Tag: Iván Rodríguez Page 2 of 4

Season Review: Portland Sea Dogs

On December 28, 2023

85 - 70, .548 pct.
1st in Marvin Miller Division
Lost to Baltimore in Division Round

Overall

Portland’s year was, if we’re being honest, a bit of a surprise, even though they led the Marvin Miller Division virtually wire to wire. Their offense was excellent all year, they made very impactful acquisitions via trade in Rogers Hornsby and Gavvy Cravath, and their top end pitching was among the league’s best.

Things are unlikely to go as well offensively next year, so it may take some talent acquisition for the Sea Dogs to maintain their place.

What Went Right

Let’s get the acquisitions out of the way first: 2B was an issue for the Sea Dogs all season until they brought in Rogers Hornsby from Kansas City. Hornsby was excellent and looks likely to remain with Portland for a while. Then, even knowing it was likely a rental for the last few months of the season, the Sea Dogs brought in Gavvy Cravath from Philadelphia who was spectacular, slugging .750 over 40 games. Cravath has moved on to Baltimore, proving the old rich get richer thing.

This was a team already hitting at an elite level: CF Bobby Murcer, 1B Kent Hrbek, C Joe Mauer, and SS Jim Fregosi all hit about as well as anyone in the league at their position. 3B Buddy Bell and OF Harry Hooper were solid as well.

Two reserves were magnificent: each was behind an all star talent, but each kept pushing even them for playing time. Both C Iván Rodríguez and CF Gary Pettis faded a bit at the end of the year, but still posted OPS’ of .827 (Pettis) and .780 (Pudge).

It’s hard to figure out if Gil Hodges‘ year went right or not: on the good side, he was 2nd on the team with 29 homers.

Walter Johnson was fantastic, clearly one of the best starting pitchers in the league at the tender age of 20. Joseíto Muñoz was even better, even younger, and coming on strong when he was injured.

Bert Blyleven and Dizzy Trout were solid enough.

Johan Santana was leading the league in saves before his injury: there are hopes he will be fully recovered by Spring Training. In his absence, the rest of the bullpen stepped up with Portland getting very strong performances from Bob Porterfield, Trevor Hoffman (acquired at midseason), Pascual Pérez, and Elmer Brown.

ALL STARS
3B Buddy Bell; SS Jim Fregosi; 1B Kent Hrbek; C Joe Mauer; OF Bobby Murcer; P Johan Santana

What Went Wrong

Somehow Greg Litton became a fan favorite despite struggling to get his OPS over .600. Neither he nor Fred Dunlap showed anything at all at the plate, although they were useful enough as utility players.

It’s hard to figure out if Gil Hodges‘ year went right or not: on the bad side, he hit .223 with an OPS under .750.

Muñoz and Santana’s injuries sucked. Muñoz may miss most of next season as well.

Not a lot went wrong in the Pacific northwest.

Transactions

March

None

June

P Smokey Joe Wood, C Devin Mesoraco to Kansas City for 2B Rogers Hornsby, OF Vince Coleman & 4th Round Pick

A clear win. Wood is likely to have the best career, given Hornsby’s age, but Hornsby was key to Portland’s postseason push.

July

OF Kirby Puckett, P Jim Kern, P Rick Wise, 3rd Round Pick & 5th Round Pick to Houston for P Trevor Hoffman, P Mark Melancon & 4th Round Pick {Denard Span}

We’ll see. Hoffman was quite strong, and may challenge Santana for the closer’s job next year. It was a clear win for this year, it was also a lot of value to give up.

3B Harmon Killebrew & 1st Round Pick to Philadelphia for OF Gavvy Cravath & 2nd Round Pick {Hugh Duffy}

For this year, totally worth it. Down the road … not so much.

Looking Forward

SP

Walter Johnson is elite. Bert Blyleven and Jerry Koosman should be solid, and while Joseíto Muñoz is unlikely to be as good as his debut, he should be a good rotation starter for many years. So … solid, but another top arm would be welcome. Some believe Johan Santana will come back as a starter, which may help.

RP

This group is solid, but there aren’t many likely reinforcements coming. Still, Trevor Hoffman should be the closer for a few years.

C

As if having Joe Mauer and Iván Rodríguez weren’t enough, the Sea Dogs have the best C prospect at AAA, Cliff Lee, as well. Someone will be traded.

1B

Kent Hrbek for a while, but Rafael Palmiero is pushing him long term. Gil Hodges also plays here, and is an interesting piece: Hodges’ power is undeniable, but he really doesn’t hit well enough to hold down an everyday job.

2B

Rogers Hornsby probably has a few years left, but not much more than that. There is nothing behind him, so this is an area of need.

3B

Another position where someone is going to be moved on: Buddy Bell was excellent this year, but Adrián Beltré probably has the ability to be his equal.

SS

Jim Fregosi was excellent for Portland. Hughie Jennings looks promising for the future as well.

LF

Riggs Stephenson has this for now, but this may be an area the Sea Dogs look to upgrade.

CF

Bobby Murcer was Portland’s most dangerous hitter all year, even if Hrbek had more power. It’s not clear how many years Pettis will accept being a reserve.

RF

This coming year, this is likely to be a mix of Harry Hooper and Ruben Sierra. If they don’t work out, Candy Maldanado and Tom Brunansky have shown some promise.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

With the pick to compensate for the loss of Cravath, Portland had three consecutive picks to close out the first round and start the second. With two of them, they took the closest things to Cravath they could find: OFs Chuck Klein and Hugh Duffy. With the other, they took a franchise arm that is several years away in 18 year old Jon Matlack. They balanced out Matlack with the 15th pick of the 2nd round by selecting Walter Ball, who, at twenty-seven, looks ready for WBL action right now.

Portland has 3 4th round picks and only a single franchise exception remaining. That final choice went to Lee May, who projects to have WBL level power, maybe. The other two 4th round picks were OF Denard Span and reliever Joaquin Benoit.

Rounds 5-8

Portland needs arms. At some point, a SS would be nice, but essentially, arms. They start in the 6th with CJ Wilson, in the 7th with Harry Harper, and in the 8th with Lee Stange.

Rounds 9-12

OF Adolis García; IF Josh Jung; OF Howie Shanks; OF Billy Lush.

12th round Billy Lush decided to not sign with the Sea Dogs.

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 48.9: The Playoffs! Wild Card Round, Day VI– September 22

By mknn

On September 21, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, Featured Games, TWIWBL

Only one series still in doubt … Portland has the edge over Chicago, 3 games to 2.

#Portland Sea Dogs v Chicago American Giants, Game 6

Chicago has a choice: do they start Ben Sheets or David Price? The left handed power in Portland’s lineup led them to Price, but he’ll be on a short leash. Portland will go with Bert Blyleven, hoping he can recover some of his earlier form after being hit hard in game 2 of the series.

Portland will start Iván Rodríguez behind the plate and Jeff Burroughs in LF–Pudge in a regular rotation and Burroughs partially due to Harry Hooper‘s struggles.

Eddie Collins is just a force of nature: he singled to leadoff the game, stole second, stole third, and scored on a groundout by Frank Thomas. Blyleven didn’t do anything wrong, and yet the American Giants took an early 1-0 lead.

Bobby Murcer would tie it up an inning later with a solo homerun and, in the third, Jim Fregosi would go deep and Murcer would drive in another with a single. That made it 3-1 in favor of the Sea Dogs.

But Chicago would not go quietly: Dick Allen hit his first homerun of the posteason, and hits from Rocky Colavito and Freddy Parent put runners at 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. But Blyleven induced a weak popout from Mike Fiore to end the threat with Portland holding on to a 1 run lead, 3-2.

With both pitchers on a tight leash, they suddenly remembered they could pitch a little bit.

Price cracked first when Murcer singled up the middle to lead off the 6th. In came Sheets, who seemed to have it under control until, with 2 outs, Gil Hodges singled home Murcer and Burroughs followed with a shot into the right field seats. By the time the inning ended, Sheets had been relieved by Ken Sanders and the Sea Dogs were up, 7-2.

A walk to Colavito and a single from Parent chased Blyleven in the top of the 7th, with Portland turning to Mike Cuellar for the run of lefty hitters in Chicago’s lineup. Cuellar was left in to face a righty the following inning: Thomas took him deep with Jackson on, closing the gap to 7-4.

Which brings us to the top of the 9th. Portland’s closer, Bob Porterfield, comes in to face the bottom of the American Giants’ lineup. And that was it: Porterfield was perfect, and Portland was through!

Thomas drove in 3 of Chicago’s 4 runs and Hornsby and Murcer had 3 hits each for the Sea Dogs.

CAG 4 (Price 0-1) @ POR 7 (Blyleven 1-0; Porterfield 2 Sv; Hoffman 1 H)
HRs: CAG – Allen (1), Thomas (1); POR – Murcer (3), Fregosi (1), Burroughs (1).
Box Score

Rogers Hornsby, who hit .455 with 6 RBIs in the series, was named series MVP, although Gil Hodges (3 homeruns and 8 RBI) and Walter Johnson (2-0, 2.25) each deserved some consideration.

TWIWBL 48.2: Playoff Previews – Chicago American Giants @ Portland Sea Dogs

By mknn

On September 8, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, Series Previews, TWIWBL

As a reward for winning a one game playoff against Birmingham, Portland gets to host Chicago, a team with the 3rd best record in the league, and 3 more wins than the Sea Dogs amassed.

#Chicago American Giants

A media favorite as an underdog to go all the way, Chicago’s playoff hopes rest on their pitching–which doesn’t even have to be good, just good enough to support their spectacular offense.

Behind Tricky Nichols (15-9, 4.14), Chicago will turn to some mix of David Price (8-5, 3.98 but on fire as of late), Ben Sheets (11-8, 4.50), and Dick Rudolph (10-9, 4.58) and will hope that Ken Sanders and Hoyt Wilhelm can get the ball to AJ Minter, who has been fantastic with a 2.61 ERA and 30 saves.

The wild card here is Ed Walsh, 8-3 on the season with a 3.26 ERA. Walsh excelled in a swing role throughout the season, and may slide into the #2 spot behind Nichols, or may be called on to cover the middle innings in multiple games. Or, you know, both.

Enough of that, let’s talk about fun things. Like the American Giants’ offense. With 4 starters with OPS over .900 (Joe Jackson, Dick Allen, Eddie Collins, and Frank Thomas), the heart of the lineup is spectacular. Thomas, Jackson, and Allen each drove in over 100 (with Duffy Lewis just missing at 94), and Collins and Jackson each scored over a century. Jackson led the way with 31 homers, and Collins added 61 SB to the mix.

There’s no real weakness in the starters: Carlton Fisk‘s .790 OPS is excellent for a catcher and Mike Fiore‘s .405 OBP more than makes up for his utter lack of power. Chicago traded for all-star SS Freddy Parent, who has been thoroughly mediocre, so perhaps that is their one lineup hole.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Portland’s fought off some injuries and some challenges in finding enough PA’s for all their talent, but has remained a solid team all season. Shorter series should help them: anything that gets Walter Johnson (14-5, 3.50) more starts is good for the team. Johnson is followed by Bert Blyleven (11-11, 4.30) and then some mix of Pascual Pérez, Dizzy Trout, Mike Cuellar, and Wade Miller.

The bullpen has been solid, although the closer role is a little unsettled, split between Bob Porterfield, Trevor Hoffman, and Elmer Brown.

Two midseason acquisitions really took the offense from solid to spectacular: 2B Rogers Hornsby and RF Gavvy Cravath have embraced their new surroundings, with Cravath being especially impactful, slugging well over .700 in his 40 games with the Sea Dogs.

But the lineup can mash top to bottom: Bobby Murcer, Joe Mauer, and Kent Hrbek all have OPS over .900 (Hrbek has 36 homeruns and drove in 106 to lead the team). Gary Pettis and Iván Rodríguez have cooled off slightly, making, but still, along with Adrián Beltre and Jeff Burroughs, form one of the deeper benches in the league.

The Sea Dogs led the league in homers, with 5 players (Hrbek, Cravath, Mauer, Buddy Bell, and Gil Hodges) having over 20.

The end of roster choices were challenging. Cult hero Greg Litton got the final position spot–neither he nor Fred Dunlap can hit, but Litton is a little more flexible defensively and the final pitching spot went to Atlee Hammaker, who has struggled, but with Cuellar the only other lefty option from the pen, Hammaker edges out Ray Fontenot for now.

#Prediction

Chicago in 7. The most anticipated of the four series of the opening round.

Series XXXVI Featured Matchup: Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Portland Sea Dogs

By mknn

On August 3, 2023

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Frank Knauss @ Mike Cuellar

Ron Cey opened up the scoring int he 4th inning with his 21st homerun of the year, a moon shot to deep left. In the 6th, Matt Holliday added a 2-run shot and an RBI double from Jackie Robinson chased Portland’s starter, Mike Cuellar, from the mound. Germany Smith would drive in another, and by the time the inning ended, the Royal Giants were up, 5-0.

Frank Knauss would lose his shutout in the bottom of the inning, surrendering a 2-run homerun to Rogers Hornsby.

That was it, as Brooklyn was able to shut down the Sea Dogs, with Smokey Joe Williams pitching 2 scoreless in relief of Knauss and Trevor Hildenberger picking up his 4th save.

BRK 5 (Knauss 12-5; Hildenberger 4 Sv; Williams 3 H) @ POR 2 (Cuellar 12-8)
HRs: BRK – Cey (21), Holliday (3); POR – Hornsby (12).
Box Score

#Game 2: Sandy Koufax @ Pascual Pérez

Brooklyn took the lead in a very Brooklyn way: Frank Isbell singled to lead off the contest and stole second, moved to third on a soft hit from Duke Snider, and scored on a groundout from Roy White. And Portland tied it in a very Portland way: a solo shot from Buddy Bell in the bottom of the second.

White hit his 15th of the year in the 4th putting the Royal Giants back in front, but Bell was not to be denied: his second shot of the game tied it up at 2.

Both starters turned it over to the bullpens, which seemed to go well until Duke Snider launched a homerun off Wade Miller in the top of the 8th, his 3rd hit of the day.

The Sea Dogs got creative in the bottom of the frame: Gavvy Cravath was sent up to pinch hit and delivered a leadoff double. He was replaced at second by Gary Pettis and Adrián Beltré was inserted to hit for José González. Beltré lifted a flyball to LF just deep enough to move Pettis to third. A walk to Jim Fregosi brought Eric Gagne in to relieve Darren Dreifort, but Gagne couldn’t find the zone, walking Pudge Rodríguez to load the bases for the Sea Dogs leading slugger, Kent Hrbek. Gagne figured it out, fanning Hrbek and getting Bobby Murcer to ground out.

So that seems to have been the key opportunity.

Watty Clark threw a 1-2-3 ninth to cement the victory for the Royal Giants, whose push for the wildcard continues.

BRK 3 (Dreifort 4-3; Clark 25 Sv; Gagne 9 H) @ POR 2 (Miller 10-6)
HRs: BRK – White (15), Snider (29); POR – Bell 2 (20).
Box Score

#Game 3: Dutch Leonard @ Dizzy Trout

Brooklyn needs at least 3 wins in the series, preferably 4, so todays matchup of Dutch Leonard (11-11, 4.19) against Dizzy Trout (6-5, 4.53) looms large.

Beals Becker may be Brooklyn’s MVP this season: again he comes through, this time with a leadoff homerun. Portland’s Buddy Bell tied it up in the 3rd with his 21st round-tripper of the season. But that was it: through 5 innings, Trout had allowed 4 hits and Leonard only the single long ball.

Trout struck out the side in the 6th, and gave way to Mark Melancon in the 7th after a 1-out double from Jackie Robinson. Pinch hitter Matt Holliday singled Robinson home to give the Royal Giants a 2-1 edge.

Gavvy Cravath picked up Portland’s second hit in the bottom of the 7th and eventually came around to tie the game on an RBI single from Bell. That chased Leonard, which might have been a mistake: Orel Hershiser gave up a double to Jeff Burroughs, scoring 2 and putting the Sea Dogs on top, 4-2. Hershiser and Ralph Branca proved far too hittable, and by the time the 9th rolled around, Portland was up 7-2.

This is what Melancon did in Houston before joining Portland, earning him the nickname of The Vulture. It was his first win for the Sea Dogs, but his 10th on the season out of the bullpen. Leonard took the loss, but the blame really falls on the Royal Giants pen as Brooklyn missed a great chance to edge closer to the wildcard spots.

BRK 2 (Leonard 11-12) @ POR 7 (Melancon 1-0)
HRs: BRK – Becker (25); POR – Bell (21), Murcer (23).
Box Score

#Game 4: Tommy Hanson @ Walter Johnson

Getting a 3rd win in the series could be a challenge for Brooklyn as they’ll send Tommy Hanson up against one of the best in the league in the Sea Dogs’ Walter Johnson.

A Joe Mauer homerun in the bottom of the first put the Sea Dogs up early. In the 3rd, Brooklyn broke through against Johnson with 2 outs: 2 walks, a single, and a wild pitch tied the game, and then a single from Roy White plated 2 for a 3-1 lead for the Royal Giants. Portland responded immediately with an RBI single from Rogers Hornsby scoring Kent Hrbek and Gavvy Cravath and tying the game at 3rd.

And that was where we stayed: Hanson was laboring, throwing over 100 pitches across 4 innings, and was replaced by Smokey Joe Williams in the 5th. Jackie Robinson chased Johnson in the 7th with a double, and came around to score on a single from Al López off reliever Frank Williams. Beals Becker and John Briggs followed with singles to load the bases and bring in Ray Fontenot from the Sea Dogs bullpen. Which did not go as planned, as White drove in 2 more before Ron Cey launched his 22nd homerun deep to left. That made the score 9-3 Brooklyn.

Portland made it close with 2 homeruns in the 9th (including Mauer’s second of the game), but Brooklyn held on for the 10-8 win and their 3rd of the series.

White finished with 3 hits and 5 RBIs while both Cravath and Hornsby had 3 hits for Portland.

BRK 10 (Williams 3-1; Clark 26 Sv) @ POR 8 (Johnson 14-5)
HRs: BRK – Cey (22), White (16); POR – Mauer 2 (15), Hornsby (13).
Box Score

Series XXXVI Preview: Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Portland Sea Dogs

By mknn

On August 1, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

The Brooklyn Royal Giants were the last team in the WBL to only be featured twice (Series II and XVII). They head to Portland for Series XXXVI 5 games out of the final wild card spot and on their last legs with fewer than 15 games to play. Portland should be more familiar, having been featured in Series IV, XVII, and XXXI.

Close readers will notice that this is a repeat match up: In Series XVII: Brooklyn took 3 out of 4 from the Sea Dogs. A repeat would keep their postseason hopes alive.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Brooklyn has an outside shot at the postseason, but it’s going to take something special for them to get there. They are 7 games back in the Marvin Miller Division, and 5 games out of the final wild card spot.

They are only 2 games over .500, so they aren’t a great team by any stretch. But, man can they pitch.

The staff is led by Frank Knauss (11-5, 3.40) and Don Drysedale, whose solid performances and 3.91 ERA deserve better than his 8-9 record. Dutch Leonard is solid in the #3 slot and the mercurial Sandy Koufax (who has a 1-hitter, but also a 4.75 ERA).

But that’s only part of the story, as Watty Clark (24 saves) has been among the most effective closers in the league, and Darren Dreifort and Trevor Hildenberger have been fantastic in getting him the ball.

So that’s the good news.

The best regular has been Beals Becker (304/373/505), with OFs Duke Snider and Roy White and 3B Ron Cey providing solid production. Snider, who leads the team with 81 RBIs, has 28 homeruns, with Becker adding 24 and Cey 20.

There are a few other stories here: 20 year old John Briggs was promoted to the WBL to much consternation after dominating the lower leagues. He’s proven himself more than capable, slashing 365/455/612 over his first 100 PAs. Germany Smith, a fantastic fielder, has also provided some surprising power from SS. And, finally, there’s Jackie Robinson, whose stat line (239/324/399) is nothing special, but seems to be in the middle of most positive offensive moments for the Royal Giants.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Portland has a 2 game edge in the Marvin Miller Division, and look like a good bet for the postseason.

They’re a solid team top to bottom, but also one that has navigated quite a few key injuries and has made some brilliant acquisitions on the trade market.

Their staff is led by Walter Johnson (14-4, 3.36) and Bert Blyleven (10-11, 4.25), but Mike Cuellar (12-7, 4.52) and Wade Miller (10-5, 4.56) both have reached double digits as well. Cuellar has 48 appearances out of the bullpen and only 4 starts, but seems for now to be entrenched in the rotation.

Johan Santana was the best closer in the league before losing the season to injury. Since then, that role has been passed between Elmer Brown and Bob Porterfield, with Porterfield currently getting most of the save opportunities. Trevor Hoffman and Mark Melancon, obtained from Houston at the All-Star break, have been solid, with Hoffman also edging into the closer conversation.

Speaking of trade acquisitions …

2B Rogers Hornsby was brought in in the first trading period and has solidified the infield for Portland. While his numbers are slightly down from his time with Kansas City, Hornsby is still slashing 285/356/469 with 80 RBIs on the year. And then there is OF Gavvy Cravath, picked up from Philadelphia at the break. Cravath is slashing 367/484/776 with 11 homeruns since arriving in Portland and 306/387/554 overall.

They join Kent Hrbek (301/370/572 with 36 homeruns and 102 RBIs), Bobby Murcer (313/390/534), and Joe Mauer (310/380/507) in a lineup that is dangerous top to bottom. No fewer than 11 players are in double digits for homeruns with 4 (Hrbek, Cravath, Murcer, and Gil Hodges) over 20. Murcer’s performance keeps Gary Pettis (351/434/485) on the bench, and while Iván Rodríguez has cooled off slightly to 299/324/459, he and Mauer form one of the most formidable catching pairs in the league.

#Projected Starters

Brooklyn starter listed first.

Frank Knauss (11-5, 3.40) @ Mike Cuellar (12-7, 4.52)
Sandy Koufax (5-8, 4.75) @ Wade Miller (10-5, 4.56)
Dutch Leonard (11-11, 4.19) @ Dizzy Trout (6-5, 4.53)
Tommy Hanson (4-4, 4.22) @ Walter Johnson (14-4, 3.36)

#Prediction

I like this Portland team, but just for the way it would tighten the wild card race, I’ve got to be rooting for a Brooklyn sweep.

Series XXXI Preview: Portland Sea Dogs @ Birmingham Black Barons

By mknn

On April 28, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

Ohhhh … what timing!

The Birmingham Black Barons (who we saw in Series III, XIV, and XXIII) have clawed their way to take the lead in the Marvin Miller Division, ahead of the Portland Sea Dogs (who were featured in Series IV and XVII, and XXIX) by 1/2 game.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Portland has stalled in the past week or so, but over the course of the season has been one of the top few teams in the WBL.

Offensively, they are excellent top-to-bottom, to the point where there are several spots in the lineup where they struggle to find enough at-bats. Most notably, both Joe Mauer (302/380/488) and Iván Rodríguez (324/343/502) are stars at C and Gary Pettis (376/460/518) refuses to slump as their reserve CF. Pettis is now over 100 ABs, but remains stuck behind Bobby Murcer (309/395/542).

Kent Hrbek (305/378/594) leads the team in HR (34) and RBI (89) with 7 other Sea Dogs hitting at least 15 homeruns and two–Murcer with 21 and Gil Hodges with 25–over 20.

Two trade acquisitions will be key to Portland’s stretch run. 2B Rogers Hornsby hasn’t hit as well with the Sea Dogs as they did in Kansas City, with an OPS over 120 points lower. Gavvy Cravath, however, has hit the ground running, slashing 286/422/571 in Portland compared to 289/358/493 in Philadelphia.

Portland’s best 2 pitchers–Walter Johnson and Joséito Muñoz (5-5, 2.50)–are currently injured (Johnson for only a few more days while Muñoz’ injury is still being diagnosed). Their closer–and the best in the league for a while–Johan Santana is out for the rest of the year, and Pascual Pérez, a solid rotation starter, is on a rehab assignment. That’s a lot to overcome on the mound.

Wade Miller‘s performance (9-4, 4.33) has helped a lot, and the trio of Atlee Hammaker, Dizzy Trout, and Bert Blyleven seem well poised to bridge the gap. Add in Mike Cuellar, who is 11-6 with almost all of his work coming in relief, and the combination of Elmer Brown and Bob Porterfield in the pen, and Portland’s pitching staff remains dangerous.

#Birmingham Black Barons

Their transformation into a playoff contender has been a shock, as Birmingham was a big seller at the first trading deadline, unloading 2 all-stars in 2B Tom Herr and SP Tim Hudson. Somehow, they’ve improved dramatically, to the point where they were significant buyers at the final deadline, where they added Andy Pettitte to their rotation.

They’ve done it with pitching and defense and an offense that is improving–which means it is approaching roughly league average. The loss of Herr has been outweighed by the emergence of Cupid Childs, who is slashing 321/446/491 in the very early going of his WBL career. The offense centers around the trio of SS Herman Long (287/336/528), Hank Aaron (266/304/498) and the resurgent Eddie Mathews (246/332/489). Aaron leads the team in HRs (23) and RBIs (78).

Jim Pagliaroni–picked up at the deadline–has solidified the C position, Curtis Granderson has been a solid, consistent contributor in CF, and Adrían González, after sporting an OPS under .500 with Chicago, is slashing 287/326/456 with Birmingham.

But the real story is on the mound, where the trio of Alejandro Peña (10-7, 3.28), Pettitte (12-4, 3.22 overall), and Greg Maddux (4-4, 2.88) are pitching as well as any threesome in the league. Juan Rincón has 19 saves since being elevated to closer, and the duo of Bruce Chen and Steve Bedrosian have been fantastic in late relief.

#Scheduled Matchups

Portland’s starter listed first.

Bert Blyleven (8-9, 4.67) @ Alejandro Peña (10-7, 3.28)
Atlee Hammaker (2-2, 5.46) @ Vic Willis (3-2, 3.56)
Dizzy Trout (6-3, 4.15) @ Sam Streeter (6-6, 4.84)
Wade Miller (9-4, 4.33) @ Andy Pettitte (12-4, 3.22)

Portland’s starters are likely to change, as Johnson may return and Muñoz seems headed to the DL.

#Prediction

A split, of course: want to keep the race as tight as possible.

TWIWBL 38.4: Series XXX Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On April 27, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

The Black Barons just keep rolling. This time, it was 5 RBIs from Herman Long and a strong 7 innings from Vic Willis in a victory over Kansas City.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

4 hits from John Briggs were wasted as the Royal Giants lost 7-2 to Ottawa. That brought Briggs’ average up to over .350, and while it’s still early (his WBL career is only 23 games in), it certainly helps to silence the critics who were protesting that the 20 year old would be overmatched, despite his spectacular showing at AA.

Briggs was injured in the final game of the series, and will miss 2-3 weeks; Ty Cline was recalled from AAA.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Braden Looper has been named Miami’s closer for the time being.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Cliff Lee did well in his brief WBL debut (273/333/409), but with Joe Mauer‘s return from a rehab assignment, Lee heads back to AAA and the Sea Dogs once again find themselves with the conundrum of what to do with Mauer (313/389/504) and Pudge Rodríguez (331/350/512). There is a similar issue in CF with Bobby Murcer (316/400/555) and Gary Pettis (405/489/557 with great speed and defense). These are good problems to have.

For now, Mauer and Rodríguez return to their platoon arrangement, and Pettis continues to be the first man off the bench.

With Walter Johnson sidelined for another week or so, Atlee Hammaker has moved into the rotation.

TWIWBL 36.4: Series XXVIII Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On March 23, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

The arrival of Jim Pagliaroni sent Del Crandall packing (he refused a demotion to AAA), with Gene Tenace being relegated to reserve duty.

Nate Colbert was the odd man out with Andy Pettitte‘s arrival prompting Birmingham to carry 12 pitchers. Colbert will be back when rosters expand if not sooner. Pettitte slides into the rotation, with Larry Benton heading to the bullpen. Optimistically, the trio of Alejandro Peña, Pettitte, and Greg Maddux are on par with any trio of starters in the league, but that depends on Maddux maintaining his current form and all three staying healthy.

Pettitte’s first start was a success: 6 shutout innings, and combining with Steve Bedrosian and Kent Mercker on a 10 hit blanking of Ottawa. The Black Barons turned a league record 6 double plays in the game, and Frank McCormick, Hank Aaron, and Bob Nieman all went deep.

Harley Young will miss about a month, a pretty big blow to the Black Barons bullpen. Jim Whitney was recalled to take Young’s place.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Art Griggs will miss about 2 weeks of action with an oblique strain. The Royal Giants recalled OF Matt Holliday from AAA.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Lots of roster juggling here …

Cole Hamels and Freddie Fitzsimmons join the big league roster, with Hamels sliding right into the rotation. José Méndez takes over the final rotation spot, pushing Eustaquio Pedroso back to the bullpen. Once Ozzie Canseco clears waivers, Sandy Consuegra will be recalled from AAA.

The departure of Ed Bauta and Aroldis Chapman leave the Cuban Giants pretty weak at the back end of the pen, so they’re hoping some mix of Brown, Braden Looper, and Ricky Nolasco can handle closing games out.

Willie Kamm was promoted all the way from AA, and Jim Thome recalled from AAA to replace the departed Will Clark.

Fitzsimmons pitched in 2 games and then hit the DL with a hamstring problem, prompting Miami to recall Marcelino López to fill out the bullpen.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Hal Griggs and Frank Williams were sent to AAA to clear room for Trevor Hoffman and Mark Melancon and Dizzy Trout took the final spot in their rotation. Gavvy Cravath‘s arrival sent Ruben Sierra back as well. Cravath slides into RF, most likely reducing both Jeff Burroughs‘ and Greg Litton‘s playing time.

The Sea Dogs hit 6 homeruns in an 11-5 thrashing of Los Angeles, with Harry Hooper (a grandslam), Kent Hrbek (twice), Buddy Bell, Iván Rodriguez, and Rogers Hornsby all sending balls over the fence. Hrbek once again tied for the league lead with his 33rd of the season. Despite extreme wildness, Joséito Muñoz surrendered only 1 run in just over 5 innings, leveling his record at 5-5 on the season.

Walter Johnson will miss about a week, requiring a quick trip to the DL. The Sea Dogs recalled Ray Fontenot from AAA, but Atlee Hammaker is likely to get the nod for Johnson’s next start. Both Pascual Pérez and, more interestingly, Joe Mauer, began rehab assignments at AAA.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Billy Taylor and Nick Altrock were promoted to San Francisco, with Altrock sliding right into the back of the rotation as the Sea Lions try to figure out just what they have in the 28 year old hurler.

Gene Oliver was brought up to platoon with Mickey Cochrane behind the plate, with Cy Perkins being let go. There may be more moves ahead, depending on the status of Dick Lundy‘s injury. San Francisco would really like to move Miguel Cairo down, but it’s not clear who is ready for big league minutes at SS, especially if Lundy is out for any length of time.

Lundy will miss about 2 weeks, prompting the Sea Lions to recall Roy Hartzell from AAA.

Hartzell started his WBL career with a bang, hitting a homerun in his first at-bat. Bobby Bonds and Bob Cerv also went deep, and Tim Hudson seems to have turned the corner in his time in San Francisco as the Sea Lions beat Baltimore, 6-2.

Two homeruns from Pedro Guerrero led the Sea Lions to a 6-5 victory over the Black Sox. Guerrero drove in 5, helping Eddie Plank move to 8-5 on the year with Rod Beck picking up his 22nd save.

Taylor appeared in one game and tore his rotator cuff, putting him out for about 10 months. Bump Hadley was recalled from AAA.

TWIWBL 32.4: Series XXV Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On February 7, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Bob Nieman and Pie Traynor combined to go 6-for-9, driving in 5 runs and scoring the same as the Black Barons beat Indianapolis 9-1.

Billy Southworth led off the final game of their series with a double, but twisted his knee going into second base, and had to be removed from the game. Birmingham won the game despite 3 errors from Herman Long at SS, with Hank Aaron driving in 2 and Greg Maddux, Kent Mercker, Harley Young, and Bruce Chen combining to only allow 2 unearned runs over 8 innings.

After the game, Southworth–who will miss 2 weeks–was put on the DL with young phenom Nate Colbert being recalled for his first taste of big league action.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Heralded prospect Minnie Miñoso made his long-anticipated debut in the opening game of a doubleheader … and promptly got hit by a pitch, being forced out of the game. It looks like Miñoso will only miss a few days, luckily. The Cuban Giants came back to beat Brooklyn 3-2 behind a 2-RBI single from Alejandro Oms and strong pitching from Camilo Pascual, Phenomenal Smith, and Aroldis Chapman, who picked up his 17th save.

Alexei Ramírez was moved to AAA and Carlos Peña was waived as Miami activated both Paul Molitor and Carlos Morán from the DL.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Walter Johnson took a no-hitter into the 9th inning against San Francisco, but Bobby Bonds led off the frame with a pinch-hit homerun, and Pedro Guerrero added another, chasing the Big Train from the game. Still, the Sea Dogs cruised to a 10-3 victory, led by 4 hits from Gil Hodges, 3 from Rogers Hornsby, and 4 RBI’s from Jeff Burroughs. Burroughs, Hornsby, and Kent Hrbek all went deep for Portland.

The miracle of Wade Miller finally came to a close, as he lost his first game of the year, falling to 9-1 despite a decent outing on the mound. Iván Rodríguez had 4 hits and went deep twice in the 10-5 loss to San Francisco.

Hal Griggs was returned to AAA as Bob Porterfield came off the DL.