I am doing something a little different with this series. I have mentioned before that the Diamond Kings subset is one of my favorites of all time. The purpose of the subset is to highlight one player from each team who has made a big impact on the team. It is also true that sometimes the choices were a little suspect. I wanted to go through and look at the choices each year and determine which are the strangest choices. Then I will grade the picks in the context of the team, only. For this series, I only want to examine the years when there was one pick per team. In the mid 1990's, the set kind of went off the rails.
DETROIT TIGERS - KIRK GIBSON
Gibson led the Tigers in average and on-base percentage, and came very close in slugging percentage. He had a slash line of .287/.364/.518 and came in second on the team in home runs (29) and RBIs (97) and also stole 30 bases. Gibson was an All Star in 1985.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Yes. Gibson led the Tigers in WAR, OPS and OPS+. Other good choices would have been Darrell Evans, who hit 40 home runs and drove in 94 runs, Lance Parrish (28 home runs, 98 RBIs), and Jack Morris (16-11, 3.33 ERA, 197 strikeouts).
GRADE: A. Gibson was the best overall player on the team. Other players may have had better numbers in one category or another, but Gibson had the best overall numbers.
SAN DIEGO PADRES - GOOSE GOSSAGE
Gossage was named to his ninth All Star team in 1985 and finished with a record of 5-3 with a 1.82 ERA. He pitched in 50 games, missing some time due to injuries, and in 79 innings, he notched 52 strikeouts and 17 walks. He saved 29 games.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? No. Gossage had a good year, but he was pretty far from the team's best player. Tony Gwynn was still the best Padres' player as he hit .317/.364/.408. Carmelo Martinez led the team in home runs (21) and drove in 72 RBIs while hitting .253/.362/.434. Steve Garvey led the team in RBIs (81) and hit .281/.318/.430 with 17 home runs. Andy Hawkins had a record of 18-8 with 3.15 ERA.
GRADE: C. Gossage was good, but there were a lot of more deserving players.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS - WILLIE MCGEE
McGee was the N.L. MVP when he led the league in hits (216), triples (18) and batting average. He had a line of .353/.384/.503 with ten home runs and 82 RBIs. He also stole 56 bases. McGee was an All Star for the second time.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Yes. Well, he was the MVP. He tied for the team lead in WAR with John Tudor who was 21-8 with a 1.93 ERA and struck out 169 and walking 49 in 275 innings, while leading the league in shutouts (10). Tudor finished second in the Cy Young race.
GRADE: A. McGee was the MVP and certainly had a strong argument for the best player on the team.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS - GEORGE BELL
Bell won a Silver Slugger for the first time and finished in the top ten in the MVP vote. He led the team in home runs (28) and RBIs (95). He hit .275/.327/.479 and also stole 21 bases. He had 167 hits, 87 runs and 28 doubles.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? No. Bell led the team in the big power categories, but Jesse Barfield was the best player on the team. Barfield hit .289/.369/.536 with 27 home runs and 84 RBIs while stealing 22 bases. Barfield was the team leader in WAR, OPS and OPS+.
GRADE: B. Bell was good and led the team in a couple major hitting categories that draw attention, but Barfield was actually quite a bit better.
BOSTON RED SOX - TONY ARMAS
Armas played in 103 games, missing some time due to injuries, and hit .265/.298/.514. He was third on the team in home runs (23) and seventh in RBIs (64). He accumulated 50 runs, 102 hits and 17 doubles. He did tie Rich Gedman for the team lead in triples with five.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Absolutely not. This one feels more like making up for him not being the Diamond King when he led the league in home runs and RBIs in 1984. Many players had better seasons. 1984 Diamond King Wade Boggs had a huge season when he won the batting title and had a line of .368/.450/.478 and led the league in hits (240). Oil Can Boyd led the pitching staff with a 15-13 record and a 3.70 ERA, striking out 154 and walking 67 in 272.1 innings pitched. Rich Gedman had a very good season by hitting .295/.362/.484 with 18 home runs and 80 RBIs and being named to his first All Star team.
GRADE: D+. Armas was not a bad player when he was playing, as his 114 OPS+ would attest, but even that number was fifth on the team behind Boggs, Gedman, Dwight Evans and Jim Rice. Armas probably deserved the Diamond King in the 1985 set, so that is something. The best pick would have been Wade Boggs, but if ignoring previous picks, I think the right pick would have been Rich Gedman.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS - CHILI DAVIS
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Probably not. The Giants were pretty bad in 1985 and did not really have many standout performers, but Chris Brown had a better season than Davis. Brown hit .271/.345/.442 with 16 home runs and 61 RBIs, better numbers almost across the board. Brown also had a higher WAR. Mike Krukow was the team's WAR leader, but he had a record of 8-11 with a 3.38 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 194.1 innings pitched.
GRADE: B. Davis was pretty ordinary in 1985 but it was not as if the Giants had a lot of better choices. Brown was probably the best pick, but not by a significant margin. And Davis did have a much better year the year before, so this seems a little like it is taking both seasons in consideration.
MILWAUKEE BREWERS - CECIL COOPER
Cooper was an All Star for the fifth time in 1985. He led the Brewers in hits (185), doubles (39), triples (eight), home runs (16), RBIs (99) and slugging percentage. Cooper hit .293/.322/.456 and also stole ten bases.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? By WAR, he was pretty far down the list, but based on his position in most offensive categories, he is not really a bad pick. Paul Molitor was probably the best player on the team as he hit .297/.356/.408 and led the team in stolen bases (21), while playing good defense at third base.
GRADE: B+. This was not one of Cooper's best seasons, but the Brewers were pretty bad and did not have a lot of great options. Cooper had a low WAR score, but he was a leader in a lot of categories. This kind of doubles as a career achievement Diamond King, and Cooper was still pretty good.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES - MIKE BODDICKER
Boddicker led the Orioles staff in strikeouts (135), complete games (nine) and shutouts (two). He was second in innings pitched (203.1). He had a record of 12-17 with a 4.04 ERA. He allowed 227 hits and 89 walks.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Definitely not. The Orioles were somewhat average, but they had a number of good hitters. Of course there were former Diamond Kings Eddie Murray (.297/.383/.523, 31 home runs, 124 RBIs) and Cal Ripken Jr. (.282/.347/.469, 26 home runs, 110 RBIs), but there was also Mike Young (.273/.348/.513, 28 home runs, 81 RBIs) and Floyd Rayford (.306/.324/.521, 18 home runs, 48 RBIs).
GRADE: F. Boddicker was really good in 1984 when he led the league in wins (20) and ERA (2.79), but he did not have a good season in 1985. The team had a lot of good hitters, so picking a player with a bad record and an ERA over 4.00 does not make a lot of sense.
CHICAGO CUBS - DAVEY LOPES
At 40 years old, Lopes could still run and finished second on the team in stolen bases (47), despite playing in just 99 games. He was only caught four times. Lopes hit .284/.383/.444 and hit eleven home runs while driving in 44 and scoring 52 times.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? No. This is very much a career achievement Diamond King, but Lopes did have a decent season. The Cubs' best player was Ryne Sandberg, who hit .305/.364/.504 with 26 home runs and 83 RBIs. Keith Moreland had a good year too, hitting .307/.374/.440 with 14 home runs and a team-leading 106 RBIs. Lee Smith had a 7-4 record, 3.04 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 97.1 innings while saving 33 games.
GRADE: D+. I am going to give the same grade as I gave to Tony Armas, since this is a pretty similar rationale. Lopes might have been ever so slightly better due to the stolen base number though.
HOUSTON ASTROS - BILL DORAN
Astros second-baseman Doran received some down-ballot MVP votes. He led the Astros in runs (84), hits (166) and stolen bases (23). Doran hit .287/.362/.434 with 14 home runs and 59 RBIs. He walked more than he struck out (71 walks versus 69 strikeouts) and also hit six triples.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Probably. Doran led the Astros in WAR (5.4) by more than two wins over the runner-up Mike Scott. He also came in second in OPS+, just behind Glenn Davis. Scott was probably the next best choice as he had a record of 18-8 with a 3.29 ERA and 137 strikeouts in 221.2 innings pitched. Davis hit .271/.332/.474 with 20 home runs and 64 RBIs.
GRADE: A. Doran is probably the best choice for a mediocre team. He does not really stand out, but he was the best player on the team in 1985.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS - BRET SABERHAGEN
In just his second Major League season, Saberhagen won the Cy Young Award and finished tenth in the MVP race. He led the league in WHIP (1.058) and had a 20-6 record with a 2.87 ERA. He struck out 158 while walking 38 in 235.1 innings pitched.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Saberhagen was probably the second-best player on the World Championship team, so probably not, but he was close. George Brett had a huge season, hitting .335/.436/.585 with 30 home runs and 112 RBIs. Brett finished second in the MVP race.
GRADE: B+. I strongly considered giving this an A, because Saberhagen won the Cy Young Award, but Brett had such a great season, that he probably should have been the pick, but just barely.
CLEVELAND INDIANS - BRETT BUTLER
Butler led the Indians in runs (106), hits (184), triples (14) and stolen bases (47), as well as the three slash line categories. Butler hit .311/.377/.431 with 28 doubles, five home runs and 50 RBIs. He walked 63 times, versus 42 strikeouts.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Yes. Butler was the best overall player on the team and had a terrific season. The runner-up would probably be either Tony Bernazard (.274/.361/.404, 11 home runs, 59 RBIs, 17 stolen bases) or Brook Jacoby (.274/.324/.426, 87 RBIs and team-leading 20 home runs).
GRADE: A. Butler had something of a breakout season in 1985 and was easily the best player on the team.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX - HAROLD BAINES
Baines finally made his first All Star team in 1985, despite having hit 20 or more home runs each of the previous three seasons. Baines led the team in runs (86), hits (198), RBIs (113), batting average and on-base percentage. He hit .309/.348/.467 with 22 home runs.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Probably not. Baines was the best all-around hitter on the team, but Carlton Fisk and Tom Seaver were probably the more deserving choices. Fisk hit .238/.320/.488 with 37 home runs and 107 RBIs, while playing impressive defense behind the plate. Seaver won his 300th game while going 16-11 with a 3.17 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 238.1 innings pitched. Both had been Diamond Kings before, but Seaver was with the Reds. Ozzie Guillen won the Rookie of the Year, but hit just .273/.291/.358.
GRADE: B. Baines had a good year, he just was not quite the best choice ultimately.
OAKLAND ATHLETICS - MIKE DAVIS
Davis had his best season in 1985. The A's right-fielder led the team in runs (92), doubles (34) and hits (157). He was second on the team in home runs (24) and RBIs (82) and tied for second in stolen bases (24). He hit .287/.348/.484.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Yes. Davis led the A's in WAR by more than a win over the next-best player. Dave Kingman probably deserves some consideration as he hit 30 home runs and drove in 91 runs. Bruce Bochte hit .295/.367/.439 with 14 home runs and 60 RBIs.
GRADE: A. Davis did not have a long, successful career, but this was his career year and he was the best player on the team.
CINCINNATI REDS - TONY PEREZ
Perez was in his 22nd year in the Majors and played in just 72 games, with just 207 plate appearances. Despite that, Perez hit .328/.396/.470 and hit six home runs while driving in 33 runs and scoring 25. He also hit eight doubles.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? No. Perez was just a part-time player at this point in his career, but he did have some nice numbers. Dave Parker was the best player on the team and finished second in the MVP race. He had been a Diamond King with the Pirates. Parker hit .312/.365/.551 and led the team with 35 home runs and 125 RBIs. Tom Browning had an impressive rookie season on the mound, going 20-9 with a 3.55 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 261.1 innings. He finished second in the Rookie of the Year vote and sixth in the Cy Young vote.
GRADE: D. I am giving Perez a lower grade than Armas or Lopes because the Reds had legitimate contenders in each of the major awards races. Perez was a career achievement Diamond King on a team that really did not need it.
NEW YORK YANKEES - WILLIE RANDOLPH
Randolph finished third on the team in batting average and fourth in hits (137) and runs (75). He hit .276/.382/.356 with 21 doubles, five home runs, 16 stolen bases and 40 RBIs. The Yankees second-baseman walked 85 times versus 39 strikeouts.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? No. Don Mattingly, the 1985 Diamond King, won the AL MVP while hitting .324/.371/.567 with 35 home runs and 145 RBIs and 211 hits. Rickey Henderson hit .314/.419/.516 with 24 home runs and 76 RBIs while stealing 72 bases. Ron Guidry went 22-6 with a 3.27 ERA. All three had been Diamond Kings before.
GRADE: D. Randolph was not really bad, but the Yankees had several more dynamic players that had very good, even great, seasons. Randolph did not do much comparatively.
CALIFORNIA ANGELS - BOB BOONE
Boone led AL catchers in double plays turned (15) and caught-stealing percentage (44.1%). In 150 games, Boone hit .248/.306/.317 with 37 runs, 114 hits, 17 doubles, five home runs and 55 RBIs. He walked 37 times versus 35 strikeouts.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? No. Boone had an OPS+ of 72. His primary value was his defense, which was still elite, but this was not an overall good year for him. Reggie Jackson had the best hitting numbers, with a line of .252/.360/.487, 27 home runs and 85 RBIs. Mike Witt had a good year, going 15-9 with a 3.56 ERA and 180 strikeouts in 250 innings. Donnie Moore saved 31 games with a 1.92 ERA and a 72 strikeouts versus 21 walks in 103 innings.
GRADE: F. This one does not really make much sense. Boone was a fine defensive catcher, but he was pretty weak with the bat. He had other years where he was better, but he was pretty bad at this point.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS - OREL HERSHISER
In his second full season, Hershiser led the Dodgers rotation with a 19-3 record and a 2.03 ERA. He struck out 157 and walked 68 in 239.2 innings pitched. He threw nine complete games and five shutouts. Hershiser finished third in the Cy Young vote.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Not quite, but he was close. Pedro Guerrero had a huge season and led the team in WAR (8.0 versus Hershiser's 6.3). Guerrero hit .320/.422/.577 with 33 home runs and 87 RBIs. He led the league in on base percentage and slugging percentage.
GRADE: B+. It should have been Guerrero, but Hershiser had a great, breakthrough season. Guerrero of course had been a Diamond King before.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES - JOHNNY RAY
The Pirates second-baseman was in his fourth full season in 1985. He led the team in runs (67), hits (163), doubles (33), triples (three), RBIs (70) and stolen bases (13). He hit .274/.325/.375 with seven home runs. He walked 46 times versus 24 strikeouts.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? No. Ray might have been the most well-rounded hitter, but Rick Reuschel was the best player on the team. Reuschel went 14-8 with a 2.27 ERA and 138 strikeouts versus 52 walks in 194 innings pitched. He also saved a game. Cecilio Guante also put together a nice season out of the bullpen with a 2.72 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 109 innings pitched with five saves.
GRADE: B. Ray was decent, if unspectacular, but the Pirates were pretty bad. It probably should have been Reuschel though.
TEXAS RANGERS - GARY WARD
Ward was an All Star for the second time in his career in 1985. The left-fielder led the Rangers in runs (77), hits (170), stolen bases (26) and batting average. Ward hit .287/.329/.433 with 15 home runs and 70 RBIs.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? No. Ward was a fine player, but Toby Harrah or Pete O'Brien would have been better picks. Harrah hit .270/.432/.389 with nine home runs, 44 RBIs, 11 stolen bases and 113 walks. O'Brien hit .267/.342/.452 and led the team with 22 home runs and 92 RBIs. Greg Harris had a terrific season out of the bullpen, pitching 113 innings with 111 strikeouts and 43 walks and had a 2.47 ERA and eleven saves.
GRADE: B. Ward was decent enough, but did not really stand out. Nor did anyone else for that matter, but there were a couple of better seasons.
ATLANTA BRAVES - RICK MAHLER
Mahler was the workhorse of the Braves staff and led the team in most pitching categories. Mahler led the league in games started (39) and hits allowed (272). He had a record of 17-15 with a 3.48 ERA in 266.2 innings pitched. He came in second on the team with 107 strikeouts and walked 79 batters.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? No. Mahler was a decent pitcher whose primary value came from his durability. He was good enough to be second on the team in WAR. Dale Murphy was first with a big season in which he hit .300/.388/.539 with 37 home runs and 111 RBIs. He led the league in home runs and runs (118).
GRADE: B. Only Murphy was better, but Murphy was quite a bit better than Mahler. As I said, Mahler's primary value was his ability to throw a lot of innings.
SEATTLE MARINERS - PHIL BRADLEY
Bradley was named to the All Star team in 1985. He hit .300/.365/.498 and hit 26 home runs and drove in 88 runs. Bradley led the team in runs (100), hits (192), doubles (33, tied with three other players), triples (eight), batting average and RBIs. He also stole 22 bases.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? If not, he is pretty damn close. Mike Moore technically led the team in WAR, but his numbers were not eye-popping. Moore had a 17-10 record, a 3.46 ERA and 155 strikeouts versus 70 walks in 247 innings pitched with 14 complete games.
GRADE: A. I am going to give this one to Donruss. Bradley was clearly the best position player and it is up in the air whether he was better than Moore or not. But Bradley's numbers stand out a little more than Moore's.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES - JERRY KOOSMAN
In his final Major League season, Koosman pitched in 19 games, starting 18 of them. He had a 6-4 record and a 4.62 ERA in 99.1 innings pitched. Koosman struck out 60 while walking 34 and threw three complete games and a shutout.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Definitely not. Koosman was really far down that list. I could name lots of players that were better picks. I will start with Mike Schmidt, who hit .277/.375/.532 with 33 home runs and 93 RBIs. Kevin Gross was probably the team's top pitcher with a 15-13 record, a 3.41 ERA and 151 strikeouts in 205.2 innings pitched. Just about any other regular player would also have been better.
GRADE: F. This one is just completely baffling. This is definitely a career achievement Diamond King, but Koosman was not really that great to begin with. He just pitched a long time. He was an All Star just twice and only once was in the top five for the Cy Young vote.
MINNESOTA TWINS - TOM BRUNANSKY
Brunansky was an All Star for the first time in 1985 as he led the Twins in home runs (27). The right-fielder hit .242/.320/.448 with 71 runs, 137 hits, 28 doubles and 90 RBIs. He was second on the team in RBIs and slugging percentage.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? Not really. Brunansky may have led the team in home runs, but he did not hit well otherwise. Kent Hrbek hit .278/.351/.444 with 21 home runs and led the team with 93 RBIs. Kirby Puckett, in his second season, had 199 hits and hit .288/.330/.385. Puckett was the WAR leader.
GRADE: C. I guess there was not much to really do here, if Donruss wanted to avoid repeating Diamond Kings. Brunansky was an All Star and had the home run lead, but that was pretty much it for him.
MONTREAL EXPOS - ANDRE DAWSON
Dawson was a Gold Glove winner in 1985, but not an All Star. The right-fielder hit .255/.295/.444 and drove in 91 runs, scored 65 and stole 13 bases. He led the team in home runs with 23 and also had 27 doubles.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? No. Somehow Tim Raines still had not been a Diamond King by this point. Raines hit .320/.405/.475 with eleven home runs, 41 RBIs, and led the team in average, hits (184), stolen bases (70), and walked 81 times. Bryn Smith had a record of 18-5 with a 2.91 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 222.1 innings pitched. Tim Wallach hit .260/.310/.450 with 22 home runs and 81 RBIs.
GRADE: C. Dawson did lead the team in home runs, but Raines probably should have been the pick. Smith and Wallach also had better cases.
NEW YORK METS - DWIGHT GOODEN
Gooden led the Majors in WAR with 13.3. He was the unanimous Cy Young winner and finished fourth in the NL MVP race, and was obviously an All Star. He led the league in wins (24, versus four loses), ERA (1.53), complete games (16), innings pitched (276.2) and strikeouts (268, versus 69 walks). He had a WHIP of 0.965. This was his second season.
WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE? By far. The next best player was catcher Gary Carter, who hit .281/.365/.488 and led the team in home runs (32) and RBIs (100), but he is pretty far back from Gooden's historic season.
GRADE: A. I don't give A+'s, but this one would probably qualify if I did. Just an insane season.
RECAP
BEST PICK: Dwight Gooden. 13.3 WAR is absolutely crazy. Gooden probably should have been the National League MVP. Just an amazing season.
WORST PICK: Jerry Koosman. I am completely baffled by this selection. He had a bad year, in a partial season, and was never really all that great to begin with. I am not sure why he was selected. At all.
BIGGEST SNUB: George Brett. I might catch hell for this from Yankees fans, but Brett was probably the best player in the league in 1985. I get that Saberhagen won the Cy Young and Brett had been a Diamond King before, but Brett did lead the league in slugging, OPS and OPS+ while being an 8.3 WAR player.
WEIRDEST PICK HISTORICALLY: Mike Davis. Davis never was an All Star and never lead the league in any category. He had the 1985 season, a couple more decent seasons afterwards, then faded away. His career WAR was 14.5, Gooden came close to that just in 1985.
I love this series. The historical career choices are weird (Lopes, Boone & etc.) but considering DKs had only been around for a few years I wonder if they felt they should recognize these players before they retired.
ReplyDeleteAlways thought it was weird how they tried to avoid repeating players from year to year.
ReplyDeleteSame
DeleteThe artist Dick Perez was beyond incredible with these portraits.
ReplyDelete