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Speaking of delicious, we have for you the finale of the 1977 Strat-o-Matic Preseason Power Rankings!!
3) Javen Blue Jays- The Jayvens were in first place pretty much from game one of the regular season to game 80 of the regular season, but alas ended up falling just short of the big prize. Ya know, because they lost to Willie Twins in the World Series. Anyways, this year the Earl of Bohall is sure to be looking to get done what he couldn't get done last year...when he lost to the Willie Twins in the World Series.
Okay. Anyways...The Jayvens should pick up right where they left off, offensively. Wellll, at least where they left off prior to the World Series, where the Twins pitching stifled them in the clinching Game 6. Last one, I promise. Alright, the Jays project to have the top slugging percentage in the league and be in the top 3 in OBP. I mean Andre Thornton's Nickname is Thunder for crying out loud! Plus you got the "Mount Vernon Mauler", Ken Singleton and Jim Ed Rice (for all your double play needs) with the additional punch. Plus watch out for the sneaky second base combo of "The Remdog" Jerry Remy and "Mad Dog" Bill Madlock.
Defensively this team will be serviceable with some nice pieces in Remy, Bob Boone and Gary Maddox. That's right Gary Maddox, the man nicknamed "Secretary of Defense"
It's not sparkling, sure, but like we said it will certainly be serviceable.
The Jayvens pitching staff is highly decent and lumped in a close pack of about five staffs in the middle of the pack. The biggest strength is a strong bullpen. Sparky "The Count" Lyle, Tug "The Barber" McGraw, "Bobby Mac" Bob McLure and Elias "The Bureau" Sosa. Dem's some nice arms that can really shorten a game. The rotation is okay too. Bobby "Brute" Forsch and Scotty "McG" McGregor could be the most underrated 1-2 punch in the league. Jays are number three now, but might not be long before they are moving on up, Jefferson's style!
2) Randy Dodgers- Randy is the owner name, not a description of this Dodgers team. Well, at least as far as we know.
TBD on that one. Let's get to this impressive team Randy "drafted".
The offense is good and balanced and obviously we have to start with the #1 overall pick, Michael Jack Schmidt. Emphasis on the "Jack" cause he gonna be jacking balls outta the park left and right. Basically this offense is pretty balanced and up the middle of the infield. they may have one of the best offensive tandems in "Scrap Iron" Phil Garner and "The Kid" Robin Yount. This is relevant because these are tough spots for offense on many teams. Throw in Yaz and you got yourself a stew, baby!
Often times teams sacrifice offense for defesne or vice versa, but not so much here. No, ma'am! This is a solid defense through and through. There are twos and ones aplenty on this squad starting with the up the middle defense with the aforementioned Garner and Yount. But then you got Freddy Lynn manning CF and some nice Yazzy D in left as well! If you think you're gonna get some cheap baserunners on the Dodgers? Wellll...
That defense will be sure to help out an already above average pitching staff. Francisco Barrios and the guitarist from Wild Pitch, Eric Rasmussen make a formidable 1-2 punch in the rotation and Gary Lavelle and Charlie Hough are a sturdy back end. Plus I don't see obvious getaway starters. This staff is fixin to be in the top half of the league if used right. This is a big ranking for a rookie owner...
Well, you should have done the math and figured it out, but the top of this season's inaugural Power Rankings is....
1) Craver Reds-
Can Craver pull a worst to first? That's what we're fixin' to find out in '77. Now, we know Craver doesn't want to get ahead of himself , and is just looking to improve on last season's last place finish and maybe make the playoffs.
Well first step in improving...offense. Now the Reds didn't have the worst offense in 98, but it was one of the many things that were bemoaned during post-game press conferences. Well, right now this projects as the one of the top offenses in the league, so...
Can George "Yahtzee" Foster break our home run record? I mean talk about a tough out. Then you also got Burroughs, Zisk, Hobson and Driessen as some nice power supplements. The Reds shouldn't be counted out of any game, folks.
Defensively, they got a Gold Glover at first, in "Mex" Hernandez. From there it's an average defense most of the way, with the exception for a very good "Ropes" Russell and Gary, Indiana hero, "Abdul Jibber-Jabber" himself, Lyman Bostock! So, there are some ups and downs to be had on that side of the ball, but what about the hurlers?
A middling pitching staff overall, the bullpen should stand out. Jim "Kettle" Kern, Randy "Get Off It" Moffit, Tom Johnson and probably some Len Barker. Might be the best pen Craver's had in this endeavor. The rotation should be very decent as well! As long as the Reds can avoid using Gary Nolan, the pitching numbers should remain solid. At the top of that rotation, "The Manchester Missile" Mike Flanagan and Rudy "E.T." May will eat up some quality innings and they have a nice little mix of pitchers after that, to boot!
Well, pressure's on! How long can Craver hold onto the top spot? Keep tuning in to find out! Until then, be safe and enjoy some Strat!
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