The Standings
The real 1984 and Statis Pro 1984 are pretty similar, but with a few significant differences. In the AL East the Orioles are 6-1 whereas the real '84 team was only 1-6. The Orioles offense has been huge, as has their starting pitching. They won't be able to sustain that, though. The real '84 West had much better records than Statis Pro at this point. The Angels are leading in Statis Pro but had a losing record in 1984.
On the NL side there is a bit of variance. I'd say the biggest are San Diego and Atlanta. The Padres have had a rough go, especially in terms of offense. The Braves, compared to the real '84 season, are on fire. Three of their five starting five pitchers rank in the top five in WHIP.
Not the Player of the Week, but...
I mentioned in the previous "Week in Review" that I wanted to have a player of the week but can't easily track those kind of performances. I have noticed Fred Lynn has been on a hot streak. He leads the league in homers with his Angels teammate Brian Downing. His OPS is blowing up too.
The George Brett Dilemma
I'm running into a growing problem. As per the rules of Statis Pro, a player can't exceed the number of games played as he had in the real season of baseball. Most of a player's missing games are injury related. Injuries aren't occurring frequently enough to compensate for tough lineup decisions. Take George Brett for instance. He only played in 104 games in 1984. How do I handle that in the Statis Pro world? Do I play him every day from game #1 through #104, hoping an injury occurs? Do I rest him every third day and hope he doesn't get injured late in the year? I've taken different strategies with different players and teams, but its a hard variable to account for.
Jayson Stark-esque Stats
*Willie Randolph has ten strikeouts through the first nine games of the season. His Statis Pro hitting card doesn't even have a number in the strikeout option. In the real 1984 he only struck out 42 times in 142 games. Willie has had some bad luck off the pitching cards, that's for sure.
*Speaking of George Brett, he leads the league in most at bats (33) without a strikeout. In the NL, Ken Landreaux of the Dodgers has the most at bats (20) without a K.
*Jim Gantner has the most at bats in the AL without a walk. He's been up 37 time and hasn't seen four balls yet. In the NL the leader is Tim Wallach (42), which might help explain the Expos win/loss record.
*The Orioles have two players who believe in going big, or going home. Wayne Gross is 3 for 20 on the season, and Gary Roenicke is 2 for 9. Those five hits are all home runs. Joe Carter of the Indians has six hits on the year with five of them being homers.
*Who's the worst player in Statis Pro right now? I'd nominate Pete Rose of the Expos. He's hitting a putrid .086 (3-35). Somewhere Ty Cobb is laughing.
*One final goofy stat, again courtesy of the Expos. Reliever Andy McGaffigan was 0 for 8 batting in the real 1984. He's had to bat twice already in long relief, but Statis Pro Andy is 2 for 2. That's one hit less than Pete Rose in 33 fewer at bats.
Pitching Rotations
I'm also learning that I'm going to have to start mixing in spot starts from the bullpen instead of adhering to strict five man rotations. Otherwise, I'm going to get into the last 15-20 games of the season with only relievers starting games and no bullpen left.
Create a Lineup!
Hey, if you're reading this blog with any regularity, I sure appreciate it. Want to take part in the fun? I'll let you fill out a starting lineup for your favorite team. Just let me know which team that is in the comments and I'll give you a chance to pencil in your own starters.
Begging for 1985 Fleer and Donruss
I'd love to mix in some different baseball cards in the blog updates - let me know if you'd like to donate any old 85 Fleer or Donruss. I have the complete set for Topps but have virtually nothing in Fleer and Donruss.
That's all for now. As always, feel free to hit me up with any questions or suggestions to make the blog more fun.
I say play Brett how you normally would (with a day rest every once in a while). If he gets injured, then you that will cover some missed games. If you reach his 104 game limit before the season ends, just pretend that is when he gets injured for the rest of the season.
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