The Whirled Baseball League

Baseball The Way It Never Was

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98.1: Welcome to Week 1 & Opening Day Games

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On August 16, 2026

In TWIWBL

8 April, 2002

Welcome to Year III! Woot woot!

The Whirled Baseball League opened its third season on the first of April, 2002, but the weather proved a mightier force than the ump crying Play Ball! Four of the ten scheduled openers were impacted by the wet — Houston at Homestead, Birmingham at Brooklyn, Chicago at Baltimore and Los Angeles at Cleveland all went to the tarp, and all four were made up as day-night doubleheaders the following afternoon. Of the six games that did get played, three were interrupted by rain anyway.

After the first week, The Detroit Wolverines sit alone at 6-1. Nobody else in the league has more than five wins. But Detroit is doing it with mirrors: they have scored 43 and allowed 39, which should put them at about 4-3. So we’ll see what holds.

Awards

American League Player of the Week: Dick Allen, Chicago American Giants.

The 24-year-old third baseman opened the year 11-for-27 with three home runs, nine runs batted in and nine runs scored, a .407/.467/.963 line across thirty plate appearances.

National League Player of the Week: Roberto Alomar, Ottawa Mounties.

Fifteen hits in thirty-one at-bats, with two home runs earned Alomar the Award. In one of those early season oddities, he didn’t draw a walk or reach base any other way, so both BA and OBP sit at .484.

Opening Day Games

Kansas City 5, Ottawa 4.

Not a single home run was hit in this one, and it was still the best game of the day. It opened messily on both sides: Kansas City scored twice in the first, one of the runs on a passed ball, and Ottawa gave one straight back in the bottom half on a wild pitch. The Mounties drew level in the third, and there it sat.

Then the sky opened. A thirty-eight minute delay in the fifth ended both starters’ afternoons — Roy Halladay had kept Ottawa in it to that point — and Kansas City came out of the break with two runs in the sixth to lead 4-2.

Ottawa’s answer in the eighth was what lifted the game above the level of the mundane: Eddie Guardado came on for the Monarchs and Roberto Alomar greeted him with a line-drive double. Gary Carter followed with a double of his own — an absolute rocket that left the bat at 111 miles per hour — and Carlos Beltrán scored Carter on a single to center. Tie game, and Kansas City called on Lee Smith to stop the bleeding (which he did).

The winning hit travelled about ninety feet in the air. Doug Rader walked to open the ninth and, after Ted Simmons grounded into a force play, Kolten Wong singled Simmons to second. Frankie Frisch came on to pinch-run from there, tagged up to third on an Ozzie Smith fly ball to right, and scored when Cool Papa Bell beat out a weakly hit infield chopper that left the bat roughly 50 mph slower than Carter’s smash.

Craig Kimbrel set Ottawa down in order in the ninth for the save; the win went to Lee Smith for the eighth.

Benny Kauff finished the day with three hits for the Monarchs.

KAN 5 (Smith 1-0; Kimbrel 1 Sv; Guardado 1 BSv) @ OTT 4 (Dempster 0-1)
HRs: none.
Box Score

San Francisco 5, New York Black Yankees 2.

For six innings this was the pitchers’ duel the marquee promised: Lefty Grove struck out twelve over six and a third — tying the Sea Lions’ franchise record for a single game — and Andy Pettitte matched him nearly stride for stride with six shutout innings and eight strikeouts of his own. Through four the scoreboard was blank in both directions.

Lou Gehrig broke the tie in the bottom of the fourth, taking Grove over the wall with one out for the season’s first run at Yankee Stadium. That held until the seventh, when New York summoned Hoyt Wilhelm to protect the one-run lead.

Whoops. Turkey Stearnes led off the seventh and tied the game on the spot with his opening dinger of the season, and although New York handed Wilhelm a fresh lead in the bottom half — Don Mattingly driving in the go-ahead run for 2-1 — he gave that one back too, and then some. San Francisco put up three in the eighth. Reggie Jackson added a solo shot off David Robertson in the ninth for good measure.

So: blown save, loss, and four earned runs across two innings for Wilhelm, and even on opening day the questions start being asked about the Black Yankees’ bullpen. Trevor Hoffman got the win in relief, Joe Nathan handled the 8th, and Rod Beck finished it off — the Sea Lions’ pen had no such queries asked.

SFS 5 (Hoffman 1-0; Beck 1 Sv) @ NYY 2 (Wilhelm 0-1, 1 BSv)
HRs: SFS – Stearnes (1), Jackson (1); NYY – Gehrig (1).
Box Score

New York Gothams 9, Indianapolis 6.

The week’s largest crowd — 54,814 — was treated to seven home runs (1 by a starting pitcher) and four lead changes. Don Buford led off the bottom of the first by putting a Luis Padrón offering into the seats, and Brandon Crawford did the same in the third.

Indianapolis finally solved Christy Mathewson in the fourth: Johnny Bench went deep with two out, and moments later, with a man aboard, Buddy Bell turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead. It lasted one inning. HR Johnson answered with a two-run homer in the fifth, and the Gothams tacked on a couple more in the sixth to lead 6-3 with nine outs to go.

Which is where it got strange. Luis Padrón, still in at the DH for the ABC’s, led off the seventh by homering off Masahiro Tanaka, and two batters later Oscar Charleston hit a two-run shot to tie it at six. Tanaka had blown the save and, in the way these things sometimes go, was about to be rewarded for it: New York retook the lead in the bottom half, and Buford’s second home run of the day, a two-run drive in the eighth, put it out of reach.

Mathewson struck out ten but walked five and got no decision. Tanaka got the win. Nobody got much peace, but the fans got a good show to start the season.

IND 6 (Mitchell 0-1) @ NYG 9 (Tanaka 1-0, 1 BSv; Wilson 1 Sv)
HRs: IND – Charleston (1), Bench (1), Bell (1); NYG – Buford (2), HR Johnson (1), Crawford (1).
Box Score

Detroit 7, Miami 5.

Charlie Root was the story at first — five and two thirds innings, no runs, no walks, and eleven strikeouts. Detroit’s lineup took its time with Miami starter José Méndez, opening with doubles from Bobby Wallace and Charlie Gehringer before Oscar Gamble finally got one out of the park in the fifth. Eustaquio Pedroso came on in relief of Méndez and it went no better — Al Kaline took him deep for two in the seventh, Gehringer in the eighth.

Miami got a two-run shot from Alejandro Oms and three hits from Gary Sheffield, but never was able to overtake the Wolverines.

MCG 5 (Méndez 0-1) @ DET 7 (Root 1-0; Henneman 1 Sv)
HRs: MCG – Oms (1); DET – Gamble (1), Kaline (1), Gehringer (1).
Box Score

Portland 7, Memphis 3.

Walter Johnson started, went three and a third (departing after a rain delay in the 4th), and hit a home run. Paul Molitor added a two-run shot of his own and Ken Griffey Jr had three hits and two runs batted in. Memphis answered through David Ortiz, who drove in three with a homer, and Johnny Briggs, who had three hits, but Portland held the lead throughout.

POR 7 (Trout 1-0) @ MEM 3 (Overmire 0-1)
HRs: POR – Molitor (1), Griffey Jr (1), Johnson (1); MEM – Ortiz (1).
Box Score

Philadelphia 9, Wandering House of David 5.

The ageless wonder that is Rico Carty opened the season by going 4-for-4 with a home run and Roger Peckinpaugh (sitting in at SS for Philadelphia for the suspended Jim Fregosi) drove in three, and Philadelphia was never really threatened once Hardie Henderson got through six. The House of David did get 2 homers from young John Beckwith and another from Anthony Rizzo. Jack Taylor gave up eleven hits in the loss.

PHI 9 (Henderson 1-0) @ HOD 5 (Taylor 0-1)
HRs: PHI – Carty (1), Peckinpaugh (1); HOD – Beckwith (2), Rizzo (1).
Box Score

Bits & Bobs

You Always Remember Your First
Houston’s Pete Hill is 0-for-17 with eight strikeouts. He posted a .800 OPS over 594 plate appearances last season, which makes him the furthest any regular has fallen from his own track. Memphis’s Herman Long is 0-for-10 since being signed to solve shortstop for the Red Sox, and Chicago’s Jay Bell and Birmingham’s Ron Fairly are also hitless.

The Root of Things
Nine and a third innings, seventeen strikeouts — the league lead — and not one walk for Detroit’s Charlie Root.

Singles? We Don’t Need No Stinking Singles.
Baltimore’s Gavy Cravath has six hits this season — three doubles and three home runs. Josh Gibson (Homestead), Manny Ramírez (Memphis), Oscar Gamble (Detroit) and Jack Clark (San Francisco) are also yet to hit a single this season.

Swing, miss, duck.
The Sea Lions’ Lefty Grove has sixteen strikeouts in eleven and a third innings — and a 6.35 earned run average and 0-1 record to show for it.

Who Needs the DH?
Five homeruns came from pitchers during the opening week. 2 came from Charles Rogan (Philadelphia), which isn’t terribly surprising, but Walter Johnson (Portland), Luis Padrón (Indianapolis), and Jim Whitney (Miami) all joined in as well.

TWIWBL 97.2: The Spring Training Trades

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On July 18, 2026

In TWIWBL

With just over a week left in Spring Training, we get to see how panicked some teams are, and how much they want to shake things up before opening day.

Unsurprisingly, we start with the Black Yankees and their perennial win-now mentality.

#The Black Yankees Add MI

NYY sends RP Aroldis Chapman, IF Mark Grudzielanek, 2nd Round Pick to CLE for IF Joe Sewell, IF Bill Phillips.

This is more fallout from the Grant Johnson trade in some ways: Sewell will have every shot at displacing Derek Jeter at SS for New York, and the team looks set to juggle their middle infield between those two, Robby Thompson, and Rogers Hornsby.

For Cleveland, they took a blocked talent–Sewell was never displacing Arky Vaughan–and converted it into a great bullpen arm and a valuable pick.

#The Red Sox Have a Rotation

Unsatisfied with just adding Don Drysdale and Red Ruffing, Memphis went shopping on the West coast.

MEM sends IF Dobie Moore, OF Dwight Evans, P Mike Witt to LAA for P Tom Seaver, IF Xander Bogaerts, IF Andrelton Simmons, C Mark Salas.

Clearly, the spine of the deal is Seaver for Moore, but this one has a lot of repercussions: Memphis continues to weed out some of its OF talent, and takes a gamble on Seaver continuing to develop at the WBL level. SS for Memphis is now a scramble between the two new bodies, Adam Everett, and Bud Harrelson; while for Los Angeles, this settles at least half of their middle infield question, and opens the door for some more arms to prove themselves in the rotation as they look to the future.

#CAG Settles at SS. Maybe.

CAG sends U Trea Turner & IF Yoán Moncada to HOU for IF Travis Jackson.

Jackson is clearly ready for WBL time–here he may actually get it; in return HOU gets a prospect in search of a position and one of the ST surprises in Moncada.

#Monarchs Make Moves

KAN sends OF Dale Murphy & IF Carlos Baerga to NYG for OF Benny Kauff.

A classic now v later move. Murphy is desperately in need of a change of scenery, and Baerga remains 4-5 years away, while Kauff should help deepen a lineup in need of power.

But Kansas City wasn’t done.

KAN sends P José Rijo, P Jeff Pfeffer & 1st Round Pick to LAA for 3B Doug Rader.

The Albert Pujols at 3B experiment looks to be officially over, with Los Angeles clearly reacting to the loss of Seaver. Expect David Wright and/or Pedro Álvarez to inherit the hot corner for the Angels.

And this led to another move for Los Angeles.

LAA sends P Brett Anderson & 3rd Round Pick to HOD for IF Richie Hebner, OF Cy Williams & 2nd Round Pick

Los Angeles has now gotten rid of their 2 best pitchers from last season: this is either great faith in their stockpiled arms or pure madness.

#Easy as A-B-C

IND sends P Tom Glavine, P George Medich, P Jack Billingham & IF Robin Ventura to POR for IF Buddy Bell.

Indianapolis gets an all star and former gold glove winner to take over at the hot corner, while Portland lands a lot of future potential, headlined by the 19 year old Glavine.

This deal set the stage for the next one.

IND sends IF Ed Charles & P Dan Plesac to NYY for P Jeff D. Robinson & P Jack Armstrong.

The Black Yankees get a decent bench piece for the price of a Rule V selection–which seems fair to all. The other two arms are essentially fliers–Armstrong back to his seed franchise, Plesac as a veteran LHP hedge.

#Memphis Not Done Yet

MEM sends IF Candy Jim Taylor, P Nathan Eovaldi & 1st Round Pick to BRK for OF John Briggs & 3rd Round Pick.

This one has some heads shaking. Memphis and Brooklyn team up again, with the Red Sox landing what they hope is the CF of the future, and Brooklyn adding some minor league talent and a coveted #1 pick.

Briggs has been doubted every step of his career–this is just another chance for him to prove the haters wrong. For Brooklyn, it clears CF for Duke Snider, and also means their OF glut can now route into the DH for the year.

#BB to BBB

BAL sends IF Asdrúbal Cabrera, P Bill Byrd, IF Roy Smalley Jr. & 3rd Round Pick to BBB for P Steve Avery, P Gio González, P Warren Spahn, OF Curt Flood & 1st Round Pick.

An interesting deal.

In 7 years, Baltimore may see this as a massive win–if Avery develops, if González becomes a rotation starter, if the 1st Round Pick pans out and, perhaps most of all, if a change of scenery reboots Spahn’s career.

That’s a lot of if’s. In the meantime, Birmingham gets a potential answer to their SS woes and a front of rotation arm that excels in limiting homeruns, the Black Barons’ current Achilles’ heel.

TWIWBL 97.1: Early Spring Training

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On July 17, 2026

In TWIWBL, Uncategorized

We’ll have a team by team season preview as Spring Training runs down, but here are some newsworthy tidbits from the early days.

#Homestead Grays

The Grays have lost their staff ace–or what has passed for a staff ace–as Francisco Liriano suffered a torn labrum, and will miss 5-6 months, putting him on the shelf for effectively the whole season.

#Memphis Red Sox

The Red Sox execute the very first waiver claim in WBL history (this is part of what Claude’s involvement enables), grabbing veteran P Paul Derringer from Indianapolis.

TWIWBL 96.1 – January’s Activity

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On July 16, 2026

In TWIWBL

31 December through mid January

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

#Chicago American Giants

Looking to bolster their competition at SS, Chicago signed Jay Bell to a one year deal.

More importantly, in late February, the American Giants got some good news on Frank Thomas, with the medical staff now saying he could be looking at a May return.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Signed Jeff Reardon to help in their bullpen.

Draft pick Chris Carpenter refused to sign with the Monarchs, so back into the draft pool he goes, and Kansas City will get a compensation pick.

#New York Black Yankees

Giancarlo Stanton refused to sign, so the Yankees will get a compensation pick. More importantly, this potentially scuttles a deal with the Gothams to obtain Gaylord Perry. We’ll see what the two sides can work out.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Added FA IF Lonny Frey to the MI mix–at $550k for 1 year, this is a low-risk move to try to find some stability at 2B.

Trades

These are all fallout from the Rookie Draft that were contingent on draft picks signing. The blockbuster here is how NYY’s win-now posture led to what could be a major reshaping of their roster.

The Big One

NYG sends P Gaylord Perry, IF Robbie Thompson to NYY for P Dave Righetti, IF Grant Johnson, 1st Round Pick, and 3rd Round Pick.

It’s a lot to give up. But the Black Yankees get a solid #3 starter, clear room for Hardy Richardson to play, and, as they are wont to do, further mortgage their future.

A Three Way

This was really just to resolve some errors in the draft itself. All low level noise.

KAN sends P Tex Pruitt, P Fred Holdsworth to DET for P Jakie May.
DET sends P Tex Pruitt, P Fred Holdsworth to MEM for C Billy Sullivan, P John Healy.

Gant Comes Home

BBB sends OF Yoenis Céspedes, P Ed Hanyzewski to HOD for SS Ron Gant.

Interesting deal. Gant, of course, doesn’t stay at SS, and Céspedes may impact HOD immediately.

More Noise

MCG sends P Jing Johnson to SFS for 2B Joe Dunand, P Kevin Kobel.

Housekeeping.

TWIWBL 95.4: The Rule V Draft

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On June 13, 2026

In TWIWBL

There was some very interesting talent available through the Rule V Draft, and some teams decided to use it quite aggressively. Remember, these players need to stay on their new team’s WBL roster all year, or they revert to their original team.

It should be interesting …

Note that gaps in the picks indicate teams skipped their turn.

PickTeamClaimsFromNotes
1PORCF Paul HinesBALOF depth. Unlikely to stick.
2MEMRP Ed SewardMCGSure, could make it. Good MiL stats.
3CAG1B Mickey VernonPORThe search for a replacement for the injured Frank Thomas continues.
4LAA2B Billy HermanHODA dark horse to be the steal of the draft. Should claim starting role in ST.
5BBBSS Dick GroatHOMSmart pick for a team starved for MI talent.
6NYGSS Billy NashDETNash did fine for DET, but was blocked there. Could have a legit shot to stick with the Gothams.
7OTTP Nip WintersHOMThis one could hurt–both teams are desperate for SP.
8HOMRP Logan HensleyDETShrug.
11KANP Earl HamiltonHOMCombine this with Winters, and the Grays could rue this day.
12MCGP Sam McDowellCLEA smart pick, McDowell could easily last the season in Miami
16PHI3B Buddy MyerINDDecent utility IF, could work.
18NYYP Jeff RobinsonINDUnlikely to survive in NY.
21PORSS Leo CardenasBBBGiven how weak POR’s MI is, this could work.
23CAG1B Tino MartinezOTTMore 1B hedging–clearly CAG thinks it is cheaper to throw a lot of options out in ST than acquire after opening day.
26NYGOF Tip O’NeillHODNice pick, should be able to hang around given the weakness of the Gothams’ OF.

TWIWBL 95.3: The Rookie Draft

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On June 12, 2026

In TWIWBL

One of my favorite things each year. The WBL Rookie Draft is always a bit “juiced,” with both some high end talent and some historical “decent” players, but there is plenty of dross here as well in the later rounds.

We’ll cover the first 3 rounds pick-by-pick here, then rounds 4-10 team by team.

A reminder: each team can make 2 picks outside of players historically associated with their seed franchises; the rest (until the tail end of the draft) must come from players that spent a significant period of their career with them.

OOTP does its usual fun on whether these picks actually sign, so news on that will hit future TWIWBL’s.

We are moving towards the 2002 season, for reference. Debut is, of course, an estimate.

#Round 1

Note that Round 1 contained 2 compensation picks for picks from last year’s draft that refused to sign.

PickTeamPlayer & AgePosDebutNote
1.1MCGPedro Martínez (19)P2004Currently a reliever, his live arm warrants a move to the rotation at some point.
1.2MEMJim Rice (18)OF2005Joins a system stocked with young OF, so some trades loom at some point. But, saves an exception pick, which has some value.
1.3CAGZack Greinke (20)P2004Perhaps solves a need for arms; refused to sign last year.
1.4LAARod Carew (19)2B2005Incredibly weak IF system gets a significant boost. At some point, 1B gets crowded, but that’s a problem many years down the road.
1.5SFSJohn Smoltz (19)P2005The rich get richer.
1.6NYGAmos Rusie (18)P2002The best pitcher who looks WBL ready right now. Also a franchise pick.
1.7OTTJim McCormick (21)P2003A gamble, but OTT is desperate for SP.
1.8HOMDavid Cone (19)P2004Another franchise that needs rotation help.
1.9BALJose Altuve (17)2B2006One for the future, but potentially solves the position.
1.10HODJuan Soto (18)OF2004Honestly surprised he fell this far, Soto will cause some issues on the roster, but they’ll be well worth solving.
1.11KCMChris Carpenter (19)P2005More pitching needed, as always.
1.12MCGJack Glasscock (20)SS2004An interesting pick. First potential flop of the draft, but his arrival should coincide well with MCG’s needs as Robin Yount moves out of the middle infield.
1.13NYYGiancarlo Stanton (18)OF2005Not likely to stay with NYY due to a draft-day deal with NYG for Gaylord Perry. That’s dependent on Stanton signing, though.
1.14HODBingo DeMoss (21)2B2004A worthy successor to Ryne Sandberg.
1.15INDDave Winfield (21)OF2003A bit of a steal for the ABC’s.
1.16HODGeorge Zettlein (27)P2002Having used their exceptions, the HOD’s choices were quite limited. Here, they opted for some immediate help, hopefully.
1.17HOUEd Morris (20)P2003Houston will soon have an embarrassment of rotation riches–which should serve them quite well.
1.18PHIDarryl Strawberry (18)OF2003Another pick that will lead to a crowded roster, but Strawberry’s peak is too attractive to ignore.
1.19CLETodd Helton (22)1B2003A long-term solution to an aging position for the Spiders.
1.20PORJack Fournier (16)1B2006A big bat, but a long ways away.
1.21BRKBrett Butler (22)OF2004A safe pick, and perhaps overvalued here.
1.22SFSDick McBride (24)P2003More help on the mound for the Sea Lions.

#Round 2

PickTeamPlayer & AgePosDebutNote
2.1OTTRobbie Ray (20)P2004The peak is attractive.
2.2BBBYoenis Céspedes (27)OF2002Some immediate help for a somewhat crowded OF.
2.3CAGJosé Quintana (20)P2005More long term rotation help.
2.4LAACharlie Leibrandt (21)2B2005More pitching depth. Spot a pattern?
2.5HODPat Luby (20)P2004With their exceptions used up, the pool thins out quickly.
2.6LAAGarry Templeton (19)SS2005Templeton didn’t sign with HOU last year, he find himself in an organization more desperate for MI help this year.
2.7OTTBilly Jurges (21)SS2003Maybe a hedge against Álex Rodríguez’ eventual shift to 3B?
2.8CAGJosh Hader (19)P2005Eventual closer possibility for a team that should need it.
2.9KCMBill Sherdel (20)P2005A surprise pick. We’ll see.
2.10BBBRon Gant (18)SS2007BBB traded up to get Gant who, while a few years away, does project as a decent corner OF.
2.11KCMAllen Sothoron (20)P2005More pitching, constrained by franchise history.
2.12PORJosh Johnson (18)P2006Development needed, but decent upside.
2.13INDJohnny Allen (24)P2002A potential steal, as Allen could help this season.
2.14BALJouett Meekin (22)P2003Another intriguing selection–immediate help, if not a lot of extended value.
2.15HOUPaul Splittorf (22)P2004Decent mid-rotation talent.
2.16PORBob Groom (23)P2003More medium talent with potential near-term impact.
2.17CLETommy Corcoran (17)SS2006A pick for the future, but not a bad bet.
2.18HOUTommy Harper (20)OF2005HOU has an affection for these multi-position, roster extended options.
2.19BRKZane Smith (21)P2005Brooklyn believes deeply in stockpiling arms and letting them develop, Smith fits that profile.
2.20SFSJimmie Lyons (20)OF2003No room for him in SFS, but his talent is undeniable.

We’re quickly moving to less immediately impactful names, so we’ll do the rest of the draft as team summaries.

TeamRounds 1-2Rounds 3-12GradeGrade/ Notes
BALJose Altuve (2B), Jouett Meekin (P)Billy Lush (OF), Terry Crowley (1B), Herm Starrette (P), Levin Jones (OF), Eddy Rodríguez (P), Gosuke Katoh (1B), Earl Cook (P), Jerry Hinsley (P), Candy Sierra (P)CAltuve is great, but very young. Not a lot from the rest, although Crowley has some pop in his bat.
BBBYoenis Céspedes (OF)Steve Cishek (P), Ricardo Hernández (3B), Ed Hanyzewski (P), Grant Dayton (P), Lefty Wallace (P), Harry Hulihan (P), Zach Vincej (SS), Jake Smith (P), Dale Roberts (P), Kid Baldwin (C), Brandon Larson (3B)CHernández has some potential, but this is not a great draft, even if Céspedes comes good somewhat immediately.
BRKBrett Butler (OF), Zane Smith (P)Jerry Garvin (P), Lew McCarty (C), Mickey Hughes (P), Davis Daniel (P), Joe Evers (1B), Marvell Wynne (OF), Ed Albosta (P), Shaun Anderson (P)BA good job. Butler will have a WBL career, and both Smith and Garvin have live arms. Wynne may be a steal as well.
CAGZack Greinke (P), José Quintana (P), Josh Hader (P)Bob Priddy (P), Dominic Fletcher (OF), Mike Caruso (SS), Harry Clark (3B), Ross Gload (OF), Mem Lovett (1B), Rómulo Sánchez (P), Al Kellett (P), Hugh Canavan (P), Vaughn Eshelman (P)A-The first 3 picks are all excellent additions to a system starved for pitching. Not a lot else, although Caruso and Gload may have some potential.
CLETodd Helton (1B), Tommy Corcoran (SS)Julián Tavárez (P), Emil Levsen (P), Abraham Almonte (2B), Chauncey Fisher (P), Jerry Fahr (P), Cotton Knaupp (SS), Dalton Jones (2B), Juan Castillo (2B), Rabbit Benton (2B)B+Helton solves a long-term issue, the rest seems fine, with Tavárez being a decent pickup.
DETRiley Greene (OF), Kid Madden (P), Jakie May (P), Howie Krist (P), Nate Cornejo (P), Bill Barrett (C), Jess Pike (P), Ambrose McGann (2B), Bud Smith (P), Otto Jacobs (C), Jeter Downs (2B)CNo picks in the first 2 rounds hurts a lot, but Greene could be a steal for the Wolverines.
HODJuan Soto (OF), Bingo DeMoss (2B), George Zettlein (P), Pat Luby (P), Ron Gant (SS)Terry Larkin (P), Vern Olsen (P), Billy Holland (SS/P), Elmer Yoter (3B), Steven Hill (C), Harry East (3B), Lev Shreve (P), Phonney Martin (OF)ACould be transformational. Soto is a generational talent, DeMoss a clear succession plan for Ryne Sandberg, and even Holland has some intriguing potential as a 2-way player.
HOMDavid Cone (P)Cliff Chambers (P), Bob Walk (P), Jimmy Ripple (OF), Red Witt (P), Jeff Wallace (P), Harry Jordan (P), Bill Hallman (OF), Larry Ciaffone (OF), Jaycob Brugman (OF), Jeff Doyle (2B)BCone is a great pick, but there’s not a lot else here.
HOUEd Morris (P), Paul Splittorff (P), Tommy Harper (2B)Lou Piniella (OF), Ken Suarez (C), Jim Wohlford (SS), José Cisnero (P), Mike Hedlund (P), Clint Hurdle (C), Danny Bautista (OF), Rance Pless (1B), Bob Friedrichs (P), Ricky Gutiérrez (SS), Mauro Zárate (P), Rod Gilbreath (3B), Gene Moriarity (OF)B+Could be higher, depending on how Morris develops. Lots of potentially useful marginal pieces in later rounds–Piniella, Hurdle, Gutiérrez.
INDDave Winfield (OF), Johnny Allen (P)Gary Redus (OF), Tex McDonald (SS), Dusty Miller (OF), Billy McCool (P), Chub Sullivan (1B), Tom Wiedenbauer (OF), Jackson Tetreault (P), Logan Allen (P), Mike Champion (2B)AWinfield being available was shocking. Allen and Redus being added makes the draft a surprising success.
KCMChris Carpenter (P), Bill Sherdel (P), Allen Sothoron (P)Casey Kotchman (1B), Tex Pruiett (P), Fred Holdsworth (P), Gerónimo Peña (2B), Otto Schomberg (1B), Wish Egan (P), Pete Naton (C), Tom Donohue (C), Harley Dillinger (P)CWeird. Lots of franchise picks, but not a ton of actual value behind Carpenter.
LAARod Carew (2B), Charlie Leibrandt (P), Garry Templeton (SS)Steve Henderson (OF), Jack DiLauro (P), Mike Trost (C), Dennis Ribant (P), Lou Pote (P), Zach Lutz (3B), Dave Pierson (C), Doc Land (OF), Rubén Quevedo (P), Francisco Peña (c)B+Sure. Carew fills an obvious need, as does Templeton.
MEMJim Rice (OF)Sam Jethroe (OF), Joe Hornung (OF), John Healy (P), Hal Rhyne (SS), Joe Ellick (3B), Joe Cicero (OF), Jerry Mallett (OF), Iván Cruz (1B), Sam Childs (1B), Tony Balsamo (P), Harry Smith (2B)B–Another young OF? Really, Memphis? And after that, adding Jethroe to Rice? There better be some trades a-coming.
MCGPedro Martínez (P), Jack Glasscock (SS)Jesús Lazardo (P), Bobby Vaughn (2B), Erasmo Ramírez (P), Jing Johnson (P), Billy Redmon (SS), Scott Olsen (P), Steven Ames (P), Mario Ramírez (SS), Francis Martes (P), George Milstead (P)AAny draft that gets you Martínez is an A. But … Glasscock may be an overreach.
NYGAmos Rusie (P)Red Murray (OF), Dave Veres (P), Harry McCormick (P), Alvin Davis (1B), Kiko Calero (P), Frank West (P), Luis Castillo (P), Héctor Sánchez (C), Andy Rincon (P), Ed Wilkinson (OF), William Coon (OF), Kevin Collins (3B)CLove me some Rusie, and he’ll help right away … but the rest … Veres and Calero fit with the Gothams’ bullpen obsession.
NYYGiancarlo Stanton (OF)John Kruk (1B), Rich Coggins (OF), John Shaffer (P), Frank Gilhooley (OF), John Ryan Murphy (C), Dutch Rudolph (OF), Marcus Wilson (OF), Darrell Johnson (C), Roy Witherup (P), Mike Shea (P)DStanton is headed out of town, making this a much weaker draft, even if Kruk looks like a solid bat. Still, the Black Yankees never have cared about the draft, so perhaps that’s unfair: if Perry brings them a championship, they’ll see this as a great draft, no matter what Stanton does.
OTTJim McCormick (P), Robbie Ray (P), Billy Jurges (SS)Al Woods (OF), Jesse Carlson (P), Wilton Guerrero (2B), Ed Atkinson (OF), Dane Myers (OF), Bill Collver (OF), Orlando Mercado (C), Emanuel Snyder (OF)CMaybe? They need arms, so maybe?
PHIDarryl Strawberry (OF)Harry Eisenstat (P), Andy Hansen (P), Ben Tincup (P), Jack Scheible(P), Pat Bohen (P), Doc Amole (P), Ben Froehlich (C), John Peters (OF), Fred Buckingham (P), Andy Sommerville (P), Joe Schultz (C), Travis Swaggerty (OF)C-The Strawberry pick makes total sense. The rest … not so much.
PORJack Fournier (1B), Josh Johnson (P), Bob Groom (P)Steve Brye (OF), Rich Reese (1B), David Hulse (OF), Joe Gedeon (OF), Kyle Garlick (OF), Carlos Pascual (P), Moe Berg (SS), Bill Sarni (C), Terry Humphrey (C), Jesús Montero (C), Babe Ellison (1B)CTalk about looking to the future … Fournier has a future, but he’s 16. And the run on catchers at the end is just downright odd.
SFSJohn Smoltz (P), Dick McBride (P), Jimmie Lyons (OF)Joe Dunand (2B), Kevin Kobel (P), Nate Mondou (2B), Hank Hulvey (P), Bert Kuczynski (P), Jerar Encarnación (OF), Greg Aquino (P), Dorn Taylor (P), Art Smith (P)AI mean … how did they do this? Smoltz is a rotation arm, Lyons has immense talent.

TWIWBL 95.2: Winter Meeting Trades

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On June 11, 2026

In TWIWBL

While there is a blockbuster, these were actually a pretty quiet Winter Meetings, with only four deals being made.

The Big One

MEM sends OF Mookie Betts, C Billy Bryan, P Jim Kaat, 3rd Round Pick to BRK for P Don Drysdale, P Red Ruffing, 5th Round Pick.

We start off with pretty much a blockbuster: Red Ruffing‘s signing turns out to be a sign and trade as Ruffing and disgruntled starter Don Drysdale head to Memphis for OF Mookie Betts, backup C Billy Bryan, and minor league P Jim Kaat. Brooklyn sends a 5th round pick and Memphis will send a 3rd round pick to even out the deal.

It turns out Drysdale was furious at being surpassed as the #1 starter for Brooklyn, and will now bring his near-manic intensity to the Red Sox, immediately stepping into the top of their rotation along with Stubby Overmire.

Cuban Giants Address Current Need

MCG sends P Jon Matlack, 2nd Round Pick to HOD for P CC Sabathia, 5th Round Pick.

The Cuban Giants addressed a clear need, bringing swingman CC Sabathia over from the House of David. They gave up a prized pitching prospect in Jon Matlack, and took the worst of a pick exchange (a 2nd for a 5th) to bring in Sabathia, who looks to have a shot at the Cuban Giants’ rotation if has a good Spring.

Coming Back Home

OTT sends P Dan Collins, 3rd Round Pick to MCG for P Steve Rogers.

This was about getting Rogers back to his historical franchise to see how that developed.

The Sea Lions Commit Even More

SFS sends IF Royce Clayton to POR for P Trevor Hoffman.

Portland entered these conversations hoping to get back draft picks; instead they ended up with a possible middle infielder for the future–look for an open competition with Clayton and Hughie Jennings in the Spring, while Hoffman walks into a dream situation–no pressure on a near guaranteed contender.

TWIWBL 95.1 – The Winter Meetings

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On June 10, 2026

In TWIWBL

December 10th

Welcome to the true beginning of Year III of the WBL! We start with the Winter Meetings, and will continue through the Rookie Draft and the Rule V Draft, on our way to Spring Training.

I want to take a moment here to pull the curtain back a little. I’m sure everyone that does these kind of extended, solo play projects has, from time to time, wished they had a partner, a co-commissioner of sorts that could help make judgement calls, look for patterns, initiate trades, etc.

So I’ve tried to build one in Claude. I know some of you may peace out of this thread at this point, but I also wanted to disclose its use. Note that all of the writing and all of the decision making in the WBL remains mine.

This has been, perhaps, the most frustrating thing I’ve ever done with AI. There are two primary obstacles: first, limiting Claude’s view to the OOTP universe and second, overriding Claude’s deeply rooted programming to always agree and to instantly change it’s mind at the faintest whiff of pushback.

CoPilot totally failed on the former, but Claude–with a lot of work on guideline files and the like–does well there. But the second thing … oh my effing god … we’re still trying to find ways to address this.

Anyhow, it’s been an interesting project, and I assume that, as both I get better at the structural architecture beneath the hood and Anthropic continues to improve the product, it will eventually be a stable, pleasant thing.

Onto some team by team notes from the Winter Meetings.

#Baltimore Black Sox

Looking to shore up their bullpen, the Black Sox splashed on a 3 year contract for Jeff Montgomery.

#Chicago American Giants

Chicago signed Hank Aguirre on a 2-year deal for a little less than $600,000–a reasonable flier to take on a starter who was good in 2000, then injured.

#Homestead Grays

The Grays signed Brook Jacoby for some veteran insurance at 3B.

#New York Gothams

In their eternal search for starting pitchers, the Gothams agreed to a 1 year deal with Vic Raschi worth just under $1M.

#Wandering House of David

The House of David signed Dellin Betances, hoping to bolster their bullpen. The 28 year old inked a 3 year, $2.1M contract–pretty reasonable.

TWIWBL 94.1

By

On May 1, 2026

In TWIWBL

December 3rd

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

And the rich get richer … Brooklyn has wooed Red Ruffing–an All Star last season–away from the cross town Black Yankees. Ruffing’s arrival, on a 3 year deal worth nearly $30M, would seem to be an initial domino, as the Royal Giants look to turn some of their pitching excess into better offense.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Looking for options to backup Johnny Bench, the ABC’s signed Charlie Bennett to a 3 year, $5.6M deal. At worst, Bennett offers a strong defensive option, at best a moderately active bat.

TWIWBL 93.2: THE ROOKIE DRAFT, Year 2 – The Preview

By

On April 30, 2026

In TWIWBL

This year, the Rookie Draft will be 8 rounds in length. The natural draft pool has been enhanced with a handful of top 1000 career and single season performers by WAR, as well as a few entries from i9s.

Each team may make 2 “free” picks, meaning they can select anyone in the draft. For the rest of their selections, they are limited to players historically attached (meaning, a significant amount of their playing time) to their franchises. Once they’ve made 8 picks (2 free and 6 franchise), these restrictions are lifted, although preference is still given to franchise appropriate selections.

Here are the teams, listed in the draft order, and their number of picks per round in the draft:

Team12345678Tot
POR1212111110
MEM12211119
CAG1231119
LAA12121119
BBB1211218
NYG1411119
OTT12111118
HOM1211117
BAL11111117
HOD312111110
KCM12111118
MCG213118
IND11111117
DET2111117
HOU1222111111
PHI12111118
CLE11111117
NYY1211117
BRK1111116
SFS21111118
NYY and HOD have additional 1st round picks due to FA losses; HOU has an additional 3rd round pick.

A few things jump out from that:

  • There’s a little bit of the rich getting richer with San Francisco’s 2 1st rounders and Houston’s draft-leading 11 total picks.
  • The House of David are in probably the best position, with 6 picks in the first 3 rounds.
  • Brooklyn, Detroit, and Homestead need to draft well to maximize challenging positions, either in total number of picks or their distribution.

Here’s how the AI sees the top twenty prospects, along with the franchises that are eligible to draft them without expending one of their “free” picks.

#NamePosAgeFranchises
1Rod Carew2B19LAA, POR
2Ed MorrisLHP20HOM
3Jim RiceCF18MEM
4Amos RusieRHP18NYG
5Darryl StrawberryCF18LAA
6Jim McCormickRHP21CLE, HOD
7Jack GlasscockSS20CLE, IND, KCM, NYG
8Tommy Harper2B20IND, OTT, MEM
9Ben TincupRHP20PHI
10Bingo DeMoss2B21CAG, HOD, IND
11Joe HornungOF20MEM
12Brett ButlerRF22BRK, CLE, NYG
13Jimmy RippleCF25NYG
14John HealyRHP23
15Pedro MartínezRHP19MEM, OTT, LAA
16Bob GroomRHP23POR, BAL
17Steve HendersonLF23LAA
18Otto Schomberg1B21
19Giancarlo StantonOF18MCG, NYY
20George ZettleinRHP27CAG, PHI

That is, of course, a really odd list in places (Jimmy Ripple, anyone?). So here are the next 15, in no particular order and according to me.

#NamePosAgeFranchises
1Jack Fournier1B16CAG, BRK, KCM
2Todd Helton1B22HOU
3John SmoltzRHP19BBB
4Juan SotoRF18POR, HOU, NYY, LAA
5Chris CarpenterRHP19KCM, OTT
6Ron GantSS18BBB, KCM
7Zack GreinkeRHP20HOU, BRK
8Charlie LeibrandtLHP21HOU, BBB
9David ConeRHP19LAA, NYY, HOU, OTT
10Josh JohnsonRHP18MCG
11Robbie RayLHP20HOU, OTT
12Garry TempletonSS19HOU, KCM
13Josh HaderLHP19MCG
14Jimmie LyonsLF20CAG, HOD, IND, KCM
15Johnny AllenRHP24CLE, NYY

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