February 2026 – Page 2 – The Whirled Baseball League

TWIWBL 87.8: The Left Fielders

On February 5, 2026

The American League dominates in LF (remember, some folks you might think as OFers spent most of their time at DH).

We have a new defensive metric for outfielders: ARM, which is an estimate of the number of runs saved (or allowed) from their throwing arms.

#S Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	LAA	Kal Daniels	24	340/422/652	39 HR 106 RBI 111 R 55 SB
AL	BAL	Frank Robinson	22	308/394/674	48 HR 114 RBI 106 R	5 A
AL	NYY	Babe Ruth	25	280/412/744	73 HR 167 RBI 146 R 119 BB

I do feel sorry for Kal Daniels–that is a stupendous season right there, and he has no shot at being the best LF in the AL, not with Babe Ruth around. And Frank Robinson is the youngest of the trio, which speaks volumes for the future in Baltimore.

#A Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	MEM	Ted Williams	22	303/423/616	41 HR 109 RBI 125 R 109 BB	.975 fPct 1.49 RF -3.8 ARM

Seems strange to have only 1 name here, but there is clear separation between Robinson and Ted Williams (the only thing Williams does better is take walks), and when defense is factored in, this makes sense.

#B Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
—	MCG/ BBB	Ryan Braun	24	272/319/603	48 HR 102 RBI 24 SB
AL	DET	Oscar Gamble	32	249/396/533	35 HR	1.29 RF
AL	SFS	Rickey Henderson	22	256/385/454	103 R 107 BB 126 SB	12.2 ZR 1.117 dEff -3.6 ARM
NL	HOM	Rick Reichardt	24	284/355/586	39 HR 22 SB
NL	HOU	Jim Wynn	23	246/359/521	37 HR 116 R 38 SB	3.7 ARM

An interesting mix of useful players. Rickey Henderson is electric, for sure, but until he hits a bit more, he’s not elite and the other 4 are just dependable and solid, although it could be argued that Jim Wynn is a tier too high.

#C Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	CLE	Johnny Bates	27	282/349/470	55 SB	8.8 ZR
AL	DET	Juan Beníquez	35	313/379/509		.965 fPct 1.08 RF
NL	PHI	Sherry Magee	21	265/314/495	47 SB	.994 fPct
AL	MCG	Alejandro Oms	21	308/383/441		1.91 RF 1.121 dEff
NL	OTT	Tim Raines	23	251/353/442	119 R 115 SB	-6.8 ZR
NL	HOD	George Stone	30	286/359/478	29 SB
NL	BRK	Roy White	29	258/350/499	21 SB	6 A 10.3 ZR 1.068 dEff

These are all solid players with a question mark in their game, usually revolving around a lack of power. There’s nothing wrong with this group, but they are, at this point, complimentary pieces not cornerstones.

Note that Alejandro Oms, Sherry Magee, and Tim Raines are so young that being here really puts them on a great trajectory.

#D Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	IND	Bob Bescher	26	253/355/440	80 SB	1.93 RF -4.8 ZR
—	LAA/ NYG	Don Buford	32	239/363/450	28 SB	.993 fPct
—	NYY/ HOU	Elliott Maddox	21	260/371/397		.972 fPct -5.8 ZR 2.7 ARM
NL	KCM	Ducky Medwick	29	261/290/467		1.94 RF -3.4 ARM

The only thing separating Bob Bescher from Raines is playing time, so perhaps he belongs up one Tier alongside The Rock? And this may be a bit unfair to Ducky Medwick, but the statistical metrics really ding him for not being willing to take a walk.

#F Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	POR	Kiki Cuyler	32	240/315/364	26 SB
—	POR/ PHI	Harry Hooper	24	203/312/382	31 SB	1.000 fPct 2.0 ARM
NL	BBB	Bob Nieman	30	209/301/413

There is some talent here, but nowhere near the offensive production to hold down a roster spot in the WBL.

#Rookies

Juan Beníquez (C Tier), Elliott Maddox (D Tier), and Kiki Cuyler (F Tier).

#Fielding Notes

We have our standard defensive stats here, with the leaders in bold and the worst performers in italics. Assists (A), more romantically referred to as Outfield Kills are runners eliminated on the bases. Range Factor (RF) measures the number of plays made per game–the higher the better. Zone Rating (ZR) attempts to credit players for plays other fielders missed and ding them for plays other fielders made–the higher the better, and it has the benefit of being comparative across the position. Defensive Efficiency (dEff) measures the rate at which an individual fielder contributes to outs being made on balls put into play, with any score over 1.000 being a net positive impact. Finally, Fielding Percentage (fPct) reflects the percentage of times a chance was handled without a mistake–if someone made no errors, their fPct would be 1.000.

Of these, Range Factor is the most susceptible to the impact of the pitching staff and the ballpark, although none of these defensive ratings are perfect.

TWIWBL 87.7: The Third Basemen

By mknn

On February 4, 2026

In TWIWBL

3B is weird.

We have a half-dozen A-Tier performances, but no really clear demarcation between those and the lower ranks, and then another half-dozen C-Tier performers struggling to prove they deserve their place in the league.

And, oh yeah, a couple superlative players and a few true duds.

Balance?

#S Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	BRK	Ron Cey	27	291/381/656	47 HR 105 RBI	.975 fPct 6.0 ZR
NL	KCM	Albert Pujols	22	316/375/645	44 HR 122 RBI	2.16 RF -5.3 ZR .950 dEff

These top 2 are clear, as is the likelihood that 3B isn’t Albert Pujols‘ final position.

Obviously, you would rather build around Pujols given his age, but Ron Cey really did have a season for the ages, a key cog in Brooklyn’s championship team.

#A Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	SFS	Jimmie Foxx	22	232/348/578	49 HR
NL	HOM	Richie Hebner	23	284/373/594		1.000 fPct
AL	CLE	Evan Longoria	24	287/351/578	36 HR 33 SB
NL	PHI	Scott Rolen	27	264/347/570	42 HR	1.055 dEff
AL	NYY	Mike Schmidt	29	239/350/564	45 HR	5.3 ZR
AL	MCG	Gary Sheffield	24	279/336/610	42 HR 27 SB	1.046 dEff

I don’t know what to do with any of these guys.

Evan Longoria is the biggest surprise here, moving from a struggle to find playing time to a legit power threat for a playoff team. Richie Hebner has the highest OPS, but played under 100 games, so he may even belong in the B Tier. And where is the line? There’s roughly a 50 point gap in OPS in this group, but are you really going to argue that Mike Schmidt isn’t an A Tier player?

Yah, me neither.

Jimmie Foxx played more at 3B than 1B, although perhaps he shifts across the diamond as time goes by.

#B Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	CAG	Dick Allen	23	253/342/562	41 HR	.940 fPct 2.13 RF
NL	BBB	Eddie Mathews	23	224/339/537	46 HR	.976 fPct
NL	HOM	Andy Van Slyke	24	289/366/528	101 R 64 SB	2.53 RF -4.2 ZR .944 dEff

All solid performers, each with a significant weakness: Dick Allen and Andy Van Slyke are weak defensively (that’s not quite fair to Van Slyke, who looks excellent in the OF, just not at the hot corner) and Eddie Mathews‘ inability to make contact works against his immense power.

#C Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	DET	Bob Bailey	29	253/345/506	30 HR	-3.8 ZR
AL	SFS	Sal Bando	26	247/355/503
NL	OTT	Adrían Beltré	26	242/289/545	39 HR	.974 fPct 2.56 RF
AL	MEM	Wade Boggs	26	287/351465	50 2B
AL	BAL	Manny Machado	24	241/289/520	44 HR	2.58 RF
NL	HOD	Ron Santo	21	244/311/518		.948 fPct 1.92 RF

Perhaps Adrían Beltré‘s defense should move him up (and perhaps Ron Santo‘s should move him down), but I’m good with this for now. Sal Bando isn’t a fulltime player, but his offense sure makes that argument. It’s hard to see a world where Beltré and Wade Boggs don’t improve, and at 21 Santo should, as well.

#D Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	POR	Buddy Bell	26	274/304/487		8.0 ZR 1.051 dEff
NL	IND	Chris Sabo	29	246/295/559		.937 fPct .953 dEff

This may be a little unfair to Buddy Bell, who is fantastic with the glove and improved as the season went on.

This may be a little unfair to Chris Sabo: that’s a lot of offense to relegate to the D Tier.

#F Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	HOU	George Brett	23	227/272/469
AL	LAA	Doug Rader	25	241/297/451		4.10 RF -19.8 ZR .917 dEff

Doug Rader was in the MVP conversation last year, now he truly belongs here. Ouch. George Brett, on the other hand, overcame a miserable start to the season, and seems very likely to move dramatically up this list.

#Rookies

Jimmie Foxx (A Tier) and Chris Sabo (D Tier).

#Fielding Notes

We have our standard defensive stats here, with the leaders in bold and the worst performers in italics. Range Factor (RF) measures the number of plays made per game–the higher the better. Zone Rating (ZR) attempts to credit players for plays other fielders missed and ding them for plays other fielders made–the higher the better, and it has the benefit of being comparative across the position. Defensive Efficiency (dEff) measures the rate at which an individual fielder contributes to outs being made on balls put into play, with any score over 1.000 being a net positive impact. Finally, Fielding Percentage (fPct) reflects the percentage of times a chance was handled without a mistake–if someone made no errors, their fPct would be 1.000.

Of these, Range Factor is the most susceptible to the impact of the pitching staff and the ballpark, although none of these defensive ratings are perfect.

TWIWBL 87.6: The Shortstops

By mknn

On February 3, 2026

In TWIWBL

The first position fairly evenly distributed between the two leagues, we also have the largest discrepancies so far–there is some excellence here along with some truly miserable performances.

Los Angeles is the only team not represented (Bobby Grich is listed with the 2B, nobody else played enough at SS for the Angels).

#S Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	HOD	Ernie Banks	25	290/314/653	59 HR 126 RBI	-10.9 ZR .930 dEff

WAR would put Carlos Correa and Arky Vaughan here, perhaps even above Ernie Banks. But WAR ain’t everything, and getting the kind of power Banks provides from a SS is very special, even if his defense is not. For me, it’s Banks, and then a cluster of quality in the A Tier.

#A Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	HOU	Carlos Correa	23	318/399/556	25 HR	4.18 RF
AL	BAL	Cal Ripken, Jr	23	279/326/584	32 HR	4.80 RF
AL	CLE	Arky Vaughan	27	294/380/493	31 SB	13.4 ZR 1.091 dEff

These are all surprises: Carlos Correa to be here at all (and only a late season slump kept him from giving Banks a run for his money), Cal Ripken, Jr to be here this quickly, and Arky Vaughan to have blossomed both with the glove and the bat.

Of the three, I would expect Ripken to have the best shot at moving up.

#B Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	SFS	Dick Lundy	22	291/338/450	57 SB	.987 fPct
NL	OTT	Álex Rodríguez	22	252/314/559	46 HR 32 SB
AL	MCG	Robin Yount	26	266/303/505	28 HR 32 SB

This gets a little more complicated. Does Álex Rodríguez‘ offense warrant a nudge up? How about Dick Lundy‘s combination of speed and defense? In the end, they stay here with Robin Yount, who is just as solid as they come across the board. All three of these could move up merely by adding 25 walks a season, but they’re all pretty free swingers.

#C Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
—	POR/ PHI	Jim Fregosi	25	265/344/446	21 SB	4.12 RF -12.3 ZR
NL	HOM	Judy Johnson	18	271/408/454		1.078 dEff
AL	MEM	Dobie Moore	20	291/352/427	26 SB
AL	BAL/ DET	Bobby Wallace	34	282/410/377		.986 fPct 4.73 RF

There is an argument that Dobie Moore and/or Judy Johnson should move up a level, given their offensive output and their age. At the same time, neither played a full season, so it seems prudent to leave them here.

Had Bobby Wallace been healthy all season, he certainly would have warranted a spot in the B Tier for his mix of OBP and defense, while Jim Fregosi seems to barely warrant a slot here, especially considering his shaky defense. But these are all legit starting SS’s in the league, so the C Tier seems about right (although Homestead’s decision about how to structure their infield may move Johnson away from SS).

#D Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	IND	Barry Larkin	23	230/308/404	27 SB	1.074 dEff
NL	BBB	Herman Long	27	243/271/445	24 SB	.962 fPct
NL	KCM	Ozzie Smith	30	235/317/343	64 SB	.992 fPct 12.2 ZR
—	MEM/ BRK	Vern Stephens	29	210/259/414
NL	HOM	Honus Wagner	25	230/285/415	37 SB	.957 fPct .906 dEff

Speaking of Homestead, Honus Wagner may in fact deserve to be knocked down. But he has power, a fair bit of speed, and just so much athleticism. But whether he ends up at 2B, SS, or 3B is yet to be seen.

Ozzie Smith is a hard one to evaluate, as it’s not clear if his defense and speed should move him here, or all the way up to C Tier. In the end, we decided to be conservative in our evaluation of defensive contributions.

#F Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Def
NL	NYG	Brandon Crawford	30	221/268/381	.966 fPct
AL	NYY	Derek Jeter	33	248/305/439	4.10 RF -19.8 ZR .917 dEff
AL	CAG	Freddy Parent	29	229/270/292	5.01 RF 13.6 ZR

Derek Jeter‘s offense is probably D Tier, but those defensive numbers are quite bad, nudging him down a category. Brandon Crawford may be done entirely, and Freddy Parent, even considering his glovework, is just a massive bust since being obtained by Chicago.

#Rookies

Cal Ripken, Jr. (A Tier), Judy Johnson (C Tier), and Dobie Moore (C Tier).

#Fielding Notes

We have our standard defensive stats here, with the leaders in bold and the worst performers in italics. Range Factor (RF) measures the number of plays made per game–the higher the better. Zone Rating (ZR) attempts to credit players for plays other fielders missed and ding them for plays other fielders made–the higher the better, and it has the benefit of being comparative across the position. Defensive Efficiency (dEff) measures the rate at which an individual fielder contributes to outs being made on balls put into play, with any score over 1.000 being a net positive impact. Finally, Fielding Percentage (fPct) reflects the percentage of times a chance was handled without a mistake–if someone made no errors, their fPct would be 1.000.

Of these, Range Factor is the most susceptible to the impact of the pitching staff and the ballpark, although none of these defensive ratings are perfect.

TWIWBL 87.5: The Second Basemen

By mknn

On February 2, 2026

In TWIWBL

Another NL dominated list with AL 2B only appearing in the B Tier and, honestly, each of those perhaps belonging one group lower.

#S Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	OTT	Roberto Alomar	24	305/383/579	35 HR 109 RBI 121 R 58 SB
NL	IND	Joe Morgan	22	306/425/612	35 SB

Nobody would have predicted Roberto Alomar as the best 2B in the game before the season began, but here we are. Alomar was truly superlative, putting him in the running for the All Rounder Award, even. Alomar’s WAR of 4.9 easily outpaced the rest of the field at 2B, and perhaps the only knock on him is that he led the league with 14 errors, however he also played more innings at 2B than anybody else.

Even with all that, Joe Morgan may have edged Alomar for the top spot if he had remained healthy: he got on base more often and showed more power, and is expected to be back at full strength for Spring Training

#A Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	BRK	Jackie Robinson	29	288/369/549	52 SB
NL	HOD	Ryne Sandberg	33	292/351/592	42 HR	.993 fPct 4.97 RF

Jackie Robinson spent some time elsewhere early in the season, but settled down at 2B for the champions, and won the Whirled Series with a memorable walkoff blast. While Ryne Sandberg faded a little as the season moved along (he lead the WBL in homers at one early point), this is still more than enough to cement his spot as a star in the league, especially when his defense is considered.

#B Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	CAG	Eddie Collins	28	286/385/413	104 R 73 SB
NL	NYG	Larry Doyle	35	261/350/587	26 HR
—	LAA/ BBB	Bobby Grich	24	226/349/448		.976 fPct
AL	POR/ NYY	Rogers Hornsby	34	270/374/480		-11.9 ZR .904 dEff
AL	BAL	Miller Huggins	28	276/421/354	35 SB	10.8 ZR 1.100 dEff
NL	PHI	Chase Utley	30	254/341/441	26 SB	.994 fPct 4.92 RF 13.7 ZR

Eddie Collins was a borderline MVP candidate last year, and the first recipient of the All Rounder Award, and Bobby Grich wasn’t all that far behind him. This year, a 50 point drop in slash line across the board moves them into this space, where their starting jobs are safe, but they’re really in danger of no longer being considered elite. An argument could be made that Rogers Hornsby still belongs in the A Tier, but his age and defensive weakness moves him here.

Larry Doyle barely made the usage requirement for the list, which moves him down a tier and, at 35, it’s unclear how much he has left in the tank. Still, in hindsight, he clearly should have started at 2B for the Gothams all season.

Miller Huggins may not belong here, but we’re a sucker for players with 150 point spreads between their BA and OBP, and he’s clearly locked down the starting role in Baltimore. Add his defensive metrics, and we’re fine with him in this group.

Chase Utley‘s incredible defense moves him into this tier–his offensive performance alone would leave him in the C Tier.

#C Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	MCG	Martín Dihigo	19	246/291/429	39 SB	1.000 fPct
AL	DET	Charlie Gehringer	25	257/335/452		4.89 RF -10.7 ZR
—	HOD/ SFS	Frank Grant	22	255/339/384	43 SB
AL	MEM	DJ LeMahieu	29	297/373/433		1.117 dEff
AL	POR	Paul Molitor	24	266/323/423	42 SB	.977 fPct

Paul Molitor‘s future is not at 2B, but to succeed anywhere else, he’ll need to up the offensive production–indeed, he is perhaps being flattered through his inclusion here.

DJ LeMahieu and Frank Grant barely made the list’s usage requirement, leaving Charlie Gehringer as the only obvious C Tier second baseman.

And then there is the enigma that is Martín Dihigo. He played mostly at 2B, but logged a ton of innings elsewhere, at a gold glove level everywhere. Add in his age, his massive jump in offensive performance, and his speed, and you could argue he belongs a tier above.

#D Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	HOU	Craig Biggio	26	234/333/398	20 SB (but, 20 CS)
NL	BRK	Ray Dandridge	22	249/284/421		3.94 RF 1.131 dEff
NL	IND	Tommy Helms	25	268/300/399
AL	CLE	Chuck Knoblauch	28	230/320/381	38 SB	-12.5 ZR .926 dEff

Craig Biggio has more upside–and clearly had the better year–but either he or Chuck Knoblauch could, surprisingly, see the bench next year. Both were significantly better last year, with Knoblauch being an All Star, so there is some reason for optimism as well.

Ray Dandridge‘s future in Brooklyn is probably at SS, but he played most this season at 2B, so he’s listed here. Obviously, the offense needs to improve for his career to stabilize.

Tommy Helms is a utility infielder at best, forced onto this list by Morgan’s injury.

#F Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	KCM	Robinson Canó	25	230/258/397		11.0 ZR
NL	BBB	Cupid Childs	24	224/344/327	37 SB
NL	KCM	Frankie Frisch	28	255/281/405
AL	NYY	Tom Herr	29	228/288/326	21 SB	4.02 RF
NL	HOM	Napoleon Lajoie	24	231/255/409	55 2B	.993 fPct
AL	MCG	Cookie Rojas	26	267/307/379		.993 fPct

An interesting group, honestly. Cupid Childs has gone from being a rising star to losing his starting job with the arrival of Bobby Grich; Napoleon Lajoie‘s 55 doubles speak to his potential, and Cookie Rojas is quite versatile, although, of this group, perhaps the most expendable for his team.

Note Childs’ OBP: his speed and ability to get on base should preserve his having utility in the WBL somewhere.

And then we have the misery that is Kansas City, with both Robinson Canó and Frankie Frisch buried here (although, to be fair, Frisch is a utility infielder and has value as such). And, Tommy Herr, who was supposed to be the long-term solution at 2B for New York, but whose performance prompted the acquisition of Hornsby by the Black Yankees.

#Rookies

Charlie Gehringer (C Tier) and Frank Grant (C Tier).

#Fielding Notes

We have our standard defensive stats here, with the leaders in bold and the worst performers in italics. Range Factor (RF) measures the number of plays made per game–the higher the better. Zone Rating (ZR) attempts to credit players for plays other fielders missed and ding them for plays other fielders made–the higher the better, and it has the benefit of being comparative across the position. Defensive Efficiency (dEff) measures the rate at which an individual fielder contributes to outs being made on balls put into play, with any score over 1.000 being a net positive impact. Finally, Fielding Percentage (fPct) reflects the percentage of times a chance was handled without a mistake–if someone made no errors, their fPct would be 1.000.

Of these, Range Factor is the most susceptible to the impact of the pitching staff and the ballpark, although none of these defensive ratings are perfect.

TWIWBL 87.4: The First Basemen

By mknn

On February 1, 2026

In TWIWBL

There are some names missing here that may be expected–be sure to look at the DH summary to find most of them.

This group is totally dominated by the AL, with no NL first baseman showing up until the B Tier.

We have our standard defensive stats here, with the leaders in bold and the worst performers in italics. Range Factor (RF) measures the number of plays made per game–the higher the better. Zone Rating (ZR) attempts to credit players for plays other fielders missed and ding them for plays other fielders made–the higher the better, and it has the benefit of being comparative across the position. Defensive Efficiency (dEff) measures the rate at which an individual fielder contributes to outs being made on balls put into play, with any score over 1.000 being a net positive impact. Finally, Fielding Percentage (fPct) reflects the percentage of times a chance was handled without a mistake–if someone made no errors, their fPct would be 1.000.

Of these, Range Factor is the most susceptible to the impact of the pitching staff and the ballpark, although none of these defensive ratings are perfect.

#S Tier

That’s right, none. Maybe Jim Thome belongs here? Lou Gehrig certainly does, but he played primarily as a DH this season. S Tier is supposed to be hard, and a simple 1.000 OPS doesn’t automatically grant entry.

#A Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	CLE	Lance Berkman	29	276/369/633	57 HR 143 RBI 112 R	7.70 RF
AL	SFS	Jack Clark	29	257/380/605	51 HR 115 RBI 107 R 101 BB	8.36 RF
AL	DET	Hank Greenberg	24	266/352/672	59 HR 134 RBI 107 R	8.27 RF
AL	CAG	Frank Thomas	24	296/411/580		.991 fPct -2.6 ZR .944 dEff
AL	MCG	Jim Thome	28	267/375/659	59 HR 122 RBI 101 R	.993 fPct -4.0 ZR .961 dEff

This comes down to the choice between Thome and Hank Greenberg, and there’s not much to choose from between them. Note how bad this group is defensively–it just doesn’t matter much when you’re mashing the ball like this.

Frank Thomas‘ injury must be noted, with the Big Hurt expected to be out well into next season.

#B Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	HOU	Jeff Bagwell	24	266/378/548	35 HR 112 RBI
NL	BRK	Dan Brouthers	25	317/363/587	23 SB
NL	NYG	Will Clark	28	292/367/585	33 HR
AL	LAA	Carlos Delgado	32	251/342/585	44 HR	.993 fPct
AL	POR	Kent Hrbek	25	289/346/575	37 HR
–	CAG/ BBB	Paul Konerko	34	288/380/584	36 HR	.998 fPct 2.9 ZR 1.050 dEff
AL	MEM	David Ortiz	27	280/371/676	34 HR
NL	HOD	Anthony Rizzo	24	287/391/594

Paul Konerko‘s defense may actually move him up into the group above, but in general the gap between this group and, say, Jack Clark, remains significant. Additionally, Konerko barely played enough in the field to qualify here–as a DH, there’s no chance he moves up a tier.

David Ortiz‘ performance probably shifts him up a level, but limited appearances and a fair bit of time at DH keeps him here for now. The same argument could be made for Anthony Rizzo and Dan Brouthers. For both, we have erred on the side of caution.

#C Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	BAL	Dan McGann	38	286/400/495		9.13 RF
NL	KCM	Boog Powell	28	254/349/500		9.12 RF 3.4 ZR
NL	IND	Joey Votto	32	246/381/521	36 HR 32 SB	1.000 fPct 5.1 ZR 1.036 dEff

Mirroring the top group, all of this great defense leaves this trio as solid, respectable starters, but not much better than that. Dan McGann is actually pretty much done, with Baltimore already declaring Eddie Murray next year’s starter, but Boog Powell and Joey Votto should keep seeing action for a few more seasons at least.

#D Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Def
NL	HOM	Mike Epstein	26	215/347/495	-3.3 ZR .960 dEff
NL	BBB	Adrián González	27	252/310/487
AL	NYY	Don Mattingly	26	286/304/502	1.027 dEff
NL	OTT	Rusty Staub	21	268/333/508	.998 fPct
AL	MEM	Bill White	29	264/311/528	.993 fPct 9.05 RF

Homestead may be looking to move on from Mike Epstein given this season’s struggles, while Ottawa believes Rusty Staub will improve dramatically. Memphis has already indicated that Bill White has lost his job to Ortiz (see above). Don Mattingly and Adrián González are both conundrums: the swing is sweet, but the production is not, and both are preventing higher output players from time in the field.

#F Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	BRK	Pedro Guerrero	29	236/303/445
NL	PHI	Ted Kluszewski	31	245/289/436

Pedro Guerrero played most at 1B, but also saw action at 3B and the OF. Regardless, this is not the offensive performance the Royal Giants were looking for when they obtained him. Ted Kluszewski is likely to lose his starting job next season.

#Rookies

David Ortiz (B-Tier).

Baseball The Way It Never Was

Month: February 2026

TWIWBL 87.8: The Left Fielders

#S Tier

#A Tier

#B Tier

#C Tier

#D Tier

#F Tier

#Rookies

#Fielding Notes

TWIWBL 87.7: The Third Basemen

#S Tier

#A Tier

#B Tier

#C Tier

#D Tier

#F Tier

#Rookies

#Fielding Notes

TWIWBL 87.6: The Shortstops

#S Tier

#A Tier

#B Tier

#C Tier

#D Tier

#F Tier

#Rookies

#Fielding Notes

TWIWBL 87.4: The First Basemen

#S Tier

#A Tier

#B Tier

#C Tier

#D Tier

#F Tier

#Rookies