SEASON SIX – MLB ________: Twist w/ a Hero League (October Baseball)

We soon will be launching Twist with a Hero (Season Six) – October Baseball. This will be the sixth of what I hope to be many seasons for Twist with a Hero. With Season Five wrapping up very soon, we are ready to begin filling the open spots for our sixth season.


THE PREMISE:

I love twist leagues, but some of the teams I’d like to use aren’t ideal because they are extremely weak at one position or because they come from an era in which the WHIPs and OAVs are a little too high. Being able to select a “franchise hero” could help even things up a little. (Who wouldn’t like to see if they could improve the 1986 Mets by adding either Tom Seaver or Carlos Beltran to the roster?)

Another thing that bugs me is that the same few choices get used in virtually every single twist league. It seems like it’s hard to be competitive if you don’t select one of those oft-used, cookie-filled teams. To curb that effect, each iteration of the Twist w/ a Hero League will feature a sub-theme to significantly narrow the list of available teams to choose from. Season Six’s sub-theme will be October Baseball. All teams must have played in the postseason in the selected season.

Other future possible sub-themes are listed below.

THE RULES:

1. Basic rules--

• $110 MM cap.
• Clones – No
• DH – No
• WW- No
• Trades - No
• AAA – No.
• Injuries – On.

2. Your team. Subject to restriction by the "sub-theme," you may pick any single season team from MLB history, and twist any player on their roster. (Rosters are determined by baseball-reference.com). No 200K exceptions in Season Six. For Season Six, you may select two teams, but must do so in a manner that ensures that your teams will be in opposite leagues. (Ex. If you choose the 2016 Cubs as your first team, you’re probably going to want to select a team from the 1903-1989 or so for your second team to ensure that your teams will be in opposite leagues.)

3. Your hero. You are allowed to select one “hero” to improve your roster. A “hero” must come from the same franchise as the team you have selected, and cannot have a salary over $9,999,999.

4. Team blacklist. Teams are exclusive each season. Teams that make the playoffs will be blacklisted for all future seasons. See below for the listed of blacklisted teams.

5. Heroes blacklist. Heroes used in one season will be blacklisted for use as heroes the following season. They will be removed from the blacklist before the season after that. (Example: If a team used 1986 Roger Clemens as their hero in Season Five, no team can use any version of Clemens as its hero in Season Six. All versions of Clemens would be available to use again in Season Seven.) See below for the list of blacklisted players for Season Six.

6. Stadium. Use the stadium your team actually played in during your selected season. If that stadium is not available in WIS, then use WIS Park.

7. Division alignment. Divisions will be realigned and teams will be placed in chronological order of the selected seasons.

8. Team Names. Please include your selected season and franchise in your team name.

9. Sub-Theme. Season Six’s sub-theme will be October Baseball. All teams must have played in the postseason in the selected season.

I will have two teams in Season Six. I will select my teams no earlier than 12^th and 24^th.

SEASON SIX – MLB ________: Twist w/ a Hero League (October Baseball)

1. burningcouch - 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates
2. sawbuxx - 1917 Chicago White Sox
3. Chisock - 1921 New York Giants
4. zephyr1949 - 1933 New York Giants
5. Combalt - 1937 New York Yankees
6. steve9955 - 1946 Boston Red Sox
7. mars2010 - 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers
8. SandyAmoros - 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers
9. finn2030 - 1966 Los Angeles Dodgers
10. shysters3 - 1980 Houston Astros
11. dcates - 1985 St. Louis Cardinals
12. dlchow - 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers
13. nevcoup - 1993 Toronto Blue Jays
14. Chisock - 1995 Cleveland Indians
15. sawbuxx - 1995 Colorado Rockies
16. ETSTim - 1997 Baltimore Orioles
17. Yaz2Schill - 1998 Boston Red Sox
18. frank_drebin - 2003 Florida Marlins
19. finn2030 - 2006 Los Angeles Dodgers
20. specsman - 2006 New York Mets
21. mars2010 - 2009 Philadelphia Phillies
22. rjk2781 - 2014 Los Angeles Dodgers
23. Jesters - 2015 Toronto Blue Jays
24. zephyr1949 - 2016 Cleveland Indians


sitemail list:
mars2010; burningcouch; sawbuxx; zephyr1949; steve9955; shysters3; frank_drebin; dcates; Chisock; ETSTim; Yaz2Schill; rjk2781; finn2030; specsman; Jesters; SandyAmoros; nevcoup; dlchow; combalt

Blacklisted Teams
1904 New York Giants
1907 Boston Americans -- SEASON 1 CHAMPS ("Lovable Losers")
1911 Chicago Cubs
1916 New York Giants
1918 Chicago Cubs
1920 Detroit Tigers
1928 Philadelphia Athletics – SEASON 3 CHAMPS (“A.L. Juggernauts”)
1939 New York Yankees
1942 New York Yankees
1947 Pittsburgh Pirates
1961 St. Louis Cardinals
1965 San Francisco Giants - SEASON 4 CHAMPS ("N.L. Rivals")
1967 Boston Red Sox
1969 Baltimore Orioles
1970 Chicago Cubs - SEASON 5 CHAMPS ("That Seventies League")
1971 Baltimore Orioles
1972 Los Angeles Dodgers
1973 San Francisco Giants
1974 Boston Red Sox
1974 Los Angeles Dodgers
1975 Los Angeles Dodgers
1976 Philadelphia Phillies
1979 New York Yankees
1982 Milwaukee Brewers-- SEASON 2 CHAMPS ("World Series Losers")
1986 Chicago Cubs
1988 St. Louis Cardinals
1991 Houston Astros
1992 Los Angeles Dodgers
1996 Atlanta Braves
1996 Cleveland Indians
1996 New York Yankees
2000 Houston Astros
2003 New York Yankees
2004 Boston Red Sox
2005 New York Yankees
2008 Los Angeles Dodgers
2008 San Diego Padres
2009 St. Louis Cardinals
2011 Texas Rangers
2013 Detroit Tigers


Heroes Blacklist for Season Six

Alfonso, Edgardo
Boudreau, Lou
Clemens, Roger
Ewing, Buck
Foxx, Jimmie
Hahn, Noodles
Henderson, Rickey
Herman, Babe
Jeter, Derek
Kimbrel, Craig
Kluszewski, Ted
Martinez, Pedro
McGee, Willie
Ott, Mel
Pfiester, Jack
Reardon, Jeff
Robinson, Jackie*
Ruether, Dutch
Saberhagen, Bret
Tejada, Miguel
Votto, Joey
Wagner, Billy
Williams, Ken


*used as Hero for multiple teams in Season Five

Future Sub-Themes Include (not necessarily in the order listed):

1. World Series Winners- Eligible teams must have won World Series in the selected season.
2. World Series Losers- Eligible teams must have lost the World Series in the selected season.
3. Pennant Winners- Eligible teams must have played in the World Series in the selected season.
4. October Baseball- Eligible teams must have made it to the postseason in the selected season.
5. Early Exits- Eligible teams must have made it to the playoffs, but not the World Series, in the selected season.
6. Wildcard Teams- Eligible teams must have been a wildcard team in the selected season.
7. Wait 'Til Next Year- Eligible teams must not have qualified for postseason play.
8. 100 Game Winners- Eligible teams must have won 100 games in the selected season.
9. .500 Club- Eligible teams must have finished the season with a record of no more than two games below or above .500.
10. Lovable Losers - Owners will be limited to selecting from among the teams that lost at least 90 games in the selected season.
11. The Biggest Losers – Owners will be limited to selecting from among the teams that lost at least 100 games in the selected season.
12. National League Rivals- 6 Cardinals and 6 Cubs teams in the NL; 6 Dodgers and 6 Giants teams in the AL.
13. AL Juggernauts vs. The World- 6 Yankees and 6 Red Sox teams in one league; 12 different American League franchises represented in the other league.
14. New Kids on the Block- Choose a selected season from a franchise that came into existence in 1961 or later.
15. 1961-’62 Expansion Alums- Choose a team/selected season whose roster includes at least one person who played either for the ’61 Angels, ’61 Senators, ’62 Colt 45s or ’62 Mets.
16. 1969 Expansion Alums- Choose a team/selected season whose roster includes at least one person who played for either the ’69 Expos, ’69 Padres, ’69 Pilots or ’69 Royals.
17. 1990s Expansion Alums- Choose a team/selected season whose roster includes at least one person who played for either the ’93 Marlins, ’93 Rockies, ’98 Diamondbacks or ’98 Devil Rays.
18. Expansion Teams- Choose an expansion team in its first 10 years of existence.
19. Movers & Shakers- 12 teams in one league will be made up of franchises in their final 10 years before moving to a new city (examples include 1944-’53 St. Louis Browns, 1948-’57 Brooklyn Dodgers, etc.); 12 teams in the other league will be made up of franchises in their first 10 years after a move to a new city (examples include 1954-’63 Baltimore Orioles, 1958-’67 LA Dodgers, etc.).
20. Cactus League- Choose from teams that currently play Spring Training ball in Arizona.
21. Grapefruit League- Choose from teams that currently play Spring Training ball in Florida.
22. California Dreamin’- Choose from Padres, Angels, LA Dodgers, SF Giants and Oakland A’s.
23. Big Apple- Eligible teams include Yankees, Mets, Brooklyn Dodgers and NY Giants.
24. Windy City- Eligible teams include Cubs and White Sox (or Chicago Whales if you’re daring).
25. Show Me State- Eligible teams include Cardinals, Royals, Browns & KC Athletics.
26. Founding Fathers- Eligible teams must have played in Boston, New York, Philadelphia or Washington or feature a player whose last name is either Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, Hamilton or Hancock during the selected season.
27. Rust Belt- Eligible teams must come from “Rust Belt States” of Pennsylvania, Ohio or Michigan or feature a player named “Rusty” (ex. Rusty Staub, Rusty Kuntz, etc.) during the selected season.
28. Stanley Cup- Eligible teams must have played in an “NHL Original Six” city (Montreal, Toronto, Boston, Chicago, Detroit or New York) or feature a player with the last name of “Stanley” (ex. Bob Stanley, Mickey Stanley, etc.) during the selected season.
29. Shortstops & Backstops- 12 teams must feature a Hall of Famer whose primary position was shortstop (as determined by http://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/hall-of-famers-by-position#shortstops-(24) ) in the selected season; 12 teams must feature a Hall of Famer whose primary position was catcher (as determined by http://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/hall-of-famers-by-position#catchers-(18) ).
30. Super Skippers- Eligible teams must have been managed by a Hall of Famer (whether they were inducted as a manager or player) during the selected season.
31. HOF Ballot- Roster must include at least one player who appears on the 2018 Hall of Fame Ballot (as determined by http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/hof_2018.shtml)
32. HOF Celebration- 12 teams must feature rosters which include the Original 5 Hall of Famers (Ruth, Cobb, Mathewson, Wagner, Johnson) and 12 teams must feature rosters which include the 5 most recent Hall of Fame inductees (Bagwell, Raines, Rodriguez, Griffey, Piazza).
33. Longball Legends- Select from teams whose rosters include one of the Top 20 all-time career HR leaders (as determined by baseball-reference.com).
34. Hit Kings- Select from teams whose rosters include one of the Top 20 all-time career hits leaders (as determined by baseball-reference.com).
35. Stolen Base Kings- Select from teams whose rosters include one of the Top 20 all-time career stolen base leaders (as determined by baseball-reference.com).
36. Strikeout Kings- Select from teams whose rosters include one of the Top 20 all-time career strikeout leaders (as determined by baseball-reference.com).
37. This Means WAR- 12 teams must feature rosters which include one of the Top 10 all-time career leaders among position players in Wins Above Replacement (as determined by baseball-reference.com); 12 teams must feature rosters which include one of the Top 10 all-time career leaders among pitchers in WAR.
38. Deadball Era- Choose a team from 1919 or before.
39. The 1920s- Choose a team from the 1920s.
40. The 1930s- Choose a team from the 1930s.
41. The 1940s- Choose a team from the 1940s.
42. The 1950s- Choose a team from the 1950s.
43. The 1960s- Choose a team from the 1960s.
44. The 1970s (aka “That Seventies League”) - Choose a team from the 1970s.
45. The 1980s- Choose a team from the 1980s.
46. The 1990s- Choose a team from the 1990s
47. 21^st Century- Choose a team from 2000-2016.
48. Something Old, Something New- 12 teams from the Deadball Era; 12 teams from the 21st Century.
49. Lucky Sevens- All teams must come from selected seasons ending in 7 (1887, 1897, 1907, 1917, 1927, 1937, 1947, 1957, 1967, 1977, 1987, 1997, 2007 or 2017).
50. Senior Circuit- Choose from franchises that played in the National League during the selected season.
51. Junior Circuit- Choose from franchises that played in the American League during the selected season.
52. Beasts from the East- 12 teams must feature rosters from franchises that currently play in the NL East; 12 must feature rosters from franchises that currently play in the AL East.
53. Fly Over Country- 12 teams must feature rosters from franchises that currently play in the NL Central; 12 must feature rosters from franchises that currently play in the AL Central.
54. Wild, Wild West- 12 teams must feature rosters from franchises that currently play in the NL West; 12 must feature rosters from franchises that currently play in the AL West.
55. We are open for other suggestions…

Plenty of excellent choices remain, including the 1997 Seattle Mariners. Randy Johnson, Derek Lowe and Dennis Martinez make a great foundation for a pitching staff... especially since you know Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr and Edgar Martinez will be providing plenty of offensive support. Just think about how potent that offense could become if you added 2004 Ichiro Suzuki to the top of the batting order. Or if you think pitching is what this team needs, 2014 Felix Hernandez offers a 2.14 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP and a .200 OAV to further strengthen the rotation. Sign up today!

I'll take the 2004 Yanks, with Robinson Cano as hero

Posted by rjk2781 on 9/1/2017 10:11:00 AM (view original):
I'll take the 2004 Yanks, with Robinson Cano as hero

Excellent.

That means I'm up for my first pick (#12). I'm going to go with the 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers.

2005 Mets with Doc Gooden

Posted by specsman on 9/2/2017 12:14:00 PM (view original):
2005 Mets with Doc Gooden

Sure you don't mean the 2006 Mets? 2005 Mets didn't make the postseason, but the '06 Mets did and look to be quite formidable in this format.

Let me actually change my hero to Andy Pettitte. Make the starting pitching a little better.

Posted by rjk2781 on 9/2/2017 6:39:00 PM (view original):
Let me actually change my hero to Andy Pettitte. Make the starting pitching a little better.

No problem. You actually don't have to announce your Hero until you enter your team. I will set up the league and send out the league # as soon as Season Five's postseason wraps up, so we've got a few days to tinker with our rosters.

There's another team out there that I'm surprised is still available... the 1968 Cardinals. With Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton and Dick Hughes anchoring your rotation, you'll seldom find yourself yielding too many runs. Offensively, the '68 Cards have Ted Simmons, Orlando Cepeda, Roger Maris and Curt Flood to work with. Throw in a Hero like Rogers Hornsby or Stan Musial, and your batting numbers could be every bit as impressive as your pitching stats. Don't be shy. Sign up today!

Signups are going a little slow (undoubtedly because of the newly announced Juice tourney), but this league tends to fill rather quickly. Instead of doing a traditional bump, I prefer to bump by suggesting other available teams that might be worth looking at if you're a prospective league owner...

Another team that I think could be very competitive in this Twist w/ a Hero 6: October Baseball is the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks. They've got a strong offensive attack. Steve Finley, Jay Bell, Luis Gonzalez and Matt Williams may not be future Hall of Famers, but they can boast some very strong WiS seasons. Of course those D-Backs had a pitching staff built around Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. 2009 Danny Haren would be a great addition to that rotation.

I'm in with the 1946 Red Sox with Koji