Tag: Jack Wilson Page 1 of 2

#Game 1 – Thu, Oct 4

The opening game will see Detroit’s Charlie Root taking on San Francisco’s Lefty Grove.

With Hank Greenberg out, Detroit will insert JD Martinez into the lineup, with Juan Beníquez taking over for Greenberg at 1B. They’ll also opt for more offense, with both Ray Chapman and Tony Lazzeri starting the game at SS and 2B respectively.

The game was scoreless until Reggie Jackson took Root deep in the bottom of the 2nd. Rickey Henderson added a 2-run shot in the 3rd, increasing the lead to 3-0. And then it was Bobby Bonds‘ turn, with a 2 run shot for a 5-0 lead.

Meanwhile, Grove was dealing, allowing only 2 hits through 5 innings.

Root settled down and made it through 6 innings before yielding to Justin Verlander.

Oscar Gamble broke up the shutout with a homerun in the 8th, a blow that also chased Grove from the game.

In the top of the 9th, Ken Howell gave up a pinch-hit double to Victor Martinez, who was replaced by pinch-runner Charlie Gehringer. Howell uncorked consecutive wild pitches, and Gehringer came home, closing the score to 5-2. But Howell got out of it, and San Francisco opened the series with a win.

The story of the game was really Grove, who allowed 4 hits and 1 run while fanning 5 in 7+ innings.

DET 2 (Root 0-1) @ SFS 5 (Grove 1-0)
HRs: DET – Gamble (1); SFS – Jackson (1), Henderson (1), Bonds (1).
Box Score

#Game 2, Fri Oct 5

The mercurial Hal Newhouser will take the ball for Detroit, with San Francisco looking to Eddie Plank–1 of only 2 20 game winners this year in the WBL–to extend the Sea Lions’ edge to 2 games to none.

Again, Detroit is stacking its lineup, trading extra offense for Ty Cobb‘s lack of skill patrolling CF.

It looked like they would need all of that and more as Newhouser surrendered 5 consecutive hits to start the game: a double by Rickey Henderson, singles by Dick Lundy and Reggie Jackson, a 3 run homer from Jack Clark (Lundy had already brought Henderson home), and a single by Turkey Stearnes. Royce Clayton drove in 2 more before Henderson grounded out to end the inning with San Francisco up, 6-0.

Ernie Lombardi took Plank deep in the 3rd for Cleveland’s first hit, and Ray Chapman did the same for their second, making it 6-2. But Newhouser continued to struggle, eventually walking Henderson with the bases loaded, making the score 7-2 and bringing in Johnny Marcum from the Wolverines’ bullpen. Lundy greeted Marcum with a bases clearing triple, and it just got worse from there for Detroit.

By the time it was over, San Francisco had pounded out 23 hits and 17 runs, winning easily, 17-4.

Stearnes had 4 hits, Clark drove in 5, and Henderson scored 4 times in the rout.

DET 4 (Newhouser 0-1) @ SFS 17 (Plank 1-0)
HRs: DET – Lombardi (1), Chapman (1), Martinez (1); SFS – Clark (1), Stearnes (1).
Box Score

#Game 3, Sun Oct 7

Detroit will turn to Connie Johnson, trying to win their first game of the series while San Francisco will counter with Bump Hadley. Johnson has been fine since Detroit brought him over midseason, while Hadley is the third jewel in San Francisco’s rotation, finishing the season with a record of 18-6.

Detroit took an early lead, with Ty Cobb singling, stealing 2nd, and scoring on a Hank Greenberg single, but the lead was short-lived, as Turkey Stearnes doubled home Jack Clark. Stearnes would hit one out in the top of the 4th, giving San Francisco the 2-1 edge.

But in the bottom of the frame, Al Kaline hit 1 out with Oscar Gamble on first and Ernie Lombardi scored on a Chili Davis sac fly. 4-2 Detroit. Johnson was chased in the 5th via a Dick Lundy triple, a double from Rickey Henderson, and a 2-run shot from Reggie Jackson. Jimmie Foxx added an RBI single, and the Sea Lions now had a 2 run lead, 6-4.

Lundy added a solo shot in the top of the 6th, but Gamble answered with a homer of his own in the bottom of the inning. JD Martinez delivered a pinch-hit single, scoring a run and chasing Hadley. Watty Clark loaded the bases, bringing up Cobb, who delivered a 2-run single, and the see-saw kept moving, with Detroit now leading, 8-7.

Detroit added runs in the 8th on consecutive doubles from Martinez and Charlie Gehringer, followed by a massive moon shot from Bob Bailey, giving them a 4 run edge heading into the top of the 9th.

Chad Bradford allowed a couple baserunners, but was able to close it out, and Detroit clawed their way back into the series with their first win.

Cobb had 3 hits on the day, but the game was really won by the effectiveness of Troy Percival, Buddy Napier, and Bradford, who combined for 3 innings of 1-hit relief to end the game.

SFS 7 (Clark 0-1, 1 B Sv) @ DET 11 (Verlander 1-0; Percival 1 H; Napier 1 H)
HRs: SFS – Stearnes (2), Jackson (2), Lundy (1); DET – Kaline (1), Gamble (2), Bailey (1).
Box Score

#Game 4, Mon Oct 8

If Detroit is to fulfill the role of underdog, this is a pretty important game. The Wolverines would turn to the relatively unheralded Pete Conway–who might be their best starter right now–while the Sea Lions would trot out veteran Tim Hudson. The 38 year old Hudson has been dominant since his return from a long-term injury, so we may see just how much he has in the tank.

With Chili Davis still looking for his first hit in the postseason, Detroit opted for its offensive lineup with Ty Cobb taking over in center, opening the DH spot for JD Martinez.

The Sea Lions started hot: a Rickey Henderson triple followed by a sacrifice fly from Mickey Cochrane and a solo homerun from Reggie Jackson gave San Francisco an early 2-0 edge. Al Kaline got 1 back with a solo shot in the second, and Bob Bailey tied the game with a homerun of his own in the 3rd.

Jimmie Foxx was tossed from the game for arguing balls and strikes, bringing Sal Bando in for San Francisco at 3B.

Then Kaline took Hudson deep for his second of the game, putting Detroit on top, 4-2. Singles from Martinez and Bailey chased Hudson, with Martinez scoring on a sacrifice fly. 5-2.

Jackson went deep for the second time, but Kaline drove in another, keeping Detroit’s 3 run cushion at 6-3 through 5. Conway was done at that point, with Detroit turning the ball over to Jack Wilson, who kept San Francisco scoreless until the 8th, when Buddy Napier took the mound.

Napier gave up a single to Cochrane and a double to Jack Clark, bringing up Turkey Stearnes, who singled home a run, but Bando bounced into a double play, leaving the score 6-4. Which is where it stood when Chad Bradford came in for the save. He surrendered a double to Dick Lundy, but that was it and, improbably, the Wolverines have made it a best of 3 series.

Kaline drove in 4 on 3 hits for Detroit, and now has 3 homers and 7 RBIs in the series.

SFS 4 (Hudson 0-1) @ DET 6 (Conway 1-0; Bradford 1 Sv; Wilson 1 H; Napier 2 H)
HRs: SFS – Jackson (2) 4; DET – Kaline 2 (3), Bailey (2).
Box Score

#Game 5, Tue Oct 9

Suddenly, there is only 1 series still in doubt, and it wasn’t the one anyone would have predicted: we’re looking at a best 2-out-of-3 to see who plays Cleveland for the AL crown.

We would see a rematch of the first game, with Lefty Grove taking on Charlie Root.

Detroit continues to juggle its lineup, once again starting Ty Cobb in CF, but benching Juan Beníquez in this game in favor of Oscar Gamble‘s hot hand.

The Sea Lions scored 2 in the top of the first on a homerun from Jack Clark, but it could have been much worse: Ernie Lombardi threw out Rickey Henderson on an attempted steal, and Al Kaline gunned down Mickey Cochrane on the basepaths.

But Detroit answered immediately: Gamble doubled and scored on a single from Cobb. Cobb was gunned down trying to steal a pitch before Hank Greenberg hit a homerun to tie the game.

This feels like a wild one: Bobby Bonds walked, stole 2nd and 3rd, and scored on a passed ball then, in the 3rd, Henderson scored on a walk, steal, sacrifice bunt, and sacrifice fly. Bonds added a more traditional run–a solo homer– in the 4th, making it 5-2, San Francisco in a game where Grove was a little rough–8 strikeouts through 4 innings, but also 7 hits allowed.

A walk to Clark to lead off the 6th chased Root. His relief, Johnny Marcum, struggled, giving up a run-scoring single to Dick Lundy, and walked Henderson with the bases loaded for another. Steve Howe came in and finished the inning, but the damage was done: San Francisco now led 7-2.

Bob Bailey went deep in the 6th, but Grove finished out the frame and, from there, the game slowly slipped further away from Detroit.

Until Lombardi launched a grand slam in the 8th. That made it 12-8, but a 4 run gap is far better than the 9 runs they entered trailing by. Bonds added his 2nd of the game in the 9th, making the score 13-8 heading to the bottom of the frame.

Kaline launched a 3 run shot with 2 outs, closing to 13-11 and forcing the Sea Lions to bring in Rod Beck … who closed it out for the key Game 5 win for San Francisco.

Lundy had 4 hits and Bonds 3 while scoring 4 times. Jackson and Clark each drove in 3 with 2 homers each. For Detroit, Lombardi had 4 RBIs with the grandslam, and Kaline drove in 3 in the losing effort.

On the mound, Grove was just good enough, and Marcum, Howe, and Justin Verlander were all far too poor for the Wolverines.

SFS 13 (Grove 2-0; Beck 1 Sv) @ DET 11 (Root 0-2)
HRs: SFS – Clark 2 (3), Bonds 2 (3), Jackson (5); DET – Greenberg (1), Bailey (3), Lombardi (2), Kaline (4).
Box Score

#Game 6, Thu Oct 11

We’re back in San Francisco for the final 2 games of the series, with Detroit in a must-win situation. We’ll get the rematch from Game 2–Detroit’s Hal Newhouser, who was roughed up, against San Francisco’s 20 game winner, Eddie Plank.

Ray Chapman led off the game with a dinger, but Turkey Stearnes evened it up with an RBI single in the bottom of the 1st. Newhouser continued to struggle, giving up a 3 run shot to Jimmie Foxx in the bottom of the 3rd, which gives San Francisco a 4-1 lead.

Meanwhile, Plank was near-perfect into the 5th, when he gave his 2nd hit, another solo homer, this one to Oscar Gamble. A walk to Bob Bailey and a deep shot from JD Martinez later, and we were all tied at 4.

Newhouser made it into the 5th, making it a much better performance than his first start of the series, but still not up to par. Plank looked better, but the results spoke loudly: with 2 outs in the 7th, Martinez launched his 2nd of the day, putting the Wolverines up, 5-4.

Buddy Napier came in for Detroit in the bottom of the 8th, and a walk to Bobby Bonds and a hit from Cochrane created a difficult situation, but Napier got Henderson to bounce into a double play, ending the inning.

Nursing the 1 run lead, Chad Bradford gave up a 2 out single to Jack Clark, bringing up Stearnes, who was 3-for-4 on the day and hitting .520 for the series. But Bradford got the groundout, and we were heading to a Game 7!

This has to be thought of as a game that got away: San Francisco outhit Detroit 11-4, but the Sea Lions left 10 runners on base and could not deliver what was needed to clinch.

DET 5 (Marcum 1-0; Bradford 2 Sv; Howe 1 H; Napier 3 H) @ SFS 4 (Plank 1-1)
HRs: DET – Chapman 2, Martinez 2 (3); SFS – Foxx (1).
Box Score

#Game 7, Fri Oct 12

So, here we are: game seven for all the marbles with Detroit’s Connie Johnson taking on San Francisco’s Bump Hadley. As has been true the entire series, the matchup favors the Sea Lions, but the Wolverines don’t really care.

San Francisco struck first, with Jack Clark singling home Rickey Henderson, who had doubled and stole 3rd. That gave Clark 9 RBIs in the 7 games, certainly putting him in the MVP conversation. In the bottom of the 3rd, Dick Lundy singled, stole 2nd, moved to 3rd on a groundout, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Mickey Cochrane. That made it 2-0 San Francisco, with Hadley looking good.

In the top of the 5th, a walk and steal by Bob Bailey and an error at 3B by Jimmie Foxx put runners on the corners with 2 outs, but Hadley got Ray Chapman to fly out weakly to RF to end the inning.

Reggie Jackson–likely ahead of Clark in the MVP discussion–tripled home a run in the 5th, increasing the lead to 3-0 and Bobby Bonds made it 4-0 with a solo homer in the 6th, chasing Johnson. This is a must-win, so starter Pete Conway was called in from the pen.

Hadley had a 2 hit shutout through 8 innings, but he was also at 105 pitches in a Game 7, and the Sea Lions decided to take no chances, calling on closer Rod Beck. Back gave up a single to Oscar Gamble, but whiffed Ty Cobb, retired Gamble on a fielder’s choice, and retired Kaline on a fly to left.

So the Sea Lions do progress, but you have to tip your hat to Detroit, taking the best team in the league to a full 7 games.

Gamble had 2 of Detroit’s 3 hits, capping an excellent series (he, along with Kaline and Martinez were the best hitters for the Wolverines). Bonds and Royce Clayton had 2 hits each in the game, but this was really Hadley’s game, and arguably the finest starting performance of the postseason.

DET 0 (Johnson 0-1) @ SFS 4 (Hadley 1-0)
HRs: DET – none; SFS – Bonds (4).
Box Score

There were a lot of choices for MVP, prompted by the Sea Lions 3 games with double-digit runs. The award went to Dick Lundy, who hit .538 with 7 RBI’s in the series. But an argument could be made for Reggie Jackson, who had 5 homers and 11 RBI’s, or for Lefty Grove, who was 2-0 with an ERA under 3.00.

TWIWBL 79.3: Bill James Division

By mknn

On September 27, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Cleveland Spiders	73-55	.570	—
New York Black Yankees	72-59	.550	2.5
Detroit Wolverines	66-65	.504	8.5
Memphis Red Sox	59-70	.457	14.5
Baltimore Black Sox	57-73	.438	17

Bill James Division | 27 August

#Baltimore Black Sox

Cal Ripken Jr went deep twice and drove in 5 in a 14-11 win over Chicago. Moody slugger Gavvy Cravath will miss about 3 weeks with a quadriceps injury, with the Black Sox recalling OF Ken Griffey Sr, a stalwart AAA performer, for a complimentary cup of WBL coffee.

Curt Blefary had quite an unexpected day. His 9th inning homer to break up a shutout wasn’t so surprising, but his throwing out six runners trying to steal was quite a shock for a catcher not exactly known for his defensive prowess. Baltimore wasted a fine outing from Dennis Martínez in a 2-1 loss to Chicago.

Bryce Harper hit 2 homeruns and he and Asdrúbal Cabrera each had 4 hits as Baltimore topped Chicago, 9-1.

#Cleveland Spiders

Ron Blomberg was recalled from his rehab assignment which leaves the Spiders in the envious position of having to find at bats for the shockingly good Willie McCovey, who was recalled when Blomberg went down. McCovey has a .952 SLG over a tiny 50 AB sample, but still. .952 SLG.

The Spiders recalled Joe Smith to take the place of the injured Terry Adams and then, as part of roster expansion, recalled Ps Claude Passeau, Willis Hudlin, and Sergio Romo and position players Bob Elliott, Kenny Lofton, and Paul O’Neil.

Johnny Bates went deep twice, but that was about all the Spiders could manage in a 13-4 loss to Memphis.

Evan Longoria and Lance Berkman each went deep twice and the Spiders bullpen held on for dear life as Cleveland topped Memphis, 11-10.

#Detroit Wolverines

Johnny Marcum and George Bechtel started rehab assignments. Logan Hensley was promoted from AA for the stretch run.

Juan Beníquez scored 4 times and hit his 17th homerun in a taut, 8-7 win over Baltimore. The victory went to Jack Wilson, who improved to 6-0 on the season.

#Memphis Red Sox

Skel Roach will miss about a month with an elbow issue, meaning his season is most likely over. Nixey Callahan was recalled.

Not a great day for the Red Sox: they fell 8-6 to Miami, and lost Dobie Moore for 2-3 weeks. They recalled Wayne Causey to help out at SS.

Ted Williams and David Ortiz went back-to-back twice as the Red Sox dominated Cleveland, 13-4 behind a decent effort from Len Barker, who evened his record at 10-10.

#New York Black Yankees

Pascual Pérez started a rehab assignment.

TWIWBL 76.2 Spotlight on the Cleveland Spiders

By mknn

On August 5, 2025

In TWIWBL

Things seem to be breaking well in Cleveland, which is riding a well-balanced team to a narrow lead in the Bill James Division.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

The Spiders don’t lead the league in anything, but they are also top 6 or 7 in everything. Add some very bright lights–Tris Speaker, Ron Blomberg, and Lance Berkman especially–and you have a hard team to beat. The question is if they can maintain it–they also feel like a team that could be broken by the wrong injury.

THE OFFENSE

It’s a bit uneven, but there is plenty of firepower here.

#What’s Going Right

It really all revolves around the big 3, with Tris Speaker, Ron Blomberg, and Lance Berkman each sporting an OPS over 1.000. Speaker leads in all the slash stats, while Blomberg has 41 homers and 117 RBIs. Berkman has chipped in with 38 dingers and 95 RBIs, more than enough to lead most teams.

Ed Bailey, brought in via trade during the all star break, remains a top end offensive catcher, slashing 258/344/617.

Evan Longoria, who struggled most of last season, has seized the 3B role, and is one of 5 batters with over 20 homers (3 more–Arky Vaughan, Larry Doby, and Chuck Knoblauch–are in double digits).

Johnny Bates has 41 SB, despite some struggles otherwise offensively.

#What’s Not Going Right

C Louis Santop, an all star and media darling last season, is slashing 207/252/375. He’s only 20 and remains the franchise’s future behind the plate, but the drop in impact is noticeable. This, of course, was the primary motivation for the decision to bring in Ed Bailey.

John Ellis and Chuck Knoblauch–both key players last season–are struggling to push their OPS over .700 this season.

THE PITCHING

It’s … solid. There is a lot of talent here, but not a lot of star power, something that could prove an obstacle in the postseason.

#What’s Going Right

Bill Steen (10-6, 5.02)and Cy Young (10-6, 5.16) both hold identical records, and seem very dependable in a eat up some innings and get the ball to the bullpen sort of way. Young clearly has the talent to do more than that, but has yet to put it together.

Speaking of talent … Bob Feller (7-3, 4.82) keeps flashing it, averaging nearly 12 strikeouts per 9 innings and forcing himself into the starting rotation.

Terry Adams (20 saves) is excellent at closer, and Cory Gearrin (3-0, 2.41) is one of the better setup arms in the league.

Al Smith (1.88 in 11 appearances) has had a very impressive start to his career, and is a potential impact left handed arm in the pen.

#What’s Not Going Right

Of the starters, only Feller has an ERA under 5.00, and that’s only over 6 starts. Yordano Ventura (5-6, 5.59) and Pat Malone (5-8, 5.45) have each struggled to find their form.

Ron Reed continues to not live up to his billing, although he seems to have stabilized as of late.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

Cleveland has the worst rated system in the league … and it may be accurate. Aubrey Huff, Justin Turner, and Bill Phillips could all contribute at some point, and teenage IF Johnny Hodapp can hit, but … there’s just not much here.

There is some talent in the upper levels of the system, most notably OFers Paul O’Neill and Kenny Lofton, but both are stuck behind established players.

WHAT’S NEEDED

If the Spiders are to make a deep postseason push, they need the big 3 to keep producing and a few players–preferably starters–to step forward over the final few months.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

Who plays 3B? This is a question of scarcity: nobody has seemed able to step up. Longoria has pretty much taken over here.
What happens in the OF? Both Speaker and Kenny Lofton offer strong defense, is it possible to move one of them to LF or RF effectively? Not on this team, no: Lofton didn’t even make the club out of Spring Training, and Speaker is an upper echelon player so far this year, even if he’s a terribly unpopular figure in the clubhouse.

FEATURED SERIES

The Spiders head to Detroit for 3 games against the Wolverines, an in-division rival.

Projected Starters

Cleveland’s starter listed first.

Pat Malone (5-8, 5.45) @ Charlie Root (8-8, 5.60)
Bob Feller (7-3, 4.82) @ Hal Newhouser (5-3, 4.77)
Cy Young (10-6, 5.16) @ Johnny Marcum (6-4, 5.46)

I like this Cleveland team, and especially if Feller shows up, see a sweep as a distinct possibility.

Game One

Bob Feller was moved up to pitch in game one for Cleveland, with Detroit countering with Charlie Root as anticipated.

One of the more pleasant surprises for Detroit, veteran Juan Beníquez, took Feller deep in the 2nd for an early 1-0 Wolverines lead. In the 3rd, another similarly surprising performer–Tony Lazzeri–did the same, making it 2-0.

The Spiders finally broke through against Root in the 6th: Chuck Knoblauch singled to open the inning, was moved to second through a sacrifice bunt from Louis Santop, and scored on a double from Arky Vaughan.

In the bottom of the 6th, after a walk to Oscar Gamble, Beníquez chased Feller from the game with a double in the gap. Al Smith gave up two RBI singles (one to Victor Martínez, the other to Lazzeri) before getting out of the inning, putting the Spiders in a 4-1 hole.

It was short-lived: Ron Blomberg and Lance Berkman went deep back-to-back to lead off the 7th and chase Root from the mound, making it a 1 run one game once more at 4-3.

Chili Davis added an insurance run for Detroit with a solo shot, but Cleveland would not be stopped: Vaughan hit one out in the 8th, then Blomberg hit his 43rd of the year and 2nd of the game with Tris Speaker on board to give the Spiders their first lead of the day, 6-5.

Ron Reed and Terry Adams did their job (although Adams did load the bases in the 9th), and Cleveland took game one.

CLE 6 (Marberry 6-0; Adams 21 Sv; Reed 5 H) @ DET 5 (Hoeft 2-3, 3 BSv; Bechtel 2 H)
HRs: CLE – Blomberg 2 (43), Berkman (39), Vaughan (11); DET – Beníquez (13), Lazzeri (7), C. Davis (27).
Box Score

Game Two

Pat Malone would take his turn for Cleveland in game 2, with Hal Newhouser on the mound for Detroit.

Malone may have needed even more rest–he gave up 3 runs in the bottom of the first, 1 on a single from Ty Cobb, the rest on Al Kaline‘s 22nd round-tripper of the season.

Luckily, Cleveland has some power too, and took the lead in the top of the 2nd behind a pair of 2 run shots, one from Larry Doby and the other from Johnny Bates.

Hank Greenberg tied it up with a solo shot in the 3rd and then, in the 5th, the most unlikely power source of all–Detroit’s George Davis–sent a ball scooting into the gap for an inside-the-park-homerun to give Detroit a 5-4 lead.

Newhouser was done after 5 innings, giving up 4 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks while whiffing 9–sort of a thumbnail of his year to date.

Ron Blomberg did it again, tying the game at 5 with a solo shot to lead off the 8th, but Detroit took it back with an RBI single from Chili Davis in the bottom of the frame.

Detroit’s closer, Mike Henneman, would see his first action since returning form injury. Unfortunately for Cleveland, he looked fully rested, and easily retired the heart of the Spiders’ lineup for his 15th save of the season.

CLE 5 (Morton 5-3; Young 8 Sv; Malloy 2 H) @ DET 6 (Marichal 8-10)
HRs: CLE – Doby (20), Bates (10), Blomberg (44); DET – Kaline (22), Greenberg (36), G. Davis (3).
Box Score

Game Three

Before the game, Detroit sent Joakim Soria out on a rehab assignment.

The starters for game 3 remain unchanged: Cleveland’s Cy Young taking on Detroit’s Johnny Marcum.

Cleveland would score in each of the opening 3 frames: an RBI single from Ron Blomberg, 2 solo shots from Larry Doby, and a 2-run homerun from Ed Bailey. Meanwhile, Young was having a pretty typical start for him: he looked good, but every hit led to a run, with the RBI’s for Detroit coming from Oscar Gamble, Ty Cobb, and Ernie Lombardi. So, 5-3 in favor of Cleveland after 3 innings.

And then, as sometimes happens, both hurlers remembered how to do it, keeping us scoreless until Doby roped his 3rd of the game, chasing Marcum and giving the Spiders a 6-3 edge.

Al Kaline took Young deep in the 6th, closing the edge to 6-4. In the next inning, after a Bob Bailey single chased Young, Al Smith was brought in to face the 2 lefties, Gamble and Cobb. Smith walked Gamble, but got a groundout from Cobb, and Firpo Marberry closed out the inning, preserving the 2 run lead.

Billy Hoeft and Jack Wilson were roughed up in the top of the 9th, with Tris Speaker, Blomberg, and Joe Sewell each going deep and providing the final margin of 10-4 in favor of Cleveland.

Doby had 2 more chances, but could not become the first player in the WBL to hit 4 out in a game.

CLE 10 (Young 11-6; Smith 1 H; Marberry 1 Sv) @ DET 4 (Marcum 6-5)
HRs: CLE – Doby 3 (23), Bailey (9), Sewell (2), Speaker (26), Blomberg (45); DET – Kaline (23).
Box Score

So, the Spiders take the series, showing a lot of who they are: more offense than pitching, and usually enough to get the job done.

TWIWBL 69.3: Bill James Division

By mknn

On December 4, 2024

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
New York Black Yankees	45-26	.634	—
Cleveland Spiders	38-30	.559	5.5
Memphis Red Sox	33-35	.485	10.5
Detroit Wolverines	33-37	.471	11.5
Baltimore Black Sox	28-44	.389	17.5

Bill James Division | 18 June

#Baltimore Black Sox

Time for some changes. Bobby Wallace, Sean Marshall, and John Wetteland were all recalled from rehab assignments, with Mark Baldwin, Gregg Olson, and–yes–Larry Gardner heading to AAA. This means Miller Huggins will see most of the time at 2B, and while Wallace is the starter, Cal Ripken, Jr. will rotate through SS, 3B, and occasionally 2B in a quest for playing time.

Baltimore continues with only 3 named starters (Dennis Martínez, Ned Garvin, and Mike Mussina).

#Cleveland Spiders

Bill Steen returned to the Spiders’ rotation.

Both Sammy Strang and Victor Martinez were moved to AAA as Cleveland’s patience for them to turn around horrible starts to their season ran thin. John Ellis‘ recent mini-revival means Cleveland doesn’t necessarily need to recall a C; instead they brought IFs Steve Sax and Chico Walker up from AA.

Mel Harder‘s injury status remains unknown, but needing a starter, the Spiders placed him on the DL, recalling Hank Gastright. Gastright was OK, and Ron Blomberg went deep twice, but the Spiders couldn’t keep Memphis’ bats quiet, losing 8-4 to the Cuban Giants.

Al Smith, decent in a very small sample size as a lefty in the pen, will miss about a week, earning him a trip to the DL. Joe Smith (no relation) was promoted from AAA.

The Spiders finally got a diagnosis on Harder, who will miss the rest of the season with a fractured elbow.

A strong start from Steen combined with 2 homers from Evan Longoria carried Cleveland to a 4-1 win over Memphis.

#Detroit Wolverines

Bill Carrigan was sent to AAA to see if he could break out of his season-long slump. The Wolverines recalled Jack Wilson from his rehab assignment to help out their beleaguered staff.

Charlie Gehringer continued to impress with his 9th and 10th homeruns of the year as the Wolverines topped Chicago, 5-2. Charlie Root was excellent, allowing 1 run in 7 plus innings to level his record at 6-6.

The Wolverines finally had seen enough of Gene Conley‘s struggles, sending the former pro basketball player to AAA along with Claude Passeau and activating Billy Hoeft and Pete Conway being recalled. With Hal Newhouser starting a rehab assignment, look for more changes in the Detroit mound corps in the days to come.

#Memphis Red Sox

Ted Williams reached 20 homeruns on the season, going deep twice in an 8-6 loss to Los Angeles.

#New York Black Yankees

Hank Bauer did well in his time in the WBL, with 6 homers in under 30 games. But he’s no Eric Davis, and with Davis ready to return from his rehab assignment, Bauer moves back to AAA and the Black Yankees become, if anything, more formidable.

Mickey Mantle went deep twice and Waite Hoyt improved to 5-0 as the Black Yankees beat Portland, 9-4.

Dave Righetti will miss a couple weeks with a strained shoulder, prompting the Black Yankees to recall Roy Evans from AAA Newark. Evans isn’t very heralded as a prospect, but he led AA in IP in 2000, and was 6-3 with a 3.20 ERA so far at AAA.

TWIWBL 69.2 Spotlight on the Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On December 3, 2024

In TWIWBL

What a collapse. From Whirled Series champions to last place in their division, Baltimore is finding out what happens when your pitching staff goes from being among the best in the league to something very far away from that.

Baltimore inherits players from the St. Louis Browns and the Baltimore Orioles, as well as NeL players closely aligned with either the Baltimore Black Sox or the Baltimore Elite Giants.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

Baltimore is floundering in last place, 17.5 games behind the Black Yankees, with the worst record in the league. It’s just pretty miserable.

THE OFFENSE

The offense hasn’t been great, but it’s not really been the dominant issue for the Black Sox.

#What’s Going Right

Frank Robinson continues to argue for a spot among the truly elite of the league, slashing 300/389/623. But he doesn’t lead the Black Sox in HRs or RBIs: that falls to Gavvy Cravath, who is coming through as the largest free agent acquisition of the off season. Cravath has 21 homeruns and 54 RBIs, shading ahead of Robinson in both counts.

Cal Ripken, Jr. is tearing the cover off the ball in about 20 games, arguing for a lot more playing time.

Bryce Harper and Dan McGann continue to be well above-average with only a low BA for Harper and not enough power for McGann keeping them out of superstar status.

Miller Huggins has been surprisingly good, getting on base at a near .400 clip.

#What’s Not Going Right

Larry Gardner, excellent last year, has almost played himself out of a job at this point, struggling to get his OPS over .550. His lack of productivity and Bobby Wallace‘s injury are what opened the door for Ripken, Jr. and Huggins.

Baby Doll Jacobson has been quite average.

Paul Blair cannot hit, but we knew that, and he does continue to play stellar defense in CF.

THE PITCHING

The rotation is in total disarray and the bullpen isn’t much better.

#What’s Going Right

Um.

Ned Garvin is on the mound again.

Justin Hampson has been effective as an option versus lefties from the bullpen.

Mike Mussina has pitched well, far better than his 3-4, 5.11 numbers would indicate.

#What’s Not Going Right

Everything else.

Let’s start with the staff ace, Dennis Martínez, who has a decent 7-4 record, but has been hit pretty hard, with a 5.19 ERA and poor peripherals.

The rest of the starters have been so bad that the Black Sox refuse to name a #4 and #5 starter. Nobody else has an ERA under 5.00, and while Connie Johnson and Bill Byrd have decent analytics, the results have been relatively miserable.

Joe Beggs has 11 saves, but has also started 2 games, and looks betwixt and between no matter what his role.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

Not great.

Ripken, Jr. started the year in the minors, and he and Eddie Murray are clearly the future of the org. But there isn’t much beyond them–Bruce Bochte and Steve Brodie have some talent in the OF; Gunnar Henderson, Mark Belanger, and Asdrúbal Cabrera could offer some help on the IF; and … who knows, maybe Joe Dobson, maybe Jack Kramer on the mound?

WHAT’S NEEDED

A miracle. I mean, just not finishing in the basement would be something at this point. My guess is this team is a seller at the deadline, which may mean McGann moves on, clearing room for Murray.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

Not many: the twelve arms are–pending injury or spring training collapse–pretty much set, as is most of the lineup with only a single roster spot currently available, which would be filled by a reserve 2B? Ah, such arrogance …

FEATURED SERIES

Baltimore closes the week with 3 games at Detroit, which will be our focus.

Projected Starters

Baltimore starter listed first.

Dennis Martínez (7-4, 5.19) @ Johnny Marcum (5-2, 3.78)
Ned Garvin (3-3, 5.33) @ Justin Verlander (2-8, 66.06)
Mike Mussina (4-4, 5.31) @ Charlie Root (6-6, 4.89)

Game One

Dennis Martínez‘ struggles have been a major issue for Baltimore so far this year. El Presidente won 14 games with an ERA under 4.00 in their championship run. This year, his ERA is about a run-and-a-half higher, although he does have 7 wins.

Martínez struggled here, giving up 5 runs in 5 innings on 4 homers. But Cal Ripken Jr., Curt Blefary, and Manny Machado all hit one out for Baltimore, and both starters left after 5 innings, with the Black Sox up, 6-5.

The surprising Juan Beníquez drove in the go-ahead run for Detroit in the bottom of the 7th, setting up a great situation for the Wolverines, with Chad Bradford pitching the 8th and Mike Henneman the 9th. Bradford did his job, but Henneman gave up a pinch-hit homer to Ken Singleton giving Baltimore an edge that Joe Beggs–not terribly dependable so far this season–was able to preserve.

Both Ripken and Detroit’s Ed Bailey had 2 homers on the day.

BAL 8 (Sain 1-2; Beggs 12 Sv; Hampson 7 H; Dickey 1 Bsv) @ DET 7 (Henneman 4-2, 3 B Sv; Bradford 6 H)
HRs: BAL – Ripken, Jr. 2 (10), Machado (24), Blefary (15), Singleton (9); DET – C. Davis (18), E. Bailey 2 (16), Gamble (11).
Box Score

Detroit got some bad news after the game, with Henneman out for just over a month. Joakim Soria was recalled from AAA.

Game Two

With Ned Garvin not yet rested, the Black Sox turned to Jim Palmer for the matchup against Detroit’s struggling Justin Verlander.

Detroit took the lead in the bottom of the first, but both Palmer and Verlander were doing well early. Verlander gave up a lot of base runners, but it took a an RBI single from Miller Huggins for Baltimore to go ahead, 2-1, in the top of the 4th.

A solo shot from Oscar Gamble tied the game, but the Black Sox greeted Verlander’s replacement, Jack Wilson, for 4 runs, led by Frank Robinson‘s bases-clearing, 2-out double.

A double from Ty Cobb in the bottom of the 8th finally chased Palmer, who made a decent argument for a return to Baltimore’s rotation. His numbers won’t reflect that, as John Wetteland came in, walked a batter, and gave up a grand slam to Gamble followed by a solo shot to Chili Davis, tying the game.

More bad news for Detroit’s staff, as Billy Hoeft will miss a couple weeks.

With Chad Bradford and Sean Marshall each doing their jobs, we head into extra innings in this one.

In the 10th, Cal Ripken Jr. singled and was replaced by Baby Doll Jacobson, who stole second. Bobby Wallace delivered an RBI single for the lead, and Baltimore turned the game over to Joe Beggs. Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, and Gamble? No problem, and Baltimore holds on for the victory.

Most importantly, Marshall looked like his old self with 1.2 scoreless innings.

Gamble ended with 5 RBIs and Bobby Wallace had 3 hits on the day.

BAL 8 (Marshall 1-0; Beggs 13 Sv) @ DET 7 (Bradford 2-4) [10 Innings]
HRs: BAL – none; DET – Gamble 2 (13), C. Davis (19).
Box Score

Hoeft hit the DL, and Detroit recalled Mike Griffin.

Game Three

Last year, Baltimore’s Ned Garvin and Detroit’s Charlie Root were among the best hurlers in the league. This season … not so much. But both of shown flashes of their past ability, so we’ll see if Garvin can nail down the sweep or Root can salvage a game for the Wolverines.

Gavvy Cravath put Baltimore in front 1-0 in the 2nd with his 22nd homer of the season. That wasn’t terribly surprising, but Paul Blair‘s 8th of the year, a 3 run shot, was, giving the Black Sox a 4-0 edge.

Garvin was unable to hold it, though, as a series of walks and singles brought Detroit back to within 1 at 4-3. Garvin loaded the bases in the 3rd as well, including his 6th walk of the game. For the second time on the day, George Davis came through with an RBI single, this time tying the game and chasing Garvin, who was replaced by Connie Johnson, who promptly walked in a run, putting Detroit up, 5-4.

Ty Cobb and Hank Greenberg hit back-to-back shots in the 4th, but Frank Robinson and Bryce Harper tied it up in the 5th with longballs of their own. That, and a short rain delay, chased Root.

In the top of the 7th, Cravath sent out his 2nd of the game, this one with the bases loaded. RBI’s from Blair and Miller Huggins made it 13-7. In this contest, it just might be enough …

Cravath hit his 3rd of the day and Justin Hampson and Johnny Sain were able to close it out. Cravath finished with 4 runs scored and 6 RBIs for Baltimore while Kaline was 4 for 4 for Detroit.

BAL 14 (Byrd 4-3) @ DET 7 (Bechtel 1-2)
HRs: BAL – Cravath 3 (24), Blair (8), Robinson (22), Harper (15); DET – Greenberg (26), Cobb (23).
Box Score

The game was a little rough, as Baltimore’s Bobby Wallace and Detroit’s Mike Griffin (on his WBL debut) had to leave via injury. Wallace was sent to the DL with light hitting IF Dave Anderson being recalled.

This gives Baltimore a 5 game winning streak, during which they are giving up over 7 runs a contest. So, yeah, it’s really been all about the offense. But if they can get some pitching, they can at least claw their way out of the basement. After that, who knows?

TWIWBL 66.3: Bill James Division

By mknn

On September 20, 2024

In TWIWBL

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 63.3: Bill James Division

By mknn

On July 12, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Baby Doll Jacobson was activated from the IL, with Cal Ripken, Jr. shuttling back to AAA. Connie Johnson‘s recent hot streak keeps him in the rotation, but Jim Palmer moves to the bullpen with the surprising John Tudor taking Palmer’s spot. Johnson is still on the edge, sitting with an ERA over 7.00 at the moment, but the real question for Baltimore is how Ned Garvin‘s return impacts their overall performance.

Don Bessent was sent to AAA to get his stuff back together, with Justin Hampson being recalled.

Garvin’s first start was a little rough, but it got the job done as the Black Sox beat Miami 4-3. Garvin gave up 8 hits and 3 runs in 6+ innings, but Gregg Olsen, Buddy Groom, and Joe Beggs allowed only 1 hit in relief with Beggs notching his 5th save of the season.

The Black Sox imploded, given up an 8-1 lead over the final 2 innings of a 9-8 loss to Miami. This wasted 2 homeruns from Manny Machado and a grand slam by Gavvy Cravath and, perhaps more concerning, saw Beggs depart with an undiagnosed injury.

#Cleveland Spiders

Mel Harder and Yordano Ventura were named to the Spiders’ rotation, with Bob Feller retaining his spot in the bullpen for now.

Lance Berkman went deep twice, leading the Spiders to a 9-4 victory over the Black Yankees. With 14 homeruns, Berkman now leads the WBL in dingers.

Tris Speaker had 4 hits (including 2 homeruns), scored 5 runs, and drove in 4 and Berkman added 5 ribbies as Cleveland topped Memphis in a roller coaster affair. The Spiders had 17 hits in the 17-11 win, which went to Firpo Marberry, who improved to 2-0.

Berkman continued to absolutely mash the ball with 3 homeruns in a 12-4 win over Memphis, giving him 17 on the year, and the league lead. Chuck Knoblauch had 5 hits, scored 5 runs, and drove in 3 with a WBL record 4 doubles.

Ron Blomberg took over for Berkman, homering twice in a 7-5 win over Memphis.

#Detroit Wolverines

Vernon Wilshere was sent to AAA, with Buddy Napier recalled from his rehab assignment.

Al Kaline went deep twice as the Wolverines downed Chicago, 8-6.

Staff ace Hal Newhouser will miss about 6 weeks with elbow discomfort with George Bechtel being recalled once again. Things got worse as Johnny Marcum was also sent to the DL, expected to miss at least 2 starts. Jack Wilson was recalled from AAA.

#Memphis Red Sox

Dean Chance was recalled from his injury rehab, with Sadie McMahon heading back to AAA. The Red Sox have still refused to name a 5th starter to their rotation.

It was an unearned run, but it was all they needed, as Travis Shaw–pinch running for Wade Boggs–scored on a single to CF by Ted Williams in the bottom of the 9th, giving the Red Sox a 1-0 win over Portland. Len Barker, David Bush, and Andrew Miller combined to allow the Sea Dogs only 5 hits, with Miller evening his record at 2-2.

#New York Black Yankees

Eric Davis–11 homeruns, 24 RBI, 30 R–will miss 5-6 weeks with a torn abdominal muscle. The Black Yankees recalled veteran OF Hank Bauer to take his place on the roster, with Héctor López expected to get more time (some in CF, some in LF with Babe Ruth shifting to CF) in Davis’ absence.

The Black Yankees struck out 16 Angels in a 4-2 victory, although a poor outing by Aroldis Chapman eliminated the chance at a combined shutout. Ron Guidry improved to 5-1, allowing 2 hits in 7 plus innings while fanning 13, and Ruth launched his league leading (for the moment) 17th homerun of the year.

TWIWBL 56.10: Spring Training Notes – Homestead Grays

By mknn

On February 27, 2024

In TWIWBL

Spring Training Questions

Up to nine spots on the mound are up for grabs, including 3 rotation slots. Positional depth needs to be resolved in the lineup. Second round draft pick Judy Johnson will be given every shot to seize the 3B job.

Injuries

Daniel Hudson has missed most of camp so far, but might be back to show enough to make the opening day roster.

First Cuts

With 28 pitchers starting off in camp, Homestead clearly had a lot of work to do, with many decisions destined to be made on very limited data. Here’s who didn’t make the cut after the first week of Spring Training: starters Pink Hawley, Clayton Kershaw, John Candelaria, and Hal Carlson and relievers Mychal Givens, Ed Seward, and Ricardo Rincón.

With that many arms still in camp, the Grays only moved one C, Tim Thompson, out of camp, along with 3B’s Freddie Lindstrom and Brock Holt. Judy Johnson is hitless so far, but has impressed the coaching staff enough to stick around a little more.

Impressive starts from Rey Sáncehz and Jack Wilson at SS have forced Dick Groat out of camp, while Rennie Stennett remains, largely on the bases of his performances towards the end of last season. Jeff Kent has also been impressive, although Davey Johnson remains the presumptive starter at 2B.

Paul Waner is tearing the cover off the ball, but his brother Lloyd is hitless, meanings the siblings will be separated with Llyod heading back to the minors, along with CF Darren Lewis. That’s left a crowded OF still pretty clogged: Ralph Kiner has impressed with his power, Max Carey with his speed, and Goose Goslin is barely holding onto a spot. Of those three plus the remaining Waner, there looks to be–at most–a single roster spot available.

Second Cuts

Only 4 pitchers–Gary Lucas, Gary Nash, Ray Brown, and Bartolo Colón–have ERA’s over 2. Of those, Brown and Colón will be given some more time, but both Nash and Lucas were shipped off to the minors. That still leaves a ton of arms in camp, so something will have to give over the next week.

C Tim Thompson was shipped out. Rick Ferrell probably should be, but his defense and his WBL experience keeps him around for now.

18 year old Judy Johnson turned some heads with his defense, but needs some time in the minors. The Grays recalled Pedro Feliz for depth at 3B.

Goose Goslin and Max Carey were also sent down, although Carey was recalled a few days later, just to provide another glove in CF.

The Grays are in an interesting spot: a host of players who were assumed to not have much chance to make the team are performing fantastically, led by Ps Doug Drabek and Cliff Lee and position players Ed Kranepool, Paul Waner, Jeff Kent, Rey Sánchez, Chris Sabo, Cam Carreón, and Jack Wilson. This has created some unanticipated competition, keeping camp crowded but also making the next week quite crucial.

Third Cuts

Homestead continues to retool their pitching staff, with Bartolo Colón‘s poor Spring sending him to the minors along with Arodys Vizcaíno and Ping Gardner. Other than Francisco Liriano as their opening day starter and Josh Lindblom as their closer, though, nothing on the staff is settled.

The backup C slot continues to be challenging: Del Crandall has been spectacular, but doesn’t offer much defensively. Cam Carreón was demoted, but Peaches Graham and Rick Ferrell remain in the mix with Crnadall behind Josh Gibson.

Pedro Feliz, Max Carey, and Ralph Kiner were all sent down as well. That still leaves 1B and the OF overcrowded, and the Grays’ obsession with Rennie Stennett needs to probably come to an end. Owen Wilson and Davey Johnson–both essentially guaranteed roster spots due to their performance last year–are struggling mightily while Ed Kranepool, Rey Sánchez, and Jeff Kent are all tearing the cover off the ball.

Final Cuts

Needing to thin out the competition for the backup C role, Peaches Graham is the first to head down to the minors, followed by Rennie Stennett and Jack Wilson as the Grays tried to figure out their infield.

Cliff Lee‘s demotion to AAA was Homestead’s first step towards clarifying their staff for opening day. But that was as far as they got in the drive to cut to 30, as Del Crandall‘s Spring performance sent Rick Ferrell down, and two players with excellent Springs–Paul Waner and Ed Kranepool–were also sent down to receive steady ABs at AAA.

Babe Adams and the impressive teenager Catfish Hunter were both sent to the minors along with Jeff Kent, who had an excellent Spring but at 37 is not part of the Grays’ plans.

Earl Hamilton was the final cut from the pitching staff, leaving the Grays with a nasty set of choices. In the end, it came down to prized prospect Napolean Lajoie, incumbent 2B Davey Johnson, of OF sub extraordinaire Owen Wilson. The Grays, in a move met with much skepticism, decided to hand the 2B position to Lajoie, sending Johnson to AAA.

Season Review: Homestead Grays

By mknn

On December 13, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

69 - 85, .448 pct.
4th in Effa Manley Division, 17 games behind.

Overall

With a .500 record predicted before the season, the Grays’ season is a bit of a disappointment: nobody could have seen the amount of talent they have on the mound performing so poorly.

This is a team building for 2, maybe 3 or 4, years down the road, so there a ton of unanswered questions that bear watching.

What Went Right

If you had Mike Epstein and Rick Reichardt on your bingo card for best players on the Grays before the season started, you’re a savant. But they were easily the best hitters over the course of the season (Epstein finished with an OPS just shy of .950; Reichardt just over .900).

Two players–OFs Andy Van Slyke and Owen “Don’t Call Me Chief” Wilson–were basically as good as those two in about a half season of work each.

Josh Gibson declared himself a superstar of the future, with an OPS of .833 as a 20 year old catcher. Davey Johnson was solid at 2B.

Rennie Stennett showed enough in 20 games to earn a look next year.

Willie Stargell has a ton of power.

Francisco Liriano was a good starter for most of the season, and Bob Friend was even better, but only put in 88 innings. Earl Hamilton was decent enough to warrant another look.

Josh Lindblom responded to losing the closer job excellently, earning it back and cementing his role for next season. Rick Ownbey and Dave Giusti surprised, pitching quite well in limited opportunities.

ALL STAR SELECTIONS
1B Mike Epstein; C Josh Gibson

What Went Wrong

The left side of the infield was a bit of a mess: Honus Wagner has all the talent in the world, and the Grays seem committed to him at SS long term, but he neither hit nor adapted to the position very well. And everyone else given a chance (other than Stennett) struggled mightily: Chris Sabo, Frank Taveras, Jack Wilson, Jeff Kent, and Pedro Feliz.

Roberto Clemente and Andrew McCutcheon were … fine. But the Grays really need one of them–if not both–to take a major step forward.

Willie Stargell only has a ton of power, and struck out nearly 200 times.

Nobody else that was given a chance to join the rotation was any good (Billy Pierce, Corey Kluber, Hal Carlson), and most were quite bad (Carlos Zambrano, Ray Brown, Cliff Lee, Babe Adams, John Candelaria).

Michael Jackson imploded entirely in the second half of the year.

Trade Evaluations

March

None

June

IF Phil Garner to San Francisco for IF Steve Hertz & 2nd Round Pick {Judy Johnson}

Given Garner’s age, getting anything for him seems fine.

July

P Vean Gregg & 5th Round Pick to New York Gothams for P Travis Bowyer, OF Mike Shannon & 4th Round Pick {Pink Hawley}

I mean … it’s weird for a team this desperate for pitching to trade away pitching.

IF Arky Vaughan & 3rd Round Pick to Cleveland for IF Nap Lajoie, P Arodys Vizcaíno & 1st Round Pick {Ralph Kiner}

An absolute win. Moving Vaughan clears the way for Wagner, the Grays hope Lajoie can move to 2B over time, plus the potential of Kiner.

Looking Forward

SP

So. Much. Need. Only Ray Brown looks to be around long term, and he needs to get much better. There are useful pieces here, and Cliff Lee has a very live arm, but this is the most pressing need for the Grays organization.

RP

Some talent in the minors, with Daniel Hudson and Mychal Givens standing out especially.

C

Josh Gibson has superstar written all over him.

1B

How much do you believe in Mike Epstein? Willie Stargell will see some time here as well.

2B

The Grays are hoping that Nap Lajoie can hold this down long term.

3B

Very unsure. Chris Sabo and Freddie Lindstrom are in the minors, but this looks to be pretty vacant.

SS

There is a lot of pressure on Honus Wagner to succeed at shortstop: he clearly has the athletic skill to make the transition.

LF

How much do you believe in Rick Reichardt?

CF

Andrew McCutchen and Max Carey each have shown some tools, but this could be an upgrade spot for the Grays.

RF

Roberto Clemente seems to have this locked down, but there are voices in the organization that think Paul Waner could unseat him.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

With the 4th overall pick, the Grays took the highest ceiling pitcher available, Clayton Kershaw.

Their 2nd pick in the 1st round was a bit of a surprise, and may answer the question of how much do you believe in Rick Reichardt as the Grays took franchise player Ralph Kiner. Kiner will play LF, but is probably 2-3 years away from the majors, giving the organization time to sort out its OF. I would expect the rest of their draft to focus more on needs–pitching, pitching, pitching and perhaps a 3B.

In the 2nd Round, that began with Tim Lincecum and continued with franchise pick 3B Judy Johnson, who should only accelerate Wagner’s move to SS. Homestead had no picks in the 3rd round, but 2 in the 4th. The first of those went to 3B Howard Johnson. That should give them some pieces to work with at 3B, so look for Homestead to load up on pitching for most of the rest of the draft, beginning with their last pick of the 4th round, Pink Hawley.

Rounds 5-8

Pitchers beware, Homestead is coming for you: Ed Seward is the Grays’ final exemption, followed by Johnny Morrison and Ping Gardner.

Rounds 9-12

P Nip Winters, OF Dave Hoskins; P Gary Lucas; and IF Liover Peguero.

TWIWBL 41.3: Series XXXIII Notes – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On June 20, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Homestead Grays

The Grays continue to try to figure out their middle infield of the future, recalling Rennie Stennett from AA and Nap Lajoie–their prize acquisition from the final trading period–from AAA, sending Bill Mazeroski and Jack Wilson back down.

Chief Wilson had 4 hits–2 doubles and a triple–leading the Grays to a 5-4 win over Kansas City. John Candelaria improved to 3-1 with a solid start and Josh Lindblom picked up his 13th save.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Johnny Cueto had one of his best starts of the year–7 innings, 3 hits, and only 1 run–but the ABC’s needed a pinch-hit, walkoff double from Hal Morris to win the game after a very rough outing from Clay Carroll let Baltimore back into the contest.

#New York Black Yankees

Ron Guidry‘s return from the DL pushes AJ Burnett back to AAA, although probably only until rosters expand next week.

Guidry’s return was triumphant: 6 innings of 1 run ball in a blowout, 17-2 win over Philadelphia. Eric Davis, Babe Ruth, and Albert Belle each had 3 hits and Lou Gehrig drove in 5 runs. Belle and Mickey Mantle went deep in the romp which, most importantly of all, moved the Black Yankees into a tie for first place in the Effa Manley Division.

In a rain-shortened game, Waite Hoyt improved to 10-6 on the year with a 7-inning, 2-hit shutout as the Black Yankees topped the Stars 3-0.

Ruth hit 2 homeruns–his league-leading 40th and 41st of the year–as the Black Yankees continued their run, beating Philadelphia 5-3 behind a good start from Jamie Moyer and another save from Aroldis Chapman.

#Philadelphia Stars

3 hits from Willie Davis and another 3 from George Hendrick (who added 4 RBIs) weren’t enough, as the Stars fell to the Black Yankees 8-5. The game might have thrown Philadelphia’s rotation into a bit of chaos as starter Jaret Wright was injured, forcing both Don Carman (who gave up 3 runs in a single inning to take the loss) and Pete Alexander into relief duty.

Wright will miss the rest of the season, heading to the DL with a torn meniscus. Robin Roberts was recalled from AAA for the Stars.