Overall

Wow. From first place to a very, very distant last place in a single season.

Portland is a young team with a lot of good talent, but they remain a few years away from really coming together. There are some pieces that are good enough that, if they take leaps forward, could carry the entire team (Walter Johnson and Ken Griffey, Jr come to mind), but the most likely thing is another year of slogging as they figure it out.

Johnson, Griffey, Jr, Joseíto Muñoz, Bert Blyleven, Joe Mauer, and Johan Santana are all 23 or younger, so there is some real hope here.

Most of the issues are on the offensive side, where the Sea Dogs were dead last in most measures and where it was a challenge to find much optimism beyond Kent Hrbek, Mauer, and Griffey Jr.

What Went Right

Those three. Hrbek hit for power and led the team with 96 RBIs; Griffey, Jr had as good a year as good have been hoped for, slashing 292/326/568; and Mauer posted an .823 OPS as an everyday catcher.

The acquisition of Bobby Abreu looks solid, as the young OFer slashed 257/389/527 in a late season callup.

And that’s about it on the offensive side.

The rotation has all the potential in the world, with a front four of Walter Johnson, Walter Ball, Joseíto Muñoz, and Bert Blyleven. Of those, however, only Ball had an actually solid year, and he missed half the season with injuries.

And … yeah … that’s about it.

ALL STARS

Rogers Hornsby (Subsequently traded)
Joe Mauer

MAJOR AWARDS

Buddy Bell: AL 3B Gold Glove
Bert Blyleven: AL P Gold Glove

RECOGNITIONS

Kiki Cuyler: AL Over 30 Team
Ken Griffey, Jr: AL 21 & Under Team
Walter Johnson: AL 21 & Under Team
Joseíto Muñoz: AL 21 & Under Team

ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDS

Joe Mauer, MVP
Walter Ball, Pitcher of the Year
Walter Johnson, Heart & Soul
Joseíto Muñoz, Fan Favorite

Joe Coleman, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Chuck Klein, Minor League Player of the Year

What Went Wrong

Bobby Murcer, Gil Hodges, Kiki Cuyler, and Cliff Lee each posted negative WAR’s in over 125 PAs. Hodges managed that while leading the team in homers with 38, which means he did, essentially, nothing else.

The middle infield was a mess for most of the year, with Paul Molitor–who clearly doesn’t belong at 2B–leading a weak group. Hughie Jennings, Eddie Yost, Elvis Andrus, and Willie Randolph all struggled mightily after being given a shot, and it’s all pretty wide open.

The bullpen was a mess all year, with Trevor Hoffman struggling as the closer, John Wetteland being horrible after his acquisition, and a rotating crew of Frank Williams, Elmer Brown, Dick Jones, and a few others being unable to hold their spot.

Dizzy Trout and Jerry Koosman both struggled a bit as starters.

Transactions

March

IF Adrian Beltré, OF Denard Span, P Atlee Hammaker, P Pedro Ramos & 2nd Round Pick to OTT for OF Ken Griffey, Jr. & 4th Round Pick.

It’s a lot to give up, but Griffey, Jr delivered this year. Ultimately, the deal will be judged by the pick and Beltré, but you can’t argue too much against it.

C Iván Rodríguez, P Jon Matlack, OF Adolis García, OF Al Oliver, 1st Round Pick, & 4th Round Pick to MCG for IF Paul Molitor, OF Vladimir Guerrero, C Alan Ashby, & 2nd Round Pick.

This was a blockbuster, but it makes sense: the Sea Dogs were committed to Mauer and the rest was about equaling out potential value. A lot hinges on whether Molitor is able to find a position. With Guerrero still a year or 2 away and the picks involved, it will take a while to evaluate this one.

July

P Mike Cuellar to BAL for P John Wetteland & 4th Round Pick.

Wetteland was so bad after his arrival that this has to be considered a loss at this point.

IF Rogers Hornsby & P Pascual Pérez to NYY for IF Willie Randolph, P Jake Peavy, P Bill Monbouquette, & 1st Round Pick.

Assuming Peavy stays healthy and the Sea Dogs don’t fumble the pick, this is a win given how far away from contention Portland is and Hornsby’s advancing age.

August

IF Rafael Palmiero, P Mark Melancon, IF Jim Fregosi, & OF Harry Hooper to PHI for P LaTroy Hawkins, P Dave Stieb, IF Pat Meares, P Jaret Wright, OF Bobby Abreu, & 2nd Round Pick.

This trade kept getting bigger and bigger, and ended up doing a lot of things at once. Palmiero and Abreu were each blocked in their organizations, so that part makes sense; the rest was a fire sale as Philadelphia cemented their playoff drive. If Stieb and/or Hawkins can deliver at the WBL level, this is probably a win for Portland.

Positional Overview

C

Joe Mauer had better not get hurt … last year it felt like Cliff Lee would be a solid backup, but Lee flopped, and the backup job is up for grabs, with Ernie Krueger having the inside track on it, although Alan Ashby will also be given a look in Spring Training.

1B

Kent Hrbek has this locked down, and while the Sea Dogs wish the big guy would take that slight step forward, he remains a solid choice.

Gil Hodges will be Hrbek’s primary backup unless Portland moves on from him, in which case Mickey Vernon or veteran Don Baylor seem the most likely call-ups.

2B

The question is how long can Portland accept Paul Molitor‘s defensive deficiencies. Assuming it’s a while more, Portland is likely to keep a glove-first option as a backup infielder, likely Wayne Garrett or Tom Satriano or, if they are still just looking for memes, Greg Litton.

SS

The Sea Dogs really wanted Hughie Jennings to make a claim here, but he didn’t, not really. So that opens up some competition with Cobe Jones and Elvis Andrus.

3B

Buddy Bell was quite bad over the first few months, but rebounded well, and remains the favorite here, although Eddie Yost has his supporters in the organization, as does, despite his significant WBL struggles, Miguel Sanó.

LF/RF

Bobby Murcer struggled a bit this year, but remains the incumbent. At the other corner, it’s far more open: Bobby Abreu will get a long look, but Ruben Sierra and the massively disappointing Kiki Cuyler also have a shot, as does, perhaps, young Chuck Klein.

Two 20 year olds are the future here: Vladimir Guerrero and Hugh Duffy need some more time, but are both slated as WBL starters.

CF

This is Ken Griffey, Jr‘s spot. Heck, this is essentially Griffey, Jr’s team, given fellow youngster Walter Johnson‘s comparative reticence.

Gary Pettis will always make an argument as a defensive option, and Lloyd Moseby has some legitimate WBL talent.

DH

I guess this is Gil Hodges, but he really was poor this season. Don Baylor and Ruben Sierra have a chance to make the team here, and maybe it’s actually just where Molitor ends up?

SP

Nothing is more promising or more likely to disappoint than young pitchers, right?

Joseíto Muñoz is 20, Walter Johnson and Bert Blyleven 21, and rookie Walter Ball the old man of the staff at 26. But there is so much talent in those 4, and if either Jake Peavy or Johan Santana can step forward, it has the potential to be as good a rotation as there is in the WBL.

It also has the potential to be profoundly average with long stints on the DL. So.

Dizzy Trout and Joe Coleman are worthwhile as long-term projects as well.

RP

This is ugly. Trevor Hoffman cannot find a decent performance level, John Wetteland was miserable, and the people pulled in for trials–Frank Williams, Elmer Brown, Dick Jones–were equally bad.

Hoffman and Wetteland have elite stuff, but just seem overmatched at this point, They’ll get another year to try, though.

Draft Outlook

DRAFT PICKS

1st Round: 3
2nd Round: 1
3rd Round: 2
4th Round: 0
5th Round: 1

A big draft for the Sea Dogs, with 6 picks in the first 3 rounds. There are a few WBL ready arms, aside from that, the lower end of the farm system could just be upgraded across the board.

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

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

#WBL Teams of the Year

#WBL 25 & Under Teams

#WBL 23 & Under Teams

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

#WBL 21 & Under

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

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

One more, largely for fun

#WBL Over 30 Team

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

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

I do feel sorry for Kal Daniels–that is a stupendous season right there, and he has no shot at being the best LF in the AL, not with Babe Ruth around. And Frank Robinson is the youngest of the trio, which speaks volumes for the future in Baltimore.

#A Tier

Seems strange to have only 1 name here, but there is clear separation between Robinson and Ted Williams (the only thing Williams does better is take walks), and when defense is factored in, this makes sense.

#B Tier

An interesting mix of useful players. Rickey Henderson is electric, for sure, but until he hits a bit more, he’s not elite and the other 4 are just dependable and solid, although it could be argued that Jim Wynn is a tier too high.

#C Tier

These are all solid players with a question mark in their game, usually revolving around a lack of power. There’s nothing wrong with this group, but they are, at this point, complimentary pieces not cornerstones.

Note that Alejandro Oms, Sherry Magee, and Tim Raines are so young that being here really puts them on a great trajectory.

#D Tier

The only thing separating Bob Bescher from Raines is playing time, so perhaps he belongs up one Tier alongside The Rock? And this may be a bit unfair to Ducky Medwick, but the statistical metrics really ding him for not being willing to take a walk.

#F Tier

There is some talent here, but nowhere near the offensive production to hold down a roster spot in the WBL.

#Rookies

Juan Beníquez (C Tier), Elliott Maddox (D Tier), and Kiki Cuyler (F 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Marberry, McGraw, Forster, and Guardado look pretty solid.

Some notes on these:

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

#BUYERS

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

#Birmingham Black Barons

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

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

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

#Cleveland Spiders

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

Needs: Minor League 2B/SS.

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

#Homestead Grays

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

Needs: Bullpen is aging

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

#Houston Colt 45’s

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

Needs: Minor League C, SS.

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

#Indianapolis ABC’s

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

Needs: Minor League OF

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

#Kansas City Monarchs

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

Needs: Minor League C; WBL Offense

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

#New York Black Yankees

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

Needs: Minor League OF; P; future SS.

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

#MEH

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

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

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

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

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

#Detroit Wolverines

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

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

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

#Miami Cuban Giants

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

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

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

#Ottawa Mounties

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

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

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

#Philadelphia Stars

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

Needs: MI, P, WBL Offense.

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

#San Francisco Sea Lions

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

Needs: Minor League 1B

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

#Wandering House of David

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

Needs: P

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

#SELLERS

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

#Baltimore Black Sox

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

Needs: all P, Minor League OF.

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

#Chicago American Giants

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

Needs: Minor League OF, C; prime P

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

#Los Angeles Angels

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

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

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

#Memphis Red Sox

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

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

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

#New York Gothams

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

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

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

#Portland Sea Dogs

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

Needs: 2B/SS, overall WBL Offense.

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

Portland features players from the Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins, and Texas Rangers.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

Feels like virtually everyone on the roster is underperforming compared to last year. Not great.

THE OFFENSE

Lots of struggle here.

#What’s Going Right

Rogers Hornsby, last year’s prize trade acquisition, continues to star at age 34, leading the team in BA and OBP, with a .536 SLG to boot.

C Joe Mauer continues to be an elite backstop, slashing 302/383/502.

Gil Hodges leads the team in HR with 21 and RBI with 52 despite an OPS under .800. This actually probably belongs below: only 4 other hitters are in double digits in homeruns for a team having a hard time with power.

The Sea Dogs gave up a lot for Ken Griffey, Jr., whose talent remains undeniable. After struggling mightily with Ottawa last season, The Kid is doing significantly better, with a 278/332/546 slash line. So it’s not exactly setting the world on fire, but at 20 years old, it’s something.

Kiki Cuyler and Jeff Burroughs have been quite good as reserves, pushing hard for more playing time.

#What’s Not Going Right

Buddy Bell has been mired in a major slump, with a recent rebound leaving him still slashing 245/268/401, which is pretty miserable.

Bobby Murcer and Jim Fregosi have been thoroughly meh after each being among the best in the league at their positions last season.

Paul Molitor has been tantalizing but ultimately not very effective.

Harry Hooper has been among the worst OFers in the league, falling far, far short of last year’s solid contributions.

Cliff Lee–perhaps the best C prospect in the minors last year–has been horrible as Mauer’s backup this season, probably warranting a return to AAA in the near future.

THE PITCHING

The bullpen–a strength of the Sea Dogs last year–has been anything but this time around.

#What’s Going Right

Walter Johnson is Walter Johnson. He’s not as dominant as he was for periods last year, but he still leads the staff in wins and the starters in ERA.

Trevor Hoffman has excelled since being named the team’s closer.

Rookie Walter Ball has been quite good, with the best WHIP on the staff. For a 2nd round pick, that’s exceeding reasonable expectations.

Mike Cuellar continues to be among the best long relievers in the league.

#What’s Not Going Right

Johan Santana came back from long term injury and stepped back into his closer role–remember, he made the All-Star game last year leading the league in saves before getting hurt. So he came back and … something was dramatically wrong. So wrong that Santana is now in the minors being converted into a starter.

Dizzy Trout and Pascual Pérez have been mediocre at best, which is far from an indictment but also far from their performance last year.

But probably the biggest issue has been the rest of the bullpen. Mark Melancon–and his 5.00+ ERA–has been the best of them, and the rest of the relievers have had a full turnover, with the current bunch–Scott Terry, Tom Zachary, and Art Fowler–not looking any better.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

There is some talent here, especially in the OF, where Vladimir Guerrero, Hugh Duffy and Chuck Klein all look like WBL talents. It gets a little thinner after that: Hughie Jennings at SS seems good, but on the mound there’s not a ton. Maybe Harry Harper, maybe Joaquin Benoit, maybe Willard Schmidt?

WHAT’S NEEDED

The offense to recover a little bit and the pitching staff to recover a lot.

That pretty much sums it up.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

• How will the Sea Dogs compensate for the loss of Cravath? The hope was that Hooper and Murcer would keep producing, and that, combined with Ken Griffey, Jr. would provide enough to make up for the loss of Cravath. Not so much.
• Who joins the OF? Griffey, Jr. But … yeah, see above.

Notice that pitching wasn’t mentioned in the questions … so this was quite a shock for the Sea Dogs.

FEATURED SERIES

Portland is visiting its West Coast neighbors this week, and we’ll feature their opening series, 3 games against the Los Angeles Angels.

Projected Starters

Portland starter listed first.

Bert Blyleven (3-5, 4.73) @ Pud Galvin (1-9, 5.10)
Dizzy Trout (5-5, 4.44) @ Tom Seaver (3-5, 4.76)
Walter Johnson (8-4, 4.13) @ Brett Anderson (6-2, 4.28)

Game One

Kent Hrbek singled home a run in the top of the first and Bobby Murcer hit his first of the game (foreshadowing confirmed) in the top of the 4th, putting the Sea Dogs up, 2-0. Bert Blyleven looked solid, but a 2-run shot from LA’s Ichiro Suzuki tied up the game.

But the Sea Dogs looked more like their old selves from then on out, with Murcer hitting a grandslam in the fifth, making it 7-3. The game was over at that point, despite a 3 run homer from Mike Trout in the 9th.

The two homeruns gave Murcer 18 on the year and, as importantly for Portland, Hrbek added 3 hits as he showed more signs of rebounding towards last year’s performance. Blyleven was good enough, and Tom Zachary added a scoreless 1.2 innings in relief.

POR 8 (Blyleven 4-5) @ LAA 6 (Seaver 3-6)
HRs: POR – Murcer 2 (18); LAA – Suzuki (5), Trout (15).
Box Score

Game Two

A day off before this series has shifted the matchups some, with game two now featuring Walter Johnson for the Sea Dogs and the Angels keeping with their originally scheduled hurler, Pud Galvin.

LA took the lead in the 4th as Mike Trout doubled, stole 3rd, and scored on a groundout from Doug Rader. Carlos Delgado added his 13th of the year, and the Angels had a 2-0 lead.

The Angels are never sure which version of Galvin they’ll get: today, unfortunately for the Sea Dogs, it’s the one twirling a perfect game through 5 innings. That was spoiled by a couple of walks, and then the no-no went away when Rogers Hornsby singled in the top of the 7th.

A single from Paul Molitor and a walk to Gil Hodges chased Galvin in the top of the 8th, but Francisco Rodríguez and Joe Nathan were perfect in relief, completing the 2-hit shutout and evening the series at 1 game each.

POR 0 (Johnson 8-6) @ LAA 2 (Galvin 2-9; Nathan 11 Sv; Rodríguez 6 H)
HRs: POR – none; LAA – Delgado (13).
Box Score

Game Three

Portland’s Dizzy Trout and Los Angeles’ Brett Anderson are both pitching excellently at the moment, making the rubber game matchup pretty appealing.

Don Buford and Kal Daniels hit back-to-back homers to leadoff the bottom of the first, giving the home team an early 2-0 lead. Carlos Delgado added his 14th of the year, a 2-run shot, doubling the lead. Trout didn’t make it out of the 5th, leaving after loading the bases.

Meanwhile, Anderson was sailing along, allowing only 2 hits through 6 shutout frames.

The Angels would add some more–2 in the 6th and 4 in the 8th–but the story was Anderson, who was pulled after allowing 2 hits in the 9th, combining with Ross Reynolds on the 4-hit shutout.

Delgado had 4 hits on the day and drove in 3.

POR 0 (Trout 5-6) @ LAA 10 (Anderson 7-2)
HRs: POR – none; LAA – Daniels (14), Buford (16), Delgado (14).
Box Score

So, back to back shutouts ain’t great. There is much to be done in Portland this season, but it would seem the immediate challenge is to successfully participate in the midseason trade market as a seller.

#Chicago American Giants

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

#Los Angeles Angels

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

#Miami Cuban Giants

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

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

#Portland Sea Dogs

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

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

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

#San Francisco Sea Lions

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

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

The mystery of Mike Fiore continues. Fiore led the WBL in walks last year, and his on base/power combination made him a useful part for Chicago. But the American Giants looked poised to move on, until Duffy Lewis was injured, opening up playing time for Fiore … who is posting a .963 OPS despite a batting average in the .220’s.

Now that Lewis has started a rehab assignment, Chicago will need to figure out what to do with an overly crowded OF.

Mark Buehrle threw 8 scoreless innings and Paul Konerko homered twice as the American Giants trounced the Sea Dogs, 12-0. Buehrle became the league’s first 4 game winner, lowering his ERA to 1.32 in the process while Konerko had 3 hits and drove in 5.

Sometimes it’s not the stars: Kevin Mitchell and Vernon Wells delivered consecutive singles in the bottom of the 9th, with Mitchell’s tying the game and Wells’ giving Chicago a walkoff 4-3 victory over San Francisco.

It wasn’t enough to save Mitchell’s job, however: with Lewis getting a few AB’s in at AAA, it was time to recall him to the big league club, with Mitchell heading the other way. Lewis’ return is complicated: Fiore and Konerko, the most likely players to lose playing time to Lewis, are performing fantastically.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Ryan Braun went deep twice leading the Cuban Giants to a 9-1 win over Cleveland. José Méndez allowed 1 run in 6 innings, improving to 2-0. Iván Rodríguez and Minnie Miñoso both went deep, perhaps signaling their emergence from offensive slumps to start the season.

Horrible news for the Cuban Giants, as staff ace Camilo Pascual will miss most if not all of the rest of the year with a knee injury. Miami recalled Kenshin Kawakami to join their bullpen, but declined to name a 5th starter for their rotation to take Pascual’s place.

José Canseco was the first person this season to hit 3 homeruns in a game, but it wasn’t enough as the Cuban Giants fell to Cleveland, 9-6.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Needing a starter, the Sea Dogs moved struggling Frank Williams to AAA, recalling Mike Cuellar. Cuellar pitched well enough, but took the defeat in a 6-2 loss to Detroit.

Walter Johnson, Wade Miller, and Trevor Hoffman combined on a 2 hit shutout in a 9-0 drubbing of Cleveland. Johnson was sailing along for 5 innings, and it’s not quite clear why he didn’t come out for the 6th. By that time, it was 6-0 in favor of Portland, who got 4 RBIs from Jim Fregosi and 3 hits from Bobby Murcer.

Jeff Burroughs will miss about 2 weeks with a sprained elbow, with Kiki Cuyler called up from AAA.

Gil Hodges went deep twice and drove in 3 and, perhaps more importantly for Portland, Johan Santana got his first save of the year in relief of a solid outing from Bert Blyleven, who picked up his first victory in a 6-3 win over Cleveland.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Tommy Bridges replaces Nick Altrock in the Sea Lions’ rotation.

Spring Training Questions

The competition between Ruben Sierra and first round pick Chuck Klein for a corner OF spot should be fierce; similarly, while Buddy Bell excelled at 3B for Portland last year, he continues to be pushed by Adrián Beltré.

First Cuts

With the roster expected to be essentially set, much of this is pro forma for the Sea Dogs. But still there are some surprises–on the negative side, the relative struggles of many of the more established arms. Two pitchers who were seen as contenders for bullpen spots–Atlee Hammaker and Harry Harper–were returned to minor league camp, along with José Berríos.

That leaves 19 pitchers still in camp, something that will have to be sorted out over the next week or so.

Cliff Lee and Ernie Krueger have been fantastic so far in camp, which is just what a team with Iván Rodríguez and Joe Mauer behind the plate needs. Carlos Ruiz was returned to the minors.

At the corners, things have cleared up a little: Mickey Vernon, Don Baylor, Miguel Sanó, Jeff Cirillo, and Freddie Freeman were all sent down with very strong starts from Al Oliver, Eddie Yost and Buck Jordan keeping their hopes alive. And, at least so far, Beltré is dominating Bell in the contest to be the Sea Dogs’ starting 3B.

Wayne Garrett hits minor league camp while Greg Litton is only around due to the lack of other options at 2B behind Rogers Hornsby and Fred Dunlap (but that was how he stayed on the roster most of last season, so …). Strong starts from Hughie Jennings, Howdy Caton, and Elvis Andrus keeps the field crowded at SS.

The OF remains crowded as well, even with five departures (Charlie Jamieson, Gene Stephens, Wes Parker, Hugh Duffy, and Kiki Cuyler). Oliver has played here, and Chuck Klein has been fantastic at the plate, as has last year’s fourth OF, Jeff Burroughs. With Bobby Murcer seeming a bit slow in CF, the competition for the corner spots is pretty fierce.

Second Cuts

The Sea Dogs staff remains a puzzle, with only Ray Fontenot heading out of camp right now. The other four pitchers who are struggling (Elmer Brown, Mark Melancon, Mike Cuellar, and Bob Porterfield) all performed well last season, but do need to turn it around over the next week or two.

The long national nightmare is over for now, as Greg Litton was jettisoned to the minors, along with Eddie Yost. Tom Satriano was recalled for some 2B depth.

And … that’s it. Chuck Klein, Jeff Burroughs, Al Oliver, and Gary Pettis are hammering the ball and even the worst hitting players (Riggs Stephenson, Ruben Sierra) are doing fine. So that needs to be sorted out.

Third Cuts

Mike Cuellar won 13 games for Portland last year, but has lost all command so far this season and fins himself headed to AAA, along with fellow pitcher Bill Dietrich.

Neither Cliff Lee nor Ernie Krueger has much of a shot at making the team, but with both Iván Rodríguez and Joe Mauer struggling mightily and those two sporting OPS’ over 1.100, they stick around for a while. That performance also may make the Sea Dogs open to astounding offers for either of their top tier backstops.

1B Buck Jordan, SS Elvis Andrus, and OF Riggs Stephenson all head to AAA.

Final Cuts

Tom Satriano heads to the minors as does Ruben Sierra.

It was assumed that Alan Ashby–brought over in the trade with Miami that sent Pudge Rodríguez to the Cuban Giants–would backup Joe Mauer for the Sea Dogs. But Ashby heads to AAA, leaving the reserve C spot still up for grabs between Cliff Lee and Ernie Krueger.

The trade also brought over Paul Molitor, whose presence makes Fred Dunlap a bit redundant, sending him to AAA.

Four cuts were needed to get to 30: P Kris Medlen (who performed quite well this Spring), SS Howdy Caton (who also performed well, but not as well as Hughie Jennings), RP Bob Porterfield (who has struggled mightily, but is a bit of a surprise after his excellent performance last season), and C Ernie Krueger (who has been perhaps the Sea Dogs’ best hitter all Spring, and has rocketed up their prospect charts). This means the much lauded Cliff Lee will slide into the reserve C spot.

Veteran 1B Rafael Palmeiro had an outside chance to make the roster, but a late slump, combined with his being blocked by Gil Hodges and Kent Hrbek, moves Palmeiro to AAA.

Marc Hall and Cliff Markle had marvelous Springs, but in the end the Sea Dogs’ pitching staff was basically set: there was one open spot, and draft pick Walter Ball cemented that.

Draft pick Chuck Klein finished the Spring with a 1.101 OPS … and it wasn’t enough, as incumbent reserve OF Jeff Burroughs ended at 1.142. Klein heads to AAA in search of regular at-bats, with clear expectations of being back in Portland very soon.

The final cut was Hughie Jennings, who had as good a Spring as can be imagined, hitting .459 with 5 steals. But incumbent SS Jim Fregosi is an all star and a Silver Stick winner, and Paul Molitor–part of the high-profile trade of Pudge Rodríguez–can backup Fregosi (as well as 2B and CF).

Warren Spahn was recalled to make a spot start, with Vic Willis heading back to AAA. Spahn, who had struggled earlier in the season, turned in his best performance of the year in a game Birmingham eventually dropped in 10 innings, unable to overcome errors by Troy Tulowitzki, Tommy Herr, and Chipper Jones.

2 homeruns from Eddie Mathews led the Black Barons to an 8-3 win in game 2, with Dick Rudolph leveling his record at 2-2 and Hoyt Wilhelm picking up his first save of the year with 3 innings of scoreless relief.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Like every other hurler who has attempted it, Don Drysedale was denied in his attempt to reach 5 wins on the year. Drysedale went 7 innings, allowing 5 hits and 2 runs, and seeing his ERA rise all the way to 1.26. Sandy Koufax took the loss in relief, giving up a walk-off sacrifice fly to Houston‘s Carlos Correa.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Kent Hrbek went 3-for-4 with 2 homeruns, 4 runs scored and 5 RBIs, leading the Sea Dogs to a romp over Memphis, 14-6. Bobby Murcer added 4 hits, and Murcer, Buddy Bell, and Kiki Cuyler all went deep. Joseito Munoz made his WBL debut with 3.2 IP in relief of Smokey Joe Wood, who improved to 4-2 with the victory.

Walter Johnson had his worst outing of the year–5 runs in just over 5 innings along with 5 walks–but still improved to 5-0. Hrbek, Gil Hodges, Joe Mauer, and Jim Fregosi went deep, and Johan Santana escaped a bases-loaded jam in the 9th for his 13th save. Cuyler was injured in the game, and placed on the DL afterwards, with Jeff Burroughs being recalled from AAA.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Mickey Cochrane continues to climb out of an early season slump, hitting 2 homeruns and driving in 7, doubling his RBI total and lifting his average to .258. Jack Clark added 4 RBI’s in the 13-9 victory over the New York Gothams.

A homerun in the bottom of the eleventh by Reggie Jackson lifted the Sea Lions to a 4-2 win in extra innings. Bobby Bonds had 3 hits and 4 stolen bases in the game, with Charlie Root improving his record to 3-0 on the season.