OOTP 17 Fifty Greatest Teams In MLB History Tournament

[Gosens6]

With the new exhibition game option in OOTP 17, I thought it would be fun to do a huge, 50 team tournament to decide the top team in MLB History.

Obviously, teams will be subjective, and they're seeded from first to worst. (Side note: I used a Bleacher Report article for the top 50 teams. Bleacher Report's Official Rankings of the 50 Greatest Teams in MLB History | Bleacher Report . Yell at them if you don't like the seedings lol)

Now, 50 teams is a lot of teams, but this should be fun. First i'll post the teams that will be receiving a first round bye, the best of the best. Remember, these are seedings based on the article above, and the top teams are getting a first round bye...

Teams Receiving 1st Round Bye

1.) 1927 Yankees
8.) 1970 Orioles
9.) 1984 Tigers
4.) 1998 Yankees
13.) 1905 Giants
5.) 1929 Athletics
12.) 1976 Reds
2.) 1939 Yankees
7.) 1902 Pirates
10.) 1907 Cubs
3.) 1975 Reds
14.) 1986 Mets
6.) 1961 Yankees
11.) 1932 Yankees

5 Yankees teams are in the best of the best and receive a first round bye. There's a good chance one of those teams could go on to win the whole thing. Now, let's take a look at the first round matchups!

32.) 1973 Athletics
33.) 1999 Yankees

16.)1942 Cardinals
49.) 1983 Orioles

17.) 1909 Pirates
48.) 2008 Phillies

25.) 1967 Cardinals
40.) 1957 Braves

24.) 1910 Athletics
41.) 2002 Angels

29.) 1993 Blue Jays
36.) 1908 Cubs

20.) 1906 Cubs
45.) 1934 Cardinals

28.) 2005 White Sox
37.) 1941 Yankees

21.) 2004 Red Sox
44.) 1989 Athletics

31.) 1995 Indians
34.) 1954 Giants

15.) 1955 Dodgers
50.) 1994 Expos

18.) 1954 Indians
47.) 1969 Orioles

26.) 1969 Mets
39.) 2001 Mariners

23.) 1928 Yankees
42.) 1966 Orioles

30.) 1923 Yankees
35.) 2007 Red Sox

19.) 1995 Braves
46.) 1931 Athletics

27.) 1968 Tigers
38.) 1912 Red Sox

22.) 1963 Dodgers
43.) 1904 Giants

Very interesting 1st round matchups in here. Should create for some classic moments on the diamond!

When the games are played out, i'll be using modern day MLB settings.

Tell us your predictions, what matchups you're excited to see the most, and who you think will win!

Also, if you feel any teams got snubbed, i'll gather a list here and run a Tournament Of Snubs afterwards.

But for now, let's find out who the best of all time is!

[Gosens6]

First Round 1 Matchup! (Best Of 3)

1999 Yankees

Record: 98-64 (11-1 in postseason, won World Series)

Run Differential: +169

Team ERA: 4.13 (113 ERA+)

Team BA/OBP/SLG: .282/.366/.453 (110 OPS+)

Though not nearly as dominant as the 1998 team from a statistical standpoint, the 1999 Yankees had little trouble bringing home the team's third title in four years. They were 11-1 in the playoffs and outscored the Atlanta Braves 21-9 in a World Series sweep.

Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, Paul O'Neill and Derek Jeter each topped the 100-RBI mark, while Orlando Hernandez (17-9, 4.12 ERA) had the best season of his career atop the staff and Mariano Rivera (45 SV, 1.83 ERA) continued to dominate in the ninth.

VS.

1973 Athletics

Record: 94-68 (7-5 in postseason, won World Series)

Run Differential: +143

Team ERA: 3.29 (109 ERA+)

Team BA/OBP/SLG: .260/.333/.389 (108 OPS+)


The A's pulled off a three-peat from 1972 to 1974, but the 1973 group is considered to be the best of the bunch, as the rotation featured three 20-game winners and the offense led the AL in runs scored.

Vida Blue (20-9, 3.28 ERA), Ken Holtzman (21-13, 2.97 ERA) and Catfish Hunter (21-5, 3.34 ERA) gave the team three aces, and Hall of Fame closer Rollie Fingers (22 SV, 1.92 ERA) was there to slam the door.

Offensively, Reggie Jackson (.914 OPS, 32 HR, 117 RBI), Sal Bando (.873 OPS, 29 HR, 98 RBI) and Gene Tenace (.830 OPS, 24 HR, 84 RBI) led the way, while Bill North (53 SB) and Bert Campaneris (34 SB) set the table.

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Looks like we have a case of dominate pitching (A's) vs. incredible power offense (Yankees) New York is no slouch on the mound, though. So I'm looking for an incredibly pitched 3 game series between the two teams.

Game 1: David Cone (12-9) 3.44 ERA Vs. Ken Holtzman (21-13) 2.97 ERA

Game 2: Orlando Hernandez (17-9) 4.12 ERA Vs. Vida Blue (20-9) 3.28 ERA


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[Caulfield]

I've got to be brutally honest here. I firmly believe th 2003 Detroit Tigers would sweep the 1927 Yankees in a 7 game series. As for whats on the table here, my money is on the '86 Mets. If a team pre-1960 won IRL I'd be stunned. But since OOTP cannot take into account the intangible variables that present day strength and conditioning affords, the '27 Yanks winning it all on paper wouldnt surprise me. All that said I'll root for the '75 Big Red Machine and the 1995 Atlanta Braves.

[Gosens6]

1999 Yankees Vs. 1973 Athletics 1st Round Matchup! (Best Of 3)

Game 1 Recap

Coming into this series, I expected strong pitching from both sides, but i knew there was a chance for the offenses to spark, and spark did they ever in game 1.

The Yankees came out swinging, literally, scoring 8 runs in the first 5 innings. A couple of clutch 2 out RBIs, and a 3 run HR from Chili Davis in the 5th had the Yankees sitting pretty headed to the 6th inning. The A's had different plans.

In the 6th, A's catcher Gene Tenance launched a 2 run HR over the Yankee stadium wall to get the A's within 6 runs. After a silent 7th, two more 2 run home runs, one in the 8th and another in the 9th off of perenial closer, Mariano Rivera brought the A's to within 2 runs. Unfortunately for them,Allen Watson emerged from the Yankees pen, struck out the last 2 A's and sent the Yankees home winners of a fun game 1.



Game 2 Recap

If game 1 was the Yankees from the opening inning, you could say the same thing in reverse for game 2. The A's came out hot due in large part to a 3 run HR from Reggie Jackson off Roger Clemens in the top of the 3rd. Deron Johnson added a 2 run HR in the 5th, and that would be all she wrote for Roger Clemens.

Vida Blue kept the Yankees bats in order most of the game, pitching 7 innings and allowing 3 runs on 6 hits. A's kept the Yankees off the board after the 6th inning and set up a deciding game 3 in the Bronx!


Game 3 Recap!

Game 3 was all about pitching. After all the fireworks of game 1, not many people would have predicted the final game of the series to be so offensively handicapped.

Orlando Hernandez pitched the game of his life for the Bombers. Allowing 1 run on 4 hits through 6 innings while striking out 8. The lone run for the A's came on a Reggie Jackson 2 out RBI in the 3rd. The Yankees got contributions from Chili Davis, Bernie Williams and Paul O'Neil driving in the Yankees 3 runs for the victory.

The 73 A's put on a valiant fight in the series, but the Yankees offense and their timely pitching show why they were the slightly higher seed in this matchup.


Up Next: While the 73 A's are going home, the 99 Yankees find themselves up against a tough foe in the next round. The #1 overall seed 1927 New York Yankees...

1999 New York Yankees Win Series 2-1

Series MVP: Chili Davis

[Gosens6]

First Round Matchup (Best Of 3)

1983 Baltimore Orioles

Record: 98-64 (7-2 in postseason, won World Series)

Run Differential: +147

Team ERA: 3.63 (109 ERA+)

Team BA/OBP/SLG: .269/.340/.421 (111 OPS+)

The 1983 Baltimore Orioles claimed the team's first World Series title since 1970, and they have not won one since, only reaching the postseason three times in the past 30 years. The Orioles dominated in '83 though, going 7-2 in the playoffs and besting the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 in the World Series.

Eddie Murray (.930 OPS, 33 HR, 111 RBI) had one of the better seasons of his Hall of Fame career, and a 22-year-old Cal Ripken (.888 OPS, 27 HR, 102 RBI) took home AL MVP honors in just his second season.

The rotation lacked star power, but the trio of Scott McGregor (18-7, 3.18 ERA), Mike Boddicker (16-8, 2.77 ERA) and Storm Davis (13-7, 3.59 ERA) did more than enough, and the team ranked second in the AL in ERA.

Vs.

1942 St. Louis Cardinals

Record: 106-48 (4-1 in postseason, won World Series)

Run Differential: +275

Team ERA: 2.55 ERA (135 ERA+)

Team BA/OBP/SLG: .268/.338/.379 (103 OPS+)

After edging out the Brooklyn Dodgers for the NL pennant by just two games, the 1942 Cardinals won the first of what would be three World Series titles in five years when they topped the New York Yankees 4-1.

A 21-year-old Stan Musial (.888 OPS, 10 HR, 72 RBI) joined fellow Hall of Famer Enos Slaughter (.906 OPS, 13 HR, 98 RBI) with solid numbers in the middle of the lineup, and they led the NL in runs scored and batting average.

NL MVP Mort Cooper (22-7, 1.78 ERA) and Johnny Beazley (21-6, 2.13 ERA) were the real story, though, as they both had fantastic seasons to help the team to a dazzling 2.55 ERA that was also best in the NL.

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[ChubbyBanana]

This is some fascinating stuff Gosens. I look forward to seeing the results.