The DIY Lineup Approach
Why I Don't Use Real Life Lineups
Use Your Own Lineups
Since the 1970s, there has been a constant trend in the baseball replay world towards using original lineups. What started as an oddity among “serious” players of games like APBA and Strat-O-Matic has become the default for most baseball replayers.
The thinking seems to be that the best way to achieve “realism” in a replay is to force oneself into using the exact same starting lineups that managers used in real life. When combined with real-life transactions, this in theory allows a player to face the exact same situation that managers faced in real life, ensuring that the player cannot exploit obscure, underutilized players with extreme ratings.
It’s a good thought – but I disagree. In fact, after some consideration, I believe that insisting on using only real-life lineups can actually create unrealistic distortions.
Pitcher Rest
Those who argue against slavishly following real-life lineups and pitching rotations usually cite the 1980 Athletics as the reason why.
Remember what I said a few days ago about saving Joe Coleman for tomorrow? Well, it turns out that Billy Martin subscribed to the same philosophy.
On April 14, 1980, Steve McCatty started Oakland’s game against the Seattle Mariners. In his first outing of the season, McCatty was absolutely shelled, giving up 5 runs on 5 hits in 1 2/3 innings. That’s right – 5 runs, 5 hits, and only 5 outs.
McCatty then started Oakland’s April 15 game against the Mariners. He almost went the distance this time, giving up only 3 runs on 7 hits in 8 1/3 innings.
You can look it up here on Baseball Reference and see for yourself:
That “0” under the “DR” column means that he started his April 15th game with 0 days of rest.
So what do you do as a replayer? How do you handle this situation if you are using real life lineups as a rule? What if McCatty pitches a complete game on April 14? Do you still let him come back out on the 15th?
I know that games like Out of the Park don’t account for starter rest when using real life lineups to handle these situations. But is that really realistic? Did McCatty suddenly turn into Iron Joe McGinnity, ready and able to start and finish both games of a doubleheader if needed?
Those who replay modern seasons don’t need to worry too much about this problem – it’s a very rare phenomenon. But it’s not quite as rare if you are replaying, say, 1949.
To share a simple example, Bob Lemon pulled off an even more impressive feat in June 1949. He went 3 innings against Washington on June 7, giving up an amazing 7 walks during that time – all in a game that the Indians came back to win, 13-11. An aging Satchel Paige finally came in at the end to put out the fire, going 4 innings with “only” 2 bases on balls.
Lemon then faced the same Senators team on June 8, pitching a complete game.
The truth is that there is no easy way to handle these situations without at least some sort of flexibility. And you’re not going to have any flexibility if you stick stubbornly to the “realism” that real life lineups gives you.
Lineup Flexibility
Have you ever looked at lineups from really old seasons – seasons like 1901?
They’re really remarkable for their consistency. Look at the 1901 Cincinnati Reds, who were last in the National League and a really poor team all around. The Reds used these lineups between August 9 and September 30:
It’s remarkable how consistent these lineups were, especially for a team that kept losing. With only a few exceptions, it looks like Bid McPhee chiseled his lineup card into stone.
And this isn’t an issue with just one team in 1901. Look at the Milwaukee Brewers for another example:
I went through a bunch of old newspapers a few years back to create matrixes of lineups and transactions for all MLB teams in 1900, 1901, and 1902. I learned early on that I was pretty safe simply copying lineups from one game to the next on most occasions.
Now, this can be helpful if you are doing a replay, since you don’t really need to think about anything. Just do what Hugh Duffy did: stick the same boys in the same places every day regardless of the results.
But is that fun? Are you really playing the game? Wouldn’t you want to at least look at a player’s performance and make a change?
Your mileage may vary – but I personally prefer giving myself the freedom to actually manage.
Intangibles
The hardest thing to describe is the connection you make with players when you actually manage the team yourself.
The ease of computer replays has created a baseball replay culture filled with autoplaying, real-life lineups, and computer-controlled in-game action. And, frankly, it’s lacking in feeling.
There’s no better way to get a feel for how a player actually played than trying to customize his usage to get the best out of him. It can be a challenge to do realistically, without exploiting September wonders like the 1998 Shane Spencer. However, the mere act of thinking about the problem gives you a stronger connection to the players than pushing a button and having the computer insert the “official” lineup.
Counterfactuals
If Joe Gordon is hitting poorly in your 1949 replay, don’t you want to have the freedom to take him out? Would the Indians have been more competitive if they gave Bobby Avila more at-bats instead? You’ll never know if you stick stubbornly to real-life lineups.
What if you’re replaying the 1964 Phillies? History has been particularly unkind to Gene Mauch for his starting pitcher selection down the stretch. I don’t see how anybody could resist the temptation to fix his mistakes.
The 1948 Boston Red Sox played a one-game playoff with the Cleveland Indians to decide the American League champion. Boston started Denny Galehouse on the mound, a 36-year-old who was in the decline phase of his career, and who left the game after 3 poorly pitched innings. If faced with the same situation, would you still use Galehouse, or would you use Mel Parnell, who would have had 4 days of rest and was in his pitching prime?
Nothing makes your replay come alive more than actually managing the lineups yourself.
Forum Roundup
Mark Ruckhaus still can’t get the 1959 Kansas City Athletics to win a game.