Ned Garvin deserved better. Finishing the suspended opener, he gave up one hit in five innings and struck out 10 — and lost. The hit was a Carlton Fisk home run leading off the second, Chino Smith got to John Tudor for a 3-run shot in the sixth, and Chicago took it 6-2. Still, an encouraging start to the season for Garvin.
The nightcap went the other way. Gavy Cravath hit a two-run shot off Waite Hoyt, Miller Huggins drove in three, and Dennis Martínez was good enough for a 5-3 win.
Tudor was injured later in the week, with Mike Mussina recalled from AAA Washington to take over Tudor’s swing role for the short-term.
Cleveland Spiders
Cy Young opened Cleveland’s season — a day late — with 6.2 innings, three hits, no runs and ten strikeouts, and Ryan Reed and Cody Gearrin finished off a five-hit shutout, 8-0 over Los Angeles. Lance Berkman hit a two-run homer.
Despite 14 hits, Cleveland fell 5-4 to San Francisco in 11 innings. Evan Longoria struck out 5 times, tying the American League record.
Another combined shutout came later in the week against Miami, as 5 arms combined on a 4-hit shutout with 17 (!) strikeouts: Mel Harder started, Whit Wyatt took over after a rain delay, and Reed, Aroldis Chapman and Terry Adams closed it out. Longoria — a better day this time — hit a two-run homer and Tris Speaker had three hits in the 4-0 win.
Adams was hurt in the series finale, but it’s not clear what the diagnosis is yet — a potentially impactful bit of news for the Spiders, although if he does go down, the recently-acquired Chapman would, assumedly, take over at closer.
Detroit Wolverines
The Wolverines are off to a WBL best 6-1 start to the season.
J. D. Martinez continues to impress, hitting a HR and 3 doubles in a 20 hit barrage against Chicago. The last was vital, as it scored Bobby Wallace with the winning run in the 9-8 victory over the American Giants.
Oscar Gamble closed the week with two home runs in a 5-2 win that saw Hal Newhouser improve to 2-0.
Wander Franco was hurt, with Damion Easley being recalled in his place.
Memphis Red Sox
FA Herman Long has been signed, presumably to take over at SS (Xander Bogaerts stays on the roster, but glove-man Adam Everett heads to AAA). Long was a platoon option for Birmingham, with Memphis hoping he can step into a larger role for them.
Ted Williams tied the franchise single-game record for runs, scoring 4 times, adding 4 hits (including a 2-run homer) as the Red Sox put fifteen hits on Los Angeles in a 10-5 win. David Ortiz had three hits and five RBIs, and Red Ruffing got the win despite giving up 5 earned in 5 innings.
Manny Ramírez hit 2 out in a 5-4 win over Baltimore. John Briggs also went deep, and, after blowing a lead, Armando Benitez claimed the victory.
Williams also launched the longest homer of the young season, a 480 ft. shot off Los Angeles’ Pud Galvin.
New York Black Yankees
The Black Yankees exploded in a 15-3 demolition of Detroit: 19 hits, 2 grand slams — Don Mattingly in the first, Mickey Rivers in the eighth — and home runs from Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in between. Rivers finished with 3 hits, 3 runs and 5 driven in, Manny Sanguillén had 3 hits and Ed Charles 4, with promising rookie Whitey Ford getting the win.
Eric Davis hit one of the hardest balls of the opening week: a 472 ft. bomb that left the bat at 115 mph off Miami’s Phenomenal Smith.
The Whirled Baseball League opened its third season on the first of April, 2002, but the weather proved a mightier force than the ump crying Play Ball! Four of the ten scheduled openers were impacted by the wet — Houston at Homestead, Birmingham at Brooklyn, Chicago at Baltimore and Los Angeles at Cleveland all went to the tarp, and all four were made up as day-night doubleheaders the following afternoon. Of the six games that did get played, three were interrupted by rain anyway.
After the first week, The Detroit Wolverines sit alone at 6-1. Nobody else in the league has more than five wins. But Detroit is doing it with mirrors: they have scored 43 and allowed 39, which should put them at about 4-3. So we’ll see what holds.
Awards
American League Player of the Week: Dick Allen, Chicago American Giants.
The 24-year-old third baseman opened the year 11-for-27 with three home runs, nine runs batted in and nine runs scored, a .407/.467/.963 line across thirty plate appearances.
National League Player of the Week: Roberto Alomar, Ottawa Mounties.
Fifteen hits in thirty-one at-bats, with two home runs earned Alomar the Award. In one of those early season oddities, he didn’t draw a walk or reach base any other way, so both BA and OBP sit at .484.
Opening Day Games
Kansas City 5, Ottawa 4.
Not a single home run was hit in this one, and it was still the best game of the day. It opened messily on both sides: Kansas City scored twice in the first, one of the runs on a passed ball, and Ottawa gave one straight back in the bottom half on a wild pitch. The Mounties drew level in the third, and there it sat.
Then the sky opened. A thirty-eight minute delay in the fifth ended both starters’ afternoons — Roy Halladay had kept Ottawa in it to that point — and Kansas City came out of the break with two runs in the sixth to lead 4-2.
Ottawa’s answer in the eighth was what lifted the game above the level of the mundane: Eddie Guardado came on for the Monarchs and Roberto Alomar greeted him with a line-drive double. Gary Carter followed with a double of his own — an absolute rocket that left the bat at 111 miles per hour — and Carlos Beltrán scored Carter on a single to center. Tie game, and Kansas City called on Lee Smith to stop the bleeding (which he did).
The winning hit travelled about ninety feet in the air. Doug Rader walked to open the ninth and, after Ted Simmons grounded into a force play, Kolten Wong singled Simmons to second. Frankie Frisch came on to pinch-run from there, tagged up to third on an Ozzie Smith fly ball to right, and scored when Cool Papa Bell beat out a weakly hit infield chopper that left the bat roughly 50 mph slower than Carter’s smash.
Craig Kimbrel set Ottawa down in order in the ninth for the save; the win went to Lee Smith for the eighth.
Benny Kauff finished the day with three hits for the Monarchs.
KAN 5 (Smith 1-0; Kimbrel 1 Sv; Guardado 1 BSv) @ OTT 4 (Dempster 0-1) HRs: none. Box Score
San Francisco 5, New York Black Yankees 2.
For six innings this was the pitchers’ duel the marquee promised: Lefty Grove struck out twelve over six and a third — tying the Sea Lions’ franchise record for a single game — and Andy Pettitte matched him nearly stride for stride with six shutout innings and eight strikeouts of his own. Through four the scoreboard was blank in both directions.
Lou Gehrig broke the tie in the bottom of the fourth, taking Grove over the wall with one out for the season’s first run at Yankee Stadium. That held until the seventh, when New York summoned Hoyt Wilhelm to protect the one-run lead.
Whoops. Turkey Stearnes led off the seventh and tied the game on the spot with his opening dinger of the season, and although New York handed Wilhelm a fresh lead in the bottom half — Don Mattingly driving in the go-ahead run for 2-1 — he gave that one back too, and then some. San Francisco put up three in the eighth. Reggie Jackson added a solo shot off David Robertson in the ninth for good measure.
So: blown save, loss, and four earned runs across two innings for Wilhelm, and even on opening day the questions start being asked about the Black Yankees’ bullpen. Trevor Hoffman got the win in relief, Joe Nathan handled the 8th, and Rod Beck finished it off — the Sea Lions’ pen had no such queries asked.
The week’s largest crowd — 54,814 — was treated to seven home runs (1 by a starting pitcher) and four lead changes. Don Buford led off the bottom of the first by putting a Luis Padrón offering into the seats, and Brandon Crawford did the same in the third.
Indianapolis finally solved Christy Mathewson in the fourth: Johnny Bench went deep with two out, and moments later, with a man aboard, Buddy Bell turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead. It lasted one inning. HR Johnson answered with a two-run homer in the fifth, and the Gothams tacked on a couple more in the sixth to lead 6-3 with nine outs to go.
Which is where it got strange. Luis Padrón, still in at the DH for the ABC’s, led off the seventh by homering off Masahiro Tanaka, and two batters later Oscar Charleston hit a two-run shot to tie it at six. Tanaka had blown the save and, in the way these things sometimes go, was about to be rewarded for it: New York retook the lead in the bottom half, and Buford’s second home run of the day, a two-run drive in the eighth, put it out of reach.
Mathewson struck out ten but walked five and got no decision. Tanaka got the win. Nobody got much peace, but the fans got a good show to start the season.
IND 6 (Mitchell 0-1) @ NYG 9 (Tanaka 1-0, 1 BSv; Wilson 1 Sv) HRs: IND – Charleston (1), Bench (1), Bell (1); NYG – Buford (2), HR Johnson (1), Crawford (1). Box Score
Detroit 7, Miami 5.
Charlie Root was the story at first — five and two thirds innings, no runs, no walks, and eleven strikeouts. Detroit’s lineup took its time with Miami starter José Méndez, opening with doubles from Bobby Wallace and Charlie Gehringer before Oscar Gamble finally got one out of the park in the fifth. Eustaquio Pedroso came on in relief of Méndez and it went no better — Al Kaline took him deep for two in the seventh, Gehringer in the eighth.
Miami got a two-run shot from Alejandro Oms and three hits from Gary Sheffield, but never was able to overtake the Wolverines.
MCG 5 (Méndez 0-1) @ DET 7 (Root 1-0; Henneman 1 Sv) HRs: MCG – Oms (1); DET – Gamble (1), Kaline (1), Gehringer (1). Box Score
Portland 7, Memphis 3.
Walter Johnson started, went three and a third (departing after a rain delay in the 4th), and hit a home run. Paul Molitor added a two-run shot of his own and Ken Griffey Jr had three hits and two runs batted in. Memphis answered through David Ortiz, who drove in three with a homer, and Johnny Briggs, who had three hits, but Portland held the lead throughout.
POR 7 (Trout 1-0) @ MEM 3 (Overmire 0-1) HRs: POR – Molitor (1), Griffey Jr (1), Johnson (1); MEM – Ortiz (1). Box Score
Philadelphia 9, Wandering House of David 5.
The ageless wonder that is Rico Carty opened the season by going 4-for-4 with a home run and Roger Peckinpaugh (sitting in at SS for Philadelphia for the suspended Jim Fregosi) drove in three, and Philadelphia was never really threatened once Hardie Henderson got through six. The House of David did get 2 homers from young John Beckwith and another from Anthony Rizzo. Jack Taylor gave up eleven hits in the loss.
You Always Remember Your First Houston’s Pete Hill is 0-for-17 with eight strikeouts. He posted a .800 OPS over 594 plate appearances last season, which makes him the furthest any regular has fallen from his own track. Memphis’s Herman Long is 0-for-10 since being signed to solve shortstop for the Red Sox, and Chicago’s Jay Bell and Birmingham’s Ron Fairly are also hitless.
The Root of Things Nine and a third innings, seventeen strikeouts — the league lead — and not one walk for Detroit’s Charlie Root.
Singles? We Don’t Need No Stinking Singles. Baltimore’s Gavy Cravath has six hits this season — three doubles and three home runs. Josh Gibson (Homestead), Manny Ramírez (Memphis), Oscar Gamble (Detroit) and Jack Clark (San Francisco) are also yet to hit a single this season.
Swing, miss, duck. The Sea Lions’ Lefty Grove has sixteen strikeouts in eleven and a third innings — and a 6.35 earned run average and 0-1 record to show for it.
Who Needs the DH? Five homeruns came from pitchers during the opening week. 2 came from Charles Rogan (Philadelphia), which isn’t terribly surprising, but Walter Johnson (Portland), Luis Padrón (Indianapolis), and Jim Whitney (Miami) all joined in as well.
The Red Sox have never contended. They have always had bats; this off-season they’ve moved more aggressively than any other team in the WBL to address their rotation needs.
First, the bats: Ted Williams continues to sit barely outside the truly elite of the league, slashing 303/423/616 at 22. Manny Ramírez hit 46 home runs, Gabby Hartnett hit 41 from behind the plate, David Ortiz hit 34 in barely 100 games, Reggie Smith hit 34 more. And all of that on a team that lost 89 games.
There is a thin line between acting aggressively and panic. Memphis sold Mookie Betts, a breakout OF, to Brooklyn for Don Drysdale and Red Ruffing. Then it sold Dobie Moore — a 20-year-old shortstop who had just made the AL All Rookie 2nd Team, and the only real hope the middle infield has produced in years — to Los Angeles for Tom Seaver.
So the rotation now reads Stubby Overmire, Drysdale, Seaver, Ruffing and Len Barker. That’s a massive upgrade to the flailing of the past. The question is whether it will be enough.
2001 Revisited
A year ago we noted the growing optimism in Memphis, called it totally unwarranted. The Red Sox went 73-89 (worse than the prior year) and finished 5th, 17 games out.
The offense wasn’t the reason. Ramírez posted a 1.024 OPS and led the club in homers in only 452 plate appearances. Ortiz hit 280/371/676 and took first base away from Bill White. Williams turned in what will someday look like an off year and won the organizational MVP.
So that leaves the pitching as the culprit. The best case had Shane Bieber, the winter’s prize free agent, joining Stubby Overmire at the front of the rotation; Bieber made 8 starts, posted a 7.36 and blew out his elbow. Again. Jon Lester collapsed, and the rest of the SP auditions failed loudly (Eddie Cicotte, Nixey Callahan, we’re looking at you). Heath Bell finished in the mid 6s. Overmire remained the best arm Memphis had, and while he has his supporters, soft tossers are always in danger of regression. Still, a sub-5.00 ERA in the 2001 WBL remains impressive.
One prediction landed clean, but still could hurt. We asked whether Moore was the real thing and what would become of Vern Stephens if he was. Moore was real, Stephens was traded in July — and 6 months later Moore was traded too.
Key Changes
In: Xander Bogaerts (LAA); John Briggs (BRK); Don Drysdale (BRK); Red Ruffing (BRK); Tom Seaver (LAA)
Out: Mookie Betts (BRK); Billy Bryan (BRK); Bill Doak (FA); Dwight Evans (LAA); Dobie Moore (LAA)
Opening Day Rookies: Xander Bogaerts
Best Case for 2002
The new arms clear their 2001 lines. Drysdale is 22 and threw 186 innings with a 1.28 WHIP for Brooklyn; Seaver is 24 and struck out 135; Ruffing regains his prior form. I mean … this could be a solid rotation.
Behind that, the Red Sox just need health. Ramírez and Ortiz combined for about a season and a half of playing time; give them a full one each. John Briggs, bought in the spring off a 276/377/557 year in Brooklyn, is the sort of hitter scouts keep predicting will stop hitting and who keeps hitting — and if he does, the outfield rotation with Reggie Smith could prove pleasant, but complicated, especially with the somewhat surprising presence of Andrew Benintendi (343/450/572 at AA).
Skel Roach struck out 44 men in 40 innings while walking 40 of them. A little more control and they may have their closer.
Memphis doesn’t need a miracle here. It needs the pitchers it just bought to be roughly who they already are, one tick better.
Worst Case for 2002
Drysdale and Seaver both sat around league average last year — the WBL’s collective ERA was 5.38 — and around league average, while an improvement on Memphis’ history, is not what they thought they were buying.
The middle infield is … weak. Xander Bogaerts has never played a WBL game, Adam Everett is a decent glove, but nothing else. In the bullpen, Andrew Miller worked a league-leading 74 games and is the closest thing to a stopper, but that’s a heavy workload.
Skel Roach struck out 44 men in 40 innings while walking 40 of them. A little less control and they may have a walking disaster of unprecedented proportions.
Key Questions
Can Tom Terrific justify his cost? A 5.81 ERA in Los Angeles is forgivable in that yard and that run environment, and it is also not what a franchise shortstop is supposed to buy. How Memphis feels in October runs almost entirely through whether the 24-year-old becomes a front-line starter.
Who pitches the 9th? Memphis spent 2 losing seasons correctly selling relievers — Jonathan Papelbon went to Miami last August — on the sound theory that a team going nowhere shouldn’t hoard a closer. That logic has now expired. There are 3 arms the club trusts (or, in Roach’s case, tolerates) and no established one to finish games.
What does the outfield surplus buy? 4 of the 6 ranked prospects in this system play the outfield, on a big-league club already carrying Williams, Smith, Briggs, Ramírez and Benintendi. That’s less a logjam than a bank account. Betts was the first withdrawal; the next one is yet to be determined.
Roster Evaluation
Tier = the player’s 2001 positional grade (S best → F worst; color coded S A B C D F). Bold names carry a substantive WBL track; italic names are pure projection — a hope, not a grade — with no qualifying track to anchor them.
Pos
Players
C
Hartnett B · Wilkins
1B
Ortiz B
2B
LeMahieu C · Pedroia
SS
Bogaerts · Everett
3B
Boggs C · Shaw
LF
Williams A · Benintendi
CF
Smith C
RF
Briggs A
DH
Ramírez A
SP
Overmire C · Drysdale C · Seaver F · Ruffing · Barker D
RP
Miller B · Bell F · Roach C · Benitez · Fingers · de la Cruz
Nobody in that bullpen carries the closer’s tag, which was a deliberate choice for 2 losing years and is, for the first time, a problem. Also, Ted Williams keeps asking to pitch. He talked his way into 3 innings in 2000 and gave up 3 runs, which appears to have settled nothing.
Talent Ratings
WBL
Minors
Raw Power
LF Ted Williams
CF Hack Wilson
Batting Eye
LF Ted Williams
CF Roy Thomas
Contact
3B Wade Boggs
RF Bill Buckner
Running Speed
SS Herman Long
SS Bud Harrelson
Base Stealing
LF Andrew Benintendi
RF Tom Brown; LF Joe Kelley
IF Defense
SS Herman Long
2B Jonathan Schoop
OF Defense
LF Andrew Benintendi
CF Dain Clay
Stuff
RP Heath Bell
RP Justin Miller
Control
SP Jameson Taillon
SP Carl Mays
Velocity
RP Heath Bell; RP Andrew Miller
RP Jensen Lewis
Best In The Minors
Rank
Age
Pos
Name
1 (16)
22
LF
Joe Kelley
2 (19)
21
SP
Josh Beckett
3 (23)
21
LF
Carl Yastrzemski
4 (39)
24
LF
Joe Rudi
5 (70)
22
1B
Joe Cunningham
6 (81)
21
RF
Bill Buckner
Others: P Mickey McDermott, OF Jim Rice, P Pete Richert, OF Roy Thomas.
6 ranked prospects, 4 of them outfielders, which is either an embarrassment of riches or an accounting problem depending on the day. Joe Kelley leads at 16th in baseball, Carl Yastrzemski sits 4 spots behind him, and Joe Rudi and Bill Buckner are behind them.
The most interesting name isn’t an outfielder. Josh Beckett, 21 and ranked 19th, arrived from Miami last August as the return for Papelbon. Below the ranked list, Pete Richert took the organizational Minor League Pitcher of the Year, and 17-year-old Mickey McDermott is the youngest arm in the system.
Superlatives
Most
Least
Age
Tim Wakefield, 37
Mickey McDermott, 17
Height
Derek Lowe, 6’6″
Hack Wilson, 5’6″
OPS
David Ortiz, 1.047
Jason Bartlett, .567 (AA)
HR
Manny Ramírez, 46
Dain Clay, 1 (A)
SB
Roy Thomas, 38 (A)
–
WAR (bat)
Joe Cunningham, 4.3 (AA)
Bud Harrelson, −0.9 (AA)
W
Stubby Overmire, 13
–
SV
Andrew Miller, 6
–
ERA
Bill Husted, 2.92 (A)
Red Ruffing, 6.90
WAR (pit)
Stubby Overmire, 4.2
David Bush, 0.5
Stats across all levels, 2001 season. 200 PA / 75 IP minimum. Non-WBL levels tagged in parentheses.
With just over a week left in Spring Training, we get to see how panicked some teams are, and how much they want to shake things up before opening day.
Unsurprisingly, we start with the Black Yankees and their perennial win-now mentality.
#The Black Yankees Add MI
NYY sends RP Aroldis Chapman, IF Mark Grudzielanek, 2nd Round Pick to CLE for IF Joe Sewell, IF Bill Phillips.
This is more fallout from the Grant Johnson trade in some ways: Sewell will have every shot at displacing Derek Jeter at SS for New York, and the team looks set to juggle their middle infield between those two, Robby Thompson, and Rogers Hornsby.
For Cleveland, they took a blocked talent–Sewell was never displacing Arky Vaughan–and converted it into a great bullpen arm and a valuable pick.
#The Red Sox Have a Rotation
Unsatisfied with just adding Don Drysdale and Red Ruffing, Memphis went shopping on the West coast.
MEM sends IF Dobie Moore, OF Dwight Evans, P Mike Witt to LAA for P Tom Seaver, IF Xander Bogaerts, IF Andrelton Simmons, C Mark Salas.
Clearly, the spine of the deal is Seaver for Moore, but this one has a lot of repercussions: Memphis continues to weed out some of its OF talent, and takes a gamble on Seaver continuing to develop at the WBL level. SS for Memphis is now a scramble between the two new bodies, Adam Everett, and Bud Harrelson; while for Los Angeles, this settles at least half of their middle infield question, and opens the door for some more arms to prove themselves in the rotation as they look to the future.
#CAG Settles at SS. Maybe.
CAG sends U Trea Turner & IF Yoán Moncada to HOU for IF Travis Jackson.
Jackson is clearly ready for WBL time–here he may actually get it; in return HOU gets a prospect in search of a position and one of the ST surprises in Moncada.
#Monarchs Make Moves
KAN sends OF Dale Murphy & IF Carlos Baerga to NYG for OF Benny Kauff.
A classic now v later move. Murphy is desperately in need of a change of scenery, and Baerga remains 4-5 years away, while Kauff should help deepen a lineup in need of power.
But Kansas City wasn’t done.
KAN sends P José Rijo, P Jeff Pfeffer & 1st Round Pick to LAA for 3B Doug Rader.
The Albert Pujols at 3B experiment looks to be officially over, with Los Angeles clearly reacting to the loss of Seaver. Expect David Wright and/or Pedro Álvarez to inherit the hot corner for the Angels.
And this led to another move for Los Angeles.
LAA sends P Brett Anderson & 3rd Round Pick to HOD for IF Richie Hebner, OF Cy Williams & 2nd Round Pick
Los Angeles has now gotten rid of their 2 best pitchers from last season: this is either great faith in their stockpiled arms or pure madness.
#Easy as A-B-C
IND sends P Tom Glavine, P George Medich, P Jack Billingham & IF Robin Ventura to POR for IF Buddy Bell.
Indianapolis gets an all star and former gold glove winner to take over at the hot corner, while Portland lands a lot of future potential, headlined by the 19 year old Glavine.
This deal set the stage for the next one.
IND sends IF Ed Charles & P Dan Plesac to NYY for P Jeff D. Robinson & P Jack Armstrong.
The Black Yankees get a decent bench piece for the price of a Rule V selection–which seems fair to all. The other two arms are essentially fliers–Armstrong back to his seed franchise, Plesac as a veteran LHP hedge.
#Memphis Not Done Yet
MEM sends IF Candy Jim Taylor, P Nathan Eovaldi & 1st Round Pick to BRK for OF John Briggs & 3rd Round Pick.
This one has some heads shaking. Memphis and Brooklyn team up again, with the Red Sox landing what they hope is the CF of the future, and Brooklyn adding some minor league talent and a coveted #1 pick.
Briggs has been doubted every step of his career–this is just another chance for him to prove the haters wrong. For Brooklyn, it clears CF for Duke Snider, and also means their OF glut can now route into the DH for the year.
#BB to BBB
BAL sends IF Asdrúbal Cabrera, P Bill Byrd, IF Roy Smalley Jr. & 3rd Round Pick to BBB for P Steve Avery, P Gio González, P Warren Spahn, OF Curt Flood & 1st Round Pick.
An interesting deal.
In 7 years, Baltimore may see this as a massive win–if Avery develops, if González becomes a rotation starter, if the 1st Round Pick pans out and, perhaps most of all, if a change of scenery reboots Spahn’s career.
That’s a lot of if’s. In the meantime, Birmingham gets a potential answer to their SS woes and a front of rotation arm that excels in limiting homeruns, the Black Barons’ current Achilles’ heel.
We’ll have a team by team season preview as Spring Training runs down, but here are some newsworthy tidbits from the early days.
#Homestead Grays
The Grays have lost their staff ace–or what has passed for a staff ace–as Francisco Liriano suffered a torn labrum, and will miss 5-6 months, putting him on the shelf for effectively the whole season.
#Memphis Red Sox
The Red Sox execute the very first waiver claim in WBL history (this is part of what Claude’s involvement enables), grabbing veteran P Paul Derringer from Indianapolis.
While there is a blockbuster, these were actually a pretty quiet Winter Meetings, with only four deals being made.
The Big One
MEM sends OF Mookie Betts, C Billy Bryan, P Jim Kaat, 3rd Round Pick to BRK for P Don Drysdale, P Red Ruffing, 5th Round Pick.
We start off with pretty much a blockbuster: Red Ruffing‘s signing turns out to be a sign and trade as Ruffing and disgruntled starter Don Drysdale head to Memphis for OF Mookie Betts, backup C Billy Bryan, and minor league P Jim Kaat. Brooklyn sends a 5th round pick and Memphis will send a 3rd round pick to even out the deal.
It turns out Drysdale was furious at being surpassed as the #1 starter for Brooklyn, and will now bring his near-manic intensity to the Red Sox, immediately stepping into the top of their rotation along with Stubby Overmire.
Cuban Giants Address Current Need
MCG sends P Jon Matlack, 2nd Round Pick to HOD for P CC Sabathia, 5th Round Pick.
The Cuban Giants addressed a clear need, bringing swingman CC Sabathia over from the House of David. They gave up a prized pitching prospect in Jon Matlack, and took the worst of a pick exchange (a 2nd for a 5th) to bring in Sabathia, who looks to have a shot at the Cuban Giants’ rotation if has a good Spring.
Coming Back Home
OTT sends P Dan Collins, 3rd Round Pick to MCG for P Steve Rogers.
This was about getting Rogers back to his historical franchise to see how that developed.
The Sea Lions Commit Even More
SFS sends IF Royce Clayton to POR for P Trevor Hoffman.
Portland entered these conversations hoping to get back draft picks; instead they ended up with a possible middle infielder for the future–look for an open competition with Clayton and Hughie Jennings in the Spring, while Hoffman walks into a dream situation–no pressure on a near guaranteed contender.
73 - 89, .451 pct.
5th in Bill James Division, 17 GB
Overall
With low expectations come … well … another poor season in Memphis.
There are some decent pieces to build around here, but there is some ways to go. There is also a bit of a surplus of talent, especially in the OF, so some trade possibilities to hang in the air. Like so many WBL teams, the Red Sox struggle on the mound–I mean, they struggle everywhere, but it’s much easier to see the pieces coming together offensively than, especially, in their rotation.
Everything in Memphis revolves around Ted Williams, and how to build the franchise around the infinitely talented 22 year old.
What Went Right
Ted Williams had what felt like might qualify as an off-year by the time his career is over and done with. That still meant slashing 303/423/616, revealing a rare mixture of power and strike zone control.
Manny Ramírez improved on a rough initial year, leading the team with 46 homeruns and 110 RBIs with an OPS of 1.024. At 26, Ramírez should be entering his true prime, and while his lack of defensive skill pushes him towards a full time DH role, if he can maintain that level of performance, he’s a rare talent. The only caution is that he only saw 450ish PAs this season.
David Ortiz saw even less time, but hit even better: a 1.047 OPS and 34 homeruns in 100 games, displacing Bill White at 1B.
And while we’re on the topic of great performances in limited appearances, mention must be made of Lefty O’Doul (1.059 OPS) and Hack Wilson (1.036), each of whom have a shot at making the team out of Spring Training.
Billy Bryan was one of the best offensive backup catchers in the league, slashing 257/327/621 in support of Gabby Hartnett, who was pretty solid himself, posting an .879 OPS with good power.
And then we get pretty thin offensively: Reggie Smith and Mookie Betts were good enough, with mid .800s OPS numbers, but one or both of them need to improve, especially with the performance of the late season call ups. Betts, especially, may have value on the trade market.
On the mound, both Stubby Overmire and Len Barker racked up enough innings to generate decent WAR numbers, but were honestly not that great. That may be a little cruel on Overmire, who is clearly the best the Red Sox have to offer.
Andrew Miller was solid in a WBL leading 74 games, so there is value just in being rubber armed with a live arm, even if his walk rate is too high for comfort.
Tommy de la Cruz and Jameson Taillon were relatively effective in limited work. Taillon blew out his elbow, and won’t be back for about a year, effectively missing all of next season.
And then there is Skel Roach. 44 strikeouts in 40 innings and only 19 hits allowed … but 40 walks. So that can’t survive very long.
ALL STARSTed Williams
MAJOR AWARDSAndrew Miller, AL Team of the Year
RECOGNITIONSAndrew Miller, AL All Rookie Team; AL 25 & Under Team; AL 23 & Under Team
Dobie Moore, AL All Rookie 2nd Team; AL 21 & Under Team
David Ortiz, AL All Rookie 2nd Team
Skel Roach, AL All Rookie 2nd Team
ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDSTed Williams, MVP
Andrew Miller, Pitcher of the Year
David Ortiz, Heart & Soul
Skel Roach, Fan Favorite
Pete Richert, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Lefty O'Doul, Minor League Player of the Year
What Went Wrong
Dobie Moore struggled a bit in his rookie year, but at 20 he has a lot of room to improve. There’s really not a lot else that went wrong, just a range of players who were fine: Wade Boggs, Bill White, and DJ LeMahieu leap to mind.
Whereas on the mound … Jon Lester and David Bush were pretty bad as starters, especially Lester. And major free agent signing Shane Bieber made only 8 poor starts before a long-term injury. Bieber should be back early in the season.
The Red Sox keep giving Sadie McMahon, Eddie Cicotte, Nixey Callahan, and Derek Lowe opportunities. And they keep fumbling, combining for a 4-8 record and ERA’s well over 6.00.
Heath Bell stumbled badly over the season, ending with a 3-5 record and an ERA in the mid 6’s.
Transactions
March
OF Sammy Sosa for C Gabby Hartnett, P Rollie Fingers & 4th Round Pick.
A massive, massive win. Sosa struggled mightily in Memphis, went back to the House of David … and struggled mightily. On the other hand, Hartnett looks like the Red Sox catcher for the foreseeable future.
OF David Justice, IF Ozzie Albies, 2nd Round Pick to BBB for IF Bill Buckner & OF Joe Rudi.
Sure. I mean, we can’t evaluate this one for a few years.
July
The season was over for Memphis at this point, but there weren’t any real buyers, so there wasn’t much activity.
IF Vern Stephens to BRG for 4th Round Pick.
This seemed to make sense: Stephens was having a miserable season, and the Red Sox had already decided that Dobie Moore was their future SS.
August
P Jonathan Papelbon & 4th Round Pick to MCG for P Josh Beckett, OF Roy Thomas & 3rd Round Pick.
Makes sense. Papelbon was excellent, and netted a strong return from the Cuban Giants.
Positional Overview
C
Gabby Hartnett came over and seems to have seized the position, which is quite good news for Memphis. Look for Billy Bryan to back him up again, with Rick Wilkins pressing for time from below.
There are some options: Brian McCann and Jason Varitek have some talent, and Dobie Moore can even play here in a pinch.
1B
David Ortiz‘ explosion really leaves Bill White flapping in the wind, which is a shame: White has been a quality contributor, and really deserves better. Best bet is the Red Sox shop White, and Ortiz holds this down until either Bill Buckner or Joe Cunningham are ready.
There are a ton of other options as well, most notably George Scott, Travis Shaw, and even young phenom Carl Yastrzemski.
2B
It seems that DJ LeMahieu may have taken this role for his own–LeMahieu clearly outperformed Dustin Pedroia, and really his only competition is Dobie Moore, who is probably headed for shortstop.
SS
The problem with Dobie Moore is his youth and his glove. Everything else looks incredible.
If he falters, we’re likely to see Woody English or Francisco Lindor given a chance.
So, there is optimism, but you could also see this as a very large question mark.
3B
Wade Boggs was … mediocre this year, but he will still be the 3B at the end of the day.
It’s not clear what happens next here, although young Candy Jim Taylor certainly shows promise.
LF/RF
LF is Ted Williams, period.
RF is a little less settled, but is likely Mookie Betts, with occasional support from Manny Ramírez. The complications here are the youth, with Lefty O’Doul, Dwight Evans, Joe Kelley, and most importantly Carl Yastrzemski, all pushing for playing time.
CF
Reggie Smith is far better than he gets credit for. That may not be enough as Hack Wilson is breathing down his neck pushing for playing time.
DH
Manny Ramírez most of the time. But, again, there is the Lefty O’Doul issue.
SP
Stubby Overmire leads, and then … well … then it is mostly question marks, although Len Barker and Dean Chance are favored.
The scouts keep pushing Eddie Cicotte, Sadie McMahon, and Nixey Callahan, but the fans don’t appreciate their results to date. If the Red Sox decide to give youth a chance, Josh Beckett, Nathan Eovaldi, or Jim Kaat could get a look.
RP
More uncertainty.
Heath Bell, Armando Benitez, and the incomprehensible Skel Roach may get first opportunities, along with the impressive Tommy de la Cruz. Rollie Fingers may get a look in the Spring as well.
Some notes as we move through the final week of the season.
#Monday
Miami moved in front of Detroit by a half game in the AL Wild Card race behind a great start from Phenomenal Smith, whose return may be a difference maker for the Cuban Giants. Smith gave up 1 run in 7 innings, moving to 4-0. Hal Newhouser was good for Detroit, but an early homer from Gary Sheffield and a late one from Joe Adcock sealed the game for Miami.
Miami Cuban Giants
77-79
—
Detroit Wolverines
77-80
0.5
AL Wild Card
Cleveland was supposed to have an easy time of it, hosting the lowly Memphis Red Sox. But the Spiders’ bullpen collapsed, and they dropped a 9-8 decision to the visitors, who were powered by homers from Lefty O’Doul, Hack Wilson, and David Ortiz.
New York Black Yankees
89-67
—
Cleveland Spiders
87-69
2
Bill James Division
In a series that means more for Indianapolis than Philadelphia, the ABC’s opened with a decisive win, 15-8 over the Stars. Johnny Bench hit 2 out, and the game wasn’t as close as the score (Philadelphia tallied 5 in the 9th to make it more respectable).
Houston Colt 45s
81-75
—
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-79
3.5
Kansas City Monarchs
77-80
4.5
Marvin Miller Division
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-79
—
Kansas City Monarchs
77-80
1
Wandering House of David
76-81
2
NL Wild Card
#Tuesday
Detroit pulled back into a dead heat with Miami, pounding out 6 homeruns (2 from JD Martinez) in an 11-5 win. Ernie Lombardi, Tony Lazzeri, Oscar Gamble, and Ty Cobb also went deep for the Wolverines in an easy win for the visitors.
Detroit Wolverines
78-80
—
Miami Cuban Giants
77-80
0.5
AL Wild Card
Memphis did it again, beating Cleveland 4-2, and dropping the Spiders 2.5 games behind the Black Yankees. Homers from Reggie Smith and Wade Boggs backed a strong showing from Stubby Overmire, who moved to 13-9 on the year. The Spiders, however, remained only 2 games behind the Black Yankees as New York fell to San Francisco, 9-0, as Bump Hadley improved to 18-6 with a masterful 1-hitter.
New York Black Yankees
89-68
—
Cleveland Spiders
87-70
2
Bill James Division
Philadelphia stormed back from a 7-1 deficit, beating the ABC’s 8-7 on a pinch-hit walkoff shot from Aaron Judge–his 60th of the year–in a game that saw 2 grandslams, one from Indianapolis’ Ed Swartwood, the other from the Stars’ Charles Rogan. This was good news for Houston, who dropped a 9-8 decision to the New York Gothams, who were powered by 2 homeruns from Willie Mays. Houston remains 3.5 games ahead in the Marvin Miller Division.
Riding an excellent start from Rick Reuschel, the House of David pulled into a tie with Kansas City by defeating the Monarchs 3-1. Reuschel was supported by Ryne Sandberg‘s 40th homer of the year, and the win leaves both teams 1 game behind Indianapolis in the Wild Card race.
Houston Colt 45s
81-75
—
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-79
3.5
Kansas City Monarchs
77-80
4.5
Marvin Miller Division
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-80
—
Kansas City Monarchs
77-81
1
Wandering House of David
77-81
1
NL Wild Card
#Wednesday
What you see depends on where you stand: Miami fans will be miserable at their bullpen’s performance, as the Cuban Giants’ relievers surrendered 11 runs over the final 4 innings n an 11-8 loss to Detroit. Wolverines fans, of course, will be applauding the clutch performance of their team, led by Juan Beníquez‘ 4 hits and 3 RBI’s from Charlie Gehringer and Bob Bailey. The win moves Detroit 1.5 games up in the Wild Card chase.
Detroit Wolverines
79-80
—
Miami Cuban Giants
77-81
1.5
AL Wild Card
The Spiders are struggling, but they refuse to give up: a Larry Doby homerun and walkoff RBI single from John Ellis gave Cleveland a 9-8 win over Memphis, keeping them at least within touch of the Black Yankees for the Bill James Division crown. Willie McCovey hit his 15th homerun in 35 games, and Paul O’Neill (the first of his WBL career) and Ron Blomberg also went deep.
The Black Yankees fell to San Francisco, as Eddie Plank earned his 20th win of the season with 6 strong innings for the Sea Lions. San Francisco’s bullpen–Ken Howell, Joe Nathan, and closer Rod Beck–fanned 7 of the 9 batters they retired, with Beck earning his 40th save of the season.
New York Black Yankees
89-69
—
Cleveland Spiders
88-70
1
Bill James Division
Houston bounced back in a big way, using a phenomenal start from Ice Box Chamberlain and 7 homeruns to beat the Gothams, 9-2. Chamberlain allowed 1 hit in just under 8 innings, fanning 12 and 2 of the important cogs in the Colt 45’s late season surge–OF Gorman Thomas and C Will Smith–carried the team, twice launching back-to-back homeruns. Jim Wynn led off the game with a dinger, and Paul Goldschmidt and Jim O’Rourke also went deep.
The victory sealed the pennant for Houston, setting off raucous celebrations in the home dugout. It also meant all of the attention in the NL is now focused on the final Wild Card Spot, currently owned by Indianapolis, but with Kansas City and the House of David hot on their heels (and Homestead still hanging around with at least a mathematical chance).
After fighting back from a 6-1 deficit, Indianapolis suffered a gut-wrenching loss, falling to Philadelphia, 12-8. The Stars were led by homeruns from Sherm Lollar, Harmon Killebrew, Jung Ho Kang, and Sherry Magee.
Ryne Sandberg had 4 hits including a go-ahead solo homer in the bottom of the 8th as the House of David topped Kansas City, 6-5. Jack Taylor continued a late-season rebound with a solid start, but both bullpens struggled in this one. The victory moves the House of David into a dead heat with Indianapolis in the Wild Card chase, with Kansas City 1 game back.
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-81
—
Wandering House of David
78-81
—
Kansas City Monarchs
77-82
1
Homestead Grays
76-83
2
NL Wild Card
#Thursday
Miami just refuses to lose: Cleveland had taken the lead, 5-4 in the 6th inning, but the Cuban Giants scored 8 runs in their final 2 frames in a 12-6 victory. Miami pounded out 17 hits, led by 3 each from Jim Thome and Martín Dihigo. The game was never sure: Cuban Giants pitchers gave up 8 walks, so the Spiders had constant traffic on the basepaths. But they did just enough, with homeruns from Julio Rodríguez, Dihigo, Alejandro Oms, and Thome.
With the result, the Spiders drop to 1.5 games behind the Black Yankees and the Cuban Giants move to 1 game behind Detroit in the Wild Card race.
Detroit Wolverines
79-80
—
Miami Cuban Giants
78-81
1
AL Wild Card
Speaking of the Black Yankees … their bullpen continues to be their Achilles’ heel, with 4 relievers giving up 9 runs in 2.1 innings. Ouch. The big blows were homeruns from Jimmie Foxx and Bobby Bonds as San Francisco defeated New York, 13-10.
New York Black Yankees
89-70
—
Cleveland Spiders
88-71
1
Bill James Division
#Friday
The Black Yankees continue not to grab the Bill James Division by the throat, falling to lowly Baltimore 5-4 in the opening game of the final series of the season. Homers from Eddie Murray, Manny Machado, and a final go-ahead blast from Earl Averill gave the Black Sox the edge in another game that saw less than stellar performances from New York’s bullpen.
Two homers from Gary Sheffield carried Miami to a 5-4 win over Cleveland, preserving New York’s 1 game advantage, and keeping the pressure on Detroit. The Cuban Giants got another strong outing from Jim Whitney, and were able to fade a 9th inning comeback from the Spiders for the victory.
So what will Detroit do with their opportunity?
Play a game for the ages where they held leads of 3-1, 4-2, 9-5, and 10-6. And it was never enough as, after closer Mike Henneman was forced from the game with a back injury, Troy Percival came in and gave up a grand slam to Manny Ramírez and a walkoff shot to Gabby Hartnett. Both Ramírez and Hartnett had 2 homers in the game, while Al Kaline had 2 for Detroit. Kaline had 3 hits and 7 RBIs while Hartnett had 4 hits for Memphis. A true thriller of a game that leaves everything pretty much undecided.
New York Black Yankees
89-71
—
Cleveland Spiders
88-72
1
Bill James Division
Detroit Wolverines
79-81
—
Miami Cuban Giants
79-81
—
AL Wild Card
The House of David fell to Houston 8-2, as all eyes turned to the 4 game series between Indianapolis and Kansas City.
Kansas City’s Smokey Joe Wood and the ABC’s’ Luis Padrón squared off in the series opener and while each pitched well, neither were involved in the decision. Instead, after a 2 run shot from Ducky Medwick tied the game, Kansas City won it on a sacrifice fly from Dale Murphy in the bottom of the 9th. So Padrón fails in his attempt to win his 24th game of the year and, more importantly, Kansas City forces a 3 way dead heat for the final Wild Card spot.
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-82
—
Wandering House of David
78-82
—
Kansas City Monarchs
77-82
—
Homestead Grays
76-84
2
NL Wild Card
#Saturday
Memphis keeps embracing their role as spoiler while relying on a handful of late season call ups. In this case, Bucky Walters gave a good starting performance, Lefty O’Doul had 3 hits, and Wayne Causey drove in 2 with an 8th inning single for a 5-3 victory over Detroit.
It sure looks like Miami has found a key part of their rotation: Phenomenal Smith improved to 5-0, combining with Ricky Nolasco on a 3 hit shutout of Cleveland. Smith struck out 10 before yielding to Nolasco, for the last 2 outs. Martín Dihigo drove in 2 runs, continuing his second half surge.
Miami moves a full game ahead of Detroit for the Wild Card slot, and Cleveland falls 1.5 games behind the Black Yankees for the Bill James Division title, with New York’s magic number reduce to 1.
And then it was none. New York topped Baltimore 11-7 behind homers from Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, and Roger Maris, giving the Black Yankees their first Bill James Division title.
Miami Cuban Giants
80-81
—
Detroit Wolverines
79-82
1
AL Wild Card
Oh boy … Indianapolis has nobody to blame but themselves.
Behind a great start from Johnny Cueto and 3 RBI’s from Oscar Charleston, the ABC’s took a 6-2 lead into the bottom of the 9th, with their closer, Rob Dibble, on the mound. Dibble got one out, and then 16 of his next 20 pitches missed the strike zone, resulting in 4 consecutive walks, scoring a run. Rob Murphy relieved Dibble, and an RBI groundout and 2 wild pitches later, the game was tied at 6.
Cool Papa Bell walked in the bottom of the 10th, stole second, and scored on a hit from Ozzie Smith, moving Kansas City a game ahead in the Wild Card race.
#Sunday
The final day of the season leaves both final Wild Card spots up for grabs: in the AL, Miami has a 1 game lead over Detroit and in the NL, Kansas City has the edge over both Indianapolis and the House of David.
Miami was unable to clinch it: Larry Doby became the 2nd player in WBL history (and the first in the AL) to hit 4 homeruns in a game, driving in 7 as Cleveland topped the Cuban Giants, 13-7. That leaves Miami’s fate in the hands of Detroit later in the day.
Detroit used a mix of the old reliable–2 homeruns from Al Kaline and 1 from Ty Cobb–and the newly acquired (a strong start from Connie Johnson and key innings from Steve Howe and Troy Percival) to beat Memphis, 8-4.
And so, we finish in a dead heat.
Miami Cuban Giants
80-82
—
Detroit Wolverines
80-82
—
AL Wild Card
Eppa Rixey combined with 4 relievers (including an important 1.2 innings from Doc Mitchell), leading the ABC’s to a 7-3 win over Kansas City, meaning Indianapolis and the Monarchs finish with identical 79-83 records. The only question is if the House of David will join them in a 3-way tie for the final playoff spot.
Nope.
The House of David tried valiantly, and even outhit Houston, 10-8, but they fell to the Colt 45’s, 10-9 in a game that saw Tony Gwynn rap out 3 hits, reaching 200 on the season. Richie Hebner, Ryne Sandberg, and Anthony Rizzo each had 2 hits, but they didn’t get enough support as the House of David season ends, falling just short of the postseason.
#Monday
So, two playoff games, winner makes the postseason.
#AL
First up, we have Miami visiting Detroit.
The Cuban Giants will turn to Hugh McQuillan who, despite being roughed up in his last start, has been solid for Miami. If he struggles early, look for Jim Whitney to try to give the team some innings on short rest. For Detroit, Pete Conway will take the mound, also on a pretty short leash.
Ty Cobb may be almost universally disliked, but his baseball talent cannot be denied: he launched a 3 run homer in the top of the first and a grand slam in the 2nd, helping Detroit to a 9-0 lead after 2 innings.
Conway, meanwhile, had allowed a single run on 3 hits through 5, and left after 6 with the score 13-2.
Miami scored 3 in the 9th, but fell well short, 14-5. In the end, a just result, as Detroit really feels like the better team. Still, the Cuban Giants went from being the worst team in the league to being this close to the playoffs: a good year for them.
Cobb finished with 2 homers and 7 RBIs, and Al Kaline, Charlie Gehringer, Ernie Lombardi, and Hank Greenberg each also went deep. There was some bad news on Greenberg, who will be out of action for a few days with a leg injury.
#NL
Indianapolis would turn to Doc White while Kansas City gave the start to young Matt Morris.
Kansas City took an early lead on Albert Pujols‘ second homerun of the game, pulling ahead 6-3 after 3 innings, with the ABC’s runs coming on longballs from George Foster and Chris Sabo.
Morris was OK–not great, but not bad–until Tommy Helms singled and scored on a double from Barry Larkin in the top of the 4th. A Bob Bescher walk put runners on the corner, and fetched Frank Castillo from the bullpen. The move backfired as Sabo and Oscar Charleston singled and, after a couple of outs, Johnny Bench brought home 2 with a single of his own, giving Indianapolis an 8-7 lead. Foster followed with his 2nd dinger of the game, extending the lead to 10-7 and chasing Castillo. His successor, Bob Shawkey, gave upa solo shot to Helms and when all of the dust settled, the ABC’s had scored 8 and were up 11-7.
The ABC’s coasted from there, riding additional homeruns by Ed Charles and Sabo to a 15-8 win, powering Indianapolis into the postseason. Sabo drove in 5 and Foster 4, with each of them notching 3 hits on the day.
Kansas City had ridden its pitching staff all year; here their arms betrayed them, surrendering 14 hits and 15 runs.
There is a ton of offensive talent here, but it falls off drastically, and suffers from a lot of positional overlap. Add in downright poor pitching, and you have the worst team in the Bill James Division.
It’s not clear where Memphis goes, but it certainly looks like trading some of their positional depth for some pitching should be on the table.
THE OFFENSE
It’s a top heavy team, with some true standout talent.
#What’s Going Right
Ted Williams is an elite talent, and while his 298/412/619 slash line doesn’t move him into the absolute top tier, at 22 there is quite some room for improvement.
Manny Ramírez has stepped up dramatically from last year, leading the team with 42 HRs and 2nd behind Williams in RBI. Ramírez’ OPS has hovered around 1.000 all season, powered by a SLG in the mid .600’s.
David Ortiz has essentially displaced Bill White at 1B, slashing 286/370/680 in just over 300 PAs.
Gabby Hartnett is an excellent offensive C, posting an OPS in the mid 800’s with 37 HRs and his backup, Billy Bryan, has been even better offensively, with 14 HRs in 140 PA’s.
For a 20 year old, Dobie Moore‘s debut has to be considered a success, slashing 291/352/427 while playing across the IF.
#What’s Not Going Right
OF Mookie Betts and 3B Wade Boggs have been fine, but the Red Sox need more if they are going to compete.
Nobody getting a ton of playing time has really been awful offensively, although only Iván De Jesús‘ defensive flexibility has kept him in the league.
The positional distribution remains unsolved: Ortiz, White, and Travis Shaw all seem to be reasonable WBL alternatives at 1B, and the leading young talent (Hack Wilson and Lefty O’Doul) play the same positions as Reggie Smith, Betts, Ramírez, and Williams.
THE PITCHING
When your best pitcher is a middling middle reliever (Tommy de la Cruz, whose 6.20 ERA belies some very good supporting numbers), you’re in trouble.
#What’s Going Right
That is a little unfair to Stubby Overmire, who leads the team with 11 wins and looks like an excellent #2 or #3 rotation starter being asked to be a #1.
Andrew Miller‘s been solid out of the bullpen with a 7-8 record, 3 saves, and 11 holds while leading the WBL in appearances.
#What’s Not Going Right
Everything else.
David Bush, Len Barker, and Jon Lester have all failed to impress, with Bush (8-8, 6.82) being the best of a bad lot.
Some of the other hurlers given opportunities, especially Eddie Cicotte and Nixey Callahan, have been unbelievably bad.
There is some help, as Memphis has a middle-of-the-road farm system, with some strong talent that is blocked at the WBL level (all the more trade fodder for some pitching).
OFs Dwight Evans, Hack Wilson, Willie Crawford, Roy Thomas, Lefty O’Doul, and Carl Yastrzemski all look to have high ceilings. On the IF, it’s a bit more sparse, with Candy Jim Taylor and Joe Cunningham leading the way.
There is also some potential on the mound. Sadie McMahon remains well regarded despite his struggles, and he, Jim Kaat, Josh Beckett, and Nathan Eovaldi should all be given some long looks in the Spring.
WHAT’S NEEDED
A re-distribution of the talent, using some of the excess to bring some arms to town.
Storylines to Watch
Key Questions from Spring Training
Who is going to fill out the rotation and the bullpen? Remains totally unanswered.
Memphis’ scouts are agog over Dobie Moore, but scouts don’t play the game: is Moore the real thing and, if so, what happens to Vern Stephens? Moore looks to be the real thing, and Stephens was pretty bad, eventually moving on to Brooklyn (where, it must be said, he has flourished) for a 4th round pick.
Sosa was moved out, essentially for Gabby Hartnett, putting more pressure on the OF the step up. Hartnett is doing well, and the last thing the Red Sox need is more OF talent.
FEATURED SERIES
Since the Cuban Giants still have an outside shot at the playoffs, we’ll use the opportunity to focus on the Red Sox’s visit to Miami for a 4 game set at the start of the week.
Projected Starters
Memphis starter listed first, although I would expect at least a few of these to change.
David Bush (8-8, 6.82) @ Cole Hamels (11-10, 5.88) Stubby Overmire (11-9, 4.81) @ Jim Whitney (8-6, 3.90) Len Barker (10-12, 5.07) @ Phenomenal Smith (2-0, 1.93) TBA @ Hugh McQuillan (4-3, 4.82)
Just because it will make the end of the year far more interesting, let’s go with a 3-1 series win for Miami.
Game One
The Red Sox used 2 homeruns from Dustin Pedroia and just enough from their bullpen to take game 1, 8-6.
Memphis took the lead on a 2 run homer from Gabby Hartnett, but 2 wild pitches from David Bush (one in the 2nd, one in the 3rd) tied the game at 2.
Pedroia’s first homer, in the top of the 5th, put Memphis back on top. The Red Sox hit 3 out of the park in the 7th, getting homers from David Ortiz, Pedroia again, and Manny Ramírez. That gave the Red Sox an 8-2 lead, which should have been enough …
Except, Sadie McMahon, in relief of Bush, imploded, giving up 4 runs before being relieved by Andrew Miller. Miller, however, was effective, earning his 12th hold of the year, and Tommy de la Cruz closed the door for his 5th save as Memphis played spoiler to Miami’s Wild Card chase.
MEM 8 (Taylor 11-10) @ MCG 6 (Mathewson 7-15) HRs: MEM – Hartnett (38), Pedroia 2 (4), Ortiz (32), Ramírez (43); MCG – Oliver (8). Box Score
Game Two
Dean Chance got the start for Memphis in game 2 and was actually quite good. Unfortunately for Memphis, Miami’s Jim Whitney was better, allowing 3 hits and 1 run over 7 innings–a solo shot from Ted Williams in the top of the 1st–as the Cuban Giants edged the Red Sox, 6-1.
Miami got longballs from Julio Rodríguez, Jim Thome, and Joe Adcock in the victory.
MEM 1 (Chance 0-1) @ MCG 6 (Whitney 4-4, George 1 H) HRs: MEM- Williams (40); MCG – J. Rodríguez (37), Thome (54), Adcock (2). Box Score
Game Three
Bucky Walters would get the start for Memphis, with Miami countering with Phenomenal Smith, whose return from injury has come at just the right time for the Cuban Giants.
Memphis jumped on Smith in the top of the 1st with Bill White–whose playing time has declined regularly over the season–hitting a 3 run homerun. Miami tied the game in the 3rd with a 3 run homerun from Julio Rodríguez.
The Red Sox took the lead on a sacrifice fly from Wade Boggs in the top of the 5th, but 4 consecutive hits–doubles from Alejandro Oms, Rodríguez and Yasiel Puig wrapped around a single from José Canseco–chased Walters and gave the Cuban Giants a 6-4 advantage.
The Red Sox would score again, but not enough as Miami edged it, 7-6. Rodríguez continued his hot streak with 3 hits and 4 RBI’s, and the revamped Miami bullpen closed it out, this time with Ricky Nolasco getting the hold and Jonathan Papelbon his 8th save since coming over to the Cuban Giants.
MEM 6 (Walters 0-3) @ MCG 7 (Smith 3-0, Papelbon 8 Sv, Looper 10 H, Nolasco 3 H) HRs: MEM – White (23); MCG – Rodríguez (38). Box Score
Game 4
So this one matters as a series win would impact the post-season picture. Memphis would trot out their best starter, last year’s ERA champ, Stubby Overmire while Miami would counter with the impressive, but essentially untried, Hugh McQuillan.
Or, the once impressive, as the Red Sox jumped on him for 6 runs in 5 innings, and then pounded his relief, Don Wilson, for 4 more in an 11-3 rout.
The offensive onslaught was led by Ted Williams‘s 3 hits, but almost everyone got involved, with Williams, Lefty O’Doul, Wade Boggs, Mookie Betts, and Travis Shaw each going deep. Pair that with Overmire’s solid 7 innings, giving up 4 hits and 3 runs and–most surprisingly for Red Sox fans–2 scoreless innings in relief from Nixey Callahan–and you have an easy victory for Memphis and a vital defeat for Miami.
MEM 11 (Overmire 12-9) – MCG 3(McQuillan 4-4) HRs: MEM – Williams (41), O’Doul (2), Boggs (10), Betts (25), Shaw (18); MCG: Canseco (65). Box Score
The series split is a solid result for Memphis as it continues to give some of its young players time; a far more disappointing result for Miami, who look to fall just short of the postseason.
Manny Machado and Cal Ripken, Jr. each hit 2 out and the Black Sox held on for dear life in a 16-13 win over Detroit.
In the minor leagues, P George Blaeholder and OF Mike Devereaux retired, as did major league arm RA Dickey. Dickey’s time in Baltimore wasn’t great–to date it encompasses 33 innings, a 1-2 record, and an ERA approaching 9.00. Even for a knuckleballer, though, 42 is a ripe old age in the grand old game.
#Cleveland Spiders
Closer Terry Adams began a rehab stint and should rejoin the Spiders by the end of the week. Claude Passeau was returned to AAA in exchange for Chuck Porter, who seems to have successfully transitioned to a long relief/starting role.
A key arm in the Spiders’ bullpen, Cory Gearrin, will miss about a week, prompting Adams’ recall. Another arm hit the DL, but Willis Hudlin–who tore his rotator cuff–is less likely to be missed, having pitched only a handful of innings after a solid season at AAA. Passeau was called back up to take Hudlin’s spot.
Joe Sewell continues to make a name for himself, as the young backup had 5 hits in a 10-4 victory over Chicago. With the win, Cleveland pulls into a tie with the New York Black Yankees for first place in the Bill James Division.
The dead heat with New York continued as Larry Doby hit 3 homeruns leading the Spiders to an 8-5 come from behind victory over Detroit.
Lance Berkman drove in 6 with 2 homeruns as the Spiders beat Detroit, 13-2. Bob Feller improved to 12-3 with a strong 6 innings, and Arky Vaughan had 4 hits, scored 4 times, and drove in 3.
#Detroit Wolverines
Tony Lazzeri hit the rehab circuit as he tries to make it back to Detroit in time for the playoffs.
Pete Conway was named to the Wolverines’ rotation.
Hank Greenberg had 2 homeruns, but despite that and 4 hits and 4 RBIs from Bob Bailey, the Wolverines fell to Baltimore, 16-13.
OFs Wally Moses and Bill Bruton announced their retirement.
Joe Wood has done fine as a utility player for Detroit, but as they push towards the postseason, Ray Chapman‘s incandescent start to his WBL career has led to the Wolverines sending Wood to AAA as they recall Lazzeri.
#Memphis Red Sox
Gabby Hartnett hit 2 homeruns and the Red Sox topped San Francisco, 8-7.
#New York Black Yankees
Roy Evans was returned to AAA, with Art Ditmar being recalled from AA as the Black Yankees continue to try to tweak their staff.
Three decent bats retired from the Black Yankees’ minor league system, with Red Rolfe, Hal Chase, and Sam Rice all hanging up the cleats, with Rolfe and Chase planning to throw their hats into the ring as coaches.
Babe Ruth hit 2 out, but the Black Yankees’ bullpen couldn’t hold onto a lead late, despite another solid outing from Tony Brizzolara, as they fell to Los Angeles, 11-6. Ruth did it again, taking back the WBL homerun lead, but once more the bullpen collapsed and the Black Yankees fell to Memphis, 7-6.
Mike Schmidt launched 2 deep shots of his own and Eric Davis, Thurman Munson, and Mickey Mantle joined him with homeruns as the Black Yankees beat Memphis in the series finale, 11-7.
