Tag: Don Buford Page 1 of 5

TWIWBL 90.1: Off Season Review – Los Angeles Angels

On March 24, 2026

74 - 88, .457 pct.
3rd in Cum Posey Division, 29 GB

Overall

This is a franchise in a bit of crisis, struggling to figure out how to build a team around not one, but two, legitimate MVP candidates in Mike Trout and Kal Daniels. Right now, though, that’s all the Angels have–there is some potential on the mound, but Gerrit Cole‘s disastrous fall from last season’s heights is a reminder of how precarious that can be.

It’s just not clear how the Angels get out of the rut of mediocrity at this point, although if you squint you could convince yourself the pitching will come around and there are enough bit pieces around the two superstars–certainly the mid-season acquisition of Freddie Freeman helps in that regard.

What Went Right

Kal Daniels & Mike Trout were each incredible, combining for 79 homeruns, 81 doubles, 100 SB, 213 RBIs, and 217 runs scored. Just incredible output and with Daniels being 24 and Trout 22, the futures look bright.

Freddie Freeman finally found a home, and immediately began hitting at the same level as Daniels and Trout over about 30 games.

Carlos Delgado keeps rolling along, with the 32 year old veteran leading the team with 44 homeruns and decent secondary numbers.

Between Gene Tenace and Ron Hassey, the long nightmare at catcher may be finally solved for the Angels (but they’ve thought this before as well).

Similarly, Eddie Joost‘s power may have laid a claim to the role at SS and Bill Doran‘s bat may have earned him the 2B spot, although both need to perform well this Spring to cement those positions.

On the mound, Brett Anderson was a revelation, finishing 11-6 with a 4.34 ERA and an excellent 1.12 WHIP. Anderson made 31 starts and seems a lock to lead the rotation.

Doc Gooden was better than an 11-11 pitcher. His floor is a 180+ innings eater, and his ceiling is much, much higher.

Roy Patterson and Ross Reynolds were totally unheralded coming into the season and each were excellent, with Patterson likely moving into the rotation next season. Similarly, Julio Teheran, used in relief all year, may be asked to join the starters.

Elmer Smith hit poorly and pitched better than his 4-5, 6.45 numbers would indicate. He has a semi-realistic shot at contributing both on the mound and in LF. But now we’re moving into what didn’t go badly as opposed to what went well.

ALL STARS

Bobby Grich (subsequently traded)
Doc Gooden

MAJOR AWARDS

Ichiro Suzuki: AL RF Gold Glove

RECOGNITIONS

Brett Anderson, All AL 3rd Team; AL 23 & Under Team
Kal Daniels, All AL 2nd Team; AL All-Rounder 2nd Place
AJ Pierzynski, AL Rookie 2nd Team of the Year
Ross Reynolds, All AL 2nd Team; AL Rookie Team of the Year
Tom Seaver, AL Rookie 2nd Team of the Year
Elmer Smith, AL Rookie Team of the Year
Ichiro Suzuki, AL Rookie 2nd Team of the Year
Julio Teheran, AL 23 & Under Team
Mike Trout, Mel Trench Award 3rd Place; All AL 3rd Team

ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDS

Mike Trout, MVP
Brett Anderson, Pitcher of the Year
Carlos Delgado, Heart & Soul
Kal Daniels, Fan Favorite

Luke Walker, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Pedro Álvarez, Minor League Player of the Year

What Went Wrong

Most notably, Gerrit Cole imploded, going 7-15 with an ERA well over 6. Cole was the staff ace last season.

The wealth of SP talent continues to not deliver, from Tom Seaver and Pud Galvin–thoroughly mediocre as a full time starter–to the parade of arms given a shot from Nolan Ryan to Harry Howell, Noah Lowry to Bill Doak to John Lackey to … you get the idea.

Francisco Rodríguez, given the job after Joe Nathan was traded, was among the worst closers in the league.

C was a misery for most of the year, with John Stearns, Jeff Torborg, and AJ Pierzynski all stinking up the joint (Pierzynski’s rookie recognition was more due to how few rookie backstops there were than anything else).

Nobody played SS well, with George Wright, Jay Bell, and Freddie Patek all given a shot.

Ichiro Suzuki played in 140 games as a rookie, with stellar defense, but only managed a .688 OPS with little power and virtually zero plate discipline (7 walks total).

Doug Rader, a borderline MVP candidate last year, became a shockingly pedestrian 3B.

Steve Garvey continues to be a mediocre bat without a clear position in the field.

Transactions

March

None.

July

OF Don Buford to NYG for IF Freddie Patek, 2nd Round Pick, & 5th Round Pick.

Sure, as long as the picks are solid. Buford wasn’t going to be here when the Angels turn things around, so it’s a solid haul.

August

IF Bobby Grich & 3rd Round Pick to BBB for C Gene Tenace, P Vic Willis, & 1st Round Pick.

Grich is an all star, but the return is high, with both Tenace and Willis looking to be contributors. We’ll see about the 1st rounder, but it seems like a solid trade.

P Joe Nathan, IF Wally Joyner, 1st Round Pick to SFS for IF Eddie Miller, IF Freddie Freeman.

Given Freeman’s debut, this seems like a win, even if the 1st round pick turns into something (and especially given that Los Angeles still has one from the Grich trade).

Positional Overview

C

Maybe, just maybe, this is settled with Hassey and Tenace. Maybe.

The Angels are still high on John Stearns but there’s not a lot of evidence as to why.

1B

This looks, finally, to be solved with Freeman’s arrival, who will be spelled by Delgado (who is more suited to DH as he ages).

Steve Garvey seems better suited for this side of the infield, but he is now blocked by Freeman. Babe Herman may get a look here in the Spring as well.

2B

Wide open.

Bill Doran and Mark Ellis are the favorites here, but Jay Bell and Freddie Patek–while more natural at SS–can both play here, and veteran Bucky Harris may have performed well enough to get a look.

This is likely to be resolved in ST or via a trade.

SS

Eddie Joost and Jay Bell will likely fight this one out, with the defensive wizardry of George Wright and Andrelton Simmons looming in the background.

Xander Bogaerts is a dark horse here as well, and at 24 is getting to the point of needing to hit a WBL roster soon.

3B

Doug Rader should get a chance to bounce back, and Garvey is occasionally useful here, but this still looks like an area where improvement is needed.

That could come from David Wright or Pedro Álvarez, who should start the year at AAA.

LF/RF

Pretty much set with Daniels and Suzuki, whose struggles will be written off to an adjustment year. Elmer Smith will see some time here as well.

Curt Motton may be available for depth, and Brandon Nimmo is probably the best lower level corner OF prospect at this point.

CF

Trout should patrol here for quite a while, with the Angels faced with the question of what kind of backup they prefer: Brian Giles is solid offensively, while Devon White can chase them down with the best of them.

Jack Gleason (miserable in a WBL trial this year) and Albie Pearson offer some depth as well.

DH

Delgado should transition to a full time (or nearly so) DH next season.

SP

Brett Anderson and Gooden are a lock, and Cole will be given another year to see whether last year’s great season or this year’s bad one is more indicative of his future.

Beyond that, it’s open season, with Harry Howell, Vic Willis, Elmer Smith, Mike Krukow, Bill Doak, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, and Luke Walker all in the mix.

RP

You Could add Roy Patterson, Pud Galvin, and Julio Teheran to the list of starting candidates, but those three are likely to make the bullpen regardless, along with Ross Reynolds.

The team seems committed to giving Francisco Rodríguez another shot at closing games.

Two more interesting names: Chuck Finley and Jonny Venters are both likely fully recovered come Spring Training, and either or both could make the team.

Draft Outlook

DRAFT PICKS

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

They just need talent. Yeah, LF/CF/1B are sewn up for a while, but they just need talent.

TWIWBL 88.4: Off Season Review – New York Gothams

By mknn

On March 3, 2026

In Season Reviews, TWIWBL

{ Welcome to the first of these! We’re doing a quick overview for each of the 20 teams, more to clarify where they are before the Winter Meetings and the Rookie Draft in December. }

75 - 87, .463 pct.
5th in Effa Manley Division, 24 GB

Overall

A miserable year, and a particularly horrid back half of the season. This marked quite a fall for a team that won 87 games last season, finishing only 2 games out in their division and making the playoffs.

There is some talent here to build around, but the on-field product has not gelled, leaving the top half of the lineup with far too little support. And the less said about the pitching–especially the rotation–the better. The leading batters–Buster Posey and Willie Mays, especially, but well supported by Will Clark, Johnny Bates, and Benny Kauff–form a good core, and should all be entering or in their prime for the next few years.

There’s just so little to highlight with the Gothams–they ran the bases well and played solid defense? Their 3 leading starters (Christy Mathewson, Gaylord Perry, and Don Sutton) ate a lot of innings, albeit with limited effectiveness?

What Went Right

Willie Mays is spectacular, leading the team with 48 homeruns, 112 RBIs and 107 runs scored (the only Gotham who reached the century mark in either stat). Will Clark had a slightly better year by the numbers, but Mays plays CF. Still, Clark’s .952 OPS makes him a fixture at first for the foreseeable.

Buster Posey is a top-tier catcher and Kauff (DH) and Callison (RF) are more than adequate for a playoff team.

Dick Dietz was one of the better backup catchers in the WBL, hitting with impressive power behind Posey.

Larry Doyle came on during the season, eventually laying sole claim to 2B. If Doyle can hit as well as he did this year across a full season, it will go a long way towards improving the Gothams’ chances. Similarly, of several candidates, Jim Ray Hart (a .958 OPS over 45 games) looks most likely to seize the role at 3B. However, Doyle is 35 and Hart 30, so neither looks like a particularly long-term solve.

Don Buford was acquired at the trade deadline, and did what was expected: get on base, steal a few bases, show a little power. The Gothams have very little speed, so Buford was a welcome addition, despite his being on the wrong side of 30 at 32.

Fred Lewis and Bill Terry were very impressive in late season cameos, but both are pretty blocked in the organization.

Gaylord Perry and Don Sutton were actually quite good, with Sutton leading the team with a 17-8 record and Perry maintaining a fantastic WHIP of 1.13 over 211 innings.

Brian Wilson remains an elite closer, managing 22 saves in 36 games with solid peripherals (he missed quite a bit of time through injury early in the season).

While not at the Phineas Flint Award winning levels of last season, Mike Norris keeps chugging along as an excellent bullpen arm, contributing 6 saves and 12 holds over 52 games. At 36, however, it’s not clear how much more Norris has in the tank.

Pete Donohue was impressive in limited opportunities, and may be a rotation contender next season.

ALL STARS
Will Clark; Willie Mays; Robb Nen.

MAJOR AWARDS

The lack of entries above just about sums up the season for the Gothams …

RECOGNITIONS

Don Buford, NL Over 30 Team
Will Clark, All NL 2nd Team
Dick Dietz, NL All Rookie 2nd Team
Pete Donohue, NL 21 & Under Team
Benny Kauff, All NL, 2nd Team
Willie Mays, All NL, 2nd Team
Gaylord Perry, NL Over 30 Team

ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDS

Willie Mays, MVP
Don Sutton, Pitcher of the Year
Buster Posey, Heart & Soul
Mike Norris, Fan Favorite

George Jeffcoat, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Tim Shinnick, Minor League Player of the Year

Jeffcoat had 32 saves and a sub 3.00 ERA at AAA, and should be a strong contender for the Gothams’ bullpen next year.

Shinnick is a bit of an odd choice, but it was, as they say, slim pickens down there. He gets on base very well (.404 OBP) and is fast (72 steals). OK.

What Went Wrong

The left side of the infield was a mess all season. Brandon Crawford played nearly full time at SS, and while his defense was fine, his offense was pretty miserable.

And then there was 3B. Pinky Higgins, Jim Ray Hart, Terry Turner, George Kell, Ryan Zimmerman, Matt Williams, and Eugenio Suárez each saw time there (mostly in the 2nd half, after Higgins was moved to the minors with an OPS barely over .600). Hart hit quite well, Williams and Kell were acceptable, and the rest even worse than Higgins, so while hart may have the inside track on the job moving forward, overall this was washout of a year at the hot corner.

LF was similarly rough until Buford’s arrival, with Jimmy Sheckard a huge disappointment and only Jo-Jo Moore showing any promise among about a half-dozen possible replacements.

Carl Furillo continues to be useless at the WBL level, slashing 135/169/230 across 30 games.

There’s almost too much to go through on the mound. Let’s start with Christy Mathewson, who finished the year 7-16 with a 5.61 ERA, a far cry from last year when Matty seemed on the verge of moving into the elite starters in the league. Mathewson still eats up innings–210 over 36 starts this year–but he needs to live up to his potential for the Gothams to go anywhere. At 22, there is still plenty of time.

Carl Hubbell (6-10, 5.75) was thoroughly mediocre as the 4th starter, and nobody could hold onto the fifth rotation slot (Rube Waddell was miserable in 6 starts, Vean Gregg even worse in 3).

The rest of the bullpen was pretty awful as well, with perhaps Carson Smith‘s struggles (after a very solid season last year) the most disappointing.

Transactions

March

P Sad Sam Jones, 4th Round Pick to IND for IF Davey Concepción, 3rd Round Pick.

Jones looks like he may never establish himself in the WBL, making this a pretty significant win for the Gothams, as Concepción will get a shot at the starting SS job this Spring.

July

This was an attempt to fix a glaring weakness and salvage the season.

IF Freddie Patek, 2nd Round Pick, 5th Round Pick to LAA for OF Don Buford.

This was a lot to give up–especially the 2nd Rounder–but if Buford solidifies the leadoff spot for a year or 2, it will be fine.

August

It didn’t work, so the Gothams tried to parlay current talent into future infield solutions.

P Juan Marichal, P Robb Nen to HOM for IF Howard Johnson, IF Davey 
Johnson, 3rd Round Pick.

Hmm. Marichal seems destined to marginal mediocrity in the WBL, but Nen is an excellent bullpen option. Still, if either Johnson has a career (and both could), this will be a win.

P Steve Howe, P Troy Percival to DET for P Dellin Betances, IF Robby Thompson, 3rd Round Pick.

Seems fine, perhaps a slight win. But these 2 deals essentially emptied the Gothams bullpen, and if they cannot fill those slots from within the organization, these trades could look pretty ugly.

IF Joe Adcock to MCG for 5th Round Pick.

This was a courtesy trade, as Adcock wanted to end his career on a contender, but settled for Miami.

Positional Overview

C

Very set, with Buster Posey backed up by Dick Dietz.

Last year’s darling, Wes Westrum, struggled a bit at AAA. but is still waiting in the wings should the need arise. Westrum is expensive, having turned his success last year into a 3 year deal that, at this points, he looks unlikely to prove out.

Beyond that, probably the only actual prospect is 23 year old Steve O’Neill, but he slates more as an eventual replacement for Dietz than anything else.

1B

Will Clark has this locked down for a while.

35 year old Casey Blake could provide some offense at some point, but is not, of course, a long-term solution.

More challenging is what to do with Bill Terry, who has hit well everywhere, but seems blocked organizationally. Beyond Terry, Justin Morneau and Dominic Smith hold some promise, and John Kerins looks to bounce back to his form from last year (which would make him a useful bench piece, nothing more).

2B

Larry Doyle started the season as half a platoon here, but he hit well against lefties, and looks like he’ll be the starter heading into next season. However, at 35, the question of when his skills slip will loom large over Spring Training.

Robby Thompson and Davey Johnson were brought in via trade to shore up this position. Both of them have had some WBL success in the past, and either could take over from Doyle.

At A ball, Joe Gerhardt and Tim Shinnick both have some potential. Shinnick managed an OBP over .400 and over 70 SB en route to being named the Gothams’ Minor League Player of the Year, but Gerhardt may have a higher ceiling.

SS

Brandon Crawford is the incumbent, but he was one of the weaker regulars in the league last year. Look for young Davey Concepción to give him a decent battle this Spring, with veteran defensive whiz Neifi Pérez a dark horse as well.

3B

This is Jim Ray Hart‘s position to lose right now, as his power is needed in this lineup. Should he falter, there are plenty of contenders, but no real standouts. Casey Blake and George Kell may be short term solutions, given their age, with Matt Williams and Eugenio Suárez sporting better long term prospects.

Teenager Howard Johnson is still several years away from showing his full potential, but the Gothams’ hopes remain high.

LF/RF

Johnny Callison remains a solid WBL corner outfielder, and Don Buford looks to be the LFer for at least a few years.

Beyond those 2, there just isn’t a ton here: Steve Kemp, Ben Oglivie, and Carl Furillo have stumbled at every opportunity, and of the rest, perhaps only Mike Tiernan shows real promise.

Teenager Kyle Tucker–who does look to have a decent WBL ceiling–may end up here as well, as he is blocked at CF by Mays.

CF

Willie Mays forever.

There’s actually a bit of talent here behind Mays–Wally Berger, Fred Lewis, George Van Haltren, Rick Manning, and Tully Hartsel all look like they would be decent backup CFers at some point. But for now, it’s Mays, with Kauff behind.

DH

The Gothams may use Kauff in LF more often this season, but for now, he’s going to once again be slotted in at DH.

SP

Right now, the rotation projects as Mathewson, Perry, and Sutton, with Carl Hubbell and Pete Donohue taking the final two slots. However, Buck O’Brien will be given a long look in Spring Training, and a cluster of arms at AAA, led by Tony Mullane and Guy Hecker, may get a shot as well.

William VanLandingham, Jordan Montgomery, and Logan Webb are probably the most promising young starters in the organization.

RP

Brian Wilson and Mike Norris return, and the Gothams are optimistic that Kent Tekulve–who may finally have found a WBL home–will sign a multi-year contract. Aaron Loup is penciled into the bullpen as well, and George Jeffcoat will be given a chance to translate his minor league success to the Gothams.

Beyond that, there’s a lot of mediocrity, with perhaps only Dellin Betances clearly possessing an arm likely to lead to WBL success.

Draft Outlook

DRAFT PICKS

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

The Gothams need talent, and are likely to draft the best available prospects, avoiding C/1B/CF.

TWIWBL 88.2: Teams of the Year By Age

By mknn

On March 1, 2026

In TWIWBL

The overall All-WBL Teams can be found here.

In this post, we’ll slowly carve people off those lists as we get younger, beginning with the under 25’s. As we get younger, future potential will begin to be more of a thing.

A full lineup, with DH, plus 3 starters and 3 relievers for each. We’ll start by relisting the overall selections, then new entries for each group will be bolded.

#WBL Teams of the Year

Pos	American League	National League
C	Ed Bailey (36, DET/CLE)	Josh Gibson (21, HOM)
1B	Jim Thome (28, MCG)	Paul Konerko (34, CAG/BBB)
2B	Eddie Collins (28, CAG)	Roberto Alomar (24, OTT)
SS	Arky Vaughan (27, CLE)	Ernie Banks (25, HOD)
3B	Evan Longoria (24, CLE)	Ron Cey (27, BRK)
LF	Babe Ruth (25, NYY)	Jim Wynn (23, HOU)
CF	Turkey Stearnes (22, SFS)	Oscar Charleston (21, IND)
RF	Mickey Mantle (22, NYY)	Aaron Judge (27, PHI)
DH	Ty Cobb (21, DET)	Willie Stargell (31, HOM)
SP	Lefty Grove (27, SFS) José Méndez (23, MCG) Jim Whitney (24, BBB/MCG)	Luis Padrón (22, IND) Toad Ramsey (23, HOU) A. Rube Foster (24, KCM)
RP	Ken Howell (24, SFS) Andrew Miller (23, MEM) Rod Beck (24, SFS)	Lee Smith (34, HOD/KCM) Eddie Guardado (26, KCM) Eric Gagne (27, BRK)

#WBL 25 & Under Teams

Pos	American League	National League
C	Mickey Cochrane (25, SFS)	Josh Gibson (21, HOM)
1B	Hank Greenberg (24, DET)	Jeff Bagwell (24, HOU)
2B	Grant Johnson (25, HOU/NYY)	Roberto Alomar (24, OTT)
SS	Cal Ripken, Jr (23, BAL)	Ernie Banks (25, HOD)
3B	Evan Longoria (24, CLE)	Albert Pujols (22, KCM)
LF	Babe Ruth (25, NYY)	Jim Wynn (23, HOU)
CF	Turkey Stearnes (22, SFS)	Oscar Charleston (21, IND)
RF	Mickey Mantle (22, NYY)	Larry Walker (23, OTT)
DH	Ty Cobb (21, DET)	Rick Monday (24, OTT)
SP	José Méndez (23, MCG) Jim Whitney (24, BBB/MCG) Bump Hadley (23, SFS)	Luis Padrón (22, IND) Toad Ramsey (23, HOU) A. Rube Foster (24, KCM)
RP	Ken Howell (24, SFS) Andrew Miller (23, MEM) Rod Beck (24, SFS)	Terry Forster (22, BRK) Andrew Chafin (25, HOU) Fred Cambria (23, PHI)

#WBL 23 & Under Teams

Pos	American League	National League
C	Iván Rodríguez (21, MCG)	Josh Gibson (21, HOM)
1B	Eddie Murray (22, BAL)	Rusty Staub (21, OTT)
2B	Frank Grant (22, HOD/SFS)	Joe Morgan (22, IND)
SS	Cal Ripken, Jr (23, BAL)	Carlos Correa (23, HOU)
3B	Jimmie Foxx (22, SFS)	Albert Pujols (22, KCM)
LF	Frank Robinson (22, BAL)	Jim Wynn (23, HOU)
CF	Turkey Stearnes (22, SFS)	Oscar Charleston (21, IND)
RF	Mickey Mantle (22, NYY)	Larry Walker (23, OTT)
DH	Ty Cobb (21, DET)	Richie Hebner (23, HOD)
SP	José Méndez (23, MCG) Bump Hadley (23, SFS) Brett Anderson (22, LAA)	Luis Padrón (22, IND) Toad Ramsey (23, HOU) Smokey Joe Wood (22, KCM)
RP	Andrew Miller (23, MEM) Goose Gossage (23, NYY) Julio Teheran (22, LAA)	Terry Forster (22, BRK) Fred Cambria (23, PHI) Ted Kennedy (22, PHI)

300 PA Minimums for batters, with 1 exception: Murray only had 145 PAs–1B in the AL just did not have a lot of youth.

#WBL 21 & Under

Pos	American League	National League
C	Iván Rodríguez (21, MCG)	Josh Gibson (21, HOM)
1B	—	Rusty Staub (21, OTT)
2B	Martín Dihigo (19, MCG)	—
SS	Dobie Moore (20, MEM)	Judy Johnson (18, HOM)
3B	Freddie Lindstrom (20, CAG)	Ron Santo (21, HOD)
LF	Alejandro Oms (21, MCG)	Sherry Magee (21, PHI)
CF	Ken Griffey Jr (20, POR)	Oscar Charleston (21, IND)
RF	Bryce Harper (20, BAL)	—
DH	Ty Cobb (21, DET)	—
SP	Walter Johnson (20, POR) Bob Feller (20, CLE) Joseíto Muñoz (20, POR)	Ice Box Chamberlain (19, HOU) JM Ward (20, PHI) Sandy Koufax (21, BRK)
RP	Pete Conway (21, DET) Tom Williams (20, CAG) Billy Hoeft (19, DET)	Pete Donohue (21, NYG) Edward Nolan (19, IND) Vida Blue (21, HOU)

All praises to Ty Cobb, Josh Gibson, and Oscar Charleston for remaining on the list this far. The relievers dip into some rarely used arms, but of the rest, only Freddie Lindstrom was a late-season callup.

There really isn’t an all-teenager team: the only change from the teens above would be the addition of Chicago’s Cristóbal Torriente, perhaps the worst offensive player in the league this year in CF, but surprisingly effective in a few mound appearances.

One more, largely for fun

#WBL Over 30 Team

Pos	American League	National League
C	Ed Bailey (36, DET/CLE)	Jim Pagliaroni (32, MEM/BBB)
1B	Carlos Delgado (32, LAA)	Paul Konerko (34, CAG/BBB)
2B	Rogers Hornsby (34, NYY)	Ryne Sandberg (33, HOD)
SS	Bobby Wallace (34, BAL/DET)	Ozzie Smith (30, KCM)
3B	—	Jim Ray Hart (30, NYG)
LF	Oscar Gamble (32, DET)	Don Buford (32, LAA/NYG)
CF	—	Dave Henderson (33, IND)
RF	Kiki Cuyler (32, POR)	Albert Belle (32, BBB)
DH	Gavvy Cravath (36, BAL)	Joey Votto (32, IND)
SP	Andy Pettitte (33, NYY) Connie Johnson (34, BAL/DET) Charlie Root (31, DET)	Gaylord Perry (33, NYG) Eppa Rixey (31, IND) Cliff Lee (30, HOM)
RP	Jonathan Papelbon (31, MEM/MCG) Joe Nathan (31, LAA/SFS) Buddy Groom (37, BAL)	Lee Smith (34, HOD/KCM) Bob Howry (34, PHI) Josh Lindblom (31, HOM)

Only 3 names from the All-League Teams (Baily, Konerko, and Lee Smith), reflecting on just how young the league is. This is a very wide range from some very strong performers who are expected to keep it up for a while (those 3, Pettitte, Hornsby, some others) to folks like Dave Henderson and Kiki Cuyler, who are just barely hanging onto their roster spots.

TWIWBL 87.8: The Left Fielders

By mknn

On February 5, 2026

In TWIWBL

The American League dominates in LF (remember, some folks you might think as OFers spent most of their time at DH).

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
AL	LAA	Kal Daniels	24	340/422/652	39 HR 106 RBI 111 R 55 SB
AL	BAL	Frank Robinson	22	308/394/674	48 HR 114 RBI 106 R	5 A
AL	NYY	Babe Ruth	25	280/412/744	73 HR 167 RBI 146 R 119 BB

I do feel sorry for Kal Daniels–that is a stupendous season right there, and he has no shot at being the best LF in the AL, not with Babe Ruth around. And Frank Robinson is the youngest of the trio, which speaks volumes for the future in Baltimore.

#A Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	MEM	Ted Williams	22	303/423/616	41 HR 109 RBI 125 R 109 BB	.975 fPct 1.49 RF -3.8 ARM

Seems strange to have only 1 name here, but there is clear separation between Robinson and Ted Williams (the only thing Williams does better is take walks), and when defense is factored in, this makes sense.

#B Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
—	MCG/ BBB	Ryan Braun	24	272/319/603	48 HR 102 RBI 24 SB
AL	DET	Oscar Gamble	32	249/396/533	35 HR	1.29 RF
AL	SFS	Rickey Henderson	22	256/385/454	103 R 107 BB 126 SB	12.2 ZR 1.117 dEff -3.6 ARM
NL	HOM	Rick Reichardt	24	284/355/586	39 HR 22 SB
NL	HOU	Jim Wynn	23	246/359/521	37 HR 116 R 38 SB	3.7 ARM

An interesting mix of useful players. Rickey Henderson is electric, for sure, but until he hits a bit more, he’s not elite and the other 4 are just dependable and solid, although it could be argued that Jim Wynn is a tier too high.

#C Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	CLE	Johnny Bates	27	282/349/470	55 SB	8.8 ZR
AL	DET	Juan Beníquez	35	313/379/509		.965 fPct 1.08 RF
NL	PHI	Sherry Magee	21	265/314/495	47 SB	.994 fPct
AL	MCG	Alejandro Oms	21	308/383/441		1.91 RF 1.121 dEff
NL	OTT	Tim Raines	23	251/353/442	119 R 115 SB	-6.8 ZR
NL	HOD	George Stone	30	286/359/478	29 SB
NL	BRK	Roy White	29	258/350/499	21 SB	6 A 10.3 ZR 1.068 dEff

These are all solid players with a question mark in their game, usually revolving around a lack of power. There’s nothing wrong with this group, but they are, at this point, complimentary pieces not cornerstones.

Note that Alejandro Oms, Sherry Magee, and Tim Raines are so young that being here really puts them on a great trajectory.

#D Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	IND	Bob Bescher	26	253/355/440	80 SB	1.93 RF -4.8 ZR
—	LAA/ NYG	Don Buford	32	239/363/450	28 SB	.993 fPct
—	NYY/ HOU	Elliott Maddox	21	260/371/397		.972 fPct -5.8 ZR 2.7 ARM
NL	KCM	Ducky Medwick	29	261/290/467		1.94 RF -3.4 ARM

The only thing separating Bob Bescher from Raines is playing time, so perhaps he belongs up one Tier alongside The Rock? And this may be a bit unfair to Ducky Medwick, but the statistical metrics really ding him for not being willing to take a walk.

#F Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	POR	Kiki Cuyler	32	240/315/364	26 SB
—	POR/ PHI	Harry Hooper	24	203/312/382	31 SB	1.000 fPct 2.0 ARM
NL	BBB	Bob Nieman	30	209/301/413

There is some talent here, but nowhere near the offensive production to hold down a roster spot in the WBL.

#Rookies

Juan Beníquez (C Tier), Elliott Maddox (D Tier), and Kiki Cuyler (F 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 80.3: A Preliminary Look at the Gold Gloves

By mknn

On October 12, 2025

In TWIWBL

{Every year towards the end of the season, I do some legwork so when the awards roll around, it’s not as burdensome. This week, the fielders, next week, the rookies.}

We’re going to do this position by position, mixing the leagues, with the candidates listed alphabetically. 600 IP minimum, unless otherwise noted.

Last year, only 1 set of awards were given; this year, with the creation of the NL, there will be 2 at each position.

Some of the positions have their own things, but a note about some of the standard fielding statistics. Range Factor measures the number of plays made per game–the higher the better. Zone Rating 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 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.

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.

#C

Name	Tm	Lg	IP	A	E	PB	ZR	RTO%	cERA	FRM
Johnny Bench	IND	NL	967	112	4	10	3.5	40%	5.26	7.6
Curt Blefary	BAL	AL	937	103	2	4	2.0	38%	5.68	1.6
Gary Carter	OTT	NL	900	114	5	9	4.3	42%	6.15	4.9
Josh Gibson	HOM	NL	973	102	3	6	-1.5	30%	5.98	7.7
Elrod Hendricks	HOD	NL	825	104	4	7	4.6	41%	5.47	3.9
Joe Mauer	POR	AL	974	129	5	6	2.7	37%	5.36	4.9
Thurman Munson	NYY	AL	957	91	6	2	3.0	36%	5.29	3.0
Mike Piazza	BRK	NL	966	88	2	12	-2.8	31%	4.62	4.5
Buster Posey	NYG	NL	933	100	4	9	2.6	39%	5.43	8.0
Iván Rodríguez	MCG	AL	917	116	2	14	5.3	47%	5.61	1.8
Ted Simmons	KCM	NL	907	108	5	5	2.4	37%	4.31	-2.3

IP = Innings Played; A = Assists; E = Errors; PB = Passed Balls; ZR = Zone Rating; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out%; cERA = Catcher’s ERA; FRM = Framing Runs Saved

Catcher’s stats are just all over the place.

It’s hard to take cERA and FRM all that seriously when they fall so far outside the bounds of the rest of the information at our disposal–although, to be fair, cERA is clearly tied to the quality of the staff and, as such, perhaps is best viewed as a net difference from the overall team ERA. Perhaps I’ll look at that for the actual awards.

Regardless, it feels like, if you look at a catcher’s primary job of making plays and keeping the opposition running game under control, Carter in the NL and Pudge in the AL are the frontrunners. The argument against each, if there is one, would have to focus on their league-leading (in the wrong way) PB numbers.

But this one doesn’t really feel close at this point.

Last year’s winner, Cleveland’s Louis Santop, has struggled so much offensively this year that his playing time has really dropped him out of contention, although his defensive performance remains top-notch.

#1B

Name	Tm	Lg	IP	TC	A	DP	E	RNG	ZR	Eff
Mike Epstein	HOM	NL	957	952	56	80	4	8.93	3.0	1.016
Hank Greenberg	DET	AL	973	891	58	74	4	8.20	2.7	1.022
Kent Hrbek	POR	AL	884	846	45	79	5	8.57	1.8	1.028
Don Mattingly	NYY	AL	710	642	40	54	5	8.07	1.8	1.031
Dan McGann	BAL	AL	879	887	66	69	6	9.02	-1.9	.978
Boog Powell	KCM	NL	978	998	56	80	4	9.15	3.0	1.016
Joey Votto	IND	NL	942	863	62	76	0	8.25	4.5	1.040
Bill White	MEM	AL	793	812	35	66	6	9.15	0.4	1.007

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; DP = Double Plays; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency

The 2 best defensive 1Bs in the league–Kansas City’s Boog Powell and Indianapolis’ Joey Votto–are both in the NL. So the competition there is clear, as is, ultimately, the current frontrunner in Powell. Votto’s edge in the digital measures–ZR and Efficiency–may make this a more challenging choice at the end of the year.

In the AL, it’s far more confusing, but it feels like the discussion is between Detroit’s Hank Greenberg and the Black Yankees’ Don Mattingly. Mattingly hasn’t played a ton, so perhaps Greenberg edges him? Portland’s Kent Hrbek could probably edge into the discussion as well.

Will Clark of the New York Gothams, who won it last year, has been fine, but falls just short of contention.

#2B

Five 2B had only 3 errors, but 2 of them–Brooklyn’s Jackie Robinson and Boston’s DJ LeMahieu–have under 700 innings at the position. LeMahieu is the leader in Defensive Efficiency, so he made the list, but Robinson did not.

Name	Tm	Lg	IP	TC	DP	E	RNG	ZR	Eff
Roberto Alomar	OTT	NL	1035	511	62	10	4.36	-3.1	.978
Robinson Canó	KCM	NL	994	524	76	5	4.70	9.7	1.060
Eddie Collins	CAG	AL	995	528	77	11	4.67	-7.6	.943
Miller Huggins	BAL	AL	796	383	50	5	4.27	9.1	1.097
Chuck Knoblauch	CLE	AL	951	443	64	3	4.16	-9.6	.926
Nap Lajoie	HOM	NL	876	485	66	4	4.94	7.3	1.049
DJ LeMahieu	MEM	AL	644	345	53	3	4.78	7.7	1.110
Cookie Rojas	MCG	AL	738	363	62	3	4.39	-3.6	.965
Ryne Sandberg	HOD	NL	863	489	60	3	5.07	5.4	1.035
Chase Utley	PHI	NL	988	538	61	2	4.88	13.8	1.081

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; DP = Double Plays; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency

Ryne Sandberg and Napoleon Lajoie have had fine years at 2B, but Philadelphia’s Chase Utley has been fairly spectacular, leading the world in Zone Rating with excellent numbers across the board.

The AL is more confusing, as the best fielders–Miller Huggins and DJ LeMahieu–have yet to hit 800 innings in the field. But there really aren’t a lot of other contenders: Eddie Collins, who won it last year, has amassed a ton of time at 2B, and hence is among the leaders in the counting stats, but his other numbers are surprisingly bad.

#SS

Name	Tm	Lg	IP	TC	DP	E	RNG	ZR	Eff
Jim Fregosi	POR/PHI	AL/NL	1077	497	60	8	4.09	-10.6	.940
Derek Jeter	NYY	AL	1061	504	67	16	4.14	-19.0	.911
Barry Larkin	IND	NL	705	380	49	9	4.74	8.3	1.085
Dick Lundy	SFS	AL	838	411	46	6	4.35	8.2	1.057
Freddy Parent	CAG	AL	888	508	56	11	5.04	13.2	1.058
Ozzie Smith	KCM	NL	1019	543	67	5	4.75	11.0	1.068
Arky Vaughan	CLE	AL	940	444	53	8	4.17	10.4	1.085
Robin Yount	MCG	AL	952	473	59	6	4.41	8.3	1.052

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; DP = Double Plays; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency

It feels like the choices here are pretty clear: Ozzie Smith in the NL and Freddy Parent in the AL. Smith should be uncontroversial, but Parent is subject to some discussion, as he is getting less and less playing time for the American Giants. If it’s not Parent, it is probably Arky Vaughan or Robin Yount, with the question being whether Yount’s surer hands outweigh Vaughan’s greater range.

George Davis, who won it last year, logged just under 50 games with Detroit before being sent to AAA and suffering a significant injury.

#3B

Name	Tm	Lg	IP	TC	DP	E	RNG	ZR	Eff
Dick Allen	CAG	AL	1046	260	24	15	2.11	0.5	1.010
Buddy Bell	POR	AL	1045	296	23	8	2.48	7.9	1.054
Adrián Beltré	OTT	NL	936	272	6	7	2.55	0.3	1.007
Ron Cey	BRK	NL	956	278	24	7	2.55	4.7	1.035
Manny Machado	BAL	AL	857	259	14	10	2.61	0.9	1.013
Eddie Mathews	BBB	NL	1014	291	29	8	2.51	-2.6	.986
Doug Rader	LAA	AL	1047	287	26	13	2.35	0.9	1.021
Scott Rolen	PHI	NL	973	265	16	7	2.39	4.0	1.050

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; DP = Double Plays; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency

Portland’s Buddy Bell has probably been the best 3B in the WBL this season, so he should take the award in the AL. In the NL, it currently comes down to Scott Rolen and Ron Cey, whose numbers are pretty indistinguishable at this point, perhaps with a slight edge to Cey.

#LF

For the OF, DP is replaced by Outfield Kills, and we introduce ARM, a measurement of how many runs have resulted from runners taking extra bases on balls hit to the that fielder. Note that positive ARM ratings are relatively rare: runners do tag up.

Name	Tm	Lg	IP	TC	K	E	RNG	ZR	Eff	ARM
Johnny Bates	CLE	AL	1006	205	4	2	2.09	7.0	1.053	-1.0
Bob Bescher	IND	NL	681	149	1	2	1.94	-4.3	.950	-2.1
Don Buford	LAA/NYG	AL/NL	705	127	0	1	1.61	-2.8	.957	-0.6
Rickey Henderson	SFS	AL	1040	199	3	4	1.69	10.0	1.104	-2.8
Sherry Magee	PHI	NL	658	127	1	0	1.74	3.7	1.046	-1.9
Bob Nieman	BBB	NL	720	145	4	2	1.79	-1.0	.961	-1.6
Frank Robinson	BAL	AL	897	184	4	2	1.83	0.3	.998	-1.8
Babe Ruth	NYY	AL	627	128	1	2	1.81	5.7	1.084	-1.3
Roy White	BRK	NL	1006	213	5	2	1.89	9.3	1.075	-1.2
Jim Wynn	HOU	NL	755	140	0	2	1.64	-4.4	.955	3.3

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; K = Outfield Kills; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency

It feels like Roy White has a shot at being the first repeat winner as he has once again proven incredibly dependable in LF for Brooklyn, while adding more Kills and excellent supporting numbers.

In the AL, It feels like it’s the range of Rickey Henderson against the overall dependability of Johnny Bates–who actually makes more plays the Rickey, but some of that is down to staff effects.

Have to call out the nutty ARM rating for Jim Wynn, which is as flukish as fluke can be.

#CF

Name	Tm	Lg	IP	TC	K	E	RNG	ZR	Eff	ARM
Paul Blair	BAL	AL	838	251	3	2	2.73	10.4	1.084	-2.3
Chili Davis	DET	AL	979	283	13	8	2.53	-12.5	.928	1.5
Willie Davis	PHI	NL	898	287	4	3	2.85	15.2	1.109	-2.0
Curtis Granderson	BBB	NL	974	317	1	5	2.88	4.8	1.030	-4.6
Pete Hill	HOU	NL	800	222	2	2	2.47	0.7	.997	-2.8
Willie Mays	NYG	NL	1065	327	3	4	2.73	11.3	1.046	-4.2
Willie McGee	KCM	NL	845	261	10	7	2.71	-5.9	.963	-1.4
Mike Trout	LAA	AL	940	282	2	1	2.69	-0.2	1.006	-3.3
Vernon Wells	CAG	AL	624	209	2	3	2.97	-5.2	.968	-2.6

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; K = Outfield Kills; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency

Not a lot to pick from in the AL, which increases Paul Blair‘s chance at a repeat selection. It probably comes down to Blair’s overall excellence against the spectacular highlight reel nature of Chili Davis‘ year: Davis hasn’t made all the plays, but has thrown out 13 runners. Mike Trout is in the conversation, but Blair edges him across the board, and is the likely frontrunner.

In the NL, things are much deeper, and we run into the question of how to weigh playing time. Willie Mays has similar numbers to Willie Davis, but over 200 more innings in the field, which I think is enough to give him the edge. Some mention should be made of the steady Curtis Granderson and the surprising 10 kills from Kansas City’s Willie McGee.

#RF

Name	Tm	Lg	IP	TC	K	E	RNG	ZR	Eff	ARM
Beals Becker	BRK	NL	1022	233	7	3	2.03	3.0	1.007	0.7
Mookie Betts	MEM	AL	775	166	1	0	1.93	6.8	1.076	-3.7
Roberto Clemente	HOM	NL	973	243	8	6	2.19	5.6	1.050	-3.1
Larry Doby	CLE	AL	768	186	1	7	2.10	5.0	1.064	-4.2
Stan Musial	KCM	NL	801	157	2	4	1.72	7.0	1.072	0.8
Ichiro Suzuki	LAA	AL	1035	227	5	0	1.97	5.4	1.036	-2.4

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; K = Outfield Kills; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency

This is very close in both leagues.

In the NL, you could make an argument for all 3 of the contenders: Brooklyn’s Beals Becker has been steady across the board; Stan Musial covers a huge amount of ground for Kansas City and has a higher ARM than Becker; and Roberto Clemente makes the most plays and has the most Kills. I think it’s Clemente or Musial, with Musial slightly in front, maybe?

Over in the AL, it’s between Mookie Betts and Ichiro Suzuki, neither of whom have made an error in RF this season. Betts has been slightly better with the glove, Suzuki slightly better with the arm. Perhaps Suzuki, partially because he has played more innings in RF than anyone.

Last year’s winner, Johnny Callison, has done well this season, but is just out of the conversation. Mention should be made of Ottawa’s Larry Walker as well: Walker doesn’t cover a ton of ground, but has only made a single error in RF this season.

#P

125 IP minimum.

A few additional stat for hurlers, including the number of steal attempts and the % thrown out as well as the number of runs gained through their catcher’s ability to frame strikes. Obviously, both of these are highly dependent on the quality of backstop, but they also do impact the evaluation of the pitcher.

We’ve also taking out E and DP as stats, as odd as that may seem, as there is just not enough variance to really make much of them.

Name	Tm	Lg	IP	TC	RNG	ZR	Eff	SBA	RTO%	FRM
Roger Clemens	HOU	NL	183	13	0.64	-3.0	1.659	61	25	-0.4
Gerrit Cole	LAA	AL	155	21	1.22	0.5	1.438	44	32	0.4
Pud Galvin	LAA	AL	130	24	1.66	1.3	1.149	31	39	-0.7
Bump Hadley	SFS	AL	164	30	1.65	-0.3	.996	62	34	0.5
Walter Johnson	POR	AL	189	19	0.91	4.8	1.217	28	61	0.3
José Méndez	MCG	AL	200	20	0.90	4.4	1.086	43	56	-0.7
Stubby Overmire	MEM	AL	175	21	1.08	2.2	.853	16	63	-0.0
Gaylord Perry	NYG	NL	185	31	1.51	-0.3	.996	35	29	0.7
Toad Ramsey	HOU	NL	196	18	0.78	1.0	.913	42	41	-0.5
Bob Rush	HOD	NL	156	26	1.44	3.3	.996	19	63	0.0
Jack Taylor	HOD	NL	163	19	1.05	5.6	.996	41	63	0.0
Doc White	IND	NL	130	8	0.55	1.8	.996	18	50	1.9

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; DP = Double Plays; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency; SBA = Stolen Bases Attempted; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out%; FRM = Framing Runs

Who knows? Small sample sizes are rough, although it is nice to see last year’s winner, Jack Taylor, make a return appearance.

Taylor makes a lot of plays, and is very hard to run on, both of which count for quite a bit. I think an argument could be made for Pud Galvin, as well as for Taylor’s teammate, Bob Rush, but I would expect a fair bit of this to change over the final month of the season.

TWIWBL 75.5: Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On July 7, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Brooklyn Royal Giants	60-43	.583	—
Homestead Grays	55-49	.529	5.5
Ottawa Mounties	51-53	.490	9.5
Philadelphia Stars	51-54	.486	10
New York Gothams	51-55	.481	10.5

Effa Manley Division | 30 July

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Looking to cement their bullpen for the stretch run, the Royal Giants sent the struggling Dutch Leonard to AAA in exchange for Jim Bunning.

While all three players will continue to see a lot of time there, it looks like recently acquired Vern Stephens will see the bulk of the time at SS, with Germany Smith slipping below Ray Dandridge in the pecking order.

Stephens has been quite strong for Brooklyn, and he helped Don Drysedale continue his recent resurgence with 2 dingers in a 10-2 victory over Kansas City. Drysedale improved to 10-4, and John Briggs, Beals Becker, Mike Piazza, and Jackie Robinson also went deep for Brooklyn.

Becker and Robinson each went deep twice as Brooklyn defeated Ottawa, 8-7.

#Homestead Grays

Brickyard Kennedy continues to ride the AAA shuttle, heading down as the Grays need a starter in the form of Bob Knepper, who will make his WBL debut. Knepper wasn’t great, but he did get the win as Willie Stargell hit 2 out and the Grays pounded the House of David, 13-4.

Stargell hit another 2, the second a walk-off job in the bottom of the 11th as the Grays again topped the House of David, 8-7.

Bartolo Colón‘s great start to his WBL career was derailed momentarily, with the young righty headed to the DL for about a week. Homestead recalled lefty Gary Lucas in the interim.

#New York Gothams

Vean Gregg was returned to AAA with Rube Waddell being recalled from a rehab assignment.

The revolving door at 3B continues, as the Gothams brought Jim Ray Hart up from AAA, giving up for the time being on Ryan Zimmerman.

Don Buford went deep twice, but the Gothams bullpen–the strength of the club–collapsed entirely in an 8-6 loss to the Stars.

Will Clark went deep twice, but the Gothams fell to Birmingham, 7-6 in a close contest. Willie Mays hit his 37th of the season as well.

#Ottawa Mounties

Bill Smith will miss about a week, earning himself a trip to the DL with the Mounties recalling Danny Cox.

Larry Walker came out of a slump in a big way, going 4-for-4 with 2 homeruns, 4 runs scored, and 3 RBI’s to give him 100 on the year. Roberto Alomar also had 4 hits and Gary Carter, Adrián Beltré, and Carlos Beltrán each went deep as well.

Clark Griffith was sent to AAA in exchange for Randy Johnson, who will get a spot start after some effective time at in the minors.

#Philadelphia Stars

Steve Carlton threw the second no-hitter in WBL history as the Stars topped the Gothams, 5-0. Carlton, who improved his record to 10-9, only walked 1 while fanning 8 in the dominant performance. Rico Carty hit a grand slam in support of Lefty.

Aaron Judge hit a walkoff grand slam, leading the Stars to an 8-6 win over the Gothams.

John Burkett was sent to AAA with young Pete Alexander recalled after a long term injury.

TWIWBL 75.1: Year 2, Week 18

By mknn

On July 3, 2025

In TWIWBL

July 30th

Coming off a short week for most teams.

#Awards

Josh Gibson of the Homestead Grays hit .409 last week–which barely moved his overall batting average of .408. That, along with 5 homers and 12 RBIs earned him the NL Player of the Week Award. In the AL, one of the surprising cogs in the Detroit Wolverines‘ machine, Juan Beníquez, earned the Award, hitting .423 with 3 homers.

#Team Performance

More of the same.

San Francisco is riding a 9-1 streak, improving their winning percentage to .648, easily the best in the WBL. They lead the Cum Posey Division by 17 games over Miami.

In the Effa Manley Division, the surprising Brooklyn Royal Giants are extending their edge over Homestead, now leading the Grays by 5.5 games.

But the other 2 divisions are building to be close races: in the Bill James Division, the New York Black Yankees continue to struggle, falling to the 3rd best record in the league and only leading Cleveland by a single game. And, in the Marvin Miller Division, while the Kansas City Monarchs are in first, both Indianapolis and Houston sit only 1.5 games back.

Baltimore, despite better showings as of late, continue to hold the worst record in the league at .429.

#Player Performance

#Batters

Remember when we were talking about Tony Gwynn and Ty Cobb competing to hit .400? They now sit roughly 40 points behind Josh Gibson, leading the universe with a .408 average. Offensively, the league revolves around three players: Gibson, Cobb, and Babe Ruth. And Ruth’s exploits are even more impressive when you consider his .285 average.

But, for now, Gibson stands alone, leading in all 3 slash categories.

As always, top 3 in most stats with the leaders in bold.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 255/370/668. 40 HR, 105 RBI.
José Canseco (MCG). 255/370/717. 44 HR.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 342/385/641. 136 H, 12 3B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 369/421/794. 136 H, 41 2B, 86 R, 5.8 WAR.
Kal Daniels (LAA). 332/431/640.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 408/503/809. 102 RBI, 88 R, 7.2 WAR.
Tony Gwynn (HOU). 360/398/574. 138 H.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 358/409/587. 47 2B.
Stan Musial (KCM). 319/388/569. 40 2B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 285/420/751. 49 HR, 113 RBI, 98 R, 81 BB, 6.0 WAR.
Ted Williams (MEM). 312/429/656. 770 BB.

Tim Raines and Rickey Henderson are in a see-saw battle for the SB lead, with Raines currently on top , 78-73. See below for some more on speed in the league …

#Pitchers

#Starters

San Francisco’s big three is just humming along. Bump Hadley and Eddie Plank are the only hurlers with 15 wins, and Lefty Grove has 13. Only Indianapolis’ Luis Padrón (14) and Houston’s Toad Ramsey (13) have that many.

Ramsey or Kansas City’s A. Rube Foster are probably the best overall starters in the league right now, but we’ll see how August plays out.

A. Rube Foster (KCM). 7-3, 2.66. 0.96 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 13-4, 3.92. 170 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-7, 4.16. 187 K.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 15-4, 3.64.
José Méndez (MCG). 9-5, 4.38. 0.99 WHIP.
Luis Padrón (IND). 14-3, 3.58. 3.60 FIP, 4.6 WAR.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 15-5, 4.02.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 13-7, 3.04. 190 K, 0.96 WHIP, 3.07 FIP, 6.1 WAR.
Jim Whitney (MCG). 6-3, 3.10. 1 Sv, 2 H.
Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 9-9, 3.62. 3.59 FIP, 4.5 WAR.

#Relievers

Brooklyn’s Eric Gagne is probably the league’s dominant closer, but some of the hurlers whose role has been more fluid–notably the Gothams’ Robb Nen and the Black Yankees’ Goose Gossage–have perhaps been more valuable.

23 IP Min.

Rod Beck (SFS). 3-2, 3.72. 26 Sv.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-1, 2.93. 21 Sv.
Goose Gossage (NYY). 3-3, 2.02. 122 Sv, 8 H.
Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 2.02. 1 Sv, 7 H.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-6, 5.35. 1 Sv, 14 H.
Ted Kennedy (PHI). 2-2, 3.83. 4 Sv, 12 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 6-3, 3.65. 25 Sv.
Robb Nen (NYG). 3-2, 1.88. 10 Sv, 9 H.

#Steals and Speed

Seemed a good time to check in on some oddities in running the bases.

Let’s start with some players who perhaps should be running a bit less, led by the New York Gothams‘ recently acquired Don Buford, who has 21 steals, but has been caught 20 times. Houston’s Craig Biggio has been even worse, with only 10 steals in 26 attempts. Chicago‘s Eddie Collins has been gunned down 23 times, but has 45 swipes: not a great success rate, but far ahead of Buford and Biggio.

San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson has been caught the most times in the league, but with 73 steals against 25 caught stealings, his success rate remains decent.

On the other end of the scale, Indianapolis’ Bob Bescher has only been caught 10 times in 53 attempts; Kansas City’s Ozzie Smith is doing even better, with an 84% success rate (42 for 50 so far); and the Black Yankees’ Eric Davis has gone 37 for 42.

Ottawa‘s Carlos Beltrán has been thrown out only once in 26 tries but, interestingly, nobody with at least 5 steals has a perfect record on the basepaths.

#Injury Report

A big week, led by Chicago perhaps finally getting some insight into Tricky Nichols‘ year-long struggles, as last year’s ace will miss 4 or 5 months with a shoulder ailment.

Detroit and Homestead both may have some help for their pitching staffs on the way, as Buddy Napier and Joakim Soria should start rehab assignments this week for the Wolverines while Cliff Lee and Doug Drabek should do so for the Grays.

Memphis‘ Dobie Moore, the Black Yankees’ Dave Righetti, and the House of David‘s Anthony Rizzo should also find their way back this week.

TWIWBL 73.5: Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On March 4, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Brooklyn Royal Giants	53-38	.582	—
Homestead Grays	51-40	.560	2
New York Gothams	45-48	.484	9
Ottawa Mounties	43-48	.473	10
Philadelphia Stars	44-49	.473	10

Effa Manley Division | 16 July

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Mike Piazza hit 2 out, leading the Royal Giants to a 13-1 walkover of Homestead. As importantly, Don Drysedale continued his midseason resurgence, improving to 8-4 with 7 plus innings allowing only an unearned run.

#Homestead Grays

Andy Van Slyke went deep twice for the second week in a row, hitting 2 out in a 13-2 trouncing of Houston. Roberto Clemente, Josh Gibson, and Judy Johnson also hit homeruns as Doug Drabek improved to 4-5 on the year.

#New York Gothams

Don Buford has fit right in since arriving with the Gothams, hitting 2 out in a 9-7 win over Ottawa. Willie Mays hit a grandslam for his 33rd of the year, and Don Sutton improved to 10-3 with Brian Wilson picking up his 14th save.

#Ottawa Mounties

Old Hoss Radbourn still has it from time to time: the Mounties’ erstwhile ace tossed a 2 hit shutout as Ottawa topped the Gothams, 10-0. Radbourn walked 4 and whiffed 8 in the effort, improving his record to 10-7. Rusty Staub, Álex Rodríguez, and Brad Ausmus each went deep in support of Radbourn.

#Philadelphia Stars

Aaron Judge went deep twice–bringing him to 30 on the year–and the Stars edged Houston, 6-4 in a game marked by a solid string of performances from the Stars’ bullpen with John Burkett, Fred Cambria, Pedro Feliciano, and Bob Howry combining to allow only a single run over 4 innings.

TWIWBL 72.7: Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On February 20, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Brooklyn Royal Giants	51-37	.580	—
Homestead Grays	47-40	.540	3.5
New York Gothams	44-46	.489	8
Philadelphia Stars	44-46	.489	8
Ottawa Mounties	40-48	.455	11

Effa Manley Division | 9 July

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Rick Aguilera was sent to AAA with Dave Von Ohlen returning from injury. Newly acquired Vern Stephens will get a chance to take over at SS, although expect Germany Smith to continue to see a fair bit of time there, with Matty Alou heading back to AAA.

John Briggs had 2 homeruns, the 2nd a walk-off job in the bottom of the 12th as Brooklyn topped the Gothams, 7-6.

#Homestead Grays

Owen Wilson was recalled from his rehab assignment, taking the traded Chris Sabo‘s roster slot. Sabo’s absence means impressive teenager Judy Johnson will move into a platoon at 3B with Andy Van Slyke. Wilson was recalled largely in light of his performance last season, but he’ll need to step it up to keep the roster spot, as Van Slyke and Goose Goslin cover the same positions (and, in Van Slyke’s case, more).

Goslin hit for the cycle–joining teammate Roberto Clemente as the only players to do so this year–as Homestead beat the House of David, 10-3.

Van Slyke hit the ball over the fence twice, leading the Grays to a 9-5 win over the House of David. Mike Epstein added 3 hits, including a homerun, and Napoleon Lajoie and Honus Wagner also went deep.

#New York Gothams

The Gothams sent Steve Kemp and Pinky Higgins to AAA, with Terry Turner remaining with them solely because of his glove. The Gothams recalled Ryan Zimmerman, who is likely to step directly into the starting lineup at the hot corner.

Don Sutton was named to the Gothams’ rotation, and the arrival of Don Buford moves J0-J0 Moore, who has performed quite well, onto the bench.

This roster still doesn’t really make sense: they don’t have anyone who can competently play RF behind Johnny Callison, and have far too many 1B. The most likely next move is for Pete Runnels to head to the minors with an OF coming back up.

#Ottawa Mounties

Clayton Richard and Chris Bosio moved to AAA with Dave Gregg being recalled from his rehab assignment and Bill Crouch the latest minor league arm recalled for a shot at WBL glory.

#Philadelphias Stars

John Burkett was recalled to take the role of the now-departed Larry Jackson in the Stars’ bullpen. Butch Wynegar‘s time in the WBL was limited, as he was demoted to AAA to clear the way for Bill Dickey, who will take over the bulk of the catching duties.

That is the largest immediate change, although both César Hernández and George Hendrick will see more playing time as Philadelphia tries to overcome their struggles in CF and the middle infield.

Pete Alexander began a rehab assignment.

TWIWBL 72.6: Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On February 19, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
San Francisco Sea Lions	55-34	.618	—
Miami Cuban Giants	44-46	.489	11.5
Chicago American Giants	42-47	.472	13
Los Angeles Angels	39-49	.443	15.5
Portland Sea Dogs	39-51	.433	16.5

Cum Posey Division | 9 July

#Los Angeles Angels

Jack Gleason was recalled to take Don Buford‘s roster spot. Buford’s absence means Kal Daniels becomes the Angels’ everyday LF with Elmer Smith entering a platoon with Steve Garvey at DH.

Mike Trout and Carlos Delgado hit back-to-back homeruns in the bottom of the 11th as the Angels beat Detroit, 9-8. Delgado’s was his 2nd of the day and the blasts left both him and Trout with 21 dingers each on the season.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Steven Wright was sent to AAA, clearing room for Jim Whitney, who moved directly into Miami’s rotation.

Whitney made a solid debut with just over 6 scoreless innings, but it took a walkoff homer from Iván Rodríguez in the bottom of the 10th for the Cuban Giants to triumph over Portland, 5-4. Jim Thome went deep twice in the game, giving him 34 on the year.

#Portland Sea Dogs

John Wetteland–despite his struggles with Baltimore–will join Portland’s bullpen with Bobby Witt returning to AAA. Additionally, Joseíto Muñoz was named to the rotation, with Jerry Koosman, who is returning from a rehab assignment, taking up the role of the departed Mike Cuellar in the Sea Dogs’ bullpen.

Rogers Hornsby‘s departure is a little more complicated: Paul Molitor will take over most of the time at 2B, with Willie Randolph as his backup and Eddie Yost was recalled from the minors to provide some depth at 3B.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Jimmy Bloodworth has gone from fan favorite to AAA as he was sent down to clear room for Frank Grant, who will take over as the everyday 2B.

Bump Hadley‘s first start of the second half was more of the same excellence: a 4-hit shutout of Chicago. Hadley, who improved to 13-4, fanned 10 in the 8-0 win, and Jack Clark went deep twice in support of the right-hander.