Tag: Danny Green

TWIWBL 24.19: Mid-Season Reviews – Wandering House of David

On May 6, 2022

Summary

The House of David is too good to tank for the season, but really don’t have a shot at catching the three teams ahead of them.

What’s Gone Right

Elrod & Stone. Probably the least likely dominant duo in the league. C Elrod Hendricks and OF George Stone are among the best in the league, with OPS’ approaching 1.000.

Pete Browning. Pete Browning has played in just over half of the House of David’s games. In that time he has been one of their dominant players, electrifying at the plate and on the basepaths.

Surprises on the Mound. The best arms for the House of David may not be who was expected, but that doesn’t mean the trio of SP Jack Taylor, RP Bob Rush, and closer Bruce Sutter haven’t been excellent.

What’s Gone Wrong

Pete Browning’s Health. Like I said, Browning has played in just over half of their games, making two trips to the DL.

Big Red. Mark McGwire puts on a great show in batting practice … but has hit himself down to AAA once the games start.

Not Enough Help. Dan Ford has been a pleasant surprise and Ryne Sandberg solid at 2B. Beyond that … it’s all pure mediocrity.

Key Storylines

The biggest is whether the pitching staff can come together. There have been moments when it seemed on the verge, but then C.C. Sabathia or Rollie Fingers or someone else would start to struggle.

Browning’s health is probably the most important thing, though. The performances of Hendricks and Stone have been excellent, if Browning is able to add to them, they House of David could move into contention.

Trading Outlook

BUYING.

Or maybe holding. Or buying.

How do they convert some of the aging value they have into talent without totally tanking the season? Players like Lee Smith, Sandberg, Sutter, and Ford would have value, but only if the House of David is no longer trying to compete this season … which makes it sound like they should stand pat until the later trading period.

AAA Shuttle

Ford has earned a starting OF role. Other than that, not a ton of help so far.

Midseason Changes

Frank Chance, McGwire, and Jim Edmonds all head back to AAA.

Awards

All Stars: Elrod Hendricks (C); George Stone (LF).

Player of the Week: Pete Browning (4/17); Elrod Hendricks (6/12)

Offensive MVP: Elrod Hendricks (C)
Pitching MVP: Bob Rush (SP)

Down on the Farm

AAA: Columbus Blue Birds

Next to the Show: 3B Jung Ho Kang, C Gabby Hartnett, 1B Anthony Rizzo

Prospects: C Frank Chance (22)

Projects: 3B Jung Ho Kang (28)

Suspects: P Wild Bill Hutchinson (35)

AA: Atlantic City Bacharach Giants

Prospects: Ps Joe Nuxhall (15) & Larry Dierker (17)

Projects: OF Danny Green (22), SS Luis Aparicio (22), 2B Billy Herman (23), OF Olaf Henriksen (23)

Suspects: P Justin Grimm (25), P Bob Shaw (26), OF John Shelby (31)

TWIWBL 19.1: AA Roundup

By mknn

On February 23, 2022

In TWIWBL, WBL Minor Leagues

{ Whoops. This never got published, despite being about 3 weeks ago, in terms of game-time.

It’s the first of June, so it’s time to look at the minor leagues; throughout, we identify both the AAA team and their WBL franchise. }

Featured Team: Albuquerque Isotopes

When writing the April summary, Albuquerque’s teenage pitchers caught my eye, so they’re the focus this time around. This is a bit of a departure, as the Isotopes have a mediocre 28-25 record, 5 games behind in the AA-West. This represents a fairly strong degree of underperformance, as (other than homeruns), Albuquerque is one of the top offenses in the league.

Two of their better performers–OF Cy Williams and IF Bunny Downs–have been promoted to AAA. That hurts, as Williams led the team with 11 homeruns and 35 RBIs and Downs’ 360/436/472 was a key cog in their offensive engine.

OF Danny Green‘s 11 homeruns and 34 RBIs pace the Isotopes currently, and a trio of infielders–Bert Campaneris (333/379/580), Frank Grant (312/408/453), and Luis Aparicio (339/394/402)–have kept the offense going. But it’s a team that really could use some pop: after Green, Campaneris has 5 homeruns and Cap Anson has 4, and that’s it.

Which brings us to the real interesting part. Albuquerque’s pitching staff is led by a trio of teenagers. 17 year-old Larry Dierker has been the best of them at 7-4 with a 3.93 ERA and Joe Nuxhall, at a tender 15 years of age, is 5-1 with a fantastic 2.18 ERA. They’re joined by 19 year old Jack Jenkins, who has chipped in with a 3-0 record.

Jeff Heathcock–at the venerable age of 23–anchors the bullpen with 11 saves and Tom Harrison (20 years old) has been almost unhittable as his setup man.

#Checking In On …

We left the Madison Black Wolf struggling at 6-20, having lost 15 consecutive games. They’ve stabilized slightly, sitting going 10-17 since that point. They’re still in last place, but it’s certainly an improvement. Scott Radinsky is all the way up to 7 saves.

#AA Leaders

In terms of record, Vern Law (9-0; Syracuse/Homestead), Al Spalding (8-1; Troy/New York Gothams), and John Anderson (7-0; Montgomery/Birmingham) lead the way. Sean O’Sullivan (Las Vegas/Los Angeles) leads the league with a 1.80 ERA, followed by phenom Joe Nuxhall (Albuquerque/House of David) at 2.18.

Steve Bedrosian (Montgomery)’s 17 saves have already gotten him promoted to the big leagues, leaving Heathcliff Slocumb (Hudson Valley/New York Black Yankees) the league leader with 13. (Mychal Givens also has 13, but Homestead has already moved him to AAA.) Montgomery’s Rick Camp (3-1, 2 saves, 5 holds, 0.90 WHIP) and Hudson Valley’s Joba Chamberlain (1-2, 5 holds, 1.08 WHIP) deserve a mention as well.

Offensively, John Briggs (Jersey City/Brooklyn) and Jimmie Foxx (Sacramento/San Francisco) have dominated the league. Briggs is hitting 333/455/559 with 37 RBIs and Foxx has 19 homeruns and a .705 slugging. Willie Crawford of Tulsa/Memphis leads the league with a .367 average and a .466 OBP. Oklahoma City/Kansas City’s Kolten Wong leads AA with 45 RBIs.

#AA Awards

AA Pitcher of the Month: Al Spalding, Troy/New York Gothams
AA Batter of the Month: Ken Keltner, Rochester/Cleveland

AA Players of the Week: Kolten Wong (Oklahoma City); Travis Jackson (Austin/Houston); Nate Colbert (Montgomery/Birmingham); Charlie Grimm (Rochester/Cleveland).

#Hottest Prospects (24 Years and Younger)

SP: Vern Law (24; Syracuse/Homestead) 9-0, 2.88 ERA; Joe Nuxhall (15; Albuquerque/House of David) 5-1, 2.18 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 77 K [*]; Al Spalding (24; Troy/New York Gothams) 8-1, 3.62 ERA.
RP: Heathcliff Slocumb (24; Hudson Valley/New York Black Yankees) 0-2, 2.89 ERA, 13 Sv; Rick Camp (23; Montgomery/Birmingham) 3-1, 3.63 ERA, 5 H; Elmer Burkart (19; San Diego/Los Angeles) 2-0, 1.12 ERA.

C: Frankie Hayes (24; Vancouver/Portland) 282/377/664, 17 HR. [*]
1B: Jimmie Foxx (20; Sacramento/San Francisco) 313/395/705, 19 HR. [*]
2B: Kolten Wong (23; Oklahoma City/Kansas City) 295/337/608, 45 RBI.
3B: Ken Keltner (22; Rochester/Cleveland) 289/372/615.
SS: Travis Jackson (21; Austin/Houston) 298/340/555, 43 RBI.
OF: Adam Dunn (21; Nashville/Indianapolis) 317/442/698; Willie Crawford (17; Tulsa/Memphis) 367/466/627, 20 2B [*]; John Briggs (20; Jersey City/Brooklyn) 333/455/559, 43 R, 43 BB.

Bold indicates league leader; * indicates a player selected for April’s list as well.

TWIWBL 23.1: AA & AAA All-Star Rosters

By mknn

On February 9, 2022

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

Because they deserve some love, too …

Note that these are all AI selections, so some may be weird (like Joe Harris playing 2B at AAA). The first time an affiliate is listed, I’ve also listed their WBL organization. All-Star Game starters are bold.

AAA All-Star Rosters

In a rich-get-richer moment, the New York Black Yankees lead the way, with 6 selections for the visitors coming from the Newark Eagles. For the Home team, the Memphis Red Sox affiliate, the New Orleans Pelicans, send 6 players and the Cincinnati Tigers (Indianapolis ABC’s) have 5.

Visiting Team

C: Smoky Burgess (Newark/New York Black Yankees); Andy Etchebarren (Buffalo/Cleveland Spiders); Butch Wynegar (Norfolk/Philadelphia Stars).
1B: Cecil Cooper (Norfolk); Carlos Peña (Orlando/Miami Cuban Giants).
2B: Bobby Knoop (Buffalo).
3B: Chris Brown (Newark); Art Devlin (Hartford/New York Gothams).
LF: Matt Holliday (Queens/Brooklyn Royal Giants); Joe Rudi (Atlanta); George Van Haltren (Montréal).
CF: Curt Flood (Queens); Benny Kauff (Hartford); Andy Pafko (Atlanta/Birmingham Black Barons); Chick Stahl (Washington/Baltimore Black Sox).
RF: Joe Harris (Newark); Jackie Jensen (Montréal/Ottawa Mounties); Aaron Judge (Norfolk); Al Kaline (Toronto/Detroit Wolverines); Merv Rettenmund (Washington).

SP: George Blaeholder (Washington); AJ Burnett (Newark); Jim Clinton (Newark); Bill Laskey (Norfolk); George Mullin (Toronto); Johnny Podgajny (Montréal).
RP: Darren Dreifort (Queens); Mike Griffin (Toronto); Bryan Hickerson (Newark); Mickey Lolich (Toronto).

Home Team

C: Gabby Hartnett (Columbus/Wandering House of David); Hal King (Milwaukee/Chicago American Giants); Cliff W. Lee (Seattle/Portland).
1B: Wally Joyner (Las Vegas/Los Angeles Angels); Anthony Rizzo (Columbus); Joey Votto (Cincinnati/Indianapolis ABC’s); Kevin Young (Louisville/Homestead Grays).
2B: Ron Hunt (San Jose/San Francisco Sea Lions); DJ LeMahieu (San Antonio/Houston Colt 45’s).
3B: Sal Bando (San Jose); Jung Ho Kang (Columbus)
SS: Francisco Lindor (New Orleans/Memphis Red Sox)
LF: Bob Watson (Milwaukee)
CF: Charlie Hemphill (Cincinnati)
RF: Dwight Evans (New Orleans); Pete Rose (Cincinnati); Paul Waner (Louisiville).

SP: Nick Altrock (San Jose); Joe Blong (St. Louis/Kansas City Monarchs); Bob Friend (Louisville); Joe Kelly (New Orleans); Jock Menefee (St. Louis); Billy Pierce (Louisville); Eppa Rixey (Cincinnati); Frank Smith (Milwaukee); Virgil Trucks (Cincinnati).
RP: Bill Doak (New Orleans); Luke Gregerson (San Antonio); Tug McGraw (San Antonio); Mike Timlin (New Orleans).

Joe Rudi would lead the visitors to a 6-2 victory with a 3-run homerun.

Visitors 6 (Lolich 1-0; Blaeholder 1 H) @ Home 2 (Timilin 0-1, 1 BSv)
HRs: Home – Rudi (1); Visitors – Lee (1)
Box Score

AA All-Star Rosters

The Sacramento Solons (San Francisco Sea Lions) dominate the AA team for the visitors, with 7 players, while the Albuquerque Isotopes (Wandering House of David) have 6 and the Jersey City Skeeters (Brooklyn Royal Giants) 5. For the home team, both the Oklahoma City Redhawks (Kansas City Monarchs) and Montgomery Biscuits (Birmingham Black Barons) have 7 players in the game and the Austin Black Senators (Houston Colt 45’s) 5.

Visiting Team

C: Frankie Hayes (Vancouver/Portland Sea Dogs); Phil Lombardi (Jersey City/Brooklyn Royal Giants); Steve O’Neill (Troy/New York Gothams); Mark Salas (San Diego/Los Angeles Angels).
1B: Jimmie Foxx (Sacramento/San Francisco Sea Lions); Charlie Grimm (Rochester/Cleveland Spiders); Tim Harkness (Syracuse/Homestead Grays); Buck Jordan (Vancouver).
2B: Wally Backman (San Diego); Dick Green (Sacramento); Cookie Lavagetto (San Diego); Tyler Pastornicky (San Diego); Ed Romero (Jersey City).
3B: Xander Bogaerts (San Diego); Ken Keltner (Rochester); Hank Majeski (Jersey City); Mike Moustakas (Sacramento).
SS: Luis Aparicio (Albuquerque/Wandering House of David); Bert Campaneris (Albuquerque); Jack Wilson (Syracuse).
LF: Morrie Arnovich (Jersey City).
CF: John Briggs (Jersey City); Otto Briggs (Edmonton); Kevin Pillar (Hudson Valley).
RF: Danny Green (Albuquerque); Don Mueller (Troy).

SP: Dwight Bernard (Hudson Valley); Larry Dierker (Albuquerque); Matt Guerrier (Vancouver); Don Hood (Hudson Valley); Lew Krausse, Jr. (Troy); Jack Neagle (Rochester); Joe Nuxhall (Albuqueque); Al Spalding (Troy).
RP: Matt Barnes (Sacramento); Chad Gaudin (Sacramento); Joe Klink (Sacramento); Marty Kutyna (Jersey City); James Russell (Albuquerque); Turk Wendell (Sacramento).

Home Team

C: Josh Billings (Madison/Chicago American Giants); Rick Cerone (Austin/Houston Colt 45’s); Phil Masi (Charlotte/Baltimore Black Sox); Abe Wolstenholme (Nashville/Indianapolis ABC’s).
1B: Prince Fielder (Atlantic City/Philadelphia Stars); Greg Norton (Oklahoma City/Kansas City Monarchs); David Ortiz (Tulsa/Memphis Red Sox).
2B: Ken Boswell (Tulsa); Dave Cash (Oklahoma City); Charlie Gehringer (Fort Wayne/Detroit Wolverines); Jorge Orta (Fort Wayne); Kolten Wong (Oklahoma City).
3B: Joe Crede (Madison); Butch Hobson (Tulsa); Billy Nash (Fort Wayne); Candy Jim Taylor (Montgomery/Birmingham Black Barons).
SS: Woody English (Montgomery); Zoilo Versalles (Havana/Miami Cuban Giants).
LF: George Foster (Nashville); Pete Hill (Austin); Johnny Jeter (Fort Wayne).
CF: Richie Ashburn (Atlantic City); Bama Rowell (Austin).
RF: Adam Dunn (Nashville); Tommy McCarthy (Oklahoma City); Larry Sheets (Charlotte).

SP: Frank Bertaina (Charlotte); Lefty Clarke (Montgomery); Dick Jones (Montgomery); Jim Kaat (Austin); Kyle Kendrick (Austin); Andrew Miller (Tulsa); Bill Singer (Oklahoma City); Jeremy Sowers (Fort Wayne).
RP: John Anderson (Montgomery); Dick Coffman (Montgomery); Al Hrabosky (Oklahoma City); Ben Johnson (Montgomery); Mike Kume (Oklahoma City); Dave Smith (Charlotte).

Bama Rowell drove in 3 runs with a bases-loaded triple, leading the home team to a 10-2 victory in the All-Star Game. Richie Ashburn had 2 hits as well.

Visitors 2 (Nuxhall 0-1) @ Home 10 (Kendrick 1-0)
HRs: Visitors – Danny Green (1), Foxx (1); Home – Boswell (1)
Box Score

Spring Training Preview: House of David

By mknn

On June 19, 2020

In 2000 Spring Training, Team News

The pitching staff is relatively set, although there is competition between Nick Altrock, Lynn Brenton, Wade Miley, and Lee Smith for some bullpen roles.
- Rick Reuschel has been poor and Frank Sullivan, Bob Rush, Fergie Jenkins, and Jack Taylor have been no better than acceptable. So the rotation, other than C.C. Sabathia, is a lot more open now. Altrock has been quite good and should get a shot, as will Kerry Wood, who was called up when Pedro Strop went down injured.
  - Sabathia, Altrock, and Miley seem to have settled rotation spots, with Jenkins and Sullivan a little ahead of Taylor and Rush. Reuschel has been sent to AAA with 15 year old Joe Nuxhall recalled to get a taste of big league camp.
- In the bullpen, Jeff Heathcock, Brenton, and Smith have all suffered, while Joakim Soria and Bruce Sutter have moved up the depth chart.
  - The back 3 of Sutter, Soria, and Tom Niedenfuer has been spectacular. Heathcock, Wood, and Smith are all in danger of missing the opening day roster at this point. Brenton has been sent to AAA with Dick Tidrow and Hector Rondon being called into camp.
C is pretty wide open, with Gabby Hartnett and Elrod Hendricks competing for the starting job. Frank Chance could force himself into the picture as well, although it is doubtful his future is behind the plate.
- So far, Hendricks has been crushing the ball, while Hartnett is yet to really get going.
Anthony Rizzo, Mark Grace, and Dave Altizer are in open competition at 1B, as are Dick Lundy and Ernie Banks at SS.
- Banks has moved well ahead of Lundy at SS.
- Altizer and Cap Anson are struggling mightily to contribute, and may miss the roster.
Dan Ford, Danny Green, or Sammy Sosa need a great Spring to force themselves into the OF picture.
- The Philadelphia OF has been on fire all Spring, but Ford is certainly in the conversation, and Green has played himself back to AAA.
  - Patsy Dougherty is struggling, but overall this group is smashing the ball. Olaf Henriksen has been recalled for some more OF flexibility.
Robinson Cano and Frank Grant have been crushing the ball at 2B, casting doubts on Ryne Sandberg as the starter. Similarly, Richie Hebner and Jung Ho Kang are outperforming Ron Santo at 3B.
- Competition at 2B has tightened up between the 3 of them.
- Kang has gone ice cold, earning himself a trip to AAA.

	Near Definite	Likely	Possible	Long Shot
Starting Pitchers	CC Sabathia	Nick Altrock Wade Miley	Ferguson Jenkins Bob Rush Frank Sullivan Jack Taylor	Kerry Wood
Middle Relievers			Lee Smith Jeff Heathcock	~~Pedro Stroup~~ Hector Rondon Dick Tidrow Joe Nuxhall
Setup	Joakim Soria Bruce Sutter
Closer	Tom Niedenfuer
C		Gabby Hartnett Elrod Hendricks	Frank Chance
1B		Anthony Rizzo Mark Grace		Dave Altizer Cap Anson
2B			Ryne Sandberg Robinson Cano Frank Grant
3B		Ron Santo Richie Hebner
SS		Ernie Banks	Dick Lundy
OF		Patsy Dougherty George Gore Bobby Bonds Jerry Mumphrey Dan Ford	George Stone	Sammy Sosa Olaf Henriksen