The American Giants swept San Francisco at home to close the week — 14-7, 8-5, 6-3 — and scored 50 runs in 7 games, the most in the division. An encouraging sign for a franchise at a crossroads this season.
Chino Smith did a lot of the damage: 2 homers at Detroit in an x-y win/loss, then 3 hits and a 2-run shot in the first game of the sweep.
Sam Streeter struck out 10 in 5 innings in the opening victory over the Sea Lions, and veteran soft-tosser Jamie Moyer has quietly been effective early, winning 2 out of the bullpen over the 1st week.
Miami Cuban Giants
Julio Rodríguez was injured running the bases on the 3rd and is on the disabled list — a serious blow, as the 20-year-old center fielder hit 42 homers with a 1.008 OPS last season. Mark Kotsay was recalled, and will see time in the OF with CF largely being patrolled by Yasiel Puig and Andy Pafko in JRod’s absence.
Portland Sea Dogs
Huston Street was signed as a FA and put to work immediately, working 2 scoreless innings in a 5-3 win over Baltimore. Harry Matuzak was optioned to AAA Seattle to make room for Street.
Walter Johnson struck out 10 over 6 innings in an 11-9 win at Los Angeles, with Bobby Murcer collecting 4 hits and 4 RBIs and Ken Griffey Jr hitting a 3-run homer.
San Francisco Sea Lions
Five losses in 6 games, and a sweep in Chicago to finish, leaves the Sea Lions last in the division at 2-5. Wait, what?
The bats have not been the problem. In the 14-7 loss that opened the sweep in Chicago, Jimmie Foxx hit 2 solo homers and Bobby Bonds had 3 hits and a 2-run shot. Bonds’ blast flew 459 ft, the longest home run struck in the division this week.
Aaron Heilman will miss about a week with a shoulder sprain, with the Sea Lions recalling Tim Hudson from his rehab stint to take Heilman’s place in the bullpen.
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.
Two years ago the Cuban Giants were the worst team in the league; last year they were in a playoff race into the final week and finished 80-83, 2nd in the Cum Posey Division, and nobody — inside the building or out — is entirely sure if this is progress or illusion.
Here is what isn’t in dispute. Miami hit an enormous number of home runs in the power-happy 2001 environment. José Canseco hit 68 of them, Jim Thome 59, Gary Sheffield and 20-year-old Julio Rodríguez 42 apiece, and 7 different men hit 28 or more. The lineup is young, deep and distributed — Iván Rodríguez won a Gold Glove behind the plate at 21, Alejandro Oms led the club at .308 at 22, Yasiel Puig slugged .658 in 100 games. So, unlike 2000 (when it was Canseco largely by himself), this is no longer a one-star team.
Still this is not an elite group the deeper you look. Canseco’s 68 homers amassed only 1.7 WAR, and — with one historically notable exception — the defense is not great.
So the season turns on the run prevention, and specifically on the rotation, which is José Méndez and then a lot of uncertainty. Méndez made 37 starts, threw 233 innings, struck out 201 and was worth 7.5 wins in a league whose average ERA was 5.38. Behind him: Jim Whitney, an All-AL Team pick acquired midseason and then pure projection and hope.
▌ 2001 Revisited
The bar a year ago was stunningly low: to no longer be considered one of the absolute worst teams in the league would be a nice start. They cleared it in the first month and spent the rest of the summer embarrassing the forecast.
The best case asked for Canseco to repeat and for someone — Molitor, Sheffield, Oms, “or even Puig” — to join him. What actually happened is that nearly everyone did (other than Molitor, who was moved for Pudge, sort of). Thome put up a 1.034 OPS. Sheffield hit 42. Puig hit 298/388/658. And J. Rodríguez, who came into camp with no realistic shot at the roster, took center field on Opening Day and hit 315/347/661 at 20.
The other half of that best case was a front of the rotation built from Camilo Pascual, Freddie Fitzsimmons and Méndez, with Cole Hamels joining them. Méndez delivered. Pascual made 5 starts and blew out a knee. Fitzsimmons was awful, Hamels only slightly better.
And one question got answered: we asked whether Eustaquio Pedroso and Martín Dihigo could carry the 2-way experiment far enough to justify it. Pedroso hit worse than anyone on the roster and abandoned the bat, but maintained the late-inning flexibility. Dihigo, who at 18 was arguably the worst-hitting regular in the league, climbed to 246/291/429 and stole 39 bases — still not a good hitter, and the most interesting player in the organization anyway largely due to his gold glove potential at a half-dozen positions.
▌ Key Changes
In: CC Sabathia (HOD) Out: —
Opening Day Rookies:None
▌ Best Case for 2002
The bats hold and the arms arrive. Canseco and Thome do it again, J. Rodríguez proves 2001 wasn’t a fluke, Puig turns 100 good games into 150, and Iván Rodríguez adds the bat to the glove at 22.
Behind Méndez and Whitney, 2 of the question marks answer: Pascual comes back from the knee, Phenomenal Smith turns 5 starts of 1.98 ball into a season, and CC Sabathia — 179 innings for a bad House of David club — finds the form that made him worth acquiring. Hamels is the interesting one: a 6.18 ERA with 168 strikeouts and 2.3 WAR.
Do that and the squinting stops. This is a young roster with a real ace, and the difference between 80 wins and 90 seems attainable.
▌ Worst Case for 2002
The bats come back to earth. Canseco’s .705 slugging settles toward the middle, the outfield defense keeps leaking, and the same offense produces 15 fewer wins because the run environment normalized rather than because anyone got worse.
Meanwhile the rotation stays what it was. Pascual’s knee doesn’t hold, Sabathia pitches like he did last year (5-15, a 5.78, replacement level), Ramón Martínez gives back another 134 innings of 7.17, and the middle innings — already the org’s stated area of concern — go on being handed to whoever didn’t make the rotation.
▌ Key Questions
How much of 2001 was the ballpark? The honest answer is: some, and nobody knows how much. 7 men over 28 home runs is a real lineup or a park effect wearing a costume, and Miami will spend the summer finding out which. The tell to watch isn’t the homer totals — it’s the WAR underneath them, which last year said “good, not great.”
Is there a rotation behind Méndez/Whitney? He is a genuine ace and a workhorse, and Whitney may be similar. But the questions beyond that need to be answered.
Does the flexibility matter? Dihigo has started at 7 positions, Yount is a shortstop with an outfield move already being discussed, Sheffield isn’t really a third baseman at all, and the 2-way experiments seem amusing, but little more than that.
▌ Roster Evaluation
Tier = the player’s 2001 positional grade (S best → F worst; color coded S A B C D F). Bold names carry a substantive WBL track; italic names are pure projection — a hope, not a grade — with no qualifying track to anchor them.
Pos
Players
C
I. Rodríguez C · Hoiles
1B
Thome A · Adcock
2B
Dihigo C · Roberts
SS
Yount B
3B
Sheffield A · Branyan
LF
Oms C · Pafko
CF
J. Rodríguez A
RF
Puig B
DH
Canseco A
SP
Méndez A · Whitney A · Smith · Pascual · Hamels F · Sabathia D
RP
Papelbon C (CL) · Marte · Colomé · Pedroso · Wilson
Dihigo is 19 and the cells can’t hold him: he has started at 7 positions, plays a Gold Glove infield, stole 39 bases, and still hasn’t learned to hit. Jonathan Papelbon has the 9th inning, acquired at the deadline in a burst of playoff belief that cost the org a blue-chip arm in Josh Beckett — and Ricky Nolasco, who saved 26 games last year, opens this one at Triple-A trying to become a starter.
▌ Talent Ratings
WBL
Minors
Raw Power
RF José Canseco
1B Steve Balboni
Batting Eye
1B Jim Thome
RF Carlos Morán
Contact
SS Robin Yount
2B Nellie Fox
Running Speed
2B Martín Dihigo
CF Marquis Grissom
Base Stealing
SP Phenomenal Smith
SS Bert Campaneris; RP Dan Collins
IF Defense
2B Martín Dihigo
2B Luis Castillo
OF Defense
RF Yasiel Puig
CF Marquis Grissom
Stuff
RP Dámaso Marte
RP Francis Martes
Control
SP Jim Whitney
RP Craig Lefferts
Velocity
RP Jonathan Papelbon
RP Tyler Clippard
▌ Best In The Minors
Rank
Age
Pos
Name
1 (44)
21
SP
Scott Olsen
2 (49)
24
LF
Jason Bay
3 (55)
19
CL
Pedro Martínez
4 (60)
20
SS
Jack Glasscock
5 (91)
22
CF
José Cruz
Others: OF Carlos Morán, P Lefty George, OF Minnie Miñoso, IF Zoilo Versalles.
This system turns over as fast as the roster does: a year ago the list was headed by Josh Beckett and J. Rodríguez with Jon Matlack 3rd, and all 3 are gone — Beckett to Memphis, Rodríguez into the everyday center-field job, Matlack to the House of David for Sabathia.
What replaced them is arm-heavy and young: Scott Olsen, Jason Bay, and a 19-year-old Pedro Martínez making his A ball debut. Lefty George took the organizational Minor League Pitcher of the Year and Carlos Morán is the name the club talks about as Sheffield’s eventual replacement at third.
▌ Superlatives
Most
Least
Age
Joe Adcock, 40
Ed Seward, 18
Height
CC Sabathia, 6’7″
Phenomenal Smith, 5’6″
OPS
Carlos Quentin, 1.082 (AA)
Willie Kamm, .567 (AA)
HR
José Canseco, 68
Luis Castillo, 1 (AA)
SB
Carlos Morán, 52 (AAA)
–
WAR (bat)
Bob Loane, 4.6 (AA)
Cookie Rojas, −2.8
W
Don Wilson, 13 (AA)
–
SV
Jonathan Papelbon, 28
–
ERA
Gary Gentry, 3.07 (AA)
Ramón Martínez, 7.17
WAR (pit)
José Méndez, 7.5
CC Sabathia, −0.0
Stats across all levels, 2001 season. 200 PA / 75 IP minimum. Non-WBL levels tagged in parentheses.
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.
80 - 83, .491 pct.
2nd in Cum Posey Division, 23.5 GB
Overall
This was a surprising season for Miami–most pundits thought they were several years away from contention, so being in the race for a playoff spot into the last week of the season was quite the shock.
It’s not even so clear how the Cuban Giants did it: turns out a lot of homeruns, some strikeout pitchers, and some solid defense will win a few games. Miami still finished under .500, so it’s not like they’re about to contend for the championship, but still … it was a significant step forward.
There are some pieces here, but unless the pitching staff comes around, the nearly .500 finish is probably the best predictor of the future. So some moves may be made.
What Went Right
José Canseco‘s power is a thing to behold, demonstrated by 68 homeruns and 124 RBIs this year. A few dozen more hits would move him into the truly elite outfielders, but even without that, his 1.062 OPS make him a franchise cornerstone.
That said, it’s not like Jim Thome or Yasiel Puig are far behind. Puig’s 298/388/658 performance occurred in 100 games, so there are still some questions about his ability to perform next season, but Thome looked every bit the star, finishing the year with a 1.034 OPS, 59 homeruns, and 122 RBIs.
Julio Rodríguez was a surprise starter coming out of Spring Training and he delivered in the biggest of ways: 315/347/661 with 42 homeruns.
Gary Sheffield has a shot at being an offensive force, with 42 homeruns in what the team hopes is a sign of things to come.
Iván Rodríguez is one of the best young catchers in the league, managing an .840 OPS with elite defense as a 21 year old.
Joe Adcock, Al Oliver, and Andy Pafko were all remarkably effective as part-time contributors. At 40, Adcock may be just about done, but Oliver and Pafko certainly factor into the Cuban Giants’ plans next season.
At only 21, Alejandro Oms led the team with a .308 average while playing spectacular defense.
Robin Yount had an OPS over .800 at SS, and is just entering his prime.
And then there’s Martín Dihigo. Perhaps the worst offensively performing regular in the league last season, Dihigo slugged a still-not-great 246/291/429, but the increase in power is a great sign for Miami. Add to that Dihigo’s ability to play Gold Glove level defense at virtually every position, and the Cuban Giants have a fairly unique talent.
José Méndez is establishing himself as a WBL ace. This year, he went 13-6 with a 4.53 ERA over 37 starts, so most definitely a workhorse, with a chance at elite status.
But Méndez may not be the best starter on the staff: that honor may go to midseason acquisition Jim Whitney, who finished the year with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP over 200 innings.
Beyond that, though, the starters were not good. That’s not quite true–Hugh McQuillan was solid in 10 starts and Phenomenal Smith was, um, yes, that, in 5. But the rest … well, see below.
Ricky Nolasco was fine as the closer, finishing the year with 26 saves. The Cuban Giants obtained Jonathan Papelbon towards the end of the season, giving them excellent options at the end of the bullpen.
ALL STARSJosé CansecoGary Sheffield
MAJOR AWARDSJosé Méndez, All AL Team
Iván Rodríguez, AL C Gold Glove
Jim Thome, All AL Team
Jim Whitney, All AL Team
RECOGNITIONSMartín Dihigo, AL 21 & Under Team
Kenshin Kawakami, AL All Rookie 2nd Team
José Méndez, AL Brock Rutherford Award 3rd Place; AL 25 & Under Team; AL 23 & Under Team
Alejandro Oms, AL 21 & Under Team
Andy Pafko, AL All Rookie Team
Jonathan Papelbon, All AL 3rd Team; AL Over 30 Team
Yasiel Puig, All AL 3rd Team
Iván Rodríguez, AL 23 & Under Team; AL 21 & Under Team
Julio Rodríguez, AL All Rookie 2nd Team
Jim Whitney, AL All Rookie Team; AL 25 & Under Team
ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDSJosé Canseco, MVP
José Méndez, Pitcher of the Year
Alejandro Oms, Heart & Soul
Yasiel Puig, Fan Favorite
Lefty George, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Bob Loane, Minor League Player of the Year
What Went Wrong
Cookie Rojas couldn’t get his OPS over .700, making him one of the weakest regulars in the league by WAR and likely moving him to a utility role next season.
Eustaquio Pedroso hit even worse than Rojas, eventually abandoning his role as a 2-way player.
Smoky Burgess, a key bat off the bench last year, slashed 226/304/315, and may have played himself to AAA.
Most of the starters were not good, with Cole Hamels and, notably, Ramón Martínez being especially weak despite a ton of opportunities. But Steven Wright, Freddie Fitzsimmons, and Camilo Pascual were all horrid in at least 5 starts (Pascual, it must be said, made only 5 starts before a severe knee injury sidelined him–he should be back in the Spring).
Barry Latman and Ed Brandt were pretty bad from the bullpen, and the rest of the contenders–most notably Pedroso and Braden Looper–barely any better. Middle relief is an area of strong concern going into next season.
Transactions
March
IF Paul Molitor, OF Vladimir Guerrero, C Alan Ashby & 2nd Round Pick to POR for C Iván Rodríguez, P Jon Matlack, OF Adolis García, OF Al Oliver, 1st Round Pick & 4th Round Pick.
A huge deal, but looks pretty good quite honestly. Pudge is a great young talent, Oliver was useful at the WBL this year, Matlack has a future, plus the 2 picks … yes, Guerrero looks like a franchise outfielder, but that’s a pretty good deal imo.
July
OF Ryan Braun, IF Richie Sexson & 7th Round Pick to BBB for P Jim Whitney, OF Andy Pafko, OF José Cruz & 2nd Round Pick.
Looks good. Sure Braun is a solid talent, but power hitting corner OFers, even at his level, are less rare than possible aces, which Whitney sure looks like. Add in Pafko and the pick, and I like this for Miami.
August
P Josh Beckett, OF Roy Thomas & 3rd Round Pick to MEM for P Jonathan Papelbon & 4th Round Pick
This one looks fine now, but I suspect Miami may regret it once Beckett (and perhaps Thomas) are in the WBL full time.
Positional Overview
C
Pudge has this locked up.
Smoky Burgess and Chris Hoiles will likely compete for the backup role in the Spring.
1B
As long as Jim Thome‘s power holds out, his low average is fine.
It’s not clear who backs him up–a lot of people can play first if needs be, and Joe Adcock, at 40, may not hold onto his roster spot. Steve Balboni probably has the most power in the system, but his swing has some pretty big holes in it as well.
This is a position where Minnie Miñoso, the eternal prospect, may contribute as well.
2B
This is Dihigo’s primary position, with Cookie Rojas looking good as his backup. But Rojas was so poor this system, the door is open for Bert Campaneris, Nellie Fox, or Tito Fuentes to make some noise in the Spring.
Clete Boyer is the same age as Dihigo, but is a more usual prospect, and at 19 is probably still in need of a season or 4 in the minors.
SS
Robin Yount all day. Zoilo Versalles has some talent, and Alexei Ramírez seems to have some strong defensive talent, but this is Yount for now.
3B
Another position that moved from unknown to settled, with Gary Sheffield likely to get a lot of play here. Sheffield isn’t great with the glove–and in fact may be better suited for an OF role–so Miami is looking at options, with Russell Branyan, Willie Kamm, and Kevin Kouzmanoff being the primary short term options.
Carlos Morán may be a year away, but he is the most likely choice for Sheffield’s eventual successor.
LF/RF
There are a lot of options here, but it looks like Alejandro Oms and Yasiel Puig will see most of the time, with José Canseco getting some games as well. But Al Oliver and Andy Pafko had excellent seasons, and Jason Bay and Minnie Miñoso are waiting in the wings.
CF
J-Rod just never stopped performing, and the job is now his. Oliver will play here, as will Pafko, and there is some talent in the system, most notably in the form of José Cardenal and Marquis Grissom.
DH
José Canseco most days, with most everyone else filling in occasionally.
SP
Jim Whitney and José Méndez are a great top 2 to build around, but there are a ton of question marks beyond them. The next 2 slots are likely to go to Phenomenal Smith and Camilo Pascual, with Smith yet to complete a full season and Pascual trying to come back from knee surgery.
And then we have Cole Hamels, who hasn’t done much over 2 seasons; Kenshin Kawakami, who pitched well before getting injured; Ramón Martínez, who is looking to bounce back from a horrible season; plus a handful of prospects (Jason Hammel, Ed Whitson, Lefty George, Hugh McQuillan, Freddie Fitzsimmons, and a few more).
RP
Papelbon becomes the closer, with Nolasco sliding into a setup role (with some even arguing he try his hand in the rotation). Braden Looper will help out here, as will whomever doesn’t make the rotation.
Always nice to have the overall #1 pick. Given the state of pitching, look for Miami to lean towards Amos Rusie or Pedro Martinez, but the overall skill of Rod Carew and the sheer power of Jim Rice are both pretty enticing.
Obviously, the focus is on the Whirled Series, which starts today. We’ll have a preview and then a post covering each of the series locations, depending on how far it goes.
Some other news of note is included here, by team. OK. One piece of news.
#Miami Cuban Giants
RP Sandy Consuegra announced his retirement. Consuegra had periods of effectiveness during both seasons, but also had enough miserable outings to end his career with an ERA over 7.00 over roughly 80 games. At age 37, the writing was on the wall, and he retires with a 5-12 record and 4 saves, and a 1.2 WAR, which you have to imagine is largely from just being willing to chew up innings.
With the American Giants still looking for some help at 1B going into next year, they recalled the newly signed Dick Wakefield. Michael McKenry was sent down to make room.
In their final game, Freddie Lindstrom went 4 for 4, driving in 4 with 2 homeruns leading the American Giants to a 10-5 victory over Portland. Joe Jackson, Dick Allen, and Kevin Mitchell each went deep for Chicago as well.
#Los Angeles Angels
The Angels will turn over starting duties to a bevy of new names this week, with Luke Walker, Julio Teheran (who has been impressive in a few starts after 56 bullpen appearances), Vic Willis, Harry Howell, and Nolan Ryan all expected to get a chance starting games.
Carlos Delgado hit 2 homers in a 5-3 loss to San Francsico.
#Miami Cuban Giants
Gary Sheffield‘s return from injury means less time for Andy Pafko, despite Pafko’s solid performance. Bert Campaneris was recalled for the final week of the season, although his appearances may be limited as the Cuban Giants push for a surprise Wild Card spot.
#Portland Sea Dogs
Bobby Murcer closed out his season strong, belting 2 homeruns as the Sea Dogs fell to Chicago, 10-5.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
Bump Hadley improved to 18-6 on the year, twirling a 1-hit shutout of New York. Jack Clark went deep twice, and Reggie Jackson, Bobby Bonds, and Rickey Henderson also homered in the 9-0 walkover.
Henderson hit 2 more out as the Sea Lions topped Los Angeles in their penultimate contest of the regular season, 5-3, with Rod Beck earning his league leading 41st save.
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.
