Hey folks, I could use a little sanity check from the progressive crowd.

I’m in a two-era progressive league — late ’60s and early ’90s — with a few bonus players sprinkled in. Think of it like a time-warp two-season progressive: 20 teams, fat caps (90–110 million), and a ton of talent.

Now we’re about to spice things up. Each team gets to add one player who was active between 1935–1945, starting with their rookie year. So if you pick Lou Gehrig, you get him from day one (1926 or whenever his rookie season hits).

Normally, I’m a pitching-first, second, and third kind of drafter. But this setup has my compass spinning. I’ve got the #8 pick, Ruth is blacklisted, and I’m guessing Williams and Musial go 1–2 (or at least before me).

So here’s my conundrum: How good are the pitchers, really?
Do Grove and Hubbell belong in the same conversation as Hornsby, Ott, Foxx, Appling, Cochrane, or Gehrig?

My gut says Grove and Hubbell are the only arms truly worth the top-10 talk. Feller, Dean, and Vance are fine, but I’ve got Grove and Hubbell penciled in for about 7–8 All-Star-level seasons plus a few extra useful ones at SP. Meanwhile, those hitters? Most of them give you 10+ All-Star seasons, some pushing 14–16!

My team’s a bit of a wreck — I need help everywhere. Normally I’d stay far away from outfielders in a spot like this, but… good grief, Mel Ott just keeps on mashing forever.

I can’t shake the feeling that I’m mis-valuing something (probably that not all “All-Star” seasons are created equal). So before I overthink myself into oblivion — what do you all think?
Are Hubbell or Grove legit first-round value in this kind of setup, or is it bats, bats, bats all the way?

I'm taking Hornsby and not giving it a second thought.

part of the value of Grove and Hubbell in a one-era progressive is how much better they are than the typical pitcher for that era specifically, that value decreases when you are melding them with other, less hitter-friendly eras.

additionally, the value of power hitters from the 1920s and 1930s goes up considering they now get to hit against modern pitchers who gave up a lot more home runs than the typical pitcher of their era.

that said, there is a case to be made for Grove at 8th overall depending on who goes before him, he is sixth in career WAR among the players from that era available if I understand the rules correctly. granted that is far from a perfect metric but I might consider him there, no other pitchers though.

Posted by schwarze on 10/22/2025 8:42:00 AM (view original):
I'm taking Hornsby and not giving it a second thought.

Yeah. I think if you break into tiers, for me, its:

No brainer: Williams, Musial, Hornsby

Stud Hitter at no so valuable position: Foxx, Ott, Gehrig

Guys that play premium positions and are still freaking awesome but slightly less awesome than the really good guys: Cochrane, Appling, Geiringer

Pitchers: Hubbel and Grove

Posted by 06gsp on 10/22/2025 8:58:00 AM (view original):
part of the value of Grove and Hubbell in a one-era progressive is how much better they are than the typical pitcher for that era specifically, that value decreases when you are melding them with other, less hitter-friendly eras.

additionally, the value of power hitters from the 1920s and 1930s goes up considering they now get to hit against modern pitchers who gave up a lot more home runs than the typical pitcher of their era.

that said, there is a case to be made for Grove at 8th overall depending on who goes before him, he is sixth in career WAR among the players from that era available if I understand the rules correctly. granted that is far from a perfect metric but I might consider him there, no other pitchers though.

I hear you. That's the rub, as the player pool expands it helps the batters and hurts the pitchers. At least in this case.

Do you really have Grove that much above Hubbel? I have them nearly identical.

To each their own so if I understand it correctly....you have a 60s/90s progressive and then add someone active in the 30s but can use their rookie year so Gehrig a rookie year of 192x. So you have 3 separate years? My God I drink a lot of liquor but I think someone else must drink more....There are plenty of 60s and 90s players...wondering other than boredom why even add the extra player? Again, to each their own but I dont usually play in those completely off the wall leagues as am not smart enough to think of the quirks. Good Luck Man.