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.
We’re rounding the corner towards the selection of this year’s All-Star teams. Today, we’ll check in on last year’s all stars from the AL.
#Awards
Duke Snider hit .444 with 5 homeruns last week, earning the Brooklyn OFer the NL Player of the Week Award. In the other league, Detroit‘s irrepressible Ty Cobb was named AL Player of the Week. Cobb moved his average back over .400, finishing the week at .411 after hitting .579 with 5 homers.
And, over in the Effa Manley Division, 5.5 games separate Brooklyn in first and Ottawa at the bottom.
Memphis and Brooklyn have gone 8-2 over their last 10 games, while Miami has done the inverse, finishing 2-8 over their last week and a half.
#Player Performance
Batters
Someone poked Babe Ruth, insinuating that the Black Yankees’ OF might not be the dominant player in the league. Since then, he has been on fire, retaking the league lead in his usual categories.
Three batters sit over .400: Houston‘s Tony Gwynn at .427, Ty Cobb at .411, and Homestead‘s Josh Gibson at .402. Gwynn, predictably, is the only batter with over 100 hits so far in the season.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 328/380/626. 9 3B. Ty Cobb (DET). 411/462/864. 97 H; 34 2B; 4.9 WAR. Josh Gibson (HOM). 402/480/776. 4.5 WAR. Tony Gwynn (HOU). 427/460/668. 108 H. Joe Jackson (CHI). 368/417/611. 35 2B. Stan Musial (KCM). 329/394/573. 35 2B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 297/420/768. 34 HR; 81 RBI; 67 R; 55 BB. Larry Walker (OTT). 321/390/782. 32 HR; 73 RBI. Ted Williams (MEM). 306/425/624. 60 R; 48 BB.
San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson continues to lead the league in steals with 51, but Ottawa’s Tim Raines has recovered a bit offensively, and being on base more has allowed him to close the gap a bit, now sitting with 44 on the year.
Pitchers
Starters
Indianapolis’ Luis Padrón and San Francisco’s Bump Hadley are the only hurlers in double digits for wins. The three pitchers with 9 victories are also included below, as well as the usual statistical leaders. Of note is the appearance of Kansas City’s A. Rube Foster, who now has (barely) enough IP to qualify here.
The dominance of Kansas City and San Francisco is worth mentioning as well.
Frank Castillo (KCM). 9-1, 4.01. A. Rube Foster (KCM). 4-0, 2.44. 0.86 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 8-4, 3.19. 107 IP; 3.1 WAR. Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-3, 3.68. 116 K. Bump Hadley (SFS). 10-4, 3.81. 3.29 FIP. Luis Padrón (IND). 10-2, 3.90. Eddie Plank (SFS). 9-3, 3.65. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 9-4, 3.03. 107 IP; 134 K; 0.94 WHIP; 2.72 FIP; 4.6 WAR.
Relievers
Five relievers have 9 Holds at this point, and all of them are listed, making this a bit of a larger group than usual.
16 IP minimum.
Rod Beck (SFS). 2-2, 3.79. 19 Sv. Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-1, 3.72. 9 H. Ken Howell (SFS). 4-1, 1.46. 3 H. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-3, 3.55. 1 Sv; 9 H. Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 1-0, 0.92. 2 Sv; 9 H; 0.71 WHIP; 2.07 FIP. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 3-2, 4.01. 18 Sv. Rob Murphy (IND). 1-1, 2.70. 1 Sv; 9 H. Ross Reynolds (LAA). 2-0, 1.93. 1 Sv; 1 H; 2.02 FIP. BJ Ryan (OTT). 1-2, 4.85. 1 Sv; 9 H. Lee Smith (HOD). 4-1, 2.97. 3 Sv; 6 H; 0.73 WHIP.
#2 Way Players
It’s been a while, so figured we should check back in on these guys. Here’s the list:
Name
Team
Batting
Pitching
Total WAR
Charles Rogan
PHI
311/356/605. 1.8 WAR.
4-5, 4.55. 1.8 WAR.
3.6
Luis Padrón
IND
252/331/390. 0.1 WAR.
11-2, 3.90. 2.9 WAR.
3.0
Smokey Joe Wood
KCM
263/364/526. 0.1 WAR.
8-3, 3.41. 2.1 WAR.
2.2
JM Ward
PHI
158/186/246. -0.7 WAR.
3-2, 3.68. 1.8 WAR.
1.1
Jim Whitney
BBB
140/178/256. -0.4 WAR.
2-2, 4.00. 1.1 WAR.
0.7
Elmer Smith
LAA
323/462/387. 0.2 WAR.
0-1, 6.46. -0.1 WAR.
0.1
Eustaquio Pedroso
MIA
210/312/296. -0.3 WAR.
2-1, 6.11. -0.2 WAR.
-0.5
Wood has received very little time in the field, so we’ll see how he does as that expands. It looks like Ward should stay on the mound, and that really, it’s only Rogan and Padrón as truly valuable 2-way talents.
#Injury Report
Cleveland’s Mel Harder, Detroit’s Hal Newhouser, Miami’s Kenshin Kawakami and perhaps most importantly, Portland’s Joséito Muñoz should all start injury rehabs later this week. Should those go well, all four teams should receive rotation boosts in the near future.
#Last Year’s All-Stars
As we ramp up to this year’s all-star game, seemed a good time to check in on last year’s designees. This week, we’ll take a look at (what was last year) the AL.
#OBV
Bob Bailey (3B, DET). Just a dependable offensive machine at the hot corner.
Rod Beck (RP, SFS). Still racking up the saves, and doing better than last season otherwise.
Hank Greenberg (1B, DET). Keeps pounding the ball.
Mike Henneman (RP, DET). Remains dominant from the bullpen.
Rogers Hornsby (2B, POR). Keeps rolling along with better numbers than last season.
Joe Jackson (OF, CAG). This year’s version is a doubles machine without nearly the homerun power, but still maintaining on OPS over 1.000.
Craig Kimbrel (RP, KCM). Dominant, and really making the argument to be moved into the closer slot for Kansas City.
Willie Mays (OF, NYG). Somehow underappreciated despite his stellar performance.
Andy Pettitte (SP, NYY). Just keeps rolling. Like the whole league, his ERA is a little higher, but his peripheral numbers are strong.
Buster Posey (C, NYG). More power than last year, a little less of everything else, but still elite.
Frank Thomas (1B, CAG). Significantly better offensively across the board, which is a truly frightening statement.
Ted Williams (OF, MEM). A borderline selection last year, he’s upped his game significantly this season, with an OPS of 1.049.
#Mebbe
Curt Blefary (C, BAL). Nowhere near as good as last season, but still a good offensive player, showing both power and control of the strike zone.
Eddie Collins (2B, CAG). Power output has fallen off, and while he’s still a top performer, is not the MVP candidate of last season.
Mike Epstein (1B, HOM). The shape of his production has changed, as his BA has dropped 80 points. But he’s slugging .570 and his OPS is virtually the same as last season.
Dan McGann (1B, BAL). At 37, he’s performing better than last season, but remains under the radar for some reason.
Stan Musial (OF, KCM). He’s hitting almost exactly the same as he did last year, but has struggled with the longball. That may be enough to nudge him off the team, unfair as that may be.
#Meh
Dick Allen (3B, CAB). Not doing badly, but clearly a long wasy from an all star at this point.
Gerrit Cole (SP, LAA). May be pitching better than last season, but without the dominant W/L record, should fall far short of the all-star game.
Mark Melancon (RP, POR). Perhaps a stretch choice last year due to a ridiculous number of wins for a reliever, is doing fine this year, but far from all-star levels.
AJ Minter (RP, CAG). Still the American Giants’ closer, but no longer among the best in the league.
Reggie Smith (OF, MEM). Other than a boost in power, struggling a bit across the board.
Bobby Wallace (SS, BAL). Injured and not performing nearly as well regardless, Wallace is still an on base machine, and clearly has value.
Brian Wilson (RP, NYG). Injured and limited to 13 games so far, but dominant in those appearances, so there’s a chance.
#What Happened?
Bill Byrd (SP, BAL). Well below average so far this season.
Elrod Hendricks (C, HOD). Last year’s magnificent performance looks more and more like a mirage. Hendricks still has power, but is no longer elite among league backstops.
Duffy Lewis (OF, CHI). Struggling, especially in the power department.
Tricky Nichols (SP, CAG). An ERA over 6.00 and a ton of HR’s allowed.
Freddy Parent (SS, CAG). Parent rode his All Star selection–deserved at the time–to a trade to a contender, and then lost the ability to hit for power at all. Without that, he’s a mediocre SS.
Doug Rader (3B, LAA). A stunningly productive 2000 has been followed with … very little.
George Stone (OF, HOD). Significantly worse across the board. Stone looked like a budding star last year, now he looks like a decent 4th OFer.
#Other
Ned Garvin (SP, BAL). Garvin was the dominant pitcher in the league last year when he got injured. He’s been fine since his return, but has yet to find the same level.
Sean Marshall (RP, BAL). Hit by a long-term injury, Marshall is due to return to Baltimore’s bullpen by the all-star game.
A deep playoff run once again, with championship contention.
Best Case
Everyone behind Walter Johnson in the rotation takes a step forward: Bert Blyleven becomes a legitimate #2, Dizzy Trout becomes more consistent, Elmer Brown makes the transition from the bullpen successfully, and first round pick Walter Ball steps right in, making the choice when Joséito Muñoz returns from injury a difficult one. Even without Gavvy Cravath (lost to free agency), the Sea Dogs should score quite a few runs, especially if Rogers Hornsby can prove a permanent solution (at least for a couple of years) at 2B.
Worst Case
None of that happens in the rotation, Hornsby and Gil Hodges show the effects of age, and the OF ends up regressing towards absolute mediocrity (which really comes down to how much you think Bobby Murcer, Harry Hooper, and supersub Gary Pettis overperformed last season).
Key Questions
How will the Sea Dogs compensate for the loss of Cravath?
Who joins the OF?
Trade Bait
Yes: the Sea Dogs still need to resolve the situation behind the plate, and trading either Joe Mauer or (more likely) Iván Rodríguez seems likely. Moving people on could also resolve the Buddy Bell/Adrián Beltré situation as well as provide Pettis an everyday opportunity elsewhere.
Well that was interesting. The Sea Dogs essentially turned Beltré, Rodríguez, and some useful prospects into Paul Molitor, Vladimir Guerrero, and Ken Griffey, Jr.
Roster Evaluation
POS
Elite
Strong
Solid
Meh
Weak
Unknown
C
Mauer
Lee
1B
Hrbek
Hodges
2B
Hornsby
Molitor
3B
Bell
SS
Fregosi
LF/ RF
Murcer
Hooper
Burroughs
CF
Pettis
Griffey, Jr
SP
Johnson
Blyleven Muñoz
Trout Pérez
Koosman
Miller
Ball
End
Hoffman
Brown
Melancon
Santana
RP
Williams
New Addition | Injured
There’s clearly potential here–the players likely to regress (Murcer, Kent Hrbek, Hornsby) are balanced by newcomers Griffey, Jr and Molitor, both of whom are strong favorites to improve. But, like so many teams, they’ll go as far as the pitching will take them.
Talent Ratings
WBL
Minors
Raw Power
IF Rogers Hornsby
IF Miguel Sanó
Batting Eye
IF Rogers Hornsby
IF Eddie Yost
Contact
OF Ken Griffey, Jr
OF Bubba Morton
Running Speed
OF Gary Pettis
OF Alex Diaz OF Hugh Duffy OF Otis Nixon OF Howie Shanks
Base Stealing
OF Gary Pettis
OF Otis Nixon
IF Defense
3B Buddy Bell
IF Lee Tannehill
OF Defense
OF Gary Pettis
OF Charlie Jamieson
Stuff
SP Walter Johnson
P Harry Harper
Control
SP Bert Blyleven
P Bob Porterfield
Velocity
RP Trevor Hoffman
P Heath Hembree
Best In The Minors
Rank
Age
POS
Name
1 (16)
20
OF
Vladimir Guerrero
2 (20)
20
OF
Hugh Duffy
3 (23)
22
OF
Chuck Klein
4 (40)
26
IF
Hughie Jennings
5 (124)
25
P
Walter Ball
6 (137)
23
P
Dylan Bundy
7 (138)
18
P
Harry Harper
Others: None.
What a weird system. Their top end is probably the strongest quartet in the game, Ball is in the opening day rotation, and then the entire system falls off the cliff.
Most
Least
Age
IF Jeff Cirillo, 35 OF Bubba Morton, 35 P Bob Porterfield, 35
P Harry Harper, 18
Height
OF Walt Bond, 6’7″
OF Nemo Leibold, 5’6″ IF Howdy Caton, 5’6″
OPS
IF Freddie Freeman, 1.130 (—)
IF Elvis Andrus, .558 (AAA/AA)
HR
IF Freddie Freeman, 47 (—)
IF Elvis Andrus, 1 (AAA/AA)
SB
OF Harry Hooper, 38 (WBL)
Many with 0
WAR
IF Freddie Freeman, 6.2 (—)
IF Bobby Wine, -1.6 (—)
W
Walter Johnson, 14 (WBL)
Pascual Pérez, 3 (WBL/AAA) Colby Lewis, 3 (AAA)
SV
Johan Santana, 23 (WBL)
ERA
Joseito Muñoz, 2.80 (WBL/AAA)
Mike Trombley, 6.56 (—)
WAR
Walter Johnson, 4.7 (WBL)
Mike Trombley, -0.5 (—)
Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.
85 - 70, .548 pct.
1st in Marvin Miller Division
Lost to Baltimore in Division Round
Overall
Portland’s year was, if we’re being honest, a bit of a surprise, even though they led the Marvin Miller Division virtually wire to wire. Their offense was excellent all year, they made very impactful acquisitions via trade in Rogers Hornsby and Gavvy Cravath, and their top end pitching was among the league’s best.
Things are unlikely to go as well offensively next year, so it may take some talent acquisition for the Sea Dogs to maintain their place.
What Went Right
Let’s get the acquisitions out of the way first: 2B was an issue for the Sea Dogs all season until they brought in Rogers Hornsby from Kansas City. Hornsby was excellent and looks likely to remain with Portland for a while. Then, even knowing it was likely a rental for the last few months of the season, the Sea Dogs brought in Gavvy Cravath from Philadelphia who was spectacular, slugging .750 over 40 games. Cravath has moved on to Baltimore, proving the old rich get richer thing.
This was a team already hitting at an elite level: CF Bobby Murcer, 1B Kent Hrbek, C Joe Mauer, and SS Jim Fregosi all hit about as well as anyone in the league at their position. 3B Buddy Bell and OF Harry Hooper were solid as well.
Two reserves were magnificent: each was behind an all star talent, but each kept pushing even them for playing time. Both C Iván Rodríguez and CF Gary Pettis faded a bit at the end of the year, but still posted OPS’ of .827 (Pettis) and .780 (Pudge).
It’s hard to figure out if Gil Hodges‘ year went right or not: on the good side, he was 2nd on the team with 29 homers.
Walter Johnson was fantastic, clearly one of the best starting pitchers in the league at the tender age of 20. Joseíto Muñoz was even better, even younger, and coming on strong when he was injured.
Bert Blyleven and Dizzy Trout were solid enough.
Johan Santana was leading the league in saves before his injury: there are hopes he will be fully recovered by Spring Training. In his absence, the rest of the bullpen stepped up with Portland getting very strong performances from Bob Porterfield, Trevor Hoffman (acquired at midseason), Pascual Pérez, and Elmer Brown.
ALL STARS
3B Buddy Bell; SS Jim Fregosi; 1B Kent Hrbek; C Joe Mauer; OF Bobby Murcer; P Johan Santana
What Went Wrong
Somehow Greg Litton became a fan favorite despite struggling to get his OPS over .600. Neither he nor Fred Dunlap showed anything at all at the plate, although they were useful enough as utility players.
It’s hard to figure out if Gil Hodges‘ year went right or not: on the bad side, he hit .223 with an OPS under .750.
Muñoz and Santana’s injuries sucked. Muñoz may miss most of next season as well.
Not a lot went wrong in the Pacific northwest.
Transactions
March
None
June
P Smokey Joe Wood, C Devin Mesoraco to Kansas City for 2B Rogers Hornsby, OF Vince Coleman & 4th Round Pick
A clear win. Wood is likely to have the best career, given Hornsby’s age, but Hornsby was key to Portland’s postseason push.
July
OF Kirby Puckett, P Jim Kern, P Rick Wise, 3rd Round Pick & 5th Round Pick to Houston for P Trevor Hoffman, P Mark Melancon & 4th Round Pick {Denard Span}
We’ll see. Hoffman was quite strong, and may challenge Santana for the closer’s job next year. It was a clear win for this year, it was also a lot of value to give up.
3B Harmon Killebrew & 1st Round Pick to Philadelphia for OF Gavvy Cravath & 2nd Round Pick {Hugh Duffy}
For this year, totally worth it. Down the road … not so much.
Looking Forward
SP
Walter Johnson is elite. Bert Blyleven and Jerry Koosman should be solid, and while Joseíto Muñoz is unlikely to be as good as his debut, he should be a good rotation starter for many years. So … solid, but another top arm would be welcome. Some believe Johan Santana will come back as a starter, which may help.
RP
This group is solid, but there aren’t many likely reinforcements coming. Still, Trevor Hoffman should be the closer for a few years.
C
As if having Joe Mauer and Iván Rodríguez weren’t enough, the Sea Dogs have the best C prospect at AAA, Cliff Lee, as well. Someone will be traded.
1B
Kent Hrbek for a while, but Rafael Palmiero is pushing him long term. Gil Hodges also plays here, and is an interesting piece: Hodges’ power is undeniable, but he really doesn’t hit well enough to hold down an everyday job.
2B
Rogers Hornsby probably has a few years left, but not much more than that. There is nothing behind him, so this is an area of need.
3B
Another position where someone is going to be moved on: Buddy Bell was excellent this year, but Adrián Beltré probably has the ability to be his equal.
SS
Jim Fregosi was excellent for Portland. Hughie Jennings looks promising for the future as well.
LF
Riggs Stephenson has this for now, but this may be an area the Sea Dogs look to upgrade.
CF
Bobby Murcer was Portland’s most dangerous hitter all year, even if Hrbek had more power. It’s not clear how many years Pettis will accept being a reserve.
RF
This coming year, this is likely to be a mix of Harry Hooper and Ruben Sierra. If they don’t work out, Candy Maldanado and Tom Brunansky have shown some promise.
The Rookie Draft
Rounds 1-4
With the pick to compensate for the loss of Cravath, Portland had three consecutive picks to close out the first round and start the second. With two of them, they took the closest things to Cravath they could find: OFs Chuck Klein and Hugh Duffy. With the other, they took a franchise arm that is several years away in 18 year old Jon Matlack. They balanced out Matlack with the 15th pick of the 2nd round by selecting Walter Ball, who, at twenty-seven, looks ready for WBL action right now.
Portland has 3 4th round picks and only a single franchise exception remaining. That final choice went to Lee May, who projects to have WBL level power, maybe. The other two 4th round picks were OF Denard Span and reliever Joaquin Benoit.
Rounds 5-8
Portland needs arms. At some point, a SS would be nice, but essentially, arms. They start in the 6th with CJ Wilson, in the 7th with Harry Harper, and in the 8th with Lee Stange.
Rounds 9-12
OF Adolis García; IF Josh Jung; OF Howie Shanks; OF Billy Lush.
12th round Billy Lush decided to not sign with the Sea Dogs.
The first of a 2-parter reflecting on Year I of the WBL.
Overall Statistical Model
Somewhat arbitrarily, I used 2000 as the base year for Year I. MLB produced its 2nd highest ever OPS that season, slashing a cumulative 270/345/437. Year I of the WBL ended at 268/339/433.
That’s pretty darn close.
Year I was actually an almost perfect match for 2006’s 269/337/432.
So, yeah, offense heavy, but not more than asked for.
All Around Player Performance
Tomorrow I’ll publish what didn’t go so well, and the biggest thing is a couple specific outlier performances. But, so much about the league felt right. Babe Ruth did Babe Ruth things, sure.
But the all-around players were also dominant in a great way: Eddie Collins may have been the best player in the league, Willie Mays‘ impact was irresistible. Players who had “career years” (Tom Herr, Doug Rader, even Eric Davis) did so well within the overall shape of their MLB careers.
Pitching was weird as always. But the list of those at the front of the “best starter in the league” ranking was a great list: Walter Johnson, Gerrit Cole, Jack Taylor, Andy Pettitte, Christy Mathewson? Sure. Pettitte and Taylor overperformed, but pitching–and especially of course W/L records–are weird. Ron Guidry had a great year according to the deep stats, but struggled in the traditional evaluations.
And lots of pitchers struggled, which, again, feels about right.
NeL Players
The all-time greats may feel a little under-represented, but that’s largely because of the career perspective of the WBL. Cristóbal Torriente, Pete Hill, Oscar Charleston, and Louis Santop were each everyday starters by the end of the season despite being teenagers. Martín Dihigo and John Beckwith struggled a bit, but again, teenagers.
Here’s an overview of how the NeL entries did.
Name
Team
Age
Pos
Notes
John Beckwith
SFS
18
IF
237/306/384. Sent to AAA midseason. Showed WBL power, but struggled at AAA. Likely another year at AAA.
Ray Brown
HOM
23
P
7-7, 5.80. Struggled in WBL, but in the running for Year 2 rotation spot.
Bill Byrd
BAL
26
P
14-3, 3.33. An all-star and a front of rotation starter for the best team in the league.
Oscar Charleston
IND
19
OF
277/313/438. Not many HR, but good power, great defense. A solid start.
Ray Dandridge
BRK
21
IF
256/323/359. Sparkplug for Brooklyn when healthy. A solid enough offensive start.
Leon Day
HOU
18
P
1-1, 4.91. Day was promising across 14 games (2 starts) before struggling with injuries and then being knocked out in June for the rest of the season. Expected to compete for swing role in Year 2.
Martín Dihigo
MCG
18
U
195/235/319; 0-2, 12.15. Overwhelmed as a hitter, purely mop up on the mound. But perhaps the greatest defensive talent the league has ever seen, and adds so much roster flexibility that, if the OPS can just get over .600, a valuable piece.
Bunny Downs
HOD
25
U
216/256/351. 40 PAs of mediocre utility. Defensive flexibility helps.
Josh Gibson
HOM
20
C
289/386/448. An all star behind the plate at 20? Yes, please. Power will come, a great start.
Frank Grant
HOD
21
IF
200/263/200. A rough first 100 PA for the promising IF. AAA likely next year.
Pete Hill
HOU
17
OF
287/323/440. A starter for about half the year. What a start for a 17 year old.
HR Johnson
HOU
24
IF
252/310/357. A bit disappointing, honestly. Defensive flexibility is nice, but the Colt 45’s need more from him offensively.
Dick Lundy
SFS
21
IF
268/284/377. Total sparkplug when healthy. good defense, 30 SB. Should be a starter next year.
Carlos Morán
MCG
21
OF
221/369/262. Great defense and an OBP machine. Certainly in the mix to start in Year 2.
José Méndez
MCG
22
P
4-6, 4.56. Good secondary numbers and, by the end of the year, looked like a front of the rotation starter.
Joséito Muñoz
POR
19
P
5-5, 2.57. Fantastic when healthy. But now out until a few months into next year.
Alejandro Oms
MCG
20
OF
259/313/410. Solid. more power and better zone control would help. But, solid.
Eustaquio Pedroso
MCG
22
OF/P
278/316/444; 9-6, 4.81. Someone who performs around league average both in the field and on the mound has value.
Dick Redding
BRK
20
P
0-5, 4.57. Not good enough to stay with Brooklyn all year, but not horrible. Showed enough at AAA at the plate (106 OPS+) to warrant a look as a two-way player.
Louis Santop
CLE
19
C
293/322/447. Doesn’t get on base enough, but he’s a C with solid D and still a teen. Future star.
Sam Streeter
BBB
24
P
7-6, 4.91. Very solid, pushed to bullpen at end of year.
Cristóbal Torriente
CAG
17
OF
289/347/392. Excellent defense, solid–if low on power–offense. Likely to be a mainstay for the American Giants for a long time.
Smoky Joe Williams
BRK
20
P
4-1, 3.47. Sent down to spend most of the year at AAA, returned very strong down the stretch.
There are, of course, some others in the minor leagues–A. Rube Foster (9-2, 4.60 ERA across 5 minor league teams), Cool Papa Bell (252/304/339 with 39 SB, mostly at AA), some others.
Continuity
I started the first season of the WBL something like 40/45 years ago. The third season was completed over 20 years ago. This season–the first on OOTP, the fourth overall–was completed in about 3 years.
Across all of that–from handheld Strat-O-Matic play through SOM on a half-dozen different computers (beginning on a Commodore 64, natch) through 3 versions of OOTP–it feels similar. Storylines emerge that I enjoy, frustrations emerge at players underperforming, personalities of teams and franchises begin to appear.
I love all that.
I have no idea what to do with the first 3 years–the teams were totally different, some players occur in this version as well, many do not. If I can find an easy way to incorporate that history, I may do so, but I don’t see it yet. Shock of shocks, Babe Ruth would be the career HR leader …
So this is a strange one … according to OOTP, everyone (well, virtually everyone) in the league is a rookie. So we’re instead giving it out to the best performing players who did not qualify for the league leaderboards–essentially mid or late season call ups.
Here are the position players under consideration
Name
Tm
Pos
G
BA
OPS
SLG
WAR
John Briggs
BRK
OF
39
322
415
529
0.9
Jim Edmonds
HOD
OF
71
293
348
576
2.0
Al Kaline
DET
OF
34
301
374
573
0.9
Andy Van Slyke
HOM
U
69
321
373
558
2.5
Larry Walker
OTT
OF
79
282
375
589
2.9
And, the pitchers
Name
Tm
Record
G
GS
Sv
H
WAR
Bob Feller
CLE
8-4, 3.89
24
11
0
0
1.8
Greg Maddux
BBB
6-7, 3.53
27
18
0
2
1.8
Joseíto Muñoz
POR
5-5, 2.57
24
9
3
2
1.8
Mike Mussina
BAL
16-7, 4.08
29
16
1
1
1.9
Bret Saberhagen
HOU
4-7, 4.02
17
17
0
0
1.8
Ed Walsh
CAG
8-3, 3.26
35
11
0
5
3.2
I’m going to push Walker out of the running, as his limited time was almost exclusively through injury.
Muñoz is probably the most impressive performer over the small sample size. But it is a small sample size. We’ll go with Walsh, Van Slyke, and Muñoz.
The Black Barons recalled P John Malarkey, 1B Nate Colbert, and OFs Andy Pafko and Curt Flood to help in their final playoff push.
#Brooklyn Royal Giants
Lefty Fernando Valenzuela, IF Dickie Thon, and OF Raúl Mondesi were all recalled as Brooklyn chases the final wildcard spot.
3 hits from John Briggs, including his 6th homer of the year weren’t enough as the Royal Giants fell to Memphis, 9-3. The loss officially eliminated Brooklyn from post-season contention, ending a nice late-season surge.
#Miami Cuban Giants
The Cuban Giants went back-to-back twice in a win over Ottawa. First, Yasiel Puig and José Canseco did it in the 8th inning, giving Miami a come from behind lead, then Canseco and Jim Thome did it in the 9th to put the game on ice. Dontrelle Willis, Sandy Consuegra, and Ramón Martínez didn’t allow a run in relief in the 10-4 victory.
#Portland Sea Dogs
Joseíto Muñoz was activated from the DL, with both Atlee Hammaker and Ray Fontenot being sent to AAA. Muñoz takes Mike Cuellar‘s spot in the rotation, and Jerry Blevins was recalled from AAA.
Muñoz was shut down immediately, and will miss time well into next season with elbow surgery. Hammaker was recalled to the active roster.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
With the San Jose Bees season winding down, the Sea Lions made a flurry of moves for the final week or so of the season, promoting Ps Red Ehret, Tommy Bridges and Dennis Eckersley, and IFs Don Money, Keith Ginter and Denny Hocking and activating C Mickey Cochrane from the DL.
Lefty Grove, James Shields, Ron Robinson, and Rod Beck combined on a 2-0 shutout victory for San Francisco. The victory went to Shields, with Robinson picking up his 18th hold and Beck his 31st save.
The Birmingham Black Barons (who we saw in Series III, XIV, and XXIII) have clawed their way to take the lead in the Marvin Miller Division, ahead of the Portland Sea Dogs (who were featured in Series IV and XVII, and XXIX) by 1/2 game.
#Portland Sea Dogs
Portland has stalled in the past week or so, but over the course of the season has been one of the top few teams in the WBL.
Offensively, they are excellent top-to-bottom, to the point where there are several spots in the lineup where they struggle to find enough at-bats. Most notably, both Joe Mauer (302/380/488) and Iván Rodríguez (324/343/502) are stars at C and Gary Pettis (376/460/518) refuses to slump as their reserve CF. Pettis is now over 100 ABs, but remains stuck behind Bobby Murcer (309/395/542).
Kent Hrbek (305/378/594) leads the team in HR (34) and RBI (89) with 7 other Sea Dogs hitting at least 15 homeruns and two–Murcer with 21 and Gil Hodges with 25–over 20.
Two trade acquisitions will be key to Portland’s stretch run. 2B Rogers Hornsby hasn’t hit as well with the Sea Dogs as they did in Kansas City, with an OPS over 120 points lower. Gavvy Cravath, however, has hit the ground running, slashing 286/422/571 in Portland compared to 289/358/493 in Philadelphia.
Portland’s best 2 pitchers–Walter Johnson and Joséito Muñoz (5-5, 2.50)–are currently injured (Johnson for only a few more days while Muñoz’ injury is still being diagnosed). Their closer–and the best in the league for a while–Johan Santana is out for the rest of the year, and Pascual Pérez, a solid rotation starter, is on a rehab assignment. That’s a lot to overcome on the mound.
Wade Miller‘s performance (9-4, 4.33) has helped a lot, and the trio of Atlee Hammaker, Dizzy Trout, and Bert Blyleven seem well poised to bridge the gap. Add in Mike Cuellar, who is 11-6 with almost all of his work coming in relief, and the combination of Elmer Brown and Bob Porterfield in the pen, and Portland’s pitching staff remains dangerous.
#Birmingham Black Barons
Their transformation into a playoff contender has been a shock, as Birmingham was a big seller at the first trading deadline, unloading 2 all-stars in 2B Tom Herr and SP Tim Hudson. Somehow, they’ve improved dramatically, to the point where they were significant buyers at the final deadline, where they added Andy Pettitte to their rotation.
They’ve done it with pitching and defense and an offense that is improving–which means it is approaching roughly league average. The loss of Herr has been outweighed by the emergence of Cupid Childs, who is slashing 321/446/491 in the very early going of his WBL career. The offense centers around the trio of SS Herman Long (287/336/528), Hank Aaron (266/304/498) and the resurgent Eddie Mathews (246/332/489). Aaron leads the team in HRs (23) and RBIs (78).
Jim Pagliaroni–picked up at the deadline–has solidified the C position, Curtis Granderson has been a solid, consistent contributor in CF, and Adrían González, after sporting an OPS under .500 with Chicago, is slashing 287/326/456 with Birmingham.
But the real story is on the mound, where the trio of Alejandro Peña (10-7, 3.28), Pettitte (12-4, 3.22 overall), and Greg Maddux (4-4, 2.88) are pitching as well as any threesome in the league. Juan Rincón has 19 saves since being elevated to closer, and the duo of Bruce Chen and Steve Bedrosian have been fantastic in late relief.
The newcomers just keep delivering. Adrián González went deep twice and is sporting an OPS nearly 300 points higher than his time with Chicago and the newly acquired Andy Pettite moved to 2-0 with Birmingham with 7 strong innings as the Black Barons defeated Homestead 8-2.
#Brooklyn Royal Giants
Beals Becker hit 2 homeruns, putting him in the 40/20 club (20 homers, 41 steals), but it wasn’t enough as the Royal Giants fell 6-4 to Detroit.
#Portland Sea Dogs
It took an injury to stop the force known as Greg Litton. As the utility player hit the DL, Portland recalled Fred Dunlap from AAA. Dunlap, who started the year at 2B for the Sea Dogs, hit even less than Litton in that stretch, as inconceivable as that seems. Litton went out with a bang, getting 3 hits in the game where he was injured. Gil Hodges also had 3 hits, including his 24th homerun of the year, in a come-from-behind 8-6 victory over Cleveland.
Portland’s 6-2 victory in the 3rd game was notable for a few things: 5 runs in the last 2 innings; another strong performance by Joséito Muñoz; a key homerun by Gavvy Cravath (his first as a Sea Dog); more hits from Gary Pettis, who moved his average back over .400; and a decent showing by Dunlap, looking to stay in the bigs this time. Mike Cuellar moved to 11-6, despite only 1 start.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
With Reggie Jackson‘s return from the DL, the Sea Lions chose to send 18 year old John Beckwith to AAA in hopes of more regular at-bats, keeping Jimmie Foxx at the WBL level.
Tim Hudson put in another strong start in Jackson’s first game back, allowing 1 earned run in 7 innings. Six Sea Lions–including Jackson–had 2 hits in the 9-2 victory.
The arrival of Jim Pagliaroni sent Del Crandall packing (he refused a demotion to AAA), with Gene Tenace being relegated to reserve duty.
Nate Colbert was the odd man out with Andy Pettitte‘s arrival prompting Birmingham to carry 12 pitchers. Colbert will be back when rosters expand if not sooner. Pettitte slides into the rotation, with Larry Benton heading to the bullpen. Optimistically, the trio of Alejandro Peña, Pettitte, and Greg Maddux are on par with any trio of starters in the league, but that depends on Maddux maintaining his current form and all three staying healthy.
Pettitte’s first start was a success: 6 shutout innings, and combining with Steve Bedrosian and Kent Mercker on a 10 hit blanking of Ottawa. The Black Barons turned a league record 6 double plays in the game, and Frank McCormick, Hank Aaron, and Bob Nieman all went deep.
Harley Young will miss about a month, a pretty big blow to the Black Barons bullpen. Jim Whitney was recalled to take Young’s place.
#Brooklyn Royal Giants
Art Griggs will miss about 2 weeks of action with an oblique strain. The Royal Giants recalled OF Matt Holliday from AAA.
#Miami Cuban Giants
Lots of roster juggling here …
Cole Hamels and Freddie Fitzsimmons join the big league roster, with Hamels sliding right into the rotation. José Méndez takes over the final rotation spot, pushing Eustaquio Pedroso back to the bullpen. Once Ozzie Canseco clears waivers, Sandy Consuegra will be recalled from AAA.
The departure of Ed Bauta and Aroldis Chapman leave the Cuban Giants pretty weak at the back end of the pen, so they’re hoping some mix of Brown, Braden Looper, and Ricky Nolasco can handle closing games out.
Willie Kamm was promoted all the way from AA, and Jim Thome recalled from AAA to replace the departed Will Clark.
Fitzsimmons pitched in 2 games and then hit the DL with a hamstring problem, prompting Miami to recall Marcelino López to fill out the bullpen.
#Portland Sea Dogs
Hal Griggs and Frank Williams were sent to AAA to clear room for Trevor Hoffman and Mark Melancon and Dizzy Trout took the final spot in their rotation. Gavvy Cravath‘s arrival sent Ruben Sierra back as well. Cravath slides into RF, most likely reducing both Jeff Burroughs‘ and Greg Litton‘s playing time.
The Sea Dogs hit 6 homeruns in an 11-5 thrashing of Los Angeles, with Harry Hooper (a grandslam), Kent Hrbek (twice), Buddy Bell, Iván Rodriguez, and Rogers Hornsby all sending balls over the fence. Hrbek once again tied for the league lead with his 33rd of the season. Despite extreme wildness, Joséito Muñoz surrendered only 1 run in just over 5 innings, leveling his record at 5-5 on the season.
Walter Johnson will miss about a week, requiring a quick trip to the DL. The Sea Dogs recalled Ray Fontenot from AAA, but Atlee Hammaker is likely to get the nod for Johnson’s next start. Both Pascual Pérez and, more interestingly, Joe Mauer, began rehab assignments at AAA.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
Billy Taylor and Nick Altrock were promoted to San Francisco, with Altrock sliding right into the back of the rotation as the Sea Lions try to figure out just what they have in the 28 year old hurler.
Gene Oliver was brought up to platoon with Mickey Cochrane behind the plate, with Cy Perkins being let go. There may be more moves ahead, depending on the status of Dick Lundy‘s injury. San Francisco would really like to move Miguel Cairo down, but it’s not clear who is ready for big league minutes at SS, especially if Lundy is out for any length of time.
Lundy will miss about 2 weeks, prompting the Sea Lions to recall Roy Hartzell from AAA.
Hartzell started his WBL career with a bang, hitting a homerun in his first at-bat. Bobby Bonds and Bob Cerv also went deep, and Tim Hudson seems to have turned the corner in his time in San Francisco as the Sea Lions beat Baltimore, 6-2.
Two homeruns from Pedro Guerrero led the Sea Lions to a 6-5 victory over the Black Sox. Guerrero drove in 5, helping Eddie Plank move to 8-5 on the year with Rod Beck picking up his 22nd save.
Taylor appeared in one game and tore his rotator cuff, putting him out for about 10 months. Bump Hadley was recalled from AAA.
