The surprising Steve Gromek headed to the DL, prompting the Spiders to recall the to-date ineffective Hank Gastright once more.
Ed Bailey hit 2 out, but a late comeback fell short as the Spiders fell to Los Angeles, 11-8.
#Detroit Wolverines
Al Kaline hit out 2, reaching 20 for the year, as the Wolverines topped Chicago, 7-5 behind a strong outing from Charlie Root, who evened his record at 8-8.
Joakim Soria will miss a few weeks, prompting Detroit to recall Dick Donovan from AAA.
#Memphis Red Sox
Both Billy Bryan and Ted Williams hit 2 homeruns in an insane game that saw the Red Sox lose, 17-15 to Baltimore in 10 innings. The two teams combined for 19 runs in the final 3 innings in the see-saw affair.
You finish as the runner-up, you’re supposed to get back there next year. Championship competition for sure. This is just a very well-balanced team: none of the pitchers are really superstars, but Charlie Root, Hal Newhouser, and Gene Conley could hang with any trio in the league. Likewise, the offense revolves around two stars (Ty Cobb and Hank Greenberg) and a solid supporting cast.
Best Case
It all keeps humming, with especially both Root and Conley being able to maintain their level of performance on the mound while supporting talent–the Bailey Boys (3B Bill and C Ed) and the Davis Duo (OF Chili and SS George) especially–keep on keeping on and youngster Al Kaline continues to deliver on his promise.
Worst Case
The pitching seems like it could collapse at any time–especially the bullpen, where Mike Henneman (despite tying for the league lead in saves) feels somewhat precarious. Four key players (Ed Bailey, George Davis, Tony Phillips, and Oscar Gamble) are on the wrong side of 30, so falling off a cliff is always a concern.
Key Questions
Who is the 5th starter?
Can the 3 catchers continue to be an effective approach (meaning, worth sacrificing the roster spot to carry both Bill Carrigan and Ernie Lombardi behind Ed Bailey)?
The MI is a concern: George Davis is a wizard with the glove, but cannot hit and 2B clearly needs a long term solution given Phillips’ age.
Trade Bait
No obvious opportunities.
Or so we thought until it became clear that Charlie Gehringer, offering a long term solution at 2B, could be available.
Roster Evaluation
POS
Elite
Strong
Solid
Meh
Weak
Unknown
C
Carrigan
Bailey, E
Lombardi
1B
Greenberg
Beníquez
2B
Phillips
Gehringer Wood
3B
Bailey, B
Nash
SS
Davis, G
LF/ RF
Cobb
Gamble Kaline
CF
Davis, C
SP
Conley Root
Aguirre Newhouser
Verlander
Marcum
End
Napier
Bradford Henneman
RP
Wilshere
Hoeft Conway
New Addition | Injured
Al Kaline gets moved down a little due to low usage, but he certainly looks like the real deal.
That’s a lot of unknowns for a contender. But none of them are really in key spots, although Billy Nash, who isn’t truly a SS, will have to fill in there until George Davis‘ return.
Talent Ratings
WBL
Minors
Raw Power
OF Oscar Gamble
DH JD Martinez
Batting Eye
U Tony Phillips
OF Floyd Robinson
Contact
OF Ty Cobb
OF Ron Swoboda
Running Speed
OF Ty Cobb
OF Dan Gladden
Base Stealing
OF Ty Cobb
SS Ray Chapman
IF Defense
1B Hank Greenberg
3B Jimmy Collins
OF Defense
RF Al Kaline
CF Jim Piersall
Stuff
P Vernon Wilshire
P Wilson Álvarez
Control
RP Chad Bradford
RP Dick Donovan
Velocity
RP Mike Henneman
P Delin Betances
Best In The Minors
Rank
Age
POS
Name
1 (17)
21
OF
Al Kaline
2 (68)
19
SS
Wander Franco
3 (73)
23
P
Emil Yde
4 (113)
24
2B
Charlie Gehringer
5 (121)
23
P
George Mullin
6 (175)
18
P
Billy Hoeft
7 (198)
20
3B
Billy Nash
Others: None.
Hoeft and Franco were a surprise this Spring, with Hoeft, Nash, Gehringer, and Kaline all breaking camp with the Wolverines. That’s the good news. The bad news is the cupboard is bare at this point.
Most
Least
Age
U Tony Phillips, 38
RP Billy Hoeft, 18 C Bill Freehan, 18
Height
P Gene Conley, 6’8″
SS Bill McClellan, 5’5″ SS Earl Adams, 5’5″
OPS
OF Hi Myers, 1.019 (WBL/AAA)
1B Eric Hosmer, .509 (WBL)
HR
3B Joe Werrick, 51 (WBL)
OF Wally Moses, 1 (AAA/AA) SS George Davis, 1 (AAA/AA) 2B Earl Adams, 1 (WBL)
SB
OF Ty Cobb, 52 (WBL)
Many with 0
WAR
OF Al Kaline, 4.9 (WBL)
1B Eric Hosmer, -3.0 (WBL)
W
Ray Washburn, 17 (—)
Doyle Alexander, 1 (WBL/AAA/AA)
SV
Mike Henneman, 38 (WBL)
ERA
Ray Washburn, 2.44 (—)
Dennis Rasmussen, 6.75 (—)
WAR
Ray Washburn, 5.6 (—)
Vernon Wilshire, -0.7 (WBL/AAA)
Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.