The Starting Lineup

The Bench

The Staff

Team Synopsis, by Gantry

The Giants are the best of what I like to call the Tier Two teams - pretty much everyone after Boston, California and Detroit. They have very good pitching and an above-average starting lineup, while their bench and top-end power are lacking. Overall, they are better than most teams in RBI but fall a bit short when going against the big three...

Pitching

The entire staff for San Fran is solid, especially in 2-starter curve pitch. Krukow has killer movement and one of the top pitchers in the game. He can curve it all over the place. Big Daddy Rick Rushel has a nice blend of curve and stamina - use him as your straight-pitch starter. Scott Garrelts is one of the few impact straight-pitch relivers. He can throw the heat and always keeps the hitters on their toes. If they do end up predicting the fastball, it will be trouble. Don Robinson is a decent fourth option, though a bit overshadowed by Garrelts. Outside of a lefty, the Giants staff has everything you need to be competitive in either style...

The Lineup

1. Jose Uribe is complete bag of ass, has virtually no redeeming qualities. Now listen up people, the following sentence will change your RBI life forever. Bring in Harry Spilman at leadoff for the Giants. He is, without a doubt, the most underrated player in RBI. Don't be fooled by the crappy stats and extreme lack of speed, he is a longball hitter. Can't hit lefties for shit, but crushes right-handed hitting. Trust me on this one my brothers and sisters - all Spilman all day...
   
   
2. Kevin Mitchell is built in the mold of every twentysomething homer, right-handed #2 hitter in RBI - capable of the huge outing but lacks game-to-game consistency. One game will be 3 dingers and a single, the next will be 4 flyouts. Just hope it's his week, hence the nickname...
   
   
3. Most think Leonard is the best of the 2-3-4 SF righty combo, and I'm inclined to agree. The difference with Leonard is his speed, he deifnitely has some wheels. I Would still like to see more production out of big Jeff, but you can't complain especially compared to his righty counterparts.
   
   
4. The Candyman is the X-Factor for San Fran, you need his power if you want to hang with the big boys. Most powerful of the 2-3-4 combo, but it doesn't always equate. But when Candy goes huge, you will typically win. You will absorb the double-plays, but keep on swinging, you'll eventually hit paydirt...
   
   
5. When you are forced to hit with three straight righties, it's always good to get a lefty at the plate. Even moreso when it's one of the top hitters in RBI, and Will Clark is just that. Massive amounts of power and doesn't get out all that often. His place in the lineup will give him many chances to produce RBIs, and The Thrill typically comes through...
   
   
6. Another area where many RBI veterans baffle me. Most people take out Brenley, yet leave Uribe or Bobby fucking Tompson in the game. It makes no sense... Brenley is no world beater but has enough power to keep those other losers on the bench. In straight pitch, keep Brenley in and you'll have some good moments.
   
   
7. Ohhhh Chili Davis, Potsie's favorite player. The man does it all - power, average, speed, clutch hitting, the list goes on. He has very few peers in this game, and no #7 hitter comes close. Chili will clean up everything on base and our only gripe is that he doesn't bat earlier in the order. Imagine how much better SF would be with Chili #3 and Leonard #7. But that not ol Charles Theordore Davis' fault. Just enjoy the production...
   
   
8. Bobby Thompson is the bane of my RBI existence. I'm on a quest to get all readers of dee-nee.com to take him out permanently. He is the worst player that at least half the RBI-playing public keeps in. Come on people, you're better than that! How can you take out Brenley and keep Thompson in the game? Or even worse, how can you keep Harry Spilman on the bench and keep Thompson in the game? That really chaps my hide... Anyway, the crafty veteran Mike Aldrete is the man here. Gets on base a fair amount and will occasionally get one over the fence. Just please people, anything but Thompson...
   
   

The Rest

After Spilman and Aldrete, you have two very poor right-handed sticks. Joel Youngblood is what Pat Benatar refers to as a heartbreaker - many try to play a full game with him, yet it just makes you sad in the end. It always goes like this - one for five, with one dinger in the first at-bat. Just save Youngblood for the pinch-hit blast, which he is actually pretty good at. I peronsally haven't had much with Brittney Speiers in either a starting or pinch-hit capacity. Some assure me that he has some skills, but I say save him for a late-inning pitcher sub...