Tag: Mike Bordick

Year III Season Preview: Philadelphia Stars

On August 11, 2026

In 2002 Season Previews, Team News

▌ State of the Franchise

Two years ago the Stars lost 98 games and finished dead last, an aging club going nowhere. One year later they won 87 and played in October. So, are the Stars good, or lucky, or both?

It’s not clear. This is a club that bets on the future, handing LF to a talented, but somewhat raw, 21-year-old in Sherry Magee. But it’s also a club that keeps handing PA to Rico Carty, an ageless wonder closer to 40 than not. The fans are done deliberating, and fully believe — they watched a laughingstock turn into a contender behind Aaron Judge‘s 63 home runs and Charles Rogan, a two-way rookie unlike anything the league has ever seen. They’d like more of the same, please. Now, please.

The front office is a little more skeptical, seeing a middle infield that remains unsettled, a center fielder in Willie Davis who may have cratered at 22 (despite a Gold Glove), and a host of bats yet to prove they are more than AAAA quality. So the official line is a build towards 2003.

So much depends on how the first few months of 2002 happen in Philly.

▌ 2001 Revisited

A year ago we said anything approaching .500 would be a significant step forward. Philadelphia won 87, took a Wild Card berth and lost to Houston 4-1. So, significant steps.

The best case had Rogan pairing with Steve Carlton to anchor the rotation, and Bobby Abreu and Judge both taking a step. Judge took several — 278/382/699 with 63 homers and 83 walks; and Rogan was better than anyone had a right to expect, hitting 308/362/620 while making 30 starts, and took home both the NL Rookie of the Year and the organizational MVP. Abreu never really got the chance — 90 plate appearances in Philadelphia, the rest of his year at Triple-A, and then he was traded in August. Carlton is the one who struggled: 12-13 with a 5.05 ERA and 2.26 home runs per 9. But, he did throw the second no-hitter in WBL history, and clearly has talent. The best arm was the surprising Hardie Henderson instead — 18 wins, a 3.78 ERA, 4.7 WAR.

The question we got most wrong was the infield. We asked whether the flashes from Juan Samuel and Roger Peckinpaugh would hold up over a full season, and the answer was a resounding No. Not only did those 2 not make it, César Hernández faded, Jimmy Rollins was miserable at short, and while Chase Utley eventually took over second base and won a Gold Glove there, questions remain about his future.

▌ Key Changes

In: —

Out: Sherm Lollar (FA)

Opening Day Rookies: Richie Ashburn; Odúbel Herrera; Andrew Payne

▌ Best Case for 2002

The pitching was not a fluke. Philadelphia finished 4th in the league in ERA at 4.78. To repeat that, Henderson’s command needs to improve, J.M. Ward, 21, needs to reduce the number of times the ball leaves the yard, Carlton needs to progress, and Ray Collins, the one starter whose command actually beat his ERA, needs to stay healthy for a full year.

And, some questions get answered — whether it’s Magee continuing to impress, Harmon Killebrew and Jung Ho Kang either succeeding or not at the WBL level, or the middle infield pairing of Fregosi and Utley declaring itself good enough for a championship run. Any of that would help. The Stars may or may not win more games, the key is that they know more about their talent at the end of 2002.

▌ Worst Case for 2002

The worst case isn’t a collapse, it’s a shrug.

Nothing clarifies and the existing talent regresses, throwing even more into doubt. This last is a real concern: most of this rotation beat its peripherals, which is not a great sign for the future. But slippage from Judge or Bill Dickey would also hurt, throwing some of what the Stars see as settled into question.

▌ Key Questions

Can Rogan keep doing all of it? 187 innings across 30 starts, 521 plate appearances, including significant time in the OF. Nobody else in the league carries anything like that load, so there is nothing to measure it against — no read on what it costs him in August, or what it leaves of him at 25. And, crucially, if Rogan slips, where does Philadelphia slot him — do they value him at bat more or less than on the mound?
Can they avoid the AAAA trap? First base and designated hitter are being handed to 2 men whose bats have only ever done it in the minors. Kang hit 296/354/692 and then 318/367/709 at Triple-A last year, at 29 — not at all young. Killebrew is the opposite shape: 24, 35 home runs at Triple-A, but with a 229 average. We said last winter that Kang might turn out to be the epitome of a AAAA player, or might not. Still true, still unanswered.
What is the bullpen? Bob Howry saved 25 games with a 3.18 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP, which is a closer’s line, but he is 34 and it came in under 40 innings. The 2 arms behind him are mirror images: Fred Cambria ran a 3.04 while striking out 5.5 per 9, and Brad Kilby ran a 6.20 while striking out 9.2 per 9 and walking 1.2. One of them is getting away with something and the other is being robbed.

▌ 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	Dickey · Scioscia D
1B	Killebrew · Kang
2B	Utley B · Helms D
SS	Fregosi C · Peckinpaugh
3B	Rolen A
LF	Payne · Magee C (IL)
CF	Davis F · Ashburn · Herrera
RF	Judge S
DH	Carty D · Rogan A
SP	Henderson B · Rogan A · Carlton C · Ward C · Collins D
RP	Howry A (CL) · Cambria A · Feliciano B · Melancon D · Madson

With Sherry Magee opening on the injured list, Andrew Payne gets left field on his glove.

▌ Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	SP Charles Rogan	1B Prince Fielder
Batting Eye	1B Harmon Killebrew	1B Dolph Camilli
Contact	CF Richie Ashburn	SS Mike Bordick
Running Speed	CF Willie Davis	2B Juan Samuel
Base Stealing	SP Charles Rogan	2B Juan Samuel; RF Gus J Williams
IF Defense	3B Scott Rolen	3B Merrill May
OF Defense	CF Willie Davis	CF Hal Jeffcoat; RF Ryan Sweeney
Stuff	RP Ryan Madson	RP Chris Schroder
Control	RP Mark Melancon	SP Robin Roberts
Velocity	RP Bob Howry	RP Matt Barnes

▌ Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	Pos	Name
1 (71)	21	SP	Mélido Pérez
2 (80)	20	SP	Ben Tincup

Others: P Pete Alexander, OF Harry Hooper, IF Prince Fielder, IF Luis Aparicio, P Scott Garrelts.

Graduated to the active roster since the ranked list: Richie Ashburn (41), Harmon Killebrew (65).

A year ago this list ran 10 deep. It’s down to 2, and mostly for the right reason: the farm graduated onto an 87-win roster. Bill Gatewood, Bill Dickey, Ashburn and Killebrew all made the jump, and Rogan — the 1st overall pick that 98-loss season paid for — is already the best player in the organization. LaTroy Hawkins went to Portland in the Fregosi deal. What’s left is Mélido Pérez and Ben Tincup, both arms, both a way off, and neither particularly exciting.

▌ Superlatives

	Most	Least
Age	Rico Carty, 38	Doc Amole, 18
Height	Aaron Judge, 6’7″	Bill Mountjoy, 5’6″
OPS	Aaron Judge, 1.082	Mitch Webster, 0.483 (A)
HR	Aaron Judge, 63	Mike Bordick, 1 (AA)
SB	Sherry Magee, 47	–
WAR (bat)	Aaron Judge, 5.0	Harry Hooper, -1.8
W	Hardie Henderson, 18	–
SV	Mélido Pérez, 28 (A)	–
ERA	Hardie Henderson, 3.78	Pete Vuckovich, 7.37 (AAA)
WAR (pit)	Hardie Henderson, 4.7	Robin Roberts, -0.5

Stats across all levels, 2001. 200 PA / 75 IP min (SV: all pitchers). Non-WBL levels tagged.

TWIWBL 56.20: Spring Training Notes – Philadelphia Stars

By mknn

On March 8, 2024

In TWIWBL

Spring Training Questions

The only truly firm jobs are 3B (Scott Rolen) and CF (Willie Davis). While a handful of others are all but assured a roster spot, who starts where is very much up in the air.

In addition to Rogan, while many feel 2nd round pick Dave Stieb needs a year at AAA, a great spring could catapult him onto the roster.

First Cuts

Robin Roberts has been the worst pitcher in camp, but the Stars’ brass still see a future for the 33 year old, and will give him a few more innings to turn it around. No such reprieve for LaTroy Hawkins, Jack Easton, Ed Hawk, Luke Weaver, Chris Archer, or Fritz Coumbe as all six of them were returned to the minor leagues.

Cs John Clapp and Butch Wynegar were also sent down, which is probably good news for Bullet Joe Rogan, who becomes the de facto 4th backstop in camp. At 1B, Prince Fielder and Dan Pasqua were sent to the minors, with Don Hurst and Cecil Cooper moving up the depth chart while Terry Pendleton was moved out at 3B.

In the middle infield, César Hernández‘ inability to hit outweighed his glove, but otherwise it’s still pretty crowded. Chase Utley and Mickey Morandini have hit very well, while both late season darling Juan Samuel and José Ramírez have struggled. SS is even worse as all three contenders: Jimmy Rollins, Roger Peckinpaugh, and dark horse Mike Bordick have struggled at the plate.

Other than Buck Freeman, the OFers who were supposed to hit–Aaron Judge, George Hendrick, Willie Davis, Bobby Abreu, and Sherry Magee–have hit, with everyone else struggling to make an impact. This has made some choices easy, as Ed Kirkpatrick, Garry Maddox, Odúbel Herrera, John Titus, and highly-touted Richie Ashburn all were sent to the minors.

Second Cuts

Robin Roberts, Brad Kilby, and Fred Cambria were sent to the minors. Roberts was a surprise, but he seems incapable of harnessing his talent.

Don Hurst, Pinky May, and Juan Samuel were sent down as well, with the Stars finally admitting that Samuel’s performance last September was quite the mirage.

Andrew Payne was recalled to give some additional depth at CF.

Third Cuts

P Jack Kralick heads to AAA, along with Cecil Cooper, Fred Luderus, and Al Smith.

With Roger Peckinpaugh the presumptive starter at SS, the Stars can only carry 1 of Mike Bordick and Jimmy Rollins. José Ramírez has lost all offensive ability evidently, but his performance last year keeps him in camp for another week.

Final Cuts

Andrew Payne was sent down after a brief sting in major league camp.

The Stars are really struggling with what to do on their roster–too many players are performing too similarly this Spring. They took a copout move, sending reliever Scott Garrelts down–who deserved it based on his performance–which leaves them with only 14 arms in camp.

The scouts still love Bill Dickey, but he just hasn’t shown anything in camp. With Rogan able to fill in behind the platooning Sherm Lollar and Mike Scioscia, Dickey heads to AAA in search of at bats and consistency.

With Kent Peterson‘s injury, Brad Kilby was recalled to big league camp. Mike Bordick was sent down, as the Stars continue to waffle on what to do with José Ramírez and Mickey Morandini. Ramírez hit with some power last year, but can barely make contact this Spring, while Morandini has been decent. It is likely that Ramírez’ ability to play 3B sees him win the roster spot.

Kent Peterson was placed on the DL and Roger Peckinpaugh, who was stellar in a late season cameo but horrific this Spring, was sent to AAA to see if he could work things out.

Wayne Gomes and Brad Kilby were moved to the minors, which were pretty easy choices.

From there it got rough. Buck Freeman was a regular for the Stars last season, but a lackluster Spring combined with quite a crowd at 1B and RF, Freeman finds himself heading to AAA. Facing a similar choice, José Ramírez was retained over Mickey Morandini, largely because he can backup multiple positions. This also means that Chase Utley will once again start the season as the Stars’ 2B. Finally, neither Bobby Abreu nor Aaron Judge did anything this Spring, but Judge’s fantastic debut last season kept him on the roster while Abreu will head to AAA.

Season Review: New York Black Yankees

By mknn

On December 21, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

81 - 73, .525 pct.
2nd in Effa Manley Division, 5 games behind.

Overall

From pre season championship favorite to missing the playoffs: it was a massively disappointing year in the Bronx, and while most of the blame has been focused on the bullpen, there are other concenrs.

Long term, this is an old franchise; but it is also built to win now, so it has conflicting incentives in terms of getting WBL level help immediately and building depth throughout the organization.

Also, Babe Ruth.

What Went Right

Babe Ruth did Babe Ruth things.

Perhaps no other team offers as dangerous a series of 7 hitters as the Black Yankees, with Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Albert Belle, Thurman Munson, Eric Davis, and Don Mattingly. It is very hard to work more than 6 of them into the lineup at the same time, but still.

Waite Hoyt, Jack Scott, and Red Ruffing were all excellent (Ruffing will miss much of next season through injury, however).

After being blasted for much of the season, the bullpen finally turned the corner with the acquisition of Aroldis Chapman. Once Chapman arrived, he, Rheal Cormier, and Goose Gossage began to consistently close out games.

The stats wonks insist that Ron Guidry was a top 5 starter this year, so he has that going for him.

ALL STARS
OF Eric Davis; 1B Lou Gehrig; SS Derek Jeter; OF Mickey Mantle; C Thurman Munson; P Red Ruffing; OF Babe Ruth.

What Went Wrong

The Black Yankees came out of the break with all-stars at both 2B (Tom Herr, acquired from Birmingham) and SS (Derek Jeter). Both struggled the rest of the season. Nothing worked in the middle infield all year: Willie Randolph was replaced by Herr, neither Hardy Richardson nor Red Rolfe did anything of note, and New York even turned to Pee Wee Reese, released earlier by Brooklyn. 2B/SS remains several notches below the level of the rest of the team.

So much ink has been spilled about their bullpen struggles, but it has to be mentioned. Suffice to say that Sparky Lyle and Dave Righetti pitched themselves right down to AAA, Ralph Citarella was pretty poor all season, and Gossage struggled until Chapman’s arrival.

The naked eye would insist that Guidry–their #1 starter going into the season–struggled. Plenty of strikeouts, but an 8-12 record and a 4.35 ERA are not what was expected.

Transactions

March

C Bill Dickey, OF Aaron Judge & 1B Prince Fielder to Philadelphia for 3B Mike Schmdit & P Cole Hamels

Right now, looks like a steal for New York, but the jury is still very much out.

June

IF Reddy Mack, OF Bill Buckner, P Heathcliff Slocumb, OF Charlie Keller, 1B Moose Skowron & 10th Round Pick to Birmingham for 2B Tom Herr

Birmingham got as much as they could from the deal and, given Herr’s struggles in New York, probably got the best of it.

IF Dick Bartell, OF Sam Thompson & 4th Round Pick to Ottawa for P Gary Lavelle and P Jamie Moyer

Meh. Given that both Lavelle and Moyer are in the twilights of their careers, you have to give Ottawa the edge here if any of the players turn into anything.

July

C Smoky Burgess & P Cole Hamels to Miami for P Aroldis Chapman & 3rd Round Pick {Brett Gardner}

A win for New York, even if Hamels develops as expected.

P Jim Clinton, 3B Chris Brown & 2nd Round Pick to House of David for P Dick Tidrow & 8th Round Pick {Elliott Maddox}

Tidrow was wildly inconsistent, so who knows.

P LaTroy Hawkins, P Fritz Coumbe, IF Mike Bordick & 3rd Round Pick to Philadelphia for P Rheal Cormier & 4th Round Pick {Mark Grudzielanek}

Meh. All of these deals were made to win now, and since that didn’t happen, have to be judged somewhat harshly.

Looking Forward

SP

Should be strong. Ron Guidry, Waite Hoyt, Whitey Ford, and Lefty Gomez will be supported by Vic Raschi, Frank Viola, and Dave Righetti long term. That’s a solid bunch.

RP

There is depth here, but not a lot of confidence. For now, Aroldis Chapman and Goose Gossage will close out games, but Sparky Lyle and David Robertson are both available as reinforcements.

C

Thurman Munson had a magnificent season.

1B

Lou Gehrig and Don Mattingly should have this–and DH–locked down for quite some time.

2B

The Black Yankees still hope that Willie Randolph comes around. But there’s a decent chance they are in the market for a 2B.

3B

Mike Schmidt should have a lot of good years left, although there is very little talent behind him.

SS

There is a lot of optimism about Derek Jeter, but so far it seems to have been misplaced.

LF

Ruth forever, some Albert Belle sprinkled in for now.

CF

A mixture of Mickey Mantle and Eric Davis.

RF

Ruth, Mantle, and Belle–essentially the Black Yankees have 4 starting OFers to go along with their 2 starting 1Bs.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

What the Black Yankees need most–immediate help in the bullpen and depth at the big league level–won’t come through the rookie draft. As such, they are guided here by a desire to grab the best, youngest talent available. In the first round, that meant 19 year old David Cone, who has the advantage of being a franchise player as well.

With the 2nd pick of the 3rd round, they added another franchise selection in CF Brett Gardner and with the first choice of the 4th round, tried to fill in some MI depth with Mark Grudzielanek.

Rounds 5-8

The Black Yankees took a high risk/high reward flyer on P Noah Syndergaard, who could contribute in the next year or so, but also looks unlikely to stay healthy for very long, and then picked U player Jess Barbour in the 6th. Carlos Rodón is a bit of a project, but he becomes the final exception for the Black Yankees in round 7.

From here on out, it’s best talent with a slight preference for young position players, as their A level is pretty empty. That starts with young SS Anthony Volpe followed by IF/OF Elliott Maddox.

Rounds 9-12

OF Aaron Hicks; P Scott Kamieniecki; IF Charlie Irwin.

They were unable to come to terms with their first round pick, P David Cone.

Season Review: Philadelphia Stars

By mknn

On December 5, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

56 - 98, .363 pct.
5th in Effa Manley Division, 30 games behind.

What Went Right

Not a helluva lot.

CF Willie Davis, 1B Ted Kluszewski, OF George Hendrick, and 3B Scott Rolen were all solid, with Hendrick pushing into a consistent starting role by mid-season. Davis and Rolen were the only players with decent WAR (3.0 for Davis, 2.9 for Rolen). Only Kluszewski (25) and Buck Freeman (21) had more than 20 homeruns, and Klu led the team in RBI’s with 63 and Freeman in R with 71: scoring runs was just a struggle for the Stars all season long.

Three players made strong impressions late in the season led by a fair distance by OF Aaron Judge who managed a .900 OPS in 130 PA. IFs Juan Samuel and Roger Peckinpaugh impressed as well.

Rico Carty started strong, leading the lead in doubles the first few months of the season, but collapsed towards the end–that, combined with his age, puts Carty’s starting position (but not his roster spot) in question.

Ray Collins and Steve Carlton were decent enough in the rotation and the only pitchers with over 2 WAR (Collins 2.9, Carlton 2.3). They were the only pitchers with 30 starts and, even more depressingly, the only pitchers with more than 10 innings and ERA’s under 5.00.

ALL STAR SELECTIONS
P Ron Reed; 3B Scott Rolen

What Went Wrong

Everything else? The middle infield was pretty horrible all year, and nobody really could break out of thoroughly mediocre performances.

Carty ended weak, falling off a cliff on the final months of the season.

And the pitching was thoroughly horrid, from only Robin Roberts having a .500 record (5-5) among the starters to closer Bob Howry having 25 saves, but also getting rocked with an ERA over 6. Injuries didn’t help: Jaret Wright (probably the 3rd most effective starter), Roberts, and Pete Alexander (who was clearly overmatched by the WBL level at age 21, but also has a ton of promise) all missed significant time on the mound.

Trade Evaluations

March

3B Mike Schmidt, SP Cole Hamels to New York Black Yankees for C Bill Dickey, OF Aaron Judge, 1B Prince Fielder

Not bad. Moving Schmidt opened up room for Rolen and Judge looks like the real deal. Dickey was horrible, but at 22 is still a great prospect. Certainly, the loss of Hamels hurt, but he didn’t last with New York, being shipped to Miami in a separate deal.

June

RP Ron Reed to Cleveland for OF Andrew Payne, P Hardie Henderson, OF Darrell Miller, OF Gibby Brack

Reed was an all star for Philadelphia, but fell apart for the Spiders. Henderson looks good, and both Payne and Brack may see WBL time at some point.

July

OF Gavvy Cravath & 2nd Round Pick to Portland for 1B/3B Harmon Killebrew & 1st Round Pick {Dave Stieb}

P Rheal Cormier & 4th Round Pick to New York Black Yankees for P LaTroy Hawkins, P Fritz Coumbe, IF Mike Bordick & 3rd Round Pick {Bill Gatewood}

The Cravath deal was excellent: he was leaving after the season, and Killebrew is a great prospect and the pick turned into one of the better pitching prospects in the draft in Stieb. The other one is a little meh: Coumbe made the WBL by the end of the season, but was unimpressive, although Hawkins has a very live arm.

Looking Forward

SP

Carlton, JM Ward, and Alexander should eventually be a good top 3. They need more depth, both at WBL and throughout the organization.

RP

Howry’s job is in danger, but there are no obvious options. Brad Kilby was good at AAA and Scott Garrelts shows some promise.

C

The job is, once again, Dickey’s to lose, but perhaps another year in the minors is in store for him. If so, this is likely Mike Scoscia and Sherm Lollar splitting time once again.

1B

This is Klu’s until age catches up with him. Cecil Cooper dominated at AAA, and should see some time, especially if Carty’s decline continues.

2B

The Stars would love to see Chase Utley own this, but he’s struggled mightily so far. Juan Samuel‘s end of season heroics have earned him a close look in spring training.

3B

Rolen has this locked down, but the team will need to do something once Killebrew is ready, although Killer is probably more suited to 1B/DH in any case.

SS

Peckinpaugh will get a chance here, but again it’s a spot where the Stars need some more talent, especially if Jimmy Rollins doesn’t show more.

LF

Sherry Magee looks solid here.

CF

This may be the most interesting choice in the organization. Davis was their best player, and 21 year old Richie Ashburn was probably their best prospect. Both are excellent defensively, so the odds are a trade is the most likely solution.

RF

Judge seems to have this locked down, but Bobby Abreu will see some time here as well.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

Philadelphia led off the draft by selecting SP Bullet Joe Rogan, probably the single most WBL-ready prospect available. Rogan should step into the rotation right away. Their 2nd pick in the 1st round was harder, coming down to the future possibilities of IF Trea Turner and more help on the mound. They went with the latter, opting for young RHP Dave Stieb. They continued stockpiling arms, picking up teenager Bruce Hurst and 21 year old Bill Gatewood in the 3rd round.

With Gatewood, the Stars have made four selections, using all four of their franchise exemptions, meaning the rest of their picks for this draft will be players with some historical connection to their franchise.

Rounds 5-8

The Stars will be focusing on adding arms, although IF depth would be fine as well. Since they are out of exceptions, these will all be franchise selections, limiting some of the options. Their picks included OF Milt Thompson (5th), P Odúbel Herrera (6th), OF Rhys Hoskins (7th), and IF Nux James (8th).

Rounds 9-12

At the tail end of the draft, the Stars picked up a reserve C (Todd Pratt), P Chris Archer; P Mélido Pérez; and P Jim McElroy.

TWIWBL 35.1: The Final Trading Window!

By mknn

On March 14, 2023

In TWIWBL

Welcome to the wild final day of trading for the season! We’re going to present these from the point of view of the contenders, with teams examined in order of their winning percentage so far this season.

Look for roster moves and implications in the next installments of TWIWBL. With 3/4 of the league making at least one deal, the impacts should be felt for a while …

Baltimore Black Sox

Baltimore got their hands on one of the best arms available, bringing in Connie Johnson from Kansas City. The Monarchs added a 5th round pick, receiving 2 prospects (OF Merv Rettenmund and RP Gene Garber) and a 2nd round pick for the 33 year-old hurler.

Grade: A. Johnson looks to be the real deal and should help the Black Sox withstand the recent rash of injuries.

Portland Sea Dogs

The Sea Dogs keep tweaking, sending 3 prospects–CF Kirby Puckett, RP Jim Kern, and SP Rick Wise–to Houston, with Trevor Hoffman and Mark Melancon coming back. Hoffman may compete with Elmer Brown for the closer role for Portland. The teams also traded some draft picks, with Houston sending a 4th to Portland in exchange for a 3rd and a 5th.

They also picked up perhaps the best OF available, as highly touted prospect Harmon Killebrew and a 1st round pick netted Gavvy Cravath and a 2nd round pick from Philadelphia, with the Stars also picking up most of Cravath’s salary for the rest of the season.

Grade: B. If they make the playoffs, sure, it makes sense. But Cravath is old, and Killebrew and Puckett are a lot of talent to give up (although both are pretty blocked by existing WBL talent).

New York Gothams

The Gothams were clearly trying to bolster their pitching, and pulled off a minor deal, sending prospects Travis Bowyer and Mike Shannon along with a 4th round pick to Homestead for Vean Gregg and a 5th rounder. They also added Steve Howe to their bullpen, sending the disgruntled Jeremy Affeldt and prospect Bob Moose to Ottawa.

And then they pulled off a bit of a blockbuster, as discussions with Miami surrounding Rube Waddell quickly spiraled out of control, with heavy drink most likely being involved. The Gothams sent Freddie Fitzsimmons, Cookie Rojas, Yasiel Puig, and a 2nd round pick to the Cuban Giants, receiving Waddell, Pete Runnels, and Will Clark in return.

Finally, as they now needed more depth they hit redial on their rotary phone and got in touch with Ottawa again, sending prospects George Burns and Art Devlin along with a 3rd round pick to the Mounties for George Van Haltren and two mid round picks (a 5th and a 6th).

Grade: C. It just seems like a lot of wheel-spinning. Is having Waddell and Gregg in the rotation really all that different than Moose and Fitzsimmons? Clark has been mediocre at best with Miami, and Rojas is a real loss.

Chicago American Giants

Chicago bolstered their pitching, picking up David Price from Indianapolis. Jorge Orta also goes to Chicago, with the American Giants sending prize prospect Robin Ventura, RP Tyler Clippard, and 2 draft picks (a 4th and a 5th) to the ABC’s.

Grade: A. Price may help compensate for the deeply flawed acquisition of Don Newcombe earlier in the summer.

Cleveland Spiders

The Spiders paid pretty dearly to upgrade the one slot in their lineup crying out for it, sending prized prospect Nap Lajoie, RP Arodys Vizcaíno, and a 1st round pick to Homestead for SS Arky Vaughan, SP Stan Bahnsen, and a 3rd rounder.

Grade: B. It all makes sense: Vaughan fills a need, Bahnsen has been solid at the WBL level and while Lajoie clearly is talented, for a team that has a shot at a championship this year, it works.

Detroit Wolverines

Especially with the loss of Whit Wyatt to injury, if Detroit is to make a move this year, they need pitching. So they sent quite a package of potential–2B Charlie Gehringer, 3B Bill Sweeney, SP Red Ehret, and a 4th Round Pick–to San Francisco for Charlie Root and Chad Bradford. It’s a lot, and the loss of Gehringer may hurt, but Detroit is really in win-now mode.

Grade: B. Root is excellent, and while they paid a little dearly, this year really looks to be the Wolverines’ best chance.

Birmingham Black Barons

Birmingham is unsure if its streak can continue, but an upgrade at C can’t hurt, so the Black Barons sent 2 IF prospects (SS Woody English and 3B Candy Jim Taylor) to Memphis for Jim Pagliaroni and a 4th round pick.

Then, late in the day, the pulled the trigger on a bit of a blockbuster, adding Andy Pettitte from Kansas City to their rotation. It cost quite a bit: C Dale Murphy (still a prospect despite his miserable WBL debut earlier in the season), P A. Rube Foster, a 2nd round pick and a 4th round pick. It was quite a declaration of intent by the Black Barons, we’ll see if it pans out.

Grade: A. Suddenly, Birmingham has a shot at the playoffs. Pettitte immediately becomes their #2 starter, and while they gave up some good talent, neither Murphy nor Foster look like world-burners at this point.

Wandering House of David

The House of David can still get lucky this year, so it moved to shore up a weak spot, sending prospects Bert Campaneris and Jeff Heathcock and a 3rd round pick to Miami for Ed Bauta and 2 later round picks (a 6th and a 7th).

Grade: C. Meh.

New York Black Yankees

The Black Yankees are desperate for bullpen help. They started to address the need picking up Aroldis Chapman from Miami, sending back Cole Hamels and Smoky Burgess, with Miami adding a 3rd round pick. With Bauta and Hoffman off the market, New York was forced to look at names further down their list.

They brought in Dick Tidrow from the House of David (who also threw in a 7th round pick), giving up a 2nd rounder and 2 prospects: SP Jim Clinton and 3B Chris Brown and then sent a similar package (LaTroy Hawkins, Fritz Coumbe, Mike Bordick, and a 3rd round pick) to Philadelphia for Rheal Cormier and a 4th rounder.

Grade: C. Overpaid on all fronts. Understandable, given the totally shambolic nature of the Black Yankees’ bullpen, but the loss of Hamels may hurt for many years, and Tidrow is little more than a fill-in.