Bench Players

[madlock_off_bench]

Aside from the all star teams, I have to rate Bill Madlock as the best bench player in the game.  I realize Ellis Burks is right up there too

[Gantry]

There are quite a few Madlock fans on here, so you will probably have a few people agree with you...

From your first two picks, I'd say you hit better with righties.  I am a lefty-man myself and don't even start Madlock, though I'm in the minority...

Give me Ruppert or give me death...

[madlock_off_bench]

yes, I am a dangerous right handed hitter.  I like to take that outside pitch, especially against pitchers who like to back door me with the breaking ball (which is why I crowd the plate), and yank it either over or through the wall in left.  I find madlock has the strongest wrists in the game.

[Gwynn3k]

madlock has his moments but i am partial to the bo sox corps of righthanded pinch hitters...  one of my favorite lefties off the bench is john kruk... he gets no credit.

[madlock_off_bench]

although not a bench player, i have to give props to Tommy Brookens, who deserves recognition as one of the more underrated players in the game.  the guy is clutch.  

[Big Apple RBI Champ]

Welcome Madlock Off Bench!

I am not on my computer, yet I am logging on as a guest to respond (that alone should put me at Walling level)

I agree with you about Maddog.  He is awesome.  I start him in place of Shitcan Hearndon.  I don't understand why so many people on this site love Pat Sheridan so much.  I would guess he is 0-15 in his career when I use him.  He sucks.

Tommy Brookens is awesome.  He has as much power as anyone (and I mean ANYONE) in the game.

Look back for past discussions of Brookens.

[Gantry]

FYI BigApple, you can login from other PCs, simply click the Login link in the upper-right corner.  Just make sure you logout when you are done...

[Big Apple RBI Champ]

but i think you have to know your password- which is given to me as some nonsensical 15 letter combination e.g. xvrwyulvdfer

either way, i just hit a game winning hr with chili.  it's all GOOD in NYC!

[Gantry]

Good ol' Chili...

And go to your member page to change your password...

[madlock_off_bench]

god damn-  i wish i could play some rbi now.  none of my boys in florida play.  this sucks.  

i just love the little nuances of the game, such as when you get a doink, still throw the guy out and still get charged with an error, the great music including the sound of the off speed pitch, pitching from in front of the mound, the through the wall homer, the natural homer into the lights, the time of game in the center field scoreboard that doesnt keep time correctly, and last but not least, tommy brookens taking you deep when you know you should have walked him to face the pitcher.  

[madlock_off_bench]

rbi champ- by the way, patty sheridan is a streak hitter.  he also has blazing speed- even though he is rated B speed, i think it is more like A.  i once timed him to first base and he was faster than alan trammel, who has A speed.  

[B]

ill put sherridan as the 3rd best hitter off that bench...hes much better than candiace bergman coming of the bench, but mad dog is an absolute beast in the 5 spot and mike heath is a professional hitter....thats all the guy does....if you get to the park early, you see him there...in the cage....taking BP from king (thats all the guy throws).....and its rumored around the league that after each home game....he goes out into RBI stadium....sets up the pitching machine....fires up "Gloria" from the flashdance soundtrack and practices his game winning home run trots

[madlock_off_bench]

how sweet would that be if you could go to Tengen Field during BP, and see the likes of Tommy Brookens launch bombs into the clouds..maybe take a visit into the monuments and see the true legends of the game, like Dale Murphy, Tony Armas, Jim Rice, Juan Berenguer...

and youre right, king does suck, that's why you need at least 6 innings out of morris.  king can only give you one inning.  

[Big Apple RBI Champ]

i'll never find out what kind of speed sheridan has because he never gets on base.  i go with maddog for hearndon and heath for whitaker.

i never used to think fielding mattered, but i batted des plaines lindeman for herr, and lindemann must have made 4 errors in the field that game.  

i never pitch to brookens unless i am under extreme durress (i.e. bases loaded in a tie game, or if the pitcher will obviously be pinch hit for)

as far as bp goes, i've seen gibbie get to the park right at sunrise and hit line drive after line drive for hours on end.  it's like heaven on earth.  what a privilege to see such an artist go about his craft.

[madlock_off_bench]

big apple champ- very interesting that you take shitaker out for heath.  i have a tough time doing that.  i have been know to put in madcock for the tomahawk swinging matty nokes, then bat either bergman or heath in the 5 hole, depending on who's hot.

i like to keep sheridan as my ace in the hole for late pinch hitting situations

[dkshaft]

do other people have uncanny success with Lindeman coming off the bench for SL? i have seen him hit monster clutch shots as a pinch hitter recently. wasnt sure if this was unusual or not?

[Gantry]

Lindeman is a complete stud, he has a ton of power and needs to make that lineup.  Likes the grand slam...

As far as speed go, RBI Manager shows us that Trammel (and Gibby) have a 138 speed while Sheridan has a 134, so Alan is a tad faster.  Though since he is a righty, perhaps Sheridan can make it to first base quicker....

And there are quite a few people who think that pinch-hitters make more BOPs when fielding than starters.  I personally have never noticed, but never paid attention to who is getting the BOPs.  I do know that the pitcher is much more prone to BOPs than the infielders.  We always use the 3rd baseman to field popups to the pitcher...

[madlock_off_bench]

GANTRY- the sound is "Boink" not "Bop"

[Gantry]

I did put boink in the glossary as an alternate name for BOP, so to each their own...

[Burks_for_leadoff]

I know everybody hates the Mets, but I'd take their bench over any in the game.  They have a nice balance of two lefties and two righties, any one of them able to come in cold and get that clutch hit or home run.  Danny Heep has little power but makes good contact; Tim Tuefel hits three run shots with alarming regularity; Ho Jo, who usually gets the start in the 8 spot, is just a great natural lefty hitter; and Mazilli, unpopular with most, is one of my favorite lefty pinch hitters.  Mazilli usually hits a slow grounder to second, but he hits a lot of dingers down the right foul line, and really personifies the great heart of the world champion mets.