The American Giants continue to struggle with the back and of their roster, as neither George Grantham nor Damian Jackson have managed on OPS over .500. With Kevin Mitchell hitting well at AAA, they exchanged Grantham for him, retaining Jackson for his defensive versatility.
Frank Thomas went deep twice, but it wasn’t enough as the American Giants fell to the Red Sox, 6-2.
#Los Angeles Angels
AJ Pierzynski will miss about 3 weeks with a broken foot, prompting the Angels to recall Ron Hassey from AAA.
#Miami Cuban Giants
Ed Brandt and Bob Gillespie were sent to AAA in exchange for Jason Hammel and Hugh McQuillan.
Cole Hamels evened his record at 7-7 with a strong outing as the Cuban Giants pummeled the Black Yankees, 17-5. Yasiel Puig went deep twice, drove in 7, and scored 4 times and Puig, Gary Sheffield, and Ryan Braun each had 3 hits.
More injury news: Hammel was returned to AAA with Kenshin Kawakami returning to Miami and Al Oliver started a rehab assignment as he eases his way back from the DL.
Jim Thome hit homeruns in the 8th and 9th, leading Miami to an 8-4, come from behind win over Los Angeles.
#Portland Sea Dogs
Art Fowler was sent to AAA to clear the way for the long-anticipated return of Joseíto Muñoz, injured since last season. Muñoz was brilliant last year, and the Sea Dogs are hoping his return is the spark they need to turn their season around–perhaps too much to ask of the 19 year old, who will start out working out of Portland’s pen.
Jim Fregosi went deep twice and drove in 6, but the Sea Dogs couldn’t hold an early lead, falling 11-8 to San Francisco.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
Denny Walling was sent to AAA as Jimmy Bloodworth returned from an extended rehab stint.
Sal Bando went deep twice, leading the Sea Lions to a 55-4 win over Memphis. Eddie Plank improved to 11-3 and Rod Beck picked up his 20th save.
Reggie Jackson hit 2 out of the park and Bump Hadley improved to 11-4 on the season in a 10-2 victory over Memphis.
Bobby Bonds went deep twice as the Sea Lions edged out the Sea Dogs 4-3 in a see-saw affair.
Today, we’ll check in on last year’s all stars from the National League, and next week review the candidates for this year’s midseason classic.
#Awards
Baltimore is starting to make some noise, led by Frank Robinson, who was the AL Player of the Week after hitting .409 with 3 homeruns. Boog Powell of the Kansas City Monarchs hit .522 with 4 homers, earning honors over in the NL.
#Team Performance
Other than a bit of separation in the Effa Manley Division, not a lot has changed.
The New York Black Yankees still lead the Bill James Division, but Cleveland has closed to within 4. San Francisco, tied with the Black Yankees for the best record in the league, is beginning to run away with the Cum Posey Division, leading Chicago (the only 2nd place team under .500) by 9.5 games.
Brooklyn tops the Effa Manley Division, but it’s still tight, with Homestead 2 and the New York Gothams 3.5 games back. A 2-8 record in their last 10 games has dropped Ottawa 7.5 games behind.
Finally, the Indianapolis ABC’s and the Kansas City Monarchs are in a dead heat in the Marvin Miller Division.
The Birmingham Black Barons retain the dubious honor of having the worst record in the league at 30-46.
#Player Performance
Batters
Detroit‘s Ty Cobb had fallen under .400, but a torrid streak has him back on top of the league in batting average at .409, edging in front of Houston‘s Tony Gwynn who sits at .404.
Cobb’s performance really deserves some attention: it’s not just the .409 average, it’s the league leading .861 SLG, driven by 36 doubles and 23 homers. He’s clearly the best hitter in the league so far, although Detroit’s overall performance may reduce his standing in the MVP race.
Roberto Alomar (OTT). 324/405/617. 67 R. José Canseco (MCG). 256/374/740. 33 HR. Oscar Charleston (IND). 330/381/642. 9 3B. Ty Cobb (DET). 409/460/861. 106 H, 36 2B, 5.1 WAR. Josh Gibson (HOM). 391/471/744. 4.7 WAR. Tony Gwynn (HOU). 404/436/632. 110 H. Pete Hill (HOU). 280/366/477. 9 3B. Joe Jackson (CAG). 372/416/613. 36 2B. Stan Musial (KCM). 329/392/573. 37 2B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 293/417/759. 36 HR, 85 RBI, 73 R. Larry Walker (OTT). 296/369/727. 33 HR, 77 RBI.
Rickey Henderson (San Francisco) and Tim Raines (Ottawa) continue to be 1-2 in the league in steals, 55 to 46.
Two batters (Indianapolis’ Adam Dunn and the Black Yankees’ Mickey Mantle) have struck out over 100 times, but with 16 others already over 80, they won’t be alone in the century club for long.
Pitchers
Starters
Indianapolis’ Luis Padrón continues to lead the league in wins with 11. The three other starters with double-digit wins are also included below.
Two interesting newer names here: Rube Foster (Andrew Rube, not Rube) has just been impossible to hit, and now that he is safely over the IP threshold to qualify, it will be interesting to see how long he stays on the leaderboards. Brooklyn‘s Smokey Joe Williams has pitched excellently, despite a sub .500 record to show for it.
A. Rube Foster (KCM). 5-0, 2.22. 0.89 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 8-4, 3.54. 114 IP. Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-4, 3.77. 136 K, 3.1 WAR. Bump Hadley (SFS). 10-4, 4.34. 3.49 FIP. Luis Padrón (IND). 11-2, 4.22. Eddie Plank (SFS). 10-3, 3.57. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 10-4, 2.87. 116 IP, 145 K, 0.90 WHIP, 2.72 FIP, 5.0 WAR. Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 6-7, 3.29. 3.1 WAR.
Relievers
We’ve listed the top 3 relievers in saves. We’re getting some separation here, but it’s still hard to really point to anyone–other than Kansas City’s Craig Kimbrel–as being lights-out dominant.
17 IP minimum.
Rod Beck (SFS). 3-2, 3.80. 19 Sv. Eric Gagne (BRK). 1-1, 3.18. 17 Sv. Ken Howell (SFS). 4-1, 1.32. 1 Sv, 4 H. Bob Howry (PHI). 3-1, 3.60. 10 Sv, 0.775 WHIP. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-3, 3.62. 1 Sv, 10 H. Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 1-1, 1.31. 2 Sv, 10 H. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 4-2, 3.45. 20 Sv. Rob Murphy (IND). 1-1, 3.09. 1 Sv, 11 H. Lee Smith (HOD). 4-1, 2.97. 3 Sv, 6 H, 0.73 WHIP.
#Injury Report
The biggest injury to hit in a while is Kansas City’s Stan Musial, who will miss about a week.
Homestead’s Owen Wilson, Memphis‘ Skel Roach, and Miami‘s Al Oliver are all due to start rehab assignments this week.
#Last Year’s NL All-Stars
As we ramp up to this year’s all-star game, seemed a good time to check in on last year’s designees. This week, we’ll take a look at (what was last year) the AL.
#OBV
Rod Beck (SFS). Second in the league in saves, despite some rough other numbers. Should be enough.
José Canseco (MCG). A .256 average ain’t great … but 33 homers and a nearly 1.100 OPS is.
Lou Gehrig (NYY). A borderline choice last year, Gerhig has upped the power a notch this year.
Josh Gibson (HOM). Gibson has blossomed this year with an OPS over 1.200. He’s probably the best backstop in the WBL at 21 years old.
Lefty Grove (SFS). Doing even better than last season.
Ken Howell (SFS). Continues to be dominant in a support role.
Joe Mauer (POR). Mauer has a 302/383/502 slash line. Nuff said.
Scott Rolen (PHI). Rolen continues to deliver for the Stars.
Babe Ruth (NYY). Still leading the league in key categories, most notably HR and RBI.
#Mebbe
Terry Adams (CLE). A decent shot, sitting 5th in the league in saves with solid peripheral numbers.
Johnny Bench (IND). Bench was probably the best C in the league last season; this year he’s picked it up as of late, but still has fallen far short of last year’s levels.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 1B is so hard … Blomberg has 27 homers and an OPS just shy of 1.000, yet may not make the midsummer classic.
Mike Epstein (HOM). See Blomberg above. Epstein has an OBP near .400 and a SLG near .600, and may be on the fringes as well.
Jim Fregosi (POR). Is an .800 OPS enough at SS? Maybe …
Rickey Henderson (SFS). A borderline choice last year as well … but a .400 OBP and over 50 SBs at the season midpoint is compelling.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). Jackson is no longer threatening the triple crown, but he’s still sporting an OPS of about .980. So mebbe.
Mickey Mantle (NYY). Mantle has an OPS just over 1.000, but the CF contenders are pretty thick. So we’ll see if it gets him in.
#Meh
Kent Hrbek (POR). A fringe MVP candidate last year, Hrbek has fallen to the ranks of the thoroughly average this year.
Derek Jeter (NYY). Jeter has more power this year, but is hitting under .250, moving him behind other contenders.
Thurman Munson (NYY). Munson may belong in the level below, having fallen dramatically from last year’s heights.
Bobby Murcer (POR). Murcer hasn’t been bad, with a 262/327/496 slash line. But it’s not all star material.
Ron Reed (CLE). Reed is effective this year, but not all-star material.
Cy Young (CLE). Still a workhorse, but not nearly as effective as last season.
#What Happened?
Buddy Bell (POR). Bell has been on fire as of late … which has raised his OPS to a not-so-robust .669.
Don Drysedale (BRK). From one of the better aces in the league to an ERA well over 6.00.
Tom Herr (NYY). Herr rode an all-star first half of last season to a trade to a contender, but has struggled since then, including a .655 OPS this year.
Chuck Knoblauch (CLE). Another hard collapse, with Knoblauch falling to a little below Tom Herr levels.
Charlie Root (DET). Made it as a reliver last year, now a full time starter and being no more than adequate.
#Other
Eric Davis (NYY). Solid, but missed too much time through injury.
Tim Hudson (SFS). Injured, and not doing well when not.
Red Ruffing (NYY). Doing well since his return from injury, but has only gotten a handful of starts.
Johan Santana (POR). No longer in the WBL after a horrifically ineffective return from long-term injury.
We’re rounding the corner towards the selection of this year’s All-Star teams. Today, we’ll check in on last year’s all stars from the AL.
#Awards
Duke Snider hit .444 with 5 homeruns last week, earning the Brooklyn OFer the NL Player of the Week Award. In the other league, Detroit‘s irrepressible Ty Cobb was named AL Player of the Week. Cobb moved his average back over .400, finishing the week at .411 after hitting .579 with 5 homers.
And, over in the Effa Manley Division, 5.5 games separate Brooklyn in first and Ottawa at the bottom.
Memphis and Brooklyn have gone 8-2 over their last 10 games, while Miami has done the inverse, finishing 2-8 over their last week and a half.
#Player Performance
Batters
Someone poked Babe Ruth, insinuating that the Black Yankees’ OF might not be the dominant player in the league. Since then, he has been on fire, retaking the league lead in his usual categories.
Three batters sit over .400: Houston‘s Tony Gwynn at .427, Ty Cobb at .411, and Homestead‘s Josh Gibson at .402. Gwynn, predictably, is the only batter with over 100 hits so far in the season.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 328/380/626. 9 3B. Ty Cobb (DET). 411/462/864. 97 H; 34 2B; 4.9 WAR. Josh Gibson (HOM). 402/480/776. 4.5 WAR. Tony Gwynn (HOU). 427/460/668. 108 H. Joe Jackson (CHI). 368/417/611. 35 2B. Stan Musial (KCM). 329/394/573. 35 2B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 297/420/768. 34 HR; 81 RBI; 67 R; 55 BB. Larry Walker (OTT). 321/390/782. 32 HR; 73 RBI. Ted Williams (MEM). 306/425/624. 60 R; 48 BB.
San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson continues to lead the league in steals with 51, but Ottawa’s Tim Raines has recovered a bit offensively, and being on base more has allowed him to close the gap a bit, now sitting with 44 on the year.
Pitchers
Starters
Indianapolis’ Luis Padrón and San Francisco’s Bump Hadley are the only hurlers in double digits for wins. The three pitchers with 9 victories are also included below, as well as the usual statistical leaders. Of note is the appearance of Kansas City’s A. Rube Foster, who now has (barely) enough IP to qualify here.
The dominance of Kansas City and San Francisco is worth mentioning as well.
Frank Castillo (KCM). 9-1, 4.01. A. Rube Foster (KCM). 4-0, 2.44. 0.86 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 8-4, 3.19. 107 IP; 3.1 WAR. Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-3, 3.68. 116 K. Bump Hadley (SFS). 10-4, 3.81. 3.29 FIP. Luis Padrón (IND). 10-2, 3.90. Eddie Plank (SFS). 9-3, 3.65. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 9-4, 3.03. 107 IP; 134 K; 0.94 WHIP; 2.72 FIP; 4.6 WAR.
Relievers
Five relievers have 9 Holds at this point, and all of them are listed, making this a bit of a larger group than usual.
16 IP minimum.
Rod Beck (SFS). 2-2, 3.79. 19 Sv. Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-1, 3.72. 9 H. Ken Howell (SFS). 4-1, 1.46. 3 H. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-3, 3.55. 1 Sv; 9 H. Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 1-0, 0.92. 2 Sv; 9 H; 0.71 WHIP; 2.07 FIP. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 3-2, 4.01. 18 Sv. Rob Murphy (IND). 1-1, 2.70. 1 Sv; 9 H. Ross Reynolds (LAA). 2-0, 1.93. 1 Sv; 1 H; 2.02 FIP. BJ Ryan (OTT). 1-2, 4.85. 1 Sv; 9 H. Lee Smith (HOD). 4-1, 2.97. 3 Sv; 6 H; 0.73 WHIP.
#2 Way Players
It’s been a while, so figured we should check back in on these guys. Here’s the list:
Name
Team
Batting
Pitching
Total WAR
Charles Rogan
PHI
311/356/605. 1.8 WAR.
4-5, 4.55. 1.8 WAR.
3.6
Luis Padrón
IND
252/331/390. 0.1 WAR.
11-2, 3.90. 2.9 WAR.
3.0
Smokey Joe Wood
KCM
263/364/526. 0.1 WAR.
8-3, 3.41. 2.1 WAR.
2.2
JM Ward
PHI
158/186/246. -0.7 WAR.
3-2, 3.68. 1.8 WAR.
1.1
Jim Whitney
BBB
140/178/256. -0.4 WAR.
2-2, 4.00. 1.1 WAR.
0.7
Elmer Smith
LAA
323/462/387. 0.2 WAR.
0-1, 6.46. -0.1 WAR.
0.1
Eustaquio Pedroso
MIA
210/312/296. -0.3 WAR.
2-1, 6.11. -0.2 WAR.
-0.5
Wood has received very little time in the field, so we’ll see how he does as that expands. It looks like Ward should stay on the mound, and that really, it’s only Rogan and Padrón as truly valuable 2-way talents.
#Injury Report
Cleveland’s Mel Harder, Detroit’s Hal Newhouser, Miami’s Kenshin Kawakami and perhaps most importantly, Portland’s Joséito Muñoz should all start injury rehabs later this week. Should those go well, all four teams should receive rotation boosts in the near future.
#Last Year’s All-Stars
As we ramp up to this year’s all-star game, seemed a good time to check in on last year’s designees. This week, we’ll take a look at (what was last year) the AL.
#OBV
Bob Bailey (3B, DET). Just a dependable offensive machine at the hot corner.
Rod Beck (RP, SFS). Still racking up the saves, and doing better than last season otherwise.
Hank Greenberg (1B, DET). Keeps pounding the ball.
Mike Henneman (RP, DET). Remains dominant from the bullpen.
Rogers Hornsby (2B, POR). Keeps rolling along with better numbers than last season.
Joe Jackson (OF, CAG). This year’s version is a doubles machine without nearly the homerun power, but still maintaining on OPS over 1.000.
Craig Kimbrel (RP, KCM). Dominant, and really making the argument to be moved into the closer slot for Kansas City.
Willie Mays (OF, NYG). Somehow underappreciated despite his stellar performance.
Andy Pettitte (SP, NYY). Just keeps rolling. Like the whole league, his ERA is a little higher, but his peripheral numbers are strong.
Buster Posey (C, NYG). More power than last year, a little less of everything else, but still elite.
Frank Thomas (1B, CAG). Significantly better offensively across the board, which is a truly frightening statement.
Ted Williams (OF, MEM). A borderline selection last year, he’s upped his game significantly this season, with an OPS of 1.049.
#Mebbe
Curt Blefary (C, BAL). Nowhere near as good as last season, but still a good offensive player, showing both power and control of the strike zone.
Eddie Collins (2B, CAG). Power output has fallen off, and while he’s still a top performer, is not the MVP candidate of last season.
Mike Epstein (1B, HOM). The shape of his production has changed, as his BA has dropped 80 points. But he’s slugging .570 and his OPS is virtually the same as last season.
Dan McGann (1B, BAL). At 37, he’s performing better than last season, but remains under the radar for some reason.
Stan Musial (OF, KCM). He’s hitting almost exactly the same as he did last year, but has struggled with the longball. That may be enough to nudge him off the team, unfair as that may be.
#Meh
Dick Allen (3B, CAB). Not doing badly, but clearly a long wasy from an all star at this point.
Gerrit Cole (SP, LAA). May be pitching better than last season, but without the dominant W/L record, should fall far short of the all-star game.
Mark Melancon (RP, POR). Perhaps a stretch choice last year due to a ridiculous number of wins for a reliever, is doing fine this year, but far from all-star levels.
AJ Minter (RP, CAG). Still the American Giants’ closer, but no longer among the best in the league.
Reggie Smith (OF, MEM). Other than a boost in power, struggling a bit across the board.
Bobby Wallace (SS, BAL). Injured and not performing nearly as well regardless, Wallace is still an on base machine, and clearly has value.
Brian Wilson (RP, NYG). Injured and limited to 13 games so far, but dominant in those appearances, so there’s a chance.
#What Happened?
Bill Byrd (SP, BAL). Well below average so far this season.
Elrod Hendricks (C, HOD). Last year’s magnificent performance looks more and more like a mirage. Hendricks still has power, but is no longer elite among league backstops.
Duffy Lewis (OF, CHI). Struggling, especially in the power department.
Tricky Nichols (SP, CAG). An ERA over 6.00 and a ton of HR’s allowed.
Freddy Parent (SS, CAG). Parent rode his All Star selection–deserved at the time–to a trade to a contender, and then lost the ability to hit for power at all. Without that, he’s a mediocre SS.
Doug Rader (3B, LAA). A stunningly productive 2000 has been followed with … very little.
George Stone (OF, HOD). Significantly worse across the board. Stone looked like a budding star last year, now he looks like a decent 4th OFer.
#Other
Ned Garvin (SP, BAL). Garvin was the dominant pitcher in the league last year when he got injured. He’s been fine since his return, but has yet to find the same level.
Sean Marshall (RP, BAL). Hit by a long-term injury, Marshall is due to return to Baltimore’s bullpen by the all-star game.
Jamie Moyer replaced David Price in the American Giants’ rotation.
Paul Konerko went deep twice, leading the American Giants to a 10-4 win over Portland.
The time finally came, with Jack Doyle heading to AAA and Damian Jackson being activated from his rehab assignment. Doyle’s saga made him a fan favorite, but even the most diehard of supporters had to agree that a 107/153/107 slash line needed replacing.
Chicago roared out to a 10-0 lead, then held on for dear life in an eventual 11-10 win over Portland. The American Giants hit 6 homeruns in the game, with Joe Jackson, Eddie Collins, Dick Allen, Konerko, Duffy Lewis, and Carlton Fisk all reaching the seats. Starter Tricky Nichols improved to 4-6 with a decent effort, but the bullpen was roughed up. Still, a win’s a win.
#Los Angeles Angels
Noah Lowry‘s struggles–along with the presence of Elmer Smith and Scott Rice as lefthanded options in the pen–earned him a trip to AAA, with Mike Krukow being called up for his WBL debut.
Doc Gooden struck out 12, improving to 6-4 in a 7-3 win over Miami. Don Buford had 5 hits and 4 Angels–Buford, Kal Daniels, AJ Pierzynski, and Carlos Delgado–went deep in the victory.
Krukow did well enough over 3 appearances, but Ross Reynolds was healthy again, and was recalled from his rehab assignment with Krukow returning to AAA. The MI question is more challenging, and George Wright has been left rehabbing at AAA as the Angels need a few more days to sort out the future roles of him, Mark Ellis, and Eddie Joost.
Brian Anderson struck out 13 in a dominant performance as the Angels topped the Sea Lions, 7-1. Anderson allowed 3 hits and walked none in the complete game effort, improving his record to 6-2.
#Miami Cuban Giants
Ramón Martínez finally got his first win of the year with a strong 7 innings against Los Angeles. José Canseco hit his 30th homer of the year (the first to that milestone) and Martínez fanned 10 as his record improved to 1-7.
Gary Sheffield went deep twice and drove in 5, but the Cuban Giants bullpen couldn’t protect a strong start from Steven Wright as Miami fell 6-5 to Detroit.
#Portland Sea Dogs
The Sea Dogs have overhauled their bullpen, sending Johan Santana to AAA in an attempt to sort out his horrific performance since major surgery along with Elmer Brown who has been, if anything, even worse, as well as Wade Miller. They’ll recall Art Fowler, Tom Zachary, and Scott Terry from AAA, with Trevor Hoffman sliding into the closer role.
Buddy Bell may finally be showing signs of life as the struggling 3B went deep twice in a 9-6 loss to San Francisco.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
Tommy Bridges was recalled from a rehab assignment, with Huston Street being waived.
Bump Hadley twirled a masterpiece, striking out 12 in a 2-hit shutout of the New York Black Yankees. Homeruns by Sal Bando and Mickey Cochrane carried the offense to the 6-0 victory.
Turkey Stearnes went deep twice, giving the rookie 15 on the year, as San Francisco triumphed over Portland, 9-6.
Ron Robinson, a key part of the Sea Lions’ bullpen, will miss nearly a year with elbow surgery. San Francisco recalled Street (who had grudgingly accepted his waiver demotion earlier in the week), a major dropoff on past WBL performance from Robinson.
Eddie Plank improved to 8-3 with a 3 hit shutout of Portland. Reggie Jackson and Gene Oliver went deep in support of Plank who struck out 8.
The Sea Lions were pretty disappointing last season, and it wasn’t really clear what to expect from them. Right now, things are going just about as well as could be hoped.
San Francisco inherits players from all the Athletics: Philadelphia, Kansas City, and Oakland.
San Francisco is pulling away from the Cum Posey Division, playing .615 ball and holding a 6-7 game lead over Miami and Chicago. At this point, expectations have been raised to certainly making the playoffs and even making some noise once there.
THE OFFENSE
A balanced offense, with a lot of power and a ton of speed. There are some holes, but more has gone well than not.
#What’s Going Right
Almost everything.
Let’s start with the surprises. C Mickey Cochrane has exploded in a big way, slashing 318/408/581 after a very difficult rookie season. Turkey Stearnes, the 7th pick in last season’s draft, has exceeded all expectations, locking down the CF job and posting an OPS over .950. And, finally, Jimmie Foxx, while still a bit of an enigma, is showing he has at least one spectacular skillset, leading the team with 21 homeruns.
One strength of San Francisco last season was the OF trio of Bobby Bonds, Jack Clark, and Reggie Jackson. Two of them continue to deliver: while Jackson isn’t contending for the triple crown as he did for a lot of last season, he is second on the team in homeruns with 18 and first in RBI with 52. And Clark is just consistent: 259/382/569 with 17 homeruns.
The emergence of Stearnes and Foxx has triggered some changes here, as Clark has shifted to play mostly at 1B with Bonds seeing his playing time drop slightly.
The combination of Rickey Henderson and Dick Lundy put a ton of pressure on the other team: the 2 have combined for 74 steals (against 20 CS), with each of them having an OBP over .350.
#What’s Not Going Right
Bobby Bonds has regressed slightly (although his OPS is still around .875).
And then there is the rest of the IF. Jimmy Bloodworth started the season as the incumbent at 2B, but struggled before being shelved with an injury (Bloodworth may be back within a week or two) while at 3B Sal Bando is adequate at best (he’s hitting for more power than last year, but his other stats are down). The other options so far have struggled: Phil Garner has been downright bad, Roy Hartzell demoted, and the jury is still out on the latest to be given opportunities, Denny Walling and Royce Clayton. Lundy’s flexibility gives the Sea Lions a lot of options here, but a MI seems to be a strong need for the team, assuming Foxx is given more and more time at 3B.
THE PITCHING
Last week, this would be described as going perfectly, but Ron Robinson‘s injury has a shot at disrupting what has been an excellent staff, top to bottom.
#What’s Going Right
Lefty Grove (7-4, 3.26) and Eddie Plank (8-3, 3.51) are as good a top two as any staff in the league can claim. Both are likely all-stars.
After them, nobody has excelled, but nobody has really struggled either, with Bump Hadley, Watty Clark (now a fulltime starter), and Tommy Bridges all pitching quite well in the rotation, with Jim Devlin, Mel Stottlemyre Sr, and the surprising Tom Brewer all filling in quite admirably when needed.
And the back of the pen–Rod Beck, Ken Howell and the now-missing Robinson–has been lights out, with Beck recording 15 saves and Howell sporting a 1.23 ERA.
#What’s Not Going Right
It’s more an issue of the question marks: Dennis Eckersley continues to tempt with potential, but really be quite average, and asking Huston Street and Brewer to step in for Robinson might be far too much of a reach.
It’s really hard to complain about a system that added Stearnes.
But there’s not a lot behind him. John Beckwith–currently sidelined with injury–is starting to show his offensive strength, but at 19 may be a year or two away. Beckwith is also blocked, as his defensive skills are really somewhat identical to Foxx’s.
Red Ehret is heralded as a pitcher, but doesn’t really pass the eye test. Dario Lodigiani may be a long term solution at 2B, but he’s a ways away. OF Jules Thomas and P Steve Ontiveros look good, but are also a few years away.
WHAT’S NEEDED
The pitching needs to continue to excel, with the largest challenge being how to cover for Robinson in the bullpen. If the IF can be resolved, the lineup will be truly scary 1 through 9, always a goal.
Storylines to Watch
Key Questions from Spring Training
On a team full of logjams, who steps forward? Strikes me as a pretty lame question, honestly. The issue was really solved with the trade of Pedro Guerrero to Brooklyn, with Watty Clark being the key piece coming back. That, and Foxx really jumping Bando in the pecking order at 3B.
FEATURED SERIES
The Sea Lions open with 4 games hosting Baltimore; given that the Black Sox are beginning to show signs of life, seemed a good series to focus on.
Projected Starters
Baltimore starter listed first.
John Tudor (2-3, 4.75) @ Bump Hadley (8-4, 4.15) Dennis Martínez (6-3, 4.55) @ Watty Clark (3-2, 4.50) Ned Garvin (3-2, 5.03) @ Lefty Grove (7-4, 3.26) Mike Mussina (3-3, 4.83) @ Tommy Bridges (1-2, 5.59)
Game One
Baltimore’s John Tudor had to leave early via injury, and Phil Garner, whose struggles were mentioned above, took Tudor’s relief, Connie Johnson, deep in the 3rd for a 1-0 lead for the Sea Lions. Turkey Stearnes went deep in the 4th and Johnson was chased as San Francisco added another in the the 5th for a 3-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Bump Hadley had a shutout through 6, allowing the Black Sox only 2 hits. A pair of 2 out walks led to Hadley exiting the game in the 8th, but Ken Howell closed the inning out and Rod Beck pitched a perfect 9th for the combined shutout.
The Sea Lions took the early 3-0 lead on Reggie Jackson‘s 19th homer of the year and a an RBI single from Phil Garner. But Baltimore came back in similar fashion–a solo shot from Manny Machado and a 2 run single from Paul Blair. Both Dennis Martínez for Baltimore and Watty Clark for San Francisco looked strong, and the game remained 3-3 until the top of the 8th.
And here we see the potential impact of Ron Robinson‘s absence. Instead, San Francisco turned to Tom Brewer–who has been excellent so far, but has nowhere near the track record of Robinson. Brewer gave up a hit and a walk and a runner reached on an error, loading the bases and summoning Ken Howell from the Sea Lions’ bullpen. Curt Blefary singled in 2 and a 3rd scored on a sacrifice fly from Cal Ripken, Jr. giving Baltimore a 3 run lead heading to the bottom of the 8th.
Gregg Olson gave up a leadoff walk to Rickey Henderson and a double to Dick Lundy, bringing in Justin Hampson from the Black Sox bullpen to face a couple of lefties. Both Mickey Cochrane and Jackson delivered sacrifice flies, making it a 6-5 game.
Machado’s 2nd of the game and 20th of the year pushed the cushion back up to 2. Joe Beggs closed it out in what felt like a bit of a disappointing loss that evened the series.
BAL 7 (Martínez 7-3; Beggs 11 Sv; Hampson 5 H) @ SFS 5 (Brewer 0-1) HRs: BAL – Machado 2 (20); SFS – Jackson (19). Box Score
Game Three
Baltimore’s Ned Garvin was solid, allowing only a 2 run HR to Reggie Jackson in the bottom of the first over his 6 innings of work. But Lefty Grove was better, striking out 10 in his 8 innings of work. Grove was chased leading 3-1 after a pinch-hit homerun from Gavvy Cravath, but Baltimore could get no closer, with Rod Beck tossing a perfect 9th for the save, his second of the series.
BAL 2 (Garvin 3-3) @ SFS 3 (Grove 8-4; Beck 17 Sv) HRs: BAL – Blefary (14), Cravath (20); SFS – Jackson (20). Box Score
Game Four
Tommy Bridges has been a bit rough since his return from injury, but he was magnificent today, with 7 shutout innings before giving up a longball to Manny Machado in the 8th. Meanwhile, the heart of the Sea Lions’ order (Dick Lundy, Reggie Jackson, and Turkey Stearnes) went 8-for-12 including Stearnes’ 17th homer of the year, building a 5 run lead.
After Bridges’ departure, the mystery that is Dennis Eckersley surrendered a shot to Bryce Harper, making it a 1 run game, but again Rod Beck closed out the victory.
A strong series for the Sea Lions, as they took 3 out of 4 from the defending champs. The wins encapsulated San Francisco’s success so far this year: excellent starting pitching, Rod Beck closing out each of the 3 victories, and a highly productive offense with Stearnes and Jackson each hitting 2 out in the 4 games.
Ottawa‘s Roberto Alomar won the NL Player of the Week, hitting .625 with 4 homeruns, while scoring and driving in 9.
Manny Ramírez of the Memphis Red Sox is already approaching his production from last season, and hitting .368 with 3 homers and 10 RBI’s earned him the AL Player of the Week.
#Team Performance
I am likely to regret writing this as the season unfolds, but three of the divisions really seem to be settling down. The New York Black Yankees continue to have the best record in the WBL, leading Cleveland by 7 games in the Bill James Division. In the Cum Posey Division, San Francisco has pulled away from Miami and Chicago, leading the former by 6.5 games and the latter by 7. And, over in the Marvin Miller Division, Indianapolis and Kansas City are tied for the top spot, 7 games ahead of the House of David.
That leaves the Effa Manley Division, where nobody really wants to take control, with Homestead currently in first and Philadelphia in last place, only 4.5 games back
The New York Gothams have ridden an 8-2 streak to move within 1 game of Homestead and the Birmingham Black Barons may finally be showing some life, going 7-3 in their last 10 games. It’s too early to really get excited in Birmingham, though: that run of success leaves them with still having the worst record in the league, 11 games out of first place.
Cleveland, Homestead, the Brooklyn Royal Giants, and the House of David have all struggled a bit, sporting 3-7 records over their last 10 games.
Some differences in style are emerging across the league, with all teams playing between 62 and 65 games.
Ottawa continues to have by far the most terrifying offense in the league, sporting a team OPS over .900 and leading the way with 160 homeruns. They are also the only team to have scored 400+ runs at this point.
San Francisco and Baltimore are the most patient teams in the WBL, each with over 260 walks, over 100 more than Brooklyn and Miami at the other end of the list. San Francisco and the Black Yankees strike out the most while Kansas City and Philadelphia are the hardest to whiff by a long shot.
Finally, Indianapolis and San Francisco are neck and neck in SB with 138 and 137 respectively. Only Ottawa and Chicago are also over 100, while the New York Gothams have only swiped 45 bases.
#Player Performance
Batters
This may be the first time in the history of the WBL that Babe Ruth only leads in 2 categories and those 2–runs and walks–are arguably the least important metrics being tracked.
José Canseco and Larry Walker have each reached the 30 HR mark and Walker’s amazing streak has vaulted him over Ruth for the RBI lead.
Tony Gwynn–at a blinding .420–is the only hitter over .400, although Homestead’s Josh Gibson is edging into that territory at .399.
Roberto Alomar (OTT). 324/407/616. 56 R. José Canseco (MCG). 289/400/821. 30 HR. Oscar Charleston (IND). 325/382/582. 7 3B. Ty Cobb (DET). 396/446/806. 86 H, 4.1 WAR. Josh Gibson (HOM). 399/467/759. 3.9 WAR. Tony Gwynn (HOU). 420/457/656. 96 H, 31 2B. Pete Hill (HOU). 288/368/498. 8 3B. Joe Jackson (CAG). 376/424/615. 31 2B. Stan Musial (KCM). 319/384/552. 32 2B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 292/410/712. 27 HR, 69 RBI, 58 R, 47 BB. Larry Walker (OTT). 324/395/781. 30 HR, 71 RBI. Ted Williams (MEM). 311/432/612. 45 BB.
Pitchers
Starters
Indianapolis’ Luis Padrón was the first hurler to 10 wins, leading the league at 10-1, and Houston‘s Toad Ramsey is the only player with 9. We’ve included the 3 starters with 8 wins and 2 or fewer losses below and everyone with an ERA below 3.00, as well as the usual statistical leaders.
It paints an odd picture, as Ramsey has actually faded a bit over the past few weeks, but retains his spot as the best pitcher in the WBL right now.
Frank Castillo (KCM). 8-1, 4.03. Johnny Cueto (IND). 8-2, 3.38. Lefty Grove (SFS). 7-4, 3.26. 99 IP, 2.9 WAR. Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-2, 3.65, 109 SO. Bump Hadley (SFS). 8-4, 4.15. 3.39 FIP. Hardie Henderson (PHI). 6-4, 2.98. Luis Padrón (IND). 10-1, 3.61. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 9-3, 2.68. 117 SO, 0.93 WHIP, 2.78 FIP, 3.9 WAR. Ed Walsh (CAG). 5-2, 2.95. 1 Sv. JM Ward (PHI). 3-2, 3.56. 1.00 WHIP.
Relievers
All three relievers with 9 holds are included, as well as all 3 with ERA’s below 1.50.
15 IP minimum.
Rod Beck (SFS). 2-2, 4.60. 15 Sv. Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-1, 3.12. 9 H. Ken Howell (SFS). 4-1, 1.23. 4 H. Bob Howry (PHI). 3-1, 3.60. 10 Sv, 0.75 WHIP. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-2, 2.66. 1 Sv, 9 H. Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 1-0, 1.04. 1 Sv, 9 H. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 3-2, 3.86. 17 Sv. Tug McGraw (HOU). 2-2, 1.04. 4 Sv. Lee Smith (HOD). 4-1, 3.55. 1 Sv, 5 H, 0.79 WHIP.
#Injury Report
Baltimore may receive a big boost to its bullpen with both John Wetteland and, more importantly, Sean Marshall due to begin rehab assignments this week. Marshall was among the most dominant relievers in the league last season before being injured.
Indianapolis’ 3B Ed Charles and Miami’s OF Al Oliver should both begin a rehab assignment late in the week
#Oddities
Thought we would check in on some of the odder performances in the league so far.
We’ll start with Homestead’s Mike Epstein and San Francisco’s Jimmie Foxx, each of which are hitting under .240 with OPS’ over .900. Epstein’s slash line is 236/369/577 while Foxx’s is 222/326/593. Half of Foxx’s 42 hits have been homeruns (Birmingham’s Curtis Granderson has 38 hits and 20 homers).
14 players who have seen a decent amount of playing time are sporting batting averages below .200. Only 2 of them have an OPS over .800. If you’re a diehard fan of the WBL, you may guess that one of them is Chicago’s eternal dilemma, Mike Fiore. Fiore is hitting .194. But 33 walks gives him a respectable .344 OBP, and 11 homers up his SLG to .472, giving him an OPS of .816. The other is Birmingham’s Eddie Mathews, who is doing it all with power. His OBP is barely over .300, but 19 homeruns gives him a .519 SLG to go with it.
On the mound, in the won-loss record is a bad stat department, I’ll offer up Bert Blyleven of the Portland Sea Dogs and Philadelphia’s John Montgomery Ward. Blyleven has 14 starts and is 6th in the league in IP, but sports only a 2-4 record while Ward has pitched excellently, holding a 3.56 ERA over 13 starts and the second best WHIP in the league at 1.00, but only managing a 3-2 record.
At the other end of the scale, 2 hurlers with at least 7 wins also have ERAs over 5.00: Ottawa’s Old Hoss Radbourn at 8-4, 5.79 and the New York Gothams’ Don Sutton at 7-3, 5.40.
Jamie Moyer replaced David Price in the American Giants’ rotation.
#Los Angeles Angels
Noah Lowry‘s struggles–along with the presence of Elmer Smith and Scott Rice as lefthanded options in the pen–earned him a trip to AAA, with Mike Krukow being called up for his WBL debut.
Doc Gooden struck out 12, improving to 6-4 in a 7-3 win over Miami. Don Buford had 5 hits and 4 Angels–Buford, Kal Daniels, AJ Pierzynski, and Carlos Delgado–went deep in the victory.
#Miami Cuban Giants
Ramón Martínez finally got his first win of the year with a strong 7 innings against Los Angeles. José Canseco hit his 30th homer of the year (the first to that milestone) and Martínez fanned 10 as his record improved to 1-7.
#Portland Sea Dogs
The Sea Dogs have overhauled their bullpen, sending Johan Santana to AAA in an attempt to sort out his horrific performance since major surgery along with Elmer Brown who has been, if anything, even worse, and Wade Miller. They’ll recall Art Fowler, Tom Zachary, and Scott Terry from AAA, with Trevor Hoffman sliding into the closer role.
Buddy Bell may finally be showing signs of life as the struggling 3B went deep twice in a 9-6 loss to San Francisco.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
Tommy Bridges was recalled from a rehab assignment, with Huston Street being waived.
Bump Hadley twirled a masterpiece, striking out 12 in a 2-hit shutout of the New York Black Yankees. Homeruns by Sal Bando and Mickey Cochrane carried the offense to the 6-0 victory.
Turkey Stearnes went deep twice, giving the rookie 15 on the year, as San Francisco triumphed over Portland, 9-6.
Ron Robinson, a key part of the Sea Lions’ bullpen, will miss nearly a year with elbow surgery. San Francisco recalled Huston Street (who had finally accepted what ended up being a very quick demotion to AAA), a major dropoff on past WBL performance from Robinson.
Eddie Plank improved to 8-3 with a 3 hit shutout of Portland. Reggie Jackson and Gene Oliver went deep in support of Plank who struck out 8.
5 hits from Joe Jackson weren’t enough as the American Giants fell to Detroit, 8-6. Mark Buehrle had his first rough outing of the year, failing to become the league’s first 6 game winner and falling to 5-1.
Paul Konerko went deep twice, the 2nd shot a walkoff job in the bottom of the 10th to give the American Giants a 5-4 win over Detroit.
Akinori Otsuka will miss about 2 weeks with an elbow issue, weakening Chicago’s bullpen significantly. Tom Williams was recalled.
#Los Angeles Angels
The Angels recalled Elmer “Mike” Smith from his rehab assignments. Not wanting to be without a lefty, Los Angeles retained Noah Lowry while demoting Anthony DeSclafani despite DeSclafani’s better performance.
With George Wright being recalled from his rehab assignment, Eddie Joost is waived with the Angels hoping to retain him in AAA.
Mike Trout had himself a day: 5 hits, 3 homeruns (and 2 doubles), including a game-tying shot in the 9th and a game-winning walkoff in the bottom of the 13th.
Doc Gooden improved to 4-2 on the year with a 4 hit shutout of the Black Yankees. 4 RBI’s from Steve Garvey–including his 3rd homerun of the season–accounted for all of the Angels’ runs, more than enough to support Gooden, who whiffed 7 and walked none.
#Miami Cuban Giants
Freddie Fitzsimmons horrific start to the year (2-4, 8.17) has cost him his rotation spot, with Ed Brandt being named Miami’s #4 starter. Their 5th rotation slot remains open.
Julio Rodríguez was recalled from his rehab assignment, with the Cuban Giants (finally?) deciding that Minnie Miñoso would be better served with time at AAA. Rodríguez’ return (and Miñoso’s departure) resulted in a bunch of lineup juggling for Miami, as their OF remains quite crowded.
Rodríguez went 2 for 4 in his return as the Cuban Giants fell to Baltimore, 4-3.
The Cuban Giants came back from a 9-1 deficit in the 8th inning to beat Baltimore, 9-8. José Canseco went deep in the 8th and the 9th and Rodríguez in the 9th. Throw in a pinch-hit 2-run double from Gary Sheffield and you have a massive comeback for a shocking victory.
Needing a starter, Fitzsimmons’ continued battering led to his being sent to AAA with Lou Fette being recalled.
Al Oliver fractured his foot, and will miss about 5 weeks, with Carlos Morán recalled from AAA.
#Portland Sea Dogs
Jeff Cirillo headed back to AAA with Rogers Hornsby‘s return from a rehab assignment.
Walter Johnson was magnificent, allowing only a homerun through 8 innings before being chased by a single in the 9th in a 3-1 victory. Johnson evened his record at 3-3 with a 13 strikeout performance, walking none and lowering his ERA to 2.79.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
It was bullpen rejigger week for the Sea Lions, with San Francisco sending Bobby Seay, Steve Ontiveros, and Nick Altrock to AAA, with Tom Brewer, Mel Stottlemyre Sr, and Jim Devlin all being promoted. With both Bump Hadley and Watty Clark struggling, those 3, along with Dennis Eckersley, have to all be considered as auditioning for rotation slots.
Helped by Reggie Jackson‘s 13th homerun, Hadley, Devlin, Ken Howell, and Rod Beck combined on a 4 hit shutout, leading the Sea Lions to a 2-0 win over Chicago.
With Jimmy Bloodworth due to miss over a month, the Sea Lions recalled Denny Walling from AAA.
I needed a place to hold statistics that aren’t easily displayed in OOTP. Most of these are game-level performances.
For complete statistics, poke around on the WBL Stats Page.
Batting Statistics
2+ 3B Games
2. Bob Bescher (IND); Craig Biggio (HOU), Ty Cobb (DET); Willie McGee (KCM); Tim Raines (OTT).
3+ 2B Games
4. Chuck Knoblauch (CLE). 3. Craig Biggio (HOU); George Brett (HOU); Ron Cey (BRK); Cupid Childs (BBB); Ty Cobb (DET); Gavvy Cravath (BAL); Josh Gibson (HOM); Hank Greenberg (DET); Joe Jackson (CAG); Reggie Jackson (SFS); Joe Morgan (IND); Frank Robinson (BAL); Cookie Rojas (MCG); Pete Runnels (NYG); Reggie Smith (MEM); Mike Trout (LAA).
3+ HBP Games
3. Jack Doyle (CAG).
3+ HR Games
3. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Ed Bailey (DET); Ernie Banks (HOD); Carlos Beltrán (OTT); Lance Berkman x2 (CLE); Ron Blomberg (CLE); Ryan Braun (MCG); José Canseco (MCG); Gavvy Cravath (BAL); George Gore (HOD); Stan Musial (KCM); Manny Ramírez (MEM); Álex Rodríguez (OTT); Babe Ruth (NYY); Ted Simmons (KCM); Sammy Sosa x2 (HOD); Mike Trout (LAA); Larry Walker (OTT).
3+ OF Assists
4+ BB Games
4. Ed Bailey (DET); Eddie Collins (CAG); Mike Epstein (HOM); Willie McGee (KCM); Andrew McCutchen (HOM), Joey Votto (IND).
6. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 5. Chuck Knoblauch (CLE); Tris Speaker (CLE). 4. Roberto Alomar x2 (OTT); Jeff Bagwell x2 (HOU); Bob Bailey (DET); Ed Bailey (DET); Johnny Bates x2 (CLE); Albert Belle (BBB); Curt Blefary x2 (BAL); Dan Brouthers (BRK); Ron Cey (BRK); Roberto Clemente (HOM); Gavvy Cravath (BAL); Mike Epstein (HOM); Rickey Henderson (SFS); Pete Hill (HOU); Benny Kauff (NYG); Evan Longoria (CLE); Willie McGee (KCM); Billy Nash (DET); Yasiel Puig (MCG); Babe Ruth (NYY); Gary Sheffield (MCG); Jim Wynn (HOU).
4+ SB Games
6. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 4. Frank Chance (HOD); Rickey Henderson (SFS); Dick Lundy (SFS).
5+ Hit Games
5. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Don Buford (LAA); Joe Jackson (CAG); Chuck Knoblauch (CLE); Mike Trout (LAA).
5+ SO Games
6. Dale Murphy (KCM). 5. Beals Becker (BRK); Bobby Bonds (SFS); Ron Cey (BRK); Larry Doby (CLE); Héctor López (NYY); Dale Murphy (KCM).
6+ RBI Games
7. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Ron Blomberg (CLE); Carlton Fisk (CAG); Charlie Gehringer (DET); Evan Longoria (CLE); Manny Machado (BAL); Yasiel Puig (MCG); Gary Sheffield (MCG). 6. Hank Aaron (BBB); Bob Bailey (DET); Ernie Banks (HOD); Ron Blomberg (CLE); Johnny Callison (NYG); Carlos Correa (HOU); Gavvy Cravath (BAL); Chili Davis (DET); Josh Gibson (HOM); Mickey Mantle (NYY); Mike Piazza (BRK); Manny Ramírez (MEM); Babe Ruth x3 (NYY); Ryne Sandberg (HOD); Mike Schmidt (NYY); Ted Simmons (KCM); Roy White (BRK).
Cycles
Roberto Clemente (HOM; 4-5, 4R, 3 RBI).
Longest HRs
{Note: OOTP clearly has something weird happening with overpowered HRs. It’s getting better, and, at some point, I’m going to reduce these by roughly 10%, which would leave the list at only 3 at 500 ft+ for the season so far, which seems much more realistic to me, but am waiting to see if I get any additional info/guidance from the game dev’s.}
595 ft. Dale Murphy (KCM). 558 ft. Aaron Judge (PHA). 555 ft. Albert Pujols (KCM). 551 ft. Eddie Mathews (BBB). 550 ft. Lance Berkman (CLE). 544 ft. Eddie Mathews (BBB). 542 ft. Ron Blomberg (CLE); Evan Longoria (CLE). 539 ft. Johnny Bates (CLE); Craig Biggio (HOU). 538 ft. Josh Gibson (HOM), Pete Hill (HOU); Buster Posey (NYG). 535 ft. Buster Posey (NYG). 534 ft. Robinson Canó (KCM). 530 ft. Dale Murphy (KCM). 528 ft. Johnny Callison (NYG); Willie Mays (NYG). 527 ft. Joe Adcock (NYG). 525 ft. Bullet Joe Rogan (PHI). 522 ft. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 519 ft. Babe Ruth (NYY). 518 ft. Willie Mays (NYG). 516 ft. Hank Aaron (BBB); Bob Nieman (BBB). 514 ft. Ron Cey (BRK); Oscar Gamble (DET). 512 ft. Tony Gwynn (HOU). 511 ft. Lance Berkman (CLE); Dan Brouthers (BRK). 510 ft. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 509 ft. Johnny Callison (NYG); Jack Clark (SFS); Bryce Harper (BAL); Ted Simmons (KCM). 508 ft. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Ron Blomberg (CLE); Boog Powell (KCM); Travis Shaw (MEM). 507 ft. Ducky Medwick (KCM); Ted Simmons (KCM). 505 ft. Lou Gehrig (NYA). 503 ft. Larry Doyle (NYG); Joe Rogan (PHI); Ryne Sandberg (HOD); Oscar Gamble (DET). 502 ft. Ernie Banks (HOD); Albert Belle (BBB); Robinson Canó (KCM); Ray Dandridge (BRK); Mike Epstein (HOM). 501 ft. Derek Jeter (NYA). 500 ft. Andrew McCutchen (HOM).
Pitching Statistics
80+ Game Scores
99. José Rijo (KCM). 97. JM Ward (PHI). 93. Frank Castillo (KCM); Lefty Grove (SFS); Toad Ramsey (HOU). 92. Bump Hadley (SFS); Bullet Joe Rogan (PHI). 91. Frank Knauss (BRK); Christy Mathewson (NYG); Toad Ramsey (HOU) 90. Brian Anderson (LAA); A. Rube Foster (KCM); Alejandro Peña (BBB); Toad Ramsey (HOU); Joe Rogan (PHI). 89. Fernando Valenzuela (BRG); Smokey Joe Wood (KCM). 88. Luis Padrón x2 (IND); Bill Steen (CLE); Justin Verlander (DET). 87. Roger Clemens (HOU); Lefty Grove (SFS); Carl Hubbell (NYG); Francisco Liriano (HOM); Dennis Martínez (BAL); Jim Whitney (BBB). 86. A. Rube Foster (KCM); Doc Gooden (LAA). 85. Roger Clemens (HOU); Gerrit Cole (LAA); Lefty Grove (SFS); Hardie Henderson (PHI); Eddie Plank (SFS); Jameson Taillon (MEM); Ed Walsh (CAG); Cy Young (CLE). 84. Frank Castillo (KCM); Ron Guidry (NYY); Orel Hershiser (BRK); Ed Walsh (CAG). 83. Bob Friend (HOM); Mike Mussina (BAL). 82. Mark Buehrle (CAG); Bill Doak (MEM); Connie Johnson (BAL); Toad Ramsey (HOU). 81. Ferguson Jenkins (HOD); Stephen Strasbourg (HOU); Cy Young (CLE). 80. Walter Johnson (POR); The Only Nolan (IND); Andy Pettitte (NYY); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
10+ Strikeout Games
14. Frank Castillo (KCM); Toad Ramsey (HOU). 13. Brian Anderson (LAA); Ron Guidry (NYY); Charlie Root (DET). 12. Johnny Cueto (IND); Doc Gooden (LAA); Lefty Grove (SFS); Bump Hadley (SFS); Mike Mussina (BAL); Toad Ramsey x2 (HOU); José Rijo (KCM); Bill Steen (CLE); JM Ward (PHI). 11. Johnny Cueto (IND); Ron Guidry (NYY); Ferguson Jenkins (HOD); Connie Johnson (BAL); Walter Johnson (POR); Frank Knauss (BRG); Christy Mathewson (NYG); The Only Nolan (IND); Old Hoss Radbourn (OTT); Toad Ramsey x3 (HOU); Don Sutton (NYG); Justin Verlander (DET); Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 10. Steve Carlton (PHI); Frank Castillo (KCM); Watty Clark (SFS); Bob Friend (HOM); Doc Gooden (LAA); Lefty Grove (SFS); Ron Guidry x2 (NYY); Hardie Henderson (PHI); Orel Hershiser (BRK); Frank Knauss (BRK); Ramón Martínez (MCG); Billy Pierce (HOM); Tom Seaver (LAA); Stephen Strasbourg (HOU); Don Sutton (NYG); Fernando Valenzuela (BRK); Smokey Joe Williams (BRK).
8+ Walk Games
8. Ed Brandt (MCG); Hardie Henderson (PHI). 9. Randy Johnson (OTT).
Shutouts
NO HITS. José Rijo (IND). 1 Hit. A. Rube Foster (KCM); Stubby Overmire (MEM) [5 inn]; Luis Padrón (IND); Toad Ramsey (HOU); Bullet Joe Rogan (PHI). 2 Hits. A. Rube Foster (KCM); Lefty Grove (SFS); Bump Hadley (SFS); Frank Knauss (BRK); Francisco Liriano (HOM); Dennis Martínez (BAL); Luis Padrón (IND); Joe Rogan (PHI). 3 Hits. Frank Castillo (KCM); Roger Clemens (HOU); Lefty Grove (SFS); Carl Hubbell (NYG); Christy Mathewson (NYG); Eddie Plank (SFS); Toad Ramsey (HOU). 4 Hits. Frank Castillo (KCM); Gerrit Cole (LAA); Doc Gooden (LAA); Lefty Grove (SFS); Jim Whitney (BBB); Cy Young (CLE).
Shutouts (Combined)
1 Hit. Justin Verlander / Mike Henneman (DET); Bill Steen / Terry Adams (CLE). 2 Hits. Jameson Taillon / Skel Roach / Andrew Miller (MEM); Ed Walsh / Tom Williams (CAG); Pud Galvin / Francisco Rodríguez / Joe Nathan (LAA); Brett Anderson / Ross Reynolds (LAA); Connie Johnson / Justin Hampson (BAL). 3 Hits. Hardie Henderson / Robin Roberts (PHI); Orel Hershiser / Eric Gagne (BRK); Stephen Strasbourg / John Franco / Tug McGraw (HOU); Vean Gregg / Mike Norris / Brian Wilson (NYG). 4 Hits. Toad Ramsey / Bones Ely (HOU); Hardie Henderson / Brad Kilby / Tim Belcher / Ted Kennedy (PHI); Dwight Gooden / Francisco Rodríguez (LAA); Bump Hadley / Jim Devlin / Ken Howell / Rod Beck (SFS); Greg Maddux / John Malarkey / Bruce Chen / Juan Rincón (BBB); Johnny Podgajny / Tom Henke (OTT); Herm Wehmeier / Goose Gossage (NYY). 5 Hits. Kenshin Kawakami / Barry Latman / Ed Brandt / Sandy Consuegra (MCG); Len Barker / David Bush / Andrew Miller (MEM); Johnny Cueto / Sad Sam Jones / Rob Murphy / Rob Dibble (IND); Smoky Joe Wood / Mike Kume (KCM).
Playoff contention. Last year was such a disappointment, but there is too much talent here not to be at least in the run for the postseason.
Best Case
Tim Hudson finds a full season like his time with Birmingham last year, joining Lefty Grove and Eddie Plank in a top tier rotation and 1st round pick Turkey Stearnes steps right into the CF job while Dick Lundy improves in a full season in a lineup centered around Rickey Henderson, Reggie Jackson, and Bobby Bonds.
Worst Case
Everything stays really confused, with the pitching proving too mediocre to depend on and the offense never really sorting out playing time at 1B (Jack Clark and Jimmie Foxx) or 3B (Sal Bando and Pedro Guerrero), leaving everyone slightly underused and underperforming.
Key Questions
On a team full of logjams, who steps forward?
Trade Bait
Possibly. If Foxx explodes, Jack Clark may be expendable, depending on how the OF/DH situation looks.
The decision to trade Guerrero makes some sense, given the OF depth, although a lot is riding on Watty Clark successfully converting to being a starter at a high level to make it a decent deal.
Roster Evaluation
POS
Elite
Strong
Solid
Meh
Weak
Unknown
C
Cochrane Oliver
1B
Clark
Foxx
2B
Bloodworth
3B
Garner
Bando
SS
Hartzell
Lundy
LF/ RF
Jackson
Henderson
CF
Bonds
Stearnes
SP
Grove Plank
Altrock Hudson
Hadley
End
Howell Clark
Beck Robinson
Ontiveros
RP
Bridges
Eckersley
Taylor
New Addition | Injured
The OF is so strong, it just needs a little help–if that happens and the pitching repeats, it could be a good year by the bay.
Talent Ratings
WBL
Minors
Raw Power
OF Bobby Bonds
OF Frank Howard
Batting Eye
3B Sal Bando
C Brian Downing
Contact
C Mickey Cochrane IF Dick Lundy
OF Buddy Ryan
Running Speed
OF Rickey Henderson IF Dick Lundy
OF Alex Cole OF Mookie Wilson
Base Stealing
OF Rickey Henderson
OF Cameron Maybin
IF Defense
IF Dick Lundy
IF Charlie Reilly
OF Defense
OF Rickey Henderson
OF Bill Virdon
Stuff
SP Lefty Grove
RP Ed Kelly
Control
RP Rod Beck
RP Don Dennis
Velocity
RP Rod Beck
RP Drew Steckenrider
Best In The Minors
Rank
Age
POS
Name
1 (8)
21
OF
Turkey Stearnes
2 (25)
24
P
Red Ehret
3 (31)
22
P
Bump Hadley
4 (71)
22
P
Dennis Eckersley
5 (120)
19
P
Charlie Ferguson
6 (126)
20
P
Bob Hendley
7 (145)
25
3B
Mike Moustakas
8 (164)
23
P
Steve Ontiveros
9 (188)
23
IF
Bill Sweeney
Others: None.
An odd system, for sure, as neither Jimmie Foxx nor John Beckwith make the top 200 list, which ends up being a bit weak, with a lot riding on the development of the young arms. Stearnes, Hadley, Eckersley, and Ontiveros all start the year in the WBL.
Most
Least
Age
C Mike González, 39
OF Leonidas Lee, 17
Height
P Billy Taylor, 6’8″
OF Walt Williams, 5’6″ IF Matt Broderick, 5’6″
OPS
1B Sid Bream, 1.125 (—)
IF Bob Johnson, .415 (—)
HR
1B Sid Bream, 41 (—)
IF Bill Sweeney, 0 (AAA/AA) IF Miguel Cairo, 0 (WBL/AAA/AA)
SB
OF Rickey Henderson, 99 (WBL)
Many with 0
WAR
1B Sid Bream, 8.0 (—)
IF Bob Johnson, -5.1 (—)
W
Dallas Braden, 17 (—)
Diego Seguí, 3 (WBL/AAA) Jim Buchanan, 3 (—)
SV
Rod Beck, 33 (WBL)
ERA
Tommy Hughes, 2.61 (—)
JA Happ, 5.77 (—)
WAR
Dallas Braden, 5.8 (—)
Diego Seguí, -0.9 (WBL/AAA)
Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.
