LOS ANGELES DODGERS - FERNANDO VALENZUELA
Coming off a season in which he was named both the NL Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award winner, Valenzuela had another impressive season in 1982. He was 19-13 with a 2.87 ERA, striking out 199 batters and walking 83 in 285 innings. He was an All Star and finished third in the Cy Young vote.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Probably. Only Pedro Guerrero has a good argument as he had a huge year, hitting .304/.378/.536 with 32 home runs and 100 RBIs. Guerrero beats Valenzuela in WAR, but I think the slight edge goes to Valenzuela.
GRADE: A. A lot of players here will be guys who should have been the Diamond King the previous year, but Valenzuela was still a great pitcher in 1982 and one of the hottest stars in the game.
MILWAUKEE BREWERS - ROLLIE FINGERS
Like Valenzuela, Fingers was a big award winner in 1981. That year he was the MVP and Cy Young winner in the AL. In 1982, Fingers was an All Star, appearing in 50 games with a 5-6 record, striking out 71 versus 20 walks in 79.2 innings. He saved 29 games, third in the league, and had a 2.60 ERA.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Definitely not. This is more to make up for not being the previous year's All Star. Pete Vuckovich won the Cy Young in 1982 with an 18-6 record, but the best choice was AL MVP Robin Yount who hit .331/.379/.578 with 29 home runs and 114 RBIs. Several hitters had great seasons as well, including Cecil Cooper, Paul Molitor, Gorman Thomas and Ben Oglivie.
GRADE: D. So Donruss made up for not selecting the AL MVP/Cy Young winner from 1981 by not selecting the AL MVP or Cy Young winner from 1982.
CALIFORNIA ANGELS - REGGIE JACKSON
Jackson was in his first year with the Angels after signing a free agent contract. He led the Major Leagues in home runs with 39 and hit .275/.375/.532 with 101 RBIs. He was an All Star and finished sixth in the MVP race and won a Silver Slugger.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Probably not, but he was the highest profile star and did lead the league in home runs. Doug DeCinces was probably the Angels best player as he hit .301/.369/.548 with 30 home runs and 97 RBIs and led the team in WAR by a significant margin over Jackson. DeCinces was a better all-around player too.
GRADE: B. I get it, even if DeCinces was the better player, Jackson was a high profile star who switched teams, and he did lead the Majors in home runs, so there is that.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES - JIM PALMER
Despite getting up there in years, Palmer was still a very effective pitcher. He finished second in the AL Cy Young vote in 1982 with a 15-5 record and a 3.13 ERA, striking out 103 and walking 63 in 227 innings.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? No, but it is reasonably close. Eddie Murray finished second in the AL MVP vote and had the highest WAR as he hit .316/.391/.549 with 32 home runs and 110 RBIs. Cal Ripken Jr. won the Rookie of the Year when he hit 28 home runs as a shortstop.
GRADE: B. Murray and Ripken would have been better choices, but Palmer was a decent choice as the runner-up in the Cy Young vote.
DETROIT TIGERS - JACK MORRIS
Morris led the Tigers staff in innings pitched (266.1), complete games (17) and strikeouts (135). He had a 17-16 record with a 4.06 ERA and walked 96 batters. Morris was certainly the workhorse of the team's rotation.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Definitely not. This was a fairly pedestrian season for Morris and Dan Petry had a better season as a starter. The best choice probably would have been catcher Lance Parrish who hit .284/.338/.529 with 32 home runs and 87 RBIs. Other better choices include the double play combination of Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker.
GRADE: F. Other than innings, Morris really did not provide much in 1982. His ERA was average and his record was barely over .500. The team had several good hitters and even a better pitching choice.
NEW YORK METS - GEORGE FOSTER
After a great season for the Reds in 1981, Foster was dealt to the Mets. He hit .247/.309/.367 with 13 home runs and 70 RBIs. He was second on the team in each of the latter categories and was also second on the team in hits with 136.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? No. Dave Kingman, who was the previous year's Diamond King deserved it more for his 1982 season. Kingman led the league in home runs (37) and drove in 99 runs. Foster is a career achievement Diamond King and the back of the card talks about his career before 1982.
GRADE: F. Foster had a legitimate argument for the 1981 season, but he really was not very good in 1982. The Mets did not have a lot of options, but they did have at least one clearly better one. A major power hitter hitting 13 home runs in 151 games just is not going to do it.
TEXAS RANGERS - JIM SUNDBERG
Sundberg was a well-regarded defensive catcher who had won five Gold Glove awards, though he did not win one in 1982. He hit .251/.322/.383 with ten home runs, 22 doubles and drove in 47 runs. He tied for the team lead with five triples.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? No. Buddy Bell was the previous year's Diamond King and was again the team's best player when he hit .296/.376/.426 with 13 home runs and 67 RBIs. Donruss did not like to repeat players at this time though. Charlie Hough had a good year in the rotation.
GRADE: C+. The WAR is close, primarily due to Sundberg's defense, but Bell was clearly better at the plate and was a damn good defensive player as well.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES - WILLIE STARGELL
Stargell was in the final season of his Hall of Fame career. He played in just 74 games with just 85 plate appearances, barely more than once per game, meaning he was not a regular player and hit .233/.318/.411 with three home runs and 17 RBIs.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Are you kidding? This is the very definition of a career achievement Diamond King. Stargell played less than half of the season. Jason Thompson hit .284/.391/.511 with 31 home runs and 101 RBIs and Bill Madlock hit .319 with 19 home runs.
GRADE: F. I can understand wanting to do a career achievement player once in awhile, but Stargell did not have a good year and spent most of the season on the bench.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS - DAVE STIEB
Stieb is one of the most underrated pitchers of the 1980's. He finished fourth in the Cy Young vote and had a 17-14 record with a 3.25 ERA. He struck out 141 batters and walked 75 in 288.1 innings pitched. Stieb led the league in innings pitched, complete games (19) and shutouts (5).
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Yes. Toronto was not very good in 1982, but had some decent pitching. Jim Clancy was the only player who came close to Stieb as he went 16-14 with a 3.71 ERA.
GRADE: A. Clearly the best choice here.
HOUSTON ASTROS - JOE NIEKRO
Niekro's brother was the Braves' Diamond King in 1982 and Joe joins him the next season. In 1982, Niekro was 17-12, leading the team in wins, ERA (2.47), innings (270), complete games (16) and shutouts (5). Niekro notched 130 strikeouts and walked just 64.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Yes. Niekro had a very good season in the rotation, though he was not as flashy as Nolan Ryan, he had better numbers. He also led the team in WAR, tied with Dickie Thon who was helped more by his defense. Ryan was 16-12 with a 3.16 ERA, though he had 245 strikeouts.
GRADE: A. Niekro turned in great numbers in a lot of work.
OAKLAND ATHLETICS - RICKEY HENDERSON
Henderson had a historic season in 1982 as he stole a Major League record 130 bases. He was an All Star for the second time and hit .267/.398/.382 with ten home runs and 51 RBIs. He also led the league in walks with 116.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Yes. Besides being a historic season, Henderson was also the best player on the team. Dwayne Murphy (27 home runs, 94 RBIs) and Tony Armas (28 home runs, 89 RBIs) had more power, but Henderson was the better player.
GRADE: A. No doubt about this one.
ATLANTA BRAVES - DALE MURPHY
Murphy was the NL MVP in 1982 and was an All Star, Gold Glover and Silver Slugger. He hit .281/.378/.507 with 36 home runs and a league-leading 109 RBIs. Murphy also stole 23 bases, making him a 20/20 player as well.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? He was the league MVP and clearly the best player on the team. Phil Niekro was very good on the mound, going 17-4 with a 3.61 ERA, but Murphy was easily the better player.
GRADE: A. He was the league's MVP. Of course he is a good choice.
CLEVELAND INDIANS - TOBY HARRAH
Third-baseman Harrah was an All Star in 1982 and received some down-ballot MVP votes. He led the team in runs (100), hits (183), doubles (29), triples (4) and slash line (.304/.398/.490). He also contributed 25 home runs and 78 RBIs
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Yes. Harrah was the best all-around player on the Indians, though Andre Thornton had more power, leading the team in home runs (32) and RBIs (116), but he was a one-dimensional slugger.
GRADE: A. Harrah had the highest WAR on the team and had a great all-around season.
CHICAGO CUBS - BILL BUCKNER
Buckner led the team in RBIs with 105, hits with 201, doubles with 34 and led the league in at-bats (657). He hit .306/342/.441 with 15 home runs and also stole 15 bases. Buckner also contributed 93 runs and struck out just 26 times.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? No. Leon Durham was the Cubs' best player, hitting .312/.388/.521 with 22 home runs and 90 RBIs. He also stole 28 bases. Durham was also an All Star and won the Silver Slugger. He was better in virtually every category.
GRADE: C. Buckner was pretty good, but Durham was better. At virtually everything.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS - WILLIE WILSON
On a team with professional hitters George Brett and Hal McRae, it is surprising that it was Wilson that led the team (and the league) in batting average. He hit .332/.365/.431 with a league-leading 15 triples. He hit three home runs with 46 RBIs, but power was not his game. He stole 37 bases. Wilson was an All Star for the first time.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Yes. He narrowly beats out Brett (.301/.378/.505), who had more power, but Wilson was the batting champ. Hal McRae led the league in RBIs (133) and hit 27 home runs, but was a one-dimensional slugger.
GRADE: A. Wilson had the best season on the team, though other players had significantly more power.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES - STEVE CARLTON
Carlton won the NL Cy Young Award and was an All Star by leading the league in wins (23), complete games (19), shutouts (6), strikeouts (286) and innings pitched (295.2). Carlton had a 23-11 record with a 3.10 ERA.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Mike Schmidt had a higher WAR as a result of his .280/.403/.547 slash line and 35 home runs, but Carlton's Cy Young award gives him enough ammunition to call this one too close to call.
GRADE: B+. Schmidt might have been a little bit better, but Carlton did win the Cy Young.
NEW YORK YANKEES - RON GUIDRY
Guidry was an All Star in 1982 and led the Yankees in wins (14) and innings pitched (222). He was 14-8 with a 3.81 ERA and 162 strikeouts versus 69 walks. He pitched six complete games with a shutout. Guidry also won a Gold Glove award.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? The WAR leader for the Yankees in 1982 was Goose Gossage who saved 30 games and had a 2.23 ERA. Dave Winfield (1982 Diamond King) hit .280/.331/.561 with 37 home runs and 106 RBIs. I am going to go with no.
GRADE: D. Winfield and Gossage would have been better choices. Guidry had a nice season, but it was not a standout season.
MONTREAL EXPOS - STEVE ROGERS
Rogers was the runner-up to Carlton in the Cy Young vote and was an All Star. Rogers went 19-8 with a 2.40 ERA, striking out 179 and walking 65 in 277 innings. His ERA was tops in the National League.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? An argument can be made that he was the third best choice behind the terrific season from catcher Gary Carter, who was the 1982 Diamond King, or Al Oliver. Carter hit .293/.381/.510 with 29 home runs and 97 RBIs. He led the team in home runs. Oliver hit 22 home runs and led the team with 109 RBIs. He led the league in batting average (.331/.392/.514), hits (204) and doubles 43.
GRADE: B. Carter and Oliver would have been better, but Rogers was not a bad choice at all.
MINNESOTA TWINS - KENT HRBEK
Hrbek was the runner-up in the AL Rookie of the Year vote and was named to the All Star team. He hit .301/.363/.485 with 23 home runs and 92 RBIs. He led the team in RBIs, batting average and slugging percentage.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? It is very close between Hrbek, Tom Brunansky (20 home runs, 46 RBIs) and Gary Ward (28 home runs, 91 RBIs). Hrbek has the edge in batting average though and was a rookie.
GRADE: B+. It is close, but Hrbek has a narrow edge probably.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS - KEITH HERNANDEZ
Future Seinfeld star Hernandez won the Gold Glove Award and received some MVP consideration. Hernandez hit .299/.397/.413 with seven home runs, 94 RBIs, 19 stolen bases and 100 walks. He led the team in on-base percentage.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? It is pretty close, but probably not. Lonnie Smith hit .307/.381/.434 with eight home runs and 69 RBIs, leading the team in hits (182) and stealing 68 bases. Joaquin Andujar was 15-5 with a 2.47 ERA.
GRADE: B. Hernandez was a very good player on a team with a lot of them. Maybe he was not the best choice, but it is pretty close between him, Smith and Andujar. Close enough that any choice would be fine.
SEATTLE MARINERS - FLOYD BANNISTER
The southpaw Bannister was an All Star and led the league with 209 strikeouts. He had a record of 12-13 with a 3.43 ERA and led the team with 247 innings pitched. He also had five complete games and three shutouts.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Yes. The Mariners were not good in 1982 and Bannister led the league in a significant category. Richie Zisk had the big hitting stats (.292/.354/.477 with 21 home runs and 62 RBIs), but he was the 1982 Diamond King.
GRADE: A. Bannister was a good choice for a bad team.
CINCINNATI REDS - JOHNNY BENCH
Bench was another future Hall of Famer close to the end of his career. He spent most of the season at third base, instead of catcher. Bench hit .258/.320/.396 with 13 home runs (second on the team) and 38 RBIs.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? No, this is another career achievement award. The Reds were not full of great hitters, but Dan Driessen hit 17 home runs and drove in 57 runs. Mario Soto would have been the best choice as he was 14-13 with a 2.79 ERA and 274 strikeouts in 257.2 innings.
GRADE: D. Soto had a great year for a bad team and should have been the choice. Bench had pedestrian numbers and was clearly a career achievement pick.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX - BRITT BURNS
Burns was in his third season in the Majors. He finished the season with a record of 13-5 with a 4.04 ERA and 116 strikeouts versus 67 walks in 169.1 innings pitched. He led the team in winning percentage.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? No, and it is not remotely close. The White Sox had a much better pitcher in LaMarr Hoyt who was 19-15 with a 3.53 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 239.2 innings and completed 14 games. Harold Baines hit 25 home runs and drove in 105 runs.
GRADE: D. Burns had a really good season in 1981, but he was maybe the third best pitcher on the team in 1982. He was not bad, but he was not close to the best on the team.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS - JOE MORGAN
Morgan was another player close to the end of his career, but unlike Stargell and Bench, he still had plenty left in the tank. Morgan hit .289/.400/.438 with 14 home runs and 61 RBIs and even stole 24 bases. He was second on the team with an .838 OPS.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Probably not. Jack Clark hit .274/.372/.481 with 27 home runs and 103 RBIs, though his OPS was only a little higher than Morgan's due to Morgan's OBP. Closer Greg Minto led the team in WAR as he had 30 saves and 1.83 ERA.
GRADE: B. I am fine with this choice. Morgan was still a very good player and the Giants did not have a lot of them. I get the career achievement pick here because he still had enough left.
BOSTON RED SOX - CARL YASTRZEMSKI
Yaz was yet another player coming to the end of his career in 1982. He held on for one more season. He spent the season primarily at designated hitter and hit .275/.358/.431 with 16 home runs and 72 RBIs. He walked more than he struck out (56 to 50) and contributed 22 doubles. Yaz was an All Star.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? No. This is another career achievement pick, but Yaz was still at least decent, finishing with a 111 OPS+. Dwight Evans (1982 DK) was the best player on the team with a .292/.402/.534 line, 32 home runs and 98 RBIs. Jim Rice hit .309/.375/.494 with 24 home runs and 97 RBIs. Bob Stanley had the second highest WAR on the team when he was 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in relief.
GRADE: D+. Another career achievement pick ignoring great seasons from Evans and Rice. Yaz was a better pick than Stargell, Bench or Foster, but not as good a pick as Morgan.
SAN DIEGO PADRES - TERRY KENNEDY
Kennedy had a good season as the Padres catcher, hitting .295/.328/.486 with 21 home runs and 97 RBIs. He led the team in doubles, (42) average, home runs and RBIs. Kennedy received some MVP consideration.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? It is reasonably close between him and Sixto Lezcano. Lezcano has the higher WAR as a result of a significantly better OBP (.289/.388/.472), but only had 16 home runs and 84 RBIs.
GRADE: A. I think Kennedy probably wins out here, particularly because he played a more demanding position.
RECAP:
BEST CHOICE: I am going with Dale Murphy here. The NL MVP actually got to be a Diamond King.
WORST CHOICE: Willie Stargell was nothing more than a bench player by this point in his career. I get the career achievement aspect, but he did not have close to a good year. Among players who were not done in recognition of a great career, Britt Burns was a bizarre choice.
BIGGEST SNUB: AL MVP Robin Yount had a great season and was not picked in favor of the previous season's MVP Rollie Fingers.
WEIRDEST PICK HISTORICALLY: Britt Burns. I did not even know who he was before I looked into this.
BIGGEST SNUB: AL MVP Robin Yount had a great season and was not picked in favor of the previous season's MVP Rollie Fingers.
WEIRDEST PICK HISTORICALLY: Britt Burns. I did not even know who he was before I looked into this.
No comments:
Post a Comment