Speaking of the Expos...

Someone mentioned the Expos and how much talent they had in another thread. I agree with him and, since I was bored, went to the numbers to see if anything stood out. The 1982 Expos are a perfect example of doing nothing with a great deal of talent. Is it any wonder Mgr. Jim Fanning ended up in the broadcast booth? Yes, I know he won the Division in 1981, but look at this team in '82 and tell me how his team finished in third place, six games out. By the way, has there ever been a more underrated player than Al Oliver?

Hitters Hits 2b HR Avg. RBI OPS
Gary Carter 163 32 29 .293 97 .890
Andre Dawson 183 37 23 .301 83 .841
Al Oliver 204 43 22 .331 107 .906
Warren Cromartie 126 24 14 .254 62 .744
Tim Raines 179 32 4 .277 43 .723

Raines was 78-for-94 stealing bases while Dawson stole 39-of-49

Pitching W L IP R ER H BB K ERA
Steve Rogers 19 8 277.0 84 74 245 65 179 2.40
Bill Gullickson 12 14 236.2 101 94 231 61 155 3.57
Charlie Lea 12 10 177.2 70 64 145 56 115 3.24
Scott Sanderson 12 12 224.0 98 86 212 58 158 3.46
Jeff Reardon 7 4 109.0 28 25 87 36 86 2.06

Reardon also had 26 saves and the TEAM had a 3.33 era, 34 complete games and a WHIP of 1.25

How did this team not win the division. The numbers also show how different the game is now…for example, can anyone see a team’s closer pitching 109 innings in a season? How about a staff with 34 complete games? This is my nomination for the biggest underachieving team in history. Anyone have any other nominations?

 

A 3.33 ERA wasn'T that earth-shattering back then

 

Who was a druggie besides Raines?

 

No, I think he's pretty well rated. Very good offensive player. Not a lot of power, was never a speed guy, either. He would have had a better chance for 3,000 hits except he spent too many of his final years in the NL, and he was too much of a defensive liablity to put on the field much. If he'd been able to DH for a season or three, he probably would have made 3,000.

 

I saw a stat on Oliver I loved...one year he stole 14 bases and was caught stealin 16 times. After 1977 he stole 43 bases the rest of his career and was caught 46 times. That's awesome.

EF, he said that on camera? That's amazing.

 

Let's keep in mind that Warren Cromartie wasn't an everyday player. He couldn't hit lefties worth a shit. Your crack research ignores Tim Wallach, who was definitely better than Cromartie as an all-around threat at the plate.

The answer isn't that hard ... the Expos never put it all together at once. They were in several races, but never got over the hump.

And other than Rodney Scott and Raines, Ellis Valentine was also suspected of having had a drug problem, wasn't he?

 

A lot of teams had drug problems back then. The team that won the World Series in '82 -- the Cardinals -- weren't exactly allergic to the blow themselves.

 

Bill Lee -- he of the marijuana-laced pancakes -- was on that '82 team ... briefly. He staged a walkout to protest the team releasing Rodney Scott. Then he was released.

 

Look up the 94 Expos. That's quite a story.