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TWIWBL 70.4: Cum Posey Division

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On January 8, 2025

In TWIWBL

TeamW/LPctGB
San Francisco Sea Lions47-30.610—
Chicago American Giants37-39.4879.5
Miami Cuban Giants36-40.46511.5
Los Angeles Angels34-42.44712.5
Portland Sea Dogs34-42.42914
Cum Posey Division | 25 June

#Chicago American Giants

The American Giants continue to struggle with the back and of their roster, as neither George Grantham nor Damian Jackson have managed on OPS over .500. With Kevin Mitchell hitting well at AAA, they exchanged Grantham for him, retaining Jackson for his defensive versatility.

Frank Thomas went deep twice, but it wasn’t enough as the American Giants fell to the Red Sox, 6-2.

#Los Angeles Angels

AJ Pierzynski will miss about 3 weeks with a broken foot, prompting the Angels to recall Ron Hassey from AAA.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Ed Brandt and Bob Gillespie were sent to AAA in exchange for Jason Hammel and Hugh McQuillan.

Cole Hamels evened his record at 7-7 with a strong outing as the Cuban Giants pummeled the Black Yankees, 17-5. Yasiel Puig went deep twice, drove in 7, and scored 4 times and Puig, Gary Sheffield, and Ryan Braun each had 3 hits.

More injury news: Hammel was returned to AAA with Kenshin Kawakami returning to Miami and Al Oliver started a rehab assignment as he eases his way back from the DL.

Jim Thome hit homeruns in the 8th and 9th, leading Miami to an 8-4, come from behind win over Los Angeles.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Art Fowler was sent to AAA to clear the way for the long-anticipated return of Joseíto Muñoz, injured since last season. Muñoz was brilliant last year, and the Sea Dogs are hoping his return is the spark they need to turn their season around–perhaps too much to ask of the 19 year old, who will start out working out of Portland’s pen.

Jim Fregosi went deep twice and drove in 6, but the Sea Dogs couldn’t hold an early lead, falling 11-8 to San Francisco.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Denny Walling was sent to AAA as Jimmy Bloodworth returned from an extended rehab stint.

Sal Bando went deep twice, leading the Sea Lions to a 55-4 win over Memphis. Eddie Plank improved to 11-3 and Rod Beck picked up his 20th save.

Reggie Jackson hit 2 out of the park and Bump Hadley improved to 11-4 on the season in a 10-2 victory over Memphis.

Bobby Bonds went deep twice as the Sea Lions edged out the Sea Dogs 4-3 in a see-saw affair.

TWIWBL 69.4: Cum Posey Division

By

On December 5, 2024

In TWIWBL

TeamW/LPctGB
San Francisco Sea Lions45-27.625—
Chicago American Giants34-35.4939.5
Miami Cuban Giants33-38.46511.5
Los Angeles Angels31-38.44912.5
Portland Sea Dogs30-40.42914
Cum Posey Division | 18 June

#Chicago American Giants

Carlton Fisk went deep twice (one a grand slam) and drove in 7 as the American Giants beat Detroit 11-7 in 11 innings. Eddie Collins had 4 hits for Chicago as well.

#Los Angeles Angels

Bobby Grich hit his 14th homerun in the bottom of the 9th, giving the Angels an 8-6 walkoff victory over Memphis.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Ryan Braun hit 2 homeruns, but, despite several comebacks, the Cuban Giants fell to San Francisco in 10 innings.

José Méndez had a no-hitter through 7 and Gary Sheffield hit 2 out as the Cuban Giants beat the Sea Lions, 8-4.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Harry Hooper‘s struggles have led to Kiki Cuyler getting more and more playing time, essentially moving the two into a platoon in LF. More importantly, Joseíto Muñoz began his rehab from a long term injury, something that offers significant help to the Sea Dogs’ rotation.

Gil Hodges went deep twice, but the Sea Dogs fell to Cleveland, 11-6, in 13 innings. Jerry Koosman was forced from the game with a shoulder injury, earning himself a trip to the DL. Bobby Witt was recalled to take his place.

Hodges did it again, giving him 21 on the year, and Portland beat the New York Black Yankees despite an off day from Walter Johnson, who moved to 8-5 barely making 5 innings. Hooper, Paul Molitor, and Joe Mauer also went yard for the Sea Dogs in the win.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Jimmy Bloodworth started his injury rehab, perhaps offering some help to the MI challenges faced by San Francisco.

Jack Clark hit out 2, reaching 20 on the year, and the Sea Lions edged Miami in 10 innings. Clark drove in 5 and Rickey Henderson scored 4 times for San Francisco.

TWIWBL 68.2 Spotlight on the San Francisco Sea Lions

By

On October 29, 2024

In TWIWBL

There is some optimism building by the Bay.

The Sea Lions were pretty disappointing last season, and it wasn’t really clear what to expect from them. Right now, things are going just about as well as could be hoped.

San Francisco inherits players from all the Athletics: Philadelphia, Kansas City, and Oakland.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

San Francisco is pulling away from the Cum Posey Division, playing .615 ball and holding a 6-7 game lead over Miami and Chicago. At this point, expectations have been raised to certainly making the playoffs and even making some noise once there.

THE OFFENSE

A balanced offense, with a lot of power and a ton of speed. There are some holes, but more has gone well than not.

#What’s Going Right

Almost everything.

Let’s start with the surprises. C Mickey Cochrane has exploded in a big way, slashing 318/408/581 after a very difficult rookie season. Turkey Stearnes, the 7th pick in last season’s draft, has exceeded all expectations, locking down the CF job and posting an OPS over .950. And, finally, Jimmie Foxx, while still a bit of an enigma, is showing he has at least one spectacular skillset, leading the team with 21 homeruns.

One strength of San Francisco last season was the OF trio of Bobby Bonds, Jack Clark, and Reggie Jackson. Two of them continue to deliver: while Jackson isn’t contending for the triple crown as he did for a lot of last season, he is second on the team in homeruns with 18 and first in RBI with 52. And Clark is just consistent: 259/382/569 with 17 homeruns.

The emergence of Stearnes and Foxx has triggered some changes here, as Clark has shifted to play mostly at 1B with Bonds seeing his playing time drop slightly.

The combination of Rickey Henderson and Dick Lundy put a ton of pressure on the other team: the 2 have combined for 74 steals (against 20 CS), with each of them having an OBP over .350.

#What’s Not Going Right

Bobby Bonds has regressed slightly (although his OPS is still around .875).

And then there is the rest of the IF. Jimmy Bloodworth started the season as the incumbent at 2B, but struggled before being shelved with an injury (Bloodworth may be back within a week or two) while at 3B Sal Bando is adequate at best (he’s hitting for more power than last year, but his other stats are down). The other options so far have struggled: Phil Garner has been downright bad, Roy Hartzell demoted, and the jury is still out on the latest to be given opportunities, Denny Walling and Royce Clayton. Lundy’s flexibility gives the Sea Lions a lot of options here, but a MI seems to be a strong need for the team, assuming Foxx is given more and more time at 3B.

THE PITCHING

Last week, this would be described as going perfectly, but Ron Robinson‘s injury has a shot at disrupting what has been an excellent staff, top to bottom.

#What’s Going Right

Lefty Grove (7-4, 3.26) and Eddie Plank (8-3, 3.51) are as good a top two as any staff in the league can claim. Both are likely all-stars.

After them, nobody has excelled, but nobody has really struggled either, with Bump Hadley, Watty Clark (now a fulltime starter), and Tommy Bridges all pitching quite well in the rotation, with Jim Devlin, Mel Stottlemyre Sr, and the surprising Tom Brewer all filling in quite admirably when needed.

And the back of the pen–Rod Beck, Ken Howell and the now-missing Robinson–has been lights out, with Beck recording 15 saves and Howell sporting a 1.23 ERA.

#What’s Not Going Right

It’s more an issue of the question marks: Dennis Eckersley continues to tempt with potential, but really be quite average, and asking Huston Street and Brewer to step in for Robinson might be far too much of a reach.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

It’s really hard to complain about a system that added Stearnes.

But there’s not a lot behind him. John Beckwith–currently sidelined with injury–is starting to show his offensive strength, but at 19 may be a year or two away. Beckwith is also blocked, as his defensive skills are really somewhat identical to Foxx’s.

Red Ehret is heralded as a pitcher, but doesn’t really pass the eye test. Dario Lodigiani may be a long term solution at 2B, but he’s a ways away. OF Jules Thomas and P Steve Ontiveros look good, but are also a few years away.

WHAT’S NEEDED

The pitching needs to continue to excel, with the largest challenge being how to cover for Robinson in the bullpen. If the IF can be resolved, the lineup will be truly scary 1 through 9, always a goal.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

  • On a team full of logjams, who steps forward? Strikes me as a pretty lame question, honestly. The issue was really solved with the trade of Pedro Guerrero to Brooklyn, with Watty Clark being the key piece coming back. That, and Foxx really jumping Bando in the pecking order at 3B.

FEATURED SERIES

The Sea Lions open with 4 games hosting Baltimore; given that the Black Sox are beginning to show signs of life, seemed a good series to focus on.

Projected Starters

Baltimore starter listed first.

John Tudor (2-3, 4.75) @ Bump Hadley (8-4, 4.15)
Dennis Martínez (6-3, 4.55) @ Watty Clark (3-2, 4.50)
Ned Garvin (3-2, 5.03) @ Lefty Grove (7-4, 3.26)
Mike Mussina (3-3, 4.83) @ Tommy Bridges (1-2, 5.59)

Game One

Baltimore’s John Tudor had to leave early via injury, and Phil Garner, whose struggles were mentioned above, took Tudor’s relief, Connie Johnson, deep in the 3rd for a 1-0 lead for the Sea Lions. Turkey Stearnes went deep in the 4th and Johnson was chased as San Francisco added another in the the 5th for a 3-0 lead.

Meanwhile, Bump Hadley had a shutout through 6, allowing the Black Sox only 2 hits. A pair of 2 out walks led to Hadley exiting the game in the 8th, but Ken Howell closed the inning out and Rod Beck pitched a perfect 9th for the combined shutout.

BAL 0 (Johnson 4-5) @ SFS 3 (Hadley 9-4; Beck 16 Sv; Howell 3 H)
HRs: BAL – none; SFS- Garner (2); Stearnes (16).
Box Score

Game Two

The Sea Lions took the early 3-0 lead on Reggie Jackson‘s 19th homer of the year and a an RBI single from Phil Garner. But Baltimore came back in similar fashion–a solo shot from Manny Machado and a 2 run single from Paul Blair. Both Dennis Martínez for Baltimore and Watty Clark for San Francisco looked strong, and the game remained 3-3 until the top of the 8th.

And here we see the potential impact of Ron Robinson‘s absence. Instead, San Francisco turned to Tom Brewer–who has been excellent so far, but has nowhere near the track record of Robinson. Brewer gave up a hit and a walk and a runner reached on an error, loading the bases and summoning Ken Howell from the Sea Lions’ bullpen. Curt Blefary singled in 2 and a 3rd scored on a sacrifice fly from Cal Ripken, Jr. giving Baltimore a 3 run lead heading to the bottom of the 8th.

Gregg Olson gave up a leadoff walk to Rickey Henderson and a double to Dick Lundy, bringing in Justin Hampson from the Black Sox bullpen to face a couple of lefties. Both Mickey Cochrane and Jackson delivered sacrifice flies, making it a 6-5 game.

Machado’s 2nd of the game and 20th of the year pushed the cushion back up to 2. Joe Beggs closed it out in what felt like a bit of a disappointing loss that evened the series.

BAL 7 (Martínez 7-3; Beggs 11 Sv; Hampson 5 H) @ SFS 5 (Brewer 0-1)
HRs: BAL – Machado 2 (20); SFS – Jackson (19).
Box Score

Game Three

Baltimore’s Ned Garvin was solid, allowing only a 2 run HR to Reggie Jackson in the bottom of the first over his 6 innings of work. But Lefty Grove was better, striking out 10 in his 8 innings of work. Grove was chased leading 3-1 after a pinch-hit homerun from Gavvy Cravath, but Baltimore could get no closer, with Rod Beck tossing a perfect 9th for the save, his second of the series.

BAL 2 (Garvin 3-3) @ SFS 3 (Grove 8-4; Beck 17 Sv)
HRs: BAL – Blefary (14), Cravath (20); SFS – Jackson (20).
Box Score

Game Four

Tommy Bridges has been a bit rough since his return from injury, but he was magnificent today, with 7 shutout innings before giving up a longball to Manny Machado in the 8th. Meanwhile, the heart of the Sea Lions’ order (Dick Lundy, Reggie Jackson, and Turkey Stearnes) went 8-for-12 including Stearnes’ 17th homer of the year, building a 5 run lead.

After Bridges’ departure, the mystery that is Dennis Eckersley surrendered a shot to Bryce Harper, making it a 1 run game, but again Rod Beck closed out the victory.

BAL 4 (Byrd 3-3) @ SFS 5 (Bridges 2-2; Beck 18 Sv)
HRs: BAL – Machado (21), Harper (14); SFS – Stearnes (17).
Box Score

A strong series for the Sea Lions, as they took 3 out of 4 from the defending champs. The wins encapsulated San Francisco’s success so far this year: excellent starting pitching, Rod Beck closing out each of the 3 victories, and a highly productive offense with Stearnes and Jackson each hitting 2 out in the 4 games.

TWIWBL 64.1: Year 2, Week 7

By

On August 2, 2024

In TWIWBL

May 14th

The season is beginning to hit its stride, very rapidly approaching the quarter-pole. Clearly, the time from now through the all-star break is vital in defining how things fall out.

#Awards

Albert Pujols of the Kansas City Monarchs hit .650 for the week, winning the NL Player of the Week Award while Babe Ruth took home the AL Player of the Week, hitting .522 with 5 homeruns.

Pujols beat out the House of David‘s Ernie Banks, who had 7 homeruns and drove in 14, and Scott Rolen of the Philadelphia Stars who posted a 1.997 OPS, hitting .474 with 6 dingers and 8 RBIs.

#Team Performance

The New York Black Yankees (Bill James Division) and the Kansas City Monarchs (Marvin Miller Division) continue to be the only teams above .600, while Birmingham (in the basement of the Marvin Miller Division) and defending champs Baltimore are both at 13-26, tied for the worst record in the league, and a 1-9 record in their last 10 games has seen the Memphis Red Sox (in the Bill James Division along with Baltimore) plummet to a .378 percentage.

The other 2 divisions are much tighter, with the San Francisco Seals leading the Chicago American Giants by .5 games in the Cum Posey Division and Brooklyn and Homestead in a dead heat for first in the Effa Manley Division, where the Ottawa Mounties, in last place, is only 3 games back.

#Player Performance

Batters

Usual stuff here–top 2 in most categories, league leaders in bold. Ruth’s performance is expected, but Detroit‘s young star, Ty Cobb, is far exceeding expectations at this point.

Lance Berkman (CLE). 326/393/803. 17 HR.
Ty Cobb (DET). 400/463/846. 22 2B; 2.8 WAR.
Tony Gwynn (HOU). 402/441/621. 53 H.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 294/386/515. 31 SB.
Pete Hill (HOU). 273/356/531. 7 3B.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 386/427/636. 54 H; 21 2B.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 308/386/664. 38 RBI; 34 R.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 326/440/770. 17 HR; 42 RBI; 37 R; 28 BB; 2.7 WAR.
Larry Walker (OTT). 357/431/754. 38 RBI.
Bobby Wallace (BAL). 233/385/341. 30 BB.

Pitchers

Starters

Just look at that Toad go! Ramsey has been magnificent for the Houston Colt 45’s, although he’s struggled a little in his most recent starts. There are a few more pitchers with 6 wins, I’ve only included the two sitting at 6-1, plus Ramsey.

Johnny Cueto (IND). 6-1, 2.85. 0.91 WHIP.
Doc Gooden (LAA). 4-2, 1.72. 2.80 FIP; 1.8 WAR.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-1, 3.79. 66 K.
Walter Johnson (POR). 4-3, 2.82. 60.2 IP; 1.8 WAR.
Frank Knauss (BRK). 6-1, 2.19.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 6-2, 1.63. 60.2 IP; 74 K; 0.77 WHIP; 2.31 FIP; 2.9 WAR.

Relievers

12 IP Minimum.

None of the closers have really been dominant–Gagne had been, but his ERA has risen over the past few weeks.

Rod Beck (SFS). 1-2, 5.84. 12 Sv.
Jack Billingham (IND). 0-1, 2.25. 2 H; 0.62 WHIP.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-0, 3.29. 6 H.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 0-0, 2.51. 12 Sv.
Bob Howry (PHI). 2-1, 3.29. 8 Sv; 0.51 WHIP.
Kenshin Kawakami (MCG). 2-0, 1.02.
Tim Lincecum (HOM). 0-0, 9.00. 1 H; 1.19 FIP.
Ross Reynolds (LAA). 1-0, 0.75. 1 Sv; 1 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 1-0, 1.38. 1 Sv; 3 H; 1.96 FIP.

2 Way Players

Not a ton of change here. Most of these guys are clearly contributing significantly more one side or the other, with only Luis Padrón of the Indianapolis ABC‘s and Philadelphia’s Joe Rogan really manifesting as 2-way contributors (indeed, those are the only players with positive WARs each way). Chicago’s Cristóbal Torriente saw his first time on the mound in a blowout, but has a ways to go before being listed here.

PlayerPitchingBattingpWARbWARWAR
Luis Padrón
(IND)		5-1, 4.04
(42 IP, 6 GS)		365/441/596
(59 PA)		1.20.61.8
Joe Rogan
(PHI)		3-3, 4.50
(46 IP, 7 GS)		288/328/504
(134 PA)		0.40.50.9
J.M. Ward
(PHI)		0-1, 3.43
(42 IP, 7 GS)		207/233/379
(30 PA)		0.7-0.20.5
Jim Whitney
(BBB)		1-0, 2.19
(37 IP, 16 G)		100/143/150
(21 PA)		0.8-0.40.4
Eustaquio Pedroso
(MCG)		0-0, 4.24
(23 IP, 13 G)		222/344/222
(32 PA)		0.1-0.10.0

#Injury Report

Chicago’s Akinori Otsuka is out for about 2 weeks, weakening the American Giants’ bullpen significantly.

Detroit lost both Hal Newhouser and Johnny Marcum from their rotation this week.

Memphis may get some help on the mound this week, as both Shane Bieber and Skel Roach may return from injury.

Jimmy Bloodworth is out for over a month for San Francisco, which is not all bad news for the Sea Lions as it opens more playing time for the irrepressible Dick Lundy.

TWIWBL 63.4: Cum Posey Division

By

On July 15, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Chicago American Giants

5 hits from Joe Jackson weren’t enough as the American Giants fell to Detroit, 8-6. Mark Buehrle had his first rough outing of the year, failing to become the league’s first 6 game winner and falling to 5-1.

Paul Konerko went deep twice, the 2nd shot a walkoff job in the bottom of the 10th to give the American Giants a 5-4 win over Detroit.

Akinori Otsuka will miss about 2 weeks with an elbow issue, weakening Chicago’s bullpen significantly. Tom Williams was recalled.

#Los Angeles Angels

The Angels recalled Elmer “Mike” Smith from his rehab assignments. Not wanting to be without a lefty, Los Angeles retained Noah Lowry while demoting Anthony DeSclafani despite DeSclafani’s better performance.

With George Wright being recalled from his rehab assignment, Eddie Joost is waived with the Angels hoping to retain him in AAA.

Mike Trout had himself a day: 5 hits, 3 homeruns (and 2 doubles), including a game-tying shot in the 9th and a game-winning walkoff in the bottom of the 13th.

Doc Gooden improved to 4-2 on the year with a 4 hit shutout of the Black Yankees. 4 RBI’s from Steve Garvey–including his 3rd homerun of the season–accounted for all of the Angels’ runs, more than enough to support Gooden, who whiffed 7 and walked none.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Freddie Fitzsimmons horrific start to the year (2-4, 8.17) has cost him his rotation spot, with Ed Brandt being named Miami’s #4 starter. Their 5th rotation slot remains open.

Julio Rodríguez was recalled from his rehab assignment, with the Cuban Giants (finally?) deciding that Minnie Miñoso would be better served with time at AAA. Rodríguez’ return (and Miñoso’s departure) resulted in a bunch of lineup juggling for Miami, as their OF remains quite crowded.

Rodríguez went 2 for 4 in his return as the Cuban Giants fell to Baltimore, 4-3.

The Cuban Giants came back from a 9-1 deficit in the 8th inning to beat Baltimore, 9-8. José Canseco went deep in the 8th and the 9th and Rodríguez in the 9th. Throw in a pinch-hit 2-run double from Gary Sheffield and you have a massive comeback for a shocking victory.

Needing a starter, Fitzsimmons’ continued battering led to his being sent to AAA with Lou Fette being recalled.

Al Oliver fractured his foot, and will miss about 5 weeks, with Carlos Morán recalled from AAA.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Jeff Cirillo headed back to AAA with Rogers Hornsby‘s return from a rehab assignment.

Walter Johnson was magnificent, allowing only a homerun through 8 innings before being chased by a single in the 9th in a 3-1 victory. Johnson evened his record at 3-3 with a 13 strikeout performance, walking none and lowering his ERA to 2.79.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

It was bullpen rejigger week for the Sea Lions, with San Francisco sending Bobby Seay, Steve Ontiveros, and Nick Altrock to AAA, with Tom Brewer, Mel Stottlemyre Sr, and Jim Devlin all being promoted. With both Bump Hadley and Watty Clark struggling, those 3, along with Dennis Eckersley, have to all be considered as auditioning for rotation slots.

Helped by Reggie Jackson‘s 13th homerun, Hadley, Devlin, Ken Howell, and Rod Beck combined on a 4 hit shutout, leading the Sea Lions to a 2-0 win over Chicago.

With Jimmy Bloodworth due to miss over a month, the Sea Lions recalled Denny Walling from AAA.

TWIWBL 59.3: Cum Posey Division

By

On May 17, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Chicago American Giants

Eddie Collins had 4 hits and scored 3 times as Chicago topped Detroit 9-2. David Price improved to 2-0 with 5+ scoreless innings, and Ed Walsh closed it out for the rare 3-inning save for the American Giants.

Joe Jackson had 4 hits and 3 doubles helping the American Giants to a 6-4 victory over Detroit. Frank Thomas had 3 hits and Mark Buehrle threw 6 strong innings, improving to 2-0.

Needing a starter, the American Giants moved Ted Lilly to the minors, bringing up veteran Jamie Moyer. Moyer delivered a solid 5 innings, and Thomas had 4 hits as Chicago beat Miami 8-3. Moyer’s performance–and his left-handedness–will keep him in the WBL for a little while longer.

Mike Fiore had struggled quite a bit in the early going for Chicago, but given some at-bats in a blowout, he delivered with his first 2 homeruns of the season. That was about all the good news as the American Giants fell to Miami, 13-5.

#Los Angeles Angels

Elmer “Mike” Smith went to the DL with a dead arm with Ross Reynolds being recalled from AAA.

Don Buford went deep twice to give the Angels an early lead, and then they piled it on in a 12-2 thrashing of Portland. Steve Garvey drove in 4 and Bobby Grich 3 in support of a nice start from Doc Gooden, who allowed 3 hits and 1 run in 7 innings.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Back to back homeruns in the bottom of the 9th by Robin Yount and Ryan Braun rescued the Cuban Giants against the Sea Lions. Leading 10-5 at the start of the 9th, Miami saw Adonis Terry get hammered for 7 runs before Yount tied the game and Braun provided the walkoff in the bottom of the frame.

Jim Thome had 3 hits, including 2 homeruns, but it wasn’t enough as the Cuban Giants fell to the American Giants, 7-5. Thome went deep twice again in a game against Chicago, and this time it was enough, as every starter had at least 1 hit and José Canseco, Yount, and Gary Sheffield also went deep in a 13-5 walkover for the Cuban Giants.

#Portland Sea Dogs

After the opening game of their series against Cleveland, Johan Santana has now pitched in 4 games, giving up 7 hits in 1.1 IP, including 5 homeruns. His record is 0-4 with 4 blown saves and an ERA of 60.75: that’s right, he threw 2/3 of an inning, gave up 2 runs, and saw his ERA go down.

Ken Griffy, Jr. is still finding his footing in Portland, but hitting 2 homeruns in a 9-2 win over Cleveland is a good sign. As important for the Sea Dogs, Pascual Pérez improved his record to 2-0 with 6 shutout innings and has yet to allow a run over his 2 starts.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Jack Clark hit 2 homeruns and Rickey Henderson, Jimmie Foxx, and Mickey Cochrane also went deep as the Sea Lions defeated the Cuban Giants 10-8.

The Sea Lions scored 7 runs in the 9th to take a 12-10 lead over Miami, but lost when Rod Beck blew his first save of the year in the bottom of the frame. Turkey Stearnes had 4 hits and Jimmy Bloodworth drove in 3 in the loss.

Tim Hudson will be out about 4 months with a forearm injury that has to put the 37 year old’s career in jeopardy as well. Watty Clark will complete his transition to starter by taking Hudson’s spot in the rotation initially, with Bobby Seay being recalled to take Clark’s spot in the bullpen.

The Sea Lions lost a 6-1 lead before scoring 5 times in the top of the 9th to top the Black Yankees 11-9. San Francisco hit 6 homeruns in the game, with Stearnes going yard twice and Reggie Jackson, Henderson, Foxx, and Cochrane each going deep as well. Beck pitched a scoreless 9th for his 5th save of the year.

TWIWBL 58.4: Cum Posey Division

By

On April 30, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Chicago American Giants

Kevin Mitchell began a rehab assignment at AAA, and was almost immediately recalled after Duffy Lewis hit the 10-Day DL with blurred vision.

Dick Allen had 4 hits including a walkoff 2 run homerun to lead the American Giants to an 8-7 come from behind victory over Portland.

#Los Angeles Angels

Bobby Grich hit his first 2 homeruns of the season in an 11-5 loss to San Francisco.

#Miami Cuban Giants

The Cuban Giants did it again, using Julio Rodríguez‘ second homerun of the game for their second walkoff victory to start the season. Rodríguez and Alejandro Oms had 3 hits each, with Sandy Consuegra picking up the victory.

The news wasn’t so good for Rodríguez later in the week as a nasty collision at second base left him with a bruised rib and a trip to the DL. The Cuban Giants recalled P Ed Brandt to take his roster slot.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Bobby Murcer hit his first 2 homeruns of the year in a 6-4 loss. The game was Johan Santana‘s second blown save in a row, and wasted a solid start from Bert Blyleven. Trevor Hoffman and Santana blew a 4-1 lead in the 8th inning.

It’s not clear which news is worse: Johan Santana had his third consecutive horrible outing to start the year, blowing his 3rd save, falling to 0-3, and seeing his ERA nearly reach triple digits at 94.50. In the same game, Rogers Hornsby suffered a separated shoulder and will miss several weeks. The Sea Dogs recalled veteran IF Jeff Cirillo to take Hornsby’s spot.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

The Sea Lions hit 5 homeruns–2 by Sal Bando–in an 11-5 win over Los Angeles. Bando had 3 hits and 4 RBI’s, Turkey Stearnes drove in 3, and Reggie Jackson had 3 hits, with Bando, Rickey Henderson, and Jimmy Bloodworth all going yard in a 6 run 6th inning.

Lefty Grove tossed the first complete game shutout of the season, twirling a masterful 3-hitter against Cleveland. Grove struck out 6, and homeruns by Stearnes and Jimmie Foxx were more than enough to lead the Sea Lions to victory.

TWIWBL 56.13: Spring Training Notes – San Francisco Sea Lions

By

On March 1, 2024

In TWIWBL

Spring Training Questions

While Turkey Stearnes will receive a lot of attention during the spring, how roles fall out between Sal Bando, Pedro Guerrero, Dick Lundy, and Roy Hartzell will see some focus as well–someone in that group is likely to end up at SS, and none of them are really naturals at that position.

Injuries

Carl Erskine was a long shot to make the roster; a shoulder injury costing him most of spring training confirmed he will start the season in the minors.

First Cuts

A host of arms were sent down: Red Ehret, Diego Seguí, Frank Barberich, James Shields, Charlie Ferguson and Rube Walberg all hit the minors, clearing quite a bit of space as the Sea Lions try to work out their staff.

Behind the plate, Mickey Cochrane has moved into the lead for the starting spot, with only Jack Warner being sent to the minors. That leaves only 3 full-time backstops in camp, which may mean that San Francisco continues to want to give John Beckwith a longer look. IF Bobby Bragan can also fill in at C if necessary.

With the Sea Lions committed to both John Beckwith and Jimmie Foxx, Don Money, Sid Bream, Bill Sweeney, and Wayne Gross found themselves with tickets to minor league camp, despite performances no worse than Beckwith’s or Foxx’s.

Denny Hocking and Ted Sizemore head to the minors, but that’s not really enough to sort out the middle infield, where Dick Lundy, Ron Hunt, and Roy Hartzell have been quite strong.

The OF is a little clearer as Turkey Stearnes has absolutely blown the cover off the ball, justifying his draft position. Eddie Murphy, Mookie Wilson, Del Unser, Jules Thomas, Darrell Brown, and Patsy Donovan were all sent to the minors while Bob Cerv remains, despite early struggles.

Second Cuts

Dave LaRoche is in danger of being sent to the minors, but for now the Sea Lions staff stays stable.

Just about the only clear message from camp so far is that Turkey Stearnes is for real and, at this point, the 22 year old rookie looks likely to start the season in CF for the Sea Lions. Aside from that … it’s all muddled. Reggie Jackson, Bobby Bonds, and Pedro Guerrero can’t hit a lick; neither Bobby Bragan nor Royce Clayton deserve to stay in camp, but with the team very thin in the MI, both do; Mickey Cochrane is making a play for the starting C spot, but both Brian Downing and Gene Oliver are refusing to claim the backup slot. So it goes.

Teenager John Beckwith heads to AAA for a bit more seasoning, and IF Jack Farrell heads down as well.

Third Cuts

Mickey Cochrane has edged ahead of the struggling Gene Oliver and even more struggling Brian Downing as the likely opening day C for the Sea Lions.

IFs Bobby Bragan and Royce Clayton were sent to AAA, but San Francisco still has some issues to sort out on the infield: too many 1B are mashing the ball (Jimmie Foxx, Jack Clark, Jason Giambi), Roy Hartzell, who finished last season as the presumptive starter at SS, has struggled, and both Phil Garner and Dick Lundy are playing well enough to demand more time.

Walt Williams has hit well, but the Sea Lions OF is pretty crowded and the trio of Frank Howard, Bob Cerv, and Josh Reddick have all hit better, so Williams is off to AAA.

It’s not clear what San Francisco does here: rookie phenom Turkey Stearnes has exceeded all expectations and looks set to play CF, leaving Rickey Henderson, Pedro Guerrero, Bobby Bonds, and Reggie Jackson competing for the corner OF and DH spots.

Final Cuts

Jair Jurrjens had raised some eyebrows in an attempt to make the roster as a swing starter, but it was always unlikely, and a couple late rough outings sealed his fate as Jurrjens heads to AAA. Josh Reddick was sent down along with slick fielding SS Eddie Miller. Miller’s demotion answers several other questions: Dick Lundy looks to be the everyday SS, with Roy Hartzell his backup, clearing the way for Sal Bando at 3B.

RP Dave LaRoche was sent to AAA along with Carl Erskine, which may virtually solidify the pitching staff for the Sea Lions, leaving only 13 arms in camp. Brian Downing continues to look good enough for the WBL until he’s actually given a chance: he’ll head to AAA, with catching duties for San Francisco falling to Mickey Cochrane and Gene Oliver in a likely platoon. Ron Hunt does have a knack for getting clipped by pitches, but that’s just not enough to justify a roster spot: he’ll start the year in AAA as well.

Jim Devlin was the final arm moved out of camp.

Jason Giambi was sent down despite his obvious power, as were Bob Cerv and Matt Holliday. Cerv refused his demotion, and was made a free agent.

That made the final cut a choice between OF Frank Howard, incumbent 2B Jimmy Bloodworth (who has struggled all Spring), and light hitting IF Roy Hartzell (which would leave the Sea Lions without a real reserve at SS). Given the OF depth on the roster, it wasn’t terribly surprising that Howard was the final cut from camp.

Season Review: San Francisco Sea Lions

By

On December 15, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

72 - 82, .467 pct.
4th in Marvin Miller Division, 12.5 games behind.

Overall

What a disappointing season. There is talent here, they were in the mix at the all-star break, and then just totally collapsed throughout all of July. Much more is expected in Year II.

What Went Right

Reggie Jackson was an elite offensive force, finishing the year with an OPS over 1.000 and while there was a gap between him and the Sea Lions’ next best hitters, Bobby Bonds, Pedro Guerrero, and Rickey Henderson all look like they are set for quite some time.

Similarly, the top end of the rotation–Eddie Plank and Lefty Grove–look quite good, and both Nick Altrock and Bump Hadley impressed in limited starts. Ken Howell, Ron Robinson, and Rod Beck were excellent at the back of the bullpen.

ALL STARS
RP Rod Beck; P Lefty Grove; OF Rickey Henderson; RP Ken Howell; OF Reggie Jackson, P Charlie Root

What Went Wrong

The MI was never really settled. Jimmy Bloodworth was fine at 2B, Dick Lundy spent as much time injured as showing flashes of potential, and the SS job was eventually claimed by Roy Hartzell.

Gene Oliver ended up the primary backstop, which speaks to just how much Mickey Cochrane and Brian Downing struggled. John Beckwith couldn’t stick with the big league club, but at 18 he can be forgiven.

Tim Hudson imploded after being acquired from Birmingham, although he recovered a bit towards the end of the season. Nobody else really stepped up on the mound, with Dennis Eckersley and Dave LaRoche being especially disappointing.

Trade Evaluations

March

OF Pete Browning, P Rollie Fingers, SS Bert Campaneris, P Eddie Rommel & IF Mark McGwire to House of David for IF Dick Lundy, OF Bobby Bonds & P Nick Altrock

A true blockbuster with impact on both sides. As San Francisco got 3 players who spent most of the year as WBL contributors, they have to be happy with the deal, even with Browning’s performance.

June

P Rube Melton, OF Derrick May & 3rd Round Pick to Birmingham for P Tim Hudson

Hudson’s struggles make this look bad, but it still feels like a worthwhile gamble to have taken.

IF Steve Hertz & 2nd Round Pick to Homestead for IF Phil Garner

They wish they had the pick now.

OF Wally Moon, OF Dwayne Murphy, 4th Round Pick & 6th Round Pick to Los Angeles for C Brian Downing, IF Kurt Stillwell & P Dave LaRoche

Downing was supposed to solve the issues at C for San Francisco. He didn’t.

P Shawn Estes, P Turk Wendell & 5th Round Pick to Miami for P Tommy Bridges

Meh. I mean at this point the Sea Lions were still in playoff contention, and Bridges looked solid. Still. Meh.

July

P Charlie Root & P Chad Bradford to Detroit for IF Charlie Gehringer, P Red Ehret, IF Bill Sweeney & 4th Round Pick {Charlie Ferguson}

Oof. Root and Bradford helped Detroit to the Whirled Series, Gehringer was eventually released. A clear loss for San Francisco in this one.

Looking Forward

SP

Grove, Plank, and Eckersley are a solid top 3. One of the few teams with a decent amount of mound talent.

RP

Set for now, and this may be where Eckersley ends up, long term.

C

Mickey Cochrane is supposed to be the answer here, but he has to hit over .200. Some good young talent (Dave Duncan, John Mizerock), so there are options.

1B

Jack Clark will play here, but he’s really just waiting on Jimmie Foxx to come into his own. John Beckwith will factor in eventually, and newcomer Sid Bream looks impressive as well.

2B

Who knows. Keith Ginter was great at AAA, Dick Green has shown some talent, and Dick Lundy can play here when healthy.

3B

For now, Pedro Guerrero will see some time here, but it really looks like Sal Bando is the answer for a while.

SS

If Lundy can stay in the lineup, he should be here.

LF

When Rickey Henderson was hitting .230 he had some value; as he raised his average to .270, he locked this position down long-term.

CF

There really aren’t any natural CF’s here, so look for Bobby Bonds to continue to cover best he can.

RF

Everyone ends up here: Reggie Jackson for now, but it’s also the more natural position for both Bonds and Guerrero.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

The Sea Lions only have 8 picks in the draft, and in the early rounds only 3 in the first 7 rounds (a 1st, a 4th, and a 7th). So there is a ton of pressure on their initial pick.

They reached deep for it, taking unheralded CF Turkey Stearnes. The pick thrilled many experts, even if it meant bypassing more highly touted CFers (Al Simmons, Earl Averill).

And then the Sea Lions did … nothing … until the 19th pick of the 4th round, where they picked up a project in SP Charlie Ferguson.

Rounds 5-8

And then nothing until the 7th round. The Sea Lions will be focusing on 1B, OF, and pitching, pitching, pitching from here on out, beginning with Pete Harnisch. Franchise pick Jed Lowrie proved too tempting in the 8th, even though IF isn’t an area of need, strictly speaking.

Rounds 9-12

OF Jules Thomas (final exemption); P Steve Ontiveros; P Dave Lemanczyk; and IF Nick Allen.

TWIWBL 51.1: The Awards – Gold Gloves

By

On October 27, 2023

In TWIWBL

In addition to the winners, wanted to track the 2 next runner ups, for posterity and what-not.

We’ll go in order of how the awards are announced, beginning with the Gold Gloves. I’ve used 600 innings as a rough qualification minimum.

One thing that jumps out at me here is just how phenomenal the New York Gothams were defensively: two Gold Glove winners, 3 others mentioned.

#P

It’s a challenge because pitchers overall get so few chances. At the end of the day, you have to go with who makes the most plays.

NameTmInnZRTCEA
Jack TaylorHOD2052.932115
Ray CollinsPHI1940.739221
Old Hoss RadbournOTT1983.927021
Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / TC = Total Chances / E = Errors / A = Assists

#C

Catchers are so hard … do you value cERA, which gives an unfair advantage to backstops blessed with better staffs? What about throwing out runners, where virtually everyone is within a few percentage points of each other? Are errors worse than passed balls or vice-versa?

Who knows. It’s clear that Cleveland’s Louis Santop dominates the numbers here (even if his FRM is some lucky fluke), and that Indianapolis’ Johnny Bench is damn good. Also, Brooklyn’s Duke Farrell, Portland’s Iván Rodríguez, and Miami’s Alan Ashby all look like real contenders if they were to ever earn enough playing time.

NameTmInnZRERTO%PBcERAFRM
Louis SantopCLE9213.4332.634.235.4
Johnny BenchIND9713.4834.654.491.8
Thurman MunsonNYY10712.4532.054.711.2
Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / E = Errors / RTO% = Runners Thrown Out % / PB = Passed Balls / cERA = Catchers’ ERA / FRM = Runs Gained through Pitch Framing

#1B

While the Gothams’ Will Clark and Baltimore’s Dan McGann are pretty indistinguishable, Clark covered more ground. Note that for 1B we’ve listed assists over double plays, as they are a more reliable indicator for the position.

NameTmInnZRTCEA
Will ClarkMCG/NYG10713.81082678
Dan McGannBAL10511.61160666
Mike EpsteinHOM10101.610881177
Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / TC = Total Chances / E = Errors / A = Assists

#2B

This is incredibly close, and in addition to these three, San Francisco’s Jimmy Bloodworth and Los Angeles’ Bobby Grich could be listed quite easily.

NameTmInnZRTCEDP
Eddie CollinsCAG10496.657310106
Cookie RojasNYG/MCG9287.1477571
Rogers HornsbyKCM/POR11564.86241092
Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / TC = Total Chances / E = Errors / DP = Double Plays

#3B

It’s a bit of a toss up in a traditional defensive choice between the top 2: Philadelphia’s Scott Rolen covered more ground, but Ottawa’s Anthony Rendon made more plays. At the end of the day, it’s the plays that count.

NameTmInnZRTCEDP
Anthony RendonOTT11515.3366736
Scott RolenPHI11168.03291032
Mike SchmidtNYY9847.7264419
Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / TC = Total Chances / E = Errors / DP = Double Plays

#SS

Detroit’s George Davis was absolutely dominant here, despite registering 13 errors. He got to more balls, turned more double plays, and was simply the best defensive SS in the league.

NameTmInnZRTCEDP
George DavisDET119921.96771397
George WrightLAA106714.5562287
Ozzie SmithKCM115915.0586588
Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / TC = Total Chances / E = Errors / DP = Double Plays

#LF

In LF, we have a victory for slow and steady: Brooklyn’s Roy White is far from flashy, and his arm is fair-to-middling at best. But he covers ground, and over nearly 300 chances and 1200 innings, made zero errors.

NameTmInnZRKEDP
Roy WhiteBRK11637.4300
Jimmy SheckardNYG11664.1744
Rickey HendersonSFS9463.4941
Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / K = Kills (Assists) / E = Errors / DP = Double Plays

#CF

The choice between the New York Gothams’ Willie Mays and the Baltimore Black Sox’ Paul Blair is very, very rough. Their ZR’s are essentially identical, Mays has both 2 more kills and 2 more errors over about 200 more innings, as well as a slightly better range rating. Blair’s arm has actually been more effective overall. In the end, it’s Blair by a hair.

NameTmInnZRKEDP
Paul BlairBAL10449.61522
Willie MaysNYG12599.61752
Curtis GrandersonBBB9827.91433
Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / K = Kills (Assists) / E = Errors / DP = Double Plays

Mention should be made of Ottawa’s Ken Griffey, Jr., who registered 16 kills in 649 innings, a pretty stunning rate of eliminating baserunners.

#RF

The New York Gothams’ Johnny Callison has, in slightly less than a full-time role, put up spectacular defensive numbers. Perhaps most impressive are the 4 double-plays. Here are the top three:

NameTmInnZRKEDP
Johnny CallisonNYG9108.71124
Roberto ClementeHOM10348.2661
Larry WalkerOTT6413.51131
Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / K = Kills (Assists) / E = Errors / DP = Double Plays

Your Gold Glovers for year 2000 of the WBL:

P: Jack Taylor (HOD)
C: Louis Santop (CLE)
1B: Will Clark (MCG/NYG)
2B: Eddie Collins (CAG)
3B: Anthony Rendon (OTT)
SS: George Davis (DET)
LF: Roy White (BRK)
CF: Paul Blair (BAL)
RF: Johnny Callison (NYG)

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