77 - 85, .475 pct.
3rd in Effa Manley Division, 22 GBOverall
It was an entertaining season in Pittsburgh, for sure.
A season for the ages by the young phenom Josh Gibson, a declaration of timelessness from Willie Stargell, continued contributions from a surprising cast of supporting characters, and no pitching whatsoever.
Entertaining may not always be a good goal.
The Grays may be the most WBL team of them all: no complaints about the offense and a desperate need for better performances on the mound. This feels like a team building towards something special, with a lot of weight on whether the middle infield can finally come good.
What Went Right
WBL world, meet Josh Gibson. Gibson was good last year, but this year was in an entirely different stratosphere, managing a .400 average on the final day of the season, drawing a good number of walks, and adding over 100 extra base hits (including 49 homers) for a 1.312 OPS. Throw in 145 RBIs and 131 runs scored for those of you who like such things, and you have a Mel Trench Award winning season at 21 years old.
Willie Stargell is a decade older, but chipped in with 56 homers and a 1.001 OPS, refusing to give any quarter to age, although he is more of a DH type than anything else right now.
Rick Reichardt continues to surprise people, slashing 284/355/586 and holding down the LF job.
Andy Van Slyke hits wherever the Grays play him–1B, 3B, LF, even CF, which some see as his ultimate destination. Van Slyke led the team with 64 steals as well.
Judy Johnson impressed as a teenager, posting an OBP over .400 while playing all 3 infield positions.
After this, we hit a series of perfectly adequate performers–Goose Goslin in limited time, Roberto Clemente, Andrew McCutchen. Nothing great, but nothing bad either.
And then the pitching … Um. Yeah.
Doug Drabek was excellent as a starter, posting a 4.76 ERA and 1.17 WHIP across 23 starts and Bartolo Colón even better, posting a remarkable 2.36 ERA over 50 innings.
In the bullpen, the addition of Robb Nen gives the Grays a good backend, paired with Josh Lindblom and his 35 saves.
And … that’s about it. Rick Ownbey was serviceable in the pen, and Gary Lucas did enough to warrant a looksee in the Spring.
ALL STARS
Mike Epstein
Josh Gibson
Josh Lindblom
Rick Reichardt
Willie StargellMAJOR AWARDS
Roberto Clemente, NL RF Gold Glove
Josh Gibson, NL Mel Trench Award; NL Team of the Year; NL C Silver Slugger
Willie Stargell, NL Team of the Year; NL DH Silver SluggerRECOGNITIONS
Josh Gibson, NL 25 & Under Team; NL 23 & Under Team; NL 21 & Under Team
Judy Johnson, NL All Rookie Team; NL 21 & Under Team
Cliff Lee, NL Over 30 Team
Josh Lindblom, All NL 2nd Team; NL Over 30 Team
Robb Nen, All NL 2nd Team
Rick Reichardt, All NL 3rd TeamORGANIZATIONAL AWARDS
Josh Gibson, MVP
Josh Lindblom, Pitcher of the Year
Willie Stargell, Heart & Soul
Bartolo Cólon, Fan Favorite
Clayton Kershaw, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Paul Waner, Minor League Player of the YearWhat Went Wrong
After the names above, Cliff Lee (8-4, 5.30 in an injury plagued year) was the best starter. By far. Billy Pierce, Ray Brown, and Francisco Liriano were all below average, and David Price and Juan Marichal, brought over late in the season, were horrific.
And the middle bullpen was an issue all year, with poor showings from Brickyard Kennedy, Daniel Hudson, Dave Giusti, and Carlos Zambrano. Promising youngsters like Tim Lincecum and Nip Winters were equally bad … it was just a mess, leading to the Grays having close to 30 arms see action throughout the season.
Offensively, the biggest question is whether the duo of Honus Wagner and Napoleon Lajoie will ever deliver. Both showed the beginnings of promise, with 46 and 55 doubles respectively, but neither hit or drew walks, and Wagner still looks overmatched at SS. They’ll get another year to figure it out, but patience is wearing thin.
Rick Ferrell was awful as Gibson’s backup, but, I mean, whatever.
Transactions
March
None.
July
IF Chris Sabo to IND for 4th Round Pick.The smallest of small deals. Sabo did well, so the ABC’s probably won this one, but it’s fine.
August
IF Freddie Lindstrom & 2nd Round Pick to CAG for P David Price.Ouch. Price was awful for Homestead, and Lindstrom looks like Chicago’s 3B of the future. If Price doesn’t bounce back, this is a very bad deal.
IF Howard Johnson, IF Davey Johnson & 3rd Round Pick to NYG for P Juan Marichal & P Robb Nen.Like Price, Marichal was horrible. But Nen is a quality bullpen arm, and both Johnson’s were blocked here, so this is probably OK. Probably.
Positional Overview
C
It’s Josh Gibson‘s world and we’re just living in it.
With Rick Ferrell‘s horrible showing, look for Cam Carreón to have the inside track to serve as Gibson’s backup next season.
1B
Mike Epstein had a bit of a down year, but this is still his position, with support from Stargell, Van Slyke, and some others.
Ken Harrelson and Ed Kranepool offer a little depth in the system, but there are always options at other positions as well that could move here.
2B
The Grays really want Napoleon Lajoie to take over here.
If he falters, Judy Johnson is an option, as are both Jeff Kent and Bill Mazeroski, with Rennie Stennett a reasonable alternative at some point as well.
SS
The Grays really want Honus Wagner to take over here.
If he falters, Judy Johnson is an option, as are both Omar Vizquel and Dick Groat, with JJ Hardy and, perhaps even moreso, Khalil Greene, providing reasonable alternatives at some point as well.
3B
The Grays really want … wait. OK, this looks like Judy Johnson for a while.
That said, it’s quite possible Johnson shifts to SS, and Wagner moves here. But Wagner will need to improve even more offensively to make that happen.
LF/RF
It’s a bit of a challenge. On the one hand, Rick Reichardt and Roberto Clemente are quite solid. On the other, they may not be good enough for a team trying to eventually win a championship.
Goose Goslin and Owen Wilson offer decent bench support, and perhaps either Starling Marte or Mike Shannon could do that as well.
This may be a more serious issue in a few years as Lloyd Waner, Paul Waner, and Ralph Kiner move through the system.
CF
Andrew McCutchen is …. fine. With the potential to be more than that. But right now, fine. The Waner brothers can play here as well, and Max Carey has some ability as a reserve.
DH
This is Willie Stargell‘s domain, with some support from Goslin and Wilson.
SP
So, so unsettled.
Bartolo Colón and Doug Drabek are in the rotation for sure, but beyond that? The Spring will have a fierce competition between Cliff Lee, Billy Pierce, Francisco Liriano, Nip Winters, Bob Friend, Ray Brown, Tim Lincecum, Juan Marichal, David Price, and (if he recovers in time), Corey Kluber.
That’s a lot of names: look for some to end up at AAA, some in the bullpen as long relievers.
Clayton Kershaw is perhaps the best starting prospect in the game: look for him to start the year at AA, but the 19 year old may get his shot this year. While his ceiling is probably lower, Catfish Hunter is also an elite talent, and John Candelaria still has time to establish himself at the WBL level.
RP
There is reason for optimism. A bullpen of Michael Jackson, Robb Nen, and Josh Lindblom has a chance to be very strong, and if Rick Ownbey or Gary Lucas can contribute, there’s a chance here.
There’s some talent deeper in the system: Mychal Givens, Ricardo Rincón, even Sarge Connally.
Draft Outlook
DRAFT PICKS
1st Round: 1
2nd Round: 0
3rd Round: 0
4th Round: 2
5th Round: 1It’s a strong system, so the paucity of early picks should be navigated alright.