I have slowly come to realize that a core attraction to Fantasy Baseball is its simplistic structure that nurtures a feeling nostalgia, even if just below the conscious mind.  In many ways the more complicated it is for fans to follow sports, the more popular fantasy sports are becoming.  Think about it, today’s fan, and for the sake of argument let’s define today’s fan as the ever popular 18-34 demographic, needs to know about many of the most complicated statistical measurements, the Sabermetric minded stats if you will.    

I don’t mean to suggest we all are, or need to be, experts on DIPS, BIPs, VORP, ERA+ and a host of others – I simply mean we all now inherently know that looking at a box score or the main page for ESPN.com’s statistics no longer tells us the whole story.  Batting Average?  Wins for Pitchers?  Heck, even RBI’s just aren’t what they used to be.

It’s so damn hard to know whose best nowadays.

Not so with fantasy baseball.  As hard as the Sabermetric community will try, and I count myself as pro-saber if that’s a valid phrase, there something about a .300 batting average or a 20 win season that will always appeal to the masses.  Even folks such as myself that wand to understand how to use a Run Expectancy Matrix is will continue to pause and take note of the 100 RBI season.  Sure, we might understand it’s a hollow 100 RBI, but it’s an important milestone of the mind nonetheless.

Perhaps this is why Fantasy Baseball is so important to many of us.  We still get to follow the sport but perhaps can avoid needing the internet to look up some relievers Pitch f/x data.  Years ago I was listening to a food oriented talk radio show (gotta have AM Radio) and there was a segment where experts took a minute to opine about the best store bought Italian gravy (pasta sauce).  They all of course agreed shelf sauce was completely inferior to fine Italian dining, but at the same time each admitted there is nothing quite like a new jar of Ragu.

Perhaps a better analogy is Ayn Rand readers taking a break and reading some basic Stephen King.  He isn’t out to change the world, but sure does get the blood pumping at times.  I just saw a television add for Leave it to Beaver seasons 1 and 2, and I’ll be damned if I didn’t want them, full knowing it can never be as good as Seinfeld.  Fantasy Baseball is a lot like Sai King.  Batting Average, Runs Score, Runs Batted In, Home Runs, and Stolen Bases are old school, but old school with meaning. 

With all this in mind I recently embarked upon the most difficult task of evaluating the 1970s with an eye towards fantasy baseball.  In retrospect, it’s really not Fantasy Baseball though – it’s old school baseball.  Lou Brock is no longer overrated like he is today.  Dick Allen is worthy of induction into the Fantasy Baseball Hall of Fame and thankfully, the great flameouts are once again worth something – Don Mattingly matters.

So, check beck often as each decade is complete.  New lists of ‘greatest’ ever will be published after each decade is scrutinized and if you don’t follow fantasy baseball – remember, these stats allow us to peek into the mindset of our fathers if nothing else.

There will be a lot more on FBHOF.COM and Razzball.com in the coming weeks, but for now, below are a few charts of best by position (1970-2007). 

By the way, Joe Morgan was really, really good.