Jim Whitney replaces John Malarkey in the Black Barons’ rotation.
Birmingham has some infield questions to answer, but for the time being, will live with Hank Aaron (far better suited to the OF) being their only alternative at 2B to Cupid Childs.
Larry Benton will miss about a year with elbow surgery. Bill Phyle was recalled, assumedly for a longer period than the first time, during which he saw no action.
#Houston Colt 45’s
David Clyde–out since early last season–started an injury rehab assignment.
Roger Clemens had a poor start, leaving him unable to become the league’s first 6 game winner, but Jimmy Wynn‘s second dinger (and 4th run scored) of the game was a walkoff shot in the bottom of the 11th inning. It was a wild game, as homers by George Brett and Craig Biggio (pinch-hitting) kept the game going in the bottom of the 10th and 11th innings.
Wynn again hit 2, but this time, after a 7 run comeback, the Colt 45’s couldn’t pull it off, losing 11-9 to the House of David in another worryingly bad start from Roy Oswalt.
#Indianapolis ABC’s
George Foster‘s 4th homerun of the year was a grand slam in the top of the 9th, leading the ABC’s to a sudden 4-2 victory over Ottawa.
Oscar Charleston had 5 hits and Adam Dunn crushed a walkoff homerun in the bottom of the 10th as the ABCs came from behind to top Birmingham, 7-5.
#Wandering House of David
Kerry Wood took Wade Miley‘s spot in the House of David’s rotation, and Orlando Cabrera was moved to AAA to clear space for Frank Grant‘s return from a rehab assignment.
Frank Chance had 4 steals but the House of David was unable to hold onto several leads, falling to Houston in 11 innings.
Miley was pressed into an emergency start … and immediately made everyone question their decisions, allowing only 2 hits and 1 run in 7 innings in clearly his best start of the year. It was an encouraging game for the House of David: Grant had 2 hits in his debut, Anthony Rizzo went deep twice, and Elrod Hendricks (2 hits, 1 HR) and Sammy Sosa (2 hits) showed signs of breaking out of their funks.
Ernie Banks went deep twice and the House of David withstood a massive comeback by Houston, holding on for an 11-8 victory. After rough outings from Rick Reuschel and CC Sabathia, Fergie Jenkins, Ed Bauta, and Bruce Sutter shut it down, allowing only 2 hits over the last 3+ innings.
Banks did it again, hitting 2 homeruns in a 7-6 victory over the Gothams. Sosa had 2 homeruns as well, including the game winning shot in the bottom of the 10th. The House of David would be encouraged by Wood’s first start of the year, in which he pitched 6 innings, fanning 10. The victory went to Sutter, who improved to 1-1 with a perfect 1+ innings of relief.
Steve Bedrosian has been getting absolutely torched, prompting the Black Barons to recall Harley Young from his rehab assignment and waive Bedrosian with the hope of sending him to AAA.
Young picked up a save in his first outing as 2 homeruns from Adrián González helped the Black Barons to a 9-6 victory in 10 innings over the House of David. Bob Nieman had 3 hits, with the win going to Juan Ríncón who moved to 2-0 on the year.
While defensive versatility has its place it has to hit more than 136/255/205. Jess Barbour heads to AAA with Gene Tenace being recalled, making the Black Barons one of the few teams to carry three catchers, as JP Arencibia‘s hot start is too promising to send down quite yet.
Albert Belle went deep twice as the Black Barons hit 6 homeruns (Jim Pagliaroni, Curtis Granderson, Nieman, and Arencibia also hit longballs) and beat the House of David, 7-4.
González did it again, homering twice in a 5-4 victory over the House of David. Warren Spahn was excellent in release, and Bruce Chen picked up his 3rd save of the season.
#Houston Colt 45’s
Some roster shakeup is pending, as George Brett started a rehab assignment in the minors, making his way back from an injury picked up in Spring Training. Kent Tekulve was waived, with Andrew Chafin being recalled from a rehab assignment.
Jimmy Wynn went deep twice, but the real story was Toad Ramsey, who improved to 5-1 and saw his ERA dip below 1.00 with a 3 hit shutout of Ottawa. Wynn drove in 3 and Ramsey fanned 12 in the dominant 10-0 shellacking.
Brett was recalled with César Cedeño heading to the minors as expected. Cedeño showed some promise, but ultimately was overmatched by big league pitching.
Jeff Bagwell exploded fully out of his slump with a spectacular performance, going 5 for 5 with 3 homeruns to lead the Colt 45’s to a 12 to 6 victory over Ottawa. Bagwell added a double for 15 total bases, scored 4 times, and drove in 7, all of which overshadowed Brett’s debut in which he went 2 for 2 with a homerun of his own.
#Indianapolis ABC’s
Adam Dunn went deep twice, leading Indianapolis to a 5-3 win over Houston. Dunn, Johnny Bench, Joey Votto, and Luis Padrón each had 2 hits for the ABC’s who got an excellent 7 innings from Sad Sam Jones, who picked up his first win of the year with Rob Dibble closing the door for his 5th save.
Padrón is putting something special together so far this year. He hit his 2nd homerun and improved his average to a smooth .400 while improving his record on the mound to 5-0 with nearly 8 innings of strong work in a 6-3 victory over Houston. Padrón drove in 3 and Dunn also went deep for Indianapolis with Dibble picking up his 6th save of the year.
#Kansas City Monarchs
Robinson Canó went deep twice, but it wasn’t enough as the Monarchs fell to the Gothams, 7-5.
Willie Mays (RIP IRL) of the New York Gothams was the NL Player of the Week after hitting .417 with 3 home runs. Over in the AL, the AL Player of the Week Award went to Miami‘s Ryan Braun, who hit .471 with 5 dingers.
As the calendar flipped from April to May, we also have the first player of the month awards.
Award
Player
AL Player of the Month
Ty Cobb (DET)
.411; 5 HR; 23 RBI; 21 R
AL Pitcher of the Month
Mark Buehrle (CAG)
5-0, 1.24
AL Rookie of the Month
Turkey Stearnes (SFS)
.352; 6 HR; 18 8RBI
NL Player of the Month
Larry Walker (OTT)
.395; .454 OBP; 9 HR; 23 RBI; 22 R
NL Pitcher of the Month
Toad Ramsey (HOU)
5-1, 0.96
NL Rookie of the Month
Adam Dunn (IND)
.253; 5 HR; 13 RBI
#Team Performance
Look, it’s way too early for any of this to matter. But, currently, only 3 games separate the best team in the Effa Manley Division (the Brooklyn Royal Giants at 14-11) and the worst (the Philadelphia Stars mirroring them at 11-14). The Homestead Grays are 1/2 game behind Brooklyn, and the New York Gothams and Ottawa Mounties sit at .500.
Brooklyn, Homestead, and the San Francisco Sea Lions have all gone 7-3 over their last 10 games, while the House of David are in the roughest patch of any team in the league, at 2-8 over their last 10.
#Player Performance
Batters
Some things that jump out: the House of David’s Ryne Sandberg is having an incredible start, the first player in the league to 11 homeruns. Led by Sandberg, 5 players have SLG over .700 but “only” 2 have BA over .400.
Ty Cobb (DET). 389/451/756. 18 2B, 1.8 WAR. Carlos Correa (HOU). 420/474/659. Eric Davis (NYY). 306/373/612. 27 R. Lou Gehrig (NYY). 247/358/634. 10 HR. Josh Gibson (HOM). 379/426/793. Curtis Granderson (BBB). 256/330/654. 10 HR. Tony Gwynn (HOU). 416/442/629. Joe Jackson (CAG). 396/426/635. 38 H, 15 2B. Dick Lundy (SFS). 394/467/681. 4 3B, 15 SB, 2.3 WAR. Mickey Mantle (NYY). 274/361/621. 10 HR. Boog Powell (KCM). 268/344/622. 26 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 293/381/576. 5 3B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 308/430/659. 28 RBI, 24 R, 21 BB. Ryne Sandberg (HOD). 365/409/824. 11 HR. Bobby Wallace (BAL). 50/405/364. 22 BB.
Pitchers
Starters
Mark Buehrle (CAG). 5-0, 1.24. Johnny Cueto (IND). 4-1, 2.38. 0.88 WHIP. Bill Doak (MEM). 3-1, 2.76. 1.5 WAR. Lefty Grove (SFS). 2-3, 5.03. 39.1 IP. Frank Knauss (BRK). 5-1, 2.62. Christy Mathewson (NYG). 1-4, 4.15. 43.1 IP, 39 K. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 4-1, 1.19. 0.74 WHIP, 45 K, 1.7 WAR.
Relivers
Rod Beck (SFS). 1-2, 6.75. 7 Sv. Eric Gagne (BRK). 0-0, 1.74. 10 Sv. Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 1-0, 0.00. 1 Sv, 5 H. Troy Percival (NYG). 0-0, 5.40. 5 H. Jeff Pfeffer (KCM). 0-0, 4.32. 7 Sv.
#Featured Series
We’ll check in on a team that looks much improved over last season, the Homestead Grays. The Grays are hitting better than expected, but more importantly, are finally hitting enough to overcome their usual rough performances on the mound. They are visiting Indianapolis for a 4-game set, and are hoping to keep a recent slide by the ABC’s going.
Scheduled Starters
Homestead’s hurler listed first.
Billy Pierce (2-1, 6.55) @ Johnny Cueto (4-1, 2.38) Carlos Zambrano (0-4, 9.15) @ Luis Padrón (3-0, 2.38) Ray Brown (1-2, 6.28) @ Doc White (1-3, 4.93) Francisco Liriano (1-2, 4.36) @ Rube Foster (1-1, 3.86)
Cueto has performed fantastically so far this year, and Padrón, while no Joe Rogan, has been a decent 2-way threat all season.
Game One
With the announcement that the Grays have moved Zambrano out of the rotation, their starters for the series are all a bit up in the air. They’ll lead it off with Doug Drabek, who is taking Zambrano’s spot and will be making his first start of the year.
Drabek was fantastic, allowing 2 hits and 1 run in 7 innings, but Rick Ownbey couldn’t hold the lead, giving up Barry Larkin‘s first homer of the year, a 2 run shot to tie the game in the 8th. Luckily for the Grays, Willie Stargell‘s 2nd homerun of the game gave them the lead in the 10th, and Josh Lindblom was able to hold on for the 4-3 win in extra innings.
HOM 4 (Lindblom 3-0; Ownbey 3 B Sv) @ IND 3 (Murphy 0-1) HRs: HOM – Stargell 2 (10); Epstein (3); IND – Larkin (1). Box Score
Game Two
The Grays turned to Billy Pierce in game 2, putting their rotation back on its expected schedule. His mound opponent, Luis Padrón, tossed a masterful 8 innings in a 14-3 walkover, allowing 5 hits and 1 run while fanning 8. Padrón improved to 4-0 and Tommy Helms had 3 hits and 4 RBI and Helms and Jake Stenzel each scored 3 runs in the rout.
Helms, Stenzel, George Foster, Adam Dunn (fresh off being named Rookie of the Month for April), and Johnny Bench each went yard for Indianapolis as they evened the series at 1 game each.
HOM 3 (Pierce 2-2) @ IND 14 (Padrón 4-0) HRs: HOM – Clemente (3); IND – Helms (3), Foster (2), Stenzel (3), Dunn (6), Bench (7). Box Score
Game Three
Chris Sabo went deep twice, driving in 3, and the Grays held on to take the series lead with a 5-4 win. Ray Brown pitched very well, but the trio of Corey Kluber, Michael Jackson, and Josh Lindblom were all a bit shaky in relief. Still, they got the job done. Tommy Helms and Bob Bescher had 2 hits for the ABC’s and Joey Votto went deep in the losing effort.
Kluber–fresh off an injury–had to leave the game with an elbow issue, and headed to the DL afterwards. Cliff Lee was recalled.
HOM 5 (Brown 2-2; Lindblom 4 Sv; Jackson 2 H) @ IND 4 (White 1-4) HRs: HOM – Sabo 2 (5), Lajoie (2); IND – Votto (3). Box Score
Game Four
Homestead’s bullpen did the job, with Dave Giusti, Rick Ownbey, and Josh Lindblom combining for 3+ innings of 1 hit relief of an effective Francisco Liriano. Mike Epstein went deep for the Grays and Andy Van Slyke showed signs of breaking out of an early season slump with 3 hits. All the ABC’s could muster on the day was a 2 run shot from Adam Dunn to tie the game early.
Homestead takes the series, 3-1, continuing their surprising start to the season.
HOM 4 (Liriano 2-2; Lindblom 5 Sv; Giusti 3 H; Ownbey 2 H) @ IND 2 (Foster 1-2) HRs: HOM – Epstein (4); IND – Dunn (7). Box Score
Playing .500 ball would be a nice step; doing so while nurturing some talent for the future would begin to raise hopes in Indianapolis.
Best Case
Some starting pitching comes out of nowhere to support the continued development of Doc White and Willie Mitchell, Johnny Bench and Oscar Charleston anchor the offense, and some of the MI talent finally emerges fully onto the scene. The 6 man rotation turns out to be a thing of beauty, allowing the ABC’s to maximize their talent on the mound.
Worst Case
Only Bench remains as a real offensive force and the pitching stays totally muddled, with the 6 man rotation confusing fans, pundits, and players alike.
Key Questions
Who starts, and does the team retain its experimentation with a 6-man rotation?
How do the uncertainties at SS/3B resolve?
Trade Bait
Not enough talent to really be active.
Davey Concepción was sent to the Gothams in exchange for Sad Sam Jones, adding another arm to the pile and clearing one person from the MI crowd.
Roster Evaluation
POS
Elite
Strong
Solid
Meh
Weak
Unknown
C
Bench
Ritter
1B
Votto
2B
Morgan
3B
Charles
SS
Menke
Larkin
LF/ RF
Bescher Charleston
Dunn Foster Padrón
CF
Stenzel
Henderson
SP
Cueto
White Mitchell Faber
Foster Jones
Padrón
End
Dibble
Carroll
James
RP
Tidrow
Bellingham Blackwell Nolan
New Addition | Injured
That is a lot of new arms on the staff, and a lot of unknowns. But performance last year was so bad, you would think anything would be an improvement.
Some interesting things here, though: the continued use of the 6 man rotation, the emergence of Luis Padrón as a 2-way threat, the promise of some of the young talent, especially Oscar Charleston.
Talent Ratings
WBL
Minors
Raw Power
C Johnny Bench
OF Wally Post
Batting Eye
IF Joe Morgan 1B Joey Votto
IF Edwin Encarnación
Contact
IF Joe Morgan
CF Edd Roush
Running Speed
OF Bob Bescher
IF Pokey Reese
Base Stealing
OF Bob Bescher
1B Doc Hoblitzell
IF Defense
IF Barry Larkin
3B Robin Ventura
OF Defense
OF Oscar Charleston
OF Curt Walker
Stuff
P The Only Nolan
P George Pipgras
Control
SP Johnny Cueto
SP Eppa Rixey
Velocity
RP Ewell Blackwell
RP Tyler Clippard
Best In The Minors
Rank
Age
POS
Name
1 (24)
19
P
Edward Nolan
2 (28)
19
P
Jim Maloney
3 (42)
22
3B
Oliver Marcell
4 (59)
24
3B
Robin Ventura
5 (101)
22
OF
George Foster
6 (105)
20
2B
Dario Lodigiani
7 (123)
19
P
Tom Glavine
8 (144)
23
1B
Sean Casey
9 (153)
25
P
Bob Ewing
10 (182)
25
P
Chris Hammond
Others: None.
Nolan and Foster start the year with the WBL club. There’s decent help on the mound working through the system, but little else, especially if Ventura ends up being a bust.
Most
Least
Age
OF Harold Baines, 39
3B Bob Aspromonte, 18
Height
P Ewell Blackwell, 6’6″ OF Adam Dunn, 6’6″
SS Donie Bush, 5’6″
OPS
C Johnny Bench, .951 (WBL)
SS Walt Weiss, .441 (—)
HR
OF Adam Dunn, 35 (WBL/AAA/AA)
SS Walt Weiss, 0 (—)
SB
OF Bob Bescher, 37 (WBL)
Many with 0
WAR
C Johnny Bench, 6.0 (WBL)
SS Walt Weiss, -3.9 (—)
W
Eppa Rixey, 16 (WBL/AAA)
Joe Moeller, 3 (—) Teddy Higuera, 3 (—)
SV
Rob Dibble, 30 (WBL)
ERA
Jack Powell, 2.83 (—)
Joe Moeller, 7.11 (—)
WAR
Virgil Trucks, 7.0 (WBL/AAA)
Brad Radke, -1.1 (—)
Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.
All the focus will be on the pitching staff, with the reserve positions also taking some attention.
Injuries
CF Edd Roush is doubtful for opening day with a back injury.
Hal White saw his slim hopes of making the ABC’s roster dashed as a torn labrum will keep him out of action for around 4 months.
First Cuts
Some of the pitching clarified: Tom Glavine, Paul Derringer, and Chris Hammond were each sent down to the minors. That leaves a lot of arms in camp, but the next week should sort out quite a few of them.
Cs Larry Pratt and Admiral Schlei were sent down as well, along with corner IFs Hal Morris, Edwin Encarnación, and Dan Driessen, clearing up a lot of the logjam at 1B. Tommy Helms and Buddy Myer were also moved out of camp.
In the middle infield, Dario Lodigiani and Davey Concepción have both been turning heads at 2B and SS respectively, while Lonny Frey, hitless over 6 games, was sent down.
Joe Keough has been quite impressive, but the other longshot OFers (Emil Frisk, Charlie Hemphill, and Curt Walker) were all sent down after the first week.
Second Cuts
Tony Mullane and Eppa Rixey were sent to AAA.
The ABC’s still believe in Robin Ventura, preferring to keep him in camp over teenager Bob Aspromonte, despite the latter having a slight edge in performance.
Nobody is hitting at 2B, with Joe Morgan and Denis Menke combining to go zero for 30. Their performance last year keeps them around, but Craig Counsell, lacking that pedigree, cannot overcome his sub .400 OPS.
The OF remains overcrowded, with 10 players still in camp. The bottom performers–Danny Hoffman, Jake Stenzel, and the injured Edd Roush–did enough last year, and the newcomers–Adam Dunn, George Foster, Pete Rose, and Joe Keough–are all hitting well.
Third Cuts
The pitching staff is very slowly coming into focus, with Virgil Trucks‘ and Jim Maloney‘s demotion. Maloney pitched well but at 19 needs some more seasoning–especially to master his control issues–before joining the WBL club.
Bo Díaz, Sean Casey, and Pete Rose were sent to AAA.
It was assumed that Denis Menke would be the opening day SS–and he likely will be–but his inability to hit combined with decent performances from both Barry Larkin and Davey Concepción are pushing him.
Three presumed OF contributors–Jake Stenzel, Edd Roush, and Danny Hoffman–are all struggling, while George Foster and Joe Keough are playing very well, throwing the ABC’s reserve OF situation into some chaos (Oscar Charleston, Dave Henderson, and Bob Bescher are all solid as starters).
Final Cuts
Tony Mullane was returned to AAA to clear some space in the rotation. Mullane refused to head to the minors, and ended up being released–making him immediately perhaps the best arm in the FA market.
The battle to carry Johnny Bench‘s glove is reduced by one, as Bo Díaz heads to the minors. Robin Ventura continues to fumble every opportunity, and with Ed Charles mashing the ball, Ventura will start this season at AAA.
Edd Roush started excellently last season but faded mightily at the end of the year. An injury in Spring Training has limited Roush’s time and effectiveness. Essentially, the ABC’s were looking to retain only one of Roush and Danny Hoffman at the big league level: it’ll be Hoffman as Roush heads to AAA.
RP Octavio Dotel, C/1B Patsy Gharrity, 1B Dick Hoblitzell, and 2B Dario Lodigiani were all sent to AAA to bring the ABC’s to 30.
The next decisions were easy, with both Red Faber and Rob Dibble going on the 10 Day DL, with Faber likely to miss 4 months of time with a knee issue. Additionally Dolf Luque was moved to AAA, as was OF Joe Keough. With the ABC’s planning to keep George Foster with the team, that meant one more OF had to go and, after much deliberation, Danny Hoffman was deemed the odd man out.
73 - 81, .474 pct.
3rd in Effa Manley Division, 13 games behind.
Overall
Just a very average performance. There are some good pieces here, and the organization as a whole is quite young, but until the pitching is sorted, nothing else is going to really matter.
What Went Right
Most of all, Johnny Bench. Bench is a superstar C, giving Indianapolis an edge in a difficult position to fill.
Beyond that there were a few surprises–neither Jake Stenzel or Dennis Menke were on many preseason lists to be strong offensive players, and Joey Votto was excellent in limited action after being recalled from the minors–and there was some promise for the future, most of all in Joe Morgan and Oscar Charleston, who were fine this year, but were also quite young (Charleston began the season as a teenager).
Dave Henderson, Bob Bescher, and Danny Hoffman were all perfectly acceptable in the OF.
Robin Ventura finally showed some promise after arriving via trade.
Willie Mitchell and Doc White, both of whom started the season in the bullpen, were the ABC’s best pitchers by the end of the season. Johnny Cueto was fine as a starter as well.
Rob Dibble was a first rate closer for Indianapolis.
ALL STARS
C Johnny Bench
What Went Wrong
1B was a right mess until Votto showed up; 3B Ed Charles faded badly after promising starts. Barry Larkin and Davey Concepción–one of whom is supposed to be the SS of the future–were awful.
But most of what went wrong was on the mound. The trio of Red Faber, Rube Foster, and Dolf Luque were thoroughly mediocre as starters, and Rob Murphy and Lefty James the same out of the pen.
Transactions
March
IF Miller Huggins & OF Willie Montañez to Baltimore for P Rube Foster
Foster wasn’t great, but he was a WBL player all season, so this seems fine.
June
C Ernie Lombardi to Detroit for IF Donie Bush, IF Jorge Orta, P Brandon League, OF Gene Martin & 2nd Round Pick {Matt Chapman}
It looks like more than it is, but with Lombardi blocked by Bench in Indianapolis, moving him is fine.
July
P David Price and IF Jorge Orta to Chicago for 3B Robin Ventura, P Tyler Clippard, 4th Round Pick & 5th Round Pick {Pete O'Brien}
It all hinges on whether the Ventura who showed up for Indianapolis in September is a mirage or not.
Looking Forward
SP
Such a random assortment of good-but-not-great here. Luis Padrón, Eppa Rixey, and Dolf Luque should be the long term front of rotation guys, but that doesn’t exactly strike terror in the hearts of the opposing team. An area of need.
RP
Solid, with Rob Dibble at closer and some mix of Clay Carroll, Rob Murphy, Octavio Dotel, and Norm Charlton behind him.
C
For as long as he’s healthy, it’s all about Johnny Bench.
1B
Joey Votto did well, but he’s 31 and unlikely to improve making this an area of need long term.
2B
Joe Morgan should be here for quite some time.
3B
Unknown. If Robin Ventura shows up, it’s his; if not, this is a bit of a black hole.
SS
Right now, it’s Dennis Menke; longer term, this should be either Barry Larkin or Davey Concepción, with the other being expendable. My bet would be on Larkin, despite his struggles this year.
LF
Some mixture of Bob Bescher and Adam Dunn are keeping this spot warm for George Foster.
CF
This should be Oscar Charleston‘s home for a long time.
RF
Unknown, although many in the organization see Pete Rose stepping up here.
The Rookie Draft
Rounds 1-4
There are a few pitchers who look to be only a year or two from helping their WBL franchise, with Tom Glavine probably the best of them. That made the ABC’s pick in the first round pretty easy. In the 2nd round, franchise arm Jim Maloney was still available, who projects as a rotation starter, maybe.
Looking for some insurance in case Ventura doesn’t pan out, the ABC’s picked up 20 year old 3B Matt Chapman at the end of the 2nd round.
In the 3rd round, they took Maloney, version 2: another franchise arm with an outside shot at being useful, Bob Ewing; and in the 4th, slick fielding MI Leo Cardenas.
Rounds 5-8
These rounds should focus on position players: in the 5th round, 3B Oliver Marcell and OF Pete O’Brien; in the 6th, OF Chris Dickerson and C Admiral Schlei; OF Adam Duvall in the 7th, and IF Pokey Reese in the 8th.
Rounds 9-12
P Jack Billingham; Pete Schourek; C Patsy Gharrity; and P The Only Nolan.
Here are the call ups as rosters expanded from 24 to 32 for all teams.
#Baltimore Black Sox
Bob Miller was activated from the DL, and P’s Lindy McDaniel, Rafael Betancourt, and Milt Pappas; OF Chick Stahl; and IF Miller Huggins and Cal Ripken were all recalled.
#Birmingham Black Barons
OF Billy Southworth was recalled from a rehab assignment. With Birmingham’s AAA team in the playoffs, the Black Barons reached down to AA for P Eric Gunderson.
#Brooklyn Royal Giants
OFs John Briggs and Art Griggs were activated from the DL. With Queens still in the AAA playoff chase, other recalls will wait a few days.
#Chicago American Giants
Ps Nate Jones, Fernando Rodney, and Frank Smith; OF Magglio Ordóñez and Rocky Colavito; IF Luke Appling and Damian Jackson.
#Cleveland Spiders
IF Bill Dahlen was activated from the DL; Ps Tyler Walker, Stan Bahnsen, and Bob Feller; IF Hal Trosky and Evan Longoria; OF Larry Doby.
#Detroit Wolverines
Ps Jason Schmidt, Roberto Hernández, and Whitey Wilshere; IF Robby Thompson and Cecil Fielder; OF Ron LeFlore and Jody Gerut.
#Homestead Grays
P Earl Hamilton was activated from the DL; Ps Babe Adams, Frank Linzy, and Mychal Givens; IF Kevin Young and Chris Sabo; OF Max Carey.
#Houston Colt 45’s
Ps Tom Sturdivant, Mike Hartley, and Scott Erickson; C Jason Castro, IF Paul Goldschmidt; OF Shin-Soo Choo and Hunter Pence.
#Indianapolis ABC’s
With AAA Cincinnati still in the playoff hunt, the ABC’s reached down to AA to recall P Chris Hammond and OF Adam Dunn.
#Kansas City Monarchs
P Frank Castillo was recalled from a rehab assignment; with St. Louis still in the hunt at AAA, P Evan Meek and IF Gene Freese were recalled from AA.
#Los Angeles Angels
P Brett Anderson was activated from the DL. Ps Jeurys Familia and Chuck Finley; IF Tim Wallach; OF Hi Myers.
#Memphis Red Sox
P Lance Broadway from AA with more to come after AAA New Orleans finishes their season.
#Miami Cuban Giants
IF Martín Dihigo was activated from a rehab assignment; Ps Steve Brown and Dontrelle Willis; C Smoky Burgess; IF Bert Campaneris; OF Yasiel Puig and Sandy Amorós.
#New York Black Yankees
Ps Bryan Hickerson, AJ Burnett, and Dave Righetti; IF Art Howe and Josh Harrison; OF Roger Maris.
#New York Gothams
P Carson Smith was recalled from a rehab assignment and P Brian Wilson was activated from the DL. With both Hartford (AAA) and Troy (AA) either in the hunt or in the postseason, the Gothams will wait to make further moves.
#Ottawa Mounties
P Ted Bowsfield, IF Álex Rodríguez, and OF Larry Walker were all activated from the DL. P Sean O’Sullivan from AA, with additional moves coming after Montréal’s season concludes.
#Philadelphia Stars
Ps Fritz Coumbe, Danny Barnes, Wayne Gomes, and J.M. Ward; IF Juan Samuel and Jimmy Rollins; OF Marlon Byrd.
#Portland Sea Dogs
Superhero Greg Litton and P Pascual Pérez were recalled from rehab assignments; Ps Frank Williams and Jerry Koosman; OF José González and Ruben Sierra; IF Rafael Palmiero.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
The Sea Lions are waiting until the AAA San Jose Bees complete their season to make their moves.
#Wandering House of David
IF Bunny Downs and OF Joe Harris were activated from the DL. Ps Rick Reuschel and Ferguson Jenkins, IF Jung Ho Kang and Cap Anson; OF Tony Conigliaro.
Another month, another quick trip through the minor leagues!
Featured Team: Austin Black Senators
The Black Senators have the best record in AA, playing at a .650 clip and leading their division by 5 games.
Their offense is thoroughly mediocre, but their pitching is something else, led by Kyle Kendrick (6-2, 3.84) and Bill Harper, who is 4-2 with 13 saves and a 1.07 ERA out of the bullpen. Nineteen year-old Vida Blue has shown flashes of great potential, averaging almost 11 K’s per 9 innings, but is currently injured.
Offensively … well it’s hard to find who the real leaders are, but it’s probably IF Russ Adams (311/404/444) and OF Derek Bell (315/344/489). Dick Williams leads the team with 9 HRs and 30 RBIs. Part of the issue is who’s no longer here: Travis Jackson, Pete Hill, and Von Joshua, each of whom have been stellar offensively, are at AAA, the majors, and on the injured list respectively. Mid-season acquisition Harry Stovey (part of Houston’s trade for Roger Clemens) looks to add something as well: overall, he’s slashing 374/447/835, although he’s a little off that in his first 10 games with Austin.
#AA Leaders
John Briggs, perhaps the most dominant player at AA has been recalled to Brooklyn. Briggs was slashing 315/437/518 with a dozen homeruns and over 50 Rs and RBIs. Behind Briggs, the best batters at AA are probably Adam Dunn (Nashville / Indianapolis ABC’s) and Jimmie Foxx (Sacramento / San Francisco Sea Lions). They are 1st and 2nd in SLG and OPS, and Dunn is 2nd in the league in homeruns with 21, while Foxx has 20. Vancouver’s Frankie Hayes (Portland Sea Dogs) leads AA with 23 HRs and Prince Fielder is tied with Dunn (Atlantic City / Philadelphia) with 21. Fort Wayne’s Billy Nash (Detroit Wolverines), Rochester’s Ken Keltner (Cleveland Spiders), and Tulsa’s Willie Crawford (Memphis) join Dunn and Foxx as the only AA batters with an OPS over 1.000.
Two teenagers from Albuquerque (Wandering House of David), 15 year-old Joe Nuxhall and 17 year-old Larry Dierker, continue to dominate on the mound. Nuxhall is first in ERA (2.59), Dierker leads in wins with 11, and the 2 are first and second in strikeouts. Vern Law (Syracuse / Homestead Grays) and Jeremy Sowers (Fort Wayne) have 10 wins each, and are 2nd and 3rd in ERA behind Nuxhall (Dierker is 6th).
AA can be a little odd: Heathcliff Slocumb (Montgomery / Birmingham Black Barons) leads with 19 saves, but 18 of those were with Hudson Valley (New York Black Yankees). Slocumb was part of the Tom Herr trade, taking over from Steve Bedrosian for Montréal, who had 17 saves before being called up to the WBL. Albuquerque’s Karl Spooner (2.08 ERA, 0.65 WHIP), Havana’s Glenn Spencer (Miami Cuban Giants; 2.92 ERA, 0.89 WHIP), and Madison’s Víctor Cruz (Chicago American Giants; 2.42 ERA, 0.92 WHIP) are among the other strongest relievers.
#AA Awards
Dierker won the AA Pitcher of the Month Award, going 4-0 with a 2.83 ERA, striking out 45 while walking only 4. Jorge Orta of Nashville was the AA Batter of the Month, hitting .330 with 7 homeruns in June.
Players of the Week: Casey Blake (Rochester), John Mayberry (Edmonton / Ottawa Mounties), Orta, Travis Jackson (Austin).
#AA Hottest Prospects (24 Years and Younger)
80 AAA PA/40 AA IP minimum; must be in AA now, or only recently promoted.
C: Frankie Hayes (19, Vancouver). 256/344/584. 23 HR. 1B: Jimmie Foxx (20, Sacramento). 302/397/649. 20 HR. 2B: Asdrúbal Cabrera (21, Charlotte). 327/399/565. 3B: Mike Moustakas (24, Sacramento). 323/392/684. SS: Bert Campaneris (22, Albuquerque). 322/387/527. LF: George Burns (23, Troy / New York Gothams). 371/458/667. CF: Willie Crawford (17, Tulsa). 338/448/556. RF: Adam Dunn (21, Nashville). 279/433/637. 21 HR, 52 RBI.
SP: Larry Dierker (17, Albuquerque; 11-4, 3.60, 1.09 WHIP); Vern Law (24, Syracuse; 10-0, 2.86, 1.17 WHIP); Joe Nuxhall (15, Albuquerque; 7-2, 2.59, 1.07 WHIP); Jeremy Sowers (Fort Wayne, 24; 10-4, 3.19, 1.28 WHIP).
Another team hovering around .500. It feels like the ABC’s are a team of the future, and should treat the second half appropriately. That means some of their best players–Edd Roush, Dennis Menke–may be on their way out.
What’s Gone Right
Unexpected Arms. While most of the ABC’s pitching has been quite good, the biggest surprises have been pitchers whose role was uncertain at the start of the season, especially Doc White and Willie Mitchell. White has moved into the rotation, and Mitchell is making an argument to do so as well.
The Backstops. Most of all, Johnny Bench, who has been the best offensive player on the team. But also, Jake Stenzel and Ernie Lombardi who, splitting time behind the plate, at 1B, and in the OF, have been solid contributors.
No Roush. Giving Roush the fulltime CF job was a clear turning point for Indianapolis, and the 28 year-old has contributed an OPS over .800.
What’s Gone Wrong
The Hot Corner. Nothing’s really worked here, despite both Chase Headley and Ed Charles being given a lot of opportunity.
The Curse of Mediocrity. A lot of the ABCs have been, well, just fine through the first half of the year. But no better than that. This would extend from Hal Morris and Bob Bescher at bat to Red Faber and Johnny Cueto on the mound, among others.
Power Outage. Bench has 15 homeruns. Nobody else is in double digits (Morris and Danny Hoffman have 9, two others have 6). The team needs someone else that can send the ball over the wall.
Key Storylines
The big storyline is the development of the ABC’s youth. The core of this team–Oscar Charleston, Joe Morgan, Bench–are all young. Even some of the disappointments–Barry Larkin, Davey Concepción–have plenty of time to turn it around.
Trading Outlook
SELLING.
If they pull the trigger, how deep does the fire sale go? Currently, Roush, Menke, Hoffman, Dave Henderson, and Lombardi are all performing decently and over 26. Likewise on the mound, Cueto, Dolf Luque, David Price, and Faber could all be useful to a contender.
AAA Shuttle
Roush has been fantastic, little else has worked. Concepción was given every chance to grab the SS job, and has not.
Midseason Changes
Menke takes over as the everyday SS, with Tommy Helms coming up from AA to provide infield depth.
Awards
All Stars: Johnny Bench (C).
Player of the Week: Hal Morris (4/3)
Offensive MVP: Johnny Bench (C) Pitching MVP: Rube Foster (SP)
Down on the Farm
AAA: Cincinnati Tigers
Next to the Show: Joey Votto, Bo Díaz, Pete Rose. Dan Spillner and Johnny Vander Meer on the mound.
Prospects: None, really.
Projects: 1B Joey Votto (30), C Bo Díaz (26), OF Pete Rose. Virgil Trucks and Octavio Dotel have been great at AAA, but hit hard at the big league level. OF Bobby Brooks (23). P Dixie Leverett (26), P Dan Spillner (27).
Suspects: C Al Todd (37), P Bill Bailey (21).
AA: Nashville Sounds
Prospects: P Dick Joyce (21), OF Adam Dunn (21), 1B Bill Windle (23), OF George Foster (21), SS Buddy Myer (22)
Projects: Ps Michael Lorenzen (23) and Chris Hammond (24), C Rollie Hemsley (20).
Suspects: RP Gene Lambert (21), 3B Jim Finigan (26), SS Doc Farrell (23).
{ Whoops. This never got published, despite being about 3 weeks ago, in terms of game-time.
It’s the first of June, so it’s time to look at the minor leagues; throughout, we identify both the AAA team and their WBL franchise. }
Featured Team: Albuquerque Isotopes
When writing the April summary, Albuquerque’s teenage pitchers caught my eye, so they’re the focus this time around. This is a bit of a departure, as the Isotopes have a mediocre 28-25 record, 5 games behind in the AA-West. This represents a fairly strong degree of underperformance, as (other than homeruns), Albuquerque is one of the top offenses in the league.
Two of their better performers–OF Cy Williams and IF Bunny Downs–have been promoted to AAA. That hurts, as Williams led the team with 11 homeruns and 35 RBIs and Downs’ 360/436/472 was a key cog in their offensive engine.
OF Danny Green‘s 11 homeruns and 34 RBIs pace the Isotopes currently, and a trio of infielders–Bert Campaneris (333/379/580), Frank Grant (312/408/453), and Luis Aparicio (339/394/402)–have kept the offense going. But it’s a team that really could use some pop: after Green, Campaneris has 5 homeruns and Cap Anson has 4, and that’s it.
Which brings us to the real interesting part. Albuquerque’s pitching staff is led by a trio of teenagers. 17 year-old Larry Dierker has been the best of them at 7-4 with a 3.93 ERA and Joe Nuxhall, at a tender 15 years of age, is 5-1 with a fantastic 2.18 ERA. They’re joined by 19 year old Jack Jenkins, who has chipped in with a 3-0 record.
Jeff Heathcock–at the venerable age of 23–anchors the bullpen with 11 saves and Tom Harrison (20 years old) has been almost unhittable as his setup man.
#Checking In On …
We left the Madison Black Wolf struggling at 6-20, having lost 15 consecutive games. They’ve stabilized slightly, sitting going 10-17 since that point. They’re still in last place, but it’s certainly an improvement. Scott Radinsky is all the way up to 7 saves.
#AA Leaders
In terms of record, Vern Law (9-0; Syracuse/Homestead), Al Spalding (8-1; Troy/New York Gothams), and John Anderson (7-0; Montgomery/Birmingham) lead the way. Sean O’Sullivan (Las Vegas/Los Angeles) leads the league with a 1.80 ERA, followed by phenom Joe Nuxhall (Albuquerque/House of David) at 2.18.
Steve Bedrosian (Montgomery)’s 17 saves have already gotten him promoted to the big leagues, leaving Heathcliff Slocumb (Hudson Valley/New York Black Yankees) the league leader with 13. (Mychal Givens also has 13, but Homestead has already moved him to AAA.) Montgomery’s Rick Camp (3-1, 2 saves, 5 holds, 0.90 WHIP) and Hudson Valley’s Joba Chamberlain (1-2, 5 holds, 1.08 WHIP) deserve a mention as well.
Offensively, John Briggs (Jersey City/Brooklyn) and Jimmie Foxx (Sacramento/San Francisco) have dominated the league. Briggs is hitting 333/455/559 with 37 RBIs and Foxx has 19 homeruns and a .705 slugging. Willie Crawford of Tulsa/Memphis leads the league with a .367 average and a .466 OBP. Oklahoma City/Kansas City’s Kolten Wong leads AA with 45 RBIs.
#AA Awards
AA Pitcher of the Month: Al Spalding, Troy/New York Gothams AA Batter of the Month: Ken Keltner, Rochester/Cleveland
AA Players of the Week: Kolten Wong (Oklahoma City); Travis Jackson (Austin/Houston); Nate Colbert (Montgomery/Birmingham); Charlie Grimm (Rochester/Cleveland).
#Hottest Prospects (24 Years and Younger)
SP: Vern Law (24; Syracuse/Homestead) 9-0, 2.88 ERA; Joe Nuxhall (15; Albuquerque/House of David) 5-1, 2.18 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 77 K [*]; Al Spalding (24; Troy/New York Gothams) 8-1, 3.62 ERA. RP: Heathcliff Slocumb (24; Hudson Valley/New York Black Yankees) 0-2, 2.89 ERA, 13 Sv; Rick Camp (23; Montgomery/Birmingham) 3-1, 3.63 ERA, 5 H; Elmer Burkart (19; San Diego/Los Angeles) 2-0, 1.12 ERA.
C: Frankie Hayes (24; Vancouver/Portland) 282/377/664, 17 HR. [*] 1B: Jimmie Foxx (20; Sacramento/San Francisco) 313/395/705, 19 HR. [*] 2B: Kolten Wong (23; Oklahoma City/Kansas City) 295/337/608, 45 RBI. 3B: Ken Keltner (22; Rochester/Cleveland) 289/372/615. SS: Travis Jackson (21; Austin/Houston) 298/340/555, 43 RBI. OF: Adam Dunn (21; Nashville/Indianapolis) 317/442/698; Willie Crawford (17; Tulsa/Memphis) 367/466/627, 20 2B[*]; John Briggs (20; Jersey City/Brooklyn) 333/455/559, 43 R, 43 BB.
Bold indicates league leader; * indicates a player selected for April’s list as well.
