The American Giants swept San Francisco at home to close the week — 14-7, 8-5, 6-3 — and scored 50 runs in 7 games, the most in the division. An encouraging sign for a franchise at a crossroads this season.
Chino Smith did a lot of the damage: 2 homers at Detroit in an x-y win/loss, then 3 hits and a 2-run shot in the first game of the sweep.
Sam Streeter struck out 10 in 5 innings in the opening victory over the Sea Lions, and veteran soft-tosser Jamie Moyer has quietly been effective early, winning 2 out of the bullpen over the 1st week.
Miami Cuban Giants
Julio Rodríguez was injured running the bases on the 3rd and is on the disabled list — a serious blow, as the 20-year-old center fielder hit 42 homers with a 1.008 OPS last season. Mark Kotsay was recalled, and will see time in the OF with CF largely being patrolled by Yasiel Puig and Andy Pafko in JRod’s absence.
Portland Sea Dogs
Huston Street was signed as a FA and put to work immediately, working 2 scoreless innings in a 5-3 win over Baltimore. Harry Matuzak was optioned to AAA Seattle to make room for Street.
Walter Johnson struck out 10 over 6 innings in an 11-9 win at Los Angeles, with Bobby Murcer collecting 4 hits and 4 RBIs and Ken Griffey Jr hitting a 3-run homer.
San Francisco Sea Lions
Five losses in 6 games, and a sweep in Chicago to finish, leaves the Sea Lions last in the division at 2-5. Wait, what?
The bats have not been the problem. In the 14-7 loss that opened the sweep in Chicago, Jimmie Foxx hit 2 solo homers and Bobby Bonds had 3 hits and a 2-run shot. Bonds’ blast flew 459 ft, the longest home run struck in the division this week.
Aaron Heilman will miss about a week with a shoulder sprain, with the Sea Lions recalling Tim Hudson from his rehab stint to take Heilman’s place in the bullpen.
Two years ago the Cuban Giants were the worst team in the league; last year they were in a playoff race into the final week and finished 80-83, 2nd in the Cum Posey Division, and nobody — inside the building or out — is entirely sure if this is progress or illusion.
Here is what isn’t in dispute. Miami hit an enormous number of home runs in the power-happy 2001 environment. José Canseco hit 68 of them, Jim Thome 59, Gary Sheffield and 20-year-old Julio Rodríguez 42 apiece, and 7 different men hit 28 or more. The lineup is young, deep and distributed — Iván Rodríguez won a Gold Glove behind the plate at 21, Alejandro Oms led the club at .308 at 22, Yasiel Puig slugged .658 in 100 games. So, unlike 2000 (when it was Canseco largely by himself), this is no longer a one-star team.
Still this is not an elite group the deeper you look. Canseco’s 68 homers amassed only 1.7 WAR, and — with one historically notable exception — the defense is not great.
So the season turns on the run prevention, and specifically on the rotation, which is José Méndez and then a lot of uncertainty. Méndez made 37 starts, threw 233 innings, struck out 201 and was worth 7.5 wins in a league whose average ERA was 5.38. Behind him: Jim Whitney, an All-AL Team pick acquired midseason and then pure projection and hope.
▌ 2001 Revisited
The bar a year ago was stunningly low: to no longer be considered one of the absolute worst teams in the league would be a nice start. They cleared it in the first month and spent the rest of the summer embarrassing the forecast.
The best case asked for Canseco to repeat and for someone — Molitor, Sheffield, Oms, “or even Puig” — to join him. What actually happened is that nearly everyone did (other than Molitor, who was moved for Pudge, sort of). Thome put up a 1.034 OPS. Sheffield hit 42. Puig hit 298/388/658. And J. Rodríguez, who came into camp with no realistic shot at the roster, took center field on Opening Day and hit 315/347/661 at 20.
The other half of that best case was a front of the rotation built from Camilo Pascual, Freddie Fitzsimmons and Méndez, with Cole Hamels joining them. Méndez delivered. Pascual made 5 starts and blew out a knee. Fitzsimmons was awful, Hamels only slightly better.
And one question got answered: we asked whether Eustaquio Pedroso and Martín Dihigo could carry the 2-way experiment far enough to justify it. Pedroso hit worse than anyone on the roster and abandoned the bat, but maintained the late-inning flexibility. Dihigo, who at 18 was arguably the worst-hitting regular in the league, climbed to 246/291/429 and stole 39 bases — still not a good hitter, and the most interesting player in the organization anyway largely due to his gold glove potential at a half-dozen positions.
▌ Key Changes
In: CC Sabathia (HOD) Out: —
Opening Day Rookies:None
▌ Best Case for 2002
The bats hold and the arms arrive. Canseco and Thome do it again, J. Rodríguez proves 2001 wasn’t a fluke, Puig turns 100 good games into 150, and Iván Rodríguez adds the bat to the glove at 22.
Behind Méndez and Whitney, 2 of the question marks answer: Pascual comes back from the knee, Phenomenal Smith turns 5 starts of 1.98 ball into a season, and CC Sabathia — 179 innings for a bad House of David club — finds the form that made him worth acquiring. Hamels is the interesting one: a 6.18 ERA with 168 strikeouts and 2.3 WAR.
Do that and the squinting stops. This is a young roster with a real ace, and the difference between 80 wins and 90 seems attainable.
▌ Worst Case for 2002
The bats come back to earth. Canseco’s .705 slugging settles toward the middle, the outfield defense keeps leaking, and the same offense produces 15 fewer wins because the run environment normalized rather than because anyone got worse.
Meanwhile the rotation stays what it was. Pascual’s knee doesn’t hold, Sabathia pitches like he did last year (5-15, a 5.78, replacement level), Ramón Martínez gives back another 134 innings of 7.17, and the middle innings — already the org’s stated area of concern — go on being handed to whoever didn’t make the rotation.
▌ Key Questions
How much of 2001 was the ballpark? The honest answer is: some, and nobody knows how much. 7 men over 28 home runs is a real lineup or a park effect wearing a costume, and Miami will spend the summer finding out which. The tell to watch isn’t the homer totals — it’s the WAR underneath them, which last year said “good, not great.”
Is there a rotation behind Méndez/Whitney? He is a genuine ace and a workhorse, and Whitney may be similar. But the questions beyond that need to be answered.
Does the flexibility matter? Dihigo has started at 7 positions, Yount is a shortstop with an outfield move already being discussed, Sheffield isn’t really a third baseman at all, and the 2-way experiments seem amusing, but little more than that.
▌ 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
I. Rodríguez C · Hoiles
1B
Thome A · Adcock
2B
Dihigo C · Roberts
SS
Yount B
3B
Sheffield A · Branyan
LF
Oms C · Pafko
CF
J. Rodríguez A
RF
Puig B
DH
Canseco A
SP
Méndez A · Whitney A · Smith · Pascual · Hamels F · Sabathia D
RP
Papelbon C (CL) · Marte · Colomé · Pedroso · Wilson
Dihigo is 19 and the cells can’t hold him: he has started at 7 positions, plays a Gold Glove infield, stole 39 bases, and still hasn’t learned to hit. Jonathan Papelbon has the 9th inning, acquired at the deadline in a burst of playoff belief that cost the org a blue-chip arm in Josh Beckett — and Ricky Nolasco, who saved 26 games last year, opens this one at Triple-A trying to become a starter.
▌ Talent Ratings
WBL
Minors
Raw Power
RF José Canseco
1B Steve Balboni
Batting Eye
1B Jim Thome
RF Carlos Morán
Contact
SS Robin Yount
2B Nellie Fox
Running Speed
2B Martín Dihigo
CF Marquis Grissom
Base Stealing
SP Phenomenal Smith
SS Bert Campaneris; RP Dan Collins
IF Defense
2B Martín Dihigo
2B Luis Castillo
OF Defense
RF Yasiel Puig
CF Marquis Grissom
Stuff
RP Dámaso Marte
RP Francis Martes
Control
SP Jim Whitney
RP Craig Lefferts
Velocity
RP Jonathan Papelbon
RP Tyler Clippard
▌ Best In The Minors
Rank
Age
Pos
Name
1 (44)
21
SP
Scott Olsen
2 (49)
24
LF
Jason Bay
3 (55)
19
CL
Pedro Martínez
4 (60)
20
SS
Jack Glasscock
5 (91)
22
CF
José Cruz
Others: OF Carlos Morán, P Lefty George, OF Minnie Miñoso, IF Zoilo Versalles.
This system turns over as fast as the roster does: a year ago the list was headed by Josh Beckett and J. Rodríguez with Jon Matlack 3rd, and all 3 are gone — Beckett to Memphis, Rodríguez into the everyday center-field job, Matlack to the House of David for Sabathia.
What replaced them is arm-heavy and young: Scott Olsen, Jason Bay, and a 19-year-old Pedro Martínez making his A ball debut. Lefty George took the organizational Minor League Pitcher of the Year and Carlos Morán is the name the club talks about as Sheffield’s eventual replacement at third.
▌ Superlatives
Most
Least
Age
Joe Adcock, 40
Ed Seward, 18
Height
CC Sabathia, 6’7″
Phenomenal Smith, 5’6″
OPS
Carlos Quentin, 1.082 (AA)
Willie Kamm, .567 (AA)
HR
José Canseco, 68
Luis Castillo, 1 (AA)
SB
Carlos Morán, 52 (AAA)
–
WAR (bat)
Bob Loane, 4.6 (AA)
Cookie Rojas, −2.8
W
Don Wilson, 13 (AA)
–
SV
Jonathan Papelbon, 28
–
ERA
Gary Gentry, 3.07 (AA)
Ramón Martínez, 7.17
WAR (pit)
José Méndez, 7.5
CC Sabathia, −0.0
Stats across all levels, 2001 season. 200 PA / 75 IP minimum. Non-WBL levels tagged in parentheses.
80 - 83, .491 pct.
2nd in Cum Posey Division, 23.5 GB
Overall
This was a surprising season for Miami–most pundits thought they were several years away from contention, so being in the race for a playoff spot into the last week of the season was quite the shock.
It’s not even so clear how the Cuban Giants did it: turns out a lot of homeruns, some strikeout pitchers, and some solid defense will win a few games. Miami still finished under .500, so it’s not like they’re about to contend for the championship, but still … it was a significant step forward.
There are some pieces here, but unless the pitching staff comes around, the nearly .500 finish is probably the best predictor of the future. So some moves may be made.
What Went Right
José Canseco‘s power is a thing to behold, demonstrated by 68 homeruns and 124 RBIs this year. A few dozen more hits would move him into the truly elite outfielders, but even without that, his 1.062 OPS make him a franchise cornerstone.
That said, it’s not like Jim Thome or Yasiel Puig are far behind. Puig’s 298/388/658 performance occurred in 100 games, so there are still some questions about his ability to perform next season, but Thome looked every bit the star, finishing the year with a 1.034 OPS, 59 homeruns, and 122 RBIs.
Julio Rodríguez was a surprise starter coming out of Spring Training and he delivered in the biggest of ways: 315/347/661 with 42 homeruns.
Gary Sheffield has a shot at being an offensive force, with 42 homeruns in what the team hopes is a sign of things to come.
Iván Rodríguez is one of the best young catchers in the league, managing an .840 OPS with elite defense as a 21 year old.
Joe Adcock, Al Oliver, and Andy Pafko were all remarkably effective as part-time contributors. At 40, Adcock may be just about done, but Oliver and Pafko certainly factor into the Cuban Giants’ plans next season.
At only 21, Alejandro Oms led the team with a .308 average while playing spectacular defense.
Robin Yount had an OPS over .800 at SS, and is just entering his prime.
And then there’s Martín Dihigo. Perhaps the worst offensively performing regular in the league last season, Dihigo slugged a still-not-great 246/291/429, but the increase in power is a great sign for Miami. Add to that Dihigo’s ability to play Gold Glove level defense at virtually every position, and the Cuban Giants have a fairly unique talent.
José Méndez is establishing himself as a WBL ace. This year, he went 13-6 with a 4.53 ERA over 37 starts, so most definitely a workhorse, with a chance at elite status.
But Méndez may not be the best starter on the staff: that honor may go to midseason acquisition Jim Whitney, who finished the year with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP over 200 innings.
Beyond that, though, the starters were not good. That’s not quite true–Hugh McQuillan was solid in 10 starts and Phenomenal Smith was, um, yes, that, in 5. But the rest … well, see below.
Ricky Nolasco was fine as the closer, finishing the year with 26 saves. The Cuban Giants obtained Jonathan Papelbon towards the end of the season, giving them excellent options at the end of the bullpen.
ALL STARSJosé CansecoGary Sheffield
MAJOR AWARDSJosé Méndez, All AL Team
Iván Rodríguez, AL C Gold Glove
Jim Thome, All AL Team
Jim Whitney, All AL Team
RECOGNITIONSMartín Dihigo, AL 21 & Under Team
Kenshin Kawakami, AL All Rookie 2nd Team
José Méndez, AL Brock Rutherford Award 3rd Place; AL 25 & Under Team; AL 23 & Under Team
Alejandro Oms, AL 21 & Under Team
Andy Pafko, AL All Rookie Team
Jonathan Papelbon, All AL 3rd Team; AL Over 30 Team
Yasiel Puig, All AL 3rd Team
Iván Rodríguez, AL 23 & Under Team; AL 21 & Under Team
Julio Rodríguez, AL All Rookie 2nd Team
Jim Whitney, AL All Rookie Team; AL 25 & Under Team
ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDSJosé Canseco, MVP
José Méndez, Pitcher of the Year
Alejandro Oms, Heart & Soul
Yasiel Puig, Fan Favorite
Lefty George, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Bob Loane, Minor League Player of the Year
What Went Wrong
Cookie Rojas couldn’t get his OPS over .700, making him one of the weakest regulars in the league by WAR and likely moving him to a utility role next season.
Eustaquio Pedroso hit even worse than Rojas, eventually abandoning his role as a 2-way player.
Smoky Burgess, a key bat off the bench last year, slashed 226/304/315, and may have played himself to AAA.
Most of the starters were not good, with Cole Hamels and, notably, Ramón Martínez being especially weak despite a ton of opportunities. But Steven Wright, Freddie Fitzsimmons, and Camilo Pascual were all horrid in at least 5 starts (Pascual, it must be said, made only 5 starts before a severe knee injury sidelined him–he should be back in the Spring).
Barry Latman and Ed Brandt were pretty bad from the bullpen, and the rest of the contenders–most notably Pedroso and Braden Looper–barely any better. Middle relief is an area of strong concern going into next season.
Transactions
March
IF Paul Molitor, OF Vladimir Guerrero, C Alan Ashby & 2nd Round Pick to POR for C Iván Rodríguez, P Jon Matlack, OF Adolis García, OF Al Oliver, 1st Round Pick & 4th Round Pick.
A huge deal, but looks pretty good quite honestly. Pudge is a great young talent, Oliver was useful at the WBL this year, Matlack has a future, plus the 2 picks … yes, Guerrero looks like a franchise outfielder, but that’s a pretty good deal imo.
July
OF Ryan Braun, IF Richie Sexson & 7th Round Pick to BBB for P Jim Whitney, OF Andy Pafko, OF José Cruz & 2nd Round Pick.
Looks good. Sure Braun is a solid talent, but power hitting corner OFers, even at his level, are less rare than possible aces, which Whitney sure looks like. Add in Pafko and the pick, and I like this for Miami.
August
P Josh Beckett, OF Roy Thomas & 3rd Round Pick to MEM for P Jonathan Papelbon & 4th Round Pick
This one looks fine now, but I suspect Miami may regret it once Beckett (and perhaps Thomas) are in the WBL full time.
Positional Overview
C
Pudge has this locked up.
Smoky Burgess and Chris Hoiles will likely compete for the backup role in the Spring.
1B
As long as Jim Thome‘s power holds out, his low average is fine.
It’s not clear who backs him up–a lot of people can play first if needs be, and Joe Adcock, at 40, may not hold onto his roster spot. Steve Balboni probably has the most power in the system, but his swing has some pretty big holes in it as well.
This is a position where Minnie Miñoso, the eternal prospect, may contribute as well.
2B
This is Dihigo’s primary position, with Cookie Rojas looking good as his backup. But Rojas was so poor this system, the door is open for Bert Campaneris, Nellie Fox, or Tito Fuentes to make some noise in the Spring.
Clete Boyer is the same age as Dihigo, but is a more usual prospect, and at 19 is probably still in need of a season or 4 in the minors.
SS
Robin Yount all day. Zoilo Versalles has some talent, and Alexei Ramírez seems to have some strong defensive talent, but this is Yount for now.
3B
Another position that moved from unknown to settled, with Gary Sheffield likely to get a lot of play here. Sheffield isn’t great with the glove–and in fact may be better suited for an OF role–so Miami is looking at options, with Russell Branyan, Willie Kamm, and Kevin Kouzmanoff being the primary short term options.
Carlos Morán may be a year away, but he is the most likely choice for Sheffield’s eventual successor.
LF/RF
There are a lot of options here, but it looks like Alejandro Oms and Yasiel Puig will see most of the time, with José Canseco getting some games as well. But Al Oliver and Andy Pafko had excellent seasons, and Jason Bay and Minnie Miñoso are waiting in the wings.
CF
J-Rod just never stopped performing, and the job is now his. Oliver will play here, as will Pafko, and there is some talent in the system, most notably in the form of José Cardenal and Marquis Grissom.
DH
José Canseco most days, with most everyone else filling in occasionally.
SP
Jim Whitney and José Méndez are a great top 2 to build around, but there are a ton of question marks beyond them. The next 2 slots are likely to go to Phenomenal Smith and Camilo Pascual, with Smith yet to complete a full season and Pascual trying to come back from knee surgery.
And then we have Cole Hamels, who hasn’t done much over 2 seasons; Kenshin Kawakami, who pitched well before getting injured; Ramón Martínez, who is looking to bounce back from a horrible season; plus a handful of prospects (Jason Hammel, Ed Whitson, Lefty George, Hugh McQuillan, Freddie Fitzsimmons, and a few more).
RP
Papelbon becomes the closer, with Nolasco sliding into a setup role (with some even arguing he try his hand in the rotation). Braden Looper will help out here, as will whomever doesn’t make the rotation.
Always nice to have the overall #1 pick. Given the state of pitching, look for Miami to lean towards Amos Rusie or Pedro Martinez, but the overall skill of Rod Carew and the sheer power of Jim Rice are both pretty enticing.
Two teams per league, with preference given to more playing time this year over future potential. No DH.
#WBL All Rookie First Team
Pos
American League
National League
C
Tom Haller (BAL)
Bill Dickey (PHI)
1B
Jimmie Foxx (SFS)
Joe Harris (KCM)
2B
Charlie Gehringer (DET)
César Hernández (PHI)
SS
Cal Ripken Jr (BAL)
Judy Johnson (HOM)
3B
Andy Pafko (BBB/MCG)
Chris Sabo (IND)
LF
Juan Beníquez (DET)
Adam Dunn (IND)
CF
Turkey Stearnes (SFS)
John Briggs (BRK)
RF
Al Kaline (DET)
George Foster (IND)
SP
Jim Whitney (BBB/MCG) Bump Hadley (SFS) Walter Ball (POR)
A. Rube Foster (KCM) Smokey Joe Williams (BRK) Fernando Valenzuela (BRK)
RP
Andrew Miller (MEM) Ross Reynolds (LAA) Elmer Smith (LAA)
Eddie Guardado (KCM) Karl Spooner (HOD) Mike Kume (KCM)
Rookies are interesting.
We run the full gamut here, from the MVP possibilities of Turkey Stearnes to players who ended the year in the minors, or, like César Hernández, project as fringe players at best. Tom Haller, Juan Beníquez, and Joe Harris are all on the wrong side of 30.
The spread of talent makes some comparisons misleading: you would much rather be San Francisco with Jimmie Foxx, Stearnes, and Bump Hadley than Indianapolis with Chris Sabo, Adam Dunn, and George Foster.
#WBL All Rookie Second Team
Pos
American League
National League
C
AJ Pierzynski (LAA)
Dick Dietz (NYG)
1B
David Ortiz (MEM)
JP Arencibia (BBB)
2B
Frank Grant (HOD/SFS)
Craig Reynolds (HOD)
SS
Dobie Moore (MEM)
Jimmy Rollins (PHI)
3B
Freddie Lindstrom (CAG)
Josh Donaldson (OTT)
LF
Rocky Colavito (CAG)
Elliott Maddox (NYY/HOU)
CF
Julio Rodríguez (MCG)
Charles Rogan (PHI)
RF
Ichiro Suzuki (LAA)
Sam Thompson (OTT)
SP
Tony Brizzolara (NYY) Tom Seaver (LAA) Kenshin Kawakami (MCG)
Charles Rogan (PHI) Ice Box Chamberlain (HOU) Kyle Peterson (HOD)
RP
Firpo Marberry (CLE) Skel Roach (MEM) Billy Hoeft (DET)
Brad Kilby (PHI) Mike LaCoss (IND) Fred Fussell (BBB)
Note Bullet Joe Rogan‘s well warranted appearance at 2 positions.
David Ortiz, Julio Rodríguez, Rogan, and Ice Box Chamberlain were the class of this group. Those 4, Frank Grant, Dobie Moore, Freddie Lindstrom, Ichiro Suzuki, and Tom Seaver are the most likely to be future stars–that’s a lot of potential over there in the American League.
Fitting for this league, there is a ton of talent here, which makes some of the Tier sorting challenging.
We have a new defensive metric for outfielders: ARM, which is an estimate of the number of runs saved (or allowed) from their throwing arms.
#S Tier
Lg
Tm
Name
Age
Slash
Other
Def
NL
IND
Oscar Charleston
21
337/381/619
38 HR 130 RBI 101 R 46 SB
AL
CLE
Tris Speaker
23
312/397/631
35 HR 124 R 46 SB
AL
SFS
Turkey Stearnes
22
357/400/751
51 HR 125 RBI 108 R
-4.7 ARM
AL
LAA
Mike Trout
22
306/392/617
40 HR 107 RBI 106 R 45 SB
.994 fPct
The top of this list is easy: welcome to the WBL, Turkey Stearnes!
After that, it’s unclear. In one sense, maybe it’s just Stearnes? But Tris Speaker–as disliked as he is–had a great season. So, maybe it’s just the two of them? But it feels like Mike Trout and Oscar Charleston are certainly in a different class than the bulk of the A Tier.
I think this is a reflection of how great of a year Sternes had: consider him in an S+ tier by himself.
#A Tier
Lg
Tm
Name
Age
Slash
Other
Def
NL
BRK
John Briggs
21
276/377/557
32 HR
NL
NYG
Willie Mays
24
261/337/600
49 HR 112 RBI 107 R 24 SB
14.5 ZR -4.7 ARM
AL
MCG
Julio Rodríguez
20
315/347/661
42 HR
2.30 RF -10.1 ZR
NL
PHI
Charles Rogan
27
308/362/620
21 SB
3.45 RF
Joe Rogan played more CF than anything else (other than pitcher), so he’s listed here.
Willie Mays is Willie Mays, and is expected to spend most of his career here and above. The rest can be considered surprises: John Briggs was seen by many as a AAA player who would fail in his rookie season; Julio Rodríguez was an afterthought invite to Spring Training who seized the opportunity; and while it was expected that Rogan would be solid as a 2-way player, nobody foresaw this.
#B Tier
Lg
Tm
Name
Age
Slash
Other
Def
NL
OTT
Carlos Beltrán
25
258/332/533
35 HR 42 SB
10 A
AL
NYY
Eric Davis
25
263/344/538
34 HR 61 SB
AL
POR
Ken Griffey, Jr
20
292/326/568
33 HR
-7.8 ZR
Sure. Eric Davis continues to struggle with injuries, Carlos Beltrán needs to put the ball in play a little more, and Ken Griffey, Jr. is only 20. This also reinforces the trade between Portland and Ottawa–Beltrán deserves his starting spot in the WBL, and Griffey, Jr. needed a fresh start.
Any of these three could move up, while Davis seems the most likely to crash out as his injuries continue to mount.
#C Tier
Lg
Tm
Name
Age
Slash
Other
Def
AL
DET
Chili Davis
25
243/318/481
14 A -15.5 ZR .930 dEff 0.5 ARM
NL
HOD
George Gore
26
254/389/440
NL
HOU
Pete Hill
20
274/347/453
2.38 RF
AL
MEM
Reggie Smith
24
270/333/545
34 HR
-5.0 ARM
Here we get to set of CF that are always being questioned–they are good enough, but there’s always a lingering question about whether they’re actually the solution. This impacted George Gore the most, who was essentially a half-time player this year, and is least an issue for Pete Hill, given his age.
Chili Davis is solid, but his defense is far from solid, and Reggie Smith–like some others in the Memphis clubhouse–is under threat from a wave of emerging talent.
#D Tier
Lg
Tm
Name
Age
Slash
Other
Def
AL
BAL
Paul Blair
25
262/296/448
11.8 ZR 1.086 dEff
NL
BBB
Curtis Granderson
27
206/293/495
41 HR 21 SB
2.97 RF -5.2 ARM
NL
HOM
Andrew McCutchen
24
238/325/446
52 SB
.963 fPct
—
IND/ CAG
Jake Stenzel
26
244/293/465
22 SB
2.36 RF .917 dEff
Curtis Granderson and Andrew McCutchen had their names penciled in almost every day … which leads to a question of why they escaped the criticism seen by the tier above? For Granderson, it is answered by his defense, power, and the fact that his deficiency–putting the ball safely in play–was a team-wide issue for Birmingham.
Jake Stenzel stopped hitting for power when he arrived in Chicago, cementing his place in this group, while Paul Blair is only here due to his exceptional defense.
#F Tier
Lg
Tm
Name
Age
Slash
Other
Def
NL
PHI
Willie Davis
22
233/282/391
21 SB
16.3 ZR 1.095 dEff
NL
HOD
Jim Edmonds
26
218/280/467
.996 fPct 2.95 RF
NL
KCM
Willie McGee
26
246/279/418
40 SB
11 A .969 fPct
NL
KCM
Dale Murphy
23
193/274/456
.971 fPct .936 dEff
AL
CAG
Cristóbal Torriente
18
186/237/247
24 SB
.993 fPct 1.069 dEff 0.4 ARM
Willie Davis and Jim Edmonds do enough with their gloves to stick around somewhere, and Davis is certainly young enough to improve more offensively. The rest are a challenge: Willie McGee is in danger of losing his job, Dale Murphy has obvious power, but is clearly not best suited for CF, and then there’s Cristóbal Torriente, whose defensive impact is unmistakable, but is clearly overwhelmed at the plate at this point.
#Rookies
This is in incredible rookie class, with Stearnes (S Tier), and Rodríguez, Rogan, and Briggs (all A Tier). And, oh yeah, Dale Murphy way down in the F Tier Tier.
#Fielding Notes
We have our standard defensive stats here, with the leaders in bold and the worst performers in italics. Assists (A), more romantically referred to as Outfield Kills are runners eliminated on the bases. Range Factor (RF) measures the number of plays made per game–the higher the better. Zone Rating (ZR) attempts to credit players for plays other fielders missed and ding them for plays other fielders made–the higher the better, and it has the benefit of being comparative across the position. Defensive Efficiency (dEff) measures the rate at which an individual fielder contributes to outs being made on balls put into play, with any score over 1.000 being a net positive impact. Finally, Fielding Percentage (fPct) reflects the percentage of times a chance was handled without a mistake–if someone made no errors, their fPct would be 1.000.
Of these, Range Factor is the most susceptible to the impact of the pitching staff and the ballpark, although none of these defensive ratings are perfect.
Some notes as we move through the final week of the season.
#Monday
Miami moved in front of Detroit by a half game in the AL Wild Card race behind a great start from Phenomenal Smith, whose return may be a difference maker for the Cuban Giants. Smith gave up 1 run in 7 innings, moving to 4-0. Hal Newhouser was good for Detroit, but an early homer from Gary Sheffield and a late one from Joe Adcock sealed the game for Miami.
Miami Cuban Giants
77-79
—
Detroit Wolverines
77-80
0.5
AL Wild Card
Cleveland was supposed to have an easy time of it, hosting the lowly Memphis Red Sox. But the Spiders’ bullpen collapsed, and they dropped a 9-8 decision to the visitors, who were powered by homers from Lefty O’Doul, Hack Wilson, and David Ortiz.
New York Black Yankees
89-67
—
Cleveland Spiders
87-69
2
Bill James Division
In a series that means more for Indianapolis than Philadelphia, the ABC’s opened with a decisive win, 15-8 over the Stars. Johnny Bench hit 2 out, and the game wasn’t as close as the score (Philadelphia tallied 5 in the 9th to make it more respectable).
Houston Colt 45s
81-75
—
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-79
3.5
Kansas City Monarchs
77-80
4.5
Marvin Miller Division
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-79
—
Kansas City Monarchs
77-80
1
Wandering House of David
76-81
2
NL Wild Card
#Tuesday
Detroit pulled back into a dead heat with Miami, pounding out 6 homeruns (2 from JD Martinez) in an 11-5 win. Ernie Lombardi, Tony Lazzeri, Oscar Gamble, and Ty Cobb also went deep for the Wolverines in an easy win for the visitors.
Detroit Wolverines
78-80
—
Miami Cuban Giants
77-80
0.5
AL Wild Card
Memphis did it again, beating Cleveland 4-2, and dropping the Spiders 2.5 games behind the Black Yankees. Homers from Reggie Smith and Wade Boggs backed a strong showing from Stubby Overmire, who moved to 13-9 on the year. The Spiders, however, remained only 2 games behind the Black Yankees as New York fell to San Francisco, 9-0, as Bump Hadley improved to 18-6 with a masterful 1-hitter.
New York Black Yankees
89-68
—
Cleveland Spiders
87-70
2
Bill James Division
Philadelphia stormed back from a 7-1 deficit, beating the ABC’s 8-7 on a pinch-hit walkoff shot from Aaron Judge–his 60th of the year–in a game that saw 2 grandslams, one from Indianapolis’ Ed Swartwood, the other from the Stars’ Charles Rogan. This was good news for Houston, who dropped a 9-8 decision to the New York Gothams, who were powered by 2 homeruns from Willie Mays. Houston remains 3.5 games ahead in the Marvin Miller Division.
Riding an excellent start from Rick Reuschel, the House of David pulled into a tie with Kansas City by defeating the Monarchs 3-1. Reuschel was supported by Ryne Sandberg‘s 40th homer of the year, and the win leaves both teams 1 game behind Indianapolis in the Wild Card race.
Houston Colt 45s
81-75
—
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-79
3.5
Kansas City Monarchs
77-80
4.5
Marvin Miller Division
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-80
—
Kansas City Monarchs
77-81
1
Wandering House of David
77-81
1
NL Wild Card
#Wednesday
What you see depends on where you stand: Miami fans will be miserable at their bullpen’s performance, as the Cuban Giants’ relievers surrendered 11 runs over the final 4 innings n an 11-8 loss to Detroit. Wolverines fans, of course, will be applauding the clutch performance of their team, led by Juan Beníquez‘ 4 hits and 3 RBI’s from Charlie Gehringer and Bob Bailey. The win moves Detroit 1.5 games up in the Wild Card chase.
Detroit Wolverines
79-80
—
Miami Cuban Giants
77-81
1.5
AL Wild Card
The Spiders are struggling, but they refuse to give up: a Larry Doby homerun and walkoff RBI single from John Ellis gave Cleveland a 9-8 win over Memphis, keeping them at least within touch of the Black Yankees for the Bill James Division crown. Willie McCovey hit his 15th homerun in 35 games, and Paul O’Neill (the first of his WBL career) and Ron Blomberg also went deep.
The Black Yankees fell to San Francisco, as Eddie Plank earned his 20th win of the season with 6 strong innings for the Sea Lions. San Francisco’s bullpen–Ken Howell, Joe Nathan, and closer Rod Beck–fanned 7 of the 9 batters they retired, with Beck earning his 40th save of the season.
New York Black Yankees
89-69
—
Cleveland Spiders
88-70
1
Bill James Division
Houston bounced back in a big way, using a phenomenal start from Ice Box Chamberlain and 7 homeruns to beat the Gothams, 9-2. Chamberlain allowed 1 hit in just under 8 innings, fanning 12 and 2 of the important cogs in the Colt 45’s late season surge–OF Gorman Thomas and C Will Smith–carried the team, twice launching back-to-back homeruns. Jim Wynn led off the game with a dinger, and Paul Goldschmidt and Jim O’Rourke also went deep.
The victory sealed the pennant for Houston, setting off raucous celebrations in the home dugout. It also meant all of the attention in the NL is now focused on the final Wild Card Spot, currently owned by Indianapolis, but with Kansas City and the House of David hot on their heels (and Homestead still hanging around with at least a mathematical chance).
After fighting back from a 6-1 deficit, Indianapolis suffered a gut-wrenching loss, falling to Philadelphia, 12-8. The Stars were led by homeruns from Sherm Lollar, Harmon Killebrew, Jung Ho Kang, and Sherry Magee.
Ryne Sandberg had 4 hits including a go-ahead solo homer in the bottom of the 8th as the House of David topped Kansas City, 6-5. Jack Taylor continued a late-season rebound with a solid start, but both bullpens struggled in this one. The victory moves the House of David into a dead heat with Indianapolis in the Wild Card chase, with Kansas City 1 game back.
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-81
—
Wandering House of David
78-81
—
Kansas City Monarchs
77-82
1
Homestead Grays
76-83
2
NL Wild Card
#Thursday
Miami just refuses to lose: Cleveland had taken the lead, 5-4 in the 6th inning, but the Cuban Giants scored 8 runs in their final 2 frames in a 12-6 victory. Miami pounded out 17 hits, led by 3 each from Jim Thome and Martín Dihigo. The game was never sure: Cuban Giants pitchers gave up 8 walks, so the Spiders had constant traffic on the basepaths. But they did just enough, with homeruns from Julio Rodríguez, Dihigo, Alejandro Oms, and Thome.
With the result, the Spiders drop to 1.5 games behind the Black Yankees and the Cuban Giants move to 1 game behind Detroit in the Wild Card race.
Detroit Wolverines
79-80
—
Miami Cuban Giants
78-81
1
AL Wild Card
Speaking of the Black Yankees … their bullpen continues to be their Achilles’ heel, with 4 relievers giving up 9 runs in 2.1 innings. Ouch. The big blows were homeruns from Jimmie Foxx and Bobby Bonds as San Francisco defeated New York, 13-10.
New York Black Yankees
89-70
—
Cleveland Spiders
88-71
1
Bill James Division
#Friday
The Black Yankees continue not to grab the Bill James Division by the throat, falling to lowly Baltimore 5-4 in the opening game of the final series of the season. Homers from Eddie Murray, Manny Machado, and a final go-ahead blast from Earl Averill gave the Black Sox the edge in another game that saw less than stellar performances from New York’s bullpen.
Two homers from Gary Sheffield carried Miami to a 5-4 win over Cleveland, preserving New York’s 1 game advantage, and keeping the pressure on Detroit. The Cuban Giants got another strong outing from Jim Whitney, and were able to fade a 9th inning comeback from the Spiders for the victory.
So what will Detroit do with their opportunity?
Play a game for the ages where they held leads of 3-1, 4-2, 9-5, and 10-6. And it was never enough as, after closer Mike Henneman was forced from the game with a back injury, Troy Percival came in and gave up a grand slam to Manny Ramírez and a walkoff shot to Gabby Hartnett. Both Ramírez and Hartnett had 2 homers in the game, while Al Kaline had 2 for Detroit. Kaline had 3 hits and 7 RBIs while Hartnett had 4 hits for Memphis. A true thriller of a game that leaves everything pretty much undecided.
New York Black Yankees
89-71
—
Cleveland Spiders
88-72
1
Bill James Division
Detroit Wolverines
79-81
—
Miami Cuban Giants
79-81
—
AL Wild Card
The House of David fell to Houston 8-2, as all eyes turned to the 4 game series between Indianapolis and Kansas City.
Kansas City’s Smokey Joe Wood and the ABC’s’ Luis Padrón squared off in the series opener and while each pitched well, neither were involved in the decision. Instead, after a 2 run shot from Ducky Medwick tied the game, Kansas City won it on a sacrifice fly from Dale Murphy in the bottom of the 9th. So Padrón fails in his attempt to win his 24th game of the year and, more importantly, Kansas City forces a 3 way dead heat for the final Wild Card spot.
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-82
—
Wandering House of David
78-82
—
Kansas City Monarchs
77-82
—
Homestead Grays
76-84
2
NL Wild Card
#Saturday
Memphis keeps embracing their role as spoiler while relying on a handful of late season call ups. In this case, Bucky Walters gave a good starting performance, Lefty O’Doul had 3 hits, and Wayne Causey drove in 2 with an 8th inning single for a 5-3 victory over Detroit.
It sure looks like Miami has found a key part of their rotation: Phenomenal Smith improved to 5-0, combining with Ricky Nolasco on a 3 hit shutout of Cleveland. Smith struck out 10 before yielding to Nolasco, for the last 2 outs. Martín Dihigo drove in 2 runs, continuing his second half surge.
Miami moves a full game ahead of Detroit for the Wild Card slot, and Cleveland falls 1.5 games behind the Black Yankees for the Bill James Division title, with New York’s magic number reduce to 1.
And then it was none. New York topped Baltimore 11-7 behind homers from Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, and Roger Maris, giving the Black Yankees their first Bill James Division title.
Miami Cuban Giants
80-81
—
Detroit Wolverines
79-82
1
AL Wild Card
Oh boy … Indianapolis has nobody to blame but themselves.
Behind a great start from Johnny Cueto and 3 RBI’s from Oscar Charleston, the ABC’s took a 6-2 lead into the bottom of the 9th, with their closer, Rob Dibble, on the mound. Dibble got one out, and then 16 of his next 20 pitches missed the strike zone, resulting in 4 consecutive walks, scoring a run. Rob Murphy relieved Dibble, and an RBI groundout and 2 wild pitches later, the game was tied at 6.
Cool Papa Bell walked in the bottom of the 10th, stole second, and scored on a hit from Ozzie Smith, moving Kansas City a game ahead in the Wild Card race.
#Sunday
The final day of the season leaves both final Wild Card spots up for grabs: in the AL, Miami has a 1 game lead over Detroit and in the NL, Kansas City has the edge over both Indianapolis and the House of David.
Miami was unable to clinch it: Larry Doby became the 2nd player in WBL history (and the first in the AL) to hit 4 homeruns in a game, driving in 7 as Cleveland topped the Cuban Giants, 13-7. That leaves Miami’s fate in the hands of Detroit later in the day.
Detroit used a mix of the old reliable–2 homeruns from Al Kaline and 1 from Ty Cobb–and the newly acquired (a strong start from Connie Johnson and key innings from Steve Howe and Troy Percival) to beat Memphis, 8-4.
And so, we finish in a dead heat.
Miami Cuban Giants
80-82
—
Detroit Wolverines
80-82
—
AL Wild Card
Eppa Rixey combined with 4 relievers (including an important 1.2 innings from Doc Mitchell), leading the ABC’s to a 7-3 win over Kansas City, meaning Indianapolis and the Monarchs finish with identical 79-83 records. The only question is if the House of David will join them in a 3-way tie for the final playoff spot.
Nope.
The House of David tried valiantly, and even outhit Houston, 10-8, but they fell to the Colt 45’s, 10-9 in a game that saw Tony Gwynn rap out 3 hits, reaching 200 on the season. Richie Hebner, Ryne Sandberg, and Anthony Rizzo each had 2 hits, but they didn’t get enough support as the House of David season ends, falling just short of the postseason.
#Monday
So, two playoff games, winner makes the postseason.
#AL
First up, we have Miami visiting Detroit.
The Cuban Giants will turn to Hugh McQuillan who, despite being roughed up in his last start, has been solid for Miami. If he struggles early, look for Jim Whitney to try to give the team some innings on short rest. For Detroit, Pete Conway will take the mound, also on a pretty short leash.
Ty Cobb may be almost universally disliked, but his baseball talent cannot be denied: he launched a 3 run homer in the top of the first and a grand slam in the 2nd, helping Detroit to a 9-0 lead after 2 innings.
Conway, meanwhile, had allowed a single run on 3 hits through 5, and left after 6 with the score 13-2.
Miami scored 3 in the 9th, but fell well short, 14-5. In the end, a just result, as Detroit really feels like the better team. Still, the Cuban Giants went from being the worst team in the league to being this close to the playoffs: a good year for them.
Cobb finished with 2 homers and 7 RBIs, and Al Kaline, Charlie Gehringer, Ernie Lombardi, and Hank Greenberg each also went deep. There was some bad news on Greenberg, who will be out of action for a few days with a leg injury.
#NL
Indianapolis would turn to Doc White while Kansas City gave the start to young Matt Morris.
Kansas City took an early lead on Albert Pujols‘ second homerun of the game, pulling ahead 6-3 after 3 innings, with the ABC’s runs coming on longballs from George Foster and Chris Sabo.
Morris was OK–not great, but not bad–until Tommy Helms singled and scored on a double from Barry Larkin in the top of the 4th. A Bob Bescher walk put runners on the corner, and fetched Frank Castillo from the bullpen. The move backfired as Sabo and Oscar Charleston singled and, after a couple of outs, Johnny Bench brought home 2 with a single of his own, giving Indianapolis an 8-7 lead. Foster followed with his 2nd dinger of the game, extending the lead to 10-7 and chasing Castillo. His successor, Bob Shawkey, gave upa solo shot to Helms and when all of the dust settled, the ABC’s had scored 8 and were up 11-7.
The ABC’s coasted from there, riding additional homeruns by Ed Charles and Sabo to a 15-8 win, powering Indianapolis into the postseason. Sabo drove in 5 and Foster 4, with each of them notching 3 hits on the day.
Kansas City had ridden its pitching staff all year; here their arms betrayed them, surrendering 14 hits and 15 runs.
There is a ton of offensive talent here, but it falls off drastically, and suffers from a lot of positional overlap. Add in downright poor pitching, and you have the worst team in the Bill James Division.
It’s not clear where Memphis goes, but it certainly looks like trading some of their positional depth for some pitching should be on the table.
THE OFFENSE
It’s a top heavy team, with some true standout talent.
#What’s Going Right
Ted Williams is an elite talent, and while his 298/412/619 slash line doesn’t move him into the absolute top tier, at 22 there is quite some room for improvement.
Manny Ramírez has stepped up dramatically from last year, leading the team with 42 HRs and 2nd behind Williams in RBI. Ramírez’ OPS has hovered around 1.000 all season, powered by a SLG in the mid .600’s.
David Ortiz has essentially displaced Bill White at 1B, slashing 286/370/680 in just over 300 PAs.
Gabby Hartnett is an excellent offensive C, posting an OPS in the mid 800’s with 37 HRs and his backup, Billy Bryan, has been even better offensively, with 14 HRs in 140 PA’s.
For a 20 year old, Dobie Moore‘s debut has to be considered a success, slashing 291/352/427 while playing across the IF.
#What’s Not Going Right
OF Mookie Betts and 3B Wade Boggs have been fine, but the Red Sox need more if they are going to compete.
Nobody getting a ton of playing time has really been awful offensively, although only Iván De Jesús‘ defensive flexibility has kept him in the league.
The positional distribution remains unsolved: Ortiz, White, and Travis Shaw all seem to be reasonable WBL alternatives at 1B, and the leading young talent (Hack Wilson and Lefty O’Doul) play the same positions as Reggie Smith, Betts, Ramírez, and Williams.
THE PITCHING
When your best pitcher is a middling middle reliever (Tommy de la Cruz, whose 6.20 ERA belies some very good supporting numbers), you’re in trouble.
#What’s Going Right
That is a little unfair to Stubby Overmire, who leads the team with 11 wins and looks like an excellent #2 or #3 rotation starter being asked to be a #1.
Andrew Miller‘s been solid out of the bullpen with a 7-8 record, 3 saves, and 11 holds while leading the WBL in appearances.
#What’s Not Going Right
Everything else.
David Bush, Len Barker, and Jon Lester have all failed to impress, with Bush (8-8, 6.82) being the best of a bad lot.
Some of the other hurlers given opportunities, especially Eddie Cicotte and Nixey Callahan, have been unbelievably bad.
There is some help, as Memphis has a middle-of-the-road farm system, with some strong talent that is blocked at the WBL level (all the more trade fodder for some pitching).
OFs Dwight Evans, Hack Wilson, Willie Crawford, Roy Thomas, Lefty O’Doul, and Carl Yastrzemski all look to have high ceilings. On the IF, it’s a bit more sparse, with Candy Jim Taylor and Joe Cunningham leading the way.
There is also some potential on the mound. Sadie McMahon remains well regarded despite his struggles, and he, Jim Kaat, Josh Beckett, and Nathan Eovaldi should all be given some long looks in the Spring.
WHAT’S NEEDED
A re-distribution of the talent, using some of the excess to bring some arms to town.
Storylines to Watch
Key Questions from Spring Training
Who is going to fill out the rotation and the bullpen? Remains totally unanswered.
Memphis’ scouts are agog over Dobie Moore, but scouts don’t play the game: is Moore the real thing and, if so, what happens to Vern Stephens? Moore looks to be the real thing, and Stephens was pretty bad, eventually moving on to Brooklyn (where, it must be said, he has flourished) for a 4th round pick.
Sosa was moved out, essentially for Gabby Hartnett, putting more pressure on the OF the step up. Hartnett is doing well, and the last thing the Red Sox need is more OF talent.
FEATURED SERIES
Since the Cuban Giants still have an outside shot at the playoffs, we’ll use the opportunity to focus on the Red Sox’s visit to Miami for a 4 game set at the start of the week.
Projected Starters
Memphis starter listed first, although I would expect at least a few of these to change.
David Bush (8-8, 6.82) @ Cole Hamels (11-10, 5.88) Stubby Overmire (11-9, 4.81) @ Jim Whitney (8-6, 3.90) Len Barker (10-12, 5.07) @ Phenomenal Smith (2-0, 1.93) TBA @ Hugh McQuillan (4-3, 4.82)
Just because it will make the end of the year far more interesting, let’s go with a 3-1 series win for Miami.
Game One
The Red Sox used 2 homeruns from Dustin Pedroia and just enough from their bullpen to take game 1, 8-6.
Memphis took the lead on a 2 run homer from Gabby Hartnett, but 2 wild pitches from David Bush (one in the 2nd, one in the 3rd) tied the game at 2.
Pedroia’s first homer, in the top of the 5th, put Memphis back on top. The Red Sox hit 3 out of the park in the 7th, getting homers from David Ortiz, Pedroia again, and Manny Ramírez. That gave the Red Sox an 8-2 lead, which should have been enough …
Except, Sadie McMahon, in relief of Bush, imploded, giving up 4 runs before being relieved by Andrew Miller. Miller, however, was effective, earning his 12th hold of the year, and Tommy de la Cruz closed the door for his 5th save as Memphis played spoiler to Miami’s Wild Card chase.
MEM 8 (Taylor 11-10) @ MCG 6 (Mathewson 7-15) HRs: MEM – Hartnett (38), Pedroia 2 (4), Ortiz (32), Ramírez (43); MCG – Oliver (8). Box Score
Game Two
Dean Chance got the start for Memphis in game 2 and was actually quite good. Unfortunately for Memphis, Miami’s Jim Whitney was better, allowing 3 hits and 1 run over 7 innings–a solo shot from Ted Williams in the top of the 1st–as the Cuban Giants edged the Red Sox, 6-1.
Miami got longballs from Julio Rodríguez, Jim Thome, and Joe Adcock in the victory.
MEM 1 (Chance 0-1) @ MCG 6 (Whitney 4-4, George 1 H) HRs: MEM- Williams (40); MCG – J. Rodríguez (37), Thome (54), Adcock (2). Box Score
Game Three
Bucky Walters would get the start for Memphis, with Miami countering with Phenomenal Smith, whose return from injury has come at just the right time for the Cuban Giants.
Memphis jumped on Smith in the top of the 1st with Bill White–whose playing time has declined regularly over the season–hitting a 3 run homerun. Miami tied the game in the 3rd with a 3 run homerun from Julio Rodríguez.
The Red Sox took the lead on a sacrifice fly from Wade Boggs in the top of the 5th, but 4 consecutive hits–doubles from Alejandro Oms, Rodríguez and Yasiel Puig wrapped around a single from José Canseco–chased Walters and gave the Cuban Giants a 6-4 advantage.
The Red Sox would score again, but not enough as Miami edged it, 7-6. Rodríguez continued his hot streak with 3 hits and 4 RBI’s, and the revamped Miami bullpen closed it out, this time with Ricky Nolasco getting the hold and Jonathan Papelbon his 8th save since coming over to the Cuban Giants.
MEM 6 (Walters 0-3) @ MCG 7 (Smith 3-0, Papelbon 8 Sv, Looper 10 H, Nolasco 3 H) HRs: MEM – White (23); MCG – Rodríguez (38). Box Score
Game 4
So this one matters as a series win would impact the post-season picture. Memphis would trot out their best starter, last year’s ERA champ, Stubby Overmire while Miami would counter with the impressive, but essentially untried, Hugh McQuillan.
Or, the once impressive, as the Red Sox jumped on him for 6 runs in 5 innings, and then pounded his relief, Don Wilson, for 4 more in an 11-3 rout.
The offensive onslaught was led by Ted Williams‘s 3 hits, but almost everyone got involved, with Williams, Lefty O’Doul, Wade Boggs, Mookie Betts, and Travis Shaw each going deep. Pair that with Overmire’s solid 7 innings, giving up 4 hits and 3 runs and–most surprisingly for Red Sox fans–2 scoreless innings in relief from Nixey Callahan–and you have an easy victory for Memphis and a vital defeat for Miami.
MEM 11 (Overmire 12-9) – MCG 3(McQuillan 4-4) HRs: MEM – Williams (41), O’Doul (2), Boggs (10), Betts (25), Shaw (18); MCG: Canseco (65). Box Score
The series split is a solid result for Memphis as it continues to give some of its young players time; a far more disappointing result for Miami, who look to fall just short of the postseason.
We’re going to do this by position group, ignoring league differences (although we will have a Rookie Team for each league in the offseason).
Only 6 players are officially full time (that is, they qualify for the batting stats): IF Jimmie Foxx, OFs Turkey Stearnes, John Briggs, Adam Dunn, and Ichiro Suzuki, and everywhere playing Charles Rogan. That group probably forms the core of the shortlist for the final Rookie of the Year Award: if you’re able to hold down a fulltime starting spot as a rookie in the WBL …
#C
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are no fulltime rookie catchers, although 2–Philadelphia’s Bill Dickey and the House of David’s Frank Chance–have seen more and more time as the season has worn on.
Name
Age
Tm
Lg
OPS / WAR
Other
JP Arencibia
30
BBB
NL
.769 / -0.3
166 PA, 15 HR, 29 RBI
Frank Chance
24
HOD
NL
.658 / -0.2
250 PA
Bill Dickey
23
PHI
NL
.772 / 0.4
159 PA, 23 RBI
Dick Dietz
29
NYG
NL
.937 / 0.7
94 PA
Tom Haller
33
BAL
AL
.839 / 0.7
127 PA
AJ Pierzynski
28
LAA
AL
.630 / -0.4
191 PA, 9 HR
Really, that’s it. Chance has played about 3/4 of the time behind the plate, so the playing time is pretty consistent. So … Tom Haller (who is likely to not have a very long career, although he’ll be retained as the backup in Baltimore next season for sure) in the AL and Dickey in the NL.
#1B/3B
The corner IF spots are a bit rough, given the high end talent in the AL and the lack of presence in the NL.
Name
Pos
Age
Tm
Lg
OPS / WAR
Other
Jimmie Foxx
1B/3B
21
SFS
AL
.924 / 2.3
510 PA, 44 HR, 82 RBI
Joe Harris
1B
36
HOD/ KCM
NL
.899 / 1.1
429 PA
Eddie Murray
1B
22
BAL
AL
.857 / 0.2
79 PA
David Ortiz
1B
27
MEM
AL
1.039 / 2.0
293 PA, 30 HR, 62 RBI
Andy Pafko
3B
29
BBB/ MCG
NL/ AL
.851 / 0.6
260 PA
Chris Sabo
3B
29
IND
NL
.780 / 0.2
297 PA
Foxx’s being the only rookie infielder to qualify for the batting championship gives him the lead, despite Ortiz’ remarkable production. Foxx played a little more at 1B than 3B, but given the paucity of hot corner candidates, may get the recognition there, clearing the way for Ortiz.
Pafko played as much in RF as 3B, but we needed more 3B here. Harris is a nice feel-good story–nothing like a 36 year old rookie come good.
#2B/SS
2 of the best here–Cal Ripken, Jr. and Judy Johnson–played regularly elsewhere (including 3B), but logged the majority of their innings in the middle infield.
Name
Pos
Age
Tm
Lg
OPS / WAR
Other
Royce Clayton
SS
22
SFS
AL
1.020 / 0/7
100 PA
Charlie Gehringer
2B
25
DET
AL
.798 / 0.3
418 PA, 14 HR, 48 RBI
Frank Grant
2B/SS
22
HOD/ SFS
NL/ AL
.754 / 1.1
283 PA
Judy Johnson
SS
18
HOM
NL
.809 / 1.2
240 PA
Dobie Moore
SS
20
MEM
AL
.779 / 1.1
378 PA
Cal Ripken, Jr.
SS
23
BAL
AL
.876 / 2.3
370 PA, 22 HR, 62 RBI
Joe Sewell
SS
23
CLE
AL
.852 / 0.9
133 PA
Interesting list, with Gehringer being the only truly full time player for the entire season, although both Moore and Ripken are close enough to count. The lack of talent at 2B and in the NL is striking.
#OF
Here we have the clear overall RoY from the field players, but there’s more to chew on here than Turkey. Sorry.
Name
Pos
Age
Tm
Lg
OPS / WAR
Other
Juan Beníquez
LF
35
DET
AL
.916 / 1.9
400 PA
John Briggs
CF
21
BRK
NL
.930 / 2.7
448 PA
Kiki Cuyler
LF
32
POR
AL
.675 / -0.5
305 PA
Adam Dunn
LF
22
IND
NL
.831 / 0.5
502 PA
George Foster
RF
22
IND
NL
.841 / 1.5
432 PA
Al Kaline
RF
21
DET
AL
.919 / 2.1
422 PA, 75 RBI
Elliott Maddox
OF
21
NYY/ HOU
AL/ NL
.766 / 0.2
406 PA
Rick Monday
CF
24
OTT
NL
1.019 / 1.6
307 PA
Julio Rodríguez
CF
20
MCG
AL
1.024 / 1.8
355 PA, 35 HR
Charles Rogan
CF
27
PHI
NL
.964 / 3.0
466 PA
Turkey Stearnes
CF
22
SFS
AL
1.134 / 6.0
512 PA, 47 HR, 115 RBI
Ichiro Suzuki
RF
28
LAA
AL
.698 / -0.5
513 PA
Sam Thompson
RF
27
OTT
NL
.820 / -0.2
362 PA
We’re not going to be too picky about positions here, going with Stearnes, Kaline, and J-Rod in the AL and Briggs, Rogan, and Foster in the NL; or perhaps Monday, if you want to recognize Rogan on the mound.
The surprises here are probably Briggs (who had an army of doubters, but is 2nd here in WAR) and Monday, whose offense just kept demanding more and more playing time. And mention has to be made of Beníquez–35 years old and a dominant year. He played 1B and 3B as well, so may see recognition there.
#SP
A dozen rookies made 10 or more starts; of those, a half-dozen are worth taking a closer look at.
Name
Age
Tm
Lg
W-L
ERA
IP
WHIP
FIP
WAR
A. Rube Foster
23
KCM
NL
10-6
3.21
185
0.99
3.72
5.1
Bump Hadley
23
SFS
AL
16-5
4.15
169
1.22
4.07
4.3
Charles Rogan
27
PHI
NL
11-9
4.41
169
1.23
4.81
3.1
Fernando Valenzuela
24
BRK
NL
13-5
3.60
148
1.02
4.32
3.1
Jim Whitney
24
BBB/ MCG
NL/ AL
8-6
3.79
176
1.08
4.39
4.2
Joe Williams
24
BRK
NL
12-11
3.87
188
1.24
3.69
6.0
Foster is the clear class of this group, but Smokey Joe is a very close 2nd. I would add Whitney and Valenzuela to the award list, giving Brooklyn 2 of the 4 slots.
#RP
There aren’t a ton of relievers who are impactful enough to really warrant discussion here, but there are some.
Name
Age
Tm
Lg
W-L
ERA
Sv
H
WHIP
Terry Forster
22
BRK
NL
1-2
3.56
2
14
1.12
Eddie Guardado
25
KCM
NL
2-2
2.20
1
9
1.00
Billy Hoeft
19
DET
AL
2-3
6.10
2
10
1.50
Brad Kilby
27
PHI
NL
3-3
6.20
2
14
1.24
Firpo Marberry
28
CLE
AL
7-0
4.72
3
11
1.34
Tug McGraw
27
HOU
NL
5-4
2.95
12
5
1.20
Andrew Miller
23
MEM
AL
6-8
4.41
3
11
1.33
Skel Roach
28
MEM
AL
2-1
4.31
3
12
1.49
Marberry, McGraw, Forster, and Guardado look pretty solid.
Chicago’s season is done at this point, so they have turned their focus to next year. The immensely talented Chino Smith was recalled from AAA. While Smith won’t unseat Eddie Collins at 2B, it’s hoped that, by shifting Joe Jackson to LF, the American Giants can see what they have in Smith in RF.
Despite his obvious power, Rocky Colavito was sent to AAA to clear room for Smith.
Chicago also recalled Danny Murtaugh from AA, sending Damian Jackson down, giving them a chance to see what the young IF can do, both at SS and as Dick Allen‘s backup at 3B.
Jackson tied the game with a 2 run pinch-hit shot in the 9th and won it with another 2 run homerun in the 11th as the American Giants beat Memphis, 8-6 in 11 innings.
The American Giants exploded for 15 runs over the last 3 innings, turning a 5-5 tie into a 20-6 rout of Los Angeles. Kevin Mitchell had 3 homeruns and Paul Konerko and Duffy Lewis each hit grandslams in the game, with Konerko driving in 8–the most in the WBL this season–and Mitchell 6. Collins, Konerko, and Mitchell each scored 4 times.
#Los Angeles Angels
John Stearns was sent to AAA with AJ Pierzynski returning from his rehab assignment. With Ron Hassey‘s strong showing, look for Pierzynski to be more in a backup role than a platoon.
Doug Rader and Carlos Delgado each hit 2 homeruns and Doc Gooden put in a solid start as the Angels trounced Portland, 11-2.
Kal Daniels is having himself a season. Los Angeles, unfortunately, isn’t, and his 5 hits weren’t enough as the Angels fell to the Sea Dogs, 10-6 in 10 innings. Things got a little worse for the Angels after the game as Ross Reynolds–perhaps the most dependable arm in their bullpen all year–will miss about a week with a stiff back. John Lackey was recalled from AAA.
#Miami Cuban Giants
Julio Rodríguez hit two homeruns, giving him 30 on the year, but the Cuban Giants’ bullpen imploded in a 14-7 loss to the Black Yankees. The next day, Rodríguez did it again: 2 homeruns in another loss to New York, this one by a 14-5 tally.
Jim Whitney continued to shine as a trade acquisition for the Cuban Giants, twirling a 2-hitter against the Black Yankees in a 4-0 victory. Helped by homeruns from Yasiel Puig and Gary Sheffield, Whitney improved to 3-1 for Miami, whiffing a dozen and walking 2 in the complete game effort.
#Portland Sea Dogs
Art Fowler was sent to AAA with Tom Zachary being recalled from his rehab assignment. The next day, Walter Ball was forced from his start and will miss about a week with inflammation. Ball hits the DL with Fowler being immediately recalled. And then Fowler was injured; however, as he will miss about 3 months, the yo-yo stops here. Bill Monbouquette was recalled for his WBL debut.
Gil Hodges hit 2 out of the park, giving him 30 on the year, as the Sea Dogs held on for a 10-7 win over Memphis.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
Watty Clark was recalled from his rehab assignment, with Bobby Seay being returned to AAA. With Tom Brewer‘s impressive start, for now, Clark will work out of the bullpen.
Turkey Stearnes launched 2 out of the ballpark, but Miami prevailed over the Sea Lions, 6-4. Different day, same song: Jack Clark hit 2 out but again Miami triumphed over the Sea Lions, this time 9-7.
Tricky Nichols, who has struggled all year, finally revealed a possible cause, and will miss the rest of the season with shoulder inflammation. The American Giants hope to have him back for the Spring, and recalled Billy Loes from a rehab assignment to take Nichols’ roster spot.
#Miami Cuban Giants
José Canseco hit 2 out of the ballpark, leading the Cuban Giants to a 12-9 win over San Francisco.
But it doesn’t always work: Jim Thome, Andy Pafko, and Julio Rodríguezeach hit 2 homeruns in a game the Cuban Giants’ bullpen blew as Miami fell to San Francisco, 9-8 in 10 innings.
Canseco continued his charge, hitting out 3 and reaching 50 on the year as Miami beat the Black Yankees, 7-3. It was the second time this season Canseco has walloped 3 homers in a single game.
Kenshin Kawakami will miss about 6 weeks with shoulder stiffness, warranting a trip to the DL and prompting the Cuban Giants to recall Dale Murray from AAA.
#Portland Sea Dogs
Kent Hrbek went deep twice and drove in 6 as the Sea Dogs topped Memphis, 10-5.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
Watty Clark began a rehab assignment.
The Sea Lions tweaked their bench, sending down Gene Oliver and bringing back Brian Downing for another try as the backup catcher.
Turkey Stearnes went deep twice, giving the impressive rookie 32 on the year, but the Sea Lions fell to Miami, 12-9. Then it was Jimmie Foxx‘s turn, but his 2 homers were enough to carry San Francisco to a come-from-behind win over the Cuban Giants, 10-6. And then it was time for Jack Clark to hit 2 out, but this time the Sea Lions bullpen lost a late lead as San Francisco feel to Los Angeles, 10-9.
