Tag: George Davis Page 1 of 3

TWIWBL 66.3: Bill James Division

On September 20, 2024

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
New York Black Yankees	33-18	.647	—
Cleveland Spiders	28-21	.571	4
Detroit Wolverines	23-28	.451	10
Memphis Red Sox	21-30	.412	12
Baltimore Black Sox	20-32	.385	13.5

Bill James Division | 28 May

#Baltimore Black Sox

Mike Mussina returns to the Black Sox rotation, but the severe underperformance of its back end has left Baltimore in a quandary. For now, they are going with Dennis Martínez, Ned Garvin, and Mussina as regular options, with the final spots pretty much up for grabs, with even current closer Joe Beggs in the mix.

Baltimore hit 7 homeruns, including 2 from Bryce Harper, as the Black Sox ran rampant over Chicago, 12-3.

#Cleveland Spiders

Tris Speaker went deep twice, leading the Spiders to a 10-6 win over Los Angeles.

#Detroit Wolverines

With George Davis ready to return from injury, the Wolverines pulled a surprise move, sending veteran Tony Phillips–a key sparkplug for last year’s success–to AAA. This move frees up room for more time for Juan Beníquez in LF and cements the platoon between Charlie Gehringer and Joe Wood at 2B. It also leaves the Wolverines without a true backup CF behind Chili Davis, so we’ll see how that works out.

Needing a starter, the Wolverines exchanged Claude Passeau for Si Johnson. Johnson’s stay was short, as Johnny Marcum was recalled from his rehab assignment after Johnson put in a mediocre start where Hank Greenberg went deep twice, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Wolverines from dropping their 6th straight, 7-5 to the Black Yankees.

Bob Bailey went deep twice and Pete Conway pitched a complete game in an 11-4 win over Portland. Bailey drove in 6 and Greenberg went deep as well for the Wolverines.

Billy Hoeft will miss the better part of a week, earning himself a trip to the DL with Felipe Vázquez being recalled to maintain a left-handed weapon in the pen. George Bechtel was returned to AAA with Si Johnson being recalled once more for a spot start. The hits kept coming for the Wolverines: Johnson’s performance was fine, but with Jack Wilson heading to the DL, not only does Johnson retain his spot, but Bechtel was recalled immediately to Detroit.

#Memphis Red Sox

The merry-go-round continues: Nixey Callahan and Eddie Cicotte head to AAA with Skel Roach and Shane Bieber being recalled from their rehab assignments. Joe Rudi was sent down as well, with OF Jack McAleese being recalled.

Travis Shaw went deep twice, driving the Red Sox to a 10-7 win over Miami. Later in the week, Reggie Smith did the same, homering twice in an 11-3 win over Baltimore.

#New York Black Yankees

The Black Yankees recalled Red Ruffing from a rehab assignment, with Noah Syndergaard heading to AAA.

Ruffing had a scoreless debut in relief of a dominant Ron Guidry as the Black Yankees beat Detroit, 11-1. Guidry improved to 8-1 on the year and Hank Bauer went deep twice for New York.

Mickey Mantle went deep twice and the Black Yankees beat Detroit 7-5 behind an excellent 8 innings from Andy Pettitte, who improved to 6-2.

TWIWBL 65.1: Year 2, Week 8

By mknn

On August 26, 2024

In TWIWBL

May 21st

We are roughly 1/4 through the season!

#Awards

Miami Cuban Giants OF Ryan Braun, who hit 6 homeruns with a .417 average, was the AL Player of the Week and Mike Epstein of the Homestead Grays took home the NL Player of the Week. Epstein hit .556 with 5 homeruns.

#Team Performance

It’s still far too early, of course, but there is a sliver of daylight emerging in 3 of the 4 divisions.

In the Bill James Division, the New York Black Yankees lead the Cleveland Spiders by 4 games; in the Cum Posey Division, the San Francisco Sea Lions have ridden an 8-2 streak to a 3 game lead over the Chicago American Giants, and in the Marvin Miller Division, the Kansas City Monarchs have opened up a 4.5 game edge over the Indianapolis ABC’s.

So that leaves the Effa Manley Division, where all 5 teams are separated by only 5 games from the Grays on top to the Philadelphia Stars at the bottom. Here’s how it stacks up:

Team	W/L	PCT	GB
Homestead Grays	26-19	.578	–
Brooklyn Royal Giants	24-19	.558	1
New York Gothams	23-22	.511	3
Ottawa Mounties	22-22	.500	3.5
Philadelphia Stars	21-24	.467	5

Marvin Miller Division Standings

#Player Performance

Batters

Returning to normalcy: all the bold next to Babe Ruth.

But there are a ton of new storylines here as well: is Ty Cobb for real? Just how many doubles can he hit? Ruth tied for the league lead in homeruns isn’t news, but being joined by Ryan Braun and Larry Walker is (similarly, Ruth leading with 50 RBI’s is familiar; Walker joining him is not).

Also, Tony Gwynn hitting .421 is fun.

League leaders in bold, top 2 for most categories listed.

Ryan Braun (MCG). 320/366/765. 20 HR.
Ty Cobb (DET). 404/462/861. 61 H; 25 2B; 3.2 WAR.
Tony Gwynn (HOU). 421/456/679. 67 H; 40 R.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 271/377/484. 34 SB.
Pete Hill (HOU). 286/356/539. 8 3B.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 365/416/591. 22 2B.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 312/398/659. 40 R.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 316/443/770. 20 HR; 50 RBI; 43 R; 37 BB; 3.2 WAR.
Joey Votto (IND). 295/442/508. 31 BB.
Larry Walker (OTT). 342/423/770. 20 HR; 50 RBI.
Bobby Wallace (BAL). 250/387/342. 31 BB.

Pitchers

Starters

6 pitchers have 6 wins, but only 2 have 7 and of those only Kansas City’s Frank Castillo is undefeated.

Houston‘s Toad Ramsey has come back to the pack some, but all that bold shows just how far ahead of them he had gone. It’s no longer clear who the best starter in the league is at the moment, although Castillo certainly has a decent argument. But Ramsey’s teammate Roger Clemens is in there, as is Indianapolis’ Johnny Cueto, and it’s hard to ignore the ERA leader, Chicago’s Mark Buehrle.

League leaders in bold, top 2 for most categories listed.

Mark Buehrle (CAG). 5-2, 2.42.
Frank Castillo (KCM). 7-0, 2.85.
Watty Clark (SFS). 2-0, 5.21. 3.24 FIP.
Roger Clemens (HOU). 6-0, 3.47. 0.98 WHIP.
Johnny Cueto (IND). 7-1, 3.51.
Doc Gooden (LAA). 4-3, 2.60.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 5-4, 3.49. 67 IP.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 6-1, 3.52. 75 K; 2.0 WAR.
Walter Johnson (POR). 4-4, 2.94. 67.1 IP; 2.0 WAR.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 6-2, 2.60. 81 K; 2.9 WAR; 0.88 WHIP; 2.52 FIP.

Relievers

Brooklyn‘s Trevor Hildenberger is probably the hottest reliever in the league, but really nobody is truly dominant from the pen so far, other than his teammate, Fernando Valenzuela, whose future is almost certainly as a starter.

12 IP minimum; league leaders in bold, top 2 for most categories listed.

Rod Beck (SFS). 2-2, 5.40. 12 Sv.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-0, 3.38. 7 H.
Trevor Hildenberger 1-0, 1.20. 1 Sv, 5 H; 0.60 WHIP.
Ted Kennedy (PHI). 2-2, 3.48. 2 Sv, 7 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 3-0, 2.55. 12 Sv.
Lee Smith (HOD). 1-0, 2.04. 1 Sv; 5 H; 0.57 WHIP.
Fernando Valenzuela (BRK). 2-0, 1.16. 4 H.

#Injury Report

Brooklyn’s Jackie Robinson is expected back this week, as is Detroit‘s SS George Davis.

The New York Black Yankees hope to send Red Ruffing–out for nearly a year–on a rehab assignment later in the week.

#AAA Check In

We’ll take a little look at AAA, both in terms of the best performers and the best prospects (24 and under) roughly 1/4 of the way through the season.

Pos	25+	< 25
C	John Stearns (26, LAA). 266/380/587.	Darrin Fletcher (23, NYY). 383/408/742.
1B	Fred Luderus (32, PHI). 336/375/734.	Eddie Murray (22, BAL). 321/389/629).
2B	DJ LeMahieu (28, MEM). 377/417/521.	Jorge Orta (23, CAG). 216/250/405.
SS	Bill Dahlen (34, CLE). 250/325/519.	Travis Jackson (22, HOU). 331/358/559.
3B	Jung Ho Kang (29, HOD). 313/361/701.	Chris Brown (23, HOD). 346/452/731.
LF	Lefty O’Doul (26, MEM). 385/416/644.	Starling Marte (24, HOM). 341/410/609.
CF	Kenny Lofton (26, CLE). 354/424/599.	Jack Gleason (23, LAA). 257/361/478.
RF	Elmer Valo (35, LAA). 397/484/733.	Tony Conigliaro (23, HOD). 299/361/649.
SP	Cliff Lee (29, HOM). 3-2, 1.67. 1.8 WAR. George Bechtel (28, DET). 402, 2.38. 2.2 WAR.	Dick Redding (21, BRK). 6-2, 2.93. 2.6 WAR. Kyle Peterson (22, HOD). 4-3, 3.38. 1.8 WAR.
RP	Roberto Osuna (22, HOU). 1-1, 3.86. 8 Sv.	George Jeffcoat (26, NYG). 0-1, 2.57. 9 Sv.

For the batters, the dominance of players from Las Vegas (Los Angeles‘ AAA franchise) and Columbus (the AAA home for the House of David) is striking. Of these, Stearns may get a look soon given the Angels’ current struggles behind the plate and Valo’s performance may force himself back to the WBL. With both Kang and Brown blocked by Ron Cey–having a great season with the House of David–perhaps those 2 end up as trade bait?

Pitchers are highly unpredictable, of course. Redding and Peterson are doing excellently and seem destined for great things; at the same time, both Lee and Bechtel have struggled with their big league clubs.

TWIWBL 63.2: Spotlight on the Detroit Wolverines

By mknn

On July 11, 2024

In Team News, TWIWBL

For the very first TWIWBL Spotlight, we’ll be looking at the Detroit Wolverines.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

Last year, the Wolverines won their division with the 2nd best record in baseball and lost to Baltimore in the Whirled Series in 7 games, so there are some expectations at play here.

So far, they’re underperforming, sitting 1 game under .500 at 16-17, 6.5 games behind the surging New York Black Yankees in the Bill James Division. At the most zoomed out, their pitching staff has been average, and while the offense has some significant bright spots, there are some issues to address.

THE OFFENSE

It’s a decent offense overall, with some power (but nobody in double figures in HR yet) and overall excellent OBP numbers (Detroit is 3rd in the league in walks). There is not much speed, outside of Ty Cobb, who has 13 steals.

#What’s Going Right

Ty Cobb. Remember, he’s still only 21 years old. And he’s slashing 398/462/858, leading the league in all 3 categories, and tied for the team league in HR with 9. 3B Bob Bailey also has 9 and has been the Wolverines’ 2nd best hitter amongst their starters.

Hank Greenberg and Al Kaline have been solid, if not spectacular, and Charlie Gehringer and Joe Wood have done better than expected in carrying large loads in the IF as rookies.

Professional hitter Juan Beníquez has professionally hit, slashing 395/511/526 in limited appearances as the club tries to open up more playing time for him. The challenge is that he plays the same positions as Cobb, Greenberg, and Bailey. But there are some ways to juggle the pieces to get his bat in the lineup a bit more often.

#What’s Not Going Right

The Wolverines are on the verge of abandoning their 3 catcher strategy. Ed Bailey and Ernie Lombardi are doing fine–not much more than that, but fine–but Bill Carrigan, who hit over .300 last year, is wallowing away with a .087/125/130 slash line. Mix that with the clear needs for more depth at either SS or CF or both, and Carrigan’s time with the big league club may be limited.

Tony Phillips may be showing his age, with the 39 year old–last year’s sparkplug–managing only a 168/267/287 slash line. Another key to last year’s team, Oscar Gamble, is doing only slightly better at 207/349/276. Gamble is still looking for his first homerun of the year, and while that OBP is nice, it’s not what the Wolverines really need from him.

THE PITCHING

#What’s Going Right

The bullpen has been excellent, with Mike Henneman producing saves at the same rate as last year, but this time being dominating as he’s done so, with an ERA and WHIP both under 1.00. Henneman has 9 saves, tied for the league lead, and both Chad Bradford and the surprising Billy Hoeft have been excellent getting to him.

Pete Conway has been a pleasant surprise since being called up, and there is talk of him moving into the rotation as, across 16 appearances, he’s arguably been the Wolverines’ best pitcher.

#What’s Not Going Right

The rotation is a hot mess. Nobody has more than 2 wins and only Charlie Root (2-3, 3.96) is really pitching well. Hal Newhouser has been OK, but Justin Verlander, Johnny Marcum, and especially Gene Conley have all struggled mightily. And it’s not an illusion: the more advanced stats (FIP, SIERA) tell the same story of Root being alright and the rest being pretty poor.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

There’s not a lot of immediate help at AAA on the mound. George Bechtel is off to a decent start, and is probably next in line to get a look.

Wally Moses, Brady Clark, Wes Covington, and Tony Lazzeri have all been looked at as options, depending on what happens with Phillips. And, veteran gloveman George Davis should be back from injury this month.

There’s not a lot here, honestly. Logan Hensley is the highest rated arm in the system, and he’s not great and teenage phenom Wander Franco is still a few years away, especially if Gehringer continues to develop.

WHAT’S NEEDED

The pitching to right itself and either Greenberg or Kaline to up their game, giving the team another top tier offensive threat to complement Cobb.

Storylines To Watch

Certainly Cobb and his assault on the triple crown. It’s doubtful he can maintain the SLG that is required, but if you hit .400, all things are possible.

Key Questions from Spring Training

In their Season Preview, there were 3 Key Questions for Detroit. Here’s an update on each.

Who is the 5th Starter? Unfortunately, with the current spate of injuries, this is now who are the 4th and 5th starters, and the answers seem to be Pete Conway and unknown, which is not a great answer.
Can they continue to carry 3 catchers? Not if Bill Carrigan continues to hit under .100.
The MI is a concern. Yeah, it is, but Billy Nash and Joe Wood have done well, although the team is looking forward to the return of George Davis’ glove later this month.

FEATURED SERIES

We’re looking at 3 game set at the end of the week against the Baltimore Black Sox where the Wolverines will welcome the (now struggling) defending champs to Tiger Stadium for a 3 game set.

Game One

Johnny Marcum left the game with a back injury in the 3rd inning, allowing only a single hit. The bullpen struggled, with Ray Sadecki, George Bechtel, Pete Conway, and Billy Hoeft giving up 7 runs in just over 5 innings.

Luckily, the Wolverines’ offense pounded out 17 hits and 12 runs, including 7 tallies in the bottom of the 7th en route to a 12-7 victory. Ty Cobb and Ernie Lombardi had 3 hits each and Charlie Gehringer 4 RBIs.

Chalk one up for the offense. This is sort of the peak of how Detroit can perform with the bat: a lot of hits spread up and down the lineup, a consistent ability to turn over multiple innings. It’s also an example of how fragile their staff is. Sadecki debuted well, but neither he nor Bechtel look likely to stick around, and Buddy Napier–expected to be key in late innings–only lowered his ERA to 7.00 with his scoreless inning at the end.

Marcum hit the DL after the game, with Conway likely to take his next start.

BAL 7 (Wetteland 0-5, 2 B Sv; Hampson 1 H) @ DET 12 (Hoeft 1-0)
HRs: BAL – Jacobson (1), Machado (9), Harper (5), Wallace (2); DET – Gehringer (6).
Box Score

Game Two

Justin Verlander turned in the best start of his career, allowing only 1 hit over 8 innings while striking out 11 and walking 3, but the victory went to Mike Henneman as a sacrifice fly from Charlie Gehringer in the bottom of the 9th gave the Wolverines a 1-0 win over Baltimore. Henneman showed flashes of his old self, walking 2 in the 9th before getting out of a jam of his own creation.

For the Black Sox, the game was worth more than the loss as Ned Garvin seemed to return to form with 6 shutout innings.

This game was needed after the bullpen was stretched thin yesterday. Most of all, though, Verlander has always showed this talent, but never really put it together. He still needs to show he can do it consistently (his ERA fell to 4.64 with his 8 shutout innings here, which is fine, but not great), but it’s a start.

BAL 0 (Olson 0-1) @ DET 1 (Henneman 3-0)
HRs: None.
Box Score

Game Three

The Wolverines went for the sweep with Charlie Root facing off against Baltimore’s Dennis Martínez. Neither ace was very good, with Detroit eventually building a 13-6 lead before the bullpen struggled to an eventual 13-10 win (and the series sweep).

Al Kaline had 3 hits and Hank Greenberg, Oscar Gamble, Tony Phillips, and both Ed and Bob Bailey went deep for Detroit who overcame 3 hits from Frank Robinson and 5 RBI’s from Dan McGann in the victory.

See the comments from the first game: another excellent day offensively, with contributions up and down the lineup and 5 SB’s to boot (from Joe Wood, Billy Nash, and Juan Beníquez, along with 2 from Ty Cobb). But Root’s problems continue, and George Bechtel had another bad outing, giving up a bases loaded triple to McGann and creating the save situation for Chad Bradford.

Still, a sweep is a sweep.

BAL 10 (Martínez 3-2) @ DET 13 (Wilson 1-0; Bradford 1 Sv)
HRs: BAL – McGann (4), Robinson (10), Cravath (11); DET – Gamble (3), Greenberg (10), Phillips (3), E. Bailey (3), B. Bailey (10).
Box Score

Year II Season Preview: Detroit Wolverines

By mknn

On March 20, 2024

In Team News

Expectations

You finish as the runner-up, you’re supposed to get back there next year. Championship competition for sure. This is just a very well-balanced team: none of the pitchers are really superstars, but Charlie Root, Hal Newhouser, and Gene Conley could hang with any trio in the league. Likewise, the offense revolves around two stars (Ty Cobb and Hank Greenberg) and a solid supporting cast.

Best Case

It all keeps humming, with especially both Root and Conley being able to maintain their level of performance on the mound while supporting talent–the Bailey Boys (3B Bill and C Ed) and the Davis Duo (OF Chili and SS George) especially–keep on keeping on and youngster Al Kaline continues to deliver on his promise.

Worst Case

The pitching seems like it could collapse at any time–especially the bullpen, where Mike Henneman (despite tying for the league lead in saves) feels somewhat precarious. Four key players (Ed Bailey, George Davis, Tony Phillips, and Oscar Gamble) are on the wrong side of 30, so falling off a cliff is always a concern.

Key Questions

Who is the 5th starter?
Can the 3 catchers continue to be an effective approach (meaning, worth sacrificing the roster spot to carry both Bill Carrigan and Ernie Lombardi behind Ed Bailey)?
The MI is a concern: George Davis is a wizard with the glove, but cannot hit and 2B clearly needs a long term solution given Phillips’ age.

Trade Bait

No obvious opportunities.

Or so we thought until it became clear that Charlie Gehringer, offering a long term solution at 2B, could be available.

Roster Evaluation

POS	Elite	Strong	Solid	Meh	Weak	Unknown
C		Carrigan	Bailey, E	Lombardi
1B	Greenberg					Beníquez
2B			Phillips			Gehringer Wood
3B			Bailey, B			Nash
SS			~~Davis, G~~
LF/ RF	Cobb		Gamble Kaline
CF			Davis, C
SP		Conley Root	~~Aguirre~~ Newhouser	Verlander	Marcum
End		Napier	Bradford Henneman
RP					Wilshere	Hoeft Conway

New Addition | ~~Injured~~

Al Kaline gets moved down a little due to low usage, but he certainly looks like the real deal.

That’s a lot of unknowns for a contender. But none of them are really in key spots, although Billy Nash, who isn’t truly a SS, will have to fill in there until George Davis‘ return.

Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	OF Oscar Gamble	DH JD Martinez
Batting Eye	U Tony Phillips	OF Floyd Robinson
Contact	OF Ty Cobb	OF Ron Swoboda
Running Speed	OF Ty Cobb	OF Dan Gladden
Base Stealing	OF Ty Cobb	SS Ray Chapman
IF Defense	1B Hank Greenberg	3B Jimmy Collins
OF Defense	RF Al Kaline	CF Jim Piersall
Stuff	P Vernon Wilshire	P Wilson Álvarez
Control	RP Chad Bradford	RP Dick Donovan
Velocity	RP Mike Henneman	P Delin Betances

Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	POS	Name
1 (17)	21	OF	Al Kaline
2 (68)	19	SS	Wander Franco
3 (73)	23	P	Emil Yde
4 (113)	24	2B	Charlie Gehringer
5 (121)	23	P	George Mullin
6 (175)	18	P	Billy Hoeft
7 (198)	20	3B	Billy Nash

Others: None.

Hoeft and Franco were a surprise this Spring, with Hoeft, Nash, Gehringer, and Kaline all breaking camp with the Wolverines. That’s the good news. The bad news is the cupboard is bare at this point.

	Most	Least
Age	U Tony Phillips, 38	RP Billy Hoeft, 18 C Bill Freehan, 18
Height	P Gene Conley, 6’8″	SS Bill McClellan, 5’5″ SS Earl Adams, 5’5″
OPS	OF Hi Myers, 1.019 (WBL/AAA)	1B Eric Hosmer, .509 (WBL)
HR	3B Joe Werrick, 51 (WBL)	OF Wally Moses, 1 (AAA/AA) SS George Davis, 1 (AAA/AA) 2B Earl Adams, 1 (WBL)
SB	OF Ty Cobb, 52 (WBL)	Many with 0
WAR	OF Al Kaline, 4.9 (WBL)	1B Eric Hosmer, -3.0 (WBL)
W	Ray Washburn, 17 (—)	Doyle Alexander, 1 (WBL/AAA/AA)
SV	Mike Henneman, 38 (WBL)
ERA	Ray Washburn, 2.44 (—)	Dennis Rasmussen, 6.75 (—)
WAR	Ray Washburn, 5.6 (—)	Vernon Wilshire, -0.7 (WBL/AAA)

Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

TWIWBL 56.6: Spring Training Notes – Detroit Wolverines

By mknn

On February 23, 2024

In TWIWBL

Spring Training Questions

4 bullpen slots are open, and overall roster depth needs to be settled, especially on the infield.

Injuries

Defensive whiz George Davis will miss the first few months of the season after fracturing a finger on his right hand. This opens up some interesting possibilities, where either camp newcomer Tony Lazzeri or rookie Wander Franco may make the opening day roster.

Hank Aguirre–a key part of the Wolverines’ staff last season–will miss most of the season, if not all of it, with an injured labrum.

First Cuts

George Mullin, Emil Yde, Joakim Soria, and Wilson Álvarez were all sent down as Detroit’s pitching staff continued to come into focus. Of those, only Álvarez could be considered a surprise, but the lefty was just torched in his 3 spring outings.

Andy Allanson, Eric Hosmer, and Cecil Fielder were all returned to minor league camp while Billy Nash has done nothing but impress as the 20 year old tries to force his way onto the roster.

George Davis has yet to get a hit this Spring, but remains the presumed starter at SS as Ed Brinkman and Ray Chapman have also struggled at the plate, with neither remaining in the Wolverines’ camp, joining 2B Hobe Ferris in the minors. It remains a bit of a mess: Robby Thompson really hasn’t hit enough to make a claim for a job, but the Wolverine’s brass isn’t yet convinced by Joe Wood‘s early success. This has opened the door for Wander Franco, who at 19 had been assumed to be a courtesy inclusion in camp. All of this has led to Detroit calling Tony Lazzeri up, with a real chance at taking control of the reserve IF role.

In the OF, Dom Demeter, Phillip Ervin, and Tommy Thompson have all been cut, with Floyd Robinson and Dick Wakefield being particularly impressive so far this Spring.

Second Cuts

Hank Aguirre has struggled, but the team chalks that up to injury and plan to re-evaluate him when he can pitch again in a few days. Other than that, the only hurlers who are struggling are ones pretty likely to make the roster: John Hiller, Johnny Marcum, and Hal Newhouser.

Last year’s darling, Olmedo Sáenz, has an OPS under .500, but will be given a little more time to show his stroke.

The IF really has been thrown into chaos by George Davis‘ injury: Tony Lazzeri has done well since his recall, and while neither Sparky Adams nor Robby Thompson has hit much, both will stay in camp as the Wolverines try to work out exactly what the path forward is at 2B and SS.

The OF is still far too full as well as Bob Fothergill is the only player sent to the minors. Geoff Jenkins has struggled mightily, but his performance last year keeps him around for the time being, although Floyd Robinson, Dick Wakefield, and J.D. Martinez are all threatening to take his spot as Detroit’s 4th or 5th OFer.

That leaves Detroit with a whopping 47 players still in camp, increasing the importance of the next week or so.

Third Cuts

Ps Felipe Vásquez and Roger Craig were sent to AAA, as were C Ramón Cabrera, and last year’s late season darling Olmedo Sáenz,

Saenz’ departure was hastened by the impressive springs from both Juan Beníquez and Greg Brock.

2B continues to be a source of confusion: veteran Tony Phillips is the likely starter, and Joe Wood seems to be emerging as a decent backup. But the rest of the contenders–late Spring addition Tony Lazzeri, consummate utility infielder Sparky Adams, and the promising talent of Robby Thompson–are struggling mightily at the plate.

A similar situation exists at 3B: Bob Bailey is the clear incumbent, but Beníquez, Wood, and 20 year old AA MVP Billy Nash are all hitting far better. The only clarity is gloveman supreme Jimmy Collins heading to AAA.

George Davis‘ injury clears some space here, as all of these players–and youngster Wander Franco–can fill in at SS as well. None of them play it well, however, and Davis’ glove will be sorely missed.

The more Ty Cobb can adjust to LF, the clearer the OF situation gets for the Wolverines. But the players are set–Cobb, Chili Davis, Oscar Gamble, and Al Kaline should cover both OF and DH. Jody Gerut was sent to AAA, leaving the Wolverines with only Ron LeFlore on the roster as a true CF. LeFlore has struggled offensively, but his glove and speed maintain his spot.

The real challenge is to see how Dick Wakefield, Floyd Robinson, and J.D. Martinez sort out. Right now, all three of them are hitting too well to be jettisoned to the point where Geoff Jenkins–a solid 4th OFer last season–may not make the opening day roster.

Final Cuts

The acquisition of Charlie Gehringer combined with Robby Thompson‘s horrible Spring performance meant Thompson heads to AAA. Tony Lazzeri homered in his first Spring Training appearance, but it was all downhill from there and Lazzeri will start the year in the minors.

Ron LeFlore was next to head to AAA, with the Wolverines deciding that Tony Phillips still had enough spring in his step to cover for Chili Davis in CF.

Wander Franco was intriguing, but at 19 seems not ready for the WBL quite yet. He was the best fielding SS in camp, but the Wolverines evidently are happy enough with Sparky Adams or perhaps young Billy Nash there until George Davis’ return.

Six players were moved on to get down to 30. Some were pretty easy: Greg Brock, Floyd Robinson, Jason Schmidt. Some were surprising: John Hiller‘s inability to do anything well this Spring sends him to AAA to get himself sorted out. The Old Man’s Glove—Sparky Adams–was also sent down as the performance of Joe Wood has been impressive. That seems to mean the Wolverines have given the starting SS role to … Billy Nash? At least until George Davis returns. That may not last long.

Finally, JD Martinez heads down. Martinez had a chance to make the roster, but Dick Wakefield has out performed him by quite some distance, and Detroit’s OF is already overly crowded.

In unsurprising moves, Claude Passeau and Brandon Beachy were sent to AAA. The final 3 cuts were more difficult. First, Geoff Jenkins–a solid contributor last season–was sent down after a terribly lackluster Spring, as was Dick Wakefield, who performed far better.

The final cut was RP Roberto Hernández, who was excellent in the Spring and likely will return quickly to Detroit.

This means Billy Hoeft, Pete Conway, and Juan Beníquez all make the opening day roster, in addition to Wood and Nash.

Season Review: Detroit Wolverines

By mknn

On January 3, 2024

In Season Reviews, Team News

89 - 65, .577 pct.
1st in Bill James Division, 3 games behind.
Lost to Baltimore in Whirled Series

Overall

Finishing runner up to the best team in the league made last year a success in Detroit, but it also leaves a bit of a sour taste: what did they need to get over that final hurdle, and how quickly is the window closing? That last is more of a concern for the Wolverines than most WBL teams with sparkplug Tony Phillips, C Ed Bailey, and SS George Davis all on the wrong side of 35.

On the other hand, none of their three top starters were in Detroit’s rotation at the start of the season (Hal Newhouser was at AAA, Gene Conley was in the bullpen, and Charlie Root was pitching for San Francisco), so a full season of them should help. And on the third hand, this is a team that did it with only two stars–Hank Greenberg and Ty Cobb–and, even if you add phenom Al Kaline to that group, could really use some additional high end offense.

What Went Right

Greenberg and Cobb, for sure. Both are young, Cobb won the batting title and hit for power with speed and Greenberg was on the fringes of the MVP discussion all season.

Kaline had an OPS nearing .950 over 34 games. So, that went very right, but is also not a proven commodity at this point.

Chili Davis, Oscar Gamble, and Bob Bailey all hit better than expected, combining for 68 homers and 242 RBI.

George Davis managed 2.7 WAR despite a .662 OPS–that’s how good he was with the glove at shortstop.

Tony Phillips was an ageless wonder, posting an OBP near .400 at the top of the lineup.

The catching trio–Ed Bailey, Bill Carrigan, and Ernie Lombardi–was effective, although as you would guess, finding enough at bats for them all was a challenge.

Once Newhouser, Conley, and Root settled in, this was as good a top 3 as there was last year. Conley led the trio–and the team–with 12 victories, but it was Newhouser who really provided consistent greatness on the mound for Detroit.

Mike Henneman tied for the league lead in saves with 38 and Chad Bradford and Buddy Napier were among the best in the business in bridging to the closer.

Hank Aguirre and Johnny Marcum were solid, especially once they moved to the back half of the rotation.

ALL STARS
3B Bob Bailey; 1B Hank Greenberg; RP Mike Henneman

What Went Wrong

Sparky Adams was never meant to be more than a utility infielder … but wow did he not hit well. It was only his defensive flexibility that kept him around over Robby Thompson–clearly a better option at 2B–and Jimmy Collins, who despite being great with the glove at 3B, barely hit more than Adams.

Tony Phillips was fragile, and it’s not clear, at 38, if he has any full seasons left in him.

Justin Verlander never really established himself despite a lot of opportunities. He wasn’t bad, for sure, as evidenced by his 10-4 record, but he wasn’t consistent and couldn’t hold a rotation spot.

Vernon “Whitey” Wilshere and Si Johnson were both downright bad as starters.

Transactions

March

1B Nate Colbert to Birmingham for P Ron Perranoski and 3B Billy Nash

Sure, whatever.

June

SS Donie Bush, 2B Jorge Orta, P Brandon League, OF Gene Martin & 2nd Round Pick to Indianapolis for C Ernie Lombardi

Unsure. Lombardi was OK for Detroit, and more will be asked of him, but that’s a lot to give up for a part-time catcher.

July

2B Charlie Gehringer, P Red Ehret, 3B Bill Sweeney & 4th Round Pick to San Francisco for P Charlie Root & P Chad Bradford

A clear win, even if Gehringer eventually finds his footing.

Looking Forward

SP

This should be solid, with an eventual combination of Hal Newhouser, Charlie Root, Gene Conley, Mickey Lolich, and Justin Verlander.

RP

It’s a strong trio now with Buddy Napier, Chad Bradford, and Mike Henneman, and Matt Anderson and Delin Betances offer some depth in the system.

C

Could be an area of need, but for now Bill Carrigan and Ernie Lombardi will see more of the time here, with the aging Ed Bailey being phased out.

1B

Hank Greenberg.

2B

Another area of need, unless Robby Thompson takes a major step forward.

3B

Bob Bailey looks good here, as did Olmedo Saénz in a brief audition.

SS

George Davis has this for now, but after that it’s not really clear: it’s possible Alfredo Griffin, Ray Chapman, or even Ed Brinkman develop; it’s possible they need to bring some more talent in.

LF

Oscar Gamble should have this for a while.

CF

Some mixture of Ty Cobb and Chili Davis, although each of them may be more suited to a corner OF spot. There is some talent behind them in Jody Gerut and Ron LeFlore.

RF

The Wolverines are banking a lot on Al Kaline‘s performance not being a mirage, although Geoff Jenkins will continue to push for more time as well.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

The first round pick is pretty easy: with Joe Torre taken, the C talent is pretty thin, add in the fact that Bill Freehan is a franchise choice, and Detroit has–it hopes–its backstop of the future.

Another franchise pick, Frank Lary, was picked up in the 3rd round.

Rounds 5-8

With all of their exceptions still available, the Wolverines can cherry pick–of mediocre talent, but still. They can use depth across the board: every position, plus arms, so it truly is a “best player available” moment.

It started with another franchise selection, P Billy Hoeft and was followed in the 6th round by C Johnny Romano who is so much better than the other remaining talent behind the plate his selection felt pretty mandatory. They picked up P Logan Hensley in the 7th and OF Bob Fothergill in the 8th.

Rounds 9-12

IF Wander Franco (final exemption); OF Riley Greene; OF Kerry Carpenter; C Derek Norris.

10th round pick Riley Greene refused Detroit’s offer.

TWIWBL 51.1: The Awards – Gold Gloves

By mknn

On October 27, 2023

In TWIWBL

In addition to the winners, wanted to track the 2 next runner ups, for posterity and what-not.

We’ll go in order of how the awards are announced, beginning with the Gold Gloves. I’ve used 600 innings as a rough qualification minimum.

One thing that jumps out at me here is just how phenomenal the New York Gothams were defensively: two Gold Glove winners, 3 others mentioned.

#P

It’s a challenge because pitchers overall get so few chances. At the end of the day, you have to go with who makes the most plays.

Name	Tm	Inn	ZR	TC	E	A
Jack Taylor	HOD	205	2.9	32	1	15
Ray Collins	PHI	194	0.7	39	2	21
Old Hoss Radbourn	OTT	198	3.9	27	0	21

Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / TC = Total Chances / E = Errors / A = Assists

#C

Catchers are so hard … do you value cERA, which gives an unfair advantage to backstops blessed with better staffs? What about throwing out runners, where virtually everyone is within a few percentage points of each other? Are errors worse than passed balls or vice-versa?

Who knows. It’s clear that Cleveland’s Louis Santop dominates the numbers here (even if his FRM is some lucky fluke), and that Indianapolis’ Johnny Bench is damn good. Also, Brooklyn’s Duke Farrell, Portland’s Iván Rodríguez, and Miami’s Alan Ashby all look like real contenders if they were to ever earn enough playing time.

Name	Tm	Inn	ZR	E	RTO%	PB	cERA	FRM
Louis Santop	CLE	921	3.4	3	32.6	3	4.23	5.4
Johnny Bench	IND	971	3.4	8	34.6	5	4.49	1.8
Thurman Munson	NYY	1071	2.4	5	32.0	5	4.71	1.2

Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / E = Errors / RTO% = Runners Thrown Out % / PB = Passed Balls / cERA = Catchers’ ERA / FRM = Runs Gained through Pitch Framing

#1B

While the Gothams’ Will Clark and Baltimore’s Dan McGann are pretty indistinguishable, Clark covered more ground. Note that for 1B we’ve listed assists over double plays, as they are a more reliable indicator for the position.

Name	Tm	Inn	ZR	TC	E	A
Will Clark	MCG/NYG	1071	3.8	1082	6	78
Dan McGann	BAL	1051	1.6	1160	6	66
Mike Epstein	HOM	1010	1.6	1088	11	77

Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / TC = Total Chances / E = Errors / A = Assists

#2B

This is incredibly close, and in addition to these three, San Francisco’s Jimmy Bloodworth and Los Angeles’ Bobby Grich could be listed quite easily.

Name	Tm	Inn	ZR	TC	E	DP
Eddie Collins	CAG	1049	6.6	573	10	106
Cookie Rojas	NYG/MCG	928	7.1	477	5	71
Rogers Hornsby	KCM/POR	1156	4.8	624	10	92

Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / TC = Total Chances / E = Errors / DP = Double Plays

#3B

It’s a bit of a toss up in a traditional defensive choice between the top 2: Philadelphia’s Scott Rolen covered more ground, but Ottawa’s Anthony Rendon made more plays. At the end of the day, it’s the plays that count.

Name	Tm	Inn	ZR	TC	E	DP
Anthony Rendon	OTT	1151	5.3	366	7	36
Scott Rolen	PHI	1116	8.0	329	10	32
Mike Schmidt	NYY	984	7.7	264	4	19

Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / TC = Total Chances / E = Errors / DP = Double Plays

#SS

Detroit’s George Davis was absolutely dominant here, despite registering 13 errors. He got to more balls, turned more double plays, and was simply the best defensive SS in the league.

Name	Tm	Inn	ZR	TC	E	DP
George Davis	DET	1199	21.9	677	13	97
George Wright	LAA	1067	14.5	562	2	87
Ozzie Smith	KCM	1159	15.0	586	5	88

Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / TC = Total Chances / E = Errors / DP = Double Plays

#LF

In LF, we have a victory for slow and steady: Brooklyn’s Roy White is far from flashy, and his arm is fair-to-middling at best. But he covers ground, and over nearly 300 chances and 1200 innings, made zero errors.

Name	Tm	Inn	ZR	K	E	DP
Roy White	BRK	1163	7.4	3	0	0
Jimmy Sheckard	NYG	1166	4.1	7	4	4
Rickey Henderson	SFS	946	3.4	9	4	1

Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / K = Kills (Assists) / E = Errors / DP = Double Plays

#CF

The choice between the New York Gothams’ Willie Mays and the Baltimore Black Sox’ Paul Blair is very, very rough. Their ZR’s are essentially identical, Mays has both 2 more kills and 2 more errors over about 200 more innings, as well as a slightly better range rating. Blair’s arm has actually been more effective overall. In the end, it’s Blair by a hair.

Name	Tm	Inn	ZR	K	E	DP
Paul Blair	BAL	1044	9.6	15	2	2
Willie Mays	NYG	1259	9.6	17	5	2
Curtis Granderson	BBB	982	7.9	14	3	3

Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / K = Kills (Assists) / E = Errors / DP = Double Plays

Mention should be made of Ottawa’s Ken Griffey, Jr., who registered 16 kills in 649 innings, a pretty stunning rate of eliminating baserunners.

#RF

The New York Gothams’ Johnny Callison has, in slightly less than a full-time role, put up spectacular defensive numbers. Perhaps most impressive are the 4 double-plays. Here are the top three:

Name	Tm	Inn	ZR	K	E	DP
Johnny Callison	NYG	910	8.7	11	2	4
Roberto Clemente	HOM	1034	8.2	6	6	1
Larry Walker	OTT	641	3.5	11	3	1

Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / K = Kills (Assists) / E = Errors / DP = Double Plays

Your Gold Glovers for year 2000 of the WBL:

P: Jack Taylor (HOD)
C: Louis Santop (CLE)
1B: Will Clark (MCG/NYG)
2B: Eddie Collins (CAG)
3B: Anthony Rendon (OTT)
SS: George Davis (DET)
LF: Roy White (BRK)
CF: Paul Blair (BAL)
RF: Johnny Callison (NYG)

TWIWBL 50.7: THE WHIRLED SERIES! Detroit Wolverines v Baltimore Black Sox, Game VII – October 11th

By mknn

On October 19, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, 2000 Whirled Series, Game Recaps, TWIWBL

And it all, as they say, comes down to this …

#Detroit Wolverines v Baltimore Black Sox, Game 7

Detroit will turn to Gene Conley, although they’ll have him on a short leash. Conley is a great story in the season: in mid June, Conley was 7-1 with an ERA just under 4.00, having made 28 relief appearances. At that point, he was moved into the starting rotation, going 5-5, but finishing the year with a 3.28 ERA, which would have placed him 2nd in the league if he had thrown 8 more innings. His postseason starts have been up and down: two starts of 7 scoreless innings, two others where he was hit hard.

Baltimore has a clearer choice: Bill Byrd was 14-3 with a 3.33 ERA in the regular season and 3-1 since the playoffs started, although his most recent outings have been a little rougher.

Hank Greenberg opened the scoring with a solo shot in the top of the second, and Byrd and Conley were excellent throughout. Bryce Harper sent a pitch from Conley deep in the 5th to tie the game. After one out, a walk to Manny Machado and a single by Paul Blair chased Conley. But Johnny Marcum was able to get out of the inning, meaning Detroit was now in the bullpen dance from here on out.

Byrd gave up a hit to Bob Bailey to leadoff the 6th but whiffed Ty Cobb and induced a fielders choice groundout from Greenberg. But another walk, this one to Oscar Gamble, brought in Connie Johnson from the bullpen. Chili Davis lifted a bloop into left that dropped between Machado, Bobby Wallace, and Frank Robinson for the cheapest of hits. It was effective enough: Greenberg scored for a 2-1 lead for the Wolverines.

Robinson may have felt at fault: he launched a pitch from Marcum into the night to start off the Baltimore half of the 6th, tying the game at 2. Detroit’s bullpen struggled immediately: Chad Bradford gave up a double to Harper scoring Blefary, and walked Ken Singleton. He got out of the inning without further damage and Baltimore having reclaimed the lead, 3-2.

Detroit decided the 7th was the inning to go for it: Ed Bailey walked and Bill Carrigan was sent in as a pinch runner with Geoff Jenkins heading to the plate to hit for George Davis. Jenkins whiffed, Carrigan was caught trying to steal second and, after a Tony Phillips single, Bob Bailey grounded out to third for the final out.

Baltimore has refused to use a traditional closer throughout the season, and today they turned to Buddy Groom–the closest they’ve come–in the 8th, maximizing the number of lefties he’ll face. It worked: Groom retired Cobb, Greenberg, and Gamble without incident.

Detroit was far less fortunate in the bottom of the 8th, as Baltimore plated 3 insurance runs on RBI singles from Machado, Wallace, and Gardner. That made it 6-2 Baltimore, with only 3 outs between them and the Whirled Series trophy.

Joe Beggs came on to seal the deal, and seal it he did: the Baltimore Black Sox win the inaugural Whirled Series, taking game seven at home, 6-2. Harper had 3 hits and drove in 2 for Baltimore.

DET 2 (Marcum 0-1) @ BAL 6 (Johnson 3-0; Miller 2 H; Groom 3 H)
HRs: DET – Greenberg (5); BAL – Harper (4), Robinson (5).
Box Score

Larry Gardner took home the MVP trophy–a reasonable choice as the Black Sox’ 2B slashed 400/406/500 with 7 RBI’s. Paul Blair–PAUL freaking BLAIR–who hit 381/458/619 would have been a reasonable choice as well.

TWIWBL 50.6: THE WHIRLED SERIES! Detroit Wolverines v Baltimore Black Sox, Game VI – October 10th

By mknn

On October 18, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, 2000 Whirled Series, Game Recaps, TWIWBL

And here we are, a Baltimore victory away from crowning the first WBL champion.

#Detroit Wolverines v Baltimore Black Sox, Game 6

Both teams are a little betwixt and between with their rotations. Detroit will send out Charlie Root, hoping they get the chance to benefit from an extra day’s rest for Gene Conley while the Black Sox will counter with Johnny Sain. Sain, Mike Mussina, and Jim Palmer have each at different times held down the number four slot; Sain seems to be the strongest at the moment.

Detroit clearly knows what’s at stake: Tony Phillips led off the game with a homerun and Hank Greenberg added a 2 run shot for an early 3-0 lead and lots of second guessing for the Black Sox’s choice of starting pitcher.

Baltimore got one back right away: Bobby Wallace doubled and consecutive sacrifice flies brought him home.

Sain only lasted 3 innings, departing having given up 5 hits and 4 runs. Palmer was magnificent in relief: 3 scoreless innings, 1 hit, and 5 strikeouts.

Frank Robinson singled and Curt Blefary walked to start the 6th, chasing Root and bringing the home crowd to its feet. Justin Verlander fanned Dan McGann and Bryce Harper, but walked Ken Singleton to load the bases. Up stepped Manny Machado, who reprised his role as playoff hero with a grand slam into the left field bleachers. Baltimore was now up, 5-4.

Bob Miller retired Detroit in order in the 7th.

The 8th was much more difficult: Gregg Olsen gave up 2 singles and a walk to load the bases with one out, bringing in Don Bessent to face Al Kaline … who promptly tripled, swinging the score back in favor of the Wolverines. Kaline would score on a sacrifice fly from George Davis, putting Detroit up 8-5.

Matt Anderson retired Baltimore in order in the 8th.

Mike Henneman did his usual thing in the 9th: one out, then a walk and a single to make it interesting, bringing up Robinson as the tying run. Robinson singled to load the bases, but Henneman struck out Blefary. Two outs, with McGann up … and then Henneman uncorked a wild pitch making it 8-6. Eventually, Henneman came through as McGann flew out to center, ending the game and giving us a game 7.

Gardner and Robinson had 3 hits for Baltimore; Cobb had 3 for Detroit.

The drama was fantastic: the much-maligned Machado’s grand slam, and then the hot rookie Kaline’s triple.

DET 8 (Verlander 1-0, 1 B Sv; Henneman 3 Sv; Anderson 3 H) @ BAL 6 (Olson 0-1; Bessent 1 B Sv; Miller 1 H)
HRs: DET – Phillips (1), Greenberg (4); BAL – Machado (3).
Box Score

TWIWBL 50.1: THE WHIRLED SERIES! Detroit Wolverines v Baltimore Black Sox, Game I – October 3rd

By mknn

On October 10, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, 2000 Whirled Series, Game Recaps, TWIWBL

And away we go!

#Detroit Wolverines v Baltimore Black Sox, Game I

Hal Newhouser, 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA in the postseason, gets the ball for Detroit with Dennis Martínez taking the mound for Baltimore. El Presidente has only 1 post season win, but has pitched well across his 3 starts, as his 2.55 ERA will attest.

Sometimes it feels like Detroit almost has a script for their opening innings: Tony Phillips walks, Bob Bailey bunts him to second, and Ty Cobb singles him home. Which is exactly how they opened the ballgame. A walk to Hank Greenberg and a soft single by Oscar Gamble loaded the bases for the Wolverines, but Baltimore turned a nifty 4-2-3 double play on a hard hit ball from Chili Davis to end the inning.

Phillips led off the 3rd with a single, but this time Bailey’s bunt was poor and Martínez whirled to catch the lead runner at second. Cobb singled and a 2-out error by Larry Gardner loaded the bases with 2 outs, bringing up Chili Davis again with the bases loaded. This time, he hit the ball far more weakly, and far more effectively, beating out an infield single that scored the Wolverines’ second run. Ed Bailey would single home 2, putting Detroit on top, 4-0.

Martínez recovered well, allowing only the single earned run through 5 innings. Meanwhile, Newhouser was absolutely dominant allowing only 1 hit (a Gardner double) and fanning 6 into the 5th. Back-to-back walks to Bryce Harper and Ken Singleton gave Baltimore their first real threat. Manny Machado blooped a single to right to load the bases, and Newhouser walked Paul Blair, putting Baltimore on the board and raising activity in the Wolverines’ bullpen. Newhouser struck out Bobby Wallace and got Gardner to groundout, ending the threat and leaving the score 4-1, Detroit.

Mike Mussina relieved Martínez and got 2 quick outs, but then surrendered 3 consecutive singles to George Davis, Phillips, and Bob Bailey, the last of which scored another run. The 5-1 lead gave Detroit some room to maneuver, and they brought in the struggling Johnny Marcum in relief, who promptly struggled, loading the bases with 1 out, but did not surrender a run.

Detroit added 2 in the top of the 9th, and Baltimore went gently in their half, giving the Wolverines a 1-0 leas in the series.

Cobb had 3 hits for Detroit and Chili Davis and Ed Bailey each drove in 2.

DET 7 (Newhouser 3-0) @ BAL 1 (Martínez 1-1)
HRs: None
Box Score