December 2018 Vol.1 No.

MANAGERS DDBB FACEOFF

Not affiliated with Digital Diamond Baseball

Why these Managers?

Editor Slats Murphy takes a look
at how the participating
Managers were chosen,
and how we settled on
these eight
Opening-Day Rosters for all 8 teams

Managers Battle for Title

Top Row: Sparky Andersen, Carlos Tosca, Casey Stengel, Walter Alston
Bottom Row: Ralph Houk, Luke Appling, Tom Kelly, Billy Jurges
2 January 2019 slatsmurphy.com
ROSTERS
Alston’s
Brooklyn Bums
Gentile, Jim 1B
Hodges, Gil 1B,LF,RF,3B...
Gilliam, Jim 2B,LF,RF,CF
Zimmer, Don 2B,SS,3B
Hoak, Don 3B
Robinson, Jackie 3B,LF,2B,1B,RF
Neal, Charlie SS,2B,3B
Campanella, Roy C
Howell, Dixie C
Roseboro, Johnny C,1B
Snider, Duke CF
Amoros, Sandy LF,CF,RF
Valo, Elmer LF,RF
Furillo, Carl RF,CF,LF
Cimoli, Gino LF,RF,CF
Bessent, Don P
Craig, Roger P
Drysdale, Don P
Erskine, Carl P
Hughes, Jim P
Koufax, Sandy P
Labine, Clem P
Maglie, Sal P
Newcombe, Don P
Podres, Johnny P
Anderson’s
Ambushers
Fielder, Cecil 1B
Perez, Tony 1B,3B
Morgan, Joe 2B
Whitaker, Lou 2B
Phillips, Tony 2B,LF,3B,RF...
Rose, Pete 3B,RF,1B,CF
Trammell, Alan SS,3B,LF,CF
Fryman, Travis SS,3B
Bench, Johnny C,1B,3B,RF...
Parrish, Lance C,1B,RF,LF
Tettleton, Mickey C,1B,RF,LF
Lemon, Chet CF,RF
Foster, George LF,CF,RF,1B
Gibson, Kirk RF,CF,LF
Griffey, Ken RF,CF,LF
Billingham, Jack P
Borbon, Pedro P
Carroll, Clay P
Grimsley, Ross P
Gullett, Don P
Morris, Jack P
Nolan, Gary P
Norman, Fred P
Petry, Dan P
Tanana, Frank P
Appling’s
Apples
Harrelson, Ken 1B
Cater, Danny 1B,3B,LF
Webster, Ray 1B,LF,RF
Chavarria, Ossie 2B,3B,SS,LF,RF
Donaldson, John 2B,SS
Campaneris, Bert SS
Kubiak, Ted SS,2B,3B
Charles, Ed 3B
Roof, Phil C
Suarez, Ken C
Talton, Tim C,1B
Monday, Rick CF,LF
Gosger, Jim LF,CF,RF
Repoz, Roger LF,CF,RF
Hershberger, Mike RF,LF
Aker, Jack P
Dobson, Chuck P
Krausse, Lew P
Lauzerique, George P
Lindblad, Paul P
Nash, Jim P
Pierce, Tony P
Segui, Diego P
Stafford, Bill P
Hunter, Catfish P,1B
Back to first page
Houk’s
Heroes
Mantle, Mickey 1B,CF,RF,LF
Remy, Jerry 2B
Clarke, Horace 2B,SS,3B
Boggs, Wade 3B,1B,LF
Trammell, Alan SS
Kubek, Tony SS,LF,CF
Tresh, Tom SS,LF,CF,3B
Gedman, Rich C
Howard, Elston C,1B
Munson, Thurman C,RF
Murcer, Bobby CF,RF,3B,SS
Rice, Jim LF
White, Roy LF,RF,CF,3B,2B
Evans, Dwight RF
Maris, Roger RF,CF
Bahnsen, Stan P
Bouton, Jim P
Downing, Al P
Ford, Whitey P
Hamilton, Steve P
Hiller, John P
McDaniel, Lindy P
Peterson, Fritz P
Stottlemyre, Mel P
Terry, Ralph P
Back to first page slatsmurphy.com January 2019 3
ROSTERS
Jurge’s Kelly’s Stengel’s Tosca’s
Jokers Killers Stallions Tornadoes
Wertz, Vic 1B Hrbek, Kent 1B,3B Skowron, Bill 1B,3B,2B Delgado, Carlos 1B
Runnels, Pete 1B,3B Coomer, Ron 1B,3B,RF Collins, Joe 1B,RF,LF,CF Phelps, Josh 1B,DH
Gernert, Dick 1B,LF,RF Molitor, Paul 1B,DH McDougald, Gil 2B,3B,SS Hudson, Orlando 2B
Avila, Bobby 2B Knoblauch, Chuck 2B,SS,CF Coleman, Jerry 2B,SS,3B Berg, Dave 2B,1B,3B,SS...
Green, Pumpsie 2B,SS Gagne, Greg SS,2B,CF,3B,RF Carey, Andy 3B,SS,2B,LF Menechino, Frank 2B,SS,3B,P
Buddin, Don SS Meares, Pat SS,CF,RF Rizzuto, Phil SS,2B Hinske, Eric 3B
Malzone, Frank 3B Gaetti, Gary 3B,1B,SS,LF,2B Frey, Lonny SS,2B,3B,CF Woodward, Chris SS,2B,1B,3B
Nixon, Russ C Koskie, Corey 3B,RF Kubek, Tony SS,3B,LF,CF... Myers, Greg C
Pagliaroni, Jim C Pierzynski, A.J. C Howard, Elston C,1B,LF,RF Zaun, Gregg C
White, Sammy C Harper, Brian C,1B,3B,RF,LF Berra, Yogi C,RF,LF,1B,3B Wilson, Tom C,1B,RF,LF
Tasby, Willie CF Puckett, Kirby CF,RF,LF,2B... DiMaggio, Joe CF,1B Wells, Vernon CF,RF
Thomson, Bobby CF,LF,1B,RF Mack, Shane LF,CF,RF Mantle, Mickey CF,RF,SS,3B,2B Stewart, Shannon LF
Geiger, Gary CF,RF,LF Gladden, Dan LF,CF,RF,P... Woodling, Gene LF,RF Catalanotto, Frank LF,RF,1B
Williams, Ted LF Cordova, Marty LF,RF,CF Bauer, Hank RF,LF,C Jr Cruz, Jose LF,RF,CF
Jensen, Jackie RF,CF Lawton, Matt RF,LF,CF Duren, Ryne P Johnson, Reed RF,LF,CF
Baumann, Frank P Aguilera, Rick P Ford, Whitey P Bush, David P
Brewer, Tom P Anderson, Allan P Grim, Bob P Carpenter, Chris P
Chittum, Nelson P Blyleven, Bert P Lopat, Ed P Chacin, Gustavo P
Delock, Ike P Erickson, Scott P Raschi, Vic P Escobar, Kelvim P
Fornieles, Mike P Morris, Jack P Reynolds, Allie P Frasor, Jason P
Kiely, Leo P Radke, Brad P Sain, Johnny P Halladay, Roy P
Monbouquette, Bill P Reardon, Jeff P Turley, Bob P Lilly, Ted P
Stallard, Tracy P Swindell, Greg P Tobin, Jim P,1B Lopez, Aquilino P
Sullivan, Frank P Tapani, Kevin P Shantz, Bobby P,CF Politte, Cliff P
Wilson, Earl P Viola, Frank P Mungo, Van P,RF Walker, Pete P
4 January 2019 slatsmurphy.com
Back to first page Back to first page
Let’s Play Some Old-Time baseball!
So here we are, ready to kick-off the first
Managers Faceoff, using DDBB as our game
engine to decide the results.
We decided to have eight managers/eight
teams in the first tourney. All the players are
represented by their actual statistics while play-
ing for each manager.
As a result, there sometime will be the
same-named player on more than one team.
But even though the name is the same, the way
that player performed for the specific manager
in question is different.
For instance, Jack Aker pitched for both
Ralph Houk and Lou Appling. For Houk, Aker
had an actual ERA of 2.23 while for Jurges it
was 4.30.
For Houk, Aker allowed 161 hits in 197.1
inning pitched; for Jurges, Aker allowed 87 hits
in 88 innings pitched.
One other example: Mark Fidrych was
27-13 when pitching under Ralph Houk; he was
2-6 under Sparky Anderson.
For Houk, Fidrych threw 33 complete
games in 43 starts. For Anderson, he had one
complete game in 13 starts. His ERA for Houk
was 2.47, compared to 6.86 under Anderson.
The story is the same throughout the league.
On those occasions where a player saw ma-
jor-league time under more than one manager,
their statistics for each were usually very differ-
ent.
All of the players who played for each man-
ager were included in the library, regardless of
where it was. Casey Stengel, for instance, had
managed the Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Bees,
the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets.
As a result, Stengel had 441 players in
the library. Luke Appling, on the other hand,
managed the Oakland A’s for only 40 games in
1967; thus, he had only 39 players in the library.
Regardless of the number from which to
choose, 25 players were chosen for the Opening
Day roster on each team. For the most part, this
was done by eWAR as computed by DDBB.
There were a few exceptions, based mostly on
positions played.
HOW THEY WERE CHOSEN
Some of the managerial choices were pretty
obvious. Five of them are Casey Stengel, Wal-
ter Alston, Ralph Houk, Tom Kelly and Sparky
Anderson.
Each one of them ranks with the most suc-
cessful managers in the history of the game. As
such, they seemed to be shoo-ins.
The remaining three, however, were includ-
ed for not-so-obvious reasons.
Billy Jurges was an easy choice, for one
pretty-selfish reason. Some years ago, at an
exhibition game in Fort Myers, Jurge’s widow
sat beside me.
Throughout the game, she told me endless
stories of how poorly the Red Sox had treated
Jurges.
Researching the subject decades later, it
appeared Jurges may have had a point.
The Red Sox told him to take a three-week
slatsmurphy.com January 2019 5
vacation, citing health worries, at the beginning
of June. The Red Sox, later that night, told the
people at Fenway Park that Jurges would not be
back.
Jurges had some decent players under him
at Boston, and his team is included here as a
personal desire.
Carlos Tosca had 18 minor-league seasons
of managerial experience when he was named
manager of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2002.
There were three first-place finishes during his
years in the organizations of the Yankees, Roy-
als and Marlins.
Tosca had also served as bench coach for
the Arizona Diamondbacks before being named
to the Toronto position.
He was there for less than three complete
years.
Our third “surprise” contestant is Luke Ap-
pling, mainly because he was a Hall-of-Famer
given the grand opportunity to manager the
1967 Kansas City Athletics.
Appling took over the A’s for 40 games
when Alvin Dark was fired as manager. Ap-
pling had been told by A’s owner Charles Fin-
ley that he was only an interim manager who
woul not return next year.
Appling complied with those wishes by
producing a 10-30 record, overseeing a team
that was very upset by Dark’s firing and was
largely at-odds with Finley.