And that is that, the regular season for Year 2 is in the books!
We’ll focus on the playoff series this week, so this overall TWIWBL will be a bit brief–but we do have end of month awards!
This TWIWBL will actually be more than 1 week, as we’re going to cover the entirety of the first round playoff series.
#Awards
The Batter of the Month awards went to two sluggers completing historically outstanding years. In the AL, it went to the New York Black Yankees‘ Babe Ruth, who finished strong with 16 homers and 33 RBI and a .337 average in September. In the NL, it was Philadelphia‘s superstar, Aaron Judge, who had an even better month, with 17 homeruns and 35 RBIs.
The NL Pitcher of the Month was a bit of a yawner with Indianapolis‘ Luis Padrón capping a magical season by going 4-0 with a 2.05 ERA in September, resulting in his claiming the overall ERA crown by .01. More on that later.
Over in the AL, it was Miami‘s Phenomenal Smith, who returned from a long-term injury without missing a beat, going 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA as the Cuban Giants pushed (ultimately unsuccessfully) for a postseason spot.
The likely overall AL Rookie of the Year was also the Rookie of the Month in September: San Francisco‘s Turkey Stearnes hit .425 with 8 homers in the month. Over in the NL, one of the better stories of the year, Houston‘s Gorman Thomas, took home the honor. Thomas is a 31 year-old rookie, making the most of his opportunity with 12 homeruns in the month as he carried the Colt 45’s to their first pennant.
Some notes as we move through the final week of the season.
#Monday
Miami moved in front of Detroit by a half game in the AL Wild Card race behind a great start from Phenomenal Smith, whose return may be a difference maker for the Cuban Giants. Smith gave up 1 run in 7 innings, moving to 4-0. Hal Newhouser was good for Detroit, but an early homer from Gary Sheffield and a late one from Joe Adcock sealed the game for Miami.
Miami Cuban Giants
77-79
—
Detroit Wolverines
77-80
0.5
AL Wild Card
Cleveland was supposed to have an easy time of it, hosting the lowly Memphis Red Sox. But the Spiders’ bullpen collapsed, and they dropped a 9-8 decision to the visitors, who were powered by homers from Lefty O’Doul, Hack Wilson, and David Ortiz.
New York Black Yankees
89-67
—
Cleveland Spiders
87-69
2
Bill James Division
In a series that means more for Indianapolis than Philadelphia, the ABC’s opened with a decisive win, 15-8 over the Stars. Johnny Bench hit 2 out, and the game wasn’t as close as the score (Philadelphia tallied 5 in the 9th to make it more respectable).
Houston Colt 45s
81-75
—
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-79
3.5
Kansas City Monarchs
77-80
4.5
Marvin Miller Division
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-79
—
Kansas City Monarchs
77-80
1
Wandering House of David
76-81
2
NL Wild Card
#Tuesday
Detroit pulled back into a dead heat with Miami, pounding out 6 homeruns (2 from JD Martinez) in an 11-5 win. Ernie Lombardi, Tony Lazzeri, Oscar Gamble, and Ty Cobb also went deep for the Wolverines in an easy win for the visitors.
Detroit Wolverines
78-80
—
Miami Cuban Giants
77-80
0.5
AL Wild Card
Memphis did it again, beating Cleveland 4-2, and dropping the Spiders 2.5 games behind the Black Yankees. Homers from Reggie Smith and Wade Boggs backed a strong showing from Stubby Overmire, who moved to 13-9 on the year. The Spiders, however, remained only 2 games behind the Black Yankees as New York fell to San Francisco, 9-0, as Bump Hadley improved to 18-6 with a masterful 1-hitter.
New York Black Yankees
89-68
—
Cleveland Spiders
87-70
2
Bill James Division
Philadelphia stormed back from a 7-1 deficit, beating the ABC’s 8-7 on a pinch-hit walkoff shot from Aaron Judge–his 60th of the year–in a game that saw 2 grandslams, one from Indianapolis’ Ed Swartwood, the other from the Stars’ Charles Rogan. This was good news for Houston, who dropped a 9-8 decision to the New York Gothams, who were powered by 2 homeruns from Willie Mays. Houston remains 3.5 games ahead in the Marvin Miller Division.
Riding an excellent start from Rick Reuschel, the House of David pulled into a tie with Kansas City by defeating the Monarchs 3-1. Reuschel was supported by Ryne Sandberg‘s 40th homer of the year, and the win leaves both teams 1 game behind Indianapolis in the Wild Card race.
Houston Colt 45s
81-75
—
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-79
3.5
Kansas City Monarchs
77-80
4.5
Marvin Miller Division
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-80
—
Kansas City Monarchs
77-81
1
Wandering House of David
77-81
1
NL Wild Card
#Wednesday
What you see depends on where you stand: Miami fans will be miserable at their bullpen’s performance, as the Cuban Giants’ relievers surrendered 11 runs over the final 4 innings n an 11-8 loss to Detroit. Wolverines fans, of course, will be applauding the clutch performance of their team, led by Juan Beníquez‘ 4 hits and 3 RBI’s from Charlie Gehringer and Bob Bailey. The win moves Detroit 1.5 games up in the Wild Card chase.
Detroit Wolverines
79-80
—
Miami Cuban Giants
77-81
1.5
AL Wild Card
The Spiders are struggling, but they refuse to give up: a Larry Doby homerun and walkoff RBI single from John Ellis gave Cleveland a 9-8 win over Memphis, keeping them at least within touch of the Black Yankees for the Bill James Division crown. Willie McCovey hit his 15th homerun in 35 games, and Paul O’Neill (the first of his WBL career) and Ron Blomberg also went deep.
The Black Yankees fell to San Francisco, as Eddie Plank earned his 20th win of the season with 6 strong innings for the Sea Lions. San Francisco’s bullpen–Ken Howell, Joe Nathan, and closer Rod Beck–fanned 7 of the 9 batters they retired, with Beck earning his 40th save of the season.
New York Black Yankees
89-69
—
Cleveland Spiders
88-70
1
Bill James Division
Houston bounced back in a big way, using a phenomenal start from Ice Box Chamberlain and 7 homeruns to beat the Gothams, 9-2. Chamberlain allowed 1 hit in just under 8 innings, fanning 12 and 2 of the important cogs in the Colt 45’s late season surge–OF Gorman Thomas and C Will Smith–carried the team, twice launching back-to-back homeruns. Jim Wynn led off the game with a dinger, and Paul Goldschmidt and Jim O’Rourke also went deep.
The victory sealed the pennant for Houston, setting off raucous celebrations in the home dugout. It also meant all of the attention in the NL is now focused on the final Wild Card Spot, currently owned by Indianapolis, but with Kansas City and the House of David hot on their heels (and Homestead still hanging around with at least a mathematical chance).
After fighting back from a 6-1 deficit, Indianapolis suffered a gut-wrenching loss, falling to Philadelphia, 12-8. The Stars were led by homeruns from Sherm Lollar, Harmon Killebrew, Jung Ho Kang, and Sherry Magee.
Ryne Sandberg had 4 hits including a go-ahead solo homer in the bottom of the 8th as the House of David topped Kansas City, 6-5. Jack Taylor continued a late-season rebound with a solid start, but both bullpens struggled in this one. The victory moves the House of David into a dead heat with Indianapolis in the Wild Card chase, with Kansas City 1 game back.
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-81
—
Wandering House of David
78-81
—
Kansas City Monarchs
77-82
1
Homestead Grays
76-83
2
NL Wild Card
#Thursday
Miami just refuses to lose: Cleveland had taken the lead, 5-4 in the 6th inning, but the Cuban Giants scored 8 runs in their final 2 frames in a 12-6 victory. Miami pounded out 17 hits, led by 3 each from Jim Thome and Martín Dihigo. The game was never sure: Cuban Giants pitchers gave up 8 walks, so the Spiders had constant traffic on the basepaths. But they did just enough, with homeruns from Julio Rodríguez, Dihigo, Alejandro Oms, and Thome.
With the result, the Spiders drop to 1.5 games behind the Black Yankees and the Cuban Giants move to 1 game behind Detroit in the Wild Card race.
Detroit Wolverines
79-80
—
Miami Cuban Giants
78-81
1
AL Wild Card
Speaking of the Black Yankees … their bullpen continues to be their Achilles’ heel, with 4 relievers giving up 9 runs in 2.1 innings. Ouch. The big blows were homeruns from Jimmie Foxx and Bobby Bonds as San Francisco defeated New York, 13-10.
New York Black Yankees
89-70
—
Cleveland Spiders
88-71
1
Bill James Division
#Friday
The Black Yankees continue not to grab the Bill James Division by the throat, falling to lowly Baltimore 5-4 in the opening game of the final series of the season. Homers from Eddie Murray, Manny Machado, and a final go-ahead blast from Earl Averill gave the Black Sox the edge in another game that saw less than stellar performances from New York’s bullpen.
Two homers from Gary Sheffield carried Miami to a 5-4 win over Cleveland, preserving New York’s 1 game advantage, and keeping the pressure on Detroit. The Cuban Giants got another strong outing from Jim Whitney, and were able to fade a 9th inning comeback from the Spiders for the victory.
So what will Detroit do with their opportunity?
Play a game for the ages where they held leads of 3-1, 4-2, 9-5, and 10-6. And it was never enough as, after closer Mike Henneman was forced from the game with a back injury, Troy Percival came in and gave up a grand slam to Manny Ramírez and a walkoff shot to Gabby Hartnett. Both Ramírez and Hartnett had 2 homers in the game, while Al Kaline had 2 for Detroit. Kaline had 3 hits and 7 RBIs while Hartnett had 4 hits for Memphis. A true thriller of a game that leaves everything pretty much undecided.
New York Black Yankees
89-71
—
Cleveland Spiders
88-72
1
Bill James Division
Detroit Wolverines
79-81
—
Miami Cuban Giants
79-81
—
AL Wild Card
The House of David fell to Houston 8-2, as all eyes turned to the 4 game series between Indianapolis and Kansas City.
Kansas City’s Smokey Joe Wood and the ABC’s’ Luis Padrón squared off in the series opener and while each pitched well, neither were involved in the decision. Instead, after a 2 run shot from Ducky Medwick tied the game, Kansas City won it on a sacrifice fly from Dale Murphy in the bottom of the 9th. So Padrón fails in his attempt to win his 24th game of the year and, more importantly, Kansas City forces a 3 way dead heat for the final Wild Card spot.
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-82
—
Wandering House of David
78-82
—
Kansas City Monarchs
77-82
—
Homestead Grays
76-84
2
NL Wild Card
#Saturday
Memphis keeps embracing their role as spoiler while relying on a handful of late season call ups. In this case, Bucky Walters gave a good starting performance, Lefty O’Doul had 3 hits, and Wayne Causey drove in 2 with an 8th inning single for a 5-3 victory over Detroit.
It sure looks like Miami has found a key part of their rotation: Phenomenal Smith improved to 5-0, combining with Ricky Nolasco on a 3 hit shutout of Cleveland. Smith struck out 10 before yielding to Nolasco, for the last 2 outs. Martín Dihigo drove in 2 runs, continuing his second half surge.
Miami moves a full game ahead of Detroit for the Wild Card slot, and Cleveland falls 1.5 games behind the Black Yankees for the Bill James Division title, with New York’s magic number reduce to 1.
And then it was none. New York topped Baltimore 11-7 behind homers from Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, and Roger Maris, giving the Black Yankees their first Bill James Division title.
Miami Cuban Giants
80-81
—
Detroit Wolverines
79-82
1
AL Wild Card
Oh boy … Indianapolis has nobody to blame but themselves.
Behind a great start from Johnny Cueto and 3 RBI’s from Oscar Charleston, the ABC’s took a 6-2 lead into the bottom of the 9th, with their closer, Rob Dibble, on the mound. Dibble got one out, and then 16 of his next 20 pitches missed the strike zone, resulting in 4 consecutive walks, scoring a run. Rob Murphy relieved Dibble, and an RBI groundout and 2 wild pitches later, the game was tied at 6.
Cool Papa Bell walked in the bottom of the 10th, stole second, and scored on a hit from Ozzie Smith, moving Kansas City a game ahead in the Wild Card race.
#Sunday
The final day of the season leaves both final Wild Card spots up for grabs: in the AL, Miami has a 1 game lead over Detroit and in the NL, Kansas City has the edge over both Indianapolis and the House of David.
Miami was unable to clinch it: Larry Doby became the 2nd player in WBL history (and the first in the AL) to hit 4 homeruns in a game, driving in 7 as Cleveland topped the Cuban Giants, 13-7. That leaves Miami’s fate in the hands of Detroit later in the day.
Detroit used a mix of the old reliable–2 homeruns from Al Kaline and 1 from Ty Cobb–and the newly acquired (a strong start from Connie Johnson and key innings from Steve Howe and Troy Percival) to beat Memphis, 8-4.
And so, we finish in a dead heat.
Miami Cuban Giants
80-82
—
Detroit Wolverines
80-82
—
AL Wild Card
Eppa Rixey combined with 4 relievers (including an important 1.2 innings from Doc Mitchell), leading the ABC’s to a 7-3 win over Kansas City, meaning Indianapolis and the Monarchs finish with identical 79-83 records. The only question is if the House of David will join them in a 3-way tie for the final playoff spot.
Nope.
The House of David tried valiantly, and even outhit Houston, 10-8, but they fell to the Colt 45’s, 10-9 in a game that saw Tony Gwynn rap out 3 hits, reaching 200 on the season. Richie Hebner, Ryne Sandberg, and Anthony Rizzo each had 2 hits, but they didn’t get enough support as the House of David season ends, falling just short of the postseason.
#Monday
So, two playoff games, winner makes the postseason.
#AL
First up, we have Miami visiting Detroit.
The Cuban Giants will turn to Hugh McQuillan who, despite being roughed up in his last start, has been solid for Miami. If he struggles early, look for Jim Whitney to try to give the team some innings on short rest. For Detroit, Pete Conway will take the mound, also on a pretty short leash.
Ty Cobb may be almost universally disliked, but his baseball talent cannot be denied: he launched a 3 run homer in the top of the first and a grand slam in the 2nd, helping Detroit to a 9-0 lead after 2 innings.
Conway, meanwhile, had allowed a single run on 3 hits through 5, and left after 6 with the score 13-2.
Miami scored 3 in the 9th, but fell well short, 14-5. In the end, a just result, as Detroit really feels like the better team. Still, the Cuban Giants went from being the worst team in the league to being this close to the playoffs: a good year for them.
Cobb finished with 2 homers and 7 RBIs, and Al Kaline, Charlie Gehringer, Ernie Lombardi, and Hank Greenberg each also went deep. There was some bad news on Greenberg, who will be out of action for a few days with a leg injury.
#NL
Indianapolis would turn to Doc White while Kansas City gave the start to young Matt Morris.
Kansas City took an early lead on Albert Pujols‘ second homerun of the game, pulling ahead 6-3 after 3 innings, with the ABC’s runs coming on longballs from George Foster and Chris Sabo.
Morris was OK–not great, but not bad–until Tommy Helms singled and scored on a double from Barry Larkin in the top of the 4th. A Bob Bescher walk put runners on the corner, and fetched Frank Castillo from the bullpen. The move backfired as Sabo and Oscar Charleston singled and, after a couple of outs, Johnny Bench brought home 2 with a single of his own, giving Indianapolis an 8-7 lead. Foster followed with his 2nd dinger of the game, extending the lead to 10-7 and chasing Castillo. His successor, Bob Shawkey, gave upa solo shot to Helms and when all of the dust settled, the ABC’s had scored 8 and were up 11-7.
The ABC’s coasted from there, riding additional homeruns by Ed Charles and Sabo to a 15-8 win, powering Indianapolis into the postseason. Sabo drove in 5 and Foster 4, with each of them notching 3 hits on the day.
Kansas City had ridden its pitching staff all year; here their arms betrayed them, surrendering 14 hits and 15 runs.
Houston‘s Jim O’Rourke continues a great recovery from a disappointing performance last season with a National League Player of the Week Award. O’Rourke hit .550 in the penultimate week of the season as the Colt 45’s try to clinch their first Marvin Miller Division title.
In the AL, the often-overlooked Lou Gehrig picked up the Award with the Black Yankee‘s 1B hitting .400 with 6 homeruns.
#Team Performance
#AL
The Black Yankees had a good week in the Bill James Division, moving from a virtual tie with Cleveland into a 1.5 game lead. The Detroit Wolverines, however, have picked a bad time to struggle, and they now hold only a half-game lead over Miami for the final Wild Card spot.
It’s an interesting final week on the schedule: the Black Yankees visit San Francisco in a likely playoff series preview, and then close out the year against the much-improved of late Baltimore Black Sox. Cleveland probably has the easiest schedule, hosting the lowly Memphis Red Sox, and then ending the year at Miami, who play Detroit before that series with the Spiders.
Miami not only has their future in their own hands, they also could decide the Black Yankees / Spiders race.
#NL
With 96 victories in the Effa Manley Division, the Brooklyn Royal Giants have an outside shot at 100 and, with a 5 game lead, Philadelphia looks to have locked up a Wild Card spot.
Houston has a clear path to the Marvin Miller Division crown on paper, with a 4 game lead and series left against the New York Gothams and the Wandering House of David. The final Wild Card spot is likely to come down to the final series of the year, with Kansas City hosting Indianapolis, although the House of David are technically still in the race.
#Player Performance
#Batters
An overpowered year on offense comes to a close. This list has been fairly constant for a while, I’ve added a 2nd list with less desirable stats as well.
Top 2 in most categories.
Lance Berkman (CLE). 279/369/645. 141 RBI. José Canseco (MCG). 256/357/716. 66 HR. Oscar Charleston (IND). 336/377/618. 196 H. Ty Cobb (DET). 384/438/828. 214 H, 65 2B, 16 3B, 148 R, 9.4 WAR. Josh Gibson (HOM). 395/492/798. 10.7 WAR. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 248/378/421. 103 BB, 121 SB. Pete Hill (HOU). 270/345/449. 14 3B. Joe Jackson (CAG). 355/410/607. 67 2B. Tim Raines (OTT). 250/353/438. 111 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 282/416/745. 70 HR, 162 RBI, 142 R, 117 BB.
Here are some of the less positive performances. Only the leader is listed (although Dunn is 2nd in SO and Lajoie 2nd in negative WAR).
Cupid Childs (BBB). 222/343/327. Adam Dunn (IND). 207/341/468. 190 SO. Ted Kluszewski (PHI). 248/291/442. -1.5 WAR. Nap Lajoie (HOM). 232/254/407. -1.4 WAR. Manny Machado (BAL). 240/284/518. 24 GIDP. Mickey Mantle (NYY). 254/367/588. 214 SO. Doug Rader (LAA). 242/299/455. 24 GIDP.
This list is interesting, honestly. Childs’ OBP and Dunn’s power hide other clear faults, and it’s surprising that WAR sees Kluszewksi as that bad. Mantle is obviously the best of this group.
#Pitchers
#Starters
As it has been for most of the seasion, this list continues to be dominated by 3 names: A. Rube Foster, Luis Padrón, and Toad Ramsey. I’ve added some usage stats (GS, IP) to help fill out the picture as the season winds down, and, as with the batters, a 2nd list for some less desirable leaders (Hardie Henderson could be on both, given 18 wins and his league-leading walks number).
Top 2 in most categories.
A. Rube Foster (KCM). 11-7, 3.27. .187 BA, .217 BABIP, 1.01 WHIP. Ron Guidry (NYY). 11-7, 4.51. 251 K. Hardie Henderson (IND). 18-12, 3.78. 98 BB. Orel Hershiser (BRK). 18-5, 3.76. José Méndez (MCG). 13-5, 4.47. 35 GS. Luis Padrón (IND). 23-3, 3.20. 228 IP, 7.0 WAR. Andy Pettitte (NYY). 18-8, 4.26. Eddie Plank (SFS). 19-7, 4.46. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 16-10, 3.23. 223 IP, 282 K, .182 BA, 0.97 WHIP, 3.39 FIP, 7.9 WAR. Ed Walsh (CAG). 9-10, 3.84. .222 BABIP. Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 12-12, 3.87. 3.58 FIP.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 7-15, 6.45. Walter Johnson (POR). 13-11, 4.10. 91 BB. Christy Mathewson (NYG). 7-15, 5.58. 36 GS.
#Relievers
Top 2 in most stats, top 3 in saves. 35 Min IP for rate stats.
Rod Beck (SFS). 4-4, 5.09. 39 Sv, 1 H. Bruce Chen (BBB). 2-4, 6.71. 4 Sv, 11 H, 67 G. Rheal Cormier (NYY). 1-3, 4.93. 17 H. Eric Gagne (BRK). 3-3, 3.12. 37 Sv. Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-3, 2.27. 2 Sv, 10 H. Bob Howry (PHI). 4-1, 3.32. 24 Sv, 0.89 WHIP. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.81. 1 Sv, 20 H. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 8-4, 3.52. 33 Sv. Andrew Miller (MEM). 7-8, 4.42. 4 Sv, 12 H, 71 G. Akinori Otsuka (CAG/BBB). 8-3, 2.26. 7 Sv, 5 H. Lee Smith (KCM/HOD). 4-2, 2.75. 6 Sv, 12 H, 0.76 WHIP.
Justin Hampson and, perhaps more importantly, Gavvy Cravath have been recalled from rehab assignments. Without much to play for, Baltimore may limit Cravath’s appearances as they look to next season. Rafael Betancourt and Ken Griffey Sr were returned to the minors.
With RA Dickey‘s retirement, Baltimore decided to take a look at Dick Ellsworth, removing Dickey from the roster, although they have allowed him to remain with the team as he decides whether or not he has a career in coaching.
Dennis Martínez will get 2 more starts over the final 2 weeks of the season, and Ned Garvin will, as he continues his return from injury, take his regular turn: aside from that, it’s a bit of a free for all, although Kevin Tapani‘s strong debut guarantees him a few starts as well.
Ellsworth’s debut was fantastic: 6 plus innings and only a single run in a 4-2 victory over Los Angeles. Hampson also made his return with a scoreless 8th inning.
Sean Marshall was recalled from the DL with Joe Cascarella heading back to AAA.
#Cleveland Spiders
Lance Berkman and Ron Blomberg each went deep twice as the Spiders dominated Chicago, 13-6. The win (along with a victory in the resumption of a suspended game) pulled Cleveland, at least temporarily, 1/2 game ahead of New York.
#Detroit Wolverines
Wes Covington–coming off a 50 HR season at AAA–was recalled, along with IF Damion Easley and lefty Wilson Álvarez. Logan Hensley was returned, clearing room for Hank Aguirre‘s return from the DL.
JD Martinez went deep twice and the Wolverines edged in front of Miami for the final Wild Card spot with a 5-4 win over San Francisco.
#New York Black Yankees
Jorge Orta did nothing wrong to be sure, but with Grant Johnson due back from a rehab assignment, he was the odd man out, heading back to AAA. Ultimately, Johnson’s return means a reduction in time for quite a few players, most notably Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, and Nick Etten.
Mattingly and Lou Gehrig had 2 homers each, and Johnson had 4 hits, including 3 doubles, as the Black Yankees overcame a poor start from Ron Guidry to beat Detroit, 11-8 in 10 innings.
The Black Yankees clinched their expected playoff spot in dramatic fashion, scoring 6 in the top of the 9th to top Detroit, 9-6. The win puts New York in a dead heat with Cleveland atop the Bill James Division and, as importantly, drops Detroit into a tie with Miami for the final AL Wild Card spot.
Gehrig hit 2 more out, reaching 62 for the season, and Babe Ruth added his WBL record 70th, as the Black Yankees beat Cleveland, 7-2. The win means New York will go into the final week of the season with a 1.5 game lead over the Spiders.
We have 2 weeks left in the season, so a ton of focus on the playoff races feels appropriate.
#Awards
The House of David‘s Anthony Rizzo hit 4 homeruns and hit .429, earning himself the NL Player of the Week Award. Over in the AL, it was a familiar name–Babe Ruth of the New York Black Yankees–earning the Award. Ruth hit .526 with 6 homeruns and 11 RBIs as New York pushes towards the playoffs.
#Team Performance
#AL
The San Francisco Sea Lions have clinched the Cum Posey Division, and either the Cleveland Spiders or the Black Yankees will win the Bill James Division (currently the 2 teams are locked in a dead heat for the top spot), with the other team taking 1 of the 2 Wild Card slots.
This week offers the Black Yankees a huge opportunity, as they host both Detroit and Cleveland: a strong week from New York could settle a lot of questions.
#NL
Brooklyn has clinched the Effa Manley Division, and all else is chaos.
Philadelphia is (a) 15 games behind the Royal Giants and (b) leading the Wild Card race by 2.5 games.
The Houston Colt 45’s have put their best baseball on the field when it matters, and are currently leading the Marvin Miller Division by 4.5 games, putting them in good position to claim their first postseason appearance.
Behind them, Indianapolis and Kansas City are tied with identical 74-76 records, with the House of David 1.5 games behind them. But the worst team in the NL–the Ottawa Mounties–are only 4.5 games out of the Wild Card. Now, climbing over 6 teams is hard, but anything is possible.
With that many teams still engaged, all of the matchups this week have meaning, but Houston visiting Indianapolis to start the week will certainly grab some attention.
#Player Performance
#Batters
Babe Ruth does Babe Ruth things, as his 6 dingers on the week have allowed the Bambino to retake his customary spot atop the HR log. While it looks like Josh Gibson will fall short in his pursuit of .400, it does seem like he may be able to hold off Detroit’s Ty Cobb in the batting average race.
Cobb reached 200 hits this week, and may very well end the season the only batter to top that milestone (Oscar Charleston and Tony Gwynn each need 14 more hits–doable but perhaps not likely).
Top 2 in most categories.
Lance Berkman (CLE). 281/369/648. 136 RBI. José Canseco (MCG). 253/356/716. 64 HR. Oscar Charleston (IND). 333/376/615. 186 H. Ty Cobb (DET). 383/437/832. 203 H, 62 2B, 16 3B, 142 R, 9.0 WAR. Josh Gibson (HOM). 394/490/794. 10.2 WAR. Tony Gwynn (HOU). 338/374/535. 186 H. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 246/377/423. 101 BB, 114 SB. Pete Hill (HOU). 268/343/446. 14 3B. Joe Jackson (CAG). 353/406/604. 64 2B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 279/412/731. 65 HR, 150 RBI, 135 R, 111 BB.
#Pitchers
#Starters
At full usage, most starters have 2-3 chances to win games remaining. Which means 4 players are chasing 20 wins, while Indianapolis’ Luis Padrón just keeps dominating, sitting at 22-3.
This list continues to be dominated by 3 names: A. Rube Foster, Padrón, and Toad Ramsey.
Top 2 in most categories.
Roger Clemens (HOU). 17-9, 3.51. .220 BABIP. A. Rube Foster (KCM). 11-6, 3.13. .185 BA, .211 BABIP, 1.00 WHIP, 3.67 FIP. Ron Guidry (NYY). 10-7, 4.32. 239 K. Orel Hershiser (BRK). 17-5, 3.75. José Méndez (MCG). 12-5, 4.42. 216 IP. Luis Padrón (IND). 22-3, 3.20. 6.7 WAR. Andy Pettitte (NYY). 18-8, 4.14. Eddie Plank (SFS). 18-7, 4.41. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 15-10, 3.26. 216 IP, 269 K, .182 BA, 0.98 WHIP, 3.43 FIP, 7.6 WAR.
#Relievers
Top 2 in most stats, top 3 in saves. 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, 5.20. 38 Sv, 1 H. Bartolo Colón (HOM). 1-1, 1.70. 1 H. Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-3, 5.04. 17 H. Eric Gagne (BRK). 3-3, 3.06. 34 Sv. Eddie Guardado (NYY). 2-2, 2.11. 2 Sv, 10 H. Bob Howry (PHI). 4-1, 3.00. 23 Sv, 0.83 WHIP. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.98. 1 Sv, 20 H. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 8-4, 3.42. 33 Sv. Lee Smith (KCM). 4-2, 2.92. 6 Sv, 12 H, 0.79 WHIP.
#Injuries
Some useful pieces may be back in times for the postseason: Cleveland’s Cory Gearrin, Detroit’s Hank Aguirre, Kansas City’s Jock Menefee, Miami’s Gary Sheffield, and the House of David’s Pete Browning may all return to action this week.
Manny Machado and Cal Ripken, Jr. each hit 2 out and the Black Sox held on for dear life in a 16-13 win over Detroit.
In the minor leagues, P George Blaeholder and OF Mike Devereaux retired, as did major league arm RA Dickey. Dickey’s time in Baltimore wasn’t great–to date it encompasses 33 innings, a 1-2 record, and an ERA approaching 9.00. Even for a knuckleballer, though, 42 is a ripe old age in the grand old game.
#Cleveland Spiders
Closer Terry Adams began a rehab stint and should rejoin the Spiders by the end of the week. Claude Passeau was returned to AAA in exchange for Chuck Porter, who seems to have successfully transitioned to a long relief/starting role.
A key arm in the Spiders’ bullpen, Cory Gearrin, will miss about a week, prompting Adams’ recall. Another arm hit the DL, but Willis Hudlin–who tore his rotator cuff–is less likely to be missed, having pitched only a handful of innings after a solid season at AAA. Passeau was called back up to take Hudlin’s spot.
Joe Sewell continues to make a name for himself, as the young backup had 5 hits in a 10-4 victory over Chicago. With the win, Cleveland pulls into a tie with the New York Black Yankees for first place in the Bill James Division.
The dead heat with New York continued as Larry Doby hit 3 homeruns leading the Spiders to an 8-5 come from behind victory over Detroit.
Lance Berkman drove in 6 with 2 homeruns as the Spiders beat Detroit, 13-2. Bob Feller improved to 12-3 with a strong 6 innings, and Arky Vaughan had 4 hits, scored 4 times, and drove in 3.
#Detroit Wolverines
Tony Lazzeri hit the rehab circuit as he tries to make it back to Detroit in time for the playoffs.
Pete Conway was named to the Wolverines’ rotation.
Hank Greenberg had 2 homeruns, but despite that and 4 hits and 4 RBIs from Bob Bailey, the Wolverines fell to Baltimore, 16-13.
OFs Wally Moses and Bill Bruton announced their retirement.
Joe Wood has done fine as a utility player for Detroit, but as they push towards the postseason, Ray Chapman‘s incandescent start to his WBL career has led to the Wolverines sending Wood to AAA as they recall Lazzeri.
#Memphis Red Sox
Gabby Hartnett hit 2 homeruns and the Red Sox topped San Francisco, 8-7.
#New York Black Yankees
Roy Evans was returned to AAA, with Art Ditmar being recalled from AA as the Black Yankees continue to try to tweak their staff.
Three decent bats retired from the Black Yankees’ minor league system, with Red Rolfe, Hal Chase, and Sam Rice all hanging up the cleats, with Rolfe and Chase planning to throw their hats into the ring as coaches.
Babe Ruth hit 2 out, but the Black Yankees’ bullpen couldn’t hold onto a lead late, despite another solid outing from Tony Brizzolara, as they fell to Los Angeles, 11-6. Ruth did it again, taking back the WBL homerun lead, but once more the bullpen collapsed and the Black Yankees fell to Memphis, 7-6.
Mike Schmidt launched 2 deep shots of his own and Eric Davis, Thurman Munson, and Mickey Mantle joined him with homeruns as the Black Yankees beat Memphis in the series finale, 11-7.
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.
{Every year towards the end of the season, I do some legwork so when the awards roll around, it’s not as burdensome. This week, the fielders, next week, the rookies.}
We’re going to do this position by position, mixing the leagues, with the candidates listed alphabetically. 600 IP minimum, unless otherwise noted.
Last year, only 1 set of awards were given; this year, with the creation of the NL, there will be 2 at each position.
Some of the positions have their own things, but a note about some of the standard fielding statistics. Range Factor measures the number of plays made per game–the higher the better. Zone Rating attempts to credit players for plays other fielders missed and ding them for plays other fielders made–the higher the better, and it has the benefit of being comparative across the position. Defensive Efficiency measures the rate at which an individual fielder contributes to outs being made on balls put into play, with any score over 1.000 being a net positive impact.
Of these, Range Factor is the most susceptible to the impact of the pitching staff and the ballpark, although none of these defensive ratings are perfect.
#C
Name
Tm
Lg
IP
A
E
PB
ZR
RTO%
cERA
FRM
Johnny Bench
IND
NL
967
112
4
10
3.5
40%
5.26
7.6
Curt Blefary
BAL
AL
937
103
2
4
2.0
38%
5.68
1.6
Gary Carter
OTT
NL
900
114
5
9
4.3
42%
6.15
4.9
Josh Gibson
HOM
NL
973
102
3
6
-1.5
30%
5.98
7.7
Elrod Hendricks
HOD
NL
825
104
4
7
4.6
41%
5.47
3.9
Joe Mauer
POR
AL
974
129
5
6
2.7
37%
5.36
4.9
Thurman Munson
NYY
AL
957
91
6
2
3.0
36%
5.29
3.0
Mike Piazza
BRK
NL
966
88
2
12
-2.8
31%
4.62
4.5
Buster Posey
NYG
NL
933
100
4
9
2.6
39%
5.43
8.0
Iván Rodríguez
MCG
AL
917
116
2
14
5.3
47%
5.61
1.8
Ted Simmons
KCM
NL
907
108
5
5
2.4
37%
4.31
-2.3
IP = Innings Played; A = Assists; E = Errors; PB = Passed Balls; ZR = Zone Rating; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out%; cERA = Catcher’s ERA; FRM = Framing Runs Saved
Catcher’s stats are just all over the place.
It’s hard to take cERA and FRM all that seriously when they fall so far outside the bounds of the rest of the information at our disposal–although, to be fair, cERA is clearly tied to the quality of the staff and, as such, perhaps is best viewed as a net difference from the overall team ERA. Perhaps I’ll look at that for the actual awards.
Regardless, it feels like, if you look at a catcher’s primary job of making plays and keeping the opposition running game under control, Carter in the NL and Pudge in the AL are the frontrunners. The argument against each, if there is one, would have to focus on their league-leading (in the wrong way) PB numbers.
But this one doesn’t really feel close at this point.
Last year’s winner, Cleveland’s Louis Santop, has struggled so much offensively this year that his playing time has really dropped him out of contention, although his defensive performance remains top-notch.
#1B
Name
Tm
Lg
IP
TC
A
DP
E
RNG
ZR
Eff
Mike Epstein
HOM
NL
957
952
56
80
4
8.93
3.0
1.016
Hank Greenberg
DET
AL
973
891
58
74
4
8.20
2.7
1.022
Kent Hrbek
POR
AL
884
846
45
79
5
8.57
1.8
1.028
Don Mattingly
NYY
AL
710
642
40
54
5
8.07
1.8
1.031
Dan McGann
BAL
AL
879
887
66
69
6
9.02
-1.9
.978
Boog Powell
KCM
NL
978
998
56
80
4
9.15
3.0
1.016
Joey Votto
IND
NL
942
863
62
76
0
8.25
4.5
1.040
Bill White
MEM
AL
793
812
35
66
6
9.15
0.4
1.007
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; DP = Double Plays; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency
The 2 best defensive 1Bs in the league–Kansas City’s Boog Powell and Indianapolis’ Joey Votto–are both in the NL. So the competition there is clear, as is, ultimately, the current frontrunner in Powell. Votto’s edge in the digital measures–ZR and Efficiency–may make this a more challenging choice at the end of the year.
In the AL, it’s far more confusing, but it feels like the discussion is between Detroit’s Hank Greenberg and the Black Yankees’ Don Mattingly. Mattingly hasn’t played a ton, so perhaps Greenberg edges him? Portland’s Kent Hrbek could probably edge into the discussion as well.
Will Clark of the New York Gothams, who won it last year, has been fine, but falls just short of contention.
#2B
Five 2B had only 3 errors, but 2 of them–Brooklyn’s Jackie Robinson and Boston’s DJ LeMahieu–have under 700 innings at the position. LeMahieu is the leader in Defensive Efficiency, so he made the list, but Robinson did not.
Name
Tm
Lg
IP
TC
DP
E
RNG
ZR
Eff
Roberto Alomar
OTT
NL
1035
511
62
10
4.36
-3.1
.978
Robinson Canó
KCM
NL
994
524
76
5
4.70
9.7
1.060
Eddie Collins
CAG
AL
995
528
77
11
4.67
-7.6
.943
Miller Huggins
BAL
AL
796
383
50
5
4.27
9.1
1.097
Chuck Knoblauch
CLE
AL
951
443
64
3
4.16
-9.6
.926
Nap Lajoie
HOM
NL
876
485
66
4
4.94
7.3
1.049
DJ LeMahieu
MEM
AL
644
345
53
3
4.78
7.7
1.110
Cookie Rojas
MCG
AL
738
363
62
3
4.39
-3.6
.965
Ryne Sandberg
HOD
NL
863
489
60
3
5.07
5.4
1.035
Chase Utley
PHI
NL
988
538
61
2
4.88
13.8
1.081
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; DP = Double Plays; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency
Ryne Sandberg and Napoleon Lajoie have had fine years at 2B, but Philadelphia’s Chase Utley has been fairly spectacular, leading the world in Zone Rating with excellent numbers across the board.
The AL is more confusing, as the best fielders–Miller Huggins and DJ LeMahieu–have yet to hit 800 innings in the field. But there really aren’t a lot of other contenders: Eddie Collins, who won it last year, has amassed a ton of time at 2B, and hence is among the leaders in the counting stats, but his other numbers are surprisingly bad.
#SS
Name
Tm
Lg
IP
TC
DP
E
RNG
ZR
Eff
Jim Fregosi
POR/PHI
AL/NL
1077
497
60
8
4.09
-10.6
.940
Derek Jeter
NYY
AL
1061
504
67
16
4.14
-19.0
.911
Barry Larkin
IND
NL
705
380
49
9
4.74
8.3
1.085
Dick Lundy
SFS
AL
838
411
46
6
4.35
8.2
1.057
Freddy Parent
CAG
AL
888
508
56
11
5.04
13.2
1.058
Ozzie Smith
KCM
NL
1019
543
67
5
4.75
11.0
1.068
Arky Vaughan
CLE
AL
940
444
53
8
4.17
10.4
1.085
Robin Yount
MCG
AL
952
473
59
6
4.41
8.3
1.052
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; DP = Double Plays; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency
It feels like the choices here are pretty clear: Ozzie Smith in the NL and Freddy Parent in the AL. Smith should be uncontroversial, but Parent is subject to some discussion, as he is getting less and less playing time for the American Giants. If it’s not Parent, it is probably Arky Vaughan or Robin Yount, with the question being whether Yount’s surer hands outweigh Vaughan’s greater range.
George Davis, who won it last year, logged just under 50 games with Detroit before being sent to AAA and suffering a significant injury.
#3B
Name
Tm
Lg
IP
TC
DP
E
RNG
ZR
Eff
Dick Allen
CAG
AL
1046
260
24
15
2.11
0.5
1.010
Buddy Bell
POR
AL
1045
296
23
8
2.48
7.9
1.054
Adrián Beltré
OTT
NL
936
272
6
7
2.55
0.3
1.007
Ron Cey
BRK
NL
956
278
24
7
2.55
4.7
1.035
Manny Machado
BAL
AL
857
259
14
10
2.61
0.9
1.013
Eddie Mathews
BBB
NL
1014
291
29
8
2.51
-2.6
.986
Doug Rader
LAA
AL
1047
287
26
13
2.35
0.9
1.021
Scott Rolen
PHI
NL
973
265
16
7
2.39
4.0
1.050
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; DP = Double Plays; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency
Portland’s Buddy Bell has probably been the best 3B in the WBL this season, so he should take the award in the AL. In the NL, it currently comes down to Scott Rolen and Ron Cey, whose numbers are pretty indistinguishable at this point, perhaps with a slight edge to Cey.
#LF
For the OF, DP is replaced by Outfield Kills, and we introduce ARM, a measurement of how many runs have resulted from runners taking extra bases on balls hit to the that fielder. Note that positive ARM ratings are relatively rare: runners do tag up.
Name
Tm
Lg
IP
TC
K
E
RNG
ZR
Eff
ARM
Johnny Bates
CLE
AL
1006
205
4
2
2.09
7.0
1.053
-1.0
Bob Bescher
IND
NL
681
149
1
2
1.94
-4.3
.950
-2.1
Don Buford
LAA/NYG
AL/NL
705
127
0
1
1.61
-2.8
.957
-0.6
Rickey Henderson
SFS
AL
1040
199
3
4
1.69
10.0
1.104
-2.8
Sherry Magee
PHI
NL
658
127
1
0
1.74
3.7
1.046
-1.9
Bob Nieman
BBB
NL
720
145
4
2
1.79
-1.0
.961
-1.6
Frank Robinson
BAL
AL
897
184
4
2
1.83
0.3
.998
-1.8
Babe Ruth
NYY
AL
627
128
1
2
1.81
5.7
1.084
-1.3
Roy White
BRK
NL
1006
213
5
2
1.89
9.3
1.075
-1.2
Jim Wynn
HOU
NL
755
140
0
2
1.64
-4.4
.955
3.3
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; K = Outfield Kills; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency
It feels like Roy White has a shot at being the first repeat winner as he has once again proven incredibly dependable in LF for Brooklyn, while adding more Kills and excellent supporting numbers.
In the AL, It feels like it’s the range of Rickey Henderson against the overall dependability of Johnny Bates–who actually makes more plays the Rickey, but some of that is down to staff effects.
Have to call out the nutty ARM rating for Jim Wynn, which is as flukish as fluke can be.
#CF
Name
Tm
Lg
IP
TC
K
E
RNG
ZR
Eff
ARM
Paul Blair
BAL
AL
838
251
3
2
2.73
10.4
1.084
-2.3
Chili Davis
DET
AL
979
283
13
8
2.53
-12.5
.928
1.5
Willie Davis
PHI
NL
898
287
4
3
2.85
15.2
1.109
-2.0
Curtis Granderson
BBB
NL
974
317
1
5
2.88
4.8
1.030
-4.6
Pete Hill
HOU
NL
800
222
2
2
2.47
0.7
.997
-2.8
Willie Mays
NYG
NL
1065
327
3
4
2.73
11.3
1.046
-4.2
Willie McGee
KCM
NL
845
261
10
7
2.71
-5.9
.963
-1.4
Mike Trout
LAA
AL
940
282
2
1
2.69
-0.2
1.006
-3.3
Vernon Wells
CAG
AL
624
209
2
3
2.97
-5.2
.968
-2.6
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; K = Outfield Kills; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency
Not a lot to pick from in the AL, which increases Paul Blair‘s chance at a repeat selection. It probably comes down to Blair’s overall excellence against the spectacular highlight reel nature of Chili Davis‘ year: Davis hasn’t made all the plays, but has thrown out 13 runners. Mike Trout is in the conversation, but Blair edges him across the board, and is the likely frontrunner.
In the NL, things are much deeper, and we run into the question of how to weigh playing time. Willie Mays has similar numbers to Willie Davis, but over 200 more innings in the field, which I think is enough to give him the edge. Some mention should be made of the steady Curtis Granderson and the surprising 10 kills from Kansas City’s Willie McGee.
#RF
Name
Tm
Lg
IP
TC
K
E
RNG
ZR
Eff
ARM
Beals Becker
BRK
NL
1022
233
7
3
2.03
3.0
1.007
0.7
Mookie Betts
MEM
AL
775
166
1
0
1.93
6.8
1.076
-3.7
Roberto Clemente
HOM
NL
973
243
8
6
2.19
5.6
1.050
-3.1
Larry Doby
CLE
AL
768
186
1
7
2.10
5.0
1.064
-4.2
Stan Musial
KCM
NL
801
157
2
4
1.72
7.0
1.072
0.8
Ichiro Suzuki
LAA
AL
1035
227
5
0
1.97
5.4
1.036
-2.4
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; K = Outfield Kills; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency
This is very close in both leagues.
In the NL, you could make an argument for all 3 of the contenders: Brooklyn’s Beals Becker has been steady across the board; Stan Musial covers a huge amount of ground for Kansas City and has a higher ARM than Becker; and Roberto Clemente makes the most plays and has the most Kills. I think it’s Clemente or Musial, with Musial slightly in front, maybe?
Over in the AL, it’s between Mookie Betts and Ichiro Suzuki, neither of whom have made an error in RF this season. Betts has been slightly better with the glove, Suzuki slightly better with the arm. Perhaps Suzuki, partially because he has played more innings in RF than anyone.
Last year’s winner, Johnny Callison, has done well this season, but is just out of the conversation. Mention should be made of Ottawa’s Larry Walker as well: Walker doesn’t cover a ton of ground, but has only made a single error in RF this season.
#P
125 IP minimum.
A few additional stat for hurlers, including the number of steal attempts and the % thrown out as well as the number of runs gained through their catcher’s ability to frame strikes. Obviously, both of these are highly dependent on the quality of backstop, but they also do impact the evaluation of the pitcher.
We’ve also taking out E and DP as stats, as odd as that may seem, as there is just not enough variance to really make much of them.
Name
Tm
Lg
IP
TC
RNG
ZR
Eff
SBA
RTO%
FRM
Roger Clemens
HOU
NL
183
13
0.64
-3.0
1.659
61
25
-0.4
Gerrit Cole
LAA
AL
155
21
1.22
0.5
1.438
44
32
0.4
Pud Galvin
LAA
AL
130
24
1.66
1.3
1.149
31
39
-0.7
Bump Hadley
SFS
AL
164
30
1.65
-0.3
.996
62
34
0.5
Walter Johnson
POR
AL
189
19
0.91
4.8
1.217
28
61
0.3
José Méndez
MCG
AL
200
20
0.90
4.4
1.086
43
56
-0.7
Stubby Overmire
MEM
AL
175
21
1.08
2.2
.853
16
63
-0.0
Gaylord Perry
NYG
NL
185
31
1.51
-0.3
.996
35
29
0.7
Toad Ramsey
HOU
NL
196
18
0.78
1.0
.913
42
41
-0.5
Bob Rush
HOD
NL
156
26
1.44
3.3
.996
19
63
0.0
Jack Taylor
HOD
NL
163
19
1.05
5.6
.996
41
63
0.0
Doc White
IND
NL
130
8
0.55
1.8
.996
18
50
1.9
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; DP = Double Plays; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency; SBA = Stolen Bases Attempted; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out%; FRM = Framing Runs
Who knows? Small sample sizes are rough, although it is nice to see last year’s winner, Jack Taylor, make a return appearance.
Taylor makes a lot of plays, and is very hard to run on, both of which count for quite a bit. I think an argument could be made for Pud Galvin, as well as for Taylor’s teammate, Bob Rush, but I would expect a fair bit of this to change over the final month of the 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.
Nothing is ever good enough for this ownership group, so despite top tier talent (especially on offense) and a fairly clear route to the postseason, there are rumblings of discontent in the Bronx.
The Black Yankees are permanently in a win-now mentality, and this year is no different. They have a frighteningly good offense, but can struggle a lot on the mound, especially in the middle innings.
THE OFFENSE
The Black Yankees can rake. They are, of course, led by the irresistible Babe Ruth, but there really isn’t an easy out in the group (and, due to a slight slump from Ruth and a surge from him, Lou Gehrig has actually overtaken the Babe in many of the key offensive measures). They are second in the league in homeruns, six everyday players have SLG over .500, six have OBP’s over .350. They just have the ability to score a ton of runs.
#What’s Going Right
Babe Ruth doing Babe Ruth things. The Bambino has an OPS of 1.118, 57 homeruns, 133 RBI, and 117 runs scored. His performance is even more remarkable when you consider that his BA has hovered around .275 most of the year–that’s a lot of walks and a lot of power.
Lou Gehrig continues his role as Babe Jr, trailing the Bambino by about 50 points of OPS.
The Black Yankees have four players with over 40 homers: Ruth, Gehrig with 48, Mickey Mantle with 44, and Mike Schmidt with 40.
Eric Davis, who still struggles to play everyday, joins that group, giving New York 5 players with OPS over .900.
#What’s Not Going Right
The quintet featured above have struck out over 800 times between them, led by Mantle’s 179, but both Ruth and Gehrig are well north of 150 as well.
More meh than not going right, veteran Rogers Hornsby, brought in to solve the struggles for the Black Yankees at 2B, has been fine, but is hitting at a slightly lower level than he did for Portland.
Derek Jeter continues to be the weakest point in the lineup. But a SS with an OPS over .725 and solid defense is certainly nothing to be overly concerned with (and, the acquisition of HR Johnson at the trading break gives New York a young player to eventually take over from Hornsby or Jeter down the road).
THE PITCHING
The pitching isn’t bad, but it isn’t great. The back end of the rotation and the middle of the bullpen are especially concerning.
#What’s Going Right
Andy Pettitte has been a great acquisition, sitting at 15-8 with a decent ERA.
Ron Guidry continues to pitch better than his surface numbers, but there are whispers that he is beginning to decline. Guidry continues to strike ’em out at a prodigious rate, but his record sits at only 8-7.
Goose Gossage has seized the closer role, with 15 saves and a WHIP barely over 1.00.
Hoyt Wilhelm, an expensive purchase at the trading break, has started well, perhaps offering a solve to the middle innings for New York.
#What’s Not Going Right
The most likely candidate for the 3rd starter spot in the postseason is Dave Righetti who (a) makes it 3 lefties in a row behind Pettitte and Guidry, and (b) was injured for much of the summer.
Tony Brizzolara, Herm Wehmeier, and (based on minor league performance) Roy Evans have all shown initial promise to fill the back end of the rotation. They’ve all flamed out, and Red Ruffing has fared no better.
Aroldis Chapman lost the closer role to Gossage, despite amassing 18 saves. He has adopted well to an earlier role from the pen, so perhaps this is in the wrong section? But his initial performance was very rough.
It’s not a great system, but there is some important talent in areas of need, so maybe that’s what really matters. On the mound, both Noah Syndergaard and Whitey Ford (injured for much of the year, delaying his WBL appearance) have clear promise, and you have to think someone out of OFs Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks, and Clyde Milan or IFs Josh Harrison, Harry Bauchman, or Mark Grudzielanek will have WBL careers.
WHAT’S NEEDED
Just win, baby. A league championship will forgive all things.
Storylines to Watch
Key Questions from Spring Training
It’s all about the bullpen, according to the media. Not a bad take, and one that has caused a ton of consternation throughout the season.
There will be a lot of attention on last year’s ERA champion, Andy Pettitte–with some of that focused on what the loss of Albert Belle means for what was truly a fearsome bench last year. Yeah, this one has worked out. The offense hasn’t really struggled, the bench continues to produce, and Pettitte is probably the de facto staff ace.
FEATURED SERIES
This one was easy: if the Black Yankees sweep these 3 games at Cleveland, they take over first place in the Bill James Division.
Projected Starters
New York’s starter listed first.
Ron Guidry (8-7, 4.41) @ Bill Steen (11-7, 5.02) Dave Righetti (7-4, 5.15) @ Bob Feller (9-3, 4.62) Andy Pettitte (15-8, 4.32) @ Cy Young (13-6, 5.16)
The rotation setup as well as it could for New York, but this Cleveland team is tough. Should be a good series.
Game One
Game one is a matchup of hard throwers, with the matchup staying as advertised: New York’s Ron Guidry against Cleveland’s Bob Feller, as the Spiders delayed Bill Steen‘s start by a day.
Eric Davis scored on a wild pitch in the top of the first, but the Black Yankees had to wait until the top of the 3rd for their first hit, a solo homerun from Derek Jeter. Through four innings, we had a very Bob Feller start: only 1 hit and 7 strikeouts, but 4 walks and 2 runs.
Meanwhile, Guidry gave up a 2 run shot to Evan Longoria in the bottom of the 4th to tie the game. Feller went 6, fanning 10 and leaving with the game still tied. His relief, Al Smith, gave up a 2-run double to Grant Johnson, but again Guidry was hurt by the long ball, giving up a tying 2 run shot to Ed Bailey.
In the bottom of the 9th, Larry Doby doubled to right off Aroldis Chapman. One out later, Goose Gossage was summoned from New York’s bullpen, and promptly plunked both John Ellis and Chuck Knoblauch to load the bases with meaningless runners … or not … as he walked Arky Vaughan to force in the winning run.
Not the start New York wanted, by a long shot, and they drop to 3.5 games behind Cleveland in the standings.
The Spiders struckout 17 on the day: 10 from Feller, 3 from Smith (all 3 of the outs he recorded), and another 4 in Gearrin’s 2 innings of work.
Dave Righetti will take the mound for New York, opposed by Cleveland’s Bill Steen.
Steen opened the game by walking Eric Davis and HR Johnson … and then striking out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Mickey Mantle. Easy. He then gave up a 3 run shot to Derek Jeter in the 2nd for an early 3-0 New York lead. Another run scored in the 3rd on a groundout after an error and 2 more walks.
Meanwhile, Righetti had pitched a scoreless 5 innings, allowing only 3 hits.
Steen ended up getting 2 outs in the 6th before Jeter’s 3rd hit chased him from the game having fanned 8 while walking 5.
A solo shot from Lou Gehrig seemed to seal the deal, but the Black Yankees’ relievers imploded, with Evan Longoria hitting a grandslam in the 8th, closing the game to a 5-4 lead for New York. However, after a couple of new recalled arms allowed the Spiders back in (Jim Corsi and Roy Evans), Aroldis Chapman and Goose Gossage were able to shut the door, evening the series at 1.
A pretty important game, this: a win will pull the Black Yankees within 1.5 games of Cleveland, and the race will be on in the Bill James Division. A loss, and the gap grows to 3.5 games, with the Spiders having taken 2 out of 3 in the head to head matchup. It will be a matchup of aces, or at least potential aces, as New York’s Andy Pettitte squares off against Cleveland’s Cy Young.
Young hasn’t quite been ace material this year, and that pattern continued as Eric Davis opened the game with homerun, his 27th of the year, and HR Johnson followed with a double down the left field line. But sometimes, Cy Young has been quite strong, and here he struck out Lou Gehrig, Mike Schmidt, and Mickey Mantle to close out the first, holding the Black Yankees to a single tally.
We stayed at 1-0 until the top of the 4th, when Rogers Hornsby doubled in a run and scored himself on a Don Mattingly single. Manny Sanguillén plated Mattingly and, in the following inning, Gehrig hit his 50th of the season. Johnny Bates put the Spiders on the board in the bottom of the 5th with a solo shot.
So, after 5 innings, 5-1 in favor of the Black Yankees.
Ron Blomberg hit one out in the 6th, and Cleveland chased Pettitte from the game with 2 outs and 2 on. The Spiders’ best player, Tris Speaker, would be called upon to pinch hit against Pettitte’s replacement, Noah Syndergaard. A run scored on a passed ball, but Syndergaard whiffed Speaker, leaving the score 5-3.
Davis’ second shot of the day made it 6-3, but Speaker threw out Schmidt at 2nd to end the top of the 7th.
Davis’ shot was important as Lance Berkman‘s 45th of the season, hit with a runner on, closed it to 6-5.
The bullpen has been a struggle for New York all season, but the acquisition of Hoyt Wilhelm has been promising. Here, with both Goose Gossage and Aroldis Chapman unavailable, he was asked to do more than merely bridge the last few innings. Wilhelm came through, ending the game with 2 and a third scoreless for his first save as a Black Yankee.
Cleveland’s closer, Terry Adams, will miss about a week with a strained elbow.
So, a sweep would have been nice, but cutting a game off the Spiders’ lead was what was needed. Doing so without any homeruns from Babe Ruth is a good sign, as there is little doubt Ruth will again catch fire.
