The Whirled Baseball League

Baseball The Way It Never Was

Tag: Jorge Orta Page 1 of 3

TWIWBL 82.3: Bill James Division

By

On December 14, 2025

In TWIWBL

TeamW/LPctGB
Cleveland Spiders83-65.561—
New York Black Yankees84-66.560—
Detroit Wolverines75-74.5038.5
Baltimore Black Sox69-80.46314.5
Memphis Red Sox65-84.43618.5
Bill James Division | 17 September

#Baltimore Black Sox

Justin Hampson and, perhaps more importantly, Gavvy Cravath have been recalled from rehab assignments. Without much to play for, Baltimore may limit Cravath’s appearances as they look to next season. Rafael Betancourt and Ken Griffey Sr were returned to the minors.

With RA Dickey‘s retirement, Baltimore decided to take a look at Dick Ellsworth, removing Dickey from the roster, although they have allowed him to remain with the team as he decides whether or not he has a career in coaching.

Dennis Martínez will get 2 more starts over the final 2 weeks of the season, and Ned Garvin will, as he continues his return from injury, take his regular turn: aside from that, it’s a bit of a free for all, although Kevin Tapani‘s strong debut guarantees him a few starts as well.

Ellsworth’s debut was fantastic: 6 plus innings and only a single run in a 4-2 victory over Los Angeles. Hampson also made his return with a scoreless 8th inning.

Sean Marshall was recalled from the DL with Joe Cascarella heading back to AAA.

#Cleveland Spiders

Lance Berkman and Ron Blomberg each went deep twice as the Spiders dominated Chicago, 13-6. The win (along with a victory in the resumption of a suspended game) pulled Cleveland, at least temporarily, 1/2 game ahead of New York.

#Detroit Wolverines

Wes Covington–coming off a 50 HR season at AAA–was recalled, along with IF Damion Easley and lefty Wilson Álvarez. Logan Hensley was returned, clearing room for Hank Aguirre‘s return from the DL.

JD Martinez went deep twice and the Wolverines edged in front of Miami for the final Wild Card spot with a 5-4 win over San Francisco.

#New York Black Yankees

Jorge Orta did nothing wrong to be sure, but with Grant Johnson due back from a rehab assignment, he was the odd man out, heading back to AAA. Ultimately, Johnson’s return means a reduction in time for quite a few players, most notably Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, and Nick Etten.

Mattingly and Lou Gehrig had 2 homers each, and Johnson had 4 hits, including 3 doubles, as the Black Yankees overcame a poor start from Ron Guidry to beat Detroit, 11-8 in 10 innings.

The Black Yankees clinched their expected playoff spot in dramatic fashion, scoring 6 in the top of the 9th to top Detroit, 9-6. The win puts New York in a dead heat with Cleveland atop the Bill James Division and, as importantly, drops Detroit into a tie with Miami for the final AL Wild Card spot.

Gehrig hit 2 more out, reaching 62 for the season, and Babe Ruth added his WBL record 70th, as the Black Yankees beat Cleveland, 7-2. The win means New York will go into the final week of the season with a 1.5 game lead over the Spiders.

TWIWBL 79.1: Year 2, Week 22

By

On September 25, 2025

In TWIWBL

August 27th

As August closes down, we have roster expansion and a bevy of trades.

#Awards

The House of David‘s Ernie Banks hit .483 with a half-dozen homeruns, taking home the NL Player of the Week Award. Another stellar week from Detroit‘s Ty Cobb netted him another AL Player of the Week Award, his 4th of the season. Cobb hit .500 with 6 homeruns over the week.

#Team Performance

Same old: San Francisco (despite going 3-7 over their last 10 games) has the Cum Posey Division sewn up, and Brooklyn has the Effa Manley Division all but so–the Sea Lions have a 17 game edge, and the Royal Giants are up by 11.

The Bill James Division is a 2 horse race, as the Cleveland Spiders now lead the New York Black Yankees by only 2.5 games.

And then we have the Marvin Miller Division, where the Houston Colt 45’s have surged ahead of Kansas City by 1/2 game, but Indianapolis is only 2.5 back, with the House of David 3 and the Black Barons 4.

The Wildcards are all up for grabs, as 8 teams in the NL are within 4 games of making the postseason that way. It’s more settled in the AL, with Miami leading Los Angeles for the 2nd wildcard spot by 4 games.

#Player Performance

#Batters

As usual, top 2 in most categories are listed, with Detroit’s Turkey Stearnes and Los Angeles’ Kal Daniels listed so we have all 6 batters with OPS’ over 1.100.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 295/361/688. 125 RBI.
José Canseco (MCG). 264/373/759. 60 HR.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 342/384/624. 170 H.
Ty Cobb (DET). 388/443/844. 181 H, 54 2B, 15 3B, 125 R, 8.3 WAR.
Kal Daniels (LAA). 357/444/670.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 406/501/798. 9.0 WAR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 361/414/621. 60 2B.
Joe Rogan (PHI). 288/343/605. 13 3B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 273/405/713. 57 HR, 133 RBI, 117 R.
Turkey Stearnes (DET). 340/381/722.

#Pitchers

#Starters

All 7 players with at least 15 wins are listed, as well as the top 2 in other categories.

A. Rube Foster (KCM). 10-5, 2.79. .200 BABIP, 0.95 WHIP, 3.60 FIP.
Roger Clemens (HOU). 13-9, 3.60. .218 BABIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 15-5, 4.37.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-7, 4.41. 211 K.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 16-5, 4.09
Orel Hershiser (BRK). 16-5, 4.04.
José Méndez (MCG). 11-5, 4.29. 195 IP.
Luis Padrón (IND). 18-3, 3.55. 5.5 WAR.
Andy Pettitte (NYY). 15-8, 4.32.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 15-7, 4.73.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 15-9, 3.13. 190 IP, 230 K, 0.96 WHIP, 3.26 FIP, 7.1 WAR.

#Relievers

The top 3 in the league remain Josh Lindblom, Rod Beck, and Eric Gagne, who have 30, 29, and 26 saves respectively. Of those, Gagne has been the most dominant, and is probably only challenged by Kansas City’s Craig Kimbrel, who had 11 holds before being named their closer, and has posted 9 saves since. The other 3 relievers with 20-plus saves are listed as well.

26 Min IP.

Terry Adams (CLE), 1-6, 4.93. 21 Sv, 2H.
Rod Beck (SFS). 4-4, 5.65. 30 Sv, 1H.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-3, 2.88. 28 Sv.
Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 2.01. 1 Sv, 8 H.
Bob Howry (PHI). 4-1, 3.27. 21 Sv. 0.85 WHIP.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.09. 1 Sv, 20 H.
Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 3-4, 1.95. 12 Sv, 11 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 7-4, 3.70. 31 Sv.
Joe Nathan (LAA/SFS). 5-5, 4.64. 20 Sv, 2 H.
Jonathan Papelbon (MEM/MCG). 3-5, 4.80. 20 Sv.
BJ Ryan (OTT). 2-3, 5.03. 1 Sv, 15 H.
Lee Smith (KCM/HOD). 4-2, 2.78. 6 Sv, 10 H. 0.77 WHIP.

#Debuts

Tony Conigliaro isn’t a bad prospect. But he had one of the best days, let alone debuts, in WBL history, going 4 for 4 with a record 4 homeruns in an 11-9 win. The 22 year old was obtained at the all star break last season in the deal that initially sent Sammy Sosa to Memphis (Sosa would return after flopping for the Red Sox).

At least Jorge Orta is listed among the top 100 WBL prospects, coming in 87th. Orta had a great debut for his new club, the New York Black Yankees, going 4 for 5 with 4 doubles.

Memphis’ Dustin Pedroia and the New York Gothams‘ Bill Terry have also turned heads, each with 2 homers in their first few games at the WBL level.

TWIWBL 78.4: Bill James Division

By

On September 15, 2025

In TWIWBL

TeamW/LPctGB
Cleveland Spiders71-51.582—
New York Black Yankees69-55.5563
Detroit Wolverines61-63.49211
Memphis Red Sox56-67.45515.5
Baltimore Black Sox52-71.42319.5
Bill James Division | 19 August

#Baltimore Black Sox

John Tudor was recalled from his rehab assignment, with Mark Baldwin heading back to AAA.

Sean Marshall will miss about a month with a strained bicep with the Black Sox recalling Rafael Betancourt from his rehab assignment.

The Black Sox recalled Ps Baldwin, Joe Cascarella, Kevin Tapani, and Emil Yde, IF Asdrúbal Cabrera, and OFs Phil Bradley and Earl Averill. With the season basically over, the Black Sox moved Mike Mussina out of the rotation, hoping to get a look at some arms for the future.

Dennis Martínez put in one of his best starts of the year, blanking Los Angeles 8-0 with a 4 hitter, striking out 10 and walking none. Ken Singleton, Manny Machado, Tom Haller, and Averill (in his first WBL game) went deep for Baltimore.

#Cleveland Spiders

Bob Feller‘s outing was shortened by a rain delay, but he still earned the victory with 5 scoreless innings, combining with Whit Wyatt, Al Smith, and Ron Reed on a 4 hit shutout of Baltimore. Ed Bailey drove in 5 and Lance Berkman had 3 hits in the 9-0 win for the Spiders.

Ron Blomberg started a rehab assignment for the Spiders.

Evan Longoria hit 2 homeruns to give him 30 on the season as the Spiders beat Detroit, 13-8.

#Detroit Wolverines

Hank Greenberg‘s second homer of the day was a walkoff shot as the Wolverines came from behind to beat San Francisco, 9-7.

Joakim Soria was recalled from a rehab assignment.

Ty Cobb had himself a day–5 hits, 3 homeruns–and the Wolverines topped San Francisco, 9-5.

#Memphis Red Sox

Bad news for Memphis, as Jameson Taillon will be out for over a year as he faces elbow reconstruction surgery. The Red Sox recalled Dean Chance from AAA.

As roster expansion hit, the Red Sox recalled Bob Stanley, Bucky Walters, Armando Benitez, Lefty O’Doul, Dustin Pedroia, Joe Rudi, and Hack Wilson.

Billy Bryan hit 2 homers and the Red Sox topped the Black Yankees, 8-6.

Len Barker ran out of gas in the 9th, but still had enough to fan 11 Black Yankees in a 13-1 pounding of New York. Barker improved his record to 9-10, supported by the first 2 homeruns of Pedroia’s WBL career and 3 hits each from DJ LeMahieu and Ted Williams.

#New York Black Yankees

The Black Yankees recalled Ps Ryne Duren, Jim Corsi, Anthony Varvaro, Noah Syndergaard, and Ron Bryant along with position players Roger Maris and Jorge Orta.

Orta had a debut for the ages, hitting 4 doubles in 5 at bats in his first WBL game as the Black Yankees pummeled Memphis, 15-7. Orta has been somewhat underrated as a prospect historically, but this was quite a showing.

TWIWBL 78.3: August Trades

By

On September 14, 2025

In TWIWBL

A run through of the trading deadline, in no particular order. Over 50 players and almost 20 draft picks changed hands in the frenzy.

Hoyt There it Is!

P Waite Hoyt, 5th round pick from NYY to CAG for P Hoyt Wilhelm, IF Jorge Orta, 4th round pick.

The New York Black Yankees address a bullpen need by acquiring Hoyt Wilhelm from the Chicago American Giants, in exchange for young starter Waite Hoyt. Chicago will also send young IF Jorge Orta to New York, and the 2 teams exchanged draft picks, with New York getting a 4th and Chicago a 5th rounder.

It’s an odd trade for New York, as it’s not clear that Hoyt (Wilhelm) adds more to their bottom line of wins more than Hoyt (Waite). Chicago probably wins this one, just on the SP > RP evaluation. Orta should have a WBL career, but is not enough to balance the deal.

Now & Later

IF Paul Konerko, P Akinori Otsuka, OF Lenny Dykstra, 3rd round pick from CAG to BBB for P Sam Streeter, IF Trea Turner, 5th round pick.

Chicago officially closed the door on their performance for this season, sending 1B Paul Konerko and his .988 OPS along with Akinori Otsuka and his 1.07 WHIP to Birmingham, receiving P Sam Streeter and prospect Trea Turner in return. Chicago will also send OF Lenny Dykstra and a 3rd round pick, with Birmingham surrendering a 5th rounder to make it all work.

Konerko and Otsuka being on the wrong side of 30 makes this acceptable, and Chicago probably got peak value for them in a long-term starter and the talent of Turner. Birmingham is thrilled, as this addresses two of their most pressing needs for a playoff push: 1B and bullpen help.

The Wolverines Commit

P Gene Conley, P Bill Drake, P Emil Yde, OF Hub Collins from DET to BAL for SS Bobby Wallace, P Connie Johnson.

Detroit addressed two needs in a deal with Baltimore, sending struggling P Gene Conley (who is in search of a reboot to their career after an amazing start last season), promising young Ps Bill Drake and Emil Yde along with OF Hub Collins to Baltimore in exchange for SS Bobby Wallace and P Connie Johnson.

I mean … Detroit loves this for the immediate future. The key here is whether Yde, and especially Drake, ever amount to anything. This does remove any question about the infield of the future for the Black Barons, with Eddie Murray, Miller Huggins, Cal Ripken, Jr. and Manny Machado all but assured of starting roles.

Stars and Sea Dogs move a lot of Bodies

SS Jim Fregosi, P Mark Melancon, OF Harry Hooper, IF Rafael Palmiero from POR to PHI for OF Bobby Abreau, P Dave Stieb, P Jaret Wright, P LaTroy Hawkins, SS Pat Meares, 2nd round pick.

Philadelphia, eyeing a potential playoff run, went shopping in Portland. They added a long-term solution at SS (Jim Fregosi), a much-needed bullpen arm (Mark Melancon), and some OF depth in the struggling Harry Hooper. That haul cost them 3 pitching prospects in Dave Stieb, Jaret Wright, and LaTroy Hawkins, as well as SS Pat Meares, and a 2nd round pick. The teams also swapped high-ceiling-but-blocked prospects, with Portland receiving Bobby Abreu and Philadelphia Rafael Palmiero.

Abreau for Palmiero is a wash. Of the rest, it’s sort of a classic now/later proposition. Fregosi and Melancon step directly into key roles for the Stars, but Hawkins, and especially Stieb, do look like excellent long term prospects.

The American Giants Do Some (More) Things

OF Jake Stenzel from IND to CAG for P Joe Lake.
IF Freddie Lindstrom, 2nd round pick from HOM to CAG for P David Price.

Chicago believes they can solve their pitching woes from within, sending 2 members of their rotation packing. First, they received CF Jake Stenzel from Indianapolis for Joe Lake; then they sent David Price to Homestead for Freddie Lindstrom and a 2nd round pick.

Stenzel steps into a crowded outfield, but should get a lot of play the rest of the season while the American Giants’ commitment to the struggling teen Cristóbal Torriente is tested. This basically decimates the American Giants’ rotation, leaving them with Ed Walsh and a lot of questions, but Lake and Price (who himself only arrived via trade earlier last season) were questions themselves. Lindstrom may step into a WBL role behind Dick Allen at 3B.

A Closer for Some Future

P Jonathan Papelbon, 4th round pick from MEM to MCG for P Josh Beckett, OF Roy Thomas, 3rd round pick.

Memphis sent Jonathan Papelbon to Miami, receiving minor leaguers Josh Beckett and Roy Thomas in return. The team also exchange draft picks, with Memphis surrendering a 4th in exchange for Miami’s 3rd round selection.

Fair enough. Miami desperately needed a dependable arm to join Ricky Nolasco in their pen, and Beckett has a ton of upside.

The Black Barons Upgrade

IF Bobby Grich, 3rd round pick from LAA to BBB for P Vic Willis, C Gene Tenace, 1st round pick.

Birmingham came into this trade period looking for a SS; they left with a 2B (who can play SS). In a bit of a surprise move, they convinced LA to part with Bobby Grich, sending Vic Willis, Gene Tenace, and a 1st rounder to the Angels, who also sent a 3rd round pick back their way.

Grich is a huge pickup for the Black Barons–an all star caliber who can get on base and play both middle infield positions is exactly what the doctor ordered in Birmingham. They gave up a lot–Tenace is excellent, some think Willis will eventually be a number one starter, and of course, the #1 pick is a lot. But it seems Birmingham is convinced they have a shot in the playoffs this year, and you can’t fault the ambition.

First Round Picks On the Move, or Freeman at Last, Freeman at Last

P Joe Beggs, 2nd round pick from BAL to KCM for OF Earl Averill.
IF Freddie Freeman, IF Eddie Miller from SFS to LAA for P Joe Nathan, IF Wally Joyner, 1st round pick.

Baltimore found a potential CF for the future in Earl Averill, who came over from Kansas City for a Joe Beggs and a 2nd round pick.

One of the more promising talents in the WBL may have found a home, as Los Angeles sent a 1st Round Pick, closer Joe Nathan, and Wally Joyner to San Francisco for Freddie Freeman and minor league SS Eddie Miller.

Both of these make some sense, as both Freeman and Averill were totally blocked where they were (Freeman by Jimmie Foxx and others, Averill by Willie McGee and Cool Papa Bell). Freeman should immediately see playing time in LA, while Averill looks to be in the mix for next season.

Gothams Going Gone

P Juan Marichal, P Robb Nen from NYG to HOM for IF Davey Johnson, IF Howard Johnson, 3rd round pick.
P Steve Howe, P Troy Percival from NYG to DET for IF Robby Thompson, P Dellin Betances, 3rd round pick.

The Gothams moved a few pieces around, sending Juan Marichal and Robb Nen to Homestead for 2B Davey Johnson, Howard Johnson, and a 3rd round pick. Then, they moved Steve Howe and Troy Percival to Detroit for 2B Robby Thompson, P Dellin Betances, and a 3rd round pick.

The Gothams will need to totally redo their staff, but each move makes some sense. Between Johnson (Davey) and Thompson, they should now have a post-Larry Doyle plan at 2B.

The Black Yankees Find their SS of the Future?

P Sparky Lyle, IF Elliott Maddox, P Carlos Rodón, 2nd round pick, 4th round pick from NYY to HOU for IF Grant Johnson.

They hope so, sending Sparky Lyle, Elliott Maddox, pitching prospect Carlos Rodón, and a 2nd and a 4th round pick to Houston for Grant Johnson, who will rotate in with both Derek Jeter and Rogers Hornsby for now.

It’s a lot to give up, for sure. But Johnson is only 25, and an established WBL performer who will solve the Black Yankees’ long term needs at either 2B or SS. Lyle is solid, and fills a very strong need for Houston, but the rest of what they gave up was future potential, which is cheap for a team whose goal is to win now.

Other Deals

OF George Hendrick from PHI to BRK for 3rd round pick.
IF Joe Adcock from NYG to MCG for 5th round pick, cash.

Philadelphia sent OF George Hendrick to Brooklyn for a 3rd Round Pick.

Miami picked up Joe Adcock from the New York Gothams essentially for free: they sent the Gothams a 5th round pick, and the Gothams are covering Adcock’s salary for the rest of the year.

Each of these were essentially curtesy trades: having picked up Harry Hooper, Philadelphia had no place for Hendrick and Adcock, at 38, desperately wanted a chance to swing the bat for a contender in what may be his final season.

Summary

Minor Leaguers in italics.

TeamComingGoing
Baltimore Black SoxEarl Averill
Gene Conley
Hub Collins
Bill Drake
Emil Yde
2nd Round Pick		Joe Beggs
Connie Johnson
Bobby Wallace
1st Round Pick
2nd Round Pick
Birmingham Black BaronsLenny Dykstra
Bobby Grich
Paul Konerko
Akinori Otsuko
3rd Round Pick
4th Round Pick		Sam Streeter
Gene Tenace
Trea Turner
Vic Willis
1st Round Pick
5th Round Pick
Brooklyn Royal GiantsGeorge Hendrick3rd Round Pick
Chicago American GiantsWaite Hoyt
Freddie Lindstrom
Jake Stenzel
Sam Streeter
Trea Turner
2nd Round Pick
5th Round Pick
5th Round Pick		Lenny Dykstra
Paul Konerko
Joe Lake
Akinori Otsuko
David Price
Hoyt Wilhelm
Jorge Orta
3rd Round Pick
4th Round Pick
Cleveland Spiders
Detroit WolverinesSteve Howe
Connie Johnson
Troy Percival
Bobby Wallace		Dellin Betances
Gene Conley
Hub Collins
Bill Drake
Robby Thompson
Emil Yde
2nd Round Pick
3rd Round Pick
Homestead GraysJuan Marichal
Robb Nen
David Price		Davey Johnson
Howard Johnson
Freddie Lindstrom
2nd Round Pick
3rd Round Pick
Houston Colt 45’sSparky Lyle
Elliott Maddox
Carlos Ródon
2nd Round Pick
4th Round Pick		Grant Johnson
Indianapolis ABC’sJoe LakeJake Stenzel
Kansas City MonarchsJoe Beggs
2nd Round Pick		Earl Averill
Los Angeles AngelsFreddie Freeman
Eddie Miller
Gene Tenace
Vic Willis
1st Round Pick		Bobby Grich
Wally Joyner
Joe Nathan
1st Round Pick
3rd Round Pick
Memphis Red SoxJosh Beckett
Roy Thomas
3rd Round Pick		Jonathan Papelbon
4th Round Pick
Miami Cuban GiantsJoe Adcock
Jonathan Papelbon
4th Round Pick		Josh Beckett
Roy Thomas
3rd Round Pick
5th Round Pick
New York Black YankeesGrant Johnson
Jorge Orta
Hoyt Wilhelm
4th Round Pick		Waite Hoyt
Sparky Lyle
Elliott Maddox
Carlos Rodón
2nd Round Pick
4th Round Pick
New York GothamsDellin Betances
Davey Johnson
Howard Johnson
Robby Thompson
3rd Round Pick
3rd Round Pick
5th Round Pick		Joe Adcock
Steve Howe
Juan Marichal
Robb Nen
Troy Percival
Ottawa Mounties
Philadelphia StarsJim Fregosi
Harry Hooper
Mark Melancon
Rafael Palmiero
3rd Round Pick		Bobby Abreu
LaTroy Hawkins
George Hendrick
Pat Meares
Dave Stieb
Jaret Wright
2nd Round Pick
Portland Sea DogsBobby Abreu
LaTroy Hawkins
Pat Meares
Dave Stieb
Jaret Wright
2nd Round Pick		Jim Fregosi
Harry Hooper
Mark Melancon
Rafael Palmiero
San Francisco Sea LionsWally Joyner
Joe Nathan
1st Round Pick		Freddie Freeman
Eddie Miller
Wandering House of David

TWIWBL 77.3: The Trade Market

By

On August 29, 2025

In TWIWBL

With the August trade deadline just around the corner, seemed to be a good time to take a look at the likely sellers and buyers, and some players that are likely to find new homes by the end of next week.

Some notes on these:

  • Needs reflect places where the minor league systems are thin on talent and the general shape of WBL level talent needed.
  • The second three bullets (Prospects, AAA Help, WBL Help) are possible players that could be available in the right context..

#BUYERS

These are teams looking to solidify their talent or make a push for the post-season. In a perfect world, they have some young talent to spare as well.

#Birmingham Black Barons

Yeah, they’re in 5th place, but they’re also only 4 games back, so there’s hope. The Black Barons have been ingenious at past deadlines, we’ll see if they can continue the trend.

Needs: IF, P, Minor League SS/3B

Prospects: OF Melky Cabrera, Curt Flood, Gary Matthews; IF Nate Colbert, Hal Trosky
AAA Help: P Tommy Bond; IF Pie Traynor
MLB Help: OF Bob Nieman

#Cleveland Spiders

Could use another SP, as well as a help in the middle infield–Chuck Knoblauch is skating along on last year’s performance, and there isn’t any depth to speak of at 2B/SS despite Steve Sax‘s excellent first 50 PA’s.

Needs: Minor League 2B/SS.

Prospects: OF Paul O’Neill, Kenny Lofton; IF Johnny Hodapp
AAA Help: P Chuck Porter, Claude Passeau; IF Bob Elliott, Brook Jacoby
MLB Help: IF Willie McCovey

#Homestead Grays

A Wild Card spot is likely for the Grays, who have a powerhouse offense and a desperate need for pitching. With some young talent blocked, they may be able to make some moves.

Needs: Bullpen is aging

Prospects: OF Max Carey, Paul Waner; IF Freddie Lindstrom
AAA Help: OF Starling Marte; IF Jeff Kent, P Brickyard Kennedy
MLB Help: OF Goose Goslin

#Houston Colt 45’s

Another team caught between a wild card chase and building for the future, the Colt 45’s would love to address their one ongoing need, which is a catcher to take over from the aging Jorge Posada, as some in the organization are not yet sold on Will Smith as the longterm solve behind the plate. There is a crunch at 1B/DH as well, as there really aren’t enough AB’s to go around for both Paul Goldschmidt and the recently demoted Andrés Galaragga.

Needs: Minor League C, SS.

Prospects: IF Bucky Dent, Travis Jackson, Wes Helms; OF César Cedeño, Hunter Pence, Shin-Soo Choo
AAA Help: P Mike Sirotka, Óscar Tuero; IF Carney Lansford, Aramis Ramírez, OF Gorman Thomas, Johnny Damon
MLB Help: Various bullpen pieces may be possible

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Another team riding the wild card roller coaster. The ABC’s are solid offensively, but struggle some behind their top end starters. There are some blocked players–perhaps most notably Jake Stenzel–so there are some pieces available.

Needs: Minor League OF

Prospects: OF Jim Eisenreich, IF Pokey Reese, Sean Casey, Hal Morris
AAA Help: P Johnny Vandeer Meer; OF Jody Gerut, Dave Henderson, Ed Swartwood; IF Dan Driessen
MLB Help: OF Jake Stenzel, Bob Bescher, IF Ed Charles

#Kansas City Monarchs

This Monarchs team will make the playoffs a year or two ahead of schedule so the choice of how much to surrender for immediate success is a bit challenging. At some point, some of the positional logjams need to be sorted out (Albert Pujols, Dale Murphy, and Ducky Medwick; Willie McGee and Cool Papa Bell), but it’s not clear that now is that time.

Needs: Minor League C; WBL Offense

Prospects: OF Wade Johnston, Earl Averill; IF Keston Hiura, Pat Burrell
AAA Help: P Adam Wainwright, Jack Quinn; IF Ken Boyer, Andre Thornton; OF Merv Rettenmund, Jim King
MLB Help: P Matt Morris, Luke Hamlin

#New York Black Yankees

Once again the Black Yankees are trying to find the right piece to extend their postseason run. At some point, they’ll need to solve their post Derek Jeter needs at SS, but this is probably not that time.

Needs: Minor League OF; P; future SS.

Prospects: OF Rob Deer, Clyde Milan
AAA Help: OF Roger Maris; IF Tom Herr, Red Rolfe; P AJ Burnett
MLB Help: P Rheal Cormier, Red Ruffing, Waite Hoyt

#MEH

A mix of teams doing well enough not need anything (San Francisco) and those not willing to give up much because they like their current talent composition moving into Year 3. Never say never, as these teams do have some pieces, but they are far less motivated to get something done at the deadline.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

This team is just beginning to gel, but they could use some offense and they are one of the few franchises with arms to spare.

Needs: SS if unconvinced by Vern Stephens; Minor League 1B

Prospects: OF Matty Alou, Raúl Mondesi, Don Mueller; IF Sonny Jackson, Ken McMullen, Maury Wills; P Doc Newton, Zach Britton
MLB Help: IF Germany Smith, Dick Bertell
AAA Help: IF Jim Gentile, Eric Karros; C Kelly Shoppach; P Ron Perranoski

#Detroit Wolverines

They’re in an odd spot: on the one hand, they are likely to be in the wild card chase; on the other, this is a team well positioned for the future, and eager to cement that status. There are a lot of pieces that are over 30, but none–other than perhaps Oscar Gamble–are key cogs in the Wolverines’ machine.

Needs: Minor League 3B; IF, esp SS; P.

Prospects: IF Wander Franco
MLB Help: OF Oscar Gamble
AAA Help: OF Brady Clark, Wes Covington; IF Jimmy Collins; P Dennis Rasmussen

#Miami Cuban Giants

The Cuban Giants have an outside shot at a wildcard slot, but this is a team building for the future. As such, I would expect them to stand pat, or perhaps move some end of roster pieces for minor league depth.

Needs: Minor League OF, 3B, 1B; WBL P.

Prospects: OF Roy Thomas, Carlos Morán
MLB Help: P Sandy Consuegra, Kenshin Kawakami; OF Andy Pafko
AAA Help: IF Nellie Fox

#Ottawa Mounties

Even though the Mounties have a shot at the playoffs, this is a team trying to position itself for the future, which basically means begging everyone and anyone for pitching.

Needs: Minor League SS, 3B, C. SP.

Prospects: OF Warren Cromartie, Willie Upshaw, Willie Keeler, Leon Roberts
MLB Help: P Bryn Smith; IF Roy Sievers; OF Rick Monday
AAA Help: IF John Olerud; OF Terry Puhl, Bob Allison; C Emil Gross; P Chris Bosio

#Philadelphia Stars

The Stars are on the fringe of the playoffs, but really this is a team aiming at cementing and building around its emerging nucleus. As such, some of its useful veterans may be available; at the same time, Philadelphia would love to add some pitching and address its issues in the middle infield.

Needs: MI, P, WBL Offense.

Prospects: ???
MLB Help: OF Rico Carty; P Bob Howry, Robin Roberts, Pedro Feliciano; IF Art Fletcher, Ted Kluszewski
AAA Help: OF Bobby Abreu; IF Jung Ho Kang, Dolph Camilli, Cecil Cooper; C Sherm Lollar

#San Francisco Sea Lions

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That said, if an easy piece comes available, it’s unlikely the Sea Lions ignore the opportunity.

Needs: Minor League 1B

Prospects: OF Jules Thomas, Matt Holliday; IF Freddie Freeman; P Jair Jurrjens
MLB Help:
AAA Help: IF Dick Green, Denny Walling; OF Josh Reddick; P Rube Walberg

#Wandering House of David

Even the House of David isn’t convinced their playoff chances are real. Still … they might be. So it’s a bit of a quandary in terms of whether they should move some of their young talent or not. The challenge is the roster really doesn’t make a ton of sense: CF is overly crowded, 1B/DH as well, and there is an abundance of talent at 2B.

Needs: P

Prospects: OF Tony Conigliaro; IF Billy Herman
MLB Help: OF Jim Edmonds, George Gore; IF Mark McGwire, Richie Hebner
AAA Help: P Joaquín Andújar; IF Tom Hutton, Mark Grace; OF Tracy Jones

#SELLERS

Teams with either an excess of talent, or who have thrown in the towel on the season and have some veteran pieces that may be attractive.

#Baltimore Black Sox

Last year’s champs, this year’s dunces. Baltimore believes in its young core, a belief that may see them retain FA acquisition Gavvy Cravath, but even he may be had for the right price.

Needs: all P, Minor League OF.

MLB Help: IF Bobby Wallace, Dan McGann; P Buddy Groom, Connie Johnson, Joe Beggs
AAA Help: P Ken Johnson, Kevin Tapani, Christhian Martínez; OF Ken Griffey, Sr; IF Brian Roberts

#Chicago American Giants

The season cannot end soon enough. Chicago has talent to be a contender, but nothing has gone right for them this season. They are willing to blow up their pitching staff, from a how much worse could it be perspective.

Needs: Minor League OF, C; prime P

Prospects: IF Jorge Orta; OF Walter Davis, Lenny Dykstra
MLB Help: P Akinori Otsuka, Joe Lake, Mark Buehrle, Hoyt Wilhelm, David Price; IF Paul Konerko, Freddy Parent; OF Vernon Wells
AAA Help: OF Rocky Colavito, Magglio Ordóñez; C Michael McKenry

#Los Angeles Angels

It hasn’t been a bad year for the Angels, but they are still a player or three away. There is a lot of mound talent in the organization, but they could use some long term solutions at SS, 3B, and C.

Needs: Minor League OF, C, 2B; WBL Offense.

Prospects: OF Norm Miller
MLB Help: IF Eddie Joost
AAA Help: OF Elmer Valo; IF Mark Ellis; P Rich Hill

#Memphis Red Sox

There is hope in Beantown. Just not for this year. There also are some pieces that may hold attraction for contenders, most notably 1B Bill White (with the Red Sox happy to turn 1B over to David Ortiz) and closer Jonathan Papelbon. There is a lot of congestion at various positions that needs to clarify over time.

Needs: Minor League C, SS; SP; 2B/SS

Prospects: IF Dustin Pedroia, OF Joe Rudi, Dwight Evans, Lefty O’Doul, Candy Jim Taylor, P Jim Kaat
MLB Help: P Tommy de la Cruz, Jonathan Papelbon; IF Bill White, DJ LeMahieu, Iván De Jesús, Nomar Garciaparra
AAA Help: IF George Scott, Dustin Pedroia

#New York Gothams

With this season pretty much scrapped, the Gothams are looking to the future. Which puts them in an interesting spot, as they have a fair number of useful parts on the wrong side of 30. But it’s not a total fire sale, as the team isn’t that far away from competing.

Needs: Minor League SS, C, 2B; SS

Prospects: OF Rick Manning
MLB Help: P Mike Norris, Juan Marichal, Troy Percival, Gaylord Perry; IF Joe Adcock, Larry Doyle, Terry Turner
AAA Help: OF Carl Furillo, Steve Kemp, Charlie Hamburg; IF George Kell; P Liván Hernández, Wei-Yin Chen, Tony Mullane, Guy Hecker

#Portland Sea Dogs

In some sense, the Sea Dogs did their selling already, both during the offseason and the all star break. But this year is still a wash for Portland, so anything they can do to help build for the future will be worthwhile.

Needs: 2B/SS, overall WBL Offense.

Prospects: ???
MLB Help: OF Kiki Cuyler, Harry Hooper; IF Gil Hodges; P Mark Melancon
AAA Help: IF Don Baylor, Rafael Palmeiro; OF Walt Bond, Jerald Clark

TWIWBL 73.2 Spotlight on the Chicago American Giants

By

On February 27, 2025

In TWIWBL

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

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

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

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

THE OFFENSE

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

#What’s Going Right

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

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

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

#What’s Not Going Right

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

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

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

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

THE PITCHING

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

#What’s Going Right

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

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

#What’s Not Going Right

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

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

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

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

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

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

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

So, yeah, some help here.

WHAT’S NEEDED

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

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

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

FEATURED SERIES

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

Projected Starters

Memphis’ starter listed first.

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

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

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

Game One

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

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

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

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

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

Game Two

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Game Three

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

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

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

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

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

Game Four

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TWIWBL 72.1: Year 2, Week 15: All Star Week!

By

On February 12, 2025

In TWIWBL

July 9th

It’s All-Star Week! That means that, not only do we cover those festivities, we have our first wave of midseason trades, followed by the usual divisional notes on a shorter slate of games.

#Awards

Brooklyn‘s Beals Becker picked up the NL Player of the Week, hitting .538 with 4 homers in the span. Over in the AL, perhaps peeved by his omission from the All Star Game, Cleveland‘s Lance Berkman hit .360 with 9–NINE–homeruns in the week, taking down the AL Player of the Week.

#Team Performance

No significant changes, but some teams are making moves. San Francisco remains the only team truly running away with their division, leading the Cum Posey Division by 11.5 games over Miami, who have taken over 2nd place from Chicago.

The New York Black Yankees have the 2nd best record in baseball and a 4.5 game lead over Cleveland in the Bill James Division.

That leaves the Effa Manley Division and Marvin Miller Division. In the former, Brooklyn leads Homestead by 3.5, with the New York Gothams fading a bit, sitting tied with Philadelphia at 8 games back. In the Marvin Miller, Kansas City still leads, but not only is Indianapolis only 2 games back, Houston, 8-2 over their last 10 games, has moved to within 5.5.

Last years champions, Baltimore, continue to have the worst record in the league, with a 38-52 record so far.

#Player Performance

With all the numbers and discussion surrounding the All Star Game, we’re going to skip the Performance section this time, instead revisiting last year’s mid-season trades.

#Looking Back: Last Year’s Mid-Season Trades

I’ve somewhat quickly and arbitrarily given weights to the trades. The winning team is in italics. Overall, here is how everyone ranked out from last year.

Clear Winners: Birmingham, Baltimore, Ottawa
Did OK: Philadelphia, Detroit
Meh: Cleveland, Homestead, Memphis, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Gothams
Not Great: San Francisco, Indianapolis, Miami, Black Yankees
Clear Losers: Houston, Chicago

The details:

Big Wins

Birmingham sends Hoyt Wilhelm and Dick Rudolph to Chicago for Melky Cabrera, A. Rube Foster, Adrián González, & a 2nd (Trea Turner)

Foster is no longer with Birmingham, having been part of a later trade for Andy Pettitte, but that he had enough value to land the ERA champ alone makes this a win for the Black Barons. González has frustrated, but he’s still been a solid WBL 1B in the interim, and both Cabrera and Turner look to have some upside, especially Turner. Wilhelm has been average in Chicago’s pen and Rudolph has downright struggled.

Cleveland fleece Houston for Lance Berkman, sending Harry Stovey, Charlie Grimm, Chad Qualls and a 3rd (Garry Templeton) to the Colt 45's.

Berkman was struggling, but he has hit 39 homers and driven in 104 since the trade. Templeton refused to sign, and while the rest have some talent, it’s unclear they will ever push past the talent in front of them in Houston.

Baltimore sent Mike Morgan, Richie Sexson, Chris Hoiles and Joe Dugan to Miami for Manny Machado.

Machado was a World Series hero and remains the Black Sox’ starting 3B. Hoiles and Sexson both have some offensive pop, but both are pretty buried in Miami’s farm system.

Cleveland sent Andrew Payne, Hardie Henderson, Darrell Miller, and Gibby Brack to Philadelphia for Ron Reed.

This seemed to make sense at the time, as Reed looked like the missing piece for the Spiders’ bullpen. But Henderson has developed into an all-star with the Stars, and Reed, while not bad, hasn’t been great for Cleveland. Of the rest, only Payne is still with the Stars, and he may never see the WBL.

Small Wins

The Black Yankees send Sam Thompson, Dick Bartell, and a 4th (Mark Eichhorn) to Ottawa for Gary Lavelle and Jamie Moyer.

Lavelle and Moyer were both bad for New York. Lavelle is out with a long term injury, and Moyer was later traded to Chicago; given that the purpose of the trade was to shore up the Black Yankees for the post-season–which they missed–this has to be a win for Ottawa. Thompson is doing well for them, and Eichhorn has some future utility.

San Francisco sent Rube Melton, Derrick May, and a 3rd (Gary Matthews) to Birmingham for Tim Hudson.

Hudson was an all-star, then imploded, and now is on the DL for so long his career may be toast. Given that, the fact that all 3 prospects are doing alright make this a win for Birmingham.

The New York Gothams receive Don Sutton from Brooklyn in exchange for Ray Lamb, Gil Heredia, Lew Krause Jr, Don Mueller, a 1st (Al Simmons), and an 8th (Vic Lombardi).

Sutton’s been solid for New York, on the fringes of their rotation and providing good bullpen work. Krause and Simmons seem to have the highest ceiling of what they received (Mueller and Lombardi look fine, and neither Lamb nor Heredia are still with Brooklyn).

Ottawa sends Freddy Parent to Chicago for Sibby Sisti, Bob Watson, and Rickie Weeks.

Ottawa only wins this because it cleared room for Álex Rodríguez, who has blossomed this year. Watson–theoretically the centerpiece of the deal–was recently sent down to AAA, Sisti was released, and Weeks looks unlikely to make an impact. Still, the less said about Parent’s time in Chicago, the better.

Brooklyn sends Curt Flood, Manny Trillo, and a 6th (Steve Avery) to Birmingham for Frank Isbell.

Isbell is at AAA after a horrible start to the season. Flood and Avery each have some upside, so this is a small win for Birmingham.

Birmingham sends Tom Herr to the Black Yankees for Reddy Mack, Bill Buckner, Heathcliff Slocumb, Charlie Keller, Moose Skowron, & a 10th (Eddie Solomon)

Herr was sold at his absolute peak, and the Black Yankees are already casting around for a replacement. As importantly, the trade cleared the way for Cupid Childs to take over at 2B, a clear win for Birmingham. None of the prospects look like much (Buckner was traded on, Keller retired, and the rest look like filler at best).

Indianapolis sent Ernie Lombardi to Detroit for Donie Bush, Jorge Orta, Brandon League, Gene Martin and a 2nd (Matt Chapman).

Detroit wins this one, as Lombardi has been quite good for them, as only Chapman and Bush are still with the ABC’s, and neither looks like much at this point.

Miami got fixated on the potential of Minnie Miñoso, sending Don Newcombe, Clay Condrey, and a 4th (José Quintana) to Chicago for him.

Miñoso has finally begun to show some potential at AAA after some miserable time with the Cuban Giants, while none of the other players are with Chicago (Newcombe was traded, Condrey released, and Quintana refused to sign a rookie contract).

Ottawa sends Steve Garvey and Spud Johnson to Los Angeles for Rusty Staub.

Staub has outperformed Garvey, but both have held down WBL roster spots. Johnson is a free agent at this point.

Ottawa and Los Angeles made a second deal, with the Angels receiving Carlos Delgado in exchange for Dave Bennett, Carlos Beltrán, Jim Stephens, and Sean O'Sullivan.

This one also favors Ottawa. Delgado has been excellent for the Angels, hitting 28 homeruns since the trade. But Beltrán is a borderline all-star for the Mounties. Bennett and Stephens have a little potential, O’Sullivan is currently a free agent.

Here's much ado about nothing: Los Angeles sent Brian Downing, Kurt Stillwell, and Dave LaRoche to San Francisco for Wally Moon, Dwayne Murphy, a 4th (John Lackey) and a 6th (Omar Olivares).

Downing is young enough to do something, as are Moon, Murphy, and Lackey. The trade failed to help San Francisco in the immediate (its ostensible purpose). Slight edge to Los Angeles.

San Francisco picks up Tommy Bridges from Miami for Shawn Estes, Turk Wendell, and a 5th (Mark Kotsay).

Only Kotsay remains with Miami, as such, even though Bridges has been unable to hold down a WBL spot, he has been there, giving the Sea Lions the edge.

San Francisco sent Steve Hertz and a 2nd (Judy Johnson) to Homestead for Phil Garner.

Scrap Iron Garner has been fine as utility IF for the Sea Lions, especially recently, but Johnson may be something special, recently joining Homestead as a 19 year old.

Houston gives up Hack Wilson, Jim Kaat, DJ LeMahieu, Stubby Overmire and a 5th (Nathan Eovaldi) for Memphis' Roger Clemens.

Clemens is doing well in Houston, falling just short of an all star selection. But that’s quite a haul: LeMahieu is pushing for a full time role with Memphis, Overmire is at the front of their rotation, Wilson is doing well at AAA and both Kaat and Eovaldi have some long term potential. If Clemens does become an all-star, and none of the others develop, this would swing towards Houston, but right now it feels like an overall win for the Red Sox.

Memphis sent Joe Beggs to Baltimore for Willie Sudhoff, Alex Johnson, and a 4th (Bill "Spaceman" Lee).

Beggs did what Baltimore needed in their Whirled Series run, but has struggled this year. Sudhoff was released, and Johnson and Lee look marginal at best right now.

Even Steven

Portland send Smokey Joe Wood & Devin Mesoraco to Kansas City for Rogers Hornsby, Vince Coleman, and a 4th Round Pick (Lee May).

Wood is a borderline all-star for the Monarchs while Hornsby both fueled Portland’s playoff run last season and is an all-star this year. Portland released Coleman, neither Mesoraco nor May are doing much.

The House of David sent Sammy Sosa to Memphis for Tony Conigliaro, Fred Lynn, and a 2nd ("Big" Bill Lee).

An odd one to evaluate, as Sosa did well enough for Memphis for the House of David to trade for him back in the off season. Still, at this point, he was a black hole of a roster spot. Conigliaro and Lynn each show good power, so call it a wash.

#Injury Report

The Black Yankees’ Don Mattingly should begin his rehab assignment around the end of the week as should, perhaps, the House of David’s Jim Clinton.

TWIWBL 71.9: The Year II Futures Game

By

On February 6, 2025

In All Star Games, TWIWBL, WBL Minor Leagues

{ As always, the game does a really piss-poor job of picking the rosters, this time leaving the World Future Stars without anyone rated at C. }

The starting pitchers were selected as much from who was rested as anything else, with Nip Winters (AAA, HOM) starting for the USA and Mélido Pérez (A, PHI) for the International side.

Winters struggled immediately, with Asdrúbal Cabrera (AAA, BAL) and Melky Cabrera (A, BBB) starting the game with a double and a single, putting runners at 1st and 3rd with no outs. Jorge Orta (AAA, CAG) drove in one, and Xander Bogaerts (AA, LAA) 2 with a double, giving the World Team and early 3-0 lead.

Pérez pitched 2 scoreless, but José Lima (A, MCG) struggled in the 3rd, giving up an RBI double to Ed Delahanty (A, BRK), who came around to score on a passed ball (Bert Campaneris (AAA, MCG) started at C for the World Team, followed by Heliodoro Hidalgo (A, KCM)–they seemed to make the most sense).

That made it 3-2, but Campaneris–clearly trying to make up for his struggles as a backstop,–took Ed Seward (A, MCG) deep in the 4th, putting the World up, 4-2. Bobby Abreu (AAA, PHI) did the same to Al Orth (AA, OTT) in the 5th, and the lead was 5-2, with the World side seeming to be cruising.

But all-star games are odd, right? There’s no continuity on the mound, and a few bad pitches can change everything. Enter Tom Harrison (A, HOD) for the World Team. One run scored on a wild pitch and Dave Malarcher (AA, HOD) drove in another, and Harrison gave way to Luis Tiant, Sr (A, MCG). Tiant gave up back-to-back homeruns, the first a 3-run job by Ralph Kiner (A, HOM), followed by a solo shot from Joe Torre (AAA, BBB).

And the game flipped, with the USA now on top, 8-5.

And that was it. Bill Harper (AA, HOU) pitched 2 excellent innings, and Billy Muffett (AAA, CLE) worked out of a little trouble in the 9th, and the USA walked away with the win.

Led by Abreu and Bogaerts, who had 3 each, the World outhit the USA 13-7. But Kiner’s shot proved too much to overcome, and he walked away with the Game MVP honors.

USA 8 (Harper W; Muffett Sv) @ World 5 (Tiant Sr L)
HRs: USA – Torre, Kiner; World – Campaneris, Abreu
Box Score

TWIWBL 65.1: Year 2, Week 8

By

On August 26, 2024

In TWIWBL

May 21st

We are roughly 1/4 through the season!

#Awards

Miami Cuban Giants OF Ryan Braun, who hit 6 homeruns with a .417 average, was the AL Player of the Week and Mike Epstein of the Homestead Grays took home the NL Player of the Week. Epstein hit .556 with 5 homeruns.

#Team Performance

It’s still far too early, of course, but there is a sliver of daylight emerging in 3 of the 4 divisions.

In the Bill James Division, the New York Black Yankees lead the Cleveland Spiders by 4 games; in the Cum Posey Division, the San Francisco Sea Lions have ridden an 8-2 streak to a 3 game lead over the Chicago American Giants, and in the Marvin Miller Division, the Kansas City Monarchs have opened up a 4.5 game edge over the Indianapolis ABC’s.

So that leaves the Effa Manley Division, where all 5 teams are separated by only 5 games from the Grays on top to the Philadelphia Stars at the bottom. Here’s how it stacks up:

TeamW/LPCTGB
Homestead Grays26-19.578–
Brooklyn Royal Giants24-19.5581
New York Gothams23-22.5113
Ottawa Mounties22-22.5003.5
Philadelphia Stars21-24.4675
Marvin Miller Division Standings

#Player Performance

Batters

Returning to normalcy: all the bold next to Babe Ruth.

But there are a ton of new storylines here as well: is Ty Cobb for real? Just how many doubles can he hit? Ruth tied for the league lead in homeruns isn’t news, but being joined by Ryan Braun and Larry Walker is (similarly, Ruth leading with 50 RBI’s is familiar; Walker joining him is not).

Also, Tony Gwynn hitting .421 is fun.

League leaders in bold, top 2 for most categories listed.

Ryan Braun (MCG). 320/366/765. 20 HR.
Ty Cobb (DET). 404/462/861. 61 H; 25 2B; 3.2 WAR.
Tony Gwynn (HOU). 421/456/679. 67 H; 40 R.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 271/377/484. 34 SB.
Pete Hill (HOU). 286/356/539. 8 3B.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 365/416/591. 22 2B.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 312/398/659. 40 R.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 316/443/770. 20 HR; 50 RBI; 43 R; 37 BB; 3.2 WAR.
Joey Votto (IND). 295/442/508. 31 BB.
Larry Walker (OTT). 342/423/770. 20 HR; 50 RBI.
Bobby Wallace (BAL). 250/387/342. 31 BB.

Pitchers

Starters

6 pitchers have 6 wins, but only 2 have 7 and of those only Kansas City’s Frank Castillo is undefeated.

Houston‘s Toad Ramsey has come back to the pack some, but all that bold shows just how far ahead of them he had gone. It’s no longer clear who the best starter in the league is at the moment, although Castillo certainly has a decent argument. But Ramsey’s teammate Roger Clemens is in there, as is Indianapolis’ Johnny Cueto, and it’s hard to ignore the ERA leader, Chicago’s Mark Buehrle.

League leaders in bold, top 2 for most categories listed.

Mark Buehrle (CAG). 5-2, 2.42.
Frank Castillo (KCM). 7-0, 2.85.
Watty Clark (SFS). 2-0, 5.21. 3.24 FIP.
Roger Clemens (HOU). 6-0, 3.47. 0.98 WHIP.
Johnny Cueto (IND). 7-1, 3.51.
Doc Gooden (LAA). 4-3, 2.60.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 5-4, 3.49. 67 IP.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 6-1, 3.52. 75 K; 2.0 WAR.
Walter Johnson (POR). 4-4, 2.94. 67.1 IP; 2.0 WAR.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 6-2, 2.60. 81 K; 2.9 WAR; 0.88 WHIP; 2.52 FIP.

Relievers

Brooklyn‘s Trevor Hildenberger is probably the hottest reliever in the league, but really nobody is truly dominant from the pen so far, other than his teammate, Fernando Valenzuela, whose future is almost certainly as a starter.

12 IP minimum; league leaders in bold, top 2 for most categories listed.

Rod Beck (SFS). 2-2, 5.40. 12 Sv.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-0, 3.38. 7 H.
Trevor Hildenberger 1-0, 1.20. 1 Sv, 5 H; 0.60 WHIP.
Ted Kennedy (PHI). 2-2, 3.48. 2 Sv, 7 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 3-0, 2.55. 12 Sv.
Lee Smith (HOD). 1-0, 2.04. 1 Sv; 5 H; 0.57 WHIP.
Fernando Valenzuela (BRK). 2-0, 1.16. 4 H.

#Injury Report

Brooklyn’s Jackie Robinson is expected back this week, as is Detroit‘s SS George Davis.

The New York Black Yankees hope to send Red Ruffing–out for nearly a year–on a rehab assignment later in the week.

#AAA Check In

We’ll take a little look at AAA, both in terms of the best performers and the best prospects (24 and under) roughly 1/4 of the way through the season.

Pos25+< 25
CJohn Stearns (26, LAA). 266/380/587.Darrin Fletcher (23, NYY). 383/408/742.
1BFred Luderus (32, PHI). 336/375/734.Eddie Murray (22, BAL). 321/389/629).
2BDJ LeMahieu (28, MEM). 377/417/521.Jorge Orta (23, CAG). 216/250/405.
SSBill Dahlen (34, CLE). 250/325/519.Travis Jackson (22, HOU). 331/358/559.
3BJung Ho Kang (29, HOD). 313/361/701.Chris Brown (23, HOD). 346/452/731.
LFLefty O’Doul (26, MEM). 385/416/644.Starling Marte (24, HOM). 341/410/609.
CFKenny Lofton (26, CLE). 354/424/599.Jack Gleason (23, LAA). 257/361/478.
RFElmer Valo (35, LAA). 397/484/733.Tony Conigliaro (23, HOD). 299/361/649.
SPCliff Lee (29, HOM). 3-2, 1.67. 1.8 WAR.
George Bechtel (28, DET). 402, 2.38. 2.2 WAR.		Dick Redding (21, BRK). 6-2, 2.93. 2.6 WAR.
Kyle Peterson (22, HOD). 4-3, 3.38. 1.8 WAR.
RPRoberto Osuna (22, HOU). 1-1, 3.86. 8 Sv.George Jeffcoat (26, NYG). 0-1, 2.57. 9 Sv.

For the batters, the dominance of players from Las Vegas (Los Angeles‘ AAA franchise) and Columbus (the AAA home for the House of David) is striking. Of these, Stearns may get a look soon given the Angels’ current struggles behind the plate and Valo’s performance may force himself back to the WBL. With both Kang and Brown blocked by Ron Cey–having a great season with the House of David–perhaps those 2 end up as trade bait?

Pitchers are highly unpredictable, of course. Redding and Peterson are doing excellently and seem destined for great things; at the same time, both Lee and Bechtel have struggled with their big league clubs.

Year II Season Preview: Chicago American Giants

By

On March 27, 2024

In Team News

Expectations

Championship contention. The offense is just too good not to warrant it, even if moves need to be made in the pitching corps.

Best Case

The offense continues as one of the very best in the league, and enough pitching is found to navigate the postseason.

Worst Case

The fringe of the offense–Freddy Parent, Mike Fiore, whomever is run out there in LF–reverts and the pitching collapses.

Key Questions

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

Trade Bait

There are some pieces in the minors, and this is a team that needs pitching, so there is some potential here.

Roster Evaluation

POSEliteStrongSolidMehWeakUnknown
CFiskNilsson
1BThomasKonerko
2BCollins
3BAllen
SSParentJackson
LF/
RF		JacksonLewisMitchellDoyle
CFFioreTorrienteWells
SPNichols
Price
Walsh		SheetsBuehrle
EndMinterWilhelmOtsukaLoes
RPLillyTwitchell
New Addition | Injured

Table says it all: if the pitching comes through, this is a championship contender.

Talent Ratings

WBLMinors
Raw Power1B Frank ThomasOF Rocky Colavito
Batting Eye2B Eddie Collins3B Paul Schaal
ContactOF Joe JacksonOF Bibb Falk
Running Speed2B Eddie Collins
IF Damian Jackson		OF Mike Cameron
Base StealingU Jack DoyleOF Jack McGeachey
IF Defense1B Paul Konerko1B Ruben Amaro Sr
OF DefenseCF Vernon WellsCF Lance Johnson
StuffSP Ed WalshRP Bob Ferguson
ControlSP Ben SheetsRP Bob Bruce
VelocityRP Akinori OtsukaRP Alex Reyes

Best In The Minors

RankAgePOSName
1 (29)22OFWalter Davis
2 (69)21OFLenny Dykstra
3 (87)24PJacob deGrom
4 (110)22PDoc Sykes
5 (146)23PTed Lyons
6 (158)24PHarry Buckner
7 (175)23IFJorge Orta
Others: None.

The table says it all: this is a weak farm system in need of replenishment.

MostLeast
AgeOF Steve Braun, 36
P Jamie Moyer, 36		OF Cristóbal Torriente, 18
HeightP David Price, 6’6″OF Ned Cuthbert, 5’6″
OPSOF Carson Bigbee, 1.028 (—)C Tubby Spencer, .499 (—)
HROF Carson Bigbee, 42 (—)2B Danny Murtaugh, 0 (AAA/AA)
SB2B Eddie Collins, 61 (WBL)Many with 0
WAR2B Eddie Collins, 6.5 (WBL)C Tubby Spencer, -3.2 (—)
WTricky Nichols, 15 (WBL)Lee Meadows, 2 (WBL/AAA/AA)
SVRich Garces, 35 (WBL)
ERAFrank Smith, 3.01 (WBL/AAA)Lee Meadows, 7.48 (WBL/AAA/AA)
WARJoe Lake, 5.7 (WBL/AAA)Will Smith, -0.9 (—)
Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

Page 1 of 3

Next

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén