Earlier this year I added to my prior methodology and ranked the top 128 MLB teams of all time again.
I've created a bracket, largely following the ranking but sliding seeds to avoid an organization matching up in the first two rounds or teams from the same season in the first two rounds. Not dividing by league, just the 128 best teams ever (actually, just the World Series era).
Last time I did this, I used three different WAR metrics to choose winners; here, I'm going to use the What If Sports simulation engine.
Round 1 will be a best of 3 series; higher seed gets the home field advantage.
Let's take a look at the first of 8 regions.
Region One
1. 1939 World Champion New York Yankees
v.
128. 1979 AL Champion Baltimore Orioles
-It's 24 year old Joe DiMaggio leading a 6 Hall of Fame NYY squad against a 23 year old Eddie Murray and his Orioles team that lost to the Pirates in the Series.
64. 1931 AL Champion Philadelphia Athletics
v.
65. 1984 World Champion Detroit Tigers
-5 Hall of Famers on this A's team including Lefty Grove who went 31-4. They take on a Tiger team that went 7-1 in the postseason.
32. 2007 World Champion Boston Red Sox
v.
97. 1977 World Champion New York Yankees
-David Ortiz will, one assumes, make the Hall of Fame, but if Schilling and Manny don't ever get in, he could be the only member of the '07 Sox to get in. They meet their historic rivals; The Bronx Zoo - Billy, Reggie, George and the '77 Yankees.
33. 1943 NL Champion St Louis Cardinals
v.
96. 1908 New York Giants
-22 year old Stan Musial leads the Cards against the first team in the field not to make the postseason, the 98 win second place Giants.
16. 1975 World Champion Cincinnati Reds
v.
113. 1934 World Champion St Louis Cardinals
-Here's Joe Morgan's slashline from '75: .327/.466/.508; his Big Red Machine takes on a Cardinal squad with 7 Hall of Famers.
49. 1941 World Champion New York Yankees
v.
80. 1911 NL Champion New York Giants
-30 year old Christy Mathewson takes his 1.99 ERA into battle against DiMaggio's second team in this region.
17. 1929 World Champion Philadelphia Athletics
v.
112. 1997 NL East Champion Atlanta Braves
-Connie Mack's second team in this region meets the 101 win Braves team that lost the NLCS to the Marlins.
48. 1935 World Champion Detroit Tigers
v.
81. 1943 World Champion New York Yankees
Mickey Cochrane's in this region with the A's and also as the player/manager with this Tiger team; he takes on the 4th Yankee team in this group.
