Learn About the Teams, Leagues and Rosters
How We Selected the Eternal Baseball Teams & Rosters
When we first set down to arrange the teams and structure for Eternal Baseball, we had two goals in mind: to create balanced rosters for each franchise based on their best-ever players, and to separate the Washington Nationals and the Montreal Expos in the new league.
Montreal
We can only imagine what it feels like to have a team pulled away from its hometown, and although it’s happened many times in baseball history, only Montreal lost a Major League team without retaining a second one or seeing it replaced quickly.
Returning baseball to Montreal was simple enough in our simulation, but it caused problems with the structure, as we were expanding from 30 teams to 31.
Washington
It made sense to add a 32nd team to re-balance the divisions, and our initial concept was to construct an all-time team for the Washington Senators. This team won one World Series but only qualified for the playoffs three times in 71 seasons, coining the phrase “Washington: First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League.”
The original Senators franchise became the Minnesota Twins following the 1961 season, and were replaced by an expansion Senators squad that would become the Texas Rangers in 1972. Especially since the Washington Nationals have brought baseball back to the nation’s capitol, it seemed like we could find a better option for our 32nd squad. A few of the all-time Senators players were allocated to the Twins (Walter Johnson, Goose Goslin, Sam Rice & Heinie Manush) and one (Frank Howard) to the Rangers.
Another Choice
To fill the final slot in our Eternal Baseball League, we decided to spiritually right a wrong by creating a franchise with the very best players in the history of the Negro Leagues. African-American (and many Hispanic) ballplayers weren’t welcomed to major league rosters until Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947.
Negro League baseball is most often recognized as officially running from 1920-1952, though there were many teams playing in a loose affiliation before that. There was incredible baseball talent on those teams, and they held their own and more against major league players in exhibition games and “barnstorming” tours.
To honor their passion and talent, and to finally give them the opportunity to regularly compete against established major league talent, we created the Birmingham Knights – featuring Satchel Paige, Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson and all the best players from the history of the Negro Leagues.
Roster and League Construction
32 teams breaks down nicely into two leagues, and eight total divisions with four teams each. I tried to keep long-standing divisional rivalries intact while also creating divisions that made sense (as much as possible) from a geographic perspective.
Here’s how our Eternal Baseball League is constructed:
National League West:
Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants
National League North:
Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals
National League South:
Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, Miami Marlins
National League East:
Montreal Expos, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals
American League West:
Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners
American League North:
Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers
American League South:
Birmingham Knights, Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers
American League East:
Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays
Each team has its all-time roster listed on its Eternal Baseball home page – a 25-man squad with 15 other inactive players available in case of injury. Fans of each team will always have more passionate and better-informed opinions than us about their favorite team(s), so we encourage you to check our work.
Visit the page for your favorite team and critique our roster choices, batting lineups and pitching rotations in the available forums.
We will be running a season simulation and giving highlighted ballgames a full sportswriter’s wrap-up afterwards.
As a matter of fact, every team got the front page treatment for their Opening Day game. And since every season simulates differently (with injuries, suspensions, and hot/cold streaks) no two seasons will be the same moving forward.
Whether you’re a diehard fan of a specific team, a baseball historian, or curious about all-time matchups impossible until now, Eternal Baseball has something you can’t get anywhere else.
Welcome to Eternal Baseball
This is where the Expos never left Montreal, and the Reds never traded Frank Robinson.
In here, Sandy Koufax’s arm didn’t wear out, and Bo Jackson never hurt his hip.
The Yankees trot out Murderer’s Row every night, with Gehrig, Ruth, DiMaggio and Mantle, while the Red Sox counter with a pitching playoff nightmare of Cy Young, Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez.
Ryne Sandberg and Javy Baez turn double plays at Wrigley, and Willie Mays patrols San Francisco’s center field between Barry Bonds and Mel Ott.
Cal Ripken Jr. and Brooks Robinson catch EVERYTHING hit to Baltimore’s left side, and Satchel Paige challenges Rickey Henderson with his very best fastball.
This is Eternal Baseball.
The best baseball ever!
