NL Mid Season Power Rankings

NL Mid Season Power Rankings: Previous Ranking ( ) then Preseason Ranking

1. Tampa 57-23 (2) Pre-6
1st in South
NL leader- avg, runs, wins and era
Top 5-hr, sb, obp, whip and sv

2. Arizona 53-27 (1) Pre-2
1st in West
NL leader-obp and sv
Top 5-avg, runs, hr, sb, wins, era, whip and fielding

3. Chicago 48-32 (5) Pre-9
2nd in North
NL leader-whip
Top 5-hr, wins, era, sv, and fielding

4. Toronto 49-30 (7) Pre-1
1st in North
Top 5-avg, runs, hr, obp, wins, era and sv

5. Scottsdale 46-33 (4) Pre-5
2nd in West
NL leader- hr and fielding
Top 5- avg, wins. and whip

6. Colorado Springs 43-36 (3) Pre-12
3rd in West
Top 5-era, whip and fielding

7. Kansas City 42-37 (8) Pre-14
1st in East
NL leader-sb
Top 5- avg, runs, obp, and sv

8. Pawtucket 36-43 (11) Pre-3
3rd in East
Top 5-runs and sb

9. Hartford 31-49 (9) Pre-7
4th in East
Top 5-hr and obp

10. Salt Lake City 34-46 (13) Pre-4
4th in West

11. Trenton 37-43 (6) Pre-8
3rd in North

12. Phildelphia 37-42 (15) Pre-11
2nd in East
Top 5- fielding

13. Burlington 30-50 (10) Pre-16
4th in North
Top 5- whip

14. Austin 30-50 (14) Pre-10
2nd in South

15. Jackson 28-51 (12) Pre-15
3rd in South
Top 5-sb

16. Texas 27-52 (16) Pre-13
4th in South


Biggest Move Up:
Toronto +3
Pawucket +3
Salt Lake +3
Phildelphia +3

Biggest Move Down:
Trenton -5

Current Playoff Seedings:
1. Tampa
2. Arizona
3. Toronto
4. Kansas City
5. Chicago
6. Scottsdale

AL Mid Season Power Rankings

AL Mid Season Power Rankings: Previous Ranking ( ) then Preseason Ranking

1. Vancouver 46-33 (1)  Pre-1
2nd in West
AL Leader in avg, obp, whip and fielding
Top 5-runs, hrs, wins, era

2. Milwaukee 50-30 (2) Pre-4
1st in North
AL Leader in era
Top 5-avg, runs, wins, whip,sv, and fielding

3. Norfolk 52-27 (3) Pre-2
1st in East
AL Leader in wins and whip
Top 5-avg, sb, obp, and era

4. Columbus 46-34 (6) Pre-3
2nd in North
AL leader in sv
Top 5- avg, obp, wins, whip and fielding

5. Honolulu 50-30 (7) Pre-5
1st in West
AL leader in runs
Top 5- obp, wins, era, whip and fielding

6. Dover 42-38 (13) Pre-11
3rd in North
Top 5-avg, runs, hr, sb, and fielding

7. Richmond 44-36 (5) Pre-12
1st in South
Top 5-hr, obp, and era

8. Charlotte 43-36 (9) Pre-7
2nd in South
Top 5- runs, sb, and sv

9. San Franisco 41-39 (4) Pre-10
3rd in West
Top 5- sv

10. Syracuse 39-40 (11) Pre-9
4th in North
AL leader-hr

11.Fresno 31-48 (8) Pre-8
4th in West

12. Cincinnnati 37-43 (12) Pre-16
2nd in East
Top 5-avg and sv

13. Little Rock 29-51 (16) Pre-15
3rd in South
AL leader-hr
Top 5- sb

14. Indianapolis 34-45 (10) Pre-13
3rd in East

15. Louisville 33-46 (14) Pre-6
4th in East

16. Monterrey 27-52 (15) Pre-14
4th in South
AL leader-sb

Biggest Move Up:
Dover +7

Biggest Move Down:
San Franisco-5

Current Playoff Seeding:
1. Norfolk
2. Milwaukee
3. Honolulu
4. Richmond
5. Vancouver
6. Columbus

NL Quarter Power Rankings

NL Power Rankings: Preseason Rankings in ( )

1. Arizona 28-11 (2)
1st Place in West
NL Leader in Avg, OBP, wins, and sv
Top 5 in runs, hrs, ERA and WHIP
2. Tampa 25-14 (6)
1st Place in South
NL Leader in ERA
Top 5 in sb, wins and sv
3. Colorado Springs 26-13 (12)
2nd Place in West
Top 5 in hrs, wins, ERA, WHIP, and sv
4. Scottsdale 23-16 (5)
3rd Place in West
NL Leader in hrs
Top 5 in Avg, runs, ERA, WHIP, and fielding
5. Chicago 24-15 (9)
1st Place in North
Top 5 in OBP, wins, ERA, WHIP, and fielding
6. Trenton 18-21 (8)
3rd Place in North
Top 5 in Avg, OBP, runs, and sb
7. Toronto 23-16 (1)
2nd Place in North
Top 5 in Avg, runs, hrs, and wins
8. Kansas City 18-21 (14)
2nd Place in East
NL Leader in runs and sb
Top 5 in Avg and OBP
9. Hartford 19-20 (7)
1st Place in East
Top 5 in OBP, runs and hr
10. Burlington 18-21 (16)
3rd Place in North
NL Leader in fielding
Top 5 in sv
11. Pawucket 18-21 (3)
3rd Place in East
Top 5 in sb and sv
12. Jackson 17-22 (15)
2nd Place in South
NL Leader in WHIP
Top 5 in sb
13. Salt Lake City 12-27 (4)
4th Place in West
Top 5 in fielding
14. Austin 14-25 (10)
3rd Place in South
15. Phildelphia 17-22 (11)
3rd Place in East
Top 5 in fielding
16. Texas 13-26 (13)
4th Place in South

Biggest Move UP:
Colorado Springs +9
Kansas City +6
Burlington +6

Biggest Move Down:
Salt Lake City -9
Pawucket -8
Toronto -6

Current Playoff Seedings:
1. Arizona
2. Tampa
3. Chicago
4. Hartford
5. Colorado Springs
6. Scottsdale

AL Quarter Power Rankings

AL Power Rankings: Pre Season Rankings in ( )

1. Vancouver  23-16 (1)
3rd Place in West
AL Leader in Avg, runs, whip, and fielding
AL 5 Top in OBP, hrs, wins, sv
2. Milwaukee 28-11 (4)
1st Place in North
AL Leader in Wins
Top5 in Avg, OBP, runs, hrs, ERA, sv and fielding
3. Norfolk 28-11 (2)
1st Place in East
AL Leader in Wins and OBP
Top 5 in Avg, runs, sb, ERA, WHIP and fielding
4. San Fransico 24-15 (10)
1st Place in West
AL Leader in SV
Top 5 in Avg, hr, sb, wins, and ERA
5. Richmond 23-16 (12)
1st Place in South
AL Leader in hr
Top 5 in runs, ERA, WHIP, and sv
6. Columbus 21-18 (3)
2nd Place in North
Top 5 in Avg, OBP, WHIP, sv and fielding
7. Honolulu 24-15 (5)
1st Place in West
AL Leader in ERA
Top 5 in OBP, runs, wins, WHIP and fielding
8. Fresno 15-24 (8)
4th Place in West
9. Charlotte 19-20 (7)
2nd Place in South
10. Indianapolis 16-23 (13)
4th Place in East
Top 5 in sb
11. Syracuse 19-20 (9)
3rd Place in North
Top 5 in hr
12.Cincinnati 17-22 (16)
2nd Place in East
13. Dover 15-24 (11)
4th Place in North
14. Louisville 17-22 (6)
2nd Place in East
15. Monterrey 13-26 (14)
3rd Place in South
AL Leader in sb
16. Little Rock 10-29 (15)
4th Place in South
Top 5 in sb

Biggest Move UP:
Richmond +7
San Franisco +6

Biggest Move Down:
Louisville -8

Current Playoff Seeds:
1. Norfolk
2. Milwaukee
3. San Franisco
4. Richmond
5. Honolulu
6. Vancouver

NL Pre Season Power Rankings

NL Power Rankings:

1. Toronto
2. Arizona
3. Pawtucket
4. Salt Lake
5. Scottsdale
6. Tampa
7. Hartford
8. Trenton
9. Chicago
10. Austin
11. Phildelphia
12. Colorado Springs
13. Texas
14. Kansas City
15. Jackson
16. Burlington

AL Pre Season Power Rankings

American Power Rankings:
1. Vancouver
2. Norfolk
3. Columbus
4. Milwaukee
5. Honolulu
6. Louisville
7. Charlotte
8. Fresno
9. Syracuse
10. San Franisco
11. Dover
12. Richmond
13. Indy
14. Monterrey
15. Little Rock
16. Cincinnati

The Next Wave of Starters (Signees for S22-24)

From the most cavernous stadium to the coziest bandbox, no position can make or break a championship contender like the starting rotation.

Taking a look solely at the current value of starter prospects brought in over the last 3 seasons, I've dug up 26 guys who might make a serious impact for some contender in the near future.

1) Lee Tillman (Salt Lake City) dominated minor league hitters, and at 23, the #1 pick in the S22 draft will get his first full season of major league experience.  Tillman's combination of control, finesse, and velocity held opponents to a .592 OPS in 71 starts in the minors, and makes him a strong contender for NL Rookie of the Year.
2) O.T. Martin (Honolulu) has already made an impact on the big league stage.  Last year's AL Rookie of the Year was a critical ingredient in Honolulu's success.  The Wyoming native was 13-9 with a 3.11 ERA and 1.20 WHIP for the Oahuans, using his change up and sinker to great effect.
3) Rico Toca (Norfolk) is the best representative of what's really been a lackluster 3 years for international starting pitching.  Year after year, teams slash payroll to arm themselves for the dogfights of the foreign signee market, and they've gone home largely disappointed of late.  This 21 year old Venezuelan lefty is a notable exception--he's a legitimate 4-pitch pitcher who's averaged better than a strikeout an inning and held opponents to a .284 OBP.  He may surrender some longballs when faced with ML hitters, but he still looks well-equipped for success in the show.
4) Magglio Nunez (Chicago) isn't a sure thing to work out as a starting pitcher--he doesn't have the greatest stamina, his ability to stay healthy isn't a sure thing, and he'll need to get better at getting lefties out.  Still, he keeps the ball over the plate and down in the zone.  His ratings look pretty good in most areas, but I'm just not convinced he's got the finesse to avoid getting hit hard, no matter how good his control and velocity are.
5) Alex Gallardo (Charlotte) might be in the mold of a Jermaine Knepper.  Throws hard, keeps it down, works the corners--the only concern is that his stuff ranges from ordinary to useless.  Quit throwing that cutter!
6) Jesus Gabriel (Honolulu) got knocked around pretty good in his rookie season, but the Dominican and his mustache are still young (he was just 20 last year!) and could become a serious workhorse for the HHHs.
7) Ed Winchester (Indianapolis) handled Hi-A easily as a 19 year old, going 8-3 with a 1.35 ERA in 30 starts.  Winchester relies on an impressive screwball to get hitters out, and has posted strong strikeout numbers so far.
8) William Dimaggio (Toronto) might not have the stamina to be a big league starter, but any team in the league would be eager to find a role for this guy on their staff.  The 6'6" lefty has dominated the low minors with a 1.59 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and a K/BB ratio over 4:1. 

Very honorable, if not deserving of lengthy mention:
9) Francisco Matos (Philadelphia)
10) Terry Ferrell (Trenton)
11) Alan Carey (Pawtucket)
12) Peter French (Philadelphia)
13) Rudy Carey (San Francisco)
14) Thomas Stroud (Jackson)
15) Elrod Darr (Little Rock)
16) Mark Bravo (Monterrey)
17) Hong-Chih Matsumoto (Salt Lake City)
18) Frank Robinson (Chicago)
19) Wilfredo Pinzon (Dover)
20) Buddy Powell (Philadelphia)
21) Mark Post (Burlington)
22) Patrick Bonham (Kansas City)
23) Theodore Fox (Jackson)
24) Chuck Bryant (Hartford)
25) Vince Thomas (Columbus)
26) Santiago James (Texas)

Top 10 Suggestions For New Owners

1.  Get a mentor (or several) outside this world to ask questions to.  Forums >> scroll to Hardball Dynasty section >> click Hardball Dynasty forum >> mentors list is the 3rd post down.

2.  Ask questions in the World Chat here...you'll tend to get several opinions plus some of the logic behind what people are advising.

3.  A good way to get some sense of what the ratings "mean" (in addition to seeing what stats a player has produced) is to see what players with comparable ratings  have done.  World Office >> Reports >> Player Search >> set Franchise to "All Franchises", level to ML, View to Current Ratings and Position to whatever position the player you're looking at plays.  That gives you a list of all the players on ML rosters at that position...convenient way to compare ratings and stats of players (note that ballparks can have a pretty severe effect on what stats players produce).

4.  Please be cautious about trading until you've played at least a couple of seasons.  There's no faster way to wreck a franchise (well, maybe you can do it as fast in free agency) than to fire off several trades before you really know what the ratings mean.

5.  Pre-season (the period from the start of the season to Spring Training) moves pretty fast and can be overwhelming.  If you're not sure what things you need to do on each of these days, ask questions.

6.  Of the documentation HBD offers, I find the most helpful item to be the Help FAQ.  Admin Office >> Help >>F.A.Q.

7.  When I got started, one of the hardest things for me to figure out was what to offer free agents and how to "read" the free agent market.  Ask off-world mentors about this one...I'll plan to do a complete post or page on this topic as well.

8.  As much as you possibly can, try to ignore the OVR rating.  Here's the distinction you need to understand:  OVR is a composite of a bunch of the other ratings but it does absolutely nothing to determine performance of any kind.  A hitter's power rating, for example, is a big factor in home run production.  A pitcher's control rating goes a long way to determining how many walks he issues.  OVR isn't like that...it takes a bunch of ratings (including things like stamina, durability and health) and combines them into one rating that's an overgeneralized guide to a player's overall "value".  Trust me on this one, when veteran HBD owners are looking for a reliever who can give them 120+ innings and be a reliable, around 3.00 ERA guy, they're not paying any attention to OVR.

9.  What ratings are important and which ones aren't?  You'll get a lot of opinions on that one.  All the ratings have meaning...they all interact to produce AB-by-AB results and an overall stat profile.  Don't get locked in on one rating in your evaluation.  For a long time I was over-focused on pitchers' vR.  I figured it was more important than the vL and I couldn't understand what the pitch ratings meant.  So I ended up with a bunch of P's with vR's in the 80's (very good) but vL's and pitches in the 50's (not very good)...with lousy results.

10.  Above all, have fun.  Ignore all the above if they don't fit your idea of fun.  If you can't do HDB your way, what's the point?

Epilogue: My Votes

This year I really think we have at least 4 guys whose induction should be a certainty, and I will be voting for 5 players.

• Carlos Johnson
• Chili Olsen
• Clint Hutton
• Jerome Patrick
• Jerome Turner
  

Season 23 Hall of Fame preview: Part 3

The Pitchers

Morgan World was dominated by offense for the first 15 or so years of its existence. As a result, only Earl Wilkerson and Vitas Sobkowiak have made the Hall thus far. Those two were standout stars for strong Vancouver teams, which helped them put up the kind of numbers and awards that made them complete locks for induction.

In part because Banjo Melhuse hasn't expressed much interest in retiring, and many of the best arms in league history still have some years ahead of them, there haven't been a whole lot of serious candidates for voters to consider.

Closing In
There's one pitcher who should walk right into the Hall. Jerome Patrick is a 6-time Fireman of the Year, closed for 3 World Series champs...the guy is our Mariano Rivera. 630 saves--he should be a lock [Note: I had to re-write most of this article when the internet ate it, so I figured listing out all of Patrick's accomplishments were unnecessary. Though, note that I think this guy went to a record twelve All-Star Games!]

What Else Is Left?
I think this is the year to throw votes behind Jerome Turner. I know, his totals aren't super-impressive, and that no one could really decide whether he was a starter or a closer. Still, let's start building his case by comparing Turner's six years as a dedicated starter to the six best years (by WHIP) of Virgil Quinn, the wins leader among retirees and Morgan's version of Jack Morris--a very good pitcher who won games but doesn't have the kind of impressive rate stats to make a case for anything more than borderline HOF consideration:

Turner: avg. W-L = 13.5-7 (.659 W%), 3.78 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 7.93 K/9
Quinn: avg. W-L = 15.5-8.3 (.651 W%), 4.21 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 6.10 K/9

So, even cherry-picking Quinn's best years as a starter, Turner comes out ahead. And while Turner was never a closer on the same level as Patrick, he was successful in 83.8% of his save opportunities, which is pretty solid. The guy went to 7 All-Star games and won a Cy Young, a Fireman of the Year, a Gold Glove and a World Series ring. And his strikeout rate, FIP, ERA, and WHIP are all near the top all-time.

I'll admit to a soft spot for Turner. The guy just always seemed to beat me when we faced off, his teams won a lot of games and he excelled in every role his teams plugged him into. With the emergence of a lot of excellent pitchers in Morgan, maybe Turner's accomplishments just don't measure up, but I think my 5th vote probably goes to him.

Season 23 Hall of Fame preview: Part 2

Underrating the Hit King
While I think my system gives a pretty good rough evaluation of Hall-worthiness, I must admit that the points it gives to MVP winners are quite generous. The upside is that guys are rewarded for being acknowledged as the best position player in a given year. The downside is that guys who had amazing years and amazing careers but never put up big power numbers often were ignored by the sim nominators, and miss out. Such is the case with Chili Olsen, who was a 9-time All-Star and a 5-time Silver Slugger. And then there's his most noteworthy accomplishment--racking up 3,473 hits, more than anyone in Morgan history. The 12th pick in Season 1's draft far surpassed any other member of that class, yet he never won a title.

The takeaway? Olsen may have finished well behind Johnson and Hutton according to my numbers, but he's still among the 3 no-brainer nominees.

Or Should It Have Been 4 No-Brainers?
Eric Thomas actually finishes ahead of Olsen in points. Thomas managed to win 3 rings playing for superior teams, and his steroid-era-fueled OBP and SLG% would put him just ahead if he were still eligible. The big knock on Thomas was that he was a career DH. In my opinion, the anti-DH bias is a little silly. If he'd played barely passable 1B for an NL team, would he suddenly have been a HOF lock? Thomas always felt like a guy who was going to be a borderline case, but my gut still says the guy should have made it.

Speaking Of Borderline
Two guys make a compelling case that they might deserve your votes. Alex Cordero The LF/1B posted 2,474 hits, scored 1,783 runs, and swiped 643 bases--one of five HOF candidates with over 600 steals. Cordero backers can also point to his pair of championship rings, 7 All-Star appearances, and 3 Gold Gloves at 1B.

Alan O'Malley has seen his share of support in past votes. It seems like every year, O'Malley looks like the 4th or 5th or 6th best guy on the ballot. Note that O'Malley is listed as a DH on the ballot, but actually played almost exclusively at 2B. He won an MVP award and was a familiar face on the awards page. His career stat lines aren't bad, but they don't quite make him a top tier candidate.

Both of these guys warrant consideration, but I'm not sure there are enough votes out there to send more than three hitters to the Hall this year. I'm not certain about this, but O'Malley might be running out of chances pretty soon.

At Least People Will Recognize Them At Card Shows
The guys on the outside looking in? Start with 2-time MVP Horace Polcovich, whose prime was just too short, and whose career went off the tracks when I grabbed him off of waivers and then sent him down to the minors as part of a youth movement in Hartford.

Steve Taylor was a fine player, and benefits from having played a lot of games--including several All-Star games--at SS. Maybe next year he'll have a shot at building some buzz around his candidacy. Same could be said about Esteban Montanez.

Donn Gwynn could make a compelling case for the HOF because he was the best catcher in the game for a few years and put up decent numbers over his career. I was thinking of endorsing him, until I realized that we're just a few years away from the retirements of Gerald Bradley and Pedro Arroyo, who are clearly the greatest catchers Morgan has produced, and are far more deserving of induction.

Season 23 Hall of Fame preview: Part 1

It's been a little while since I've come out with one of these posts dictating who you should vote for, so it seemed about time for another lesson. And frankly, after Derrick Flynn and Tim Durbin get voted in in Season 21, yet 5-time MVP Clint Hutton can't get the votes last year, you guys need my help.

First, let's have a moment of silence for Eric Thomas, whose Hall of Fame eligibility is all used up. Until they code a veterans' committee who can sneak him in the back door, anyway. More on Thomas later...

One more thing--unlike years past, I didn't obsessively scan through every player who rated in the top 20 among retirees in some stat category. Based on the candidates up for consideration, I felt ok if I missed out on some guy who flew under the radar and could make a case that he'd be worth voting for if you had 8 votes instead of 5. Also note that when I look at a player's career ranking in any statistical category, I'm always looking at his ranking among retirees who aren't already in the Hall of Fame. Just makes life so much easier, and it still feels like a reliable measure of how a player's career numbers should be valued.

The Candidates, please:

The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Simmed
Forgive me my bias. Carlos Johnson is the best hitter Morgan World has produced. Yes, he played much of his career in a juiced-up offensive era, and his home games were in Hartford's band box. He was also a complete mess in left field (his 84 errors and 88 bad plays are records for the position).

But he was the most intimidating, the most hyped, and the most decorated offensive player ever. Johnson has the all time records for runs, homers, RBI, and OPS. He's second to Chili Olsen in hits with 3000. Second to Rusty Jones in OBP. He's second in intentional walks. 5 MVPs, a pair of World Series rings, a ROY, a truckload of Silver Sluggers, All Star appearances, All Star MVPs, Home Run Derby wins...

For his first ten seasons in Morgan, he was dominant, but he remained a tough out well into his mid-to-late-30s. Season 15, when Johnson was 34, seems to be where HBD's steroid era came to an end. Even so, at an age where most hitters are looking for employment, Johnson was still getting on base and piling up records.

The Injustice
People can be forgiven for forgetting how good Clint Hutton was. Unlike Johnson, he never got a crack at a championship, and his career was pretty much done after turning 35. But while his counting numbers don't immediately scream Hall of Fame, this guy was intentionally walked more than any other player in Morgan's history. His 9.77 RC/27 ranks 5th all-time. He won the MVP 5 times. He went to 8 All-Star games and won 8 Silver Sluggers. Unlike Johnson, he was an above-average corner outfielder, and he ranks 20th among retirees with 283 stolen bases (vs. Johnson's 0). He should have been a unanimous first ballot selection. Shame on us.

S20 Hall of Fame Preview: The Pitchers

On to the pitchers. First, note that there's a slight difference in how pitchers are scored due to the reduced value of a Gold Glove for your pitchers. I'm also a little less confident in my choice of categories for rating pitching, as there's probably a little more overlap when I use both K and K/9 and ERA, WHIP and FIP (the most conveniently available defense-independent (sort of) pitching stat). Still I think the results are reasonably valid.

Just Finished Engraving The Plaque
Vitas Sobkowiak won 4 Cy Youngs. In truth though, we should be calling them Vitas Sobkowiak awards, because this guy set the standard. 302 wins and 10 All-Star appearances for the big righthander leave everyone else in the dust (except for Banjo Melhuse). (6889 pts)

The #2 man among pitchers is as far ahead of the rest of the field as Vitas is ahead of him. Jerome Turner was Morgan's answer to John Smoltz and Dennis Eckersley. The Cy Young and Fireman of the Year winner made 7 All-Star teams, and ranks #1 among eligibles with 1500+ IP with 7.91 K/9. His 3.98 FIP is the second best among the eligibles (more on that later). (4176 pts)

No one else is really deserving of much consideration, but the analysis did turn up some interesting results. Start with #3, B.C. Sierra. Sierra will never get real consideration because he didn't get a chance to rack up the career totals necessary, but remarkably, the guy is #2 in winning percentage, and #1 in FIP at 3.95. Sobkowiak is 4th (4.06) after Sierra, Turner and Robin Sullivan. A Cy Young and 5 All-Star bids over a 10 year career? Pretty impressive run.

Mike Andrews, Joel Coleman, Pedro Acosta, and Ramon Ramirez are the next best of the not good enough.

As for my ballot, I'm voting for Sobkowiak, Goya, Thomas, O'Malley, and Durbin.

S20 Hall of Fame Preview: The Position Players

Voters, campaign season is just about upon us. Last year Carl Cochrane and Rafael Cedeno had their simulated dreams become reality when they were welcomed into the Hall of Fame. Who's going to have the votes this year? Let's start with a look at the position players:

The Lock
Vladimir Goya isn't just the greatest defensive centerfielder of all time. He's the greatest to play the position, period. 10 All-Star appearances, 8 Gold Gloves, 6 Silver Sluggers. Vlady ranks 3rd among HOF eligibles in runs scored, 4th in hits, and 2nd in stolen bases. Add in all those highlight reel plays he made in center, and Goya would probably be the most exciting player in the game. MVP voters slept on Goya during his career. HOF voters shouldn't repeat that mistake. (5383 points)

The Contenders
Yes, Eric Thomas was a career DH, and that's the kiss of death to some voters. But the guy could rake. 6 All-Star games, 3 World Series rings, 8 Silver Sluggers. Only Hugh Moore has a higher career OPS among the eligibles. In that group he's also 4th in runs, 4th in homers, 5th in RBI, 4th in OBP, and 3rd in slugging. He is the best pure hitter who isn't either still playing or already enshrined. (4927 points)

I'll admit it--I was surprised when I worked out the numbers and found out just how good Alan O'Malley was. In fact, he was the best second baseman to play the game. A 7-time All Star and Silver Slugger, O'Malley was the S9 AL MVP. His .320 lifetime average places him 12th among eligibles, and he leads the group in runs scored. If his home run totals weren't eye-popping, his 2654 hits, 1376 RBI and 432 SB give him a strong case. Note that among eligibles, only Goya, O'Malley and Izzy Devereaux finished their careers with at least 300 HRs and 300 SB. (4515 points)

Get Back To Me Next Year
686 home runs is a lot. So it may be controversial when I list Tim Durbin as the 4th most qualified position player among potential nominees. I'll admit, it's a little crazy. I'm probably only bumping him this far down the list because he had only 5 All-Star appearances and only 6 Silver Sluggers (at CF and 2b, no less). Still, I'm not going to monkey with the formula, especially because I can't quite get past the fact that while Goya, Thomas and O'Malley posted career OBPs of .395, .428, and .394 respectively, Durbin finished with a very ordinary .353. I'll probably still vote for him, if not this year than certainly a year or two down the road, but I'm not sure I'm ready quite yet. (3868 points)

Might Need To Talk To The Veterans' Committee
Derrick Flynn had the kind of longevity that allows you to put up 2775 hits, 541 homers, 1692 runs, and 1911 RBI. But beyond those counting stats, he looks like a great player, rather than a Hall of Famer. His .301 average is pretty good, but neither it nor his .366 OBP, .559 SLG, or .925 OPS are in the top 20 among eligibles. 5 All-Star appearances and 2 Silver Sluggers also aren't enough to compete with some of the other illustrious careers being scrutinized here. (2885 points)

Meanwhile, Tim Smith is one of only 5 eligibles with an OPS of 1.000 or better. He's made All-Star teams and won Silver Sluggers, a Gold Glove and a 2 championship rings. Smith's problem is that his career got a late start, and he just didn't have a chance to reach the milestones needed to put forth a serious case for induction. (2732 points)

Honorable Mention: Ben Musial, Al Pena, Benj Clark, and Hugh Moore

Points are awarded based on ranking among eligible players in statistical categories (top 20 in each category get points = (21-ranking)^2), and for awards, All Star appearances, and other notable accomplishments.

The Hall of Fame: Who you should be voting for

As one might expect, the first couple seasons of HOF voting have involved a ton of nominations, many of them approaching Jim Deshaies-level desperation. In the midst of this confused landscape, those that voted ushered in the no-brainers: Doug Connelly, Rusty Jones and Earl Wilkerson.

In the hopes of helping the voters, I've attempted an objective study of the candidates for enshrinement. This far removed from the early days of Morgan, many owners didn't even see Jones or Connelly in action. So employing a scheme where I assigned points based on All-Star appearances and other awards, as well as points for ranking in important career stats,* I was able to separate some wheat from the chaff.

A perfect approach? Probably not. But, I think the results I've come up with make sense when viewed subjectively, and I suspect will make the HOF debate a little more interesting. On to the results!

The Hitters

Locks for a Plaque:

3 guys stood out above the rest. During their careers they gave pitchers nightmares. In my opinion, they should go in on the next ballot.

Yamid Sierra: Among the current nomination-eligible players, Sierra is the statistical king. He leads the pack in runs, hits, home runs and RBI. Toronto's had good and bad seasons, but Yamid's been the picture of consistency. The one knock on him is that he only played in two All-Star games and won one Silver Slugger. Even with Doug Connelly and Carlos Johnson overshadowing him most of his career, it's hard to believe he couldn't make more All-Star teams.

George Spence: If you're a relative newcomer to Morgan, you missed out. George Spence was only really dominant for about 5 years, but what a 5 years! While Connelly was the NL's best hitter, Spence was the best in the AL. Only Spence has posted a slugging percentage over .800 twice. In the first five years of Morgan, Spence was a 5-time All-Star, 4-time Silver Slugger, and was AL MVP twice. His AB/HR is better than Sierra's (11.4 vs. 11.7), despite missing out on some prime years when the league started. Now that the first tier of league legends are in, it's time for Spence to get his due.

Eric Thomas: He's a DH. He profited from a standout cast assembled by Jester. Doesn't matter. Thomas is too good to leave off your ballot. A member of 6 All-Star teams, he also won 8 Silver Sluggers to go with his 3 World Series rings. He's in the top 10 in runs, hits, homers, and RBI, and he is the only player in the top 10 in both on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Voters may not love one-dimensional players, but how many players have hit so well for so long?

Very close calls:

Rafael Cedeno: Maybe he gets in this next go-round. Maybe it'll be on the ballot after that. But with 2522 hits and a .322 career average from a shortstop, he should get in before his eligibility runs out. With 5 All-Star appearances and 3 Silver Sluggers and a top 10 finish in runs, hits, home runs, RBI and batting average, you can forgive Cedeno if he was only a mediocre defensive shortstop.

Hugh Moore: My gut tells me Cedeno should be in, and Moore should be out. His MVP goes a long way in my book, but Moore just didn't quite put up the impressive cumulative stats he needs. He's #1 in slugging percentage, but he only managed 1501 hits and 1222 RBI. And while he performed some heroics as a platoon player for Hartford's championship run in S9, he only made 2 All-Star teams and won 1 Silver Slugger.

Ben Musial: Looks a lot like Moore. He put up some nice power numbers (top 10 in homers, RBI, slugging) but the hits, runs and OBP aren't there. His 4 All-Star selections and his MVP are impressive, but he never won a Silver Slugger or a World Series ring. Playing out his best years at a time when offense was king, Musial didn't quite stand out enough to warrant HOF honors.

Tim Smith: Another guy with strong power numbers, Smith was a 4-time All Star and Silver Slugger. Adding in his 2 championship rings and his experience at numerous defensive positions and Smith has a pretty strong case. On the other hand, none of his career stats stand out, and they'll only seem less impressive when Carl Cochrane and Carlos Johnson and Tim Durbin hang 'em up.

Still worth talking about:

Phillip O'Malley is in the top 10 in a bunch of categories, though he only made 1 AS team and was never a standout star...Barry Durocher wasn't a real asset behind the plate, but at the plate he was the best around at getting on base safely...Andre Hamill was one of the very few players who could change a game with his aggressive baserunning for the go-go Braves...Darrel Perez didn't put up huge numbers, but not many players make it to 5 All-Star games, especially as a middle infielder.

The Pitchers

Bottom line? You might want to save your pitching vote for Vitas Sobkowiak in case he retires. After the Polish Prince of Mascoutah, every other arm pales in comparison. While I don't think there are any clear first-ballot types, there are some intriguing cases to be made and arguments to get fans riled up.

In the Ballpark:

Jerome Turner: Remind you of anybody? He's done some starting. He's pitched out of the pen. 7 All-Star teams, a Cy Young, a Fireman of the Year and a ring to his credit. He's done as good a job as anyone of keeping runners off the bases and winning games. His case might be clearer if his teams had ever agreed on how best to use him. 128 wins and 150 saves just don't feel like Hall of Fame numbers.

Mike Andrews: 179 wins and 6 All-Star appearances aren't shabby. But what some people will remember about him are the big money contracts he never quite lived up to. A 6-time All-Star, Andrews walked away never having won a Cy Young or a championship. Still, he ranks in the top 10 in just about every major pitching category.

B. C. Sierra: His .680 winning percentage, 5 All-Star appearances and Cy Young award are great, but he never won a title, and only racked up 132 career wins. Like many pitchers, he suffered through years of offensive domination and a truncated career. One day we may look back and have a better appreciation of pitchers like Sierra, but there's no veterans' committee to sneak anyone in the back door.

Joel Coleman: Coleman felt like he had a few years of real dominance, and his 4 All-Star selections and 2 Cy Youngs back that up, but his career numbers don't help his case. His career ERA is just ok at 3.97, and he only managed 136 wins and a .596 winning percentage. I don't see him making it onto many ballots.

Javier Sosa: As his career saves total looks less and less impressive with every one Jerome Patrick racks up, Sosa's case might be DOA. If not for some infamous playoff implosions, the 7-time All-Star and 5-time Fireman of the Year could have made it in on his first or second ballot. He's still got a chance, but his window of opportunity is closing fast. Of the pitching candidates, I think Sosa and Turner probably make the strongest cases.

Not Yet Mathematically Eliminated:

Ramon Ramirez has the most wins of any candidate not in the Hall with 192, and his other stats stack up pretty well, even if he never was a dominant hurler...R. J. Sivilla won a number of strikeout titles and a Cy Young, though his 162-122 record is just so-so...Andres Terrero's stats aren't Hall of Fame-worthy, but the guy was a winner for Hartford, posting a 162-104 record and taking home a Cy Young and 2 World Series rings...Before Javier Sosa surpassed him, Chris Santangelo was the league's premier closer, appearing in 6 AS games...

* For those finishing in the top 10 in a given category among retirees, points were apportioned logarithmically based on where a player ranked. Leading all possible nominees in HRs, for instance, is worth twice as much as finishing second, which is worth twice as much as a third place finish, etc.