SEASON SEVEN – MLB _______: Twist w/ a Hero League (Hall of Fame Ballot)

We soon will be launching Twist with a Hero (Season Seven) – Hall of Fame Ballot. This will be the seventh of what I hope to be many seasons for Twist with a Hero. With Season Six wrapping up very soon, we are ready to begin filling the open spots for our seventh 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 1995 Braves by adding either Hank Aaron or Craig Kimbrel 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 Seven’s sub-theme will be Hall of Fame Ballot. All franchises must have at least one player who appears on the 2018 Hall of Fame Ballot 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 <300K exceptions in Season Seven. For Season Seven, 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 1986 Red Sox as your first team, you’re going to want to select a team from after 2000 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 1996 Kevin Brown as their hero in Season Six, no team can use any version of Brown as its hero in Season Seven. All versions of Brown would be available to use again in Season Eight.) See below for the list of blacklisted players for Season Seven.

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 Seven’s sub-theme will be Hall of Fame Ballot. All franchises must have at least one player who appears on the 2018 Hall of Fame Ballot in the selected season.*


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

*As determined by http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/hof_2018.shtml.

Blacklisted Teams

1904 New York Giants
1907 Boston Americans -- SEASON 1 CHAMPS ("Lovable Losers")
1909 Pittsburgh Pirates
1911 Chicago Cubs
1916 New York Giants
1918 Chicago Cubs
1920 Detroit Tigers
1928 Philadelphia Athletics -- SEASON 3 CHAMPS (“A.L. Juggernauts”)
1933 New York Giants
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")
1966 Los Angeles Dodgers
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")
1985 St. Louis Cardinals
1986 Chicago Cubs
1988 Los Angeles Dodgers -- SEASON 6 CHAMPS ("October Baseball")
1988 St. Louis Cardinals
1991 Houston Astros
1992 Los Angeles Dodgers
1996 Atlanta Braves
1996 Cleveland Indians
1996 New York Yankees
1997 Baltimore Orioles
2000 Houston Astros
2003 New York Yankees
2004 Boston Red Sox
2005 New York Yankees
2006 Los Angeles Dodgers
2008 Los Angeles Dodgers
2008 San Diego Padres
2009 Philadelphia Phillies
2009 St. Louis Cardinals
2011 Texas Rangers
2013 Detroit Tigers

Heroes Blacklist for Season Seven

Alexander, Pete
Beltre, Adrian
Berkman, Lance
Bernhard, Bill
Boggs, Wade
Brown, Kevin
Bunning, Jim
Campanella, Roy
Fisk, Carlton
Gooden, Dwight
Halladay, Roy
Hornsby, Rogers
Jansen, Kenley
Jimenez, Ubaldo
Joss, Addie
Koufax, Sandy
Nen, Robb
Palmer, Jim
Pujols, Albert
Ruth, Babe
Snider, Duke
Stieb, Dave
Uehara, Koji
Waner, Paul

SEASON SEVEN – MLB _______: Twist w/ a Hero League (Hall of Fame Ballot)

1. dlchow - 1989 Montreal Expos
2. ETSTim - 1989 Toronto Blue Jays
3. sawbuxx - 1990 Pittsburgh Pirates
4. blockdan1 - 1994 Cleveland Indians
5. burningcouch - 1994 Montreal Expos
6. midknight - 1995 Cleveland Indians
7. finn2030 - 1997 Seattle Mariners
8. fatboydad54 - 1998 Atlanta Braves
9. Jesters - 1998 Toronto Blue Jays
10. combalt - 1999 Oakland Athletics
11. richabbs - 2000 New York Yankees
12. mars2010 - 2001 Atlanta Braves
13. gees51 - 2002 Boston Red Sox
14. zephyr1949 - 2004 Chicago Cubs
15. mars2010 - 2004 Houston Astros
16. llcoach - 2006 St. Louis Cardinals
17. Yaz2Schill - 2007 Boston Red Sox
18. dlchow - 2007 New York Yankees
19. sawbuxx - 2008 New York Mets
20. Jesters - 2008 Toronto Blue Jays
21. finn2030 - 2009 Los Angeles Dodgers
22. forte4him - 2010 Cincinnati Reds
23. frank_drebin - 2010 Los Angeles Dodgers
24. Chisock - 2012 Los Angeles Angels


Sitemail list:
mars2010; Jesters; finn2030; sawbuxx; zephyr1949; Yaz2Schill; frank_drebin; ETSTim; burningcouch; combalt; dlchow; Chisock; blockdan1; fatboydad54; forte4him; llcoach; midknight; richabbs; gees51

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 Rivalries- 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. 1960s 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. Saving Nolan Ryan- Your team/selected season must feature at least one player who played with Nolan Ryan. (Example: Nolan Ryan and Ken Boyer played together on the 1966 Mets. You may select any team that features Boyer on its roster in the selected season.)
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.) or first name of “Stan” (ex. Stan Musial, Stan Javier, 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. This Means WAR- 12 teams must feature rosters which include one of the Top 24 all-time career leaders among position players in Wins Above Replacement (as determined by https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/WAR_bat_career.shtml ); 12 teams must feature rosters which include one of the Top 24 all-time career leaders among pitchers in WAR (as determined by https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/WAR_pitch_career.shtml ).
34. Longball Legends vs. Leaders- 12 teams must feature rosters which include one of the Top 24 all-time career home run leaders; 12 teams must feature rosters which include one of the Top 24 active home run leaders (as determined by baseball-reference.com).
35. Hit Kings- Select from teams whose rosters include one of the Top 24 all-time career hits leaders (as determined by baseball-reference.com).
36. Stolen Base Kings- Select from teams whose rosters include one of the Top 24 all-time career stolen base leaders (as determined by baseball-reference.com).
37. Strikeout Kings- Select from teams whose rosters include one of the Top 24 all-time career strikeout leaders (as determined by baseball-reference.com).
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 2000-2017.
48. Something Old, Something New- 12 teams from the Deadball Era; 12 teams from the 2010-2017.
49. Lucky Sevens vs. Crazy Eights- 12 teams must come from selected seasons ending in 7 (1887, 1897, 1907, 1917, 1927, 1937, 1947, 1957, 1967, 1977, 1987, 1997, 2007 or 2017); 12 teams must come from selected seasons ending in 8 (1888, 1898, 1908, 1918, 1928, 1938, 1948, 1958, 1968, 1978, 1988, 1998, 2008, 2018).
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…

Since I've had a couple people ask, I want to be clear on what teams qualify under the Season Seven sub-theme... Other than blacklisted teams, any team that featured one at least one of the 33 players on the 2018 Hall of Fame ballot can be selected. Since Chipper Jones played on the Atlanta Braves in 1993 & 1995-2012, you may select any of those teams (other than the '96 Braves because they're blacklisted). Beyond that, the normal Twist w/ a Hero rules apply: twist the roster, then add a non-blacklisted Hero who comes from the same franchise and has a salary of $9,999,999 or less.

I'll play, 2007 Yankees featuring Ray Caldwell.

Curses! I was hoping that either the '07 Yankees or '12 Angels would slide down to me when I get to pick! But I'm very glad to have you both back.

By the way, I'm fairly sure that this will be the first time any Angels team has been selected in Twist w/ a Hero.

Via sitemail, blockdan1 tells me he's taking a team. TBD for now.

I'll be taking the 1994 Indians.

Looking forward to playing!

With 11 teams already selected, I guess I'm up to make my first selection. I'll go with the 2004 Houston Astros.

I am in with the 1998 Atlanta Braves

97 Yankees

I'll try the 2010 Reds

Unfortunately we had one owner have to drop out for Season Seven, so the 1997 Yankees are once again available... along with dozens of other potential contenders to choose from.

One team I'd recommend prospective owners consider is the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks. With Randy Johnson and 2018 HOF Ballot candidate Curt Schilling at the top of the rotation, you've got a really strong pitching staff. And Luis Gonzalez, Steve Finley, Matt Williams and Reggie Sanders gives you a lot of big boppers in the middle of the lineup. Adding 2009 Danny Haren as a Hero would make that rotation even more intimidating. Or adding 2015 Paul Goldschmidt would turn that batting order into a murderer's row. Sign up today.