Tag: Gil Heredia

TWIWBL 72.1: Year 2, Week 15: All Star Week!

On February 12, 2025

July 9th

It’s All-Star Week! That means that, not only do we cover those festivities, we have our first wave of midseason trades, followed by the usual divisional notes on a shorter slate of games.

#Awards

Brooklyn‘s Beals Becker picked up the NL Player of the Week, hitting .538 with 4 homers in the span. Over in the AL, perhaps peeved by his omission from the All Star Game, Cleveland‘s Lance Berkman hit .360 with 9–NINE–homeruns in the week, taking down the AL Player of the Week.

#Team Performance

No significant changes, but some teams are making moves. San Francisco remains the only team truly running away with their division, leading the Cum Posey Division by 11.5 games over Miami, who have taken over 2nd place from Chicago.

The New York Black Yankees have the 2nd best record in baseball and a 4.5 game lead over Cleveland in the Bill James Division.

That leaves the Effa Manley Division and Marvin Miller Division. In the former, Brooklyn leads Homestead by 3.5, with the New York Gothams fading a bit, sitting tied with Philadelphia at 8 games back. In the Marvin Miller, Kansas City still leads, but not only is Indianapolis only 2 games back, Houston, 8-2 over their last 10 games, has moved to within 5.5.

Last years champions, Baltimore, continue to have the worst record in the league, with a 38-52 record so far.

#Player Performance

With all the numbers and discussion surrounding the All Star Game, we’re going to skip the Performance section this time, instead revisiting last year’s mid-season trades.

#Looking Back: Last Year’s Mid-Season Trades

I’ve somewhat quickly and arbitrarily given weights to the trades. The winning team is in italics. Overall, here is how everyone ranked out from last year.

Clear Winners: Birmingham, Baltimore, Ottawa
Did OK: Philadelphia, Detroit
Meh: Cleveland, Homestead, Memphis, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Gothams
Not Great: San Francisco, Indianapolis, Miami, Black Yankees
Clear Losers: Houston, Chicago

The details:

Big Wins

Birmingham sends Hoyt Wilhelm and Dick Rudolph to Chicago for Melky Cabrera, A. Rube Foster, Adrián González, & a 2nd (Trea Turner)

Foster is no longer with Birmingham, having been part of a later trade for Andy Pettitte, but that he had enough value to land the ERA champ alone makes this a win for the Black Barons. González has frustrated, but he’s still been a solid WBL 1B in the interim, and both Cabrera and Turner look to have some upside, especially Turner. Wilhelm has been average in Chicago’s pen and Rudolph has downright struggled.

Cleveland fleece Houston for Lance Berkman, sending Harry Stovey, Charlie Grimm, Chad Qualls and a 3rd (Garry Templeton) to the Colt 45's.

Berkman was struggling, but he has hit 39 homers and driven in 104 since the trade. Templeton refused to sign, and while the rest have some talent, it’s unclear they will ever push past the talent in front of them in Houston.

Baltimore sent Mike Morgan, Richie Sexson, Chris Hoiles and Joe Dugan to Miami for Manny Machado.

Machado was a World Series hero and remains the Black Sox’ starting 3B. Hoiles and Sexson both have some offensive pop, but both are pretty buried in Miami’s farm system.

Cleveland sent Andrew Payne, Hardie Henderson, Darrell Miller, and Gibby Brack to Philadelphia for Ron Reed.

This seemed to make sense at the time, as Reed looked like the missing piece for the Spiders’ bullpen. But Henderson has developed into an all-star with the Stars, and Reed, while not bad, hasn’t been great for Cleveland. Of the rest, only Payne is still with the Stars, and he may never see the WBL.

Small Wins

The Black Yankees send Sam Thompson, Dick Bartell, and a 4th (Mark Eichhorn) to Ottawa for Gary Lavelle and Jamie Moyer.

Lavelle and Moyer were both bad for New York. Lavelle is out with a long term injury, and Moyer was later traded to Chicago; given that the purpose of the trade was to shore up the Black Yankees for the post-season–which they missed–this has to be a win for Ottawa. Thompson is doing well for them, and Eichhorn has some future utility.

San Francisco sent Rube Melton, Derrick May, and a 3rd (Gary Matthews) to Birmingham for Tim Hudson.

Hudson was an all-star, then imploded, and now is on the DL for so long his career may be toast. Given that, the fact that all 3 prospects are doing alright make this a win for Birmingham.

The New York Gothams receive Don Sutton from Brooklyn in exchange for Ray Lamb, Gil Heredia, Lew Krause Jr, Don Mueller, a 1st (Al Simmons), and an 8th (Vic Lombardi).

Sutton’s been solid for New York, on the fringes of their rotation and providing good bullpen work. Krause and Simmons seem to have the highest ceiling of what they received (Mueller and Lombardi look fine, and neither Lamb nor Heredia are still with Brooklyn).

Ottawa sends Freddy Parent to Chicago for Sibby Sisti, Bob Watson, and Rickie Weeks.

Ottawa only wins this because it cleared room for Álex Rodríguez, who has blossomed this year. Watson–theoretically the centerpiece of the deal–was recently sent down to AAA, Sisti was released, and Weeks looks unlikely to make an impact. Still, the less said about Parent’s time in Chicago, the better.

Brooklyn sends Curt Flood, Manny Trillo, and a 6th (Steve Avery) to Birmingham for Frank Isbell.

Isbell is at AAA after a horrible start to the season. Flood and Avery each have some upside, so this is a small win for Birmingham.

Birmingham sends Tom Herr to the Black Yankees for Reddy Mack, Bill Buckner, Heathcliff Slocumb, Charlie Keller, Moose Skowron, & a 10th (Eddie Solomon)

Herr was sold at his absolute peak, and the Black Yankees are already casting around for a replacement. As importantly, the trade cleared the way for Cupid Childs to take over at 2B, a clear win for Birmingham. None of the prospects look like much (Buckner was traded on, Keller retired, and the rest look like filler at best).

Indianapolis sent Ernie Lombardi to Detroit for Donie Bush, Jorge Orta, Brandon League, Gene Martin and a 2nd (Matt Chapman).

Detroit wins this one, as Lombardi has been quite good for them, as only Chapman and Bush are still with the ABC’s, and neither looks like much at this point.

Miami got fixated on the potential of Minnie Miñoso, sending Don Newcombe, Clay Condrey, and a 4th (José Quintana) to Chicago for him.

Miñoso has finally begun to show some potential at AAA after some miserable time with the Cuban Giants, while none of the other players are with Chicago (Newcombe was traded, Condrey released, and Quintana refused to sign a rookie contract).

Ottawa sends Steve Garvey and Spud Johnson to Los Angeles for Rusty Staub.

Staub has outperformed Garvey, but both have held down WBL roster spots. Johnson is a free agent at this point.

Ottawa and Los Angeles made a second deal, with the Angels receiving Carlos Delgado in exchange for Dave Bennett, Carlos Beltrán, Jim Stephens, and Sean O'Sullivan.

This one also favors Ottawa. Delgado has been excellent for the Angels, hitting 28 homeruns since the trade. But Beltrán is a borderline all-star for the Mounties. Bennett and Stephens have a little potential, O’Sullivan is currently a free agent.

Here's much ado about nothing: Los Angeles sent Brian Downing, Kurt Stillwell, and Dave LaRoche to San Francisco for Wally Moon, Dwayne Murphy, a 4th (John Lackey) and a 6th (Omar Olivares).

Downing is young enough to do something, as are Moon, Murphy, and Lackey. The trade failed to help San Francisco in the immediate (its ostensible purpose). Slight edge to Los Angeles.

San Francisco picks up Tommy Bridges from Miami for Shawn Estes, Turk Wendell, and a 5th (Mark Kotsay).

Only Kotsay remains with Miami, as such, even though Bridges has been unable to hold down a WBL spot, he has been there, giving the Sea Lions the edge.

San Francisco sent Steve Hertz and a 2nd (Judy Johnson) to Homestead for Phil Garner.

Scrap Iron Garner has been fine as utility IF for the Sea Lions, especially recently, but Johnson may be something special, recently joining Homestead as a 19 year old.

Houston gives up Hack Wilson, Jim Kaat, DJ LeMahieu, Stubby Overmire and a 5th (Nathan Eovaldi) for Memphis' Roger Clemens.

Clemens is doing well in Houston, falling just short of an all star selection. But that’s quite a haul: LeMahieu is pushing for a full time role with Memphis, Overmire is at the front of their rotation, Wilson is doing well at AAA and both Kaat and Eovaldi have some long term potential. If Clemens does become an all-star, and none of the others develop, this would swing towards Houston, but right now it feels like an overall win for the Red Sox.

Memphis sent Joe Beggs to Baltimore for Willie Sudhoff, Alex Johnson, and a 4th (Bill "Spaceman" Lee).

Beggs did what Baltimore needed in their Whirled Series run, but has struggled this year. Sudhoff was released, and Johnson and Lee look marginal at best right now.

Even Steven

Portland send Smokey Joe Wood & Devin Mesoraco to Kansas City for Rogers Hornsby, Vince Coleman, and a 4th Round Pick (Lee May).

Wood is a borderline all-star for the Monarchs while Hornsby both fueled Portland’s playoff run last season and is an all-star this year. Portland released Coleman, neither Mesoraco nor May are doing much.

The House of David sent Sammy Sosa to Memphis for Tony Conigliaro, Fred Lynn, and a 2nd ("Big" Bill Lee).

An odd one to evaluate, as Sosa did well enough for Memphis for the House of David to trade for him back in the off season. Still, at this point, he was a black hole of a roster spot. Conigliaro and Lynn each show good power, so call it a wash.

#Injury Report

The Black Yankees’ Don Mattingly should begin his rehab assignment around the end of the week as should, perhaps, the House of David’s Jim Clinton.

Season Review: New York Gothams

By mknn

On January 1, 2024

In Season Reviews, Team News

87 - 67, .564 pct.
3rd in Bill James Division, 3 games behind.
Lost to Detroit in Division Round

Overall

The Gothams were one of the more pleasant surprises of the year. Just goes to show how far you can go with a single ace (Christy Mathewson), two elite bats (Willie Mays and Buster Posey), and the best bullpen in the league (Brian Wilson as closer, but also spectacular seasons from Mike Norris and Carson Smith).

This is a team that, despite their talent this year, is a little bereft of talent. With very few draft picks this season, they have a challenge in front of them to remain competitive. This is compounded by the Gothams being built … unusually. They hit for average, but not power; they get batters out, but don’t strike out many. Those are not recipes for long term success, but there’s no arguing with what it accomplished this season.

What Went Right

Willie Mays and Buster Posey, yes; but the contributions of Johnny Callison and Joe Adcock should not be underestimated.

Jimmy Sheckard and Pinky Higgins were solid, and Pete Runnels was fantastic down the stretch.

Wes Westrum quickly established himself as fan favorite, providing some pop as the backup C.

Benny Kauff was dominant in a September call up, and the question of how much more he has in the tank could be key to the Gothams’ success next season. He certainly has nothing left to prove at AAA, having won the MVP award there at age 27.

Christy Mathewson established himself as a true ace in the WBL, and Gaylord Perry‘s peripheral numbers were almost as good, although his results trailed far behind Matty’s.

Don Sutton, Juan Marichal, and Rube Waddell were all thoroughly meh. It’s not exactly something that went right, but that’s almost 400 not bad innings.

Oh, the bullpen … Brian Wilson was perhaps the most effective closer in the league, and he was the 3rd best performer in the Gothams’ bullpen, behind Carson Smith and the magnificent Mike Norris. Robb Nen was quite good and while Steve Howe was fine during the regular season, he found another gear entirely in the postseason.

ALL STARS
OF Willie Mays; C Buster Posey; RP Brian Wilson

What Went Wrong

The left side of the infield was a mess aside from Pinky Higgins as Brandon Crawford, Eugenio Suárez, Mark Loretta, and Johan Camargo all fumbled chances to claim starting roles.

Will Clark was poor after being (re)acquired from Miami. Offensively, that’s about it.

On the mound, even less: injuries to Carl Hubbell, Al Mays, and Pete Donohue probably count. Beyond that, the worse of the Gothams’ starters (Mickey Welch, Sad Sam Jones, and Vean Gregg) were still not horrid. It was about as good a year on the mound as a team can have, all things considered.

Transactions

March

1B Will Clark, C Harry Danning & OF Carlos Morán to Miami for OF Yasiel Puig, 2B Cookie Rojas, 1B Joe Adcock & P Liván Hernández

Half of these players came back later, so we’ll evaluate the deal as a whole below.

June

OF Don Mueller, P Ray Lamb, P Gil Heredia, P Lew Krawusse, Jr, 1st Round Pick & 8th Round Pick to Brooklyn for P Don Sutton

This is a lot to give up. But Sutton showed flashes of front of rotation potential. Call it a push.

July

P Travis Bowyer, OF Mike Shannon & 4th Round Pick to Homestead for P Vean Gregg & 5th Round Pick {Tom Burns}

Gregg wasn’t much, but not much was lost, either.

P Freddie Fitzsimmons, 2B Cookie Rojas, OF Yasiel Puig & 2nd Round Pick to Miami for P Rube Waddell, 2B Pete Runnels & 1B Will Clark

OK, so at the end of the day, this is Danning, Morán, Fitzsimmons, and a 2nd rounder for Adcock, Hernández, and Runnels. New York also got a solid half season from Rojas fwiw. Given Adock and Runnels’ late season heroics, it seems like a decent deal for the Gothams.

P Jeremy Affeldt, OF George Burns, 3B Art Devlin, P Bob Moose & 3rd Round Pick to Ottawa for RP Steve Howe, OF George Van Haltren & 5th Round Pick {Kyle Tucker}

Probably overpaid slightly, but Howe and Van Haltren were excellent down the stretch, and getting Tucker with the pick helps a lot.

Looking Forward

SP

Christy Mathewson, Gaylord Perry, and Carl Hubbell should be good, and the odds are at least a few of the other arms will come good. But some depth would be useful.

RP

Norris is aging but the rest of the bullpen should be around for a while.

C

Buster Posey‘s position to lose.

1B

While Will Clark looks good, long term the Gothams believe Bill Terry will eventually take over from him.

2B

Who knows? Pete Runnels has this right now, but this is an area of need.

3B

Who knows? Pinky Higgins has this right now, but this is an area of need.

SS

Who knows? Eugenio Suárez has this right now, but this is an area of need.

LF

Who kno–no, really, this is Jimmy Sheckard, with some pressure from both Steve Kemp and Ben Oglive. George Van Haltren should help here and in RF as well.

CF

Willie Mays is the one true offensive superstar the Gothams have (depending on how susceptible you think backstops are to injury). Benny Kauff will be here some next year as well.

RF

Johnny Callison and Carl Furillo, with perhaps some pressure from Mike Tiernan.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

None. Yep, a team that needs to stock a fairly empty system will add zero high ceiling talent this off season through drafts.

Rounds 5-8

They do have 3 picks in the 5th round, the first two being the 4th and 5th picks of the round. They used these on IF Tom Burns and OF Kyle Tucker. Tucker clearly has the higher ceiling while Burns fills some holes in a system devoid of MI talent. Their final pick is used on 2B David Eckstein.

In the 6th round they unearthed one of the few remaining arms capable of immediately contributing at the WBL level, Masahiro Tanaka and then an arm that is a few years away in Logan Webb. Round 7 brought C depth with Dick Buckley.

Rounds 9-12

P Ferdie Schupp; P Jordan Montgomery; P Bugs Raymond; P William VanLandingham.

Season Review: Brooklyn Royal Giants

By mknn

On December 22, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

77 - 77, .500 pct.
3rd in Marvin Miller Division, 7.5 games behind.

Overall

The penultimate team to be eliminated from the playoffs, the Royal Giants were a bit of a surprise, but still need help to move into true playoff contention. Most of that needs to come from the offense, where there is a lack of elite talent virtually across the board. But they are one of the few teams in the league stacked on the mound.

What Went Right

Not a lot of high spots offensively. CF John Briggs destroyed AA, was promoted to Brooklyn, and totally crushed WBL pitching over his first 40 games. RF Beals Becker, against all expectations, was the team MVP, combining power and speed to great effect.

Roy White was the heart of the team and Duke Snider their best source of power, but neither were true stars if we’re being honest, with OPS’ in the low .800s.

Beyond that … I dunno … they stole a lot of bases (7 players had over 15: Becker, White, Snider, Frank Isbell, Jackie Robinson, Dickie Thon, and Davey Lopes).

If that all sounds very wishy-washy, let’s move on to a more encouraging topic: the Royal Giants kicked ass on the mound, led by Don Drysedale and Frank Knauss. Sandy Koufax and Dutch Leonard were a little erratic, but very solid behind them, and the bullpen was spectacular, led by Watty Clark (likely to be converted to a starter), Eric Gagne (likely to take Clark’s place as closer), Trevor Hildenberger, and Darren Dreifort.

How good were they? Only one pitcher–Ralph Branca over 31 innings–had a negative WAR.

ALL STARS
SP Don Drysedale

What Went Wrong

The IF was a bit weak all year, with Jackie Robinson and Ray Dandridge both being decent, but not quite good enough to hold down a steady spot in the lineup. Mike Piazza was horrible at C, earning a trip to AAA and leaving duties behind the plate to Al López and Duke Farrell, who weren’t very good.

Probably the biggest mistake on the mound was not calling up Smokey Joe Williams earlier.

Transactions

March

None

June

P Don Sutton to New York Gothams for OF Don Mueller, P Ray Lamb, P Gil Heredia, P Lew Krausse Jr, 1st Round Pick {Al Simmons} & 8th Round Pick

A big win, especially for a team rich in arms.

OF Curt Flood, 2B Manny Trillo & 6th Round Pick to Birmingham for IF Frank Isbell

Isbell did well, but that’s a lot to give up for a 30 year old.

July

None

Looking Forward

SP

The Royal Giants could have as many as 7 starters under long term contracts: Don Drysedale, Smokey Joe Williams, Sandy Koufax, Watty Clark, Orel Hershiser, Dick Redding, and Nap Rucker sounds like a very intimidating staff …

RP

… especially with Darren Dreifort, Eric Gagne, and Ron Perranoski coming out of the bullpen.

C

Brooklyn is hoping this is Mike Piazza but early indications are not great.

1B

A clear void at the moment, but the Royal Giants like the potential of Dan Brouthers.

2B

Hopefully, Jackie Robinson can do a bit more offensively.

3B

At some point, the Royal Giants will need to decide between Ron Cey and Ray Dandridge.

SS

Germany Smith‘s surprising power earned him a look for next year, but if that doesn’t work out, it’s not clear what plan B is.

LF

Roy White for a while, and after that, who knows?

CF

This could be interesting. Right now, this is John Briggs‘ position to lose, but Brooklyn also has Ron Fairly and Duke Snider in the mix.

RF

Beals Becker will hold this down for a while, but the team is really hoping Raúl Mondesi can take it over at some point.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

The Royal Giants have 2 first round picks, so they have a chance to address some of their offensive struggles. The first went to Ed Delahanty, who should actually fit in well: he plays a mixture of 2B, 1B, and the OF, allowing him to slot in around their current talent. The second was more of shock that OF Al Simmons was still available.

Brooklyn was annoyed when Los Angeles took Babe Herman just before their pick in the 2nd round, forcing them to scramble. They eventually settled on Dazzy Vance–an odd choice for a team as pitching rich as the Royal Giants, but Vance projects as a late bloomer.

In the 3rd round, the Royal Giants picked up OF George Selkirk and in the 4th C/OF prospect Elston Howard, their final franchise exemption.

Rounds 5-8

5th round pick Jimmy Johnston is an OFer now, but may end up in the IF eventually and 7th round pick Walker Buehler may actually end up being a bit of a steal.

From here on out, it’s C, pitching, and perhaps some OF depth for the Royal Giants, beginning with Ps Doc Scanlan and Vic Lombardi in the 8th round.

Rounds 9-12

P Odalis Pérez; IF Greg Pryor; P Doc Newton; and P Victor González.

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.