OT: MVC basketball schools' all-time baseball team

[electricmayhem]

Guys... a little Sunday fun!

I had put this together for a feature for a newspaper, and it never got picked up. It probably doesn't belong in this forum, but it involves only current Valley basketball schools and I wanted you guys to see it.

This is the all-time baseball team from current Valley hoops schools - feel free to point out omissions or absurd picks. This 25-man roster is based on Major League success, not college achievements:

C - Scott Servais, CU

1B - Ryan Howard, MSU

2B - Jamey Carroll, UE

SS - Clint Barmes, INSU

3B - Bill Mueller, MSU

OF - Kirby Puckett, BU - Joe Carter, WSU - Steve Finley, SIU

Bench - Casey Blake, WSU - Daryl Spencer, WSU - Bill Tuttle, BU - Duane Josephson, UNI - Jerry Hairston Jr., SIU - Mike Lansing, WSU

SP - Bob Gibson, CU - Claude Hendrix, WSU - Dave Stieb, SIU - Andy Benes, UE - Zane Smith, INSU

RP - Dennis Rasmussen, CU - Shawn Marcum, MSU - Lee Strange, DU - Matt Herges, ILSU - Brad Ziegler, MSU - Eddie Watt, UNI

[Da Coach]

Interesting list. Quite a few who I am not familiar with.


Here are lists of every Major League Baseball player from each of the current 10 MVC teams-

http://www.baseball-reference.com/schools/

Bradley (17)

http://www.baseball-reference.com/schools/index.cgi?key_school=c1fa5b29

Creighton (19)

http://www.baseball-reference.com/schools/index.cgi?key_school=c6cadb80

Drake (2)

http://www.baseball-reference.com/schools/index.cgi?key_school=d06d956f

Evansville (4)

http://www.baseball-reference.com/schools/index.cgi?key_school=6d0bc50f

Illinois State (12)-

http://www.baseball-reference.com/schools/index.cgi?key_school=85e158c2

Indiana State (18 )

http://www.baseball-reference.com/schools/index.cgi?key_school=3c25e954

Missouri State (14)

http://www.baseball-reference.com/schools/index.cgi?key_school=eafb3392

Northern Iowa (4)

http://www.baseball-reference.com/schools/index.cgi?key_school=9735ce73

SIU (26)

http://www.baseball-reference.com/schools/index.cgi?key_school=b356a174

Wichita State (34)

http://www.baseball-reference.com/schools/index.cgi?key_school=3e738345

[tornado]

I am biased, but I think you shortchanged the accomplishments of BU's Brian Shouse - who had one of the longest careers of all the players on your list...
and even tho his 17-year career was punctuated by some minor league stops...
he still appeared in almost 500 MAJOR LEAGUE games (more than many on your list), he had career ERA of 3.72, a career WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 1.3, and was especially brutal against left handed hitters - often going long stretches and holding powerful lefties to well under .200 average...even over his entire career (and only the last half of which he developed his quirky, drop-down motion that was especially hard for lefties) the left handed batters only hit .213 against him.
That made his extremely valuable when the team needed an out in an inning with tough lefties coming up.

Not to disparage, but Herges, for example has roughly the same number of appearances over 11 years, but a higher ERA (3.91) - Herges also gives up way, way more big hits, HR's, HBP, and has three times the losses and giving up the runs that lose your team's games are important!

[electricmayhem]

I am biased, but I think you shortchanged the accomplishments of BU's Brian Shouse - who had one of the longest careers of all the players on your list...
and even tho his 17-year career was punctuated by some minor league stops...
he still appeared in almost 500 MAJOR LEAGUE games (more than many on your list), he had career ERA of 3.72, a career WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 1.3, and was especially brutal against left handed hitters - often going long stretches and holding powerful lefties to well under .200 average...even over his entire career (and only the last half of which he developed his quirky, drop-down motion that was especially hard for lefties) the left handed batters only hit .213 against him.
That made his extremely valuable when the team needed an out in an inning with tough lefties coming up.

Not to disparage, but Herges, for example has roughly the same number of appearances over 11 years, but a higher ERA (3.91) - Herges also gives up way, way more big hits, HR's, HBP, and has three times the losses and giving up the runs that lose your team's games are important!

T - I do love you. Bradley loyal to a fault. Still, I have to offer a few points.

-- I don't disagree that Shouse was an effective pitcher against lefties. Those pesky righties hit him at a .312 clip over his career.

-- True, their ERAs are very similar, but Herges pitched almost double the amount of innings - 691 to 350 - as Shouse.

-- Herges pitched in 10 postseason games, and in 11.1 innings, didn't give up a run. He allowed only 3 hits, and struck out 11. Shouse never pitched in the playoffs... not his fault, but it doesn't help his cause.

I'd love to go with our BU guy here, but due to the number of innings at similar effectiveness, I chose Herges.

I appreciate the feedback - it's all based on opinions anyhow!

GO BRAVES

[wily coyote]

I think you let one slip by you. Mike Dunne was the National league Rookie Pitcher of the year his Rookie year.Also a Silver Metal winner in the 1984 Olmypics. He makes my list.

[Braves4Life]

I think you let one slip by you. Mike Dunne was the National league Rookie Pitcher of the year his Rookie year.Also a Bronze Metal winner in the 1984 Olmypics. He makes my list.

I was about to add Mike as well. I went to high school with him as well and, had he not been in an off season auto accident, he may have had a long and illustrious MLB career -- http://www.bradleybraves.com/ViewArt...&ATCLID=194725

[tornado]

Maybe but I have predicted for 40 years that Chet Walker would be in the HOF and have read and heard hundreds of so-called "expert" opinions that said it would never happen...

I doubt Shousie will ever get on the ballot but he was a very valuable pitcher in his day and did exactly what they asked him to do - and that BA for righties is deceptive because he was rarely ever allowed to face 'em...thus they never hurt him...
There's a reason he had 60-70-and even almost 80 appearances every season until he was 42 years old!
And he did help his team to the post-season but did not appear in Milwaukee's 2008 Divisional Championship Series in perhaps his best season where he was 5-1, ERA 2.81, 69 appearances, only 41 hits allowed, WHIP of just 1.16, and almost 3:1 K/BB ratio
It's expected that few give him credence, as he's a humble man who spends 100% of his free and available time with his own family and volunteering for others, and having played in Texas & Milw. never got much press.

[electricmayhem]

I considered Mike Dunne, but after he was 13-6 in his rookie season, he went 12-24 for the rest of his career and was out of baseball just three years later, save for a cup of coffee with the White Sox in '92. I actually met him some time ago - great person! I wish he had lasted longer in the bigs. He had a good AAA season for the Sox in '92, but never made it back up after they sent him down.

As for Shouse, I respect everybody's opinion, but the facts are the facts.

He faced nearly as many righties (723) as lefties (785) in his career. Because he played in 10 different MLB seasons, he will appear on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2015. T - I know sometimes you fabricate for the fun of it, but Shouse pitched his last game just after his 41st birthday, and had only 45 appearances that season with an ERA of 4.50.

He's probably a super guy, and he was a good major league reliever... and always a Brave!

[tornado]

Mayhem - unfortunately the data you are drawing info from is spotty....and my wording is imprecise.......but you could have used BradleyFans - it's far, far more accurate and thorough...

Brian Shouse was under contract and still considered active until after his 42nd birthday....although I agree he finished pitching in the majors before he turned 42...

Brian Shouse pitched until after his 41st BD then was well over 41 the following spring when he was signed to a conditional contract.....which was due to the Red Sox wanting Tampa Bay to keep paying Brian's major league salary - because as soon as the Red Sox would have signed him to a major league contract then they'd have been responsible for the money they wanted Tampa Bay to have to pay....

He pitched in spring training then the minors in 2010...but when he realized his chances of getting to the majors with a winning team was slim...he decided to hang 'em up...
.......so he played and was under contract until he was almost 42..and didn't actually retire until December 2010 after his 42nd birthday..

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=16977

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/Relief-pitcher-Brian-Shouse-retires-after-21-seasons-120110

[electricmayhem]

I'm not sure why you think baseballreference.com would be spotty. That's where I get my detailed statistical data from. I'm just pointing out your exaggerations...

Let's agree that Brian was a successful major league pitcher and a better human being. He represented the Braves well in the bigs.

[tornado]

because you apparently thought he retired in 2009

[electricmayhem]

because you apparently thought he retired in 2009

I never said he retired in 2009. He played his last major league game in 2009, and therefore, is eligible for the HOF in 2015.

You should have been a lawyer.