Tag: Joséito Muñoz Page 1 of 4

{Each week, we pick one club at random and give them a bit more depth–how they thought the season would go, how it’s going, and what the future might hold.}

After making the playoffs in 2000, Portland lost 91 games last year. They are 16-15 right now, in second place, and are a little puzzled by it all.

	POR	WBL rank	2001 rank
Batting average	.241	11th	18th
On-base	.304	14th	17th
Slugging	.403	15th	20th
OPS	.708	14th	19th
Runs scored	138	11th	19th
Homeruns	36	14th	18th
ERA	3.90	6th	9th
WHIP	1.23	7th	16th
Strikeouts per 9	10.30	2nd	11th
Walks per 9	3.40	14th	17th
Homeruns per 9	1.13	8th	5th

Portland Sea Dogs | 6 May

#How We Thought it Would Go

The season preview was blunt about it: “Nobody in Portland is selling 2002 as a contention year, but getting back on track is the highest priority for the organization.” The club had sold every veteran they could, and had decided 2002 was a year to allow an extraordinary–and extraordinarily young–rotation (a 20-year-old, two 21-year-olds and a 26-year-old) to develop.

#How It’s Going

Second in the Cum Posey, 2.5 games out, 138 runs scored and 123 allowed. Not bad.

The pitching has done more than just arrive ahead of schedule — Portland strikes out more men per nine innings than every club in the WBL except one, after ranking 11th at that last season.

That needs a caveat: the league ERA has fallen from 5.38 to about 4.19, so a staff ERA of 3.90 against last year’s 5.33 is mostly the league coming back to earth. Griffith Stadium is also a harder place to score in than it was a year ago. The rank is the signal — 9th to 6th in ERA, 16th to 7th in WHIP, and 11th to 2nd in strikeouts. That last one is not a park effect.

Can this rotation stay together? So far, yes. All five starters have taken every turn. Walter Johnson is pitching like the best arm in the league: 42.1 innings, a 2.76 ERA, and 64 strikeouts to share the league lead. And his control has come around, with only 13 walks allowed. Joseíto Muñoz is 2-0 with a 2.55 ERA, and Bert Blyleven, despite an 0-3 record, is sporting a 2.70 ERA.

Not all is great on the mound (remember, the Sea Dogs are hovering around .500). Walter Ball, Portland’s Pitcher of the Year last year, is struggling with his control and has an ERA over 6.00 and Jake Peavy, given a rotation spot despite a limited resume, isn’t doing much better.

Does Griffey learn the strike zone? The early answer is a cautious yes. Ken Griffey Jr is walking in 8.3% of his trips, up from 4.5% last season, and is hitting (287/342/491) with 4 homeruns. The strikeouts haven’t moved. One month is one month, but it is the first month of his career that the walk rate has looked more acceptable than not.

Who gets the ball in the 9th? Right now, Jack Billingham does. Billingham has 7 saves. There remain calls for Johan Santana to return to his closer role, but Portland seems set on seeing if the young lefty can make the transition to a starter. Santana currently has a 1.06 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 17 innings, clearly showing a full return from last season’s injury.

#The Crystal Ball

The rotation seems to be delivering on its promise.

The more challenging question is the offense. Five men with 50 or more trips to the plate are hitting under .220, and the fixes available are all 26-to-32-year-olds at Seattle having good months — useful, but not what a rebuild is for.

Portland is 11th in average and 14th in on-base, and the lineup is carried by Bobby Murcer (297/351/446) — graded the worst regular on the roster coming in — plus Griffey and Paul Molitor (261/300/479, 6 homeruns).

#Buy or Sell?

Who knows? It’s May. The Sea Dogs did sell last year, so they don’t really have veteran talent to move this year. But by midseason some of their depth questions might have clarified to the point they can be answered.

#Stories

Shortstop

The preview called it “Hughie Jennings and Clayton and hope.” Through a month: Hughie Jennings is at (183/206/233) in 63 plate appearances and Royce Clayton at (149/184/319) in 51. 114 PA between them and 19 hits.

So I guess there’s hope.

The DH Problem

Gil Hodges hit 38 homeruns in 2001 and was worth −1.4 wins doing it; he is now at (185/228/222) in 57 plate appearances. Kent Hrbek is doing a little better than that, but at least Hrbek has some pedigree to fall back on. Still, patience with Hodges may be wearing thin, and there are some intriguing bats in the minors that may get a look sooner rather than later.

Right Field, Three Ways

Chuck Klein has 5 homeruns, but only a .192 average. Bobby Abreu has been … fine … and then there is Murcer, who seems to have recaptured his form. Klein’s power continues to intrigue, but the OF feels like it is still in its exploratory phase.

The Big Train, Both Ways

Walter Johnson is hitting (333/379/778) with 3 homeruns in 29 plate appearances, mostly from hitting when he starts. 29 PAs decide nothing, but it’s easily the most fun line on the roster.

#Down on the Farm

The system is thin, but there are some names worth tracking.

Hugh Duffy (RF, 21, AAA): 373/413/508 in 63 plate appearances at Seattle, with 3 steals. The preview named him the organization’s best raw power in the minors; he is now also its best performer and, given the discussion of the OF above … may be the next man up.

Vladimir Guerrero (RF, 21, AA): 143/200/286 in 55 plate appearances at Vancouver. Stalled, but only 21.

Brant Alyea (LF, 29, AA): 333/390/710 with 8 homeruns in 77 plate appearances. Loud, but he’s 29 and at AA, which muffles quite a bit.

Not much on the mound. Shaun Marcum (P, 25, AAA): 3.70 in 41.1 innings with 32 strikeouts, the closest thing to a sixth starter. Bill Dietrich (P, 26, A): 2.18 in 33 innings. Tom Glavine (P, 20, A-ball) has thrown 13 innings.

Jack Fournier (1B, 16, A-ball): 225/262/375 in 42 plate appearances. He is sixteen, and playing. That by itself is a confirmation of potential.

#One Number

13.6. Walter Johnson’s strikeouts per nine innings, against 7.6 last season and 7.0 the year before. Whatever Portland thought it had in him, this is even better.

TWIWBL 102.1: Year 3, Week 5 – One Month In!

By mknn

On October 13, 2026

In TWIWBL

6 May, 2002

And we enter the second month of the season! Whoo Hoo!

Which means we have monthly awards for the first time, and we have our first review of the early standings.

#Awards

Miami‘s Robin Yount is the AL Player of the Week, hitting .450 with 2 homeruns, 6 runs and 5 RBI, and slugging an even 1.000. Yount is up to .283 with 6 homeruns and 12 doubles on the year.

The NL Player of the Week goes to Grant Johnson of the New York Gothams for the second week running: Johnson hit .409 with 3 homeruns, 3 doubles and 7 RBI while slugging .955. Overall, he’s hitting .379 with 9 homeruns and a league-leading 15 doubles.

In the minors: Freddie Lindstrom (Chicago American Giants) took the award at AAA Milwaukee, where the 21-year-old third baseman is hitting .306 with 7 homeruns, making his early demotion seem a bit of a mistake in judgement by the American Giants; Raúl Mondesi (Wandering House of David) won at AA Albuquerque, and Al López (Brooklyn) at A-ball Albany, where the 33-year-old catcher is hitting .426.

#April Awards

The first month is in the books, and one name on the list is no surprise at all.

Ted Williams (Memphis) is the AL Batter of the Month, having hit .437 with 14 homeruns, 30 runs and 34 RBI in April while slugging an even 1.000. Grant Johnson takes the NL award–not a surprise given the above.

Waite Hoyt (Chicago) is the AL Pitcher of the Month, going 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 36.2 innings. For a team whose primary weakness was dependable starting pitching, the acquisition of Hoyt sure looks like good work for Chicago.

Over in the NL, the Pitcher of the Month goes to one of Johnson’s teammates on the Gothams, Christy Mathewson. Seemingly returning to his 2000 form, Matty has started the season perfectly, going 6-0 with a 2.27 ERA.

Whitey Ford (New York Black Yankees) went 3-2 with a 2.25 ERA in April, earning the AL Rookie of the Month Award, and in the NL, Philadelphia‘s Harmon Killebrew is the Rookie of the Month, despite only hitting .255. 9 homeruns in a calendar month will do that.

The minors have their own monthly awards too, of course.

At AAA, Roger Maris of the New York Black Yankees was the Batter of the Month, hitting .418 with 11 homeruns at Newark, and Mike Scott (Los Angeles) won the Pitcher of the Month, going 4-1 with a 1.98 ERA. Cody Bellinger (Wandering House of David) hit .404 at AA Albuquerque and Hugh Mulcahy (Homestead) went 3-0 with a 1.93 at AA Syracuse. At A-ball, John Bass (Philadelphia) hit 10 homeruns and Fred Gladding (Indianapolis) allowed only 2 earned runs in 15.1 innings, as they took home the monthly honors.

#Team Performance

I know it’s early. You know it’s early. Still, it is May. And that’s no longer April, right?

The best records in the WBL belong to two surprise teams: Memphis leads the Bill James Division and Philadelphia tops the Effa Manley, each with a 20-11 record–that’s a .645 clip.

Ottawa (a game behind Philadelphia) and Chicago (leading the Cum Posey Division) are the only other teams playing over .600 ball.

The Baltimore Black Sox sit at the other end of the scale, already 11.5 games out in the Bill James Division, sitting at 8-22. But they aren’t the only major disappointments: both Birmingham and Indianapolis are only winning at a .333 clip (10-20).

Full standings are at the top of each divisional page for the curious.

#Player Performance

Five weeks in, qualifying is 3.1 plate appearances or 1 inning per team game — about 96 PA and 31 innings.

Some early season streaks of note: The Gothams’ Grant Johnson has a 15 game hitting streak going and Memphis’ Ted Williams has reached base in 30 straight. On the mound, Chicago’s Joel Horlen hasn’t allowed a run in 23 innings and Kansas City’s Smokey Joe Wood in 14.

#Batters

Ted Williams is still the story, and it is getting harder to describe without sounding like an advertisement: he leads the WBL in batting average, on-base, slugging, homeruns, runs, RBI, walks and WAR, outright. That only leaves 2B, 3B, and SB for others.

This list should reduce a little over time, but it’s got some decent WBL storylines in it–the resurgence of a healthy Pete Browning, Rico Carty‘s deal with the devil to combat his age, Cool Papa Bell giving Rickey Henderson some competition for the SB crown, etc.

But it’s really all about The Splendid Splinter for now.

Ernie Banks (HOD). .225/.299/.549. 9 HR, 27 RBI.
Cool Papa Bell (KAN). .204/.295/.280. 10 SB.
Dan Brouthers (BRK). .369/.416/.612. 11 2B.
Pete Browning (HOD). .331/.389/.508. 10 2B, 9 SB.
Rico Carty (PHI). .374/.442/.670.
Oscar Charleston (IND). .300/.341/.642. 12 HR, 29 RBI, 1.9 WAR.
Roberto Clemente (HOM). .372/.413/.698. 7 HR.
Ty Cobb (DET). .345/.390/.708. 10 HR, 2.0 WAR.
Eric Davis (NYY). .260/.353/.452. 8 SB.
Lou Gehrig (NYY). .288/.373/.635. 25 RBI.
Hank Greenberg (DET). .272/.348/.476. 4 3B.
Bobby Grich (BBB). .202/.362/.279. 22 BB.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). .229/.333/.365. 9 SB.
Grant Johnson (NYG). .379/.402/.741. 9 HR, 15 2B, 1.6 WAR.
Harmon Killebrew (PHI). .275/.325/.569. 10 HR.
Willie Mays (NYG). .289/.344/.588. 25 R.
Joe Morgan (IND). .253/.405/.374. 23 BB.
Jackie Robinson (BRK). .336/.381/.509. 14 2B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). .232/.387/.611. 11 HR, 21 BB.
Chino Smith (CAG). .292/.324/.736. 13 HR, 30 R, 32 RBI.
Mike Trout (LAA). .300/.349/.567. 12 2B.
Ted Williams (MEM). .419/.533/.914. 15 HR, 33 R, 39 RBI, 27 BB, 2.7 WAR.

#Pitchers

#Starters

There’s nowhere near the single person dominance on the mound–early days, of course, but it looks like we may have some good years on the mound coming.

Brett Anderson (HOD). 4-2, 2.84.
Steve Carlton (PHI). 4-1, 2.56. 41 K.
Don Drysdale (MEM). 2-1, 2.48. 49 K.
Bob Feller (CLE). 1-4, 4.58. 52 K.
Whitey Ford (NYY). 3-2, 3.19. 2.94 FIP.
Ned Garvin (BAL). 1-2, 4.10. 50 K, .208 BABIP.
Lefty Gomez (BBB). 2-4, 2.82. 2.30 FIP.
Dwight Gooden (LAA). 2-2, 4.30. 1.96 FIP, 1.7 WAR.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 3-1, 3.47. 62 K.
Waite Hoyt (CAG). 4-1, 2.52. 42 K, 2.60 FIP.
Walter Johnson (POR). 3-3, 2.76. 64 K, 2.66 FIP.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 6-0, 2.74. 64 K, 49.1 IP.
José Méndez (MCG). 3-2, 2.57. 0.93 WHIP.
Joseíto Muñoz (POR). 2-0, 2.55. 46 K, 2.48 FIP.
David Price (HOM). 2-1, 2.90. 0.94 WHIP.
Charles Radbourn (OTT). 3-1, 1.57. 2.28 FIP, 1.5 WAR.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 2-3, 3.24. 50 K, 2.53 FIP, 1.5 WAR.
Tom Seaver (MEM). 2-1, 1.59.
J.M. Ward (PHI). 4-2, 3.51. .213 BABIP.
Jim Whitney (MCG). 1-1, 3.40. 54 K, 0.86 WHIP.
Smokey Joe Wood (KAN). 3-0, 2.23. 47 K, 0.69 WHIP, 2.31 FIP.

#Relievers

Rate stats still want another week or two. The saves and holds:

Rod Beck (SFS). 1-2, 4.09. 7 Sv.
Dellin Betances (HOD). 2 Sv, 4 Hld.
Jack Billingham (POR). 3.60. 7 Sv.
Chad Bradford (DET). 2-2, 3.68. 5 Hld.
Jeurys Familia (LAA). 3.21. 5 Hld.
Eric Gagné (BRK). 0.75. 8 Sv.
Andrew Miller (MEM). 1.26. 6 Sv.
Jonathan Papelbon (MCG). 3.27. 7 Sv.
Eustaquio Pedroso (MCG). 4.87. 4 Hld.
Vito Tamulis (NYG). 3.38. 6 Hld.
Kent Tekulve (NYG). 2-0, 4.76. 5 Hld.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1.74. 9 Sv.

Note that the Gothams may be back on track in their quest to rebuild their bullpen.

Two arms have yet to allow a run at all: Birmingham’s Kerry Ligtenberg over 16.1 innings, with 21 strikeouts and 4 hits allowed, and Chicago’s Joe Horlen over 20.2.

#Hardest Shots

Birmingham’s Eddie Mathews hit the hardest ball of the season so far, a 126 mph solo homerun. Mathews doesn’t hit many balls, but at least that one was a freaking rocket. Cleveland‘s Ed Bailey and Birmingham’s Bobby Grich also hit balls over 120 mph.

The hardest out belonged to a pitcher: Jim Whitney (Miami) flew out to center at 118 mph.

#Injuries

Houston‘s outfield took another hit–with Tony Gwynn already sidelined, the eternally underappreciated Jim Wynn will miss 2-3 weeks.

Frank Grant of the San Francisco Sea Lions is out a couple weeks and some other important names (Ottawa’s Gary Peters, Cleveland’s Louis Santop, Kansas City‘s Rube Foster, and Homestead’s Ricardo Rincón) will each miss about a week.

TWIWBL 100.3: Year 3, Week 3 – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On September 4, 2026

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
San Francisco Sea Lions	12-7	.632	—
Los Angeles Angels	11-8	.579	1
Portland Sea Dogs	11-8	.579	1
Chicago American Giants	10-8	.556	1.5
Miami Cuban Giants	9-10	.474	3

Cum Posey Division | 22 April

Chicago American Giants

Sam Streeter struck out 10 for the second time this year, but you wouldn’t know it from his ERA, which tops 7.00.

Los Angeles Angels

Richie Hebner hit 2 homeruns and drove in 4 in a 10-7 win at Portland.

Miami Cuban Giants

Robin Yount hit 2 out of the park in an 8-3 win over Los Angeles. It was a costly win for Miami, as Iván Rodríguez was hurt running the bases and will miss 5-6 weeks. Smoky Burgess was recalled from AAA to back up Chris Hoiles behind the plate.

A few days later Alejandro Oms joined the Cuban Giants on the DL, with Miami recalling reliver Aaron Barrett in hopes of lengthening their bullpen.

Portland Sea Dogs

Sure, Walter Johnson is the best SP in the league right now, but he’s hitting this year, too, sporting a .368 average on the young season.

Joseíto Muñoz struck out 11 in a 7-1 win over Los Angeles, with the Sea Dogs leaving the youngster in there for 142 pitches. That can’t be a great long term plan.

Chuck Klein had a hand in all 4 runs of a 4-3, 11-inning win over Baltimore: 2 solo homeruns, a 2-out single to tie it in the 8th, and scoring the winning run in the 11th. Klein is slugging over .500 as he adjusts to life in the WBL.

Jerry Blevins–hurt since well into last season–has begun a rehab assignment.

San Francisco Sea Lions

Some good pitching has brought San Francisco’s overall performance back towards expectations. Bump Hadley allowed 1 hit in 6 innings with 11 strikeouts, and then Lefty Grove struck out 13 in a 4-1 win over the Black Yankees.

Veteran Tim Hudson was injured while pitching and will miss about 2 weeks. The timing sped up Ron Robinson‘s return, with the reliever being welcomed back after an absence of close to a year.

Year III Season Preview: Portland Sea Dogs

By mknn

On August 12, 2026

In 2002 Season Previews, Team News

▌ State of the Franchise

Portland won the Cum Posey Division in 2000 and finished last there the following year, ending 2001 at 71-91, 32 games out. Nobody in the Pacific Northwest thought it could fall apart that fast, that hard.

The collapse was on the offensive side, and it wasn’t one man having a bad year. Gil Hodges led the club with 38 home runs and was worth −1.4 WAR, which takes some doing. Bobby Murcer hit 33 and finished at −0.4. Kiki Cuyler and Cliff Lee also went negative in real playing time. The Sea Dogs finished last in most offensive measures while 4 different men cleared 30 homers, empty totals boosted by the extreme nature of the league last season.

So they sold everything with an age on it. Rogers Hornsby went to the Black Yankees for Jake Peavy and a 1st. Buddy Bell went out for Robin Ventura and some arms. SS Jim Fregosi is gone, as are half the bullpen.

What’s left is young, perhaps recklessly so. Joseíto Muñoz is 20 and in the rotation. Walter Johnson (the clear ace) and Bert Blyleven are 21. Joe Mauer caught 125 games and took the organizational MVP at age 23. Ken Griffey Jr is 21 and already the best bat here.

Nobody in Portland is selling 2002 as a contention year, but getting back on track is the highest priority for the organization.

▌ 2001 Revisited

We opened last spring asking for a deep playoff run once again, with championship contention. They lost 91 games. There’s no reading of that which doesn’t make it the worst call we’ve ever printed.

The best case wanted everyone behind Johnson to step up — Blyleven as a real number 2, Dizzy Trout as a more consistent rotation option, even Elmer Brown converting into a starter out of the pen, and 1st-round pick Walter Ball stepping straight in. Ball delivered: a 4.26 ERA over 141 innings, which against a league that gave up 5.38 is genuinely good, and enough for the organizational Pitcher of the Year. But he missed half the season through injury. The rest were fine (Blyleven, Trout) or bad (Brown, others).

The worst case reads like it was written afterward. Hornsby and Hodges show the effects of age, and the OF regresses towards absolute mediocrity. Hodges hit 208/292/461. Murcer hit 250/311/489. Hornsby played well enough to be traded in July and is a Black Yankee now.

Johnson is the part nobody should skip past. He threw 214 innings with a 4.28 ERA and 182 strikeouts, led the club at 4.6 WAR, and won a Gold Glove on the mound. He is 21, and looks quite likely to dodge the standard concerns about consistency and injury that accompany young arms.

▌ Key Changes

In: Jack Billingham (IND); Royce Clayton (SFS); Robin Ventura (IND)
Out: Buddy Bell (IND); Trevor Hoffman (SFS)

Opening Day Rookies: Chuck Klein; Willard Schmidt

▌ Best Case for 2002

The rotation arrives ahead of schedule. Johnson goes from very good to the best arm in the league. Ball’s 4.26 turns out to be who he is, over a full year this time. Muñoz holds a rotation spot and Peavy — who missed all of 2001 after coming over in the Hornsby trade — throws 150 healthy innings.

And, the bats do their part. Griffey starts taking a walk. Ventura steadies 3B. Abreu turns a 90-plate-appearance cameo into an everyday corner. And, perhaps, even Vladimir Guerrero, 21 and knocking from Vancouver, forces his way in.

Portland doesn’t win anything in 2002, but it could be a year the team can see the path back to where they were in 2000.

▌ Worst Case for 2002

Young pitching does what young pitching does. An elbow goes, Peavy’s lost year becomes a lost career, and Muñoz can’t stay healthy while Johnson drifts towards league average.

The bats stay put, which is the more likely problem, because there’s no internal fix waiting. SS is Hughie Jennings and Clayton and hope. 2B is Paul Molitor, who by common agreement can’t play there. Both corner OF spots are competitions between men who were below average last year.

And the real challenge is there isn’t much left to dump — this is the hand Portland drew, so regression can quite easily slide into apathy if no hope arrives.

▌ Key Questions

How long does this rotation stay together? Johnson, Ball, Blyleven and Muñoz are 21, 26, 21 and 20, and 3 of them have already thrown 140 or more WBL innings. That’s either the best young rotation in baseball or a list of injuries waiting to happen.
Does Griffey learn the strike zone? 292/326/568 with 33 homers at 21, and 23 walks in the whole season. He was worth 0.8 WAR while looking like the best hitter on the roster. This is an organization that has twice now chosen the on-base bat over the louder one — Mauer over Iván Rodríguez, Bell over Adrián Beltré, but Griffey remains on the periphery of that approach.
Who gets the ball in the 9th? Hoffman is in San Francisco. John Wetteland posted a 6.75 after arriving in Portland and a 9.90 before it. Huston Street was a waiver claim. Jack Billingham is the only reliever here who was reliably fine, and nobody has called him the closer.

▌ Roster Evaluation

Tier = the player’s 2001 positional grade (S best → F worst; color coded S A B C D F). Bold names carry a substantive WBL track; italic names are pure projection — a hope, not a grade — with no qualifying track to anchor them.

Pos	Players
C	Mauer C · Ashby
1B	Hrbek B · Hodges F
2B	Molitor C · Frey
SS	Jennings · Clayton
3B	Ventura · Garrett
LF	Murcer D
CF	Griffey Jr B
RF	Abreu · Klein
DH	Hodges F
SP	Johnson C · Ball C · Blyleven D · Muñoz D · Peavy
RP	Billingham C · Street F · Wetteland F · Springer · Schmidt

Mauer is the quiet argument for the whole approach: a catcher who hit 278/360/463 with 31 steals, made the AL All-Star team and took the organizational MVP on a last-place club, at 23. Portland kept him over Rodríguez and has had no reason to revisit it.

▌ Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	SP Dizzy Trout	RF Hugh Duffy
Batting Eye	3B Wayne Garrett	2B Jack Crooks
Contact	SS Hughie Jennings	LF Riggs Stephenson
Running Speed	SP Walter Johnson	LF David Hulse
Base Stealing	SS Hughie Jennings	LF David Hulse
IF Defense	SS Hughie Jennings	SS Bobby Wine; 3B Lee Tannehill
OF Defense	RF Bobby Abreu	CF Gary Pettis
Stuff	RP John Wetteland	RP Harry Harper
Control	SP Bert Blyleven	RP Jack Wisner
Velocity	RP Huston Street; RP John Wetteland	RP Migel Puente; SP Joaquin Benoit

▌ Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	Pos	Name
1 (5)	21	RF	Hugh Duffy

Others: IF Jack Fournier, P José Berríos, P Harry Harper, C Frankie Hayes.

Graduated to the active roster since the ranked list: Chuck Klein (83).

One ranked name, and he’s the 5th-best prospect in baseball. Hugh Duffy is 21 and slated as a WBL starter in a corner Portland can’t currently fill, which is convenient. Alongside him at Vancouver is Vladimir Guerrero, also 21, who came over in the Iván Rodríguez deal and is off the ranked list entirely — the kind of omission that either looks foolish in 2 years or explains itself. Fournier was a high draft pick, and should have a career, but he’s only 16 — child labor laws be damned.

▌ Superlatives

	Most	Least
Age	Russ Springer, 38	Jack Fournier, 16
Height	Walt Bond, 6’7″	Nemo Leibold, 5’6″
OPS	Ernie Krueger, 1.059 (AAA)	Fred Dunlap, 0.500 (AA)
HR	Gil Hodges, 38	Gary Pettis, 1 (AA)
SB	Hughie Jennings, 45 (AAA)	–
WAR (bat)	Walt Bond, 3.9 (AAA)	Fred Dunlap, -1.8 (AA)
W	Walter Johnson, 13	–
SV	Harry Matuzak, 20 (AAA)	–
ERA	Joe H Coleman, 2.94 (A)	Kris Medlen, 6.60 (AAA)
WAR (pit)	Walter Johnson, 4.6	Kris Medlen, -1.0 (AAA)

Stats across all levels, 2001. 200 PA / 75 IP min (SV: all pitchers). Non-WBL levels tagged.

TWIWBL 88.2: Teams of the Year By Age

By mknn

On March 1, 2026

In TWIWBL

The overall All-WBL Teams can be found here.

In this post, we’ll slowly carve people off those lists as we get younger, beginning with the under 25’s. As we get younger, future potential will begin to be more of a thing.

A full lineup, with DH, plus 3 starters and 3 relievers for each. We’ll start by relisting the overall selections, then new entries for each group will be bolded.

#WBL Teams of the Year

Pos	American League	National League
C	Ed Bailey (36, DET/CLE)	Josh Gibson (21, HOM)
1B	Jim Thome (28, MCG)	Paul Konerko (34, CAG/BBB)
2B	Eddie Collins (28, CAG)	Roberto Alomar (24, OTT)
SS	Arky Vaughan (27, CLE)	Ernie Banks (25, HOD)
3B	Evan Longoria (24, CLE)	Ron Cey (27, BRK)
LF	Babe Ruth (25, NYY)	Jim Wynn (23, HOU)
CF	Turkey Stearnes (22, SFS)	Oscar Charleston (21, IND)
RF	Mickey Mantle (22, NYY)	Aaron Judge (27, PHI)
DH	Ty Cobb (21, DET)	Willie Stargell (31, HOM)
SP	Lefty Grove (27, SFS) José Méndez (23, MCG) Jim Whitney (24, BBB/MCG)	Luis Padrón (22, IND) Toad Ramsey (23, HOU) A. Rube Foster (24, KCM)
RP	Ken Howell (24, SFS) Andrew Miller (23, MEM) Rod Beck (24, SFS)	Lee Smith (34, HOD/KCM) Eddie Guardado (26, KCM) Eric Gagne (27, BRK)

#WBL 25 & Under Teams

Pos	American League	National League
C	Mickey Cochrane (25, SFS)	Josh Gibson (21, HOM)
1B	Hank Greenberg (24, DET)	Jeff Bagwell (24, HOU)
2B	Grant Johnson (25, HOU/NYY)	Roberto Alomar (24, OTT)
SS	Cal Ripken, Jr (23, BAL)	Ernie Banks (25, HOD)
3B	Evan Longoria (24, CLE)	Albert Pujols (22, KCM)
LF	Babe Ruth (25, NYY)	Jim Wynn (23, HOU)
CF	Turkey Stearnes (22, SFS)	Oscar Charleston (21, IND)
RF	Mickey Mantle (22, NYY)	Larry Walker (23, OTT)
DH	Ty Cobb (21, DET)	Rick Monday (24, OTT)
SP	José Méndez (23, MCG) Jim Whitney (24, BBB/MCG) Bump Hadley (23, SFS)	Luis Padrón (22, IND) Toad Ramsey (23, HOU) A. Rube Foster (24, KCM)
RP	Ken Howell (24, SFS) Andrew Miller (23, MEM) Rod Beck (24, SFS)	Terry Forster (22, BRK) Andrew Chafin (25, HOU) Fred Cambria (23, PHI)

#WBL 23 & Under Teams

Pos	American League	National League
C	Iván Rodríguez (21, MCG)	Josh Gibson (21, HOM)
1B	Eddie Murray (22, BAL)	Rusty Staub (21, OTT)
2B	Frank Grant (22, HOD/SFS)	Joe Morgan (22, IND)
SS	Cal Ripken, Jr (23, BAL)	Carlos Correa (23, HOU)
3B	Jimmie Foxx (22, SFS)	Albert Pujols (22, KCM)
LF	Frank Robinson (22, BAL)	Jim Wynn (23, HOU)
CF	Turkey Stearnes (22, SFS)	Oscar Charleston (21, IND)
RF	Mickey Mantle (22, NYY)	Larry Walker (23, OTT)
DH	Ty Cobb (21, DET)	Richie Hebner (23, HOD)
SP	José Méndez (23, MCG) Bump Hadley (23, SFS) Brett Anderson (22, LAA)	Luis Padrón (22, IND) Toad Ramsey (23, HOU) Smokey Joe Wood (22, KCM)
RP	Andrew Miller (23, MEM) Goose Gossage (23, NYY) Julio Teheran (22, LAA)	Terry Forster (22, BRK) Fred Cambria (23, PHI) Ted Kennedy (22, PHI)

300 PA Minimums for batters, with 1 exception: Murray only had 145 PAs–1B in the AL just did not have a lot of youth.

#WBL 21 & Under

Pos	American League	National League
C	Iván Rodríguez (21, MCG)	Josh Gibson (21, HOM)
1B	—	Rusty Staub (21, OTT)
2B	Martín Dihigo (19, MCG)	—
SS	Dobie Moore (20, MEM)	Judy Johnson (18, HOM)
3B	Freddie Lindstrom (20, CAG)	Ron Santo (21, HOD)
LF	Alejandro Oms (21, MCG)	Sherry Magee (21, PHI)
CF	Ken Griffey Jr (20, POR)	Oscar Charleston (21, IND)
RF	Bryce Harper (20, BAL)	—
DH	Ty Cobb (21, DET)	—
SP	Walter Johnson (20, POR) Bob Feller (20, CLE) Joseíto Muñoz (20, POR)	Ice Box Chamberlain (19, HOU) JM Ward (20, PHI) Sandy Koufax (21, BRK)
RP	Pete Conway (21, DET) Tom Williams (20, CAG) Billy Hoeft (19, DET)	Pete Donohue (21, NYG) Edward Nolan (19, IND) Vida Blue (21, HOU)

All praises to Ty Cobb, Josh Gibson, and Oscar Charleston for remaining on the list this far. The relievers dip into some rarely used arms, but of the rest, only Freddie Lindstrom was a late-season callup.

There really isn’t an all-teenager team: the only change from the teens above would be the addition of Chicago’s Cristóbal Torriente, perhaps the worst offensive player in the league this year in CF, but surprisingly effective in a few mound appearances.

One more, largely for fun

#WBL Over 30 Team

Pos	American League	National League
C	Ed Bailey (36, DET/CLE)	Jim Pagliaroni (32, MEM/BBB)
1B	Carlos Delgado (32, LAA)	Paul Konerko (34, CAG/BBB)
2B	Rogers Hornsby (34, NYY)	Ryne Sandberg (33, HOD)
SS	Bobby Wallace (34, BAL/DET)	Ozzie Smith (30, KCM)
3B	—	Jim Ray Hart (30, NYG)
LF	Oscar Gamble (32, DET)	Don Buford (32, LAA/NYG)
CF	—	Dave Henderson (33, IND)
RF	Kiki Cuyler (32, POR)	Albert Belle (32, BBB)
DH	Gavvy Cravath (36, BAL)	Joey Votto (32, IND)
SP	Andy Pettitte (33, NYY) Connie Johnson (34, BAL/DET) Charlie Root (31, DET)	Gaylord Perry (33, NYG) Eppa Rixey (31, IND) Cliff Lee (30, HOM)
RP	Jonathan Papelbon (31, MEM/MCG) Joe Nathan (31, LAA/SFS) Buddy Groom (37, BAL)	Lee Smith (34, HOD/KCM) Bob Howry (34, PHI) Josh Lindblom (31, HOM)

Only 3 names from the All-League Teams (Baily, Konerko, and Lee Smith), reflecting on just how young the league is. This is a very wide range from some very strong performers who are expected to keep it up for a while (those 3, Pettitte, Hornsby, some others) to folks like Dave Henderson and Kiki Cuyler, who are just barely hanging onto their roster spots.

TWIWBL 87.13: The Starters

By mknn

On February 10, 2026

In TWIWBL

On to the starters! Same Tier system.

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

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

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

#S Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	Other
NL	KCM	A. Rube Foster	24	11-8	3.30	204	1.02	.189 BA .219 BABIP 0.7 HR/9 3.63 FIP
NL	IND	Luis Padrón	22	23-3	3.22	235	1.04	220 K .192 BA .225 BABIP
NL	HOU	Toad Ramsey	23	16-10	3.23	223	0.97	282 K .182 BA 11.4 K/9 3.8 K/BB 3.40 FIP

Just look at all that bold.

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

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

#A Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	Other
AL	SFS	Lefty Grove	27	16-6	4.40	209	1.15	230 K 2.2 BB/9 9.9 K/9 4.4 K/BB
AL	MCG	José Méndez	23	13-6	4.53	233	1.11	201 K 2.2 BB/9
NL	BRK	Fernando Valenzuela	24	14-5	3.69	163	1.08	1 Sv; 4 H
—	BBB/ MCG	Jim Whitney	24	10-7	3.83	202	1.10	1 Sv; 2 H
NL	BRK	Smokey Joe Williams	24	12-13	3.93	202	1.23	0.8 HR/9 3.55 FIP
NL	KCM	Smokey Joe Wood	22	15-12	4.11	191	1.13

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

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

#B Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	Other
AL	LAA	Brett Anderson	22	11-6	4.34	189	1.12
NL	HOU	* Ice Box Chamberlain	19	4-4	3.56	109	1.13	1 Sv; 1 H
NL	HOU	Roger Clemens	25	17-10	3.71	211	1.13
AL	SFS	Bump Hadley	23	18-6	4.10	189	1.18	0.9 HR/9 4.2 BB/9
NL	PHI	Hardie Henderson	21	18-12	3.78	209	1.23	4.2 BB/9 1.7 KK/B
NL	BRK	Orel Hershiser	27	19-5	3.69	185	1.21
NL	HOD	* Kyle Peterson	22	8-3	3.80	107	1.16
AL	NYY	Andy Pettitte	33	18-9	4.43	201	1.21
AL	SFS	Eddie Plank	27	20-7	4.42	210	1.31
AL	CAG	Ed Walsh	25	10-11	3.94	205	1.15	1 Sv 201 K .225 BABIP

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

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

#C Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	Other
AL	POR	Walter Ball	26	8-7	4.26	142	1.20
NL	PHI	Steve Carlton	25	12-13	5.05	187	1.24
NL	IND	Johnny Cueto	29	12-14	4.62	212	1.14
NL	HOM	* Doug Drabek	25	6-8	4.76	147	1.17	1 H
NL	BRK	Don Drysdale	22	11-8	5.66	186	1.28
AL	LAA	Dwight Gooden	22	11-11	4.36	194	1.29
AL	NYY	Ron Guidry	28	11-7	4.51	208	1.24	251 K 10.9 K/9
NL	OTT	Roy Halladay	29	15-9	5.17	195	1.26	2.2 BB/9
AL	POR	Walter Johnson	20	13-12	4.28	214	1.28
NL	BRK	* Sandy Koufax	21	6-3	4.93	119	1.16	2 H
AL	MEM	Stubby Overmire	25	13-10	4.72	212	1.26	6.1 K/9
NL	NYG	Gaylord Perry	22	12-15	4.34	189	1.12
NL	KCM	José Rijo	26	8-12	5.09	179	1.26
NL	PHI	Charles Rogan	27	12-9	4.51	188	1.24
AL	CLE	Bill Steen	26	13-10	4.71	193	1.33	1.9 K/BB
NL	NYG	Don Sutton	25	17-8	5.23	174	1.25
NL	PHI	JM Ward	20	6-10	5.01	196	1.16

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

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

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

#D Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	Other
AL	MEM	Len Barker	25	11-12	4.99	180	1.44
AL	SFS	* Tommy Bridges	37	6-7	5.38	146	1.21
AL	POR	Bert Blyleven	21	10-11	5.03	204	1.32
NL	KCM	Frank Castillo	23	12-7	5.21	193	1.32
AL	SFS	* Watty Clark	26	6-4	4.02	134	1.30	2 H
NL	PHI	* Ray Collins	24	4-7	4.62	121	1.27	1 H
AL	CLE	* Bob Feller	20	13-3	4.30	153	1.34
NL	BBB	* Lefty Gomez	27	9-9	4.90	154	1.30	2 H
AL	NYY/ CAG	Waite Hoyt	24	11-4	4.89	169	1.44	4.1 BB/9
NL	BRK	Frank Knauss	23	12-6	4.55	180	1.34
NL	HOM	Francisco Liriano	23	10-12	5.03	181	1.38
NL	BBB	Greg Maddux	23	10-14	5.35	195	1.28	59 HRA .225 BABIP 6.50 FIP
AL	BAL	Dennis Martínez	24	12-8	5.12	202	1.42
NL	NYG	Christy Mathewson	22	7-16	5.61	210	1.40	207 K
AL	POR	* Joseíto Muñoz	20	4-4	4.56	101	1.37	1 Sv; 2 H
AL	BAL	* Jim Palmer	25	8-8	4.88	138	1.37	1 H
NL	BBB	Alejandro Peña	26	8-11	5.59	180	1.31
NL	HOM	Billy Pierce	30	10-11	5.77	173	1.36
NL	HOD	* Rick Reuschel	30	8-8	4.61	135	1.31	1 Sv; 1 H
NL	HOD	Bob Rush	24	11-9	5.28	186	1.32	2 H
NL	HOD	CC Sabathia	28	5-15	5.89	202	1.35	1 Sv; 1 H 64 HRA 3.2 HR/9 6.90 FIP
AL	CAG	Ben Sheets	27	6-12	5.88	165	1.32	1 H
NL	OTT	* Bill Smith	26	10-3	3.77	124	1.35	1 H
NL	HOU	Stephen Strasburg	25	9-10	5.87	169	1.37
NL	HOD	Jack Taylor	26	12-10	5.90	192	1.42	.291 BA 6.4 K/9
AL	CLE	Cy Young	25	15-9	5.38	199	1.39	.307 BABIP

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

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

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

#F Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	Other
AL	CAG	Mark Buehrle	31	8-12	5.11	185	1.38	6.3 K/9
AL	MEM	* David Bush	26	9-9	6.58	149	1.32
AL	LAA	Gerrit Cole	26	7-15	6.36	166	1.43	2.9 HR/9 6.52 FIP
AL	MCG	Cole Hamels	25	11-12	6.18	178	1.42	63 HRA .293 BA 3.2 HR/9 3.7 K/BB
NL	NYG	* Carl Hubbell	26	6-10	5.75	160	1.29	1 H
NL	HOM	* Cliff Lee	30	8-4	5.30	114	1.32	3 H
NL	HOU	Roy Oswalt	28	7-11	6.53	181	1.49	.295 BA .305 BABIP
NL	OTT	Charles Radbourn	27	12-13	5.89	202	1.35
AL	DET	Charlie Root	31	11-10	6.15	199	1.42	59 HRA
AL	LAA	Tom Seaver	23	7-8	5.81	164	1.44
—	BBB/ CAG	* Sam Streeter	25	3-11	5.63	123	1.34
AL	POR	Dizzy Trout	29	5-12	5.93	162	1.50	4.1 BB/9 1.8 K/BB
AL	DET	Justin Verlander	25	5-12	6.48	169	1.52	.310 BABIP
NL	IND	* Doc White	27	5-12	6.55	143	1.34	1 Sv; 3 H

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

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

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

TWIWBL 78.5: Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On September 16, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
San Francisco Sea Lions	80-43	.650	—
Miami Cuban Giants	60-65	.480	21
Los Angeles Angels	58-66	.468	22.5
Portland Sea Dogs	57-68	.456	24
Chicago American Giants	54-69	.439	26

Cum Posey Division | 19 August

#Chicago American Giants

Waite Hoyt was excellent in his first start for Chicago, blanking his old team 4-0. Hoyt combined with Herb Pennock and AJ Minter on the 5 hit shutout of the New York Black Yankees.

The American Giants recalled Rocky Colavito, Luke Appling, Freddie Lindstrom, and Michael McKenry along with pitchers Gavin Floyd, Joe Horlen, and Scott Radinsky. Ben Sheets was removed from the rotation as Chicago will use a committee approach at the end of their rotation.

Joe Jackson drove in 6 on 2 homeruns and 2 doubles and Eddie Collins added 4 hits of his own and scored 4 times as Chicago beat San Francisco 11-6. The offense continued to produce, this time with Frank Thomas driving in 6 and scoring 4 times in a 12-6 win over the Sea Lions. Collins again scored 4 times and McKenry went deep in his first WBL game in the victory.

#Los Angeles Angels

Mark Ellis was recalled from his rehab assignment and Nolan Ryan was recalled from AA.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Phenomenal Smith–who really was phenomenal last year in limited appearances–began a rehab assignment after a major injury.

Gary Sheffield and Jim Thome each had 2 dingers as the Cuban Giants edged Portland, 7-6.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Jeff Burroughs went deep twice, leading Portland to an 8-1 win over Memphis.

An error in the 9th opened the door for Joseíto Muñoz to face one more batter and, with that, he struck out his 15th batter of the night, setting a new WBL record. Muñoz got the win in the 8-2 triumph over Memphis, allowing 3 hits and walking 1. Gil Hodges had 3 hits and 5 RBIs for the Sea Dogs.

Walter Ball was recalled from his rehab assignment, replacing Jerry Koosman in the Sea Dogs’ rotation. Ps Harry Matuzak and Johan Santana–now fully committed to his long-term role as a starter–were recalled, along with Ernie Krueger, Miguel Sanó, Bobby Abreu, and Elvis Andrus.

Ken Griffey, Jr. hit 2 out, but Portland fell to Miami, 7-6.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Lefty Grove will miss a couple starts, headed to the DL with a viral infection. The Sea Lions recalled Tim Hudson–out for many months–from a rehab assignment to see what the veteran has left in the tank.

Brian Downing hit his first 2 homeruns of the year, but the Sea Lions bullpen gave up the game in a 9-7 loss to Detroit. A few games later, Jack Clark also hit 2 out, giving him 42 on the year, but the Sea Lions fell to Chicago, 12-6.

TWIWBL 72.6: Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On February 19, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
San Francisco Sea Lions	55-34	.618	—
Miami Cuban Giants	44-46	.489	11.5
Chicago American Giants	42-47	.472	13
Los Angeles Angels	39-49	.443	15.5
Portland Sea Dogs	39-51	.433	16.5

Cum Posey Division | 9 July

#Los Angeles Angels

Jack Gleason was recalled to take Don Buford‘s roster spot. Buford’s absence means Kal Daniels becomes the Angels’ everyday LF with Elmer Smith entering a platoon with Steve Garvey at DH.

Mike Trout and Carlos Delgado hit back-to-back homeruns in the bottom of the 11th as the Angels beat Detroit, 9-8. Delgado’s was his 2nd of the day and the blasts left both him and Trout with 21 dingers each on the season.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Steven Wright was sent to AAA, clearing room for Jim Whitney, who moved directly into Miami’s rotation.

Whitney made a solid debut with just over 6 scoreless innings, but it took a walkoff homer from Iván Rodríguez in the bottom of the 10th for the Cuban Giants to triumph over Portland, 5-4. Jim Thome went deep twice in the game, giving him 34 on the year.

#Portland Sea Dogs

John Wetteland–despite his struggles with Baltimore–will join Portland’s bullpen with Bobby Witt returning to AAA. Additionally, Joseíto Muñoz was named to the rotation, with Jerry Koosman, who is returning from a rehab assignment, taking up the role of the departed Mike Cuellar in the Sea Dogs’ bullpen.

Rogers Hornsby‘s departure is a little more complicated: Paul Molitor will take over most of the time at 2B, with Willie Randolph as his backup and Eddie Yost was recalled from the minors to provide some depth at 3B.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Jimmy Bloodworth has gone from fan favorite to AAA as he was sent down to clear room for Frank Grant, who will take over as the everyday 2B.

Bump Hadley‘s first start of the second half was more of the same excellence: a 4-hit shutout of Chicago. Hadley, who improved to 13-4, fanned 10 in the 8-0 win, and Jack Clark went deep twice in support of the right-hander.

TWIWBL 70.4: Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On January 8, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
San Francisco Sea Lions	47-30	.610	—
Chicago American Giants	37-39	.487	9.5
Miami Cuban Giants	36-40	.465	11.5
Los Angeles Angels	34-42	.447	12.5
Portland Sea Dogs	34-42	.429	14

Cum Posey Division | 25 June

#Chicago American Giants

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

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

#Los Angeles Angels

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

#Miami Cuban Giants

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

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

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

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

#Portland Sea Dogs

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

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

#San Francisco Sea Lions

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

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

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

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

TWIWBL 69.4: Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On December 5, 2024

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
San Francisco Sea Lions	45-27	.625	—
Chicago American Giants	34-35	.493	9.5
Miami Cuban Giants	33-38	.465	11.5
Los Angeles Angels	31-38	.449	12.5
Portland Sea Dogs	30-40	.429	14

Cum Posey Division | 18 June

#Chicago American Giants

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

#Los Angeles Angels

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

#Miami Cuban Giants

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

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

#Portland Sea Dogs

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

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

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

#San Francisco Sea Lions

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

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