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Around SBN: 2012 Africa Cup Of Nations Final

Yes, I can beat that team.

Via Baseball Musings, a fun little challenge:

Come up with a 25 man roster from the past 25 years using the following rules:

  • Use each player only once.
  • Only pick one player from each year.
  • Respect the positions the players actually played (including set-up men, defensive replacements, etc.)
  • I did a bit of work on the hitters, but see what you come up with:
  • C 2005 Victor Martinez OPS+ 132
  • 1B 2002 Jim Thome OPS+ 191
  • 2B 2001 Roberto Alomar OPS+ 149
  • SS 1999 Omar Vizquel OPS+ 111
  • LF 1994 Albery Belle OPS+ 192
  • CF 2003 Milton Bradey OPS+ 151
  • RF 2000 Manny Ramirez OPS+ 185
  • DH 2006 Travis Hafner OPS+ 183
  • 3B Uh, 1990 Brook Jacoby OPS+ 122 (but, whatever)
  • I'm pretty sure this destroys the Mets offense in the link, but I haven't added it all up.  

    Comment 26 comments  |  0 recs  | 

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    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    If defense isn't considered, why not go with 2005 Jhonny Peralta at SS (.292/.366/.520, OPS+ 139).  Also, Travis Fryman's 2000 season at 3B is pretty good (.321/.392/.516, OPS+ 126).

    by APV on Apr 16, 2007 6:26 PM EDT reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    And then go with Vic '04 at OPS+ 121?  That's fine (a net gain of 17 OPS+).  I was thinking we might want to use Westbrook '04 at OPS+ 134, but maybe there's enough pitching in the '80s to get by.

    by FranklinScott on Apr 16, 2007 6:43 PM EDT up reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    Oops...I forgot about that 1-person/year thing

    by APV on Apr 16, 2007 8:26 PM EDT up reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    By the way, the original post doesn't specify how the challenge will be decided, but it uses stats+ to compare different years.

    by FranklinScott on Apr 16, 2007 6:44 PM EDT reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    Interesting..I poked around a bit (I'm bored) and I came up with a few things.
    First, we can use Jacoby's 1987 season (OPS+ 142) instead of the 1990 one.

    Here are some pitchers I came up with:
    SP: Tom Candiotti (1991) ERA +185
    SP: Dennis Martinez (1995) ERA +150
    SP: Chuck Nagy (1996) ERA +144
    SP: Bartolo Colon (2002) ERA +177

    CL: Mike Jackson (1998) ERA +310
    RP: Derek Lilliquist (1992) ERA +223
    RP: Jerry Dipoto (1993) ERA +181
    RP: Jesse Orosco (1989) ERA +191

    Quick note about Bartolo: I put in his 2002 (half a season) so I don't know if it counts, but in order to do that I used Jim Thome's 2001 (OPS +169) and Robbie Alomar's 1999 (OPS +140).  This was so I could use Bartolo's 2002 instead of his 1999 (ERA +127).  The gain by Bartolo is 50 (177-127) while the losses with Thome and Robbie are 31 (191-169 & 149-140).  The total net gain is 19 points

    - Jake

    by jakesinger777 on Apr 16, 2007 8:23 PM EDT reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    Surely we can work in:

    1995 - Jose Mesa - 411
    1996 - Eric Plunk - 201

    1997 - David Justice - 157 - qualifies at DH or LF

    by Jay on Apr 16, 2007 9:09 PM EDT up reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    Brook Jacoby had a +142 in '87, so I'll take that...
    Charles Nagy ('96) +144
    Bert Blyleven ('84) +142
    Jake Westbrook ('04) +134

    Tom Candiotti had a +185 as the fifth starter in '91 (but he only started 15 games)

    CL: Mesa95 +411
    (98 Mike Jackson +310)

    In the bullpen:
    Derek Lilliquist +223 in '92.
    Jerry Dipoto +181 in '93.

    The hard part is that there's just nothing from 83-90...not even some random good performance.  

    by dave @ Let's Go Tribe! on Apr 16, 2007 10:04 PM EDT reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    Julio Franco had a good season in 1987 (116 OPS+), if we're just talking offense.

    btw, Julio's profile should be up in the next couple of days.

    by Ryan on Apr 16, 2007 10:31 PM EDT reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    OK, I finally finished to the best of my abilities. Had to leave out some pretty good years, but here goes ...

    Line-Up

    2003 Bradley CF 151 OPS+ [.321 BA, 34 2B, 10 HR, 56 RBI, 17 SB]
    2001 RAlomar 2B 149 OPS+ [.336 BA, 34 2B, 12 3B, 20 HR, 100 RBI, 30 SB]
    2006 Hafner DH 183 OPS+ [.308 BA, 31 2B, 42 HR, 117 RBI]
    1994 Belle LF 192 OPS+ [.357 BA, 35 2B, 36 HR, 101 RBI]
    2002 Thome 1B 191 OPS+ [.304 BA, 19 2B, 52 HR, 118 RBI]
    2000 Ramirez RF 185 OPS+ [.308 BA, 34 2B, 38 HR, 122 RBI]
    2005 Peralta SS 139 OPS+ [.292 BA, 35 2B, 24 HR, 78 RBI]
    1987 Jacoby 3B 142 OPS+ [.300 BA, 26 2B, 32 HR, 69 RBI]
    1997 SAlomar C 127 OPS+ [.324 BA, 37 2B, 21 HR, 83 RBI]

    Bench:
    1986 Snyder SS/3B/OF 115 OPS+ [.272 BA, 21 2B, 24 HR, 69 RBI]
    1990 A Cole LF/CF 108 OPS+ [.300 BA, 40 SB]
    1988 L Medina 1B 148 OPS+ [.255 BA, 6 HR in 51AB]
    1993 S. Horn DH 248 OPS+ [.455 BA, 4 HR in 33 AB]
    1983 C Bando C 94 OPS+ [.256 BA, 4HR in 121 AB]

    Rotation:

    1984 Blyleven 142 ERA+ [19-7, 2.87 ERA, 12 CG, 4 SHO, 170 K in 245 IP]
    1996 Nagy 144 ERA+ [17-5, 3.41 ERA, 5 CG, 167 K in 222 IP]
    1982 Sutcliffe 138 ERA+ [14-8, 2.96 ERA, 6 CG, 142 K in 216 IP]
    2004 Westbrook 134 ERA+ [14-9, 3.38 ERA, 5 CG, 116 K in 215.6 IP]
    1995 D Martinez 150 ERA+ [12-5, 3.08 ERA, 3 CG, 2 SHO, 99 K in 187 IP]

    Bullpen:

    1998 M Jackson 310 ERA+ [40 saves, 1.55 ERA, 43 H, 55 K in 64 IP]
    1992 Lilliquist 223 ERA+ [5-3, 6 saves, 1.75 ERA, 39 H, 47 K in 61.6 IP]
    1989 Orosco 191 ERA+ [3-4, 3 saves, 2.08 ERA, 54 H, 79 K in 78 IP]
    1999 Shuey 142 ERA+ [8-5, 6 saves, 3.53 ERA, 68 H, 103 K in 81.6 IP]
    1991 J Shaw 123 ERA+ [0-5, 3.36 ERA]
    1985 Ruhle 96 ERA+ [2-10, 4.32 ERA, 16 GS]

    A few comments. Although I don't have a true 2B backup, Robbie rarely takes a day off and if Cory can play SS (which he did that season-34 games) he can play 2B in a pinch.
    1985 had very few choices. I only went with Ruhle because he can be the mop-up/spot starter.

    by talonk on Apr 17, 2007 3:53 AM EDT reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    I cant believe I had to leave off Belle and Mesa's years from 1995, but I needed a better starter and Martinez was it.

    by talonk on Apr 17, 2007 10:32 AM EDT up reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    Very impressive effort ... I do think the challenge will be won and lost in the bullpen and bench areas.

    by Jay on Apr 17, 2007 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    Thanx, sorry I had to leave Justice off too, but I needed Sandy's season when I forfeited Vic's for Peralta's. And as amazing as Mesa's year was, Jackson's was no slough either. I didn't think that drop off to be too bad.

    by talonk on Apr 17, 2007 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    Thanks.  This looks pretty good.

    • Lineup OPS+ = 1459
    • Bench OPS+ = 713
    • Rotation ERA+ = 708
    • Bullpen ERA+ = 1085

    Total: 3965

    by FranklinScott on Apr 17, 2007 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    I just like the name Albery. Is that a cross between Albert and Joey?

    by kov on Apr 17, 2007 5:36 PM EDT reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    You could also do Joelbert, but that is close to insulting our old buddy Jolbert Cabrera.

    by mikebrowns26 on Apr 18, 2007 8:08 AM EDT up reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    Franklin Scott, I did some minor tweaking of the roster. This one I think is more typical of what you might find, it cost me 144 of OPS+/ERA+, but I think the bullpen and defense are improved.

    93 Lofton CF (L) 121 OPS+ [.325 BA, 28 2B, 8 3B, 42 RBI, 70 SB, GG D]
    01 RAlomar 2B (S) 149 OPS+ [.336 BA, 34 2B, 12 3B, 20 HR, 100 RBI, 30 SB, GG D]
    06 Hafner DH (L) 183 OPS+ [.308 BA, 31 2B, 42 HR, 117 RBI]
    94 Belle LF (R) 192 OPS+ [.357 BA, 35 2B, 36 HR, 101 RBI]
    02 Thome 1B (L) 191 OPS+ [.304 BA, 19 2B, 52 HR, 118 RBI]
    00 Ramirez RF (R) 185 OPS+ [.308 BA, 34 2B, 38 HR, 122 RBI]
    05 V Martinez C (S) 132 OPS+ [.305 BA, 33 2B, 20 HR, 80 RBI]
    87 Jacoby 3B (R) 142 OPS+ [.300 BA, 26 2B, 32 HR, 69 RBI]
    97 Vizquel SS (S) 111 OPS+ [.333 BA, 36 2B, 43B, 5 HR, 66 RBI, 42 SB, GG D]
    Bench:
    86 Snyder SS/3B/OF (R) 115 OPS+ [.272 BA, 21 2B, 24 HR, 69 RBI in 416 AB]
    90 A Cole LF/CF (L) 108 OPS+ [.300 BA, 40 SB in 227 AB]
    85 Hargrove 1B (L) 101 OPS+ [.285 BA, 14 2B in 284 AB]
    04 Merloni 2B/SS/3B (R) 101 OPS+ [.289 BA, 12 2B, 4 HR in 190 AB]
    83 C Bando C (S) 94 OPS+ [.256 BA, 4 HR in 121 AB]
    Rotation:
    84 Blyleven (R) 142 ERA+ [19-7, 2.87 ERA, 12 CG, 4 SHO, 170 K in 245 IP]
    96 Nagy (R) 144 ERA+ [17-5, 3.41 ERA, 5 CG, 167 K in 222 IP]
    82 Sutcliffe (R) 138 ERA+ [14-8, 2.96 ERA, 6 CG, 142 K in 216 IP]
    88 Swindell (L) 129 ERA+ [18-14, 3.20 ERA, 12 CG, 4 SHO, 180 K in 242 IP]
    95 D Martinez (R) 150 ERA+ [12-5, 3.08 ERA, 3 CG, 2 SHO, 99 K in 187 IP]
    Bullpen:
    98 M Jackson (R) 310 ERA+ [40 saves, 1.55 ERA, 43 H, 55 K in 64 IP]
    92 Lilliquist (L) 223 ERA+ [5-3, 6 saves, 1.75 ERA, 39 H, 47 K in 61.6 IP]
    89 Orosco (L) 191 ERA+ [3-4, 3 saves, 2.08 ERA, 54 H, 79 K in 78 IP]
    03 Riske (R) 186 ERA+ [2-2, 8 saves, 2.29 ERA, 52 H, 82 K in 74.6 IP]
    91 J Shaw (R) 123 ERA+ [0-5, 3.36 ERA, 72 H, 31 K, in 72.3 IP]
    97 Assenmacher (L) 160 ERA+ [5-0, 2.94 ERA, 43 H, 53 K in 49 IP]

    Much better balanced lineup, 3 Gold Glovers, Speed with Lofton, Robbie and Vizquel, and power from Robbie to Jacoby.

    Added a LH starter (who was actually better than Westbrook in my opinion). And the bullpen is deeper with 3 lefties to choose from. No long relief guy though.

    The bench is balanced as well except Snyder is the only power threat (unless you count Merloni's GS ability) with speed and decent average guys. I am hoping Bando is decent defensively, he did make 8 Tribe squads, but in the 80s, that ain't saying much.

    by talonk on Apr 17, 2007 6:02 PM EDT reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    I'm pleased that you found a spot for Alex Cole.  

    Wasn't much else on that '90 squad, was there?

    by homelytourist on Apr 18, 2007 12:00 AM EDT up reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    Doug Jones was about the onloy real standout on that team, 5-5, 43 saves, 2.56 ERA, 153 ERA+. But Jackson and Mesa blow him away, couldn't use him.

    by talonk on Apr 18, 2007 12:30 AM EDT up reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    If you guys turn this in I want to know the results.  Does he actually do a computer based mock series?

    I love to see Jacoby made the lineups.  He was always my favorite growing up.

    by mjmarble on Apr 17, 2007 6:54 PM EDT reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    No way!  Buddy Bell was my sister's favorite (she had a real crush on him and was in the Buddy Bell Fan Club), while I liked Charlie Spikes and Rick Manning.

    by mickeyf on Apr 17, 2007 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions  

    Re: Yes, I can beat that team.
    The site doesn't say.  Strat-o-matic would be a good choice, I think.

    by FranklinScott on Apr 17, 2007 7:15 PM EDT up reply actions  

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