Challenge: Beat my "S"

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

There are many letters in the alphabet represented by the last names of over twenty-five Mets. I challenge you to come up with a better 25-man squad taken from any one letter than my all-powerful “S” team, featuring of course, the Mets' best pitcher and hitter. I’m a little heavy on slow corner OFers and starting pitching, a little light in the middle infield, but it’s quite the squad. Some of you have larger pools of talent to choose from but you’ll never beat my chosen team.. Try if you dare.

[u:8cbc12fc44]Starting lineup......................Backup[/u:8cbc12fc44]

Samuel, 2b……………………
Snider, CF ……………………Shinjo
Singleton LF………………….Shamsky
Strawberry RF ……………….Swoboda
Stearns C……….…………….Sasser
Staub, 1B……………………..Segui
C. Smith, 3B
Santana, SS…………………..Schofield

Seaver, SP
Saberhagen, SP
B. Shaw SP
Stone SP
Scott SP

Swan
Selma
Seo
Sadecki,

Sanders RP
Sisk RP


Here's a link to the UMDB rosters page: http://www.leaptoad.com/mets/roster.php
so you can assemble your puny squads. Haw, haw, haw.

[nymr83]

the Mighty M team

c Brent Mayne
1b Eddie Murray, Ryan Mcguire, Doug Mientkiewicz
2b Kaz Matsui
3b Melvin Mora, Joe McEwing
ss Kevin Mitchell
rf Kevin McReynolds
cf Willy Mays, Brian Mcrae
lf Lee Mazzilli

sp Pedro Martinez, Dave Mlicki, Josias Manzanillo, Pat Mahomes

rp Tug Mcgraw, Randy Myers, Roger McDowell, Greg McMichael, Orber Moreno, Mike Maddux

i'm sure i'm missing people, i love the bullpen....my 4-man rotation stinks, the lineup is ok

[HahnSolo]

I won't beat you, but my Hs, led by captain Don Hahn, might give you a run for your money:

1b: Keith Hernandez
2b: Ron Hunt
SS: Bud Harrelson
3b: Jim Hickman
LF: Rickey Henderson
CF: Darryl Hamilton
RF: Steve Henderson
C: Todd Hundley

SP: Mike Hampton
SP: Pete Harnisch
SP: Aaron Heilman
SP: Orel Hershiser

RP: Doug Henry
RP: Jay Hook
RP: Roberto Hernandez
RP: Eric Hillman
RP: Tom Hausman

Bench:
Lenny Harris
Danny Heep
Butch Huskey
Ron Hodges
Clint Hurdle
Don Hahn
Jason Hardtke
Richard Hidalgo


[edited to add Hausman, Hardtke, and Hidalgo]
edited #2 to add Rickey and make other adjustments]

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Um, I think your captain's sitting on the bench with Hidalgo there. And I don't think Steve's your Henderson of choice.

OE 1: Where's your lineup? OE 2: Both of you. This is part of the fun.


OE 3: Where'd Grover go? This is fun, putting up edits that show up even though I'm the last poster in the thread.

OE 4: Gro-o-o-o-over? Where are you, you little cloth-based unctuous busybody who I wouldn't wipe my ass with (unless I was really desperate)?

[HahnSolo]

Hey, it's not easy putting this team together so quickly. I did forget about Rickey. So if I may, I'll add him to the starting lineup in left, put Hamilton in center, move Hahn to the bench, and waive bye-bye to Anderson Hernandez.

If I had to do my Game One lineup, it would be:

Rickey Henderson, LF
Ron Hunt, 2B
Keith Hernandez, 1B
Todd Hundley, C
Jim Hickman, 3B
Steve Henderson, RF
Darryl Hamilton, CF
Bud Harrelson, SS
Mike Hampton, P

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

The B's have a pretty strong lineup & bench but need help in the starting rotation :

Brett Butler ... CF (Backup: (backup: Daryl Boston)
Wally Backman ... 2B (Backup: Ken Boswell)
Carlos Beltran .... LF (backup: Bruce Boisclair)
Bobby Bonilla ... 1B (backup: Rico Brogna)
Jeromy Burnitz....RF (backup: Derek Bell)
Hubie Brooks ... 3B (backup: Tim Bogar)
Bruce Bochy .... C (Backup: Butch Benton)
Ed Bressoud .... SS (backup:


Rotation:
Kris Benson
Bruce Berenyi
Brian Buchanan
Paul Byrd
Blaine Beatty

Bullpen:
Armando Benitz
Larry Bearnarth
Ricky Bottalico
Heath Bell
Rigo Beltran

Manager: Yogi Berra

[Benjamin Grimm]

Each of the above teams can have alphabetically appropriate managers, too. The H's have three to choose from: Howe, Howard, and Harrelson. (Slim pickings, though. I'd probably go with Big Frank.)

[HahnSolo]

Since I have Buddy at Shortstop, let's go with Frank Howard as our skipper.

[seawolf17]

Let's take a look at the Met-C's Opening Day lineup:

LF Vince Coleman
CF Mike Cameron
1B Donn Clendenon
C Gary Carter
3B Ed Charles
RF Joe Christopher
SS Elio Chacon
2B Kelvin Chapman
SP David Cone

PH- Roger Cedeno OF
PH- Mark Carreon OF
PH- Choo Choo Coleman C
PH- Miguel Cairo IF
PH- Tony Clark 1B
PH- Kevin Collins IF

The rest of the pitching staff:
SP- Roger Craig
SP- Galen Cisco
SP- Don Cardwell
SP- Mark Clark
CL- Dennis Cook
RP- Eric Cammack
RP- Buzz Capra
RP- Jaime Cerda
RP- Mardie Cornejo
RP- Galen Cisco

I wanted to take Choo Choo, but I couldn't need a third catcher. Chuck Carr got left back as well. Kevin Collins got the 25th spot over a handful of outfielders because we needed another middle infielder.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I think once you get past the S's 2 front starters, they'd be easy to beat. I'll take my chances with the B's but if I had to name a favorite of those so far, the H's are plenty tough.

[nymr83]

Johnny Dickshot wrote: I think once you get past the S's 2 front starters, they'd be easy to beat. I'll take my chances with the B's but if I had to name a favorite of those so far, the H's are plenty tough.

the S team actually left out Warren Spahn....i guess he was trying to go only by how good they were as a Met?

[Guest Edgy DC]

John Mitchell is the fifth starter for the M's.

They might do well to put Roy McMillan at short and Kevin Mitchell at third, using McE and Melvin for bench strength, along with Because McKnight.

[Benjamin Grimm]

McMillan would be a player-manager for the M's. The C's will have to be skippered by Mike Cubbage.

[nymr83]

yeah i suppose Mitchell is the next starter, if we're going by "as a met" stats then you're right about the position changes but if Mora's years in Baltimore count i'd rather keep him in the lineup

[Guest Edgy DC]

The S's by Stengel and H's get a choice between Frank Howard and Buddy Harrelson.

[Benjamin Grimm]

And Art Howe. Or are you trying to forget him?

[Theoldmole]

Yes.

[Guest Edgy DC]

And hey Zeus! Gil Hodges!

H is looking good.

[Theoldmole]

This team can give a run on pitching. Our rotation:

Dwight Gooden, Gary Gentry, Tom Glavine, Bob Gibson
C -- Jerry Grote
1B - Tom Grieve (this team begins to buckle slightly)
2B - Brian Giles
SS - Ron Gardenhire (he can manage the team, too, since the other alternative is so ghastly)
3B - Wayne Garrett
LF - Bernard Gilkey
CF- Jim Gosger
RF - Rod Gaspar

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Uh, you might want to check out the melanin content on your Bob Gibson there...

Also, I'm not sure about batting Gardy cleanup and Grote leadoff.

[HahnSolo]

How could I have forgotten Gil Hodges as the manager of my H team? To think I was ready to go into battle with big Frank Howard as my skipper.

[seawolf17]

Wow. The "G" who's played the most games at first base for the Mets? Mike Glavine. Yikes. That's a big hole in the lineup.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I can't believe I remembered Art Howe but forgot Gil Hodges.

I feel like such a newbie.

Dallas Green would manage the G's.

[seawolf17]

Let's try the meTs:

1b - Marv Throneberry
2b - Tim Teufel
3b/mgr - Joe Torre
ss - Frank Taveras
c - Alex Trevino
lf - Frank Thomas
cf - Ryan Thompson
rf - Bubba Trammell

ph - Pat Tabler OF
ph - Jorge Toca 1B
ph - Hawk Taylor C
ph - Garry Templeton SS
ph - George Theodore OF

sp - Frank Tanana
sp - Kevin Tapani
sp - Steve Trachsel
sp - Walt Terrell
sp - John Thomson

rp - Shingo Takatsu
rp - Jeff Tam
rp - Dr. Ron Taylor
rp - Mike Torrez
rp - Chuck Taylor
rp - Dave Telgheder

cl - Billy Taylor

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

"W" is for win. Which this team may have trouble doing with their starting rotation, but our bullpen is pretty deep, though we lack a LOOGY.

Lineup
Mookie Wilson CF
Claudell Washington LF
David Wright 3B
Preston Wilson RF
Ty Wigginton 2B
Chris Woodward 1B
Vance Wilson C
Al Weiss SS

Bench
Chico Walker Inf.
Gene Woodling OF
Gerald Williams OF - PR
Herm Winningham OF
Rick Wilkins C

Rotation
Paul Wilson RHP
David West LHP
Wally Whitehurst RHP
Carl Willey RHP

Bullpen
Pete Walker RHP
Billy Wynne RHP
Rick White RHP
Dan Wheeler RHP
David Weathers RHP
Turk Wendell RHP

I guess I could have found a spot for Allen Watsonin the bullpen to serve as the LOOGY, but I think I'd rather take my chances with most of the righties stockpiled in in the pen.

[MFS62]

Mr. Solo,
I'll take a wild guess and say you must not have seen Jim Hickman (try to) play third base.
I'd have put Butch Huskey there over Hickman, and that says it all.

Later

[Theoldmole]

Well, Gibby did coach for us, but I guess I can't count that, or I'd have to give the H team Rogers Hornsby.

[Theoldmole]

]Dallas Green would manage the G's.

Not my G's.

[HahnSolo]

]Mr. Solo, I'll take a wild guess and say you must not have seen Jim Hickman (try to) play third base. I'd have put Butch Huskey there over Hickman, and that says it all.

You would be correct on point one. I'll take your word on it. He must have been bad to be a worse third baseman than Butch Huskey. Wow, that's hard to fathom.

[HahnSolo]

And introducing the coaching staff for my Hs.

Manager: Gil Hodges
First Base Coach: Frank Howard
Third Base Coach: Whitey Herzog
Bench Coach: Rogers Hornsby
Pitching Coach: Charlie Hough
Bullpen Coach: Vern Hoscheit