pitching is a big fraudulent. My first round pick, '07 Cy Young was awesome (31-13, 3.53, Cy Young winner). '44 Tex Hughson (80 G, 12 GS, 12-7, 16/23 saves, 3.67) was my super-reliever. Every single other pitcher on my roster sucked big time. I thought '36 Lefty Grove (12-21, 6.16) would be better. '72 Luis Tiant (9-13, 6.66) was awful. Mel Parnell (9-14, 7.38) sucked balls. My other bullpen pieces had ERAs of 5.50, 6.27, 6.32 and 8.56. So, I basically had 2 good pitchers and a bunch of crap. The other disappointing aspect was the offensive output from my 1949 players. Ted Williams (.341, .447, .619, 41 HRs, 150 RBIs, 3rd in MVP) was great of course. But Vern Stephens, Johnny Pesky and Dom Dimaggio were all below league average at their positions in hitting (OPS). When you include OF Doc Cramer and 1/2 season of C Rick Ferrell, I had 4.5 seasons of batters below .750 OPS. That's half my lineup. So combine that with terrible pitching, it's a miracle I even won 82 games. I clearly overrated this team. I probably should have not taken 1949 in round 3 and instead drafted a team with some usable pitching while keeping my options open with an early round 4 pick. I am mad that I wasted a great season from '07 Cy Young. Grade: D+