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1922 Classic Past Season with transaction and lineups available now!
1922: The Browns Fall Short and the Giants Rampage
by Steve Ehresman
In 1922, the St. Louis Browns featured the American League stolen base leader and batting champion George Sisler (134 R, 246 H, 42 2B, 18 3B, 105 RBI, 51 SB, .420) and the American League home run and RBI leader Ken Williams (128 R, 194 H, 34 2B, 39 HR 155 RBI, 37 SB, .332). In addition to superstars Sisler and Williams, St. Louis fielded two more 100-RBI men: Marty McManus (189 H, 34 2B, 109 RBI, .312) and Baby Doll Jacobson (22 2B, 16 3B, 102 RBI, .317).
With this ferocious lineup, the Browns ran away from Ty Cobb (99 R, 211 H, 42 2B, 16 3B, 99 RBI, .401) and the Detroit Tigers, as well as Tris Speaker (48 2B, .378) and the Cleveland Indians. On their way to a 93-61 (.604) record, the Browns paced the American League in triples (94), stolen bases (135), and batting average (.313). Featuring a superb pitching staff, anchored by the American League strikeout king Urban Shocker (48 G, 38 GS, 29 CG, 348 IP, 24-17, 149 K, 2.97) and steady Elam Vangilder (43 G, 30 GS, 19 CG, 245 IP, 19-13, 3.42), St. Louis, not coincidentally, led the Junior Circuit in strikeouts (534 K) and earned run average (3.38).
In short, the Browns did everything. Everything except win the pennant.
While their palatial stadium was being built--- set to open in 1923 with John Philip Sousa conducting “The Star-Spangled Banner” and New York Governor Al Smith throwing out the first pitch--- the defending American League Champion New York Yankees duked it out all summer with the Browns. Because Bob Meusel (16 HR, 84 RBI, 13 SB, .319) and Babe Ruth (35 HR, 99 RBI, .315) were suspended by Commissioner Landis until May 20, the Yankees did not wrest first place from the Browns until mid-August. Once in control, New York never relinquished their lead and edged the best team in the history of the St. Louis American League franchise by a single game: 94-60 (.610) to 93-61 (.604).
Like the Browns, the Yankees relied on good pitching. With Bullet Joe Bush (39 G, 30 GS, 20 CG, 255 IP, 26-7, 3.32), Bob Shawkey (39 G, 33 GS, 19 CG, 300 IP, 20-12, 2.91), and Waite Hoyt (37 G, 31 GS, 17 CG, 265 IP, 19-12, .343) steadying the staff, New York led the American League in complete games (98) and finished second in earned run average (3.39), providing just enough mound presence to push their team over the top for another pennant.
In the National League, the New York Giants, the Yankees’ inhospitable landlord at the Polo Grounds, cruised to victory over the Cincinnati Reds by a 7-game margin. The defending World Series champions featured a formidable offense, led by George Kelly (96 R, 194 H, 33 2B, 17 HR, 107 RBI, .328), Frankie Frisch (101 R, 13 3B, 31 SB, .327), Ross Youngs (105 R, 185 H, 34 2B, 86 RBI, 17 SB, .331), and Irish Meusel (100 R, 204 H, 28 2B, 17 3B, 16 HR, 132 RBI, 12 SB, .331). Oh yeah . . . a mid-season replacement in centerfield, Casey Stengel (250 AB, 10 3B, 48 RBI, .366), also made an impact on the Giants’ pennant run.
Beyond the Giants’ stellar performances, offensive in the National League was dominated by one man, Rogers Hornsby. Although his St. Louis Cardinals finished the season tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8 games behind the Giants, Hornsby topped all Senior Circuit hitters in batting average (.401), home runs (42), and RBI (152) to win the National League’s first Triple Crown. Further, the Texas native led the league in runs (141), hits (250), doubles (46,) and triples (14). Hornby’s 1922 season is one of the greatest offensive performances of all-time.
The 1922 season featured not only great hitting, but also great pitching. Bucking the trend toward more explosive offenses, Eddie Rommel enjoyed a season for the ages (51 G, 33 GS, 22 CG, 294 IP, 27-13, 3.28), all for a Philadelphia Athletics team that won only 65 games. In the Queen City, Eppa Rixey (40 G, 38 GS, 26 CG, 313 IP, 25-13, 3.54), Pete Donohue (33 G, 30 GS, 18 CG, 242 IP, 18-9, 3.12), and Johnny Couch (43 G, 33 GS, 18 CG, 264 IP, 16-9. 3.89) did their best to keep the Reds in the National League pennant race. American League earned run average leader Red Faber of the Chicago White Sox (43 G, 38 GS, 31 CG, 353 IP, 21-17, 2.80) and National League earned run average leader Phil Douglas of the New York Giants (2.62) were star performers, although Douglas’s season was limited to 24 games, 21 starts, and 9 complete games in 156 innings because of a mid-season letter in which he suggested that he would gladly accept bribes to throw games.
Wilbur Cooper (41 G, 36 GS, 27 CG, 295 IP, 23-14, 3.18) of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Dutch Ruether (35 G, 35 GS, 26 CG, 267 IP, 21-12, 3.54) of the Brooklyn Dodgers; Herman Pillette of the Detroit Tigers (40 G, 37 GS, 18 CG, 275 IP, 2.84); and George Uhle (50 G, 40 GS, 23 CG, 287 IP, 22-16, 4.08)) and Stan Coveleski (35 G, 33 GS, 21 CG, 277 IP, 17-14, 3.31) of the Cleveland Indians also enjoyed good seasons on the mound.
After the Phil Douglas debacle, Art Nehf (37 G, 35 GS, 20 CG, 268 IP, 19-13, 3.29), Rosey Ryan (46 G, 22 GS, 12 CG, 192 IP, 17-12, 3.00), and Jesse Barnes (37 G, 29 CG, 14 CG, 213 IP, 13-8, 3.51) assumed leadership of the New York Giants pitching staff, carried their teammates to the pennant, and won the earned run average crown in the National League with a 3.45 mark.
American Leaguers who put up outstanding numbers in 1922 were Wally Pipp (96 R, 190 H, 32 2B, 90 RBI, .329) and Wally Schang (12 SB, .319) of the New York Yankees; Jack Tobin (122 R, 207 H, 34 2B, .331) and Harry Severeid (32 2B, .321) of the St. Louis Browns; Lu Blue (131 R, .300), Harry Heilmann (21 HR, 92 RBI, .356) and Bobby Veach (96 R, 202 H, 34 2B, 13 3B, 126 RBI, .327) of the Detroit Tigers; Bill Wambsganss (89 R, 17 SB) and Charlie Jamieson (183 H, 15 SB, .323) of the Cleveland Indians; Eddie Collins (92 R, 194 H, 20 SB, .324) and Harry Hooper (111 R, 183 H, 35 2B, 80 RBI, 16 SB, .304) of the Chicago White Sox; Joe Judge (32 2B, 15 3B, .294) and Sam Rice (37 2B, 13 3B, 20 SB, .295) of the Washington Senators; Bing Miller (21 HR, 90 RBI, .336) and Tilly Walker (111 R, 31 2B, 37 HR, 99 RBI) of the Philadelphia Athletics; and Tioga George Burns (32 2B, .306), Del Pratt (183 H, 44 2B, .301), and Joe Harris (30 2B, .316) of the Bambino-cursed Boston Red Sox.
National Leaguers who made important contributions to their teams in 1922 were Dave Bancroft (117 R, 209 H, 16 SB, .321) and Frank Snyder (.343) of the New York Giants; Jake Daubert (114 R, 205 H, 22 3B, .338), George Harper (.340), George Burns (104 R, 180 H, 30 SB, .285), and Pat Duncan (94 R, 199 H, 44 2B, 94 RBI, .328) of the Cincinnati Reds; Cotton Tierney (14 3B, 86 RBI, .345), Rabbit Maranville (115 R, 198 H, 15 3B, 24 SB), Max Carey (140 R, 207 H, 28 2B, 12 3B, 70 RBI, 51 SB, .329), and Carson Bigbee (113 R, 215 H, 29 2B, 15 3B, 99 RBI, 24 SB, .350) of the Pittsburgh Pirates; Jack Smith (117 R, 12 3B, 18 SB, .318) and Milt Stock (33 2B, .305) of the St. Louis Cardinals; Ray Grimes (99 R, 180 H, 45 2B, 12 3B, 99 RBI, .354), Charlie Hollocher (90 R, 201 H, 37 2B, 19 SB, .340) and Hack Miller (.352) of the Chicago Cubs; Jimmy Johnston (110 R, 181 H, 18 SB, .319), Hy Myers (196 H, 89 RBI, .317), and Zack Wheat (92 R, 201 H, 29 2B, 12 3B, 16 HR, 112 RBI, .335) of the Brooklyn Dodgers; Curt Walker (102 R, 196 H, 36 2B, 89 RBI, .337), Cy Williams ( 98 R, 180 H, 30 2B, 26 HR, 92 RBI, .308) and Cliff Lee (29 2B, 27 HR, .322) of the Philadelphia Phillies; and Tony Boeckel (14 SB, .289,) and Ray Powell (82 R, .296) of the woebegone Boston Braves.
In the World Series, the New York Giants trounced the New York Yankees to capture their second consecutive championship. Babe Ruth hit like an apple-knocker (.118). while Heine Groh (.474) and Frankie Frisch (.471) ab-so-lute-ly slashed Yankee pitching en route to a 4-0 Giant triumph, as baseball returned to its traditional best-of-seven format in the Fall Classic.
In 1922, James Joyce’s modernist novel Ulysses was published in Paris; Sinclair Lewis’s satirical novel Babbit was a best seller in America; Albert Einstein explained The Meaning of Relativity to the world; the vampire Nosferatu haunted movie audiences; Rudolph Valentino captured the hearts of female fans in The Young Rajah; Warren G. Harding became the first president to have his voice transmitted by radio; and the Roaring Twenties hit full stride. Having emerged from the Great War as a superpower, America enjoyed a prosperous, even extravagant, life-style without an inkling of what lay ahead. The time was right for listening to jazz, dancing with flappers, visiting a speak easy, and cheering mammoth home runs.
For the moment, these pleasures were enough. For the moment, they were the cat’s meow.
In ball parks across America, baseball fans witnessed 1.055 baseballs sail over the outfield walls, primarily because the lively ball had been introduced and the spitball had been banned. The fame and fortune to be won by hitting home runs influenced more hitters to aim for the fences, as baseball evolved from Cobb’s game of hustle to Ruth’s game of raw power. In that spirit, Diamond Mind Baseball presents the 1922 Major League Baseball season, a year of robust performances by star players whose names are writ large in the annals of their sport and in the history of a rollicking decade.
The 1922 Classic Past Season database contains everything you need to play games using teams and players from the 1922 season -- a full set of ratings and statistics for every player who appeared in the big leagues that year, plus team rosters, manager profiles, ballpark ratings and league schedules. Statistics include official batting, pitching and fielding totals for all batters and pitchers.
Also included is a complete set of real-life player transactions -- trades, disabled list moves, promotions, demotions, suspensions, and more -- plus the actual starting lineups for every regular season game played.
View the full list of recent new and upgraded DMB seasons
Note: This season database is a companion product for the Diamond Mind Baseball version 11 game. To use this database, you must also have Diamond Mind Baseball version 11. The game software provides you with all of the tools you need to play simulated games, make roster moves, produce dozens of statistical reports, generate league schedules, and more.
- Tags: Classic Past Season cps1922
1961 Deluxe Past Season with transaction and lineups available now!
1961: Baseball and the New Frontier
by Steve Ehresman
In 1961, America shook off the 1950s and embraced the future with great vigor. On January 20, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was inaugurated as President of the United States. In the freezing cold, Kennedy, hatless and youthful, addressed the nation and the world, proclaiming that “the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.” In the coming months, Kennedy steered our nation into the future, promising to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. In May 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space-- NASA’s baby steps that would ultimately lead to Neil Armstrong’s “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” on July 20, 1969.
Even in the traditional world of Major League Baseball, change was in the air. In 1961, the American League expanded from eight to ten teams, adding a franchise in California and creating a new team in Washington, D. C., while relocating the original Senators to Minnesota. As a result, the Junior Circuit adopted a 162-game schedule, replacing the traditional 154-game schedule.
As fans know, no sport is more connected to its history than Major League Baseball. Each generation of players is measured against its predecessors, some of whom had become legends, whose records were regarded as inviolate.
No legend was bigger than Babe Ruth.
No record was more sacrosanct than the Babe’s 60 homers in 1927.
Until 1961 . . .
Not only was the Babe’s record challenged, but it was challenged in the Babe’s own house, Yankee Stadium, by two New York Yankee sluggers. Mickey Mantle (54 HR, 128 RBI, 126 BB, .317) and MVP Roger Maris (61 HR, 142 RBI) not only tore the cover off the ball, they tore the cover off history, chasing the Babe all summer, until Maris caught him on the final day of the regular season, sending a Tracy Stallard fastball over the right field wall of Yankee Stadium and putting home run 61 into the record books. Despite Ford Frick’s protestations that Maris needed to break the Babe’s record in 154 games, rather than in 162 games, 61 home runs remains in the books as an example of athletic grace under pressure.
Through the summer, Mantle and Maris’s home run duel established the 1961 Yankees as one of the greatest teams of all-time. Led not only by the M&M Boys, but also by hard-hitting catcher Elston Howard (21 HR, .348), slugging first sacker Moose Skowron (28 HRI), and left fielder Yogi Berra (22 HR), the Pinstripes compiled an impressive 109-53 record, while scoring 827 runs and slamming 240 homers. Oh yeah . . . the Yanks also featured the Cy Young Award winner, Whitey Ford (39 GS, 11 CG, 283 IP, 25-4, 209 K, 3.21). Supporting Ford were Ralph Terry (31 G, 27 GS, 9 CG, 188 IP, 16-3, 3.16) and closer Luis Arroyo (65 G, 119 IP, 15-5, 29 SV, 2.19).
Amid all the hubbub in Gotham, did anyone notice that the second-place Detroit Tigers were really good? Although they fell short to the juggernaut Yanks, the Bengals finished with a 101-61 record and clobbered 180 home runs. Any other year, those numbers might have been overwhelming. With sluggers Rocky Colavito (45 HR, 140 RBI, 113 BB), Norm Cash (41 HR, 132 RBI, 124 BB, .361), and Al Kaline (19, 82 RBI, .324) leading the attack, the Tigers plated 841 runs, outscoring the indomitable Bronx Bombers. On the mound, Frank Lary (36 GS, 22 CG, 275.1 IP, 23-9, 3.24) was a good match for the Yankees’ Whitey Ford. Jim Bunning (38 G, 37 GS, 12 CG, 268 IP, 17-11, 3.19) and Don Mossi (35 G, 34 GS, 12 CG, 240 IP, 15-7, 2.96) rounded out an excellent pitching staff. Without a doubt, the 1961 Detroit Tigers were one of the greatest second-place teams in baseball history.
The entire American League bristled with impressive offensive performances, as Jim Gentile of Baltimore (46 HR, 141 RBI, .302), Harmon Killebrew (46 HR, 122 RBI) and Bob Allison (29 HR, 105 RBI) of Minnesota, Al Smith (28 HRI) and Roy Sievers (27 HRI) of Chicago, Leon Wagner (28 HR) and Ken Hunt (25 HR) of Los Angeles, and Willie Kirkland (27 HRI) and Woodie Held (23 HR) of Cleveland were among the heavy hitters who supplied enough fire-power for the American League launch 1,534 balls into outer space in the summer of 1961.
On the mound, Dick Donovan of the expansion Washington Senators led the American League in earned run average (2.40), and Camilo Pascual of the Minnesota Twins, once the original Washington Senators, paced the Junior Circuit in strikeouts (221 K).
The National League, despite playing a 154-game schedule, posted numbers as impressive as any in the Junior Circuit. The pennant-winning Cincinnati Reds, years before the Big Red Machine, featured the hitting prowess of MVP Frank Robinson (37 HR, 124 RBI ,.323), Vada Pinson (16 HR, 87 RBI, .343), and Gordy Coleman (26 HR, 87 RBI) and the strong pitching of Joey Jay (34 GS, 14 CG, 247.1 IP, 21-10, 3.53), Jim O’Toole (39 G, 35 GS, 11 CG, 252.2, 21-10), and Bob Purkey (36 G, 34 GS, 13 CG, 246 IP, 18-12, 3.73) to compile a 93-61 record.
The Los Angeles Dodgers relied on a superb four-man rotation to claim second place. Sandy Koufax, emerging as a bona fide star, paced the Dodgers staff (42 G, 35 GS, 15 CG, 255.2 IP, 18-13, 269 K, 3.52). He was ably supported by Don Drysdale (40 G, 37 GS, 10 CG, 244 IP, 13-10, 3.69), Johnny Podres (32 G, 29 GS, 6 CG, 182.2 IP, 18-5, 3.74), and Stan Williams (41 G, 35 GS, 6 CG, 235.1 IP, 15-12, 3.90). A star from the 1959 World Champions, Wally Moon led the Bums’ offense with 17 homers, 89 RBI, and a .328 batting average.
Roberto Clemente of the defending World Series Champion Pittsburg Pirates batted .351, while socking 23 homers and driving in 89 runs. He was ably supported by slugging first baseman Dick “Doctor Strangeglove” Stuart (35 HR, 117 RBI, .301). Perennial stars Orlando Cepeda (46 HR, 142 RBI, .311) and Willie Mays (40 HR, 123 RBI, .308) of the San Francisco Giants, and Hank Aaron (34 HR, 120 RBI, .327), Eddie Mathews (32 HR, 91 RBI, .306) and Joe Adcock (35 HR, 108 RBI) of the Milwaukee Braves did their part to help the Senior Circuit crush 1196 home runs.
Few pitchers in the Senior circuit rivaled the excellence of earned run average leader Warren Spahn in 1961 (38 G, 34 GS, 21 CG, 262.2 IP, 21-13, 3.01), as he celebrated his fortieth birthday on April 23 of the 1961 season.
Establishing their bona fides in the major leagues, two fly-chasers, Carl Yastrzemski (31 2B, 11 HR, 80 RBI) of the Boston Red Sox and National League Rookie of the Year Billy Williams (25 HR, 86 RBI) of the Chicago Cubs held out the promise of future greatness for their fans.
The 1961 season launched the beginning of a decade many consider a Golden Age. Although tradition was respected, even celebrated, innovation was embraced. The National League would catch up to the American League, expanding in 1962 to add the New York Metropolitans and the Houston Colt 45’s. Before the end of the decade, both franchises would make history—one with a World Series championship, the other with the opening of a multi-purpose domed stadium. In the final season of the 1960s, baseball would expand again, adding four new teams and instituting divisional play. The 1961 season marked the beginning of a decade in which baseball reached for the moon, enduring through turbulence and tragedy and creating the game we know today.
As the years pass and the summer of 1961 recedes into memory and—finally-- into the pages of history, take a moment to celebrate those long-ago heroes and to remember an America that looked toward a New Frontier with youthful confidence and innocence that was all too quickly lost.
The 1961 Deluxe Past Season database contains everything you need to play games using teams and players from the 1961 season -- a full set of ratings and statistics for every player who appeared in the big leagues that year, plus team rosters, manager profiles, ballpark ratings and league schedules. Statistics include official batting, pitching and fielding totals with left/right splits for all batters and pitchers.
Also included is a complete set of real-life player transactions -- trades, disabled list moves, promotions, demotions, suspensions, and more -- plus the actual starting lineups for every regular season game played.
If you are a registered owner of the 1961 Classic Past Season, you are eligible for upgrade pricing for this item. Send an email to dmb_info@imaginesports.com to request your discount promotion code.
Note: This season database is a companion product for the Diamond Mind Baseball version 11 game. To use this database, you must also have Diamond Mind Baseball version 11. The game software provides you with all of the tools you need to play simulated games, make roster moves, produce dozens of statistical reports, generate league schedules, and more.
2019 Projection Season - ZiPS Available Now!
The 2019 Projection Season database includes opening day team rosters, the 2019 schedule, projected statistics and ratings for over 2500 players generated using Dan Szymborski's ZiPS projection system (including hundreds of top minor-league prospects), and manager profiles set up with rotations, lineups, and depth charts representing our assessment of how the players were projected to be used in the coming season.
If you purchase the 2019 Projection Season database, you will also receive Diamond Mind's Postseason Teams database free of charge in early October 2019.
The 2019 Projection Season database is available for order from the Diamond Mind online store now. The price is $24.95 for the Opening Day release available in April and will include the Postseason Teams database when it becomes available in early October.
Note: This season database is a companion product for the Diamond Mind Baseball version 11 game. To use this database, you must also have Diamond Mind Baseball version 11. The game software provides you with all of the tools you need to play simulated games, make roster moves, produce dozens of statistical reports, generate league schedules, and more.
2018 Season Database Update
On December 23, 2018, we updated our master copy of the 2018 Annual Season Database to correct a small number of errors that have been reported and confirmed since the initial release.To check if your copy of the 2018 season database is up to date, have a look in the Notes tab of the Organizer window with your installed copy of the 2018 season as the active database. If the date of the "2018 Updates" note is 12/23/2018 or later then you have the most up to date version.
This update includes the following corrections:
Statistics Cat Stat Old New
Jordan Lyles (SD) Bat G 25 26
Bat GS 9 8
Pch G 25 24
Pch GS 9 8
Fld G 25 24
Fld GS 9 8
Jordan Lyles (Comb) Bat G 36 37
Bat GS 9 8
Pch G 36 35
Pch GS 9 8
Fld G 36 35
Fld GS 9 8
Matt Strahm (SD) Bat G 39 41
Bat GS 4 5
Pch GS 4 5
Fld GS 4 5
Saved Lineups Pos Old New
6/23, SD @ SF P Jordan Lyles (SD) Matt Strahm (SD)
Note, Jordan Lyles was the scheduled starting pitcher for San Diego but injured
his arm while warming up in the bottom of the 1st before San Francisco came to bat.
Parks Wall Loc Old New
Angel Stadium Height RFGap 18 8
Height Right 18 8
Height RFLine 18 5
Registered owners of the 2018 Annual Season Database can use the link in their original downloads email to download the updated database installation file or contact DMB support at dmb_info@imaginesports.com to request an updated file by email.
If you have already started your season replay or prepared your league database, your best bet is to make the changes in your existing database yourself. You can do so by following these steps:
To change player stats:
1. Click View on the game's main menu bar and click Organizer.
2. From the Organizer window, click the Players tab.
3. Scroll down to the player and click once to select him.
4. Click the Modify button.
5. From the popup menu, click Real-life statistics.
6. Make the suggested corrections in the Batting Statistics, Pitching Statistics and Fielding statistics tabs and then click the OK button to save your changes.
2018 Annual Season Database Released December 12th!
2018: Red Sox Nation Does Hollywood
by Steve Ehresman
In 1916 Bill Carrigan’s Boston Red Sox defeated Wilbert Robinson’s Brooklyn Robins in the World Series, giving Boston the franchise’s second consecutive and fourth overall World Championship. In 2018, the Red Sox (108-54) overpowered the Robins’ twenty-first century descendants, the Los Angeles Dodgers (92-71), to win the 114th edition of Baseball’s Fall Classic. For Dave Robert’s Dodgers, 2018 was their second season as the World Series runner-up. For rookie manager Alex Cora’s Red Sox, 2018 has been called the greatest season in franchise history.
Although 1916 differed dramatically from 2018, one thing is certain: baseball never fails to deliver as the National Pastime, even in this era of three true outcomes: a walk, a strikeout, or a homerun. Yes, the thirty teams in Major League Baseball combined for 40, 993 hits, while compiling 41,177 strikeouts. Nevertheless, the 2018 season also featured exciting performances by the Oakland Athletics (97-65) and the Atlanta Braves (90-72), helping Bob Melvin and Brian Snitker to claim the Manager of the Year Award in their respective leagues. Craig Counsel’s upset-minded Milwaukee Brewers edged the Chicago Cubs to win the National League Central and to challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers for a berth in the World Series. The New York Yankees put together a superb season for first-year manager Aaron Boone (100-62). And, the Tampa Bay Rays, under innovative manager Kevin Cash, made history with many of their games started by pitchers normally used in relief and referred to as openers.
In short, the 2018 season will be remembered as a season characterized by the changing of the guard, both in terms of underdog franchises on the rise and in terms of innovations in how the game is played.
First and foremost, the 2018 season featured superb rookies. Bursting onto the national stage was a cast of newcomers, the likes of which the National Pastime has not produced in decades. Leading this auspicious group were Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels, Ronald Acuna Junior of the Atlanta Braves, and Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals.
Although Ohtani’s career has been interrupted by Tommy John surgery, he delivered power (.285 AVG, 925 OPS, and 22 HR in 367 PA) and pitching (3.31 ERA, 11 K per nine IP, and 1.16 WHIP). Ohtani joined Babe Ruth (1919) as the only players in major league history to sock 15 home runs and pitch 50 innings in the same season. Moreover, Ohtani became the only player in major league history to record 15 home runs and 50 pitching strikeouts in a single season. Not surprisingly, he was the easy choice for American League Rookie of the Year.
Twenty-year-old outfielder Ronald Acuna Junior was a major driving-force behind Atlanta’s break-out 2018 season. Starting the season in Triple A, Acuna arrived in the majors on April 25 and proceeded to slug 26 home runs, drive in 64 runs, swipe 16 bases, and bat .293 with .917 OPS. Acuna Junior’s great season was summarized in a nutshell by his smacking eight lead-off homers and his going yard in five straight games from August 11-14. As a result, he claimed the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
Runner-up in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting, Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals, debuted in the majors on May 20, when he was 19 years old. All he did was hit .292 with 22 home runs, 70 RBI, and .923 OPS, putting him just two long balls shy of Tony Conigliaro’s major league record for home runs by a teenager.
It could be argued that the 2018 season was a highlight reel featuring a new generation of stars, who are expected to carry baseball far into the future. Nevertheless, major league veterans had a great deal to say about the present, putting teams on their backs and challenging conventional measures of success.
In balloting for the National League Cy Young Award, the New York Mets’ Jacob deGrom posted surreal statistics (32 GS, 217 IP, 269 K, 1.70 ERA, and 0.91 WHIP). Nevertheless, his selection may have caused fans not named Brian Kenny to grumble because of deGrom’s under-whelming 10-9 record, primarily the result of poor offensive performances when he pitched.
Emerging into the spotlight, Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays, the American League Cy Young Award winner, compiled a stunning 21-5 record, 1.89 ERA, and 0.97 WHIP in 31 GS, while striking out 221 batters. Despite these impressive numbers, traditionalists might grouse about Snell’s innings total, as Tampa Bay’s young star pitched only 180.2 innings.
Together, deGrom and Snell forced baseball to redefine pitching excellence. In contrast, the MVP voting was much easier to assimilate, as the 2018 winners would have passed muster in any decade.
Putting together a Hall of Fame-worthy season, Christian Yelich willed the Milwaukee Brewers to the National League Central title, slugging 36 home runs, driving in 110 runs, stealing 22 bases, and batting .326 with an OBP of .402, a SLG of .598, and an OPS of 1.000. Yelich distanced himself from the Chicago Cubs’ Javier Baez (34 HR, 111 RBI, .290 with an OBP of .326, a SLG of .554, and an OPS of .881) to walk away with the National League MVP.
In the American league, the World Champion Boston Red Sox had a line-up of ferocious hitters, none more ferocious than the American league MVP, Mookie Betts. Although Betts had already enjoyed fine seasons in Boston, his 2018 campaign goes down in the books as one of the best seasons by a Carmine outfielder this side of The Splendid Splinter and Yaz. Displaying all-around excellence, Betts legged-out 47 2B, socked 32 HR, chalked-up 80 RBI, and stole 30 bases, en route to a .346 AVG, .438 OBP, .640 SLG, and 1.078 OPS. To solidify his credentials, Betts took home a Gold Glove for his work in right field. The American League runner-up in MVP voting was the Los Angeles Angels’ perennial all-star, Mike Trout (39 HR, 79 RBI, .312 AVG, .460 OBP, .628 SLG, and 1.088 OPS).
The 2018 Major League Baseball season featured superb performances by many of the diamond’s greatest stars. On the mound, Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals (18-7, 220.2 IP, 300 K, 2.53 ERA, and 0.911 WHIP) and Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros (16-9, 214 IP, 290 K, 2.52 ERA, and 0.902 WHIP) continued their trek toward Cooperstown. Coming in from the bullpen, Josh Hader of the Milwaukee Brewers (81.1 IP, 36 H, 143 K, 2.43 ERA, and 0.811 WHIP) and Edwin Diaz of the Seattle Mariners (73.1 IP, 41 H, 124 K, 1.96 ERA, and 0.791 WHIP) were lights-out.
Bolstering the offense in 2018, Khris Davis of the Oakland Athletics (48 HR) and Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies (38 HR) paced their respective leagues in long balls. Whit Mayfield of the Kansas City Royals quietly put together an All-Star season, as he paced the American League in hits (192) and stolen bases (45). Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves led the National League in hits (191), while Trea Turner of the Washington Nationals swiped a league-leading 43 bases.
Mookie Betts’ teammate in Boston, J.D. Martinez (43 HR, 130 RBI,.330 AVG, .432 OBP, .629 SLG, and 1.031 OPS), accumulated a whopping 358 total bases. However brightly Mookie Betts’s star shone in The Hub in 2018, it did not shine alone.
The 2018 season was fraught with hotly contested pennant races, jaw-dropping performances, and innovative, even controversial, strategies and methods of evaluation. Where Major League Baseball will go in 2019 and beyond is uncertain. Nevertheless, as new stars appear and Hall of Famers continue to provide thrills, the answer seems to be that baseball will go where it always has gone: confidently into the future, serving as a measuring stick for how America dreams. Baseball fans would do well to heed a wise man’s advice to feel nostalgic about the future.
The 2018 Annual Season Database contains everything you need to play games using teams and players from the 2018 season -- a full set of ratings and statistics for every player who appeared in the big leagues this year, plus team rosters, manager profiles, ballpark ratings and league schedules. Statistics include official batting, pitching and fielding totals with left/right splits for all batters and pitchers.
Also included is a complete set of real-life player transactions -- trades, disabled list moves, promotions, demotions, suspensions, and more -- plus the actual starting lineups for every regular season game played.
