Tag: Amos Rusie

Year III Season Preview: New York Gothams

On August 8, 2026

In 2002 Season Previews, Team News

▌ State of the Franchise

The Gothams are the 3rd team in their own city, behind a Brooklyn club that just won it all and the rich/arrogant Yankees up the road. 2001 was a wake-up call — after winning 87 games, they plummeted to 75-87 and last in the Effa Manley Division, 24 games back.

The top of the roster is not the problem. Willie Mays hit 49 home runs at 24 and was worth 4.4 wins. Buster Posey hit 39 from behind the plate and was worth 4.2. Will Clark put up a .952 OPS, Johnny Callison hit 39 more, and all 4 are 24 to 29 years old.

The problem is … well … everything else. Shortstop gave New York 442 plate appearances of 221/268/381. Third base needed 7 different men before Jim Ray Hart claimed it in the 2nd half, and it’s not like he set the world on fire. Left field was a hole until Don Buford was bought at the deadline, and Jimmy Sheckard, a 4-WAR outfielder in 2000, hit .172 in the WBL and finished the year at Triple-A.

And the rotation wasn’t much better — Christy Mathewson keeps giving both ace potential and thoroughly average performances, and the bullpen — the pride of the club in 2000 — was showing its age. So the Gothams tore it all down (which may mean, panicked uncontrollably, or may mean made a smart investment in their future).

Juan Marichal, Robb Nen, Troy Percival and Steve Howe all went out at the deadline; then, in January, the Gothams sent Gaylord Perry — its own 2001 WAR leader — up the road to the Yankees for HR Johnson, Dave Righetti, a 1st-round pick and a 3rd. Johnson is an infielder, and may offer some long-sought-after stability there.

▌ 2001 Revisited

We asked for a deep playoff run, much like last year, and added a note about the Gothams’ habit of trading away all their damn picks. They went 75-87.

The worst case we sketched was that the bullpen falters, and only Matty remains viable as a starter while everyone not named Mays and Posey struggles offensively. That was close, and still too kind. The bullpen didn’t falter so much as get sold for parts. Mays and Posey did carry the offense. And Mathewson was the one who faltered.

Which is where 2001 gets strange. Mathewson went 7-16 with a 5.61 ERA, and he was the best pitcher on the staff: 210 innings, 207 strikeouts, 4.0 WAR at 22, a figure that actually rose from the year he led the league in wins. Don Sutton went 17-8 with a 5.23 and was worth 1.9. Same rotation, same season, 2 records that just add to the lack of internal clarity.

The best case wanted Perry or Marichal to step forward and join Mathewson among the league’s elite. Perry did have a decent year — a 1.13 WHIP across 211 innings, but went packing when the Black Yankees came knocking. Benny Kauff, who the preview wondered how they’d find at-bats for, found them, made the All-NL 2nd Team, and was traded in March.

A lot of churn. But it’s not clear the Gothams are any better.

▌ Key Changes

In: Grant Johnson (NYY); Dale Murphy (KAN); Dave Righetti (NYY)

Out: Dellin Betances (FA); Benny Kauff (KAN); Tony Mullane (FA); Gaylord Perry (NYY); Robby Thompson (NYY)

Opening Day Rookies: Santiago Casilla; Dick Dietz; George Jeffcoat; Doggie Miller; Buck O’Brien; Vito Tamulis; Masahiro Tanaka

▌ Best Case for 2002

The middle fills in. HR Johnson, 26, takes second base and hits the way he did in Houston; Hart holds third; Brandon Crawford finds enough of a bat to go with the glove, or somebody takes the job from him. That alone is worth several wins, because the 4 men at the top are already producing at a playoff standard.

Mathewson’s record catches up to his arm. Righetti, 24 and coming off a 2.5-WAR season in the Bronx, gives the rotation a 2nd real starter, and Pete Donohue — 22, a 3.61 across 120 innings at Triple-A and a NL 21 & Under Team pick — turns his September look into a rotation spot.

And the bullpen rebuilds itself from inside. Brian Wilson is still an elite closer when healthy, George Jeffcoat saved 32 games at Hartford, Santiago Casilla was untouchable there. So perhaps the identity returns.

▌ Worst Case for 2002

Johnson is the latest name on a long list. New York has spent 3 years betting on the undervalued bat — Pinky Higgins, John Kerins, Matt Williams, Pete Runnels, Carl Furillo, Wes Westrum — and the bets keep landing in the same unremarkable middle. If Johnson doesn’t hit, the club will have sold its best pitcher to the richest team in its own city for another meh return.

Mathewson doesn’t take the step, Sutton’s ERA finally catches his record, and the rotation behind them is a 26-year-old with a 5.75 and a set of Triple-A arms. Dale Murphy hit .193 in Kansas City last year and is the insurance in center. Crawford keeps the shortstop job by default. A 75-win team wins 75 games again.

▌ Key Questions

Does HR Johnson hit? He is 26, he plays the position New York has needed for 3 years, and he cost the club a pitcher who had just led it in WAR. Johnson produces and the trade is the cleverest thing the Gothams have done. Get him wrong and it is an all-too-familiar mistake.
Will the real Matty please stand up? He has now led the league in wins and, a year later, in losses, with his WAR going up in between. Read that again. At 22 with 207 strikeouts he has every ingredient of a front-line starter and a 5.61 to explain away. The org has never been sure whether it has an ace or a very good innings-eater. It would be nice to know.
Can the left side of the infield be fixed from inside? Shortstop and third combined for less production than most clubs get from a single player. Johnson will swing across these positions, but someone else needs to contribute here as well.

▌ Roster Evaluation

Tier = the player’s 2001 positional grade (S best → F worst; color coded S A B C D F). Bold names carry a substantive WBL track; italic names are pure projection — a hope, not a grade — with no qualifying track to anchor them.

Pos	Players
C	Posey A · Dietz
1B	Clark B
2B	Johnson · Doyle B
SS	Crawford F
3B	Hart
LF	Buford D · Sheckard
CF	Mays A · Murphy F
RF	Callison C
DH	Doyle B · Dietz
SP	Mathewson D · Sutton C · Hubbell F · Righetti · Donohue · Tanaka
RP	Wilson B (CL) · Norris B · Casilla · Tamulis · Tekulve · Jeffcoat

Dick Dietz was among the better backup bats in the league, which on most rosters is a luxury and on this one is a way to get a real hitter into a lineup that runs out of them by the 6th spot. And Mike Norris, 37 and the club’s Fan Favorite, is almost certainly taking his last lap — which may be cut off early, as age catches up with the 2000 Reliever of the Year in the WBL.

▌ Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	2B HR Johnson	CF Dwayne Murphy
Batting Eye	C Dick Dietz	CF Dwayne Murphy
Contact	LF Tip O’Neill	CF Fred M Lewis
Running Speed	CF Willie Mays	CF George Van Haltren
Base Stealing	LF Jimmy Sheckard; 2B HR Johnson	SP Al Spalding; CF George Van Haltren
IF Defense	SS Brandon Crawford	2B Whitey Wietelmann
OF Defense	CF Willie Mays	RF Mike Tiernan
Stuff	RP Grant Balfour	RP Henry Rodríguez
Control	SP Pete Donohue	SP Al Spalding
Velocity	RP Grant Balfour	RP Derrick Turnbow

▌ Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	Pos	Name
1 (27)	18	SP	Amos Rusie
2 (61)	26	CF	Dwayne Murphy
3 (76)	23	SP	William VanLandingham

Graduated to the active roster since the ranked list: Masahiro Tanaka (77).

Others: IF Carlos Baerga, IF Alvin Davis, IF Howard Johnson, OF Tully Hartsel.

3 names on the ranked list, and the Gothams know exactly how it got that way — last year’s preview asked them to stop trading away all their damn picks, and they spent 2001 trading more of them. Amos Rusie is the exception and a real one: 18 years old and 27th in all of baseball.

Underneath, the system is infielders the club is hoping into relevance. Carlos Baerga, 19, came from Kansas City in the Kauff deal; Howard Johnson and Davey Johnson arrived from Homestead for Marichal and Nen. At least the January trade brought back picks instead of spending them.

▌ Superlatives

	Most	Least
Age	Mike Norris, 37	Amos Rusie, 18
Height	Ron H Jackson, 6’7″	Tully Hartsel, 5’5″
OPS	Will Clark, .952	Cliff Bolton, .534 (A)
HR	Willie Mays, 49	George Van Haltren, 0 (AA)
SB	Tim Shinnick, 72 (A)	–
WAR (bat)	Willie Mays, 4.4	George Van Haltren, −1.2 (AA)
W	Don Sutton, 17	–
SV	George Jeffcoat, 32 (AAA)	–
ERA	Willie Banks, 3.37 (A)	Tully Sparks, 6.10 (AAA)
WAR (pit)	Pete Donohue, 4.5 (AAA)	Wandy Rodríguez, 0.3 (A)

Stats across all levels, 2001 season. 200 PA / 75 IP minimum. Non-WBL levels tagged in parentheses.

TWIWBL 95.3: The Rookie Draft

By mknn

On June 12, 2026

In TWIWBL

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

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

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

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

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

#Round 1

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

Pick	Team	Player & Age	Pos	Debut	Note
1.1	MCG	Pedro Martínez (19)	P	2004	Currently a reliever, his live arm warrants a move to the rotation at some point.
1.2	MEM	Jim Rice (18)	OF	2005	Joins a system stocked with young OF, so some trades loom at some point. But, saves an exception pick, which has some value.
1.3	CAG	Zack Greinke (20)	P	2004	Perhaps solves a need for arms; refused to sign last year.
1.4	LAA	Rod Carew (19)	2B	2005	Incredibly weak IF system gets a significant boost. At some point, 1B gets crowded, but that’s a problem many years down the road.
1.5	SFS	John Smoltz (19)	P	2005	The rich get richer.
1.6	NYG	Amos Rusie (18)	P	2002	The best pitcher who looks WBL ready right now. Also a franchise pick.
1.7	OTT	Jim McCormick (21)	P	2003	A gamble, but OTT is desperate for SP.
1.8	HOM	David Cone (19)	P	2004	Another franchise that needs rotation help.
1.9	BAL	Jose Altuve (17)	2B	2006	One for the future, but potentially solves the position.
1.10	HOD	Juan Soto (18)	OF	2004	Honestly surprised he fell this far, Soto will cause some issues on the roster, but they’ll be well worth solving.
1.11	KCM	Chris Carpenter (19)	P	2005	More pitching needed, as always.
1.12	MCG	Jack Glasscock (20)	SS	2004	An interesting pick. First potential flop of the draft, but his arrival should coincide well with MCG’s needs as Robin Yount moves out of the middle infield.
1.13	NYY	Giancarlo Stanton (18)	OF	2005	Not likely to stay with NYY due to a draft-day deal with NYG for Gaylord Perry. That’s dependent on Stanton signing, though.
1.14	HOD	Bingo DeMoss (21)	2B	2004	A worthy successor to Ryne Sandberg.
1.15	IND	Dave Winfield (21)	OF	2003	A bit of a steal for the ABC’s.
1.16	HOD	George Zettlein (27)	P	2002	Having used their exceptions, the HOD’s choices were quite limited. Here, they opted for some immediate help, hopefully.
1.17	HOU	Ed Morris (20)	P	2003	Houston will soon have an embarrassment of rotation riches–which should serve them quite well.
1.18	PHI	Darryl Strawberry (18)	OF	2003	Another pick that will lead to a crowded roster, but Strawberry’s peak is too attractive to ignore.
1.19	CLE	Todd Helton (22)	1B	2003	A long-term solution to an aging position for the Spiders.
1.20	POR	Jack Fournier (16)	1B	2006	A big bat, but a long ways away.
1.21	BRK	Brett Butler (22)	OF	2004	A safe pick, and perhaps overvalued here.
1.22	SFS	Dick McBride (24)	P	2003	More help on the mound for the Sea Lions.

#Round 2

Pick	Team	Player & Age	Pos	Debut	Note
2.1	OTT	Robbie Ray (20)	P	2004	The peak is attractive.
2.2	BBB	Yoenis Céspedes (27)	OF	2002	Some immediate help for a somewhat crowded OF.
2.3	CAG	José Quintana (20)	P	2005	More long term rotation help.
2.4	LAA	Charlie Leibrandt (21)	2B	2005	More pitching depth. Spot a pattern?
2.5	HOD	Pat Luby (20)	P	2004	With their exceptions used up, the pool thins out quickly.
2.6	LAA	Garry Templeton (19)	SS	2005	Templeton didn’t sign with HOU last year, he find himself in an organization more desperate for MI help this year.
2.7	OTT	Billy Jurges (21)	SS	2003	Maybe a hedge against Álex Rodríguez’ eventual shift to 3B?
2.8	CAG	Josh Hader (19)	P	2005	Eventual closer possibility for a team that should need it.
2.9	KCM	Bill Sherdel (20)	P	2005	A surprise pick. We’ll see.
2.10	BBB	Ron Gant (18)	SS	2007	BBB traded up to get Gant who, while a few years away, does project as a decent corner OF.
2.11	KCM	Allen Sothoron (20)	P	2005	More pitching, constrained by franchise history.
2.12	POR	Josh Johnson (18)	P	2006	Development needed, but decent upside.
2.13	IND	Johnny Allen (24)	P	2002	A potential steal, as Allen could help this season.
2.14	BAL	Jouett Meekin (22)	P	2003	Another intriguing selection–immediate help, if not a lot of extended value.
2.15	HOU	Paul Splittorf (22)	P	2004	Decent mid-rotation talent.
2.16	POR	Bob Groom (23)	P	2003	More medium talent with potential near-term impact.
2.17	CLE	Tommy Corcoran (17)	SS	2006	A pick for the future, but not a bad bet.
2.18	HOU	Tommy Harper (20)	OF	2005	HOU has an affection for these multi-position, roster extended options.
2.19	BRK	Zane Smith (21)	P	2005	Brooklyn believes deeply in stockpiling arms and letting them develop, Smith fits that profile.
2.20	SFS	Jimmie Lyons (20)	OF	2003	No room for him in SFS, but his talent is undeniable.

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

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

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

By mknn

On April 30, 2026

In TWIWBL

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

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

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

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Tot
POR	1	2	1	2	1	1	1	1	10
MEM	1		2	2	1	1	1	1	9
CAG	1	2			3	1	1	1	9
LAA	1	2		1	2	1	1	1	9
BBB		1	2	1		1	2	1	8
NYG	1		4		1	1	1	1	9
OTT	1	2	1		1	1	1	1	8
HOM	1			2	1	1	1	1	7
BAL	1	1	1		1	1	1	1	7
HOD	3	1	2		1	1	1	1	10
KCM	1	2		1	1	1	1	1	8
MCG	2	1		3		1		1	8
IND	1	1		1	1	1	1	1	7
DET			2	1	1	1	1	1	7
HOU	1	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	11
PHI	1		2	1	1	1	1	1	8
CLE	1	1		1	1	1	1	1	7
NYY	1		2	1		1	1	1	7
BRK	1	1			1	1	1	1	6
SFS	2	1		1	1	1	1	1	8

NYY and HOD have additional 1st round picks due to FA losses; HOU has an additional 3rd round pick.

A few things jump out from that:

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

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

#	Name	Pos	Age	Franchises
1	Rod Carew	2B	19	LAA, POR
2	Ed Morris	LHP	20	HOM
3	Jim Rice	CF	18	MEM
4	Amos Rusie	RHP	18	NYG
5	Darryl Strawberry	CF	18	LAA
6	Jim McCormick	RHP	21	CLE, HOD
7	Jack Glasscock	SS	20	CLE, IND, KCM, NYG
8	Tommy Harper	2B	20	IND, OTT, MEM
9	Ben Tincup	RHP	20	PHI
10	Bingo DeMoss	2B	21	CAG, HOD, IND
11	Joe Hornung	OF	20	MEM
12	Brett Butler	RF	22	BRK, CLE, NYG
13	Jimmy Ripple	CF	25	NYG
14	John Healy	RHP	23
15	Pedro Martínez	RHP	19	MEM, OTT, LAA
16	Bob Groom	RHP	23	POR, BAL
17	Steve Henderson	LF	23	LAA
18	Otto Schomberg	1B	21
19	Giancarlo Stanton	OF	18	MCG, NYY
20	George Zettlein	RHP	27	CAG, PHI

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

#	Name	Pos	Age	Franchises
1	Jack Fournier	1B	16	CAG, BRK, KCM
2	Todd Helton	1B	22	HOU
3	John Smoltz	RHP	19	BBB
4	Juan Soto	RF	18	POR, HOU, NYY, LAA
5	Chris Carpenter	RHP	19	KCM, OTT
6	Ron Gant	SS	18	BBB, KCM
7	Zack Greinke	RHP	20	HOU, BRK
8	Charlie Leibrandt	LHP	21	HOU, BBB
9	David Cone	RHP	19	LAA, NYY, HOU, OTT
10	Josh Johnson	RHP	18	MCG
11	Robbie Ray	LHP	20	HOU, OTT
12	Garry Templeton	SS	19	HOU, KCM
13	Josh Hader	LHP	19	MCG
14	Jimmie Lyons	LF	20	CAG, HOD, IND, KCM
15	Johnny Allen	RHP	24	CLE, NYY

TWIWBL 92.4: Off Season Review – Miami Cuban Giants

By mknn

On April 24, 2026

In TWIWBL

80 - 83, .491 pct.
2nd in Cum Posey Division, 23.5 GB

Overall

This was a surprising season for Miami–most pundits thought they were several years away from contention, so being in the race for a playoff spot into the last week of the season was quite the shock.

It’s not even so clear how the Cuban Giants did it: turns out a lot of homeruns, some strikeout pitchers, and some solid defense will win a few games. Miami still finished under .500, so it’s not like they’re about to contend for the championship, but still … it was a significant step forward.

There are some pieces here, but unless the pitching staff comes around, the nearly .500 finish is probably the best predictor of the future. So some moves may be made.

What Went Right

José Canseco‘s power is a thing to behold, demonstrated by 68 homeruns and 124 RBIs this year. A few dozen more hits would move him into the truly elite outfielders, but even without that, his 1.062 OPS make him a franchise cornerstone.

That said, it’s not like Jim Thome or Yasiel Puig are far behind. Puig’s 298/388/658 performance occurred in 100 games, so there are still some questions about his ability to perform next season, but Thome looked every bit the star, finishing the year with a 1.034 OPS, 59 homeruns, and 122 RBIs.

Julio Rodríguez was a surprise starter coming out of Spring Training and he delivered in the biggest of ways: 315/347/661 with 42 homeruns.

Gary Sheffield has a shot at being an offensive force, with 42 homeruns in what the team hopes is a sign of things to come.

Iván Rodríguez is one of the best young catchers in the league, managing an .840 OPS with elite defense as a 21 year old.

Joe Adcock, Al Oliver, and Andy Pafko were all remarkably effective as part-time contributors. At 40, Adcock may be just about done, but Oliver and Pafko certainly factor into the Cuban Giants’ plans next season.

At only 21, Alejandro Oms led the team with a .308 average while playing spectacular defense.

Robin Yount had an OPS over .800 at SS, and is just entering his prime.

And then there’s Martín Dihigo. Perhaps the worst offensively performing regular in the league last season, Dihigo slugged a still-not-great 246/291/429, but the increase in power is a great sign for Miami. Add to that Dihigo’s ability to play Gold Glove level defense at virtually every position, and the Cuban Giants have a fairly unique talent.

José Méndez is establishing himself as a WBL ace. This year, he went 13-6 with a 4.53 ERA over 37 starts, so most definitely a workhorse, with a chance at elite status.

But Méndez may not be the best starter on the staff: that honor may go to midseason acquisition Jim Whitney, who finished the year with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP over 200 innings.

Beyond that, though, the starters were not good. That’s not quite true–Hugh McQuillan was solid in 10 starts and Phenomenal Smith was, um, yes, that, in 5. But the rest … well, see below.

Ricky Nolasco was fine as the closer, finishing the year with 26 saves. The Cuban Giants obtained Jonathan Papelbon towards the end of the season, giving them excellent options at the end of the bullpen.

ALL STARS

José Canseco
Gary Sheffield

MAJOR AWARDS

José Méndez, All AL Team
Iván Rodríguez, AL C Gold Glove
Jim Thome, All AL Team
Jim Whitney, All AL Team

RECOGNITIONS

Martín Dihigo, AL 21 & Under Team
Kenshin Kawakami, AL All Rookie 2nd Team
José Méndez, AL Brock Rutherford Award 3rd Place; AL 25 & Under Team; AL 23 & Under Team
Alejandro Oms, AL 21 & Under Team
Andy Pafko, AL All Rookie Team
Jonathan Papelbon, All AL 3rd Team; AL Over 30 Team
Yasiel Puig, All AL 3rd Team
Iván Rodríguez, AL 23 & Under Team; AL 21 & Under Team
Julio Rodríguez, AL All Rookie 2nd Team
Jim Whitney, AL All Rookie Team; AL 25 & Under Team

ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDS

José Canseco, MVP
José Méndez, Pitcher of the Year
Alejandro Oms, Heart & Soul
Yasiel Puig, Fan Favorite

Lefty George, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Bob Loane, Minor League Player of the Year

What Went Wrong

Cookie Rojas couldn’t get his OPS over .700, making him one of the weakest regulars in the league by WAR and likely moving him to a utility role next season.

Eustaquio Pedroso hit even worse than Rojas, eventually abandoning his role as a 2-way player.

Smoky Burgess, a key bat off the bench last year, slashed 226/304/315, and may have played himself to AAA.

Most of the starters were not good, with Cole Hamels and, notably, Ramón Martínez being especially weak despite a ton of opportunities. But Steven Wright, Freddie Fitzsimmons, and Camilo Pascual were all horrid in at least 5 starts (Pascual, it must be said, made only 5 starts before a severe knee injury sidelined him–he should be back in the Spring).

Barry Latman and Ed Brandt were pretty bad from the bullpen, and the rest of the contenders–most notably Pedroso and Braden Looper–barely any better. Middle relief is an area of strong concern going into next season.

Transactions

March

IF Paul Molitor, OF Vladimir Guerrero, C Alan Ashby & 2nd Round Pick to POR for C Iván Rodríguez, P Jon Matlack, OF Adolis García, OF Al Oliver, 1st Round Pick & 4th Round Pick.

A huge deal, but looks pretty good quite honestly. Pudge is a great young talent, Oliver was useful at the WBL this year, Matlack has a future, plus the 2 picks … yes, Guerrero looks like a franchise outfielder, but that’s a pretty good deal imo.

July

OF Ryan Braun, IF Richie Sexson & 7th Round Pick to BBB for P Jim Whitney, OF Andy Pafko, OF José Cruz & 2nd Round Pick.

Looks good. Sure Braun is a solid talent, but power hitting corner OFers, even at his level, are less rare than possible aces, which Whitney sure looks like. Add in Pafko and the pick, and I like this for Miami.

August

P Josh Beckett, OF Roy Thomas & 3rd Round Pick to MEM for P Jonathan Papelbon & 4th Round Pick

This one looks fine now, but I suspect Miami may regret it once Beckett (and perhaps Thomas) are in the WBL full time.

Positional Overview

C

Pudge has this locked up.

Smoky Burgess and Chris Hoiles will likely compete for the backup role in the Spring.

1B

As long as Jim Thome‘s power holds out, his low average is fine.

It’s not clear who backs him up–a lot of people can play first if needs be, and Joe Adcock, at 40, may not hold onto his roster spot. Steve Balboni probably has the most power in the system, but his swing has some pretty big holes in it as well.

This is a position where Minnie Miñoso, the eternal prospect, may contribute as well.

2B

This is Dihigo’s primary position, with Cookie Rojas looking good as his backup. But Rojas was so poor this system, the door is open for Bert Campaneris, Nellie Fox, or Tito Fuentes to make some noise in the Spring.

Clete Boyer is the same age as Dihigo, but is a more usual prospect, and at 19 is probably still in need of a season or 4 in the minors.

SS

Robin Yount all day. Zoilo Versalles has some talent, and Alexei Ramírez seems to have some strong defensive talent, but this is Yount for now.

3B

Another position that moved from unknown to settled, with Gary Sheffield likely to get a lot of play here. Sheffield isn’t great with the glove–and in fact may be better suited for an OF role–so Miami is looking at options, with Russell Branyan, Willie Kamm, and Kevin Kouzmanoff being the primary short term options.

Carlos Morán may be a year away, but he is the most likely choice for Sheffield’s eventual successor.

LF/RF

There are a lot of options here, but it looks like Alejandro Oms and Yasiel Puig will see most of the time, with José Canseco getting some games as well. But Al Oliver and Andy Pafko had excellent seasons, and Jason Bay and Minnie Miñoso are waiting in the wings.

CF

J-Rod just never stopped performing, and the job is now his. Oliver will play here, as will Pafko, and there is some talent in the system, most notably in the form of José Cardenal and Marquis Grissom.

DH

José Canseco most days, with most everyone else filling in occasionally.

SP

Jim Whitney and José Méndez are a great top 2 to build around, but there are a ton of question marks beyond them. The next 2 slots are likely to go to Phenomenal Smith and Camilo Pascual, with Smith yet to complete a full season and Pascual trying to come back from knee surgery.

And then we have Cole Hamels, who hasn’t done much over 2 seasons; Kenshin Kawakami, who pitched well before getting injured; Ramón Martínez, who is looking to bounce back from a horrible season; plus a handful of prospects (Jason Hammel, Ed Whitson, Lefty George, Hugh McQuillan, Freddie Fitzsimmons, and a few more).

RP

Papelbon becomes the closer, with Nolasco sliding into a setup role (with some even arguing he try his hand in the rotation). Braden Looper will help out here, as will whomever doesn’t make the rotation.

Draft Outlook

DRAFT PICKS

1st Round: 2
2nd Round: 1
3rd Round: 0
4th Round: 3
5th Round: 0

Always nice to have the overall #1 pick. Given the state of pitching, look for Miami to lean towards Amos Rusie or Pedro Martinez, but the overall skill of Rod Carew and the sheer power of Jim Rice are both pretty enticing.