This week we have more playoff updates, and a look at the best rookies so far this year.
#Awards
Freddie Freeman is immediately showing he belongs at this level for Los Angeles, with the recent acquisition earning the AL Player of the Week Award, hitting .579 for the week with 4 homeruns. Over in the NL, Brooklyn‘s Duke Snider took home the Player of the Week with a .600 (!) average and 5 homers.
So, barring some real drama, the only race here is between the Spiders and the Black Yankees for playoff seeding.
#NL
The Effa Manley is a bit of a mirror of the Cum Posey, with the Brooklyn Royal Giants playing out the string, riding a 15.5 game lead over second place Philadelphia, with the Stars currently the highest ranked Wild Card team as well.
And then it gets messy.
Houston has surged in front of the Kansas City Monarchs, with the Colt 45’s leading the Marvin Miller Division by 2.5 games now. However, 3 more teams (Indianapolis, Homestead, and the House of David) are within 2.5 games of the final Wild Card spot, with Birmingham and the New York Gothams only 4 games back. All of that means that only the Ottawa Mounties (5.5 games off the Wild Card, but having 5 teams in the way) have really given up on the season.
#Player Performance
#Batters
It’s late in the year, so there is less churn in these lists. Let’s focus on the races that are still up for grabs.
Ty Cobb‘s lead in most categories is significant, but his 15 triples is only ahead of Houston’s Pete Hill by 1, with Bullet Joe Rogan and Turkey Stearns staying close with 13 each.
Miami’s José Canseco is holding onto the homerun lead with 62. He’s trailed by 2 Black Yankees: Babe Ruth with 59 and Lou Gehrig with 56.
Rickey Henderson is ahead of Ottawa’s Tim Raines by 3 in the stolen base race, 108 to 105.
Top 2 in most categories.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 279/346/639. 129 RBI. José Canseco (MCG). 251/357/717. 62 HR. Ty Cobb (DET). 382/436/827. 195 H, 59 2B, 15 3B, 135 R, 8.6 WAR. Josh Gibson (HOM). 395/493/791. 9.7 WAR. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 248/376/431. 95 BB, 108 SB. Joe Jackson (CAG). 354/407/611. 64 2B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 269/402/694. 59 HR, 139 RBI, 125 R, 104 BB.
In the less glorious stats, sitting on 197, the Black Yankees’ Mickey Mantle is guaranteed to top 200 strikeouts on the season.
#Pitchers
Luis Padrón continues to totally dominate, winning his 20th and 21st game over the past week. Sitting at 21-3, Padrón has been the best starter in the league for most of the season. With only a few weeks left, it’s possible nobody else reaches 20 victories, but we’ve listed all 5 of the other hurlers with at least 16 wins.
A couple active streaks of note: José Rijo, Padrón’s teammate on the Indianapolis ABC’s, hasn’t allowed a run in 21 innings, and Brooklyn’s Sandy Koufax is riding a streak of 10 innings without giving up a hit.
#Starters
On the one hand, this list could be 3 names long: A. Rube Foster, Padrón, and Toad Ramsey.
Top 2 in most categories.
Roger Clemens (HOU). 16-9, 3.61. A. Rube Foster (KCM). 10-6, 3.21. .187 BA, .211 BABIP, 0.99 WHIP. Ron Guidry (NYY). 9-7, 4.29. 232 K. Bump Hadley (SFS). 16-5, 4.15. Orel Hershiser (BRK). 17-5, 3.87. José Méndez (MCG). 12-5, 4.37. 206 IP. Luis Padrón (IND). 21-3, 3.34. 205 IP, 6.2 WAR. Andy Pettitte (NYY). 17-8, 4.19. Eddie Plank (SFS). 17-7, 4.55. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 15-9, 3.18. 248 K, .181 BA, 0.97 WHIP, 3.33 FIP, 7.4 WAR. Fernando Valenzuela (BRK). 13-5, 3.60. 1 Sv, 4 H, .220 BABIP. Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 12-11, 3.87. 3.69 FIP.
#Relievers
Top 2 in most stats, top 3 in saves and holds. 30 Min IP for rate stats, which allows the debut of the amazing start to Bartolo Colón‘s career for Homestead.
Rod Beck (SFS). 4-4, 4.93. 36 Sv, 1 H. Bartolo Colón (HOM). 1-0, 0.87. 1 H, 0.84 WHIP. Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-3, 5.40. 16 H. Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-3, 2.60. 33 Sv. Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-2, 2.20. 1 Sv, 9 H. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.14. 1 Sv, 20 H. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 8-4, 3.48. 32 Sv. BJ Ryan (OTT). 2-3, 4.64. 1 Sv, 16 H. Lee Smith (KCM). 4-2, 2.79. 6 Sv, 12 H, 0.77 WHIP.
#Injuries
A huge one: Chicago‘s Frank Thomas is out for 8-9 months with a knee injury. The Big Hurt is expected to make a full recovery, but this really will impact the American Giants’ offseason plans, as they will need a 1B for the first half of next season.
Pennant race intrigue galore as we enter the final month of the season!
#Awards
#August Awards
Brooklyn‘s emerging stud Fernando Valenzuela went 5- 1 in August, earning the NL Rookie of the Month for August; in the AL, San Francsico‘s rookie superstar Turkey Stearnes hit .389 with 10 homers and 24 RBI’s during the month, taking home the AL Award.
Valenzuela was eclipsed by Indianapolis‘ Luis Padrón for the overall monthly award. Padrón went 5-0 in the month with a 3.09 ERA as he solidified his status as the best hurler in the WBL this season, winning the NL Pitcher of the Month for August. The AL Pitcher of the Month went to Andy Pettitte of the New York Black Yankees, who rode a 5-1 record to the Award.
Ernie Banks of the House of David had a torrid August, slugging 14–FOURTEEN–homeruns and hitting .370 as he was named the Batter of the Month in the AL. Over in the NL, the Batter of the Month Award went to Detroit‘s Ty Cobb, who hit .452 in August, reclaiming a shot at a .400 average for the season.
#Weekly Awards
Stearnes hit .435 with 4 homers over the final week of August, earning the rookie CF the AL Player of the Week while Brooklyn’s 3B Ron Cey hit .455 with 5 homers, earning him the NL Player of the Week Award.
#Team Performance
Here is where we are.
In the American League, The San Francisco Sea Lions are going to win the Cum Posey Division, and either the Cleveland Spiders or New York Black Yankees are going to win the Bill James Division (right now, the Spiders hold a 1.5 game edge). Whoever loses the Bill James will take one Wild Card spot, and either Detroit (8 gams back in the Bill James) or Miami (1.5 games behind Detroit) will take the other.
Over in the National League, it’s a lot more complicated. Brooklyn is running away with the Effa Manley Division, and right now Philadelphia–13 games behind the Royal Giants–is leading the Wild Card chase. The Marvin Miller Division is still tightly packed, with the Houston Colt 45’s holding a 2 game edge over Kansas City. However, 7 teams are within 5 games of the final Wild Card slot, so essentially, other than the Effa Manley crown, everything is left to play for in the NL.
#Player Performance
#Batters
This week, we have the story of 2 slumps. Josh Gibson has dipped below .400 for the first time in months and Babe Ruth has gone 10 games without a homerun (and only has 2 in his last 17 games). While Gibson has retained the BA lead, Ruth has surrendered the HR edge and is in fact closer, with 57, to Ernie Banks in 3rd place with 54 than José Canseco in 1st with 62.
Top 2 in most categories.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 283/347/657. 126 RBI. José Canseco (MCG). 261/367/749. 62 HR. Oscar Charleston (IND). 338/382/619. 174 H. Ty Cobb (DET). 388/443/846. 189 H, 58 2B, 15 3B, 130 R, 8.6 WAR. Josh Gibson (HOM). 396/497/775. 9.1 WAR. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 251/382/439. 93 BB, 103 SB. Joe Jackson (CAG). 363/415/623. 64 2B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 266/400/689. 57 HR, 134 RBI, 121 R, 101 BB.
#Pitchers
#Starters
All 5 players with at least 16 wins are listed, as well as the top 2 in other categories.
A. Rube Foster (KCM). 10-6, 3.09. .205 BABIP, 0.98 WHIP. Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-7, 4.40. 222 K. Bump Hadley (SFS). 16-5, 4.06. Orel Hershiser (BRK). 17-5, 3.94. Luis Padrón (IND). 19-3, 3.49. 5.9 WAR. Eddie Plank (SFS). 16-7, 4.68. Andy Pettitte (NYY). 16-8, 4.28. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 15-9, 3.25. 240 K, 0.98 WHIP, 3.34 FIP, 7.1 WAR. Fernando Valenzuela (BRK). 12-5, 3.56. 1 Sv, 4 H, .218 BABIP. Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 11-11, 3.93. 3.70 FIP.
#Relievers
Top 2 in most stats, top 3 in saves and holds.
28 Min IP.
Rod Beck (SFS). 4-4, 5.22. 33 Sv, 1 H. Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-3, 5.34. 15 H. Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-3, 2.68. 31 Sv. Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 1.99. 1 Sv, 9 H. Bob Howry (PHI). 4-1, 3.27. 21 Sv. 0.85 WHIP. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.05. 1 Sv, 20 H. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 7-4, 3.62. 32 Sv. BJ Ryan (OTT). 2-3, 4.80. 1 Sv, 16 H. Lee Smith (KCM). 4-2, 2.81. 6 Sv, 12 H. 0.77 WHIP. Brian Wilson (NYG). 2-2, 2.51. 17 Sv.
#Streaks
Been a while since I checked in on these … and there is very little going on in terms of active streaks. George Gore of the House of David has reached base in his last 8 consecutive at bats, but that’s about it.
Houston’s Carlos Correa had a 29 game hitting streak earlier this season, and San Francisco’s Lefty Grove went 34 innings without allowing a run.
As August closes down, we have roster expansion and a bevy of trades.
#Awards
The House of David‘s Ernie Banks hit .483 with a half-dozen homeruns, taking home the NL Player of the Week Award. Another stellar week from Detroit‘s Ty Cobb netted him another AL Player of the Week Award, his 4th of the season. Cobb hit .500 with 6 homeruns over the week.
#Team Performance
Same old: San Francisco (despite going 3-7 over their last 10 games) has the Cum Posey Division sewn up, and Brooklyn has the Effa Manley Division all but so–the Sea Lions have a 17 game edge, and the Royal Giants are up by 11.
The Wildcards are all up for grabs, as 8 teams in the NL are within 4 games of making the postseason that way. It’s more settled in the AL, with Miami leading Los Angeles for the 2nd wildcard spot by 4 games.
#Player Performance
#Batters
As usual, top 2 in most categories are listed, with Detroit’s Turkey Stearnes and Los Angeles’ Kal Daniels listed so we have all 6 batters with OPS’ over 1.100.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 295/361/688. 125 RBI. José Canseco (MCG). 264/373/759. 60 HR. Oscar Charleston (IND). 342/384/624. 170 H. Ty Cobb (DET). 388/443/844. 181 H, 54 2B, 15 3B, 125 R, 8.3 WAR. Kal Daniels (LAA). 357/444/670. Josh Gibson (HOM). 406/501/798. 9.0 WAR. Joe Jackson (CAG). 361/414/621. 60 2B. Joe Rogan (PHI). 288/343/605. 13 3B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 273/405/713. 57 HR, 133 RBI, 117 R. Turkey Stearnes (DET). 340/381/722.
#Pitchers
#Starters
All 7 players with at least 15 wins are listed, as well as the top 2 in other categories.
A. Rube Foster (KCM). 10-5, 2.79. .200 BABIP, 0.95 WHIP, 3.60 FIP. Roger Clemens (HOU). 13-9, 3.60. .218 BABIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 15-5, 4.37. Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-7, 4.41. 211 K. Bump Hadley (SFS). 16-5, 4.09 Orel Hershiser (BRK). 16-5, 4.04. José Méndez (MCG). 11-5, 4.29. 195 IP. Luis Padrón (IND). 18-3, 3.55. 5.5 WAR. Andy Pettitte (NYY). 15-8, 4.32. Eddie Plank (SFS). 15-7, 4.73. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 15-9, 3.13. 190 IP, 230 K, 0.96 WHIP, 3.26 FIP, 7.1 WAR.
#Relievers
The top 3 in the league remain Josh Lindblom, Rod Beck, and Eric Gagne, who have 30, 29, and 26 saves respectively. Of those, Gagne has been the most dominant, and is probably only challenged by Kansas City’s Craig Kimbrel, who had 11 holds before being named their closer, and has posted 9 saves since. The other 3 relievers with 20-plus saves are listed as well.
26 Min IP.
Terry Adams (CLE), 1-6, 4.93. 21 Sv, 2H. Rod Beck (SFS). 4-4, 5.65. 30 Sv, 1H. Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-3, 2.88. 28 Sv. Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 2.01. 1 Sv, 8 H. Bob Howry (PHI). 4-1, 3.27. 21 Sv. 0.85 WHIP. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.09. 1 Sv, 20 H. Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 3-4, 1.95. 12 Sv, 11 H. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 7-4, 3.70. 31 Sv. Joe Nathan (LAA/SFS). 5-5, 4.64. 20 Sv, 2 H. Jonathan Papelbon (MEM/MCG). 3-5, 4.80. 20 Sv. BJ Ryan (OTT). 2-3, 5.03. 1 Sv, 15 H. Lee Smith (KCM/HOD). 4-2, 2.78. 6 Sv, 10 H. 0.77 WHIP.
#Debuts
Tony Conigliaro isn’t a bad prospect. But he had one of the best days, let alone debuts, in WBL history, going 4 for 4 with a record 4 homeruns in an 11-9 win. The 22 year old was obtained at the all star break last season in the deal that initially sent Sammy Sosa to Memphis (Sosa would return after flopping for the Red Sox).
At least Jorge Orta is listed among the top 100 WBL prospects, coming in 87th. Orta had a great debut for his new club, the New York Black Yankees, going 4 for 5 with 4 doubles.
Memphis’ Dustin Pedroia and the New York Gothams‘ Bill Terry have also turned heads, each with 2 homers in their first few games at the WBL level.
The trade deadline is the biggest news, but the league rolls on into the pennant races.
#Awards
Homestead‘s Andy Van Slyke hit .500 with 7 homeruns over the past week, earning him the NL Batter of the Week Award. Over in the AL, it’s a familiar name, as Detroit‘s Ty Cobb rode a .556 average and 8 RBIs to the AL Player of the Week Award.
#Team Performance
Very little has changed.
San Francisco still dominates the league, with 80 wins, a .650 winning percentage, and a 21 game lead in the Cum Posey Division. The Sea Lions have a decent chance at clinching the division before the end of August.
Cleveland still leads the New York Black Yankees in the Bill James Division, now by 3 games, with both teams exceedingly likely to make the postseason.
And then there is the Marvin Miller Division, where last-place Birmingham is only 3.5 games behind first place Kansas City, with everything to play for over the last month-plus of the season.
#Player Performance
#Batters
Some fascinating changes here, led by Babe Ruth ceding the HR lead, at least temporarily (this happened last year as well before Ruth pulled away). Josh Gibson‘s attempt to stay over .400 is in danger, but he’s still the most formidable offensive force in the league, with Ty Cobb and Ruth close behind.
Only 4 players have a BA over .350: Gibson, Cobb, Daniels, and Chicago‘s Joe Jackson.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 295/361/688. 125 RBI. José Canseco (MCG). 264/370/759. 58 HR. Oscar Charleston (IND). 340/381/634. 162 H, 12 3B. Ty Cobb (DET). 381/436/813. 169 H, 52 2B, 14 3B, 114 R, 7.3 WAR. Kal Daniels (LAA). 358/447/674. Josh Gibson (HOM). 401/500/781. 8.3 WAR. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 248/379/433. 84 BB. Joe Jackson (CAG). 351/402/598. 54 2B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 279/408/736. 56 HR, 132 RBI, 111 R, 89 BB.
#Pitchers
#Starters
All 5 players with at least 15 wins are listed, as well as the top 2 in other categories.
A. Rube Foster (IND). 8-5, 2.93. 0.97 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 15-5, 4.37. Bump Hadley (SFS). 16-5, 4.07. Orel Hershiser (BRK). 16-5, 3.82. José Méndez (MCG). 10-5, 4.36. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 13-9, 3.19. 217 K, 6.6 WAR, 0.97 WHIP. Luis Padrón (IND). 17-3, 3.57. 5.1 WAR. Eddie Plank (SFS). 15-5, 4.38.
#Relievers
The top 3 in the league remain Josh Lindblom, Rod Beck, and Eric Gagne, who have 30, 29, and 26 saves respectively. Of those, Gagne has been the most dominant, and is probably only challenged by Kansas City’s Craig Kimbrel, who had 11 holds before being named their closer, and has posted 9 saves since. The other 3 relievers with 20-plus saves are listed as well.
28 Min IP.
Terry Adams (CLE), 1-5, 4.28. 21 Sv, 2H. Rod Beck (SFS). 4-3, 5.05. 29 Sv, 1H. Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-2, 5.07. 14 H. Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-2, 2.39. 26 Sv. Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 2.06. 1 Sv, 8 H. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.15. 1 Sv, 19 H. Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 3-4, 2.10. 9 Sv, 11 H. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 7-4, 3.86. 30 Sv. Joe Nathan (LAA/SFS). 5-5, 4.31. 20 Sv, 1H. Jonathan Papelbon (MEM/MCG). 3-5, 4.71. 20 Sv. BJ Ryan (OTT). 2-3, 5.24. 1 Sv, 14 H.
#Down On the Farm
As roster expansion looms, a look at the best AAA and AA performers of the year so far. We’re listing the slash, homerun, and stolen base leaders for hitters, wins, ERA, and saves for pitchers, and WAR for both.
#AAA Batters
Jack Hannifin (26, LVA / LAA). 267/327/706. 54 HR. Kenny Lofton (27, BUF / CLE). 277/345/482. 72 SB. Jerry Mumphrey (29, CBB / HOD). 321/377/564. 4.0 WAR. Elmer Valo (35, LVA / LAA). 343/430/583.
AAA Pitchers
Mark Baldwin (29, WAS / BAL). 10-8, 3.58. 4.5 WAR. Al Brazle (28, CBB / HOD). 10-2, 3.54. John Denny (34, QUE / BRK). 13-6, 4.32. Red Ehret (24, SJB / SFS). 13-10, 4.54. George Jeffcoat (26, HRT / NYG). 4-7, 3.23. 28 Sv. Dick Redding (21, QUE / BRK). 13-6, 3.71.
#AA Batters
Andrew Benintendi (23, TUL / MEM). 343/450/572. Lorenzo Cain (28, ABS / HOU). 333/382/554. 4.3 WAR. Rajai Davis (29, ASN / BBB). 278/315/396. 34 SB. Cy Williams (26, ALI / HOD). 306/361/716. 44 HR.
#AA Pitchers
Ping Gardner (24, SYR / HOM). 10-1, 2.67. Art Johnson (22, JCS / BRK). 10-4, 3.45. Lew Krausse, Jr. (22, JCS / BRK). 8-6, 3.99. 3.6 WAR. Doc Newton (21, JCS / BRK). 10-0, 2.86. 3.6 WAR. Lance McCullers (20, CCH / HOU). 3-5, 3.50. 24 Sv. Mike Minor (25, 6-4, 2.58. Masahiro Tanka (24, TRO / NYG). 10-12. 4.28.
The trading deadline is only a week away, so that becomes a bit of the focus for both this week and next.
#Awards
Ottawa‘s Gary Carter had 6 homeruns and a .450 average last week, earning him the National League Player of the Week honors while over in the AL, Player of the Week accolades went to Los Angeles‘ Kal Daniels. Daniels, who is having a borderline MVP candidate season, went 14-for-25 on the week, raising his overall batting average to .353.
#Team Performance
Cleveland and Brooklyn have both put some distance between themselves and their chase packs: in the Bill James Division, Cleveland (9-1 over their last 10 games) leads the New York Black Yankees by 4 games while in the Effa Manley Division, Brooklyn is now up by a whopping 10.5 over Homestead.
With the San Francisco Sea Lions running away with the Cum Posey Division (with the best record in baseball, they currently hold an 18.5 game lead), that leaves the Marvin Miller Division as the only currently close race, with the Kansas City Monarchs in first and Birmingham in last, with only 4.5 games separating the 5 teams in the division.
We’ll start to pay more attention to the Wild Card standings soon, for now, the Black Yankees and the Detroit Wolverines would make it in the AL, with Homestead and the surprising Ottawa Mounties in the NL. However, those races are all still very close.
With 5 losses in a row, Baltimore has recovered the worst record in the league with a .427 winning percentage (they briefly ceded this dubious honor to the Chicago American Giants, who have improved just enough to move ahead of the Black Barons).
#Player Performance
#Batters
What jumps out at me most is how widespread the talent is. This list has the top 2 performers in all categories, yet each team is only represented once.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 295/361/688. 125 RBI. José Canseco (MCG). 260/369/740. 52 HR. Oscar Charleston (IND). 348/388/650. 157 H, 12 3B. Ty Cobb (DET). 370/426/788. 154 H, 47 2B, 104 R, 6.4 WAR. Kal Daniels (LAA). 353/444/660. Josh Gibson (HOM). 408/507/790. 8.1 WAR. Joe Jackson (CAG). 352/406/586. 51 2B. Bullet Joe Rogan (PHI). 287/341/610. 12 3B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 280/411/730. 53 HR,126 RBI, 106 R, 87 BB. Ted Williams (MEM). 308/427/653. 80 BB.
#Pitchers
#Starters
All 5 players with at least 14 wins are listed, as well as the top 2 in other categories.
A. Rube Foster (KCM). 8-4, 3.01. 0.98 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 14-4, 4.12. Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-7, 4.40. 197 K. Orel Hershiser (BRK). 15-5, 3.79. Bump Hadley (SFS). 16-5, 4.11. Luis Padrón (IND). 16-3, 3.36. Eddie Plank (SFS). 15-5, 4.32. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 13-8, 3.13. 207 K, 0.98 WHIP, 3.19 FIP, 6.4 WAR. Jim Whitney (MCG). 8-3, 2.86. 0.98 WHIP. Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 10-9, 3.82. 3.58 WHIP, 5.1 WAR.
#Relievers
3 closers have 25+ saves, including Brooklyn’s Eric Gagne, who may be the most dominant fireman in the league at the moment. If it’s not Gagne, it’s one of the relievers who have recently taken over the closer role for their teams: Chicago’s Akinori Otsuka or Kansas City’s Craig Kimbrel.
25 Min IP.
Rod Beck (SFS). 4-3, 5.23. 27 Sv, 1 H. Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-1, 2.52. 25 Sv. Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 2.11. 1 Sv, 8 H. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-6, 5.36. 1 Sv, 17 H. Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 3-4, 2.23. 7 Sv, 11 H. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 7-3, 3.56. 27 Sv. Akinori Otsuka (CAG). 5-1, 1.85. 6 Sv, 5 H. BJ Ryan (OTT). 2-3, 4.95. 1 Sv, 14 H.
#Game of the Week
So so close to the no no.
Pitching on short rest, Indianapolis‘ Johnny Cueto delivered 5 hitless innings in a start against Ottawa … then Clay Carroll added 2 more, and Rob Murphy another. Which meant Rob Dibble came in for the bottom of the 9th with the ABC’s leading 7-0 and throwing a combined no-hitter. Dibble got Roberto Alomar to groundout, Larry Walker to whiff … and then gave up a long fly ball to Gary Carter that just barely cleared the outfield fence, ruining the shutout and the no-no.
IND 7 (Carroll 1-2) @ OTT 1 (Radbourn 11-10) HRs: IND – Dunn (33), Charleston (30), Votto (26); OTT – Carter (44). Box Score
#Injury Report
Not a lot of impact here right now: names that might see a rehab stint this week include John Tudor (BAL), Bob Brown (OTT), Ross Reynolds (LAA), and Casey Stengel (HOU).
In addition to the natural clarification of the playoff races, August has 2 very important dates: 8/17 is the trading deadline and 8/23 marks the day rosters can be expanded.
#Awards
#July Awards
All hail Homestead‘s Josh Gibson, who hit .487 with 11 homeruns and 36 RBIs in July to win the NL Batter of the Month. For good measure, Gibson added 19 walks, giving him an OBP for the month approaching .600 (.598).
Los Angeles‘ Kal Daniels continues to deliver on his talent, hitting .371 with 12 homers and 30 RBI’s to take home the AL Batter of the Month.
Don Drysedale was in what could most generously be called a funk until July hit, with some even calling for Brooklyn‘s ace to be moved to the bullpen. Instead, he went 5-0 in the month with a 1.81 ERA to take home the NL Pitcher of the Month Award.
Memphis‘ Stubby Overmire was named the AL Pitcher of the Month, going 3-0 with a 1.36 ERA in the year, finding some of the form that led to his ERA crown last year.
Drysedale’s teammate John Briggs just keeps proving his doubters wrong. The 21 year old CF took home the July Rookie of the Month Award in the NL, hitting .366 for the month with 8 homeruns, 17 RBI’s, and 20 runs scored. Another CF–Detroit‘s budding superstar Turkey Stearnes–took home the honors in the AL, hitting .337 with 9 homeruns and 25 RBI’s in the month.
For once, there wasn’t much controversy with the awards. Gibson, whose 1.651 OPS led the league for the month, was a clear choice, meaning Houston‘s Jeff Bagwell–second at 1.375–could understand the decision not going his way.
Birmingham‘s Hank Aaron, and Cleveland‘s Lance Berkman and Ron Blomberg each had 13 homers on the month, with Blomberg driving in a ridiculous 39 runners. But Daniels had the higher OPS, and certainly was a defensible choice.
Drysedale was the only hurler with 5 wins in July, and Overmire and he were 1-2 in ERA. So, overall, solid selections across the board.
#Weekly Awards
Stearnes’ hot streak also earned him the AL Player of the Week Award, as he hit .500 with 5 homers in the first week of August. In the NL, a .536 average with 3 homers earned Brooklyn’s Jackie Robinson the Player of the Week Award.
#Team Performance
In the Bill James Division, it looks like a 2-team race, with Cleveland now leading the New York Black Yankees by a single game. That makes it and the Marvin Miller Division the ones worth watching–the Marvin Miller is a 3 team race currently, with Kansas City leading Indianapolis by 1.5 and Houston by 3. But Birmingham and the House of David are only 5.5 games back, so nobody is truly out of the picture.
Not so in the Cum Posey Division: with the best record in baseball, San Francisco is the only team in the division over .500 and leads second place Miami by 18.5 games.
The Effa Manley Division is edging closer to being settled, as Brooklyn, now with the 2nd best record in the league, leads Homesteads by 7.5.
Chicago–yes, last year’s playoff contender Chicago–has the worst record in baseball, at 49-63.
#Player Performance
#Batters
I mean … Josh Gibson, ladies and gentlemen. Ty Cobb has regained the SLG lead by .003, but Gibson is having himself a year for the ages at this point.
Top 2 across all categories.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 291/358/668. 117 RBI. José Canseco (MCG). 259/370/741. 50 HR. Oscar Charleston (IND). 342/384/637. 145 H, 12 3B. Ty Cobb (DET). 369/423/799. 145 H, 44 2B, 96 R, 6.2 WAR. Kal Daniels (LAA). 339/432/656. Josh Gibson (HOM). 406/505/794. 7.7 WAR. Tony Gwynn (HOU). 348/386/558. 141 H. Joe Jackson (CAG). 355/408/580. 50 2B. Charles Rogan (PHI). 287/339/614. 12 3B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 280/413/739. 51 HR,117 RBI,102 R, 5.9 WAR. Ted Williams (MEM). 313/432/651.
#Pitchers
#Starters
7 players have 13 or more wins, led by San Francisco’s Bump Hadley with 16; we’ve included all of those as well as the top 2 in other categories.
The list has settled somewhat–only the Black Yankee’s Ron Guidry doesn’t really belong on a list of the best starters in the WBL (those strikeouts tho …).
Roger Clemens (HOU). 13-6, 3.43. A. Rube Foster (KCM). 7-3, 2.89. 0.98 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 14-4, 3.93. 167 IP. Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-7, 4.14. 191 K. Orel Hershiser (BRK). 14-5, 3.92. Bump Hadley (SFS). 16-5, 4.05. José Méndez (MCG). 9-5, 4.34. 164 IP. 0.98 WHIP. Luis Padrón (IND). 15-3, 3.40. 3.65 FIP, 5.0 WAR. Eddie Plank (SFS). 15-5, 4.14. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 13-8, 3.13. 197 K, 0.97 WHIP, 3.17 FIP, 6.2 WAR. Jim Whitney (MCG). 7-3, 3.05.
#Relievers
All 5 closers with 20 or more saves are listed, as well as top 2 in relevant stats. Relievers are weird–Rod Beck and Michael Jackson have had strong years, but have also had a couple disastrous outings each, leading to ERA’s over 5.00 despite leading the league in saves and holds, respectively.
24 Min IP.
Terry Adams (CLE). 1-4, 3.82. 20 Sv, 2 H. Rod Beck (SFS). 3-3, 5.17. 27 Sv, 1 H. Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-1, 2.76. 23 Sv. Ken Howell (SFS). 4-1, 2.09. 4 Sv, 6 H. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-6, 5.73. 1 Sv, 15 H. Ted Kennedy (PHI). 2-2, 3.64. 4 Sv, 13 H. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 7-3, 3.60. 26 Sv. Joe Nathan (LAA). 5-4, 3.57. 20 Sv. Akinori Otsuka (CAG). 4-1, 1.99. 5 Sv, 5 H. BJ Ryan (OTT). 2-3, 3.43. 1 Sv, 13 H.
#Looking Back at Preseason Predictions
Some good/some bad, as usual.
In the AL, The San Francisco Sea Lions were the clear preseason favorite, and they’ve delivered; but the experts also had the New York Black Yankees running away with their division, which has certainly not been the case. And nobody saw Chicago’s collapse–the experts saw the American Giants in 2nd place behind the Sea Lions, led by an MVP quality season from Frank Thomas. The Big Hurt has been good, but not that good, and the American Giants have floundered for most of the season.
Over in the NL, the prediction was for Brooklyn and Homestead to be tied for first place, which is not far off. But the Marvin Miller Division is a bit mixed up, with Houston being predicted to coast to a 7 game lead with Kansas City and Indianapolis (currently 1-2) foundering at the bottom of the table.
#Injury Report
Memphis’ Dobie Moore should start a rehab assignment this week, as will the New York Gothams‘ Carson Smith and Ottawa’s Bill Smith.
We’ll preview the All Star selections, so this will be a bit of a longer entry.
#Awards
Lots of awards, as we moved into a new month!
First, the smaller ones. Houston‘s Jeff Bagwell was the National League Player of the Week, hitting .409 with 5 homeruns while Eric Davis of the juggernaut New York Black Yankees was the American League Player of the Week, hitting .481 with 5 homers in the same span.
In the monthly awards, the American League Rookie of the Month for June was San Francisco‘s Turkey Stearnes, who hit .378 with 11 homeruns in the month.
Kansas City‘s A. Rube Foster was both the National League Rookie of the Month and the NL Pitcher of the Month, going 3-1 with a 1.65 ERA, as the young hurler announced himself as, at least so far, a premier WBL starter. The American League Pitcher of the Month was Bump Hadley, Stearnes’ teammate in San Francisco. Hadley was 5-0 in June with a 2.66 ERA.
Ottawa‘s star backstop, Gary Carter, was the National League Batter of the Month, hitting .397 with 14 homeruns in June while in the American League, unsurprisingly, the award went to the stellar Ty Cobb. The Detroit OF hit .408 with 11 homers in June, which actually brought his overall average down in that span (Cobb is leading the WBL in BA at .418).
#Team Performance
Yawn.
The Black Yankees and the Sea Lions continue to be the 2 best teams in the league, leading their divisions by 5 and 11 games respectively.
The Effa Manley Division might offer some excitement in the second half, as Brooklyn still leads Homestead by 4 and the New York Gothams by 5.5. But the only true race is in the Marvin Miller Division, where Kansas City has overtaken Indianapolis, now leading the ABC’s by 2.5 games.
The Houston Colt 45’s are 8-2 over their last 10 games, but still sit 5 games under .500. Detroit and Philadelphia are moving in the other direction, with each team managing only 2 wins in their last 10 contests.
Birmingham still has the worst record in the league, but they have moved over .400, sitting at .410 (34-49).
#Player Performance
Batters
It’s still Ty Cobb’s world, although Babe Ruth is doing Babe Ruth things, and reached the 40 homerun plateau during the last week.
José Canseco (MCG). 254/375/734. 36 HR. Oscar Charleston (IND). 336/386/642. 103 H, 9 3B. Ty Cobb (DET). 416/464/885. 116 H, 37 2B, 8 3B, 5.8 WAR. Josh Gibson (HOM). 392/481/748. 5.1 WAR. Tony Gwynn (HOU). 389/425/601. 116 H. Pete Hill (HOU). 291/371/487. 10 3B. Joe Jackson (CAG). 356/398/588. 103 H, 39 2B. Stan Musial (KCM). 329/392/573. 37 2B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 292/426/775. 40 HR, 90 RBI, 82 R, 68 BB, 5.0 WAR. Larry Walker (OTT). 293/369/721. 36 HR, 85 RBI.
Rickey Henderson (San Francisco) and Tim Raines (Ottawa) continue to be 1-2 in the league in steals, but it’s getting closer, with Henderson’s edge now 60 to 53.
Pitchers
Starters
While his performance has been somewhat below par, the New York Gothams’ Christy Mathewson continues to be definition of workhorse, leading the WBL with 20 starts, 2 ahead of a bevy of hurlers with 18.
7 pitchers have reached double-digits in wins, with Luis Padrón (Indianapolis) leading the way at 11-2. All 7 are included below. Houston’s Toad Ramsey was so dominant for so long, he is still the top starter in the league despite a recent dip in form, but I would probably choose Lefty Grove of San Francisco or the emergent A. Rube Foster.
Frank Castillo (KCM). 10-1, 4.22. A. Rube Foster (KCM). 5-1, 2.30. .203 BABIP, 0.98 WHIP, 3.70 FIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 10-4, 3.71. 126 IP, 132 K, 3.1 WAR. Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-4, 3.86. 143 K, 3.80 FIP, 3.2 WAR. Bump Hadley (SFS). 11-4, 4.21, 3.50 FIP, 3.0 WAR. Orel Hershiser (BRK). 10-4, 3.87. Luis Padrón (IND). 11-2, 4.21. 3.57 FIP, 3.3 WAR. Eddie Plank (SFS). 11-3, 3.54. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 11-4, 2.77. 124 IP, 152 K, 0.89 WHIP, 2.80 FIP, 5.2 WAR. Ed Walsh (CAG). 6-3, 3.41. 1 Sv, .201 BABIP. Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 7-7, 3.41. 3.66 FIP, 3.4 WAR.
Relievers
We’ve listed the top 3 leaders in saves, all 5 of the relievers who have reached double digits in Holds, as well as all 5 with an ERA below 2.00.
18 IP minimum.
Rod Beck (SFS). 3-2, 3.47. 21 Sv. Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-2, 6.03. 11 H. Eric Gagne (BRK). 1-1, 2.92. 19 Sv. Ken Howell (SFS). 4-1, 1.72. 1 Sv, 4 H. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-4, 4.13. 1 Sv, 10 H. Brad Kilby (PHI). 1-2, 4.39. 2 Sv, 10 H. Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 2-1, 1.14. 2 Sv, 11 H. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 4-2, 3.45. 20 Sv. Rob Murphy (IND). 1-3, 3.75. 1 Sv, 11 H. Robb Nen (NYG). 3-2, 1.95. 9 Sv, 6 H. Ron Robinson (SFS). 1-0, 1.64. 3 Sv, 3 H. BJ Ryan (OTT). 1-2, 4.15. 1 Sv, 10 H. Harley Young (BBB). 1-0, 1.23. 3 Sv, 5 H.
#Injury Report
Portland lost half of their backstop platoon as AJ Pierzynski will be out for close to a month. News was worse for Ottawa, as SP Bob Moose is out for close to a year.
Houston’s Casey Stengel and Kansas City’s Lou Brock are awaiting diagnosis on their current injuries.
Baltimore’s Bobby Wallace, Detroit’s Billy Hoeft, and the Black Yankees’ Dave Righetti should all begin rehab assignments this week.
#The All Star Candidates
We’ll look at these by position, mixing the two leagues for the time being.
For each position, we’ve included as many players as it takes to have at least 3-4 candidates from each league, highlighting some pretty severe disparities in talent between the AL and the NL.
If players don’t qualify for the batting stats, their playing time is noted, as are some other potentially influencing factors. This indicates a leader at that position among the players listed (but not necessarily overall).
Each league can only select 32 players for the All Star Game itself (usually 20 or 21 position players and 11 or 12 pitchers), so quite a few of the players listed here will be left on the outside looking in.
#C
The NL dominates here, with 3 catchers with an OPS over 1.000. That means some worthy candidates–most notably NYG’s Buster Posey –are likely to miss out.
Name
Tm / Lg
OPS
Reg Stats
Other
Josh Gibson
HOM / NL
1.229
5.1 WAR; 67 RBI
3.1 FRM
Gary Carter
OTT /NL
1.073
28 HR
47.1 RTO%
Mike Piazza
BRK / NL
1.042
29 HR; 65 RBI
4.87 CERA
Ed Bailey
DET / AL
.972
57 G/216 PA; 43.6 RTO%
Jim Pagliaroni
BBB / NL
.925
61 G/231 PA
Mickey Cochrane
SFS / AL
.917
10 SB; 4.39 CERA
Ted Simmons
KCM / NL
.900
63 G/256 PA; 4.15 CERA
Buster Posey
NYG / NL
.870
3.8 FRM
Joe Mauer
POR / AL
.856
14 SB
Curt Blefary
BAL /AL
.826
Carlton Fisk
CAG / AL
.800
67 G/254 PA; 11 SB
FRM = Framing Runs | RTO% = Runners Thrown Out | CERA = Catcher ERA
The other stalwart defensive catchers–Miami‘s Iván Rodríguez and Indianapolis’ Johnny Bench–just haven’t hit enough, although a late surge by Bench has moved him up these lists.
I don’t think there is any question in the NL, where it’s Gibson, Carter, and Piazza. Cochrane and Mauer should be in for the AL, with a question of whether you go with Bailey’s bat in more limited appearances or Blefary. Should the NL decide to carry 4 backstops, the choice between Pagliaroni and Simmons (and, perhaps, Posey) is close.
Gibson and Cochrane should be the starters.
#1B
The AL has a slight edge here, but there’s a lot of talent throughout.
Name
Tm / Lg
OPS
Reg Stats
Other
Lou Gehrig
NYY / AL
1.057
28 HR; 21 2B; 65 RBI
.995 Fldg
Will Clark
NYG / NL
1.006
Frank Thomas
CAG / AL
1.004
Hank Greenberg
DET / AL
.991
26 HR
.998 Fldg; 3.1 ZR
Mike Epstein
HOM / NL
.965
Anthony Rizzo
HOD / NL
.964
Lance Berkman
CLE / AL
.957
Jim Thome
MCG / AL
.927
28 HR; 64 RBI
Jeff Bagwell
HOU / NL
.923
66 RBI
.995 Fldg
Boog Powell
KCM / NL
.920
.995 Fldg; 9.23 RF; 2.9 ZR
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
Gehrig and Clark are almost certainly the starters, and the AL will likely take Thomas and Greenberg as well. In the NL, it gets a little trickier, as Powell (along with Greenberg) is one of the better 1B defensively. Epstein’s offense will carry him, but after that my guess is Rizzo gets the selection (but cannot participate via injury), and is replaced by Powell, with Bagwell having a legitimate complaint.
#2B
The NL is ridiculously stacked in terms of offensive-minded 2B.
Name
Tm / Lg
OPS
Reg Stats
Other
Joe Morgan
IND / NL
1.088
47 G/199 PA
Roberto Alomar
OTT/ NL
1.008
21 2B; 18 HR; 64 RBI; 31 SB; 3.5 WAR
Ryne Sandberg
HOD / NL
.995
28 HR; 60 RBI; 2.9 WAR
.997 Fldg; 5.00 RF
Jackie Robinson
BRK / NL
.938
Rogers Hornsby
POR / AL
.919
53 G/234 PA
Charlie Gehringer
DET / AL
.876
57 G/225 PA; .989 Fldg; 5.09 RF
Eddie Collins
CAG / AL
.850
36 SB
Bobby Grich
LAA / AL
.845
15 HR
Craig Biggio
HOU / NL
.841
Chase Utley
PHI / NL
.781
4.92 RF; 9.3 ZR
Cookie Rojas
MCG / AL
.766
27 2B
.987 Fldg
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
Joe Morgan is included just for interest–he missed too much time to injury to warrant serious consideration. Detroit’s Charlie Gehringer, on the other hand, probably makes the cut, despite starting the season in the minors.
In the NL, it’s pretty clear: Alomar, Sandberg, and Robinson, with the starter being decided between Sandberg and Alomar over the next week. The AL is trickier, but I think it ends up going according to form: Eddie Collins to start, with Gehringer and Hornsby behind him.
#SS
It’s pretty impressive there are this many shortstops that can hit, and Ernie Banks‘ production is incredible.
Name
Tm / Lg
OPS
Reg Stats
Other
Ernie Banks
HOD/ NL
.978
30 HR; 71 RBI
Cal Ripken, Jr.
BAL / AL
.967
39 G/140 PA; .993 Fldg; 4.90 RF
Carlos Correa
HOU/ NL
.929
18 2B; 2.8 WAR
Arky Vaughan
CLE / AL
.887
19 2B; 2.4 WAR
6.3 ZR
Álex Rodríguez
OTT / NL
.885
23 HR
Robin Yount
MCG / AL
.845
15 HR
5.8 ZR
Jim Fregosi
POR / AL
.793
Dick Lundy
SFS / AL
.783
7 3B; 2.1 WAR; 33 SB
Derek Jeter
NYY / AL
.762
Dobie Moore
MEM / AL
.750
22 SB
.983 Fldg
Ozzie Smith
KCM / NL
.672
19 2B; 25 SB
.994 Fldg; 6.3 ZR
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
Ripken, Jr. is really not a serious contender, but he has been impressive in the 40 G’s he’s played. That gives us Banks, Correa, and Rodríguez in the NL and Vaughan, Yount, and either Fregosi or Lundy in the AL.
Smith is included because of his superlative defense, but doesn’t probably make the cut.
This is an interesting position: Vaughan and Rodríguez changed teams in the off season, and Correa’s performance has been a bit of a shock.
#3B
The top 5 are locks, beyond that, it gets much trickier, especially in the NL.
Name
Tm / Lg
OPS
Reg Stats
Other
Albert Pujols
KCM / NL
1.046
32 2B; 60 RBI; 2.8 WAR
Ron Cey
BRK / NL
.967
2.4 WAR
.976 Fldg; 3.3 ZR
Gary Sheffield
MCG/ AL
.929
22 HR; 55 RBI; 15 SB
Evan Longoria
CLE / AL
.926
2.2 ZR
Mike Schmidt
NYY / AL
.926
23 HR; 55 RBI
2.59 RF
Scott Rolen
PHI / NL
.922
2.1 WAR
.974 Fldg; 2.7 ZR
Ron Santo
HOD /NL
.906
52 G/192 PA
Eddie Mathews
BBB / NL
.904
24 HR
.978 Fldg; 2.66 RF
Wade Boggs
MEM / AL
.896
26 2B
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
After Pujols and Cey, it’s hard in the NL. Matthews and Rolen edge ahead of Santo due to defense and Santo’s relative low usage, but picking between the two of them is very challenging, to the point the NL may go with 4 players at the hot corner.
#OF
All of the OF spots are a bit combined in the end, but we’re keeping them separate for the sake of comparison.
#LF
When Detroit’s Ty Cobb plays the OF, he plays here as well, making the AL selections pretty simple.
Name
Tm / Lg
OPS
Reg Stats
Other
Babe Ruth
NYY / AL
1.201
40 HR; 90 RBI; 5.0 WAR
.988 Fldg; 5.1 ZR
Ted Williams
MEM / AL
1.063
23 2B; 65 RBI
Frank Robinson
BAL / AL
1.035
24 HR; 64 RBI; 2.3 WAR
1.000 Fldg
Adam Dunn
IND / NL
.906
24 HR
.989 Fldg; 3.41 RF
Roy White
BRK / NL
.866
Oscar Gamble
DET / AL
.852
Rickey Henderson
SFS / AL
.840
2.8 WAR; 60 SB
7.2 ZR
Tim Raines
OTT / NL
.773
7 3B; 53 SB
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
So, Ruth, Williams, and Robinson are in, and perhaps Henderson’s 60+ SB warrant a spot. In the NL, it’s more challenging. Dunn seems to be a lock, and White is a bit of a sentimental choice. It may be just those 2 from this group.
#CF
Tris Speaker, as despicable of a human being as he is, is the best in the AL right now, especially considering the defensive contribution. Over in the NL, Willie Mays probably edges Oscar Charleston as the starter.
Name
Tm / Lg
OPS
Reg Stats
Other
Rick Monday
OTT /NL
1.172
41 G/136 PA
Tris Speaker
CLE / AL
1.088
31 2B; 4.0 WAR
2.68 RF; 5.1 ZR; 6 Kills
Turkey Stearnes
SFS / AL
1.065
7 3B; 24 HR
Eric Davis
NYY / AL
1.058
26 SB
41 G/188 PA; 1.000 Fldg
Julio Rodríguez
MCG / AL
1.052
39 G/177 PA
Oscar Charleston
IND / NL
1.027
9 3B; 60 RBI; 24 SB
Willie Mays
NYG / NL
.977
31 HR; 62 RBI; 2.9 WAR
.990 Fldg; 2.70 RF; 7.7 ZR
Mike Trout
LAA / AL
.965
24 2B; 2.8 WAR; 21 SB
1.000 Fldg
Carlos Beltrán
OTT / NL
.916
63 RBI; 21 SB
Alejandro Oms
MCG / AL
.883
5 3B
6.3 ZR
Curtis Granderson
BBB / NL
.876
26 HR
3.01 RF
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
Monday, Davis, and Rodríguez aren’t really in contention, but their performances in limited action have been pretty spectacular.
Speaker, Stearnes, and Trout are pretty much locks in the AL, with Oms being a hard luck case. Beltrán deserves the spot behind Mays and Charleston.
#RF
A deep, deep group, probably 4 deep in each league.
Name
Tm / Lg
OPS
Reg Stats
Other
José Canseco
MCG / AL
1.109
36 HR
Larry Walker
OTT / NL
1.090
36 HR; 85 RBI; 22.4 WAR
3.89 RF
Reggie Jackson
SFS / AL
1.027
63 RBI; 2.8 WAR; 24 SB
Tony Gwynn
HOU / NL
1.026
6 3B; 24 2B; 2.8 WAR
Aaron Judge
PHI / NL
.994
.992 Fldg
Mickey Mantle
NYY / AL
.993
30 HR; 76 RBI
Joe Jackson
CAG /AL
.986
39 2B; 27 SB
Stan Musial
KCM / NL
.964
37 2B
5.5 ZR
Johnny Callison
NYG / NL
.945
.993 Fldg
Mookie Betts
MEM / AL
.865
24 2B
1.000 Fldg
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
Canseco, Mantle, and the 2 Jacksons seem locks in the AL, with Walker, Gwynn, and Judge in the NL. It’s possible Musial misses the cut, as ridiculous as that sounds.
#DH
The pressure here is immense, given the competition for the other OF spots.
Name
Tm / Lg
OPS
Reg Stats
Other
Ty Cobb
DET / AL
1.350
37 2B; 8 3B; 26 HR; 73 RBI; 5.8 WAR; 31 SB
Kal Daniels
LAA / AL
1.023
21 2B; 2.3 WAR; 30 SB
Manny Ramírez
MEM / AL
.986
56 G/224 PA
Ryan Braun
MCG/ AL
.982
31 HR
Willie Stargell
HOM / NL
.980
27 HR
Gavvy Cravath
BAL / AL
.926
22 2B; 69 RBI
Benny Kauff
NYG / NL
.909
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
Cobb is, of course, a lock, and it would be hard to keep Daniels off the roster. Beyond that, though, it gets difficult to justify a pure DH, although Braun, Stargell, and Cravath all have decent arguments.
#P
Pitching is, of course, a constant crapshoot, and a lot could change in the outings this week.
All pitchers are sorted by ERA.
#SP
This list has everyone with an ERA under 4.00 or 10 or more wins.
Name
Tm / Lg
W-L; ERA
Reg Stats
Other
Toad Ramsey
HOU / NL
11-4, 2.77
152 K; 0.89 WHIP; 5.2 WAR; 2.80 FIP
71% QS; 5 CG; 2 SHO; 2.34 SIERA; 1.7 WPA
Doc Gooden
LAA / AL
7-5, 3.17
Hardie Henderson
PHI/ NL
9-6, 3.18
Smokey Joe Williams
BRK / NL
7-7, 3.41
3.4 WAR
Ed Walsh
CAG / AL
6-3, 3.41
1.06 WHIP
Eddie Plank
SFS / AL
11-3, 3.54
Roger Clemens
HOU / NL
9-4, 3.71
65% QS
Lefty Grove
SFS / AL
10-4, 3.71
132 K
4 CG; 3 SHO; 2.87 SIERA
Johnny Cueto
IND / NL
8-4, 3.75
67% QS
Rube Foster
IND / NL
6-4, 3.80
Ron Guidry
NYY / AL
8-4, 3.86
143 K
2.58 SIERA
Orel Hershiser
BRK / NL
10-4, 3.87
Brett Anderson
LAA / AL
7-2, 3.91
1.06 WHIP
Andy Pettitte
NYY / AL
9-5, 4.05
Bump Hadley
SFS / AL
11-4, 4.21
3.50 FIP
Luis Padrón
IND / NL
11-2, 4.21
3.3 WA; 3.57 FIP
Frank Castillo
KCM / NL
10-1, 4.22
3 CG; 2 SHO
José Méndez
MCG / AL
6-4, 4.45
FIP = Fielding Independent Pitching | QS = Quality Starts | SIERA = Skill Interactive ERA | WPA = Win Probability Added
Right now, I would guess the starting matchup is Toad Ramsey for the NL and Eddie Plank for the AL.
Beyond that, in the AL, I see Gooden, Walsh, and Grove as easy picks. Guidry is likely in as well, leaving Anderson and Hadley on the bubble.
The NL is much harder to figure out. Henderson, Hershiser, Padrón, and Castillo feel like they deserve selections, with Williams having a very strong case as well. That would leave some excellent performances–Clemens and Cueto especially–on the outside looking in.
#Swingmen / Long Relivers
These are players who are either swing starters or have seen more innings than the finishers below. As is often the case, there are a few folks here who, for whatever the reason, took a while to be inserted into the rotation.
Name
Tm / Lg
W-L; ERA
Reg Stats
Other
A. Rube Foster
KCM/ NL
5-1, 2.30
0.98 WHIP
7 GS; 90 IP; 86% QS; 2 SHO; 1.0 WPA
Jim Whitney
BBB / NL
4-2, 3.26
1 Sv; 2 H; 1.03 WHIP
11 GS; 94 IP; 73% QS; 1.9 WPA
Tom Brewer
SFS / AL
0-1, 2.33
1 Sv; 2 H
2 GS; 27 IP
Fernando Valenzuela
BRK / NL
5-0, 2.37
1 Sv; 4 H; 0.96 WHIP
1 GS; 60 IP; 1.0 WPA
Rheal Cormier
NYY / AL
0-2, 6.03
11 H
FIP = Fielding Independent Pitching | QS = Quality Starts | SIERA = Skill Interactive ERA | WPA = Win Probability Added
Foster and Valenzuela seem clear selections, with Brewer and Cormier missing the cut and Whitney being on the bubble.
#Closers & Setups
20 IP Minimum, with a possible exception for Brian Wilson of the New York Gothams.
Name
Tm / Lg
W-L; ERA
Reg Stats
Other
Brian Wilson
NYG/ NL
1-0, 1.08
11 Sv
17 IP
Craig Kimbrel
KCM / NL
2-1, 1.14
2 Sv; 11 H; 0.89 WHIP
15 SD; 5.6 IRS%; 2.90 SIERA; 2.0 WPA
Harley Young
BBB / NL
1-0, 1.23
3 Sv; 5 H
Ron Robinson
SFS / AL
1-0, 1.64
3 Sv; 3 H
Ken Howell
SFS / AL
4-1, 1.72
1 Sv; 4 H
Robb Nen
NYG / NL
3-2, 1.95
9 Sv; 6 H
Eddie Guardado
KCM / NL
2-1, 2.08
1 Sv; 5 H
2.92 SIERA
Tug McGraw
HOU / NL
3-3, 2.16
7 Sv
Ross Reynolds
LAA / AL
2-0, 2.19
1 Sv; 1 H
Goose Gossage
NYY / AL
2-3, 2.32
9 Sv; 8 H
.90 Sv%
Lee Smith
HOD / NL
4-1, 2.73
5 Sv; 6 H; 0.73 WHIP
Eric Gagne
BRK / NL
1-1, 2.92
19 Sv
17 SD
Justin Hampson
BAL / AL
0-0, 3.00
7 H; 0.95 WHIP
Terry Adams
CLE / AL
1-2, 3.18
15 Sv; 2 H
.94 Sv%
Josh Lindblom
HOM / NL
4-2, 3.45
20 Sv
.95 Sv%; 16 SD; 1.3 WPA
Rod Beck
SFS / AL
3-2, 3.47
21 Sv; 0.73 WHIP
15 SD
Rob Murphy
IND / NL
1-3, 3.75
1 Sv; 11 H
Michael Jackson
HOM / NL
1-4, 4.13
1 Sv; 10 H
BJ Ryan
OTT / NL
1-2, 4.15
1 Sv; 10 H
Brad Kilby
PHI / NL
1-2, 4.39
2 Sv; 10 H
2.73 SIERA
Rob Dibble
IND / NL
2-2, 5.25
16 Sv
Jeff Pfeffer
KCM / NL
1-3, 5.61
16 Sv
FIP = Fielding Independent Pitching | QS = Quality Starts | SIERA = Skill Interactive ERA | WPA = Win Probability Added
A difficult set of choices for sure. Of the true closers, Gagne, Lindblom, and Beck seem locks, with Kimbrel, Young, Howell, Nen, McGraw, Gossage, and Smith deserving nods as well.
That would give the NL 7 selections, likely keeping Wilson from making the team. It would also give the AL only 3, opening the door for Adams and even Reynolds or Hampson.
We’re rounding the corner towards the selection of this year’s All-Star teams. Today, we’ll check in on last year’s all stars from the AL.
#Awards
Duke Snider hit .444 with 5 homeruns last week, earning the Brooklyn OFer the NL Player of the Week Award. In the other league, Detroit‘s irrepressible Ty Cobb was named AL Player of the Week. Cobb moved his average back over .400, finishing the week at .411 after hitting .579 with 5 homers.
And, over in the Effa Manley Division, 5.5 games separate Brooklyn in first and Ottawa at the bottom.
Memphis and Brooklyn have gone 8-2 over their last 10 games, while Miami has done the inverse, finishing 2-8 over their last week and a half.
#Player Performance
Batters
Someone poked Babe Ruth, insinuating that the Black Yankees’ OF might not be the dominant player in the league. Since then, he has been on fire, retaking the league lead in his usual categories.
Three batters sit over .400: Houston‘s Tony Gwynn at .427, Ty Cobb at .411, and Homestead‘s Josh Gibson at .402. Gwynn, predictably, is the only batter with over 100 hits so far in the season.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 328/380/626. 9 3B. Ty Cobb (DET). 411/462/864. 97 H; 34 2B; 4.9 WAR. Josh Gibson (HOM). 402/480/776. 4.5 WAR. Tony Gwynn (HOU). 427/460/668. 108 H. Joe Jackson (CHI). 368/417/611. 35 2B. Stan Musial (KCM). 329/394/573. 35 2B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 297/420/768. 34 HR; 81 RBI; 67 R; 55 BB. Larry Walker (OTT). 321/390/782. 32 HR; 73 RBI. Ted Williams (MEM). 306/425/624. 60 R; 48 BB.
San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson continues to lead the league in steals with 51, but Ottawa’s Tim Raines has recovered a bit offensively, and being on base more has allowed him to close the gap a bit, now sitting with 44 on the year.
Pitchers
Starters
Indianapolis’ Luis Padrón and San Francisco’s Bump Hadley are the only hurlers in double digits for wins. The three pitchers with 9 victories are also included below, as well as the usual statistical leaders. Of note is the appearance of Kansas City’s A. Rube Foster, who now has (barely) enough IP to qualify here.
The dominance of Kansas City and San Francisco is worth mentioning as well.
Frank Castillo (KCM). 9-1, 4.01. A. Rube Foster (KCM). 4-0, 2.44. 0.86 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 8-4, 3.19. 107 IP; 3.1 WAR. Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-3, 3.68. 116 K. Bump Hadley (SFS). 10-4, 3.81. 3.29 FIP. Luis Padrón (IND). 10-2, 3.90. Eddie Plank (SFS). 9-3, 3.65. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 9-4, 3.03. 107 IP; 134 K; 0.94 WHIP; 2.72 FIP; 4.6 WAR.
Relievers
Five relievers have 9 Holds at this point, and all of them are listed, making this a bit of a larger group than usual.
16 IP minimum.
Rod Beck (SFS). 2-2, 3.79. 19 Sv. Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-1, 3.72. 9 H. Ken Howell (SFS). 4-1, 1.46. 3 H. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-3, 3.55. 1 Sv; 9 H. Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 1-0, 0.92. 2 Sv; 9 H; 0.71 WHIP; 2.07 FIP. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 3-2, 4.01. 18 Sv. Rob Murphy (IND). 1-1, 2.70. 1 Sv; 9 H. Ross Reynolds (LAA). 2-0, 1.93. 1 Sv; 1 H; 2.02 FIP. BJ Ryan (OTT). 1-2, 4.85. 1 Sv; 9 H. Lee Smith (HOD). 4-1, 2.97. 3 Sv; 6 H; 0.73 WHIP.
#2 Way Players
It’s been a while, so figured we should check back in on these guys. Here’s the list:
Name
Team
Batting
Pitching
Total WAR
Charles Rogan
PHI
311/356/605. 1.8 WAR.
4-5, 4.55. 1.8 WAR.
3.6
Luis Padrón
IND
252/331/390. 0.1 WAR.
11-2, 3.90. 2.9 WAR.
3.0
Smokey Joe Wood
KCM
263/364/526. 0.1 WAR.
8-3, 3.41. 2.1 WAR.
2.2
JM Ward
PHI
158/186/246. -0.7 WAR.
3-2, 3.68. 1.8 WAR.
1.1
Jim Whitney
BBB
140/178/256. -0.4 WAR.
2-2, 4.00. 1.1 WAR.
0.7
Elmer Smith
LAA
323/462/387. 0.2 WAR.
0-1, 6.46. -0.1 WAR.
0.1
Eustaquio Pedroso
MIA
210/312/296. -0.3 WAR.
2-1, 6.11. -0.2 WAR.
-0.5
Wood has received very little time in the field, so we’ll see how he does as that expands. It looks like Ward should stay on the mound, and that really, it’s only Rogan and Padrón as truly valuable 2-way talents.
#Injury Report
Cleveland’s Mel Harder, Detroit’s Hal Newhouser, Miami’s Kenshin Kawakami and perhaps most importantly, Portland’s Joséito Muñoz should all start injury rehabs later this week. Should those go well, all four teams should receive rotation boosts in the near future.
#Last Year’s All-Stars
As we ramp up to this year’s all-star game, seemed a good time to check in on last year’s designees. This week, we’ll take a look at (what was last year) the AL.
#OBV
Bob Bailey (3B, DET). Just a dependable offensive machine at the hot corner.
Rod Beck (RP, SFS). Still racking up the saves, and doing better than last season otherwise.
Hank Greenberg (1B, DET). Keeps pounding the ball.
Mike Henneman (RP, DET). Remains dominant from the bullpen.
Rogers Hornsby (2B, POR). Keeps rolling along with better numbers than last season.
Joe Jackson (OF, CAG). This year’s version is a doubles machine without nearly the homerun power, but still maintaining on OPS over 1.000.
Craig Kimbrel (RP, KCM). Dominant, and really making the argument to be moved into the closer slot for Kansas City.
Willie Mays (OF, NYG). Somehow underappreciated despite his stellar performance.
Andy Pettitte (SP, NYY). Just keeps rolling. Like the whole league, his ERA is a little higher, but his peripheral numbers are strong.
Buster Posey (C, NYG). More power than last year, a little less of everything else, but still elite.
Frank Thomas (1B, CAG). Significantly better offensively across the board, which is a truly frightening statement.
Ted Williams (OF, MEM). A borderline selection last year, he’s upped his game significantly this season, with an OPS of 1.049.
#Mebbe
Curt Blefary (C, BAL). Nowhere near as good as last season, but still a good offensive player, showing both power and control of the strike zone.
Eddie Collins (2B, CAG). Power output has fallen off, and while he’s still a top performer, is not the MVP candidate of last season.
Mike Epstein (1B, HOM). The shape of his production has changed, as his BA has dropped 80 points. But he’s slugging .570 and his OPS is virtually the same as last season.
Dan McGann (1B, BAL). At 37, he’s performing better than last season, but remains under the radar for some reason.
Stan Musial (OF, KCM). He’s hitting almost exactly the same as he did last year, but has struggled with the longball. That may be enough to nudge him off the team, unfair as that may be.
#Meh
Dick Allen (3B, CAB). Not doing badly, but clearly a long wasy from an all star at this point.
Gerrit Cole (SP, LAA). May be pitching better than last season, but without the dominant W/L record, should fall far short of the all-star game.
Mark Melancon (RP, POR). Perhaps a stretch choice last year due to a ridiculous number of wins for a reliever, is doing fine this year, but far from all-star levels.
AJ Minter (RP, CAG). Still the American Giants’ closer, but no longer among the best in the league.
Reggie Smith (OF, MEM). Other than a boost in power, struggling a bit across the board.
Bobby Wallace (SS, BAL). Injured and not performing nearly as well regardless, Wallace is still an on base machine, and clearly has value.
Brian Wilson (RP, NYG). Injured and limited to 13 games so far, but dominant in those appearances, so there’s a chance.
#What Happened?
Bill Byrd (SP, BAL). Well below average so far this season.
Elrod Hendricks (C, HOD). Last year’s magnificent performance looks more and more like a mirage. Hendricks still has power, but is no longer elite among league backstops.
Duffy Lewis (OF, CHI). Struggling, especially in the power department.
Tricky Nichols (SP, CAG). An ERA over 6.00 and a ton of HR’s allowed.
Freddy Parent (SS, CAG). Parent rode his All Star selection–deserved at the time–to a trade to a contender, and then lost the ability to hit for power at all. Without that, he’s a mediocre SS.
Doug Rader (3B, LAA). A stunningly productive 2000 has been followed with … very little.
George Stone (OF, HOD). Significantly worse across the board. Stone looked like a budding star last year, now he looks like a decent 4th OFer.
#Other
Ned Garvin (SP, BAL). Garvin was the dominant pitcher in the league last year when he got injured. He’s been fine since his return, but has yet to find the same level.
Sean Marshall (RP, BAL). Hit by a long-term injury, Marshall is due to return to Baltimore’s bullpen by the all-star game.
Frank Isbell‘s struggles finally earned him a trip to AAA with the Royal Giants needing a starter. Frank Miller was recalled from AAA to make the start, and returned afterwards with, ultimately, Dan Brouthers taking Isbell’s roster spot.
2 homeruns from Jackie Robinson and a strong start from Orel Hershiser led Brooklyn over Philadelphia 6-1. Hershiser improved to 3-1, allowing 4 hits and 1 run over 8 innings.
#Homestead Grays
The Grays moved Carlos Zambrano–0-4 with an ERA over 9.00–into the bullpen, with Doug Drabek taking his spot in the rotation. Drabek has been excellent so far in a relief role, with a 2.45 ERA over 9 games.
#New York Gothams
The Gothams welcomed back closer Brian Wilson. They hadn’t really missed him, as Mike Norris and Robb Nen combined for 9 saves, but it does extend what might be the best bullpen in the league. Guy Hecker was returned to AAA.
Buster Posey and Johnny Callison hit monstrous homeruns, backing a 3 hit shutout from Carl Hubbell as the Gothams topped the Monarchs, 7-0. Posey had 3 hits and Hubbell improved to 4-2 with the win.
Callison had another 2 homeruns, but the Gothams gave up an 8-3 lead before losing to Ottawa, 9-8.
#Ottawa Mounties
Larry Walker went deep twice and Bill Smith excelled in a spot start as the Mounties topped Houston 6-3.
Cannonball Sam Thompson homered twice leading the Mounties to a come from behind, 9-8 win over the Gothams. Mike Dorgan had 3 hits and 5 relievers (Smith, Dave Gregg, BJ Ryan, Clark Griffith, and Ryan Dempster) combined to allow only 1 hit in over 5 innings of relief of a terribly ineffective Roy Halladay. Smith got the win, strengthening his case to be moved into a full time rotation spot for Ottawa.
#Philadelphia Stars
Scott Rolen went deep twice as the Stars triumphed over Brooklyn, 8-5. Hardie Henderson won his 5th game of the year with 6 decent innings and 5 Stars hurlers combined to close out the victory.
Germany Smith was recalled from his injury rehab, with Maury Wills heading to AAA. For now, Smith will split time at SS with Ray Dandridge, but his power my force his name onto the lineup sheet more often.
#Homestead Grays
Willie Stargell‘s 4th homerun was a walkoff job in the bottom of the 11th, giving the Grays a 3-2 win over Brooklyn. Bob Friend–long gone when Pops struck–pitched excellently for Homestead, striking out 10 in just over 6 innings.
#New York Gothams
Will Clark went deep twice and drove in 6 runs as the Gothams built an early lead and held on, topping the Black Barons 12-8. Buster Posey had 3 hits and Juan Marichal evened up his record at 1-1 with a good outing.
Johnny Callison (3 hits and 6 RBIs) and Pete Runnels (4 hits) had great days, but a very poor outing from Christy Mathewson led to an 11-8 defeat at the hands of the Grays.
#Ottawa Mounties
Gary Carter continued his scorching start with 2 homeruns, giving him 8 on the year. Carter had 3 hits and 3 RBIs and Tim Raines, Larry Walker, and Roberto Alomar also went deep in a 9-5 win over Birmingham. After Old Hoss Radbourn struggled a bit, Bob Brown, Atlee Hammaker, the newly recalled Bill Smith, and BJ Ryan combined to allow only one hit in almost 5 innings of relief.
Carlos Beltrán went deep twice, but it wasn’t enough as the Mounties fell to Birmingham, 12-10. Dupee Shaw was pounded in his first career start, giving up 5 homeruns (4 consecutive) and while Ottawa tied the game after that, despite a strong outing from Smith, the bullpen just couldn’t hold it together.
#Philadelphia Stars
The Stars recalled Aaron Judge from his rehab assignment, sending Harmon Killebrew to AAA for regular playing time. Judge’s first at bat resulted in his 2nd homerun of the season, a welcome sight for Stars fans. Ted Kluszewski and Art Fletcher drove in 2 in the come from behind win over Houston as Larry Jackson, Ted Kennedy, and Bob Howry allowed only 1 hit in 3.2 innings of relief for an ineffective Steve Carlton. Kluszewski tied the game in the 8th and Fletcher drove in the winning run in the 9th, with Kennedy getting the win and Howry his 3rd save of the year.
