Tag: Frankie Frisch Page 1 of 2

98.1: Welcome to Week 1 & Opening Day Games

On August 16, 2026

8 April, 2002

Welcome to Year III! Woot woot!

The Whirled Baseball League opened its third season on the first of April, 2002, but the weather proved a mightier force than the ump crying Play Ball! Four of the ten scheduled openers were impacted by the wet — Houston at Homestead, Birmingham at Brooklyn, Chicago at Baltimore and Los Angeles at Cleveland all went to the tarp, and all four were made up as day-night doubleheaders the following afternoon. Of the six games that did get played, three were interrupted by rain anyway.

After the first week, The Detroit Wolverines sit alone at 6-1. Nobody else in the league has more than five wins. But Detroit is doing it with mirrors: they have scored 43 and allowed 39, which should put them at about 4-3. So we’ll see what holds.

Awards

American League Player of the Week: Dick Allen, Chicago American Giants.

The 24-year-old third baseman opened the year 11-for-27 with three home runs, nine runs batted in and nine runs scored, a .407/.467/.963 line across thirty plate appearances.

National League Player of the Week: Roberto Alomar, Ottawa Mounties.

Fifteen hits in thirty-one at-bats, with two home runs earned Alomar the Award. In one of those early season oddities, he didn’t draw a walk or reach base any other way, so both BA and OBP sit at .484.

Opening Day Games

Kansas City 5, Ottawa 4.

Not a single home run was hit in this one, and it was still the best game of the day. It opened messily on both sides: Kansas City scored twice in the first, one of the runs on a passed ball, and Ottawa gave one straight back in the bottom half on a wild pitch. The Mounties drew level in the third, and there it sat.

Then the sky opened. A thirty-eight minute delay in the fifth ended both starters’ afternoons — Roy Halladay had kept Ottawa in it to that point — and Kansas City came out of the break with two runs in the sixth to lead 4-2.

Ottawa’s answer in the eighth was what lifted the game above the level of the mundane: Eddie Guardado came on for the Monarchs and Roberto Alomar greeted him with a line-drive double. Gary Carter followed with a double of his own — an absolute rocket that left the bat at 111 miles per hour — and Carlos Beltrán scored Carter on a single to center. Tie game, and Kansas City called on Lee Smith to stop the bleeding (which he did).

The winning hit travelled about ninety feet in the air. Doug Rader walked to open the ninth and, after Ted Simmons grounded into a force play, Kolten Wong singled Simmons to second. Frankie Frisch came on to pinch-run from there, tagged up to third on an Ozzie Smith fly ball to right, and scored when Cool Papa Bell beat out a weakly hit infield chopper that left the bat roughly 50 mph slower than Carter’s smash.

Craig Kimbrel set Ottawa down in order in the ninth for the save; the win went to Lee Smith for the eighth.

Benny Kauff finished the day with three hits for the Monarchs.

KAN 5 (Smith 1-0; Kimbrel 1 Sv; Guardado 1 BSv) @ OTT 4 (Dempster 0-1)
HRs: none.
Box Score

San Francisco 5, New York Black Yankees 2.

For six innings this was the pitchers’ duel the marquee promised: Lefty Grove struck out twelve over six and a third — tying the Sea Lions’ franchise record for a single game — and Andy Pettitte matched him nearly stride for stride with six shutout innings and eight strikeouts of his own. Through four the scoreboard was blank in both directions.

Lou Gehrig broke the tie in the bottom of the fourth, taking Grove over the wall with one out for the season’s first run at Yankee Stadium. That held until the seventh, when New York summoned Hoyt Wilhelm to protect the one-run lead.

Whoops. Turkey Stearnes led off the seventh and tied the game on the spot with his opening dinger of the season, and although New York handed Wilhelm a fresh lead in the bottom half — Don Mattingly driving in the go-ahead run for 2-1 — he gave that one back too, and then some. San Francisco put up three in the eighth. Reggie Jackson added a solo shot off David Robertson in the ninth for good measure.

So: blown save, loss, and four earned runs across two innings for Wilhelm, and even on opening day the questions start being asked about the Black Yankees’ bullpen. Trevor Hoffman got the win in relief, Joe Nathan handled the 8th, and Rod Beck finished it off — the Sea Lions’ pen had no such queries asked.

SFS 5 (Hoffman 1-0; Beck 1 Sv) @ NYY 2 (Wilhelm 0-1, 1 BSv)
HRs: SFS – Stearnes (1), Jackson (1); NYY – Gehrig (1).
Box Score

New York Gothams 9, Indianapolis 6.

The week’s largest crowd — 54,814 — was treated to seven home runs (1 by a starting pitcher) and four lead changes. Don Buford led off the bottom of the first by putting a Luis Padrón offering into the seats, and Brandon Crawford did the same in the third.

Indianapolis finally solved Christy Mathewson in the fourth: Johnny Bench went deep with two out, and moments later, with a man aboard, Buddy Bell turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead. It lasted one inning. HR Johnson answered with a two-run homer in the fifth, and the Gothams tacked on a couple more in the sixth to lead 6-3 with nine outs to go.

Which is where it got strange. Luis Padrón, still in at the DH for the ABC’s, led off the seventh by homering off Masahiro Tanaka, and two batters later Oscar Charleston hit a two-run shot to tie it at six. Tanaka had blown the save and, in the way these things sometimes go, was about to be rewarded for it: New York retook the lead in the bottom half, and Buford’s second home run of the day, a two-run drive in the eighth, put it out of reach.

Mathewson struck out ten but walked five and got no decision. Tanaka got the win. Nobody got much peace, but the fans got a good show to start the season.

IND 6 (Mitchell 0-1) @ NYG 9 (Tanaka 1-0, 1 BSv; Wilson 1 Sv)
HRs: IND – Charleston (1), Bench (1), Bell (1); NYG – Buford (2), HR Johnson (1), Crawford (1).
Box Score

Detroit 7, Miami 5.

Charlie Root was the story at first — five and two thirds innings, no runs, no walks, and eleven strikeouts. Detroit’s lineup took its time with Miami starter José Méndez, opening with doubles from Bobby Wallace and Charlie Gehringer before Oscar Gamble finally got one out of the park in the fifth. Eustaquio Pedroso came on in relief of Méndez and it went no better — Al Kaline took him deep for two in the seventh, Gehringer in the eighth.

Miami got a two-run shot from Alejandro Oms and three hits from Gary Sheffield, but never was able to overtake the Wolverines.

MCG 5 (Méndez 0-1) @ DET 7 (Root 1-0; Henneman 1 Sv)
HRs: MCG – Oms (1); DET – Gamble (1), Kaline (1), Gehringer (1).
Box Score

Portland 7, Memphis 3.

Walter Johnson started, went three and a third (departing after a rain delay in the 4th), and hit a home run. Paul Molitor added a two-run shot of his own and Ken Griffey Jr had three hits and two runs batted in. Memphis answered through David Ortiz, who drove in three with a homer, and Johnny Briggs, who had three hits, but Portland held the lead throughout.

POR 7 (Trout 1-0) @ MEM 3 (Overmire 0-1)
HRs: POR – Molitor (1), Griffey Jr (1), Johnson (1); MEM – Ortiz (1).
Box Score

Philadelphia 9, Wandering House of David 5.

The ageless wonder that is Rico Carty opened the season by going 4-for-4 with a home run and Roger Peckinpaugh (sitting in at SS for Philadelphia for the suspended Jim Fregosi) drove in three, and Philadelphia was never really threatened once Hardie Henderson got through six. The House of David did get 2 homers from young John Beckwith and another from Anthony Rizzo. Jack Taylor gave up eleven hits in the loss.

PHI 9 (Henderson 1-0) @ HOD 5 (Taylor 0-1)
HRs: PHI – Carty (1), Peckinpaugh (1); HOD – Beckwith (2), Rizzo (1).
Box Score

Bits & Bobs

You Always Remember Your First
Houston’s Pete Hill is 0-for-17 with eight strikeouts. He posted a .800 OPS over 594 plate appearances last season, which makes him the furthest any regular has fallen from his own track. Memphis’s Herman Long is 0-for-10 since being signed to solve shortstop for the Red Sox, and Chicago’s Jay Bell and Birmingham’s Ron Fairly are also hitless.

The Root of Things
Nine and a third innings, seventeen strikeouts — the league lead — and not one walk for Detroit’s Charlie Root.

Singles? We Don’t Need No Stinking Singles.
Baltimore’s Gavy Cravath has six hits this season — three doubles and three home runs. Josh Gibson (Homestead), Manny Ramírez (Memphis), Oscar Gamble (Detroit) and Jack Clark (San Francisco) are also yet to hit a single this season.

Swing, miss, duck.
The Sea Lions’ Lefty Grove has sixteen strikeouts in eleven and a third innings — and a 6.35 earned run average and 0-1 record to show for it.

Who Needs the DH?
Five homeruns came from pitchers during the opening week. 2 came from Charles Rogan (Philadelphia), which isn’t terribly surprising, but Walter Johnson (Portland), Luis Padrón (Indianapolis), and Jim Whitney (Miami) all joined in as well.

Year III Season Preview: Kansas City Monarchs

By mknn

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.

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 87.5: The Second Basemen

By mknn

On February 2, 2026

In TWIWBL

Another NL dominated list with AL 2B only appearing in the B Tier and, honestly, each of those perhaps belonging one group lower.

#S Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	OTT	Roberto Alomar	24	305/383/579	35 HR 109 RBI 121 R 58 SB
NL	IND	Joe Morgan	22	306/425/612	35 SB

Nobody would have predicted Roberto Alomar as the best 2B in the game before the season began, but here we are. Alomar was truly superlative, putting him in the running for the All Rounder Award, even. Alomar’s WAR of 4.9 easily outpaced the rest of the field at 2B, and perhaps the only knock on him is that he led the league with 14 errors, however he also played more innings at 2B than anybody else.

Even with all that, Joe Morgan may have edged Alomar for the top spot if he had remained healthy: he got on base more often and showed more power, and is expected to be back at full strength for Spring Training

#A Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	BRK	Jackie Robinson	29	288/369/549	52 SB
NL	HOD	Ryne Sandberg	33	292/351/592	42 HR	.993 fPct 4.97 RF

Jackie Robinson spent some time elsewhere early in the season, but settled down at 2B for the champions, and won the Whirled Series with a memorable walkoff blast. While Ryne Sandberg faded a little as the season moved along (he lead the WBL in homers at one early point), this is still more than enough to cement his spot as a star in the league, especially when his defense is considered.

#B Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	CAG	Eddie Collins	28	286/385/413	104 R 73 SB
NL	NYG	Larry Doyle	35	261/350/587	26 HR
—	LAA/ BBB	Bobby Grich	24	226/349/448		.976 fPct
AL	POR/ NYY	Rogers Hornsby	34	270/374/480		-11.9 ZR .904 dEff
AL	BAL	Miller Huggins	28	276/421/354	35 SB	10.8 ZR 1.100 dEff
NL	PHI	Chase Utley	30	254/341/441	26 SB	.994 fPct 4.92 RF 13.7 ZR

Eddie Collins was a borderline MVP candidate last year, and the first recipient of the All Rounder Award, and Bobby Grich wasn’t all that far behind him. This year, a 50 point drop in slash line across the board moves them into this space, where their starting jobs are safe, but they’re really in danger of no longer being considered elite. An argument could be made that Rogers Hornsby still belongs in the A Tier, but his age and defensive weakness moves him here.

Larry Doyle barely made the usage requirement for the list, which moves him down a tier and, at 35, it’s unclear how much he has left in the tank. Still, in hindsight, he clearly should have started at 2B for the Gothams all season.

Miller Huggins may not belong here, but we’re a sucker for players with 150 point spreads between their BA and OBP, and he’s clearly locked down the starting role in Baltimore. Add his defensive metrics, and we’re fine with him in this group.

Chase Utley‘s incredible defense moves him into this tier–his offensive performance alone would leave him in the C Tier.

#C Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
AL	MCG	Martín Dihigo	19	246/291/429	39 SB	1.000 fPct
AL	DET	Charlie Gehringer	25	257/335/452		4.89 RF -10.7 ZR
—	HOD/ SFS	Frank Grant	22	255/339/384	43 SB
AL	MEM	DJ LeMahieu	29	297/373/433		1.117 dEff
AL	POR	Paul Molitor	24	266/323/423	42 SB	.977 fPct

Paul Molitor‘s future is not at 2B, but to succeed anywhere else, he’ll need to up the offensive production–indeed, he is perhaps being flattered through his inclusion here.

DJ LeMahieu and Frank Grant barely made the list’s usage requirement, leaving Charlie Gehringer as the only obvious C Tier second baseman.

And then there is the enigma that is Martín Dihigo. He played mostly at 2B, but logged a ton of innings elsewhere, at a gold glove level everywhere. Add in his age, his massive jump in offensive performance, and his speed, and you could argue he belongs a tier above.

#D Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	HOU	Craig Biggio	26	234/333/398	20 SB (but, 20 CS)
NL	BRK	Ray Dandridge	22	249/284/421		3.94 RF 1.131 dEff
NL	IND	Tommy Helms	25	268/300/399
AL	CLE	Chuck Knoblauch	28	230/320/381	38 SB	-12.5 ZR .926 dEff

Craig Biggio has more upside–and clearly had the better year–but either he or Chuck Knoblauch could, surprisingly, see the bench next year. Both were significantly better last year, with Knoblauch being an All Star, so there is some reason for optimism as well.

Ray Dandridge‘s future in Brooklyn is probably at SS, but he played most this season at 2B, so he’s listed here. Obviously, the offense needs to improve for his career to stabilize.

Tommy Helms is a utility infielder at best, forced onto this list by Morgan’s injury.

#F Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	Slash	Other	Def
NL	KCM	Robinson Canó	25	230/258/397		11.0 ZR
NL	BBB	Cupid Childs	24	224/344/327	37 SB
NL	KCM	Frankie Frisch	28	255/281/405
AL	NYY	Tom Herr	29	228/288/326	21 SB	4.02 RF
NL	HOM	Napoleon Lajoie	24	231/255/409	55 2B	.993 fPct
AL	MCG	Cookie Rojas	26	267/307/379		.993 fPct

An interesting group, honestly. Cupid Childs has gone from being a rising star to losing his starting job with the arrival of Bobby Grich; Napoleon Lajoie‘s 55 doubles speak to his potential, and Cookie Rojas is quite versatile, although, of this group, perhaps the most expendable for his team.

Note Childs’ OBP: his speed and ability to get on base should preserve his having utility in the WBL somewhere.

And then we have the misery that is Kansas City, with both Robinson Canó and Frankie Frisch buried here (although, to be fair, Frisch is a utility infielder and has value as such). And, Tommy Herr, who was supposed to be the long-term solution at 2B for New York, but whose performance prompted the acquisition of Hornsby by the Black Yankees.

#Rookies

Charlie Gehringer (C Tier) and Frank Grant (C Tier).

#Fielding Notes

We have our standard defensive stats here, with the leaders in bold and the worst performers in italics. 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 83.2 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 56.11: Spring Training Notes – Kansas City Monarchs

By mknn

On February 28, 2024

In TWIWBL

Spring Training Questions

Figuring out the staff is challenge number one. 2 second round picks–Matt Morris and Jack Quinn–have a shot at making the staff depending on their performance this Spring.

Injuries

Jim Bibby‘s hopes of making the team were dashed by a trip to the DL. Merv Rettenmund will miss about a month with a back injury, which is a shame, as he was making a strong case for a reserve OF spot.

First Cuts

Well … the pitching staff remains a bit of a mystery. Jim Bibby is hurt and Rube Marquard and Sheriff Blake were sent down, but other than that the competition for the starting slots remains tough: Bill Singer and Bob Shawkey have yet to give up a run and Félix Hernández and Rube Foster are better than their numbers may indicate. Larry French, Boone Logan, and Matt Thornton were also returned to minor league camp, at least reducing some of the bullpen congestion.

With that many pitchers still in camp, the Monarchs only moved one C to their minor leagues, Johnny Bassler. 1Bs Daryl Sconiers and Andre Thornton have forced their way into the conversation at 1B, especially as the two incumbents–Boog Powell and Albert Pujols–are struggling mightily to start camp. Over at the hot corner, though, a small handful of players have played their way out of camp: Heliodoro Hidalgo, Ken Boyer, Bill Bradley, and Gene Freese were all sent down, with Carlos Baerga barely holding on.

In the middle infield, the competition has been fierce with Dave Cash, Keston Hiura, and Frankie Frisch all hitting well and only Kolten Wong not showing enough to stick around.

Earl Averill‘s talent is undeniable, but his performance sent him back to the minors for a time. Neither Fielder Jones nor Cool Papa Bell have hit a lick so far, so the backup CF spot is still up for grabs. The surprises of the Spring so far have been Jim King and Merv Rettenmund, who are making strong arguments for a roster spot.

Second Cuts

Trevor Rosenthal has pitched as well as someone who has given up 12 hits in under 4 innings can, and remains in camp despite an ERA over 12.00. Félix Hernández and Jock Menefee weren’t as lucky, being reassigned to the minors.

C John Bateman was reassigned, and Salvador Pérez is in danger of losing his backup position with an OPS of .220 so far. Teenager Carlos Baerga and Sam Mongin were both demoted, leaving the Monarchs without a true 3B in camp.

OFers Fielder Jones and Tommy McCarthy were sent down as well, clearing the way for Cool Papa Bell to make the team as Willie McGee‘s backup in CF.

3rd Cuts

Even before the day off, the Monarchs had seen enough: something is wrong with Trevor Rosenthal. After a solid season last year, Rosenthal has been absolutely torched so far this Spring, giving up 15 hits in 4.1 innings and an ERA over 16. Rosenthal should figure it out, but he’ll start in minor league camp.

Muddy Ruel is really pushing to break camp ahead of Salvador Pérez as Ted Simmons‘ backup at C.

The rest of the roster remains a bit muddled, other than Cool Papa Bell and Keston Hiura being sent to AAA. The challenge is not unusual: presumed starters are struggling (Albert Pujols, Robinson Canó) and longshots to make the team are hammering the ball (Daryl Sconiers, Edgar Rentería, Jim King). Add Dale Murphy starting to come good on his promise, and there are still significant cuts to be made.

Final Cuts

Bill Singer must be wondering what he has to do to get an extended shot in the WBL. He’s only 20, so he’ll have some more chances, but for now he’ll ply his trade at AAA after a solid showing this Spring.

In a bit of a surprise, Muddy Ruel has beaten incumbent Salvador Pérez for the backup C job with the Monarchs, at least for now, with Pérez being moved to AAA.

The Monarchs are delaying some harder choices by sending RP Andrew Bailey to AAA. One of those is at 1B where young Daryl Sconiers refuses to stop pounding the ball in Spring Training. This has sent Andre Thornton to AAA, despite the veteran showing some nice pop at the plate. Sconiers is still likely to join him, but for now he’s remaining in big league camp.

Jack Rowe had a solid year last season behind Ozzie Smith, but he’ll have to work his way back from AAA this year, with Edgar Rentería looking likely to be Smith’s backup. OF Merv Rettenmund was placed on the DL.

The choice with Sconiers is mirrored by the choice with Jim King. Both have torn the cover off the ball all Spring, but both are really vying for a fringe roster spot with the Monarchs. Here, Sconiers’ age worked against him, as the Monarchs moved him to AAA for more regular playing time.

The Monarchs ducked one decision by placing Matt Morris on the DL. Bob Shawkey beat out Adam Wainwright for one spot on the staff.

The final 3 cuts were pretty brutal. Jim King, Edgar Rentería, and Dave Cash did absolutely everything asked of them all Spring, leading the team in most offensive measures and showing decent defensive versatility. In the end, Frankie Frisch‘s ability to play SS and the desire of the Monarchs to see if Dale Murphy can deliver on his Spring performance sent all three to the minors.

Season Review: Kansas City Monarchs

By mknn

On December 8, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

66 - 88, .428 pct.
5th in Cum Posey Division, 25 games behind.

Overall

What a miserable year for the Monarchs. They were expected to contend, and just collapsed, despite the presence of some elite offensive players (most notably, of course, Stan Musial).

They converted some key veteran talent into a lot of pieces, so perhaps the franchise can bounce back quickly, but for now they rival the Black Yankees for the biggest disappointment in the league.

What Went Right

The offensive core of this team is very solid. At 22, Stan Musial spent most of the season on the fringes of the MVP discussion and at 21, Albert Pujols showed the kind of potential that could put him there. Even though both hit late season slumps, Boog Powell and Ducky Medwick were both solid, and Lou Brock and Willie McGee were virtually interchangeable, each with OPS’ around .810 and over 40 steals. Add in Ted Simmons‘ above-average production as a C, and the Monarchs should continue to score runs for a while.

Steve Evans never stopped hitting, demanding a closer look with the team next year.

Luke Hamlin had some of the most dominant starts in the league. Bob Gibson and Adam Wainwright both showed some serious potential and Jeff Pfeffer impressed as a closer–a challenge on a team that was very rarely close at the end of games. Craig Kimbrel and Trevor Rosenthal were good out of the pen as well.

ALL STAR SELECTIONS
2B Rogers Hornsby; OF Stan Musial; SP Andy Pettitte

What Went Wrong

Robinson Canó cooled off after seeming to step directly into Rogers Hornsby‘s shoes. Ozzie Smith was the worst offensive performer in the league to qualify for the batting crown (although, it must be said, he was in the argument for the gold glove at SS).

Ultimately, the team lacked pop. They hit for average, but at the end of the day, there was a bit too much of the McGee / Brock, base-at-a-time model.

Luke Hamlin had some of the worst starts in the league, and the rest of the staff ranged from inconsistent to horrible.

A lot of top tier talent–most notably Hornsby and Andy Pettitte–was traded away.

Trade Evaluations

March

OF Jim Edmonds to House of David for IF Robinson Canó

Sure.

June

2B Rogers Hornsby, OF Vince Coleman & 4th Round Pick to Portland for P Smoky Joe Wood and C Devin Mesoraco

Troubling. Wood struggled a lot, although he is only 20, and Mesoraco is likely never more than a backup backstop.

July

P Connie Johnson & 5th Round Pick to Baltimore for OF Merv Rettenmund, P Gene Garber & 2nd Round Pick {Jack Quinn}

Johnson has a world championship ring, so we’re happy for him for that. Maybe Garber turns into something?

P Andy Pettitte to Birmingham for C Dale Murphy, P A. Rube Foster, 2nd Round Pick {Matt Morris}, 5th Round Pick {Heliodoro Hidalgo}

Absolute steal, just about makes up for the rest. Pettitte was fantastic for Birmingham, and won the ERA crown, but Murphy has the scouts drooling, even if C is unlikely to be his final home, and A. Rube Foster has a great arm.

Looking Forward

SP

The future holds Bob Gibson, Adam Wainwright, and A. Rube Foster, which could be excellent. Pair that with José Rijo and a resurgent Smoky Joe Wood and the rotation could be quite strong. Could be.

RP

Craig Kimbrel and Jeff Pfeffer are strong, and there is some talent–Gene Garber, Jeff Reardon–behind them.

C

Ted Simmons has this locked for a while, and between Devin Mesocoro and Salvador Pérez, there is some depth as well.

1B

On the one hand there is no real claim here; on the other Albert Pujols, Dale Murphy, and even Stan Musial will probably drift towards this as well.

2B

Canó is possible, but there is hope that he gets some competition from the group of Kolten Wong, Dave Cash, and Frankie Frisch.

3B

Albert Pujols for now, but this may be an area of need down the road.

SS

Ozzie Smith for a while, at least as long as his defense compensates for his weak bat.

LF

Lou Brock looks solid here.

CF

Willie McGee was great this year, and there are hopes that Cool Papa Bell emerges here eventually–but can a team really succeed with both Brock and Bell?

RF

Stan Musial forever.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

A difficult choice. With the #3 overall pick, the Monarchs took a player who was a bit of a surprise, but also counts as a franchise selection, SP Hilton Smith. Smith sort of fit just right: he’ll help sooner than, say, Clayton Kershaw, but has a higher ceiling than most other pitching prospects.

With 3 picks in the 2nd round, the Monarchs started with the player least likely to stick around for a while, CF Earl Averill. It’s not clear how Averill fits into Kansas City’s plans, but his talent is undeniable. They followed that with 22 year old P Matt Morris, who (a) is a franchise pick and (b) may fight for a rotation spot this season. Finally, they added 25 year old Jack Quinn, who may join Morris at the WBL next season.

In the 3rd round, the Monarchs picked up IF Carlos Baerga, clearly believing that by the time he is ready for the majors, their 2B/3B situation will be clearer.

Rounds 5-8

Kansas City is looking to add some specific positional depth, specifically at 1B, SS, and CF.

With their final franchise exception, they take Heliodoro Hidalgo, who should help at CF. That begins to limit their options, making OF Wade Johnston a reasonable choice in round 6 and IF Polly Mongin a good fit in round 7. OF Ray Blades joins in the 8th round for some more OF depth.

Rounds 9-12

IF Dink Mothel; P Doug Bair; P Giovanny Gallegos; and P Larry French.

TWIWBL 39.2: Series XXXI Notes – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On May 9, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Chicago American Giants

Joe Jackson reached base 6 times in 7 late appearances with 3 walks and 3 hits to lead the American Giants to a 7-5 victory of Indianapolis in 12 innings. A rare poor outing by AJ Minter allowed the ABC’s to tie the game, but Akinori Otsuka pitched well in the extra frames to improve to 4-5 on the year.

José Abreu‘s continued struggles netted him a return to AAA with Cristóbal Torriente coming of the DL.

#Houston Colt 45’s

3 hits from George Brett, including a go-ahead triple in the 8th inning, powered Houston to a 6-4 victory over the Black Yankees. Luke Gregerson pitched 2 scoreless innings for the victory and Billy Wagner notched his 19th save despite a shaky 9th inning.

With their bullpen greatly fatigued, Toad Ramsey put in a masterful performance, allowing only 1 unearned run in a 2-1 victory over the Black Yankees. Andrés Galarraga had 3 hits, raising his average to .336 in the game which saw Ramsey even his record at 11-11 with his league leading 4th complete game of the season.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Stan Musial had 2 homeruns giving him 23 on the year. He and Willie McGee had 3 hits each, but it wasn’t enough as the Monarchs fell to the House of David, 8-4.

José Rijo threw a 5-hit complete game shutout, and four Monarchs–Steve Evans, Ducky Medwick, Frankie Frisch, and Robinson Canó–went deep as Kansas City beat the House of David 7-0.

Bill Singer, quite effective since being recalled, was injured in the opening game. It took a couple days, but it looks like Singer will miss about a month, prompting the Monarchs to recall Jock Menefee from AAA.

#Ottawa Mounties

Roy Sievers went deep twice and the newly recalled Sam Thompson hit his first career dinger, but it wasn’t enough as the Mounties fell to Homestead 8-6.

Series XXVIII Featured Series: Cleveland Spiders @ Kansas City Monarchs

By mknn

On March 10, 2023

In Featured Games, Featured Series

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Pat Malone @ Bob Gibson

Early on, it didn’t look good for either Cleveland’s Pat Malone‘s attempt at his 12th win of the year or for Kansas City’s Bob Gibson looking to establish himself in the Monarchs’ rotation.

Louis Santop tripled in Jake Stahl and scored on a groundout from Chuck Knoblauch to give the Spiders a lead in the top of the 2nd, but the game would be tight for a while as Lou Brock doubled in Robinson Canó and scored on a sacrifice fly from Frankie Frisch to tie it up.

Cleveland would retake the lead with a leadoff double from Johnny Bates and an RBI single from John Ellis, but again Kansas City would respond as an error in RF by Ron Blomberg allowed Boog Powell to score, and an RBI single from Canó gave the Monarchs their first lead, at 4-3.

Gibson would be chased in the 5th, surrendering 3 doubles and a walk to the first four batters, with Ellis driving in 1 and Stahl 2. Trevor Rosenthal came in and promptly gave away the store: 4 walks and an HBP and by the end of the inning, the Spiders were ahead, 9-4.

Malone had settled down at this point, and with the Monarchs’ getting a nice effort from Rube Marquard, the game stayed the same until the top of the 9th, when Marquard’s stuff ran out with Sammy Strang driving in 2 and Kenny Lofton 1. That made it 12-4, which was the final tally.

Malone is now tied for the league lead in victories. Ted Simmons had 3 hits for the Monarchs in a losing cause.

CLE 12 (Malone 12-5) @ KCM 4 (Gibson 0-2)
HRs: none.
Box Score

#Game 2: Bill Steen @ Luke Hamlin

A wild pitch by Cleveland’s Bill Steen allowed Ted Simmons (who had tripled) to score in the bottom of the 2nd. Steen walked 3 in the inning, but got Boog Powell to ground out, limiting the Monarchs to a single run.

Steen continued to struggle with his control, but made it through 5 innings only surrendering the 1 run.

You never know which Luke Hamlin will show up for Kansas City. This was the good one, as he spun a 2-hit shutout through 5 innings. The Monarchs do know which Louis Santop shows up, though, as the 19 year old continues to make a name for himself. Here, in the bottom of the 6th, his snap throw to first picked off Ozzie Smith, who had walked.

John Ellis led off the 7th with a double, and moved to 3rd on a single from Lance Berkman, chasing Hamlin from the mound. Santop tied the game with a sacrifice fly, but Frank DiPino was able to get out of the inning without further damage.

Cleveland fans love to disparage Sammy Strang, but the 3B has had a decent year, especially in terms of getting on base. Power has been an issue, but here he led off the 8th with his 2nd homerun of the year, putting the Spiders up, 2-1. The lead was short-lived, as consecutive pinch-hits by Steve Evans and Jack Rowe tied it up in the bottom of the 8th. Ron Reed, who was shaky all inning, got Stan Musial to fly out with 2 on, leaving the game tied heading into the 9th.

And it stayed that way, sending us to extra innings.

In the top of the 11th, Berkman chipped a one-out single into RF, and was replaced by Bill Dahlen. Dahlen moved to second on the 2nd out of the inning and scored on a single by Chuck Knoblauch.

The Monarchs tried to duplicate the pattern: Musial opened the inning with a hit, and was replaced by the pinch-running Frankie Frisch. Terry Adams walked Albert Pujols, prompting Cleveland to go to their bullpen for Bob Feller. Feller could not do it: Ducky Medwick, who had 3 hits on the day, drove home a run with a single, and Willie McGee won the game with a sacrifice fly to deep LF.

CLE 3 (Adams 2-6; Feller 1 B Sv) @ KCM 4 (Pfeffer 5-2; DiPino 2 B Sv) [11 Innings]
HRs: CLE – Strang (2); KCM – none.
Box Score

#Game 3: Stan Coveleski @ Adam Wainwright

Adam Wainwright has been struggling of late, and it continued, although he escaped damage until the 3rd, when Ron Blomberg singled in a run. John Ellis drove in a 2nd with a sacrifice fly giving the Spiders an early 2-0 lead. Wainwright settled down until Blomberg took him deep in the top of the 6th, increasing Cleveland’s lead to 3-0 and forcing Kansas City to bring in Joe Blong from the pen.

That didn’t work so well: Blong gave up a walk and 5 consecutive hits, pushing the lead to 6-0 and bringing in Adam Russell in relief, who gave up a sacrifice fly before bringing the inning to a close.

Stan Coveleski, on the other hand, went to the bottom of the 6th with the 7-0 lead nursing a 4-hit shutout. The shutout lasted into the 7th, when Lou Brock took Coveleski deep.

Each team added a run, but the outcome was never really in doubt. Blomberg ended with 4 hits for Cleveland while Willie McGee and Brock had 3 hits each for Kansas City in the losing cause.

CLE 8 (Coveleski 11-2) @ KCM 4 (Wainwright 1-5)
HRs: CLE – Blomberg (32); KCM – Brock (9).
Box Score

#Game 4: Cy Young @ Frank Castillo

Neither Cy Young nor Frank Castillo were very good, with each team scoring in the first frame. Cleveland used doubles from Ron Blomberg and Kenny Lofton and Kansas City RBI singles from Stan Musial and Robinson Canó, and we came out of the first inning with the Spiders leading, 3-2.

But, despite allowing a lot of traffic, only one more run crossed the plate until a 3-run shot by Lance Berkman made it 7-2 in favor of Cleveland in the top of the 7th.

Kansas City made it close with a 2 run single from Albert Pujols and a 2 run jack from Ducky Medwick making it a 1-run game at 7-6, but the Spiders’ Terry Adams pitched a perfect 9th for his 25th save giving Cleveland the 3-1 edge in the series.

CLE 7 (Young 9-7; Adams 25 Sv; Porter 11 H) @ KCM 6 (Castillo 6-9)
HRs: CLE – Berkman (8); KCM – Medwick (11).
Box Score

TWIWBL 25.2: Series XIX Notes – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On June 8, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Despite a stellar showing, Bob Welch is sent to AA A to clear room on the roster for the arrival of Joe Beggs. Manny Machado steps into the starting lineup at 3B, sending Brooks Robinson back to AAA.

#Chicago American Giants

The pitching staff was overhauled in a big way, with Frank Smith, Ken Sanders, and Joe Horlen heading to AAA to clear room for newcomers Don Newcombe, Dick Rudolph, Clay Condrey, and Hoyt Wilhelm, with Newcombe and Rudolph joining the rotation. Freddy Parent steps right into the SS role, sending Luis Aparicio to AAA and clearing space on the roster for José Abreu, who looks to see a fair bit of time at 1B against lefties.

The new guys were good in their first game: Parent hit a homerun and Wilhelm was effective in relief. But it was the old guard who won the game, with Frank Thomas hitting a homerun and Dick Allen getting 3 hits in a 7-2 victory over Brooklyn to start the second half for the American Giants. After the game, Tom Brookens was promoted to Chicago as Jack Doyle was placed on the DL.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Everyone can play everywhere … which isn’t as big a deal as you might think. But, 17 year old Pete Hill, Paul Goldschmidt, and Lance Blankenship all move to Houston to fill out the roster. Roger Clemens slides directly into the rotation with Brad Lidge heading to AAA.

Hill hit a go-ahead homerun in his first start, helping Houston to a 4-3 win over Ottawa. Trevor Hoffman moved to 5-0, and Billy Wagner picked up his 5th save of the year.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Steve Evans and Frankie Frisch join the big league club. The pitching situation is a bit more interesting: Bob Gibson remains at AAA due to the arrival of Smoky Joe Wood and the return of Andy Pettitte from the DL.

#Ottawa Mounties

The Mounties have essentially tossed in the towel, looking to sort through some of their young talent with an eye towards next year. This means a return to the rotation for Johnny Podgajny, a return to Ottawa for Randy Johnson, and a debut for RP Bobby Castillo.

A similar bunch of changes offensively: Jim Stephens takes over for Emil Gross as the backup catcher, Rusty Staub moves into a platoon at 1B, Álex Rodríguez gets another shot as the full time SS, and Carlos Beltrán tries to solve the ongoing woes at CF for Ottawa.

Roberto Alomar had 4 hits and 5 RBIs and Rodriguez scored 4 times with 3 hits and 3 RBIs leading the Mounties in a 14-5 rout of Houston in the first game of a doubleheader. Rodriguez and Roy Sievers went deep and Clayton Richard put in a strong 7 innings for his second win.