The Whirled Baseball League – Page 4 – Baseball The Way It Never Was

TWIWBL 87.13: The Starters

On February 10, 2026

On to the starters! Same Tier system.

This is everyone who qualified for the ERA crown, plus a heaping handful of others who made at least 10 starts during the season. If a player had less than 162 innings, they are (a) probably knocked down a tier and (b) their name is prefaced by a * and italicized.

We’ve leaned on valuing IP in these rankings, perhaps a bit too much. But these are your starters, and they need to show up, game after game. It also means the Tiers are a little different: there are D-Tier pitchers here that you would welcome at the back end of your rotation, and it’s really only some of them, and the F Tier, that are truly an issue.

Our usual practices prevail: bold for top 3 and italics for bottom 3. Pitchers with below 162 IP aren’t included in the top/bottom markers.

#S Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	Other
NL	KCM	A. Rube Foster	24	11-8	3.30	204	1.02	.189 BA .219 BABIP 0.7 HR/9 3.63 FIP
NL	IND	Luis Padrón	22	23-3	3.22	235	1.04	220 K .192 BA .225 BABIP
NL	HOU	Toad Ramsey	23	16-10	3.23	223	0.97	282 K .182 BA 11.4 K/9 3.8 K/BB 3.40 FIP

Just look at all that bold.

It’s been these 3 all year, and there’s a hair’s breadth between them. The analytics like Toad Ramsey, but Luis Padrón‘s record is stunning and while his ERA crown came by the absolute thinnest of margins, it did come.

Knuckleballers are always a bit unpredictable season-to-season, and it may very well be that A. Rube Foster has the best career of these three. But great things are expected of each of them.

#A Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	Other
AL	SFS	Lefty Grove	27	16-6	4.40	209	1.15	230 K 2.2 BB/9 9.9 K/9 4.4 K/BB
AL	MCG	José Méndez	23	13-6	4.53	233	1.11	201 K 2.2 BB/9
NL	BRK	Fernando Valenzuela	24	14-5	3.69	163	1.08	1 Sv; 4 H
—	BBB/ MCG	Jim Whitney	24	10-7	3.83	202	1.10	1 Sv; 2 H
NL	BRK	Smokey Joe Williams	24	12-13	3.93	202	1.23	0.8 HR/9 3.55 FIP
NL	KCM	Smokey Joe Wood	22	15-12	4.11	191	1.13

Lefty Grove and Smokey Joe Williams each have an argument to move up a tier, but are held back, Grove’s instance by his ERA, in Williams’ by his record. Still, they are the class of this group.

If José Méndez hadn’t led the league in innings, he would probably drop down a level, but we’re nitpicking: these are staff aces on most teams. Note that Miami, Brooklyn, and Kansas City already have 2 pitchers each on this list.

#B Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	Other
AL	LAA	Brett Anderson	22	11-6	4.34	189	1.12
NL	HOU	* Ice Box Chamberlain	19	4-4	3.56	109	1.13	1 Sv; 1 H
NL	HOU	Roger Clemens	25	17-10	3.71	211	1.13
AL	SFS	Bump Hadley	23	18-6	4.10	189	1.18	0.9 HR/9 4.2 BB/9
NL	PHI	Hardie Henderson	21	18-12	3.78	209	1.23	4.2 BB/9 1.7 KK/B
NL	BRK	Orel Hershiser	27	19-5	3.69	185	1.21
NL	HOD	* Kyle Peterson	22	8-3	3.80	107	1.16
AL	NYY	Andy Pettitte	33	18-9	4.43	201	1.21
AL	SFS	Eddie Plank	27	20-7	4.42	210	1.31
AL	CAG	Ed Walsh	25	10-11	3.94	205	1.15	1 Sv 201 K .225 BABIP

Hardie Henderson, Roger Clemens, and perhaps Eddie Plank (but that would be giving an awful lot of weight on 20 victories) could all be nudged up, but I’m comfortable with this. These are all front of rotation hurlers, with the only real surprise being Brett Anderson, who quietly excelled in a difficult year for Los Angeles. Ed Walsh, last year’s Rookie of the Year, avoided the sophomore slump entirely.

If you’re looking for skepticism, both Ice Box Chamberlain (due to age) and Kyle Peterson (due to coming out of nowhere) are decent bets to regress.

#C Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	Other
AL	POR	Walter Ball	26	8-7	4.26	142	1.20
NL	PHI	Steve Carlton	25	12-13	5.05	187	1.24
NL	IND	Johnny Cueto	29	12-14	4.62	212	1.14
NL	HOM	* Doug Drabek	25	6-8	4.76	147	1.17	1 H
NL	BRK	Don Drysdale	22	11-8	5.66	186	1.28
AL	LAA	Dwight Gooden	22	11-11	4.36	194	1.29
AL	NYY	Ron Guidry	28	11-7	4.51	208	1.24	251 K 10.9 K/9
NL	OTT	Roy Halladay	29	15-9	5.17	195	1.26	2.2 BB/9
AL	POR	Walter Johnson	20	13-12	4.28	214	1.28
NL	BRK	* Sandy Koufax	21	6-3	4.93	119	1.16	2 H
AL	MEM	Stubby Overmire	25	13-10	4.72	212	1.26	6.1 K/9
NL	NYG	Gaylord Perry	22	12-15	4.34	189	1.12
NL	KCM	José Rijo	26	8-12	5.09	179	1.26
NL	PHI	Charles Rogan	27	12-9	4.51	188	1.24
AL	CLE	Bill Steen	26	13-10	4.71	193	1.33	1.9 K/BB
NL	NYG	Don Sutton	25	17-8	5.23	174	1.25
NL	PHI	JM Ward	20	6-10	5.01	196	1.16

Gaylord Perry and JM Ward were perhaps the unluckiest pitchers in the league this year: a bit of good fortune, and either could be several tiers above. If anyone is ranked too highly, it’s probably Bill Steen. There are a lot of names here that could easily take a step forward–Steve Carlton, Don Drysdale, and Walter Johnson especially.

Sandy Koufax blossomed in the bullpen after losing his rotation spot, but Brooklyn is likely to try him again as a starter next season.

Joe Rogan is just a remarkable talent. Everyone else here has great value solely from being on the mound: add Rogan’s bat and … yoikes.

#D Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	Other
AL	MEM	Len Barker	25	11-12	4.99	180	1.44
AL	SFS	* Tommy Bridges	37	6-7	5.38	146	1.21
AL	POR	Bert Blyleven	21	10-11	5.03	204	1.32
NL	KCM	Frank Castillo	23	12-7	5.21	193	1.32
AL	SFS	* Watty Clark	26	6-4	4.02	134	1.30	2 H
NL	PHI	* Ray Collins	24	4-7	4.62	121	1.27	1 H
AL	CLE	* Bob Feller	20	13-3	4.30	153	1.34
NL	BBB	* Lefty Gomez	27	9-9	4.90	154	1.30	2 H
AL	NYY/ CAG	Waite Hoyt	24	11-4	4.89	169	1.44	4.1 BB/9
NL	BRK	Frank Knauss	23	12-6	4.55	180	1.34
NL	HOM	Francisco Liriano	23	10-12	5.03	181	1.38
NL	BBB	Greg Maddux	23	10-14	5.35	195	1.28	59 HRA .225 BABIP 6.50 FIP
AL	BAL	Dennis Martínez	24	12-8	5.12	202	1.42
NL	NYG	Christy Mathewson	22	7-16	5.61	210	1.40	207 K
AL	POR	* Joseíto Muñoz	20	4-4	4.56	101	1.37	1 Sv; 2 H
AL	BAL	* Jim Palmer	25	8-8	4.88	138	1.37	1 H
NL	BBB	Alejandro Peña	26	8-11	5.59	180	1.31
NL	HOM	Billy Pierce	30	10-11	5.77	173	1.36
NL	HOD	* Rick Reuschel	30	8-8	4.61	135	1.31	1 Sv; 1 H
NL	HOD	Bob Rush	24	11-9	5.28	186	1.32	2 H
NL	HOD	CC Sabathia	28	5-15	5.89	202	1.35	1 Sv; 1 H 64 HRA 3.2 HR/9 6.90 FIP
AL	CAG	Ben Sheets	27	6-12	5.88	165	1.32	1 H
NL	OTT	* Bill Smith	26	10-3	3.77	124	1.35	1 H
NL	HOU	Stephen Strasburg	25	9-10	5.87	169	1.37
NL	HOD	Jack Taylor	26	12-10	5.90	192	1.42	.291 BA 6.4 K/9
AL	CLE	Cy Young	25	15-9	5.38	199	1.39	.307 BABIP

There are some absolute conundrums here. Greg Maddux‘s issues are obvious in the final column: his BABIP is top-3 in the league, showing just how good his stuff is. But he has to keep the ball in the ballpark. At least once in a while.

Christy Mathewson and Cy Young seem like they could do more than be massive inning eaters, but they need to be harder to hit to make the jump forward. But pitching is weird: Jack Taylor and Gerrit Cole (see below) were among the best on the mound last season, and struggled mightily this.

Bob Feller would warrant a bump as well with a few more solid starts.

#F Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	Other
AL	CAG	Mark Buehrle	31	8-12	5.11	185	1.38	6.3 K/9
AL	MEM	* David Bush	26	9-9	6.58	149	1.32
AL	LAA	Gerrit Cole	26	7-15	6.36	166	1.43	2.9 HR/9 6.52 FIP
AL	MCG	Cole Hamels	25	11-12	6.18	178	1.42	63 HRA .293 BA 3.2 HR/9 3.7 K/BB
NL	NYG	* Carl Hubbell	26	6-10	5.75	160	1.29	1 H
NL	HOM	* Cliff Lee	30	8-4	5.30	114	1.32	3 H
NL	HOU	Roy Oswalt	28	7-11	6.53	181	1.49	.295 BA .305 BABIP
NL	OTT	Charles Radbourn	27	12-13	5.89	202	1.35
AL	DET	Charlie Root	31	11-10	6.15	199	1.42	59 HRA
AL	LAA	Tom Seaver	23	7-8	5.81	164	1.44
—	BBB/ CAG	* Sam Streeter	25	3-11	5.63	123	1.34
AL	POR	Dizzy Trout	29	5-12	5.93	162	1.50	4.1 BB/9 1.8 K/BB
AL	DET	Justin Verlander	25	5-12	6.48	169	1.52	.310 BABIP
NL	IND	* Doc White	27	5-12	6.55	143	1.34	1 Sv; 3 H

Most of these issues are clear: too many homeruns, too many walks, way too many runners on the basepaths. Maybe Old Hoss Radbourn could argue to be one tier up. Maybe.

Other than that, it must be said there is a ton of talent here: Roy Oswalt, Tom Seaver, and Justin Verlander jump out as most likely to bounce back next year.

It must be said there are probably 2 dozen more names that could be listed in the F Tier. Check out the individual team maps as they are published for those, but suffice to say that, when a pitcher goes down in flames in the WBL, they burn awfully bright.

TWIWBL 87.12: The Relievers & the Setups

By mknn

On February 9, 2026

In TWIWBL

On to the pitchers! Same Tier system.

Here we have everyone with at least 30 IP, and no more than 2 games started or 5 saves: essentially, pitchers who got some usage, but were not used as swing-starters or closers. A few other relievers who were clearly not closers were added despite having more than 5 saves.

This is an incredibly volatile populations, and success in one year should not be seen as a predictor for future seasons. Ron Reed, I’m looking at you. It’s also hard to find good bullpen arms: there are a ton more names in Tiers C and D than above.

Our usual practices prevail: bold for top 3 and italics for bottom 3.

#S Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	G	WHIP	Other
NL	KCM	Eddie Guardado	26	2-3	2.53	47	0.99	2 Sv; 10 H 1.7 BB/9 4.7 K/BB
NL	HOD/ KCM	Lee Smith	34	5-2	2.65	50	0.75	6 Sv; 12 H 2.78 FIP

Lee Smith was probably the best overall reliever in the game, obviously good enough to be a closer, but a devastating arm in the late innings. His teammate, Eddie Guardado, was just quietly undeniable all season.

#A Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	G	WHIP	Other
NL	PHI	Fred Cambria	23	5-1	3.04	39	1.14	2 Sv; 7 H 5.5 K/9
NL	HOU	Andrew Chafin	25	2-3	3.77	47	1.10	4 Sv; 7 H
NL	BRK	Terry Forster	22	1-2	4.25	47	1.21	2 Sv; 16 H 2.92 FIP
NL	NYG/ HOM	Robb Nen	32	4-5	3.32	55	1.02	10 Sv; 13 H

Terry Forster may have an argument to be nudged up, but that ERA is distracting. Andrew Chafin was steady all season in an otherwise tumultuous Houston pen, while Fred Cambria just ran under the radar end to end.

#B Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	G	WHIP	Other
NL	PHI	Pedro Feliciano	33	0-2	4.66	41	1.04	9 H .200 BA 5.6 K/9
NL	BRK	Trevor Hildenberger	27	6-3	5.03	53	1.01	11 Sv; 7 H
AL	SFS	Ken Howell	24	5-1	2.79	52	1.26	6 Sv; 15 H
NL	PHI	Ted Kennedy	22	6-4	4.05	60	1.17	5 Sv; 15 H
NL	KCM	Mike Kume	30	4-1	1.95	22	1.08	.187 BA 0.3 HR/9 1.5 K/BB
NL	NYG	Mike Norris	36	4-5	4.34	52	1.24	6 Sv; 12 H
AL	MEM	Andrew Miller	23	8-8	4.21	74	1.29	6 Sv; 12 H
—	CAG/ BBB	Akinori Otsuka	33	8-3	2.50	45	1.25	7 Sv; 7 H
AL	LAA	Ross Reynolds	26	2-1	3.56	33	1.30	1 Sv; 6 H 0.2 HR/9 2.92 FIP
AL	CLE	Al Smith	26	0-0	2.87	33	1.47	6 H 0.3 HR/9 5.5 BB/9 3.07 FIP
NL	HOD	Karl Spooner	24	3-3	5.01	37	1.04	6 Sv; 6 H

Of this group, Mike Kume looks like the most likely to be a fluke–it’s hard to sustain that kind of success with that low of a K rate. Al Smith‘s debut was fantastic, but he may be more suited to be a lefty specialist. Ross Reynolds was strong all season, and should see an expanded role next season.

We should also mention Mike Norris, who followed last year’s stellar season with a very solid one and the eternally dependable Ken Howell.

#C Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	G	WHIP	Other
NL	IND	Jack Billingham	24	5-2	5.15	52	1.38	2 Sv; 9 H
AL	MEM	Tommy de la Cruz	34	1-5	6.12	36	1.22	5 Sv; 3 H
NL	KCM	Frank DiPino	26	3-1	3.81	48	1.34	2 Sv; 9 H
NL	HOU	John Franco	27	3-3	4.83	56	1.37	1 Sv; 15 H
AL	CLE	Cory Gearrin	27	5-1	3.22	46	1.35	8 Sv; 10 H
NL	HOM	Michael Jackson	33	1-7	5.67	56	1.43	1 Sv; 21 H 2.0 BB/9
NL	PHI	Brad Kilby	27	3-3	6.20	49	1.24	2 Sv; 14 H 3.4 HR/9 1.2 BB/9 7.7 K/BB
AL	CLE	Firpo Marberry	28	7-0	4.83	51	1.33	3 Sv; 13 H
AL	DET	Buddy Napier	32	2-3	5.04	38	1.32	2 Sv; 8 H 6.0 K/9
AL	CLE	Ron Reed	34	4-6	4.71	44	1.26	2 Sv; 6 H
AL	MEM	Skel Roach	29	2-1	4.31	41	1.49	3 Sv; 12 H .143 BA 0 HR/9 9.1 BB/9 10 K/9 1.1 K/BB
NL	OTT	BJ Ryan	28	2-3	4.61	56	1.39	2 Sv; 16 H 10.2 K/9
AL	CAG/ NYY	Hoyt Wilhelm	31	4-4	4.72	59	1.35	3 Sv; 12 H

This group gets a little more interesting: Michael Jackson had a few horrible outings, but was otherwise quite steady for Homestead while Brad Kilby was only a few homeruns from moving up a level or 2.

And then there is Skel Roach. Unhittable. Dominant strikeout pitcher. And can’t find the strike zone ever, allowing over a walk per inning. That means there’s huge potential there, but how often does someone who throws this hard master their command?

#D Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	G	WHIP	Other
NL	HOD	Ed Bauta	28	4-5	3.41	55	1.45	8 Sv; 8 H
AL	DET	Chad Bradford	30	8-7	5.32	64	1.40	10 Sv; 10 H
NL	IND	Clay Carroll	31	1-3	4.66	53	1.41	2 Sv; 10 H
AL	NYY	Rheal Cormier	35	1-4	5.40	55	1.56	18 H
—	NYG/ DET	Steve Howe	27	2-1	6.02	64	1.39	9 H 4.4 K/BB
—	POR/ PHI	Mark Melancon	31	7-2	5.16	59	1.49	3 Sv; 7 H .310 BA .361 BABIP
AL	BAL	Gregg Olsen	24	3-4	5.44	41	1.72	4 Sv; 8 H .313 BA .379 BABIP
NL	HOM	Rick Ownbey	28	3-1	4.33	44	1.37	7 H
—	NYG/ DET	Troy Percival	32	3-4	5.99	64	1.40	1 Sv; 11 H 3.9 HR/9 7.74 FIP
AL	DET	Jack Wilson	23	6-1	5.43	38	1.57	5 H 5.6 BB/9 1.7 K/BB

Mark “The Vulture” Melancon continues to win at a rate his statistics don’t support while Rheal Cormier was another victim of a few poor outings in an otherwise solid season. You also see all of Detroit’s struggles here: while both Troy Percival and Steve Howe pitched better after their arrival, their pen remained weaker than hoped for even with the changes.

#F Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	G	WHIP	Other
AL	MEM	Heath Bell	32	3-5	6.53	58	1.53	2 Sv; 8 H
NL	HOU	Brad Lidge	28	4-3	6.26	43	1.57	6 H
AL	MCG	Braden Looper	26	2-2	5.90	47	1.55	3 Sv; 10 H
NL	IND	Rob Murphy	27	3-8	5.66	50	1.62	2 Sv; 13 H 7.49 FIP
AL	NYY	David Robertson	25	3-3	6.94	44	1.73	5 H .311 BA .348 BABIP 9.4 K/9
AL	CLE/ SFS	Huston Street	24	6-3	6.27	44	1.50	1 Sv; 9 H
AL	BAL/ POR	John Wetteland	24	1-10	7.96	53	1.50	5 Sv; 9 H 3.5 HR/9 7.82 FIP

Why Portland kept trotting John Wetteland out there is a mystery that may remain forever unsolved. He was awful, despite an obviously live arm.

Huston Street pitched far better for San Francisco than Cleveland, and David Robertson‘s arm is clearly better than his initial WBL performance.

TWIWBL 87.11: The Designated Hitters

By mknn

On February 8, 2026

In TWIWBL

These are players who played more than half their games at DH. We’re using the Def column to note their primary position, and a +/- system to indicate their effectiveness there.

Again, the AL dominates here.

#S Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	DET	Ty Cobb	21	386/440/841	54 HR 140 RBI 157 R 82 SB	RF ++
AL	NYY	Lou Gehrig	24	292/399/721	63 HR 132 RBI 120 R	1B ++

Neither of these players are the typical DH types, but their teams have better options at their primary positions. Ty Cobb‘s season is one for the ages, and Lou Gehrig, often overshadowed by Babe Ruth in New York, was every bit as valuable this year.

#A Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	CLE	Ron Blomberg	25	276/348/640	54 HR 143 RBI 106 R	1B – LF –
AL	MCG	José Canseco	27	257/357/705	68 HR 124 RBI 113 R 22 SB	RF –
AL	SFS	Reggie Jackson	24	283/394/574	41 HR 107 RBI 114 R 36 SB	RF ++
AL	MEM	Manny Ramírez	26	280/354/670	46 HR 110 RBI	RF –
NL	HOM	Willie Stargell	31	278/354/648	56 HR 125 RBI	1B LF –

The miracle of Ron Blomberg continues, unfortunately. Still, his profound platoon split is beginning to take it’s toll, and I foresee a cliff in his future.

Of the rest of this group, only Reggie Jackson really should be in the field, even at the relatively early points in their careers. Manny Ramírez took a massive step forward for Memphis, and Willie Stargell shows no signs of slowing down while José Canseco, once more, pushed Ruth for the HR total until late in the season.

#B Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	BAL	Gavvy Cravath	36	247/342/603	44 HR 111 RBI	RF —
NL	NYG	Benny Kauff	28	278/336/580	38 HR	CF –
NL	OTT	Rick Monday	24	272/364/604	30 HR	CF +

Gavvy Cravath‘s massive FA deal looks justified, and Benny Kauff moved straight from a AAA MVP season into the WBL without missing much of a beat.

Rick Monday is the mystery here: he just kept on hitting and hitting and hitting and hitting, but Ottawa’s OF remains overly crowded. He is clear trade bait for a team looking for a CF upgrade.

#C Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	BBB	Albert Belle	32	238/314/533	46 HR 102 RBI 23 SB	RF —
NL	HOD/ KCM	Joe Harris	36	280/382/516		1B
NL	BRK	Duke Snider	24	259/296/586	51 HR 107 RBI 21 SB	CF +

Albert Belle may belong a tier higher, but that BA is rough. Still, Birmingham has no complaints about the trade that brought him to town. Duke Snider would be an everyday OFer for most teams, but Brooklyn has even better defense in CF with John Briggs, while Joe Harris continues to be a productive veteran presence, although his future may be limited.

#D Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	PHI	Rico Carty	38	275/349/497		1B –
NL	IND	Adam Dunn	22	207/342/463	36 HR 30 SB	LF

Rico Carty still has some value, but his career is clearly winding down while Adam Dunn‘s is just taking off–it’s weird to have a 30/30 guy in this Tier, but the .207 average just drags all of his metrics down.

#F Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	POR	Gil Hodges	31	208/292/461	38 HR	1B ++

Yeah, this was just a bad year for Gil Hodges, who may find himself on the trading block this off season.

#Rookies

Monday, Harris, and Dunn (B, C, and D Tiers, respectively).

TWIWBL 87.10: The Right Fielders

By mknn

On February 7, 2026

In TWIWBL

Once more, be sure to check the DH page if you don’t see an expected name here.

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
NL	PHI	Aaron Judge	27	278/382/699	63 HR 133 RBI 108 R	-3.4 ARM

Since being a bit of an add on in the Mike Schmidt trade, Aaron Judge has made himself the heart of the Stars’ offense, and fully deserves this ranking.

#A Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	CAG	Joe Jackson	25	355/410/608	107 R 55 SB	-5.7 ZR
AL	NYY	Mickey Mantle	22	255/368/601	56 HR 127 RBI 120 R 101 BB 21 SB	.972 fPct 3.8 ARM
NL	OTT	Larry Walker	23	268/349/649	54 HR 126 RBI 101 R	.993 fPct

Larry Walker continues to struggle with injury, but this a solid group. Joe Jackson was probably S-Tier last season, and Mickey Mantle may shift to CF at some point.

#B Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	BBB	Hank Aaron	22	294/316/603	51 HR 105 RBI
AL	CLE	Larry Doby	25	263/359/583	41 HR	.968 fPct -4.8 ARM
NL	HOU	Tony Gwynn	25	341/376/538	104 R 27 SB	7 A 1.70 RF -5.5 ZR .960 dEff
AL	BAL	Bryce Harper	21	256/358/550	41 HR 22 SB	1.61 RF .956 dEff
AL	DET	Al Kaline	21	286/356/602	36 HR	2.08 RF
AL	MCG	Yasiel Puig	23	298/388/658	30 HR	1.60 RF -5.4 ZR 0.8 ARM

Yasiel Puig‘s raw offense would actually move him up, but he didn’t play a full season, and that plus his defensive shortcomings are enough to keep him here. Each of these are key to their team, but each needs to improve to move up–Hank Aaron needs better strike zone control, Tony Gwynn more power, and Larry Doby and Bryce Harper just a shade more production somewhere.

#C Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	BRK	Beals Becker	23	283/330/566	39 HR 44 SB	8 A
AL	MEM	Mookie Betts	24	280/335/530	35 SB	1.000 fPct 7.6 RF 1.067 dEff -3.8 ARM
AL	SFS	Bobby Bonds	25	248/319/527	36 HR 47 SB
NL	NYG	Johnny Callison	26	262/328/571	39 HR
NL	HOM	Roberto Clemente	27	275/305/500		11 A 2.22 RF 7.1 ZR
NL	IND	George Foster	22	259/309/563	38 HR	.993 fPct 2.12 RF 1.064 dEff 1.5 ARM
NL	KCM	Stan Musial	22	300/371/519	33 SB	8.4 ZR 1.067 dEff

Interestingly, here is where all the defense rests. Roberto Clemente, and perhaps even Stan Musial, are only here because of their gloves–both can and should do more offensively in the future. George Foster was a very pleasant surprise for Indianapolis, and Mookie Betts may be the best pure baseball athlete not named Honus Wagner or Martín Dihigo in the game.

All very solid, with Musial and Betts the most likely to continue to develop.

#D Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	POR	Bobby Murcer	27	250/311/489	33 HR
AL	BAL	Ken Singleton	24	256/363/481		.967 fPct .925 dEff
NL	OTT	Sam Thompson	27	265/297/508		1.000 fPct

A hard group. Sam Thompson wasn’t really a full time player, but did qualify, and his power is clearly quite useful, as is Ken Singleton‘s ability to get on base. But all 3 of these are on the fringes of their teams’ plans for next year.

#F Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	HOD	Sammy Sosa	25	195/240/478	41 HR 20 SB
AL	LAA	Ichiro Suzuki	29	280/294/394	32 SB	7 A 1.000 fPct 5.7 RF

It’s such a rough league.

Sammy Sosa‘s 41 HR and Ichiro Suzuki‘s speed and defense are just not enough on their own: Sosa needs to do more than hit homeruns, and Suzuki needs to add offense across the board. Perhaps surprisingly given his age, the Angels remain committed to Suzuki’s upside, but it’s not clear if Sosa will get another change next season.

#Rookies

Foster (C Tier), Thompson (D Tier), and Suzuki (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 87.9: The Center Fielders

By mknn

On February 6, 2026

In TWIWBL

Fitting for this league, there is a ton of talent here, which makes some of the Tier sorting challenging.

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
NL	IND	Oscar Charleston	21	337/381/619	38 HR 130 RBI 101 R 46 SB
AL	CLE	Tris Speaker	23	312/397/631	35 HR 124 R 46 SB
AL	SFS	Turkey Stearnes	22	357/400/751	51 HR 125 RBI 108 R	-4.7 ARM
AL	LAA	Mike Trout	22	306/392/617	40 HR 107 RBI 106 R 45 SB	.994 fPct

The top of this list is easy: welcome to the WBL, Turkey Stearnes!

After that, it’s unclear. In one sense, maybe it’s just Stearnes? But Tris Speaker–as disliked as he is–had a great season. So, maybe it’s just the two of them? But it feels like Mike Trout and Oscar Charleston are certainly in a different class than the bulk of the A Tier.

I think this is a reflection of how great of a year Sternes had: consider him in an S+ tier by himself.

#A Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	BRK	John Briggs	21	276/377/557	32 HR
NL	NYG	Willie Mays	24	261/337/600	49 HR 112 RBI 107 R 24 SB	14.5 ZR -4.7 ARM
AL	MCG	Julio Rodríguez	20	315/347/661	42 HR	2.30 RF -10.1 ZR
NL	PHI	Charles Rogan	27	308/362/620	21 SB	3.45 RF

Joe Rogan played more CF than anything else (other than pitcher), so he’s listed here.

Willie Mays is Willie Mays, and is expected to spend most of his career here and above. The rest can be considered surprises: John Briggs was seen by many as a AAA player who would fail in his rookie season; Julio Rodríguez was an afterthought invite to Spring Training who seized the opportunity; and while it was expected that Rogan would be solid as a 2-way player, nobody foresaw this.

#B Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	OTT	Carlos Beltrán	25	258/332/533	35 HR 42 SB	10 A
AL	NYY	Eric Davis	25	263/344/538	34 HR 61 SB
AL	POR	Ken Griffey, Jr	20	292/326/568	33 HR	-7.8 ZR

Sure. Eric Davis continues to struggle with injuries, Carlos Beltrán needs to put the ball in play a little more, and Ken Griffey, Jr. is only 20. This also reinforces the trade between Portland and Ottawa–Beltrán deserves his starting spot in the WBL, and Griffey, Jr. needed a fresh start.

Any of these three could move up, while Davis seems the most likely to crash out as his injuries continue to mount.

#C Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	DET	Chili Davis	25	243/318/481		14 A -15.5 ZR .930 dEff 0.5 ARM
NL	HOD	George Gore	26	254/389/440
NL	HOU	Pete Hill	20	274/347/453		2.38 RF
AL	MEM	Reggie Smith	24	270/333/545	34 HR	-5.0 ARM

Here we get to set of CF that are always being questioned–they are good enough, but there’s always a lingering question about whether they’re actually the solution. This impacted George Gore the most, who was essentially a half-time player this year, and is least an issue for Pete Hill, given his age.

Chili Davis is solid, but his defense is far from solid, and Reggie Smith–like some others in the Memphis clubhouse–is under threat from a wave of emerging talent.

#D Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	BAL	Paul Blair	25	262/296/448		11.8 ZR 1.086 dEff
NL	BBB	Curtis Granderson	27	206/293/495	41 HR 21 SB	2.97 RF -5.2 ARM
NL	HOM	Andrew McCutchen	24	238/325/446	52 SB	.963 fPct
—	IND/ CAG	Jake Stenzel	26	244/293/465	22 SB	2.36 RF .917 dEff

Curtis Granderson and Andrew McCutchen had their names penciled in almost every day … which leads to a question of why they escaped the criticism seen by the tier above? For Granderson, it is answered by his defense, power, and the fact that his deficiency–putting the ball safely in play–was a team-wide issue for Birmingham.

Jake Stenzel stopped hitting for power when he arrived in Chicago, cementing his place in this group, while Paul Blair is only here due to his exceptional defense.

#F Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	PHI	Willie Davis	22	233/282/391	21 SB	16.3 ZR 1.095 dEff
NL	HOD	Jim Edmonds	26	218/280/467		.996 fPct 2.95 RF
NL	KCM	Willie McGee	26	246/279/418	40 SB	11 A .969 fPct
NL	KCM	Dale Murphy	23	193/274/456		.971 fPct .936 dEff
AL	CAG	Cristóbal Torriente	18	186/237/247	24 SB	.993 fPct 1.069 dEff 0.4 ARM

Willie Davis and Jim Edmonds do enough with their gloves to stick around somewhere, and Davis is certainly young enough to improve more offensively. The rest are a challenge: Willie McGee is in danger of losing his job, Dale Murphy has obvious power, but is clearly not best suited for CF, and then there’s Cristóbal Torriente, whose defensive impact is unmistakable, but is clearly overwhelmed at the plate at this point.

#Rookies

This is in incredible rookie class, with Stearnes (S Tier), and Rodríguez, Rogan, and Briggs (all A Tier). And, oh yeah, Dale Murphy way down in the F Tier Tier.

#Fielding Notes

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 87.8: The Left Fielders

By mknn

On February 5, 2026

In TWIWBL

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

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

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

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.

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).