Boring, right?
Not so fast! Like I did for the first checklist, I will assemble an all-star team from the players on this checklist. The player pool consists of the base cards for players listed from 133-264. Peruse the card #249 and see what players you'd pick. Then check my selections below:
2B: Willie Randolph easily wins the job over a deep group that also includes Steve Sax, Johnny Ray, Damaso Garcia, and Alan Wiggins. Interestingly Randolph's career WAR outpaces the other candidates combined 63 to 56.
SS: Cal Ripken
3B: Ken Oberkfell is a weak link but he beats out Hubie Brooks, Wayne Gross, and Enos Cabell.
Middle Infield: Steve Sax will back up 2B... Iron Man Ripken doesn't really need a back up.
Corner Infield: Dave Kingman. I'd prefer to put Cecil Cooper on the team, but Kong's 154 career games at the hot corner and 603 games at firstbase gives the team flexibility and a right handed platoon option with Oberkfell.
Utility: Hubie Brooks played 3B, SS, and RF. Ok, so he was a butcher at two of those three positions but my only other reasonable option was Enos Cabell.
C: Rick Dempsey backed up by Bo Diaz
LF: Rickey Henderson
CF: Mickey Rivers
RF: Dwight Evans over Dave Parker although "Cobra" makes the team as a pinch hitter as does Jack Clark.
DH: Harold Baines
SP: Ferguson Jenkins, Don Sutton, Luis Tiant, Jerry Koosman. With these workhorses not sure a 5th starter is needed but I'll keep Joe Niekro around as a swingman.
Bullpen: Absolutely loaded with Goose Gossage, Bruce Sutter, and Dan Quisenberry working a bullpen by committee. Last two spots go to Gene Garber and Steve Bedrosian. Dave Smith and Steve Howe were viable choices but didn't have the career length of the others.
Manager: Tony LaRussa takes control of this team and he could put Whitey Herzog and Billy Martin on his staff as his base coaches. What better guys to work the running game with Henderson, Rivers, and Carew circling the bases?
Starting Lineup:
1. Henderson LF
2. Randolph 2B
2. Carew 1B
4. Evans RF
5. Baines DH
6. Ripken SS
7. Rivers CF
8. Oberkfell 3B
9. Dempsey C
A lot speed and on base ability at the top of the lineup. This team doesn't have a ton of power but should be able to win with pitching, speed, and defense.
See, that's what collecting is all about. Creating new ways to enjoy your collection.
ReplyDeletepretty solid team
ReplyDeletegreat fun!
ReplyDeleteI might go with some slightly different choices, depending upon whether we're looking for value in the 1980s or just overall career excellence...
Jesse Barfield was so good for a few years just after this season that it'd be sad to leave him off the team, and Mickey Rivers (despite my love for him as a madcap character) had lost most of his value by 1982... Ditto Mario Soto -- what a shame his career was cut short by injuries
I always liked Wayne Gross a lot too -- he certainly had more power than Oberkfell, and drew a lot of walks into the bargain, but his batting averages did leave quite a lot to be desired, and I guess he wasn't in Oberkfell's class as a fielder...
Thanks for the feedback. I mainly went for overall career value and had some tough choices for sure. I thought about putting Evans or Barfield in CF instead of Rivers but when I looked it up they didn't play as much in CF as I initially thought. Henderson was known more as a LF than a CF but I could have out him in CF and got more power in the lineup...hmmm. Or imagine the throwing arms of an outfield Evans, Barfield, and Parker!
ReplyDeleteIf either Gross or Oberkfell were right handed they would have made a great platoon.
Good call on Randolph. Vastly underrated player (and that's hard for a Yankee to do).
ReplyDelete