Tag: Andy Pafko Page 1 of 2

TWIWBL 81.3: A Preliminary Look at the Rookies

On October 31, 2025

We’re going to do this by position group, ignoring league differences (although we will have a Rookie Team for each league in the offseason).

Only 6 players are officially full time (that is, they qualify for the batting stats): IF Jimmie Foxx, OFs Turkey Stearnes, John Briggs, Adam Dunn, and Ichiro Suzuki, and everywhere playing Charles Rogan. That group probably forms the core of the shortlist for the final Rookie of the Year Award: if you’re able to hold down a fulltime starting spot as a rookie in the WBL …

#C

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are no fulltime rookie catchers, although 2–Philadelphia’s Bill Dickey and the House of David’s Frank Chance–have seen more and more time as the season has worn on.

Name	Age	Tm	Lg	OPS / WAR	Other
JP Arencibia	30	BBB	NL	.769 / -0.3	166 PA, 15 HR, 29 RBI
Frank Chance	24	HOD	NL	.658 / -0.2	250 PA
Bill Dickey	23	PHI	NL	.772 / 0.4	159 PA, 23 RBI
Dick Dietz	29	NYG	NL	.937 / 0.7	94 PA
Tom Haller	33	BAL	AL	.839 / 0.7	127 PA
AJ Pierzynski	28	LAA	AL	.630 / -0.4	191 PA, 9 HR

Really, that’s it. Chance has played about 3/4 of the time behind the plate, so the playing time is pretty consistent. So … Tom Haller (who is likely to not have a very long career, although he’ll be retained as the backup in Baltimore next season for sure) in the AL and Dickey in the NL.

#1B/3B

The corner IF spots are a bit rough, given the high end talent in the AL and the lack of presence in the NL.

Name	Pos	Age	Tm	Lg	OPS / WAR	Other
Jimmie Foxx	1B/3B	21	SFS	AL	.924 / 2.3	510 PA, 44 HR, 82 RBI
Joe Harris	1B	36	HOD/ KCM	NL	.899 / 1.1	429 PA
Eddie Murray	1B	22	BAL	AL	.857 / 0.2	79 PA
David Ortiz	1B	27	MEM	AL	1.039 / 2.0	293 PA, 30 HR, 62 RBI
Andy Pafko	3B	29	BBB/ MCG	NL/ AL	.851 / 0.6	260 PA
Chris Sabo	3B	29	IND	NL	.780 / 0.2	297 PA

Foxx’s being the only rookie infielder to qualify for the batting championship gives him the lead, despite Ortiz’ remarkable production. Foxx played a little more at 1B than 3B, but given the paucity of hot corner candidates, may get the recognition there, clearing the way for Ortiz.

Pafko played as much in RF as 3B, but we needed more 3B here. Harris is a nice feel-good story–nothing like a 36 year old rookie come good.

#2B/SS

2 of the best here–Cal Ripken, Jr. and Judy Johnson–played regularly elsewhere (including 3B), but logged the majority of their innings in the middle infield.

Name	Pos	Age	Tm	Lg	OPS / WAR	Other
Royce Clayton	SS	22	SFS	AL	1.020 / 0/7	100 PA
Charlie Gehringer	2B	25	DET	AL	.798 / 0.3	418 PA, 14 HR, 48 RBI
Frank Grant	2B/SS	22	HOD/ SFS	NL/ AL	.754 / 1.1	283 PA
Judy Johnson	SS	18	HOM	NL	.809 / 1.2	240 PA
Dobie Moore	SS	20	MEM	AL	.779 / 1.1	378 PA
Cal Ripken, Jr.	SS	23	BAL	AL	.876 / 2.3	370 PA, 22 HR, 62 RBI
Joe Sewell	SS	23	CLE	AL	.852 / 0.9	133 PA

Interesting list, with Gehringer being the only truly full time player for the entire season, although both Moore and Ripken are close enough to count. The lack of talent at 2B and in the NL is striking.

#OF

Here we have the clear overall RoY from the field players, but there’s more to chew on here than Turkey. Sorry.

Name	Pos	Age	Tm	Lg	OPS / WAR	Other
Juan Beníquez	LF	35	DET	AL	.916 / 1.9	400 PA
John Briggs	CF	21	BRK	NL	.930 / 2.7	448 PA
Kiki Cuyler	LF	32	POR	AL	.675 / -0.5	305 PA
Adam Dunn	LF	22	IND	NL	.831 / 0.5	502 PA
George Foster	RF	22	IND	NL	.841 / 1.5	432 PA
Al Kaline	RF	21	DET	AL	.919 / 2.1	422 PA, 75 RBI
Elliott Maddox	OF	21	NYY/ HOU	AL/ NL	.766 / 0.2	406 PA
Rick Monday	CF	24	OTT	NL	1.019 / 1.6	307 PA
Julio Rodríguez	CF	20	MCG	AL	1.024 / 1.8	355 PA, 35 HR
Charles Rogan	CF	27	PHI	NL	.964 / 3.0	466 PA
Turkey Stearnes	CF	22	SFS	AL	1.134 / 6.0	512 PA, 47 HR, 115 RBI
Ichiro Suzuki	RF	28	LAA	AL	.698 / -0.5	513 PA
Sam Thompson	RF	27	OTT	NL	.820 / -0.2	362 PA

We’re not going to be too picky about positions here, going with Stearnes, Kaline, and J-Rod in the AL and Briggs, Rogan, and Foster in the NL; or perhaps Monday, if you want to recognize Rogan on the mound.

The surprises here are probably Briggs (who had an army of doubters, but is 2nd here in WAR) and Monday, whose offense just kept demanding more and more playing time. And mention has to be made of Beníquez–35 years old and a dominant year. He played 1B and 3B as well, so may see recognition there.

#SP

A dozen rookies made 10 or more starts; of those, a half-dozen are worth taking a closer look at.

Name	Age	Tm	Lg	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	FIP	WAR
A. Rube Foster	23	KCM	NL	10-6	3.21	185	0.99	3.72	5.1
Bump Hadley	23	SFS	AL	16-5	4.15	169	1.22	4.07	4.3
Charles Rogan	27	PHI	NL	11-9	4.41	169	1.23	4.81	3.1
Fernando Valenzuela	24	BRK	NL	13-5	3.60	148	1.02	4.32	3.1
Jim Whitney	24	BBB/ MCG	NL/ AL	8-6	3.79	176	1.08	4.39	4.2
Joe Williams	24	BRK	NL	12-11	3.87	188	1.24	3.69	6.0

Foster is the clear class of this group, but Smokey Joe is a very close 2nd. I would add Whitney and Valenzuela to the award list, giving Brooklyn 2 of the 4 slots.

#RP

There aren’t a ton of relievers who are impactful enough to really warrant discussion here, but there are some.

Name	Age	Tm	Lg	W-L	ERA	Sv	H	WHIP
Terry Forster	22	BRK	NL	1-2	3.56	2	14	1.12
Eddie Guardado	25	KCM	NL	2-2	2.20	1	9	1.00
Billy Hoeft	19	DET	AL	2-3	6.10	2	10	1.50
Brad Kilby	27	PHI	NL	3-3	6.20	2	14	1.24
Firpo Marberry	28	CLE	AL	7-0	4.72	3	11	1.34
Tug McGraw	27	HOU	NL	5-4	2.95	12	5	1.20
Andrew Miller	23	MEM	AL	6-8	4.41	3	11	1.33
Skel Roach	28	MEM	AL	2-1	4.31	3	12	1.49

Marberry, McGraw, Forster, and Guardado look pretty solid.

TWIWBL 77.5: Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On August 31, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
San Francisco Sea Lions	75-42	.641	—
Miami Cuban Giants	57-61	.483	18.5
Los Angeles Angels	55-63	.466	20.5
Portland Sea Dogs	55-64	.462	21
Chicago American Giants	52-66	.441	23.5

Cum Posey Division | 12 August

#Chicago American Giants

More due to a lack of decent options, David Price was named as the American Giants’ fifth starter.

In what is most likely his final game with Chicago, trade target Paul Konerko hit 2 out as the American Giants came from behind to top Miami, 13-7.

Dick Allen hit 2 homers and the American Giants withstood a fierce comeback to edge Miami, 9-8.

#Los Angeles Angels

Doug Rader went deep twice, giving him 21 for the season, but the Angels fell to Baltimore, 6-5.

It looks like the Angels will close by committee for the rest of the season as they don’t really make a move to replace the departed Joe Nathan. They do bring newly obtained Vic Willis directly into the WBL bulllpen. Brian Giles and Freddie Patek were recalled from the minors, and John Lackey, AJ Pierzynski, Derrek Lee, and Jack Gleason were all demoted to AAA.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Eustaquio Pedroso heads to the DL for a couple of weeks with Ray Lamb being recalled from AAA to take his place, at least on the mound. Hugh McQuillan replaced Ramón Martínez in the rotation as the Cuban Giants try to find some solutions to their ongoing struggles at the back of their rotation.

Gary Sheffield and Jim Thome each hit 2 out of the park, and the Cuban Giants survived a horrible day from their bullpen to beat Detroit, 16-11. Cole Hamels, who improved to 10-9 on the year, left the game in the 7th with a 13-3 lead, and Miami held on for dear life from there.

Yasiel Puig and Andy Pafko repeated the feat, each going deep twice, but this time it wasn’t enough as Miami fell to Detroit, 11-5. Puig did it again the next day, reaching 20 on the season, as Miami felled the Wolverines, 10-1 behind an excellent start from José Méndez.

Thome did it again, going deep twice in a loss, as the Cuban Giants fell to Detroit, 8-6.

More of the same: 2 more for José Canseco, giving him 55 for the year, but another loss as Miami’s bullpen fell apart in a 13-7 loss to Chicago.

Dale Murray and Lamb were sent to AAA, clearing the way for newly acquired Jonathan Papelbon and Joe Adcock.

Another 2 for Canseco, another loss to Chicago, this one 9-8. With 57 on the year, Canseco temporarily took over the league lead in homers.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Kent Hrbek hit 2 out, but the Sea Dogs fell to the Spiders, 13-4. Paul Molitor repeated the dubious feat, hitting his 7th and 8th homeruns of the year as the Sea Dogs fell, 8-3 to Cleveland.

As the Sea Dogs try to figure out their future, they recalled Jim Golden and Dick Jones onto their pitching staff, and Hughie Jennings to share time at SS with Molitor. Jerry Koosman was named to the rotation staff, and the various trades Portland made will lead to significantly more playing time for Willie Randolph and perhaps Eddie Yost.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Dennis Eckersley was sent to AAA with the arrival of Joe Nathan in the Sea Lions’ bullpen.

Frank Grant will spend a couple weeks on the DL, with the Sea Lions recalling IF Wayne Gross from AAA.

TWIWBL 77.3: The Trade Market

By mknn

On August 29, 2025

In TWIWBL

With the August trade deadline just around the corner, seemed to be a good time to take a look at the likely sellers and buyers, and some players that are likely to find new homes by the end of next week.

Some notes on these:

Needs reflect places where the minor league systems are thin on talent and the general shape of WBL level talent needed.
The second three bullets (Prospects, AAA Help, WBL Help) are possible players that could be available in the right context..

#BUYERS

These are teams looking to solidify their talent or make a push for the post-season. In a perfect world, they have some young talent to spare as well.

#Birmingham Black Barons

Yeah, they’re in 5th place, but they’re also only 4 games back, so there’s hope. The Black Barons have been ingenious at past deadlines, we’ll see if they can continue the trend.

Needs: IF, P, Minor League SS/3B

Prospects: OF Melky Cabrera, Curt Flood, Gary Matthews; IF Nate Colbert, Hal Trosky
AAA Help: P Tommy Bond; IF Pie Traynor
MLB Help: OF Bob Nieman

#Cleveland Spiders

Could use another SP, as well as a help in the middle infield–Chuck Knoblauch is skating along on last year’s performance, and there isn’t any depth to speak of at 2B/SS despite Steve Sax‘s excellent first 50 PA’s.

Needs: Minor League 2B/SS.

Prospects: OF Paul O’Neill, Kenny Lofton; IF Johnny Hodapp
AAA Help: P Chuck Porter, Claude Passeau; IF Bob Elliott, Brook Jacoby
MLB Help: IF Willie McCovey

#Homestead Grays

A Wild Card spot is likely for the Grays, who have a powerhouse offense and a desperate need for pitching. With some young talent blocked, they may be able to make some moves.

Needs: Bullpen is aging

Prospects: OF Max Carey, Paul Waner; IF Freddie Lindstrom
AAA Help: OF Starling Marte; IF Jeff Kent, P Brickyard Kennedy
MLB Help: OF Goose Goslin

#Houston Colt 45’s

Another team caught between a wild card chase and building for the future, the Colt 45’s would love to address their one ongoing need, which is a catcher to take over from the aging Jorge Posada, as some in the organization are not yet sold on Will Smith as the longterm solve behind the plate. There is a crunch at 1B/DH as well, as there really aren’t enough AB’s to go around for both Paul Goldschmidt and the recently demoted Andrés Galaragga.

Needs: Minor League C, SS.

Prospects: IF Bucky Dent, Travis Jackson, Wes Helms; OF César Cedeño, Hunter Pence, Shin-Soo Choo
AAA Help: P Mike Sirotka, Óscar Tuero; IF Carney Lansford, Aramis Ramírez, OF Gorman Thomas, Johnny Damon
MLB Help: Various bullpen pieces may be possible

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Another team riding the wild card roller coaster. The ABC’s are solid offensively, but struggle some behind their top end starters. There are some blocked players–perhaps most notably Jake Stenzel–so there are some pieces available.

Needs: Minor League OF

Prospects: OF Jim Eisenreich, IF Pokey Reese, Sean Casey, Hal Morris
AAA Help: P Johnny Vandeer Meer; OF Jody Gerut, Dave Henderson, Ed Swartwood; IF Dan Driessen
MLB Help: OF Jake Stenzel, Bob Bescher, IF Ed Charles

#Kansas City Monarchs

This Monarchs team will make the playoffs a year or two ahead of schedule so the choice of how much to surrender for immediate success is a bit challenging. At some point, some of the positional logjams need to be sorted out (Albert Pujols, Dale Murphy, and Ducky Medwick; Willie McGee and Cool Papa Bell), but it’s not clear that now is that time.

Needs: Minor League C; WBL Offense

Prospects: OF Wade Johnston, Earl Averill; IF Keston Hiura, Pat Burrell
AAA Help: P Adam Wainwright, Jack Quinn; IF Ken Boyer, Andre Thornton; OF Merv Rettenmund, Jim King
MLB Help: P Matt Morris, Luke Hamlin

#New York Black Yankees

Once again the Black Yankees are trying to find the right piece to extend their postseason run. At some point, they’ll need to solve their post Derek Jeter needs at SS, but this is probably not that time.

Needs: Minor League OF; P; future SS.

Prospects: OF Rob Deer, Clyde Milan
AAA Help: OF Roger Maris; IF Tom Herr, Red Rolfe; P AJ Burnett
MLB Help: P Rheal Cormier, Red Ruffing, Waite Hoyt

#MEH

A mix of teams doing well enough not need anything (San Francisco) and those not willing to give up much because they like their current talent composition moving into Year 3. Never say never, as these teams do have some pieces, but they are far less motivated to get something done at the deadline.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

This team is just beginning to gel, but they could use some offense and they are one of the few franchises with arms to spare.

Needs: SS if unconvinced by Vern Stephens; Minor League 1B

Prospects: OF Matty Alou, Raúl Mondesi, Don Mueller; IF Sonny Jackson, Ken McMullen, Maury Wills; P Doc Newton, Zach Britton
MLB Help: IF Germany Smith, Dick Bertell
AAA Help: IF Jim Gentile, Eric Karros; C Kelly Shoppach; P Ron Perranoski

#Detroit Wolverines

They’re in an odd spot: on the one hand, they are likely to be in the wild card chase; on the other, this is a team well positioned for the future, and eager to cement that status. There are a lot of pieces that are over 30, but none–other than perhaps Oscar Gamble–are key cogs in the Wolverines’ machine.

Needs: Minor League 3B; IF, esp SS; P.

Prospects: IF Wander Franco
MLB Help: OF Oscar Gamble
AAA Help: OF Brady Clark, Wes Covington; IF Jimmy Collins; P Dennis Rasmussen

#Miami Cuban Giants

The Cuban Giants have an outside shot at a wildcard slot, but this is a team building for the future. As such, I would expect them to stand pat, or perhaps move some end of roster pieces for minor league depth.

Needs: Minor League OF, 3B, 1B; WBL P.

Prospects: OF Roy Thomas, Carlos Morán
MLB Help: P Sandy Consuegra, Kenshin Kawakami; OF Andy Pafko
AAA Help: IF Nellie Fox

#Ottawa Mounties

Even though the Mounties have a shot at the playoffs, this is a team trying to position itself for the future, which basically means begging everyone and anyone for pitching.

Needs: Minor League SS, 3B, C. SP.

Prospects: OF Warren Cromartie, Willie Upshaw, Willie Keeler, Leon Roberts
MLB Help: P Bryn Smith; IF Roy Sievers; OF Rick Monday
AAA Help: IF John Olerud; OF Terry Puhl, Bob Allison; C Emil Gross; P Chris Bosio

#Philadelphia Stars

The Stars are on the fringe of the playoffs, but really this is a team aiming at cementing and building around its emerging nucleus. As such, some of its useful veterans may be available; at the same time, Philadelphia would love to add some pitching and address its issues in the middle infield.

Needs: MI, P, WBL Offense.

Prospects: ???
MLB Help: OF Rico Carty; P Bob Howry, Robin Roberts, Pedro Feliciano; IF Art Fletcher, Ted Kluszewski
AAA Help: OF Bobby Abreu; IF Jung Ho Kang, Dolph Camilli, Cecil Cooper; C Sherm Lollar

#San Francisco Sea Lions

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That said, if an easy piece comes available, it’s unlikely the Sea Lions ignore the opportunity.

Needs: Minor League 1B

Prospects: OF Jules Thomas, Matt Holliday; IF Freddie Freeman; P Jair Jurrjens
MLB Help:
AAA Help: IF Dick Green, Denny Walling; OF Josh Reddick; P Rube Walberg

#Wandering House of David

Even the House of David isn’t convinced their playoff chances are real. Still … they might be. So it’s a bit of a quandary in terms of whether they should move some of their young talent or not. The challenge is the roster really doesn’t make a ton of sense: CF is overly crowded, 1B/DH as well, and there is an abundance of talent at 2B.

Needs: P

Prospects: OF Tony Conigliaro; IF Billy Herman
MLB Help: OF Jim Edmonds, George Gore; IF Mark McGwire, Richie Hebner
AAA Help: P Joaquín Andújar; IF Tom Hutton, Mark Grace; OF Tracy Jones

#SELLERS

Teams with either an excess of talent, or who have thrown in the towel on the season and have some veteran pieces that may be attractive.

#Baltimore Black Sox

Last year’s champs, this year’s dunces. Baltimore believes in its young core, a belief that may see them retain FA acquisition Gavvy Cravath, but even he may be had for the right price.

Needs: all P, Minor League OF.

MLB Help: IF Bobby Wallace, Dan McGann; P Buddy Groom, Connie Johnson, Joe Beggs
AAA Help: P Ken Johnson, Kevin Tapani, Christhian Martínez; OF Ken Griffey, Sr; IF Brian Roberts

#Chicago American Giants

The season cannot end soon enough. Chicago has talent to be a contender, but nothing has gone right for them this season. They are willing to blow up their pitching staff, from a how much worse could it be perspective.

Needs: Minor League OF, C; prime P

Prospects: IF Jorge Orta; OF Walter Davis, Lenny Dykstra
MLB Help: P Akinori Otsuka, Joe Lake, Mark Buehrle, Hoyt Wilhelm, David Price; IF Paul Konerko, Freddy Parent; OF Vernon Wells
AAA Help: OF Rocky Colavito, Magglio Ordóñez; C Michael McKenry

#Los Angeles Angels

It hasn’t been a bad year for the Angels, but they are still a player or three away. There is a lot of mound talent in the organization, but they could use some long term solutions at SS, 3B, and C.

Needs: Minor League OF, C, 2B; WBL Offense.

Prospects: OF Norm Miller
MLB Help: IF Eddie Joost
AAA Help: OF Elmer Valo; IF Mark Ellis; P Rich Hill

#Memphis Red Sox

There is hope in Beantown. Just not for this year. There also are some pieces that may hold attraction for contenders, most notably 1B Bill White (with the Red Sox happy to turn 1B over to David Ortiz) and closer Jonathan Papelbon. There is a lot of congestion at various positions that needs to clarify over time.

Needs: Minor League C, SS; SP; 2B/SS

Prospects: IF Dustin Pedroia, OF Joe Rudi, Dwight Evans, Lefty O’Doul, Candy Jim Taylor, P Jim Kaat
MLB Help: P Tommy de la Cruz, Jonathan Papelbon; IF Bill White, DJ LeMahieu, Iván De Jesús, Nomar Garciaparra
AAA Help: IF George Scott, Dustin Pedroia

#New York Gothams

With this season pretty much scrapped, the Gothams are looking to the future. Which puts them in an interesting spot, as they have a fair number of useful parts on the wrong side of 30. But it’s not a total fire sale, as the team isn’t that far away from competing.

Needs: Minor League SS, C, 2B; SS

Prospects: OF Rick Manning
MLB Help: P Mike Norris, Juan Marichal, Troy Percival, Gaylord Perry; IF Joe Adcock, Larry Doyle, Terry Turner
AAA Help: OF Carl Furillo, Steve Kemp, Charlie Hamburg; IF George Kell; P Liván Hernández, Wei-Yin Chen, Tony Mullane, Guy Hecker

#Portland Sea Dogs

In some sense, the Sea Dogs did their selling already, both during the offseason and the all star break. But this year is still a wash for Portland, so anything they can do to help build for the future will be worthwhile.

Needs: 2B/SS, overall WBL Offense.

Prospects: ???
MLB Help: OF Kiki Cuyler, Harry Hooper; IF Gil Hodges; P Mark Melancon
AAA Help: IF Don Baylor, Rafael Palmeiro; OF Walt Bond, Jerald Clark

TWIWBL 75.4: Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On July 6, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
San Francisco Sea Lions	68-37	.648	—
Miami Cuban Giants	51-54	.486	17
Los Angeles Angels	48-57	.457	20
Chicago American Giants	47-58	.448	21
Portland Sea Dogs	47-58	.448	21

Cum Posey Division | 30 July

#Chicago American Giants

Tricky Nichols, who has struggled all year, finally revealed a possible cause, and will miss the rest of the season with shoulder inflammation. The American Giants hope to have him back for the Spring, and recalled Billy Loes from a rehab assignment to take Nichols’ roster spot.

#Miami Cuban Giants

José Canseco hit 2 out of the ballpark, leading the Cuban Giants to a 12-9 win over San Francisco.

But it doesn’t always work: Jim Thome, Andy Pafko, and Julio Rodríguez each hit 2 homeruns in a game the Cuban Giants’ bullpen blew as Miami fell to San Francisco, 9-8 in 10 innings.

Canseco continued his charge, hitting out 3 and reaching 50 on the year as Miami beat the Black Yankees, 7-3. It was the second time this season Canseco has walloped 3 homers in a single game.

Kenshin Kawakami will miss about 6 weeks with shoulder stiffness, warranting a trip to the DL and prompting the Cuban Giants to recall Dale Murray from AAA.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Kent Hrbek went deep twice and drove in 6 as the Sea Dogs topped Memphis, 10-5.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Watty Clark began a rehab assignment.

The Sea Lions tweaked their bench, sending down Gene Oliver and bringing back Brian Downing for another try as the backup catcher.

Turkey Stearnes went deep twice, giving the impressive rookie 32 on the year, but the Sea Lions fell to Miami, 12-9. Then it was Jimmie Foxx‘s turn, but his 2 homers were enough to carry San Francisco to a come-from-behind win over the Cuban Giants, 10-6. And then it was time for Jack Clark to hit 2 out, but this time the Sea Lions bullpen lost a late lead as San Francisco feel to Los Angeles, 10-9.

TWIWBL 72.4: The All Star Trades

By mknn

On February 17, 2025

In TWIWBL

Welcome to the mid-season merry-go-round! These deals tend to be a little less desperate than those at the end of August, but we have some significant movement below for sure as teams make declarations about their intentions over the final months of the season.

Rogers Hornsby and Richie Sexson were traded for the 2nd time at the All-Star Break, each changing teams last season as well.

Baltimore sends John Wetteland & a 4th Round Pick to Portland for Mike Cuellar.

Wetteland’s struggles this year don’t eliminate his immense upside, and this trade reunites Cuellar with his historical team. It also reinforces Baltimore’s belief that the Black Sox are closer to competing than Portland may be.

Miami sends Ryan Braun, Richie Sexson & a 7th Round Pick to Birmingham for Jim Whitney, Andy Pafko, José Cruz, and a 2nd Round Pick.

This one is tricky. Miami is in the unfamiliar position of potentially competing for a playoff spot, and are in desperate need of pitching. Whitney is a first-time all-star, so he is being sold at what is most likely his peak value. Braun is clearly a force, but moving him allows Miami to clearly define roles for Jim Thome and Gary Sheffield and to expand playing time for Yasiel Puig and Al Oliver (Pafko’s acquisition is seen as relatively short-term, with his versatility aiding in the Cuban Giants’ playoff push). From Birmingham’s perspective, Braun immediately becomes a significant lineup addition, and Sexson has a much clearer road to the WBL with the Black Barons.

San Francisco sends John Beckwith & a 3rd Round Pick to the House of David for Frank Grant.

A straight up future talent deal. The Sea Lions think they have their 2B issue solved with this deal, and since Grant is already in the WBL, they had to throw in the pick. It’s not clear where Beckwith plays for the House of David–or when he arrives–but a bat like his will eventually not be denied.

Los Angeles sends Don Buford to the New York Gothams for Freddie Patek and a 2nd and a 5th Round Pick

LA is rebuilding, at least slightly, and Buford has struggled this year, while the Gothams need help both in LF and at 2B. Patek has a future, but the 22 draft picks are the meat of the deal.

Philadelphia sends Larry Jackson to the House of David for Jung Ho Kang, Luis Aparicio, and a 7th Round Pick.

The House of David wanted pitching; given how established in the WBL Jackson is, they would have to pay relatively dearly for it. Aparicio has a massive amount of upside at a position the Stars lack, the rest is to make it all acceptable.

Cleveland send Victor Martinez, Bill Drake, and a 1st Round Pick to Detroit for Ed Bailey and Claude Passeau.

Bailey started the all-star game, but at 37, may be close to done. With Detroit looking to the future and Cleveland trying to make a late push for the playoffs, the Wolverines got to essentially name their price: a C for the future, a strong SP prospect, and a pick seems about right.

Kansas City sent Heliodoro Hidalgo, Jimmy Key, and a 3rd Round Pick to the House of David for Joe Harris and Lee Smith.

The Monarchs addressed 2 significant needs as they try to make a 2nd half push, adding 2 players who were in consideration for the all star game. Both are well into their 30s, but still Kansas City’s price was steep, as Hidalgo is an excellent prospect and Key still has some life in his arm.

The Black Yankees sent Willie Randolph, Jake Peavy, Bill Monbouquette, and a 1st Round Pick to Portland for Rogers Hornsby and Pascual Pérez.

Trying to avoid a repeat of last-season’s collapse, the Black Yankees did the same thing, perhaps overpaying for an all-star 2B. This time, it’s Hornsby, who certainly seems less likely to fade than Tom Herr did last year. Portland was willing to include the immediate value of Pérez for Monbouquette and the currently injured Peavy. If he returns to his potential, this could be a steal for the Sea Dogs, who also get some insurance at 2B in the form of Randolph.

Indianapolis sent a 4th Round Pick to Homestead for Chris Sabo.

The ABC’s needed some depth at 3B. Shrug.

Brooklyn sends a 4th Round Pick to Memphis for Vern Stephens.

Stephens carries a hefty salary (which Memphis will help offset) and has been awful this year. But the Royal Giants are desperate for help at SS.

TWIWBL 68.6: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On November 4, 2024

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Indianapolis ABC’s	36-28	.563	—
Kansas City Monarchs	36-28	.563	—
Wandering House of David	28-34	.452	7
Houston Colt 45s	29-36	.446	7.5
Birmingham Black Barons	25-39	.391	11

Marvin Miller Division | 11 June

#Birmingham Black Barons

Andy Pafko went deep twice, reaching 11 on the year, but those were the only runs Birmingham could manage as they fell, 3-2 to Brooklyn in 14 innings.

Hank Aaron hit 2 out, giving him 24 on the year, and the Black Barons beat Homestead 9-4. Aaron drove in 5, and Curtis Granderson and Eddie Mathews each hit their 22nd dinger of the year in support of Sam Streeter.

#Houston Colt 45s

Tony Gwynn went had 3 hits, pushing his season total over 100 and raising his average to .429 in a 7-2 victory over Philadelphia. Roger Clemens improved to 8-2 with a strong 7 plus innings.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

The ABC’s will be without their sparkplug, as Bob Bescher heads to the DL with a bruised knee. Emil Frisk was recalled from AAA. They also exchanged the struggling Sad Sam Jones for the return of Gorham Leverett from a rehab assignment.

Oscar Charleston went deep twice, leading the ABC’s to a 7-5 win over Kansas City.

Luis Padrón increased his win total to a league-leading 11 in an 8-2 victory over Kansas City. Padrón was solid through 7-plus, moving to 11-2 on the year and lowering his ERA to 3.90 while Joey Votto went deep twice for the ABC’s.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Jock Menefee, who had pitched well over a half-dozen appearances, will miss 3-4 months with a shoulder injury. Mike Kume was recalled from AAA.

Dale Murphy went deep twice as the Monarchs pounded out 20 hits in a 17-3 win over Indianapolis. Frank Castillo improved to 9-1, striking out 10 in 7 solid innings of work.

#Wandering House of David

The House of David shook up their staff, sending Wade Miley and Kerry Wood to AAA, and moving Rick Reuschel out of the rotation. Kyle Peterson and Jim Clinton were recalled from the minors.

George Gore would not be who you would have picked: he entered the day with only 3 homeruns and ended it having doubled his total to 6. It was not enough, however, as the House of David fell to the Gothams 10-9 in extra frames.

Sammy Sosa hit 3 solo homers, giving him 17 on the season. The last one gave the House of David the lead in the top of 9th, with Lee Smith earning his 2nd save in a 4-3 victory over the Gothams.

Needing a starter, the House of David sent the mightily struggling Frank Sullivan to AAA with Karl Spooner being recalled.

Clinton’s time in the WBL only lasted 2 appearances. He was effective across his 6 innings of work, but came down with a sore shoulder. Bob Shaw was recalled.

TWIWBL 67.2 Spotlight on the Birmingham Black Barons

By mknn

On October 9, 2024

In TWIWBL

Ouch.

The Black Barons were the darlings of the league last season, using a late season charge to edge into the playoffs. They were masters of the in-season trade periods, and then claimed to won the off-season as well, trading ace Andy Pettitte (because they had a surplus of arms) to add some power in the form of Albert Belle.

And nothing has worked since as Birmingham has plummeted towards a WBL worst record.

Birmingham inherits players from all the Braves (Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta).

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

Sitting 13 games behind in the Marvin Miller Division, anything that brought them within shouting distance of .500 would be a miracle. For some, this year is proof that last year was a mirage, for others, this year is just a long parade of poor fortune: how far the Black Barons recover will help the final evaluation of which is more accurate.

THE OFFENSE

Birmingham’s weakness last year was a total lack of power. They’ve addressed that with 6 players in double digits, led by Hank Aaron with 19 and Curtis Granderson and Eddie Mathews with 17 each. But everything else has plummeted: both Granderson and Mathews are hitting below .200, only 3 players have OBPs over .350.

#What’s Going Right

Jim Pagliaroni has blossomed into one of the better offensive catchers in the league, at least over the first few months, leading Birmingham in OPS at .927, powered by 14 dingers. Aaron is sporting an OPS just over .900, leading the team in runs and RBI’s as well. Mathews has seized the 3B spot, and Bob Nieman continues to be a solid contributor in the OF.

Then, at a lower pitch, JP Arencibia–while he’s fallen off significantly from his blistering start–is still hitting with a ton of power; Cupid Childs is getting on base at a good clip at the top of the order, and Belle, while currently mired in a bit of a slump, has produced some power, with 14 homeruns of his own.

#What’s Not Going Right

It’s homers or nothing for this team: only Nieman, Childs, Herman Long, and Aaron are in double digits in doubles, and there are some very odd distributions elsewhere (Pagliaroni has 1 double, Mathews 4, and Granderson 2 despite all having at least 14 homers).

Only two players (Aaron and Troy Tulowitzki, who has supplanted Long at SS) are hitting over .260.

Adrián González has seen his role reduced essentially to a platoon at 1B with Arencibia.

The team does not run well, with Childs having a whopping 15 CS to go along with 17 steals.

THE PITCHING

There are a few bright spots here, but, overall, more disappointments than pleasant surprises.

#What’s Going Right

Greg Maddux (5-5, 4.97) and Alejandro Peña (2-4, 5.23) have both pitched better than their ERA’s might suggest, and both continue to show front of rotation ability. They’ve been joined by Jim Whitney (1-1, 2.41), who has been a fantastic surprise, forcing his way into the rotation.

Harley Young (1-0, 1.80, 1 Sv, 3 H) seems to have made a full recovery from injury, and is pushing himself into the conversation at closer. Some other arms–notably Charlie Morton and John Malarkey–have done well in limited appearances.

#What’s Not Going Right

Lefty Gomez (3-6, 5.80) and Sam Streeter (1-7, 5.80–yes they both have the same poor ERA), who looked strong coming out of Spring Training, have struggled, and are in danger of losing their rotation spots.

Juan Ríncón has 6 saves, but he and Bruce Chen have both been hit very hard. Those two, along with Young, were a key trio in last year’s success, and the weakening of the back end of the bullpen has certainly been noticeable.

None of the other young talent on the mound–most notably Vic Willis, Warren Spahn, and Frank Viola–have come through.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

The future does look bright, with 7 prospects listed in the WBL top 50 in OFs Jess Barbour and Curt Flood, IF Marcus Giles and Trea Turner, C Joe Torre, and Ps Rube Melton and Alex Malloy. There’s a fair bit of talent off the WBL rankings radar as well, from P Steve Avery to the power of Nate Colbert and Gary Matthews to the OF skills of Ron Fairly, Melky Cabrera, and José Cruz.

So there are some options.

Of that group, Melton, Torre and Fairly are doing well at AAA while Flood is struggling a bit at that level.

WHAT’S NEEDED

Birmingham is underperforming, winning 2 fewer games than their runs scored/runs allowed numbers would indicate. But that’s only 2 games. So there are some deep underlying needs.

Most of all, the offense needs to become more than a threat of solo homeruns, which are just not enough to carry the team. The bullpen needs to settle, which may require some roster movement if Rincón and Chen can’t recover their form.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

How will some key pieces for last season–Pettitte, Rincón, Adrián González, Cupid Childs, Jim Pagliaroni–perform over the course of a full year? Overall, the answers here revealing: Pettitte is gone, Rincón and González are struggling, Childs is doing OK, and of that group, only Pagliaroni is excelling.
With Andy Pettitte traded, how does the rotation respond and does Albert Belle perform at a level that makes it worthwhile? Meh. The rotation has not really responded, and the Black Barons certainly feel the lack of a clear ace at the front of the rotation. Belle has hit a slump, but is still contributing with power. Meh.
Who will fill out the roster? Still a bit of a concern, although Arencibia’s ultra hot start was a great plus and Andy Pafko has been quite solid.

FEATURED SERIES

The Black Barons start the week with 3 games in Pittsburgh to take on Homestead and since we just talked about the Grays, it seemed like a good focus series.

Projected Starters

Birmingham starter listed first.

Jim Whitney (1-1, 2.41) @ Bob Friend (3-2, 4.75)
Alejandro Peña (2-4, 5.23) @ Doug Drabek (2-1, 3.50)
Greg Maddux (5-5, 4.97) @ Francisco Liriano (3-5, 5.12)

Game One

With Bob Friend still fatigued, Homestead went with Ray Brown. Jim Whitney struggled early, giving up 4 runs in the bottom of the first including back to back longballs to Rick Reichardt and Willie Stargell.

And then the rains came …

After the tarps were on, the game was called, to be completed the following day with the Grays up 4-0, and guaranteeing impact on the two team’s bullpens.

The following day, Fred Fussell would take the ball for Birmingham for the bottom of the 3rd while Brickyard Kennedy took over for Homestead in the top of the 4th. Whitney stayed in the game as the DH, and doubled in the 5th, scoring on a homerun from Herman Long that closed the game to 4-2.

That was effectively it as the bullpens were excellent. The Grays would add one more run as Birmingham was held to 5 hits on the day.

BBB 2 (Whitney 1-2) @ HOM 5 (Kennedy 3-0; Lindblom 16 Sv; Lee 3 H; Jackson 8 H)
HRs: BBB – Long (4); HOM- Stargell (18), Reichardt (20).
Box Score

Game Two

Homestead’s Bob Friend gets his chance here, facing off against Alejandro Peña.

The game was scoreless until the top of the 5th when a double by Albert Belle drove in Curtis Granderson. After a walk to Gene Tenace, Troy Tulowitzki hit his first homer of the season, and it was 4-0 Birmingham, with Peña yet to allow a hit.

Nap Lajoie broke up the no-no in the bottom of the frame, but that was all the drama for a while–Belle and Cupid Childs went deep, and the Black Barons were sailing along 7-0 until Roberto Clemente touched Peña for a long 3 run shot in the bottom of the 7th.

The Grays made it close enough for Juan Ríncón to earn a save, but that was it as the Black Barons evened up the series.

BBB 8 (Peña 3-4; Rincón 7) @ HOM 5 (Friend 3-3)
HRs: BBB – Tulowitzki (1), Belle (15), Childs (2); HOM – Clemente (6).
Box Score

Game Three

An intriguing pitching matchup: Greg Maddux seems perpetually on the verge of becoming a front of the rotation guy for Birmingham, while Doug Drabek is trying to solidify a claim to a rotation spot for the Grays.

Both hurlers were good through three, and then the wheels fell off. Birmingham exploded for 7 runs in the top of the 4th, led by homeruns from Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, and JP Arencibia; but Maddux collapsed as well, allowing 7 runs to Homestead in the bottom of the frame.

So, tied until Mathews went deep for the 2nd time in the following inning, and Herman Long added a 2 run shot to give Birmingham a 10-7 lead. They added 2 more in the top of the 8th, making it 12-8 and then survived Stargell’s second of the game as Juan Ríncón closed it out for a 12-11 victory.

Cupid Childs had 4 hits and 3 doubles in the victory and Long and Arencibia drove in 3 each.

BBB 12 (Malarkey 2-1; Rincón 9 Sv) @ HOM 11 (Pierce 4-4)
HRs: BBB – Aaron (20), Mathews 2 (19), Arencibia (6), Long (5); HOM – Stargell 2 (20).
Box Score

A series win is a series win, and this one showed the offense doing more for sure. But there is something a bit unconvincing in the bullpen–especially when called upon in the middle of the game, and the questions remain.

TWIWBL 65.6: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On August 31, 2024

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Kansas City Monarchs	27-17	.614	—
Indianapolis ABC’s	23-22	.511	4.5
Wandering House of David	20-22	.476	6
Houston Colt 45s	21-25	.457	7
Birmingham Black Barons	15-30	.333	12.5

Marvin Miller Division | 21 May

#Birmingham Black Barons

Hank Aaron went deep twice and Greg Maddux improved to 4-4 with a solid outing as the Black Barons went up early and held on for dear life, topping the ABC’s 7-6. Jim Pagliaroni, Andy Pafko, and Eddie Mathews also went deep for Birmingham.

#Houston Colt 45s

Bret Saberhagen‘s disastrous start in an 8-2 loss to Brooklyn removed him from the starting rotation for Houston, who will use a starter-by-committee to round out their staff.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Joe Morgan went deep twice, leading the ABCs to a 12-3 walkover of Kansas City. Rube Foster improved to 2-3, but faded in the 9th, losing a shot at the complete game. Still, a fine outing for Foster in a game that saw Morgan drive in 4 and Oscar Charleston and Jake Stenzel 3 each.

#Kansas City Monarchs

With Bob Gibson out for a week or so with back issues, the Monarchs placed the struggling youngster on the DL and recalled Jock Menefee from AAA.

#Wandering House of David

Bob Robertson was excellent in his time with the House of David, but Pete Browning‘s return from injury sends Robertson back to AAA.

Ryne Sandberg went deep twice as the House of David hit 6 homeruns in a 12-6 win over Ottawa that wasn’t even that close. Sandberg had 4 hits and scored 4 runs and Bob Rush improved to 5-4 with a solid 7 innings.

Ernie Banks hit 3 homeruns and drove in 6 as the House of David beat Houston 10-3. He wasn’t done, as Banks hit 2 more including a walkoff blast in another victory over Houston, this one 10-8. Ron Santo, Sandberg, and Anthony Rizzo also went deep, but the victory had a downside, as Browning will be sidelined for most of the next week with tightness in his back.

TWIWBL 60.5: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On June 4, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Eddie Mathews smashed a ball 544 feet for his 5th homerun of the year, but it wasn’t enough as the Black Barons fell to the Gothams, 3-2. Matthews continued to mash, sending a ball 551 feet the next day, again in a losing effort. Bob Nieman and Jim Pagliaroni went deep twice each, but disastrous outings from both John Malarkey and Warren Spahn were too much to overcome as the Black Barons fell to the Gothams, 12-8.

Curtis Granderson and Albert Belle each had 3 hits and each went deep twice and Hank Aaron added a longball of his own as the Black Barons beat the Gothams 11-6. Jim Whitney continued his brilliant start to the season with 2 perfect innings, picking up his first victory of the year.

Gene Tenace, off to a great start at the plate, will miss about 2 weeks, with JP Arencibia being recalled from AAA to backup Pagliaroni. With Arencibia able to play 1B, the Black Barons demoted the mightily struggling Jake Beckley and brought up Frank Viola from AA to make a start. Viola was absolutely torched, giving up 4 homeruns in 2 innings, and heading back to AA after the game with Bill Phyle taking his roster spot.

Granderson went deep twice in a 6-2 victory over Ottawa, the second shot giving the Black Barons the lead in the top of the 12th. Perhaps as importantly, Sam Streeter, Lefty Gomez, Juan Rincón, Larry Benton, and Bruce Chen all put in strong shifts on the mound, holding the Mounties to only 5 hits.

Birmingham hit 5 homeruns in an inning, including four in a row, and still needed some late inning heroics to pull out a 12-10 win over Ottawa. Recently recalled Arencibia was the star of the show, going 4 for 4 with 2 homeruns in his first WBL game. Arencibia’s first followed consecutive homers from Mathews, Andy Pafko, and Adrián González. Pafko had 3 hits and Belle also went deep for the Black Barons.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Tony Gwynn and HR Johnson had 4 hits each and combined for 7 RBIs as Houston put a beating on Philadelphia, 13-4. Bret Saberhagen was a little shaky, but evened his record at 1-1 in a game where the Colt 45’s pounded out 19 hits and saw Johnson and Carlos Correa each go deep. Gwynn ended the day batting .536 on the year.

Andrés Galarraga hit his first 2 homeruns of the year, but it wasn’t enough as a poor showing by Billy Wagner led to a 6-5 loss to Philadelphia.

Russ Adams was a bit of an afterthought coming out of spring training, but he’s making a case for more playing time. Adams had 4 hits in a 12-6 victory over the House of David. Johnson and Galarraga each drove in 3 in the win, with Roger Clemens improving to 3-0 with a decent outing.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Both Lefty James and Dick Tidrow were forced out of the game via injury in an 8-4 win over Kansas City. James was immediately placed on the DL, anticipated to miss about 2 weeks while Tidrow’s injury was less clear. Rob Murphy was recalled to take James’ spot in the pen.

Ed Charles broke out of a slump in a big way with 4 hits and his first homerun of the season, but the real star of the game was Luis Padrón, who drove in 4 and got the win with 6 solid innings on the mound. Johnny Bench drove in 3 and Padrón, Bench, Denis Menke, and Oscar Charleston all joined Charles in going yard in the 13-5 win over the Monarchs.

After the game, the ABC’s put Tidrow, who is expected to be out for just over a month, on the DL. Gorham Leverett was recalled from AAA to take Tidrow’s place.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Albert Pujols hit 2 solo shots, but it couldn’t overcome a poor start from Bob Gibson–who couldn’t make it out of the first inning–in a 13-5 loss to Indianapolis.

Smokey Joe Wood is the best pitcher in the WBL right now. He improved to 3-0 with a 2 hit shutout of the ABC’s. Dale Murphy went deep twice for the Monarchs in the game.

Year II Season Preview: Birmingham Black Barons

By mknn

On April 7, 2024

In Team News

Expectations

Pretty hard question: nobody expected a playoff run last season, now the fans will demand a repeat, but if the Black Barons can’t address some core offensive issues, that may be unlikely.

Best Case

The pitching continues to dominate, Juan Rincón holds down the closer spot, and either Sam Streeter or Warren Spahn step up to seize the 5th starting spot. On the other side, Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews move into the elite of the league and someone–anyone–steps up to support them.

Worst Case

The pitching falls apart, with Andy Pettitte and Alejandro Peña becoming solid, but no longer world-beaters and the bullpen collapses while the offense continues to be far too slapdash to be dependable.

Key Questions

How will some key pieces for last season–Pettitte, Rincón, Adrián González, Cupid Childs, Jim Pagliaroni–perform over the course of a full year.
With Andy Pettitte traded, how does the rotation respond and does Albert Belle perform at a level that makes it worthwhile.
Who will fill out the roster.

Trade Bait

The Black Barons would happily welcome an offensive star, but would have to mortgage their farm system to get one. Or, mortgage their best starter … which in a bit of a shock, is exactly what they ended up doing. It’s an interesting gambit: a true top of rotation star gone in exchange for a “win-now” bat (but Belle is aging) and a few arms for the future in Lefty Gomez and Frank Viola. We’ll see.

Roster Evaluation

POS	Elite	Strong	Solid	Meh	Weak	Unknown
C				Pagliaroni Tenace
1B			González	McCormick		Beckley
2B						Childs
3B		Mathews
SS			Long	Tulowitzki
LF/ RF		Aaron Belle	Nieman			Barbour Pafko
CF				Granderson
SP		Peña	Maddux Willis		Streeter	Malarkey
End			Bedrosian Rincón
RP				Benton Chen ~~Young~~		Gomez ~~Malloy~~ Whitney

New Addition | ~~Injured~~

Doesn’t look like a strong playoff contender to me. Now, if 3 to 4 players shift left one column … there’s just so much uncertainty. Six new faces, plus Belle, and while most of them are in reserve roles, it feels like a lot to ask for the Black Barons to repeat last year’s success.

Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	3B Eddie Mathews	1B Nate Colbert
Batting Eye	3B Eddie Mathews	OF John Titus
Contact	OF Hank Aaron	3B Pie Traynor
Running Speed	SS Herman Long	OF Rajai Davis
Base Stealing	SS Herman Long	OF Rajai Davis
IF Defense	SS Herman Long	3B Pie Traynor
OF Defense	OF Andy Pafko	OF Billy Southworth
Stuff	SP Sam Streeter	RP Bill James
Control	SP Jim Whitney	RP Johnny Ryan
Velocity	RP Juan Rincón	RP Kerry Ligtenberg

Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	POS	Name
1 (32)	24	P	Jim Whitney
2 (36)	20	C	Joe Torre
3 (43)	20	U	Jess Barbour
4 (54)	20	2B	Trea Turner
5 (58)	25	OF	Curt Flood
6 (62)	21	P	Cozy Dolan
7 (63)	26	P	Rube Melton
8 (151)	22	P	Alex Malloy
9 (156)	19	2B	Marcus Giles
10 (173)	21	P	Jonathan Pettibone

Others: OF Melky Cabrera; P Steve Avery.

Whitney, Dolan, Malloy, and Barbour start the season in the WBL (Malloy on the DL, but still). This is very much a make or break year for Flood.

	Most	Least
Age	OF Sam Rice, 37	SP Steve Avery, 18
Height	P Dustin Nippert, 6’8″	OF Al Schweitzer, 5’6″
OPS	OF Max Kepler, 1.233 (—)	IF Gerry Jestadt, .604 (—)
HR	OF Max Kepler, 61 (—)	IF George McBride, 1 (AAA) OF Rajai Davis, 1 (AAA/AA) OF Brock Davis 1 (AA)
SB	OF Billy Southworth, 26 (WBL/AAA)	Many with 0
WAR	1B Nate Colbert, 4.4 (WBL/AAA/AA)	IF Gerry Jestadt, -2.0 (—)
W	Bill Phyle, 17 (—)	Harry Matuzak, 1 (—)
SV	Juan Rincón, 26 (WBL)
ERA	Aaron Sanchez, 1.98 (—)	Johnny Ryan, 6.90 (AA)
WAR	Aaron Sanchez, 7.3 (—)	Fred Fussell, -0.8 (WBL/AAA)

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