1998 New York Yankees
MLB Showdown began in 2000, using stats from 1999. Sadly, that mean that the greatest team in history missed out on the fun. The 1998 Yankees won 114 regular season games and ultimately the World Series, giving them a record 125 wins. Some may argue that other teams (including the 1999 Yankees) were better in some way or another, but numbers don't lie. 125 remains the benchmark for the greatest.
Posada took over as the regular catcher after benching for Girardi in '97. He caught the David Wells perfect game that year while Girardi caught Cone's in '99, which makes for a pretty infamous catching duo. Posada brought decent on-base and a good arm while Girardi has a mouth watering chart (only 1-2 as outs, both putting the ball in play, 3+ hits makes the 6 on-base a worthy tradeoff)
Knoblauch has an ugly 7 on-base for a leadoff hitter, but the speed is there. Later rule sets gave him a more forgiving on-base, but this team I'm enforcing the '00 Showdown setup. Knoblauch's +2 defense leaves much to be desired, but is pretty accurate when you watch his cringe moment in the ALCS. It really holds the infield back from being a near automatic double play roll.
Martinez has the 7 on-base as well, but as his picture suggests, he'll make you pay if he gets the advantage. First basemen can only pull a +1 or 0 at defense, and as the should-have-been winner of the gold glove, his +1 makes perfect sense.
Scott Brosius has the best on-base in the infield, and a perfect +3 defense, and for a end-of-the-order hitter, you can see how he pulled off World Series MVP.
Jeter is Jeter. '98 was the first of many 200 hit seasons for the future hall of famer.
Bernie Williams won the batting title this year and to my dismay, I couldn't find a good picture of him in his shower shoes getting a standing ovation at Yankee Stadium when he clinched it. His 0 defense makes him a questionable start in center, but every fly ball was an adventure for Bernie.
Much like his '00 card, Chad Curtis in '98 is the kind of guy who does very little with the advantage.
O'Neill holds down the 3 hole with a perfect +2 corner outfield defense, average speed and a satisfying chart. He won't be the flashy guy in your lineup, but he'll do everything a winning team needs.
Strawberry's season was kneecapped by his cancer diagnosis. His 14+ homer chart back up his 24 home runs with just 101 games.
There's a future hall of famer on this bench. Yeah, Raines was hurt which explains his underwhelming chart, but between him and Davis, you can't overlook a switch hitter off the bench when you need a baserunner who won't waste his advantage if he can get it.
Homer Bush brings speed, but no way I'd pay that many points for someone who doesn't have more than just a 20 for homers.
Ledee is the *other* rookie who has nice pop. 13+ extra base hits makes the 6 on-base easier to swallow.
I love Luis Sojo, so I'd try to find a place for his defense on my bench. That's about the best you could say for a 5 on-base no power hitter. He did play a little 2B in '98, which was always a more natural position for him, so I'd rather see that on his card. There'd be room, too. Just call it 2B/SS +3.
...And then there's the elephant on the bench. Shane Spencer. With a card that would make McGwire, Bonds, Sosa and every steroid user in the 90's blush. Spencer was a September callup that went on a tear, hitting 10 home runs in just a month. It wasn't a pace he could sustain beyond the season, but since the bot only accounts for your stats in a given calendar year, Spencer is what Spencer is. For comparison, the 2000 Sosa card had a 14+ homer chart, but just a 8 on-base while McGwire that year had a 10 on-base but only a 16+ homer chart...and those two hit over 60 home runs in their season!
The secret to the '98 Yankees was in their pitching. They'd keep you down on the scoreboard while their offense found enough timely hits to pull out wins. For the 2000 Showdown set, your average 3/4 control pitcher would feature 17 walk, 18-19 single and 20 double. This entire rotation laughs at those averages, with 4 of 5 of them giving you 7 innings.
And if you thought you were safe into the bullpen, I have bad news for you. Rivera is his usual hall of fame beast self, a must have at the back of any bullpen. Ramiro Mendoza was always a solid 2IP guy, so a robust 3IP would be a huge plus in the rare instance one of those starters can't go deep into the game. Also, like Williams, Graeme Lloyd and Jeff Nelson aren't using the picture I'd prefer for either of them. I wanted a good shot of them going after Armando Benitez in that infamous brawl. Also there was that amazing punch Strawberry threw.
Manager
As a bonus, I figured I'd add some super season variants of Joe Torre and the coaching staff. Joe was MVP in 1971, so why not see what he and those side burns would look like in Showdown?
Bench Coach
Hitting Coach
Pitching Coach
3rd Base Coach
1st Base Coach
Bullpen Coach
Perhaps the secret to the 1998 Yankees was in their coaching staffs amazing resumes. Ok, so giving Cardenal a "super season" designation was a bit of a stretch, but I didn't want him to feel left out. I originally wasn't going to, but when I looked up Cloninger and saw his beast of a '65 season, I couldn't leave Jose out like that. Also, the bot has an issue with classic team logos, so I'd love to have Cloninger with the Milwaukee Braves logo, but it wouldn't load. Not an issue, since like I said, '65 was an easy call for a super season. Just suspend your disbelief for Cardenal.
