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Year III Season Preview: Birmingham Black Barons

On July 26, 2026

In 2002 Season Previews, Team News

State of the Franchise

The Black Barons say they want to pick a direction and hold it. The transaction log says otherwise. Two games out in July and they buy; one bad month and they tear it down. So far, that’s only produced a mushy pile of dissatisfaction, and the fans are beginning to grumble.

2001 was worse than 2000: 5th in the Marvin Miller Division and seemingly exiled to the borders of the standings. Hence the line the front office has now drawn: Birmingham, they say, is aiming for a championship between 2003 and 2005.

Though, you know, if they’re 4 games out in August …

The pressing problem is simple: nobody here gets outs. Birmingham took a wild card in 2000 on the strength of its arms. Last year Greg Maddux and Alejandro Peña gave up 109 home runs between them. One-effing-hundred-and-nine. The lineup put 5 men over 40 homers and the team finished last.

2001 Revisited

A year ago the read on Birmingham was blunt: they were strong on the mound, couldn’t score, and held a roster that didn’t look like a strong playoff contender. So they fixed the offense — emphatically. They shipped their own ace, Andy Pettitte, to New York for Albert Belle (a deal Birmingham still tells itself it won, never mind that Pettitte became a Bronx ace), imported Paul Konerko and Ryan Braun (for the NL All-Star arm of Jim Whitney), then Bobby Grich, and turned the box score into a fireworks show. Hank Aaron hit 51 home runs, Belle 46, Eddie Mathews 46, Jim Pagliaroni 45, Curtis Granderson 41.

And they finished dead last, 75-87, 10 out. The power was a mirage in an exploding offensive year: Belle’s 46 came with negative WAR, Aaron’s 51 with 16 walks all season, Mathews’ 46 on a .224 average, Granderson’s 41 on .206. Nobody got on base, and solo home runs are … nice?

Underneath it, the pitching everyone had worried about collapsed — Peña’s ace season evaporated, Maddux gave up 59 home runs all by himself, and the bullpen was a struggle all season (excepting the pleasant surprise of closer Harley Young). The club’s own review said it plainest: they scored way too few runs, despite hitting the ball out of the park with shocking regularity.

Key Changes

In: Bill Byrd (BAL); Asdrúbal Cabrera (BAL)
Out: Curt Flood (BAL)

Opening Day Rookies: Asdrúbal Cabrera; Melky Cabrera; Slim Embrey; Kerry Ligtenberg; Joe Torre

Best Case for 2002

They hold still. Maddux fronts a rotation for a full year, Bill Byrd takes the ball every 5th day behind him, Lefty Gomez does the same behind Byrd, and the staff ERA comes down without anyone new arriving. Asdrúbal Cabrera‘s glove holds at short, stilling a long-standing revolving door. Granderson’s platoon with Melky Cabrera covers center well enough, and the young starters — Rube Melton, Al Javery, John Malarkey — get their turns. That isn’t a juggernaut: the goal is a year that ends with more pitching than it started with, and clarity about how the offense adapts to a less HR-rich environment.

Worst Case for 2002

The same movie runs again. One Cabrera can’t play short, the other Cabrera flops in CF, and the drop in homers across the league leaves the Black Barons a team that doesn’t get on base and doesn’t do anything else, either. Then, one hot week in August makes the team sniff the playoffs, and another knee-jerk deal is done that changes the overall direction again.

Or, simply, Maddux implodes.

Key Questions

Will Birmingham keep an arm? Pettitte is the loud example, but Whitney is really no different. All-Star arms, traded for perceived value, but leaving a vacuum behind that is always filled with slightly lesser arms (no knock on Lefty Gomez and John Malarkey, but nobody would say they prefer them to Pettitte and Whitney).
Is the power real? Aaron, Konerko, Belle, Braun, Pagliaroni: 5 right-handed bats of consequence. But the league has changed, and Rickwood Field is projected to dampen right-handed power. This is really 2 questions: does the power maintain and, if so, do they keep it or move it on?
Who plays shortstop? The softest spot on the roster, with no clean internal answer (not new — last year’s semi-platoon of Herman Long and Troy Tulowitzki wasn’t very good in the end). Can Cabrera seize the position? If not, is Dick Groat the answer? Or do Long or Tulo force their way back into the conversation — a likely sign of failure if it happens.

Roster Evaluation

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

Pos	Players
C	Pagliaroni A · Torre
1B	Konerko B · Fairly
2B	Grich B · A. Cabrera
SS	A. Cabrera · Long D · Groat
3B	Mathews B
LF	Braun B · Davis
CF	Granderson D · M. Cabrera
RF	Aaron B
DH	Belle C
SP	Maddux D · Byrd · Gomez D · Melton · Malarkey · Javery
RP	Young B (CL) · Otsuka B · Ligtenberg · Peña D · Embrey · Chen

Look at all that gold … the lineup could be quite good.

For all the ruthlessness in the market, Birmingham is stubbornly loyal inside its own clubhouse — veterans get ridden a beat past their expiration, and Bruce Chen, the 37-year-old lefty being handed soft, low-leverage innings rather than a cold release, is the gentlest version of it.

The 9th inning is its own question. Juan Rincón saved 26 games in 2000, then came apart in 2001 — an 8.47 ERA across 34 innings — and the job now belongs to Young, who answered with a 2.29 ERA and 15 saves on results rather than stuff. 2003 shouldn’t bank on him until the command proves it holds.

Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	3B Eddie Mathews	1B Nate Colbert
Batting Eye	2B Bobby Grich	2B Cupid Childs
Contact	LF Tommy Davis	2B Cupid Childs
Running Speed	SS Herman Long	3B Ricardo Hernández
Base Stealing	SS Herman Long	C Art Nichols; 2B Cupid Childs
IF Defense	SS Herman Long	3B Mike Benjamin; 2B Jess Barbour
OF Defense	RF Hank Aaron	CF Lenny Dykstra
Stuff	RP Kerry Ligtenberg	RP Jason Grilli
Control	SP Al Javery	RP Carlos Diaz
Velocity	RP Akinori Otsuka	RP Steve Cishek

Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	Pos	Name
1 (22)	22	CF	Lenny Dykstra
2 (28)	21	LF	Gary Matthews
3 (68)	21	2B	Jess Barbour
4 (97)	21	SP	Bill James

Others: IF Cupid Childs, IF Nate Colbert, IF Ozzie Albies, IF Richie Sexson, OF Ron Gant.

Graduated to the active roster since the ranked list: Joe Torre (14), Kerry Ligtenberg (58).

A year ago this list was headed by Whitney, the arm flipped to Miami for Braun, and Torre, who has since graduated into the backup-catcher job. The new man at the top, Lenny Dykstra, is himself a trade acquisition — part of the Konerko haul from Chicago. What’s left is thin but useful: Dykstra and Gary Matthews in the outfield, Jess Barbour‘s utility glove, and Bill James, clinging to the back of the top hundred. Note what isn’t there. James is the only arm in the system worth ranking (maybe Cozy Dolan, but …), and the 5 unranked names behind him — Cupid Childs, Nate Colbert, Ozzie Albies, Richie Sexson, Ron Gant — are 5 more bats.

Superlatives

	Most	Least
Age	Bruce Chen, 37	Frank Gilhooley, 18
Height	Richie Sexson, 6’8″	Kid Baldwin, 5’6″
OPS	Paul Konerko, .964	George McBride, .585 (AA)
HR	Nate Colbert, 57 (AAA)	Brock Davis, 1 (A)
SB	Cupid Childs, 37	–
WAR (bat)	Gary Matthews, 5.1 (A)	Pie Traynor, −1.0 (AAA)
W	John Malarkey, 11	–
SV	Harley Young, 17	–
ERA	Bill James, 3.69 (A)	Mike Leake, 6.77 (AAA)
WAR (pit)	Rube Melton, 3.3 (AAA)	Bill James, −0.9 (A)

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

Year III Season Preview: Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On July 25, 2026

In 2002 Season Previews, Team News

{ The first of 20 team previews as we head into the new season! }

State of the Franchise

Two springs ago, very few saw Baltimore as a contender — and the Black Sox answered by running up the best record in the inaugural year of the WBL and winning the Whirled Series over Detroit in 7 games. Then came last year: 77-85, 4th in the Bill James Division, 13 games out and never really in contention. Through both the coronation and the collapse the org’s self-image hasn’t flinched — Baltimore believes they are merely unlucky. The assumption is that 2000 was real and 2001 was, well, not.

There’s a case, and it revolves around names you’ll be seeing for a decade: Frank Robinson is 22. Cal Ripken Jr is 23, Manny Machado 24, Bryce Harper 21. All but Ripken were part of the championship run.

2001 Revisited

We spent last spring at maximum confidence. “The best team in the league adds the best free agent,” we wrote of the Gavy Cravath signing — the biggest free-agent deal in WBL history — and declared that anything short of a second straight title would be a disappointment. To our modest credit, we named part of the way it could go wrong: the pitching reverts to mediocre, and Cravath and Dan McGann show their age.

The pitching, it reverted.

The arms were miserable — mostly because they were hurt. Ned Garvin, a Brock Rutherford Award contender before he went down, lost 10 months. Sean Marshall, unhittable in 2000, was out for close to a year. Justin Hampson came out of nowhere to make the AL All-Star team out of the bullpen and then went down for most of the second half. What was left included a game, but only slightly better than mediocre Dennis Martínez, and a revolving door for Jim Palmer, Mike Mussina, the since-departed Bill Byrd, and the since-acquired Gene Conley among others.

The offense did well enough: Robinson turned in another excellent season (308/394/674, a team-best 48 homers and 114 RBI). Cravath’s bat justified the checkbook — 44 homers, 111 RBI, Ripken emerged as a genuine middle-of-the-order masher at shortstop: 32 homers, a Silver Slugger, runner-up for Rookie of the Year, and Harper — the youngest of the bunch — chipped in with a quiet (!) 41-homer season. And the gloves showed up — Gold Gloves for Paul Blair in center and Miller Huggins at second (Huggins is especially impressive, as he wasn’t anointed the full time 2B until well into the season).

Bottom line: the bats and the leather were championship-grade; the pitching was a rumor.

Key Changes

In: Curt Flood (BBB)
Out: Bill Byrd (BBB); Asdrúbal Cabrera (BBB)

Opening Day Rookies: Curt Flood; Jeff Montgomery; Emil Yde

Best Case for 2002

Health, mostly. Garvin comes back as the arm he was, one of Palmer or Martínez finally pitches to the level the advanced numbers indicate possible, and for once Baltimore fields something resembling a front of a rotation instead of a rehab ward. The young bats each take the half-step their ages promise; the Gold-Gloves up the middle keep turning balls in play into outs; and a club that was never really a 77-win team — just a team with a 77-win record — climbs back into the division race.

Worst Case for 2002

The curse holds.

The arms keep breaking, nobody announces themselves as an ace, either through performance or organizational choice, and both Cravath at 37 and McGann at 38 start acting their age. This last is a little less of a cliff — there is some talent behind them, but it has to step up (looking at you, Eddie Murray). 77 wins becomes 74, in the flattest, least-tradeable way possible.

Key Questions

Is there a No. 1 starter — and would they trust one if there were? Baltimore has ace-grade arms — Garvin, especially, but the org can’t bring itself to commit: Palmer’s plain ERAs get him doubted every year even as the context says he’s a real front-of-rotation starter, and the winter’s reclamation flier, Warren Spahn (acquired under the assumption the proverbial change of scenery will unlock his talent, despite him being thoroughly disastrous in every opportunity over 2 years) opens the year at Triple-A. Mussina? Also AAA. You can’t run a rotation on flavor-of-the-month forever.
Who covers the middle infield? Behind Ripken and Huggins there is Cliff Pennington and a prayer with Bobby Wallace being sent to Detroit at last season’s deadline. Baltimore has lost its 2 leading MI reserves — Asdrúbal Cabrera to Birmingham in trade and Brian Roberts to Miami via waivers. Ripken and Machado can cover each other, but it gets thin quick.
Does the aging value convert? Cravath and McGann are challenging: the worst case is they don’t perform and, therefore, cannot be traded for value at the All-Star break. Cravath’s contract may prohibit that, regardless, but in the best of all worlds, Baltimore is able to move them on midseason, escaping both their cost and their age.
What is center field, exactly? This is actually a mirror of the ace question. To analysts the answer is obvious: it’s Paul Blair, a two-time Gold Glover whose bat, while poor, isn’t horrific. But the Black Sox remain restless, with Earl Averill stashed at AAA and Curt Flood brought over from Birmingham.

Roster Evaluation

Pos	Players
C	Blefary B · Haller
1B	McGann C · Murray
2B	Huggins B
SS	Ripken Jr A · Pennington
3B	Machado C
LF	Robinson S
CF	Blair D · Flood
RF	Harper B · Singleton D
DH	Cravath B
SP	Martínez D · Palmer D · Garvin · Cuellar · Tudor
RP	Groom C (CL) · Olson D · Hampson · Montgomery · Marshall

A genuine S/A middle of the order in Robinson, Ripken, and Harper, a Gold-Glove spine down the center of the field, and some great supporting pieces. But the mound is clearly in need of significant improvement (health, of course, will help).

Behind the plate, Curt Blefary is under more pressure than it may appear — his glove is fading fast, but he stays behind the plate for his bat and through his reputation. Rumors are surfacing of him being spotted far too often in bars near the stadium after games — great for interacting with the fans, perhaps not so much for on-field performance.

Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	RF Gavy Cravath	RF Ron Northey
Batting Eye	LF Bryce Harper	3B Frank Ward
Contact	CF Curt Flood	CF Gene Clines
Running Speed	SP Ned Garvin	3B Frank Ward; RF Billy Lush
Base Stealing	SP Ned Garvin	LF Hub Collins; RF Jack McGeachey
IF Defense	SS Cal Ripken Jr	SS Mark Belanger
OF Defense	CF Paul Blair	RF Bill Jacobson
Stuff	RP Jeff Montgomery; RP Gregg Olson	RP Steve Kline
Control	RP Buddy Groom	SP Johnny Sain
Velocity	RP Gregg Olson	RP Rafael Betancourt; RP Frank Francisco

Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	Pos	Name
1 (18)	23	RF	Ron Northey
2 (35)	23	LF	Hub Collins

Others: IF Bruce Bochte, P Steve Avery, IF Gunnar Henderson, IF Willie Montañez, IF Jose Altuve, P Bill Drake.

Graduated to the active roster since the ranked list: Eddie Murray (72), Emil Yde (78), Curt Flood (100).

A very different list than a year ago — because the system did its job. Cal Ripken Jr was the org’s No. 3 prospect a year ago, and Murray, Yde, and Flood all broke camp with the big club. Last year’s No. 1, second baseman Chino Smith, was inexplicably released, ending up with Chicago. What’s left is frankly underwhelming: Ron Northey (AAA), a corner bat, and Hub Collins (AAA) brought over from Detroit. Ninth-best system in the league at last count, mostly for the unranked talent, led by Henderson, Altuve, and Drake.

Superlatives

	Most	Least
Age	Dan McGann, 38	Frank Ward, 17
Height	Gene Conley, 6’8″	Bobby Mathews, 5’5″
OPS	Frank Robinson, 1.068	George Gibson, 0.541 (A)
HR	Frank Robinson, 48	Frank Ward, 0 (AA)
SB	Frank Ward, 50 (AA)	–
WAR (bat)	Frank Robinson, 4.3	Bill Jacobson, -1.2
W	Gio González, 13 (AAA)	–
SV	Frank Francisco, 22 (AA)	–
ERA	Joe Cascarella, 3.52 (AA)	Gene Conley, 7.42
WAR (pit)	Mark Baldwin, 4.7 (AAA)	Johnny Sain, -0.2

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

TWIWBL 97.2: The Spring Training Trades

By mknn

On July 18, 2026

In TWIWBL

With just over a week left in Spring Training, we get to see how panicked some teams are, and how much they want to shake things up before opening day.

Unsurprisingly, we start with the Black Yankees and their perennial win-now mentality.

#The Black Yankees Add MI

NYY sends RP Aroldis Chapman, IF Mark Grudzielanek, 2nd Round Pick to CLE for IF Joe Sewell, IF Bill Phillips.

This is more fallout from the Grant Johnson trade in some ways: Sewell will have every shot at displacing Derek Jeter at SS for New York, and the team looks set to juggle their middle infield between those two, Robby Thompson, and Rogers Hornsby.

For Cleveland, they took a blocked talent–Sewell was never displacing Arky Vaughan–and converted it into a great bullpen arm and a valuable pick.

#The Red Sox Have a Rotation

Unsatisfied with just adding Don Drysdale and Red Ruffing, Memphis went shopping on the West coast.

MEM sends IF Dobie Moore, OF Dwight Evans, P Mike Witt to LAA for P Tom Seaver, IF Xander Bogaerts, IF Andrelton Simmons, C Mark Salas.

Clearly, the spine of the deal is Seaver for Moore, but this one has a lot of repercussions: Memphis continues to weed out some of its OF talent, and takes a gamble on Seaver continuing to develop at the WBL level. SS for Memphis is now a scramble between the two new bodies, Adam Everett, and Bud Harrelson; while for Los Angeles, this settles at least half of their middle infield question, and opens the door for some more arms to prove themselves in the rotation as they look to the future.

#CAG Settles at SS. Maybe.

CAG sends U Trea Turner & IF Yoán Moncada to HOU for IF Travis Jackson.

Jackson is clearly ready for WBL time–here he may actually get it; in return HOU gets a prospect in search of a position and one of the ST surprises in Moncada.

#Monarchs Make Moves

KAN sends OF Dale Murphy & IF Carlos Baerga to NYG for OF Benny Kauff.

A classic now v later move. Murphy is desperately in need of a change of scenery, and Baerga remains 4-5 years away, while Kauff should help deepen a lineup in need of power.

But Kansas City wasn’t done.

KAN sends P José Rijo, P Jeff Pfeffer & 1st Round Pick to LAA for 3B Doug Rader.

The Albert Pujols at 3B experiment looks to be officially over, with Los Angeles clearly reacting to the loss of Seaver. Expect David Wright and/or Pedro Álvarez to inherit the hot corner for the Angels.

And this led to another move for Los Angeles.

LAA sends P Brett Anderson & 3rd Round Pick to HOD for IF Richie Hebner, OF Cy Williams & 2nd Round Pick

Los Angeles has now gotten rid of their 2 best pitchers from last season: this is either great faith in their stockpiled arms or pure madness.

#Easy as A-B-C

IND sends P Tom Glavine, P George Medich, P Jack Billingham & IF Robin Ventura to POR for IF Buddy Bell.

Indianapolis gets an all star and former gold glove winner to take over at the hot corner, while Portland lands a lot of future potential, headlined by the 19 year old Glavine.

This deal set the stage for the next one.

IND sends IF Ed Charles & P Dan Plesac to NYY for P Jeff D. Robinson & P Jack Armstrong.

The Black Yankees get a decent bench piece for the price of a Rule V selection–which seems fair to all. The other two arms are essentially fliers–Armstrong back to his seed franchise, Plesac as a veteran LHP hedge.

#Memphis Not Done Yet

MEM sends IF Candy Jim Taylor, P Nathan Eovaldi & 1st Round Pick to BRK for OF John Briggs & 3rd Round Pick.

This one has some heads shaking. Memphis and Brooklyn team up again, with the Red Sox landing what they hope is the CF of the future, and Brooklyn adding some minor league talent and a coveted #1 pick.

Briggs has been doubted every step of his career–this is just another chance for him to prove the haters wrong. For Brooklyn, it clears CF for Duke Snider, and also means their OF glut can now route into the DH for the year.

#BB to BBB

BAL sends IF Asdrúbal Cabrera, P Bill Byrd, IF Roy Smalley Jr. & 3rd Round Pick to BBB for P Steve Avery, P Gio González, P Warren Spahn, OF Curt Flood & 1st Round Pick.

An interesting deal.

In 7 years, Baltimore may see this as a massive win–if Avery develops, if González becomes a rotation starter, if the 1st Round Pick pans out and, perhaps most of all, if a change of scenery reboots Spahn’s career.

That’s a lot of if’s. In the meantime, Birmingham gets a potential answer to their SS woes and a front of rotation arm that excels in limiting homeruns, the Black Barons’ current Achilles’ heel.

TWIWBL 90.4: Off Season Review – Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On March 27, 2026

In TWIWBL

77 - 85, .475 pct.
4th in Bill James Division, 13 GB

Overall

Quite a fall from winning the championship the previous season, with most of the fault being in (what else?) a faltering pitching staff.

Baltimore finally began to play well in August, but by then it was too late to do much other than play spoiler.

Most of the off-season focus in on the staff. There is a young core of position players, led by the emergence of Cal Ripken Jr and the continued brilliance of Frank Robinson, and with the right side of the infield being retooled, things seem OK offensively (although there is some skepticism that the turn to Eddie Murray over the aging-yet-still-productive Dan McGann may be being rushed).

But on the mound, a massive amount of improvement is needed, led by figuring out exactly who the starting pitchers are here.

What Went Right

Everything revolves around Frank Robinson, who at 22 is one of the elite talents in the game, slashing 308/394/674 and leading the team in HR, RBI, and runs scored.

Cal Ripken Jr really elevated his game, making an argument to join the elite shortstops in the WBL, showing power (32 homers) and decent bat control and defense.

Gavvy Cravath delivered, with 44 homeruns and 111 RBIs, making his free agent signing a success despite his sub .250 BA.

Bryce Harper continues to show up with an OPS just over .900 and good speed, even if his ultimate OF position seems to still be evolving.

This was supposed to be 1B Dan McGann‘s last year, but the 38 year old posted a .400 OBP with a little power to boot, complicating the Black Sox’s desire to turn the position over to Eddie Murray.

Miller Huggins took over at 2B, showing great defensive skills and an insane ability to get on base–Huggins ended up with the Gold Glove in the AL, a testament to just how good he was with the glove despite missing a fair chunk of the year in the minors.

Speaking of Gold Gloves, Paul Blair won his 2nd in CF. Still can’t hit.

Finally on the offensive side, Curt Blefary continues to be decently above average behind the plate, even with an overall slip in performance from last year’s heights.

So, that’s a decent amount, and certainly a strong enough list to warrant being in the playoff hunt. Until you get to the pitching. What went well … hmm …

Justin Hampson came out of nowhere to make the All Star team out of the pen. He got injured, so it was only 27 appearances, but they were pertty spectacular.

And … yeah … that’s about it. I mean, Buddy Groom was serviceable as a closer when called upon. Jim Palmer was never given a steady rotation spot, but was probably the best starter they had. Meh.

ALL STARS

Justin Hampson
Frank Robinson

MAJOR AWARDS

Paul Blair, AL CF Gold Glove
Miller Huggins, AL 2B Gold Glove
Cal Ripken Jr, AL SS Silver Slugger

RECOGNITIONS

Curt Blefary, All AL 3rd Team
Gavvy Cravath, AL Over 30 Team
Buddy Groom, AL Over 30 Team
Tom Haller, AL All Rookie Team
Bryce Harper, AL 21 & Under Team
Miller Huggins, All AL 3rd Team
Cal Ripken Jr, All AL 2nd Team; AL Rookie of the Year 2nd Place; AL 25 & Under Team; AL 23 & Under Team; AL All Rookie Team
Frank Robinson, All AL 3rd Team; AL 23 & Under Team

ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDS

Frank Robinson, MVP
Justin Hampson, Pitcher of the Year
Curt Blefary, Heart & Soul
Miller Huggins, Fan Favorite

Dick Ellsworth, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Asdrúbal Cabrera, Minor League Player of the Year

What Went Wrong

Larry Gardner and Bobby Wallace–key components of the championship season–were either hurt or injured. That opened the door for Ripken Jr and Huggins, but still.

And then there’s the pitching.

Injuries and indecision kept Baltimore from, aside from Dennis Martínez, settling on a rotation. Martínez was mediocre at best (12-8, 5.12), but he did provide steady consumption of innings.

Ned Garvin was worse then El Presidente, but looked to still be suffering the effects of his long-term injury.

Beyond that … misery. Johnny Sain, Bill Byrd, and Gene Conley were downright bad as spot starters and Gregg Olson and Sean Marshall were rocked coming out of the bullpen.

Baltimore needs bounce-back seasons from nearly everyone.

Transactions

March

None, and hopes were high.

July

P John Wetteland & 4th Round Pick to POR for P Mike Cuellar.

Cuellar was decent and Wetteland has been awful, so consider this a small win.

August

IF Bobby Wallace & P Connie Johnson to DET for P Gene Conley, P Bill Drake, P Emil Yde, OF Hub Collins, & 2nd Round Pick.

Interesting trade for sure. It all hinges on how well Drake and Yde develop, but the contours of the deal make sense for Baltimore.

P Joe Beggs & 2nd Round Pick to KCM for OF Earl Averill.

Averill looks poised to displace Blair in CF, so this one looks OK as well.

Positional Overview

C

Curt Blefary is the answer here for a while, with Tom Haller behind him.

Should Haller falter, there are some options, most notably Ramón Hernández and Billy Earle.

1B

The plan was for Eddie Murray to take over here and Dan McGann to … well, do something. But McGann continues to offer significant offensive performance, and Murray struggled a bit in adjusting to WBL pitching. But the Black Sox are likely to stick with the plan, either using McGann as a high volume backup or finding a trade partner for him.

There is some talent in the system, from veteran Jim Bottomley to youngsters Willie Montañez and Bruce Bochte.

2B

Miller Huggins has made this spot his own, but that’s what Baltimore thought about Larry Gardner last year. Still Huggins’ defense and ability to get on base seems likely to stick.

Asdrúbal Cabrera, the organizational minor league player of the year, is likely to serve as the reserve infielder next year.

SS

Cal Ripken Jr looks to have this sewn up.

There is an intriguing choice for a backup in Mark Belanger, who cannot hit, but is a defensive wizard. It’s more likely the Black Sox keep using Machado and perhaps Cabrera behind Ripken Jr.

3B

Manny Machado has his detractors, but he really is quite solid, delivering 44 homeruns and 99 RBIs.

Brooks Robinson at AAA is better defensively, and the future may belong to either Frank Ward (still only 17) or Gunnar Henderson, but for now, this is Machado’s spot.

LF/RF

If we assume better options exist in CF, this looks to be Frank Robinson and Bryce Harper, with support from Ken Singleton, Phil Bradley, and perhaps occasionally Gavvy Cravath.

Baby Doll Jacobson has been solid when given the chance, and Steve Brodie, Ron Northey, and Larry Sheets all look like they could help out if needed.

CF

It’s the offense of Earl Averill against the defense of Paul Blair here. As is often the case in these situations, look for Averill to get the nod, with Blair’s playing time expanding if he struggles at the plate.

At 18, Paul Hines is well regarded, and either Gene Clines or Homer Smoot may still grow into something useful.

DH

This should be Gavvy Cravath‘s primary position.

SP

The Black Sox seem committed to Dennis Martínez and Ned Garvin, and Jim Palmer has done enough to warrant a more extended time here. So that leaves two open slots, with the competition between Bill Byrd, Mike Mussina, Mike Cuellar and a host of new names, led by John Tudor, Emil Yde, and Dick Ellsworth.

Mark Baldwin and Bob Welch should be useful at the WBL level, while the brightest lights lower in the system are probably Bill Drake, Joe Decker, and Milt Pappas.

RP

Buddy Groom will hold onto his role as closer, but his grip on that is tentative at best.

Look for the Black Sox to give Justin Hampson more time, Sean Marshall a chance to recover his form from last year, and Gregg Olson another chance, just because. Some of the players that miss out on the rotation will be here, and the trio of DJ Carrasco, Frank Linzy, and Mike Munoz will get a peek as well.

Draft Outlook

DRAFT PICKS

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

The system needs talent, top to bottom, with only perhaps SS and the corner OF spots considered blocked.

TWIWBL 77.4: Bill James Division

By mknn

On August 30, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Cleveland Spiders	67-48	.583	—
New York Black Yankees	65-54	.546	4
Detroit Wolverines	57-60	.487	11
Memphis Red Sox	55-63	.466	13.5
Baltimore Black Sox	50-67	.427	18

Bill James Division | 12 August

#Baltimore Black Sox

Two homeruns from Frank Robinson weren’t enough as the Black Sox fell to Los Angeles, 5-2. There was a positive: Ned Garvin pitched very much like the Ned Garvin of last year despite taking the loss.

After a few trades, the Black Sox welcomed Gene Conley and recalled Bill Byrd to their bullpen, and recalled Larry Gardner to backup Miller Huggins at 2B.

#Cleveland Spiders

Ed Bailey went deep twice, giving him a dozen with Cleveland and 32 on the season, as the Spiders topped Portland, 13-4.

#Detroit Wolverines

Superstar Ty Cobb hit for the cycle, but it wasn’t enough, as the Wolverines fell to Miami in a slugfest, 16-11.

The next day, Oscar Gamble hit 2 homeruns and this time the Wolverines prevailed, 11-5. However, starter Johnny Marcum had to leave the game, and is headed to the DL nursing an oblique injury. Gene Conley was recalled, having improved a bit during his stint at AAA.

Needing a starter, the Wolverines exchanged Billy Hoeft (who has struggled mightily after a promising start to the season) for Ray Sadecki. Sadecki did alright–2 earned in over 5 innings–but still got tagged with the loss as Detroit fell 10-1 to Miami. George Bechtel, who had pitched well of late, was injured, and will spend about a week on the DL, with Detroit recalling Buddy Napier from his rehab stint after the game.

Ernie Lombardi had 2 round trippers, leading the Wolverines to an 8-6 win over Miami. Chili Davis did the same: 2 homeruns, reaching 30 on the year, in a 10-6 victory over Memphis.

To make room for trade acquisitions, Dick Donovan and Sadecki were both shipped to AAA. Connie Johnson steps into the rotation, while Troy Percival and Steve Howe hit the Wolverines’ bullpen and Bobby Wallace steps into the starting role at SS.

#Memphis Red Sox

At some point, you gotta’ produce … veteran IF Nomar Garciaparra was released, with Dobie Moore being recalled from his rehab assignment.

Sadie McMahon was recalled from AAA leaving the Red Sox bullpen full of arms, but not terribly clear on roles.

Stubby Overmire tossed a complete game 3-hitter as Memphis topped Detroit, 5-0. With the win, Overmire improved to 11-9 and lowered his ERA to 4.27.

#New York Black Yankees

Rogers Hornsby was recalled from his rehab assignment, with Tom Herr heading back to AAA.

Dave Righetti returned to the Black Yankees’ rotation.

Babe Ruth hit his 53rd and 54th homers of the year, leading New York to a 7-1 win over Memphis.

With Waite Hoyt‘s departure, the Black Yankees named the surprising Tony Brizzolara to their rotation for the time being and promoted reliever Jeff Nelson from AAA.

Mike Schmidt and Hornsby went back-to-back twice, but it wasn’t enough as New York’s bullpen couldn’t close it out in an 11-10 loss to Baltimore. The next day, it was Lou Gehrig‘s turn to hit 2 out of the park, giving him 47 on the year and leading New York to a 5-2 win over Baltimore.

TWIWBL 76.3: Bill James Division

By mknn

On August 6, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Cleveland Spiders	62-47	.569	—
New York Black Yankees	63-50	.558	1
Detroit Wolverines	53-58	.477	10
Memphis Red Sox	52-59	.468	11
Baltimore Black Sox	49-62	.441	14

Bill James Division | 5 August

#Baltimore Black Sox

Needing to shake things up, Baltimore has moved into full “let’s see what we have for next year” mode. Johnny Sain and Bill Byrd were sent to AAA with Mark Baldwin and Rafael Betancourt being recalled. Betancourt will hit the bullpen, with Joe Beggs being moved from closer to starter for the Black Sox. Buddy Groom–Baltimore’s best reliever this year–will move into the closer spot.

Perhaps more importantly, wunderkind Eddie Murray was recalled, with Baby Doll Jacobson, who has struggled all season, being sent down. This likely puts Dan McGann on the trade market, as Murray isn’t being recalled to ride the pines.

Gavvy Cravath went deep twice, and Baltimore held on to an impressive 6-5 win over San Francisco.

Betancourt’s stay was short, as a sore elbow will move him to the DL, with Gregg Olson being recalled to the Black Sox bullpen.

#Cleveland Spiders

Evan Longoria hit 2 out and drove in 5, leading the Spiders to a 12-4 win over Baltimore. It wasn’t all good news for Cleveland, though, as Ron Blomberg sprained his ankle in the game, earning Boomer a trip to the DL. Cleveland recalled 33 year old Willie McCovey, one of the dominant AAA power hitters of the season, to see if he can add to their power for the stretch run.

McCovey had a nice debut, homering in his first WBL at bat and adding a single as the Spiders topped Baltimore, 10-4.

#Detroit Wolverines

Hank Greenberg went deep twice and drove in 5 as Detroit rode a strong outing from Pete Conway in a 14-2 victory over the Black Yankees. It wasn’t all good news for Detroit: Tony Lazzeri, who had essentially laid claim to the SS job, had to leave the game with a yet-to-be diagnosed injury.

It got worse in the middle infield as the Wolverines, still waiting to hear about the severity of Lazzeri’s ailment, lost George Davis for a few weeks. Davis hits the DL with Ray Chapman earning the promotion to Detroit.

It turns out Lazzeri has a fractured rib and will miss about a month, so he heads to the DL with Robby Thompson being recalled.

#Memphis Red Sox

Ted Williams hit 2 homeruns, but the Red Sox bullpen couldn’t hold a lead, and Memphis fell to Chicago, 8-6 in 11 innings.

#New York Black Yankees

Dave Righetti was recalled from a rehab assignment, with David Robertson heading to AAA. For now, Righetti will work out of the Black Yankees’ bullpen. But the back end of their rotation is pretty unsettled, with Red Ruffing and Pascual Pérez far from solid in their roles.

Don Mattingly went deep twice and Babe Ruth added his league-leading 52nd of the year as the Black Yankees came from behind to trounce Miami, 14-7. Eric Davis, who also homered, had 4 hits, as did Mattingly and Ruth drove in 5 in the win.

The Black Yankees hit 6 homeruns, 2 from Lou Gehrig, as they topped Miami, 14-5.

Rogers Hornsby began a rehab assignment, which will most likely be quite brief.

The Black Yankees’ staff is in a bit of upheaval, as both Pérez and Rheal Cormier left games with injuries. Pérez will miss a couple weeks, while Cormier’s injury is still under investigation. Roy Evans was promoted to take Pérez’ place on the active roster.

TWIWBL 69.2 Spotlight on the Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On December 3, 2024

In TWIWBL

What a collapse. From Whirled Series champions to last place in their division, Baltimore is finding out what happens when your pitching staff goes from being among the best in the league to something very far away from that.

Baltimore inherits players from the St. Louis Browns and the Baltimore Orioles, as well as NeL players closely aligned with either the Baltimore Black Sox or the Baltimore Elite Giants.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

Baltimore is floundering in last place, 17.5 games behind the Black Yankees, with the worst record in the league. It’s just pretty miserable.

THE OFFENSE

The offense hasn’t been great, but it’s not really been the dominant issue for the Black Sox.

#What’s Going Right

Frank Robinson continues to argue for a spot among the truly elite of the league, slashing 300/389/623. But he doesn’t lead the Black Sox in HRs or RBIs: that falls to Gavvy Cravath, who is coming through as the largest free agent acquisition of the off season. Cravath has 21 homeruns and 54 RBIs, shading ahead of Robinson in both counts.

Cal Ripken, Jr. is tearing the cover off the ball in about 20 games, arguing for a lot more playing time.

Bryce Harper and Dan McGann continue to be well above-average with only a low BA for Harper and not enough power for McGann keeping them out of superstar status.

Miller Huggins has been surprisingly good, getting on base at a near .400 clip.

#What’s Not Going Right

Larry Gardner, excellent last year, has almost played himself out of a job at this point, struggling to get his OPS over .550. His lack of productivity and Bobby Wallace‘s injury are what opened the door for Ripken, Jr. and Huggins.

Baby Doll Jacobson has been quite average.

Paul Blair cannot hit, but we knew that, and he does continue to play stellar defense in CF.

THE PITCHING

The rotation is in total disarray and the bullpen isn’t much better.

#What’s Going Right

Um.

Ned Garvin is on the mound again.

Justin Hampson has been effective as an option versus lefties from the bullpen.

Mike Mussina has pitched well, far better than his 3-4, 5.11 numbers would indicate.

#What’s Not Going Right

Everything else.

Let’s start with the staff ace, Dennis Martínez, who has a decent 7-4 record, but has been hit pretty hard, with a 5.19 ERA and poor peripherals.

The rest of the starters have been so bad that the Black Sox refuse to name a #4 and #5 starter. Nobody else has an ERA under 5.00, and while Connie Johnson and Bill Byrd have decent analytics, the results have been relatively miserable.

Joe Beggs has 11 saves, but has also started 2 games, and looks betwixt and between no matter what his role.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

Not great.

Ripken, Jr. started the year in the minors, and he and Eddie Murray are clearly the future of the org. But there isn’t much beyond them–Bruce Bochte and Steve Brodie have some talent in the OF; Gunnar Henderson, Mark Belanger, and Asdrúbal Cabrera could offer some help on the IF; and … who knows, maybe Joe Dobson, maybe Jack Kramer on the mound?

WHAT’S NEEDED

A miracle. I mean, just not finishing in the basement would be something at this point. My guess is this team is a seller at the deadline, which may mean McGann moves on, clearing room for Murray.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

Not many: the twelve arms are–pending injury or spring training collapse–pretty much set, as is most of the lineup with only a single roster spot currently available, which would be filled by a reserve 2B? Ah, such arrogance …

FEATURED SERIES

Baltimore closes the week with 3 games at Detroit, which will be our focus.

Projected Starters

Baltimore starter listed first.

Dennis Martínez (7-4, 5.19) @ Johnny Marcum (5-2, 3.78)
Ned Garvin (3-3, 5.33) @ Justin Verlander (2-8, 66.06)
Mike Mussina (4-4, 5.31) @ Charlie Root (6-6, 4.89)

Game One

Dennis Martínez‘ struggles have been a major issue for Baltimore so far this year. El Presidente won 14 games with an ERA under 4.00 in their championship run. This year, his ERA is about a run-and-a-half higher, although he does have 7 wins.

Martínez struggled here, giving up 5 runs in 5 innings on 4 homers. But Cal Ripken Jr., Curt Blefary, and Manny Machado all hit one out for Baltimore, and both starters left after 5 innings, with the Black Sox up, 6-5.

The surprising Juan Beníquez drove in the go-ahead run for Detroit in the bottom of the 7th, setting up a great situation for the Wolverines, with Chad Bradford pitching the 8th and Mike Henneman the 9th. Bradford did his job, but Henneman gave up a pinch-hit homer to Ken Singleton giving Baltimore an edge that Joe Beggs–not terribly dependable so far this season–was able to preserve.

Both Ripken and Detroit’s Ed Bailey had 2 homers on the day.

BAL 8 (Sain 1-2; Beggs 12 Sv; Hampson 7 H; Dickey 1 Bsv) @ DET 7 (Henneman 4-2, 3 B Sv; Bradford 6 H)
HRs: BAL – Ripken, Jr. 2 (10), Machado (24), Blefary (15), Singleton (9); DET – C. Davis (18), E. Bailey 2 (16), Gamble (11).
Box Score

Detroit got some bad news after the game, with Henneman out for just over a month. Joakim Soria was recalled from AAA.

Game Two

With Ned Garvin not yet rested, the Black Sox turned to Jim Palmer for the matchup against Detroit’s struggling Justin Verlander.

Detroit took the lead in the bottom of the first, but both Palmer and Verlander were doing well early. Verlander gave up a lot of base runners, but it took a an RBI single from Miller Huggins for Baltimore to go ahead, 2-1, in the top of the 4th.

A solo shot from Oscar Gamble tied the game, but the Black Sox greeted Verlander’s replacement, Jack Wilson, for 4 runs, led by Frank Robinson‘s bases-clearing, 2-out double.

A double from Ty Cobb in the bottom of the 8th finally chased Palmer, who made a decent argument for a return to Baltimore’s rotation. His numbers won’t reflect that, as John Wetteland came in, walked a batter, and gave up a grand slam to Gamble followed by a solo shot to Chili Davis, tying the game.

More bad news for Detroit’s staff, as Billy Hoeft will miss a couple weeks.

With Chad Bradford and Sean Marshall each doing their jobs, we head into extra innings in this one.

In the 10th, Cal Ripken Jr. singled and was replaced by Baby Doll Jacobson, who stole second. Bobby Wallace delivered an RBI single for the lead, and Baltimore turned the game over to Joe Beggs. Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, and Gamble? No problem, and Baltimore holds on for the victory.

Most importantly, Marshall looked like his old self with 1.2 scoreless innings.

Gamble ended with 5 RBIs and Bobby Wallace had 3 hits on the day.

BAL 8 (Marshall 1-0; Beggs 13 Sv) @ DET 7 (Bradford 2-4) [10 Innings]
HRs: BAL – none; DET – Gamble 2 (13), C. Davis (19).
Box Score

Hoeft hit the DL, and Detroit recalled Mike Griffin.

Game Three

Last year, Baltimore’s Ned Garvin and Detroit’s Charlie Root were among the best hurlers in the league. This season … not so much. But both of shown flashes of their past ability, so we’ll see if Garvin can nail down the sweep or Root can salvage a game for the Wolverines.

Gavvy Cravath put Baltimore in front 1-0 in the 2nd with his 22nd homer of the season. That wasn’t terribly surprising, but Paul Blair‘s 8th of the year, a 3 run shot, was, giving the Black Sox a 4-0 edge.

Garvin was unable to hold it, though, as a series of walks and singles brought Detroit back to within 1 at 4-3. Garvin loaded the bases in the 3rd as well, including his 6th walk of the game. For the second time on the day, George Davis came through with an RBI single, this time tying the game and chasing Garvin, who was replaced by Connie Johnson, who promptly walked in a run, putting Detroit up, 5-4.

Ty Cobb and Hank Greenberg hit back-to-back shots in the 4th, but Frank Robinson and Bryce Harper tied it up in the 5th with longballs of their own. That, and a short rain delay, chased Root.

In the top of the 7th, Cravath sent out his 2nd of the game, this one with the bases loaded. RBI’s from Blair and Miller Huggins made it 13-7. In this contest, it just might be enough …

Cravath hit his 3rd of the day and Justin Hampson and Johnny Sain were able to close it out. Cravath finished with 4 runs scored and 6 RBIs for Baltimore while Kaline was 4 for 4 for Detroit.

BAL 14 (Byrd 4-3) @ DET 7 (Bechtel 1-2)
HRs: BAL – Cravath 3 (24), Blair (8), Robinson (22), Harper (15); DET – Greenberg (26), Cobb (23).
Box Score

The game was a little rough, as Baltimore’s Bobby Wallace and Detroit’s Mike Griffin (on his WBL debut) had to leave via injury. Wallace was sent to the DL with light hitting IF Dave Anderson being recalled.

This gives Baltimore a 5 game winning streak, during which they are giving up over 7 runs a contest. So, yeah, it’s really been all about the offense. But if they can get some pitching, they can at least claw their way out of the basement. After that, who knows?

TWIWBL 69.1: Year 2, Week 12

By mknn

On December 2, 2024

In TWIWBL

June 18th

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.

#Team Performance

Pretty much status quo here.

The New York Black Yankees lead Cleveland in the Bill James Division by 5.5 games; San Francisco has extended their lead in the Cum Posey Division to 9.5 over Chicago; and Indianapolis and Kansas City remain tied atop the Marvin Miller Division.

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.

Year II Season Preview: Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On March 20, 2024

In Team News

Expectations

Best team in the league adds the best free agent? Anything short of competing for a second consecutive championship would be a disappointment.

Best Case

The pitching is even better, supported by the return of the injured arms (most of all, Ned Garvin and Sean Marshall) and the offense runs even deeper with the addition of Gavvy Cravath.

Worst Case

The pitching reverts to mediocre and both Cravath and Dan McGann show their age while other key parts of the offense–Curt Blefary especially–regress.

Key Changes

Cravath, clearly.
Closer Joe Beggs may be converted into a starter, with Buddy Groom and John Wetteland taking over the end of games. At the end of Spring Training, he was still in the bullpen, but the move looms.

This is part of why they start the season as the favorites: the only changes have been a clear improvement in talent with Cravath and a few changes at the end of the roster (Tom Haller beating out Ramón Hernández behind Blefary, Miller Huggins beating out Brian Roberts as a reserve infielder, John Tudor making the team, stuff like that). The team has some flaws, but those same flaws existed last season, and that ended with a championship.

Trade Bait

Not a lot. There is a little excess in the OF and some spare SP, but the team also doesn’t have a lot of glaring need.

Roster Evaluation

POS	Elite	Strong	Solid	Meh	Weak	Unknown
C		Blefary				Haller
1B		McGann
2B		Gardner				Huggins
3B			Machado
SS		Wallace
LF/ RF	Cravath Robinson			Harper Singleton
CF			Blair	Jacobsen
SP	Byrd ~~Garvin~~ Martínez	Johnson	Mussina	Palmer Sain
End		Beggs Groom	Wetteland
RP	~~Marshall~~		Bessent	Olson		Tudor

New Addition | ~~Injured~~

Seems about right: most of the roster is firmly towards the left side of the scale, with more unknowns with upside than actual weaknesses.

Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	OF Gavvy Cravath	1B Eddie Murray
Batting Eye	IF Miller Huggins	IF Piggy Ward
Contact	1B Dan McGann	OF Steve Brodie
Running Speed	IF Miller Huggins	OF Billy Hulen
Base Stealing	2B Larry Gardner	OF Dave Altizer
IF Defense	IF Miller Huggins	3B Brooks Robinson
OF Defense	CF Paul Blair	CF Sam West
Stuff	SP Ned Garvin	SP Mark Baldwin
Control	SP Mike Mussina	SP Ken Johnson
Velocity	RP John Wetteland	RP Rafael Betancourt

Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	POS	Name
1 (12)	22	2B	Chino Smith
2 (34)	22	1B	Eddie Murray
3 (44)	22	SS	Cal Ripken, Jr
4 (52)	19	P	Jack Kramer
5 (67)	20	OF	Steve Brodie
6 (78)	16	3B	Piggy Ward
7 (88)	21	P	Joe Dobson
8 (115)	19	1B	Willie Montañez
9 (149)	22	OF	Bruce Bochte
10 (172)	23	P	Frank Francisco

Others: None in top 200.

Chino Smith was drafted in the 8th round by Memphis, then inexplicably released. The Black Sox snapped him up, hoping he may be part of the answer to what comes after Wallace and Gardner in the middle infield. Murray and Ripken are expected in the WBL this season, although when Murray takes over for McGann remains unclear.

	Most	Least
Age	P RA Dickey, 42	3B Piggy Ward, 16
Height	P Kameron Loe, 6’8″	P Bobby Mathews, 5’5″
OPS	OF Chick Stahl, .958 (AAA/WBL)	C George Gibson, .597 (AAA/AA)
HR	OF Frank Robinson, 37 (WBL)	OF Phil Bradley, 1 (WBL/AAA) OF Burt Shotton, 1 (AAA/AA)
SB	SS Cliff Pennington, 22 (—)	Many with 0
WAR	C Curt Blefary, 4.7 (WBL)	OF Gene Clines, -1.0 (—)
W	Bill Byrd, 14 (WBL) Dennis Martínez, 14 (WBL)	Phil Ortega, 2 (AA)
SV	Craig Stammen, 21 (—)
ERA	Ned Garvin, 2.80 (WBL)	Cristhian Martínez, 8.34 (—)
WAR	Ken Johnson, 4.8 (—)	RA Dickey, -1.7 (—)

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

TWIWBL 56.3: Spring Training Notes – Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On February 20, 2024

In TWIWBL

Spring Training Questions

Not many: the twelve arms are–pending injury or spring training collapse–pretty much set, as is most of the lineup with only a single roster spot currently available, which would be filled by a reserve 2B.

First Cuts

This is hard. Other than Dick Ellsworth, all of the competitors for the final rosters spots impressed–even Frank Fancisco, who joined Ellsworth in being sent down, didn’t pitch badly.

The same can’t be said for the mainstays: Bob Miller and Buddy Groom both struggled, and pricey FA pickup Aaron Heilman was hit very hard. Baltimore’s assumption is that their core rotation–Bill Byrd, Dennis Martínez, Connie Johnson, and Mike Mussina–will all come around.

Offensively, some moves were more clear.

Nobody other than Curt Blefary has done anything behind the plate, leading to Brook Fordyce and Joe Holden being returned to the minors, as were Bruce Bochte, Paul Hines, Roy Smalley Jr., and Julian Javier. Both Billy Hulen and Paul Blair are hitless so far, but Blair is an established starter and a gold glove winner, so it’s Hulen who is sent to the minors, along with Ron Northey.

Neither Jim Bottomley nor Dave Altizer have shown much, but they were kept in camp for the time being.

It was assumed that 16 year old Piggy Ward was only in camp as a publicity stunt, but the young man has shown great control of the strike zone and enough defensive skill to stick around a bit longer.

Ramón Hernández, Manny Machado, Blair, and Larry Gardner have all struggled mightily, but aren’t yet in danger of any change to their status. Miller Huggins has also been poor, but retains his spot in camp due to the uncertainty at the reserve 2B position.

The focus for Baltimore will be on sorting out the pitching question: look for extended innings to be given to those guys over the next week. There are some questions to settle in the OF as well, as Steve Brodie‘s impressive start, combined with the struggles of Chick Stahl, Altizer, and Phil Bradley are muddying the waters for what may be the final roster spot.

Second Cuts

In the bullpen, Bob Miller–who started last year as the co-closer for the Black Sox but struggled since around the all-star break, and has been absolutely hammered in Spring Training–will start this season in the minors. Rafael Betancourt was also sent down, but other than that the pitching remains muddled: the starting quartet continues to struggle and the pretenders–Blake Hawksworth, Jack Kramer, Milt Pappas, and John Tudor–have combined to allow 1 run in in just over 26 innings.

Ramón Hernández and Phil Masi have each managed only a single hit, but Hernández’ WBL track record keeps him in camp. George Gibson was recalled to get some fill in at bats.

Jim Bottomley and Dave Altizer were sent down, loosening some of the crowd at 1B. Bottomley was given his release, allowing the veteran to try to catch on elsewhere. Teenage phenom Piggy Ward headed to minor league camp as well.

In the OF, veteran Chick Stahl‘s miserable spring earned him a ticket to AAA, while Steve Brodie and Phil Bradley continued to argue for a roster spot.

Third Cuts

C George Gibson, SS Mark Belanger, and Ps Jack Kramer and Mark Baldwin were the easy demotions. They were joined by Blake Hawksworth, whose wildness raised too many questions.

FA signing Aaron Heilman had been assumed to be a lock for the roster, but instead pitched poorly enough to be released, despite the economic commitment of his contract.

OF Steve Brodie was making a decent case to stick around, but a strained oblique will keep him out for about a month, sending him to AAA. He’s joined there by Brian Roberts, meaning Miller Huggins has beat out Roberts for the reserve 2B slot.

Joe Dobson and Milt Pappas have both pitched well in camp, but move to AAA for more development given their youth. Both Eddie Murray and Willie Montañez have hit well enough to stay in camp, and there is a bit of a logjam at SS and 3B: Bobby Wallace and Manny Machado are the presumed starters, leaving Brooks Robinson likely as the odd man out despite a strong Spring.

Phil Bradley finds himself in a similar position, likely the victim of a numbers game by the end of camp.

Last Cuts

Teenage phenom Willie Montañez‘ time in camp came to an end. OF Phil Bradley was going to need a stunning Spring to break camp with the Black Sox, and while he certainly tried, there was just no way he was breaking through the established OFers–plus Gavvy Cravath.

In a bit of a surprise, Tom Haller beat out incumbent Ramón Hernández to backup Curt Blefary with Hernández heading to AAA. That makes the Black Sox one of the first teams to reduce to only 2 Cs, partially out of a desire to get Blefary as much work behind the plate as possible before opening day.

Brooks Robinson had a nice Spring, but there just wasn’t any room for him on the left side of the infield behind incumbents Bobby Wallace and Larry Gardner, World Series hero Manny Machado, and the emerging talents of Cal Ripken, Jr. Robinson is off to AAA, with hopes that a good showing may make him desirable for a contender come the next trading period.

Being Whirled Champions should mean your roster is strong. It should also mean your choices the next Spring are rough, and here we are. Scott Williamson, Armando Benitez, John Tudor, and Kevin Tapani all pitched well this Spring. Tapani and Benitez were slightly worse, so they are the first two heading to AAA.

Benitez refused to be demoted, so he was waived, which puts a decent arm on the free market.

Eddie Murray was fantastic all Spring. But the Black Sox are going to continue with 37 year old Dan McGann for one more year, sending Murray to AAA to get regular AB.

The Cravath acquisition makes things complicated as the Black Sox have 6 quality bats in the OF (or 5 quality bats plus Paul Blair‘s glove). They also have a glut on the left side of the IF, where Cal Ripken, Jr is pushing both Bobby Wallace and Manny Machado at SS and 3B.

In the end, the hard decision came down to Ripken and Williamson being sent down, with Tudor being the surprise arm making the roster out of Spring Training.