1998 MLB Preview (No Expansion / OOTP)

Another article from the unpublished vault, an article as part of my 1993 Atlanta Braves/No-Expansion (no Marlins, Rockies, Rays & Diamondbacks) project on Out of the Park Baseball.

The preseason predictions came out for the upcoming 1998 MLB Season. The season is part of my No Expansion 1993 project using Out of the Park Baseball 20, while I am currently running the Atlanta Braves.

I'm not sure if I agree with the predictions though, they have my Braves winning the division 22 games over the Los Angeles Dodgers, who just added Randy Johnson and Al Leiter to the rotation, which is anchored by ace Pedro Martinez.

The Braves added 2B-Bret Boone, SP-Steve Trachsel, SP-Darryl Kile, RP-Dennis Cook & SS-Mike Bordick, while extending the contracts to stars OF-Johnny Damon, 1B-Jason Giambi & SP-Tom Glavine.

Atlanta (102-60) finished 8 games back of the eventual World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who won 110 games last season. Atlanta won the 1996 World Series against Toronto the year before.

The predictions have the Blue Jays bouncing back into the picture, derailing the 1997 A.L. Champion New York Yankees from winning the division. Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers that were ousted during the 1997 American League Championship Series, are solid, and predicted to win 107 games.

I was surprised to see the Pittsburgh Pirates predicted to finish 3rd, despite adding Albert Belle, Alex Fernandez, and Mo Vaughn, to join Ken Griffey, Jr. The New York Mets are predicted to win the N.L. East Division, who do have a strong trio in Vladimir Guerrero, Sammy Sosa, and Nomar Garciaparra, really didn't seem to add much, while the team was lousy in 1997 with a 68-94 record.

Braves' Encore (1997 MLB Season / OOTP 20)

Where we last left off the Atlanta Braves finally won the World Series by defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1996 World Series, becoming the first franchise to win a world title in three different cities (Boston, Milwaukee & Atlanta).

The Braves will have a hard time trying to repeat with the Los Angeles Dodgers looking really good. The rotation is anchored by Pedro Martinez, followed by 1996 N.L. Cy Young Winner Jeff Fassero, Pedro Astacio, Bret Saberhagen and a young Chris Carpenter. The Dodgers' lineup is just as scary, led by Mike Piazza, Craig Biggio, Raul Mondesi & John Olerud.

Mid-Season Blues

The Braves were playing pretty solid ball in the first two months, but the team hit a snag in June, while the Dodgers blazed past them at a .726 clip. The Dodgers a few times throughout the season would put a 10-game lead on Atlanta.

The Braves tried to build their team better in July, first by acquiring Andy Benes from the San Diego Padres. Andy now joins his brother, Alan in the Braves rotation. The Braves sent SP-Scott Elarton, RP-Rudy Hernandez, P-Matt Kinney, 2B-Marlon Anderson & C-Ben Davis in the deal.

The Braves traded struggling starting pitcher Doug Drabek to the Kansas City Royals, who at the time were challenging for the A.L. West. The deal didn't cost K.C. much, with Atlanta eating the entire $4.0 million in Drabek's contract, while acquiring minor prospects in OF-Rod Bair & 1B-Danny Buxbaum.

The Braves needed to add another bullpen arm after the injury to Dan Plesac, so they traded top team prospect C/1B-Craig A. Wilson to the Philadelphia Phillies for RP-Jay Powell.

Of course, a day after the last deal (July 30th), the Braves lost their ace Greg Maddux, who was 12-2 with a 1.75 ERA, for 5 weeks due to bone spurs. A week after that, the Braves lost their center fielder Steve Finley for 3 weeks, due to hamstring issues.

Key Game at Dodger Stadium

On September 10th, the Braves got within 6 games, and were playing the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. The game was Pedro Martinez vs. Tom Glavine, and both pitched extremely well, but the game would go to extras. The Braves' Marty Malloy, in his first at-bat of the season, tied the game in the 8th inning, with a RBI single to right off of reliever Mark Guthrie. The Braves would eventually take a 4-2 lead, with back-to-back RBI singles by Jason Giambi and Ryan Klesko.

The Braves held onto their closer, Mark Wohlers, for the Top of the 11th, hoping to close the door on the Dodgers during this extra-inning thriller, and dwindle the division lead down to 4 games.

The only problem is that Wohlers has been anything but automatic during his 1997 season. During the Braves' 1996 World Championship season, Wohlers was lights out, sporting a 2.00 ERA, 33 Saves with a 1.00 WHIP in the process... This Season? Wohlers' ERA ballooned to 4.22, while his WHIP went up to ugly 1.63. The problem was his control, walking 6.2 batters per 9 innings (nearly three times higher than his 2.1 average a season before).

Wohlers was up against the Dodgers' heart of the lineup in Piazza, Mondesi & Olerud. Wohlers managed to strike out Piazza & get Mondesi to fly to center... but then came the Valverde-esque control issues, walking both Olerud & Kevin Orie (of all people). Bobby Cox visited the mound, in which Wohlers said he had no more in the tank.

The Braves called on starting pitcher Alan Benes to come out to the mound. Alan, was used much in the same way as the 2017 Houston Astros used Lance McCullers Jr during the final World Series game -- coming in for a rare save in the clutch. This time it didn't work, as Benes would allow a RBI single & then walk in the tying-run. He would lose the game, with a walk-off RBI single by pinch-hitter Dan Rohrmeier, as his Cinderella story continues.

Rohrmeier won the Dodgers' third base job at the beginning of the season, while going on to bat .282 with 19 HR & 76 RBI (.911 OPS & 2.6 WAR) for the Dodgers. Pretty damn good for someone who barely got a taste of the real thing for the Seattle Mariners in 1997, batting 3-for-9, with 2 RBI & 2 BB during 7 games (1 start).

Braves Eliminated

The Braves finished with 102 wins, but failed to win the division, finishing 8 games behind the Dodgers, who finished a stellar 110-52.

The Dodgers made quick work of Ken Griffey Jr & the 89-win Pittsburgh Pirates, by winning a lopsided 4-1 National League Championship Series. Meanwhile in the American League, the New York Yankees edged the Texas Rangers, 4-3.

After a 2-0 Dodgers series lead to the World Series, the Yankees would fight back to tie the series, 3-3, but the Dodgers, fittingly, prevail, thanks to World Series MVP Roberto Kelly, who hit 3 HR & 10 RBI.

Salary Arbitration

The Braves' Mark Wohlers was up for salary arbitration, and according to club officials, they felt he was due for a $460,000 raise. I felt otherwise, and withdrew his offer altogether, which would save about $2.2 million in annual salary. I feel the bullpen arms in Roberto Hernandez, Mike Timlin, Dan Plesac, Paul Qunatrill & Jay Powell are more than enough to power us through, while we should continue to be one of the best bullpens in all of baseball.

Johnny Damon will get a well-deserved raise as he should see his annual contract of $273,000 go up from anywhere from $3 million to $4 million per year.

I'm on the fence with outfielder Ruben Rivera, who appears to be in the neighborhood of getting close to $0.5 million from his current $1.76 million contract. I feel at the moment he's overpaid as it is, especially since he will be nothing more than a 4th outfielder for me. Sure Ryan Klesko's defense in left kills me, and I have no room for Klesko at first base with Jason Giambi there... but I am not ready to get rid of that powerful bat that sits nicely with Chipper Jones, Giambi & Javy Lopez.

This upcoming off-season will be interesting, one part of me is wanting to cut some salary, while I don't want to be in a situation where I cut a player, but end up with nothing to fill in that player's place.

Decisions, decisions...

Braves Win in Dramatic Fashion, Up 3-1 in 96' NLCS

The Atlanta Braves are one game within reaching the 1996 World Series. Doug Drabek pitched a strong game for the Braves, allowing only 3 hits and one earned run through 7 innings of work. Drabek at one point, through 5 full innings was pitching a no-hitter.

The Braves' reliever Mike Timlin was not as effective as he would allow a two-run homer to the Expos' big slugger Barry Bonds, breaking up a 1-1 tie.

The Braves' pinch-hit Brian R. Hunter in place of the pitcher Russ Springer. Hunter would draw a walk off or reliever Jose Mesa, putting the tying run at the plate in Johnny Damon. The Montreal Expos would call on their closer to face Damon, John Franco in an attempt to even the series.

Damon would reach safely on a fielding error by Expos' second baseman Delino DeShields (Runners on 1st & 2nd). Chipper Jones would hit into a fielder's choice as the Expos get the out at second (Damon), while Hunter advances to third. Ryan Klesko, who has been clutch all year, hits a ball into the right-center gap, driving in Hunter, while Chipper would reach third.

Mike Kinkade, with one out, and a 1-2 count, would smack a liner into the left-center gap, scoring Hunter (tying the game), while Klesko reaches second. Kinkade, primarily a third baseman, came into the game to play out of position behind the plate, when Atlanta pinch-ran Deion Sanders. It was a gutsy call by manager Bobby Cox, but it eventually paid off. Kinkade has dedicated some of his practice time, taking reps behind the plate.

Jason Giambi would fly out to center to make it two outs, with Expos one out away from tying the series, while Klesko remained on second.

Brian McRae would step up to the plate, while already having a productive day with a Bases on Balls & RBI double back in the bottom of the 6th, which tied the game at the time. McRae, would find his pitch, hitting a line drive to deep center, while Klesko digged around third, and just making it under Darrin Fletcher's glove at the plate to be called safe. The Braves mobbed Klesko at the plate, while the Expos hang their heads in defeat.

Browne during his playing days with Cubs.

"We squandered opportunities," says 1st-year manager, former big leaguer Byron Browne. Browne took over the Expos after manager Tom Runnells' team fell short of the playoffs last year, after back-to-back World Championship teams in 1993 & 1994. Runnells (445-315, .586 pct) also won the N.L. Manager of the Year for three consecutive seasons (1992-1994). After being a bench coach for the Cincinnati Reds from 1993-1995, Browne led the Expos to 106 wins this season. Browne added, "We were an out away from evening this series, and that's the positive that we can try to take away from this loss, that the series is still very much alive."

The Expos and Braves have had quite the rivalry over the last few years. The Braves eliminated the Expos, 4-3, back in 1992, as the Braves advanced to the World Series only to be eliminated by the Minnesota Twins, who repeated. The Expos got revenge in 1993 by sweeping the Braves, while defeating Atlanta again in 1994, 4-1. Both teams didn't qualify for the postseason in 1995, while this season marks the 4th time in 5 years that these two teams have met in the National League Championship Series.

Bonds, Stottlemyre Answer Back for Expos (1996 NLCS / OOTP)

Game 3

Todd Stottlemyre kept the Braves quiet, allowing only 2 hits & 1 earned run, while pitching 5 strikeouts in 8.2 innings of work for the Montreal Expos.

Barry Bonds who came over in a huge free agent deal, hit a clutch three-run homer in the 3rd inning, while drawing a NLCS record 4 base on balls (one intentional). The Braves' Tom Glavine who came into the series on a hot streak, didn't have his command, as he allowed 3 walks, 4 earned runs & 3 hits in only 3 innings of work. Atlanta would call on their pen -- Alan Benes, Mike Timlin, Russ Springer, Scott Radinsky and Mark Mimbs to eat up the remaining innings.

The Braves finally got on the boards with a RBI single by Chipper Jones in the bottom of the 9th, but it was a little too late.

Montreal gives themselves a better fighting chance, as they now trail in the series, 2-1, while the 1996 National League Championship Series continues in Atlanta.

The Braves will send out Doug Drabek in Game 4, likely against the Expos' Ken Hill.

1996 Braves Acquire Drabek

Drabek joins an already stellar rotation.

The Braves have been no strangers to the injury bug, we have lucked out majority wise, but we still suffered a tough blow late in April when Chipper Jones broke his hand, losing him for 5 months... We hope to have him back in time for the postseason.

The pitching rotation was stellar again, but we decided to shop around Steve Avery who is finally showing signs of struggles to come; His OOTP version has outperformed his real-life counterpart up to this point.

When I was initially shopping him around, I was hoping to shed his payroll for maybe a couple prospects, to save $5.2 million ($2.6 million-per-year). My owner hopes to shed $4.1 million in payroll when this season is over, so that was part of the goal...

At the same time, I am still trying to get the Atlanta Braves over that World Title hump, they have yet to win a title in the city of Atlanta.

So when I saw that the Pittsburgh Pirates were offering Doug Drabek, who is still pitching great, and definitely pitching better than Avery, I couldn't say no.

Our team is pretty solid, while we own a MLB best 67-34 record (.663 pct), while we sit on top of the N.L. West 7.5 games up on the Pedro Martinez & the Dodgers.

The Montreal Expos seem to be waking up in the N.L. East, with Barry Bonds (.295, 37 HR & 82 RBI) & Andres Galarraga (.313, 14 HR & 50 RBI) leading the charge. Their big investment in their reliever trio of Dennis Eckersley (1.71 ERA), Randy Myers (2.79 ERA) & John Franco (1.53 ERA & 11 Saves) is paying off.

Some familiar faces in strange places.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Phillies are flirting with the worst record in MLB history with a 24-76 record (.240 winning pct). So it appears that the Detroit Tigers won't have the top pick this time, the last few years they have drafted Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Beltran and Roy Halladay... they should still have a top 5 pick.

1996 Off-Season in Full Swing

The Atlanta Braves have made numerous transactions after doing no major moves in 1995. The Braves just recently extended starting pitcher Greg Maddux' contract for another 10 years ($73.5 million), while acquiring OF Johnny Damon, OF Brian McRae, among others. The team also said goodbye to RF David Justice, 1B Fred McGriff and OF Tony Phillips.

Here are some of the other deals around the league...

• Wade Boggs signs with the Minnesota Twins for two-year deal worth $8.4 million.
• Kevin Brown signs 7-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds for a total of $44.8 million ($6.4 million per year). 
• Barry Bonds shocked the baseball world by signing a 6-year deal with the Montreal Expos for $40.2 million ($6.7 million per year).
• The Los Angeles Dodgers sign CF Devon White to a 5-year deal worth $21.2 million ($4.24 m per season).
• Harold Baines announces retirement at age 36 (considerably earlier than his real-life counterpart which retired after the 2001 Season). He was last playing for the Houston Astros, and has only 370 at-bats combined during his last 3 seasons.
• Orel Hershiser signed 2-year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates ($1.88 million per year).
• The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired RP Doug Henry via trade with the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for OF Chris Singleton and minor league 3B Keith Johnson.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers signed RP Mark Guthrie to a 2-year deal worth $6 million.
• The Kansas City Royals traded closer Tony Castillo to the New York Yankees in exchange for LF Carl Everett, 1B Tom L Wilson & $95,000 in cash.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers signed RP Lee Smith to a 2-year deal worth $2.24 million.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers kept busy & signed 1B John Olerud to a 6-year deal worth $39 million ($6.5 million per year).
• The California Angels trade OF Garret Anderson and RHP Miguel Fermin to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for SP John Burkett.
• The Cincinnati Reds sign closer John Wetteland to 2-year deal worth $5.0 million.
• The Dodgers stay aggressive as they sign SP Bret Saberhagen with 4-year deal worth a total of $4.1 million. Saberhagen has won 77 games so far in the 90's compared to his real-life counterpart that won 62 through 1995 -- while also having 169 career wins at the moment compared to his real-life 167 win career.
• Marquis Grissom signs 4-year deal with the Texas Rangers worth $7.36 million ($1.86 million per year).
• Dennis Eckersley resigns with the Montreal Expos on a one-year deal worth $1.82 million.
• Chuck Finley will join 1996 N.L. Cy Young Winner - Al Leiter on the St. Louis Cardinals after signing 4-year deal worth $18.44 million (making $4.68 million for first three seasons, with team option for 4th.
• The Atlanta Braves sign RP Dan Pleasac to a 4-year deal worth $9.6 million ($2.4 million per year).

The Braves fell asleep in negotiations with Eric Plunk, as Plunk signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, that's when Braves switched gears and went for Pleasac. The Braves momentarily signed SS Greg Gagne as well, but he was swooped up in the Rule 5 Draft by the Texas Rangers.

Atlanta's Slide and the Off-Season Aftermath (Part 2)

What to do... what to do?

Those were the numerous questions lingering on my mind, while I try to fix up the payroll situation for the Atlanta Braves and the up-coming 1996 MLB Season.

The first move we made was trading Tony Phillips, who was often-injured and underachieved during the first two years of his three-year contract. We traded him to California in exchange for 2B/1B Carlos Garcia, OF Bill Ashley and prospect C/3B Joe Bertucci. The move was a cost-cutting move that gets us some depth at second, first & left field.

The next move, we decided to shop around David Justice after all, and Kansas City came a calling. When I noticed Johnny Damon was one of the players being dangled in front of my face, I had to make him part of the offer. I initially tried to add prospect starting pitcher Chan Ho Park to the deal, but was denied, but they were more than willing to trade off one of their bigger contracts in Brian McRae.

McRae gives me an excellent option in center field, he is due to only make $1.66 million in 1996, but afterwards the contracts jumps up to $3.56 million per year from 1997-1999. I thought about trading McRae right away, but decided he will start in center over Deion Sanders, while I will wait to cross that bridge if I want to keep McRae or not, after the 1996 season is complete.

I spoke with Greg Maddux's agent on a possible extension, in which they came back with a 10-year deal worth $73.5 million; The deal would be give him a raise from $4.6 million to $7.35 million-per-year... the pending offer was a no-brainer.

I was surprised when I tried to shop around Fred McGriff that I only got three responses, which involved the following veterans: 3B Terry Pendleton, OF/1B Kevin Mitchell & OF Lenny Dykstra... Each player is past their prime, while all featured contracts that were either equal to or more than McGriff's annual salary. I ended up finally trading him to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for catcher Matt Walbeck, SP Scott Elarton, SS Chris Sexton and RP Mark Mimbs... the deal may make you shake your head, but I had to make room for Jason Giambi at first, plus it saves me some money, and I could use that money towards free agency.

My current lineup looks like this...

1. Brian McRae - CF
2. Chipper Jones - 3B
3. Jason Giambi - 1B
4. Ryan Klesko - LF
5. Javy Lopez - C
6. Johnny Damon - RF
7. Jeff Blauser - SS
8. Mark Lemke - 2B
9.  (Pitcher)

My bench will feature the following players...

• Deion Sanders - OF
• Carlos Garcia - 2B/1B
• Bill Ashley - LF
• Mike Mordecai - 2B/3B/SS
• Tony Tarasco - OF

By trading away these combined players, I have freed up $5 million of annual salary, while our budget will get bigger in a few years as well. I made two offers, nothing flashy, an offer for RP Eric Plunk and SS Greg Gagne.

Atlanta's Slide and the Off-Season Aftermath (Part 1)

Ryan Klesko is greeted at home plate by Javy Lopez.

The Atlanta Braves made no trade deadline moves by July 31st, 1995, while the Los Angeles Dodgers landed starting pitcher Chuck Finley from California in exchange for prospects 1B Bill Ashley and 2B Bill Mueller.

Part of the reason that I made no moves was the fact that we are over-budget and the fact that I would have to trade big pieces for numerous smaller pieces. The big pieces were all putting up big numbers, while I really was limited with my roster flexibility.

The lack of moves would come back to haunt my 1995 Atlanta Braves, as we picked a lousy time to go on a 4-6 skid, while the Los Angeles Dodgers finished the season on a 12-game winning streak. Entering the last game, both teams were tied in first, and the Braves didn't show up in Houston, while the Dodgers won their game against the Giants.

The Los Angeles Dodgers would eventually defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS (in 6 games) while defeating the Chicago White Sox in the World Series, 4-2. The Dodgers' playoff rotation was Tom Candiotti, Pedro Martinez and Finley.

The Braves' playoff streak from 1991-1994 came to an end, as we missed the playoffs with 104 wins... so now we know how the real-life 1993 San Francisco Giants felt like.

Our team depth, minor league depth & our bullpen depth have all taken a hit over time, and their needs definitely need to be addressed.

We have 1B/3B Jason Giambi knocking on the door for playing time, but there has not been any room for him to play with Chipper Jones at third & Fred McGriff at first. I did entertain the idea of Chipper playing short, but long term he would have to move over to third at some point, so I nixed that idea.

McGriff is signed through the end of the 1998 Season, but he can opt out at the end of this upcoming 1996 Season. McGriff currently makes $4.2 million per year, while Giambi is making $128,000 at the moment (the upcoming arbitration hearing will likely bump him to around $153 K).

While I truly love having McGriff on my team, despite his down-year (.272, 22 HR, 104 RBI & .783 OPS) in 1995, he could bring me a few players in return while slashing payroll. I believe Giambi is ready to take over.

Tony Phillips will likely be another roster casualty, he has not lived up to his three-year contract, I sacrificed fielding (playing him in center) for his batting eye (on-base machine), but he has not been on the field the majority of the time, while missing a combined 9 months over the last two seasons. Deion Sanders would become the regular starter again.

Phillips and McGriff are worth $6.8 million combined per year.

I am on the fence with David Justice, unlike Phillips and McGriff, I don't have a quality replacement to take over for him... the best option at the moment is Brian R. Hunter, who I rather have backing up Giambi at first & a quality outfielder in right.

Getting rid of both McGriff and Justice during the same off-season would be a huge loss of power taken out of that lineup, then again Ryan Klesko and Javy Lopez have both stepped up, while I expect big things out of Chipper and Giambi.

Justice currently has a annual salary of $3.4 million.

I actually thought about saving a measly $1.0 million by not offering arbitration to Mark Wohlers, his arm problems are already apparent, plus we all know that they don't get better. The great thing about Out of the Park Baseball is that the computer generator could create a better alternative history for Wohlers, but most often it will likely go down the same destined path. I decided that I will keep him for now as the closer, while Roberto Hernandez will be the 8th Inning setup man.

I decided not to offer arbitration to reliever Mike Stanton, and will save at least $1.3 million (his current salary). I will agree to Mike Timlin and Scott Radinsky's arbitration, although they both have not done much to this point, they do have a real-life track record of being consistent & reliable relievers in the Majors.

Decisions, decisions.... you will have to see what I decided what to do in my next post.

1995 All-Star Break Report

The Atlanta Braves find themselves in familiar territory, first place while dealing with the usual untimely injuries.

Tony Phillips spent more significant time on the disabled list with a torn hamstring, missing two months (after missing nearly half-the-season, plus the entire playoffs during 1994). Phillips signed a three-year deal worth $7.8 million prior to the 1994 season (signed through 1996), while already spending a total of 7 months on the DL.

Mark Wohlers is also a repeat offender in the injury department, dealing with shoulder issues. Wohlers spent 9 months on the disabled list, while pitching only 11.2 innings (0.77 ERA & 8 saves) until his recent injury, his return status at the moment is 'unknown'.

David Justice fractured his wrist & was on pace for 38 HR & 116 RBI at the time of his injury, he returns in 6 weeks.

The team currently sits at first place (59-29), 3.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the N.L. West. Atlanta has won the division for 3-years running, and have accomplished this with their stellar & consistent starting rotation.

Tom Glavine (12-1, 2.20 ERA), John Smoltz (12-4, 2.44 ERA) & Steve Avery (12-4, 2.54 ERA) have been excellent, while Greg Maddux (8-5, 3.76 ERA) has struggled a bit. Their 5th starter, Alan Benes (8-7, 4.49 ERA) has pitched pretty good considering that he's on the tail-end of the rotation.

On offense, the Braves' Ryan Klesko made his 1st All-Star Game, while hitting strong in all three triple crown categories, batting .341 with 20 HR & 77 RBI. Javy Lopez (.306, 16 HR & 64 RBI) was named to the All-Star Game for the second consecutive year.

It will be interesting to see what GM Shawn Summers (top right, handsome fella) will do in his quest for a 4th straight division title as we move forward.

Around the League....

Wade Boggs, who was leading the National League with a .371 batting average for the San Diego Padres, found himself shipped to the Oakland Athletics (June 28th, 1995) in exchange for SP Brad Radke and OF Ernie Young. Boggs joins a team that was very-much favored prior to the season, but has struggled badly, sitting in last place (44-45, 9.5 games out). The Athletics made a huge splash in the free agent market when they landed Larry Walker prior to the season.

Oakland's rotation has been disappointing considering that their top four starters are Kevin Brown, Mark Langston, Curt Schilling & Terry Mulholland.

Manny Ramirez (.339, 34 HR & 83 RBI) and Jim Thome (.348, 27 HR & 86 RBI) have the Cleveland Indians (winners of five straight games) looking good in first at 50-38, but the Toronto Blue Jays are nipping at their heals in the A.L. East. Ramirez only needs 2 HR to already match his 1994 season total of 36 dingers, while reaching his 1st All-Star Game.

The St. Louis Cardinals' Al Leiter is having a breakout year as he leads the Majors with an outstanding 1.48 ERA (13-3 record), which is totally eclipsing last season's 3.56 ERA. The Cardinals lured Leiter away from Toronto via free agency.

The Houston Astros' Darryl Kile has a 10-5 record, 1.80 ERA, with league-leading 0.89 WHIP.

The Detroit Tigers own the league's worst record with 30 wins, while they have won no more than 69 games during the last three seasons... finishing 7th each time. It is rumored that the Tigers' young superstar Alex Rodriguez is marking his days in Motown on the locker room wall at Tigers Stadium in the same way as a prisoner serving life in prison.

Strapped for Cash (1995 Braves)

My previous off-seasons have all led up to this situation, I am strapped for cash, and really was quiet in this past off-season following the 1994 season, while entering 1995.

The signings of Fred McGriff, Greg Maddux, Tony Phillips, Bob Tewksbury among plenty of smaller deals have all mounted up through the years. We recently got some relief & catching depth through the Rule 5 Draft, while we couldn't tender Ron Gant with a contract, letting him go sign with the New York Yankees.

We do have a few options, we have Jason Giambi (acquired in the Tewksbury / Oakland trade) is currently backing up Chipper Jones at third, I thought of the possibility of letting Chipper play short, but he fits better at third, while we have Jeff Blauser at short.

McGriff is signed through the 1998 MLB Season & could be a trade option to a big market team that would take his contract off our hands ($4.2 million per year), but we don't plan to get rid of him until our season & franchise seems to go in a negative direction... no need to surrender when we have been knocking on the door for a world championship for four seasons now.

The eventual plan is to move Giambi over to first to succeed McGriff.

We should be making a strong push for another chance at the title this season, we will have a healthy Phillips and Mark Wohlers, while our rotation is easily the best in the National League.

Oh, Canada! (1994 No Expansion OOTP Update)

My Atlanta Braves injury woes kept mounting as we lost Jeff Blauser to a fractured elbow in Game 1 of the 1994 National League Championship Series against the Montreal Expos. We can't seem to get over that hump and win the World Series. We came close on a couple occasions, losing close World Series to the Minnesota Twins in 1991 & 1992, while we have got knocked out of the NLCS two years straight by the Montreal Expos (The Braves and Expos played for the 3rd consecutive year in the NLCS from 1992-1994).

The Toronto Blue Jays edged the Oakland Athletics to make it an all-Canadian World Series between them and the Expos.

Before moving onto that, a little brief info on Oakland...

The Oakland Athletics' franchise has stayed strong (compared to their real-life counterparts) while Jose Canseco (.283, 38 HR & 136 RBI) and Mark McGwire (.261, 40 HR & 101 RBI) have stayed healthy. The team also had a strong rotation in Kevin Brown, Bob Tewksbury, Mark Langston & Terry Mulholland. It will be interesting to see what happens with them moving forward as Rickey Henderson & Bob Tewksbury have both filed for free agency.

The Montreal Expos repeat as World Champions, as they defeat the Jays, 4-1 (Montreal won it in 1992 over Oakland); Montreal has won two now, while Toronto is still looking to win their first... Toronto's luck is just as bad as the Braves right now.

Eric Karros was a post-season beast for the Expos, while winning the Most Valuable Player Award in both the National League Championship Series & World Series.

Off-Season Awards News....

• Erik Hanson (SEA) wins the A.L. Cy Young Award, with 24*-5 record, 3.08* ERA, 160 K & 1.16 WHIP in 254.1 IP; Hanson is currently a free agent & will likely see big offers.

• Greg Maddux (ATL) wins his 1st N.L. Cy Young Award with 18-6 record, 3.42 ERA, 203 K & 1.12 WHIP in 242.1 IP.

• Bret Saberhagen (MTL) was the runner-up to the N.L. Cy Young Award, while being my choice on the ballot for the award... 19-9 record, 2.99 ERA, 178 K & 1.05 WHIP in 264.2* IP.

• John Olerud (TOR) won the A.L. Most Valuable Player Award, batting .350 with 27 HR & 114 RBI to go along with 210 hits & 137 runs. Olerud's on-base percentage was an incredible .471, while he sported a 1.055 OPS.

• As predicted, Larry Walker won the N.L. Most Valuable Player Award, batting .338 with 41 RBI & 118 RBI, he also had 208 hits & 135 runs. The Expos' bid for a three-peat all hinge on whether or not, Walker resigns with them, he's an unrestricted free agent, and will likely haul in a lot of money. This was Walker's 2nd MVP Award, winning his first in 1992.

• Top Rookies: SS Kevin Stocker (CLE) wins the A.L. rookie crown, while 2B Adam Riggs (SF) wins the N.L. award.

• Cito Gaston (TOR) and Tom Runnells (MTL) wins the Manager-of-the-Year Awards. Gaston has won the A.L. award back-to-back now, while Runnells has won the N.L. award for three straight seasons now (1992-1994).

Off-Season transactions to come next...

1994 Regular Season Finish (Atlanta Braves)

For those that have been following, the 1994 Atlanta Braves Season takes place in an alternate world where expansion never happened in 1993. These alternate realities are brought to you by Out of the Park Baseball 18.

My Atlanta Braves keep getting hurt at the most unfortunate times, Ron Gant who has already been on the disabled list two times prior is lost for the season with a sprained ankle & will miss 6 weeks. I really put all my eggs in the basket for this season, falling short of a World Championship will be devastating.

Plus I am not sure how long I will be able to keep the current roster together, I may have to free up some money this off-season & I will definitely not being going after major upgrades.

The Braves once again won the N.L. West (for a 4th consecutive season) with a 103-59 record, 16 games over the 87-75 Los Angeles Dodgers. The Houston Astros, the team that was the favorite to possibly knock the Braves off their division pedestal (entering this season) fell short of expectations, falling to 4th place at 82-80.

The Montreal Expos (103-59), the defending champs, once again won the N.L. East, winning the division over the Barry Bonds-led Pittsburgh Pirates (98-64); Bonds resigned with Pittsburgh prior to 1994, signing a 6-year deal worth $24 million with a player option to opt out after the 1995 season. Bonds had a solid season, batting .317 with 46 HR, 108 RBI & 31 steals.

Pittsburgh's Orlando Merced won the N.L. Batting title with a .345 batting average, while Atlanta's Javy Lopez finished 2nd (.342) & San Diego's Wade Boggs (.341) finished 3rd.

David Justice cooled off after a red-hot start, finishing with a .280 batting average, 35 HR & 119 RBI, while his teammate Fred McGriff led the N.L with 48 HR & 144 RBI, making both totals near duplicates to his 1993 totals (48 HR & 142 RBI).

The National League favorite for Most Valuable Player may be outside of Atlanta in Montreal's Larry Walker, who had a well-rounded season & sat near the top of all the N.L. leader boards. Walker finished the 94' season, batting .338, 41 HR, 118 RBI (1.043 OPS) with 135 runs & 25 steals.... It should be noted he won last year's award.

The A.L. hitting leaders are dominated mostly by the Toronto Blue Jays...

Tony Gwynn (TOR) won his 5th career batting title, but first in the A.L., while batting .361... His teammate John Olerud finished 3rd (.350), while California's Gregg Jefferies (.354) finished 2nd.

Gwynn also led the league with 233 hits, while Olerud led the league with 55 doubles.

Toronto's Matt Williams led the league with 50 HR & 169 RBI, while topping the 400 total bases mark (401).

The Toronto Blue Jays (99-63) will be facing the defending A.L. Champion Oakland Athletics in the 1994 A.L, Championship Series.

Injuries Keep Rearing Its Ugly Head (1994 Braves)

Wohlers is the latest big injury for Braves.

Just a few days ago, I sent a post about my 1994 Atlanta Braves losing Tony Phillips for the season. The Braves decided not to make any trades at the deadline and pressed on with Ron Gant as the Braves' center fielder, then two days after Phillips' injury, Gant was placed on the 15-day disabled list for a sore elbow.

Matters continued to get worse for the Braves, as they lost John Smoltz for 5 weeks due to an oblique strain. The Braves will have to bump Steve Avery to the #3 slot, with Alan Benes bumped up to the #4 slot, while Pete Smith will come over from the pen & serve in the 5th slot. The Braves made a call to Triple-A Richmond, bringing up reliever John Kelly.

Then a few weeks later (Sept 6th) Ryan Klesko was placed on 15-day disabled list for a bruised collarbone. The Braves called up Tony Tarasco for outfield depth.

Then September 18th with Mark Wohlers lost for the season with a torn ulnar collateral ligament, he will be out 8-9 months. Roberto Hernandez will be moved back to closer role, with Mike Stanton & Mike Maddux as his setup men.

Then Deion Sanders on September 19th, fractured thumb out for 4
weeks.

Every time the team starts to roll, the team hits a snag of injuries, we'll see how this plays into their chances at a World Championship. The team is currently 94-49, and are about to clinch their division with a 19-game lead on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Their potential playoff opponent is between the N.L. East-leading Montreal Expos (91-51) and the Pittsburgh Pirates, who trail Montreal by 3 games. The Expos are the defending champs, who defeated the Oakland Athletics in the 1993 World Series.

Phillips Lost for Season (1994 Braves)

Every time the Atlanta Braves start to roll over everyone or start looking like the team to beat, they always suffer some unfortunate snag in the plan... Once again, fate has turned towards its ugly side as Tony Phillips fractured his ankle during Atlanta's game against the New York Mets on July 22nd.

The Braves now have a decision to look for a replacement or rely on Ron Gant to take over for him. Gant is more than capable of filling in for Phillips, but doesn't bring the lead-off aspect that Phillips did.

Phillips hit at a .297 clip with 16 home runs, 48 RBI and 83 runs scored. Phillips was the Atlanta Braves' lead-off man, while the team will juggle the lineup to see who will play in that spot of the lineup.

Phillips had an unbelievable .449 on-base percentage & .938 OPS for the season, while he might have been one of the front-runners for this season's N.L. Most Valuable Player Award, along with teammate Dave Justice.

Gant has had limited play this season, starting the season on the disabled list, while losing his left field job due to the emergence of Ryan Klesko. Gant's numbers have improved mightily after a sluggish start, batting .281 with 9 HR, 29 RBI (.912 OPS) in 135 at-bats (50 games) this season.

The Atlanta Braves (63-28) currently lead the N.L. West by 16.5 games over the Houston Astros.

Start of the 1994 Atlanta Braves' Season (Out of the Park)

Tony Phillips might be key to Atlanta's success.

The Atlanta Braves fell short in 1991 to Jack Morris & the Minnesota Twins... Then through the magical world of Out of the Park, the Braves would get a chance at a repeat against the Twins, only to choke and lose the series (yet) again.

Another thing to keep in mind, this an alternate league without 1993 expansion teams, such as the Colorado Rockies & Florida Marlins... with the original 1969 Division setup & playoff system.

The Braves would almost slide and miss the playoffs in 1993 -- narrowly defeating the Houston Astros for the N.L. West Division title, only to again fall short of a world title -- as Andres Galarraga (returning from a one-year hiatus in St. Louis) leads the Montreal Expos over the Oakland Athletics in the 1993 World Series.

The Atlanta Braves strengthened their lineup by acquiring on-base machine Tony Phillips to be their lead-off man. The team also made sure it kept John Smoltz (9 years / $38.6 million) & Tom Glavine (6 years / $33.6 million) around for some time.

The team also picked up two Rule 5 Draftees in Mike Timlin & Jeff Juden; Timlin will be working out of the pen, while Juden will log some innings in the 5th slot of the rotation.

What's the skinny, Giambi?

The Braves traded Bob Tewksbury away in a salary dump move to acquire third base prospect Jason Giambi from Oakland; Tewksbury went 6-6 with a 3.60 ERA in 17 starts for the Braves, but his results were limited due to injuries... Tewksbury can opt out of Oakland after the 1994 season. Giambi will likely play first base in the future, once Fred McGriff becomes to expensive to keep (McGriff can opt out after 1996).

The Atlanta Braves' bullpen is strong with Roberto Hernandez as its closer. Mark Wohlers and Mike Maddux provide strength in the setup roles, to go along with the rest of the pen that contains Mike Stanton, Kent Mercker & Pete Smith.

The Atlanta Braves have started the season, 7-2, with their only losses to the Houston Astros (Season Opener) and the San Diego Padres; They have been strong with series victories over San Diego (3-1) and the Cincinnati Reds (3-game sweep).

Phillips has proved to be a great signing so far, batting .314 (11-for-35) with 2 HR & 5 RBI to go along with his 11 bases on balls. Chipper Jones has been ice cold though, batting .129 (4-for-31) with only 2 RBI & a .385 OPS to date; Jones was sat out April 19th in favor of Giambi that day.

Through 2 starts each, the Braves' top four pitchers have been excellent...

• Greg Maddux: 1-0, 0.64 ERA, 9 K / 1 BB, 0.857 WHIP in 14 IP.
• Tom Glavine: 2-0, 2.70 ERA, 16 K / 4 BB, 1.050 WHIP in 13.1 IP.
• John Smoltz: 1-0, 1.26 ERA, 18 K / 6 BB, 0.698 WHIP in 14.1 IP; left game pitching a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres through 7.1 innings... which bullpen surrendered hit.
• Steve Avery: 2-0, 1.69 ERA, 11 K / 4 BB, 1.125 WHIP in 16 IP.

Next up... The Los Angeles Dodgers (4-5) come to Atlanta.