The overall All-WBL Teams can be found here.
In this post, we’ll slowly carve people off those lists as we get younger, beginning with the under 25’s. As we get younger, future potential will begin to be more of a thing.
A full lineup, with DH, plus 3 starters and 3 relievers for each. We’ll start by relisting the overall selections, then new entries for each group will be bolded.
#WBL Teams of the Year
| Pos | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| C | Ed Bailey (36, DET/CLE) | Josh Gibson (21, HOM) |
| 1B | Jim Thome (28, MCG) | Paul Konerko (34, CAG/BBB) |
| 2B | Eddie Collins (28, CAG) | Roberto Alomar (24, OTT) |
| SS | Arky Vaughan (27, CLE) | Ernie Banks (25, HOD) |
| 3B | Evan Longoria (24, CLE) | Ron Cey (27, BRK) |
| LF | Babe Ruth (25, NYY) | Jim Wynn (23, HOU) |
| CF | Turkey Stearnes (22, SFS) | Oscar Charleston (21, IND) |
| RF | Mickey Mantle (22, NYY) | Aaron Judge (27, PHI) |
| DH | Ty Cobb (21, DET) | Willie Stargell (31, HOM) |
| SP | Lefty Grove (27, SFS) José Méndez (23, MCG) Jim Whitney (24, BBB/MCG) | Luis Padrón (22, IND) Toad Ramsey (23, HOU) A. Rube Foster (24, KCM) |
| RP | Ken Howell (24, SFS) Andrew Miller (23, MEM) Rod Beck (24, SFS) | Lee Smith (34, HOD/KCM) Eddie Guardado (26, KCM) Eric Gagne (27, BRK) |
#WBL 25 & Under Teams
| Pos | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| C | Mickey Cochrane (25, SFS) | Josh Gibson (21, HOM) |
| 1B | Hank Greenberg (24, DET) | Jeff Bagwell (24, HOU) |
| 2B | Grant Johnson (25, HOU/NYY) | Roberto Alomar (24, OTT) |
| SS | Cal Ripken, Jr (23, BAL) | Ernie Banks (25, HOD) |
| 3B | Evan Longoria (24, CLE) | Albert Pujols (22, KCM) |
| LF | Babe Ruth (25, NYY) | Jim Wynn (23, HOU) |
| CF | Turkey Stearnes (22, SFS) | Oscar Charleston (21, IND) |
| RF | Mickey Mantle (22, NYY) | Larry Walker (23, OTT) |
| DH | Ty Cobb (21, DET) | Rick Monday (24, OTT) |
| SP | José Méndez (23, MCG) Jim Whitney (24, BBB/MCG) Bump Hadley (23, SFS) | Luis Padrón (22, IND) Toad Ramsey (23, HOU) A. Rube Foster (24, KCM) |
| RP | Ken Howell (24, SFS) Andrew Miller (23, MEM) Rod Beck (24, SFS) | Terry Forster (22, BRK) Andrew Chafin (25, HOU) Fred Cambria (23, PHI) |
#WBL 23 & Under Teams
| Pos | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| C | Iván Rodríguez (21, MCG) | Josh Gibson (21, HOM) |
| 1B | Eddie Murray (22, BAL) | Rusty Staub (21, OTT) |
| 2B | Frank Grant (22, HOD/SFS) | Joe Morgan (22, IND) |
| SS | Cal Ripken, Jr (23, BAL) | Carlos Correa (23, HOU) |
| 3B | Jimmie Foxx (22, SFS) | Albert Pujols (22, KCM) |
| LF | Frank Robinson (22, BAL) | Jim Wynn (23, HOU) |
| CF | Turkey Stearnes (22, SFS) | Oscar Charleston (21, IND) |
| RF | Mickey Mantle (22, NYY) | Larry Walker (23, OTT) |
| DH | Ty Cobb (21, DET) | Richie Hebner (23, HOD) |
| SP | José Méndez (23, MCG) Bump Hadley (23, SFS) Brett Anderson (22, LAA) | Luis Padrón (22, IND) Toad Ramsey (23, HOU) Smokey Joe Wood (22, KCM) |
| RP | Andrew Miller (23, MEM) Goose Gossage (23, NYY) Julio Teheran (22, LAA) | Terry Forster (22, BRK) Fred Cambria (23, PHI) Ted Kennedy (22, PHI) |
300 PA Minimums for batters, with 1 exception: Murray only had 145 PAs–1B in the AL just did not have a lot of youth.
#WBL 21 & Under
| Pos | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| C | Iván Rodríguez (21, MCG) | Josh Gibson (21, HOM) |
| 1B | — | Rusty Staub (21, OTT) |
| 2B | Martín Dihigo (19, MCG) | — |
| SS | Dobie Moore (20, MEM) | Judy Johnson (18, HOM) |
| 3B | Freddie Lindstrom (20, CAG) | Ron Santo (21, HOD) |
| LF | Alejandro Oms (21, MCG) | Sherry Magee (21, PHI) |
| CF | Ken Griffey Jr (20, POR) | Oscar Charleston (21, IND) |
| RF | Bryce Harper (20, BAL) | — |
| DH | Ty Cobb (21, DET) | — |
| SP | Walter Johnson (20, POR) Bob Feller (20, CLE) Joseíto Muñoz (20, POR) | Ice Box Chamberlain (19, HOU) JM Ward (20, PHI) Sandy Koufax (21, BRK) |
| RP | Pete Conway (21, DET) Tom Williams (20, CAG) Billy Hoeft (19, DET) | Pete Donohue (21, NYG) Edward Nolan (19, IND) Vida Blue (21, HOU) |
All praises to Ty Cobb, Josh Gibson, and Oscar Charleston for remaining on the list this far. The relievers dip into some rarely used arms, but of the rest, only Freddie Lindstrom was a late-season callup.
There really isn’t an all-teenager team: the only change from the teens above would be the addition of Chicago’s Cristóbal Torriente, perhaps the worst offensive player in the league this year in CF, but surprisingly effective in a few mound appearances.
One more, largely for fun
#WBL Over 30 Team
| Pos | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| C | Ed Bailey (36, DET/CLE) | Jim Pagliaroni (32, MEM/BBB) |
| 1B | Carlos Delgado (32, LAA) | Paul Konerko (34, CAG/BBB) |
| 2B | Rogers Hornsby (34, NYY) | Ryne Sandberg (33, HOD) |
| SS | Bobby Wallace (34, BAL/DET) | Ozzie Smith (30, KCM) |
| 3B | — | Jim Ray Hart (30, NYG) |
| LF | Oscar Gamble (32, DET) | Don Buford (32, LAA/NYG) |
| CF | — | Dave Henderson (33, IND) |
| RF | Kiki Cuyler (32, POR) | Albert Belle (32, BBB) |
| DH | Gavvy Cravath (36, BAL) | Joey Votto (32, IND) |
| SP | Andy Pettitte (33, NYY) Connie Johnson (34, BAL/DET) Charlie Root (31, DET) | Gaylord Perry (33, NYG) Eppa Rixey (31, IND) Cliff Lee (30, HOM) |
| RP | Jonathan Papelbon (31, MEM/MCG) Joe Nathan (31, LAA/SFS) Buddy Groom (37, BAL) | Lee Smith (34, HOD/KCM) Bob Howry (34, PHI) Josh Lindblom (31, HOM) |
Only 3 names from the All-League Teams (Baily, Konerko, and Lee Smith), reflecting on just how young the league is. This is a very wide range from some very strong performers who are expected to keep it up for a while (those 3, Pettitte, Hornsby, some others) to folks like Dave Henderson and Kiki Cuyler, who are just barely hanging onto their roster spots.