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Tag: John Wetteland

TWIWBL 48.0: Wild Card Previews – Wandering House of David @ Baltimore Black Sox

By

On September 6, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, Series Previews, TWIWBL

The House of David were the wild card team with the worst regular season record, resulting in a matchup with the best team in the WBL, the Baltimore Black Sox.

#Wandering House of David

The House of David will turn to Jack Taylor (15-9, 3.42), Bob Rush (15-6, 4.39), and then either Frank Sullivan (9-10, 4.77) or CC Sabathia (13-13, 4.83). There’s quite a gap between Taylor and Rush and the rest, and Taylor’s fade–remember, after the all star break he was hailed as the best starter in baseball–is a cause for concern.

Tom Niedenfuer impressed enough to push Scott Downs off the playoff roster, and will, along with Ed Bauta and especially Lee Smith, try to get the ball to Bruce Sutter to close out ballgames. Look for Wade Miley to get the call from the pen when the House of David needs a lefty, with Sabathia being the other option.

But if the House of David are going to make some postseason noise, it’s going to fall on their offence. When they’re clicking on all cylinders, they can mash with the best of them. But its taken a lot of tinkering to make the engine hum: Jim Edmonds (293/348/576), Joe Harris (263/338/526), and Anthony Rizzo (247/346/515) were all in the minors at the start of the season. The key here is Pete Browning, who has to figure out a way out of his late season slump (Browning still finished the year at 331/370/591 after a protracted injury absence). Elrod Hendricks (41) and George Stone (30) lead the team in homeruns, but Browning, Ernie Banks, and Ryne Sandberg each added at least 20.

#Baltimore Black Sox

How do you finish with the best record in the WBL?

You boast a starting rotation where Connie Johnson (9-5, 3.65) is the 4th arm up, behind Bill Byrd (14-3, 3.33), Dennis Martínez (14-10, 3.80), and Mike Mussina (7-4, 4.08).

How do you finish with the best record in the WBL?

You can bring Buddy Groom, John Wetteland, and Joe Beggs out of the bullpen, none of which have an era over 3.60 or a WHIP over 1.25.

How do you finish with the best record in the WBL?

You do all of that while surviving injuries to Ned Garvin (9-4, 2.80) and Sean Marshall (whose injury prompted the acquisition of Beggs from Mephis).

How do you finish with the best record in the WBL?

You back that up with the duo of Frank Robinson (302/383/539 with 37 homeruns and 111 RBIs) and Curt Blefary (280/392/549). Perhaps more importantly–and perhaps a bit overlooked–you add the trio of Larry Gardner, Dan McGann, and Bobby Wallace, each of which have OBPs just shy of .400 to set the table for your big bashers. If there is a weak spot offensively, it’s in CF, but Paul Blair‘s OPS still hovers around .700 to support his excellent defense.

The playoff roster is a little odd–there are many players the Black Sox would rather have on than Brooks Robinson, whose struggles at the plate sent him to AAA for most of the season. But the options weren’t eligible for the post season, so look for Robinson to make a few late inning appearances as Manny Machado‘s glove.

#Prediction

Baltimore’s pitching is just too strong. Black Sox in 5.

Series XXXV Best Games

By

On July 21, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

A mixture of checking in on series that impact the playoffs, the drive towards statistical milestones, and just good old fashioned close games.

#New York Gothams @ Ottawa Mounties, Game 1

Oh what could have been … Christy Mathewson headed into the bottom of the 8th inning with 16 wins on the year, a 3-hit shutout in the works, and a 7-0 lead. The Gothams had been propelled to that lead via homeruns from Buster Posey and Will Clark and 3 hits from Wes Westrum. Matty walked Bernie Allen and gave up a single to Tim Raines, which brought in Mike Norris from New York’s bullpen.

Norris was less than his stellar self, giving up a double to Jim Stephens that scored 2 runs and allowing a 3rd to score on a wild pitch. Still, that left the Gothams with a 4-run lead, 7-3, with perhaps the most effective closer in the league, Brian Wilson, taking the mound in the bottom of the 9th.

Wilson surrendered 4 consecutive hits including a 2-run triple from Roberto Alomar, closing it to a 1-run game. Robb Nen came on in relief of Wilson and promptly gave up a double to Larry Walker and a game-ending single to Stephens, scoring Walker and Rusty Staub and giving Ottawa a highly improbably 8-7 walk off win.

Mathewson should have come out of this with 17 wins, an outside shot at 20, and a strong argument for being the best starter in the WBL. Instead, the Gothams bullpen collapsed, a clear warning sign for their postseason ambitions.

NYG 7 (Nen 3-5, 3 B Sv) @ OTT 8 (Leroux 1-1)
HRs: NYG – Posey (11), Clark (4); OTT – none.
Box Score

#Baltimore Black Sox @ Wandering House of David, Games 2 and 4

Baltimore’s series against the House of David was perhaps the best matchup of Series XXXV, with both teams seemingly safe in their postseason ambitions.

It opened with a 15 inning classic, with Baltimore’s Johnny Sain twirling a shutout over 7+ innings, allowing only 3 hits. Singles from Ken Singleton and Ramón Hernández, helped by an error by House of David RF Dan Ford, put the only run of the game on the board in the 4th. But Baltimore’s current closer, Buddy Groom, couldn’t shut the door in the 9th, allowing a solo homerun to Jim Edmonds, his 17th of the season, to send the game into extra innings.

Baltimore’s bullpen took over form there, with a dominant outing from John Wetteland, a shaky one from Gregg Olsen, and a solid one from Don Bessent combing for 6 shutout frames. Singleton, who finished the day 3-for-6, launched a 3-run shot in the top of the 15th, giving the Black Sox a 4-1 victory.

BAL 4 (Bessent 2-7) @ HOD 1 (Smith 0-1) [15 Innings]
HRs: BAL – Singleton (17); HOD – Edmonds (17).
Box Score

The House of David would win the next 2 games, setting up a confrontation in the final match between Baltimore’s Connie Johnson and the Hosue of David’s ace Jack Taylor. What looked like a great pitching matchup on paper sizzled out a bit, with each starter allowing 4 runs over the first 6 innings.

Baltimore was able to pull away, scoring in the 7th, 8th, and 9th en route to the 7-4 victory for the series split. Bryce Harper (who had 3 hits), Manny Machado, and Frank Robinson all went deep for the Black Sox. The House of David left 13 runners on base, meaning Edmonds’ 4 hits, Browning’s 3, and Elrod Hendricks‘ 35th homerun of the year were all for naught.

Baltimore’s bullpen was stellar again, as Rafael Betancourt, Lindy McDaniel, Bessent, Joe Beggs, and Groom combining for just over 4 scoreless innings in relief of Johnson.

BAL 7 (McDaniel 1-0; Bessent 2 H; Beggs 10 H) @ HOD 4 (Niedenfuer 0-2)
HRs: BAL – Robinson (35), Machado (8), Harper (12); HOD – Hendricks (35).
Box Score

#New York Black Yankees @ Brooklyn Royal Giants, Game 4

Brooklyn still has a slim chance at the postseason, so every game counts. Which is why wasting a great start from their ace, Don Drysedale, is such a shame. Drysedale had 8 shutout innings allowing only 3 hits, and the Royal Giants were riding a pinch-hit RBI from John Briggs to a 1-0 lead. And then, the 9th …

Babe Ruth singled, but Drysedale induced a horrible bunt from Tommy Herr, caught by a hard-charging Ray Dandridge at 3B. Eric Davis doubled home Ruth to tie the game and bring Brooklyn’s closer, Watty Clark, from the bullpen. Clark gave up RBI singles to Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, and Don Mattingly for a 4-1 lead. Aroldis Chapman had a perfect 9th for his 12th save for the Black Yankees.

Still, Brooklyn took 3 of the 4 games in the series, keeping their postseason hopes alive.

NYY 4 (Lavelle 2-3; Chapman 12 Sv) @ BRK 1 (Drysedale 8-9)
HRs: None.
Box Score

#Memphis Red Sox @ San Francisco Sea Lions, Game 4

Just because teams are out of the playoffs doesn’t mean they can’t play good games …

Each team had their presumptive ace on the mound (Jon Lester for Memphis, Lefty Grove for San Francisco), but neither were terribly impressive. We pick up the action with Memphis leading, 4-3, heading into the bottom of the 6th, where a 2 RBI single from Pedro Guerrero and a 3 run shot from Reggie Jackson put San Francisco up, 8-4.

Bill White would double in 2 to cut the lead in half in the top of the 7th, and then Ron Robinson, usually reliable this year, gave it all back in the top of the 8th on a 3 run homer from Reggie Smith. Tim Wakefield, Heath Bell, and Jonathan Papelbon were excellent in relief, allowing only 1 hit in over 3 innings out of the pen.

Gene Oliver had 3 hits for the Sea Lions and Jackson drove in 4 while Memphis got 2 hits each from Smith, White, Mookie Betts, and Iván de Jesus.

MEM 9 (Wakefield 7-7; Papelbon 14 Sv; Bell 8 H; Cicotte 2 B Sv) @ SFS 8 (Robinson 6-5, 3 B Sv)
HRs: MEM – Smith (20); SFS – Bonds (19), Oliver (3), Jackson (30).
Box Score

Series XXXIII Best Games

By

On June 13, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

We have more good pitching than usual in the best games of Series XXXIII.

We’ll start with the opening and closing game from a series with potentially massive playoff implications.

#Birmingham Black Barons @ New York Gothams, Games 1 and 5

Birmingham’s Greg Maddux wasn’t bad: just over 6 innings and only 2 runs allowed. The problem was the Gothams’ Christy Mathewson was stellar, picking up his league-leading 16th win of the season by throwing a 3-hit shutout over 7 innings. Maddux left the game after allowing an RBI single to Will Clark, replaced by Kent Mercker who gave up a deep flyball to the pinch-hitting Carl Furillo, scoring another run.

Hank Aaron took Robb Nen deep in the 8th to cut the lead in half, but Mike Norris (pushed into service due to Brian Wilson‘s injury) picked up his 6th save of the year, allowing only a walk in the 9th.

BBB 1 (Maddux 4-5) @ NYG 2 (Mathewson 16-7; Norris 6 Sv; Nen 11 H)
HRs: BBB – Aaron (25); NYG – none.
Box Score

The Gothams turned to Don Sutton for a spot start, and the 24 year old was simply brilliant … but it wasn’t enough. Sutton gave up 1 run–a solo shot by Aaron–through 7 innings, and while New York’s bullpen beckoned, Sutton was still well under 90 pitches. But with 2 outs in the 8th, Cupid Childs took him deep and Aaron launched his second of the game, edging Birmingham in front, 3-2.

Birmingham’s closer, Juan Rincón, allowed only 1 hit in the 9th, closing out the victory for the Black Barons.

NYG 2 (Sutton 2-4) @ BBB 3 (Whitney 1-2; Rincón 22 Sv)
HRs: NYG – Higgins (13); BBB – Aaron 2 (27), Childs (4).
Box Score

Two more good games with good pitching!

#Memphis Red Sox @ Detroit Wolverines, Game 1

Through six innings, the only score was a solo shot from Memphis’ Manny Ramírez. That was one of only 2 hits allowed by Detroit’s Gene Conley over his 7 innings, further cementing Conley’s adaptation from reliever to starter over the season. Buddy Napier gave up an unearned run in the top of the 8th, putting the Red Sox in front, 2-0.

Memphis’ Stubby Overmire was nearly as good: a shutout through 6, a single run in the 7th on an RBI single from Chili Davis, and finally being chased in the 8th after giving up 2 hits and a walk. Overmire’s relief, Tim Wakefield, gave up a sacrifice fly to Hank Greenberg tying the game at 2.

It stayed that way until the top of the 10th, when Memphis’ Claude Ritchey took John Hiller deep. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a perfect inning in the bottom of the frame, fanning Greenberg to end the game.

MEM 3 (Wakefield 6-7, 2 B Sv; Papelbon 13 Sv) @ DET 2 (Hiller 3-3) [10 Innings]
HRs: MEM – Ramírez (15), Ritchey (8); DET – none.
Box Score

Baltimore Black Sox @ Indianapolis ABC’s, Game 3

Baltimore’s pitching is just hard to gain traction against: Connie Johnson, John Wetteland, and the suddenly resurgent Buddy Groom limited Indianapolis to 5 hits, 2 of which were solo homers by the ABC’s Danny Hoffman. Indianapolis got a good start from Willie Mitchell (2 runs in 6.2 innings), but in the end superstars gonna’ superstar: Frank Robinson took Rob Dibble deep in the top of the 9th with a 2-run shot, his 33rd of the year, to provide the winning margin for Baltimore.

BBB 4 (Wetteland 3-0, 2 B Sv; Groom 5 Sv) @ IND 2 (Mullane 1-1)
HRs: Robinson (33); Hoffman 2 (15).
Box Score

And now back to our usual see-saw slugfests.

#Portland Sea Dogs @ Ottawa Mounties, Game 1

The scoring started fairly innocuously: Ottawa’s Tim Raines led off the bottom of the first with a single, was bunted to second, then scored on a Roy Sievers single (helped along by an error).

Portland took the lead in the 3rd on a 2-run shot by Gavvy Cravath, then Ottawa took it back, scoring twice on back-to-back doubles from Rusty Staub and Sievers, giving the Mounties a 3-2 edge. A George Burns double drove in 2, extending it to 5-2 in the bottom of the 4th.

But, Portland roared back: a 2 run single from Jeff Burroughs chased Ottawa’s starter, Kirk Reuter, from the game, and Jim Fregosi drove in 2 more later in the inning, putting the Sea Dogs back on top, 6-5. The lead would reach 9-5 on Cravath’s 2nd homerun of the day and RBI’s from Buddy Bell (a bases loaded walk) and Gil Hodges (a sacrifice fly).

But Ottawa had also caught on to the utility of the long ball: Larry Parrish and Roberto Alomar both went deep in the bottom of the 6th, cutting the gap to 9-8.

Portland added 2 in the following inning via 2 hits and a walk, but Ottawa was unleashed: Sievers scored on an unlikely triple by Gary Carter and a 2-run shot from Carlos Beltrán. Suddenly, we were tied at 11.

Tired of running, Carter ended the game with a walkoff homerun leading off the bottom of the 9th.

Burroughs had 4 hits and he and Cravath drove in 3 each for Portland. Burns had 4 hits for Portland, and Sievers added 3.

POR 11 (Porterfield 3-1; Hammaker 2 B Sv) @ OTT 12 (Holland 6-2)
HRs: POR – Cravath 2 (6); OTT – Parrish (6), Alomar (3), Beltrán (10), Carter (17).
Box Score

#Los Angeles Angels @ Houston Colt 45’s, Game 2

With Harry Howell sailing along on the mound, the Angels had a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the 6th, with the key hit being a solo homerun by Mike Trout. Houston scored 1 in the inning, but Tom Seaver and Jonny Venters were excellent in relief of Howell, allowing Los Angeles to send out their closer, Joe Nathan, for the bottom of the 9th.

Nathan was rough: Casey Stengel walked as a pinch-hitter, Tony Gwynn singled, Jim Wynn doubled in a run, and Jeff Bagwell tied the game with a sacrifice fly, sending us to extra innings.

José Reyes drove in a run in the top of the 11th, but Pete Hill singled in Gwynn, who had doubled, in the bottom of the frame to keep the game going. Which it did, until the 14th, when Bagwell was hit by a pitch. HR Johnson pinch-ran, stole second, and scored on a walk-off single by George Brett.

Trout, Gwynn, and Wynn each had 3 hits in the game, which was rough for Houston’s staff, as both Bones Ely and Tug McGraw were forced to leave with injuries. McGraw’s was especially unfortunate, as the young lefthander was on the brink of being named the Colt 45’s closer for the rest of the season.

The game also saw Los Angeles’ Wally Backman get a hit in his first WBL at-bat.

LAA 4 (Vargas 1-2; Seaver 1 H; Venters 15 H; Nathan 8 B Sv; Anderson 2 B Sv) @ HOU 5 (Clemens 4-1) [14 Innings]
HRs: LAA – Trout (17); HOU – none.
Box Score

Series XXIX Featured Matchup: New York Black Yankees @ Baltimore Black Sox

By

On March 31, 2023

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Jamie Moyer @ Dennis Martínez

Dennis Martínez was solid, leading Baltimore to a 6-1 win in the opening game of the series.

Dan McGann put Baltimore on the board with a 2-run double in the bottom of the 1st. Babe Ruth went deep to cut the lead in half (and drive in his 100th run of the year), but Baltimore took hold of the game int he bottom of the 4th on a 3 run blast from the very unlikely source of Brian Roberts. Roberts would add another RBI, singling home Manny Machado in the bottom of the 6th, and that was that.

All 6 runs were charged to Jamie Moyer, who fell to 1-2.

Martínez moved to 12-7 on the season, allowing only the one run, despite giving up 6 hits and 5 walks in just short of 7 innings. But the Black Yankees couldn’t get the timely hit, and Buddy Groom and Gregg Olson were near-perfect in relief for Baltimore.

NYY 1 (Moyer 1-2) @ BBB 6 (Martínez 12-7)
HRs: NYY – Ruth (34); BBB – Roberts (1).
Box Score

Game 2: Red Ruffing @ Bill Byrd

Red Ruffing and Bill Byrd matched zeros frame for frame until, with 2 outs in the bottom of the 5th, Frank Robinson took Ruffing deep for a 3-0 Black Sox lead. Babe Ruth launched his 35th dinger of the year in the 6th, and Albert Belle sent one into the seats in the 7th, chasing Byrd and making it a 1 run game, 3-2.

Sean Marshall came in and was a little off, allowing 2 baserunners before having to leave injured. That brought in Don Bessent to face Ruth … who flew out to centerfield to end the inning.

A walk to Manny Machado and a double by Baby Doll Jacobson chased Ruffing, bringing in Dick Tidrow from the bullpen. Tidrow gave up a 2-run single to Larry Gardner, but escaped further damage leaving it 5-2 Baltimore.

Bessent gave up Lou Gehrig‘s 20th homerun of the year to lead off the 8th, followed by singles from Mickey Mantle and Mike Schmidt. Bessent retired Belle, but gave up a single to Tom Herr to load the bases. That brought in Johnny Sain from a beleaguered Black Sox bullpen.

Red Rolfe–hitting under .150 in the year–drove in 2 to tie the game and Munson singled to give New York their first lead of the game, 6-5 … and turn it over to the mightily struggling Black Yankees pen.

Gary Lavelle walked Dan McGann, but retired the side in order after that. Could the bullpen be on the verge of redemption? It seems so: Aroldis Chapman allowed a baserunner, but that was it, and New York had a come-from-behind victory.

NYY 6 (Tidrow 1-1; Chapman 2 Sv; Lavelle 1 H) @ BBB 5 (Bessent 1-5; Sain 1 BSv; Marshall 8 H)
HRs: NYY – Ruth (35), Belle (13), Gehrig (20; BBB – Robinson (26).
Box Score

#Game 3: Jack Scott @ Mike Mussina

Things were looking great for Baltimore, as an RBI single from Frank Robinson and a solo shot from Manny Machado gave them an early 2-0 lead, with Mike Mussina looking absolutely dominant through 4 innings. But then came the 5th. A walk, a HBP, and a single loaded the bases, but Mussina struck out Eric Davis for the first out. But Mussina was unable to do much else: Thurman Munson singled in 2 to tie the game, Babe Ruth singled to load the bases, Lou Gehrig walked in a run, and Mike Schmdit singled in 2 more. That was it for Mussina, and even though John Wetteland induced a double-play ball from Don Mattingly, the damage was done with New York now leading 5-2.

Dan McGann doubled in 2 runs in the bottom of the frame, making it a 5-4 game, but the Black Sox would get nothing else off the trio of Jack Scott, Gary Lavelle, and Goose Gossage. It wasn’t for lack of opportunity: New York pitchers walked 8, and the Black Sox left 11 on base.

The Black Yankees, meanwhile, would tack on via a 2-run double from Davis, Ruth’s 36th homerun of the season, and a single from Munson who, along with Tom Herr, ended the day with 3 base hits.

NYY 10 (Scott 11-5; Lavelle 2 H) @ BBB 4 (Mussina 4-3)
HRs: NYY – Ruth (36); BBB – Machado (4).
Box Score

Game 4: Waite Hoyt @ Connie Johnson

The Black Sox will turn to newcomer Connie Johnson as they try to salvage a split.

Babe Ruth, on fire this series, did it again in the top of the 3rd, sending a pitch from Johnson into the right field stands after walks to Tom Herr and Thurman Munson. That gave the Black Yankees a 4-0 lead.

Waite Hoyt needed double plays to get out of the 3rd and 4th, but he got them. Paul Blair put the Black Sox on the board in the 5th with a solo shot and, the following inning, Frank Robinson brought them to within 1 run with his 27th of the season.

A hit by Baby Doll Jacobson and a walk to Blair chased Hoyt from the game. Which means the New York bullpen had another chance to prove itself … Dick Tidrow gave up a single to tie the game.

A homerun from Ken Singleton gave Baltimore the lead in the bottom of the 8th. A perfect 9th from Don Bessent sealed the deal, earning the series split for Baltimore.

Larry Gardner had 3 hits for the Black Sox.

NYY 4 (Tidrow 1-2; 2 B Sv) @ BBB 5 (Wetteland 1-0; Bessent 17 Sv)
HRs: NYY – Ruth (37); BBB – Blair (9), Robinson (27), Singleton (16).
Box Score

TWIWBL 34.2: Series XXVII Notes – Cum Posey Division

By

On March 2, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

The Black Sox continue to have to retool their pitching, as Bob Miller will be out for about 5 weeks with hard-throwing John Wetteland joining the big league club.

#Houston Colt 45s

Hunter Pence was returned to AAA San Antonio with Casey Stengel‘s return from the DL.

#Ottawa Mounties

Chris Leroux was sent to AAA with Clark Griffith being recalled to make an emergency start for Ottawa.

Getting to 30: Cum Posey Division

By

On August 6, 2020

In 2000 Spring Training, Team News

#Baltimore Black Sox

John Wetteland and BJ Ryan have been miserable, and are on their way to AAA. That hurts, as Ryan was the predicted closer for the Black Sox. That leaves the team really without a closer, with Don Bessent and Bob Miller most likely to get the initial opportunities. Rafael Betancourt looked like a contender, but he couldn’t stop tossing gopher balls, leading him to AAA to see if he can keep the ball in the park.

Ned Garvin and Rube Foster are still battling for the final rotation slot. It’s not clear if Bill Byrd‘s return from injury will impact the situation or not.

The biggest surprise may be the failure of 21 year old Eddie Murray to make the roster. On the other hand, teenage phenom Bryce Harper has earned a chance to prove his worth over the final week of Spring Training, costing Baby Doll Jacobsen a spot.

Ramon Hernandez and Curt Blefary look set to platoon behind the plate. Final distribution of playing time between Merv Rettenmud, Ken Singleton, and Alex Johnson is yet to be figured out.

3B continues to be a cloudy position, as Harlond Clift and Bill Sweeney have hit the best, but Brooks Robinson continues to show power and the best defense of the trio.

#Chicago American Giants

The front end of the pitching staff is pretty settled, but the back end is a mess. Mark Buehrle has nailed down the #4 starting spot, but the final spot is a toss-up between Ed Walsh, Herb Pennock, and Tricky Nichols. The challenge is only 2 of those make the opening day roster at all. Rube Foster will start the year at AAA, but should be back in the big leagues relatively quickly.

Ultimately, Rickie Weeks‘ bat doesn’t outweigh Nellie Fox‘s glove to backup Eddie Collins at 2B, so Weeks joins Minnie Minoso and Chico Carrasquel in AAA.

Frank Thomas has shown signs of emerging from his struggles, sending Jose Abreu to the minors, but the final cut is quite difficult for the American Giants. Ultimately, Robin Ventura‘s glove gave him the edge over Joe Crede.

#Houston Colt 45s

Billy Wagner has been historically bad, punching his ticket for AAA, where he’ll be joined by Dan Quisenberry. Both of them showed some potential, and may be back up quickly.

Scott Erickson, Bret Saberhagen, and Dock Ellis are battling for the final starting spot, with the other 2 likely to still make the opening day roster.

The rest of the cuts were really quite simple: the gap between Morgan Ensberg, Gorman Thomas, Shawon Dunston, Pete Hill, Felipe Alou, and Lance Blankenship and the rest of the roster was significant, so all 6 of them head to AAA. At 17, Hill should be back, while at 36, Alou may be done.

#Kansas City Monarchs

In one of the biggest surprises of the Spring, Bob Gibson heads to AAA. Walking 15 batters in 17 innings will do that. He’ll be back as soon as his command returns. Connie Johnson takes one long relief role, with Adam Wainwright edging out Jock Menefee for the other.

Jeff Pfeffer and Trevor Rosenthal will split the closing duties, but the middle of the bullpen remains a bit of a mystery.

Ted Simmons and Ducky Medwick were lucky to stay in camp, and have about a week to show they belong. Frankie Frisch, surprisingly, has headed back to AAA, along with Cool Papa Bell and Steve Evans, to try to get something going. All of these moves are related to Gene Freese, Ken Oberkfell, and Salvador Perez absolutely pounding the ball all Spring.

#Ottawa Mounties

Either Old Hoss Radbourn or Randy Johnson will be the 5th starter with Felix Hernandez heading to AAA, but neither have pitched well at all. Nor, honestly, has Ted Bowsfield, yet he retains his position as closer.

The other cuts should have been easy. Jackie Jensen, and Brant Alyea have done virtually nothing all Spring. George Van Haltren and John Olerud belong in that group as well, but are needed for depth at 1B and in the OF, especially with Larry Walker out injured for a couple more weeks.

The real challenge is at 2B, where all 4 contenders have played well, led by Tim Raines. George Cutshaw provides decent defense, so he’s in. Kirt Manwaring–yet to find a single hit–should really be the final cut, but he has to be kept to maintain 3 C’s on the roster. That leaves Bernie Allen and Roberto Alomar. Right now, Allen is the better player, so despite Alomar’s much higher upside, he goes to AAA.

Spring Training Preview: Baltimore

By

On June 19, 2020

In 2000 Spring Training, Team News

  • Ned Garvin and Mark Baldwin are pretty much set, as much from their ability to eat innings as anything else.
  • It is likely that Rube Foster, Bob Welch, and Johnny Sain fill out the rotation, but Bill Byrd, Dennis Martinez, and Jim Palmer each could force their way into the conversation.
    • 10 games in, Foster and Welch have struggled, Sain has been magnificent, and Palmer has impressed. Byrd will miss the rest of Spring Training, and both Mike Mussina and McDaniel have joined Martinez in the back of rotation competition.
      • Sain & Baldwin are set, with Martinez, Garvin, and Palmer the most likely behind them, with Foster having an outside chance. Mussina and Welch were sent to minor league camp, with Milt Pappas being recalled in case an emergency SP is needed.
  • Similarly, both John Wetteland and Lindy McDaniel‘s role to start the season is likely to be determined by their Spring performance.
    • B.J. Ryan has struggled so far, and Bob Miller may push him on the closer role, with newly promoted Gregg Olsen also an outside possibility.
      • Ryan has lost the closing role, but nobody else has really jumped forward. Miller and Don Bessent have been the best, but the rest have been miserable, with Wetteland and Don Aase possibly pitching themselves off the roster.
  • The other major Spring contests are at SS, where both Bobby Wallace and Cal Ripken, Jr. look good enough to start and the OF, where the roles behind Merv Rettenmund and Frank Robinson need to be settled.
    • SS is just weird. The presumed starter, Wallace, hasn’t been able to hit; Ripken hasn’t shown any power, and defensive whiz Mark Belanger is hitting well over .500.
      • Belanger has cooled off: now he’s only hitting exactly .500. Nothing clarified here.
    • Right now, Ken Singleton, Alex Johnson, and Paul Blair are in the lead for the rest of the OF slots.
      • The OF is still a bit unsettled, but Jesse Burkett and Chick Stahl have been returned to AAA and 19 year old Bryce Harper recalled.
  • C is far too crowded. The problem is that the weaker candidates–Rick Ferrell and Ramon Hernandez especially–are performing as well as the presumed frontliners. Still, something must be done to free up playing time, sending Ferrell back to AAA.
    • Chris Hoiles is sent to AAA, reducing the Cs in camp to 3.
  • 3B is now difficult, as Brooks Robinson is struggling and both Harlond Clift and Bill Sweeney are knocking the cover off the ball.
Near DefiniteLikelyPossibleLong Shot
Starting PitchersJohnny Sain
Mark Baldwin		Ned Garvin
Dennis Martinez
Jim Palmer		Rube Foster
Bill Byrd
Middle RelieversRafael BetancourtDon Aase
John Wetteland
Lindy McDaniel		Milt Pappas
SetupGregg Olson
CloserBJ Ryan
Bob Miller
Don Bessent
CCurt BlefaryTom Haller
Ramon Hernandez
1BDan McGann
Eddie Murray		Richie Sexson
2BLarry Gardner
Brian Roberts
3BBrooks RobinsonHarlond Clift
Bill Sweeney
SSBobby Wallace
Cal Ripken, Jr.		Mark Belanger
OFFrank RobinsonKen Singleton
Paul Blair		Merv Rettenmund
Alex Johnson		Baby Doll Jacobson
Ron Northey
Bryce Harper

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