Tag: Dale Murphy Page 1 of 4

Year III Season Preview: Kansas City Monarchs

On August 14, 2026

In 2002 Season Previews, Team News

▌ State of the Franchise

Kansas City has spent 2 years building a pitching staff and 2 years failing to build a lineup. Perhaps 2002 changes that.

The pitching arrived all at once last season: A. Rube Foster opened the year in the bullpen, moved into the rotation, and threw 204 innings with a 3.30 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP, coming 2nd in the Rookie of the Year voting. Smokey Joe Wood, 22, went 15-12 behind him and hit well enough to DH on his own start days. Craig Kimbrel inherited the ninth inning and kept it. That, along with the deepest bullpen in the league, makes the staff feel pretty settled.

In front of them sit Albert Pujols and Stan Musial, both 23, both already among the best bats in the league. And then … well … then there wasn’t a lot else. 37% of the Monarchs’ plate appearances went to hitters with a sub-.700 OPS, which is how a team leads the Marvin Miller Division into July and finishes 79-84 and 3rd. The response has been blunt: Robinson Canó, Willie McGee, Lou Brock and Steve Evans all open this season at Triple-A St. Louis, and the org went out and bought 2 bats.

The park is rated the most extreme pitcher’s yard in the league, and the club builds as though that’s true — chase doubles into the gaps, not homers, and let good arms play up.

This is a connoisseurs’ franchise. Its fans will take a 2-1 win and the bases-loaded walk, and they’ll tell you Foster is an ace no matter what his stuff grades say.

▌ 2001 Revisited

A year ago we wanted a .500 finish, and the worst case we could imagine was the worst pitching staff in the league with an offense that couldn’t compensate. Kansas City went 79-84 — genuine progress from 66-88 — and got the exact inverse of the nightmare.

The staff turned into a strength. Last year, we thought that might come from Bob Gibson. Not so much: the lightning-armed Gibson put up a 6.82 ERA across 11 starts. Instead, it came from Foster and Wood, and from Lee Smith‘s 0.75 WHIP across 50 appearances, from Eddie Guardado, from Mike Kume‘s 1.95 in 22 games, and from Kimbrel taking the closer’s job after Jeff Pfeffer collected 16 saves with an ERA above 6.

Pujols took the step the preview asked for and then some: 316/375/645 with 44 homers and 96 extra-base hits, and the organizational MVP. Musial had the odd year — 300/371/519 is not a bad line, and 59 doubles is a marvelous one, but 13 homers from a bat like that is a bit of a concern? Maybe?

And it collapsed anyway, because underneath the top the lineup could not hit. Ozzie Smith won a Gold Glove, stole 64 bases and posted a .660 OPS in 525 plate appearances. Canó was among the worst bats in the league. McGee, Frankie Frisch and Brock were not much better.

The pitching arrived in force. The hitting never did, but the signal for change was clear, and acted on — gone are the days of Lou Brock and Willie McGee in the OF, with the Monarchs settling on Cool Papa Bell for speed and defense. Gone as well is the experiment of Pujols at 3B, with Doug Rader being brought over from Los Angeles.

▌ Key Changes

In: Benny Kauff (NYG); Doug Rader (LAA)
Out: Dale Murphy (NYG); Jeff Pfeffer (LAA); José Rijo (LAA)

Opening Day Rookies: Cool Papa Bell; Eddie Guardado; Mike Kume; Jock Menefee; Merv Rettenmund; Joe Thatcher; Kolten Wong

▌ Best Case for 2002

The bottom of the order stops giving at-bats away. Benny Kauff — 38 homers and 39 doubles for the Gothams last year — and Doug Rader turn 2 of last season’s sinkholes into real at-bats, second base firms up into something merely ordinary, and the 23-year-olds take the step their age promises: Pujols again, Musial’s power back alongside the doubles, Ted Simmons building on 47 doubles and an .830 OPS from behind the plate.

Cool Papa Bell, the organizational Minor League Player of the Year, runs down everything hit into the biggest outfield in baseball. Foster repeats, Wood takes the next step, and the spring’s crowded rotation audition produces 3 arms that hold.

Do that, and the pen shortens every game to 7 innings, and a club that led the division in July just might lead it in September.

▌ Worst Case for 2002

The lineup stays bottom-heavy, only with new names attached. Rader drove in barrels of runs in 2000, but really hasn’t shown a lot since: the statheads are not thrilled with his arrival.

Second base never gets solved. The back of the rotation stays replacement-level and the innings behind Foster and Wood get expensive. And Lee Smith is 35 with no proven arm behind Kimbrel, so one injury turns the league’s deepest bullpen into an ordinary one.

▌ Key Questions

Can the front office make the hard decisions to raise the standard? The first answer was demotion — Canó, McGee, Brock and Evans are all at Triple-A — and the second was Kauff and Rader, which is where it gets interesting: Rader is a power-and-defense third baseman with a .297 OBP. Kauff is the cleaner fit, a left-handed masher of right-handed pitching. Sure, they need to succeed, but perhaps the more important thing here is the front office finally addressing the offense.
Who, exactly, plays second base? Demoting Canó was easy, given his 2001. But … replacing him with a Kolten Wong / Frisch timeshare seems hardly an improvement.
Is the rotation more than 2 names? Foster and Wood are a real front pair. Behind them the org has quantity and no clarity — Adam Wainwright threw 187 innings of 4.05 ball at Triple-A, Gibson still has the best stuff on the staff, and Bob Shawkey was worth −2.2 wins in 101 innings. The measure of the crowd: Frank Castillo made the NL All-Star team last year, put up a 5.21 ERA in 193 innings, and opens this season at Triple-A.

▌ Roster Evaluation

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

Pos	Players
C	Simmons C · Pérez
1B	Powell C
2B	Frisch F · Wong
SS	O. Smith D
3B	Rader F
LF	Pujols S · Bell
CF	Kauff B
RF	Musial C · Rettenmund
DH	Harris C
SP	Foster S · Wood A · Wainwright · Gibson · Menefee · Shawkey
RP	Kimbrel A (CL) · L. Smith S · Guardado S · DiPino C · Kume B · Thatcher

Wood is a real bat — 287/343/504 in 140 plate appearances, taken mostly on his own start days — and the org has been open about wanting more of that. And Kume is the mirage: an amazing 2001, but nobody is quite sure how he gets anybody out, ever.

▌ Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	1B Boog Powell	1B Lew Brown
Batting Eye	LF Cool Papa Bell	1B Otto Schomberg
Contact	RF Stan Musial	LF Wade Johnston
Running Speed	2B Kolten Wong	CF Jarrod Dyson; CF Alex Diaz
Base Stealing	LF Cool Papa Bell	CF Jarrod Dyson; 1B Joe Start
IF Defense	SS Ozzie Smith	SS Sam Mongin
OF Defense	LF Cool Papa Bell	RF Tommy McCarthy
Stuff	RP Craig Kimbrel	RP Matt Thornton
Control	SP Smokey Joe Wood	SP Luke Hamlin
Velocity	RP Craig Kimbrel	RP Vinnie Pestano

▌ Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	Pos	Name
1 (4)	21	SP	Bill Singer
2 (9)	23	SS	Sam Mongin
3 (45)	22	LF	Wade Johnston
4 (50)	23	3B	Bill Bradley
5 (57)	25	RP	Vinnie Pestano
6 (86)	21	1B	Otto Schomberg
7 (88)	22	2B	Keston Hiura

Others: C Johnny Bassler, P Larry French, P Matt Morris, P Hilton Smith.

The 5th-best system in the league, even with Foster (#2) and Bell (#3) now with the big league club. Wade Johnston has plummeted from being ordained the top overall prospect in the league to where he is now, but he was good enough in the Spring to keep the argument alive. Other names from last year: Heliodoro Hidalgo went to the House of David in the deal that brought Lee Smith, Earl Averill to Baltimore, and Carlos Baerga to the Gothams in the Kauff trade.

But the Monarchs just reloaded. Bill Singer is the 4th-ranked prospect in baseball, Sam Mongin has climbed to 9th, and the layer under them is more arms — French the lone left-hander with real upside, Morris and Hilton Smith behind him — plus 19-year-old catcher Johnny Bassler. And note the name at the bottom of the ranked list: Keston Hiura plays second base. So that could be useful.

▌ Superlatives

	Most	Least
Age	Joe Start, 38	Johnny Bassler, 19
Height	Adam Wainwright, 6’7″	Otto Briggs, 5’7″
OPS	Albert Pujols, 1.020	Otto Briggs, .585 (A)
HR	Albert Pujols, 44	Otto Briggs, 2 (A)
SB	Ozzie Smith, 64	–
WAR (bat)	Albert Pujols, 6.2	Otto Briggs, −0.4 (A)
W	Smokey Joe Wood, 15	–
SV	Stan Yerkes, 23 (AA)	–
ERA	A. Rube Foster, 3.30	Hilton Smith, 7.29 (A)
WAR (pit)	A. Rube Foster, 3.8	Bob Shawkey, −2.2

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

Year III Season Preview: New York Gothams

By mknn

On August 8, 2026

In 2002 Season Previews, Team News

▌ State of the Franchise

The Gothams are the 3rd team in their own city, behind a Brooklyn club that just won it all and the rich/arrogant Yankees up the road. 2001 was a wake-up call — after winning 87 games, they plummeted to 75-87 and last in the Effa Manley Division, 24 games back.

The top of the roster is not the problem. Willie Mays hit 49 home runs at 24 and was worth 4.4 wins. Buster Posey hit 39 from behind the plate and was worth 4.2. Will Clark put up a .952 OPS, Johnny Callison hit 39 more, and all 4 are 24 to 29 years old.

The problem is … well … everything else. Shortstop gave New York 442 plate appearances of 221/268/381. Third base needed 7 different men before Jim Ray Hart claimed it in the 2nd half, and it’s not like he set the world on fire. Left field was a hole until Don Buford was bought at the deadline, and Jimmy Sheckard, a 4-WAR outfielder in 2000, hit .172 in the WBL and finished the year at Triple-A.

And the rotation wasn’t much better — Christy Mathewson keeps giving both ace potential and thoroughly average performances, and the bullpen — the pride of the club in 2000 — was showing its age. So the Gothams tore it all down (which may mean, panicked uncontrollably, or may mean made a smart investment in their future).

Juan Marichal, Robb Nen, Troy Percival and Steve Howe all went out at the deadline; then, in January, the Gothams sent Gaylord Perry — its own 2001 WAR leader — up the road to the Yankees for HR Johnson, Dave Righetti, a 1st-round pick and a 3rd. Johnson is an infielder, and may offer some long-sought-after stability there.

▌ 2001 Revisited

We asked for a deep playoff run, much like last year, and added a note about the Gothams’ habit of trading away all their damn picks. They went 75-87.

The worst case we sketched was that the bullpen falters, and only Matty remains viable as a starter while everyone not named Mays and Posey struggles offensively. That was close, and still too kind. The bullpen didn’t falter so much as get sold for parts. Mays and Posey did carry the offense. And Mathewson was the one who faltered.

Which is where 2001 gets strange. Mathewson went 7-16 with a 5.61 ERA, and he was the best pitcher on the staff: 210 innings, 207 strikeouts, 4.0 WAR at 22, a figure that actually rose from the year he led the league in wins. Don Sutton went 17-8 with a 5.23 and was worth 1.9. Same rotation, same season, 2 records that just add to the lack of internal clarity.

The best case wanted Perry or Marichal to step forward and join Mathewson among the league’s elite. Perry did have a decent year — a 1.13 WHIP across 211 innings, but went packing when the Black Yankees came knocking. Benny Kauff, who the preview wondered how they’d find at-bats for, found them, made the All-NL 2nd Team, and was traded in March.

A lot of churn. But it’s not clear the Gothams are any better.

▌ Key Changes

In: Grant Johnson (NYY); Dale Murphy (KAN); Dave Righetti (NYY)

Out: Dellin Betances (FA); Benny Kauff (KAN); Tony Mullane (FA); Gaylord Perry (NYY); Robby Thompson (NYY)

Opening Day Rookies: Santiago Casilla; Dick Dietz; George Jeffcoat; Doggie Miller; Buck O’Brien; Vito Tamulis; Masahiro Tanaka

▌ Best Case for 2002

The middle fills in. HR Johnson, 26, takes second base and hits the way he did in Houston; Hart holds third; Brandon Crawford finds enough of a bat to go with the glove, or somebody takes the job from him. That alone is worth several wins, because the 4 men at the top are already producing at a playoff standard.

Mathewson’s record catches up to his arm. Righetti, 24 and coming off a 2.5-WAR season in the Bronx, gives the rotation a 2nd real starter, and Pete Donohue — 22, a 3.61 across 120 innings at Triple-A and a NL 21 & Under Team pick — turns his September look into a rotation spot.

And the bullpen rebuilds itself from inside. Brian Wilson is still an elite closer when healthy, George Jeffcoat saved 32 games at Hartford, Santiago Casilla was untouchable there. So perhaps the identity returns.

▌ Worst Case for 2002

Johnson is the latest name on a long list. New York has spent 3 years betting on the undervalued bat — Pinky Higgins, John Kerins, Matt Williams, Pete Runnels, Carl Furillo, Wes Westrum — and the bets keep landing in the same unremarkable middle. If Johnson doesn’t hit, the club will have sold its best pitcher to the richest team in its own city for another meh return.

Mathewson doesn’t take the step, Sutton’s ERA finally catches his record, and the rotation behind them is a 26-year-old with a 5.75 and a set of Triple-A arms. Dale Murphy hit .193 in Kansas City last year and is the insurance in center. Crawford keeps the shortstop job by default. A 75-win team wins 75 games again.

▌ Key Questions

Does HR Johnson hit? He is 26, he plays the position New York has needed for 3 years, and he cost the club a pitcher who had just led it in WAR. Johnson produces and the trade is the cleverest thing the Gothams have done. Get him wrong and it is an all-too-familiar mistake.
Will the real Matty please stand up? He has now led the league in wins and, a year later, in losses, with his WAR going up in between. Read that again. At 22 with 207 strikeouts he has every ingredient of a front-line starter and a 5.61 to explain away. The org has never been sure whether it has an ace or a very good innings-eater. It would be nice to know.
Can the left side of the infield be fixed from inside? Shortstop and third combined for less production than most clubs get from a single player. Johnson will swing across these positions, but someone else needs to contribute here as well.

▌ Roster Evaluation

Pos	Players
C	Posey A · Dietz
1B	Clark B
2B	Johnson · Doyle B
SS	Crawford F
3B	Hart
LF	Buford D · Sheckard
CF	Mays A · Murphy F
RF	Callison C
DH	Doyle B · Dietz
SP	Mathewson D · Sutton C · Hubbell F · Righetti · Donohue · Tanaka
RP	Wilson B (CL) · Norris B · Casilla · Tamulis · Tekulve · Jeffcoat

Dick Dietz was among the better backup bats in the league, which on most rosters is a luxury and on this one is a way to get a real hitter into a lineup that runs out of them by the 6th spot. And Mike Norris, 37 and the club’s Fan Favorite, is almost certainly taking his last lap — which may be cut off early, as age catches up with the 2000 Reliever of the Year in the WBL.

▌ Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	2B HR Johnson	CF Dwayne Murphy
Batting Eye	C Dick Dietz	CF Dwayne Murphy
Contact	LF Tip O’Neill	CF Fred M Lewis
Running Speed	CF Willie Mays	CF George Van Haltren
Base Stealing	LF Jimmy Sheckard; 2B HR Johnson	SP Al Spalding; CF George Van Haltren
IF Defense	SS Brandon Crawford	2B Whitey Wietelmann
OF Defense	CF Willie Mays	RF Mike Tiernan
Stuff	RP Grant Balfour	RP Henry Rodríguez
Control	SP Pete Donohue	SP Al Spalding
Velocity	RP Grant Balfour	RP Derrick Turnbow

▌ Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	Pos	Name
1 (27)	18	SP	Amos Rusie
2 (61)	26	CF	Dwayne Murphy
3 (76)	23	SP	William VanLandingham

Graduated to the active roster since the ranked list: Masahiro Tanaka (77).

Others: IF Carlos Baerga, IF Alvin Davis, IF Howard Johnson, OF Tully Hartsel.

3 names on the ranked list, and the Gothams know exactly how it got that way — last year’s preview asked them to stop trading away all their damn picks, and they spent 2001 trading more of them. Amos Rusie is the exception and a real one: 18 years old and 27th in all of baseball.

Underneath, the system is infielders the club is hoping into relevance. Carlos Baerga, 19, came from Kansas City in the Kauff deal; Howard Johnson and Davey Johnson arrived from Homestead for Marichal and Nen. At least the January trade brought back picks instead of spending them.

▌ Superlatives

	Most	Least
Age	Mike Norris, 37	Amos Rusie, 18
Height	Ron H Jackson, 6’7″	Tully Hartsel, 5’5″
OPS	Will Clark, .952	Cliff Bolton, .534 (A)
HR	Willie Mays, 49	George Van Haltren, 0 (AA)
SB	Tim Shinnick, 72 (A)	–
WAR (bat)	Willie Mays, 4.4	George Van Haltren, −1.2 (AA)
W	Don Sutton, 17	–
SV	George Jeffcoat, 32 (AAA)	–
ERA	Willie Banks, 3.37 (A)	Tully Sparks, 6.10 (AAA)
WAR (pit)	Pete Donohue, 4.5 (AAA)	Wandy Rodríguez, 0.3 (A)

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

TWIWBL 97.2: The Spring Training Trades

By mknn

On July 18, 2026

In TWIWBL

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

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

#The Black Yankees Add MI

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

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

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

#The Red Sox Have a Rotation

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

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

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

#CAG Settles at SS. Maybe.

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

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

#Monarchs Make Moves

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

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

But Kansas City wasn’t done.

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

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

And this led to another move for Los Angeles.

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

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

#Easy as A-B-C

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

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

This deal set the stage for the next one.

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

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

#Memphis Not Done Yet

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

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

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

#BB to BBB

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

An interesting deal.

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

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

TWIWBL 89.1: Off Season Review – Kansas City Monarchs

By mknn

On March 13, 2026

In Season Reviews, TWIWBL

79 - 84, .485 pct.
3rd in Marvin Miller Division, 6 1/2 GB

Overall

Kansas City led the Marvin Miller Division for most of the first half of the season … and then pretty much collapsed.

They have a top 3 or 4 pitching staff in the league in terms of high end performance, but struggle after that talent, especially in the rotation, and ultimately have a pretty weak offense that needs multiple upgrades.

It’s an interesting conundrum. Albert Pujols, A. Rube Foster, Smokey Joe Wood, Lee Smith, Eddie Guardado, and Craig Kimbrel are as good as they come. And Stan Musial, Ted Simmons, and perhaps even Ozzie Smith are solid.

But the talent falls off the cliff after that, and it’s not really clear what the solution is: do you hope for improvement from some of the young talent? Do you move some of the high end for overall upgrades? Do you just stand pat and applaud the various accolades earned by that top group? The off season in Kansas City could range from nothing to incredibly active.

What Went Right

All the elite talent.

Albert Pujols led the team in most things, slashing 316/375/645 with 44 homers and 96 extra base hits. Pujols played mostly at 3B this season, and it’s not sure how long that can last, as LF or 1B or DH seem a more likely destination for him.

A. Rube Foster was spectacular, finishing the season with a 3.30 ERA and a miniscule 1.02 WHIP. Foster, who ended up with an 11-8 record, was in the bullpen at the start of the year, but still made 24 starts and finished with over 200 IP.

Lee Smith, brought over from the House of David was virtually unhittable, finishing with a 0.75 WHIP over 50 appearances. Smith paired with Eddie Guardado, whose numbers were actually quite similar, to setup closer Craig Kimbrel. It took a while for this back of the bullpen to emerge: the Monarchs started the season with Jeff Pfeffer as their closer (Pfeffer did amass 16 saves, but also an ERA over 6.00).

Smokey Joe Wood missed some time through injury, but was excellent otherwise, being one of the few 2 way players with a positive contribution both ways. Wood finished 15-12 with a 4.11 ERA and excellent peripherals.

After those, there is a bit of a dropoff, but some things still went well.

Stan Musial had an odd year. It’s not like 300/371/519 is bad. But it’s far below Musial’s potential, and while 59 doubles is great, Musial only hitting 13 homeruns is quite a disappointment. Still, not bad.

Ted Simmons is excellent behind the plate, and his .830 OPS is very strong for a catcher.

Boog Powell hit a severe slump towards the end of the year, but still provided some power and an ability to get on base.

Kansas City’s 3rd and 4th primary starters, Frank Castillo and José Rijo, were solid, although not much more than that.

Mike Kume was the surprise of the season, posting a 1.95 ERA in 22 games, and further solidifying their relief corps.

Adam Wainwright and Matt Morris both impressed in limited appearances late in the year.

Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee, Musial, Frankie Frisch, Lou Brock, and Cool Papa Bell combined for over 200 steals.

ALL STARS

Frank Castillo
A. Rube Foster
Craig Kimbrel
Stan Musial
Albert Pujols

MAJOR AWARDS

A. Rube Foster, NL Team of the Year; NL Brock Rutherford Award 3rd Place; NL Rookie of the Year 2nd Place
Eddie Guardado, NL Team of the Year
Craig Kimbrel, NL Phineas Flint Award 3rd Place
Lee Smith, NL Team of the Year; NL Phineas Flint Award 2nd Place
Ozzie Smith, NL Gold Glove SS

RECOGNITIONS

A. Rube Foster, NL All Rookie Team; NL 25 & Under Team of the Year
Eddie Guardado, NL All Rookie Team
Joe Harris, NL All Rookie Team
Mike Kume, NL All Rookie Team
Albert Pujols, NL 2nd Team of the Year; NL 25 & Under Team of the Year, NL 23 & Under Team of the Year
Lee Smith, NL 30 & Over Team of the Year
Ozzie Smith, NL Over 30 Team of the Year
Smokey Joe Wood, NL 2nd Team of the Year; NL 23 & Under Team of the Year

ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDS

Albert Pujols, MVP
A. Rube Foster, Pitcher of the Year
Stan Musial, Heart & Soul
Craig Kimbrel, Fan Favorite

Joe Thatcher, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Cool Papa Bell, Minor League Player of the Year

What Went Wrong

Robinson Canó was among the league’s worst offensive performers, showing none of the power he displayed in year 1.

Ozzie Smith provided speed and defense, but virtually no offense.

Steve Evans, much hyped in Spring Training, was so poor he ended up in AAA.

Pfeffer’s struggles were mentioned above: in the long run, his demise cleared the way for Kimbrel, so perhaps this is more silver lining than something going wrong.

Bob Gibson has explosive stuff, but managed a 6.82 ERA over 11 starts. At 26, he really needs to start to produce.

Luke Hamlin–the Monarchs’ #1 last year–worked his way out of the rotation, ending the year 6-12 with a 5.55 ERA. Likewise, a key part of last year’s bullpen, Dustin Hermanson, was pretty bad this season.

Transactions

March

None.

July

IF Heliodoro Hidalgo, P Jimmy Key, & 3rd Round Pick to HOD for IF Joe Harris & P Lee Smith.

Harris is a quality bat off the bench, but at 36, that’s his best role. But, Smith is the real key to the deal, and his performance this year along may make the deal worthwhile.

August

At this point, Kansas City thought they still had a chance to make the post-season, which helps give context for this deal.

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

Averill is a loss, but the Monarchs really believe CF belongs either to Cool Papa Bell or Willie McGee. Beggs was OK, and should help out next year as well.

Positional Overview

C

Ted Simmons should have this locked up for a decade.

Behind him, teenager Johnny Bassler has a lot of talent. Until he’s ready, Salvador Pérez will continue to be Simmons’ backup at the WBL level.

1B

Powell will man 1B again for Kansas City, but Andre Thornton made a good showing in a September callup, and could be turned to if Powell’s end of season struggles continue.

Joe Harris and Pujols play this as well; behind them there’s not a lot of WBL level talent in the system.

2B

If Canó cannot improve dramatically, this is an area of need for Kansas City. Frankie Frisch was better than Canó when given the chance, but that’s not saying much. Behind them, Kolten Wong and Keston Hiura look to have some talent, but don’t look really ready for the WBL.

Hiura, Wong, and perhaps veteran Rex Hudler may get opportunities in Spring Training.

Carlos Baerga may end up here, but at 19 he still has a way to go.

SS

The Monarchs are fine with what Ozzie Smith provides, so look for his backflips to remain for a few years.

Beyond Smith … there’s not a lot. Edgar Rentería has all the tools, but hasn’t shown much and Sam Mongin looks likely to be best at other positions.

3B

An interesting conundrum for the Monarchs here: on the one hand, Pujols is one of the best in the game; on the other, he’s likely to move out of this position. So, for now, Pujols. But the question of who else is available is potentially important.

Frisch can play here, but veteran Ken Boyer is a more likely interim solution while Mongin, Bret Barberie, and Bill Bradley sort out their development.

LF/RF

LF is a bit of a free for all.

While Cool Papa Bell may end up in CF, he and Ducky Medwick are the lead contenders, but the Monarchs are still trying to figure out what to do with Dale Murphy.

This is all waiting for the arrival of the highly regarded Wade Johnston, but that’s still a year or two away.

RF, on the other hand, is set with Musial: if this year’s version of Musial is the Musial we get, he’s still an all-star caliber player. And that is seen pretty much universally as his floor.

There is some talent behind Musial as well: Steve Evans, Merv Rettenmund, Jim King, and Tommy McCarthy could all be decent WBL 4th outfielders.

CF

Bell and Murphy can play here, and the Monarchs believe Willie McGee can bounce back from a disappointing season.

One of those need to step up, as only veteran Fielder Jones looks to have legitimate WBL talent in the minors.

DH

This is set as some mixture of Pujols, Harris, and Murphy.

SP

So few teams have the challenge of having too many options on the mound, but welcome to Kansas City.

A. Rube Foster and Smokey Joe Wood will anchor the staff, with José Rijo‘s spot also assured.

Behind them, however, there will be some competition during the Spring between Jock Menefee, Bob Gibson, Frank Castillo, Joe Beggs, Matt Morris, Adam Wainwright, and Bob Shawkey. And while veterans Luke Hamlin and Jeff Pfeffer will get a chance, most assume their days in the rotation are done.

Bill Singer and Hilton Smith are probably the highest ceiling arms in the minors, although both Larry French and Marcus Stroman have some potential as well.

RP

The WBL bullpen should be among the best in the league, with Lee Smith, Eddie Guardado, and Frank DiPino getting the ball to Craig Kimbrel.

Mike Kume was excellent, but there are hints it may have been a bit of a fluke. Veteran Matt Thornton will compete with Dustin Hermanson, Joe Thatcher, and Trevor Rosenthal for the final spots.

Draft Outlook

DRAFT PICKS

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

It’s really a best player available situation, perhaps with a prejudice away from C and RF.

TWIWBL 87.9: The Center Fielders

By mknn

On February 6, 2026

In TWIWBL

Fitting for this league, there is a ton of talent here, which makes some of the Tier sorting challenging.

We have a new defensive metric for outfielders: ARM, which is an estimate of the number of runs saved (or allowed) from their throwing arms.

#S Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	IND	Oscar Charleston	21	337/381/619	38 HR 130 RBI 101 R 46 SB
AL	CLE	Tris Speaker	23	312/397/631	35 HR 124 R 46 SB
AL	SFS	Turkey Stearnes	22	357/400/751	51 HR 125 RBI 108 R	-4.7 ARM
AL	LAA	Mike Trout	22	306/392/617	40 HR 107 RBI 106 R 45 SB	.994 fPct

The top of this list is easy: welcome to the WBL, Turkey Stearnes!

After that, it’s unclear. In one sense, maybe it’s just Stearnes? But Tris Speaker–as disliked as he is–had a great season. So, maybe it’s just the two of them? But it feels like Mike Trout and Oscar Charleston are certainly in a different class than the bulk of the A Tier.

I think this is a reflection of how great of a year Sternes had: consider him in an S+ tier by himself.

#A Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	BRK	John Briggs	21	276/377/557	32 HR
NL	NYG	Willie Mays	24	261/337/600	49 HR 112 RBI 107 R 24 SB	14.5 ZR -4.7 ARM
AL	MCG	Julio Rodríguez	20	315/347/661	42 HR	2.30 RF -10.1 ZR
NL	PHI	Charles Rogan	27	308/362/620	21 SB	3.45 RF

Joe Rogan played more CF than anything else (other than pitcher), so he’s listed here.

Willie Mays is Willie Mays, and is expected to spend most of his career here and above. The rest can be considered surprises: John Briggs was seen by many as a AAA player who would fail in his rookie season; Julio Rodríguez was an afterthought invite to Spring Training who seized the opportunity; and while it was expected that Rogan would be solid as a 2-way player, nobody foresaw this.

#B Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	OTT	Carlos Beltrán	25	258/332/533	35 HR 42 SB	10 A
AL	NYY	Eric Davis	25	263/344/538	34 HR 61 SB
AL	POR	Ken Griffey, Jr	20	292/326/568	33 HR	-7.8 ZR

Sure. Eric Davis continues to struggle with injuries, Carlos Beltrán needs to put the ball in play a little more, and Ken Griffey, Jr. is only 20. This also reinforces the trade between Portland and Ottawa–Beltrán deserves his starting spot in the WBL, and Griffey, Jr. needed a fresh start.

Any of these three could move up, while Davis seems the most likely to crash out as his injuries continue to mount.

#C Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	DET	Chili Davis	25	243/318/481		14 A -15.5 ZR .930 dEff 0.5 ARM
NL	HOD	George Gore	26	254/389/440
NL	HOU	Pete Hill	20	274/347/453		2.38 RF
AL	MEM	Reggie Smith	24	270/333/545	34 HR	-5.0 ARM

Here we get to set of CF that are always being questioned–they are good enough, but there’s always a lingering question about whether they’re actually the solution. This impacted George Gore the most, who was essentially a half-time player this year, and is least an issue for Pete Hill, given his age.

Chili Davis is solid, but his defense is far from solid, and Reggie Smith–like some others in the Memphis clubhouse–is under threat from a wave of emerging talent.

#D Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	BAL	Paul Blair	25	262/296/448		11.8 ZR 1.086 dEff
NL	BBB	Curtis Granderson	27	206/293/495	41 HR 21 SB	2.97 RF -5.2 ARM
NL	HOM	Andrew McCutchen	24	238/325/446	52 SB	.963 fPct
—	IND/ CAG	Jake Stenzel	26	244/293/465	22 SB	2.36 RF .917 dEff

Curtis Granderson and Andrew McCutchen had their names penciled in almost every day … which leads to a question of why they escaped the criticism seen by the tier above? For Granderson, it is answered by his defense, power, and the fact that his deficiency–putting the ball safely in play–was a team-wide issue for Birmingham.

Jake Stenzel stopped hitting for power when he arrived in Chicago, cementing his place in this group, while Paul Blair is only here due to his exceptional defense.

#F Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	PHI	Willie Davis	22	233/282/391	21 SB	16.3 ZR 1.095 dEff
NL	HOD	Jim Edmonds	26	218/280/467		.996 fPct 2.95 RF
NL	KCM	Willie McGee	26	246/279/418	40 SB	11 A .969 fPct
NL	KCM	Dale Murphy	23	193/274/456		.971 fPct .936 dEff
AL	CAG	Cristóbal Torriente	18	186/237/247	24 SB	.993 fPct 1.069 dEff 0.4 ARM

Willie Davis and Jim Edmonds do enough with their gloves to stick around somewhere, and Davis is certainly young enough to improve more offensively. The rest are a challenge: Willie McGee is in danger of losing his job, Dale Murphy has obvious power, but is clearly not best suited for CF, and then there’s Cristóbal Torriente, whose defensive impact is unmistakable, but is clearly overwhelmed at the plate at this point.

#Rookies

This is in incredible rookie class, with Stearnes (S Tier), and Rodríguez, Rogan, and Briggs (all A Tier). And, oh yeah, Dale Murphy way down in the F Tier Tier.

#Fielding Notes

We have our standard defensive stats here, with the leaders in bold and the worst performers in italics. Assists (A), more romantically referred to as Outfield Kills are runners eliminated on the bases. Range Factor (RF) measures the number of plays made per game–the higher the better. Zone Rating (ZR) attempts to credit players for plays other fielders missed and ding them for plays other fielders made–the higher the better, and it has the benefit of being comparative across the position. Defensive Efficiency (dEff) measures the rate at which an individual fielder contributes to outs being made on balls put into play, with any score over 1.000 being a net positive impact. Finally, Fielding Percentage (fPct) reflects the percentage of times a chance was handled without a mistake–if someone made no errors, their fPct would be 1.000.

Of these, Range Factor is the most susceptible to the impact of the pitching staff and the ballpark, although none of these defensive ratings are perfect.

TWIWBL 83.3: The Final Week!

By mknn

On December 28, 2025

In TWIWBL

Some notes as we move through the final week of the season.

#Monday

Miami moved in front of Detroit by a half game in the AL Wild Card race behind a great start from Phenomenal Smith, whose return may be a difference maker for the Cuban Giants. Smith gave up 1 run in 7 innings, moving to 4-0. Hal Newhouser was good for Detroit, but an early homer from Gary Sheffield and a late one from Joe Adcock sealed the game for Miami.

Miami Cuban Giants	77-79	—
Detroit Wolverines	77-80	0.5

AL Wild Card

Cleveland was supposed to have an easy time of it, hosting the lowly Memphis Red Sox. But the Spiders’ bullpen collapsed, and they dropped a 9-8 decision to the visitors, who were powered by homers from Lefty O’Doul, Hack Wilson, and David Ortiz.

New York Black Yankees	89-67	—
Cleveland Spiders	87-69	2

Bill James Division

In a series that means more for Indianapolis than Philadelphia, the ABC’s opened with a decisive win, 15-8 over the Stars. Johnny Bench hit 2 out, and the game wasn’t as close as the score (Philadelphia tallied 5 in the 9th to make it more respectable).

Houston Colt 45s	81-75	—
Indianapolis ABC’s	78-79	3.5
Kansas City Monarchs	77-80	4.5

Marvin Miller Division

Indianapolis ABC’s	78-79	—
Kansas City Monarchs	77-80	1
Wandering House of David	76-81	2

NL Wild Card

#Tuesday

Detroit pulled back into a dead heat with Miami, pounding out 6 homeruns (2 from JD Martinez) in an 11-5 win. Ernie Lombardi, Tony Lazzeri, Oscar Gamble, and Ty Cobb also went deep for the Wolverines in an easy win for the visitors.

Detroit Wolverines	78-80	—
Miami Cuban Giants	77-80	0.5

AL Wild Card

Memphis did it again, beating Cleveland 4-2, and dropping the Spiders 2.5 games behind the Black Yankees. Homers from Reggie Smith and Wade Boggs backed a strong showing from Stubby Overmire, who moved to 13-9 on the year. The Spiders, however, remained only 2 games behind the Black Yankees as New York fell to San Francisco, 9-0, as Bump Hadley improved to 18-6 with a masterful 1-hitter.

New York Black Yankees	89-68	—
Cleveland Spiders	87-70	2

Bill James Division

Philadelphia stormed back from a 7-1 deficit, beating the ABC’s 8-7 on a pinch-hit walkoff shot from Aaron Judge–his 60th of the year–in a game that saw 2 grandslams, one from Indianapolis’ Ed Swartwood, the other from the Stars’ Charles Rogan. This was good news for Houston, who dropped a 9-8 decision to the New York Gothams, who were powered by 2 homeruns from Willie Mays. Houston remains 3.5 games ahead in the Marvin Miller Division.

Riding an excellent start from Rick Reuschel, the House of David pulled into a tie with Kansas City by defeating the Monarchs 3-1. Reuschel was supported by Ryne Sandberg‘s 40th homer of the year, and the win leaves both teams 1 game behind Indianapolis in the Wild Card race.

Houston Colt 45s	81-75	—
Indianapolis ABC’s	78-79	3.5
Kansas City Monarchs	77-80	4.5

Marvin Miller Division

Indianapolis ABC’s	78-80	—
Kansas City Monarchs	77-81	1
Wandering House of David	77-81	1

NL Wild Card

#Wednesday

What you see depends on where you stand: Miami fans will be miserable at their bullpen’s performance, as the Cuban Giants’ relievers surrendered 11 runs over the final 4 innings n an 11-8 loss to Detroit. Wolverines fans, of course, will be applauding the clutch performance of their team, led by Juan Beníquez‘ 4 hits and 3 RBI’s from Charlie Gehringer and Bob Bailey. The win moves Detroit 1.5 games up in the Wild Card chase.

Detroit Wolverines	79-80	—
Miami Cuban Giants	77-81	1.5

AL Wild Card

The Spiders are struggling, but they refuse to give up: a Larry Doby homerun and walkoff RBI single from John Ellis gave Cleveland a 9-8 win over Memphis, keeping them at least within touch of the Black Yankees for the Bill James Division crown. Willie McCovey hit his 15th homerun in 35 games, and Paul O’Neill (the first of his WBL career) and Ron Blomberg also went deep.

The Black Yankees fell to San Francisco, as Eddie Plank earned his 20th win of the season with 6 strong innings for the Sea Lions. San Francisco’s bullpen–Ken Howell, Joe Nathan, and closer Rod Beck–fanned 7 of the 9 batters they retired, with Beck earning his 40th save of the season.

New York Black Yankees	89-69	—
Cleveland Spiders	88-70	1

Bill James Division

Houston bounced back in a big way, using a phenomenal start from Ice Box Chamberlain and 7 homeruns to beat the Gothams, 9-2. Chamberlain allowed 1 hit in just under 8 innings, fanning 12 and 2 of the important cogs in the Colt 45’s late season surge–OF Gorman Thomas and C Will Smith–carried the team, twice launching back-to-back homeruns. Jim Wynn led off the game with a dinger, and Paul Goldschmidt and Jim O’Rourke also went deep.

The victory sealed the pennant for Houston, setting off raucous celebrations in the home dugout. It also meant all of the attention in the NL is now focused on the final Wild Card Spot, currently owned by Indianapolis, but with Kansas City and the House of David hot on their heels (and Homestead still hanging around with at least a mathematical chance).

After fighting back from a 6-1 deficit, Indianapolis suffered a gut-wrenching loss, falling to Philadelphia, 12-8. The Stars were led by homeruns from Sherm Lollar, Harmon Killebrew, Jung Ho Kang, and Sherry Magee.

Ryne Sandberg had 4 hits including a go-ahead solo homer in the bottom of the 8th as the House of David topped Kansas City, 6-5. Jack Taylor continued a late-season rebound with a solid start, but both bullpens struggled in this one. The victory moves the House of David into a dead heat with Indianapolis in the Wild Card chase, with Kansas City 1 game back.

Indianapolis ABC’s	78-81	—
Wandering House of David	78-81	—
Kansas City Monarchs	77-82	1
Homestead Grays	76-83	2

NL Wild Card

#Thursday

Miami just refuses to lose: Cleveland had taken the lead, 5-4 in the 6th inning, but the Cuban Giants scored 8 runs in their final 2 frames in a 12-6 victory. Miami pounded out 17 hits, led by 3 each from Jim Thome and Martín Dihigo. The game was never sure: Cuban Giants pitchers gave up 8 walks, so the Spiders had constant traffic on the basepaths. But they did just enough, with homeruns from Julio Rodríguez, Dihigo, Alejandro Oms, and Thome.

With the result, the Spiders drop to 1.5 games behind the Black Yankees and the Cuban Giants move to 1 game behind Detroit in the Wild Card race.

Detroit Wolverines	79-80	—
Miami Cuban Giants	78-81	1

AL Wild Card

Speaking of the Black Yankees … their bullpen continues to be their Achilles’ heel, with 4 relievers giving up 9 runs in 2.1 innings. Ouch. The big blows were homeruns from Jimmie Foxx and Bobby Bonds as San Francisco defeated New York, 13-10.

New York Black Yankees	89-70	—
Cleveland Spiders	88-71	1

Bill James Division

#Friday

The Black Yankees continue not to grab the Bill James Division by the throat, falling to lowly Baltimore 5-4 in the opening game of the final series of the season. Homers from Eddie Murray, Manny Machado, and a final go-ahead blast from Earl Averill gave the Black Sox the edge in another game that saw less than stellar performances from New York’s bullpen.

Two homers from Gary Sheffield carried Miami to a 5-4 win over Cleveland, preserving New York’s 1 game advantage, and keeping the pressure on Detroit. The Cuban Giants got another strong outing from Jim Whitney, and were able to fade a 9th inning comeback from the Spiders for the victory.

So what will Detroit do with their opportunity?

Play a game for the ages where they held leads of 3-1, 4-2, 9-5, and 10-6. And it was never enough as, after closer Mike Henneman was forced from the game with a back injury, Troy Percival came in and gave up a grand slam to Manny Ramírez and a walkoff shot to Gabby Hartnett. Both Ramírez and Hartnett had 2 homers in the game, while Al Kaline had 2 for Detroit. Kaline had 3 hits and 7 RBIs while Hartnett had 4 hits for Memphis. A true thriller of a game that leaves everything pretty much undecided.

New York Black Yankees	89-71	—
Cleveland Spiders	88-72	1

Bill James Division

Detroit Wolverines	79-81	—
Miami Cuban Giants	79-81	—

AL Wild Card

The House of David fell to Houston 8-2, as all eyes turned to the 4 game series between Indianapolis and Kansas City.

Kansas City’s Smokey Joe Wood and the ABC’s’ Luis Padrón squared off in the series opener and while each pitched well, neither were involved in the decision. Instead, after a 2 run shot from Ducky Medwick tied the game, Kansas City won it on a sacrifice fly from Dale Murphy in the bottom of the 9th. So Padrón fails in his attempt to win his 24th game of the year and, more importantly, Kansas City forces a 3 way dead heat for the final Wild Card spot.

Indianapolis ABC’s	78-82	—
Wandering House of David	78-82	—
Kansas City Monarchs	77-82	—
Homestead Grays	76-84	2

NL Wild Card

#Saturday

Memphis keeps embracing their role as spoiler while relying on a handful of late season call ups. In this case, Bucky Walters gave a good starting performance, Lefty O’Doul had 3 hits, and Wayne Causey drove in 2 with an 8th inning single for a 5-3 victory over Detroit.

It sure looks like Miami has found a key part of their rotation: Phenomenal Smith improved to 5-0, combining with Ricky Nolasco on a 3 hit shutout of Cleveland. Smith struck out 10 before yielding to Nolasco, for the last 2 outs. Martín Dihigo drove in 2 runs, continuing his second half surge.

Miami moves a full game ahead of Detroit for the Wild Card slot, and Cleveland falls 1.5 games behind the Black Yankees for the Bill James Division title, with New York’s magic number reduce to 1.

And then it was none. New York topped Baltimore 11-7 behind homers from Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, and Roger Maris, giving the Black Yankees their first Bill James Division title.

Miami Cuban Giants	80-81	—
Detroit Wolverines	79-82	1

AL Wild Card

Oh boy … Indianapolis has nobody to blame but themselves.

Behind a great start from Johnny Cueto and 3 RBI’s from Oscar Charleston, the ABC’s took a 6-2 lead into the bottom of the 9th, with their closer, Rob Dibble, on the mound. Dibble got one out, and then 16 of his next 20 pitches missed the strike zone, resulting in 4 consecutive walks, scoring a run. Rob Murphy relieved Dibble, and an RBI groundout and 2 wild pitches later, the game was tied at 6.

Cool Papa Bell walked in the bottom of the 10th, stole second, and scored on a hit from Ozzie Smith, moving Kansas City a game ahead in the Wild Card race.

#Sunday

The final day of the season leaves both final Wild Card spots up for grabs: in the AL, Miami has a 1 game lead over Detroit and in the NL, Kansas City has the edge over both Indianapolis and the House of David.

Miami was unable to clinch it: Larry Doby became the 2nd player in WBL history (and the first in the AL) to hit 4 homeruns in a game, driving in 7 as Cleveland topped the Cuban Giants, 13-7. That leaves Miami’s fate in the hands of Detroit later in the day.

Detroit used a mix of the old reliable–2 homeruns from Al Kaline and 1 from Ty Cobb–and the newly acquired (a strong start from Connie Johnson and key innings from Steve Howe and Troy Percival) to beat Memphis, 8-4.

And so, we finish in a dead heat.

Miami Cuban Giants	80-82	—
Detroit Wolverines	80-82	—

AL Wild Card

Eppa Rixey combined with 4 relievers (including an important 1.2 innings from Doc Mitchell), leading the ABC’s to a 7-3 win over Kansas City, meaning Indianapolis and the Monarchs finish with identical 79-83 records. The only question is if the House of David will join them in a 3-way tie for the final playoff spot.

Nope.

The House of David tried valiantly, and even outhit Houston, 10-8, but they fell to the Colt 45’s, 10-9 in a game that saw Tony Gwynn rap out 3 hits, reaching 200 on the season. Richie Hebner, Ryne Sandberg, and Anthony Rizzo each had 2 hits, but they didn’t get enough support as the House of David season ends, falling just short of the postseason.

#Monday

So, two playoff games, winner makes the postseason.

#AL

First up, we have Miami visiting Detroit.

The Cuban Giants will turn to Hugh McQuillan who, despite being roughed up in his last start, has been solid for Miami. If he struggles early, look for Jim Whitney to try to give the team some innings on short rest. For Detroit, Pete Conway will take the mound, also on a pretty short leash.

Ty Cobb may be almost universally disliked, but his baseball talent cannot be denied: he launched a 3 run homer in the top of the first and a grand slam in the 2nd, helping Detroit to a 9-0 lead after 2 innings.

Conway, meanwhile, had allowed a single run on 3 hits through 5, and left after 6 with the score 13-2.

Miami scored 3 in the 9th, but fell well short, 14-5. In the end, a just result, as Detroit really feels like the better team. Still, the Cuban Giants went from being the worst team in the league to being this close to the playoffs: a good year for them.

Cobb finished with 2 homers and 7 RBIs, and Al Kaline, Charlie Gehringer, Ernie Lombardi, and Hank Greenberg each also went deep. There was some bad news on Greenberg, who will be out of action for a few days with a leg injury.

#NL

Indianapolis would turn to Doc White while Kansas City gave the start to young Matt Morris.

Kansas City took an early lead on Albert Pujols‘ second homerun of the game, pulling ahead 6-3 after 3 innings, with the ABC’s runs coming on longballs from George Foster and Chris Sabo.

Morris was OK–not great, but not bad–until Tommy Helms singled and scored on a double from Barry Larkin in the top of the 4th. A Bob Bescher walk put runners on the corner, and fetched Frank Castillo from the bullpen. The move backfired as Sabo and Oscar Charleston singled and, after a couple of outs, Johnny Bench brought home 2 with a single of his own, giving Indianapolis an 8-7 lead. Foster followed with his 2nd dinger of the game, extending the lead to 10-7 and chasing Castillo. His successor, Bob Shawkey, gave upa solo shot to Helms and when all of the dust settled, the ABC’s had scored 8 and were up 11-7.

The ABC’s coasted from there, riding additional homeruns by Ed Charles and Sabo to a 15-8 win, powering Indianapolis into the postseason. Sabo drove in 5 and Foster 4, with each of them notching 3 hits on the day.

Kansas City had ridden its pitching staff all year; here their arms betrayed them, surrendering 14 hits and 15 runs.

TWIWBL 83.2 Spotlight on the Kansas City Monarchs

By mknn

On December 27, 2025

In TWIWBL

An interesting team, and an unusual one in that the Monarchs have a great staff, and frustrating offense in a league dominated by the inverse.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

It’s been a good year for Kansas City: they are in the playoff hunt, and seem well positioned for the future, especially if they can address a highly imbalanced offense.

THE OFFENSE

There’s just a little too much mediocrity here–a lot of players that are solid pieces, but may not be strong enough for lead roles in this league.

#What’s Going Right

The offense revolves around 2 players: Albert Pujols and Stan Musial. Pujols has moved into the elite category this world, with the 22 year old maintaining an OPS over 1.000 with 40 homers and 113 RBIs, all of which lead the team. Musial is a more complicated case: a .900+ OPS is excellent, but 12 homers is just disappointing from Musial’s level of talent. His eye is still excellent, and 59 doubles makes his SLG impressive … but Musial has better seasons in him.

Smokey Joe Wood has an OPS of .887 in about 135 PA’s, making him one of the few 2-way players that actually contributes on both sides.

Ted Simmons remains one of the better hitting catchers in the league, with an OPS in the mid .800s.

Boog Powell is solid at 1B, drawing walks and adding a bit of power.

This team has a ridiculous amount of speed, led by Ozzie Smith‘s 59 SB, but Willie McGee, Frankie Frisch, and Musial each have over 30 steals, and rookie Cool Papa Bell has 15 in only 36 games.

Bell struggled initially, but his roughly 80 points of additional OPS has moved him ahead of McGee in the CF pecking order.

#What’s Not Going Right

Smith, for all his speed and his gold glove level defense, has an OPS well under .700. The value is still there, for sure, but if the Wizard of Oz could contribute just a little more offensively, it could be significant for KC.

Robinson Canó hits barely more than Ozzie, without the rest of the positives, making 2B a pretty sizable weakness for the Monarchs.

There’s nothing wrong with Ducky Medwick or Dale Murphy, but there’s little right as well. Each has power, but not a lot else–if either of them could take a big step forward, the Monarchs could find their 3rd dangerous bat.

THE PITCHING

This is a fantastic staff, top to bottom, with enough depth that some of these arms are likely to be dealt in the offseason as Kansas City tries to gain more offense.

#What’s Going Right

A. Rube Foster has emerged as a legitimate ace, at or near the top of the league in WHIP, BABIP, and most other advanced anlytics for starting pitchers. Foster started the year in the bullpen, but has now made 23 starts and should exceed 200 IP.

Smokey Joe Wood is a great #2, and both José Rijo (he of the first WBL perfect game) and Frank Castillo are far above average behind the top 2 starters.

Throw in youngsters Matt Morris and Adam Wainwright–both of whom have been quite impressive in a handful of starts–and you have a very deep crop of starters.

Craig Kimbrel continues to dominate since being moved into the closer role and Eddie Guardad0, Lee Smith, and the surprising Mike Kume are absolutely lights out in front of him: Kimbrel’s 1.14 WHIP is the worst of that group, as is his 3.48 ERA.

#What’s Not Going Right

Luke Hamlin and Jeff Pfeffer–last year’s #1 and closer respectively–have essentially pitched their way to the bottom of the staff. Hamlin has lost his spot in the rotation, and Pfeffer is essentially a mop-up arm at this point.

Bob Gibson continues to struggle to adapt to the WBL despite his eye-popping stuff.

But to give you a sense of how strong the staff is, those 3 (plus the newly acquired Joe Beggs) are the only hurlers with ERAs over 5.00.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

It’s a good system, with some help available across the board.

Cool Papa Bell and Wade Johnston are highly rated in the OF and Sam Mongin (impressive in his first few games) will force himself into the conversation on the IF as soon as next season. Carlos Baerga, Dink Mothel, Dave Cash, Kolton Wong, or Keston Hiura should provide some options at 2B if the organization gives up on Canó. Baerga may be the best of that group, but at 18 is probably still a few years away.

On the mound, Hilton Smith, Bill Singer, Gene Garber, Joe Blong, and Jack Quinn should all have WBL careers, with Smith probably having the highest ceiling of the group.

WHAT’S NEEDED

Offense. Upgrades could be had everywhere except C and wherever Pujols or Musial end up.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

Who is going to fill out the rotation and the bullpen? This one was answered brilliantly, and the trade for Lee Smith only improved the situation.
3B looks unsettled. Yeah, it still is. Or, more accurately, seems like it still will be. Pujols has played about 120 games there, but it really feels like his future is at a less demanding defensive position.
How does the competition between Ducky Medwick and Steve Evans pan out? Not very well for Evans, who played his way off the 40-man roster, spending most of the season at AAA.

Instead of a Featured Series, you can follow Kansas City’s exploits during the final week in tomorrow’s post.

TWIWBL 81.7: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On November 4, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Houston Colt 45s	74-69	.517	—
Kansas City Monarchs	72-72	.500	2.5
Indianapolis ABC’s	70-73	.490	4
Wandering House of David	69-74	.483	5
Birmingham Black Barons	67-75	.472	6.5

Marvin Miller Division | 9 September

#Birmingham Black Barons

SS Wally Gerber announced his retirement.

JP Arencibia and Eddie Mathews each hit 2 out as Birmingham topped Indianapolis, 9-4. Lefty Gomez carried a no-hitter through 6 innings, and Hank Aaron and Jim Pagliaroni also went deep for the Black Barons.

Then, Adrián González and Albert Belle did the same, pounding 2 homers each in a 13-7 victory over Indianapolis. Belle drove in 6, giving him 99 on the year.

Aaron again hit 2 out, but the Black Barons fell to Houston in 10 innings, 7-6. There were some positives: Greg Maddux had a good start, something of which they’ll need more of if they want to slide into that final Wild Card slot.

#Houston Colt 45s

37 year old backstop Bob Boone announced his retirement, as well as a desire to go into coaching.

The Colt 45’s had one of their most dominant showings of the year in a 22-1 triumph over Ottawa. Roger Clemens improved to 17-9 with 8+ innings and 10 strikeouts, and the team rapped out 8 homeruns, including 2 from Jeff Bagwell. Bagwell drove in 8 on the day, eclipsing the century mark on the season. Paul Goldschmidt, Jim Wynn, Elliott Maddox, Will Smith, Craig Biggio, and Jackie Warner each also went deep for Houston, and the win extended the Colt 45’s lead in the Marvin Miller Division to 4 games.

Indianapolis ABC’s

Luis Padrón remains superlative, improving to 22-3 with a 4 hit shutout of Philadelphia. Chris Sabo had 2 homers as the ABC’s triumphed, 8-0.

George Foster drove in a half-dozen runs as the ABC’s came from behind to beat Philadelphia 10-8. Foster and Ed Charles had 3 hits each and Foster, Charles, and Johnny Bench each went deep.

#Kansas City Monarchs

The Monarchs recalled Dale Murphy from a rehab assignment, sending utility speedster Rex Hudler back to AAA. More importantly, Smokey Joe Wood began his own rehab, with a goal of being back with the big club by the end of the week.

Wood was indeed recalled, with Dustin Hermanson being returned to AAA. Wood will start in the bullpen, but should re-enter the rotation next week.

#Wandering House of David

Jim Clinton began a rehab assignment, and then was recalled with Frank Sullivan heading to AAA.

Speedy minor league OFer Bob Dernier retired.

TWIWBL 79.6: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On September 30, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Houston Colt 45s	66-64	.508	—
Kansas City Monarchs	66-65	.504	0.5
Indianapolis ABC’s	64-67	.489	2.5
Wandering House of David	63-67	.485	3
Birmingham Black Barons	62-68	.477	4

Marvin Miller Division | 27 August

#Houston Colt 45’s

Roy Oswalt fanned 14, but took the loss in a 7-2 defeat by the House of David. Neither Oswalt’s heroics nor Tony Gwynn‘s 4 hits could help Houston, who still maintain a 1 game lead in the Marvin Miller Division.

Travis Jackson, Will Smith, and Jackie Warner were recalled to fill out the Colt 45’s bench.

George Brett went deep twice and Warner hit one out in his first WBL at bat as Houston topped Indianapolis, 11-6.

Wow. Gorman Thomas and Paul Goldschmidt each hit 3 homeruns as Houston topped Indianapolis, 12-7. Roger Clemens wasn’t great, but he did whiff 10 en route to improving his record to 15-9.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Luis Padrón won his 19th game of the year, striking out 10 as the ABC’s topped Homestead, 3-2. Padrón struggled some, but Indianapolis’ bullpen came through with 3 solid innings of relief, including Rob Dibble‘s 19th save of the season, to nail down the victory.

Johnny Bench went deep twice, leading the ABC’s to an 8-2 win over Homestead. Then Joey Votto did the same, hitting 2 out and reaching 30 on the season as the ABC’s topped Houston, 7-5.

Bob Bescher swiped 5 bases, but the ABC’s couldn’t overcome 6 homeruns by Houston in a 12-7 loss.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Albert Pujols hit 2 out to reach 33 on the season, but the Monarchs’ bullpen couldn’t hold a lead and Kansas City fell to Philadelphia, 8-7.

After the game, Dale Murphy suffered a mysterious burn on his arm, and will miss about a week. Sam Mongin was recalled to provide some depth in the middle infield.

José Rijo delivered another gem, this one a 2 hit shutout of Philadelphia. Rijo walked 2 and fanned 6 in the 3-0 win, getting all the support he needed from 3 solo homeruns–2 from Boog Powell and 1 from Robinson Canó.

#Wandering House of David

Both Richie Hebner and Ernie Banks went deep twice, leading the House of David to an 11-4 win over Birmingham.

TWIWBL 78.7: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On September 18, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Kansas City Monarchs	62-62	.500	—
Indianapolis ABC’s	62-63	.496	0.5
Houston Colt 45s	61-62	.496	0.5
Wandering House of David	59-65	.476	3
Birmingham Black Barons	59-66	.472	3.5

Marvin Miller Division | 19 August

#Birmingham Black Barons

Bobby Grich had started his time with Birmingham in an 0-17 slump, but hit an early homerun and a late double in a 9-7 win over the ABC’s. Jim Pagliaroni was the hero, as his walk off grand slam in the 13th, his 36th dinger of the year, was the difference.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Tug McGraw and Casey Stengel were recalled from their rehab assignments.

Thanks to a game shortened by rain to 5 innings, Toad Ramsey got credit for his 3rd shutout and 7th complete game of the season, allowing 1 hit to Kansas City on a 1-0 win for Houston.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Indianapolis recalled pitchers Eddie Watt and Paul Derringer from AAA, along with position players Dan Driessen, Dave Henderson, Ross Youngs, Ed Swartwood, and Hal Morris.

Luis Padrón won his league-leading 18th game, carrying a 3 hit shutout into the 9th inning. He tired rapidly, and eventually needed help from the bullpen in the 7-3 win over Birmingham, but still fanned 11 batters in the effort.

Johnny Bench hit 2 out, including a 3 run shot in the top of the 13th, but it wasn’t enough as the ABC’s fell to Birmingham, 9-7.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Where has this been all year? Luke Hamlin needed help at the end, but still combined with Craig Kimbrel on a 2 hit shutout as the Monarchs topped the Gothams, 4-0.

Dale Murphy‘s 25th homer of the year helped support (another) great effort from A. Rube Foster as the Monarchs topped Houston, 2-1. Foster reached double-digits in wins, improving his record to 10-5.

#Wandering House of David

The House of David hit 7 homeruns, 3 by Mark McGwire, in a 9-2 win over Birmingham. As importantly, it was another solid outing from Jack Taylor, who may have emerged from the horrors of the first half of his season. McGwire now has 14 homers in about 100 PA’s, arguing for a WBL role despite struggling to move his average over .200.

Pete Browning was recalled from his latest rehab assignment, along with Tony Conigliaro, Billy Williams, and Billy Herman. Pitchers Scott Downs, Kerry Wood, and Frank Sullivan also joined the big league club.

We’ve been waiting for a long time for someone, anyone, in the WBL to hit 4 homeruns in a game. What we didn’t expect was that a rookie would do it, let alone in his first game. But that’s what Tony Conigliaro did: 3 homeruns, followed by being hit by a pitch, followed by a 9th inning shot for his 4th of the day. Mark McGwire hit 2, and between the 2 of them, Conigliaro and McGwire drove in 9 runs in the 11-9 win over Philadelphia.

Ernie Banks had 5 hits and 2 homeruns in a 13 inning, 11-10 victory over Philadelphia and then Banks did it again, with another 2 homers in an extra-inning affair, this one a 15 inning marathon win over the Stars by a score of 5-3. Banks now has 50 homeruns on the season.