Underperforming lineups and tiring pitchers are starting to wear me down. 

Let's have a little fun and come up with a line up using the best outfield (3 players),

best infield (4 players) and catchers(up to 2).  The best pitching staff (4 starters or 5 if you can find 5 with 3 relievers). 

The players must have performed on the same team for the same year.  e.g. the 1988 SF Giants out field, 1985 SL Cards infield, the 1986 Dodgers Starting Staff, the 1996 NYY relievers and  the 02 LA Dodgers catchers.  Point out the stats and reasons why.

I limited myself because of time to the last 25 years. 

The outfield:

1990 Pittsburgh Pirates:

Barry Bonds  LF  .301/.406/.565 32/3/33 52 SB .983 FP

Andy Van Slyke CF .284/.367/.465  26/6/17 .977 FP

Bobby Bonilla RF .280/.322/.518 32 HR's 12 E in RF ouch! .962 FLD 71 extra base hits.

Infield:

1999 Cincinnati Reds

Sean Casey  .332/.399./.539  42/3/25 .995 FLD

Pokey Reese .285/.330/.417 37/5/10 38 SB .991 FLD

Aaron Boone .280/.330/.445  26/5/14 .958 FLD

Barry Larkin .293/.390.420  30/4/12 30 SB  ..978 FLD

Catchers

1995 LA Dodgers

Mike Piazza .346/.400/.606  17/0/32 .990 FLD 25 % runners caught. 

Starting Pitchers

1995 Atlanta Braves

Tom Glavine  16-7 3.08 127 K 66 BB

John Smotz 12-7 3.18 193 K 72 BB

Greg Maddux 19-2 1.63 181 K 23 BB

Kent Mercker 7-8 4.15 102 K 61 BB

Relievers:

1990 Oakland A's

Dennis Eckersley 4-2 0.61 48 SV 73 K in 73 IP 606 ERA+

Rick Honeycutt 2-2 2.70

Gene Nelson 3-3 1.57

Batting order:

Larkin

Bonds

Casey

Piazza

Bonilla

Van Slyke

Boone

Reese

Pitcher

Obviously, there are alot to choose from.  I tried to find a good mix with better than average fielding.

The shot heard around my computer desk.  

I am going to call it! The Redlegs are going to go 35-24 down the stretch.  A fantastic run that will lead to, well, nothing.  Sound and fury signifying nothing.  If things remain the same and the three teams in front of the Reds don’t collapse, the Reds will STILL finish 4th in the division.  

That’s right!  Play .600 ball to finish right where you are now.  

                        OR

They could go 29-30 and finish…….in fourth.

Being the eternal pessimistic optimist that I am, I don’t see a scenario where  the Reds finish higher than 4th.  The good news is the remainder of the teams that they play have a .489 winning percentage.  That is the bad news too.  The Reds SUCK vs. teams with a losing record.  They are .500 vs the remainder of the schedule. 

I could really care less about the winning record.  82 or 78 wins does not change my view of this season.  Win now is WIN NOW.  Unfortunately, I realize win now became win 2 months ago. 

I guess the point is that there is no need to panic and move players at this point.  Find a way to sign Dunn move Junior along to his final resting place and lets get ready for next year.  199ish days until pitchers and catchers report.

Let me take you back to a simpler time.   A time when astroturf was king and contracts were settled with a coin flip.  A time when OPS and Whip were still a glimmer in in Mr.  Sabermeter’s eye.   Let me take you to 1988 (OK so the coin flip was 1989). 

Oh yester year, where have you gone.  I harken back to the sounds of George Michael singing "Faith" and "I need you tonight" by INXS.  Rain Man and Roger Rabbit battled it out for the top spot.  I could not drive yet but it was a summer of love.....for the Reds that is.

The 1988 Reds posted an 87-74 record that year and finished second in the division. Manager Peter Edward Rose led the young Reds to a second place finish, seven games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The individual highlights of the season included a perfect game by Tom Browning against the Dodgers on 09/16/1988.   The team posted a stellar ERA of 3.35 and hit a wonderfully crappy .246.  This was definitely a pitcher’s year.

The lineup included:

C Bo Diaz  .219/10 HR/35 RBI

1B Nick Esasky  .243/ 15 /62

2B Jeff Treadway  .252

3B Chris Sabo  .271/ 11/ 44/ 46 SB

SS Barry Larkin  .296/12/56 but the freak only struck out 24 times in 588 AB's.

LF Kal Daniels .291/18/87 .400 OBP led NL

CF Eric Davis .273/26 HR/93 RBI

RF Paul Oneill  ...lets just say he played (not a fan) .252/16/73

The pitchers were in a word....okee dokee

Tom Browning 18-5/3.41

Danny Jackson 23-8/2.73

Jose Rijo 13-8/2.39

Ron Robinson  3-7/4.12

Tim Birtsas 1-3/4.20

Rob Dibble as a set up man pitched 59.1 INN/59K and a 1.82 ERA

Rob Murphy  0-6/3.08

Frank Williams 3-2/2.59

John Franco 39  Saves led NL and a 1.57 ERA

. 

·  Baltimore and Atlanta finished with winning percentages under .340

·  Baseball films Bull Durham and Eight Men Out are released

·  Andres Galarraga tops National League with just 184 hits, the fewest ever by a National League leader on a 162-game schedule

·  Rickey Henderson and Vince Coleman are the top thieves.

·  Orel Hershiser and the Reds' Jackson tie for National League lead with 23 wins and 15 CGs

·  Cubs lead National League in hitting at just .261.

·  National League hits a .248, falling below .250 first time since 1972.