7. Boston Burping Clams versus 2. Montreal Expos
- Thread starter Ben Grimm
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Dr Pepper
Registered User
Winger for Hire
Praise Beebo
Dr Pepper
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Tecumseh
Scorched Earth
Catcher
Advantage: Montreal (Slightly)
Honestly, you can't go wrong with either Bench or Berra. Both were historically great at both the offensive and defensive aspects of the game. Bench probably has the strongest arm behind the plate in baseball history and played at a time when base stealing was at a much higher premium than Berra's time. If you asked me who would I have rather have in a short playoff series, it would hard to turn away from Berra. All things considered, however, I have to lean towards Bench for the simple fact that he was everything that Berra was plus some.
First Base
Advantage: Montreal
It’s important to have at least one or two great power hitters in your lineup and Frank Thomas certainly brings that to Boston’s lineup. The problem with Thomas is when the bat isn’t in his hands. He is the worst defensive starting first baseman out of the seven teams in this draft. That’s a noticeable problem, especially in this format where there is no DH. Cabrera, on the other hand, is comparable offensively to Thomas (less power, more consistent contact hitter). While Cabrera’s defense isn’t great, it isn’t exactly a liability either.
Second Base
Advantage: Boston
Rod Carew is perhaps the greatest contact hitter of his generation. There’s barely any power to his swing but since he is such a proficient singles and doubles hitter, that’s not really a huge concern. His defensive game is suspect as well but again that can be overlooked because (a) it isn’t terrible and (b) having someone who can get on base consistently is huge. Roberto Alomar was a great player for many years, solid in both aspects of the game, but ultimately I think the appeal is greater for Carew.
Third Base
Advantage: Montreal
This is a case of power versus contact. In this case, I go for power. You can’t pick one over the other based on defense because they both excelled in that facet of the game. Honestly, it comes down to preference or which player do you think is a better fit for their lineup. Wade Boggs was a rarity in that he hit for a great average and had a historically low strikeout rate. Yet, Boston already has Carew and Boggs is basically Carew but with better defense. Schmidt is the ideal power hitting third baseman and is also a luxury in that you don’t need to worry about his defensive game.
Shortstop
Advantage: None (Toss Up)
Yount and Jeter are opposite ends of the same coin. Yount quietly carved out for himself a first ballot Hall of Fame career and because he spent them all in Milwaukee he went virtually unnoticed, only making the All-Star Game three times. Meanwhile, Jeter reaped the benefits of playing on a dominant Yankees team, inexplicably winning a handful of Gold Gloves. If we temper our estimation of Jeter as a ballplayer, I think you’d find that Yount and Jeter are in the same class. Jeter has the playoff pedigree but pretty subpar defense while Yount had very few opportunities to prove himself at the highest stage but also was a solid defensive player.
Left Field
Advantage: Boston
I felt that when the Yaz pick was made, it was a bit high. I still hold that opinion. All around, Yaz is the better player than Manny. Playing left field at Fenway has often been a way to disguise a bad defensive player into seeming like a serviceable one. It would be unfair of me to hold this against either of them since they both played at Fenway and therefore will both be exposed without the guidance of the Green Monster.
Center Field
Advantage: Boston
If this was a simple Snider vs DiMaggio matchup then DiMaggio would get the advantage. However, the restrictions of this draft dictate that only five of DiMaggio’s final seasons are eligible for consideration. Four of those seasons were actually pretty exceptional, winning one league MVP in 1947 and having a 6.9 WAR season in 1948. Those seasons aren’t enough to mount him past Snider. He was one of the more underappreciated players of his era, playing in the shadows of Mays and Mantle. Even on his own team, he often was overshadowed by Campanella who won 3 league MVPs while Snider’s highest finish in voting was 2nd in 1955.
Right Field
Advantage: Montreal
I’ve always been skeptical of Jackson as a starter in these drafts simply because of his astronomical strikeout rate. Sure, he’s capable of flashing that October magic but it’s just as likely, if not more so, that he’s having trouble making any contact with the baseball. Even his playoff record is a mixed bag, he’s got three stellar performances while the rest of either pedestrian or worse than that. Again, I think he’d be better suited as a bench bat although I appreciate Boston recognizing the need for more power in their lineup.
Bench
Advantage: Montreal
Boston opted for the larger bench while Montreal opted for a smaller one. Ultimately, I think Montreal got better bang for their buck with their choices. The only player I’m not on board with Omar Vizquel but that really has nothing to do with his playing ability and more to do with the recent discussion about his HOF prospects. I also like that Montreal added McGwire as a bench batter rather than a starter since he has similar problems as Reggie Jackson although the strikeouts issue is not as glaring in this case. I like Boston’s selection of Rice, Evans, and Molitor but the rest are a bit puzzling to me.
Starting Pitching
Advantage: Montreal
That one-two punch of R. Johnson and Carlton is deadly. I’d even be tempted to give Montreal the advantage if those were their only two starting pitchers. Adding Marichal and Palmer on top of that is just adding to the pile. Boston has a great ace who was every bit as great as Randy Johnson but the rest of the rotation simply can’t match up to Montreal although Drysdale is a great under-the-radar option as their third starter.
Bullpen
Advantage: Montreal
If we were just comparing closers then Boston would run away with this one laughing. Bullpens are more than closers and Montreal has quite the collection. Three of their relief pitchers were closers for World Series winning ballclubs (Sutter, Fingers, and Nenn). I only see two major issues with this bullpen. First, there is a real shortage of multiple innings relievers outside of Mike Marshall. Second, the thought that Hoffman will be closing these games is a tad concerning considering big game situations have never been his strength.
I wanted to do these analyses for each series but this one took so damn long that I think I'll need to find a way to condense my thoughts.
Advantage: Montreal (Slightly)
Honestly, you can't go wrong with either Bench or Berra. Both were historically great at both the offensive and defensive aspects of the game. Bench probably has the strongest arm behind the plate in baseball history and played at a time when base stealing was at a much higher premium than Berra's time. If you asked me who would I have rather have in a short playoff series, it would hard to turn away from Berra. All things considered, however, I have to lean towards Bench for the simple fact that he was everything that Berra was plus some.
First Base
Advantage: Montreal
It’s important to have at least one or two great power hitters in your lineup and Frank Thomas certainly brings that to Boston’s lineup. The problem with Thomas is when the bat isn’t in his hands. He is the worst defensive starting first baseman out of the seven teams in this draft. That’s a noticeable problem, especially in this format where there is no DH. Cabrera, on the other hand, is comparable offensively to Thomas (less power, more consistent contact hitter). While Cabrera’s defense isn’t great, it isn’t exactly a liability either.
Second Base
Advantage: Boston
Rod Carew is perhaps the greatest contact hitter of his generation. There’s barely any power to his swing but since he is such a proficient singles and doubles hitter, that’s not really a huge concern. His defensive game is suspect as well but again that can be overlooked because (a) it isn’t terrible and (b) having someone who can get on base consistently is huge. Roberto Alomar was a great player for many years, solid in both aspects of the game, but ultimately I think the appeal is greater for Carew.
Third Base
Advantage: Montreal
This is a case of power versus contact. In this case, I go for power. You can’t pick one over the other based on defense because they both excelled in that facet of the game. Honestly, it comes down to preference or which player do you think is a better fit for their lineup. Wade Boggs was a rarity in that he hit for a great average and had a historically low strikeout rate. Yet, Boston already has Carew and Boggs is basically Carew but with better defense. Schmidt is the ideal power hitting third baseman and is also a luxury in that you don’t need to worry about his defensive game.
Shortstop
Advantage: None (Toss Up)
Yount and Jeter are opposite ends of the same coin. Yount quietly carved out for himself a first ballot Hall of Fame career and because he spent them all in Milwaukee he went virtually unnoticed, only making the All-Star Game three times. Meanwhile, Jeter reaped the benefits of playing on a dominant Yankees team, inexplicably winning a handful of Gold Gloves. If we temper our estimation of Jeter as a ballplayer, I think you’d find that Yount and Jeter are in the same class. Jeter has the playoff pedigree but pretty subpar defense while Yount had very few opportunities to prove himself at the highest stage but also was a solid defensive player.
Left Field
Advantage: Boston
I felt that when the Yaz pick was made, it was a bit high. I still hold that opinion. All around, Yaz is the better player than Manny. Playing left field at Fenway has often been a way to disguise a bad defensive player into seeming like a serviceable one. It would be unfair of me to hold this against either of them since they both played at Fenway and therefore will both be exposed without the guidance of the Green Monster.
Center Field
Advantage: Boston
If this was a simple Snider vs DiMaggio matchup then DiMaggio would get the advantage. However, the restrictions of this draft dictate that only five of DiMaggio’s final seasons are eligible for consideration. Four of those seasons were actually pretty exceptional, winning one league MVP in 1947 and having a 6.9 WAR season in 1948. Those seasons aren’t enough to mount him past Snider. He was one of the more underappreciated players of his era, playing in the shadows of Mays and Mantle. Even on his own team, he often was overshadowed by Campanella who won 3 league MVPs while Snider’s highest finish in voting was 2nd in 1955.
Right Field
Advantage: Montreal
I’ve always been skeptical of Jackson as a starter in these drafts simply because of his astronomical strikeout rate. Sure, he’s capable of flashing that October magic but it’s just as likely, if not more so, that he’s having trouble making any contact with the baseball. Even his playoff record is a mixed bag, he’s got three stellar performances while the rest of either pedestrian or worse than that. Again, I think he’d be better suited as a bench bat although I appreciate Boston recognizing the need for more power in their lineup.
Bench
Advantage: Montreal
Boston opted for the larger bench while Montreal opted for a smaller one. Ultimately, I think Montreal got better bang for their buck with their choices. The only player I’m not on board with Omar Vizquel but that really has nothing to do with his playing ability and more to do with the recent discussion about his HOF prospects. I also like that Montreal added McGwire as a bench batter rather than a starter since he has similar problems as Reggie Jackson although the strikeouts issue is not as glaring in this case. I like Boston’s selection of Rice, Evans, and Molitor but the rest are a bit puzzling to me.
Starting Pitching
Advantage: Montreal
That one-two punch of R. Johnson and Carlton is deadly. I’d even be tempted to give Montreal the advantage if those were their only two starting pitchers. Adding Marichal and Palmer on top of that is just adding to the pile. Boston has a great ace who was every bit as great as Randy Johnson but the rest of the rotation simply can’t match up to Montreal although Drysdale is a great under-the-radar option as their third starter.
Bullpen
Advantage: Montreal
If we were just comparing closers then Boston would run away with this one laughing. Bullpens are more than closers and Montreal has quite the collection. Three of their relief pitchers were closers for World Series winning ballclubs (Sutter, Fingers, and Nenn). I only see two major issues with this bullpen. First, there is a real shortage of multiple innings relievers outside of Mike Marshall. Second, the thought that Hoffman will be closing these games is a tad concerning considering big game situations have never been his strength.
I wanted to do these analyses for each series but this one took so damn long that I think I'll need to find a way to condense my thoughts.
Dr Pepper
Registered User
Agreed. It was all good. I like the SS analysis. Jeter played 2,747 games and is not Top 1000 in dWar. Carlos Correa has played 443 games and is Top 1000 in dWAR. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
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