The Whirled League

Expectations

Progress. Finishing over .500 with some clarity on long-term talent would be a success for next year.

Best Case

The roster stabilizes, and a handful of talent establishes itself as the core of future years. Napolean Lajoie and Honus Wagner settle in at 2B and SS respectively, and the OF talent clarifies. And, anyone reliable steps forward on the mound. Anyone.

Worst Case

Nothing settles, nobody figures it out, and the pitching continues to be miserable.

Key Questions

Who pitches?
For a team without top end talent, there are a surprising number of logjams (Davey Johnson and Lajoie and even the ageless Jeff Kent at 2B; Rick Reichardt and Willie Stargell at LF; Roberto Clemente, Andy Van Slyke, and Owen “Don’t Call Me Chief” Wilson in RF).

Trade Bait

Will the team hit it stride in time for Stargell to contribute? If not, he could be an attractive piece for a competitive team.

Roster Evaluation

POS	Elite	Strong	Solid	Meh	Weak	Unknown
C		Gibson			Crandall
1B	Epstein
2B					Lajoie
3B						Sabo
SS				Wagner		Sánchez
LF/ RF		Reichardt	Van Slyke Wilson	Clemente Stargell
CF				McCutchen
SP			Liriano	Friend	Pierce Brown Zambrano	~~Kluber~~
End				Lindblom Ownbey	Jackson
RP						Drabek Giusti Hudson Lincecum

New Addition | ~~Injured~~

So. Much. Talent. So little production. Even with that, though, the presence of anything approaching average pitching makes the Grays a .500 team.

Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	OF Willie Stargell	3B Steve Hertz
Batting Eye	1B Mike Epstein	OF Ralph Kiner
Contact	OF Roberto Clemente	OF Goose Goslin
Running Speed	OF Andy Van Slyke	OF Sterling Marte
Base Stealing	IF Honus Wagner	IF Bobby Wheelock
IF Defense	U Nap Lajoie	IF Rennie Stennett
OF Defense	OF Roberto Clemente	OF Max Carey
Stuff	P Tim Lincecum	P Harry Kelley
Control	SP Bob Friend	P Syl Johnson
Velocity	RP Josh Lindblom	RP Mychal Givens

Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	POS	Name
1 (13)	19	P	Clayton Kershaw
2 (21)	21	P	Tim Lincecum
3 (39)	18	3B	Judy Johnson
4 (46)	19	OF	Ralph Kiner
5 (61)	24	P	Bartolo Colón
6 (64)	20	P	Pink Hawley
7 (79)	23	OF	Paul Waner
8 (109)	22	P	Trevor Cahill
9 (117)	23	P	Daniel Hudson
10 (130)	20	3B	Freddie Lindstrom

Others: P Catfish Hunter; P Nip Winters, P Ping Gardner; P Carlos Pulido; P Chris Zachary; P Dave Giusti.

Hope for the Grays persists, largely in how dense and deep their system is. 16 prospects in the top 200 bodes well for their future.

	Most	Least
Age	P Al Worthington, 38	3B Judy Johnson, 18
Height	P John Candelaria, 6’7″	P Earl Hamilton, 5’8″ SS Bobby Wheelock, 5’8″ OF Paul Waner, 5’8″ 1B Eric McNair, 5’8″
OPS	OF Harvey Hendrick, 1.088 (—)	IF Ken Harrelson, .432 (WBL)
HR	OF Starling Marte, 42 (—) IF JJ Hardy, 42 (—)	C Peaches Graham, 0 (WBL/AAA)
SB	CF Andrew McCutchen, 33 (WBL)	Many with 0
WAR	OF Andy Van Slyke, 5.7 (WBL/AAA/AA)	IF Ken Harrelson, -4.3 (WBL)
W	Frank Arellanes, 15 (—) Moose Haas, 15 (—)	Daniel Hudson, 3 (WBL/AAA/AA) Earl Hamilton, 3 (WBL/AAA) Doug Drabek 3 (—) John Candelaria, 3 (WBL/AAA)
SV	Mychal Givens, 24 (WBL/AAA/AA)
ERA	Charles Nagy, 2.17 (—)	John Candelaria, 6.84 (WBL/AAA)
WAR	Charles Nagy, 5.3 (—)	John Candelaria, -1.1 (WBL/AAA)

Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

Year II Season Preview: New York Gothams

By mknn

Expectations

A deep playoff run, much like last year.

The Gothams could also benefit from additional depth throughout the organization and, perhaps, by not trading away all their damn picks this year.

Best Case

Either Gaylord Perry or Juan Marichal (or both) step forward, joining Christy Mathewson among the league’s elite; the bullpen continues to dominate; and the offensive pieces that clicked last season–Pete Runnels, Pinky Higgins, Jimmy Sheckard, Johnny Callison–continue to do so (or are covered through increased performance/playing time for George Van Haltren or Carl Furillo in the OF).

Worst Case

The bullpen falters, and only Matty remains viable as a starter while everyone not named Willie Mays and Buster Posey struggles offensively.

Key Questions

Like so many other teams, the rotation is key.
The infield feels fragile, so how that plays out will bear watching.
How will the Gothams get PA’s for Benny Kauff?

Trade Bait

The Gothams do have a lot of OFers lying around, but it’s not clear who is actually surplus to requirements. With Kauff’s emergense, perhaps one of the Sheckard / Callison / Van Haltren group, or maybe last year’s 4th OF, Carl Furillo?

Instead, in an attempt to solve their MI issue, the Gothams obtained Davey Concepción, who promptly disappointed and was jettisoned to the minors.

Roster Evaluation

POS	Elite	Strong	Solid	Meh	Weak	Unknown
C		Posey	Westrum
1B		Adcock		Clark
2B			Runnels			Doyle
3B			Higgins		Suárez
SS					Crawford
LF/ RF		Callison	Van Haltren Sheckard	Furillo
CF	Mays					Kauff
SP	Mathewson	Perry		Marichal Waddell
End	Norris ~~Wilson~~	Nen ~~Smith~~				Percival
RP			Howe Sutton			Hubbell

New Addition | ~~Injured~~

There’s a chance, right? A few improvements, and the Gothams could be in the mix.

Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	CF Willie Mays	OF Wally Berger IF Jim Ray Hart
Batting Eye	C Wes Westrum	C Dick Dietz
Contact	IF Pete Runnels	1B Bill Terry
Running Speed	OF Jimmy Sheckard	OF Charlie Hamburg IF Pat Listach IF Freddie Patek IF Tim Shinnick OF Kyle Tucker
Base Stealing	OF George Van Haltren	IF Hap Myers IF Tim Shinnick
IF Defense	IF Eugenio Suárez	IF Neifi Pérez
OF Defense	CF Willie Mays	OF Jo-Jo Moore
Stuff	SP Christy Mathewson	P William VanLandingham
Control	P Juan Marichal	P Al Spalding
Velocity	RP Robb Nen RP Troy Percival	P Rick Helling

Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	POS	Name
1 (53)	24	P	Masahiro Tanaka
2 (56)	19	OF	Kyle Tucker
3 (60)	22	P	William VanLandingham
4 (86)	25	P	Al Spalding
5 (104)	22	SS	Joe Sullivan
6 (112)	23	P	Jordan Montgomery
7 (155)	21	IF	Tom Burns

Others: None.

A very weak system in need of some serious replenishment, although Tucker and a couple of the arms should come good eventually.

	Most	Least
Age	1B Joe Adcock, 39	1B Bill White, 19 OF Kyle Tucker, 19
Height	P Mat Latos, 6’6″ P Jordan Montgomery, 6’6″ P Carson Smith, 6’6″	IF Freddie Patek, 5’5″
OPS	OF Carl Warwick, 1.025 (—)	IF Adam Everett, .381 (—)
HR	IF Chick Fulmer, 48 (—)	C Steve O’Neill, 1 (AAA/AA)
SB	OF Jimmy Sheckard, 37 (WBL)	Many with 0
WAR	IF Jim Ray Hart, 5.6 (—) CF Willie Mays, 5.6 (WBL)	IF Frank Malzone, -5.6 (—)
W	Christy Mathewson, 17 (WBL)	Lefty Hoerst, 2 (—/AA)
SV	Brian Wilson, 29 (WBL)
ERA	Joe Bush, 2.86 (—)	Matt Cain, 7.68 (AAA)
WAR	Christy Mathewson, 4.4 (WBL) Wei-Yin Chen, 4.4 (—)	Lefty Hoerst, 6.20 (—/AA)

Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

Year II Season Preview: Ottawa Mounties

By mknn

Expectations

To not suck.

Beyond that, sorting through some of the young talent and making commitments around how is part of the long-term project and who is not would go a long way towards clarifying Ottawa’s future. Staying healthy would go a ways towards this, especially on the mound.

Best Case

Bob Moose, Bob Brown, and Roy Halladay all return strong from injuries, joining Old Hoss Radbourn in a decent pitching staff and the core talent sorts itself out, especially in the OF.

Worst Case

The pitching continues to be among the worst in the league and none of the massive potential of Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr or Álex Rodríguez comes to the surface.

Key Questions

Can the staff both deliver and stay healthy?
Who is the bullpen?
How the young talent sorts itself out.

Trade Bait

Not really. Radbourn has some value, but he also was the only quasi reliable arm for the Mounties last season.

Well, that was interesting: Griffey, Jr. was moved on, netting Adrián Beltré plus.

Roster Evaluation

POS	Elite	Strong	Solid	Meh	Weak	Unknown
C			Carter			Ausmus
1B				Staub		Watson
2B			Alomar
3B				Beltré
SS					Rodríguez	Dorgan
LF/ RF		Walker	Raines			Thompson
CF			Beltrán			Monday
SP		Halladay	Radbourn	Moose	Peters Griffith Johnson Podgajny	Hammaker
End		~~Henke~~	Dempster			Ryan
RP						Gregg Shaw ~~Collins~~

New Addition | ~~Injured~~

Over half the roster is either unknown or was pretty horrible last year. Hence the goal being merely not to suck.

Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	C Gary Carter	OF Jim Lemon
Batting Eye	IF Roberto Alomar	1B Nick Johnson
Contact	IF Álex Rodríguez	OF Terry Puhl
Running Speed	U Tim Raines	OF George Burns
Base Stealing	U Tim Raines	OF George Burns
IF Defense	3B Adrián Beltré	IF Dick Bertell
OF Defense	OF Sam Thompson	OF Jason Heyward
Stuff	P Charles Radbourn	P Reggie Richter
Control	SP Roy Halladay	P Curt Davis
Velocity	RP Ryan Dempster RP Tom Henke	RP Greg Holland

Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	POS	Name
1 (4)	23	P	Al Orth
2 (30)	21	P	Dan Haren
3 (50)	23	P	Max Scherzer
4 (70)	22	1B	Bob Watson
5 (80)	20	1B	John Mayberry
6 (102)	20	2B	Jimmy Dykes
7 (106)	19	P	Mark Eichhorn
8 (181)	20	C	Milt May
9 (183)	22	P	Dupee Shaw

Others: None.

It’s not a bad system, but it lacks–beyond the top arms–top end potential. Watson and Shaw both start the season with the Mounties.

	Most	Least
Age	P Ken Forsch, 38	IF Elbie Fletcher, 19 P Mark Eichhorn, 19 OF Warren Cromartie, 19 P Dave Bennett
Height	P Randy Johnson, 6’10”	OF Wee Willie Keeler, 5’4″
OPS	1B Dale Long, 1.236 (—)	IF Mike Sharperson, .526 (—)
HR	1B Dale Long, 66 (—)	IF Larry Kopf, 0 (—) IF Mike Dorgan, 0 (—)
SB	U Tim Raines, 92 (WBL)	Many with 0
WAR	1B Vic Saier, 5.0 (—)	IF Mike Sharperson, -2.3 (—)
W	Danny Cox, 16 (—)	Jesse Crain, 1 (AAA/AA)
SV	Ryan Dempster, 16 (WBL/AAA) Pedro Ramos, 16 (—)
ERA	Mark Grant, 2.31 (—)	Randy Johnson, 6.60 (WBL/AAA)
WAR	Charles Radbourn, 4.4 (WBL)	Monk Dubiel, -1.6 (WBL/AAA)

Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

Year II Season Preview: Philadelphia Stars

By mknn

Expectations

For all the noise around Miami and Ottawa, it was Philadelphia who ended up with the worst record in the league. Anything approaching .500 would be a significant step forward.

Best Case

Overall number 1 pick Bullet Joe Rogan pairs with Steve Carlton to anchor the rotation and the offense improves overall, with both Bobby Abreu and Aaron Judge taking significant steps forward (and the Stars figuring out how to get both of them in the lineup at the same time).

Worst Case

Rogan struggles, as do Hardie Henderson and Ray Collins, leaving the staff as poor as last season and the aging bats–Rico Carty, Ted Kluszewski, Buck Freeman–lose more productivity than is gained elsewhere.

Key Questions

What does the bullpen look like?
How does the OF resolve, and most importantly how much of Aaron Judge‘s debut performance was a mirage?
Can the flashes of talent on the IF shown last year from Juan Samuel and Roger Peckinpaugh deliver over a full season?

Trade Bait

All of the older talent, including the puzzling FA signee John Titus, could be moved on, with Buck Freeman perhaps being especially attractive.

Roster Evaluation

POS	Elite	Strong	Solid	Meh	Weak	Unknown
C				Lollar	Scioscia
1B			Kluszewski			Killebrew
2B					Utley
3B				Ramírez Rolen	Ward
SS						Fletcher Rollins
LF/ RF			Judge	Carty Hendrick	Magee
CF		Davis
SP			Carlton	Collins	~~Alexander~~ Jackson Ward	Henderson Stieb
End			Howry			Kennedy
RP				Belcher		Gatewood ~~Katoll~~ ~~Meyer~~ ~~Peterson~~ Rogan

New Addition | ~~Injured~~

Pretty miserable. Judge is demoted due to playing time. I mean, the good news would be that there is, um, lots of room for improvement?

Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	1B Ted Kleszewski U Harmon Killebrew	U Dolph Camilli
Batting Eye	U Harmon Killebrew	U Dolph Camilli
Contact	1B Ted Kluszewski	1B Cecil Cooper
Running Speed	P/OF Charles Rogan	IF Roger Peckinpaugh IF Juan Samuel
Base Stealing	OF Sherry Magee	OF Garry Maddox
IF Defense	3B Scott Rolen	IF Pinky May
OF Defense	P/OF Charles Rogan	SS Wally Gerber
Stuff	P/OF Charles Rogan	P Hardie Henderson
Control	RP Bob Howry	P Robin Roberts P Bill Stearns
Velocity	RP Bob Howry	RP Luke Weaver

Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	POS	Name
1 (38)	23	P	Bill Gatewood
2 (74)	18	P	Chris Archer
3 (76)	23	U	Harmon Killebrew
4 (81)	22	C	Bill Dickey
5 (114)	22	OF	Richie Ashburn
6 (122)	21	1B	Prince Fielder
7 (127)	26	P	Jack Easton
8 (128)	19	P	Bruce Hurst
9 (150)	23	SS	Roger Peckinpaugh
10 (167)	23	P	LaTroy Hawkins

Others: P Jack Kralick.

It’s not totally dire, as there is some good mid level talent, and the trio of Killebrew, Dickey, and Ashburn should all come good. Gatewood and Killebrew start the season in the WBL.

	Most	Least
Age	U Rico Carty, 37	P Chris Archer, 18
Height	P Bill Gatewood, 6’7″ OF Aaron Judge, 6’7″ P Steve Hamilton, 6’7″	P/OF Charles Rogan, 5’7″ C John Clapp, 5’7″
OPS	IF Michael Cuddyer, 1.048 (—)	IF Johnny Mitchell, .505 (AAA/AA)
HR	IF Michael Cuddyer, 46 (—)	IF Johnny Mitchell, .1 (AAA/AA) IF Pinky May, 1 (—)
SB	IF Juan Samuel, 36 (WBL/AAA)	Many with 0
WAR	OF Aaron Judge, 4.0 (WBL/AAA)	C Tom Egan, -1.4 (AA)
W	Hardie Henderson, 10 (WBL/AAA) Larry Jackson, 10 (WBL/AAA) Robin Roberts, 10 (WBL/AAA)	Scott Mathieson, 1 (—) Kevin Hagen, 1 (—) Jerry Casale, 1 (—)
SV	Bob Howry, 25 (WBL)
ERA	Adalberto Mejía, 3.70 (—)	Kevin Hagen, 8.57 (—)
WAR	Ray Collins, 2.9 (WBL)	Bronson Arroyo, -1.5 (WBL/AAA/AA)

Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

Year II Season Preview: San Francisco Sea Lions

By mknn

Expectations

Playoff contention. Last year was such a disappointment, but there is too much talent here not to be at least in the run for the postseason.

Best Case

Tim Hudson finds a full season like his time with Birmingham last year, joining Lefty Grove and Eddie Plank in a top tier rotation and 1st round pick Turkey Stearnes steps right into the CF job while Dick Lundy improves in a full season in a lineup centered around Rickey Henderson, Reggie Jackson, and Bobby Bonds.

Worst Case

Everything stays really confused, with the pitching proving too mediocre to depend on and the offense never really sorting out playing time at 1B (Jack Clark and Jimmie Foxx) or 3B (Sal Bando and Pedro Guerrero), leaving everyone slightly underused and underperforming.

Key Questions

On a team full of logjams, who steps forward?

Trade Bait

Possibly. If Foxx explodes, Jack Clark may be expendable, depending on how the OF/DH situation looks.

The decision to trade Guerrero makes some sense, given the OF depth, although a lot is riding on Watty Clark successfully converting to being a starter at a high level to make it a decent deal.

Roster Evaluation

POS	Elite	Strong	Solid	Meh	Weak	Unknown
C					Cochrane Oliver
1B				Clark		Foxx
2B			Bloodworth
3B			Garner	Bando
SS			Hartzell		Lundy
LF/ RF	Jackson	Henderson
CF		Bonds				Stearnes
SP		Grove Plank	Altrock Hudson			Hadley
End	Howell Clark	Beck Robinson				Ontiveros
RP			Bridges		Eckersley	~~Taylor~~

New Addition | ~~Injured~~

The OF is so strong, it just needs a little help–if that happens and the pitching repeats, it could be a good year by the bay.

Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	OF Bobby Bonds	OF Frank Howard
Batting Eye	3B Sal Bando	C Brian Downing
Contact	C Mickey Cochrane IF Dick Lundy	OF Buddy Ryan
Running Speed	OF Rickey Henderson IF Dick Lundy	OF Alex Cole OF Mookie Wilson
Base Stealing	OF Rickey Henderson	OF Cameron Maybin
IF Defense	IF Dick Lundy	IF Charlie Reilly
OF Defense	OF Rickey Henderson	OF Bill Virdon
Stuff	SP Lefty Grove	RP Ed Kelly
Control	RP Rod Beck	RP Don Dennis
Velocity	RP Rod Beck	RP Drew Steckenrider

Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	POS	Name
1 (8)	21	OF	Turkey Stearnes
2 (25)	24	P	Red Ehret
3 (31)	22	P	Bump Hadley
4 (71)	22	P	Dennis Eckersley
5 (120)	19	P	Charlie Ferguson
6 (126)	20	P	Bob Hendley
7 (145)	25	3B	Mike Moustakas
8 (164)	23	P	Steve Ontiveros
9 (188)	23	IF	Bill Sweeney

Others: None.

An odd system, for sure, as neither Jimmie Foxx nor John Beckwith make the top 200 list, which ends up being a bit weak, with a lot riding on the development of the young arms. Stearnes, Hadley, Eckersley, and Ontiveros all start the year in the WBL.

	Most	Least
Age	C Mike González, 39	OF Leonidas Lee, 17
Height	P Billy Taylor, 6’8″	OF Walt Williams, 5’6″ IF Matt Broderick, 5’6″
OPS	1B Sid Bream, 1.125 (—)	IF Bob Johnson, .415 (—)
HR	1B Sid Bream, 41 (—)	IF Bill Sweeney, 0 (AAA/AA) IF Miguel Cairo, 0 (WBL/AAA/AA)
SB	OF Rickey Henderson, 99 (WBL)	Many with 0
WAR	1B Sid Bream, 8.0 (—)	IF Bob Johnson, -5.1 (—)
W	Dallas Braden, 17 (—)	Diego Seguí, 3 (WBL/AAA) Jim Buchanan, 3 (—)
SV	Rod Beck, 33 (WBL)
ERA	Tommy Hughes, 2.61 (—)	JA Happ, 5.77 (—)
WAR	Dallas Braden, 5.8 (—)	Diego Seguí, -0.9 (WBL/AAA)

Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

Year II Season Preview: Portland Sea Dogs

By mknn

Expectations

A deep playoff run once again, with championship contention.

Best Case

Everyone behind Walter Johnson in the rotation takes a step forward: Bert Blyleven becomes a legitimate #2, Dizzy Trout becomes more consistent, Elmer Brown makes the transition from the bullpen successfully, and first round pick Walter Ball steps right in, making the choice when Joséito Muñoz returns from injury a difficult one. Even without Gavvy Cravath (lost to free agency), the Sea Dogs should score quite a few runs, especially if Rogers Hornsby can prove a permanent solution (at least for a couple of years) at 2B.

Worst Case

None of that happens in the rotation, Hornsby and Gil Hodges show the effects of age, and the OF ends up regressing towards absolute mediocrity (which really comes down to how much you think Bobby Murcer, Harry Hooper, and supersub Gary Pettis overperformed last season).

Key Questions

How will the Sea Dogs compensate for the loss of Cravath?
Who joins the OF?

Trade Bait

Yes: the Sea Dogs still need to resolve the situation behind the plate, and trading either Joe Mauer or (more likely) Iván Rodríguez seems likely. Moving people on could also resolve the Buddy Bell/Adrián Beltré situation as well as provide Pettis an everyday opportunity elsewhere.

Well that was interesting. The Sea Dogs essentially turned Beltré, Rodríguez, and some useful prospects into Paul Molitor, Vladimir Guerrero, and Ken Griffey, Jr.

Roster Evaluation

POS	Elite	Strong	Solid	Meh	Weak	Unknown
C	Mauer					Lee
1B	Hrbek			Hodges
2B		Hornsby		Molitor
3B				Bell
SS		Fregosi
LF/ RF	Murcer		Hooper	Burroughs
CF			Pettis		Griffey, Jr
SP	Johnson	Blyleven ~~Muñoz~~	Trout Pérez	Koosman	Miller	Ball
End		Hoffman	Brown	Melancon		Santana
RP					Williams

New Addition | ~~Injured~~

There’s clearly potential here–the players likely to regress (Murcer, Kent Hrbek, Hornsby) are balanced by newcomers Griffey, Jr and Molitor, both of whom are strong favorites to improve. But, like so many teams, they’ll go as far as the pitching will take them.

Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	IF Rogers Hornsby	IF Miguel Sanó
Batting Eye	IF Rogers Hornsby	IF Eddie Yost
Contact	OF Ken Griffey, Jr	OF Bubba Morton
Running Speed	OF Gary Pettis	OF Alex Diaz OF Hugh Duffy OF Otis Nixon OF Howie Shanks
Base Stealing	OF Gary Pettis	OF Otis Nixon
IF Defense	3B Buddy Bell	IF Lee Tannehill
OF Defense	OF Gary Pettis	OF Charlie Jamieson
Stuff	SP Walter Johnson	P Harry Harper
Control	SP Bert Blyleven	P Bob Porterfield
Velocity	RP Trevor Hoffman	P Heath Hembree

Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	POS	Name
1 (16)	20	OF	Vladimir Guerrero
2 (20)	20	OF	Hugh Duffy
3 (23)	22	OF	Chuck Klein
4 (40)	26	IF	Hughie Jennings
5 (124)	25	P	Walter Ball
6 (137)	23	P	Dylan Bundy
7 (138)	18	P	Harry Harper

Others: None.

What a weird system. Their top end is probably the strongest quartet in the game, Ball is in the opening day rotation, and then the entire system falls off the cliff.

	Most	Least
Age	IF Jeff Cirillo, 35 OF Bubba Morton, 35 P Bob Porterfield, 35	P Harry Harper, 18
Height	OF Walt Bond, 6’7″	OF Nemo Leibold, 5’6″ IF Howdy Caton, 5’6″
OPS	IF Freddie Freeman, 1.130 (—)	IF Elvis Andrus, .558 (AAA/AA)
HR	IF Freddie Freeman, 47 (—)	IF Elvis Andrus, 1 (AAA/AA)
SB	OF Harry Hooper, 38 (WBL)	Many with 0
WAR	IF Freddie Freeman, 6.2 (—)	IF Bobby Wine, -1.6 (—)
W	Walter Johnson, 14 (WBL)	Pascual Pérez, 3 (WBL/AAA) Colby Lewis, 3 (AAA)
SV	Johan Santana, 23 (WBL)
ERA	Joseito Muñoz, 2.80 (WBL/AAA)	Mike Trombley, 6.56 (—)
WAR	Walter Johnson, 4.7 (WBL)	Mike Trombley, -0.5 (—)

Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

Year II Season Preview: Miami Cuban Giants

By mknn

Expectations

To no longer be considered one of the absolute worst teams in the league would be a nice start.

Best Case

Camilo Pascual, Freddie Fitzsimmons, and José Méndez form a strong front of the rotation and Cole Hamels joins them, fulfilling the promise he showed early in the season with the Black Yankees. Offensively, José Canseco repeats, but is joined by … someone–~~Paul Molitor~~ or Gary Sheffield or Alejandro Oms or even Yasiel Puig–as a formidable offensive force, with Cookie Rojas recovering the form he showed with the Gothams, and and and … you get the idea. Everyone improves in every way.

Worst Case

Ouch. Everyone with high expectations becomes Martín Dihigo from last year, a continual disappointment showing just enough promise to keep from being jettisoned. One issue here is that a significant amount of the talent on the roster is very, very young and therefore several years away from really showing their true potential (for example, Dihigo is 18, Oms 20)

Key Questions

How does the rest of the staff fill out?
Can the continued development of Eustaquio Pedroso and Dihigo as two way players bear enough fruit to warrant continuing the experiment?

Trade Bait

I mean … maybe? The problem is that a team building for the future whose best assets are its young talent will often find it difficult to locate a good trading partner.

Yeah … so … that happened. It’s hard to boil the trade down: the Cuban Giants gave up Molitor, top draft pick Vladimir Guerrero, and some stuff, getting back Iván Rodríguez and a few useful possibilities (Al Oliver, Jon Matlack, Adolis García). So, this year, it’s Molitor for Pudge. But losing Guerrero is a potential big deal.

Roster Evaluation

POS	Elite	Strong	Solid	Meh	Weak	Unknown
C		Rodríguez				Burgess
1B				Thome		Miñoso
2B					Dihigo Rojas
3B					Sheffield
SS			Yount
LF/ RF		Canseco	Puig	Braun		Oliver Rodríguez
CF					Oms
SP		Pascual	~~Smith~~	Hamels Martínez Méndez		Fitzsimmons
End					Consuegra	Nolasco Terry
RP					Looper Pedroso	Latman

New Addition | ~~Injured~~

Doesn’t look like a playoff contender to me. Pudge really does help, though, and .500 might–might–be within reach.

Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	IF Jim Thome	1B Willie McCovey
Batting Eye	IF Jim Thome	U Carlos Morán
Contact	U Cookie Rojas	2B Nellie Fox
Running Speed	OF Alejandro Oms	IF Charlie Briggs OF Bert Campaneris IF Luis Castillo OF Marquis Grissom OF Eddie Milner
Base Stealing	OF Alejandro Oms	IF Jiggs Donahue OF Marquis Grissom
IF Defense	U Martín Dihigo	3B Willie Kamm
OF Defense	OF Yasiel Puig	OF Tony González
Stuff	P Adonis Terry	P Gary Gentry
Control	P Freddie Fitzsimmons	P Dale Murray
Velocity	SP Cole Hamels	P Brad Brach

Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	POS	Name
1 (22)	20	P	Josh Beckett
2 (103)	20	CF	Julio Rodríguez
3 (111)	18	P	Jon Matlack
4 (142)	24	P	Freddie Fitzsimmons
5 (159)	23	C	Smoky Burgess
6 (184)	23	U	Bert Campaneris

Others: None

On the one hand, the cupboard is pretty bare; on the other hand, the Cuban Giants are among the youngest teams in the league, so many of their “prospects” are already in Miami, joined this year by Rodríguez, Burgess, and Fitzsimmons.

	Most	Least
Age	C Clyde Sukeforth, 37	P Ed Seward, 17
Height	1B Richie Sexson, 6’8″	P Phenomenal Smith, 5’6″ U Carlos Morán, 5’6″
OPS	OF Carlos Quentin, 1.381 (—)	1B Julio Becquer, .504 (AA)
HR	OF Carlos Quentin, 81 (—)	OF José Tartabull, 0 (AAA/AA) OF Carlos Morán, 0 (WBL) IF Luis Castillo, 0 (AA)
SB	OF José Canseco, 29 (WBL) OF Marquis Grissom, 29 (—)	Many with 0
WAR	OF Carlos Quentin, 6.7 (—)	IF Russell Branyan, -2.2 (—)
W	Camilo Pascual, 12 (WBL) Ed Brandt, 12 (—-) Denny Lemaster, 12 (—-) Marcus Stroman, 12 (—-)	Johnny Murphy, 3 (AAA/AA)
SV	Bob Gillespie, 19 (—) Jim Roland, 19 (—)
ERA	John Boozer, 2.26 (—)	Mike Morgan, 6.67 (AAA/AA)
WAR	Marcus Stroman, 5.1 (—)	Nick Strincevich, -0.6 (AAA/AA)

Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

Year II Season Preview: Los Angeles Angels

By mknn

Expectations

Playoff contention.

Best Case

Gerrit Cole and Pud Galvin pitch as they have and someone, or actually a few someone’s, from the group of Doc Gooden, Elmer Smith, Chuck Finley, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, and Sid Fernandez make good on their immense potential while Mike Trout develops into a true superstar, Carlos Delgado holds off age for another year, and 1st round pick Ichiro Suzuki comes good.

Worst Case

The pitching remains a hot mess, Doug Rader reverts to form, and Delgado, Don Buford, and George Wright all feel the effects of age.

Key Questions

Who is going to fill out the rotation and the bullpen?
Will anyone step up at C?

In addition to Suzuki, draft picks Babe Herman, John Lackey, and Bryan Harvey all have a shot at making the team.

Trade Bait

Nothing immediately, but the team could do a rebuild at some point and there are some that could be valuable.

Roster Evaluation

POS	Elite	Strong	Solid	Meh	Weak	Unknown
C						Pierzynski Torborg
1B		Delgado		Lee
2B		Grich				Ellis
3B	Rader			Garvey
SS				Wright
LF/ RF			Buford Daniels			Suzuki
CF		Trout
SP		Cole	Anderson Galvin	Gooden	Seaver
End			Nathan Rodríguez			Teheran
RP		~~Venters~~				DeSclafani Lowry Patterson Smith

New Addition | ~~Injured~~

That’s a lot in the unknown column, and with Rader and Delgado both likely to regress … it could be a long California summer.

Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	1B Carlos Delgado	1B Jack Hannifin
Batting Eye	2B Bobby Grich	OF Jack Gleason
Contact	OF Ichiro Suzuki	OF Elmer Valo
Running Speed	OF Ichiro Suzuki	OF Billy Hamilton
Base Stealing	OF Mike Trout	OF Billy Hamilton
IF Defense	3B Doug Rader	3B Pedro Álvarez
OF Defense	OF Ichiro Suzuki	OF Ender Inciarte
Stuff	P Elmer Smith	P Nolan Ryan
Control	SP Pud Galvin	P Brian Anderson
Velocity	RP Joe Nathan RP Francisco Rodríguez	P Nolan Ryan

Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	POS	Name
1 (19)	25	P/OF	Elmer Smith
2 (85)	22	P	John Lackey
3 (90)	21	P	Randy Tate
4 (92)	21	IF	Marcus Semien
5 (95)	23	P	Joey Lucchesi
6 (141)	23	P	Tom Seaver
7 (154)	22	P	Esteban Loaiza
8 (157)	25	P	Ross Reynolds
9 (178)	25	P	Brian Anderson
10 (187)	22	OF	Brandon Nimmo

Others: RP Bryan Harvey.

The lack of top end talent is a serious issue, but the presence of quite a bit of decent pitching is a very significant advantage, especially when considering how underrated some of the prospects are–Mr. Seaver, we’re looking at you.

	Most	Least
Age	P Jose Contreras, 38	P Blue Moon Odom, 19
Height	P Chuck Finley, 6’6″ P John Lackey, 6’6″ P John O’Donoghue, 6’6″	OF Albie Pearson, 5’5″
OPS	OF Ned Harris, 1.230(—)	OF Jack Gleason, .545 (—)
HR	OF Ned Harris, 58 (—)	OF Albie Pearson, 1 (—)
SB	OF Mike Trout, 37 (WBL)	Many with 0
WAR	OF Mike Trout, 6.0 (WBL)	OF Jack Gleason, -2.0 (—)
W	Gerrit Cole, 16 (WBL)	Carl Willis, 1 (—)
SV	Joe Nathan, 22 (WBL)
ERA	Jose Contreras, 3.04 (—)	Jesse Tannehill, 6.72 (—)
WAR	Jose Contreras, 6.5 (—)	Brian Anderson, -0.9 (AAA)

Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

Year II Season Preview: Chicago American Giants

By mknn

Expectations

Championship contention. The offense is just too good not to warrant it, even if moves need to be made in the pitching corps.

Best Case

The offense continues as one of the very best in the league, and enough pitching is found to navigate the postseason.

Worst Case

The fringe of the offense–Freddy Parent, Mike Fiore, whomever is run out there in LF–reverts and the pitching collapses.

Key Questions

How is the rotation going to fall out? Can Ed Walsh handle a fulltime starting role, and can Mark Buehrle and Ben Sheets handle the back end of the rotation?
How long do the American Giants stick with Parent–he’s fine, but his level of play over the second half of the season (after the American Giants picked him up from Ottawa) was below championship.

Trade Bait

There are some pieces in the minors, and this is a team that needs pitching, so there is some potential here.

Roster Evaluation

POS	Elite	Strong	Solid	Meh	Weak	Unknown
C		Fisk		Nilsson
1B	Thomas					Konerko
2B	Collins
3B	Allen
SS				Parent	Jackson
LF/ RF	Jackson	Lewis		~~Mitchell~~	Doyle
CF			Fiore	Torriente		Wells
SP			Nichols Price Walsh	Sheets	Buehrle
End		Minter	Wilhelm	Otsuka		Loes
RP			Lilly			Twitchell

New Addition | ~~Injured~~

Table says it all: if the pitching comes through, this is a championship contender.

Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	1B Frank Thomas	OF Rocky Colavito
Batting Eye	2B Eddie Collins	3B Paul Schaal
Contact	OF Joe Jackson	OF Bibb Falk
Running Speed	2B Eddie Collins IF Damian Jackson	OF Mike Cameron
Base Stealing	U Jack Doyle	OF Jack McGeachey
IF Defense	1B Paul Konerko	1B Ruben Amaro Sr
OF Defense	CF Vernon Wells	CF Lance Johnson
Stuff	SP Ed Walsh	RP Bob Ferguson
Control	SP Ben Sheets	RP Bob Bruce
Velocity	RP Akinori Otsuka	RP Alex Reyes

Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	POS	Name
1 (29)	22	OF	Walter Davis
2 (69)	21	OF	Lenny Dykstra
3 (87)	24	P	Jacob deGrom
4 (110)	22	P	Doc Sykes
5 (146)	23	P	Ted Lyons
6 (158)	24	P	Harry Buckner
7 (175)	23	IF	Jorge Orta

Others: None.

The table says it all: this is a weak farm system in need of replenishment.

	Most	Least
Age	OF Steve Braun, 36 P Jamie Moyer, 36	OF Cristóbal Torriente, 18
Height	P David Price, 6’6″	OF Ned Cuthbert, 5’6″
OPS	OF Carson Bigbee, 1.028 (—)	C Tubby Spencer, .499 (—)
HR	OF Carson Bigbee, 42 (—)	2B Danny Murtaugh, 0 (AAA/AA)
SB	2B Eddie Collins, 61 (WBL)	Many with 0
WAR	2B Eddie Collins, 6.5 (WBL)	C Tubby Spencer, -3.2 (—)
W	Tricky Nichols, 15 (WBL)	Lee Meadows, 2 (WBL/AAA/AA)
SV	Rich Garces, 35 (WBL)
ERA	Frank Smith, 3.01 (WBL/AAA)	Lee Meadows, 7.48 (WBL/AAA/AA)
WAR	Joe Lake, 5.7 (WBL/AAA)	Will Smith, -0.9 (—)

Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

Year II Season Preview: New York Black Yankees

By mknn

On March 20, 2024