All Time All Stars - Cleveland Indians Pitchers

This is part of an on-going series in which I attempt to update the rosters from Sports Illustrated's All Time All Stars board game created in 1973.  My intention is to update the game so I can incorporate modern day stars with the All Time All Stars.

Here are the nine guys Sports Illustrated chose for the staff in 1973:

• Stan Coveleski SP
• Bob Feller SP
• Wes Ferrell SP
• Mike Garcia SP/RP
• Mel Harder SP/RP
• Addie Joss SP
• Bob Lemon SP
• Sam McDowell SP
• Early Wynn SP

This staff has a bit of everything.  An evenly divided staff of left-handers and right-handers gives this team supreme flexibility and if we're talking about how each guy pitched, well, you name it and they've got it. There's a spitballer (Coveleski), a junk baller (Ferrell), and a some guys

Those of you who think Nolan Ryan was one
of the greatest pitchers ever might want to
take a hard look at Mr. Feller here.

with serious heat (Feller, Garcia, McDowell).
The Indians pitching staff is a lot like that of the White Sox in that it's very deep.  There aren't as many Hall of Famers in a Cleveland uniform but the great pitchers in franchise history are not from the Dead Ball Era and thus we can relate to their stats much more easily. Still, there has to be room for improvement, right? As I see it seven of these guys are definite locks.  They're listed below.

Original Locks: Bob Feller, Early Wynn, Bob Lemon, Wes Ferrell, Stan Coveleski, Addie Joss, Mel Harder

Bob Feller is one of the greatest pitchers of all time.  He won 20 games six times and led the league in strikeouts seven times.  The Nolan Ryan of his generation except better in my opinion.  Early Wynn never had a season that jumps out to make you believe he was one of the greats.  Still, he won 300 games in his career which included five 20 win seasons.  He also led the league in strikeouts twice, and innings pitched three times. Wes Ferrell won 20 games six times including four in a row with the Indians.  He might be the best hitting pitcher of all time as well.  Due to WWII Lemon did not make his MLB debut until he was 25.  He still won 207 games with seven 20 win seasons.  He also made seven all star teams.  Coveleski won 20 games six times and retired with a .602 career winning percentage. He led the league in ERA twice and shutouts twice. Addie Joss didn't pitch long but he retired with the second best ERA of all time. Regarded as one of the smartest pitchers of his era, Joss never posted a losing record and his career WHIP is the best in MLB history.  Harder was a career Indian, winning all 223 of his games in a Cleveland uniform. He ranks first in games and third in pitcher WAR in team history.

New guys that are locks: None

There have been several pitchers who deserve consideration but none that stack up with the incredible talent already at hand. Below are the guys, who in my estimation, are the best of the rest.

Guys to consider:

• Tom Candiotti - The knuckleballer played for some terrible Indian teams but still managed to post a winning record.  Won 151 games in his career.
• Bartolo Colon - Had a .625 winning percentage with the Indians, the big guy just never seemed to take that next step to stardom. Won a Cy Young in 2001.
• Mike Garcia - Helped round out the great Indians staff of the 1940s and '50s that included Feller, Wynn, and Lemon.  He led the league in ERA twice and was a three time all star. 
• Cliff Lee - Struggled with consistency with the Indians but won the Cy Young his last year in town.  A four time all star.
• Sam McDowell - I don't really know how to describe McDowell. It's like he was part Randy Johnson (left handed, threw really hard) and part Mark Langston in that he was never as good as his stuff indicated he should be. Led the league in strikeouts five times and walks five times. Also made six all star teams and won 20 games once.
• Charles Nagy - Spent all but his final two games with Chief Wahoo on his hat.  Was the big game pitcher for the resurgent Indian teams of the 1990s.  A three time all star.
• CC Sabathia - I love Sabathia and that admiration only grew for what he accomplished with Milwaukee after he was traded away from the Indians. Had 20 complete games in a three year stretch and is probably the best bet of all active pitchers to win 300 games. He currently has 202.
• George Uhle - A forgotten man in history.  Won 20 games three times and in 1926 threw 32 complete games out of 36 starts. 

Pick a reliever:
Who is the best relief pitcher in Cleveland's history?  I honestly have no clue. Here's who I've narrowed it down to:

• Doug Jones - I think because he was able to hang around for a long time people forgot how good he was in the first half of his career.  Ranks second in Indians history in saves.
• Jose Mesa - Look what he did in 1995. Incredible. Saved 104 games in basically three seasons.
• Eric Plunk - I always laughed at his name when I was a kid but the man got people out. He was Mesa's primary set-up man in 1995 and was nearly as effective.  He never had the peak Mesa had but had a more consistent career.
• Bob Wickman - Probably not the best candidate but he was in town forever and had a few nice seasons. Franchise leader in saves for a career.

Ok, to recap we've got seven locks with three spots to go.  One must be a reliever and the other two will be out of the starting pitching group. The poll is up so go ahead and vote!

All Time All Stars - Chicago White Sox

This is part of an on-going series in which I attempt to update the rosters from Sports Illustrated's All Time All Stars board game created in 1973.  My intention is to update the game so I can incorporate modern day stars with the All Time All Stars.

The Chicago White Sox are one of the original eight American League franchises yet their history is not necessarily one to make fans proud.  Their World Series drought of 88 years is rivaled only by the Red Sox in American League lore (still better than the Cubs!).  It's sad when a team's most well known moment is dark, nonetheless that's the way it is for Chicago's Southside club. Several franchise greats were on the 1919 squad and eight were banned.  Guilty or not, they are eligible for this team, which is a good thing when you consider the state of the Sox best hitters throughout their history.

Again, a reminder of the guidelines for choosing players:

• Each team must be composed of fifteen (15) position players and ten (10) pitchers.
• At least one pitcher must be a relief pitcher
• Each position must have at least two players on the roster who can capably fill it.  Think of this as having a starter and a backup. 
• At least one player chosen to represent a position must have played that position as their primary defensive position.  For instance, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth cannot be chosen as the only two representatives at first base since neither played there for the majority of their career.
• Players must have been active no earlier than 1901.  I chose 1901 since that was the first year of the American League.  We need a cutoff at some point and this seemed logical to me. If a player accumulated stats prior to 1901 (Cy Young for instance) these stats will be disregarded.
• To be eligible for a position a player must have played one full season as a starter there or 10% of his career games.  The same goes for starting and relieving.
• The team a player represents should be the one that makes the most sense for that player. For instance, Alex Rodriguez has played for three teams but he's played 300 more games as a Yankee than a Mariner. He won an MVP as a Yankee and has more career WAR as a Yankee.  Therefore, he's going to be on the Yankee roster.
• Batter handedness should not impact the players chosen.

Here we go...

All Time All Stars - Red Sox Pitchers

Imagine an All Time All Stars World Series of Boston vs. New York.  The Yankees would trot Ruth, Gehrig, and Mantle out there everyday.  That's some pretty scary stuff and most teams would probably acknowledge that they have little chance in competing with the greatest offensive force ever seen. Well, the Red Sox are one team that would not be intimidated.  Ted Williams didn't take crap from anybody and at first glance the pitching staff seems quite strong.  I can just picture Roger Clemens and Pedro giving the boys in pinstripes the middle finger as they strut to the mound. Those guys were tough sons of guns who didn't shy away in the heat of the moment. Let's take a look at who was on this team when SI published the game in 1973.

Is this the greatest pitcher of all time?

• Ray Culp SP
• Bill Dinneen SP
• Joe Dobson SP
• Ellis Kinder RP
• Dutch Leonard SP
• Carl Mays SP
• Mel Parnell SP
• Joe Wood SP
• Cy Young SP

This was just an okay staff. Cy Young might be the greatest pitcher of all time while Smoky Joe Wood and Dutch Leonard had a few excellent seasons but it pretty much ends there.  Teams are going to have to do better if they want to hang with the Yankees.  Luckily, with Roger Clemens and Pedro coming on board it's about to get scary good in the rotation.

Original Locks: Cy Young, Smoky Joe Wood, Ellis Kinder, Dutch Leonard

Cy Young is a no brainer.  Joe Wood had a great run from 1911-1915 that make him a cinch as well. Leonard was Wood's teammate and may have been even better.  Kinder is the best reliever in team history in my opinion.  In 1949 he led the league in complete game shutouts and two years later led the league in saves while accumulating 5.1 WAR.  

New guys that are locks: Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Luis Tiant, Tim Wakefield,

With the retention of Cy Young, this rotation is now possibly the best in the game. Roger Clemens can also be included in the conversation as greatest pitcher ever and he has the hardware to prove it by putting 7 Cy Young Awards on his mantle.  Pedro Martinez's 1999 and 2000 seasons might be the greatest back to back years ever.  He averaged 20-5 with a 1.90 ERA in the steroid era.  His ERA+ for those two combined seasons is 265!  That's two hundred and sixty five percent better than the league average.  Luis Tiant won 20 games three times and led the league in ERA once.  And Tim Wakefield is the franchise leader in innings pitched and is third in wins.  Gotta have the knuckler in there.

If the Red Sox were to set a rotation I think it'd go Young, Clemens, Martinez, Tiant.  Wow.

Just like with the Yankees we've got eight locks out of ten spots. Below are who I believe are the best candidates for the final two spots.

Guys on the bubble:

• Josh Beckett - The ace on the Sox second championship team, Beckett has had moments of brilliance cuopled with injuries. In 2007 he was fantastic and led the league in wins with 20.
• Joe Dobson - Dobson pitched 1500+ innings in Beantown and won 106 games.  Both rank in the 10 ten in team history.
• Derek Lowe - Lowe bounced from starting and relieving, finding success in each role. He finished third in Cy Young voting in 2002 and his ERA+ was 127 as a member of the Red Sox.
• Carl Mays - Mays played for four different franchises and none of them really scream at me as the obvious choice.  He ranks highly in several categories including having the sixth best career ERA among Red Sox pitchers so I'll put him here. 
• Mel Parnell - Won 20+ games twice including 25 in 1949.  Parnell only pitched ten years but managed to accumulate the 8th most WAR in team history.
• Jonathan Papelbon - Love him or hate him the man was pretty dominant as a closer for the BoSox.  Made four all star teams and saved 322 games in Boston.
• Bob Stanley - Stanley was a multi-inning reliever who pitched really well for nine straight seasons until 1986.  He ranks eighth in wins, second in saves, and first in games pitched in team history.
• Babe Ruth - Ruth's not going to make this team because he's already a Yankee but he would be a candidate otherwise.  

Vote for the two pitchers you feel should make the team in the poll located on the upper right-hand side of the homepage.

Updated poll results: Jonathan Papelbon was the top vote getter with Mel Parnell second. These two will be added to Boston's staff.

All Time All Stars - Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox franchise is one of the greatest in the sport.  There are several Hall of Famers from Ted Williams to Cy Young who wear the Boston "B" on their bust in Cooperstown.  Yet, despite this the team went nearly 90 years between championships.  How does this happen?  I'm not even sure but fans will be excited to see some of the improvements the franchise has made since their original roster was created. As a refresher, below are the guidelines for choosing each team's roster.

• Each team must be composed of fifteen (15) position players and ten (10) pitchers.
• At least one pitcher must be a relief pitcher
• Each position must have at least two players on the roster who can capably fill it.  Think of this as having a starter and a backup. 
• At least one player chosen to represent a position must have played that position as their primary defensive position.  For instance, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth cannot be chosen as the only two representatives at first base since neither played there for the majority of their career.
• Players must have been active no earlier than 1901.  I chose 1901 since that was the first year of the American League.  We need a cutoff at some point and this seemed logical to me. If a player accumulated stats prior to 1901 (Cy Young for instance) these stats will be disregarded.
• To be eligible for a position a player must have played one full season as a starter there or 10% of his career games.  The same goes for starting and relieving.
• The team a player represents should be the one that makes the most sense for that player. For instance, Alex Rodriguez has played for three teams but he's played 300 more games as a Yankee than a Mariner. He won an MVP as a Yankee and has more career WAR as a Yankee.  Therefore, he's going to be on the Yankee roster.
• Batter handedness should not impact the players chosen.

Here we go...

All Time All Stars - Yankees pitchers

In the previous post I went over the All Time All Star roster for the Yankees.  The original lineup had sixteen hitters and nine pitchers. Per the new rules, I'm changing the dynamics a bit for the new rosters so we'll be adding a pitcher this time around. This is what the pitching staff looked like in the original game:

The greatest Yankee hurler of them all.

• Jack Chesbro SP
• Whitey Ford SP
• Lefty Gomez SP
• Waite Hoyt SP/RP
• Ed Lopat SP
• Herb Pennock SP
• Allie Reynolds SP/RP
• Red Ruffing SP
• Bob Shawkey SP

This is a pretty good bunch but I know more than a couple of these guys will be bumped off since the Yankees have had two mini dynasties in the last forty years. Plus we need to add at least one full time reliever (I wonder who that could be?).  Below I've broken down the pitchers into three distinct groups. 

Original Locks: Whitey Ford, Lefty Gomez, Red Ruffing, Waite Hoyt

All four of these guys are Hall of Famers and all but Hoyt rank in the top four in career wins in a Yankee uniform. Hoyt pitched in 365 games in a Yankee uniform and was a member of six World Series teams.

New guys that are locks: Mariano Rivera (RP), Goose Gossage (RP), Andy Pettitte, Ron Guidry

Rivera is not only the greatest reliever of all time, he's also the greatest Yankee pitcher of all time. Gossage is another HOF reliever and easily makes this team.  Andy Pettitte is third all time in Yankee wins with Guidry fifth. This leaves two spots open.

Guys on the bubble:

• Sparky Lyle (RP) - Lyle was one of the first great full time relief pitchers. Like Gossage, he was used as a multi-inning reliever and his 35 saves in 1972 were the second most ever recorded in a single season. He also won the 1977 AL Cy Young award.
• Jack Chesbro - Happy Jack set the single season record for wins as a Yankee (41) in 1904 that still stands today. Went 128-93 as a Yankee with an ERA+ of 109 (9% better than league average).  
• Allie Reynolds - Superchief excelled as a swingman late in his career. In 1952 he led the league in ERA and shutouts while also earning six saves.  He made five all star teams.
• Herb Pennock - Pennock was the ace of the Ruth teams in the 1920's. In eleven years he went 162-90 with an ERA+ of 114. He was inducted into the HOF in 1948.
• Bob Shawkey - Shawkey ranks 7th all time in WAR as a Yankee pitcher. He won 20 games five times and led the league in ERA once. His ERA + in pinstripes is 117.
• Mel Stottlemyre - I'm surprised Mel didn't make the original team but he was a member of some mediocre Yankee squads. He won 20 games three times but also led the league in losses twice. His ERA+ as a Yankee is 112 and he's 8th in team history in pitcher WAR.

I'll put a poll up on the home page. Pick the two pitchers you feel should make the team.

Updated poll results: Herb Pennock and Jack Chesbro were the top two vote getters thus earning the final two spots on the Yankee pitching staff.

Major League Steroids

I'll save the longer, more in-depth analysis for Anderson, but with the announcement last night that 2011 NL MVP Ryan Braun has been busted for juicing, I had to write something.

I've heard there are studies out there that "prove" that steroid use does not correlate or cause increased performance. There is also the res ipsa loquitur approach of "the thing speaks for itself" that players getting busted are the ones putting up outstanding performances.

Whatever side you fall on, I need to say this...

• Top 6 single-season Home Run Performances: Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, McGwire, Sosa, Sosa. All either proved, admitted, or super-duper highly suspicious users.
• All-Time Home Run Leader: Barry Bonds. Also in the top 10: McGwire, Sosa, A-Rod...see above.
• Oldest pitcher to win a Cy Young: Roger Clemens...same story. Also #3 all-time in strikeouts.

Even if you don't think PEDs can make you swing harder or throw faster, most people would agree that they speed recovery. That's the type of thing that can keep you on top of your game late into your 30s or even your 40s, thus padding the career/all-time stats.

If you take the "suspect" players off the single-season HR records list, only Babe Ruth (twice) and Willie Mays have hit more than 51 HRs after age 31. That's 3 completely honest performances by guys over 31 out of the top 31 overall. That should make you think that maybe power-hitting after 30 is quite a rare, HOF-worthy feat.