Overall

Quite a fall from winning the championship the previous season, with most of the fault being in (what else?) a faltering pitching staff.

Baltimore finally began to play well in August, but by then it was too late to do much other than play spoiler.

Most of the off-season focus in on the staff. There is a young core of position players, led by the emergence of Cal Ripken Jr and the continued brilliance of Frank Robinson, and with the right side of the infield being retooled, things seem OK offensively (although there is some skepticism that the turn to Eddie Murray over the aging-yet-still-productive Dan McGann may be being rushed).

But on the mound, a massive amount of improvement is needed, led by figuring out exactly who the starting pitchers are here.

What Went Right

Everything revolves around Frank Robinson, who at 22 is one of the elite talents in the game, slashing 308/394/674 and leading the team in HR, RBI, and runs scored.

Cal Ripken Jr really elevated his game, making an argument to join the elite shortstops in the WBL, showing power (32 homers) and decent bat control and defense.

Gavvy Cravath delivered, with 44 homeruns and 111 RBIs, making his free agent signing a success despite his sub .250 BA.

Bryce Harper continues to show up with an OPS just over .900 and good speed, even if his ultimate OF position seems to still be evolving.

This was supposed to be 1B Dan McGann‘s last year, but the 38 year old posted a .400 OBP with a little power to boot, complicating the Black Sox’s desire to turn the position over to Eddie Murray.

Miller Huggins took over at 2B, showing great defensive skills and an insane ability to get on base–Huggins ended up with the Gold Glove in the AL, a testament to just how good he was with the glove despite missing a fair chunk of the year in the minors.

Speaking of Gold Gloves, Paul Blair won his 2nd in CF. Still can’t hit.

Finally on the offensive side, Curt Blefary continues to be decently above average behind the plate, even with an overall slip in performance from last year’s heights.

So, that’s a decent amount, and certainly a strong enough list to warrant being in the playoff hunt. Until you get to the pitching. What went well … hmm …

Justin Hampson came out of nowhere to make the All Star team out of the pen. He got injured, so it was only 27 appearances, but they were pertty spectacular.

And … yeah … that’s about it. I mean, Buddy Groom was serviceable as a closer when called upon. Jim Palmer was never given a steady rotation spot, but was probably the best starter they had. Meh.

ALL STARS

Justin Hampson
Frank Robinson

MAJOR AWARDS

Paul Blair, AL CF Gold Glove
Miller Huggins, AL 2B Gold Glove
Cal Ripken Jr, AL SS Silver Slugger

RECOGNITIONS

Curt Blefary, All AL 3rd Team
Gavvy Cravath, AL Over 30 Team
Buddy Groom, AL Over 30 Team
Tom Haller, AL All Rookie Team
Bryce Harper, AL 21 & Under Team
Miller Huggins, All AL 3rd Team
Cal Ripken Jr, All AL 2nd Team; AL Rookie of the Year 2nd Place; AL 25 & Under Team; AL 23 & Under Team; AL All Rookie Team
Frank Robinson, All AL 3rd Team; AL 23 & Under Team

ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDS

Frank Robinson, MVP
Justin Hampson, Pitcher of the Year
Curt Blefary, Heart & Soul
Miller Huggins, Fan Favorite

Dick Ellsworth, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Asdrúbal Cabrera, Minor League Player of the Year

What Went Wrong

Larry Gardner and Bobby Wallace–key components of the championship season–were either hurt or injured. That opened the door for Ripken Jr and Huggins, but still.

And then there’s the pitching.

Injuries and indecision kept Baltimore from, aside from Dennis Martínez, settling on a rotation. Martínez was mediocre at best (12-8, 5.12), but he did provide steady consumption of innings.

Ned Garvin was worse then El Presidente, but looked to still be suffering the effects of his long-term injury.

Beyond that … misery. Johnny Sain, Bill Byrd, and Gene Conley were downright bad as spot starters and Gregg Olson and Sean Marshall were rocked coming out of the bullpen.

Baltimore needs bounce-back seasons from nearly everyone.

Transactions

March

None, and hopes were high.

July

P John Wetteland & 4th Round Pick to POR for P Mike Cuellar.

Cuellar was decent and Wetteland has been awful, so consider this a small win.

August

IF Bobby Wallace & P Connie Johnson to DET for P Gene Conley, P Bill Drake, P Emil Yde, OF Hub Collins, & 2nd Round Pick.

Interesting trade for sure. It all hinges on how well Drake and Yde develop, but the contours of the deal make sense for Baltimore.

P Joe Beggs & 2nd Round Pick to KCM for OF Earl Averill.

Averill looks poised to displace Blair in CF, so this one looks OK as well.

Positional Overview

C

Curt Blefary is the answer here for a while, with Tom Haller behind him.

Should Haller falter, there are some options, most notably Ramón Hernández and Billy Earle.

1B

The plan was for Eddie Murray to take over here and Dan McGann to … well, do something. But McGann continues to offer significant offensive performance, and Murray struggled a bit in adjusting to WBL pitching. But the Black Sox are likely to stick with the plan, either using McGann as a high volume backup or finding a trade partner for him.

There is some talent in the system, from veteran Jim Bottomley to youngsters Willie Montañez and Bruce Bochte.

2B

Miller Huggins has made this spot his own, but that’s what Baltimore thought about Larry Gardner last year. Still Huggins’ defense and ability to get on base seems likely to stick.

Asdrúbal Cabrera, the organizational minor league player of the year, is likely to serve as the reserve infielder next year.

SS

Cal Ripken Jr looks to have this sewn up.

There is an intriguing choice for a backup in Mark Belanger, who cannot hit, but is a defensive wizard. It’s more likely the Black Sox keep using Machado and perhaps Cabrera behind Ripken Jr.

3B

Manny Machado has his detractors, but he really is quite solid, delivering 44 homeruns and 99 RBIs.

Brooks Robinson at AAA is better defensively, and the future may belong to either Frank Ward (still only 17) or Gunnar Henderson, but for now, this is Machado’s spot.

LF/RF

If we assume better options exist in CF, this looks to be Frank Robinson and Bryce Harper, with support from Ken Singleton, Phil Bradley, and perhaps occasionally Gavvy Cravath.

Baby Doll Jacobson has been solid when given the chance, and Steve Brodie, Ron Northey, and Larry Sheets all look like they could help out if needed.

CF

It’s the offense of Earl Averill against the defense of Paul Blair here. As is often the case in these situations, look for Averill to get the nod, with Blair’s playing time expanding if he struggles at the plate.

At 18, Paul Hines is well regarded, and either Gene Clines or Homer Smoot may still grow into something useful.

DH

This should be Gavvy Cravath‘s primary position.

SP

The Black Sox seem committed to Dennis Martínez and Ned Garvin, and Jim Palmer has done enough to warrant a more extended time here. So that leaves two open slots, with the competition between Bill Byrd, Mike Mussina, Mike Cuellar and a host of new names, led by John Tudor, Emil Yde, and Dick Ellsworth.

Mark Baldwin and Bob Welch should be useful at the WBL level, while the brightest lights lower in the system are probably Bill Drake, Joe Decker, and Milt Pappas.

RP

Buddy Groom will hold onto his role as closer, but his grip on that is tentative at best.

Look for the Black Sox to give Justin Hampson more time, Sean Marshall a chance to recover his form from last year, and Gregg Olson another chance, just because. Some of the players that miss out on the rotation will be here, and the trio of DJ Carrasco, Frank Linzy, and Mike Munoz will get a peek as well.

Draft Outlook

DRAFT PICKS

1st Round: 1
2nd Round: 1
3rd Round: 1
4th Round: 0
5th Round: 1

The system needs talent, top to bottom, with only perhaps SS and the corner OF spots considered blocked.

This is everyone who qualified for the ERA crown, plus a heaping handful of others who made at least 10 starts during the season. If a player had less than 162 innings, they are (a) probably knocked down a tier and (b) their name is prefaced by a * and italicized.

We’ve leaned on valuing IP in these rankings, perhaps a bit too much. But these are your starters, and they need to show up, game after game. It also means the Tiers are a little different: there are D-Tier pitchers here that you would welcome at the back end of your rotation, and it’s really only some of them, and the F Tier, that are truly an issue.

Our usual practices prevail: bold for top 3 and italics for bottom 3. Pitchers with below 162 IP aren’t included in the top/bottom markers.

#S Tier

Just look at all that bold.

It’s been these 3 all year, and there’s a hair’s breadth between them. The analytics like Toad Ramsey, but Luis Padrón‘s record is stunning and while his ERA crown came by the absolute thinnest of margins, it did come.

Knuckleballers are always a bit unpredictable season-to-season, and it may very well be that A. Rube Foster has the best career of these three. But great things are expected of each of them.

#A Tier

Lefty Grove and Smokey Joe Williams each have an argument to move up a tier, but are held back, Grove’s instance by his ERA, in Williams’ by his record. Still, they are the class of this group.

If José Méndez hadn’t led the league in innings, he would probably drop down a level, but we’re nitpicking: these are staff aces on most teams. Note that Miami, Brooklyn, and Kansas City already have 2 pitchers each on this list.

#B Tier

Hardie Henderson, Roger Clemens, and perhaps Eddie Plank (but that would be giving an awful lot of weight on 20 victories) could all be nudged up, but I’m comfortable with this. These are all front of rotation hurlers, with the only real surprise being Brett Anderson, who quietly excelled in a difficult year for Los Angeles. Ed Walsh, last year’s Rookie of the Year, avoided the sophomore slump entirely.

If you’re looking for skepticism, both Ice Box Chamberlain (due to age) and Kyle Peterson (due to coming out of nowhere) are decent bets to regress.

#C Tier

Gaylord Perry and JM Ward were perhaps the unluckiest pitchers in the league this year: a bit of good fortune, and either could be several tiers above. If anyone is ranked too highly, it’s probably Bill Steen. There are a lot of names here that could easily take a step forward–Steve Carlton, Don Drysdale, and Walter Johnson especially.

Sandy Koufax blossomed in the bullpen after losing his rotation spot, but Brooklyn is likely to try him again as a starter next season.

Joe Rogan is just a remarkable talent. Everyone else here has great value solely from being on the mound: add Rogan’s bat and … yoikes.

#D Tier

There are some absolute conundrums here. Greg Maddux‘s issues are obvious in the final column: his BABIP is top-3 in the league, showing just how good his stuff is. But he has to keep the ball in the ballpark. At least once in a while.

Christy Mathewson and Cy Young seem like they could do more than be massive inning eaters, but they need to be harder to hit to make the jump forward. But pitching is weird: Jack Taylor and Gerrit Cole (see below) were among the best on the mound last season, and struggled mightily this.

Bob Feller would warrant a bump as well with a few more solid starts.

#F Tier

Most of these issues are clear: too many homeruns, too many walks, way too many runners on the basepaths. Maybe Old Hoss Radbourn could argue to be one tier up. Maybe.

Other than that, it must be said there is a ton of talent here: Roy Oswalt, Tom Seaver, and Justin Verlander jump out as most likely to bounce back next year.

It must be said there are probably 2 dozen more names that could be listed in the F Tier. Check out the individual team maps as they are published for those, but suffice to say that, when a pitcher goes down in flames in the WBL, they burn awfully bright.

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?

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.

Ned Garvin should start a rehab assignment some time this week, which is great news for a struggling Baltimore staff. The team won’t make any changes for now, but both Johnny Sain and the surprising John Tudor are pushing to replace Connie Johnson and/or Jim Palmer in the rotation. Garvin did indeed begin a stint at AAA, with many in the organization paying very close attention.

Frank Robinson might be emerging from his early season doldrums, going 3 for 4 with 2 homeruns in a 4-1 victory over Los Angeles. Dennis Martínez continued his strong start, improving to 3-1 with 7 strong innings, allowing 6 hits and a single run for the Black Sox, with Joe Beggs picking up his 2nd save of the year.

Baby Doll Jacobsen hit the DL with a sprained knee, with Cal Ripken, Jr. being recalled.

Gavvy Cravath had 2 hits, including a walkoff grand slam as the Black Sox came back to win 8-6 over the Black Yankees.

#Cleveland Spiders

Yordano Ventura was pressed into emergency duty as a starter and performed magnificently, allowing 4 hits and 2 runs in 7 innings, but he was not involved in the decision as the Spiders came from behind for a 3-2 win over Miami. Lance Berkman went deep twice for Cleveland.

#Detroit Wolverines

The Wolverines put on the largest beatdown of the WBL season so far, a 23 to 5 thrashing of Portland. Charlie Gehringer drove in 7 and Bob Bailey 4 while Bailey, Billy Nash, and Ed Bailey each scored 4 times. Bob Bailey and Juan Beníquez each had 3 hits for Detroit. Ed Bailey walked 4 times and Gehringer, Bob Bailey, and Hank Greenberg each went deep. Gene Conley wasn’t great, but he didn’t have to be as he improved to 1-2 with an 8 inning effort.

Ty Cobb went deep twice as the Wolverines pulverized Memphis, 15-3. Gehringer and Chili Davis had 3 hits each, with Cobb and Davis driving in 3 runs as part of a 16 hit attack. Charlie Root threw a strong 8 innings, earning his first win of the year.

Ernie Lombardi and Greenberg had 3 hits each (with Greenberg smacking 3 doubles), and Bob Bailey and Al Kaline had 3 RBI’s each as Detroit trounced the Red Sox, 13-6.

#Memphis Red Sox

The Red Sox clearly need to find more playing time for Travis Shaw and David Ortiz, who combined to go 5 for 8 with 7 RBIs and 3 homeruns (2 for Shaw) in a 10-7 win over the Black Yankees. Memphis roared out to a 10-1 lead then had to survive a bad outing from Andrew Miller for the win, which went to David Bush who threw 4 plus hitless innings in relief of an injured Shane Bieber.

#New York Black Yankees

After a rough start, Thurman Munson is starting to come around. The Black Yankee backstop had 3 hits, including 2 homeruns, and drove in 5 as New York topped Memphis, 9-2. Andy Pettitte had a solid outing, improving to 2-1.

Lou Gehrig went deep twice, leading the Black Yankees to a 4-3 win over Baltimore. Jack Scott improved to 2-2 with a solid outing and Goose Gossage picked up his 2nd save of the season.

Overall

Best record in the league for most of the season, plus a thrilling postseason that included two Game 7 victories. It was a great year for the Black Sox who were led by a dominant pitching staff and an especially strong top half of the lineup.

The watchword of the year for Baltimore was resiliency. They lost two all stars to long term injury, including Ned Garvin, who was at the time the most dominant pitcher in the league. But they kept rolling, bringing in some talent and developing some others to not miss a beat. It applied to non-injury situations as well: Baby Doll Jacobson stepped right into the WBL to provide OF depth when needed and the bullpen, while in flux all year, was never less than excellent.

What Went Right

Frank Robinson established himself as a budding superstar, Curt Blefary far exceeded expectations and the trio of Dan McGann, Bobby Wallace, and Larry Gardner were constant thorns in the side of opposing pitchers.

Nobody really struggled. Paul Blair doesn’t hit a lot in CF, but he has some pop and provides elite defense; Jacobson was a revelation in about a half-season of work, making the competition between him, Bryce Harper, and Ken Singleton quite fierce for the final OF spots, especially given that the Black Sox signed the best free agent on the market in Gavvy Cravath.

Garvin, Bill Byrd, Dennis Martínez, Connie Johnson (brought over via trade) and, increasingly as the season wore on, Mike Mussina, combined for as good a rotation as found in the league. That left Jim Palmer and Johnny Sain vying for time from the bullpen: this is a deep staff, and looks to be so for at least a few years.

The duo of Don Bessent and Bob Miller handed closing duties well for the first half of the season, and when they faltered, Joe Beggs, John Wetteland, and Buddy Groom stepped in and performed even better. Groom especially was virtually unhittable.

ALL STARS
P Bill Byrd; C Curt Blefary; P Ned Garvin; RP Sean Marshall; P Dennis Martínez; 1B Dan McGann; SS Bobby Wallace

What Went Wrong

3B was an issue until the arrival of Manny Machado, with none of those given a chance–most notably Brooks Robinson and Harlond Clift, but also Cal Ripken, Jr–doing anything to lay a claim on the hot corner.

I mean … that’s really about it. That and the injuries, which they overcame. I guess that’s how you win a championship.

Transactions

March

P Rube Foster to Indianapolis for 2B Miller Huggins & OF Willie Montañez

Given the overall pitching depth, a nice move.

June

P Mike Morgan, 1B Richie Sexson, C Chris Hoiles & IF Joe Dugan to Miami for IF Manny Machado

Machado is likely to have the best career of this group, so it’s a win.

P Willie Sudhoff, OF Alex Johnson & 4th Round Pick to Memphis for P Joe Beggs

Beggs was great, so this worked out well.

July

OF Merv Rettenmund, P Gene Garber & 2nd Round Pick to Kansas City for P Connie Johnson & 5th Round Pick {Stan Spence}

A clear win.

Looking Forward

SP

Very solid in the immediate, and the long-term foursome of Dennis Martínez, Bill Byrd, Mike Mussina, and Jim Palmer looks formidable. Could use some more depth here, but who couldn’t? Ned Garvin‘s recovery from injury will be key.

RP

Very strong, although there is a chance of an overall regression, which could be concerning.

C

Blefary looks solid, but there is very little behind him if he falters.

1B

Dan McGann was great this year, but young Eddie Murray is pushing from the wings.

2B

Larry Gardner has this locked down for now, although Miller Huggins may argue for some time as well.

3B

It would be nice if Manny Machado, Brooks Robinson, or even Harlond Clift would just perform well enough to settle this spot.

SS

Bobby Wallace for now, but Cal Ripken, Jr. will probably take over at some point.

LF

Frank Robinson.

CF

This is Paul Blair‘s spot, which means there will always be questions about upgrading for better offense. For now, Baby Doll Jacobson and Bryce Harper are likely to see at least occasional time here.

RF

Gavvy Cravath steps right in here, but longer term this is going to be a battle between Jacobson and Ken Singleton.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

The Black Sox didn’t have a pick until the final selection of the 3rd round, so this year’s draft is really more about picking up talent where they can than anything else. They’ll start stocking their system with 24 year old OF Topsy Hartsel, as the Black Sox know the worth of a hitter that can draw a walk.

Rounds 5-8

Look for a focus on 3B, OF, and pitching in these rounds, beginning with OF Stan Spence who was added with the 3rd pick of the 5th round. With the final pick of that round, Baltimore added franchise selection Steve Brodie. In the 6th they picked up OF Bruce Bochte and in the 7th P Joe Dobson with their final franchise exception.

IF Gunnar Henderson has shown some upside, making him their 8th round pick.

Rounds 9-12

P Jack Kramer; OF Homer Smoot; P Allen Sothoron; P Jeff Ballard.

Baltimore was unable to reach agreement with 11th round pick, P Allen Sothoron with no compensation.

#Detroit Wolverines v Baltimore Black Sox, Game 6

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

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

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

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

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

Bob Miller retired Detroit in order in the 7th.

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

Matt Anderson retired Baltimore in order in the 8th.

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

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

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

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

#Detroit Wolverines v Baltimore Black Sox, Game II

With Mike Mussina having thrown an effective 2 innings in game one, Baltimore will turn to Johnny Sain in the second game of the series, giving the 30 year old righty his first postseason start. Detroit will counter with Charlie Root, and will give Geoff Jenkins a start at DH, with Al Kaline likely the first bat off the bench for the Wolverines.

The Black Sox wasted no time in taking their first lead of the series, with Bobby Wallace leading off the bottom of the first with a double and scoring on a single from Larry Gardner. The 1-0 lead lasted until the fifth, when Sain surrendered only his second hit of the day, a homerun to Oscar Gamble to tie the game.

Two walks in the 6th brought in Jim Palmer in relief of Sain. Palmer whiffed Hank Greenberg, but gave up RBI singles to Gamble and Chili Davis, and then Paul Blair dropped the ball on a difficult catch for an error. At the end of it, the score was 4-1 in favor of Detroit.

Palmer gave up a 2-run homerun to Bob Bailey in the top of the 7th, making it 6-1. A solo shot from Dan McGann and a single by Bryce Harper chased Root in the bottom of the inning, but Buddy Napier was able to get out of a bit of a jam–two on with no outs–without allowing another run, taking us to the 8th inning with the Wolverines up, 6-2.

Kaline registered his displeasure at being benched by launching a pinch-hit homerun in the 8th with a runner on base, providing the final score of 8-2, and giving Detroit a 2-0 edge in the series.

Both teams had 8 hits in the contest, but Detroit made the most of their opportunities, hit 3 homers, and the 5 walks surrendered by Sain didn’t help.

DET 8 (Root 3-0) @ BAL 2 (Sain 0-1)
HRs: DET – Gamble (2), B. Bailey (4), Kaline (2); BAL – McGann (4).
Box Score

As you would expect, both teams were solid all around, but the general theme is that the Black Sox rode a superior pitching staff while the Wolverines do a little more offensively.

Today we’ll do things a little differently, comparing the teams position by position as we get ready for the fall classic.

#Starting Pitching

The Wolverines starters have been excellent, led by Hal Newhouser. Their rotation has been transformed since opening day, with Gene Conley joining the staff from the bullpen and Charlie Root being obtained via midseason trade. Behind those three, Justin Verlander and lefty Hank Aguirre are most likely to get starts, with the struggling Johnny Marcum being moved to the bullpen.

Some questions have emerged during the postseason for Baltimore’s rotation. During the regular season, the trio of Bill Byrd, Dennis Martínez, and Connie Johnson (a mid-season acquisition) were spectacular, but in the postseason, only Martínez has really lived up to his billing, with Byrd alternating dominant starts with being hit pretty hard. Behind them, there is a bit of a logjam: Mike Mussina is struggling, as is Jim Palmer, so if a 4th starter is needed, look for Johnny Sain to get the opportunity.

Edge: I’ve got to go with Baltimore, with an expectation that their top three bounce back to their level of performance during the regular season. But Newhouser has been the most dominant pitcher left in the postseason, which can always count for something.

#Relief Pitching

This gets interesting. Baltimore’s bullpen has suffered injuries all year, and has just kept rolling along. Ned Garvin was here before spending a few weeks as the best starter in the league, before getting injured. Don Bessent and Bob Miller were co-closers for a time, before getting injured. Sean Marshall was among the most dominant bullpen arms in the league, before getting injured. Sense a theme?

Now, midseason acquisition Joe Beggs and Buddy Groom form the back end. Groom has been especially dominant, with a 1.96 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP over 51 games. John Wetteland has been excellent since being recalled from the minors, and Bessent and Miller join him in handling the middle innnings.

For the Wolverines, the bullpen has been a bit of an oddity. Mike Henneman ended the season tied for the season league in saves, but he certainly had his struggles, exemplified by his 4.60 ERA and 6 blown saves. John Hiller and Buddy Napier were excellent getting the ball to Henneman, but Hiller is out injured, meaning Detroit will be leaning heavily on Matt Anderson and Chad Bradford, both of whom were solid in the regular season. Either Aguirre or Mickey Lolich may be called on for key outs against lefties in Hiller’s absence. Finally, there is Verlander, who was on the verge of moving into the rotation all season, but never quite made it. He is the most reliable option in the early or middle innings, if needed.

Edge: Solidly in favor of Baltimore. That said, Verlander, Henneman, Napier, and Anderson have combined to allow 3 runs in 17 innings this postseason, so the gap may be narrower than it appears from the regular season performances.

#C

In the regular season, Detroit split its duties behind the plate between Bill Carrigan, Ed Bailey, and Ernie Lombardi with Carrigan and Bailey in a rough platoon until Lombardi came over from Indianapolis. Bailey is one of the hottest hitters around these days, so look for him to get most of the starts, but Carrigan was the best of them in the regular season, slashing 316/369/477.

Curt Blefary had a spectacular year for Baltimore, with a 280/392/549 slash line and 29 homeruns. He has struggled mightily in the postseason, but showed signs of coming out of it against Portland.

Edge: Even with Detroit’s far greater depth, you have to give the edge here to Baltimore and Blefary.

#1B

Baltimore’s Dan McGann may be 37, but sure plays like he has a lot left in the tank, racking up a 282/388/445 slash line for the Black Sox.

It’s all about Hank Greenberg for Detroit, one of the Wolverines’ two elite players. Greenberg finished the regular season at 317/374/595 with 31 homeruns and 113 RBI’s.

Edge: McGann had a great year. Greenberg is in the second tier of the MVP conversation. Edge, Detroit.

#2B

Detroit is thrilled to have their 38 year old sparkplug, Tony Phillips, back from injury. Phillips is a nuisance at the top of the batting order, with an OBP just shy of .400. He is not very good defensively, as Sparky Adams will often replace him late in the game, earning him the nickname The Old Man’s Glove.

Larry Gardner‘s 318/393/471 slash line is fantastic for anywhere, let alone a middle infielder. Gardner looks like he is fully recovered from a chest contusion suffered in the first round of the playoffs.

Edge: Baltimore.

#SS

Bobby Wallace is one of the better offensive shortstops in the WBL, slashing 302/396/418, drawing lots of walks and hitting 40 doubles in the regular season. He’s not bad defensively.

Detroit’s George Davis is a whiz defensively, and his .662 OPS, while well under league average, isn’t awful for a middle infielder.

Edge: Baltimore, although Davis’ defense does close the gap a bit.

#3B

When Bob Bailey was injured, Olmedo Sáenz filled in admirably, earning a spot on the playoff roster over Jimmy Collins, by far the better fielder. But he was no replacement for Bailey, who slashed 277/364/462 in the regular season. Sáenz remains a threat off the bench.

Manny Machado hit better for Baltimore than he did for Miami at the start of the year, but is still seen as a bit of a disappointment overall, with a .729 OPS for the year. Brooks Robinson hasn’t shown anything offensively, but is a whiz defensively, providing essentially the same role at 3B as Adams does for Detroit at 2B, but without the cool nickname.

Edge: Detroit

#LF

Frank Robinson is the most feared hitter on the Black Sox, with 37 homeruns, 111 RBIs, and a 302/383/539 slash line. Truly elite.

For Detroit, this is usually the provenance of Oscar Gamble, whose 28 homeruns were second on the team. Gamble was the emotional heart of the Wolverines, and should stay out there despite some late season struggles. Gamble is the best fielder of the group here.

Edge: I love Gamble, too, but the edge here goes clearly to Baltimore.

#CF

Detroit’s Chili Davis is fairly significantly under appreciated, both in Detroit and across the WBL. But Davis is a solid performer out there, slashing 273/328/443 while playing solid defense. The Wolverines are a bit thin here, with Cobb the presumed backup should Davis go down.

Paul Blair could barely make contact for the first third of the season. The fact that he got his OPS to .700 is a strong accomplishment, and, combined with his elite level defense, makes Blair a solid contributor for Baltimore. Baby Doll Jacobsen, who has a fair bit of pop, is the usual reserve here, although Harper can slide over as well.

Edge: Detroit

#RF

The Black Sox stuck with Bryce Harper through his early season struggles, and it paid off as the nineteen year old settled into the league. He has a great eye, a bit of power, and ended up slashing 259/360/403 on the year.

The other legitimate elite player for the Wolverines is the batting champion, Ty Cobb, whose 352/391/557 slash line and 52 SB’s combine to form a truly fantastic offensive player.

Edge: Detroit.

#DH

Al Klaine has 34 games under his belt at the WBL, and has slashed 301/374/573 in that span. That performance has generally left Detroit without a spot for Geoff Jenkins, who was the usual DH, especially against right-handers.

As both Harper and Jacobson established themselves throughout the season, DH duties for Baltimore fell more and more often to Ken Singleton, who was … fine. Singleton was almost the picture of a useful hitter, slashing 266/352/407 with 17 homeruns and 88 RBIs. Nothing to complain about, but nothing to love, either. He’s been excellent so far in the postseason.

Edge: Toss up, although if Kaline maintains his level of performance, slides to Detroit.

#Overall

Quantitatively, 6-4 in favor of Baltimore, with one tie. So, very close.

I have to go with Baltimore: they are so good at getting on base, and their pitching is just better. But Detroit really has no weak spots offensively (maybe SS with Davis), and if they can get enough from their pitching staff, they certainly have a shot.

Prediction: Black Sox in 6.

#Portland Sea Dogs v Baltimore Black Sox, Game 7

Baltimore is 4-1 at home in the postseason, but they’ll be up against Walter Johnson, 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA so far. The Black Sox’s Bill Byrd had been no slouch (2-1, 1.50), but you have to give the Sea Dogs the edge on the mound. Portland makes one change to its lineup with Adrián Beltré coming in for the slumping Buddy Bell at 3B.

Baltimore’s Bobby Wallace led off the bottom of the first with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Larry Gardner. But Big Train gonna’ roll, striking out both Frank Robinson and Curt Blefary to end the threat.

Beltré took his first at-bat with runners on first and third (singles from Rogers Hornsby and Jim Fregosi) and 2 outs … and beat out a slow hopper to second for the infield hit, driving in Hornsby. Portland would leave the bases loaded, but with a 1-0 lead.

Ken Singleton would tie the game with an RBI double in the bottom of the second, but Portland would bounce back immediately, again using hits from Hornsby and Fregosi to take a 3-1 lead. Byrd didn’t make it out of the 4th, and Jim Palmer was greeted in relief by a long blast from Kent Hrbek, increasing their lead to 6-1.

Johnson wasn’t dominant, but he was solid; still, a leadoff walk to Blefary, followed by a triple from Dan McGann got Portland’s bullpen busy in the 6th. Singleton doubled in McGann to close the lead to 7-3, and that was it for Johnson. Mark Melancon came in and gave up two soft singles before ending the inning, scoring 1.

Through six, Portland led, 7-4. 9 outs to go.

Through seven, Portland led, 7-4. 6 outs to go.

In the top of the 8th, Joe Mauer pulled up lame legging out a double and had to be replaced. In the bottom of the frame, Bryce Harper lead things off with a double down the right field line and moved to third on a single from Singleton. Manny Machado sent a flyball to left, and Harry Hooper fired an absolute strike to nail Harper trying to score form third.

Through eight, Portland led, 7-4. 3 outs to go.

Wallace ledoff the bottom of the 9th with a double. Gardner followed with a single, putting runners at first and third and prompting Portland to replace Elmer Brown with Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman surrendered an RBI single to Robinson, making the score 7-5, but Blefary grounded into a fielders choice. McGann tagged a Hoffman slider to dead center field, driving in 2 to tie the game, and going to third on the throw home.

A three run comeback to tie the game, with one out in the bottom of the 9th of game 7! What else could you ask for?

Hoffman got Harper to lift a flyball to center, where Gary Pettis sat. He caught it, launched a throw home … and McGann beat the throw! The Black Sox score 4 in the bottom of the 9th to come back from a 3-1 series deficit, and are headed to the Whirled Series!

Wallace had 4 hits and Singleton 3 and McGann drove in 3 runs for Baltimore in the clincher, while Mauer had 3 hits for Portland in the losing effort. The focus really needs to be on the bullpens, though: Brown and Hoffman gave up 4 runs while Buddy Groom, Gregg Olson, and John Wetteland combined for 4 innings of scoreless work to close out the game.

POR 7 (Hoffman 1-2, 2 B Sv; Porterfield 1 H; Brown 1 H) @ BAL 8 (Wetteland 1-1)
HRs: POR – Hrbek (1); BAL – none.
Box Score

Frank Robinson was named series MVP in a puzzling decision. Robbie slashed 345/406/621 and led the Black Sox with 8 RBI, but Larry Gardner‘s 412/474/824 performance sure seemed a better choice.