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Vol. IV,
Issue #1 - January 2016
**
Interview with Matt Eddy
**
(Matt is not only works for Baseball America which provides
great information about
young prospect players but he is also helps with the website and
blog of his Strat League)
(Comments from the Wolfman:
I want to personally thank our
contribute Chuck Tinkler for suggesting I contact Matt Eddy.
When I first was dialoguing with Matt to discuss how we would
proceed to begin to share his unique insights about Strat, I
noticed a person with his name posting about Prospects at a
website I check in all the time, Major League Baseball Trade
Rumors (www.mlbtraderumors.com).
So this is how I found out that Matt was also a main writer and
editor for Baseball America, for which Matt shares with us their
amazing website at the end of this interview. So I am very happy
that Matt consented to do this interview for us. So here we go,
meet Matt Eddy, another dedicated member of our Strat Family
...)
 Here
Comes Matt Eddy
Wolfman:
Today we introduce
our members to another Strat Player who
not only holds a key role in his league
known as the MMDA (Masters Memorial
Draft Baseball Association) Baseball
League but also is a writer for Baseball
America, a media outlet that covers all
levels of amateur and professional
baseball, with an emphasis on prospects,
college baseball, international amateurs
and the draft.
Matt,
welcome to the Ultimate Strat Baseball
Newsleter ...
So let's begin,
which part of the world do you live in
right now and is this where you grew up?
Matt:
I grew up
central New York state and moved to
North Carolina in 2000 when I took a
job at Baseball America.
Wolfman:
When you
were younger - did you actually play
baseball and if so what was your best
position?
Matt:
I played at various Little League stops
up until I failed to make the JV team as
a high school sophomore. I could run and
throw but not hit or really field the
ball. I should have been a pitcher, but
I mostly toiled in the outfield—but even
there, poor vision inhibited my ability
to read flyballs off the bat.
Wolfman:
What about which MLB team did you root for
when you were younger and are you still a
fan of this team. Are there any ball
players you really followed or were your
favorites? Who are your favorites now?
Matt:
The first team I followed was the
1988 Mets. I remember staying up
late to watch their NLCS games
against the Dodgers when I was in
fifth grade. Darryl Strawberry and
Dwight Gooden were my initial
favorites, but then I shifted
allegiances to Ken Griffey Jr. in
the early 1990s. Then the 1994
strike hit and quelled my interest
in baseball for a while. I returned
to full-fledged fandom in 1998 when
the Mets acquired Mike Piazza, and I
enjoyed the 1999 and 2000 teams. But
then disappointing finishes in 2007
and 2008 and the Madoff business
that precipitated six straight
losing seasons from 2009 to 2014
really dampened my enthusiasm for
the franchise. And then: an
unforeseen breakthrough in 2015.
Wolfman:
Ok lets talk about Strat then, so how did
you hear about SOM Baseball? When did you
first begin to play the game?
Matt:
James Bailey, my friend and
colleague at Baseball America, took
a chance on me as a rookie manager
in 2002. He still functions as
league commissioner to this day. I
had only read about SOM via Bill
James, Joe Sheehan and others up
that point.
Wolfman:
What is your history participating in
leagues (face-to-face or computer based)?
Have you ever played in any tournaments?
Matt:
I just completed my 14th season in
the MMDA. We distribute computer managers each month.
Each manager is responsible for completing all his home
games. Face-to-face and netplay are allowed but not required. I have sampled other Strat
leagues—and even one Diamond Mind
league—but those flings never lasted
long. I have never played the SOM
board game or in a tournament.
Wolfman:
When did you become a Member of MMDA?
Can you tell us a bit about its history?
Matt:
I joined the MMDA in 2002 and we
count among our ranks a number of
accomplished managers who have been
with us for the long haul, including
James Bailey, Steve Frediani, John
Lamanna, Ray Ross, John Tresca and
Steven Tresca.
Wolfman:
What
is the current status of the league? I read
on the league website you have 20 teams with
4 divisions of five teams. Is this a
computer based league and are you using the
most recent cards each year with protecting
players and a draft?
Matt: Managers are
allowed to play face to face or via
Netplay, but the vast majority of game
files are generated in human vs.
computer-managed opponents. (Most
playoff games, however, are played
live.) We use the most recently issued
SOM game, e.g. our 2015 season was based
on 2014 statistics. We cut down to 35
players-plus-picks on Jan. 1 every year
and may select only carded players in
our entry draft in early February.
Wolfman:
How is the MMDA unique or different from
other leagues? What are some of the rules
the league follows - any special rules
perhaps beyond what Strat offers?
Matt:
We use clutch hitting, custom
ballpark effects, player injuries
and the closer rule in terms of SOM
features that may not be standard in
all leagues.
Wolfman:
What do you like about the MMDA? Who are
some of the other people involved in the
league - what is the range of ages - being
around since 1978 is quite a long time for a
league.I understand John Lamanna is a
member, what is he like?
Matt:
My favorite aspect of the MMDA's
playing rules is the hands-off
nature of those rules. We don't have
minimum playing-time thresholds that
must be met in order to keep
players. We are allowed a cushion
for overusage. We can make trades
unfettered. We don't play with a
salary structure. All these factors
make the atmosphere relaxed and
enjoyable for managers.
We have league members from all over
the U.S. (and now one in Canada).
For example, I have played
postseason games against managers in
Boston, Los Angeles, Rochester and
Spokane.
I played my first-ever World Series
against John Lamanna in 2012, and he
completely schooled me. It was your
typical, run-of-the-mill No. 7
versus No. 8 seed World Series.
Wolfman:
What type of team do you like to create in
your league? Have you had success? Have you
found any league championships? When and if
you won the league, what were the keys to
your success - what type of team works best
for you?
Matt: I lost the
2012 World Series to Lamanna and then
bowed out in the semifinals in 2013, but
I have taken home the league title in
both 2014 and 2015. I tend to not have
access to the young, blue-chip power
hitters, so I build around strikeout
pitchers and a churning,
on-base-oriented lineup.
Wolfman:
What are your team building philosophies?
Matt:
Power isn't everything, especially
in the playoffs, where the top
pitching staffs are calibrated to
minimize power and escape jams via
strikeouts. Two: A
keep-the-line-moving offensive
approach doesn't always produce
runs, but it often makes your
opponent sweat. Third: You can't
control the game state your top
batters face when they come to the
plate, but you *do* have total
control of the pitcher you deploy in
batter/pitcher matchups and the
fielders you play, especially at the
"touch" positions like shortstop,
second base and catcher.
Wolfman:
Can you discuss your responsibilities to
your league (in charge of the blog and web
archivist?) - why did you accept these jobs?
Matt:
I am the co-web master along with
Commissioner James, and I also
maintain the MMDA Blog and have
built archives for our league
records and playoff history. I was
interested to find out which teams
had scored the most runs or
performed the best in the playoffs,
so I put in the research time and
found the answers.
Wolfman:
If our members want to read the MMDA Blog or
visit the MMDA website, how would they do
this?
Matt:
Our site isn't pretty, but it's
packed with information
http://mmdaonline.com/.
The blog is updated with analytical
items every so often
http://mmdablog.blogspot.com/.
For example, I have developed
ballpark factors for our league's
teams and recently ranked our
managerial constituency for the past
decade based on various team
accomplishments.
Have you had any special experiences
(certain games that stand out in
your mind that you played or series
you played) being a manager in MMDA
that were amazing or very unusual
games, or something you are proud
of. Maybe some key trade you made
... or any other special
experiences link to Strat
Matt:
Winning my first World Series in
2014 will always be a fond memory,
particularly because I defeated the
Nos. 1, 2 and 3 teams to reach the
summit. I also had to win Games Six
and Seven on the road to take the
title. Led by Yu Darvish and Stephen
Strasburg, my pitching staff dealt
18 scoreless innings to get the job
done!
My most memorable
playoff series probably would have
to be the semifinal series I played
in 2015. My opponent outscored me by
one run over the course of our six
games, but I squeaked out three
one-run wins (and won a fourth by
two runs) to narrowly escape with
victory. But that's not even the
most notable aspect of the series!
We engaged in 19 *extra* innings on
top of our 54 regulation frames. My
team walked off with a 15-inning win
in Game Six. (I was lucky to win
that series.)
I don't know about
one specific trade, but I do know
that a series of maneuvers I made in
2006 transformed me from rebuilding
doormat (.332 win percentage my
first four yeras) to a frequent
contender. I have recorded 10
straight winning season (.575
percentage) with eight playoff
appearances since then. But back to
those trades . . . I added Brandon
Webb, C.C. Sabathia and Jose
Contreras to my rotation late in the
2006 season and squeaked into the
playoffs with 83 wins. Naturally, I
lost in the first round.
Wolfman:
Matt can you
share with
our members
what are
your duties
linked with
your job at
Baseball
America?
Matt:
I have
covered
prospects
and the
minor
leagues
for the
past 10
seasons
at
Baseball
America.
I am a
primary
editor
on the
Prospect
Handbook
and the
Super
Register.
I write
Minor
League
Transactions
each
week.
Following
me on
Twitter
is the
best way
to learn
what I'm
up to.
Wolfman:
Matt, I
see
since at
Baseball
America
you work
with the
young
prospect
players
coming
up to
the
Majors,
then
what are
you
thoughts
and
views
about
new MLB
prospects?
Matt: In my personal opinion, I think prospects are valuable in the context of MLB for different reasons than they are valuable to Strat teams.
(1) League size. What works in 30-team MLB is much different than what works in the typical mixed Strat league, which typically is 18-24 teams. Therefore, I believe riskier, lower-probability prospects are unsound investments for teams trying to win now. Prioritize the card value, I say.
(2) Player compensation. A young player who produces zero WAR in MLB can still be valuable to his team if he makes the minimum salary, and if he is young enough to improve his production in future seasons. But most Strat leagues do not feature payroll restrictions, and in that context, a player who does not contribute in some way to winning can only be harmful.
Wolfman:
Matt,
what
other
background
can you
share
about
Baseball
America?
Matt: Baseball America founder Allan Simpson invented mainstream prospect ranking in the early 1980s. Sandy Alderson acknowledges as much in his biography published in 2015. He would take note of Baseball America's prospect rankings and reference them when making trades for the Athletics in the 1980s.
Baseball American has published a Prospect Handbook every year since 2001. We rank 30 prospects for all 30 organizations. So if you buy the book, you get 900 scouting reports.
Simpson also invented draft coverage back in the day and helped legitimize coverage of high school and college ball.
Finally, going back to what prospects your members might consider to obtain for their draft teams, I recently wrote this piece for the MMDA blog that counts down the top 10 prospects who appeared in MLB in 2015 but did not receive a card from Strat. You can view this material at:
http://mmdablog.blogspot.com/2015/12/top-10-prospects-who-did-not-receive.html
Note, Max Kepler, Gary Sanchez and Jorge Lopez are my top three but your members can read the rest of my recommendation by going to the link above.
.
Wolfman: Matt, I want to thank you for visiting with us here at the newsletter and sharing your insights. If they would like to now more about Baseball America or contact you, what is the best way for them to do this?
Matt:
To find our
more about
Baseball
America go
to our
website at:
http://www.baseballamerica.com/
and to
contact me,
the best
place is
through my
Twitter page
at
https://twitter.com/MattEddyBA
Wolfman:
Thanks again Matt.
(NOTES from the Wolfman:
In my email correspondences with
Matt, he discussed some future
articles he might write for our
member. One article he
definitely plans to send in is his
suggestions how to prepare you
roster when your team qualifies for
the playoffs in your league. And the
second one he discussed, I will
quote from his email:
In
the future I might consider writing
about prospect *types* to target in
Strat drafts. That would be more
timeless than writing about young
players who will be available only
once when draft-eligible.
So we thank Matt for
participating in our newsletter and
we look forward to his next
contribution.)
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Contained inside this exciting issue of Ultimate Strat
Baseball Newsletter:
(to view the various interviews, articles, columns and special sections click on
the links {underlined}
and this will take you to the appropriate
webpage)
♦
RETURN TO NEWSLETTER MAIN PAGE
♦
ARTICLE by MARC PELLETIER, another well known and successful strat baseball gamer in the
on-line version of the baseball game shares with us his system
to evaluate positional players for the 20XX leagues on the newly
renamed Baseball 365.
♦
STRAT WISE with MARC WASSERMAN
-- commissioner of the Cyber Baseball Association (CBA) continues his column
sharing various perspectives on the new and
exciting new service SOM has announced called Baseball Daily
(fully described in the SOM Baseball World News Page). Also
speaks about the draft feature within the windows computer game
version and about the USBN Youtube video channel.
♦
INTERVIEW with PETE NELSON , our good friend and supporter, the advisor to the Council for
the Strat Tournament Players Club returns and discuss his 4th
champion at their supreme tournament known as the "Worlds" held
in Pittsburgh the middle of January.
♦
SOM BASEBALL LEAGUE REPORT with WOLFMAN SHAPIRO
--
the editor of "The Ultimate Strat Newsletter" and 2012 CBA
Champion, the "Wolfman" puts out a call to
commissioners of various
Strat-o-matic Baseball Leagues that he has discovered on the internet and
shares the stories and experiences from another baseball league
(one he was investigating to possibly join). This is a
continuation of a new section of our newsletter that will
continue for the rest of this year, so if you would like to
share about your baseball league in our newsletter, send Wolfman a private email.
INTERVIEW with ROB STRICKER, BIGS, P-V
(Two Leagues, one is Netplay, one is Computer)
♦
SOM/MAJOR
LEAGUE BASEBALL NEWS with WOLFMAN SHAPIRO
, editor of "The Ultimate Strat Newsletter"
shares with the complete details of all the new announcement
Strat-o-matic made in January about the new products and
services they are releasing ranging from the new Baseball
Ratings Book (printed or digital) to the renaming and updating
of the on-line game now called Baseball 365 to the new service
called Baseball Daily to play the 2016 MLB Season to the new
features in the 2016 version of the Windows Computer Game.
♦
ARTICLE by CHRIS McMURRY, What if you would
like to change the ballpark images shown on
the three panels of
the main screen of the windows game -- well Chris gives you
the exact procedure
how to do it.
♦
RECOMMEND
ON-LINE SOM RESOURCES
--
On-line Strat-o-matic and Baseball related websites
that offer amazing information, special tools and products to improve
your game play
that we strongly recommend. In most cases, we have had personal contact with
these sources who agree with the principle to work together and help promote each other.
♦
BOOKS TO
DIE FOR and Become a BASEBALL GURU
-- This page
is
specifically about special books we are finding that either will
expand your insights about the game of Baseball, help you in the
creation of your current league teams or with your replays and
learn more about the Strat-o-matic
Baseball Game and Game Company's
history. We
have a special arrangement with Acta Sports, who is a publisher
of a number of great baseball books (including Bill James
Handbooks) to offer for our members
a 10% discount. We will continue to add more books to this page in the future
as we uncover other gems our members should know about.
Contact Us for Questions or Submissions:
Wolfman Shapiro
Founder/Editor, the
Ultimate Strat Baseball Newsletter
email:
wolfman@ultimatestratbaseball.com
facebook:
www.facebook.com/wolfman.shapiro
twitter:
@StratBaseball4U
To Sign Up and Become a Member of this Newsletter
http://www.UltimateStratBaseball.com
(this provides direct emails when our bulletins
and next
issues come out)
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