Vanimal46

Turns out that hiding him on the MLB roster in 1962 was bad for his development. He hit below the Mendoza line that year and wasn’t able to find his swing in AAA. We were in win now mode and couldn’t wait for him to take his lumps anymore… That prompted you and me to make the trade for CF Jackie Brandt in the 1963-64 offseason.

Here is the 1964 World Series pitching staff And lineup

If you find the other Easter Egg, I will virtually toast you for winning the WS with your close, personal friend Sid Hartman!

Introduction of the series here Part 2: 1961-1962 Offseason MLB expansion here In the 1962 regular season, the Minnesota Twins showcased their talent with players like Harmon Killebrew, Jack Kralick, and Don Lee earning All-Star nods. With a 45-40 record, they stood in 4th place at the All-Star break. A notable trade saw Lenny Green moved to the St. Louis Cardinals, paving the way for the rising star Tony Oliva. However, their playoff hopes dimmed by September 20, finishing tied for 3rd with the New York Yankees at 90 wins. The Red Sox represented the AL, while the San Francisco Giants emerged as NL champions. During the offseason, Pedro Ramos and Harmon Killebrew originated the "Get to Know 'Em" campaign because Metropolitan Stadium is hovering around 55% of its capacity... The Houston Colt .45s, led by @USAFChiefin his first season of ownership, struggled as expected for an expansion team, losing 113 games. Despite the challenges, they had the promising 18-year-old outfielder Rusty Staub as a building block for the future. The Chicago White Sox experienced a significant downturn, going from 102 wins in 1961 to 65 wins in 1962. The San Francisco Giants, boasting players like Willie McCovey and Willie Mays, dominated the 1962 season, earning the World Series title by defeating the New York Yankees in a 4-1 series. Willie McCovey is also this series' 1st Triple Crown winner for batting! In the 1962-63 offseason, individual accolades came as Zoilo Versalles won a gold glove at shortstop, and Harmon Killebrew and Bob Allison secured silver slugger awards. A major trade involved sending Bernie Allen to the Milwaukee Braves for Frank Bolling and Sandy Alomar. The Twins made no notable free agent signings. Even with the lack of activity, the team was predicted to perform very well in the upcoming season. The 1963 season was marked by a close pennant race with the Twins, Yankees, and White Sox. Despite a strong showing, the Twins were eliminated on the 161st game of the regular season. Pascual led MLB in pitching wins with 20, and Killebrew topped the charts in home runs with 42. The Los Angeles Dodgers, led by Sandy Koufax, won the World Series against the New York Yankees. In the 1963-64 offseason, Gold Gloves were awarded to Earl Battey and Zoilo Versalles, while Battey, Rich Rollins, and Bob Allison earned Silver Slugger Awards. The Twins signed 18-year-olds Dave Boswell and Reggie Smith. A major trade with the Baltimore Orioles brought Jackie Brandt to the Twins. The 1964 season was a year made for the cinema theatres! The Twins are 52-29 and in 2nd place in the AL at the All-Star break. 1.5 games back from the New York Yankees, It was another star studded affair for the Twins, with 7 All-Stars named. 21 year old RP Pete Magrini, C Earl Battey, 1B Don Mincher, 2B Rich Rollins, 3B Harmon Killebrew, LF Bob Allison, and RF Tony Oliva were named to the All Star team. The Twins are in a 3 way tie with the Yankees and Tigers at the trade deadline with a 64-39 record. At the deadline, the Twins traded SP Pedro Ramos to the Los Angeles Dodgers for RP Ron Perranoski. While Ramos had a 2.81 ERA in 94 innings prior to the deadline, the underlying numbers were not promising, and 25 year old Phil Niekro was ready to make the transition from reliever to the starting rotation. It was a 3 team race starting in September between the Twins, Yankees, and Tigers. With 2 games left in the season, it was still anyone's chance to win the division. The Twins and Yankees played in a 1 game take all series to represent the AL in the World Series. Game 163 was dictated by both catchers throughout the game. Earl Battey came through with the walk off hit in the 12th inning. The Twins faced a powerhouse 107 win LA Dodgers team led by Triple Crown winning SP Sandy Koufax. The Twins won the series 4-2 for their first title since relocating to Bloomington, MN!

Old friend James Rowson gets to coach Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

Are you a baseball reference BxwMMP-FT+, or FxwMMP-FT- type of person? There's only one clear answer.

Is there any hope that Flores will stick around for 2024? I would guess this dramatic turnaround makes him a top HC candidate.

Also, this is my weekly PSA to give Ty Chandler the ball more often. I just can’t fathom what he could possibly be so bad at to keep him off the field as much as he is.

I had a Sunday Funday with a group of friends yesterday watching the Vikings game at a bar downtown then attended the Wild hockey game. I’m getting 2017 Case Keenum vibes from Dobbs. I don’t have any illusions that Dobbs is a long term answer at QB, but for this team, this year, he’s the lightning in a bottle we need.

I don’t know how the Chargers HC is still employed at this point.

What is your expectation of the Gophers? Honest question. IMO, once every 2-3 years they can win 9 games and a bowl game, but they haven't been relevant for a conference championship in 60 years. That's what Fleck is providing along with an NFL prospect or 2 every year. This year is one of those 5-6 win seasons in between the occasional 9-10 win season. We've gone through coach after coach, athletic director after athletic director. There shouldn't be any real expectations of Gophers football.

Chief is on the right track, but both of your guesses are incorrect.

Here's a teaser for the next blog post up to 1965... We have witnessed the first player to win the triple crown in 1962! Any guesses who it is? A hint, they play in the NL.

While I was simulating each month I was anticipating a white hot winning streak from the Yankees. It never happened, however. They finished in 6th place with an 83-79 record. Maris and Mantle were both All-Stars with less than 30 HR. Mantle won the 1961 MVP with a .303/.443/.600 slash line - 47 HR 104 RBI and 9.1 WAR. Roger Maris led MLB with 53 HR. Harmon Killebrew was duking it out for the league lead but fell behind at the end with 50 HR. The biggest culprit for the Yankees struggles is pitching. Whitey Ford finished with a 4.65 ERA and a 13-15 record.

I'm going to make sure Fictional Chief remains 99 years old throughout the years. And if I do receive the breaking news that Fictional Chief has gone to the great beyond, he will be replaced with Cyborg Fictional Chief.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. The fun in this for me is learning more about baseball history as well as Twins history. For example, I had to re-start the game because I did not realize that the amateur draft did not begin until 1965!

In my fantasy world, Pedro Ramos is still with the Twins in 1962 and Vic Power was selected by the Mets in the expansion draft. What was the real story of Pedro Ramos at the time?

All I'm doing is historical rosters and up to date minor league teams up to 1961. Then letting the game do its thing after that. As a modern day fan since 1998, I've got to say the most difficult part of playing in the 60's era is not making a lot of trades. I'm trying to stay true to the era and not turn over the roster that way.

I also found a good way to hide some Easter eggs in this series. Meet the newest owner of the Houston Colt .45's! @ashbury @USAFChief I think I did a decent job matching his personality to the real deal Though the Chief I know won't be demanding a top 4 farm system!

Introduction of the series here The 1961 season was a bit of a rollercoaster for the team, finishing with a record of 79-83 and landing in 8th place in the AL. The World Series saw the Los Angeles Dodgers triumph over the Chicago White Sox in a thrilling 4-3 series victory. In terms of transactions over the course of the 1961 season, there were none worth noting. Despite the temptation to sign young free agents like 17-year-old Sandy Alomar, the decision was made to stick with the existing roster, following a mandate from owner Clark Griffith to give the group another shot before making major changes. The All-Star lineup featured 1B/3B Harmon Killebrew and C Earl Battey, but SP Camilo Pascual had a somewhat disappointing season compared to his previous All-Star performances. The bullpen struggled, and down in the minors, LF/RF Tony Oliva showcased impressive stats, potentially earning a spot in Minnesota next season. Moving into the 1961-1962 offseason, notable changes were on the horizon with NL expansion and both leagues adopting the 162-game schedule. The Houston Colt .45s and New York Mets joined the league, and an expansion draft in November resulted in the loss of RP Bob Porterfield to the Mets and LF Joe Altoberry to Houston. The managerial reins were handed over to Sam Mele, who brought in an entirely new coaching staff to mesh with the team. The offseason also saw the team acquiring RP Bill Fischer from Detroit and C Hobie Landrith from San Francisco in the free agency market. In the Rule 5 draft, the team selected 22-year-old knuckleballer Phil Niekro and 23-year-old CF Mack Jones, while losing pitchers Gerry Arrigo and Joe Bonikowski to other teams. The Hall of Fame welcomed starting pitchers Hal Newhouser and Bob Feller in 1962. The offseason proved to be a mix of changes and additions, setting the stage for what will hopefully be a more promising season ahead. Will this be the year that Tony Oliva makes himself a household name in MLB? I will check in next time in 1965, when MLB implements the amateur draft! In the meantime, here is a quick glance at the team heading into the 1962 season. We have tough competition to win the AL, Hopefully with a revamped bullpen, a bounce back season from Pascual, and 3 solid prospects ready to contribute at Metropolitan Stadium, we surprise some people.

You're still a young pup compared to @USAFChief . The furthest you can go back for a player's birthday is 1901 so I couldn't put him in there as an Easter egg for the series!

Per Seth Stohs on Twitter, here are the minor leaguers who elected FA: Batters: Catchers Jeferson Morales, Tony Wolters, Mark Kolozsvary, David Banuelos. IF Elliot Soto, Hernan Perez. Pitchers: LHP Gabriel Yanez, Sam Perez, Michael Boyle RHP Blayne Enlow, Patrick Murphy, Austin Brice, Carlos Luna, Curtis Taylor, Christopher Dishmey, Zaquiel Puentes, Francis Peguero, Alex Scherff, Isaac Mattson

The Twins need a GM who can hang around for the long haul. Our team trainer said he has impeccable genetics to make it to 100 years old! My plan is to make a new blog post once I sim through each decade. Is there anyone from the 1960s that you’re curious about?

Entering spring training of 1961, and Minnesotans are getting excited to see their new team! It looks like the Twins might be a good team right away according to the projections.

As the crack of the bat fades away and the echo of cheering crowds subsides, the hallowed fields of baseball fall silent, marking the end of another thrilling season. As the final out is recorded and the last pitch is thrown, a hush descends over the diamond, signaling the inevitable transition from the sun-soaked days of summer to the crisp embrace of winter.* Since winter is upon us, and I still have the itch for baseball, I decided to try something new... Out of the Park Baseball has a mode in their game to play historical seasons, and over the course of the winter I will be simulating the game starting from 1961 to see if I can win more than 2 World Series titles. Let's begin this series by introducing the team! *Wow, ChatGPT is such a romantic. The 1961 Twins are led by a young core of Killebrew, Battey, and Allison. With a couple of young guns waiting for their chance in AAA like Tony Oliva, Rich Rollins, and Don Mincher. Working with team owner Calvin Griffith is not going to be an easy task. So we hired a spry 40 year old with a lot of close, personal friends to overcome this challenge. The season is about to get under way. Can Hartman lead this newly relocated team to the promised land? Who should we keep an eye out for in the coming years?