The first of a 2-parter reflecting on Year I of the WBL.
Overall Statistical Model
Somewhat arbitrarily, I used 2000 as the base year for Year I. MLB produced its 2nd highest ever OPS that season, slashing a cumulative 270/345/437. Year I of the WBL ended at 268/339/433.
That’s pretty darn close.
Year I was actually an almost perfect match for 2006’s 269/337/432.
So, yeah, offense heavy, but not more than asked for.
All Around Player Performance
Tomorrow I’ll publish what didn’t go so well, and the biggest thing is a couple specific outlier performances. But, so much about the league felt right. Babe Ruth did Babe Ruth things, sure.
But the all-around players were also dominant in a great way: Eddie Collins may have been the best player in the league, Willie Mays‘ impact was irresistible. Players who had “career years” (Tom Herr, Doug Rader, even Eric Davis) did so well within the overall shape of their MLB careers.
Pitching was weird as always. But the list of those at the front of the “best starter in the league” ranking was a great list: Walter Johnson, Gerrit Cole, Jack Taylor, Andy Pettitte, Christy Mathewson? Sure. Pettitte and Taylor overperformed, but pitching–and especially of course W/L records–are weird. Ron Guidry had a great year according to the deep stats, but struggled in the traditional evaluations.
And lots of pitchers struggled, which, again, feels about right.
NeL Players
The all-time greats may feel a little under-represented, but that’s largely because of the career perspective of the WBL. Cristóbal Torriente, Pete Hill, Oscar Charleston, and Louis Santop were each everyday starters by the end of the season despite being teenagers. Martín Dihigo and John Beckwith struggled a bit, but again, teenagers.
Here’s an overview of how the NeL entries did.
| Name | Team | Age | Pos | Notes |
| John Beckwith | SFS | 18 | IF | 237/306/384. Sent to AAA midseason. Showed WBL power, but struggled at AAA. Likely another year at AAA. |
| Ray Brown | HOM | 23 | P | 7-7, 5.80. Struggled in WBL, but in the running for Year 2 rotation spot. |
| Bill Byrd | BAL | 26 | P | 14-3, 3.33. An all-star and a front of rotation starter for the best team in the league. |
| Oscar Charleston | IND | 19 | OF | 277/313/438. Not many HR, but good power, great defense. A solid start. |
| Ray Dandridge | BRK | 21 | IF | 256/323/359. Sparkplug for Brooklyn when healthy. A solid enough offensive start. |
| Leon Day | HOU | 18 | P | 1-1, 4.91. Day was promising across 14 games (2 starts) before struggling with injuries and then being knocked out in June for the rest of the season. Expected to compete for swing role in Year 2. |
| Martín Dihigo | MCG | 18 | U | 195/235/319; 0-2, 12.15. Overwhelmed as a hitter, purely mop up on the mound. But perhaps the greatest defensive talent the league has ever seen, and adds so much roster flexibility that, if the OPS can just get over .600, a valuable piece. |
| Bunny Downs | HOD | 25 | U | 216/256/351. 40 PAs of mediocre utility. Defensive flexibility helps. |
| Josh Gibson | HOM | 20 | C | 289/386/448. An all star behind the plate at 20? Yes, please. Power will come, a great start. |
| Frank Grant | HOD | 21 | IF | 200/263/200. A rough first 100 PA for the promising IF. AAA likely next year. |
| Pete Hill | HOU | 17 | OF | 287/323/440. A starter for about half the year. What a start for a 17 year old. |
| HR Johnson | HOU | 24 | IF | 252/310/357. A bit disappointing, honestly. Defensive flexibility is nice, but the Colt 45’s need more from him offensively. |
| Dick Lundy | SFS | 21 | IF | 268/284/377. Total sparkplug when healthy. good defense, 30 SB. Should be a starter next year. |
| Carlos Morán | MCG | 21 | OF | 221/369/262. Great defense and an OBP machine. Certainly in the mix to start in Year 2. |
| José Méndez | MCG | 22 | P | 4-6, 4.56. Good secondary numbers and, by the end of the year, looked like a front of the rotation starter. |
| Joséito Muñoz | POR | 19 | P | 5-5, 2.57. Fantastic when healthy. But now out until a few months into next year. |
| Alejandro Oms | MCG | 20 | OF | 259/313/410. Solid. more power and better zone control would help. But, solid. |
| Eustaquio Pedroso | MCG | 22 | OF/P | 278/316/444; 9-6, 4.81. Someone who performs around league average both in the field and on the mound has value. |
| Dick Redding | BRK | 20 | P | 0-5, 4.57. Not good enough to stay with Brooklyn all year, but not horrible. Showed enough at AAA at the plate (106 OPS+) to warrant a look as a two-way player. |
| Louis Santop | CLE | 19 | C | 293/322/447. Doesn’t get on base enough, but he’s a C with solid D and still a teen. Future star. |
| Sam Streeter | BBB | 24 | P | 7-6, 4.91. Very solid, pushed to bullpen at end of year. |
| Cristóbal Torriente | CAG | 17 | OF | 289/347/392. Excellent defense, solid–if low on power–offense. Likely to be a mainstay for the American Giants for a long time. |
| Smoky Joe Williams | BRK | 20 | P | 4-1, 3.47. Sent down to spend most of the year at AAA, returned very strong down the stretch. |
There are, of course, some others in the minor leagues–A. Rube Foster (9-2, 4.60 ERA across 5 minor league teams), Cool Papa Bell (252/304/339 with 39 SB, mostly at AA), some others.
Continuity
I started the first season of the WBL something like 40/45 years ago. The third season was completed over 20 years ago. This season–the first on OOTP, the fourth overall–was completed in about 3 years.
Across all of that–from handheld Strat-O-Matic play through SOM on a half-dozen different computers (beginning on a Commodore 64, natch) through 3 versions of OOTP–it feels similar. Storylines emerge that I enjoy, frustrations emerge at players underperforming, personalities of teams and franchises begin to appear.
I love all that.
I have no idea what to do with the first 3 years–the teams were totally different, some players occur in this version as well, many do not. If I can find an easy way to incorporate that history, I may do so, but I don’t see it yet. Shock of shocks, Babe Ruth would be the career HR leader …