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Tag: Brooklyn Royal Giants Page 2 of 9

TWIWBL 63.5: Effa Manley Division

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On July 16, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Roy White went deep twice, but it wasn’t enough as the Royal Giants gave up a late lead and lost in 12 innings, 6-5, to the Gothams.

Frank Knauss became the league’s first 6 game winner with a 2 hit shutout, striking out 10 en route to a 2-0 victory over Ottawa. Solo homeruns from Duke Snider and Pedro Guerrero were all Knauss needed to move to 6-1 on the year.

#Homestead Grays

Daniel Hudson and Carlos Zambrano are both struggling mightily, but both hold their roster spots for now. It’s assumed that one will go down when Corey Kluber comes back from injury; it’s likely the other will follow shortly thereafter unless something turns around.

Francisco Liriano tossed a 2-hit shutout, leading the Grays to a 5-0 win over Kansas City. Liriano walked 4 and whiffed 8, and was helped along with homeruns from Mike Epstein and Willie Stargell.

Owen Wilson, struggling to regain his from from last season, will miss about a month and a half with a separated shoulder. OF Goose Goslin was recalled from AAA to take Wilson’s role as lefty OF off the bench.

Doug Drabek–perhaps the Grays’ best hurler in the early going–hit the DL with a sore wrist. Drabek should only miss a couple starts, but still. Brickyard Kennedy was recalled from AAA. Kennedy pitched well for Brooklyn last season in limited opportunities, but at 35, was released by the Royal Giants in February.

#New York Gothams

Brandon Crawford hit the shortest homerun of the day, but it was enough to give the Gothams a 6-5 walkoff victory in 12 innings over Brooklyn. In great news for the Gothams, Brian Wilson saw his first action of the year, giving up 1 hit and striking out 3 in 1.2 innings. The win went to Mike Norris, who improved to 2-0 with 2+ perfect innings.

Willie Mays went deep twice and Carl Furillo might have staved off his release with his first homerun of the year as the Gothams beat the House of David, 7-5.

Benny Kauff went deep twice, giving him 10 on the year, as the Gothams beat the House of David, 7-3.

#Ottawa Mounties

It was assumed that Ryan Dempster would lose his role as closer when Tom Henke returned. The surprise came when the Mounties moved Dempster to AAA, along with Dupee Shaw, as both Henke and Johnny Podgajny were recalled from their rehab assignments.

#Philadelphia Stars

Tim Belcher was sent to AAA with John Burkett being recalled as the Stars try to address their bullpen.

Joe Rogan tossed a complete game, 2-hit shutout as the Stars beat Birmingham, 7-0. He also drove in 2 while Art Fletcher and Willie Davis had 3 hits each, with Fletcher driving in 4.

Rogan was again the star, delivering a walkoff 2 run single to lead the Stars, who scored 6 runs over the final 3 innings, to a 7-6 victory over Birmingham. Ted Kluszewski went deep twice in the game and Burkett was excellent in his debut, delivering 2+ innings of 1 hit relief with the victory going to Ted Kennedy, now 2-1 on the year.

Scott Rolen went deep twice, but the Stars couldn’t hold a lead, falling to Homestead, 7-6.

TWIWBL 62.4: Effa Manley Division

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On June 25, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Frank Isbell‘s struggles finally earned him a trip to AAA with the Royal Giants needing a starter. Frank Miller was recalled from AAA to make the start, and returned afterwards with, ultimately, Dan Brouthers taking Isbell’s roster spot.

2 homeruns from Jackie Robinson and a strong start from Orel Hershiser led Brooklyn over Philadelphia 6-1. Hershiser improved to 3-1, allowing 4 hits and 1 run over 8 innings.

#Homestead Grays

The Grays moved Carlos Zambrano–0-4 with an ERA over 9.00–into the bullpen, with Doug Drabek taking his spot in the rotation. Drabek has been excellent so far in a relief role, with a 2.45 ERA over 9 games.

#New York Gothams

The Gothams welcomed back closer Brian Wilson. They hadn’t really missed him, as Mike Norris and Robb Nen combined for 9 saves, but it does extend what might be the best bullpen in the league. Guy Hecker was returned to AAA.

Buster Posey and Johnny Callison hit monstrous homeruns, backing a 3 hit shutout from Carl Hubbell as the Gothams topped the Monarchs, 7-0. Posey had 3 hits and Hubbell improved to 4-2 with the win.

Callison had another 2 homeruns, but the Gothams gave up an 8-3 lead before losing to Ottawa, 9-8.

#Ottawa Mounties

Larry Walker went deep twice and Bill Smith excelled in a spot start as the Mounties topped Houston 6-3.

Cannonball Sam Thompson homered twice leading the Mounties to a come from behind, 9-8 win over the Gothams. Mike Dorgan had 3 hits and 5 relievers (Smith, Dave Gregg, BJ Ryan, Clark Griffith, and Ryan Dempster) combined to allow only 1 hit in over 5 innings of relief of a terribly ineffective Roy Halladay. Smith got the win, strengthening his case to be moved into a full time rotation spot for Ottawa.

#Philadelphia Stars

Scott Rolen went deep twice as the Stars triumphed over Brooklyn, 8-5. Hardie Henderson won his 5th game of the year with 6 decent innings and 5 Stars hurlers combined to close out the victory.

TWIWBL 61.4: Effa Manley Division

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On June 13, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Terry Forster began a rehab assignment, with an eye towards returning to the active roster later this week.

Ray Dandridge‘s offensive struggles have accelerated Germany Smith‘s return to full time status, with Smith taking over at SS. Dandridge will still see a lot of playing time around the diamond, but he–along with Frank Isbell–are in danger of (not) hitting themselves right out of the league.

Juan Mateo will miss about 4 months of action, clearing space for Forster’s return.

#Homestead Grays

The Grays recalled Corey Kluber from his rehab assignment, sending the struggling Tim Lincecum to AAA.

#New York Gothams

Willie Mays had 4 hits and 3 RBIs and Pinky Higgins went deep twice as the Gothams beat the Mounties, 8-2. Don Sutton improved to 3-1 with 10 whiffs in 7 plus innings of work for New York.

Mays and Benny Kauff each went deep twice as the Gothams poured it on late for an 8-3 win over Philadelphia. Gaylord Perry improved to 2-3 with 7 solid innings of work.

#Ottawa Mounties

With Ryan Dempster‘s struggles, the return of closer Tom Henke after a year away can’t come soon enough. Henke should start a rehab assignment later this week, joining Johnny Podgajny in trying to make their way back to the active roster.

#Philadelphia Stars

With Dave Stieb seemingly massively overmatched, the Stars sent him to AAA, recalling Ray Collins from a rehab assignment. Collins will slot into the bullpen for a while, with Larry Jackson taking Stieb’s spot in the rotation.

Bullet Joe Rogan has been the best hitter for the Stars so far this season, and while he’ll move around a lot, it’s expected that he’ll be out there virtually every day from here on out.

Hardie Henderson continues his great start, combining with Brad Kilby, Tim Belcher, and Ted Kennedy on a 4 hit shutout in a 5-0 win over the House of David. Henderson improved to 4-1 and lowered his ERA to 1.64 on the day.

TWIWBL 60.4: Effa Manley Division

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On June 3, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Germany Smith was recalled from his injury rehab, with Maury Wills heading to AAA. For now, Smith will split time at SS with Ray Dandridge, but his power my force his name onto the lineup sheet more often.

#Homestead Grays

Willie Stargell‘s 4th homerun was a walkoff job in the bottom of the 11th, giving the Grays a 3-2 win over Brooklyn. Bob Friend–long gone when Pops struck–pitched excellently for Homestead, striking out 10 in just over 6 innings.

#New York Gothams

Will Clark went deep twice and drove in 6 runs as the Gothams built an early lead and held on, topping the Black Barons 12-8. Buster Posey had 3 hits and Juan Marichal evened up his record at 1-1 with a good outing.

Johnny Callison (3 hits and 6 RBIs) and Pete Runnels (4 hits) had great days, but a very poor outing from Christy Mathewson led to an 11-8 defeat at the hands of the Grays.

#Ottawa Mounties

Gary Carter continued his scorching start with 2 homeruns, giving him 8 on the year. Carter had 3 hits and 3 RBIs and Tim Raines, Larry Walker, and Roberto Alomar also went deep in a 9-5 win over Birmingham. After Old Hoss Radbourn struggled a bit, Bob Brown, Atlee Hammaker, the newly recalled Bill Smith, and BJ Ryan combined to allow only one hit in almost 5 innings of relief.

Carlos Beltrán went deep twice, but it wasn’t enough as the Mounties fell to Birmingham, 12-10. Dupee Shaw was pounded in his first career start, giving up 5 homeruns (4 consecutive) and while Ottawa tied the game after that, despite a strong outing from Smith, the bullpen just couldn’t hold it together.

#Philadelphia Stars

The Stars recalled Aaron Judge from his rehab assignment, sending Harmon Killebrew to AAA for regular playing time. Judge’s first at bat resulted in his 2nd homerun of the season, a welcome sight for Stars fans. Ted Kluszewski and Art Fletcher drove in 2 in the come from behind win over Houston as Larry Jackson, Ted Kennedy, and Bob Howry allowed only 1 hit in 3.2 innings of relief for an ineffective Steve Carlton. Kluszewski tied the game in the 8th and Fletcher drove in the winning run in the 9th, with Kennedy getting the win and Howry his 3rd save of the year.

TWIWBL 58.5: Effa Manley Division

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On May 1, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

It was not good news for the Royal Giant as as Dave Von Ohlen, a bullpen stalwart for them last season, was diagnosed with a herniated disc and will miss about 3 months. Dutch Leonard was recalled.

In slightly better news, both Germany Smith and Trevor Hildenberger were sent to AAA on rehab assignments as they make their way back from their injuries.

Hildenberger was recalled as Terry Forster was placed on the 10 day DL.

#Homestead Grays

Chris Sabo hit a pinch-hit, walk-off 3-run homerun to lead the Grays to a wild 12-11 victory over Ottawa. Honus Wagner had 4 hits and Rick Reichardt and Andy Van Slyke 3 each in a game where the Grays pounded out 4 homeruns, with Willie Stargell, Reichardt, and Del Crandall joining Sabo.

Josh Gibson‘s first homerun of the season was a doozy: a grand slam to give the Grays another walk-off win over Ottawa, this one 8-5. Roberto Clemente had 3 hits and rookie Doug Drabek continued his strong start to the season with a couple 1-hit innings in relief.

#Ottawa Mounties

Old Hoss Radbourn started the Mounties’ season off strong, allowing only 2 hits and 1 run over 7 innings in a 10-1 drubbing of Philadelphia. Larry Walker drove in 4 and Bob Watson had 3 hits for Ottawa.

The Mounties pounded out 25 hits, scored 11 runs, and held leads in the 8th, 9th, and 10th innings. And, lost 12-11 in 10 innings to Homestead. Walker had 4 hits and Gary Carter drove in 3 in a game where Ottawa’s hurlers gave up 4 homeruns, including a walk-off shot.

Gary Peters will miss about a year with an elbow injury. Bob Brown was recalled from AAA, although for now at least it’s not clear who will take Peters’ spot in the rotation.

#Philadelphia Stars

The Stars may not win many games this year, but there is some talent on this team that should be fun to watch. To wit, OF Aaron Judge obliterated the record for the longest homerun in the history of the WBL, launching a pitch from Homestead’s Bob Friend 558 feet for his first dinger of the year.

Ray Collins lasted 2 innings in his debut before having to be removed with back spasms. Collins will be out a couple of weeks, and the Stars have once again turned to veteran Robin Roberts, giving the 33 year old what may be his final chance at the WBL. The next day, Judge went down with a strained muscle, and the Stars decided to continue to try to reinforce their mounds corps, recalling hard throwing Brad Kilby.

Year II Season Preview: Brooklyn Royal Giants

By

On April 6, 2024

In Team News

Expectations

Improvement, meaning again being in the playoff hunt at the end, but perhaps it being far less of a longshot/surprise.

Best Case

The juggling of the pitching staff works perfectly, with Smokey Joe Williams and Watty Clark Orel Hershiser joining Don Drysedale and Frank Knauss to provide a dependable, top of the league rotation helped by a continually improving Sandy Koufax. This implies that Eric Gagne‘s conversion to closer goes well.

The offense finds its soul, helped by the acquisition of Pedro Guerrero.

Worst Case

Knauss, Clark, and Koufax regress and Williams doesn’t step up, leaving only Drysedale as a dependable starter and the offense continues to just meander along without any real oomph. The acquisition of Guerrero fails to deliver.

Key Questions

  • In addition to the pitching staff changes mentioned above, the rest of the roster is very much in flux.
  • Can John Briggs continue to set the world on fire?
  • Will Mike Piazza finally take hold of the starting C role?

Trade Bait

Unsure? There is a bit of a logjam in the OF right now, maybe that could be solved.

Instead, the Royal Giants doubled down on the logjam, adding Guerrero to the mix. It’s unlikely Clark’s value is ever higher than it is right now, so it’s not a bad moment to make the move.

Roster Evaluation

POSEliteStrongSolidMehWeakUnknown
CPiazzaBertell
1BRobinson
2BIsbell
3BCey
SSSmithDandridgeWills
LF/
RF		Becker
Guerrero
CFBriggs
Snider
White		Griggs
SPDrysedaleKnaussHershiser
Koufax		Williams
EndGagne
Hildenberger		Dreifort
Von Ohlen
RPForster
Grimes
Mateo
Valenzuela
New Addition | Injured

Very middle of the road imo. There is a lot of uncertainty on the mound, with a bunch of new faces and others whose ability to replicate their success from last season remains firmly in doubt.

Talent Ratings

WBLMinors
Raw PowerOF Duke Snider1B Jim Gentile
Batting EyeOF John BriggsC Jim French
ContactOF Pedro Guerrero1B Dan Brouthers
Running SpeedSS Maury WillsSS Sonny Jackson
Base Stealing2B Frank Isbell2B Davey Lopes
IF DefenseIF Jackie Robinson1B Eric Karros
OF DefenseOF Roy WhiteOF Chicken Wolf
StuffSP Sandy KoufaxRP Lefty Thomas
ControlCL Eric GagneRP Trevor Hildenberger
VelocityCL Eric GagneSP Walker Buehler

Best In The Minors

RankAgePOSName
1 (3)202BEd Delahanty
2 (5)23PSmokey Joe Williams
3 (15)21PDoc Newton
4 (51)22PWalker Buehler
5 (84)21OFJohn Briggs
6 (108)22PDazzy Vance
7 (125)24OFTerry Moore
8 (147)24PFernando Valenzuela
9 (162)24PDustin McGowan
10 (165)20OFAl Simmons
Others: RP Jesús Colome, P Chris Short.

Williams, Briggs, and Valenzuela all break camp with the WBL team. Given the scarcity of offense in the system, both Delahanty and Simmons may see time this season.

MostLeast
Age2B Julio Franco, 39P Odalis Pérez, 19
P Hilly Flitcroft
HeightP Don Drysedale, 6’6″
P Tommy Hanson, 6’6″		P Bobby Shantz, 5’6″
OPS1B Justin Smoak, 1.101 (—)SS César Izturis, .527 (AAA/AA)
HR1B Justin Smoak, 64 (—)SS César Izturis, 0 (AAA/AA)
OF Art Griggs, 0 (WBL/AAA)
SBOF Beals Becker, 49 (WBL)
WAR1B Jim Gentile, 5.0 (—)SS Germany Smith, -1.0 (WBL/AAA)
WJosh Outman, 14 (—)
Jordan Zimmerman, 14 (AAA)		Tom Phoebus, 2 (—)
Dick Redding, 2 (WBL/AAA)
SVRed Evans, 23 (—)
ERADarren Dreifort, 2.03 (WBL/AAA)Tom Sullivan, 8.09 (—)
WARBobby Shantz, 5.9 (—)Tom Sullivan, -2.0 (—)
Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

TWIWBL 56.16: Spring Training Notes – Brooklyn Royal Giants

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On March 4, 2024

In TWIWBL

Spring Training Questions

A couple spots in the bullpen are open, but most of the attention will be on the position players, where in addition to the bench, starting roles at C and 1B are unsettled.

Ed Delahanty and Al Simmons (Brooklyn’s first and second round draft picks) are probably a year away, but either could make a strong push in Spring Training.

Injuries

Trevor Hildenberger is likely to miss the start of the season with a back injury, opening up another spot in the Royal Giants’ bullpen and SS Germany Smith–the early favorite to start at that position–will be out until very close to opening day with a broken bone in his foot.

First Cuts

Both Doc Newton and Tom Sullivan were longshots to make the team, and neither showed enough to stay in camp past the first round of reassignments; nor did Ted Blankenship, Lew Krausse Jr., Nap Rucker, or Dustin McGowan. Dave Van Ohlen has pitched as poorly as the rest of them, but being an established WBL arm has its privileges.

Likewise, Al López and Mike Piazza have both struggled, but it’s Al Todd and Jeff Torborg who are reassigned. The axe also fell for Tommy Everidge, Marco Hernández, Hank Majeski, and Ken McMullen. These moves preserve spots for Ray Dandridge and Ed Delahanty, despite their mighty struggles so far.

The OF remains an incredibly tangled puzzle. Assumed starters Duke Snider and Beals Becker have combined for only 2 hits, while Matt Holliday, Ron Fairly, George Selkirk, and Jermaine Dye–all considered relative long shots to make the team–are pounding the ball with OPS’ over 1.000. Even Morrie Arnovich and Raúl Mondesi, who have not hit well, remain in camp, largely based on their performances in the minors last year.

Clearly, figuring out the OF spots is the major concern of the next week or so for Brooklyn.

Second Cuts

Walker Buehler and Jordan Zimmerman head to minor league camp, as do Ron Fairly and Dan Brouthers. Phenom Ed Delahanty heads to minor league camp for at least a year of seasoning while only Germany Smith‘s injury keeps Tim Foli in camp. In the OF, Raúl Mondesi heads down along with veteran Jermaine Dye.

Third Cuts

Rick Aguilera, Tim Foli, George Selkirk, Davey Lopes, and, perhaps most surprisingly, Al López were all sent down.

This means that the catching duties will fall to some mixture of Mike Piazza and Duke Farrell (assuming Dick Bertell cools off at some point), and indicates that the Royal Giants are looking to play Ray Dandridge at 2B with Maury Wills earning a strong look at SS in Germany Smith‘s absence.

Final Cuts

The Royal Giants have some very hard decisions. Their first cut comes from the outfield, where 20 year old Al Simmons has hit well, but clearly needs to spend some time as a fulltime player, something he’ll be able to do at AA. Morrie Arnovich follows Simmons, clearing up some space in the OF.

Part of Duke Farrell‘s value was his ability to fill in at 3B as well; with Pedro Guerrero‘s arrival, that means a bit less. Combine that with Farrell’s struggles and Dick Bertell‘s excellent Spring, and Farrell becomes expendable, off to start the year at AAA. Some see this as a clear sign that the Royal Giants are going to go with Mike Piazza behind the plate; others insist that Bertell still has a shot to seize the starting role.

Jim Gentile is the only true 1B on the roster. And he’s posted an OPS over .800 this Spring. But roster space is scarce, and Gentile only plays 1B, so off he goes to AAA.

Trevor Hildenberger had struggled mightily before being shut down with back spasms. The Royal Giants got to 30 players by placing Hildenberger on the DL–he may be off by opening day, but a rehab stint in the minors to regain his form is needed regardless.

This is so hard at the end. Two or three more arms have to be sent down from Burleigh Grimes, Orel Hershiser, Juan Mateo, Dick Redding, Fernando Valenzuela, and Dutch Leonard. The problem is none of them have pitched badly. Leonard has struggled the most, so he’s the first, followed by young Dick Redding, who was solid last year, but gave up a lot of hits this Spring.

Germany Smith was placed on the DL.

Everybody else hit really well all Spring, making these final two choices very difficult. The Royal Giants sort of fell in love with Maury Wills and in the end, despite almost equal production, Dickie Thon‘s in ability to play other positions sends Thon to AAA. Finally, Matty Alou had a strong Spring, but it’s all just too crowded, to the veteran heads to the minors.

TWIWBL 55.4: Offseason Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By

On January 11, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

IF Rabbit Maranville decided to hang up his cleats after a year that saw him play in only 9 games as a 39 year old.

34 year old Charlie Keller decided to retire, despite a solid showing for Atlanta (after a horrible start to the season with Newark).

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Reliever Eric Gagne will be back for at least one more year, signing a $890k contract. There are rumors that this may mean Gagne moves into the closer’s role with Watty Clark becoming a starter. The challenge here is that Clark was very effective as a closer.

The Royal Giants released C Steve Yeager and OF Michael Brantley.

#Miami Cuban Giants

32 year old 1B Carlos Peña decided to hang up his cleats, despite slugging over .700 at AAA. But with only 10 WBL at-bats and a bit of a logjam at 1B in front of him, he decided his best choice was to move on from his playing days.

The Cuban Giants avoided arbitration with Gary Sheffield, signing him to a $1.2M, one year deal. Clearly, the amount is based on Sheffield’s potential, not his somewhat underwhelming numbers from last year.

#Portland Sea Dogs

A trio of 35 year old hurlers retired from Portland’s AA club: Jim Perry, Will Harris, and Tippy Martinez. Perry was hit hard and Harris rarely used, but Martinez had a decent year, so his announcement at least was a bit of a surprise.

40 year old knuckleballer Charlie Hough decided enough was enough, deciding to retire at the end of the AAA season.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

40 year old Chipper Jones had wanted to go out with a little more fanfare. Instead, a 131/233/263 start over roughly 100 AB’s with Birmingham led to him being cut, picked up by San Francisco, but hitting even worse for the Sea Lions at AAA. Jones and fellow 3B Lave Cross both announced their retirement from the game.

Minor league OF Tony Armas lost his arbitration case, but will still earn $310k next season.

San Francisco released 2B Keith Ginter and P Carlos Carrasco, with neither move being particularly surprising.

Season Review: Brooklyn Royal Giants

By

On December 22, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

77 - 77, .500 pct.
3rd in Marvin Miller Division, 7.5 games behind.

Overall

The penultimate team to be eliminated from the playoffs, the Royal Giants were a bit of a surprise, but still need help to move into true playoff contention. Most of that needs to come from the offense, where there is a lack of elite talent virtually across the board. But they are one of the few teams in the league stacked on the mound.

What Went Right

Not a lot of high spots offensively. CF John Briggs destroyed AA, was promoted to Brooklyn, and totally crushed WBL pitching over his first 40 games. RF Beals Becker, against all expectations, was the team MVP, combining power and speed to great effect.

Roy White was the heart of the team and Duke Snider their best source of power, but neither were true stars if we’re being honest, with OPS’ in the low .800s.

Beyond that … I dunno … they stole a lot of bases (7 players had over 15: Becker, White, Snider, Frank Isbell, Jackie Robinson, Dickie Thon, and Davey Lopes).

If that all sounds very wishy-washy, let’s move on to a more encouraging topic: the Royal Giants kicked ass on the mound, led by Don Drysedale and Frank Knauss. Sandy Koufax and Dutch Leonard were a little erratic, but very solid behind them, and the bullpen was spectacular, led by Watty Clark (likely to be converted to a starter), Eric Gagne (likely to take Clark’s place as closer), Trevor Hildenberger, and Darren Dreifort.

How good were they? Only one pitcher–Ralph Branca over 31 innings–had a negative WAR.

ALL STARS
SP Don Drysedale

What Went Wrong

The IF was a bit weak all year, with Jackie Robinson and Ray Dandridge both being decent, but not quite good enough to hold down a steady spot in the lineup. Mike Piazza was horrible at C, earning a trip to AAA and leaving duties behind the plate to Al López and Duke Farrell, who weren’t very good.

Probably the biggest mistake on the mound was not calling up Smokey Joe Williams earlier.

Transactions

March

None

June

P Don Sutton to New York Gothams for OF Don Mueller, P Ray Lamb, P Gil Heredia, P Lew Krausse Jr, 1st Round Pick {Al Simmons} & 8th Round Pick

A big win, especially for a team rich in arms.

OF Curt Flood, 2B Manny Trillo & 6th Round Pick to Birmingham for IF Frank Isbell

Isbell did well, but that’s a lot to give up for a 30 year old.

July

None

Looking Forward

SP

The Royal Giants could have as many as 7 starters under long term contracts: Don Drysedale, Smokey Joe Williams, Sandy Koufax, Watty Clark, Orel Hershiser, Dick Redding, and Nap Rucker sounds like a very intimidating staff …

RP

… especially with Darren Dreifort, Eric Gagne, and Ron Perranoski coming out of the bullpen.

C

Brooklyn is hoping this is Mike Piazza but early indications are not great.

1B

A clear void at the moment, but the Royal Giants like the potential of Dan Brouthers.

2B

Hopefully, Jackie Robinson can do a bit more offensively.

3B

At some point, the Royal Giants will need to decide between Ron Cey and Ray Dandridge.

SS

Germany Smith‘s surprising power earned him a look for next year, but if that doesn’t work out, it’s not clear what plan B is.

LF

Roy White for a while, and after that, who knows?

CF

This could be interesting. Right now, this is John Briggs‘ position to lose, but Brooklyn also has Ron Fairly and Duke Snider in the mix.

RF

Beals Becker will hold this down for a while, but the team is really hoping Raúl Mondesi can take it over at some point.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

The Royal Giants have 2 first round picks, so they have a chance to address some of their offensive struggles. The first went to Ed Delahanty, who should actually fit in well: he plays a mixture of 2B, 1B, and the OF, allowing him to slot in around their current talent. The second was more of shock that OF Al Simmons was still available.

Brooklyn was annoyed when Los Angeles took Babe Herman just before their pick in the 2nd round, forcing them to scramble. They eventually settled on Dazzy Vance–an odd choice for a team as pitching rich as the Royal Giants, but Vance projects as a late bloomer.

In the 3rd round, the Royal Giants picked up OF George Selkirk and in the 4th C/OF prospect Elston Howard, their final franchise exemption.

Rounds 5-8

5th round pick Jimmy Johnston is an OFer now, but may end up in the IF eventually and 7th round pick Walker Buehler may actually end up being a bit of a steal.

From here on out, it’s C, pitching, and perhaps some OF depth for the Royal Giants, beginning with Ps Doc Scanlan and Vic Lombardi in the 8th round.

Rounds 9-12

P Odalis Pérez; IF Greg Pryor; P Doc Newton; and P Victor González.

TWIWBL 46.2: Series XXXVIII Notes – September 11th (Day 3 of 4)

By

On August 28, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps, TWIWBL

#The Battle for the Final Spot

Albert Belle went deep twice t0 keep the New York Black Yankees hopes alive, driving in all 4 runs in a 4-2 victory over Cleveland. Rheal Cormier earned his first win as a member of the much maligned New York bullpen, and Goose Gossage ended the game for his 3rd save of the year.

NYY 4 (Cormier 1-0; Gossage 3 Sv) @ CLE 2 (Porter 4-5)
HRs: NYY – Belle 2 (19); CLE – Speaker (5).
Box Score

In the end, it didn’t matter: Birmingham’s Cupid Childs brought home Billy Southworth in the bottom of the 10th, beating Philadelphia 4-3 and securing the final playoff spot for the Black Barons. It was Childs’ 3rd RBI of the day, and he and Southworth had 2 hits each.

PHI 3 (Howry 3-8) @ BBB 4 (Gunderson 2-0; Malarkey 2 B Sv) [10 Innings]
HRs: PHI – Freeman (21); BBB – Mathews (26).
Box Score

With that, the playoff teams are set, with Birmingham sealing the final spot.

#Playoff Seeding

Baltimore’s 6-1 win over Kansas City settled the Cum Posey Division, with the Black Sox clinching first place (and the best record in baseball). Curt Blefary had 3 hits and Chick Stahl hit his 3rd homerun since being recalled a few weeks ago in support of a strong 5 innings from Connie Johnson.

A come from behind, walkoff victory for the New York Gothams finalized the standings in the Bill James Division. Wes Westrum‘s 2nd hit of the day brought in the winning run for New York with Brian Wilson getting the win despite allowing 3 hits and a run in his inning of work. With the win, Detroit will win the division and the House of David will finish in 3rd, with the Gothams safely through to the post-season in second place.

#Other Games

There has been very little encouraging about Miami’s pitching this year. But the Cuban Giants may have something in trade acquisition Freddie Fitzsimmons. Fitzsimmons allowed 1 run in 4 hits in a complete game victory over Homestead, improving his record to 3-1 while lowering his ERA to 1.57. Jim Thome hit a bomb just shy of 500 feet in the win, one of 3 hits on the day for him.

Continuing to make a strong argument for extended playing time next year, Roy Hartzell had 4 hits and 4 RBIs as San Francisco blew out Indianapolis, 11-3.

Gary Carter had 5 RBI on 3 hits, Álex Rodríguez had 4 hits including 3 doubles, and Larry Walker add 3 hits as Ottawa downed Houston, 8-5.

Frank Smith got a spot start for Chicago as the American Giants had nothing left to play for, and promptly delivered a 2-hit shutout in a 7-0 win over Brooklyn. Carlton Fisk hit his 14th homerun to seal the victory.

The House of David’s Elrod Hendricks went deep twice, giving him 41 on the year (and making him the 3rd batter to surpass the 40 homerun mark), but it wasn’t enough as Detroit won 4-2 behind a strong effort from Justin Verlander and Hank Greenberg‘s 31st longball of the season. Verlander reached double digits in wins at 10-4 and Mike Henneman picked up his 38th save despite giving up 3 hits in his inning of work.

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