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Tag: Luis Aparicio

TWIWBL 56.15: Spring Training Notes – Wandering House of David

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On March 3, 2024

In TWIWBL

Spring Training Questions

The House of David enter Spring Training with 6 OFers and 4 Ps on the roster, so something most likely needs to give in the OF and the pitching is just totally wide open.

There is a ton of young talent that could force its way onto the roster with a strong Spring.

Injuries

Frank Grant will miss about 2 months with a back injury, removing for now any question of him making the opening day roster.

First Cuts

Tom Niedenfuer will be given some more time to recover from his early struggles, but Bill Stoneman, Jim Clinton, Larry Dierker, Karl Spooner, and Ken McBride were all moved to minor league camp. Even with that, there are a lot of major league opportunities on this staff.

Darren Daulton moved to the minors, with Bubbles Hargrave and Gabby Hartnett only staying in camp because the House of David needs some bodies behind the plate. At the corners, Cody Bellinger, Mark McGwire, and Jung Ho Kang were all reassigned. The situation remains a bit unclear–Deacon White and Chris Brown haven’t been terribly impressive, but have done just enough to remain in camp while a few of the presumed members of the opening day roster–Joe Harris, Anthony Rizzo, Ron Santo, and Richie Hebner especially–need to warm up.

At 2B, Charlie Gehringer is turning heads, but with Ryne Sandberg well established, it’s not clear how far that will take him. Craig Reynolds and Billy Herman were sent down, while both Bunny Downs and Orlando Cabrera have impressed enough to continue to make their case for a utility role on the IF.

In the OF, Cy Williams is forcing himself into the picture, with Billy Williams, Fred Lynn, and Tony Conigliaro heading to the minors.

Second Cuts

Tom Niedenfuer is in danger of being sent down, but his performance last season keeps him in camp for now. Beyond that, the staff is doing quite well, but of course will need pruning over the next week or so.

Mark Grace heads down to clear some of the 1B logjam … and that’s it for now.

Third Cuts

P Chad Kuhl heads to the minors, with the House of David considering sending down both Tom Niedenfuer and CC Sabathia, both of whom were solid last season. The surprises of camp have been the trio of Jocko Flynn, Ad Gumbert, and Fergie Jenkins, who have combined for over 30 scoreless innings. Flynn is 20, Gumbert 19, and Jenkins was hammered in a small handful of appearances last season.

C Bubbles Hargrave, 3Bs Chris Brown and Deacon White, IF Bunny Downs, and OFs Luis Gonzalez and Jerry Mumphrey were all sent to AAA (Gonzalez refused the assignment, and was waived). Downs’ defensive excellence may force a recall sooner rather than later, but for now there are others performing better in the race for the final roster spots.

The IF is far too crowded. Incumbents Anthony Rizzo (1B), Ron Santo (3B), and Ernie Banks (SS) are struggling mightily while Bob Robertson and Joe Harris (1B), Luis Aparicio (SS), and Charlie Gehringer and Orlando Cabrera (2B) are pounding the ball.

Final Cuts

Tom Niedenfeur‘s performance last season wasn’t enough in the end, as the struggling reliever was the first player sent down this final week of camp.

This is ridiculously hard. Ad Gumbert (18) and Jocko Flynn (20) were invited to camp mostly to help their future development. They’ve combined for over 20 innings of scoreless ball. Arnold Carter and Kyle Peterson? The longest of long shots, each with an ERA under 1.00. Bob Robertson, Luis Aparicio, Cy Williams, and Orlando Cabrera? The best hitters for the House of David this side of Ryne Sandberg.

Aparicio and Williams are merely unfortunate victims of the numbers game: Cabrera is the only other 2B on the roster behind Sandberg and will also serve as the backup SS. That means Aparicio, despite an OPS of 1.031, is sent to AAA.

The hard choices were delayed a day with Claude Osteen, a spare part in the Sosa trade, heading to AAA. 20 year old Jocko Flynn followed him after an outing that reinforced his control isn’t ready yet for the rigors of the WBL.

Needing to cut three to get to 30, the House of David had to figure some things out. OF Cy Williams was an obvious choice, and placing Bruce Sutter on the DL with his ongoing bout of elbow tendinitis made sense. That left a bit of a surprise, as OF Dan Ford–a fan favorite and a solid contributor last season–heads to AAA, pushed off the roster largely by the knock-on effects of the Sosa trade.

Kyle Peterson and Scott Downs–neither of which pitched worse than players who made the final roster–were sent to AAA, as was 20 year old Cap Anson, who did show some potential during the Spring.

Bob Robertson and Joe Harris went toe-to-toe all Spring, and came out just about even. The House of David stuck with Harris, mostly due to his contributions at the end of last season.

That left a single slot that really has to come from the pitching staff. Ad Gumbert and Arnold Carter are the obvious choices, but Gumbert–yet to turn 20–didn’t allow a run all Spring, and Carter only gave up 1. Carter was moved to AAA–his numbers were just a tad worse than Gumbert’s, and the team is curious how the teenage phenom does.

TWIWBL 25.2: Series XIX Notes – Cum Posey Division

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On June 8, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Despite a stellar showing, Bob Welch is sent to AA A to clear room on the roster for the arrival of Joe Beggs. Manny Machado steps into the starting lineup at 3B, sending Brooks Robinson back to AAA.

#Chicago American Giants

The pitching staff was overhauled in a big way, with Frank Smith, Ken Sanders, and Joe Horlen heading to AAA to clear room for newcomers Don Newcombe, Dick Rudolph, Clay Condrey, and Hoyt Wilhelm, with Newcombe and Rudolph joining the rotation. Freddy Parent steps right into the SS role, sending Luis Aparicio to AAA and clearing space on the roster for José Abreu, who looks to see a fair bit of time at 1B against lefties.

The new guys were good in their first game: Parent hit a homerun and Wilhelm was effective in relief. But it was the old guard who won the game, with Frank Thomas hitting a homerun and Dick Allen getting 3 hits in a 7-2 victory over Brooklyn to start the second half for the American Giants. After the game, Tom Brookens was promoted to Chicago as Jack Doyle was placed on the DL.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Everyone can play everywhere … which isn’t as big a deal as you might think. But, 17 year old Pete Hill, Paul Goldschmidt, and Lance Blankenship all move to Houston to fill out the roster. Roger Clemens slides directly into the rotation with Brad Lidge heading to AAA.

Hill hit a go-ahead homerun in his first start, helping Houston to a 4-3 win over Ottawa. Trevor Hoffman moved to 5-0, and Billy Wagner picked up his 5th save of the year.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Steve Evans and Frankie Frisch join the big league club. The pitching situation is a bit more interesting: Bob Gibson remains at AAA due to the arrival of Smoky Joe Wood and the return of Andy Pettitte from the DL.

#Ottawa Mounties

The Mounties have essentially tossed in the towel, looking to sort through some of their young talent with an eye towards next year. This means a return to the rotation for Johnny Podgajny, a return to Ottawa for Randy Johnson, and a debut for RP Bobby Castillo.

A similar bunch of changes offensively: Jim Stephens takes over for Emil Gross as the backup catcher, Rusty Staub moves into a platoon at 1B, Álex Rodríguez gets another shot as the full time SS, and Carlos Beltrán tries to solve the ongoing woes at CF for Ottawa.

Roberto Alomar had 4 hits and 5 RBIs and Rodriguez scored 4 times with 3 hits and 3 RBIs leading the Mounties in a 14-5 rout of Houston in the first game of a doubleheader. Rodriguez and Roy Sievers went deep and Clayton Richard put in a strong 7 innings for his second win.

TWIWBL 24.19: Mid-Season Reviews – Wandering House of David

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On May 6, 2022

In Team News, TWIWBL

Summary

The House of David is too good to tank for the season, but really don’t have a shot at catching the three teams ahead of them.

What’s Gone Right

Elrod & Stone. Probably the least likely dominant duo in the league. C Elrod Hendricks and OF George Stone are among the best in the league, with OPS’ approaching 1.000.

Pete Browning. Pete Browning has played in just over half of the House of David’s games. In that time he has been one of their dominant players, electrifying at the plate and on the basepaths.

Surprises on the Mound. The best arms for the House of David may not be who was expected, but that doesn’t mean the trio of SP Jack Taylor, RP Bob Rush, and closer Bruce Sutter haven’t been excellent.

What’s Gone Wrong

Pete Browning’s Health. Like I said, Browning has played in just over half of their games, making two trips to the DL.

Big Red. Mark McGwire puts on a great show in batting practice … but has hit himself down to AAA once the games start.

Not Enough Help. Dan Ford has been a pleasant surprise and Ryne Sandberg solid at 2B. Beyond that … it’s all pure mediocrity.

Key Storylines

The biggest is whether the pitching staff can come together. There have been moments when it seemed on the verge, but then C.C. Sabathia or Rollie Fingers or someone else would start to struggle.

Browning’s health is probably the most important thing, though. The performances of Hendricks and Stone have been excellent, if Browning is able to add to them, they House of David could move into contention.

Trading Outlook

BUYING.

Or maybe holding. Or buying.

How do they convert some of the aging value they have into talent without totally tanking the season? Players like Lee Smith, Sandberg, Sutter, and Ford would have value, but only if the House of David is no longer trying to compete this season … which makes it sound like they should stand pat until the later trading period.

AAA Shuttle

Ford has earned a starting OF role. Other than that, not a ton of help so far.

Midseason Changes

Frank Chance, McGwire, and Jim Edmonds all head back to AAA.

Awards

All Stars: Elrod Hendricks (C); George Stone (LF).

Player of the Week: Pete Browning (4/17); Elrod Hendricks (6/12)

Offensive MVP: Elrod Hendricks (C)
Pitching MVP: Bob Rush (SP)

Down on the Farm

AAA: Columbus Blue Birds

Next to the Show: 3B Jung Ho Kang, C Gabby Hartnett, 1B Anthony Rizzo

Prospects: C Frank Chance (22)

Projects: 3B Jung Ho Kang (28)

Suspects: P Wild Bill Hutchinson (35)

AA: Atlantic City Bacharach Giants

Prospects: Ps Joe Nuxhall (15) & Larry Dierker (17)

Projects: OF Danny Green (22), SS Luis Aparicio (22), 2B Billy Herman (23), OF Olaf Henriksen (23)

Suspects: P Justin Grimm (25), P Bob Shaw (26), OF John Shelby (31)

TWIWBL 19.1: AA Roundup

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On February 23, 2022

In TWIWBL, WBL Minor Leagues

{ Whoops. This never got published, despite being about 3 weeks ago, in terms of game-time.

It’s the first of June, so it’s time to look at the minor leagues; throughout, we identify both the AAA team and their WBL franchise. }

Featured Team: Albuquerque Isotopes

When writing the April summary, Albuquerque’s teenage pitchers caught my eye, so they’re the focus this time around. This is a bit of a departure, as the Isotopes have a mediocre 28-25 record, 5 games behind in the AA-West. This represents a fairly strong degree of underperformance, as (other than homeruns), Albuquerque is one of the top offenses in the league.

Two of their better performers–OF Cy Williams and IF Bunny Downs–have been promoted to AAA. That hurts, as Williams led the team with 11 homeruns and 35 RBIs and Downs’ 360/436/472 was a key cog in their offensive engine.

OF Danny Green‘s 11 homeruns and 34 RBIs pace the Isotopes currently, and a trio of infielders–Bert Campaneris (333/379/580), Frank Grant (312/408/453), and Luis Aparicio (339/394/402)–have kept the offense going. But it’s a team that really could use some pop: after Green, Campaneris has 5 homeruns and Cap Anson has 4, and that’s it.

Which brings us to the real interesting part. Albuquerque’s pitching staff is led by a trio of teenagers. 17 year-old Larry Dierker has been the best of them at 7-4 with a 3.93 ERA and Joe Nuxhall, at a tender 15 years of age, is 5-1 with a fantastic 2.18 ERA. They’re joined by 19 year old Jack Jenkins, who has chipped in with a 3-0 record.

Jeff Heathcock–at the venerable age of 23–anchors the bullpen with 11 saves and Tom Harrison (20 years old) has been almost unhittable as his setup man.

#Checking In On …

We left the Madison Black Wolf struggling at 6-20, having lost 15 consecutive games. They’ve stabilized slightly, sitting going 10-17 since that point. They’re still in last place, but it’s certainly an improvement. Scott Radinsky is all the way up to 7 saves.

#AA Leaders

In terms of record, Vern Law (9-0; Syracuse/Homestead), Al Spalding (8-1; Troy/New York Gothams), and John Anderson (7-0; Montgomery/Birmingham) lead the way. Sean O’Sullivan (Las Vegas/Los Angeles) leads the league with a 1.80 ERA, followed by phenom Joe Nuxhall (Albuquerque/House of David) at 2.18.

Steve Bedrosian (Montgomery)’s 17 saves have already gotten him promoted to the big leagues, leaving Heathcliff Slocumb (Hudson Valley/New York Black Yankees) the league leader with 13. (Mychal Givens also has 13, but Homestead has already moved him to AAA.) Montgomery’s Rick Camp (3-1, 2 saves, 5 holds, 0.90 WHIP) and Hudson Valley’s Joba Chamberlain (1-2, 5 holds, 1.08 WHIP) deserve a mention as well.

Offensively, John Briggs (Jersey City/Brooklyn) and Jimmie Foxx (Sacramento/San Francisco) have dominated the league. Briggs is hitting 333/455/559 with 37 RBIs and Foxx has 19 homeruns and a .705 slugging. Willie Crawford of Tulsa/Memphis leads the league with a .367 average and a .466 OBP. Oklahoma City/Kansas City’s Kolten Wong leads AA with 45 RBIs.

#AA Awards

AA Pitcher of the Month: Al Spalding, Troy/New York Gothams
AA Batter of the Month: Ken Keltner, Rochester/Cleveland

AA Players of the Week: Kolten Wong (Oklahoma City); Travis Jackson (Austin/Houston); Nate Colbert (Montgomery/Birmingham); Charlie Grimm (Rochester/Cleveland).

#Hottest Prospects (24 Years and Younger)

SP: Vern Law (24; Syracuse/Homestead) 9-0, 2.88 ERA; Joe Nuxhall (15; Albuquerque/House of David) 5-1, 2.18 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 77 K [*]; Al Spalding (24; Troy/New York Gothams) 8-1, 3.62 ERA.
RP: Heathcliff Slocumb (24; Hudson Valley/New York Black Yankees) 0-2, 2.89 ERA, 13 Sv; Rick Camp (23; Montgomery/Birmingham) 3-1, 3.63 ERA, 5 H; Elmer Burkart (19; San Diego/Los Angeles) 2-0, 1.12 ERA.

C: Frankie Hayes (24; Vancouver/Portland) 282/377/664, 17 HR. [*]
1B: Jimmie Foxx (20; Sacramento/San Francisco) 313/395/705, 19 HR. [*]
2B: Kolten Wong (23; Oklahoma City/Kansas City) 295/337/608, 45 RBI.
3B: Ken Keltner (22; Rochester/Cleveland) 289/372/615.
SS: Travis Jackson (21; Austin/Houston) 298/340/555, 43 RBI.
OF: Adam Dunn (21; Nashville/Indianapolis) 317/442/698; Willie Crawford (17; Tulsa/Memphis) 367/466/627, 20 2B [*]; John Briggs (20; Jersey City/Brooklyn) 333/455/559, 43 R, 43 BB.

Bold indicates league leader; * indicates a player selected for April’s list as well.

TWIWBL 23.1: AA & AAA All-Star Rosters

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On February 9, 2022

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

Because they deserve some love, too …

Note that these are all AI selections, so some may be weird (like Joe Harris playing 2B at AAA). The first time an affiliate is listed, I’ve also listed their WBL organization. All-Star Game starters are bold.

AAA All-Star Rosters

In a rich-get-richer moment, the New York Black Yankees lead the way, with 6 selections for the visitors coming from the Newark Eagles. For the Home team, the Memphis Red Sox affiliate, the New Orleans Pelicans, send 6 players and the Cincinnati Tigers (Indianapolis ABC’s) have 5.

Visiting Team

C: Smoky Burgess (Newark/New York Black Yankees); Andy Etchebarren (Buffalo/Cleveland Spiders); Butch Wynegar (Norfolk/Philadelphia Stars).
1B: Cecil Cooper (Norfolk); Carlos Peña (Orlando/Miami Cuban Giants).
2B: Bobby Knoop (Buffalo).
3B: Chris Brown (Newark); Art Devlin (Hartford/New York Gothams).
LF: Matt Holliday (Queens/Brooklyn Royal Giants); Joe Rudi (Atlanta); George Van Haltren (Montréal).
CF: Curt Flood (Queens); Benny Kauff (Hartford); Andy Pafko (Atlanta/Birmingham Black Barons); Chick Stahl (Washington/Baltimore Black Sox).
RF: Joe Harris (Newark); Jackie Jensen (Montréal/Ottawa Mounties); Aaron Judge (Norfolk); Al Kaline (Toronto/Detroit Wolverines); Merv Rettenmund (Washington).

SP: George Blaeholder (Washington); AJ Burnett (Newark); Jim Clinton (Newark); Bill Laskey (Norfolk); George Mullin (Toronto); Johnny Podgajny (Montréal).
RP: Darren Dreifort (Queens); Mike Griffin (Toronto); Bryan Hickerson (Newark); Mickey Lolich (Toronto).

Home Team

C: Gabby Hartnett (Columbus/Wandering House of David); Hal King (Milwaukee/Chicago American Giants); Cliff W. Lee (Seattle/Portland).
1B: Wally Joyner (Las Vegas/Los Angeles Angels); Anthony Rizzo (Columbus); Joey Votto (Cincinnati/Indianapolis ABC’s); Kevin Young (Louisville/Homestead Grays).
2B: Ron Hunt (San Jose/San Francisco Sea Lions); DJ LeMahieu (San Antonio/Houston Colt 45’s).
3B: Sal Bando (San Jose); Jung Ho Kang (Columbus)
SS: Francisco Lindor (New Orleans/Memphis Red Sox)
LF: Bob Watson (Milwaukee)
CF: Charlie Hemphill (Cincinnati)
RF: Dwight Evans (New Orleans); Pete Rose (Cincinnati); Paul Waner (Louisiville).

SP: Nick Altrock (San Jose); Joe Blong (St. Louis/Kansas City Monarchs); Bob Friend (Louisville); Joe Kelly (New Orleans); Jock Menefee (St. Louis); Billy Pierce (Louisville); Eppa Rixey (Cincinnati); Frank Smith (Milwaukee); Virgil Trucks (Cincinnati).
RP: Bill Doak (New Orleans); Luke Gregerson (San Antonio); Tug McGraw (San Antonio); Mike Timlin (New Orleans).

Joe Rudi would lead the visitors to a 6-2 victory with a 3-run homerun.

Visitors 6 (Lolich 1-0; Blaeholder 1 H) @ Home 2 (Timilin 0-1, 1 BSv)
HRs: Home – Rudi (1); Visitors – Lee (1)
Box Score

AA All-Star Rosters

The Sacramento Solons (San Francisco Sea Lions) dominate the AA team for the visitors, with 7 players, while the Albuquerque Isotopes (Wandering House of David) have 6 and the Jersey City Skeeters (Brooklyn Royal Giants) 5. For the home team, both the Oklahoma City Redhawks (Kansas City Monarchs) and Montgomery Biscuits (Birmingham Black Barons) have 7 players in the game and the Austin Black Senators (Houston Colt 45’s) 5.

Visiting Team

C: Frankie Hayes (Vancouver/Portland Sea Dogs); Phil Lombardi (Jersey City/Brooklyn Royal Giants); Steve O’Neill (Troy/New York Gothams); Mark Salas (San Diego/Los Angeles Angels).
1B: Jimmie Foxx (Sacramento/San Francisco Sea Lions); Charlie Grimm (Rochester/Cleveland Spiders); Tim Harkness (Syracuse/Homestead Grays); Buck Jordan (Vancouver).
2B: Wally Backman (San Diego); Dick Green (Sacramento); Cookie Lavagetto (San Diego); Tyler Pastornicky (San Diego); Ed Romero (Jersey City).
3B: Xander Bogaerts (San Diego); Ken Keltner (Rochester); Hank Majeski (Jersey City); Mike Moustakas (Sacramento).
SS: Luis Aparicio (Albuquerque/Wandering House of David); Bert Campaneris (Albuquerque); Jack Wilson (Syracuse).
LF: Morrie Arnovich (Jersey City).
CF: John Briggs (Jersey City); Otto Briggs (Edmonton); Kevin Pillar (Hudson Valley).
RF: Danny Green (Albuquerque); Don Mueller (Troy).

SP: Dwight Bernard (Hudson Valley); Larry Dierker (Albuquerque); Matt Guerrier (Vancouver); Don Hood (Hudson Valley); Lew Krausse, Jr. (Troy); Jack Neagle (Rochester); Joe Nuxhall (Albuqueque); Al Spalding (Troy).
RP: Matt Barnes (Sacramento); Chad Gaudin (Sacramento); Joe Klink (Sacramento); Marty Kutyna (Jersey City); James Russell (Albuquerque); Turk Wendell (Sacramento).

Home Team

C: Josh Billings (Madison/Chicago American Giants); Rick Cerone (Austin/Houston Colt 45’s); Phil Masi (Charlotte/Baltimore Black Sox); Abe Wolstenholme (Nashville/Indianapolis ABC’s).
1B: Prince Fielder (Atlantic City/Philadelphia Stars); Greg Norton (Oklahoma City/Kansas City Monarchs); David Ortiz (Tulsa/Memphis Red Sox).
2B: Ken Boswell (Tulsa); Dave Cash (Oklahoma City); Charlie Gehringer (Fort Wayne/Detroit Wolverines); Jorge Orta (Fort Wayne); Kolten Wong (Oklahoma City).
3B: Joe Crede (Madison); Butch Hobson (Tulsa); Billy Nash (Fort Wayne); Candy Jim Taylor (Montgomery/Birmingham Black Barons).
SS: Woody English (Montgomery); Zoilo Versalles (Havana/Miami Cuban Giants).
LF: George Foster (Nashville); Pete Hill (Austin); Johnny Jeter (Fort Wayne).
CF: Richie Ashburn (Atlantic City); Bama Rowell (Austin).
RF: Adam Dunn (Nashville); Tommy McCarthy (Oklahoma City); Larry Sheets (Charlotte).

SP: Frank Bertaina (Charlotte); Lefty Clarke (Montgomery); Dick Jones (Montgomery); Jim Kaat (Austin); Kyle Kendrick (Austin); Andrew Miller (Tulsa); Bill Singer (Oklahoma City); Jeremy Sowers (Fort Wayne).
RP: John Anderson (Montgomery); Dick Coffman (Montgomery); Al Hrabosky (Oklahoma City); Ben Johnson (Montgomery); Mike Kume (Oklahoma City); Dave Smith (Charlotte).

Bama Rowell drove in 3 runs with a bases-loaded triple, leading the home team to a 10-2 victory in the All-Star Game. Richie Ashburn had 2 hits as well.

Visitors 2 (Nuxhall 0-1) @ Home 10 (Kendrick 1-0)
HRs: Visitors – Danny Green (1), Foxx (1); Home – Boswell (1)
Box Score

TWIWBL 23.0: All-Star Weekend – The Futures Game

By

On February 8, 2022

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

This game looks to be a bit of a mismatch: the sheer volume of talent on team USA is a bit overwhelming.

Tony Solaita of the World Team led off the inaugural Futures Game with a single up the middle off Bob Gibson, but a popout and a double play would end the inning without damage.

Fernando Valenzuela‘s opening frame didn’t go as well: Art Devlin singled and stole second, and then attempted to score on a base hit from Charlie Gehringer, but César Hernández‘ throw home was strong enough to nail him at the plate. Gehringer would score on a base-hit from Jimmie Foxx to put the USA up, 1-0.

Foxx was at it again in the bottom of the 3rd, scoring Devlin with a mammoth shot to left field, increasing the lead to 3-0.

Roberto Alomar greeted A. Rube Foster in the top of the 4th with a leadoff double. Alomar moved to third on a flyball to center by Shin-Soo Choo, and scored on a soft single from Sammy Sosa. Despite loading the bases, however, that was all the World team could muster, leaving the score 3-1.

Gehringer would drive in 2 more in the bottom of the frame upping the lead to 5-1.

And that would be it.

For the USA, Terry Forster, Frank Smith, Smokey Joe Williams, Jake Peavy, and Mike Adams combined for 5.1 innings of scoreless relief, while for the World, Steve Chitren, Jesse Crain, Moe Drabowsky, Arodys Vizcaíno, and Luiz Gohara closed the game without allowing a hit over the final 4 innings.

Foxx’s homerun and 3 RBIs were enough to walk away with the MVP Award, although Gehringer (2-for-4 with a run and 2 RBIs) and Devlin (2-for-2 with a run scored) each had an argument.

For the World, Tip O’Neill reached base 4 times, with 2 hits and 2 walks. It was a much worse day at the plate for Sosa and Hernández, each of whom struck out 3 times.

The idiotic choice by the AI to not select a catcher was impactful, as Abreu split time behind the plate with Jorge Orta, combining for 5 passed balls.

World 1 (Valenzuela 0-1) @ USA 5 (Maddux 1-0)
HRs: USA – Foxx (1).
Box Score

Roster Notes

The Wandering House of David and the Brooklyn Royal Giants each have 7 representatives in the game, and the Chicago American Giants have 5. Time will tell if that is an indicator of a strong talent pipeline or not.

Two of the players–the House of David’s Sosa and Los Angeles’ Carlos Beltrán–were traded over the all-star break. Both of them, along with San Francisco’s Sal Bando, Ottawa’s Alex Rodríguez and Roberto Alomar, and Birmingham’s Greg Maddux were recalled to the big leagues over the break.

Here are the full rosters, listing the level and WBL organization. Starters are listed in bold.

World Team Roster

Abreu was drafted in to catch, O’Neill as the DH, and López at 3B.

C: None. Whoops.

1B: Tip O’Neill (AA, Ottawa); Tony Solaita (AAA, Cleveland)

2B: Roberto Alomar (AAA, Ottawa); Jorge Orta (AA, Detroit)

3B: None, but both López and Hernández can play here.

SS: Luis Aparicio (AA, House of David); Bert Campaneris (AA, House of David, suspended); Jhonny Peralta (AAA, Indianapolis)

LF: Shin-Soo Choo (AAA, Houston)

CF: Carlos Beltrán (AA, Los Angeles); Héctor López (AA, New York Black Yankees); César A. Hernández (AA, Philadelphia)

RF: Bobby Abreu (AAA, Philadelphia); Willie Montañez (AA, Baltimore); Sammy Sosa (AAA, House of David)

P: José Capellán (AA, Memphis); Steve Chitrin (AAA, Brooklyn); Jesse Crain (AA, Ottawa); Víctor Cruz (AA, Chicago); Moe Drabowsky (AA, New York Gothams); Luiz Gohara (AAA, Memphis); Tom Harrison (AA, House of David); Fergie Jenkins (AAA, House of David); Sergio Valdéz (AA, Homestead); Fernando Valenzuela (AAA, Brooklyn); Arodys Vizcaíno (AA, Cleveland)

Team USA Roster

C: Cliff Lee (AAA, Portland); Mike Piazza (AAA, Brooklyn)

1B: Cap Anson (AA, House of David); Jimmie Foxx (AA, San Francisco)

2B: Charlie Gehringer (AAA, Detroit)

3B: Sal Bando (AAA, San Francisco); Art Devlin (AAA, New York Gothams)

SS: Ray Chapman (AA, Detroit); Alex Rodríguez (AAA, Ottawa)

LF: Bob Watson (AAA, Chicago)

CF: John Briggs (AA, Brooklyn); Kirby Puckett (AA, Portland)

RF: Dwight Evans (AAA, Memphis); Al Kaline (AAA, Detroit); Merv Rettenmund (AAA, Baltimore)

P: Mike Adams (AAA, Chicago); Terry Forster (AAA, Brooklyn); A. Rube Foster (AAA, Chicago); Bob Gibson (AAA, Kansas City); Greg Maddux (AAA, Birmingham); Jake Peavy (AAA, New York Black Yankees); Chris Short (AA, Brooklyn); Frank Smith (AAA, Chicago); Karl Spooner (AA, House of David); Smokey Joe Williams (AAA, Brooklyn).

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