Tag: Kent Hrbek Page 5 of 7

TWIWBL 31.0: Series XXIV Notes

By mknn

On January 13, 2023

In TWIWBL

July 14th

Early Pennant Race Update

Look, it’s July. Not even late July. Mid July. It’s far too soon to talk pennant races, right?

Never.

Bill James Division

The Detroit Wolverines and the New York Gothams are neck and neck, separated by a single game. Both the Wandering House of David and the Los Angeles Angels are close enough–5 games back–to make a move, but they can’t let too much more separation occur between them and the league leaders.

Cum Posey Division

The Baltimore Black Sox–with the best record in baseball–just can’t shake the Chicago American Giants, who are 5 games back. The rest of the division would need to make a significant move to change this from a two team race, with the Houston Colt 45’s–9 games back–the closest.

Effa Manley Division

The Cleveland Spiders are writing a great story, having overtaken the dominant favorite New York Black Yankees, who they now lead by 3.5 games. Everyone expects the Black Yankees to catch up, but they also never expected Cleveland to be where they are. The Indianapolis ABC’s sit 8.5 games back.

Marvin Miller Division

The Portland Sea Dogs leads the division by 5.5 games, but the story here is really the sudden resurgence of the Birmingham Black Barons, who have ridden a great streak to pull within 5.5 games. The Brooklyn Royal Giants sit 7 games back.

Performance

As usual, top 2 performers in all categories, with the WBL leader in bold.

Batters

Everything is tightening up: 6 batters sit between .336 and .339 for the league lead in BA, but the Black Yankees’ Babe Ruth continues to be the dominant offensive force in the league. It’s still a long list, though.

Dick Allen (CAG). 307/374/557. 9 3B.
Johnny Bench (IND). 301/420/585. 4.5 WAR.
Rico Carty (PHI). 289/361/469. 34 2B.
Willie Davis (PHI). 283/336/509. 9 3B.
Mike Epstein (HOM). 336/439/544.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 257/394/351. 72 BB; 64 SB.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 308/375/593. 27 HR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 339/422/598. 74 R.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 339/410/646. 27 HR.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 336/447/610.
Willie Mays (NYG). 325/382/536. 119 H.
Stan Musial (KCM). 337/396/591. 121 H; 34 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 325/378/542. 92 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 298/373/447. 69 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 321/431/659. 30 HR; 91 RBI; 78 R; 69 BB; 5.3 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 311/345/467. 9 3B.

Pitchers

There are 5 other pitchers tied with Bill Byrd with 10 victories; other than that the top 3 in each category are listed with the league leader in bold. No idea why Alejandro Peña is so highly rated in WAR.

Starters

Bill Byrd (BAL). 10-2, 3.20. 1.19 WHIP.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-4, 4.03.
Ned Garvin (BAL). 8-3, 2.64. 1.14 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 9-6, 3.86. 142 SO.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-8, 4.13. 138 SO.
Roy Halladay (OTT). 3-9, 4.13. 1.19 WAR.
Walter Johnson (POR). 8-3, 3.57. 3.4 WAR.
Johnny Marcum (DET). 9-2, 3.33.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 10-6, 3.91.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 8-6, 3.77. 3.5 WAR.
Jack Scott (NYY). 10-4, 4.10.
Cy Young (CLE). 8-4, 3.81. 3.2 WAR.

Relievers

20 IP minimum for rate stats. Top 2, leaders in bold.

Terry Adams (CLE). 0-5, 3.60. 23 Sv.
Watty Clark (BRK). 3-1, 1.20. 17 Sv.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.54. 24 Sv.
Trevor Hildenberger (BRK). 3-0, 2.18. 0.92 WHIP.
AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.08. 16 Sv, 0.88 WHIP.
Ron Reed (PHI). 0-3, 2.52. 16 H.
Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.78. 23 Sv.
Jonny Venters (LAA). 3-3, 3.15. 13 H.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.23. 18 Sv.

Streaks

There are 4 active on-base streaks of note, led by Brooklyn’s Beals Becker (30 games). Iván Rodríguez (POR, 27 G), Don Buford (LAA, 26), and Boog Powell (KAN, 25) are also live. Not much else: George Stone of the Wandering House of David has delivered 4 straight pinch-hits.

Series Results

Series XXIV Sweeps

Kansas City Monarchs over San Francisco Sea Lions

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXIV

Indianapolis over Brooklyn
Detroit over Chicago
Homestead Grays over New York Black Yankees
House of David over Los Angeles
Portland over Philadelphia Stars

Splitting Series XXIV

Baltimore @ Miami Cuban Giants
Cleveland @ Birmingham
New York Gothams @ Houston
Memphis Red Sox @ Ottawa Mounties

TWIWBL 30.4: Series XXIII Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On December 16, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Birmingham recalled Gene Tenace from his rehab assignment, sending Earl Battey to AAA.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Frank Isbell will miss about a week with an elbow injury, prompting a trip to the DL with Art Griggs getting called up to the WBL for the first time. After the series, both Davey Lopes and Michael Brantley headed down to AAA, with Ray Dandridge and Trevor Hildenberger joining Brooklyn.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Wade Miller moved to 8-0 on the season in a 15-2 trouncing of Detroit. The top of the lineup–Gary Pettis, Iván Rodríguez, and Kent Hrbek–went 9-for-16 in the game and Gil Hodges drove in 5 and Buddy Bell 4. Heck, even Greg Litton chipped in 2 hits.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

San Francisco is so happy to have Dick Lundy back … Lundy and Rickey Henderson combined to steal 5 bases and Bob Cerv added 3 hits as the Sea Lions beat the Grays 10-9. Tim Hudson finally turned in a quality start for his new team, winning his first game as a Sea Lion, despite the best efforts of relivers Tommy Bridges, Chad Bradford, and Dave LaRoche to give the game away. That trio gave up 7 runs in 1 1/3 innings, but Ron Robinson and Rod Beck were able to close it out, with Beck picking up his 19th save of the season.

TWIWBL 30.0: Series XXIII Notes

By mknn

On December 12, 2022

In TWIWBL

July 10th

Looking Back at the All Star Trades

We’re a month(ish) on from the all-star break, seemed a good time to look back at the trades and see how they are working out in the early days.

Boom Shaka Laka

The Los Angeles Angels and the Ottawa Mounties swapped 8 players, with early returns making the Angels–by far–the winner in the exchange as veteran 1B Carlos Delgado is slashing 344/400/547 since the trade, providing what may be the final piece to the Angels’ puzzle. While Rusty Staub has done OK for Ottawa, none of the rest of the pieces have shown much at all. Wally Moon, who the Angels picked up from San Francisco, has been impressive as well, slashing 354/458/458 since the break. Two of the pieces the Angels gave up for Moon–C Brian Downing and P Dave LaRoche–have done well for San Francisco (Downing at AAA, LaRoche with the Sea Lions themselves), so this deal may work out for both sides.

Encouraging

The New York Gothams gave up a haul for Don Sutton, and so far it looks OK: Sutton looks to join the Gothams’ rotation shortly, posting a 2.70 ERA in 8 relief appearances. For Brooklyn, two of the prospects received are doing quite well: OF Don Mueller is slashing 387/395/653 and P Lew Krausse, Jr. has started his career with his new organization with some strong outings on the mound.

All-Star Ron Reed has just continued his strong year having moved from Philadelphia to Cleveland, with an ERA of 0.75 over his first half-dozen games with the Spiders. Even more importantly for Cleveland’s playoff push, OF Lance Berkman looks to have blossomed with the change in scenery, slashing 276/417/500 with 4 HRs since coming over from Houston–a jump of of over 200 points to his OPS. The Spiders gave up 7 players across those 2 deals, none of which have earned significant playing time with their new clubs, although both Jap Payne (sent to Philadelphia) and Harry Stovey (to Houston as part of the Berkman deal) have hit well in limited appearances).

The Chicago American Giants brought in 4 pitchers, with encouraging returns from Dick Rudolph (acquired from Miami) and Hoyt Wilhelm (from Birmingham). The best prospect the American Giants gave up–Minnie Miñoso to the Cuban Giants–has been injured, so the jury is still out on this deal in general, but it looks alright so far, even if Don Newcombe has struggled mightily, and may have been overvalued at the trade deadline. Perhaps as importantly, the American Giants seem to have solved their SS question, as all-star Freddy Parent has continued his strong form since joining them from Ottawa.

Birmingham’s fire sale went well. We’ll cover some of those below, but both Curt Flood and Manny Trillo–picked up in the trade of Frank Isbell (who has been alright) to Brooklyn–are both tearing up AAA.

Meh

The Baltimore Black Sox have to be pleased with Manny Machado‘s performance so far, as he’s slotted quite comfortably as their everyday 3B. But the Miami Cuban Giants can’t really complain, as they aren’t going to compete for a while and Joe Dugan is tearing up AAA while Chris Hoiles has established himself as a C at the big league level. The Black Sox also brought in Joe Beggs from Memphis to solidify the end of their bullpen. Results have been mixed so far.

Memphis’ fan base was quite critical of a few of their moves, and Roger Clemens‘ short-term success in Houston has only increased their fury. But Stubby Overmire has added some depth to their staff and perhaps more importantly, 2B DJ LeMahieu and P Jim Kaat look to be strong prospects for Memphis’ future.

Disappointing

Portland hoped picking up Rogers Hornsby from Kansas City would spark their offense for a playoff push, and while he’s better than Greg Litton, his .648 OPS is actually pretty Littonish, and a far cry from his .853 mark over the first half of the season.

Tim Hudson was supposed to solidify San Francisco’s rotation, but was roughed up in his first few starts. While he’s shown signs of coming around, the 36 year old is only 1-3 with an ERA north of 5 since his move to the Left Coast. Rube Melton, one of the pieces the Sea Lions gave up for Hudson, has excelled at AAA for Birmingham, and looks to be a nice pickup for the Black Barons.

Another one who took a bit to find his footing, Tom Herr, is finally showing some life for the New York Black Yankees. Still, a 228/267/298 slash is not what the New York faithful had hoped to see from their All-Star acquisition. The Black Yankees’ other significant acquisitions–Jamie Moyer and Gary Lavelle–have struggled as well, although Lavelle has been installed as their closer, which is more a comment on the other options than a compliment to him. Several of the prospects they gave up–Bill Buckner and Charlie Keller for Birmingham and Dick Bartell and Sam Thompson for Ottawa–are performing very well for their new organizations, so these trades may come back to haunt New York.

Performance

As usual, top 2 performers in all categories, with the WBL leader in bold.

Batters

Reggie Jackson‘s triple crown hunt is back on! And Babe Ruth‘s dominance just continues unabated.

Dick Allen (CAG). 298/368/550. 9 3B.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 335/410/646. 1.056 OPS. 26 HR.
Rico Carty (PHI). 295/362/480. 34 2B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 336/379/533.
Eric Davis (NYY). 277/337/528. 4.1 WAR.
Mike Epstein (HOM). 336/441/539.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 253/389/342. 67 BB, 64SB.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 301/370/582. 26 HR.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 337/449/610. 1.059 OPS.
Willie Mays (NYG). 316/373/523. 112 H.
Stan Musial (KCM). 331/390/585. 115 H, 31 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 316/373/523. 112 H, 88 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 298/373/454. 66 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 314/424/656. 1.080 OPS. 29 HR, 88 RBI, 73 R, 66 BB, 5.0 WAR.
Mike Trout (LAA). 318/390/455. 112 H.

Pitchers

It’s just all over the place, once you move past the dominant performances by Ned Garvin (BAL) and Gerrit Cole (LAA).

Starters

Bill Byrd (BAL). 9-2, 3.29.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-3, 3.66. 128 IP.
Gene Conley (CLE). 10-2, 3.17.
Ned Garvin (BAL). 8-3, 2.64. 1.14 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 9-6, 3.84. 135 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-8, 4.15. 135 K.
Waite Hoyt (NYY). 8-2, 3.29. 1.15 WHIP.
Walter Johnson (POR). 8-3, 3.60. 3.2 WAR.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 10-6, 3.96.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 8-6, 3.77. 3.5 WAR.
Red Ruffing (NYY). 10-4, 3.55.
Cy Young (CLE). 8-4, 3.84. 129 IP.

Relievers

20 IP minimum for rate stats.

Watty Clark (BRK). 3-1, 1.23. 17 Sv.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.67. 23 Sv.
Ken Howell (SFS). 3-3, 1.14. 3 Sv, 7 H.
AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.08. 16 Sv, 0.88 WHIP.
Ron Reed (CLE). 0-2, 2.26. 3 Sv, 16 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-2, 3.58. 12 H.
Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.78. 23 Sv.
Jonny Venters (LAA). 3-3, 3.24. 4 Sv, 12 H.
Billy Wagner (HOU). 0-2, 3.63. 11 Sv, 2 H, 0.90 WHIP.

Streaks

Not a lot of interesting active streaks. Brooklyn’s Beals Becker–who has the league record for consecutive games with a HR with 5–has a 25 game streak of getting on base. It’s no Thurman Munson, but it’s something. Becker is slashing 382/432/853 over his last 10 games. Gary Pettis, once considered a liability at the plate, is slashing 600/667/1050 over his last 15 games (because of Pettis’ utility as a defensive replacement, those 15 games cover only 24 ABs).

Christy Mathewson (NYG) hasn’t allowed a hit in over 8 innings.

Baltimore’s entire staff is on fire: Bill Byrd, Ned Garvin, Sean Marshall, Mike Mussina, and Jim Palmer are all on hot streaks on the mound. The most impressive is Byrd, who has a 1.07 WHIP and 2.38 ERA over his last 10 games.

Series Results

Series XXIII Sweeps

Cleveland over Indianapolis

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXIII

Baltimore over Brooklyn
Birmingham over Los Angeles
Houston over Chicago
Detroit over Portland
Kansas City over Philadelphia
New York Black Yankees over Ottawa

Splitting Series XXIII

Homestead @ San Francisco
House of David @ Memphis
Miami @ New York Gothams

TWIWBL 29.0 – Series XXII Notes

By mknn

On August 8, 2022

In TWIWBL

July 6th

Quick Glance at the Standings

Things are tightening up around the league, with the most shocking news being that the New York Black Yankees are now in 2nd place in the Effa Manley Division, 1.5 games behind the Cleveland Spiders.

The closest race is in the Bill James Division, where the New York Gothams, Detroit Wolverines, and Los Angeles Angels are separated by only 2 games. Over in the Cum Posey Division, the Chicago American Giants remain 3 games behind the Baltimore Black Sox.

The Marvin Miller Division has the closest thing in the WBL to a runaway leader, as the Portland Sea Dogs lead the Brooklyn Royal Giants by 5.5 games, with the Birmingham Black Barons–on a surprising 9-1 hot streak–a game further behind.

Oddball Stats

Thought it might be interesting to take a look at some of the less important stats going on the WBL.

Sacrifice Hits are a big deal for some WBL teams, and 5 players are tied for the league lead with 12 each. They tend to make sense–players like Detroit’s George Davis or Baltimore’s Dan McGann. But then two names jump out: Chicago’s Duffy Lewis and the New York Black Yankees’ Lou Gehrig (Lewis has 12, Gehrig 10). What are those teams thinking? These are elite sluggers who are being told to “just move the runner over” far too often.

Wade Boggs of the Memphis Red Sox leads the WBL in GiDP, with 17, followed by Gil Hodges (Portland) and Ken Singleton (Baltimore) with 14. That all feels appropriate, although Willie Mays (New York Gothams) being next with 13 seems a little off.

Speaking of Mays, he leads all OFers with 14–FOURTEEN–OF assists. Ken Griffey, Jr–despite spending significant time in the minors for the Ottawa Mounties–is second with 12.

On the mound, let’s take a look at Meltdowns and Shutdowns, and specifically the mystery of the Kansas City Monarch‘s Trevor Rosenthal, who has 9 of the former and 10 of the latter. Roger Clemens, now of the Houston Colt 45’s, has allowed the most stolen bases in the league, as 30 players have successfully swiped bases against the Rocket.

Performance

Batters

Usual stuff: top 2 in various stats (plus all 1.000+ OPS), league leader in bold.

It’s still a widely diverse list, and it’s still dominated by Babe Ruth. The San Francisco Sea Lions‘ Reggie Jackson has fallen from leading the league in all 3 categories to “only” leading in OBP.

Dick Allen (CAG). 296/365/550. 9 3B.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 328/403/621.
Rico Carty (PHI). 295/364/481. 31 2B.
Eddie Collins (CAG). 307/408/530. 4.0 WAR.
Ty Cobb (DET). 341/385/532.
Mike Epstein (HOM). 337/443/523.
Mike Fiore (CAG). 245/400/391. 65 BB.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 258/388/348. 63 BB, 61 SB.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 309/376/599. 26 HR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 331/412/583. 68 R.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 338/448/618.
Stan Musial (KAN). 333/392/595. 111 H, 30 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 318/371/535. 85 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 300/378/457. 65 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 311/418/664. 29 HR, 87 RBI, 69 R, 4.9 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 316/351/470. 8 3B.
Frank Thomas (CAG). 328/433/575.
Mike Trout (LAA). 322/396/466. 108 H.

Starting Pitchers

Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-3, 3.66. 128 IP.
Ray Collins (PHI). 7-6, 3.96. 127.1 IP.
Ned Garvin (BAL). 7-3, 2.82. 1.13 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 8-6, 3.96. 128 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-8, 4.32. 127 K.
Dennis Martínez (BAL). 8-5, 3.23.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 8-6, 3.81. 3.4 WAR.
Red Ruffing (NYY). 10-3. 3.63.
Cy Young (CLE). 8-4, 3.48. 1.14 WHIP, 3.4 WAR.

Relievers

25 IP for rate stats.

Tommy Hanson (BRK). 0-0, 3.16. 0.86 WHIP.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.96. 22 Sv.
Ken Howell (SFS). 3-3, 1.23.
Chuck Porter (CLE). 4-3, 2.16. 0.84 WHIP.
Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-2, 2.42. 15 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-1, 3.44. 11 H.
Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.78. 23 Sv.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.37.

Streaks

Hank Aaron has an 18 game hitting streak, the only active streak that makes the league leaders. Aaron has hit homeruns in his last 3 games, as has Babe Ruth, but the leader in that category, surprisingly, is the Brooklyn Royal Giant‘s Beals Becker, who has gone deep in 5 consecutive games.

That gives Becker a stunning 1.300 SLG over those 5 games. Carlos Delgado, on fire since his trade to LA, is hitting .542 over his last 6 games.

Series Results

Series XXII Sweeps

Homestead Grays over Philadelphia Stars

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXII

Birmingham over Memphis
Houston over Portland
San Francisco over Ottawa

Series Splits

New York Gothams @ Baltimore
Brooklyn @ Cleveland
Chicago @ Miami Cuban Giants
Kansas City @ Detroit
Los Angeles @ Indianapolis ABC’s
New York Black Yankees @ Wandering House of David

TWIWBL 27.4: Series XXI Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On July 12, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Where has this been all year? Greg Maddux finally delivered on his potential, spinning a 3-hit, complete game shutout of the mighty Black Yankees in a 5-0 Black Barons win. Maddux was helped from homeruns from Billy Southworth and Del Crandall.

Alejandro Peña allowed only 4 hits and 1 run through 7 innings, and Steve Bedrosian and Juan Ríncón were near perfect in relief as Birmingham beat New York again, 3-1. Adrián González‘ first HR for Birmingham was key, breaking a 1-1 tie in the 8th inning.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

After the series, Brooklyn finally lost patience with Hi Meyers, releasing the struggling CF and promoting promising John Briggs all the way from AA to the big league club.

#Miami Cuban Giants

The search for the right staff continues in Miami, with Bill Landrum and being sent to AA. Chris Resop and Steve Brown move to Miami, with Chico Fernández and Sandy Consuegra being released. Eddie Milner, ice cold after a nice debut, was sent down as well, with Carlos Peña being recalled to further complicate the 1B situation.

#Portland Sea Dogs

They couldn’t quite overcome a 7-0 deficit, but Kent Hrbek‘s 26th HR tied Babe Ruth for the league lead as the Sea Dogs fell 7-6 to Miami.

Walter Johnson delivered a great performance, allowing only 2 hits and 1 run over 8 innings while striking out 10, but he wasn’t involved in the decision, as José Canseco greeted Portland’s closer Johan Santana with a tying homerun in the top of the 9th. Jeff Burroughs won the game in the bottom of the 12th with his 13th homerun of the season, but the victory was costly, as Santana was injured while on the mound.

Bert Blyleven turned in one of the better performances of the season, fanning a WBL record 14 batters in a complete game, 5-hit shutout of Miami. Gary Pettis had 2 hits, scored twice, and stole 3 bases in the 4-0 victory.

Bad news for the Sea Dogs, as their closer–and WBL saves leader–Santana will miss the rest of the season with a partially torn labrum. Elmer Brown takes over the closer duties for Portland, with Hal Griggs joining the bullpen from AAA.

Somehow, Greg Litton remains in the WBL.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Tim Hudson‘s 2nd start for the Sea Lions was better than the first, but the result was the same as San Francisco fell to the House of David despite Bob Cerv‘s pair of homeruns.

TWIWBL 26.0: Series XX Notes

By mknn

On June 20, 2022

In TWIWBL

June 27th

League Norms

Now that we’re past the All-Star Break, it seems a good time to take a look at the overall context of the WBL. Given that the model year was 2000, things are tracking pretty well.

Offense

It’s a year that favors the offense, for sure. As a whole, the league is slashing 264/336/429. The 765 OPS would make it a top 10 offensive year for MLB, driven almost entirely by the .429 SLG, which would be the 6th highest in MLB history. Teams are hitting 1.16 HR/G, a total that would rank 6th as well.

There are some fun anomalies that come with an all-star league: teams are averaging roughly 1 SB/G, not an outlandish number, but one that is in the top third or so of seasons overall. But also, under .20 3B/G, easily in the bottom third of historical seasons.

Pitching

The pitching story is pretty much the inverse: the 4.56 league ERA would rank 8th highest in MLB history. Clearly all those homeruns aren’t helping, but there’s more here. The 1.42 league WHIP is actually decent–not 1968 by any means, but not too bad. So what is causing the high ERA? One issue might be strikeouts: the 6.08 K/G is clearly a modern number but it’s lagging a bit for sure.

Performance

Same as usual: the top 2 performers in most offensive categories are listed.

Batters

The length of the list is a testament to how widespread the offensive depth is in the league. San Francisco‘s Reggie Jackson–still leading in 2 of the triple crown categories–and Babe Ruth of the New York Black Yankees are the only batters leading the league in multiple categories. Four batters (Jackson, Ron Blomberg, Ruth, and Kent Hrbek) have OPS’ over 1.000.

Blomberg, often on the edges of this list, forced himself on with a 1.434 OPS since the All-Star Break.

Dick Allen (CAG). 302/365/569. 9 3B.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 341/414/645.
Rico Carty (PHI). 296/359/479. 31 2B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 341/379/540.
Mike Epstein (HOM). 335/439/530.
Mike Fiore (CAG). 238/388/397. 57 BB.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 258/392/360. 59 BB; 55 SB.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 320/384/626. 25 HR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 325/405/575. 63 R.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 347/461/616.
Willie Mays (NYG). 327/384/557. 101 H; 3.8 WAR.
Stan Musial (KAN). 334/395/580. 102 H; 27 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 320/373/535. 75 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 309/384/466. 60 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 304/413/644. 26 HR; 76 RBI; 4.1 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 305/343/460. 8 3B.

Pitching

Like the batters, there are just not a lot of dominant individuals, although Baltimore’s Ned Garvin is making an argument.

20 inning minimum for the rate stats.

Gerrit Cole (LAA). 11-3, 4.03.
Ned Garvin (BAL). 7-2, 2.90. 2 H. 1.08 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 8-5, 3.86. 121 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-8, 4.35. 120 K.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-3, 2.49. 19 Sv.
Ken Howell (SFS). 3-3, 1.35. 3 Sv; 4 H; 0.93 WHIP.
Walter Johnson (POR). 8-3, 3.86. 2.8 WAR.
Dennis Martínez (BAL). 9-4, 2.99.
Willie Mitchell (IND). 5-2, 1.08. 1 Sv; 1 H.
Joseíto Muñoz (POR). 3-1, 1.17. 3 Sv; 2 H.
Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-2, 2.47. 3 Sv; 14 H.
Red Ruffing (NYY). 10-2, 3.73.
Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.45. 23 Sv; 1H.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.54. 12 Sv; 0.90 WHIP.
Cy Young (CLE). 8-3, 3.36. 1.14 WHIP; 3.2 WAR.

Streaks

Larry Gardner (BAL) has an 18-game hitting streak, currently good for the 5th best in the league.

Detroit‘s Chili Davis has reached base in 8 consecutive plate appearances, with a base hit in his last 7.

The New York Gothams‘ Johnny Callison has a 1.534 OPS over his last 6 games, while Philadelphia‘s George Hendrick has the best extended streak in the league, slashing 386/435/860 over his last 22 games with 7 HR and 21 RBI. Mention should be made of Baltimore’s recent call-up Baby Doll Jacobson who, after a very slow start, has 4 homeruns in his last 20 ABs.

Series Results

This was a weird series. Homestead, Miami, and Birmingham–generally considered three of the weakest teams in the league–each won their series.

Series XX Sweeps

Cleveland over Memphis

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XX

Birmingham over San Francisco
Los Angeles over Brooklyn
Chicago over New York Gothams
Detroit over Ottawa
Homestead over Houston
Miami over Kansas City
House of David over Philadelphia

Series Splits in Series XX

Portland @ Baltimore
New York Black Yankees @ Indianapolis

Series XX Best Game: New York Black Yankees @ Indianapolis ABC’s

By mknn

On June 16, 2022

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

The New York Black Yankees opened their series in Indianapolis with Jack Scott taking the mound while the ABC’s countered with David Price.

Indianapolis took the lead in the bottom of the first, with doubles from Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, and Jake Stenzel (one run scored on Stenzel’s double, the other on a double-play ball from Oscar Charleston).

The 2-0 lead lasted until the top of the 3rd when Babe Ruth launched his 26th homerun of the year, and Mike Schmidt followed with a moon shot of his own. Both homers were 2-run jobs, moving New York ahead, 4-2.

Danny Hoffman scored on an unlikely event–a Hal Morris triple–in the bottom of the 4th, closing the game to 4-3.

Both starting pitchers left after 5 innings, but Schmidt greeted Price’s replacement, Clay Carroll, with his 2nd homerun of the day (an inside-the-park job at that!), re-establishing a 2-run lead for the Black Yankees.

Scott would likely have stayed in the game, but rain began to fall, delaying the bottom of the 5th nearly 90 minutes. This is an issue for New York, as their bullpen has struggled all year. Goose Gossage replaced Scott, giving up a homerun to Joey Votto (the first of his career) in the bottom of the 7th. Gary Lavelle–brought in specifically to help their bullpen–relieved Gossage and immediately got into trouble, walking 2 and giving up a single to Charleston to load the bases. Bench singled, driving in 2, giving Indianapolis their first lead and chasing Lavelle.

Willie Mitchell–stellar so far this season–shut down the Black Yankees while Ralph Citarella didn’t do much better than Gossage and Lavelle, giving up a 2-RBI double to Edd Roush in the bottom of the 8th to push the score to 8-5.

Rob Dibble closed it out, making the game really a battle of the bullpens: New York’s gave up 5 runs in 3 innings while Indianapolis’ only 1 run on 2 hits in 4.

NYY 5 (Lavelle 0-1, 1 BSv; Gossage 5 H) @ IND 8 (Mitchell 4-2; Dibble 14 Sv)
HRs: NYY – Schmidt 2 (12), Ruth (26); IND – Votto (1).
Box Score

#Other Games of Note

In the second game of the series between Portland and Baltimore, the Sea Dogs scored 5 runs in the last 2 innings to grab a come-from-behind 7-4 victory. Kent Hrbek hit 2 homeruns, giving him 25 for the season (2nd in the league), and Bobby Murcer hit a 3-run pinch-hit HR in the 9th to fuel the comeback. Baltimore’s Baby Doll Jacobson is slowly adjusting to WBL pitching after dominated AAA, homering twice and driving in 4 in the game in the losing effort.
POR 7 (Cuellar 6-4; Santana 23 Sv) @ BAL 4 (Miller 2-1; Bessent 2 BSv; Marshall 6 H)
HRs: POR – Hrbek 2 (25), Murcer (14); BAL – Jacobson 2 (4).
Box Score

Gary Peters, recalled from AAA earlier in the day, gave Ottawa 5 shutout innings in their series finale with Detroit, leaving with the Mounties up 5-0 thanks to 3 homeruns in the 3rd inning (Carlos Beltrán, Larry Walker, and Anthony Rendon). It didn’t last, as Detroit scored 4 times in the 7th and twice in the bottom of the 9th to send the game into extra innings tied at 6. In the top of the 11th, George Van Haltren (0-15 at that point), hit a game-winning homerun, and two starters–the much maligned Randy Johnson and the surprisingly effective Jim Clancy–closed it out in the bottom of the frame. Detroit’s Chili Davis tied a league record with 5 hits.

OTT 8 (Dempster 1-0, 1 B Sv; Clancy 1 Sv; Bowsfield 6 H; Johnson H 1) 8 @ DET 6 (Wilshere 6-6) [11 Innings]
HRs: Beltrán (1), Walker (7), Rendon (6), Van Haltren (1).
Box Score

TWIWBL 24.17: Mid-Season Reviews – Portland Sea Dogs

By mknn

On May 2, 2022

In Team News, TWIWBL

Summary

It’s been an excellent year for the Sea Dogs, who look primed for a post-season run.

What’s Gone Right

Hrbek & Murcer. Kent Hrbek and Bobby Murcer have combined for 34 homeruns and 102 RBIs, anchoring a strong lineup.

Excess of Catchers. Joe Mauer and Iván Rodríguez are both putting up spectacular numbers from behind the plate. Mauer’s are slightly better (and he has played far more), but Rodríguez still has an OPS over .900. Mauer is 22, Rodríguez 20, and at some point you would think a blockbuster trade might happen around one of them.

That Staff. This maybe the strongest pitching staff, end-to-end, in the league, from starters Walter Johnson, Bert Blyleven, and the surprising Wade Miller to Elmer Brown and Johan Santana at the back of the bullpen to the amazing emergence of Joseíto Muñoz.

What’s Gone Wrong

2B, or not. Fred Dunlap is heading towards Greg Litton like numbers, and given those two are the options at 2 for the Sea Dogs, it’s not pretty. Litton’s versatility maintains his roster spot, but something must be done here.

The Allure of Power. Both Gil Hodges and Jeff Burroughs have power. Hodges is second on the team with 17 homeruns, Burroughs has 10. But neither can get their OPS over .700, which make them a bit one dimensional for a championship contender.

Putting the Train Back on Track. Nineteen-year old Walter Johnson started this year looking like the best arm in the WBL. Since then, he’s become merely good. If Portland can get the earlier version back, it would go a long way in the postseason.

Key Storylines

The pair of Murcer and Hrbek need to maintain their level of production and the Sea Dogs need another couple of players to step it up. Similarly, the rotation has the potential to be truly great–the closer they get to it, the further Portland will go.

Long term, there’s a need to figure out the C question–Rodríguez is just too good to be a backup for too much longer, especially given the dearth of catching talent elsewhere in the league.

Trading Outlook

BUYING!

A few upgrades, and this could be a championship team. The catching deal is always out there in the shadows, but aside from that, it looks more like minor league parts on the market, unless Mike Cuellar gets some interest.

AAA Shuttle

Adrián Beltré is demanding more playing time since his recall. Couple his performance with that of Muñoz, and it’s been quite a success.

Midseason Changes

Muñoz joins the rotation, forcing Smokey Joe Wood to the bullpen on his return from injury. Jim Kern and Pascual Pérez head to AAA.

Awards

All Stars: Buddy Bell (3B); Jim Fregosi (SS); Kent Hrbek (1B); Joe Mauer (C); Bobby Murcer (CF); Johan Santana (P).

Offensive MVP: Kent Hrbek (1B)
Pitching MVP: Walter Johnson (SP)

Down on the Farm

AAA: Seattle Rainiers

Next to the Show: RPs Jeremy Blevins & Brian Duensing, C Cliff Lee, 1B Rafael Palmeiro

Prospects: C Cliff Lee (22)

Projects: 1B Rafael Palmeiro (30), 1B Mickey Vernon (24), P Bob Porterfield (34).

Suspects: Ps Al Worthington (37), Charlie Hough (40), Colby Lewis (30), 2B Connie Ryan (27), OF George Browne (32), SS Elvis Andrus (23).

AA: Atlantic City Bacharach Giants

Prospects: P Rick Wise (18), C Frankie Hayes (19)

Projects: RPs Matt Guerrier and Nick Goody (both 26), OF Kenny Hogan (18), 1B Buck Jordan (26), P Lefty George (24).

Suspects: None?

TWIWBL 23.2: The All-Star Game

By mknn

On February 10, 2022

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

Alright, everyone, here we go: the first annual All-Star Game in WBL history.

The game will open with Dennis Martínez (Baltimore Black Sox) on the mound and Tom Herr (Birmingham Black Barons) digging in at the plate. Herr is one of the feel-good stories of the year, starting the year at AAA and now the heart of a struggling Black Barons squad.

Herr slaps a hard ground ball towards right, but Eddie Collins (Chicago American Giants) makes a nice diving stop. A good throw and Herr is out by a step to open the game. Martínez retired Joe Mauer (Portland Sea Dogs) and Reggie Jackson (San Francisco Sea Lions) for a scoreless opening half-inning.

Red Ruffing (New York Black Yankees) got the start for the NL, facing Collins, who fouled a few pitches off before sending Ruffing’s seventh delivery into the left field stands for a 1-0 NL lead. Baltimore’s Bobby Wallace and Chicago’s Frank Thomas grounded out to Jim Fregosi (Portland) at SS, but Elrod Hendricks (House of David) drew a two-out walk before Duffy Lewis (Chicago) flew out to center to end the inning.

Martínez came back out for the second inning, but gave up an infield single to Babe Ruth (Black Yankees) and a soft liner into right to Ron Blomberg (Cleveland Spiders). With the bullpen in full swing, Kent Hrbek (Portland) flew out to right for the first out, with Ruth moving to third. Bobby Murcer (Portland) would score Ruth with a sacrifice to left, tying the game.

Ruffing walked Willie Mays (New York Gothams) to open the bottom of the second. Hank Greenberg (Detroit Wolverines) replaced Mays at first on a fielder’s choice, and scored when WBL RBI leader Doug Rader (Los Angeles) launched a homerun. A single by Joe Jackson (Chicago) chased Ruffing from the game, with Birmingham’s Tim Hudson taking his place on the mound. Hudson retired the next two batters, ending the threat with the AL up, 3-1.

The WBL leader in wins, Gerrit Cole (Los Angeles), took the mound in the top of the 3rd and delivered a scoreless inning. Little of note–other than a ton of substitutions–happened until the top of the 4th, when Lefty Grove (San Francisco) gave up hits to Greenberg (who was replaced at first by Reggie Smith of the Memphis Red Sox) and George Stone (House of David). That brought in Cleveland’s Cy Young, who retired Joe Jackson and Collins to close the inning.

The game was uneventful (again, other than the substitutions) until the bottom of the 6th, when Ted Williams (Memphis) greeted Don Drysedale (Brooklyn Royal Giants) with a leadoff homerun, making the score 4-1. Williams’ teammate, Reggie Smith, followed with a single, but was left stranded.

The AL pitchers had allowed only 2 hits until, with one out in the top of the 7th, Chuck Knoblauch doubled off of Mark Melancon (Houston Colt 45’s). After another out, Rolen walked and pinch-hitter Johnny Bench (Indianapolis) doubled to left-center, scoring two to make the score 4-3.

With 2 outs in the bottom of the inning, Curt Blefary (Baltimore) singled, with Freddy Parent (Ottawa Mounties) pinch-running for him. Dick Allen followed with a single, sending Parent to third. Ron Reed relieved Ken Howell and retired Williams to end the inning, so we went to the 8th with the AL leading, 4-3.

The AL turned to Brian Wilson in the top of the 9th to close the game. He walked Knoblauch to lead off the inning, but got a flyout from Eric Davis (Black Yankees) for the first out, bringing up his teammate, Mickey Mantle, for his first at-bat of the game. Mantle walked, and that was it for Wilson, who was replaced by Mike Henneman (Detroit).

Henneman fanned Bench and got Rickey Henderson to groundout, and the AL wins, 4-3.

The NL only managed 5 hits in the game, and only the AL’s Blefary had 2 hits, with his teammate Rader’s 2 RBI’s the most seen on the day. That earned Rader the MVP award. Cole (who earned the victory), Reed, and Craig Kimbrel were the most impressive pitchers on the day.

NL 3 (Ruffing 0-1) @ AL 4 (Cole 1-0; Henneman 1 Sv; Pettitte 1 H; Melancon 1 H; Kimbrel 1 H; Nichols 1 H; Wilson 1 H)
HRs: AL – Collins (1), Rader (1), Williams (1)
Box Score

TWIWBL 21.1: NL All Star Selections

By mknn

On January 26, 2022

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

AL All Stars here.

The final choice was the hardest, as the NL decided to go with only 11 pitchers, electing to select both Rickey Henderson and Josh Gibson over Joseíto Muñoz‘ arm in the bullpen.

Predictably, the New York Black Yankees have the most players going with seven, but the Portland Sea Dogs will supply four of the starters for the NL.

The Indianapolis ABC’s and the Miami Cuban Giants will have a single representative each.

Catchers

Portland’s Joe Mauer is the starting backstop. The question here is whether Thurman Munson (Black Yankees) has done enough to overtake Indianapolis’ Johnny Bench behind him. Munson’s OPS is .001 higher, and he’s spent a little more time behind the plate. But Bench has played more overall, and leads Munson in all counting stats other than doubles. It’s a bit of a moot point, as all three make the team.

That potentially leaves two deserving players off the roster: the Homestead Grays‘ Josh Gibson is putting up incredible numbers for a teenager and Mauer’s teammate, Iván Rodríguez, would easily make the team if he had more playing time (it’s a pretty good problem for the Sea Dogs to have).

Johnny Bench (IND). 278/394/542.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 315/406/472.
Joe Mauer (POR). 317/401/545.
Thurman Munson (NYY). 330/392/544; 20 2B.
Iván Rodríguez (POR). 352/370/555.

First Base

Three players have an OPS over 1.000 but only one will make the roster as a first baseman. The Cleveland Spiders‘ Ron Blomberg will start for the NL, but at DH, while Portland’s Kent Hrbek will take the field at first. The third player, Blomberg’s teammate John Ellis, just hasn’t played enough, with under 200 plate appearances. Still, those numbers are a little hard to ignore.

New York’s Lou Gehrig deserves a selection, but like Blomberg, he’s seen the field very rarely, so he’ll also make the roster as a DH. Finally, both Homestead’s Mike Epstein and Indianapolis’ Jake Stahl deserve a very close look for a roster spot, but with both Blomberg and Gehrig ahead of them, it’s not clear they’ll make it. In the end, Epstein is the strongest candidate from the Grays, so he does make the roster.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 335/405/618; 18 HR; 18 2B; 49 RBI; 48 R.
John Ellis (CLE). 311/351/659; 16 HR.
Mike Epstein (HOM). 336/438/521.
Lou Gehrig (NYY). 284/382/591; 16 HR.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 322/393/617; 22 HR; 54 RBI; 53 R.
Jake Stahl (IND). 277/337/564.

Second Base

Despite Tom Herr‘s recent slump, the Birmingham Black Barons‘ second baseman remains a media darling, and was anointed as the all star starter many moons ago. It’s a little unfair to Cleveland’s Chuck Knoblauch, who really has surpassed Herr by a hair. Herr has been the superior fielder by quite a bit, so perhaps that justifies his getting the starting nod.

After those two, it’s hard. Indianapolis’ Joe Morgan deserves it, but has played in barely over half the ABC’s games. The other two candidates–the San Francisco Sea Lion‘s Jimmy Bloodworth and the Brooklyn Royal Giant‘s Jackie Robinson–come with their own concerns. In Robinson’s case, he’s really played much more at 1B, where his offensive contribution is decidedly mediocre; Bloodworth’s numbers are just a tad weaker across the board than the others.

Jimmy Bloodworth (SFS). 282/320/467.
Tom Herr (BBB). 310/355/440. 16 2B.
Chuck Knoblauch (CLE). 300/353/451. 16 2B.
Joe Morgan (IND). 301/385/412.
Jackie Robinson (BRK). 273/338/485.

Third Base

The hot corner is a little weak in the NL. The Philadelphia Star‘s Scott Rolen is among the better hitters and has been–by far–the flashiest with the leather, so he gets the starting nod.

Portland’s Buddy Bell has hit better than Rolen, but is both mired in a slump and has been weaker defensively. Still, it’s enough to make the team. After those two … who knows? Brooklyn’s Ron Cey has been fine, and if there is a need for a third player, he’s likely it. San Francisco’s Pedro Guerrero has neither played enough in general, nor enough at 3B to warrant inclusion, but he has been a force offensively.

Buddy Bell (POR). 290/354/506; 44 RBI.
Ron Cey (BRK). 242/350/465.
Pedro Guerrero (SFS). 298/367/530.
Scott Rolen (PHI). 284/353/491. 19 2B.

Shortstop

Offensively, there are really only two contenders: Portland’s Jim Fregosi and New York’s Derek Jeter. Both have been below average defensively, but Fregosi has been better than Jeter: between that and his better offensive output, he gets the starting nod.

Homestead’s Arky Vaughan has been spectacular defensively, but it’s not clear it’s been enough to offset a very poor offensive showing, while San Francisco’s Dick Lundy was making a good argument before he got injured.

Jim Fregosi (POR). 286/356/435; 16 2B.
Derek Jeter (NYY). 278/325/393; 17 2B.
Dick Lundy (SFS). 278/292/421.
Arky Vaughan (HOM). 223/340/327.

Left Fielders

Even with his numbers dropping over the past few weeks, Babe Ruth of the New York Black Yankees is the dominant player here. There is a bit of a drop after Ruth, with possible arguments being made for Philadelphia’s Rico Carty and Portland’s Harry Hooper. None of those three players bring much defensively, and taking that into consideration, Brooklyn’s Roy White and Homestead’s Rick Reichardt, and perhaps San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson enter the conversation.

Finally, there is the Albert Belle conundrum: his numbers are beyond impressive, but he’s not played a lot of innings.

Albert Belle (NYY). 315/377/558; 18 2B.
Rico Carty (PHI). 287/354/470; 25 2B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 261/398/370; 52 R; 50 SB.
Harry Hooper (POR). 297/399/418; 45 R.
Rick Reichardt (HOM). 284/372/436; 42 RBI.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 305/413/649; 24 HR; 16 2B; 67 RBI; 58 R.
Roy White (BRK). 284/352/451; 17 2B.

Center Fielders

Now things get a little more interesting.

Bobby Murcer (Portland) is the clear starter, but an argument can be made for another four players behind him: San Francisco’s Bobby Bonds, Brooklyn’s Duke Snider, and the Davis twins–New York’s Eric Davis and Philadelphia’s Willie Davis–are all fairly indistinguishable. Eric was once considered the lock starter, but has slumped recently, but he is still certain to make the squad.

Eric Davis and Snider have been among the better defenders, bolstering each of their arguments as well.

Bobby Bonds (SFS). 314/364/531; 26 SB.
Eric Davis (NYY). 286/337/557; 22 HR; 66 RBI; 55 R; 35 SB.
Willie Davis (PHI). 299/358/537.
Bobby Murcer (POR). 327/402/567; 15 2B; 48 RBI; 46 R.
Duke Snider (BRK). 327/363/548; 16 HR; 44 RBI.

Right Field

The starter is the most obvious selection of all: triple-crown threat Reggie Jackson of the San Francisco Seals earns the honor. Behind Jackson, New York’s Mickey Mantle and Miami’s José Canseco are the clear choices, with Homestead’s Roberto Clemente forcing himself into the conversation over the last few weeks.

José Canseco (MCG). 295/365/502; 41 R.
Roberto Clemente (HOM). 309/336/486; 15 2B; 40 RBI.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 356/453/648; 16 2B; 16 HR; 44 R.
Mickey Mantle (NYY). 292/399/456; 48 R.

Starting Pitchers

Red Ruffing of the New York Black Yankees has come out of nowhere to be in the conversation for the starting slot for the AL with a 9-2 record. San Francisco’s Lefty Grove is close behind at 8-2, and several pitchers have 7 wins. Brooklyn’s Don Drysedale leads the AL in ERA among starters, and Cleveland’s workhorse Cy Young leads in WHIP. So those four feel pretty solid. Two more Black Yankees–Waite Hoyt and WBL strikeout leader Ron Guidry (whose last few starts have probably moved him off the roster)–are in the conversation, as is Miami’s Camilo Pascual and Portland’s Walter Johnson.

Pascual and Guidry have losing records, making their selection harder to justify, although Pascual plays for a bad team, making that less of an issue for him.

Finally, Tim Hudson of the Birmingham Black Barons has forced his way onto the roster, despite being a few inning short of qualifying as a starting pitcher. Going 5-0 with an ERA under 3.00 and a WHIP under 1.00 will do that.

Don Drysedale (BRK). 5-3; 3.23; 1.19 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 8-2; 3.49; 1.30 WHIP.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-6; 4.27; 1.25 WHIP.
Waite Hoyt (NYY). 5-1; 3.51; 1.22 WHIP.
Tim Hudson (BBB). 5-0; 2.73; 0.93 WHIP.
Walter Johnson (POR). 7-3; 3.83 ERA; 1.30 WHIP.
Camilo Pascual (MCG). 4-6; 3.42; 1.27 WHIP.
Red Ruffing (NYY). 9-2; 3.79; 1.32 WHIP.
Cy Young (CLE). 6-3; 3.54; 1.17 WHIP.

Relief Pitchers

For the closers, WBL save leader Johan Santana of Portland is an automatic choice, as are Cleveland’s Terry Adams and San Francisco’s Rod Beck. And then it becomes a matter of tradeoffs: Philadelphia’s Bob Howry‘s other numbers are great, but his ERA is over 5.00 while Brooklyn’s Watty Clark and Miami’s Aroldis Chapman have a decent number of saves, but probably fall short.

Portland’s Elmer Brown and San Francisco’s Ron Robinson have 9 Holds each, trailing Philadelphia’s Ron Reed, who has 12.

Indianapolis’ Willie Mitchell has been absolutely dominant, with an ERA barely over 1.00, but it’s hard to really choose between him, San Francisco’s Ken Howell and Charlie Root, and Portland’s Joseíto Muñoz.

Terry Adams (CLE). 0-3; 17 Sv; 2.91; 1.66 WHIP.
Rod Beck (SFS). 1-1; 16 Sv; 2.65; 1 H; 0.76 WHIP.
Elmer Brown (POR). 2-4; 4 Sv; 2.35; 9 H; 1.14 WHIP.
Aroldis Chapman (MCG). 201; 12 Sv; 1.59 ERA; 2.06 WHIP.
Watty Clark (BRK). 3-1; 13 Sv; 1.66; 1.11 WHIP.
Ken Howell (SFS). 3-3; 3 Sv; 1.45; 3 H; 0.97 WHIP.
Bob Howry (PHI). 2-3; 16 Sv; 5.04; 1.66 WHIP.
Willie Mitchell (IND). 2-2; 1 Sv; 1.08; 1 H; 1.16 WHIP.
Joseíto Muñoz (POR). 3-1; 3 Sv; 1.19; 2 H; 1.02 WHIP.
Ron Reed (PHI). 0-2; 3 Sv; 2.72; 12 H; 1.13 WHIP.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-1; 3.45; 9 H; 1.36 WHIP.
Charlie Root (SFS). 4-1; 2.98; 0.99 WHIP.
Johan Santana (POR). 1-1; 22 Sv; 2.57; 1 H; 1.48 WHIP.

Selections by Team

Listed alphabetically, Italic indicates a starter.

Birmingham Black Barons: Tom Herr (2B); Tim Hudson (P).
Brooklyn Royal Giants: Don Drysedale (P).
Cleveland Spiders: Terry Adams (P); Ron Blomberg (DH); Chuck Knoblauch (2B); Cy Young (P).
Homestead Grays: Mike Epstein (1B); Josh Gibson (C).
Indianapolis ABC’s: Johnny Bench (C)
Miami Cuban Giants: José Canseco (RF)
New York Black Yankees. Eric Davis (CF); Lou Gehrig (1B); Derek Jeter (SS); Mickey Mantle (RF); Thurman Munson (C); Red Ruffing (P); Babe Ruth (LF).
Philadelphia Stars: Ron Reed (P); Scott Rolen (3B).
Portland Sea Dogs: Buddy Bell (3B); Jim Fregosi (SS); Kent Hrbek (1B); Joe Mauer (C); Bobby Murcer (CF); Johan Santana (P).
San Francisco Sea Lions: Rod Beck (P); Lefty Grove (P); Rickey Henderson (LF); Ken Howell (P); Reggie Jackson (RF); Charlie Root (P).