Tag: Jameson Taillon

TWIWBL 73.2 Spotlight on the Chicago American Giants

On February 27, 2025

The American Giants were a strong playoff team last year. At the halfway mark this season, they find themselves 14 games back in the Cum Posey Division, but only 2.5 games back in the Wild Card race.

But, it’s not enough: this team should be doing better.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

The problems are clear: an offense that falls off dramatically after its top half, struggles on the mound, and issues at a couple key positions (CF and SS). The solutions aren’t so obvious, and if things aren’t better by mid-August, the American Giants are a candidate to mortgage their future to address those shortcomings.

THE OFFENSE

The top end–Frank Thomas, Joe Jackson, Eddie Collins, and the surprising Paul Konerko are all excellent and, especially if Dick Allen regains his stroke, may be enough to carry Chicago in a playoff run. But Chicago regularly trots out 5 starters with OPS’ below .750, leaving too many holes.

#What’s Going Right

The big 4 are stunning. Thomas and Shoeless Joe are virtually tied in OPS around .975, with Konerko not too far behind.

Carlton Fisk lags behind in OPS, but as a C, he’s well above average, and leads the American Giants with 21 homers. Thomas leads in RBIs and Jackson has an incredible 41 2Bs.

Collins isn’t the all around leader of last season, but 309/406/418 with 41 SBs from a middle infielder is nothing to sneeze at.

#What’s Not Going Right

The 2 obvious problems are SS and CF. Freddy Parent, picked up at last year’s All-Star break, has been thoroughly disappointing, with an OPS under .550 (although he has flashed some decent leather). Damian Jackson has been given some opportunities, but has fared even worse offensively.

In CF, 18 year old Cristóbal Torriente is clearly still a large part of Chicago’s future. But he may not be part of their present: 188/235/245 won’t cut it, no matter how fast you are or how good you are in the field. This issue has gotten better: Vernon Wells has taken over for Torriente, and is doing alright.

I have no idea how to evaluate Mike Fiore. He’s hitting .181, but his OBP is .340, and he has 12 homers. Is that going right? Going wrong? No idea, but I think going wrong.

Duffy Lewis was injured at the start of the year, and hasn’t clicked since, and is increasingly losing time to Kevin Mitchell in LF.

THE PITCHING

It’s not bad. And some of it–Ed Walsh, Akinori Otsuka–is downright excellent. But everything else needs to step forward.

#What’s Going Right

Last year’s Rookie of the Year, Ed Walsh, is pitching fantastically, despite a modest 6-4 record, sporting a 3.55 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP.

Akinori Otsuka, Tom Williams, and Hoyt Wilhelm are a very solid trio in the bullpen, especially Otsuka and Williams.

#What’s Not Going Right

Last year’s ace, Tricky Nichols, has struggled mightily, with an ERA approaching 7.00, and is in danger of losing his spot in the rotation.

The trio of Jamie Moyer, Ben Sheets, and Mark Buehrle have been … thoroughly meh. Just meh. Meh not’s good enough for the playoffs.

AJ Minter has a dozen saves, but also an ERA of roughly 6.50.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

The jewel of the system is the much-traveled Chino Smith. What’s not clear is if Smith will be used as trade bait at the deadline or be asked to move to SS–he’s not going to unseat Collins at 2B.

There is some decent OF talent here: Lenny Dykstra, Walter Davis, Henry Cotto, and Jorge Orta has the bat, if not the glove, to help a WBL team.

On the mound, Jacob deGrom, Harry Buckner, Scott Radinsky, and Ted Lyons all have some ceiling.

So, yeah, some help here.

WHAT’S NEEDED

The bottom of the lineup to step forward, and the pitching overall to improve a shade across the board.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

How is the rotation going to fall out? Can Ed Walsh handle a fulltime starting role, and can Mark Buehrle and Ben Sheets handle the back end of the rotation? Still a question, with Walsh, Buehrle, and Sheets now being asked to move up in the rotation.
How long do the American Giants stick with Parent–he’s fine, but his level of play over the second half of the season (after the American Giants picked him up from Ottawa) was below championship. How long, indeed.

FEATURED SERIES

The American Giants start the week hosting Memphis for 4 games, so we’ll look at those.

Projected Starters

Memphis’ starter listed first.

David Bush (5-3, 5.98) @ Tricky Nichols (4-8, 6.89)
Jameson Taillon (2-3, 5.12) @ Ben Sheets (4-9, 5.69)
Stubby Overmire (8-6, 4.70) @ Ed Walsh (6-4, 3.55)
Jon Lester (5-4, 5.61) @ Mark Buehrle (6-8, 4.61)

So. Much. Mediocrity. Although the Overmire-Walsh tilt should be a good one. Both teams can score a lot of runs, so let’s say this one goes 2-2.

Before the first game, the American Giants made a move, promoting Rocky Colavito to the big leagues to take the place of Mike Fiore. Colavito and Mitchell will split time in LF, with Duffy Lewis taking on an unfamiliar bench role.

Game One

Carlton Fisk put the American Giants up 1-0 in the 2nd with a solo shot to left. Joe Jackson added to the lead the next inning with a sacrifice fly to deep center, scoring Freddy Parent. Fisk would add a 3rd run in the most unlikely of ways: a walk, a stolen base, and then crossing the plate on a single from Vernon Wells, and Dick Allen would go deep in the 4th, increasing the lead to 4-0.

Tricky Nichols recaptured some of his form from last year, holding the Red Sox scoreless until Gabby Hartnett hit a 2-run shot in the top of the 7th, closing gap to 4-2 and chasing Nichols from the mound in favor of Hoyt Wilhelm. Wilhelm got through the inning without further damage, other than a double from Dobie Moore.

A homer from Wells was offset by a sacrifice fly from Ted Williams, so the lead was still 2, at 5-3 in favor of Chicago.

The American Giants added a couple in the 8th with the key hits being a triple from Jackson and another RBI hit form Fisk. It turned out to matter, as David Ortiz took AJ Minter deep with 2 on and 2 out in the top of the 9th, bringing Memphis within 1 run at 7-6. Minter was able to induce a groundout from Wade Boggs, bringing home the victory for Chicago.

MEM 6 (Feliciano 0-1; Kennedy 6 BSv; Kilby 2 BSv) @ CAG 7 (Ryan 2-2)
HRs: MEM – Hartnett (18), Ortiz (20); CAG – Fisk (22), Allen (17), Wells (8).
Box Score

Game Two

Game 2 will pit Memphis’ Jameson Taillon against Chicago’s Ben Sheets in a matchup of end-of-rotation starters.

Memphis took the lead in the 3rd, scoring 1 on a Wade Boggs double and 2 more on a two-bagger from Bill White. Dobie Moore added a solo shot in the 4th, making it 4-0.

Taillon was sailing along, holding Chicago scoreless through 6. But Joe Jackson singled and Frank Thomas went deep, halving the deficit and chasing Taillon. Sheets, who calmed down after Moore’s shot, lasted until 1 out in the 7th, when a double from Reggie Smith sent him to the showers.

Joe Lake, Sheets’ replacement, gave up an RBI single to Ted Williams, increasing Memphis’ lead to 5-2, cut to 5-3 when Jackson tripled home Eddie Collins. Dave Nilsson singled in one in the 8th, but Andrew Miller got Collins to groundout with the bases loaded, keeping the Red Sox up by 1, 5-4.

An RBI from Smith sent us to the bottom of the 9th with the Red Sox up, 6-4, with their closer, Jonathan Papelbon, coming in from the bullpen.

Papelbon whiffed 2, and the series was tied at a game apiece.

Moore and Smith had 3 hits each for the Red Sox.

MEM 6 (Taillon 3-3; Papelbon 14 Sv; de la Cruz 1 H; Roach 9 H; Miller 8 H) @ CAG 4 (Sheets 4-10)
HRs: MEM – Moore (8); CAG – Thomas (20).
Box Score

Game Three

Tied at one, we get the premier pitching matchup of the series, with Memphis’ Stubby Overmire taking on Chicago’s Ed Walsh. It’s a bit of an odd game for the American Giants, with several regulars getting the day off, resulting in a bit of a patchwork lineup. So, we’ll see.

Walsh gave up 2 in the 2nd on 2-out RBI’s from DJ LeMahieu and Billy Bryan. Reggie Smith hit his 23rd homer of the year in the 5th, extending the lead to 3-0. Meanwhile, Overmire was dealing, holding Chicago scoreless through 5 on only 2 hits. despite loading the bases in the 2nd.

Overmire departed in the 7th after surrendering his 6th walk, to Rocky Colavito, and an infield hit to Freddy Parent. Heath Bell loaded the bases, but escaped without damage.

That was it, really: Bell pitched well in the 8th and Jonathan Papelbon shut the door in the 9th on a combined 3 hit shutout.

MEM 3 (Overmire 9-6; Papelbon 15 Sv; Bell 5 H) @ CAG 0 (Walsh 6-5)
HRs: MEM – Smith (23); CAG – none.
Box Score

Game Four

The American Giants will try to salvage a split behind Mark Buehrle who will be opposed by Memphis’ Jon Lester.

The full strength lineup for the American Giants came through immediately, as Frank Thomas launched a 3 run homerun in the bottom of the 1st. But Jack McAleese–who seems to have locked down the utility OF spot for the Red Sox–drove home 2 in the 2nd and scored on a base hit from Dobie Moore, tying the game at 3.

Ted Williams launched his 25th of the year in the 3rd, giving Memphis a 1 run lead. Chicago evened the score the following inning on a sacrifice fly from Paul Konerko. That lasted into the top of the 5th, when Williams went deep again, this time with a man on. 6-4 Memphis. Buehrle made it into the 6th but a DJ LeMahieu double chased him from the game. His relief, David Price, allowed 2 more runs, making the edge 8-4, Red Sox.

Lester got through the 5th, but by that point he had given up 7 walks and was clearly fatigued. Then, suddenly and surprisingly, the relievers figured out how to pitch, keeping it scoreless until Memphis added a few more in the top of the 9th.

Just about the only bad news for Memphis was Moore having to leave the game after being hit on the hand with a pitch: his ultimate injury status is yet to be known.

MEM 11 (Lester 6-4; Roach 1 Sv) @ CAG 4 (Buehrle 6-9)
HRs: MEM – Williams 2 (26); CAG – Thomas (21).
Box Score

This is emblematic of everything disappointing about Chicago’s year so far: loss after loss and question after question of what if and what’s next. This team needs some help: immediately, they are looking at sending AJ Minter down to AAA and installing Akinori Otsuku as the closer, but it’s going to take more than that.

TWIWBL 68.3: Bill James Division

By mknn

On October 30, 2024

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
New York Black Yankees	41-23	.641	—
Cleveland Spiders	33-29	.532	7
Memphis Red Sox	29-34	.460	11.5
Detroit Wolverines	28-36	.438	13
Baltimore Black Sox	27-38	.415	14.5

Bill James Division | 11 June

#Baltimore Black Sox

The Black Sox got some good news as Sean Marshall and John Wetteland both began rehab assignments in their journeys back from injury. This was followed by bad news, as John Tudor will miss a couple months with a shoulder issue. Veteran knuckleballer RA Dickey was recalled for his WBL debut.

Frank Robinson hit his 18th and 19th homeruns of the year, but Baltimore fell to Memphis, 5-4.

#Cleveland Spiders

Bill Steen was called into an emergency start. 8 1/3 innings, 12 strikeouts, and 139 pitches later, he had only allowed 1 hit. But 139 pitches and 2 walks in the top of the 9th, and the Spiders summoned Terry Adams from the bullpen. 2 pitches later, the Spiders had a 4-0 lead and a joint 1-hitter.

Stan Coveleski will be out into next season. Sergio Romo was added from AAA.

#Detroit Wolverines

Ed Bailey and Ty Cobb had 3 hits each, with Bailey going yard twice and Cobb moving his average back over .400 to .403 in a 7-2 win over Memphis.

Hank Greenberg went deep twice and Detroit pulled off a come from behind win over Miami, 6-5.

Pressed into a spot start, Si Johnson delivered 4 plus innings of 1 hit ball, then exited with an oblique strain. Claude Passeau, Chad Bradford, and Mike Henneman allowed only a single walk over the rest of the game, giving the Wolverines a 1 hitter by committee. Juan Beníquez and Greenberg went deep in the 6th for the only runs in the 3-0 blanking of Miami.

Ed Bailey hit 3 out and Cobb went deep twice as the Wolverines beat Miami, 6-3.

#Memphis Red Sox

David Bush and Jameson Taillon have moved into the rotation, taking the spot of the injured Shane Bieber and Bill Doak. Derek Lowe was promoted to take Bieber’s roster spot.

Ted Williams went deep twice and the Red Sox beat Baltimore, 9-3.

Manny Ramírez hit 3 homeruns, reaching 19 on the year, as the Red Sox beat Baltimore, 10-7. Skel Roach had to come out of the game with a blister, and will miss about a week, warranting a trip to the DL. Tommy De La Cruz was added to the big league bullpen.

#New York Black Yankees

Mike Schmidt went deep to tie the game in the 8th, and then powered the Black Yankees to a 9-5 win over Los Angeles with a walkoff grand slam in the bottom of the 9th. Schmidt had 6 RBIs on the day.

Schmidt did it again the next day, going deep twice in a 10 inning, 8-7 win over the Angels.

And then it was Babe Ruth‘s turn to hit 2 out, but this time it wasn’t enough as the Angels topped the Black Yankees, 6-3.

Clearly annoyed at people questioning his dominance, Ruth took over the WBL lead in homers, hitting another 3 out in a 15-3 shellacking of Cleveland. For the 3rd time this year, Ruth drove in 6, increasing his RBI total to 79. Héctor López, Nick Etten, Lou Gehrig, and Mickey Mantle also went deep, and Dave Righetti improved to 6-3 on the year with a strong showing.

TWIWBL 60.2: Bill James Division

By mknn

On May 30, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Gavvy Cravath hit his 5th and 6th homerun of the year, driving in 4 and leading Baltimore to a 9-7 victory over San Francisco. Dennis Martínez pitched well to improve to 2-1, with Buddy Groom earning his first save of the year in relief of an injured Joe Beggs, who will be unavailable for a few days with an oblique strain.

Connie Johnson finally had a good start: 7 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, and 11 strikeouts. It resulted in his first win of the year, a 2-1 victory over Cleveland. Johnson had been so poor so far that his ERA only dropped to 9.50 with the superlative effort.

#Cleveland Spiders

With Whit Wyatt ready for recall from his rehab assignment, the Spiders had a choice between Bob Feller and Huston Street, both of whom have been absolutely battered in the early going. They opted to waive Street and retain Feller, but will ask the 20 year old to throw from the bullpen for a while, with his roster slot taken by either Wyatt or Mel Harder.

Jake Stahl had 4 hits and Tris Speaker drove in 3 as the Spiders beat Detroit, 9-6. Stan Coveleski got the victory with 6 solid innings and Terry Adams picked up his 3rd save.

Ron Blomberg had 3 hits and drove in 5 as Cleveland came from behind to beat Detroit in 11 innings. 7-5. Yordano Ventura got the win with 2 scoreless innings of relief and Cory Gearrin, filling in for the injured Adams, got his 2nd save with a perfect inning.

Speaker hit 2 homeruns–one in the 9th as Cleveland came from behind to tie the game and one in the 10th to go ahead–as the Spiders topped Baltimore 6-5.

Evan Longoria doubled his homerun total with 2 longballs in a 5-4 win over Baltimore.

#Detroit Wolverines

Buddy Napier was put on the DL (against his protests that he would be fine in a day or three), with Ray Sadecki being promoted to the big league club for the time being.

Sadecki was magnificent, allowing 1 hit in 7 innings. He walked a man to lead off the 8th and was relieved by Chad Bradford … who promptly, with a little help from Billy Hoeft, blew a 3-0 lead. Whatever else happens, Sadecki’s performance guarantees his time with the Wolverines for a little while at least.

Chili Davis went deep twice, but the Wolverines’ bullpen got hit hard, giving up a late lead in 7-5 loss in 11 innings. Ty Cobb had 3 hits and Tony Phillips led off the game with his 2nd homerun of the season.

Charlie Root fanned 13 in 7 innings, but it wasn’t enough as he gave up 5 earned runs in a 6-2 loss to the Black Yankees.

#Memphis Red Sox

Despite a better showing than 2000, Eddie Cicotte was the first to go when the Red Sox needed a starter with Jameson Taillon being recalled from AAA. Taillon was magnificent, clearly earning a chance to stick around, tossing 8 innings of 2 hit ball with 8 strikeouts in his WBL debut. Skel Roach and Andrew Miller combined for a 3-0 shutout win over Miami. Wade Boggs had 3 hits for the Red Sox.

Travis Shaw hit two homeruns as the Red Sox beat Miami 5-1. Len Barker got his first victory of the year with 8 strong innings.

#New York Black Yankees

The Black Yankees hit 5 solo homeruns and Dave Righetti moved to 2-0 with 6.2 solid innings as New York downed Miami 7-5. Derek Jeter, Babe Ruth, Don Mattingly, Mike Schmidt, and Eric Davis each went deep and, perhaps as important for New York, Sparky Lyle threw a perfect 2.1 in relief, whiffing 4.

Righetti tossed 7 innings of 2-hit relief in the completion of a suspended game, leading the Black Yankees to a 9-3 win. Righetti improved to 3-0 on the year, and Davis failed to homer, ending his consecutive game streak at 6 (four of his teammates did go yard: Jeter, Mattingly, Thurman Munson, and Mickey Mantle). Lou Gehrig went deep twice (including a 500+ ft moon shot) in the “regular” game, leading New York to an 8-6 victory.

Ruth went deep twice and, perhaps more importantly for New York, Ron Guidry threw 6 shutout innings, allowing only 2 hits, as the Black Yankees topped the Wolverines 6-2.

WBL Year II Statistics

I needed a place to hold statistics that aren’t easily displayed in OOTP. Most of these are game-level performances.

For complete statistics, poke around on the WBL Stats Page.

Batting Statistics

2+ 3B Games

2. Bob Bescher (IND); Craig Biggio (HOU), Ty Cobb (DET); Willie McGee (KCM); Tim Raines (OTT).

3+ 2B Games

4. Chuck Knoblauch (CLE).
3. Craig Biggio (HOU); George Brett (HOU); Ron Cey (BRK); Cupid Childs (BBB); Ty Cobb (DET); Gavvy Cravath (BAL); Josh Gibson (HOM); Hank Greenberg (DET); Joe Jackson (CAG); Reggie Jackson (SFS); Willie McGee (KCM); Joe Morgan (IND); Frank Robinson (BAL); Cookie Rojas (MCG); Pete Runnels (NYG); Ted Simmons (KCM); Reggie Smith (MEM); Mike Trout (LAA).

3+ HBP Games

3. Jack Doyle (CAG).

3+ HR Games

3. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Ed Bailey (DET); Ernie Banks (HOD); Buddy Bell (POR); Carlos Beltrán (OTT); Lance Berkman x2 (CLE); Ron Blomberg (CLE); Ryan Braun (MCG); José Canseco (MCG); Gavvy Cravath (BAL); Josh Gibson (HOM); George Gore (HOD); Stan Musial (KCM); Manny Ramírez x2 (MEM); Álex Rodríguez (OTT); Babe Ruth (NYY); Ted Simmons (KCM); Sammy Sosa x2 (HOD); Mike Trout (LAA); Larry Walker (OTT).

3+ OF Assists

4+ BB Games

4. Ed Bailey (DET); Eddie Collins (CAG); Mike Epstein (HOM); Willie McGee (KCM); Andrew McCutchen (HOM), Joey Votto (IND).

4+ CS Games

4. Johnny Bench (IND); Gabby Hartnett (MEM); Jorge Posada (HOU); Ted Simmons (KCM).

4+ Run Games

6. Ron Blomberg (CLE).
5. Chuck Knoblauch (CLE); Tris Speaker (CLE).
4. Roberto Alomar x2 (OTT); Jeff Bagwell x2 (HOU); Bob Bailey (DET); Ed Bailey (DET); Johnny Bates x2 (CLE); Albert Belle (BBB); Curt Blefary x2 (BAL); Dan Brouthers (BRK); Ron Cey (BRK); Roberto Clemente (HOM); Gavvy Cravath (BAL); Mike Epstein (HOM); Rickey Henderson (SFS); Pete Hill (HOU); Benny Kauff (NYG); Evan Longoria (CLE); Willie McGee (KCM); Billy Nash (DET); Yasiel Puig (MCG); Babe Ruth (NYY); Gary Sheffield (MCG); Chase Utley (PHI); Jim Wynn (HOU).

4+ SB Games

6. Rickey Henderson (SFS).
4. Frank Chance (HOD); Rickey Henderson (SFS); Dick Lundy (SFS).

5+ Hit Games

5. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Don Buford (LAA); Joe Jackson (CAG); Chuck Knoblauch (CLE); Ichiro Suzuki (LAA); Mike Trout (LAA); Chase Utley (PHI).

5+ SO Games

6. Dale Murphy (KCM).
5. Beals Becker (BRK); Bobby Bonds (SFS); Ron Cey (BRK); Larry Doby (CLE); Mike Epstein (HOM); Héctor López (NYY); Dale Murphy (KCM).

6+ RBI Games

7. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Ron Blomberg (CLE); Carlton Fisk (CAG); Charlie Gehringer (DET); Evan Longoria (CLE); Manny Machado (BAL); Yasiel Puig (MCG); Manny Ramírez (MEM); Gary Sheffield (MCG).
6. Hank Aaron (BBB); Bob Bailey (DET); Ernie Banks (HOD); Ron Blomberg (CLE); Johnny Callison (NYG); Carlos Correa (HOU); Gavvy Cravath (BAL); Kal Daniels (LAA); Chili Davis (DET); Josh Gibson (HOM); Tony Lazzeri (DET); Mickey Mantle (NYY); Mike Piazza (BRK); Manny Ramírez (MEM); Babe Ruth x3 (NYY); Ryne Sandberg (HOD); Mike Schmidt (NYY); Ted Simmons (KCM); Roy White (BRK).

Cycles

Roberto Clemente (HOM; 4-5, 4 R, 3 RBI).
Goose Goslin (HOM; 4-5, 2 R, 2 RBI).

Longest HRs

{Note: OOTP clearly has something weird happening with overpowered HRs. It’s getting better, and, at some point, I’m going to reduce these by roughly 10%, which would leave the list at only 3 at 500 ft+ for the season so far, which seems much more realistic to me, but am waiting to see if I get any additional info/guidance from the game dev’s.}

595 ft. Dale Murphy (KCM).
558 ft. Aaron Judge (PHA).
555 ft. Albert Pujols (KCM).
551 ft. Eddie Mathews (BBB).
550 ft. Lance Berkman (CLE).
544 ft. Eddie Mathews (BBB).
542 ft. Ron Blomberg (CLE); Evan Longoria (CLE).
539 ft. Johnny Bates (CLE); Craig Biggio (HOU).
538 ft. Josh Gibson (HOM), Pete Hill (HOU); Buster Posey (NYG).
535 ft. Buster Posey (NYG).
534 ft. Robinson Canó (KCM).
530 ft. Dale Murphy (KCM).
528 ft. Johnny Callison (NYG); Willie Mays (NYG).
527 ft. Joe Adcock (NYG).
525 ft. Bullet Joe Rogan (PHI).
522 ft. Ron Blomberg (CLE).
519 ft. Babe Ruth (NYY).
518 ft. Willie Mays (NYG).
516 ft. Hank Aaron (BBB); Bob Nieman (BBB).
514 ft. Ron Cey (BRK); Oscar Gamble (DET).
512 ft. Tony Gwynn (HOU).
511 ft. Lance Berkman (CLE); Dan Brouthers (BRK).
510 ft. Ron Blomberg (CLE); Joe Harris (KCM).
509 ft. Johnny Callison (NYG); Jack Clark (SFS); Bryce Harper (BAL); Ted Simmons (KCM).
508 ft. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Ron Blomberg (CLE); Boog Powell (KCM); Travis Shaw (MEM).
507 ft. Ducky Medwick (KCM); Ted Simmons (KCM).
505 ft. Lou Gehrig (NYA).
503 ft. Larry Doyle (NYG); Joe Rogan (PHI); Ryne Sandberg (HOD); Oscar Gamble (DET).
502 ft. Ernie Banks (HOD); Albert Belle (BBB); Robinson Canó (KCM); Ray Dandridge (BRK); Mike Epstein (HOM).
501 ft. Gary Carter (OTT); Derek Jeter (NYA).
500 ft. Andrew McCutchen (HOM).

Pitching Statistics

80+ Game Scores

99. José Rijo (KCM).
97. JM Ward (PHI).
93. Frank Castillo (KCM); Lefty Grove (SFS); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
92. Bump Hadley (SFS); Bullet Joe Rogan (PHI).
91. Frank Knauss (BRK); Christy Mathewson (NYG); Toad Ramsey (HOU)
90. Brett Anderson (LAA); A. Rube Foster (KCM); Alejandro Peña (BBB); Toad Ramsey (HOU); Joe Rogan (PHI).
89. Bump Hadley (SFS); Fernando Valenzuela (BRG); Smokey Joe Wood (KCM).
88. Luis Padrón x2 (IND); Bill Steen (CLE); Justin Verlander (DET).
87. Roger Clemens (HOU); Lefty Grove (SFS); Carl Hubbell (NYG); Francisco Liriano (HOM); Dennis Martínez (BAL); José Méndez (MCG); Old Hoss Radbourn (OTT); Jim Whitney (BBB).
86. A. Rube Foster (KCM); Doc Gooden (LAA).
85. Roger Clemens (HOU); Gerrit Cole (LAA); Lefty Grove (SFS); Hardie Henderson (PHI); Eddie Plank (SFS); Jameson Taillon (MEM); Ed Walsh (CAG); Cy Young (CLE).
84. Frank Castillo (KCM); Johnny Cueto (IND); Ron Guidry (NYY); Orel Hershiser (BRK); Ed Walsh (CAG).
83. Bob Friend (HOM); Mike Mussina (BAL).
82. Mark Buehrle (CAG); Bill Doak (MEM); Connie Johnson (BAL); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
81. Ferguson Jenkins (HOD); Stephen Strasbourg (HOU); Cy Young (CLE).
80. Frank Castillo (KCM); Walter Johnson (POR); The Only Nolan (IND); Andy Pettitte (NYY); Toad Ramsey (HOU).

10+ Strikeout Games

14. Frank Castillo (KCM); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
13. Brett Anderson (LAA); Ron Guidry (NYY); Charlie Root (DET).
12. Johnny Cueto (IND); Doc Gooden (LAA); Lefty Grove (SFS); Bump Hadley (SFS); Mike Mussina (BAL); Toad Ramsey x2 (HOU); José Rijo (KCM); Bill Steen (CLE); JM Ward (PHI).
11. Johnny Cueto (IND); Ron Guidry x2 (NYY); Ferguson Jenkins (HOD); Connie Johnson (BAL); Walter Johnson x2 (POR); Frank Knauss (BRG); Christy Mathewson (NYG); Joseíto Muñoz (MCG); The Only Nolan (IND); Old Hoss Radbourn (OTT); Toad Ramsey x3 (HOU); Don Sutton (NYG); Justin Verlander (DET); Smokey Joe Williams (BRK).
10. Steve Carlton (PHI); Frank Castillo x2 (KCM); Watty Clark (SFS); Don Drysedale (BRK); Bob Friend (HOM); Ned Garvin (BAL); Doc Gooden (LAA); Lefty Grove x2 (SFS); Ron Guidry x2 (NYY); Bump Hadley (SFS); Hardie Henderson (PHI); Orel Hershiser (BRK); Frank Knauss (BRK); Ramón Martínez (MCG); Gaylord Perry (NYG); Billy Pierce (HOM); Toad Ramsey (HOU); José Rijo (KCM); Charlie Root (DET); Tom Seaver (LAA); Bill Steen (CLE); Stephen Strasbourg (HOU); Don Sutton (NYG); Fernando Valenzuela (BRK); Smokey Joe Williams (BRK); Smokey Joe Wood (KCM).

8+ Walk Games

8. Ed Brandt (MCG); Hardie Henderson (PHI); Smokey Joe Williams (BRK).
9. Randy Johnson (OTT).

Shutouts

NO HITS. José Rijo (IND).
1 Hit. A. Rube Foster (KCM); Stubby Overmire (MEM) [5 inn]; Luis Padrón (IND); Toad Ramsey (HOU); Bullet Joe Rogan (PHI).
2 Hits. A. Rube Foster (KCM); Lefty Grove (SFS); Bump Hadley (SFS); Frank Knauss (BRK); Francisco Liriano (HOM); Dennis Martínez (BAL); José Méndez (MCG); Luis Padrón (IND); Old Hoss Radbourn (OTT); Joe Rogan (PHI).
3 Hits. Frank Castillo (KCM); Roger Clemens (HOU); Lefty Grove (SFS); Carl Hubbell (NYG); Christy Mathewson (NYG); Eddie Plank (SFS); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
4 Hits. Frank Castillo (KCM); Gerrit Cole (LAA); Johnny Cueto (IND); Doc Gooden (LAA); Lefty Grove (SFS); Bump Hadley (SFS); Jim Whitney (BBB); Cy Young (CLE).

Shutouts (Combined)

1 Hit. Justin Verlander / Mike Henneman (DET); Bill Steen / Terry Adams (CLE).
2 Hits. Jameson Taillon / Skel Roach / Andrew Miller (MEM); Ed Walsh / Tom Williams (CAG); Pud Galvin / Francisco Rodríguez / Joe Nathan (LAA); Brett Anderson / Ross Reynolds (LAA); Connie Johnson / Justin Hampson (BAL); Bob Feller / Ron Reed (CLE).
3 Hits. Hardie Henderson / Robin Roberts (PHI); Orel Hershiser / Eric Gagne (BRK); Stephen Strasbourg / John Franco / Tug McGraw (HOU); Vean Gregg / Mike Norris / Brian Wilson (NYG); Justin Verlander / Billy Hoeft / Chad Bradford (DET); Stubby Overmire / Heath Bell / Jonathan Papelbon (MEM); Brett Anderson / Ross Reynolds / Joe Nathan (LAA).
4 Hits. Toad Ramsey / Bones Ely (HOU); Hardie Henderson / Brad Kilby / Tim Belcher / Ted Kennedy (PHI); Dwight Gooden / Francisco Rodríguez (LAA); Bump Hadley / Jim Devlin / Ken Howell / Rod Beck (SFS); Greg Maddux / John Malarkey / Bruce Chen / Juan Rincón (BBB); Johnny Podgajny / Tom Henke (OTT); Herm Wehmeier / Goose Gossage (NYY); José Rijo / Jeff Pfeffer (KCM); Smokey Joe Williams / Trevor Hildenberger (BRK).
5 Hits. Kenshin Kawakami / Barry Latman / Ed Brandt / Sandy Consuegra (MCG); Len Barker / David Bush / Andrew Miller (MEM); Johnny Cueto / Sad Sam Jones / Rob Murphy / Rob Dibble (IND); Smoky Joe Wood / Mike Kume (KCM).

Year II Season Preview: Memphis Red Sox

By mknn

On March 20, 2024

In Team News

Expectations

There is growing optimism in Memphis, even though it is, based on last year’s overall performance, totally unwarranted. But a strong end to the season, landing the best FA arm on the market in Shane Bieber, and a potentially high-impact draft class leaves the Red Sox with dreams of the postseason in their heads.

Best Case

Bieber joins Stubby Overmire, Dean Chance, and Bill Doak to form a solid rotation with the bullpen solidifying behind Heath Bell and Jonathan Papelbon while the trio of Mookie Betts, Manny Ramírez, and Sammy Sosa all reach their potential. Dobie Moore unseating Vern Stephens at SS would help, too.

Worst Case

Overmire’s finishing the year as runner-up in the ERA race proves a mirage, and the pitching remains too large of an obstacle for the offense to overcome, especially when Betts and Ramírez remain tantalizingly mediocre.

Key Questions

Who is going to fill out the rotation and the bullpen?
Memphis’ scouts are agog over Dobie Moore, but scouts don’t play the game: is Moore the real thing and, if so, what happens to Vern Stephens?
Sosa was moved out, essentially for Gabby Hartnett, putting more pressure on the OF the step up.

Trade Bait

There is, potentially, OF and SS talent to spare, making the Red Sox one of the few teams potentially active on the Spring Training trading block.

Roster Evaluation

POS	Elite	Strong	Solid	Meh	Weak	Unknown
C		Bryan				Hartnett
1B			White			Ortiz
2B			Ritchey
3B			Boggs			Shaw
SS					Stephens	Moore
LF/ RF		Williams		Ramírez Betts		Johnson
CF	Smith
SP		Chance Overmire	Barker Doak	Lester		Bieber
End		Bell	Papelbon
RP						Bush Miller Roach ~~Watt~~

New Addition | ~~Injured~~

There is so much upside here. But the mix of poor historical performance and a whopping nine unknown players make it pretty much a crapshoot.

Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	OF Manny Ramírez	OF Hack Wilson
Batting Eye	OF Ted Williams	C Charlie Bennett
Contact	3B Wade Boggs	OF Lefty O’Doul
Running Speed	CF Reggie Smith	2B Jim Canavan
Base Stealing	3B Travis Shaw	OF Sam Mertes
IF Defense	3B Travis Shaw	IF Gary Gaetti
OF Defense	OF Mookie Betts	OF Dwight Evans
Stuff	RP Skel Roach	P Bill Hogg
Control	P Stubby Overmire	P Dale Mohorcic
Velocity	RP Heath Bell	P Joba Chamberlain

Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	POS	Name
1 (18)	20	IF	Dobie Moore
2 (33)	23	P	Shane Bieber
3 (49)	23	P	Sadie McMahon
4 (77)	22	IF	Candy Jim Taylor
5 (94)	21	P	Jim Kaat
6 (107)	22	P	Andrew Miller
7 (129)	20	U	Carl Yastrzemski
8 (132)	20	1B	Bill Buckner
9 (136)	21	1B	Joe Cunningham
10 (143)	22	P	Bill Hogg

Others: OFs Alex Johnson, Dwight Evans; P Dick Drago.

A lot of talent, but it’s unclear how much of it can make a WBL impact. We’ll find out a lot this year, as Moore, Bieber, and Miller are all breaking camp with the Red Sox.

Also, WTF? The Red Sox let Chino Smith go for some reason, seeing him immediately snapped up by Baltimore.

	Most	Least
Age	1B Joe Cronin, 37 P Russ Springer, 37	P Mickey McDermott, 16
Height	P Mike Witt, 6’7″	IF Candy Jim Taylor, 5’5″
OPS	IF Wayne Belardi, 1.207 (—)	IF Bud Harrelson, .505 (—)
HR	IF Wayne Belardi, 75 (—)	IF Candy Jim Taylor, 1 (AAA/AA) OF Jack McAleese, 1 (—) IF Bud Harrelson, 1 (—)
SB	CF Reggie Smith, 20 (WBL)	Many with 0
WAR	OF Joe Kelley, 4.8 (AAA/AA)	IF Bud Harrelson, -2.6 (—)
W	Joe Kelly, 13 (WBL/AAA) Jim McAndrew, 13 (—) Mike Witt, 13 (—)	Turk Farrell, 4 (WBL/AAA) Len Barker, 4 (WBL/AAA)
SV	Jonathan Papelbon, 18 (WBL)
ERA	Jameson Taillon, 2.81 (—)	Sadie McMahon, 7.12 (WBL/AAA/AA)
WAR	Jameson Taillon, 5.5 (—)	Carl Mays, -1.4 (—)

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

TWIWBL 56.7: Spring Training Notes – Memphis Red Sox

By mknn

On February 24, 2024

In TWIWBL

Spring Training Questions

Half the staff is unknown, and while the OF is far too crowded, both C and the IF are still to be settled.

First round pick Carl Yastrzemski and fourth round pick Bill Lee have an outside shot at making the squad, although Yastrzemski is thoroughly blocked at both LF and 1B.

First Cuts

Not a lot clarified on the mound. Mike Witt and Turk Farrell were sent down, with Eddie Cicotte‘s struggles moving him close to the edge as well. The rest remains complicated: Len Barker and Sadie McMahon have pitched better than their numbers would indicate, while prize FA acquistion Shane Bieber, Jon Lester, and David Bush are struggling a bit.

C Charlie Bennett was sent down, and only Kurt Suzuki‘s arm prevented him from joining Bennett in the minors. Joe Cunningham and David Ortiz have torn the cover off the ball, maintaining quite a crowd at 1B where only George Scott heads off to minor league camp.

The Red Sox had hoped that DJ LeMahieu or Dustin Pedroia would provide some competition at 2B, instead each were sent down after woeful early performances, along with SS Francisco Lindor.

And that brings us to Carl Yastrzemski, who has simply exploded onto the scene. It’s not clear where the 20 year old could fit in Memphis’ lineup, but if he keeps hitting like this, they’ll find a spot for him. Eddie Rosario, Tom Brown, and Lefty O’Doul were optioned to the minors.

These moves leave Memphis still needing to do a lot of work, primarily on the mound and in the outfield, positions that are crowded enough the Red Sox could be challenged in finding enough opportunities for the talent to be accurately evaluated.

Second Cuts

Some of Memphis’ best performers on the mound from last season (Heath Bell, Len Barker, and Bill Doak and, in a slightly lesser key, Tim Wakefield) have struggled mightily this Spring, but will be given some more time to work out the kinks. Tommy de la Cruz, Eddie Cicotte, Bill Hogg, and Sadie McMahon weren’t so lucky, with all four being sent to the minors.

Kurt Suzuki‘s defense again keeps him in camp, at least temporarily.

The IF remains a mess: Iván De Jesús, Wade Boggs and Bill White are all struggling and players considered long shots coming into camp–David Ortiz and Dobie Moore especially–have been jaw-droppingly good.

The situation is the same in the OF, where Yastrzemski and Alex Johnson are tearing the cover off the ball and Mookie Betts, Ted Williams, and David Justice are all mired in the muck of sub .500 OPS’. Look for both of these logjams to break over the next week.

Third Cuts

P remains a conundrum compounded by Bill Doak and Jon Lester (both stalwarts last season) struggling. For all his versatility, Tim Wakefield just can’t seem to get a feel for his knuckleball, and heads to AAA along with Derek Lowe.

Kurt Suzuki is fantastic defensively behind the plate, but his offense is just too weak for the WBL at this point. He joins Iván De Jesús, Mike Greenwell, Andrew Benintendi, Dwight Evans, and Candy Jim Taylor at AAA.

That sounds like a lot, but there are still a lot of roster questions to figure out. The odds are only one of Joe Cronin, Joe Cunningham, and Travis Shaw can make the roster, and it’s not clear if there is space for all three of Nomar Garciaparra, Dobie Moore, and Vern Stephens. Given that Bill White and Wade Boggs are entrenched as starters on the corners (with David Ortiz pushing White for time), there is a lot of pressure in the middle infield.

Even with the demotions of Joe Kelley and Hack Wilson, the Red Sox have eight OFers in camp, with established contributors Ted Williams (!), David Justice, and Mookie Betts all struggling to put the bat on the ball. This felt crowded even before camp started, with Manny Ramírez, Reggie Smith, Sammy Sosa, Williams, and Betts all but assured of spots. Add to that the stellar debuts from Carl Yastrzemski and Alex Johnson, and it’s all a bit of a mess.

Final Cuts

The acquisition of Gabby Hartnett leaves the C position pretty crowded, especially given Dobie Moore can fill in behind the plate in a pinch. As such, Bob Brenly heads to the minors despite a decent showing last season. He was joined by recent acquisition Rollie Fingers who needs another year of development at least.

The C position was finalized with Dave Engle‘s demotion, as Billy Bryan holds on to his roster spot behind Hartnett.

Moore’s presence also allows the Red Sox to keep only 1 of Claude Ritchey and Wayne Causey. Ritchey performed better both last season and in the Spring, so Causey finds himself on his way to AAA.

Young Jim Kaat impressed during the Spring, but will start the year at AAA, as will veteran IF Nomar Garciaparra, who again showed too little to warrant a WBL roster spot.

Despite showing some promise–certainly more than he showed in a disastrous 2000–Nixey Callahan will start the year at AAA, as will Jameson Taillon. 1B was always going to be crowded, when David Ortiz hit 6 homeruns during the Spring, it got ridiculous. That earned Ortiz a roster spot, with Joe Cronin and Joe Cunningham both heading to AAA, and Travis Shaw sticking with the Red Sox due to his ability to backup Wade Boggs at 3B.

And then there was one cut left to make.

The choices were Bill Doak (excellent last year, horrendous this Spring), Alex Johnson (a total unknown tearing the cover off the ball this Spring), or Carl Yastrzemski (a strong Spring, but no real place to get regular playing time). Memphis decided to get Yaz some regular at bats, making him the final cut of the Spring.