The Seamheads Historic League – A Quick Update

Each day brings us closer to now what I’m comfortable calling one of the most ambitious offseason projects involving a baseball simulation.  Why do I call it ambitious?

Here’s why:

• The league was formed thanks to the input of 28 great baseball minds and fans who “drafted” their 40-man rosters from a franchise’s history.
• The schedule is not based on any set schedule in baseball history.  The 154-game, 28-team schedule had to be worked from scratch and then entered into the simulation.
• Each player’s statistics have to be team specific.  No simulation is designed to focus only on a player’s team-specific statistics.  That means that for each player, the statistics have to be formulated specifically for each season.
• The player’s ratings are derived from the player’s statistics.  To create a level playing field, neutralized stats come into play.
• Thanks to the Lahman Database (for the real statistics) and Baseball-Reference  (for the neutralized statistics) a lot of the work is already done.  However, there is still some cutting, pasting, editing and down and dirty data entry to enter each and every player for the league.  With 28 teams and 40 players per team, that’s over 1,000 players that require entry.  As the person doing the bulk of the cutting, pasting, editing and data entry, let me tell you this is no easy task.
• Once the season starts, the team of writers at Seamheads will be reporting on the results.

That being said, we are getting closer than ever to Opening Day.  Hopefully, once all the hard work is done, the payoff will be there and everyone will get their baseball fix.  Until then, here is a list of players that have made it on to more than three rosters.  Yes, expect to see some players square off with each other as over 90 duplicate players fill the 22 of 28 rosters currently submitted with that number surely growing once the last six rosters trickle in. 

Triple Duty Players (9)

Benito Santiago, MARLINS-RAYS / PADRES / GIANTS
Billy Wagner, ASTROS / PHILLIES / METS
Frank Robinson, ORIOLES / REDS /ANGELS
Jimmie Foxx, RED SOX / ATHLETICS / PHILLIES
Mark Loretta, ASTROS / BREWERS / PADRES
Nolan Ryan, ANGELS / ASTROS / RANGERS
Rollie Fingers, ATHLETICS / BREWERS / PADRES
Steve Finley, ASTROS / DIAMONDBACKS-ROCKIES / PADRES
Tony Phillips, ANGELS / ATHLETICS / TIGERS

Quadruple Duty Players (2)

Dave Winfield, ANGELS / YANKEES / TWINS / PADRESGary Sheffield, DODGERS / BREWERS / PADRES / MARLINS-RAYS

More details to come next week and of course, Opening Day coming soon!