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TWIWBL 34.0: Series XXVII Notes

On February 27, 2023

July 27th

Let’s Talk About D, Baby

While the rest of the league is buzzing with trade talk, let’s take a look at what the game tells us about flashing the leather. We’ll go by position, trying to get a sense of the best fielders in the league so far.

C (500 IP min)

Thurman Munson of the New York Black Yankees has over 150 more total chances than Homestead‘s Josh Gibson, having started 86 games behind the plate. That has to count for something. Of starting catchers, Baltimore‘s Curt Blefary leads in cERA with 4.08, and Cleveland‘s Louis Santop–yet to turn 20–leads the league in framing runs–1.2 ahead of Gibson. In terms of gunning down base runners, everyone is clustered around 33% or so–Emil Gross (Ottawa) was way up at 46%, but couldn’t hit enough to stay in the league and Alan Ashby (Miami) has been excellent at 36% since taking over for Miami. Looking at all of that, it’s got to be Munson, Gibson, Blefary, or Santop, with apologies to Indianapolis‘ Johnny Bench and the House of David‘s Elrod Hendricks.

	IP	TC	E	RTO%	cERA	FRM
C. Blefary (BAL)	599	401	11	29.4	4.08	-1.2
J. Gibson (HOM)	718	559	14	27.2	5.77	1.5
T. Munson (NYY)	765	719	5	33.0	4.72	-1.3
L. Santop (CLE)	624	542	2	32.6	4.20	2.7

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out %; cERA = Catching ERA; FRM = Framing Runs Saved

I think Santop takes it, but I would be OK if Munson’s higher usage swung it to him.

1B (600 IP min)

Philadelphia‘s Ted Kluszewski has the best fielding percentage (.996), having committed only 3 errors, but trails well behind Dan McGann (BAL)’s league leading 10.20 Range Factor. Will Clark of the Miami Cuban Giants leads in Zone Rating at 3.3. So McGann makes the most plays overall, but Clark makes the most plays that other 1B miss.

	IP	TC	E	PCT	RNG	ZR
Will Clark (MCG)	791	818	5	.994	9.25	3.3
Ted Kluszewski (PHI)	676	711	3	.996	9.43	1.0
Dan McGann (BAL)	749	854	5	.994	10.20	2.5
Bill White (MEM)	788	814	4	.995	9.25	1.8

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

It comes down to whether you think McGann’s RNG is more a product of his glovework or the superior Black Sox pitching staff. For me, Clark making plays nobody else in the league makes takes it.

2B (600 IP min)

Cleveland‘s Chuck Knoblauch and San Francisco‘s Jimmy Bloodworth each sport a .993 Fielding Percentage with only 3 errors each. The House of David’s Ryne Sandberg has, by a fair bit, played the most at 2B, making his leading the league in Range Factor more impressive. The New York Gotham‘s Cookie Rojas leads in ZR, trailed by Chicago‘s Eddie Collins. Those are the contenders.

	IP	TC	E	PCT	RNG	ZR
Jimmy Bloodworth (SFS)	753	423	3	.993	5.02	3.7
Eddie Collins (CAG)	715	390	5	.987	4.85	5.5
Chuck Knoblauch (CLE)	801	426	3	.993	4.75	-1.8
Cookie Rojas (NYG)	703	369	3	.992	4.68	6.5
Ryne Sandberg (HOD)	850	524	7	.987	5.48	0.8

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

I can’t get away from Rojas. Behind him it’s rough: Collins makes some great plays, but Sandberg’s greater usage may give him the edge.

3B (600 IP min)

Mike Schmidt of the Black Yankees has the highest fielding percentage, Ottawa’s Anthony Rendon leads in Range Factor, and Philadelphia’s Scott Rolen has a massive edge in Zone Rating. It’s hard to put together.

	IP	TC	E	PCT	RNG	ZR
Ron Cey (BRK)	808	221	6	.973	2.39	5.4
Anthony Rendon (OTT)	853	266	7	.974	2.73	1.8
Scott Rolen (PHI)	813	240	5	.979	2.60	8.5
Mike Schmidt (NYY)	677	193	3	.984	2.53	6.3

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

Rendon’s ZR confirms that his other stats are really a product of being on the field a lot. I think that leaves Rolen and Schmidt pretty much neck and neck.

SS (550 IP min)

The lower requirement is basically to allow Philadelphia’s Mickey Doolin to be listed. Homstead’s Arky Vaughan has played the most at SS, giving him roughly 20% more chances than the next few shortstops. Couple that with only 5 errors for a .990 PCT and Vaughan has to be in the argument. George Wright (Los Angeles) has a .995 PCT with only 2 errors, which is remarkable. Vaughan also leads in RNG, and is one of 3 SS with a ZR over 10, along with Detroit‘s George Davis and Kansas City‘s Ozzie Smith.

	IP	TC	E	PCT	RNG	ZR
George Davis (DET)	855	479	12	.975	4.91	13.0
Mickey Doolin (PHI)	597	343	5	.985	5.10	8.0
Ozzie Smith (KCM)	868	467	5	.989	4.79	12.5
Arky Vaughan (HOM)	884	520	5	.990	5.24	10.1
George Wright (LAA)	754	411	2	.995	4.88	9.8

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

You gotta’ give it to Wright, right? But after that, how do you figure out the difference between Smith and Vaughan? Smith is more spectacular, Vaughan more steady … I’ve always been a sucker for the spectacular.

LF (500 IP min)

Homestead’s Rick Reichardt has spent the most time out there, has the best RNG among qualifiers, and leads LFers with 10 OF Kills. Los Angeles’ Don Buford and Ottawa’s Phil Bradley are second with 6, so that’s quite a gap. There are six–SIX–LFers who qualify who are yet to make an error. Of those, only Brooklyn‘s Roy White and Detroit’s Oscar Gamble have positive supporting metrics as well. White has routinely pulled of the spectacular, making roughly 4 additional plays in LF than the Gotham’s Jimmy Sheckard and San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson.

	IP	TC	A	E	PCT	RNG	ZR
Phil Bradley (OTT)	552	121	6	0	1.000	1.97	-1.9
Don Buford (LAA)	629	144	6	3	.979	2.02	1.0
Oscar Gamble (DET)	535	118	2	0	1.000	1.99	1.5
Rickey Henderson (SFS)	689	173	5	3	.983	2.22	2.7
Rick Reichardt (HOM)	799	211	10	2	.991	2.35	-1.2
Jimmy Sheckard (NYG)	865	207	5	4	.981	2.11	2.6
Roy White (BRK)	865	204	2	0	1.000	2.12	6.7

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

I think White has to get the nod here, and behind him it’s a bit f a jumble. Reichardt is far from spectacular, but he’s added twice as many cold, hard outs than the next contenders without many miscues, so he gets a nod despite the negative ZR.

CF (600 IP min)

The Gothams’ Willie Mays has 15 OF kills to lead the way, but of note is Ottawa’s Ken Griffey, Jr., who has 13 in half the games. Griffey, currently at AAA, doesn’t qualify here, but what an arm! Baltimore’s Paul Blair has yet to make an error. Mays and Philadelphia’s Willie Davis make the most plays, with Blair, Mays, and Birmingham‘s Curtis Granderson leading in ZR.

There are others having strong years–Kansas City’s Willie McGee, Memphis’ Reggie Smith, and Detroit’s Chili Davis spring to mind–but it’s really between those initial four names.

	IP	TC	A	E	PCT	RNG	ZR
Paul Blair (BAL)	801	303	8	0	1.000	3.40	9.0
Willie Davis (PHI)	781	323	7	2	.994	3.70	5.2
Curtis Granderson (BBB)	631	247	10	3	.988	3.48	6.4
Willie Mays (NYG)	899	381	15	2	.995	3.79	7.7

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

Mays and Blair seem the easy choices here.

RF (500 IP min)

RF is probably the most difficult of the OF spots to evaluate. The Gothams’ Johnny Callison leads in OF Kills, but with only 8. Callison is tied with Homestead’s Roberto Clemente in ZR, far, far ahead of the next cluster. Jeff Burroughs (POR) has yet to make an error, but the rest of his numbers aren’t terribly impressive. The House of David’s Dan Ford leads in RNG and is solid enough elsewhere.

The challenge is that several of the best in RF–Miami’s Alejandro Oms, Indianapolis’ Oscar Charleston, and Ottawa’s Larry Walker–don’t qualify here. Walker especially draws the eye, with 7 Kills and great peripheral numbers. But all of them are under 400 innings.

	IP	TC	A	E	PCT	RNG	ZR
Johnny Callison (NYG)	671	181	8	1	.994	2.41	6.2
Roberto Clemente (HOM)	747	194	4	2	.990	2.31	6.2
Dan Ford (HOD)	542	160	5	4	.975	2.59	1.2

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

I think it’s pretty clear that Ford is in third place here and I think it’s hard to push Clemente above Callison.

SP (100 IP min)

Sample size is clearly an issue here, but the Gothams’ Gaylord Perry had handled the most chances and leads in RNG. Jack Taylor (HOD) and Dutch Leonard (BRK) lead in ZR. Unwinding a pitcher’s responsibility for controlling stolen bases is hard, but since we know that, on the whole, the league runs about 33% in terms of cutting them down, we can look for who is far above that: Leonard shows up, but if we look at those with at least 10 attempts against them, we are looking at San Francisco’s Eddie Plank, Taylor, and Portland‘s Jerry Koosman.

	IP	TC	RNG	ZR	RTO%
Jerry Koosman (POR)	119	12	0.83	2.2	46
Dutch Leonard (BRK)	139	18	1.17	2.4	67
Gaylord Perry (NYG)	117	27	1.92	-0.5	21
Eddie Plank (SFS)	116	13	0.93	1.8	64
Jack Taylor (HOD)	142	21	1.26	2.5	56

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out %

I think this ends up going to Taylor and Leonard, but there will probably be more churn here than in other fielding evaluations between now and the end of the season.

Final Analysis

	Gold Glove	Silver Glove
C	Louis Santop (CLE)	Thurman Munson (NYY)
1B	Will Clark (MCG)	Dan McGann (BAL)
2B	Cookie Rojas (NYG)	Ryne Sandberg (HOD)
3B	Scott Rolen (PHI)	Mike Schmidt (NYY)
SS	George Wright (LAA)	Ozzie Smith (KCM)
LF	Roy White (BRK)	Rick Reichardt (HOM)
CF	Willie Mays (NYG)	Paul Blair (BAL)
RF	Johnny Callison (NYG)	Roberto Clemente (HOM)
SP	Jack Taylor (HOD)	Dutch Leonard (BRK)

Defense is so hard to evaluate, right? Despite being the only team with 3 players listed here, the Gothams aren’t at the top of any of the team fielding ratings.

Looking at overall mentions may be more interesting–here is the list of players considered above, by team.

5 – New York Gothams
4 – Homestead; Philadelphia
3 – Baltimore; Brooklyn; House of David; San Francisco
2 – Cleveland; Detroit; Los Angeles; New York Black Yankees; Ottawa
1 – Birmingham; Chicago; Kansas City; Memphis; Miami; Portland
0 – Houston

Yeah, not any better actually. The Gothams are among the best teams in the league, but both Homestead and Philadelphia are most decidedly not.

Defense. Shrug.

Performance

Batters

Top 2 in each stat, leader in bold.

Dick Allen (CAG). 310/380/544. 10 3B.
Johnny Bench (IND). 314/421/608. 5.2 WAR.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 338/407/649. 31 HR.
Rico Carty (PHI). 285/356/460. 35 2B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 350/390/572. 134 H.
Eric Davis (NYY). 278/353/539. 81 R.
Bobby Grich (LAA). 284/370/474. 35 2B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 252/383/335. 76 BB, 72 SB.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 303/376/591. 31 HR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 334/419/592. 81 R.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 331/445/610.
Stan Musial (KCM). 332/391/594. 37 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 335/391/546. 135 H, 100 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 299/371/449. 72 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 312/429/643. 32 HR, 96 RBI, 85 R, 79 BB, 5.6 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 304/336/468. 10 3B.

Pitchers

Starters

Top 2 in each stat (top 4 in ERA and WHIP), leader in bold.

17 pitchers have at least 10 wins, accounting for why we went deeper in ERA and WHIP this time. Have also included FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) for the first time, helping to unravel some of the mystery of Alejandro Peña.

Bill Byrd (BAL). 11-2, 3.09. 1.17 WHIP.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-5, 4.07.
Don Drysedale (BRK). 7-4, 3.37. 1.15 WHIP.
Ned Garvin (BAL). 9-4, 2.80. 1.18 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 11-7, 3.75. 160 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 6-9, 4.41. 155 K, 3.5 WAR.
Frank Knauss (BRK). 10-4, 3.07.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 9-7, 3.54. 3.24 FIP, 4.2 WAR.
Gaylord Perry (NYG). 8-7, 3.92. 3.54 FIP.
Stephen Strasburg (HOU). 6-6, 3.27.
Jack Taylor (HOD). 10-8, 3.35. 1.18 WHIP.

Relievers

Top 2 in each stat (top 4 in ERA and WHIP), leader in bold. 25 IP for rate stats.

Terry Adams (CLE). 2-5, 3.09. 24 Sv.
Elmer Brown (POR). 3-4, 1.65. 7 Sv, 9 H.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.94. 28 Sv.
Trevor Hildenberger (BRK). 3-0, 2.45. 1 Sv, 3 H, 0.94 WHIP.
Ken Howell (SFS). 3-4, 2.17. 4 Sv, 7 H, 1.01 WHIP.
AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.81. 19 Sv, 0.97 WHIP.
Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.62. 3 Sv, 10 H.
Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-5, 3.73. 16 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-3, 3.80. 14 H.
Carson Smith (NYG). 2-0, 1.80. 1 Sv, 8 H.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.11. 21 Sv, 1.02 WHIP.

Series Results

Series XXVII Sweeps

Baltimore over Philadelphia

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXVII

Detroit over Miami
Kansas City over Los Angeles
Portland over Memphis
New York Gothams over San Francisco

Series XXVII Splits

House of David @ Birmingham
Houston @ Brooklyn
New York Black Yankees @ Chicago
Homestead @ Cleveland
Ottawa @ Indianapolis

TWIWBL 32.1: Series XXV Notes – Bill James Division

By mknn

On February 2, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Detroit Wolverines

Ty Cobb tied the league record with 5 hits, leading the Wolverines to a 6-2 win over the New York Gothams. Detroit was actually pretty wasteful in the game, leaving a whopping 15 runners on base. Ed Bailey and George Davis had 3 hits each, with Bailey also driving in 3.

#New York Gothams

Christy Mathewson moved to 11-6 on the year with 7 strikeouts in just over 6 strong innings as the Gothams beat the Wolverines, 4-2. Carson Smith got New York out of a jam in the 7th, and Brian Wilson picked up his 19th save, despite allowing 2 baserunners in the 9th.

#Memphis Red Sox

A solo shot by Reggie Smith in the bottom of the 8th put the Red Sox on top, 2-1 over Homestead. Stubby Overmire put in his best start since arriving in Memphis, but the victory went to Norwood Gibson, with Jonathan Papelbon picking up the save.

#Los Angeles Angels

Doc Gooden and Mike Smith combined on a 4-hit shutout as the Angels triumphed over Ottawa, 7-0. Gooden improved to 4-7 on the year, striking out 6 in 6 1/3 innings. Bobby Grich and Steve Garvey had 3 hits each for Los Angeles.

#Wandering House of David

CC Sabathia evened his record at 9-9 with a strong showing to lead the House of David to an 8-3 win over Cleveland. Ryne Sandberg drove in 4 runs in the game.

Series XXV Best Games

By mknn

On January 25, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

Some very nice see-saw rides in series XXV.

San Francisco Sea Lions @ Portland Sea Dogs, Game 4

The conclusion of the clash of the sea creatures did not disappoint …

The Sea Lions scored in the first in typical fashion: Rickey Henderson bunted for a base hit, stole 2nd, moved to 3rd on a single by Bobby Bonds, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Pedro Guerrero. The 1-0 lead held until the bottom of the fifth, when Rogers Hornsby scored Kent Hrbek with a double into the gap.

Guerrero scored Bonds for a 2-1 lead, but it was short-lived, as a Bobby Murcer triple scored Harry Hooper and Iván Rodríguez, putting Portland up, 3-2. Portland looked in good shape at that point, good enough that Gary Pettis replaced Murcer in CF for better defense. Well, perhaps not only defense: after a horrid start to the year, Pettis has pushed his average well over .300.

San Francisco would tie the game in the top of the 9th in a decidedly unexpected way. With one out, John Beckwith, who is barely retaining his spot on the roster, pinch hit for Jimmy Bloodworth and singled. Phil Garner pinch ran for Beckwith and, after a walk to Sal Bando, light-hitting Miguel Cairo, forced to remain in the game for defensive purposes, doubled home the tying run off Portland’s Elmer Brown.

And there it stayed, until the 15th inning. San Francisco had turned the game over to Charlie Root, Portland to José Muñoz, and each were excellent. Mickey Cochrane–much maligned and in danger of losing his job–singled to lead off the 15th. Portland had nobody on the bench to pinch-run–or catch in the bottom of the frame–so Cochrane stayed in the game, moving to 2nd on a wild pitch by Muñoz and to third on a groundout. He scored on a single from Garner, and Root closed it out.

SFS 4 (Root 5-4) @ POR 3 (Muñoz 3-5; Brown 1 BSv; Cuellar 8 H) [15 Innings]
HRs: none.
Box Score

Homestead Grays @ Memphis Red Sox, Game 1

Willie Stargell led off the top of the 2nd with a solo homerun to kick off the scoring and while a 2-RBI double from Billy Bryan put Memphis ahead briefly, Stargell would do the same in the 4th, leading off with a homerun which, combined with an RBI groundout from Arky Vaughan that scored Chief Wilson, tied the game at 3. The teams would trade runs until, in th ebottom of the 5th, Ted Williams sent one deep to put Memphis up by 2, 6-4.

And then the Grays exploded, with a bases-clearing double from Stargell and a 2-run shot from Wilson putting Homestead up, 10-6. Each team would add a run, and Homestead would head to the bottom of the 9th, up 11-7. Should be safe, right? Especially with their closer, Michael Jackson, on the mound.

Wade Boggs doubled to start the inning, Williams walked, and Bill White doubled, scoring Boggs. Josh Lindblom promptly uncorked a wild pitch, scoring Williams and, when David Justice reached on an error from Homestead’s CF, Andrew McCutcheon, scoring White, the score was 11-10 with no outs. Manny Ramírez singled, but a fantastic throw from Rick Reichardt nailed Justice at the plate. Lindblom retired Bryan and Reggie Smith on flyouts, and the Grays squeaked through with a game that looked well in hand.

Boggs, Stargell, and Wilson each had 4 hits, with Pops driving in 5 and scoring 4.

HOM 11 (Pierce 1-2; Giusti 1 H) @ MEM 10 (Gibson 0-1; Callahan 1 BSv)
HRs: HOM – Stargell 2 (18), Wilson (8); MEM – Williams (19)
Box Score

Kansas City Monarchs @ New York Black Yankees, Game 2

New York’s Ron Guidry keeps putting in good performances to little results: in this one, he went 7 innings, giving up only 1 run. He was matched by a trio of Monarchs’ arms as Smokey Joe Wood (injured in the 4th), Joe Blong, and Trevor Rosenthal combined to also allow 1 run through 7.

And then the bullpens collapsed–expected for the Black Yankees, but a surprise for Kansas City. First, New York’s Goose Gossage and Gary Lavelle combine to give up 3 runs in the top of the 8th, with the key hits being 2-out RBI’s from Stan Musial and Ducky Medwick. But Craig Kimbrel was equally weak for the Monarchs, giving up back-to-back doubles to Eric Davis and Thurman Munson to start the frame, and a 2-run homerun to Don Mattingly to give the Black Yankees a 5-4 lead.

But no lead is safe for New York: Lavelle gave up a single, a walk, and an error to tie the game, and Ralph Citarella gave up a go-ahead single to Albert Pujols. Kansas City’s Jeff Pfeffer had no such struggles, picking up his 12th save in closing the game out.

KCM 6 (Kimbrel 3-2, 2 BSv; Pfeffer 12 Sv) @ NYY 5 (Lavelle 0-3)
HRs: KCM – none; NYY – Mattingly (20).
Box Score

Ottawa Mounties @ Los Angeles Angels, Game 3

A successful suicide squeeze from Jim Stephens scored Anthony Rendon for Ottawa, tying the game at 1 in the top of the 4th. In the next inning, Rendon would single in a run before Larry Parrish went deep with a 3-run blast to put the Mounties up, 5-1. The Angels would roar back, taking a 7-5 lead behind RBI hits from Don Buford, Bobby Grich, Mike Trout, and Carlos Delgado.

But Ottawa doesn’t fold as easily as they did earlier in the season, with George Van Haltren sending Francisco Rodríguez‘ 4th pitch of the ballgame into the bleachers for a 3-run homerun, putting the Mounties back on top, 8-7. Ted Bowsfield, Steve Howe, and Ryan Dempster closed the game out with 3.1 hitless innings.

OTT 8 (Bowsfield 5-2; Dempster 4 Sv; Dubiel 2 BSv; Howe 4 H) @ LAA 7 (Rodríguez 3-2, 1 BSv)
HRs: OTT – Parrish (2), Van Haltren (2); LAA – none.
Box Score

Miami Cuban Giants @ Brooklyn Royal Giants, Game 4

Brooklyn’s Frank Knauss has been great all year. Miami’s Roenis Eliás less so. But they matched frame for frame in this one, each tossing 7.1 IP while allowing only 3 hits and 1 run. The game remained tied at 1 into the 10th, when Miami’s closer Aroldis Chapman was left in to pitch a second inning. He gave up a walk to Art Griggs, a single to Duke Farrell, and a walk to Al López. That brought José Méndez in from the pen for the Cuban Giants … who promptly gave up a walkoff, grand slam shot to Beals Becker.

MCG 1 (Chapman 4-3) @ BRG 5 (Gagne 4-4) [10 Innings]
HRs: MCG – Canseco (24); BRG – Becker (16).
Box Score

TWIWBL 31.1: Series XXIV Notes – Bill James Division

By mknn

On January 18, 2023

In TWIWBL

{ Yes, this is out of order–31.2 got published before 31.1 for those keeping score at home. }

#Detroit Wolverines

Six strong innings from Hal Newhouser led Detroit to a narrow 3-2 win over Chicago. 3 hits from Ty Cobb, including his 12th homerun of the year, helped Newhouser improve to 5-3, with John Hiller earning his 10th hold and Mike Henneman his 24th save.

Whitey Wilshire will miss a couple weeks with a shoulder injury. Mickey Lolich was recalled from AAA to take Wilshire’s place, while 20 year old Al Kaline will get his first taste of the big leagues as the Wolverines sent Greg Brock to AAA.

#Los Angeles Angels

Five RBIs on two doubles and a homerun from Bobby Grich weren’t enough, as the Angels fell to the House of David.

#New York Gothams

Don Sutton, impressive since his acquisition from Brooklyn at the all-star break, replaces the struggling Sad Sam Jones in the Gothams’ rotation.

#Wandering House of David

Jack Taylor evened his record at 8-8 with 7 innings of shutout ball, combining with Scott Downs and Kerry Wood on the 5-hit shutout of Los Angeles. George Stone drove in 3 with 2 hits, including his 22nd homerun of the year and Richie Hebner went deep for the 8th time this season in the 8-0 victory.

Anthony Rizzo continues to impress: 3 hits raised his average to .340 in a 9-7 victory over Los Angeles. Rizzo is now officially the fulltime 1B, with Mark Grace being sent to AAA and Jung Ho Kang being recalled for another stint with the big league club.

Series XXIII: Featured Matchup – Birmingham Black Barons @ Los Angeles Angels

By mknn

On December 10, 2022

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Vic Willis @ Mike Smith

Mike Smith was recalled from AAA to make this start for Los Angeles, and he’ll face the impressive Vic Willis, who is 1-1 with a 2.09 ERA for Birmingham early in his WBL career.

Smith gave up a solo shot to Frank McCormick in the 2nd, and a 3-run blast to Eddie Mathews in the 3rd, as Birmingham moved in front, 4-0. But that was all Smith allowed through 5, which has to be considered a solid outing for the rookie.

Willis sailed along until Don Buford took him deep for a 3-run shot in the bottom of the 5th, closing the gap to 4-3. Bobby Grich tripled in Carlos Delgado in the next inning, tying the game, but Willis got 1 out, and was relieved by Warren Spahn, who got out of the inning without letting Grich in from 3rd.

After an error by José Reyes prolonged the inning, Birmingham took the lead on a bases-loaded double from Billy Southworth and an RBI dink into short right from Bob Nieman. That made the score 8-4 heading into the bottom of the 8th.

A strike-em-out-throw-em-out double-play helped Juan Ríncón earn his 14th save to preserve the victory.

Southworth had 3 hits for the Black Barons and Ron Hassey the same for Los Angeles.

BBB 8 (Spahn 4-6; Rincón 14 Sv) @ LAA 5 (Anderson 1-1)
HRs: BBB – McCormick (10), Matthews (13); LAA – Buford (8)
Box Score

#Game 2: Sam Streeter @ Chuck Finley

Chuck Finley was rested enough to start game 2 for Los Angeles, opposed by Birmingham’s Sam Streeter.

Finley might wish he waited another day: 2 walks and an infield hit setup Pie Traynor for a grandslam homerun in the top of the 1st for an early 4-0 lead for the Black Barons. Doug Rader got back 2 in the bottom of the frame with an RBI double, halving the lead to 4-2.

Traynor would double and score on a hit by Frank McCormick, who scored on an RBI single by Eddie Mathews, restoring the 4 run advantage for Birmingham. Finley wouldn’t get out of the inning, giving way to Pud Galvin before seeing the score grow to 8-2.

Streeter would go 6, giving up a couple more runs , and Birmingham would score a couple more, but the game never got closer. Traynor had 4 RBIs and McCormick 3 hits, while Rader went 3-for-3 in a losing effort.

BBB 10 (Streeter 5-4) @ LAA 4 (Finley 4-5)
HRs: BBB – Traynor (3).
Box Score

#Game 3: Greg Maddux @ Nolan Ryan

This one features two of the hottest arms in the league, as Greg Maddux has been sensational for Birmingham over his past few starts and, after a rocky start to the season, Los Angeles’ Nolan Ryan has emerged as a key member of their rotation.

LA took the early lead in the bottom of the 2nd: Doug Rader and Carlos Delgado doubled and Delgado eventually scored on a sacrifice fly from Wally Moon, making it 2-0. A solo homerun from Adrián González clawed back one run for Birmingham in the top of the 3rd, and Rader would single home Don Buford in the bottom of the frame, making it 3-1 in favor of the Angels.

And … that was it.

Ryan only allowed 3 hits in his 7 innings of work, and Jonny Venters and Joe Nathan each added a scoreless inning in relief.

BBB 1 (Maddux 2-3) @ LAA 3 (Ryan 4-3; Nathan 15 Sv; Venters 11 H)
HRs: BBB – González (4).
Box Score

#Game 4: Alejandro Pena @ Doc Gooden

LA would turn to Doc Gooden trying to even out the series while the Black Barons would ask their most dependable starter over the course of the year, Alejandro Peña to give them a series win.

Gooden allowed 3 runners on base in the top of the 1st, but a double play and a key whiff of Eddie Mathews let him get out of the inning unscathed. Peña’s first inning was similar: a walk, a hit, an error, and 2 stolen bases, but a great throw by Curtis Granderson to nail Don Buford at home kept the game scoreless.

There wouldn’t be another hit in the game until Herman Long doubled in the top of the 5th. He would try to score on a single by Earl Battey, but a strong throw by Mike Trout would cut him down at the plate, preserving the scoreless tie.

LA would score in the bottom of the 5th on a double from José Reyes, scoring George Wright. Reyes would come home on a two-bagger from Buford, doubling the lead to 2-0.

Long would double in the top of the 7th, and when Battey again singled, this time was able to beat the throw, cutting the lead to 2-1 and chasing Gooden from the game. Jonny Venters would walk Adrián González (pinch-hitting for Omar Infante), but get Billy Southworth on a weak groundout to end the inning.

Kent Mercker would give up a run in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single to Buford, once again giving LA a 2-run advantage at 3-1.

With Angels closer Joe Nathan once again in the game, Hank Aaron would deliver a 2-run double, closing the gap to 3-2. Aaron would score on a 2-out single by Troy Tulowitzki to tie the game. Birmingham brought in Pie Traynor to play 3B, surrendering the DH for the rest of the game.

Despite a couple baserunners, the Angels were unable to push the winning run across, and we were off to extra innings.

In the top of the 1oth, Kal Daniels–perhaps unused to playing RF instead of his usual LF–overthrew the cutoff man on a hit from Bob Nieman, allowing Granderson to come all the way around to score, putting Birmingham ahead, 4-3.

Granderson would end the game, gunning down Carlos Delgado at 3B, his second OF kill of the day.

Nieman finished with 3 hits for Birmingham.

BBB 4 (Rincón 1-2; Spahn 1 Sv) @ LAA 3 (Anderson 1-2; Venters 12 H; Rodríguez 8 H; Nathan 6 BSv) [10 Innings]
HRs: none.
Box Score

#Series Review

This was dominated by the pitching. For Birmingham, Bob Nieman continued his hot streak, finishing the series 7-for-14, and Hank Aaron added 5 hits. The Angels were led by Doug Rader‘s 6 hits, without much else going on offensively.

TWIWBL 25.0: Series XIX Notes

By mknn

On June 6, 2022

In TWIWBL

June 22

Performance

Best Batters

Reggie Jackson of the San Francisco Sea Lions is oh-so-slowly being drawn back to the pack. He still leads the WBL in BA (by 11 points over Cleveland‘s Ron Blomberg) and in OBP (by 26 points over Homestead‘s Mike Epstein), but the New York Black Yankees‘ Babe Ruth has retaken the lead in SLG. Ruth has actually struggled recently, seeing his BA drop all the way down to .303, but over half his hits are for extra bases.

Looking at the leaderboards, a few things of note:

Ruth remains the only player in the top 2 in more than a few categories.
Ottawa‘s Tim Raines has taken over the SB lead, ahead of San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson.
The Chicago American Giants offense remains formidable, with four different players listed.

As usual, bold indicates a league leader, and the top 2 in most categories are included.

Dick Allen (CAG). 303/367/565. 8 3B.
Rico Carty (PHI). 296/362/487. 30 2B.
Eric Davis (NYY). 278/331/556. 24 HR, 59 R.
Mike Epstein (HOM). 335/440/527.
Mike Fiore (CAG). 238/381/398. 53 BB.
Bobby Grich (LAA). 281/352/467. 25 2B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 263/39/369. 57 BB. 53 SB.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 330/409/583. 59 R.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 353/466/634.
Willie Mays (NYG). 332/389/569. 98 H. 3.9 WAR.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 342/411/640.
Doug Rader (LAA). 317/371/537. 74 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 305/383/456. 58 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 303/410/643. 25 HR, 72 RBI, 61 R. 3.8 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 301/335/446. 8 3B.
Frank Thomas (CAG). 339/432/580. 96 H.
Bobby Wallace (BAL). 321/420/461. 25 2B.

Best Starting Pitchers

It’s going to be interesting seeing how this develops. There is no real front-runner for the best pitcher in the league. Cleveland’s Cy Young shows up in the most categories, and when you consider how much of a workhorse he is, perhaps that puts him in front. But Los Angeles‘ Gerrit Cole is the only hurler in double-digits in wins, and Baltimore‘s Dennis Martínez is the only one with an ERA under 3.00.

Bill Byrd (BAL). 7-2, 1.12 WHIP.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 11-3, 3.92.
Ray Collins (PHI). 7-5, 3.62. 112 IP.
Don Drysedale (BRK). 6-3, 3.11
Bob Feller (CLE). 7-4, 5.07. 11.0 K/9.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 8-4, 3.78. 10.1 K/9. 112 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-7, 4.20. 115 K.
Walter Johnson (POR). 8-3, 3.77. 2.8 WAR.
Dennis Martínez (BAL). 9-4, 2.91.
Don Newcombe (CAG). 2-9, 6.15. 1.4 BB/9.
Red Ruffing (NYY). 9-2, 3.74.
Cy Young (CLE). 7-3, 1.12 WHIP. 1.6 BB/9. 114.2 IP. 3.1 WAR.

Best Relievers

Joseíto Muñoz has moved into Portland‘s rotation, but is a long way from having enough IP to be listed with the starters. A similar move may be looming for Indianapolis‘ Willie Mitchell. The best ERAs for pure relievers with over 20 IP belong to Ken Howell (San Francisco) and Aroldis Chapman (Miami Cuban Giants).

Terry Adams (CLE). 0-4, 4.24. 18 Sv.
Aroldis Chapman (MCG). 2-1. 1.42. 13 Sv.
Gene Conley (DET). 7-1, 3.96. 4 H.
Ken Howell (SFS). 3-3, 1.41. 3 Sv. 4 H. 0.94 WHIP.
Mark Melancon (HOU). 7-1, 3.12.
Willie Mitchell (IND). 3-2, 1.27. 1 Sv. 1 H.
Joseíto Muñoz (POR). 3-1, 1.17. 3 Sv. 2 H.
Ron Reed (CLE). 0-2, 2.72. 3 Sv. 12 H.
Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.57. 22 Sv. 1 H.
Brian Wilson (SFS). 1-0, 1.61. 12 Sv. 0.90 WHIP.

Streaks

Most notably, Thurman Munson‘s remarkable streak of reaching base in 43 consecutive games ended.

George Hendrick (Philadelphia) and Doug Rader (Los Angeles) each have extra-base hits in 6 consecutive games. Rader is slashing 448/448/966 over those six games, while Hendrick is at 560/593/1.120 over his last 27 plate appearances.

Mike Norris of the New York Gothams hasn’t allowed a run in his last 14 appearances.

Lance Berkman‘s change of scenery hasn’t seemed to help, as the new Cleveland Spider is mired in a slump where, over 13 games, he’s managed only a 109/180/109 slash line.

Series XIX Results

Series XIX Sweeps

Indianapolis over San Francisco

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XIX

Baltimore over Kansas City
Philadelphia over Birmingham
Brooklyn over Chicago
Homestead over Miami
Los Angeles over Memphis
Houston over Ottawa

Series Splits

Cleveland @ New York Black Yankees
Wandering House of David @ Detroit
New York Gothams @ Portland

TWIWBL 21.0: AL All Star Selections

By mknn

On January 25, 2022

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

Here we go! It is the 14th of June, time to finalize the inaugural All-Star rosters!

We’ll start with the AL.

The bottom line is that the Baltimore Black Sox and the Chicago American Giants lead the way with seven players each. Chicago has four starters, while the Black Sox have four pitchers going to the midseason classic.

Both the Ottawa Mounties and the Houston Colt 45’s are sending a lone player to the game. For Ottawa, this is no surprise, but for Houston–who have been hovering around .500 most of the season–it highlights the limits of a team of solid contributors, but no stars.

Ottawa’s Tim Raines was easily the hardest omission, and one that may, in the end, prove indefensible.

In the list in each section, players in bold are the selections.

Catchers

The top three are pretty easy here. The House of David‘s Elrod Hendricks is the clear starter, with over half his hits going for extra bases. There’s not a lot to choose from between the New York Gotham‘s Buster Posey and Baltimore’s Curt Blefary–Posey is hitting .348, but Blefary has been among the power leaders in the league all season–but they are head and shoulders above the other candidates, the best of which is probably Chicago’s Carlton Fisk.

Blefary has handled a strong pitching staff well, putting up a CERA just over 4.00 while Posey has thrown out 30% of would-be base stealers, leading this group. Ottawa’s Emil Gross has been the best defensive catcher in the AL, but has neither hit well enough nor played enough to really merit consideration.

Curt Blefary (BAL). 265/379/578; 19 HR; 47 RBI.
Carlton Fisk (CAG). 288/401/440.
Emil Gross (OTT). 218/290/370.
Elrod Hendricks (HOD). 314/363/628; 15 HR; 18 2B.
Buster Posey (NYG). 348/440/535; 16 2B.

First Base

Hank Greenberg of the Detroit Wolverines is the best of the pure first basemen, and will start at the position. But Chicago’s Frank Thomas has been the best hitter at the position, putting together a monstrous 355/445/596 slash line. Thomas will start for the AL at DH, having played roughly half the innings in the field as Greenberg.

There’s really not a lot between Baltimore’s Dan McGann and the Memphis Red Sox‘s Bill White–McGann has an OBP over .400, while White has hit for solid power for the Red Sox. McGann has been among the better defensive 1B in the league, so that may tip the scales in his favor.

Hank Greenberg (DET). 306/367/589; 15 HR; 19 2B; 56 RBI.
Dan McGann (BAL). 303/405/488.
Frank Thomas (CAG). 355/445/596; 15 HR; 17 2B; 65 RBI.
Bill White (MEM). 296/367/532.

Second Base

This gets difficult. Well, after Chicago’s Eddie Collins, the obvious starter, that is.

The Kansas City Monarch‘s Rogers Hornsby, Baltimore’s Larry Gardner, and Ottawa’s Tim Raines all deserve consideration. Hornsby is the best hitter of the trio, but Raines has probably been the Mounties best player all season, while his offensive numbers are really indistinguishable from Gardner’s (Gardner gets on base more, Raines has 50 SBs already).

Mention should be made of Bobby Grich (Los Angeles) and HR Johnson (Houston), who are making strong offensive contributions from the middle infield. Defensively, Johnson has been the best of this group overall, although the House of David’s Ryne Sandberg has probably been the best defensive second baseman overall.

Eddie Collins (CAG). 309/422/549; 51 R; 34 SB.
Larry Gardner (BAL). 293/405/435.
Bobby Grich (LAA). 277/351/453; 24 2B.
Rogers Hornsby (KAN). 311/390/477; 15 2B.
HR Johnson (HOU). 308/366/425.
Tim Raines (OTT). 301/377/462; 16 2B; 52 R; 50 SB.
Ryne Sandberg (HOD). 274/355/437; 16 2B.

Third Base

Chicago’s Dick Allen has been critiqued throughout the season, but his OPS is virtually identical to Doug Rader‘s, who has received acclaim for his clutch hitting all season. Both make the team, but Rader’s 73 RBI do warrant some attention for sure.

Note that if Detroit’s Bob Bailey had played more in the field, there’d be little discussion here, as he has hit better than either Allen or Rader. He’ll make the team as a DH.

The odd man out is likely Kansas City’s Albert Pujols.

None of these have fielded very well, but the best with the leather–Baltimore’s Harlond Clift–just hasn’t hit a lick.

Dick Allen (CAG). 287/348/555; 52 RBI.
Bob Bailey (DET). 309/394/533.
Harlond Clift (BAL). 202/303/369.
Albert Pujols (KAN). 291/349/486; 17 2B; 51 RBI.
Doug Rader (LAA). 317/372/532; 16 2B; 73 RBI.

Shortstop

While the starter is pretty clear, it gets difficult after that.

Baltimore’s Bobby Wallace has been pounding the ball, and has been the best shortstop of the group all season.

After Wallace, Ottawa’s Freddy Parent has been excellent since being given the starting position, and deserves a spot from his offensive contributions even with a little less playing time than the others.

After Parent, the trio of George Wright (Los Angeles), Ernie Banks (House of David), and Vern Stephens (Memphis) are pretty indistinguishable, and while they have been solid, it’s not clear that any of them are really deserving of being all-stars. That trio is very similar defensively, something neither Wallace nor Parent have shown much skill at.

Ernie Banks (HOD). 265/285/423; 46 RBI.
Freddy Parent (OTT). 278/327/493.
Vern Stephens (MEM). 254/311/388.
Bobby Wallace (BAL). 328/423/472; 24 2B; 45 R.
George Wright (LAA). 250/299/426.

Left Fielders

Chicago’s Duffy Lewis will start, as his consistency has nudged him ahead of Baltimore’s Frank Robinson and the House of David’s George Stone. Jimmy Sheckard has been key to the New York Gothams’ attack all season, but may fall just beneath the level of an all star, and a similar argument can be made against Oscar Gamble, despite his 57 RBIs for Detroit.

Oscar Gamble (DET). 260/380/500; 16 HR; 57 RBI; 40 R.
Duffy Lewis (CAG). 306/351/603; 19 HR; 15 2B; 47 RBI.
Frank Robinson (BAL). 302/383/521; 16 HR; 47 RBI; 44 R.
Jimmy Sheckard (NYG). 295/401/475; 16 2B; 50 R; 25 SB.
George Stone (HOD). 298/382/545; 15 HR; 45 R.

Center Fielders

New York’s Willie Mays is the clear starter in center. Not only has he been best with the bat, he also has 13 assists and has been among the better defensive centerfielders.

Reggie Smith of the Memphis Red Sox and Kansas City’s Willie McGee have been solid all season with Smith providing more power and McGee a bit more speed. An argument can be made against McGee as he has played in fewer games, but if Parent makes it at shortstop, you really can’t argue against McGee.

But that leaves the Pete Browning question unanswered. The House of David’s star has played in only 39 games, having been injured for almost half of the season to date. But when he’s played, Browning has hit an MVP level.

Only a late collapse by Houston’s Jimmy Wynn has kept him out of the discussion, but the Toy Cannon has dropped well behind McGee at this point.

Pete Browning (HOD). 359/389/614; 20 SB.
Willie Mays (NYG). 345/401/585; 18 2B; 54 RBI; 53 R.
Willie McGee (KAN). 329/378/486.
Reggie Smith (MEM). 297/366/506; 18 2B; 50 R.
Jim Wynn (HOU). 259/376/438; 50 R; 28 SB.

Right Field

Shoeless Joe Jackson of the Chicago American Giants is in the MVP conversation at this point, and will start in RF. He’s closely trailed by Kansas City’s Stan Musial.

Memphis’ Ted Williams has trailed off significantly over the past few weeks, but he is still in the conversation; as is Detroit’s Ty Cobb.

Ty Cobb (DET). 324/364/534; 18 2B; 42 RBI; 21 SB.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 333/416/602; 16 HR; 20 2B; 53 RBI; 57 R; 21 SB.
Stan Musial (KAN). 336/399/568; 21 2B; 50 RBI; 46 R.
Ted Williams (MEM). 283/374/543; 16 HR; 15 2B; 53 RBI; 47 R.

Starting Pitchers

Two members of Baltimore’s rotation make the team, with Dennis Martínez getting the honor of the start over teammate Ned Garvin due to Garvin only recently being added to the Black Sox rotation. Gerrit Cole may not have the supporting numbers, but an 11-3 record is enough to make the team (no other pitcher in the AL has more than 8 wins).

After those three, it all gets difficult. Andy Pettitte of Kansas City probably has the best argument, but only sports a 5-3 record while Chicago’s Tricky Nichols sits at 8-2, but with worse numbers across the board than Pettitte. A stronger argument could probably be made for a third Black Sox, as Bill Byrd has better numbers than Pettitte, and his 6-2 record matches Garvin’s.

Bill Byrd (BAL). 6-2; 3.09; 1.11 WHIP.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 11-3; 4.02; 1.33 WHIP.
Ned Garvin (BAL). 6-2; 2.90; 2 H; 1.04 WHIP.
Dennis Martínez (BAL). 8-4; 3.04; 1.19 WHIP.
Tricky Nichols (CAG). 8-2; 3.38; 1.31 WHIP.
Andy Pettitte (KAN). 5-3; 3.12; 1.19 WHIP.

Relief Pitchers

Detroit’s Mike Henneman has been the best closer in the AL, with 15 saves. New York’s Brian Wilson and Memphis’ Joe Beggs have been virtually unhittable, but Beggs just hasn’t put in enough innings to warrant inclusion. Chicago’s AJ Minter has a stronger case, while Los Angeles’ Joe Nathan‘s ERA (over 5.00) keeps him off the roster.

John Hiller (Detroit), Jonny Venters (LA), and Craig Kimbrel are tied for the league lead in Holds with 8 each, but only Kimbrel has better overall numbers.

Mark Melancon (Houston) and Gene Conley (Detroit) are each 7-1 out of their bullpens, while Sean Marshall and Mike Mussina (both with Baltimore) have both been virtually unhittable in a decent number of innings.

Joe Beggs (MEM). 1-0; 9 Sv; 1.06; 1.06 WHIP.
Gene Conley (DET). 7-1; 3.96; 4 H; 1.22 WHIP.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-3; 15 Sv; 3.06; 1.36 WHIP.
John Hiller (DET). 0-1; 1 Sv; 4.66; 8 H; 1.31 WHIP.
Craig Kimbrel (MEM). 2-2; 3.34; 8 H; 1.21 WHIP.
Sean Marshall (BAL). 3-0; 2.10; 4 H; 1.03 WHIP.
Mark Melancon (HOU). 7-1; 1 Sv; 3.20; 7 H; 1.42 WHIP.
AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0; 11 Sv; 2.35; 0.98 WHIP.
Mike Mussina (BAL). 2-0; 1 Sv; 2.20; 1 H; 0.94 WHIP.
Joe Nathan (LAA). 3-4; 10 Sv; 1 H; 5.23; 1.35 WHIP.
Jonny Venters (LAA). 2-2; 3 Sv; 4.30; 1.43 WHIP.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0; 10 Sv; 1.77; 0.89 WHIP.

Selections by Team

Listed alphabetically, Italic indicates a starter.

Baltimore Black Sox: Bill Byrd (P); Curt Blefary (C); Ned Garvin (P); Sean Marshall (P); Dennis Martínez (P); Dan McGann (1B); Bobby Wallace (SS)
Chicago American Giants: Dick Allen (3B); Eddie Collins (2B); Joe Jackson (RF); Duffy Lewis (LF); AJ Minter (P); Tricky Nichols (P); Frank Thomas (DH)
Detroit Wolverines: Bob Bailey (DH); Hank Greenberg (1B); Mike Henneman (P).
Houston Colt 45’s: Mark Melancon (P)
Kansas City Monarchs: Rogers Hornsby (2B); Stan Musial (RF); Andy Pettitte (P)
Los Angeles Angels: Gerrit Cole (P); Doug Rader (3B)
Memphis Red Sox: Craig Kimbrel (P); Reggie Smith (CF); Ted Williams (RF)
New York Gothams: Willie Mays (CF); Buster Posey (C); Brian Wilson (P)
Ottawa Mounties: Freddy Parent (SS)
Wandering House of David: Elrod Hendricks (C); George Stone (LF)

TWIWBL 20.0: Series XVII Notes

By mknn

On January 4, 2022

In TWIWBL

June 12

Awards

C Elrod Hendricks of the House of David hit .545 (12 for 22) with 4 homeruns to earn the WBL Player of the Week Award.

Performance

At the end of Series XVII, This Week in Whirled Baseball 19.0 took a look at the best young performers in the WBL. This time, we’ll look at the over 30 players making a difference.

30 year old Albert Belle of the New York Black Yankees has probably been the best of them, slashing 312/377/551, but he just misses out on the qualification requirements for batters. So we turn instead to 31 year old Jake Stahl of the Cleveland Spiders, who leads the pack with an OPS of just under .900. Portland‘s Gil Hodges (30) has 16 homeruns and Oscar Gamble of the Detroit Wolverines leads with 52 RBIs.

Here’s what the old guys team might look like:

C: Jim Pagliaroni (31, Memphis Red Sox). 272/366/447.
1B: Jake Stahl (31, Cleveland). 277/336/559.
2B: Rogers Hornsby (33, Kansas City Monarchs). 300/384/469.
SS: Bobby Wallace (33, Baltimore Black Sox). 314/410/455.
3B: Jimmy Collins (34, Detroit). 232/280/382.
LF: Oscar Gamble (31, Detroit). 267/383/504.
CF: Don Buford (31, Los Angeles Angels). 296/389/428.
RF: Gavvy Cravath (35, Philadelphia Stars). 322/360/507.
DH: Carlos Delgado (30, Ottawa Mounties). 282/401/482.

Honorable mention to 36 year old Dan McGann of Baltimore, slashing along at 307/407/483. McGann joins Cravath and his Philadelphia teammate Rico Carty (36, 296/360/483) and Detroit’s Tony Phillips (38, 238/374/389) in the over-35 club, holding down a contributing role.

If you’re paying close attention, you’ll see that Detroit has three players mentioned so far: the Wolverines may be in win-now mode as the trading deadline approaches.

On the mound, the New York Gotham‘s Juan Marichal (32, 7-2, 4.55) and the Black Yankees’ Jack Scott (33, 7-3, 3.50) lead the way, although a special tip of the hat goes to 30 year old Mark Melancon, who is 7-1 out of the bullpen for the Houston Colt 45‘s. But the best of them all has probably been Kansas City’s Andy Pettitte, who sports a 3.12 ERA to go along with a less sparkling 5-3 record.

Leading Performers

The top 2 (ish) performers in each category are included, league leaders in bold.

Best Batters

A few things to note. First, the Chicago American Giants big three–Dick Allen, Joe Jackson, and Frank Thomas–is very impressive; second, Reggie Jackson of the San Francisco Sea Lions now leads in all three slash categories; and third, Babe Ruth is in a bit of a slump (I mean all things are relative), and while he is still listed in 5 categories, he only leads in 2 (homeruns and runs scored).

Dick Allen (Chicago). 298/357/579; 8 3B.
Rico Carty (Philadelphia). 296/360/483; 24 2B.
Mike Epstein (Homestead). 338/443/532.
Bobby Grich (Los Angeles). 293/369/479; 24 2B.
Rickey Henderson (San Francisco). 263/407/357; 55 BB; 50 SB.
Kent Hrbek (Portland). 317/388/623; 22 HR.
Joe Jackson (Chicago). 350/434/634; 56 R.
Reggie Jackson (San Francisco). 371/470/668.
Willie Mays (Gothams). 355/412/595; 93 H; 3.9 WAR.
Doug Rader (Los Angeles). 308/367/502; 66 RBI.
Tim Raines (Ottawa). 300/376/466; 48 SB.
Babe Ruth (Black Yankees). 313/422/663; 23 HR; 65 RBI; 56 R; 48 BB; 3.8 WAR.
Louis Santop (Cleveland). 303/337/461; 8 3B.
Frank Thomas (Chicago). 355/439/605; 91 H.

Best Starting Pitchers

Baltimore’s Ned Garvin continues to make a strong argument to be the best starting pitcher in the league.

Bill Byrd (Baltimore). 5-2; 3.09 ERA; 1.11 WHIP.
Gerrit Cole (Los Angeles). 10-3; 4.20 ERA.
Ned Garvin (Baltimore). 5-2; 2.78 ERA; 2 H; 0.98 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (San Francisco). 8-2; 3.49 ERA; 100 Ks.
Ron Guidry (Black Yankees). 5-5; 3.90 ERA ; 105 Ks.
Walter Johnson (Portland). 7-3; 3.88 ERA; 2.8 WAR.
Johnny Marcum (Detroit). 6-2; 2.92 ERA; 1 H.
Red Ruffing (Black Yankees). 9-1; 3.62 ERA.
Cy Young (Cleveland). 6-2; 3.40 ERA; 2.6 WAR.

Best Relievers

20 IP minimum for rate stats.

Terry Adams (Cleveland). 0-3; 2.91 ERA ; 17 Sv.
Elmer Brown (Portland). 2-4; 2.37 ERA ; 3 Sv; 9 H.
Turk Farrell (Memphis). 0-2; 2.95 ERA ; 1 Sv; 2 H; 28 G.
Bob Howry (Philadelphia). 1-3; 5.01 ERA; 16 Sv; 1.03 WHIP.
Ken Howell (San Francisco). 3-2; 1.20 ERA; 3 Sv; 3 H; 0.90 WHIP.
Mark Melancon (Houston). 7-1; 3.00 ERA ; 1 Sv; 5 H.
Willie Mitchell (Indianapolis). 2-2; 1.19 ERA; 1 H.
Ron Reed (Philadelphia). 0-2; 2.87 ERA ; 3 Sv; 12 H; 35 G.
Ron Robinson (San Francisco). 4-1; 3.45 ERA ; 9 H.
Johan Santana (Portland). 1-1; 2.79 ERA ; 22 Sv.

Streaks

The unstoppable force that is Thurman Munson just keeps on going: the Black Yankees’ backstop has now reached base in 39 consecutive games. The Gothams’ Willie Mays has reached base in 29 straight.

Brooklyn‘s Duke Snider and Chicago’s Joe Jackson are edging up the list of hitting streaks, with active 17 and 16 game runs, respectively (Jackson is slashing 438/486/828 over his last 15 games, easily the most extended hot streak in the league). Two slightly more oddball streaks: Homestead’s Mike Epstein has reached base in 8 consecutive plate appearances and Philadelphia’s George Hendrick has 4 consecutive pinch-hits.

On the mound, the Black Yankee’s Red Ruffing hasn’t allowed a run in 20 innings, setting a new league record and Chicago’s AJ Minter has now gone 16 straight appearances without allowing a run, extending his league record.

Two of the longest exercises in patience may be running out. Baltimore’s Paul Blair resurgence was clearly a mirage, and the center fielders has managed only 7 hits in his last 43 at-bats. The House of David’s Mark McGwire draws his share of walks, but little else, managing only 7 hits in his last 80 at-bats for a 087/253/125 slash line over that time.

Series XVII Results

Series XVII Sweeps

Chicago over Kansas City

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XVII

Brooklyn over Portland
Cleveland over Philadelphia
Gothams over Homestead
San Francisco over Los Angeles
Black Yankees over Memphis

Series XVII Splits

Baltimore @ Ottawa
Birmingham Black Barons @ Houston
Indianapolis @ Detroit
Miami Cuban Giants @ House of David

TWIWBL 19.1: Series XVI Notes – Bill James Division

By mknn

On November 24, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Detroit Wolverines

Detroit pounded 5 homeruns–3 in the first inning–in a 9-5 win over Cleveland. Oscar Gamble, Bob Bailey, Jimmy Collins, Ty Cobb, and Tony Phillips all went deep, and Hank Aguirre put in 7 strong innings to level his record at 3-3.

With Kevin Hart looking good in his rehab assignment at AAA, the Wolverines demoted Jason Schmidt and returned Hart to the big leagues.

#Los Angeles Angels

A grand slam from Doug Rader and homeruns from Elmer Valo and Bobby Grich led Los Angeles to a 10-1 lead, helping Gerrit Cole become the first 10 game winner in the WBL.

#New York Gothams

Juan Marichal moved to 7-2 with 8 innings of one-hit ball as the Gothams beat Ottawa, 2-1. Brian Wilson picked up his 9th save, recording 3 outs on 5 pitches in a game where New York managed only 2 hits, both by Pinky Higgins.

TWIWBL 19.0: Series XVI Notes

By mknn

On November 23, 2021

In TWIWBL

June 8th

Awards

Robinson Canó of the Kansas City Monarchs won the WBL Player of the Week. It’s unusual to win the award with only 7 at-bats over the week … but Canó went 6-for-7 with 3 homeruns and 6 RBIs to take the honor.

Performance

Let’s do a look at the youngest players in the WBL before the usual lists.

Only one true teenager has enough plate appearances to make the leaderboards, and that is Bryce Harper of the Baltimore Black Sox. Harper, 19, who struggled for the opening month or so, has begun to come around, now sporting an OPS just over .700.

But four players under 21 years of age are sporting OPS’ over .900, led by the Monarchs’ Stan Musial (21, 343/406/593) and the Memphis Red Sox‘s Ted Williams (20, 293/380/573).

You could actually put together a great hitting team from the qualifying youngsters, although you would need to juggle some positions:

C: Josh Gibson, 20, Homestead Grays.
1B: Frank Robinson, 20, Baltimore.
2B: Tim Raines, 21, Ottawa Mounties.
SS: Carlos Correa, 21, Houston Colt 45s.
3B: Albert Pujols, 21, Kansas City.
LF: Stan Musial, 21, Kansas City.
CF: Mickey Mantle, 20, New York Black Yankees.
RF: Ty Cobb, 20, Detroit Wolverines.
DH: Ted Williams, 20, Memphis.

On the mound, the true teenage starting pitchers are the Portland Sea Dogs‘ Walter Johnson, who is among the best in the business, and the Cleveland Spider‘s Bob Feller, who has certainly shown some flashes. Johnson (7-2, 3.61) and the Brooklyn Royal Giants‘ Don Drysedale (20, 4-3, 3.32) would lead the staff.

Two 18 year-olds are more than holding their own, albeit in limited action: Portland’s Joseito Muñoz has been essentially unhittable, posting a 0.70 ERA in 26 innings and Houston’s Leon Day has a 2.57 ERA in 10 games.

Leading Performers

The top 2 (ish) performers in each category are included, league leaders in bold.

Best Batters

It’s a wide ranging list, with–still–only Babe Ruth really appearing across the board.

Rico Carty, Philadelphia Stars. 312/378/500; 24 2B.
Eric Davis, Black Yankees. 278/330/532; 19 HR.
Bobby Grich, Los Angeles Angels. 294/366/481, 23 2B.
Rickey Henderson, San Francisco Sea Lions. 271/411/369; 51 BB; 48 SB.
Joe Jackson, Chicago American Giants. 350/437/637; 54 R.
Reggie Jackson, San Francisco. 375/475/661.
Duffy Lewis, Chicago. 318/358/632. 19 HR.
Willie Mays, New York Gothams. 350/406/577; 86 H.
Stan Musial, Kansas City. 343/406/593; 85 H.
Doug Rader, Los Angeles. 310/370/506; 60 RBI.
Babe Ruth, Black Yankees. 316/427/684; 3.8 WAR; 23 HR; 64 RBI; 55 R; 47 BB.
Louis Santop, Cleveland. 309/341/474; 8 3B.
Frank Thomas, Chicago. 356/440/590.

Best Starting Pitchers

We’re beginning to see some volume, with Cleveland’s Cy Young being the first hurler to top 100 innings and the Black Yankees’ Ron Guidry over 100 strikeouts.

Bill Byrd, Baltimore. 5-2; 3.14 ERA.
Gerrit Cole, Los Angeles. 10-3; 4.20 ERA.
Lefty Grove, San Francisco. 7-2; 3.31 ERA; 89 Ks.
Ron Guidry, Black Yankees. 5-5; 3.90 ERA; 105 Ks.
Roy Halladay, Ottawa. 3-5; 3.75 ERA; 1.12 WHIP.
Walter Jonson, Portland. 7-2; 3.61 ERA; 2.9 WAR.
Dennis Martínez, Baltimore. 8-2; 3.07 ERA.
Andy Pettitte, Kansas City. 5-3; 3.12 ERA.
Red Ruffing, Black Yankees. 8-1; 3.81 ERA.
Cy Young, Cleveland. 6-2; 3.40 ERA; 1.15 ERA; 2.6 WAR.

Best Relievers

20 IP minimum for the rate stats. Notice that the list is dominated by bullpens (San Francisco, Portland, Philadelphia), not individuals.

Rod Beck, San Francisco. 0-1; 1.69 ERA; 16 Sv.
Elmer Brown, Portland. 2-3; 2.28 ERA; 3 Sv; 9 H.
Ken Howell, San Francisco. 3-2; 1.32 ERA; 0.91 WHIP; 3 Sv; 3 H.
Bob Howry, Philadelphia. 1-2; 4.15 ERA; 16 Sv.
Mark Melancon, Houston. 6-1; 2.86 ERA; 1 Sv; 5 H.
Joseito Muñoz, Portland. 2-1; 0.70 ERA; 3 Sv; 2 H.
Ron Reed, Philadelphia. 0-2; 2.83 ERA; 3 Sv; 11 H.
Ron Robinson, San Francisco. 3-1; 2.30 ERA; 9 H.
Johan Santana, Portland. 1-1; 2.95 ERA; 21 Sv.
Doc White, Indianapolis ABCs. 2-1; 2.35 ERA; 0.83 WHIP; 1 Sv; 2 H.

Streaks

We’re getting to the point where active streaks are more and more rare because, math.

Some exceptions, though: in one of the more surprising developments, the Black Yankees’ Thurman Munson has reached base in 36 straight games. The Gothams’ Willie Mays has an active streak of 25 games.

Baltimore’s Elrod Hendricks has gotten a hit in 8 consecutive at-bats, the longest streak in the league so far.

Cy Young deserves some attention: 6 consecutive wins, and undefeated over his last 11 starts. After a rocky start to the season, Chicago’s AJ Minter hasn’t been scored on in his last 15 outings.

Minter’s teammate Joe Jackson is on a tear, hitting 462/509/885 over his last 12 games. At the other end, Houston’s Jimmy Wynn is hitless in his last 25 at-bats, managing only 2 walks in that time to see his overall numbers plummet.

Series XVI Results

Series XVI Sweeps

Birmingham over Miami Cuban Giants

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XVI

Brooklyn over Black Yankees
Chicago over Homestead
Indianapolis over Houston
Portland over Kansas City
Gothams over Ottawa

Series XVI Splits

Wandering House of David @ Baltimore
Detroit @ Cleveland
Philadelphia @ Los Angeles
San Francisco @ Memphis