ATL UPDATE I: Wild Finishes & Old School Stars

Note: if you haven't read any of the previous posts setting out the background, rules, and team rosters in the All-Timers League, click here and start from the bottom post if you want the full details.

I've been pleasantly surprised that we've made it this far into the ATL, but the teams are now through 13 games of the 154-game regular season. Since the season's started, I started an ATL message board where all the day by day box scores are published (guests can't see the full box scores, so feel free to sign up if you want to see them), standings will be routinely updated, and injuries are reported and responded to by managers. Check it out!

Here's my structure to this & all future updates: MVP thus far, team by team standings/overviews, the period's biggest bombs, & the statistical leaders thus far.

MVP:
Actually, co-MVPs: Lou Gehrig (.345/.403/.655, 3 HR, 15 RBI) of the Newark Legion and Honus Wagner (.424/.469/.712, 2 HR, 10 RBI) of the Providence Reds. I tried not to be wishy-washy and pick just one person, but no one has completely distanced himself from the rest of the ATL through just 13 games.
When Eddie Collins & Tris Speaker get on base ahead of him in the order, Gehrig has driven them in regularly, and is a big reason why the Legion lead the ATL in runs scored. However, Wagner has been a major driving force for a Reds lineup that is only one run behind the Legion in runs scored; you'll find his name on the leaderboards for nearly every average, power, and speed category.

In subsequent updates, I'll be giving you interesting back stories on the MVPs. It's not that Gehrig & Wagner aren't fascinating players; I just wanted to get a nice setup for these updates and didn't want to use up a ton of space on an extremely early season update.

The Standings:

1 (tied). Providence Reds 10-3: My team's great early start can be attributed to an overall balanced effort; the Reds are 2nd in runs scored, while allowing the 2nd fewest runs in the ATL. At the moment, the offense has been led by three of the hottest hitters in the league: Wagner, Jackie Robinson, and Yogi Berra are all hitting over .400 thus far. Berra laid claim to the first ATL grand slam. They've made a couple of late-inning comebacks for victories. The two eldest (in terms of when they played) starters, Walter Johnson & Cy Young, are a combined 4-0 and have been absolute workhorses, pitching late into all of her games. The bullpen has generally not been a slouch either; Dan Quisenberry & Bruce Sutter lead an ATL-best group that has shut down opponents late and helped spark late-inning victories for my Reds. The Reds' first loss came in the form of a wild pitch allowing the winning run to cross. Ouch.

1 (tied). Worcester Ruby Legs 10-3: What Phil's Ruby Legs lacked in offensive power (3rd, but 14 behind #1), they more than made up with their superb pitching (1st, 12 runs clear of the Reds) and defense (top fielding %, good zone rating). Old-time names have provided the most offense for the Ruby Legs, with Shoeless Joe Jackson & "The Georgia Peach" Ty Cobb keeping the basepaths active with high averages & stolen bases. New school Vladimir Guerrero has also given Worcester some very timely hitting. Perhaps the greatest moment of the season so far came when the Ruby Legs stormed back from down 5-0 in the 9th to the Newark Legion to claim a 7-5 victory. On the bump, Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown (his pitching hand; warning: somewhat grotesque) & Jim Bunning have assumed the early roles of being shutdown starters; Brown trails ATL-leading Jim Bunning in ERA by 0.01. CC Sabathia is showing why he was drafted, while Lefty Grove & Bob Gibson have shown flashes of their greatness early on. Out of the bullpen, closer-again John Smoltz has been one of the biggest workhorses in the league, saving 6 games and having only 1 poor performance in his 8 games pitched.

3. Newark Legion 7-6: Despite hitting the fewest HR so far, Matt's Legion lead the ATL in runs scored. Co-MVP Gehrig may deservedly receive the most recognition for his success, but the whole lineup has certainly supported him in getting some early Newark wins. Eddie Collins (.400, 8 SB) & Tris Speaker are off to hot starts, as evidenced by their ATL-dominating 18 stolen bases, while Hank Aaron has managed to drive in 10 runs without providing his signature power. The pitching has been a little suspect, surrendering the 2nd most runs in the league. Once again, the pitchers from way back, Pete Alexander & Big Ed Walsh, are doing the best in the rotation at keeping opposing offenses at bay. Unfortunately, the late innings have been a bit of an adventure for the Legion; closer Hoyt Wilhelm currently sports a 10.29 ERA with more losses than saves, and the bullpen's total ERA is a half-run above the rest.

4 (tied). Funkstown Funk 5-8: The record for Andy's Funk pretty much illustrates the type of performance his team has exhibited so far. Despite hitting the first back-to-back HR in the league (the exact names currently escape me), their offense is currently the worst in the ATL with 45 runs scored. However, don't blame Ted Williams; his counting- & rate-based power numbers surpass his teammates, some of which have 20 at-bats more than the Splendid Splinter. Outside of Williams, Stan Musial, & Nap Lajoie, no one is regularly hitting or getting on base nearly enough just yet to give the offense some respectability. The starting pitching has gotten off to an OK start; Bert "Be Home" Blyleven has posted the lowest ERA of the five, while Tom Seaver has been confusing batters to the tune of the most strikeouts on the ATL. The bullpen has also been just OK, but it now has to deal with the loss of its biggest threat to opposing left-handed batters, Billy Wagner, for a large chunk of the season. Outside of one bad performance, Dennis Eckersley has done well in his opportunities to finish out games.

4 (tied). Jigger Bushes 5-8: Outside of 1B Jimmie Foxx, who has a very strong argument to be included as one of the MVPs so far, as well as Giant great Christy Mathewson, Seth's Jigger Bushes are off to a slow start. Right now, Foxx is the only regular hitter over .300 in this lineup (though A-Rod & Ryne Sandberg are close) which is 5th of 6. Babe Ruth has 2 lengthy HR, but has only driven in 3 runs; with where his OBP is at, I think he'll be hitting himself out of his bit of a weak start. The pitching has been all right overall, giving up the 3rd fewest runs in the ATL, and they've been hurt a bit extra by some poor fielding behind them. Mathewson & Juan Marichal have been fantastic so far, with Jim Palmer also doing well. The supposed ace, Sandy Koufax, has struggled out of the gate with his control and could really bolster the rotation once he rights himself. The stable of relievers in the Jigger bullpen is enjoying some early success. Mariano Rivera's ERA is high due to a badly blown save early on against the Reds, but it certainly has a chance of dropping soon.

6. Cumberland Sedohcs 2-11: Needless to say, slow starts & overall poor performance put Mike's Sedohcs in a deep early season hole. Their Pythagorean expected record is 4-9, showing that they've blown some leads & failed to succeed in close games so far. On their #5 offense, Rogers Hornsby & Mike Piazza are regulars both hitting well & over .300, but no one else is close to .300. Barry Bonds (who hit the first HR in the ATL), Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken Jr., & Ken Griffey Jr. are all currently fighting with the Mendoza line; getting these guys turned around would go a long way toward getting the Sedohcs moving toward the competition. In the impressive speed department, Tim Raines managed a bunt single against Jigger, then proceeded to steal 2nd, then 3rd base. Only Pedro Martinez is off to a very serviceable start out of the rotation, and the Sedohcs lost Dizzy Dean for the season with a torn labrum. Don Newcombe has been the best out of Cumberland's pen, while Trevor Hoffman has gone 2 for 3 in his obviously limited save opportunities.

Big Bombs (longest HR)
#3 Jimmie Foxx, JIG 430 ft.
#2 Joe Morgan, WOR 443 ft.
#1 Jeff Bagwell, WOR 444 ft.

Stat Zone (category leaders)
AVG: Yogi Berra, PRO .475
OBP: Stan Musial, FUN .528
SLG: Berra .725
OPS: Berra 1.237
H: Honus Wagner, PRO 25
R: Wagner 17
HR: Jimmie Foxx, JIG; Lou Gehrig, NWK; Rogers Hornsby, CMB; Ted Williams, FUN 3
RBI: Foxx, Gehrig 15
SB: Eddie Collins, NWK 8
wOBA (advanced statistic, click on it to see what it calculates): Berra, .528
VORP (hitting value over replacement player): Wagner, 11.6

ERA: Jim Bunning, WOR 1.13
W: Christy Mathewson, JIG; Ed Walsh, NWK 3
L: Warren Spahn, NWK 3
SV: John Smoltz, WOR 6
IP: Mathewson 26
K: Tom Seaver, FUN 23
WHIP: Bunning 0.88
K/BB: Jim Palmer, JIG 7.00
FIP (advanced statistic, click on it to see what it calculates): Carl Hubbell, JIG 2.23
VORP (pitching value over replacement player): Mordecai Brown, WOR; Walter Johnson, PRO 9.9

My one gripe about the system so far: the computer loves to keep relievers in to bat, despite BEING DOWN IN THE 9TH INNING WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO WIN. It might have cost the Funk (I'm pretty sure) one win.

The best part about this first update? It's likely bound to look extremely silly even by mid-season. Thus, I hope you continue to keep up with the league!

Upcoming Matchups, Other Notes

Note: if you haven't read any of the previous posts setting out the background, rules, and team rosters in the All-Timers League, click here and start from the bottom post if you want the full details.

I've been informed that I made one naïve mistake in my team previews. I mentioned in the Funkstown Funk team preview that this was the only team situated in a fictional city. However, as manager Andy Barlow informed me, Funkstown is an actual town just a short drive from Hagerstown and Municipal Stadium. He's been there and everything, while I had no idea it existed even after visiting Hagerstown once.

As I publish this post, I'm waiting on a couple of managers to approve how their lineups are set going into Opening Day of ATL action. Once they're ready, I'm ready to get the ball rolling and get all the teams out on the field; I'm extremely excited!

If I have not mentioned it already, I'll be giving updates after the ATL gets through each set of 14 games, so there will be 11 regular season ATL updates filled with stories & stats from that time period. Here are the series matchups for the first 2 weeks of games:

Opening Day (4/1)-4/2: Bushes at Sedohcs, Reds at Legion, Funk at Ruby Legs
4/3-4/5: Reds at Bushes, Legion at Funk, Ruby Legs at Sedohcs
4/6-4/7: Ruby Legs at Reds, Bushes at Legion, Sedohcs at Funk
4/8-4/10: Legion at Sedohcs, Funk at Reds, Bushes at Ruby Legs
4/11-4/13: Ruby Legs at Legion, Funk at Bushes, Sedohcs at Reds

Yeah, I realize that's only 13 games, but April 14 happens to be an off-day for the ATL, so I'll make that extra game up in the second update. Let's get this going!

ATL Team Preview: Funkstown Funk

We've reached the last but not least, though the standings could prove otherwise, ATL team preview. The Funkstown Funk, managed by Andy Barlow, had the final pick of the first round, and thus the first pick of the next round. This is the only team from a fictional city, so they'll be playing in Hagerstown, MD, where Mr. Barlow spent plenty of time this summer. I have to give major kudos to him for making all of his own picks throughout the very long draft process.








A Google image search succeeded greatly here. You may recognize this lovable creature as Woolie, the Hagerstown Suns' mascot.
Team Colors: Purple Mountain Majesty, Gold, and Silver. Though it's listed as the 3rd color, I had plenty of difficulty trying to work in silver to the team's color scheme.
Home Stadium: Hagerstown Municipal Stadium. Why yes, I did just link to my own blog post! It's as good as any at showing what the stadium looks like.

The position players: (click on picture to enlarge)
(Note: if you didn't read the team preview for any of the other teams, please disregard the stars on the right side; they're part of the game's internal "scouting" and should have no in-game effects)
Between the pitchers & fielders, I had to rearrange a bunch of these guys' uniform numbers.
Now that's a stable of outfielders. It's one of two bold moves Andy made that perhaps the rest of us were afraid to attempt. Stargell and Musial should split some time with McCovey at first so a big-time left-handed bat is always there. In general, the Funk should have constant lineup/position rotation based on matchups and the team's own needs. A power-centric lineup would feature Jackson, Williams, DiMaggio, & Stargell/McCovey. Musial, Boggs, & Lajoie are certainly no hitting slouches either. However, Andy can trot out Rickey Henderson at any time to dominate the basepaths. Glove masters like Reese, Alomar, Rolen, & Puckett can also be sent out with confidence. If healthy, Bench will get the vast majority of starts at catcher and be a dominating force hitting & receiving. Even in a pitcher-friendly ballpark like Hagerstown Municipal, if this team were to fail at being a hitting monster, it would lead to a disastrous season.

The pitchers:
Projected Rotation: Seaver, Ryan, Maddux, Niekro, Blyleven
Here's bold move number two. In older eras of the game, your manhood was questioned when you couldn't finish a game you started on the mound. This may come back into play with this staff of more modern hurlers being supported by a very shallow bullpen. There's major heat and big curveballs surrounding a legendary precision pitcher and a knuckleballer; an intriguing test for the opposition. With how often he pitched for the Bucs, Tekulve should be very prepared for the small bullpen challenge. Wagner & Eckersley form a good 1-2 punch at the back end of the 'pen that will be tough to overcome. But will the small pitching staff be able to hold up for the entire 154-game schedule, or will the Funk soon be on the free agent market looking for more arms?

ATL Team Preview: Newark Legion

The Newark Legion, managed by Matt Alphin, had the 2nd pick in the draft, leaving him with first pickings over everyone not named Babe Ruth. I should point out that this is Newark, DE (pronounced "New ark") as opposed to Newark, NJ. The nickname is both unique and an inside joke. Although Matt may not be quite as much of a sports nut as the rest of us in the ATL, he had the baseball knowledge to make some good picks. Also, I auto-drafted about half of his team.








This logo is very similar to one I used for our intramural basketball team's Facebook page a while back to add even more hilarity to our team. I'm rather pleased with my work here.
Team Colors: Blue and Gold
Home Stadium: YYCnasium. Don't bother asking where that came from; it's yet another joke within friends that made it into the ATL. All you need to know is that it's an homer-friendly stadium with a turf surface.

The position players: (click on picture to enlarge)
(Note: if you didn't read the team preview for any of the other teams, please disregard the stars on the right side; they're part of the game's internal "scouting" and should have no in-game effects)
This group of position players possesses good skill at every non-pitching aspect of the game. There should be power to go around on this team, Mays, Aaron, Gehrig, & Mathews likely will all hit more than enough longballs to strike as much fear as possible into ATL hurlers. There are no prolific base-stealers among this bunch, but Collins, Jeter, & others will do enough to have opposing teams respect their speed. Especially when Santo is playing, the infield defense is solid, with perhaps Jeter (sorry to Yankee fans, but I'm going by the numbers & metrics here) as a weaker link. Mays & Speaker should cover so much ground in the outfield that even a good outfielder like Aaron will have his workload lightened. Although they don't represent the best fielding tandem in the ATL, the Fisk/Simmons pair behind the plate should produce reliable hitting stats. Finally, as mentioned previously, Matt's home stadium should lead to more higher scoring affairs than usual.

The pitchers:
Projected Rotation: Alexander, Spahn, Walsh, Carlton, Perry
Another 11-man staff. Matt's the only Phillie phan out of the 6 of us, and he managed to choose the two best pitchers in the team's long history for his solid rotation. The Legion has probably the most finesse staff in the ATL; multiple pitchers on this team led their league in strikeouts, but without blazing speed on their fastballs, with the exception of probably Drysdale. Pirate Wilbur Cooper is faced with the task of being the primary arm used to shut down opposing lefties late in games. Looking at the bullpen, it might be a bit of an adventure trying to sustain leads into the 9th inning, but Wilhelm's amazing array of pitches should get the vast majority of those leads to hold up when they make it there. The Legion will be the opposite of the Sedohcs: should this team make it far, it will be on the shoulders of the old-timers in doing so.