Tag: Fred Lynn Page 1 of 2

Spring Training Questions

The House of David enter Spring Training with 6 OFers and 4 Ps on the roster, so something most likely needs to give in the OF and the pitching is just totally wide open.

There is a ton of young talent that could force its way onto the roster with a strong Spring.

Injuries

Frank Grant will miss about 2 months with a back injury, removing for now any question of him making the opening day roster.

First Cuts

Tom Niedenfuer will be given some more time to recover from his early struggles, but Bill Stoneman, Jim Clinton, Larry Dierker, Karl Spooner, and Ken McBride were all moved to minor league camp. Even with that, there are a lot of major league opportunities on this staff.

Darren Daulton moved to the minors, with Bubbles Hargrave and Gabby Hartnett only staying in camp because the House of David needs some bodies behind the plate. At the corners, Cody Bellinger, Mark McGwire, and Jung Ho Kang were all reassigned. The situation remains a bit unclear–Deacon White and Chris Brown haven’t been terribly impressive, but have done just enough to remain in camp while a few of the presumed members of the opening day roster–Joe Harris, Anthony Rizzo, Ron Santo, and Richie Hebner especially–need to warm up.

At 2B, Charlie Gehringer is turning heads, but with Ryne Sandberg well established, it’s not clear how far that will take him. Craig Reynolds and Billy Herman were sent down, while both Bunny Downs and Orlando Cabrera have impressed enough to continue to make their case for a utility role on the IF.

In the OF, Cy Williams is forcing himself into the picture, with Billy Williams, Fred Lynn, and Tony Conigliaro heading to the minors.

Second Cuts

Tom Niedenfuer is in danger of being sent down, but his performance last season keeps him in camp for now. Beyond that, the staff is doing quite well, but of course will need pruning over the next week or so.

Mark Grace heads down to clear some of the 1B logjam … and that’s it for now.

Third Cuts

P Chad Kuhl heads to the minors, with the House of David considering sending down both Tom Niedenfuer and CC Sabathia, both of whom were solid last season. The surprises of camp have been the trio of Jocko Flynn, Ad Gumbert, and Fergie Jenkins, who have combined for over 30 scoreless innings. Flynn is 20, Gumbert 19, and Jenkins was hammered in a small handful of appearances last season.

C Bubbles Hargrave, 3Bs Chris Brown and Deacon White, IF Bunny Downs, and OFs Luis Gonzalez and Jerry Mumphrey were all sent to AAA (Gonzalez refused the assignment, and was waived). Downs’ defensive excellence may force a recall sooner rather than later, but for now there are others performing better in the race for the final roster spots.

The IF is far too crowded. Incumbents Anthony Rizzo (1B), Ron Santo (3B), and Ernie Banks (SS) are struggling mightily while Bob Robertson and Joe Harris (1B), Luis Aparicio (SS), and Charlie Gehringer and Orlando Cabrera (2B) are pounding the ball.

Final Cuts

Tom Niedenfeur‘s performance last season wasn’t enough in the end, as the struggling reliever was the first player sent down this final week of camp.

This is ridiculously hard. Ad Gumbert (18) and Jocko Flynn (20) were invited to camp mostly to help their future development. They’ve combined for over 20 innings of scoreless ball. Arnold Carter and Kyle Peterson? The longest of long shots, each with an ERA under 1.00. Bob Robertson, Luis Aparicio, Cy Williams, and Orlando Cabrera? The best hitters for the House of David this side of Ryne Sandberg.

Aparicio and Williams are merely unfortunate victims of the numbers game: Cabrera is the only other 2B on the roster behind Sandberg and will also serve as the backup SS. That means Aparicio, despite an OPS of 1.031, is sent to AAA.

The hard choices were delayed a day with Claude Osteen, a spare part in the Sosa trade, heading to AAA. 20 year old Jocko Flynn followed him after an outing that reinforced his control isn’t ready yet for the rigors of the WBL.

Needing to cut three to get to 30, the House of David had to figure some things out. OF Cy Williams was an obvious choice, and placing Bruce Sutter on the DL with his ongoing bout of elbow tendinitis made sense. That left a bit of a surprise, as OF Dan Ford–a fan favorite and a solid contributor last season–heads to AAA, pushed off the roster largely by the knock-on effects of the Sosa trade.

Kyle Peterson and Scott Downs–neither of which pitched worse than players who made the final roster–were sent to AAA, as was 20 year old Cap Anson, who did show some potential during the Spring.

Bob Robertson and Joe Harris went toe-to-toe all Spring, and came out just about even. The House of David stuck with Harris, mostly due to his contributions at the end of last season.

That left a single slot that really has to come from the pitching staff. Ad Gumbert and Arnold Carter are the obvious choices, but Gumbert–yet to turn 20–didn’t allow a run all Spring, and Carter only gave up 1. Carter was moved to AAA–his numbers were just a tad worse than Gumbert’s, and the team is curious how the teenage phenom does.

Season Review: Wandering House of David

By mknn

On December 26, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

83 - 71, .538 pct.
3rd in Bill James Division, 6 games behind.
Lost in Wild Card Round to Baltimore

Overall

The House of David caught fire in June and never looked back. That coincided, unsurprisingly, with Pete Browning‘s return from the DL (and a late season slump coincided with Browning’s cooling off at the tail end of the season). This team revolved around 3 players: Browning, Elrod Hendricks, and Jack Taylor.

On the one hand, it’s an example of how far a few well placed stars can carry you; on the other, it reveals an overall lack of quality that needs to be addressed.

What Went Right

Elrod Hendricks and Pete Browning finished with identical .961 OPS. Browning’s performance, at least, is expected to continue although his health remains a concern.

Jim Edmonds emerged as a legitimate potential star in the league with both his glove and his bat, and Anthony Rizzo did the same, minus the bit about the glove. George Stone was perhaps the most underrated offensive player in the league.

Top to bottom, the House of David were excellent offensively: Ryne Sandberg was very good at 2B and Dan Ford, quite surprisingly, hit well enough to legitimately claim the RF spot. Their worst everyday player–SS Ernie Banks–still posted a .736 OPS with 25 homeruns.

Jack Taylor was excellent, Bob Rush quite good, and both Frank Sullivan and CC Sabathia serviceable in the rotation. The bullpen trio of Tom Niedenfuer, Lee Smith, and Bruce Sutter was above average, although both Smith and Sutter faded a bit at the end of the season.

ALL STARS
C Elrod Hendricks; OF George Stone

What Went Wrong

Many of the players who were expected to fill roles struggled: Sammy Sosa (who was traded), Mark McGwire, Mark Grace, Frank Grant, and Fred Lynn were all given significant chances to impress, and all failed. That is what opened the door for Edmonds and Rizzo, so in the end it worked out.

Browning’s injury was horribly impactful and Hendricks’ performance is most likely a career year. Neither of these things went wrong, technically, but both speak volumes to the House of David’s future.

The rest of the pitching staff struggled, with Frank Sullivan being thoroughly average and Ferguson Jenkins horrible in his 80+ innings. The middle relief was so weak it warranted the acquisition of Ed Bauta–Bauta was good, but when Ed Bauta rescues your bullpen …

Transactions

March

None

June

OF Sammy Sosa & 5th Round Pick to Memphis for OF Tony Conigliaro, OF Fred Lynn & 2nd Round Pick {Bill Lee}

Sosa was terrible for the House of David, so getting anything for him seemed a steal at the time. Given his performance for Memphis, it’s not as clear.

July

IF Bert Campaneris, P Jeff Heathcock & 3rd Round Pick to Miami for P Ed Bauta, 6th Round Pick {Ad Gumbert} & 7th Round Pick {Dave Malarcher}

See above: Bauta was very much needed.

P Dick Tidrow & 7th Round Pick to New York Black Yankees for P Jim Clinton, 3B Chris Brown & 2nd Round Pick {Darren Daulton}

Seems fine: Clinton has some potential.

Looking Forward

SP

Taylor and Rush look quite good, and the House of David still believe in Ferguson Jenkins. There is some other talent here as well: Rick Reuschel, Kerry Wood and, although they are still teenagers at this point, Larry Dierker and Joe Nuxhall.

RP

Assuming Bruce Sutter and Lee Smith recover from their late season slumps, this looks good with support from Don Aase, and Rollie Fingers.

C

Something has to give here: Elrod Hendricks is clearly the starter heading into next year, with both Gabby Hartnett and Frank Chance behind him, although Chance’s future is likely not behind the plate.

1B

Anthony Rizzo looks very solid here, although the House of David remain optimistic that, someday, Mark McGwire will start connecting with more pitches. This may get even more crowded as both Chance and Cap Anson are expected to drift across the diamond to first eventually.

2B

Ryne Sandberg has this locked down, but young Billy Herman is turning some heads.

3B

Ron Santo is the starter here, although Anson should see some time over the next few years as well.

SS

Ernie Banks, although his performance this year really needs to be his floor for him to maintain his roster spot.

LF

George Stone now, Billy Williams later.

CF

Browning for as long as he stays healthy. There is a need for a better long term solution here.

RF

If Dan Ford cannot hold this down, Tony Conigliaro looks decent at AAA, and George Gore was among the better 4th OFers in the league.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

With 3 picks in the first two rounds, the House of David is looking to add a fair bit of high end talent. It starts in the 1st round with P Zack Greinke and continues in the 2nd with franchise P Bill Lee. Greinke is a great talent; Lee has a lower ceiling, but could help sooner.

The House of David had back-to-back picks later in the second round. With one, they hope to have solved a long term need at catcher: there are whispers that Hendricks’ year was a fluke and that Frank Chance‘s future may be at 1B . So, while he’s clearly a few years away, they picked up teenager Darren Daulton as a long-term project, and with their final pick of the round, they picked up the highest rated franchise player remaining, Cody Bellinger, who looks eventually to further complicate the CF question, but that’s a challenge for another day.

In the 4th round, the House of David picked up Frank Dwyer, probably the best remaining arm in the draft.

Rounds 5-8

Corner OF, 1B, and pitching should be the focus with these picks for the House of David, starting with a franchise selection, 19 year old pitcher Ad Gumbert. That was followed by their final exemption, P Al Brazle. Their 2 picks in the 7th round were Dave Malarcher and John Peters, both of whom offer some infield depth, but neither of whom have much power potential.

Rounds 9-12

P Justin Steele; OF Mitch Webster; IF Charlie Deal; P Hal Mauck.

13th overall pick Zack Greinke refused the House of David’s offer, and will re-enter the draft next year.

Season Review: Memphis Red Sox

By mknn

On December 14, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

71 - 83, .461 pct.
5th in Bill James Division, 18 games behind.

Overall

Memphis had a rough year: the pitching was never very good, and there were a ton of disappointments on the offensive side as well. If they can find some pitching, however, there may be no team in the league better positioned for a bounce back, and they ended the year on a 17-4 record, perhaps indicating better times are coming.

What Went Right

There were some things. OF Reggie Smith and Ted Williams look like elite players, despite Williams’ late season slide. Smith is 23, Williams 21, so that should lock up 2 of the Red Sox’s OF slots for a while.

Billy Bryan hit very well in limited action, and both Bill White and Wade Boggs looked solid as well.

Sammy Sosa did very well after being obtained in a mid-season trade, posting a SLG of .551 with Memphis.

Stubby Overmire was a pleasant surprise after arriving from Houston, finishing 3rd in the WBL in ERA. He, Dean Chance and, when healthy, Bill Doak looked solid as starters and Jonathan Papelbon and Heath Bell were each fantastic in the bullpen.

ALL STARS
RP Craig Kimbrel; OF Reggie Smith; OF Ted Williams

What Went Wrong

Neither Mookie Betts nor Manny Ramírez did enough, both being surpassed by Sosa on the depth chart (and with even more OF talent in the minors, it’s not clear if their futures lie with Memphis).

The MI was a mess all year, although Claude Ritchey did well enough at the end of the season to lay a claim for next year. Francisco Lindor and Dustin Pedroia were especially disappointing, leaving the Red Sox far too reliant on Iván De Jesús throughout the season (a fine utility part, not a starter).

The rest of the starting staff was a mess, either far too inconsistent (Jon Lester and Tim Wakefield) or just plain bad (Nixey Callahan especially).

Trade Evaluations

March

None

June

P Roger Clemens to Houston for OF Hack Wilson, P Jim Kaat, 2B DJ LeMahieu, P Stubby Overmire & 5th Round Pick {Nathan Eovaldi}

Clemens was struggling mightily in Memphis, and this is a nice haul of talent in return.

P Joe Beggs to Baltimore for P Willie Sudhoff, OF Alex Johnson & 4th Round Pick {Bill Lee}

Beggs’ age (33) makes this OK, I guess.

OF Tony Conigliaro, OF Fred Lynn & 2nd Round Pick to House of David for OF Sammy Sosa & 5th Round Pick

Seemed quite questionable at the time, but Sosa’s performance since has made this look like a win for the Red Sox.

July

C Jim Pagliaroni & 4th Round Pick to Birmingham for IF Woody English & 3B Candy Jim Taylor

Taylor is the best player in the deal, which usually would mean Memphis wins this one.

Looking Forward

SP

There is just so little talent here long term. Derek Lowe? I guess. A real weakness.

RP

Not bad. Papelbon and Bell for now, along with help from Joe Kelly and the continued effectiveness of Tim Wakefield as a swingman.

C

An area of need, especially if Billy Bryan stumbles. Jason Varitek has some promise and Kurt Suzuki showed outstanding defensive potential in a short trial (although he couldn’t hit a lick).

1B

Bill White did fine here, but he’s really just warming the spot for prospect David Ortiz.

2B

The Red Sox would love to see either DJ LeMahieu or Dustin Pedroia make this position theirs long term.

3B

Wade Boggs should be good here for a long time, although room will eventually need to be made for Candy Jim Taylor.

SS

Vern Stephens was supposed to be the answer, and if not Stephens, Francisco Lindor. Neither showed much, so there is some concern here.

LF

Ted Williams for at least a decade.

CF

Reggie Smith has this locked down, although Hack Wilson looks intriguing down the road.

RF

OK, this just gets messy. Somehow, between RF and DH, the Red Sox need to find playing time for Sammy Sosa, Mookie Betts, and Manny Ramírez, with Dwight Evans coming right behind them.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

The most confounding spot in the draft so far is Memphis at #6. The Red Sox don’t have a 2nd round pick, and Carl Yastrzemski is unlikely to be around by the 3rd round. But the team is so deep at 1B/OF right now … there are two options here: take Yaz and make it tomorrow’s problem, capitalizing on his franchise status or take one of the young pitchers who will help them sooner, likely either Tom Glavine or Zack Greinke.

At the end of the day, the team decided to draft on talent over need, selecting Yastremski.

The Red Sox were thrilled that Dobie Moore was still around in the 3rd round, and hope the 25 year old can step right into the starting role at SS.

They took Bill Lee with the final pick of the 4th round.

Rounds 5-8

While more arms are never a bad thing, the Red Sox system is fairly sparse in 1B and OFers. So their 5th round picks are 1B Joe Cunningham, P Nathan Eovaldi, and P Dick Drago. With Eovaldi and Drago being franchise picks, it’s not clear what will compel Memphis to use its remaining exceptions.

One was spent on OF George Case in the 6th round, but franchise pitcher Mickey McDermott was the best arm available in the 7th round. While it’s not clear where he’ll actually play, it is obvious that Charlie Smith can hit, making him a potential steal in the 8th round with their final franchise exception.

Rounds 9-12

P Allen Russell; OF Troy O’Leary; P Dale Mohorcic; and P Connor Seabold.

TWIWBL 30.1: Series XXIII Notes – Bill James Division

By mknn

On December 13, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Detroit Wolverines

3 hits from Ty Cobb, including his 11th homerun of the year, led Detroit to a 4-0 win over Portland. Johnny Marcum and Mike Henneman combined on the 6-hit shutout, with Marcum moving to 8-2 on the year.

Another combined shutout would close out the series as Gene Conley continued his dominance, moving to 10-2 on the year with 7 strong innings. Buddy Napier and John Hiller helped to close out the 7-0 victory. Bill Carrigan had 3 hits and drove in 3 for the Wolverines and Robby Thompson added his 2nd homerun of the year.

#Los Angeles Angels

Anthony Young was sent to AAA, with Mike Smith being recalled for a start.

The Angels trailed 2-0 late, but a Mike Trout homerun in the 8th and George Wright‘s 12th of the year in the top of the 9th sent LA past the House of David 3-2. Pud Galvin got the win in a game that saw another impressive start–6 shutout innings–from Nolan Ryan.

#Memphis Red Sox

Francisco Lindor‘s first career homerun was one to remember: a walkoff blast in the bottom of the 11th, giving Memphis a 6-5 victory over the House of David. Wade Boggs had 3 hits for the Red Sox, including the game-tying single in the bottom of the 9th. Norwood Gibson and Heath Bell combined for 5 innings of scoreless relief, with Bell improving to 7-3 on the year.

#New York Gothams

Pete Donohue moved to 4-0 on the year with just over 7 scoreless innings in a 3-1 win over Houston. Mike Norris picked up his 10th hold and Brian Wilson closed with his 17th save despite giving up a run in the 9th. Buster Posey and Eugenio Suárez had 3 hits each for New York.

#Wandering House of David

The House of David has finally given up on Rollie Fingers for a while, sending the reliever to AAA and recalling Kerry Wood to the WBL for a debut start. In a somewhat surprising move, 27 year old Mark Grace was waived to make room for Wood. Grace, essentially the starting 1B for most of the season, managed only a 236/312/339 slash line. Fred Lynn was sent to AAA, with Jim Edmonds returning to the House of David, presumably because of his ability to also fill in at 1B behind the new starter, Anthony Rizzo.

Early returns were positive: Wood threw a strong 6 innings, with the starter he replaced–Bob Rush–adding a scoreless final 3 for his first save of the year and Rizzo hit his 6th homerun (in 32 ABs) of the season in a 7-2 win for the House of David.

Phil Regan was waived, with Eddie Rommel being recalled for an emergency start, which went fantastically: Rommel allowed 4 hits and no earned runs in 6 innings in a 12 to 2 drubbing of Memphis. Dan Ford and Ron Santo each had 3 hits including a homerun with Santo driving in 4 on the day.

TWIWBL 26.1: Series XX Notes – Bill James Division

By mknn

On June 21, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Detroit Wolverines

Gene Conley‘s debut as a member of the rotation went as well as could be hoped: nearly 8 strong innings allowing only 1 run in a 7-1 victory over Ottawa. Seldom used 1B Greg Brock had easily his best game of the season, scoring 3 times, driving in 2, and hitting his first homerun of the year as Conley moved to 8-0 on the season.

#Los Angeles Angels

Derrek Lee hit a walk-off grand slam, leading the Angels to a 9-5 win over Brooklyn. Mike Trout hammered out 5 hits in 5 at-bats, driving in 2 and scoring 2.

#Memphis Red Sox

Len Barker returns from the DL with Derek Lowe heading back to AAA.

#Wandering House of David

Anthony Rizzo and Fred Lynn hit the first homeruns of their WBL careers, leading the House of David over Philadelphia, 7-4. Dick Tidrow, Lee Smith, and Bruce Sutter combined for 4 innings of hitless relief to seal the victory, which went to Frank Sullivan, who is now 5-6 on the season.

Elrod Hendricks and George Stone hit two homeruns each, leading the House of David to a come-from-behind, 7-6 win over the Stars. Bob Rush got the win and Sutter picked up his 9th save of the season.

TWIWBL 25.1: Series XIX Notes – Bill James Division

By mknn

On June 7, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Detroit Wolverines

Detroit loses a key contributor to their bullpen, as Matt Anderson will miss about a month. Doyle Alexander was recalled from AAA.

#Los Angeles Angels

The Angels are hoping some small tweaks bring big impacts: Carlos Delgado joins, initially in a platoon at 1B with Derrek Lee, and Wally Moon adds some OF flexibility. Kole Calhoun was also recalled to the WBL.

Kal Daniels drove in 5 runs to lead the Angels in a 16-2 route of Memphis, a game that got so out of hand the Red Sox sent Ted Williams to the mound. Daniels and Doug Rader had 2 hits each and Elmer Valo scored 3 times to support 6 strong innings from Chuck Finley.

#Memphis Red Sox

Memphis actually has a pretty complicated roster situation, as they have more than 40 players who need to be on the secondary roster. As such, some more small trades may emerge.

While that works out, Stubby Overmire joins their rotation and Sammy Sosa hops into the OF mix.

#New York Gothams

Don Sutton stays with the WBL club, with Mat Latos heading to AAA.

#Wandering House of David

Newcomer Fred Lynn joins the big league club, and will see some time at RF and DH.

Elrod Hendricks had 3 hits and drove in 4 runs to lead the House of David in a 16-3 drubbing of the Detroit Wolverines. Dan Ford, Ernie Banks, and Mark Grace drove in 3, and CC Sabathia pitched a strong 8 innings for his 6th win.

TWIWBL 24.20: The All Star Trades

By mknn

On May 10, 2022

In TWIWBL

{The day after the All Star break is the first major trading period of the season, followed by the day before the trade deadline. Trades are somewhat randomized and limited in a variety of ways, basically an effort to ensure that, over time, they are at least approximately even in value.}

Portland signaled their commitment to this year, sending prized P prospect Smokey Joe Wood and Devin Mesoraco to Kansas City for all-star 2B Rogers Hornsby, OF Vince Coleman, and a 4th round draft pick.

Perhaps the prize pitching performer on the market, Birmingham‘s Tim Hudson, went to San Francisco in exchange for Rube Melton, Derrick May, and a 3rd round pick.

Brooklyn sends P Don Sutton to the New York Gothams for Ps Ray Lamb, Gil Heredia, and Lew Krausse, Jr., OF Don Mueller, and both a 1st and 8th round draft pick.

Cleveland made a clear sign of intent to compete this year, sending four players (P Hardie Henderson and OFs Jap Payne, Darrell Miller, and Gibby Brack) to Philadelphia for all-star reliever Ron Reed.

The Spiders also picked up Houston‘s struggling OF Lance Berkman to add more pop to their lineup, sending OF Harry Stovey, IF Charlie Grimm, P Chad Qualls, and a 3rd round pick to the Colt 45’s.

Media darling Tom Herr has a shot at a championship after Birmingham shipped the all-star 2B to the New York Black Yankees in exchange for a haul of talent, including IFs Moose Skowron and Reddy Mack, OFs Bill Buckner and Charlie Keller, P Heathcliff Slocumb, and a 10th round draft pick.

The Black Yankees also picked up some help on the mound, sending IF Dick Bartell, OF Sam Thompson, and a 4th round pick to Ottawa for Gary Lavelle and Jamie Moyer.

Addressing an area of clear need, Baltimore traded for Miami‘s everyday 3B, Manny Machado. The Black Sox sent a package of P Mike Morgan, 1B Richie Sexson, 3B Joe Dugan, and C Chris Hoiles to the Cuban Giants.

The Black Sox also shored up their bullpen, bringing in Memphis‘ closer, Joe Beggs, in exchange for P Willie Sudhoff, OF Alex Johnson, and a 4th round pick.

Ottawa and Los Angeles pulled off a complicated deal, with the Angels receiving 1B Carlos Delgado, IF Steve Garvey and OF Spud Johnson, sending OF Rusty Staub and Carlos Beltrán, C Jim Stephens, and Ps Dave Bennett and Sean O’Sullivan to the Mounties.

The Chicago American Giants added two of the better starting pitchers on the market, acquiring Don Newcombe from Miami and Dick Rudolph from Birmingham. The American Giants also received RP Clay Condrey and a 4th round draft pick for Minnie Miñoso from Miami, and sent Melky Cabrera, A. Rube Foster, Adrián González, and a 2nd round pick to Birmingham for Rudolph and Hoyt Wilhelm.

The American Giants also brought in SS Freddy Parent, who is expected to step right into the starting lineup. To do so, they sent IFs Sibby Sisti and Rickie Weeks and OF Bob Watson to Ottawa.

Miami’s other significant trade piece, Tommy Bridges, heads to San Francisco for two minor league pitchers, Shawn Estes and Turk Wendell, and a 5th round draft pick.

Los Angeles picked up some outfield help in the form of San Francisco’s Wally Moon. Moon heads south along with OF Dwayne Murphy and 2 draft picks (one 4th round, one 6th) in exchange for C Brian Downing, IF Kurt Stillwell, and P Dave LaRoche.

Detroit looked to improve their position behind the plate, obtaining Ernie Lombardi from Indianapolis for IFs Donie Bush and Jorge Orta, OF Gene Martin, P Brandon League, and a 2nd round pick.

Brooklyn added another versatile piece, sending OF Curt Flood, IF Manny Trillo, and a 6th round pick to Birmingham for IF Frank Isbell.

Two clubs looking towards the future made a big move, with Houston sending a 5th round pick, P Stubby Overmire, 2B DJ LeMahieu, P Jim Kaat, and OF Hack Wilson to Memphis for P Roger Clemens.

Sammy Sosa struggled so much for the House of David, it was decided the young OF could do with a change of scenery, going (along with a 5th round draft pick) to Memphis in exchange for OFs Fred Lynn and Tony Conigliaro and a 2nd round pick.

Finally, in easily the most minor deal of the day, Homestead picked up a 2nd round pick and IF Steve Hertz from San Francisco in exchange for Phil Garner.

TWIWBL 24.11: Mid-Season Reviews – Memphis Red Sox

By mknn

On March 10, 2022

In Team News, TWIWBL

Summary

Just a poor season so far for Memphis. The pitching has gotten the bulk of the blame, but there’s plenty to go around.

What’s Gone Right

The Splendid Splinter. Despite a bit of a fade leading into the break, 20 year-old OF Ted Williams is the clear offensive leader here, tops on the team in most counting stats.

The Back End. Closer Joe Beggs leads a bullpen trio along with Jonathan Papelbon and Heath Bell that has been excellent.

Solidity. The lack of star power may be a weakness, but there’s really little to complain about in the production Memphis has received from Bill White, Reggie Smith, and Wade Boggs. Similarly, on the mound, Jon Lester and Dean Chance have been perfectly good.

What’s Gone Wrong

The Mound. Nothings really worked here–Lester and Chance have been the best starters, but it deteriorates rapidly from there, with Nixey Callahan and Roger Clemens fumbling chance after chance to nail down their rotation spots.

Middle Infield. The 2B conundrum seems to have been solved with Claude Ritchey, but that took a while to sort out. SS is still an issue, as Vern Stephens contributes almost nothing offensively.

The Reserves. Memphis’ bench is just a bit weak. Especially disappointing has been Eddie Rosario, although Manny Ramírez‘ performance has been head-scratching as well–but at least Ramirez has some power.

Key Storylines

The Red Sox have some talent they can move, so the key here is how the makeover goes.

A very minor note: Williams took the mound for a horrible two outs: he is asking to get another shot. The question is whether that would increase or decrease his 40.50 ERA.

Trading Outlook

SELLING!

There are a lot of useful parts here that could be of interest to potential contenders, including Tim Wakefield, Ritchey, Beggs, Jim Pagliaroni, Bell, Bob Brenly, and Papelbon.

Minor league talent would include Mike Timlin, Dom DiMaggio, Fred Lynn, and David Justice.

Like I said, a lot …

AAA Shuttle

Not great. Bascially, it’s been players being jettisoned for poor performance (Wayne Causey, Brenly, Dustin Pedroia), and then recalled because of a lack of options (Clemens). Lynn has done alright since being recalled.

Midseason Changes

Justice exchanges places with Rosario and Francisco Lindor joins the big league club.

Awards

All Stars: Craig Kimbrel (P); Reggie Smith (CF); Ted Williams (RF).

Offensive MVP: Ted Williams (OF)
Pitching MVP: Joe Beggs (RP)

Down on the Farm

AAA: New Orleans Pelicans

Next to the Show: P Hank Gehring, RP Mike Timlin, OF Tony Conigliaro, OF David Justice.

Prospects: OF Tony Conigliaro (21), OF Joe Kelley (20), P Andrew Miller (22).

Projects: RP Luiz Gohara (20), SS Francisco Lindor (24), OF Fred Lynn (32), 1B David Ortíz (26), P Hank Gehring (27), P Bill Doak (26).

Suspects: 3B Luis Salazar (35), OF Larry Hisle (34).

AA: Tulsa Drillers

Prospects: 2B Ozzie Albies (20), OF Willie Crawford (17).

Projects: P Sadie McMahon (22), 3B Butch Hobson (24), P Lance Broadway (25).

Suspects: Ps Rafael Pérez and Zack Segovia (both 25), OF Cecil Espy (21).

TWIWBL 19.11: AAA Roundup

By mknn

On February 24, 2022

In TWIWBL, WBL Minor Leagues

{ It’s the first of June, so it’s time to look at the WBL Minor Leagues. Throughout, we identify both the AAA team and their WBL franchise. }

#Featured Team: The New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans, AA affiliate of the Memphis Red Sox, lead their division by 4 games with a 34-20 record.

They are, simply, the best offensive team in AAA. And, as you may guess from that line, they struggle a bit on the mound. But the real challenge for the Pelicans is coping with the talent they’ve lost to Memphis.

Billy Bryan, Wayne Causey, and Fred Lynn had combined for 32 homeruns for the Pelicans, and they’ve all moved on to the Red Sox, along with infielder Iván De Jesus. The players coming back the other way–Nomar Garciaparra, Bob Brenly, and Dustin Pedroia–have done very little to help (although Brenly has shown surprising power). And Larry Hisle, signed after he was let go by Houston, has struggled as well.

But the Pelicans keep scoring runs, with a lineup anchored by OFs David Justice (295/370/625) and Tony Conigliaro (286/331/563) and IF Francisco Lindor (299/352/528). Add in Dwight Evans‘ 12 homeruns and 30 RBIs and the Pelicans still have a fair bit of firepower.

The pitching is … confusing. Norwood Gibson and Ellis Kinder are each 5-2, with ERAs over 6.00. Eddie Cicotte, sent down from Memphis a few weeks ago, has won all 4 of his starts. And their best starter has probably been Joe Kelly, who has a 3.23 ERA, but only a 3-3 record.

Luiz Gohara and Derek Lowe have been solid at the end of games, but it’s pretty clear that unless they get some better performances from Gibson and Kinder (and Jeff Locke, who also has a winning record with an ERA over 6.00), the Pelicans fortunes could change dramatically.

#Checking In On …

The Atlanta X-Giants were the subject of last month’s update. They still have the best record in the league, although like New Orleans, they have clearly lost their best players to promotions to Birmingham.

But in their case, Greg Maddux and Warren Spahn have pitched well since their demotion, joining Kent Mercker and Jim Whitney in a very strong rotation.

We mentioned Joe Rudi last time, and the 22 year-old has impressed in his first taste of AAA, slashing 281/323/537.

AAA Leaders

Of the players profiled last time, only Joey Votto (Cincinnati/Indianapolis) remains at AAA, with Hi Myers (Brooklyn), Gary Sheffield (Miami), Fred Lynn (Memphis), and Robinson Canó (Kansas City) all now holding down a roster spot in the show.

In addition to Votto, who continues to produce, hitting at a 324/459/580 clip, the dominant players at AAA are

Baby Doll Jacobson. Leading AAA with 19 homeruns, Jacobson is slashing 343/389/725 for Washington (Baltimore) and pulling off his best Babe Ruth imitation on the leaderboards. Even with the best record in the league and Paul Blair hitting better in Baltimore, it’s not clear how long the Black Sox can keep Jacobson at AAA.
Louisville (Homestead)’s OF pair of Paul Waner (306/401/591) and Max Carey (357/441/473) are probably the best hitting tandem in the league.
Virgil Trucks has done nothing but impress since his demotion, sitting with a 6-1 record and a 1.59 ERA since being sent to Cincinnati after struggling in Indianapolis in the early going.
San Jose (San Francisco)’s Nick Altrock leads the league in wins at 7-2 with a 2.22 ERA.
In the bullpen, St. Louis (Kansas City)’s Adam Russell (16 saves, 1.71 ERA) and Queens (Brooklyn)’s Darren Dreifort (15 saves, 1.40 ERA) lead the way.

Awards

AAA Player of the Month: Baby Doll Jacobson (Washington/Baltimore)
AAA Pitcher of the Month: Nick Altrock (San Jose/San Francisco)

AAA Players of the Week: Tommie Agee (Orlando/Miami); Robin Ventura (Milwaukee/Chicago); Jackie Jensen (Montreal/Ottawa); Sam Thompson (Newark/New York Black Yankees)

Hottest Prospects (24 years and younger)

SP: Mike Griffin (23, Toronto/Detroit) 6-2, 1 Sv, 4.84 ERA; Jock Menefee (24, St. Louis/Kansas City) 4-3, 3.27 ERA [*]; George Mullin (22, Toronto/Detroit) 4-3, 3.49 ERA.
RP: Luiz Gohara (20, New Orleans/Memphis) 1-1, 8 Sv, 3 H, 3.60 ERA; George Murray (23, Atlanta/Birmingham) 1-1, 1 Sv, 1 H, 2.28 ERA.

C: Cliff W. Lee (22, Seattle/Portland). 329/374/647.
1B: Anthony Rizzo (22, Columbus/House of David). 277/395/576. [*]
2B: Roberto Alomar (23, Montreal/Ottawa). 301/338/436, 5 3B.
3B: Chris Brown (22, Newark/New York Black Yankees). 288/402/477.
SS: Francisco Lindor (24, New Orleans/Memphis). 299/352/528.
OF: Baby Doll Jacobson (24, Washington/Baltimore) 343/389/725, 71 H, 18 2B, 19 HR, 53 RBI, 42 R, 2.7 WAR; Paul Waner (23, Louisville/Homestead) 306/401/591 [*]; Minnie Miñoso (23, Milwaukee/Chicago) 272/370/589, 16 HR.

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

Ps Hardie Henderson (Cleveland) and Matt Anderson (Detroit); C Mike Scioscia (Brooklyn); IFs Robinson Canó (Kansas City), Gary Sheffield (Miami), and Cal Ripken, Jr. (Baltimore); and OF Yasiel Puig (New York Gothams) were all listed in April and now are in the big leagues.

Series XIII Featured Matchup: Memphis Red Sox @ Houston Colt 45’s

By mknn

On August 30, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Preview here.

#Game One: Nixey Callahan @ Stubby Overmire

Ah, the Nixey v Stubby matchup we’ve all been waiting for …

The Red Sox got to Stubby Overmire in the top of the first as Jim Pagliaroni singled home Ted Williams for an early 1-0 lead. It was short-lived, as an RBI from Jeff Bagwell tied it up in the bottom of the inning.

But from there the pitchers took over until the bottom of the 4th, when Houston loaded the bases against Callahan. They scored one run on a groundout from Jimmy Wynn to take the lead, 2-1, but that was it.

Stubby gave up his 2nd run in the top of the 6th on a double by Vern Stephens, who then scored on a double by Eddie Rosario. That gave the Red Sox a 3-2 edge, with Nixey Callahan near the end of his tether, having thrown 98 pitches in 5 innings. The Memphis bench may have waited too long: Callahan’s 100th pitch was sent deep into right-center field by Tony Gwynn to tie the game back up at 3.

Stubby walked Claude Ritchey to start the 7th inning, and was relieved by Leon Day, while Turk Farrell took over from Nixey in the bottom of the frame.

The relievers were great for both teams: Andrew Chafin took over from Day, and we were still tied at 3 at the end of 9 innings.

Jonathan Papelbon is struggling a bit right now: he walked two before inducing a double play from Carlos Correa to get out of the 10th, then in the bottom of the 11th, gave up a single to Gwynn before getting Jorge Posada to hit into another double play. But, with two outs, Wynn walked, stole second, a scored on a softly hit single into LF by HR Johnson, sending the home crowd happy with the Houston victory.

Mark Melancon got the win, moving to 4-1 on the year, while Papelbon fell to 0-3. Gwynn went 4-for-5, and has brought his batting average up to over .280.

MEM 3 (Papelbon 0-3) @ HOU 4 (Melancon 4-1)
HRs: HOU – Gwynn (4)
Box Score

#Game Two: Tim Wakefield @ Stephen Strasburg

Ted Williams‘ 11th homerun of the year gave Memphis a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. It lasted until the bottom of the 3rd, when DJ LeMahieu led off with a double against Tim Wakefield, moved to 3rd on a sacrifice fly, and scored on a wild pitch. HR Johnson took Wakefield into the short left field porch for a 2-1 lead for Houston.

Stephen Strasburg looked rough all day, and an RBI single from Vern Stephens tied the game in the top of the 4th. By the end of the inning, Strasburg had given up 5 hits and walked 2 and had thrown 84 pitches, leading to some activity in the Colt 45’s bullpen. After striking out Reggie Smith to start the 5th, Strasburg walked Wade Boggs and Williams, bringing Dock Ellis into the game with runners on 1st and 2nd.

Mookie Betts greeted Ellis with a shot to right field, scoring Boggs and sending Williams to third on the RBI double. But Ellis got a popout from Bill White and fanned Jim Pagliaroni ending the inning with the Red Sox up, 3-2.

Ellis may have punched his ticket back to AAA with another ineffectual outing, allowing 4 hits in 1 inning and seeing the Red Sox lead increase to 5-2. Meanwhile, Wakefield was solid, but allowed Houston a 3rd run in the bottom of the 6th on an RBI single from Jorge Posada.

Wakefield’s final line was 7 innings pitched, 6 hits, and 3 earned runs: a decent enough start from the knuckleballer. He was relieved by Len Barker, with much of the Memphis bullpen fatigued. It didn’t go well: George Brett singled and Carlos Correa took Barker deep to tie the game at 5. Barker got an out, but after back-to-back walks to Jim O’Rourke and Wynn, Memphis turned to Heath Bell.

Making his WBL debut, Carney Lansford hit a hard ground ball to 3B that was misplayed by Boggs for an error, loading the bases with one out. Craig Biggio singled in 2 runs, putting Houston up 7-5 as we moved to the top of the 9th.

Boggs atoned, leading off the inning with a solo homerun against Houston’s new closer, Billy Wagner. But Wagner recovered, and even after an error by Correa put the tying run on second, he was able to fan Pagliaroni to end the ballgame. The win went to Houston’s old closer, Brad Lidge, who threw a scoreless frame in relief of Trevor Hoffman.

MEM 6 (Barker 0-1, 1 BSv) @ HOU 7 (Lidge 1-3; Wagner 2 Sv)
HRs: MEM – Williams (11), Boggs (1); HOU – Johnson (5), Correa (3)
Box Score

#Game Three: Roger Clemens @ Bret Saberhagen

Jimmy Wynn led off the bottom of the first with a homerun to give Houston a 1-0 lead. It went downhill from there, as Wynn committed two errors in centerfield that helped Memphis get out to a big lead.

Fred Lynn started it with the first homerun of his career, a 2-run shot in the top of the second. They added 3 more in the 3rd, the first on Wynn’s first error, the other 2 on a single from Claude Ritchey. Then, in the top of the 5th, another run scored on Wynn’s second miscue, and and a single from Iván de Jesus plated 2 more, extending the lead to 7-1.

Clemens gave up 2 more runs in the bottom of the 5th on a triple from HR Johnson and a single from George Brett. An RBI single from Jeff Bagwell made it 7-4 in the bottom of the 7th, and Carlos Correa took Turk Farrell deep in the bottom of the 8th to close it to a one run game, 8-7.

Memphis would add two more in the top of the 9th, helped by another Houston error, this one by Craig Biggio at C. Lynn sacrificed one run home, and Manny Ramirez plated the other with a pinch-hit single.

With 2 outs and 2 on in the bottom of the 9th, Biggio had a chance to redeem himself against Memphis’ closer, Joe Beggs. He couldn’t: Beggs induced a groundball to shortstop to end the game.

Bagwell had 4 hits for Houston while Lynn and Ritchey combined for 5 RBIs for Memphis.

Clemens finally got his first victory of the year, and Beggs’ work was good for his 8th save while Bret Saberhagen took the loss, although he was let down more by his defense than his arm.

MEM 9 (Clemens 1-4; Papelbon 4 H; Beggs 8 Sv) @ HOU 6 (Saberhagen 3-4)
HRs: MEM – Lynn (1); HOU – Correa (4); Wynn (6)
Box Score

#Game Four: Jon Lester @ Roy Oswalt

Reggie Smith led off the game with his 7th homerun of the year, taking Roy Oswalt deep down the right field line for an early 1-0 lead for Memphis. Jim Pagliaroni doubled the lead with homerun in the 2nd.

That was all for the Red Sox through 5 innings, but Jon Lester was out-pitching Oswalt, allowing no runs and only 2 hits.

The Cole 45’s got on the scoreboard in the 6th, as HR Johnson walked, stole second, took third on a throwing error by Pagliaroni, and scored on an single by Lance Berkman.

Pagliaroni went deep for his 2nd homerun of the game in the top of the 7th with a 2-run shot to extend the Red Sox lead to 4-1. In the 8th, Ted Williams and Bill White went back-to-back against Trevor Hoffman, extending the lead to 7-1.

Given the state of the Red Sox bullpen, those runs were important, as it allowed Memphis to leave Lester in, with only Len Barker warming up in the bullpen. Both teams scored again, and Barker was pulled into action … but it didn’t really matter.

Williams and Smith had 3 hits each for Memphis, and Pagliaroni drove in 3 runs. Tony Gwynn had 3 hits for Houston as his average edges towards .300, sitting at .292.

MEM 8 (Lester 6-3) @ HOU (Oswalt 5-3)
HRs: MEM – Smith (7), Pagliaroni 2 (4), White (7), Williams (12)
Box Score

Series Summary

The series ended an even split, which is a better result for Memphis than for Houston.

Jeff Bagwell went 6-for-16 and Tony Gwynn 8-for-12 for Houston.

Reggie Smith, Jim Pagliaroni, and Eddie Rosario had 5 hits each for Memphis (with Smith and Pagliaroni each hitting 2 homeruns), and Ted Williams went 7-for-17 with 2 homeruns, bringing his average back over .300 for the season.