We’re at the end of July, so let’s take a look at the front-runners for the major awards.
The Mel Trench Award (MVP)
I mean … look, Cleveland‘s Ron Blomberg (341/410/649; 32 HR) is a great story and the key to the Spiders’ offense. And Chicago‘s Eddie Collins (311/402/513; 43 SB) may be the best all-around player in the game–it’s him or his teammate Joe Jackson (337/423/585). And some of you will create convoluted definitions of “valuable” in support of Los Angeles‘ Doug Rader, the league RBI leader and (as of right now) the only player in triple digits or Portland‘s Kent Hrbek, who is now tied for the league league in HR with 33.
But it’s really all about the guy he’s tied with. Barring something quite surprising, the New York Black Yankees‘ Babe Ruth should take the inaugural Mel Trench Award. Ruth has led the league in HRs all season, in OPS most of the year, and is in the top few in almost every offensive category. He is, simply, the most devastating offensive force in the league.
The Brock Rutherford Award (Pitcher of the Year)
Portland’s Walter Johnson began the year as the favorite here, and was then overtaken by Los Angeles’ Gerrit Cole. But Cole has stalled a bit after rattling off 5 straight victories to improve his record to 11-3, going 1-3 over his last 9 starts, allowing the rest of the league to catch up.
And then there’s Baltimore‘s Ned Garvin, who looked to be the front-runner, posting a 9-4 record and an ERA well under 3. But Garvin is out for the rest of the season.
Cleveland’s Pat Malone and the New York Gotham‘s Christy Mathewson join Cole with 12 wins, and 7 pitchers have 11. So if one of those go on a streak, they have to be considered favorites. But I would put forth three other names: Birmingham‘s Alejandro Peña has been the statistical front-runner, with an over 1 point of WAR edge on Johnson and leads the league in FIP. Peña was considered a bit of a joke when the Black Barons were buried in the standings; now that they are challenging for a playoff spot, he merits serious consideration. Jack Taylor of the House of David is posting an actual ERA at about the same level as Peña’s FIP, leading the league in both that and WHIP.
And if I had to vote, I would vote for Baltimore’s Bill Byrd, who has sat on the leaderboards all season, quietly and consistently anchoring the best staff in the league. Byrd is 11-3, with a 3.29 ERA, not league-leading, but among the leaders.
The Phineas Flint Award (Reliver of the Year)
Another award that has been greatly impacted by injury, as Portland’s Johan Santana was the clear leader here. But he’s been surpassed, and the award probably has to go to Detroit’s Mike Henneman, the league leader in saves with 30, 5 more than Cleveland’s Terry Adams.
The only other argument right now is, I think, the Gothams’ Brian Wilson, who has 22 saves and a microscopic 1.08 ERA.
Ron Reed was making a case as an all-purpose reliever, but while he still leads the league in holds, he has struggled enough since his trade to Cleveland to fall out of contention. If anyone in that category should be in the conversation at this point, it’s the Gothams’ Mike Norris.
Silver Sticks
C: Johnny Bench (IND). 308/414/602. 1B: Kent Hrbek (POR). 304/378/598. 2B: Eddie Collins (CAG). 311/402/513. 3B: Dick Allen (CAG). 315/381/548. SS: Bobby Wallace (BAL). 309/408/441. OF: Babe Ruth (NYY). 315/433/645. OF: Eric Davis (NYY). 277/354/539. OF: Willie Mays (NYG). 324/387526.
Predictably, the OF spots are the most contentious, with Joe Jackson, Reggie Jackson, and a half-dozen others not sharing the same last name all making arguments as well.
Performance
Batters
Usual stuff: top 2 in each category, leaders in bold.
Dick Allen (CAG). 315/381/548. 10 3B. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 341/410/649. 138 H. Rico Carty (PHI). 289/359/469. 37 2B. Ty Cobb (DET). 345/390/562. Eric Davis (NYY). 277/354/539. 5.3 WAR. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 257/390/338. 81 BB, 77 SB. Kent Hrbek (POR). 304/378/598. 33 HR. Joe Jackson (CAG). 337/423/585. 85 R. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 331/445/610. Stan Musial (KCM). 333/395/595. 39 2B. Doug Rader (LAA). 333/387/544. 139 H, 104 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 299/373/451. 72 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 315/433/645. 33 HR, 99 RBI, 90 R, 83 BB, 5.8 WAR. Louis Santop (CLE). 305/337/473. 11 3B.
Pitchers
Starters
Top 2 in each category, leaders in bold.
Bill Byrd (BAL). 11-3, 3.29. Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-6, 4.39. Don Drysedale (BRK). 7-5, 3.48. 1.16 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 11-7, 3.84. 162 K. Ron Guidry (NYY). 6-9, 4.56. 159 K. Walter Johnson (POR). 10-4, 3.79. 3.4 WAR. Pat Malone (CLE). 12-5, 3.84. Christy Mathewson (NYG). 12-6, 3.70. Alejandro Peña (BBB). 9-7, 3.44. 4.5 WAR, 3.17 FIP. Eddie Plank (SFS). 8-5, 4.06. 3.41 FIP. Jack Taylor (HOD). 11-8, 3.15, 1.15 WHIP.
Relievers
30 IP for rate stats.
Terry Adams (CLE). 2-6, 3.44. 25 Sv, 1H. Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.71. 30 Sv. Ken Howell (SFS). 3-4, 2.15. 4 Sv, 8 H. 0.99 WHIP. Sean Marshall (BAL). 5-0, 1.81. 1 Sv, 7 H. 0.95 WHIP. Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.57. 4 Sv, 10 H. Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-5, 3.82. 3 Sv, 16 H. Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-3, 3.54. 1 Sv, 15 H. Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.08. 22 Sv.
Awards
The Gothams’ Joe Adcock showed that 38 year olds can still hit, winning the Batsman of the Week Award by going 12-for-27 with 4 homeruns.
Streaks
Ryne Sandberg of the House of David has an 18 game hitting streak, and has scored in 10 straight games (1 off the league record).
Kansas City‘s Boog Powell is now only 2 games behind Thurman Munson‘s record 43 game on-base streak.
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
We are one series away from the trading deadline, so it seemed a good moment to check in on what teams may be doing what on the 27th.
Sellers
You never know what deals may emerge, but here are some veterans and/or players not looking to resign with their current teams that may be on the move. Probably the biggest change here are the Philadelphia Stars and the Kansas City Monarchs both seeming now to fall firmly in this category.
SP: Luke Hamlin (KCM), Connie Johnson (KCM), Andy Pettitte (KCM).
RP: Rheal Cormier (PHI), Bob Howry (PHI), Michael Jackson (HOM), Josh Lindblom (HOM), Mike Norris (SFS), Jonathan Papelbon (MEM)
Buyers
Each of the four divisions can be seen as a two-team race at this point, so we’ll look at each in turn, looking at both the teams we’re assuming are selling and those that are looking to offload some talent.
Bill James Division
The Detroit Wolverines and the New York Gothams are neck and neck. Detroit could use help in the bullpen, while New York is (like many teams) looking for rotation help, and perhaps an infield upgrade.
Cum Posey Division
The Baltimore Black Sox retain the best record in the league, but it’s getting closer. The Chicago American Giants are only 2 games back, and with Baltimore’s Brock Rutherford Award favorite Ned Garvin out for the year, there does seem to be an opportunity to reel the Black Sox back to the pack. In addition to a replacement for Garvin, Baltimore could use a little more depth, especially on the IF. Chicago’s offense is pretty much set but could also be in the market for rotation help.
Effa Manley Divison
The surprise continues: the Cleveland Spiders are starting to show some distance between them and the second place New York Black Yankees. The Spiders could use an upgrade on the left side of the infield while the Black Yankees are clearly in desperate need of bullpen help–to the point where they are almost certain to be willing to overpay.
Marvin Miller Division
The shocking rise of the Birmingham Black Barons continue, with the Portland Sea Dogs only 3.5 games ahead at this point. Birmingham needs to be careful: they were never supposed to be here and need to be aware of disturbing their current balance. Still, they could use offensive help, especially at C and SS. Portland would love to improve its bench.
Performance
Some things of note:
Los Angeles‘ Doug Rader is the first to triple digits, surpassing 100 RBI’s on the year this series.
Stan Musial (Kansas City) and Babe Ruth (NYY) remain the only batters leading the league in more than a single category.
Batters
Top 2, league leaders bold as usual.
Dick Allen (CAG). 308/374/547. 10 3B. Rico Carty (PHI). 285/356/453. 34 2B. Ty Cobb (DET). 351/393/572. Eric Davis (NYY). 278/348/542. 4.7 WAR. Mike Epstein (HOM). 330/4334/532. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 251/386/338. 75 BB, 70 SB. Kent Hrbek (POR). 311/380/609. 31 HR. Joe Jackson (CAG). 337/419/587. 78 R. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 331/445/610. Stan Musial (KCM). 338/394/601. 132 H, 37 2B. Doug Rader (LAA). 332/389/545. 130 H, 100 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 293/365/440. 71 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 314/428/643. 31 HR, 93 RBI, 83 R, 75 BB, 5.5 WAR. Louis Santop (CLE). 306/337/466. 10 3B.
Some of the less positive leaders:
SO: Willie Stargell (HOM), 146. GIDP: Wade Boggs (MEM), 20. CS: Reggie Jackson (SFS), 23.
Pitchers
Top 2 in each category, other than wins. There are 5 pitchers with 11 wins behind Gerrit Cole (LAA), but only Bill Byrd (BAL) is listed here, due to his WHIP.
Garvin does not have enough IP to hold onto the ERA crown as the season progresses.
Starters
Bill Byrd (BAL). 11-2, 3.09. 1.17 WHIP. Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-4, 4.24. Don Drysedale (7-3), 1.15 WHIP. Ned Garvin (BAL). 9-4, 2.80. Lefty Grove (SFS). 10-7, 3.83, 158 K. Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-9, 4.38. 149 K. Walter Johnson (POR). 10-3, 3.65. 3.3 WAR. Frank Knauss (BRK). 10-4, 3.07. Alejandro Peña (BBB). 9-6, 3.45. 3.9 WAR.
Relievers
25 IP minimum for rate stats.
Terry Adams (CLE). 1-5, 3.24. 23 Sv, 1 H. Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.48. 27 Sv. Ken Howell (SFS). 3-4, 2.06. 4 Sv, 7 H, 0.98 WHIP. AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.13. 19 Sv, 0.83 WHIP. Mike Norris (SFS). 3-3, 1.71. 3 Sv, 10 H. Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-4, 2.90. 3 Sv, 16 H. Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-3, 3.86. 13 H. Jonny Venters (LAA). 3-3, 3.32. 5 Sv, 13 H. Brian Wilson (SFS). 1-0, 1.11. 21 Sv.
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.
For this TWIWBL we’re going to look at two of my favorite emerging plotlines.
Biggest Surprise
Right now, it’s got to be the Birmingham Black Barons. At the end of May, they were 10 games back, a .400 team, and battling Miami for last place in the Marvin Miller Division. Today, they are 7 games over .500, and only 2.5 games behind division-leading Portland. So, what happened?
Birmingham began to turn it around in late May, but their high level of activity at the all-star break has to be mentioned as well. Ultimately, they lost 2 SPs (Dick Rudolph to Chicago and all-star Tim Hudson to San Francisco), a key bullpen piece (Hoyt Wilhelm in the same trade as Rudolph), and two infielders (all-star 2B Tom Herr to the Black Yankees and U Frank Isbell to Brooklyn). They received 10 players and 4 draft picks in return, with only 1B Adrián González making the big leagues immediately.
González’ OPS with the Black Barons has been in the high 600’s, which isn’t great, but is almost 200 points higher than his struggles with Chicago. He is splitting time at 1B with Frank McCormick, and the combo is outperforming Isbell. Hank Aaron is playing more at 2B with Herr gone, allowing Bob Nieman and Curtis Granderson to be joined by a rotating cast of OFers, but overall strengthening the lineup (even if Aaron isn’t exactly good defensively at 2B). Additionally, Eddie Mathews and Pie Traynor are in the lineup most days, with Mathews becoming the primary DH.
It’s worked: the quartet of Granderson, McCormick, Mathews, and Aaron have all come to life, combining for 27 HRs and 103 RBIs since June 1st. All in all, a team that struggled to score at all is now slowly, very slowly, edging away from the bottom of the pack offensively.
But the real success has been on the mound where, quite surprisingly, the loss of Hudson, Rudolph, and Wilhelm hasn’t really been felt. Alejandro Peña has been solid all year, Greg Maddux is finally living up to his hype, and Vic Willis continues to impress in the rotation. Closer Juan Ríncón has 17 saves despite starting the season buried in the bullpen, and the trio of Bruce Chen, Harley Young, and Steve Bedrosian have been fantastic in getting the ball to Rincón.
Rincón got his 2nd, 3rd, and 4th save of the season in consecutive games in late May, about the same time Bedrosian and Willis joined the big league club, with Chen being recalled from AAA in late June.
Look, the Black Barons are still a longshot to make the playoffs–but just being in the conversation has been an unlikely triumph for Birmingham. And it’s not all luck: yes, they are outperforming their Pythagorean projection by 2 wins, but that would still leave them above .500 even if they weren’t.
Second Biggest Surprise
The New York Black Yankees were supposed to run away and hide atop the Effa Manley Division. But the Cleveland Spiders have other ideas, and currently sit 3.5 games above New York in the standings, with the second best record in baseball.
Cy Young and Pat Malone have led the rotation all year, with ERA’s right around 4.00 and excellent peripheral numbers, and the bullpen trio of Chuck Porter, Cory Gearrin, and Ron Reed (who has continued to excel since being acquired from Philadelphia) have been able to consistently get the ball to Terry Adams in good situations. Adams has delivered with 23 saves, despite an 0-5 record.
Offensively, Ron Blomberg is in the argument for the MVP, slashing 334/402/638 with 28 homeruns and 76 RBIs, but the key to the team may have been finding a way to get John Ellis in the lineup almost every day, as the C/1B/DH has an OPS over .900, ranking second to Blomberg in most offensive stats. Add in a great season from Louis Santop behind the plate, solid contributions from Jake Stahl, Chuck Knoblauch, and Johnny Bates and the surprising turnaround from midseason acquisition Lance Berkman (whose OPS is over 300 points above where it was for Houston), and the Spiders have a dangerous lineup, top to bottom.
Can they hold off the Black Yankees? If New York’s bullpen continues to be absolutely porous, yes, yes they can. Will they? That’s another question entirely.
Performance
Awards
I feel like I’ve missed these for a little while, so I’m going to list the last few Players of the Week as well as June’s Players of the Month.
Player of the Month
In an unusual occurence for a reliever, Willie Mitchell of the Indianapolis ABC’s was the Pitcher of the Month for June. Mitchell was 4-0 with a 0.95 ERA out of the bullpen, prompting him to be added to the ABC’s rotation.
The Los Angeles Angels‘ Mike Trout took the Batter of the Month award, by hitting .381 for June. Trout is still looking to add some power to his results, but it moved him firmly into the conversation of elite hitters in the game.
Player of the Week
Willie Stargell of the Homestead Grays was the PotW for the week ending 7/17, hitting .565 with 3 HRs and 9RBIs in the span.
Babe Ruth has recovered from a mini-slump with a vengeance, taking home the PotW award for the week ending 7/10, hitting .500 with 3 homeruns and 12 RBI’s.
Before Ruth, the award went to Brooklyn’s Beals Becker, who raised his season average to a cool .300 with a .478, 3 HR showing during the week.
Batters
Top 2 in all categories, with the WBL leader in bold.
It’s been the Babe Ruth show since Reggie Jackson‘s triple crown run fell apart, but we’re seeing some others, most notably Kansas City‘s Stan Musial, edge into the MVP discussion.
Dick Allen (CAG). 307/375/553. 10 3B. Johnny Bench (IND). 295/411/564. 4.4 WAR. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 334/402/638. 28 HR. Rico Carty (PHI). 287/360/461. 34 2B. Ty Cobb (DET). 350/392/559. 124 H. Mike Epstein (HOM). 332/432/535. Mike Fiore (CAG). 249/405/415. 70 BB. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 252/388/341. 74 BB; 69 SB. Kent Hrbek (POR). 309/379/591. 28 HR. Joe Jackson (CAG). 340/422/593. 76 R. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 327/439/587. Stan Musial (KCM). 340/396/602. 129 H; 36 2B. Doug Rader (LAA). 324/382/532. 94 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 290/365/433. 71 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 313/421/643. 30 HR; 91 RBI; 80 R; 5.3 WAR. Louis Santop (CLE). 312/344/470. 10 3B.
Pitchers
Starters
Top 3 in each category, with the league leader in bold. No fewer than nine hurlers have 10 victories each, so only the top two in wins–Cole and Mathewson–are listed.
Bill Byrd (BAL). 10-2, 3.12. 1.18 WHIP. Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-4, 4.10. Don Drysedale (BRK). 6-3, 3.49. 1 H; 1.17 WHIP. Ned Garvin (BAL). 9-3, 2.66. 2 H; 1.15 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 10-6, 3.72. 150 Ks. Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-8, 3.99. 144 Ks; 3.4 WAR. Walter Johnson (POR). 9-3, 3.54. 3.3 WAR. Frank Knauss (BRK). 10-4, 3.19. 1 Sv. Christy Mathewson (NYG). 11-6, 3.78. 123 Ks. Alejandro Peña (BBB). 8-6, 3.65. 3.6 WAR.
Relievers
Detroit‘s Mike Henneman has finally passed theinjured Johan Santana for the league lead in saves.
22 IP for rate stats; top 2, leader in bold.
Terry Adams (CLE). 0-5, 3.48. 23 Sv; 1 H. Watty Clark (BRK). 3-1, 1.20. 17 Sv. Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.41. 25 Sv. AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.22. 18 Sv, 0.86 WHIP. Chuck Porter (CLE). 4-3, 2.04. 1 Sv; 10 H; 0.86 WHIP. Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-3, 2.59. 3 Sv; 16 H. Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-2, 3.35. 13 H. Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.78. 23 Sv; 1 H. Jonny Venters (LAA). 3-3, 3.35. 5 Sv; 13 H. Brian Wilson (SFS). 1-0, 1.15. 20 Sv.
Streaks
Beals Becker‘s on-bas streak ended at 32 games, but Boog Powell‘s is still alive at 29 and counting. Other active streaks of note include Brian Wilson‘s 18 consecutive saves and Bill Byrd‘s 14 starts without a loss, as well as Harley Young‘s 12 scoreless innings in relief.
Series Results
Series XXV Sweeps
Birmingham over Indianapolis
Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXV
Chicago over Philadelphia House of David over Cleveland Kansas City over New York Black Yankees San Francisco over Portland
The Baltimore Black Sox–with the best record in baseball–just can’t shake the Chicago American Giants, who are 5 games back. The rest of the division would need to make a significant move to change this from a two team race, with the Houston Colt 45’s–9 games back–the closest.
Effa Manley Division
The Cleveland Spiders are writing a great story, having overtaken the dominant favorite New York Black Yankees, who they now lead by 3.5 games. Everyone expects the Black Yankees to catch up, but they also never expected Cleveland to be where they are. The Indianapolis ABC’s sit 8.5 games back.
As usual, top 2 performers in all categories, with the WBL leader in bold.
Batters
Everything is tightening up: 6 batters sit between .336 and .339 for the league lead in BA, but the Black Yankees’ Babe Ruth continues to be the dominant offensive force in the league. It’s still a long list, though.
Dick Allen (CAG). 307/374/557. 9 3B. Johnny Bench (IND). 301/420/585. 4.5 WAR. Rico Carty (PHI). 289/361/469. 34 2B. Willie Davis (PHI). 283/336/509. 9 3B. Mike Epstein (HOM). 336/439/544. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 257/394/351. 72 BB; 64 SB. Kent Hrbek (POR). 308/375/593. 27 HR. Joe Jackson (CAG). 339/422/598. 74 R. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 339/410/646. 27 HR. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 336/447/610. Willie Mays (NYG). 325/382/536. 119 H. Stan Musial (KCM). 337/396/591. 121 H; 34 2B. Doug Rader (LAA). 325/378/542. 92 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 298/373/447. 69 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 321/431/659. 30 HR; 91 RBI; 78 R; 69 BB; 5.3 WAR. Louis Santop (CLE). 311/345/467. 9 3B.
Pitchers
There are 5 other pitchers tied with Bill Byrd with 10 victories; other than that the top 3 in each category are listed with the league leader in bold. No idea why Alejandro Peña is so highly rated in WAR.
Starters
Bill Byrd (BAL). 10-2, 3.20. 1.19 WHIP. Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-4, 4.03. Ned Garvin (BAL). 8-3, 2.64. 1.14 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 9-6, 3.86. 142 SO. Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-8, 4.13. 138 SO. Roy Halladay (OTT). 3-9, 4.13. 1.19 WAR. Walter Johnson (POR). 8-3, 3.57. 3.4 WAR. Johnny Marcum (DET). 9-2, 3.33. Christy Mathewson (NYG). 10-6, 3.91. Alejandro Peña (BBB). 8-6, 3.77. 3.5 WAR. Jack Scott (NYY). 10-4, 4.10. Cy Young (CLE). 8-4, 3.81. 3.2 WAR.
Relievers
20 IP minimum for rate stats. Top 2, leaders in bold.
Terry Adams (CLE). 0-5, 3.60. 23 Sv. Watty Clark (BRK). 3-1, 1.20. 17 Sv. Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.54. 24 Sv. Trevor Hildenberger (BRK). 3-0, 2.18. 0.92 WHIP. AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.08. 16 Sv, 0.88 WHIP. Ron Reed (PHI). 0-3, 2.52. 16 H. Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.78. 23 Sv. Jonny Venters (LAA). 3-3, 3.15. 13 H. Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.23. 18 Sv.
Streaks
There are 4 active on-base streaks of note, led by Brooklyn’s Beals Becker (30 games). Iván Rodríguez (POR, 27 G), Don Buford (LAA, 26), and Boog Powell (KAN, 25) are also live. Not much else: George Stone of the Wandering House of David has delivered 4 straight pinch-hits.
Indianapolis over Brooklyn Detroit over Chicago Homestead Grays over New York Black Yankees House of David over Los Angeles Portland over Philadelphia Stars
3 hits from Ty Cobb, including his 11th homerun of the year, led Detroit to a 4-0 win over Portland. Johnny Marcum and Mike Henneman combined on the 6-hit shutout, with Marcum moving to 8-2 on the year.
Another combined shutout would close out the series as Gene Conley continued his dominance, moving to 10-2 on the year with 7 strong innings. Buddy Napier and John Hiller helped to close out the 7-0 victory. Bill Carrigan had 3 hits and drove in 3 for the Wolverines and Robby Thompson added his 2nd homerun of the year.
#Los Angeles Angels
Anthony Young was sent to AAA, with Mike Smith being recalled for a start.
The Angels trailed 2-0 late, but a Mike Trout homerun in the 8th and George Wright‘s 12th of the year in the top of the 9th sent LA past the House of David 3-2. Pud Galvin got the win in a game that saw another impressive start–6 shutout innings–from Nolan Ryan.
#Memphis Red Sox
Francisco Lindor‘s first career homerun was one to remember: a walkoff blast in the bottom of the 11th, giving Memphis a 6-5 victory over the House of David. Wade Boggs had 3 hits for the Red Sox, including the game-tying single in the bottom of the 9th. Norwood Gibson and Heath Bell combined for 5 innings of scoreless relief, with Bell improving to 7-3 on the year.
#New York Gothams
Pete Donohue moved to 4-0 on the year with just over 7 scoreless innings in a 3-1 win over Houston. Mike Norris picked up his 10th hold and Brian Wilson closed with his 17th save despite giving up a run in the 9th. Buster Posey and Eugenio Suárez had 3 hits each for New York.
#Wandering House of David
The House of David has finally given up on Rollie Fingers for a while, sending the reliever to AAA and recalling Kerry Wood to the WBL for a debut start. In a somewhat surprising move, 27 year old Mark Grace was waived to make room for Wood. Grace, essentially the starting 1B for most of the season, managed only a 236/312/339 slash line. Fred Lynn was sent to AAA, with Jim Edmonds returning to the House of David, presumably because of his ability to also fill in at 1B behind the new starter, Anthony Rizzo.
Early returns were positive: Wood threw a strong 6 innings, with the starter he replaced–Bob Rush–adding a scoreless final 3 for his first save of the year and Rizzo hit his 6th homerun (in 32 ABs) of the season in a 7-2 win for the House of David.
Phil Regan was waived, with Eddie Rommel being recalled for an emergency start, which went fantastically: Rommel allowed 4 hits and no earned runs in 6 innings in a 12 to 2 drubbing of Memphis. Dan Ford and Ron Santo each had 3 hits including a homerun with Santo driving in 4 on the day.
Things are tightening up around the league, with the most shocking news being that the New York Black Yankees are now in 2nd place in the Effa Manley Division, 1.5 games behind the Cleveland Spiders.
Thought it might be interesting to take a look at some of the less important stats going on the WBL.
Sacrifice Hits are a big deal for some WBL teams, and 5 players are tied for the league lead with 12 each. They tend to make sense–players like Detroit’s George Davis or Baltimore’s Dan McGann. But then two names jump out: Chicago’s Duffy Lewis and the New York Black Yankees’ Lou Gehrig (Lewis has 12, Gehrig 10). What are those teams thinking? These are elite sluggers who are being told to “just move the runner over” far too often.
Wade Boggs of the Memphis Red Sox leads the WBL in GiDP, with 17, followed by Gil Hodges (Portland) and Ken Singleton (Baltimore) with 14. That all feels appropriate, although Willie Mays (New York Gothams) being next with 13 seems a little off.
Speaking of Mays, he leads all OFers with 14–FOURTEEN–OF assists. Ken Griffey, Jr–despite spending significant time in the minors for the Ottawa Mounties–is second with 12.
On the mound, let’s take a look at Meltdowns and Shutdowns, and specifically the mystery of the Kansas City Monarch‘s Trevor Rosenthal, who has 9 of the former and 10 of the latter. Roger Clemens, now of the Houston Colt 45’s, has allowed the most stolen bases in the league, as 30 players have successfully swiped bases against the Rocket.
Performance
Batters
Usual stuff: top 2 in various stats (plus all 1.000+ OPS), league leader in bold.
It’s still a widely diverse list, and it’s still dominated by Babe Ruth. The San Francisco Sea Lions‘ Reggie Jackson has fallen from leading the league in all 3 categories to “only” leading in OBP.
Dick Allen (CAG). 296/365/550. 9 3B. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 328/403/621. Rico Carty (PHI). 295/364/481. 31 2B. Eddie Collins (CAG). 307/408/530. 4.0 WAR. Ty Cobb (DET). 341/385/532. Mike Epstein (HOM). 337/443/523. Mike Fiore (CAG). 245/400/391. 65 BB. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 258/388/348. 63 BB, 61 SB. Kent Hrbek (POR). 309/376/599. 26 HR. Joe Jackson (CAG). 331/412/583. 68 R. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 338/448/618. Stan Musial (KAN). 333/392/595. 111 H, 30 2B. Doug Rader (LAA). 318/371/535. 85 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 300/378/457. 65 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 311/418/664. 29 HR, 87 RBI, 69 R, 4.9 WAR. Louis Santop (CLE). 316/351/470. 8 3B. Frank Thomas (CAG). 328/433/575. Mike Trout (LAA). 322/396/466. 108 H.
Starting Pitchers
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-3, 3.66. 128 IP. Ray Collins (PHI). 7-6, 3.96. 127.1 IP. Ned Garvin (BAL). 7-3, 2.82. 1.13 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 8-6, 3.96. 128 K. Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-8, 4.32. 127 K. Dennis Martínez (BAL). 8-5, 3.23. Alejandro Peña (BBB). 8-6, 3.81. 3.4 WAR. Red Ruffing (NYY). 10-3. 3.63. Cy Young (CLE). 8-4, 3.48. 1.14 WHIP, 3.4 WAR.
Relievers
25 IP for rate stats.
Tommy Hanson (BRK). 0-0, 3.16. 0.86 WHIP. Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.96. 22 Sv. Ken Howell (SFS). 3-3, 1.23. Chuck Porter (CLE). 4-3, 2.16. 0.84 WHIP. Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-2, 2.42. 15 H. Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-1, 3.44. 11 H. Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.78. 23 Sv. Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.37.
Streaks
Hank Aaron has an 18 game hitting streak, the only active streak that makes the league leaders. Aaron has hit homeruns in his last 3 games, as has Babe Ruth, but the leader in that category, surprisingly, is the Brooklyn Royal Giant‘s Beals Becker, who has gone deep in 5 consecutive games.
That gives Becker a stunning 1.300 SLG over those 5 games. Carlos Delgado, on fire since his trade to LA, is hitting .542 over his last 6 games.
Five games made the list for Series XXI. We’ll give the detailed treatment to a great comeback, but the others all have some noteworthy moments.
#Indianapolis @ Memphis, Game 2
Just another see-saw …
A solo homerun by Mookie Betts and a 2 run shot by Ted Williams were the key hits as the Red Sox jumped out to a 7-0 lead. A 2-run homerun by Danny Hoffman and a triple from Oscar Charleston made it 7-3, and then, in the 7th inning, another homerun from Hoffman and a key, 2-0ut, 2-run shot from Johnny Bench brought the ABC’s within 1 run at 7-6. Reggie Smith added a solo shot off Lefty James, making it 8-6 heading to the top of the 9th.
Memphis brought in Jonathan Papelbon to close it out, which was certainly a reasonable choice. Tommy Helms led off the inning with a single, but a groundout by Hoffman seemed to set Memphis on the road to victory.
And then, Edd Roush and Charleston singled to load the bases and Bench cleared them with a double. A single by Dave Henderson scored Bench, and another by Denis Menke chased Papelbon from the game with Indianapolis having come all the way back to take the lead 10-8. Rob Dibble dominated the bottom of the frame, and the ABC’s had a great comeback win under their belt.
IND 10 (James 5-1, Dibble 16 Sv) @ MEM 8 (Papelbon 0-4, 2 BSv; Cicotte 1 H; Farrell 3 H) HRs: IND – Hoffman 2 (11), Bench (17); MEM – Betts (6), Williams (18), Smith (11). Box Score
#Ottawa @ Philadelphia, Game 2
A mismatch on paper as a tough Philadelphia lineup faces Joe Mays in his WBL debut. Tim Raines opened the game with homerun for Ottawa, but after that it went pretty much according to form, with Mays surrendering back-to-back-to-back homeruns in the 1st (José Ramírez, Rico Carty, and Scott Rolen) and then being chased from the game by back-to-back doubles in the 4th. Ottawa turned to Randy Johnson in relief, and the Big Unit delivered with a couple effective innings. Ottawa scored 7 runs in 2 innings to take the lead in a game with decimated bullpens. It was dicey throughout–Greg Holland, just recalled from AAA, had been hammered at the WBL level earlier in the year. But he gave the Mounties a good inning, and was followed by Ryan Dempster, asked to close the game. Dempster did so, but only when Raines threw out J.M. Ward at home for the final out. Larry Walker finished with 3 hits including his 8th homerun for the Mounties.
OTT 8 (Johnson 2-4; Dempster 2 Sv; Holland 3 H) @ PHI 7 (Cormier 4-1, 3 BSv; Laskey 1 H) HRs: OTT – Raines (10), Walker (8); Ramírez (4), Carty (9), Kluszewski (14), Davis (14). Box Score
#New York Gothams @ Brooklyn, Game 2
A tight pitching duel: Brooklyn’s Dick Redding was as good as the Gotham’s Christy Mathewson, but New York managed a sacrifice fly and a well-timed single by Eugenio Suárez to lead, 2-0. It was enough: Mathewson allowed 7 hits through 7 innings, but was dominant, fanning 11 and allowing only a solo shot from Duke Snider. Robb Nen and Brian Wilson slammed the door in relief to preserve the narrow victory.
Portland only managed 2 hits, but leveraged 3 Miami errors and 10 walks by Cuban Giant hurlers to score 5 runs. Four of the runs scored off a chain of 2 walks, a double by Rogers Hornsby, and then 2 more walks and a wild pitch. The winning run in the bottom of the 9th was scored on a sacrifice fly from Joe Mauer after Adrián Beltré delivered a pinch-hit single. Eustaquio Pedroso‘ pitching line wasn’t pretty, but he was really let down by Phenomenal Smith‘s wildness, and Pedroso’s start was actually a source of some encouragement for Miami.
MCG 4 (Bauta 1-4; Smith 1 BSv) @ POR 5 (Williams 2-1) HRs: MCG – Braun (11), Sheffield (3). Box Score
#Birmingham @ New York Black Yankees, Game 4
We had to put something in here for the shocking performance of the Black Yankees in this series, who came into the final game desperately trying to avoid a sweep by the Black Barons having only scored 3 runs total over the first 3 games.
New York took the lead in the bottom of the 1st on a 2-run shot by Don Mattingly and extended it to 3-0 on a solo shot by Manny Sanguillén in the 5th. And that seemed plenty as Ron Guidry was dominant in his best start since early in the season, allowing only 3 hits and 1 walk through 7 innings while striking out 7.
But then came the 8th. Guidry gave up back to back walks and a single to load the bases and was clearly out of gas, relieved by Ralph Citarella, who let the wheels fall of: an error and a wild pitch scored runs, and then RBI singles from Curtis Granderson, Bob Nieman, and Pie Traynor chased Citarella with Birmingham holding a 6-3 lead.
Granderson added a 2-run inside-the-park-homerun in the 9th, giving plenty of cushion even when Albert Belle got 2 runs back in the final frame with his 10th homerun of the year. Vic Willis continued the strong start to his career, striking out 9 in 6 innings despite not factoring in the decision and Bruce Chen was nearly perfect over 2 innings in relief for the win, sealing the most surprising series sweep of the season.
Now that we’re past the All-Star Break, it seems a good time to take a look at the overall context of the WBL. Given that the model year was 2000, things are tracking pretty well.
Offense
It’s a year that favors the offense, for sure. As a whole, the league is slashing 264/336/429. The 765 OPS would make it a top 10 offensive year for MLB, driven almost entirely by the .429 SLG, which would be the 6th highest in MLB history. Teams are hitting 1.16 HR/G, a total that would rank 6th as well.
There are some fun anomalies that come with an all-star league: teams are averaging roughly 1 SB/G, not an outlandish number, but one that is in the top third or so of seasons overall. But also, under .20 3B/G, easily in the bottom third of historical seasons.
Pitching
The pitching story is pretty much the inverse: the 4.56 league ERA would rank 8th highest in MLB history. Clearly all those homeruns aren’t helping, but there’s more here. The 1.42 league WHIP is actually decent–not 1968 by any means, but not too bad. So what is causing the high ERA? One issue might be strikeouts: the 6.08 K/G is clearly a modern number but it’s lagging a bit for sure.
Performance
Same as usual: the top 2 performers in most offensive categories are listed.
Batters
The length of the list is a testament to how widespread the offensive depth is in the league. San Francisco‘s Reggie Jackson–still leading in 2 of the triple crown categories–and Babe Ruth of the New York Black Yankees are the only batters leading the league in multiple categories. Four batters (Jackson, Ron Blomberg, Ruth, and Kent Hrbek) have OPS’ over 1.000.
Blomberg, often on the edges of this list, forced himself on with a 1.434 OPS since the All-Star Break.
Dick Allen (CAG). 302/365/569. 9 3B. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 341/414/645. Rico Carty (PHI). 296/359/479. 31 2B. Ty Cobb (DET). 341/379/540. Mike Epstein (HOM). 335/439/530. Mike Fiore (CAG). 238/388/397. 57 BB. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 258/392/360. 59 BB; 55 SB. Kent Hrbek (POR). 320/384/626. 25 HR. Joe Jackson (CAG). 325/405/575. 63 R. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 347/461/616. Willie Mays (NYG). 327/384/557. 101 H; 3.8 WAR. Stan Musial (KAN). 334/395/580. 102 H; 27 2B. Doug Rader (LAA). 320/373/535. 75 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 309/384/466. 60 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 304/413/644. 26 HR; 76 RBI; 4.1 WAR. Louis Santop (CLE). 305/343/460. 8 3B.
Pitching
Like the batters, there are just not a lot of dominant individuals, although Baltimore’s Ned Garvin is making an argument.
20 inning minimum for the rate stats.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 11-3, 4.03. Ned Garvin (BAL). 7-2, 2.90. 2 H. 1.08 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 8-5, 3.86. 121 K. Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-8, 4.35. 120 K. Mike Henneman (DET). 1-3, 2.49. 19 Sv. Ken Howell (SFS). 3-3, 1.35. 3 Sv; 4 H; 0.93 WHIP. Walter Johnson (POR). 8-3, 3.86. 2.8 WAR. Dennis Martínez (BAL). 9-4, 2.99. Willie Mitchell (IND). 5-2, 1.08. 1 Sv; 1 H. Joseíto Muñoz (POR). 3-1, 1.17. 3 Sv; 2 H. Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-2, 2.47. 3 Sv; 14 H. Red Ruffing (NYY). 10-2, 3.73. Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.45. 23 Sv; 1H. Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.54. 12 Sv; 0.90 WHIP. Cy Young (CLE). 8-3, 3.36. 1.14 WHIP; 3.2 WAR.
Streaks
Larry Gardner (BAL) has an 18-game hitting streak, currently good for the 5th best in the league.
Detroit‘s Chili Davis has reached base in 8 consecutive plate appearances, with a base hit in his last 7.
The New York Gothams‘ Johnny Callison has a 1.534 OPS over his last 6 games, while Philadelphia‘s George Hendrick has the best extended streak in the league, slashing 386/435/860 over his last 22 games with 7 HR and 21 RBI. Mention should be made of Baltimore’s recent call-up Baby Doll Jacobson who, after a very slow start, has 4 homeruns in his last 20 ABs.
Series Results
This was a weird series. Homestead, Miami, and Birmingham–generally considered three of the weakest teams in the league–each won their series.
