Tag: Mike Piazza Page 2 of 4

TWIWBL 77.2 Spotlight on the Brooklyn Royal Giants

On August 28, 2025

Nobody, and I mean nobody, would have predicted a double digit lead in the Effa Manley Division for Brooklyn this season. But here we are.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

The Royal Giants’ success is a product of a great pitching staff and just enough offense, anchored by a few breakout performances. And there is room for improvement: not only can they hold onto their division, this is a team that could impress in the postseason.

THE OFFENSE

It’s not a great offense, but it has some true high points, and seems to have just enough to keep the runs coming.

#What’s Going Right

First, the breakout: Mike Piazza has exploded, leading the team in almost all offensive categories, with a 307/338/677 slash line, 42 homeruns and 98 RBIs. For a catcher not named Gibson, that’s great output, and it’s a fantastic return after Piazza’s struggle last season.

Almost as surprising has been the excellence of Ron Cey at the hot corner, whose 963 OPS is third on the team, behind Piazza and the true heartbeat of the Royal Giants, Jackie Robinson. Robinson leads the team in OBP, has 32 steals, and is involved in almost every key rally for the team while moving between 1B and 2B. Robinson and Beals Becker provide a good bit of speed, with each having over 30 steals at decent success rates.

John Briggs faced a lot of doubters heading into this season, but he’s performed excellently in CF.

Dan Brouthers has an OPS of .960 in part-time duty at 1B and, honestly, keeps wondering why the Royal Giants won’t just commit to him long term.

8 players have at least 20 homeruns (Piazza, Duke Snider, Becker, Cey, Robinson, Pedro Guerrero, Briggs, and Roy White).

#What’s Not Going Right

Pedro Guerrero was brought in to add punch to the offense, and while he’s picked it up of late (one of the points of possible improvement mentioned above), his 784 OPS still leaves a lot to be desired.

Duke Snider is doing Duke Snider things, which means a lot of power–his 30 homers are second on the team–but not a lot else.

SS has been a challenge all year, with neither Dick Bertell nor Germany Smith proving a solution. Vern Stephens‘ overall numbers aren’t great, but he’s slashing 317/328/633 since coming to Brooklyn over the all-star break.

Ray Dandridge remains a 21 year old who struggles with WBL pitching, but his future remains bright in spite of his current sub .700 OPS.

Overall, the team needs to get on base a bit more: only Cey, Robinson, Briggs, and Brouthers have OBPs over .350.

THE PITCHING

This is easily the strength of the team, and it’s only gotten better for Brooklyn over the season, as Fernando Valenzuela‘s emergence has given them an excellent rotation, front to back, complemented by a very strong bullpen.

#What’s Going Right

The Big Three for Brooklyn are as impressive as nearly any in the league, led by the brilliant Smokey Joe Williams and the surprising Orel Hershiser. Williams’ record isn’t great at 10-9, but he and Hershiser both sport sub 4.00 ERA’s with excellent secondary numbers.

The third of the group is Don Drysedale, who was struggling mightily over most of the first half of the season, but has shaved 1.5 runs off his ERA since the start of July. Five consecutive wins in there have improved his record to 10-5.

Valenzuela’s emergence has been quite spectacular, and the lefty is now firmly entrenched in the rotation.

Eric Gagne could be the best closer in the WBL, with 25 saves and a 2.52 ERA, and Trevor Hildenberger has been fantastic as his setup.

#What’s Not Going Right

Sandy Koufax keeps lingering on the edge of brilliance, but he lost his place in the rotation to Valenzuela and while he’s been solid out of the bullpen, it still feels like his eventual role is as a starter.

That’s about it: Burleigh Grimes, Terry Forster, and Dave Von Ohlen have all been mediocre, but that’s certainly better than not going right.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

It’s a decent farm system, but a lot of the talent is already in Brooklyn (White, Briggs, Snider, Becker, Dandridge, Cey, Guerrero, Robinson, Piazza, Brouthers, Williams, Drysdale, Koufax, Gagne, and Forster are all under 25).

But there’s still some surplus talent: Ed Delahanty and Al Simmons have WBL quality bats and Doc Newton, Dick Redding, Dazzy Vance, and Walker Buehler all should have some upside on the mound.

It doesn’t necessarily mean much, but all three of Brooklyn’s minor league affiliates–AAA Queens, AA Jersey City, and A Albany–are in first place in their leagues.

WHAT’S NEEDED

These opportunities don’t come around very often, so we would expect the Royal Giants to make some moves at the trading deadline, hoping to power their playoff run.

Most of all, Brooklyn needs to stay healthy.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

In addition to the pitching staff changes mentioned above, the rest of the roster is very much in flux. This all seemed to settle down without a problem, especially if Stephens solves the SS issue.
Can John Briggs continue to set the world on fire? Smoldering, if not on fire.
Will Mike Piazza finally take hold of the starting C role? Yes, yes he will.

FEATURED SERIES

The Royal Giants host Houston for 4 games to close out the week.

Projected Starters

Houston’s starter listed first.

Toad Ramsey (13-8, 3.13) @ Orel Hershiser (15-5, 3.79)
Roger Clemens (13-7, 3.50) @ Fernando Valenzuela (9-4, 3.73)
Roy Oswalt (5-8, 6.41) @ Smokey Joe Williams (10-10, 3.68)
Stephen Strasburg (4-8, 6.19) @ Don Drysedale (10-5, 5.67)

Brooklyn’s starters are just so, so, so good. That of course means the games will be slugfests, but I see the Royal Giants taking 3 out of 4 here, solidifying their division lead.

Game One

Roy White had the first hit of the game, a solo shot to right in the second inning, giving Brooklyn a 1-0 lead. A Jackie Robinson triple scored John Briggs in the 3rd, doubling it to 2-0.

Orel Hershiser held the Colt 45’s hitless into the 5th when, with 2 outs, Pete Hill lined a double. Jorge Posada brought him home with single, halving the lead to 2-1. In the 6th, with 2 on and 2 out, George Brett sent a ball screaming into CF, ending up with a triple, bringing both runners home and giving Houston the lead, 3-2.

Dan Brouthers got a knuckler that didn’t from Toad Ramsey, and sent it deep into LF with a runner on: 4-3 Brooklyn.

And that was it: the Royal Giants bullpen is excellent, and in this one, Dave Von Ohlen and Trevor Hildenberger passed the ball to Eric Gagne, who pitched a perfect 9th for his 26th save.

This was a bit of a hard luck loss for Houston, with Ramsey surrendering only 3 hits in his 8 innings while fanning 10.

HOU 3 (Ramsey 13-9) @ BRK 4 (Hershiser 16-5, Von Ohlen 3 H; Hildenberger 8 H; Gagne 26 Sv)
HRs: HOU – none; DET – White (22), Brouthers (15).
Box Score

Game Two

Another stellar pitching matchup, as Houston’s Roger Clemens will face off against the home side’s Fernando Valenzuela.

Mike Piazza took Clemens deep in the 2nd for his 43rd homerun of the year. Roy White and Pedro Guerrero followed with longballs of their own, and the Royal Giants were up 3-0 on the back to back to back shots. Brooklyn added to their lead in a more traditional way: a single from Dan Brouthers who eventually scored on a sac fly from Ron Cey.

Meanwhile Valenzuela was magnificent, allowing 2 hits over 5 innings while fanning 8.

Houston got on the board in the 5th when Carlos Correa brought home Tony Gwynn. Correa eventually scored on a wild pitch, but Brooklyn still held the 4-2 edge.

Recently recalled Gorman Thomas launched his 2nd homerun int he 7th, chasing Valenzuela and turning the game over to the Royal Giants’ exceptional bullpen, beginning with Burleigh Grimes, who ended the inning with Brooklyn up, 4-3.

Homeruns from Vern Stephens and Cey gave them some buffer, and Duke Snider’s 34th of the season gave Brooklyn an 8-3 lead heading into the top of the 9th.

The Colt 45’s added a run, but the outcome was never really threatened.

If you hit 6 homeruns, you’re supposed to win …

HOU 4 (Clemens 13-8) @ BRK 8 (Valenzuela 10-4; Grimes 3 H; Forster 2 Sv)
HRs: HOU – Thomas (2); BRK – White (23), Piazza (43), Guerrero (23), Stephens (8), Cey (29), Snider (34).
Box Score

Game Three

Houston came through the trade deadline much changed, Brooklyn less so, but the game–and the series between the two clubs–goes on. The starters for this game remain unchanged, with Houston’s Roy Oswalt taking on Brooklyn’s Smokey Joe Williams in a matchup that significantly favors the Royal Giants.

Mike Piazza drove in 1 with a single and Beals Becker followed with a 2 run double, giving Brooklyn a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. John Briggs hit his 22nd homer of the year in the 2nd, increasing the lead to 4-0.

Williams has struggled at times with wildness, and back to back walks to open the 3rd came back to bite him, as Tony Gwynn followed with a 2 run double to halve the lead. Gwynn scored on an RBI groundout from Jeff Bagwell, and Houston kept piling it on with deep shots from Jim Wynn and Pete Hill. When the inning ended, the Colt 45’s had seized the lead, 6-4.

Williams gave up a double to Bagwell to open the 5th, then walked 2 more: that was enough and Brooklyn summoned Sandy Koufax from the bullpen to face the bases loaded jam. Koufax struck out 2, but walked in a run, giving Houston a 7-4 advantage.

Jim O’Rourke added a solo shot and Houston’s bullpen–their Achilles heel all year–suddenly found itself with Vida Blue, Jim Kern, John Franco, Roberto Osuna, and Andrew Chafin combining for 4 innings of hitless relief of Oswalt.

HOU 8 (Oswalt 6-8; Blue 1 H; Kern 1 H) @ BRK 4 (Williams 10-11)
HRs: HOU – Wynn (27), Hill (7), O’Rourke (9); BRK – Briggs (22).
Box Score

Game Four

The Royal Giants will look to take the series behind the rejuvenated Don Drysedale, who after a horrific start to the season, now sits at 10-5 with an ERA south of 6.00 and dropping. The struggling Stephen Strasbourg will oppose him for Houston.

Drysedale had to leave the game in the 2nd, but is not expected to miss his next start, certainly good news for Brooklyn. But it may stress the Royal Giants’ bullpen today.

Gorman Thomas touched Burleigh Grimes for his 3rd homer in 4 career ballgames to give the Colt 45’s a 1-0 lead in the 3rd. Ron Cey tied it up in the bottom of the frame with his 30th longball of the year.

Houston put up a crooked number in the 6th, as Grimes walked in a run, hit a batter for another, and then gave up a grand slam to Jim O’Rourke to make it 7-1.

Ray Dandridge got a couple back with a 2-run homer, but Houston continued to pile it on, capped by George Brett‘s 13th of the season, launched off Jim Bunning with a runner on. So, after 5 innings, Houston was ahead, 10-3.

There were some more runs–most notably O’Rourke’s second dinger of the game–but the outcome was never threatened.

Gentleman Jim finished with 6 RBIs for Houston, who evened up the series.

HOU 14 (Strasburg 5-8) @ BRK 4 (Grimes 0-4)
HRs: HOU – Thomas (3), O’Rourke 2 (11), Brett (13); BRK – Cey (30), Dandridge (12).
Box Score

Brooklyn really had a shot at taking the series, even with Drysedale’s exit, but Grimes–usually reliable this year–had a horrible outing. For Houston, the 2 wins after juggling their roster somewhat significantly are certainly an encouraging sign.

TWIWBL 75.5: Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On July 7, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Brooklyn Royal Giants	60-43	.583	—
Homestead Grays	55-49	.529	5.5
Ottawa Mounties	51-53	.490	9.5
Philadelphia Stars	51-54	.486	10
New York Gothams	51-55	.481	10.5

Effa Manley Division | 30 July

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Looking to cement their bullpen for the stretch run, the Royal Giants sent the struggling Dutch Leonard to AAA in exchange for Jim Bunning.

While all three players will continue to see a lot of time there, it looks like recently acquired Vern Stephens will see the bulk of the time at SS, with Germany Smith slipping below Ray Dandridge in the pecking order.

Stephens has been quite strong for Brooklyn, and he helped Don Drysedale continue his recent resurgence with 2 dingers in a 10-2 victory over Kansas City. Drysedale improved to 10-4, and John Briggs, Beals Becker, Mike Piazza, and Jackie Robinson also went deep for Brooklyn.

Becker and Robinson each went deep twice as Brooklyn defeated Ottawa, 8-7.

#Homestead Grays

Brickyard Kennedy continues to ride the AAA shuttle, heading down as the Grays need a starter in the form of Bob Knepper, who will make his WBL debut. Knepper wasn’t great, but he did get the win as Willie Stargell hit 2 out and the Grays pounded the House of David, 13-4.

Stargell hit another 2, the second a walk-off job in the bottom of the 11th as the Grays again topped the House of David, 8-7.

Bartolo Colón‘s great start to his WBL career was derailed momentarily, with the young righty headed to the DL for about a week. Homestead recalled lefty Gary Lucas in the interim.

#New York Gothams

Vean Gregg was returned to AAA with Rube Waddell being recalled from a rehab assignment.

The revolving door at 3B continues, as the Gothams brought Jim Ray Hart up from AAA, giving up for the time being on Ryan Zimmerman.

Don Buford went deep twice, but the Gothams bullpen–the strength of the club–collapsed entirely in an 8-6 loss to the Stars.

Will Clark went deep twice, but the Gothams fell to Birmingham, 7-6 in a close contest. Willie Mays hit his 37th of the season as well.

#Ottawa Mounties

Bill Smith will miss about a week, earning himself a trip to the DL with the Mounties recalling Danny Cox.

Larry Walker came out of a slump in a big way, going 4-for-4 with 2 homeruns, 4 runs scored, and 3 RBI’s to give him 100 on the year. Roberto Alomar also had 4 hits and Gary Carter, Adrián Beltré, and Carlos Beltrán each went deep as well.

Clark Griffith was sent to AAA in exchange for Randy Johnson, who will get a spot start after some effective time at in the minors.

#Philadelphia Stars

Steve Carlton threw the second no-hitter in WBL history as the Stars topped the Gothams, 5-0. Carlton, who improved his record to 10-9, only walked 1 while fanning 8 in the dominant performance. Rico Carty hit a grand slam in support of Lefty.

Aaron Judge hit a walkoff grand slam, leading the Stars to an 8-6 win over the Gothams.

John Burkett was sent to AAA with young Pete Alexander recalled after a long term injury.

TWIWBL 74.1: Year 2, Week 17

By mknn

On March 27, 2025

In TWIWBL

July 23rd

Coming off a short week for most teams.

#Awards

A .500 average and 3 homeruns was enough for Jeff Bagwell of the Houston Colt 45’s to win the NL Player of the Week Award while, in the AL, Portland‘s resurgent Buddy Bell took home the Award, doing even better over the span by hitting .522 with 4 dingers.

#Team Performance

The yawner is the Cum Posey Division, where San Francisco continues to coast with the best record in the league, leading the division by 15 games and going 8-22 over their last 10 contests.

In the Bill James Division, where the New York Black Yankees once looked as comfortable as San Francisco, the Cleveland Spiders have closed to within 2.5 games of New York. That’s the same margin the Brooklyn Royal Giants hold over Homestead in the Effa Manley Division while, over in the Marvin Miller Division, it’s a 3 team race between Kansas City, Indianapolis, and Houston with only 2.55 games separating those 3 franchises.

Baltimore continues to flounder with the worst record in the WBL at 41-58.

#Player Performance

#Batters

Returning to this, a few things stand out: Detroit‘s Ty Cobb has hit a little bit of a lull, pulling his average well below .400 while Babe Ruth keeps doing Babe Ruth things, but isn’t as dominant as he has been in past moments. All of this has allowed the exploits of Homestead’s Josh Gibson to come to the forefront.

Gibson was an all-star, but he was overshadowed by Cobb and Ruth until now. But he’s slashing 407/500/781, which may make the young backstop the most dangerous bat in the league at the moment.

As always, top 3 in most stats with the leaders in bold.

It’s an odd list, as the gap between the truly elite performers–essentially Gibson, Cobb, and Ruth and, maybe, Cleveland’s Tris Speaker–and the next group is pretty wide.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 286/355/681. 38 HR, 101 RBI.
José Canseco (MCG). 252/370/709. 42 HR.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 345/390/639. 130 H, 11 3B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 381/432/818. 130 H, 41 2B, 5.8 WAR.
Kal Daniels (LAA). 331/434/626.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 407/500/781. 1221 H, 6.5 WAR.
Tony Gwynn (HOU). 366/406/563. 130 H.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 260/386/482. 63 BB, 69 SB.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 362/407/592. 124 H, 44 2B.
Stan Musial (KCM). 325/390/573. 40 2B.
Mike Piazza (BRK). 313/350/709. 38 HR.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 291/428/769. 47 HR, 108 RBI, 94 R, 78 BB, 6.0 WAR.
Tris Speaker (CLE). 343/423/692. 81 R.
Larry Walker (OTT). 274/355/669. 38 HR, 93 RBI.
Ted Williams (MEM). 306/419/636. 81 R, 63 BB.

#Pitchers

#Starters

All 6 players with 12 or more wins are listed.

A. Rube Foster (KCM). 6-2, 2.48. 0.93 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 12-4, 3.86. 156 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-6, 4.24. 169 K.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 14-4, 3.62. 3.55 FIP.
Orel Hershiser (BRK). 12-5, 3.76.
José Méndez (MCG). 9-5, 4.12. 3.9 WAR.
Luis Padrón (IND). 13-3, 3.70. 3.57 FIP, 4.4 WAR.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 14-4, 3.90.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 13-5, 2.82. 175 K, 0.93 WHIP, 2.81 FIP, 6.1 WAR.
Jim Whitney (MCG). 5-2, 2.88. 1 Sv, 2 H. 0.98 WHIP.

#Relievers

22 IP Min.

Rod Beck (SFS). 3-2, 3.58. 25 Sv, 1 H. 0.76 WHIP.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-2, 5.48. 12 H.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-1, 3.14. 20 Sv.
Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 1.87. 1 Sv, 6 H.
Bob Howry (PHI). 3-1, 3.91. 13 Sv. 0.78 WHIP.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-4, 3.48. 1 Sv, 14 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 4-3, 3.44. 25 Sv.
Robb Nen (NYG). 3-2, 1.72. 10 Sv, 9 H.
Lee Smith (KCM). 4-1, 2.37. 6 Sv, 6 H. 0.82 WHIP.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.19. 14 Sv.

#Injury Report

Detroit’s Mike Henneman may start a rehab assignment later in the week.

TWIWBL 73.5: Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On March 4, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Brooklyn Royal Giants	53-38	.582	—
Homestead Grays	51-40	.560	2
New York Gothams	45-48	.484	9
Ottawa Mounties	43-48	.473	10
Philadelphia Stars	44-49	.473	10

Effa Manley Division | 16 July

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Mike Piazza hit 2 out, leading the Royal Giants to a 13-1 walkover of Homestead. As importantly, Don Drysedale continued his midseason resurgence, improving to 8-4 with 7 plus innings allowing only an unearned run.

#Homestead Grays

Andy Van Slyke went deep twice for the second week in a row, hitting 2 out in a 13-2 trouncing of Houston. Roberto Clemente, Josh Gibson, and Judy Johnson also hit homeruns as Doug Drabek improved to 4-5 on the year.

#New York Gothams

Don Buford has fit right in since arriving with the Gothams, hitting 2 out in a 9-7 win over Ottawa. Willie Mays hit a grandslam for his 33rd of the year, and Don Sutton improved to 10-3 with Brian Wilson picking up his 14th save.

#Ottawa Mounties

Old Hoss Radbourn still has it from time to time: the Mounties’ erstwhile ace tossed a 2 hit shutout as Ottawa topped the Gothams, 10-0. Radbourn walked 4 and whiffed 8 in the effort, improving his record to 10-7. Rusty Staub, Álex Rodríguez, and Brad Ausmus each went deep in support of Radbourn.

#Philadelphia Stars

Aaron Judge went deep twice–bringing him to 30 on the year–and the Stars edged Houston, 6-4 in a game marked by a solid string of performances from the Stars’ bullpen with John Burkett, Fred Cambria, Pedro Feliciano, and Bob Howry combining to allow only a single run over 4 innings.

TWIWBL 73.1: Year 2, Week 16: The Post All-Star Lull

By mknn

On February 26, 2025

In TWIWBL

July 16th

Coming off a short week for most teams.

#Awards

Homestead‘s Goose Goslin excelled in enough games to earn the NL Player of the Week Award, hitting .667 with 2 homers in the short week, and becoming the 2nd player (and 2nd member of the Grays) to hit for the cycle. In the AL, Memphis‘ OF Manny Ramírez earned the Award, going 4 for 9 with all 4 hits being homeruns, giving him 29 on the season.

#Team Performance

Given teams only played 3 or 4 games, we’ll skip this and come back to it next time.

#Player Performance

I’ve been meaning to look at splits for a while, now that we have a half-season under our belt, it seemed a decent time.

#Versus Lefty/Righty

Top 5 OPS for each.

Name	Team	Slash
Charles Rogan	PHI	433/469/1.000
Josh Gibson	HOM	439/543/894
Rick Reichardt	HOM	365/437/1.000
Ernie Banks	HOD	362/397/942
Willie Mays	NYG	333/392/931

Versus LHP

Name	Team	Slash
Ty Cobb	DET	414/465/914
Babe Ruth	NYY	311/452/873
Ron Blomberg	CLE	328/410/810
Gary Carter	OTT	357/405/799
Josh Gibson	HOM	390/478/723

Versus RHP

Bottom line: Josh Gibson can freaking rake.

#Home v Road

José Canseco‘s 1.411 OPS and 26 homers lead all players at home. After him, it’s predictable given the lists above: Ruth, Cobb, Garter, and Gibson. The road stats are a little more interesting: Brooklyn‘s Mike Piazza joins 2 players from Birmingham, Hank Aaron and Albert Belle, in the top 5, along with Ruth and Mays. Yeah, Birmingham’s home park is murder on hitters.

#Miscellaneous

Here’s a fun one: Baltimore‘s big FA signing Gavvy Cravath is slashing 556/692/1.667 with the bases loaded, with 3 grandslams on the season. Chicago‘s Paul Konerko and Gibson also have 3 granny’s on the season.

And, some random stats as well. 3 players, led by Los Angeles‘ Bobby Grich, have been hit by a pitch at least 15 times. Grich has been plunked on 22 occasions, Baltimore’s Dan McGann 16, and San Francisco‘s Reggie Jackson on 15.

Miami‘s Alejandro Oms has 11 sacrifice hits and Portland‘s Harry Hooper, 10. Those are the only 2 players in double digits. The Sea Lions’ Mickey Cochrane has 10 sacrifice flies, more a testament to how good the rest of the San Francisco lineup is at getting on base.

#Injury Report

Some bullpens around the league are playing the waiting game as Baltimore’s surprise All-Star, Justin Hampson and Los Angeles’ Scott Rice are both awaiting diagnoses as to the severity of their injuries.

Los Angeles’ AJ Pierzynski may start a rehab assignment by the end of the week, but he could have a hard time reclaiming his old spot given Ron Hassey‘s success with the Angels. The House of David‘s Jim Clinton may be back this week as well.

TWIWBL 72.3: The All Star Festivities

By mknn

On February 14, 2025

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

We start with the HR Derby.

#2001 HR Derby

The most disappointing news is Babe Ruth‘s absence, as the Black Yankees’ slugger is still recovering form a hip injury–hopefully Ruth will be available for the game itself.

Ruth was replaced by his teammate, Mickey Mantle, with the opening round matchups being Miami’s José Canseco and Birmingham’s Hank Aaron, the House of David’s Ernie Banks and Brooklyn’s Mike Piazza, Mantle and Cleveland’s Ron Blomberg, and the Gotham’s Willie Mays and Ottawa’s Larry Walker.

The match of the opening round was Canseco and Aaron, with Miami’s slugger winning, 11-10. Willie Mays had the most bombs in the opening round, beating walker 12-6. The other two matchups were close, but less thrilling: Banks beat Piazza 9-8 and Blomberg edged Mantle, 5-4.

Canseco did himself one better in the second round, leaving Banks with quite a challenge. The House of David shortstop could only manage 7, so Canseco advanced to the final, where he will face off with Mays, who edged Blomberg, 8-7.

Mays hit 9 out in the final round, quite a reachable target for Canseco. Canseco delivered his worst result of the day … but it was enough, and he took home the crown, 10-9, earning himself a hug from his pop star girlfriend.

#The 2001 All Star Game

The only bad news for the day: the Black Yankees’ superstar Babe Ruth will be sitting this one out as he’s still recovering from a bruised hip.

The NL will, as expected, start Toad Ramsey, planning to run the Houston starter for 2 innings. For the AL, San Francisco’s Lefty Grove insisted on taking the ball despite being a little short on rest; as such the Sea Lions’ hurler is likely to only throw 1 inning. He was followed by his teammate, Bump Hadley.

Hadley ran into trouble, with walks to Larry Walker (OTT) and Ernie Banks (HOD) sandwiched around an error by Mike Schmidt (NYY) at third. But Hadley struck out Willie Stargell (HOM) and induced a popup from Will Clark (NYG) to end the threat.

Kansas City’s A. Rube Foster‘s turn on the mound was a bit rougher: Arky Vaughan (CLE) greeted the WBL ERA leader with a double, followed by a single to Vaughan’s teammate, Tris Speaker. Vaughan scored on a double-play from Rogers Hornsby (POR), putting the AL up, 1-0.

In the bottom of the frame, Doc Gooden (LAA) got 2 quick outs before walking Josh Gibson (HOM). Charles Rogan (PHI) pinch-ran for Gibson, stole 2nd, and scored on a single from Walker. Rogan’s use meant we would not see the 2-way player on the mound during the contest.

Ron Blomberg (CLE) put the AL back on top, greeting Hardie Henderson (PHI) with a homer to left, but Stargell justified his inclusion in the game by taking Chicago’s Ed Walsh out to tie the score at 2.

The pattern continued: Evan Longoria (CLE) took Frank Castillo (KCM) deep, and the AL was back up, 3-2, but Rogan greeted Andy Pettitte (NYY) with a moonshot to center, tying us up again at 3. But this time, something different: Walker followed Rogan with a homerun of his own, and the NL led for the first time, 4-3.

It wasn’t to last. After a single by Blomberg, Boston’s Ted Williams took Jim Whitney (BBB) out of the park, and the AL was back on top, 5-4. A single from Aaron Judge and Longoria went deep for the 2nd time in the game, putting the AL up 7-4. Turkey Stearnes (SFS) added a 2 run shot, Ty Cobb (DET) a solo dinger, and Frank Thomas (CAG) a 3 run shot, and by the time the dust cleared, the AL had a 13-4 lead.

The NL scored a few more times–an RBI double from Judge, another homer from Rogan being the big hits–but it was never actually close.

ELEVEN homeruns. That’s a fun game, for sure.

Longoria was named the MVP, although Rogan’s performance–2 for 3 with 3 runs scored and 2 homers–certainly drew raves.

AL 13 (Pettitte W) @ NL 8 (Whitney L, B Sv)
HRs: AL – Blomberg, Longoria 2, Williams, Thomas, Stearnes, Cobb; NL – Stargell, Walker, Rogan 2.
Box Score

TWIWBL 71.8: The NL All Stars

By mknn

On February 5, 2025

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

For each section, if a player doesn’t qualify for batting stats (roughly 270 PA), their G and PA are listed. Bold indicates a leader at that position for the stat; top 3 listed for most stats.

If you compare this with the prior post discussing the AL, the gap in offensive talent and pitching depth becomes apparent.

#C

Name	OPS	Slash	Reg Stats	Other
Josh Gibson (HOM)	1.234	390/481/754	27 2B; 23 HR; 79 RBI; 5.3 WAR	3.4 FRM
Gary Carter (OTT)	1.102	324/387/715	31 HR; 663 RBI; 3.9 WAR	48% RTO
Mike Piazza (BRK)	1.027	311/348/679	31 HR; 70 RBI; 2.9 WAR
Jim Pagliaroni (BBB)	.898	248/355/543
Buster Posey (NYG)	.894	291/344/550
Ted Simmons (KCM)	.880	285/314/565	25 2B	4.08 CERA

FRM = Framing Runs | RTO% = Runners Thrown Out | CERA = Catcher ERA

The only question here is whether the NL dips below the big 3. 21 Year old Josh Gibson will start, of course, with Gary Carter and Mike Piazza in reserve.

#1B

Name	OPS	Slash	Reg Stats	Other
Will Clark (NYG)	.989	302/381/608	56 RBI; 1.8 WAR
Mike Epstein (HOM)	.971	252/386/585	22 HR; 63 RBI; 1.7 WAR	.998 Fldg
Anthony Rizzo (HOD)	.964	278/402/561
Joe Harris (HOD)	.956	295/410/546
Jeff Bagwell (HOU)	.938	279/376/562	71 RBI

Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating

The NL has a totally different challenge to the AL: here, it is whether any of the natural 1B really deserve to make the team. Will Clark will start, with Mike Epstein on the bench. Joe Harris split his time between 1B and the OF, and may be selected in that role.

#2B

Name	OPS	Slash	Reg Stats	Other
Joe Morgan (IND)	1.101	324/425/676	50 RBI; 2.2 WAR	52 G / 221 PA
Roberto Alomar (OTT)	.972	312/391/581	22 2B; 18 HR; 65 RBI; 31 SB; 3.3 WAR
Ryne Sandberg (HOD)	.964	303/356/608	28 HR; 60 RBI; 2.7 WAR	.997 Fldg; 5.04 RF
Jackie Robinson (BRK)	.897	270/357/540	17 HR
Craig Biggio (HOU)	.837	267/371/466

Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating

Roberto Alomar and Ryne Sandberg are locks, with Alomar getting the nod as the starter. Beyond them, it gets interesting: Joe Morgan has been phenomenal, but missed a significant chunk of time while Jackie Robinson may deserve a spot, but has split his time between 2B and 1B. While Robinson is invaluable to Brooklyn, his offensive production is excellent for a 2B, but only solid for a 1B.

#SS

Name	OPS	Slash	Reg Stats	Other
Ernie Banks (HOD)	1.006	287/316/690	34 HR; 78 RBI; 1.7 WAR
Carlos Correa (HOU)	.931	322/396/535	20 2B; 13 HR; 40 RBI; 3.1 WAR	.981 Fldg; 4.2 ZR
Álex Rodríguez (OTT)	.899	260/322/577	25 HR; 45 RBI; 20 SB; 1.5 WAR	.974 Fldg

Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating

While some may suggest that Kansas City’s Ozzie Smith deserves to be listed here due to his defensive prowess (he leads all SS in Fldg, RF, and ZR), it’s a bit too much to imagine a sub-.700 OPS warranting an all star spot. Ernie Banks and Carlos Correa are in, with Álex Rodríguez on the bubble for a while.

#3B

Name	OPS	Slash	Reg Stats	Other
Albert Pujols (KCM)	1.003	314/381/622	32 2B; 60 RBI; 2.5 WAR
Ron Cey (BRK)	.978	278/375/602	22 HR; 2.6 WAR	.978 Fldg; 2.46 RF; 3.5 ZR
Eddie Mathews (BBB)	.917	222/345/572	27 HR; 56 RBI	2.76 RF
Scott Rolen (PHI)	.911	275/349/562	55 RBI; 2.1 WAR	.976 Fldg; 2.6 ZR

Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating

Albert Pujols is named the starter here (although he may end up shifting over to 1B in the game itself), with Ron Cey behind him. Eddie Mathews‘ best hope of making the cut is if he ends up being the leading candidate for Birmingham, but my guess is they find representation on the pitching staff first.

#LF/RF

As with the AL, we’ll treat the corner OF’s together.

Name	OPS	Slash	Reg Stats	Other
Larry Walker (OTT)	1.080	292/364/715	37 HR; 877 RBI; 2.5 WAR	3.97 RF
Rick Reichardt (HOM)	1.044	314/387/657
Tony Gwynn (HOU)	1.030	390/429/601	27 2B; 6 3B; 3.1 WAR	5 Kills
Aaron Judge (PHI)	.972	272/368/604		.993 Fldg
Stan Musial (KCM)	.964	329/392/573	37 2B; 2.2 WAR	5.7 ZR
Joe Rogan (PHI)	.958	296/341/617
Johnny Callison (NYG)	.913	272/333/580		.993 Fldg

Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating

Certainly Larry Walker, Rick Reichardt, and Tony Gwynn make it, with Gwynn and Walker earning the starting nods. It seems like Aaron Judge and Stan Musial should make the cut as well, and Rogan gets a roster spot for his combined effort on the mound and at the plate.

#CF

Name	OPS	Slash	Reg Stats	Other
Rick Monday (OTT)	1.207	305/397/809		46 G / 151 PA
Oscar Charleston (IND)	1.006	335/384/622	19 2B; 9 3B; 63 RBI; 25 SB; 2.7 WAR
Willie Mays (NYG)	.974	277/347/627	31 HR; 62 RBI; 3.1 WAR	8.5 ZR
Carlos Beltrán (OTT)	.860	253/326/534	63 RBI

Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating

Rick Monday can’t be a serious candidate, given his playing time, but wow are those numbers eye-popping.

Oscar Charleston gets the start at age 20, with Willie Mays also being named to the team. Carlos Beltrán is listed partially to show the gap between Mays and the next group of CFers. Rogan could also have been listed here.

#DH

Name	OPS	Slash	Reg Stats
Willie Stargell (HOM)	.954	270/348/606	14 2B; 27 HR; 60 RBI; 1.2 WAR
Albert Belle (BBB)	.884	256/313/571	15 2B; 26 HR; 59 RBI
Benny Kauff (NYG)	.869	261/315/553	19 2B
Duke Snider (BRK)	.771	226/262/509	25 HR; 54 RBI

Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating

Willie Stargell will start, but it’s not clear any of the rest of these make it: Mathews is a better selection for Birmingham if one is needed, and Benny Kauff and Duke Snider–while doing well–just aren’t quite all star material this year.

#SP

Now things get a lot tighter in the NL. Here is everyone with a sub 4.00 ERA and/or 10 or more wins, plus a few others.

Name	W-L; ERA	Reg Stats	Other
A. Rube Foster (KCM)	5-1, 2.20	.202 BABIP, 0.96 WHIP, 3.67 FIP	88% QS, 2 SHO
Toad Ramsey (HOU)	12-4, 2.60	163 K, 0.90 WHIP, 2.68 FIP, 5.8 WAR	72% QS, 2 SHO, 2.29 SIERA, 2.0 WPA
Fernando Valenzuela (BRK)	6-1, 2.66	0.87 WHIP; .176 BABIP	3 GS / 74 IP
Hardie Henderson (PHI)	10-6, 3.05	.214 BABIP	1.5 WPA
Jim Whitney	5-2, 3.11	1 Sv; 2 H, 1.02 WHIP	75% QS, 2.0 WPA
Roger Clemens (HOU)	10-4, 3.64	.210 BABIP
Smokey Joe Williams (BRK)	7-8, 3.64	3.4 WAR
Orel Hershiser (BRK)	11-4, 3.70
Luis Padrón (IND)	12-2, 3.87	3.44 FIP, 3.8 WAR	2 SHO
Smokey Joe Wood (KCM)	9-6, 3.95
J.M. Ward (PHI)	4-4, 3.99
Frank Castillo (KCM)	10-1, 4.43		2 SHO
Bullet Joe Rogan (PHI)	5-8, 4.46		2 SHO

Toad Ramsey is the starter, with Luis Padrón and A. Rube Foster close behind. Hardie Henderson seems to be another required choice, with his ERA barely eclipsing 3.00.

After that choices, have to be made: Jim Whitney has been brilliant, but just barely qualifies for the ERA title. Fernando Valenzuela has been even better, but was used out of the bullpen for most of the season. And how do you ignore a starting pitcher with a 10-1 record? I don’t think you can, so we’ll add Valenzuela and Castillo, snubbing Brooklyn’s very strong duo of Orel Hershiser and Smokey Joe Williams.

#RP

Name	W-L; ERA	Reg Stats	Other
Harley Young (BBB)	0-1, 1.12	3 Sv; 6 H	1.87 FIP
Craig Kimbrel (KCM)	2-3, 1.85	2 Sv; 11 H	2.38 FIP; 15 SD; 2.88 SIERA
Robb Nen (NYG)	3-2, 1.89	9 Sv; 6 H
Tug McGraw (HOU)	3-3, 2.05	9 Sv	.90 Sv%
Eddie Guardado (KCM)	2-1, 2.05	1 Sv; 5 H	2.58 FIP
Lee Smith (HOD)	4-1, 2.65	6 Sv; 6 H	.198 BABIP; 0.771 WHIP; .86 Sv%; 2.89 SIERA
Eric Gagne (BRK)	2-1, 2.81	19 Sv	18 SD
Josh Lindblom (HOM)	4-2, 3.19	23 Sv	.96 Sv%; 18 SD
Ted Kennedy (PHI)	2-2, 3.47	4 Sv; 9 H
Rob Murphy (IND)	1-3, 3.55	1 Sv; 11 H
Michael Jackson (HOM)	1-4, 3.73	1 Sv; 12 H
Bob Howry (PHI)	3-1, 4.09	12 Sv	.172 BABIP; 0.82 WHIP

FIP = Fielding Independent Pitching | BABPI = BA Allowed on Balls In Play | SD = Shutdowns | SIERA = Skill Interactive ERA | Sv% = Save %

More hard choices. Harley Young and Craig Kimbrel have been essentially unhittable and Eric Gagne and Josh Lindblom have been the most effective closers. So those 4 for sure. Robb Nen has done everything the Gothams have asked, covering as closer while Brian Wilson was injured, and continuing to dominate after Wilson’s return (Wilson only misses the team through a lack of IP after his injury).

The real omission here seems to be Lee Smith, who has stepped into the closers role for the House of David with aplomb, reflected in his overall statistical performance.

#NL All Stars

It came down to Scott Rolen, Buster Posey, Smokey Joe Williams, and Jim Whitney for the NL’s final spot. We decided to honor their dominant pitching as a league, removing Rolen and Posey from consideration.

Williams has only pitched roughly a dozen innings more than Whitney, who has better numbers across the board. That leaves Smokey Joe on the outside looking in this year.

As with the AL, here are the highest ranked performers in various categories who missed the cut.

Hank Aaron (BBB). #4 in H (96); #6 in HR (29); #16 in SLG (.588).
Joe Harris (HOD). #13 in BA (.295); #3 in OBP (.410); #18 in OPS (.956).
Jeff Bagwell (HOU). #4 in RBI (71).
Buster Posey (NYG). #13 in WAR (2.2).
Nap Lajoie (HOM). #3 in 2B (28).
Pete Hill (HOU). #1 in 3B (10).
Tim Raines (OTT). #1 in SB (59).

Orel Hershiser (BRK). #3 in W (11).
Christy Mathewson (NYG). #2 in IP (128); #2 in K (124).
Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). #3 in WAR (3.4); #4 in FIP (3.73).
Roger Clemens (HOU). #5 in ERA (3.64).
J.M. Ward (PHI). #4 in WHIP (1.02).
Rob Dibble (IND) and Jeff Pfeffer (KCM) are tied for #3 in Saves with 16, but neither have an ERA under 5.00.

The offensive players look fine. Mathewson and especially Smokey Joe have a right to feel aggrieved about this one.

Starters in bold.

C: Gary Carter (OTT), Josh Gibson (HOM); Mike Piazza (BRK).
1B: Will Clark (NYG), Mike Epstein (HOM).
2B: Roberto Alomar (OTT), Ryne Sandberg (HOD).
SS: Ernie Banks (HOD), Carlos Correa (HOU).
3B: Ron Cey (BRK), Albert Pujols (KCM).
LF: Tony Gwynn (HOU); Rick Reichardt (HOM).
CF: Oscar Charleston (IND), Joe Rogan (PHI), Willie Mays (NYG).
RF: Aaron Judge (PHI), Stan Musial (KCM), Larry Walker (OTT).
DH: Willie Stargell (HOM).
SP: Frank Castillo (KCM), A. Rube Foster (KCM), Hardie Henderson (PHI), Luis Padrón (IND), Toad Ramsey (HOU), Fernando Valenzuela (BRK), Jim Whitney (BBB).
RP: Eric Gagne (BRK), Craig Kimbrel (KCM), Josh Lindblom (HOM), Robb Nen (NYG), Harley Young (BBB).

Selections are more consistently spread across the NL, with Homestead and Kansas City leading the way with 5 players each. All teams saw at least 2 players selected for the midsummer classic.

Brooklyn, with the best record in the league, may feel a bit hard done by, as both Smokey Joe Williams and Jackie Robinson are left off the squad. Indianapolis has a similar argument, with only 2 representatives despite being only a game out of 1st with a record over .500, but the omission of Joe Morgan due to playing time is more understandable.

Here they are by team

Homestead Grays (.535). Mike Epstein (1B), Josh Gibson (C), Josh Lindblom (P), Rick Reichardt (OF), Willie Stargell (DH).
Kansas City Monarchs (.534). Frank Castillo (P), A. Rube Foster (P), Craig Kimbrel (P), Stan Musial (OF), Albert Pujols (3B).
Brooklyn Royal Giants (.575). Ron Cey (3B), Eric Gagne (P), Mike Piazza (C), Fernando Valenzuela (P).
New York Gothams (.494). Will Clark (1B), Willie Mays (OF), Robb Nen (P).
Houston Colt 45’s (.494). Carlos Correa (SS), Tony Gwynn (OF), Toad Ramsey (P).
Philadelphia Stars (.483). Hardie Henderson (P), Aaron Judge (OF), Joe Rogan (U/P).
Ottawa Mounties (.460). Roberto Alomar (2B), Álex Rodríguez (SS), Larry Walker (OF).
Indianapolis ABC’s (.523). Oscar Charleston (OF), Luis Padrón (P).
Wandering House of David (.471). Ernie Banks (SS), Lee Smith (P).
Birmingham Black Barons (.432). Harley Young (P), Jim Whitney (P).

The NL sees only 4 repeat all-stars: Mike Epstein, Josh Gibson, Willie Mays, and Stan Musial

TWIWBL 71.5: Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On January 31, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Brooklyn Royal Giants	47-34	.580	—
Homestead Grays	43-38	.531	4
New York Gothams	43-41	.512	5.5
Philadelphia Stars	39-44	.470	9
Ottawa Mounties	38-44	.463	9.5

Effa Manley Division | 2 July

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

The much maligned Pedro Guerrero had himself a day, hitting 3 homeruns and delivering the walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 11th as Brooklyn topped Birmingham, 8-7.

Beals Becker went deep twice and Fernando Valenzuela was fantastic as the Royal Giants beat the House of David, 4-1. Valenzuela improved to 6-1 with the complete game effort, allowing only 2 hits while whiffing 10.

Mike Piazza hit 2 out, giving him 33 on the year, and, in fantastically welcome news for Brooklyn, Don Drysedale put in his best start of the season as the Royal Giants topped the House of David, 9-1.

#Homestead Grays

Reliever Dave Giusti was sent to AAA, with Russ Kemmerer recalled to take his place in the bullpen.

Rick Reichardt hit two homeruns, including a grand slam, and Josh Gibson had 4 hits, raising his average to .399 as we hit the all star break. All in all, the Grays pounded out 23 hits in a 12-4 thumping of Ottawa.

#New York Gothams

Vean Gregg–called into emergency duty as a starter–turned in a great effort, combining with Mike Norris and Brian Wilson on 3-hit shutout of Ottawa. Pinky Higgins delivered all of the runs with a 3-run shot, his 9th of the year and Gregg fanned 9 in his 6+ innings of work. Norris picked up his 7th hold and Wilson his 12th save of the season.

Buster Posey hit 2 homeruns, but the Gothams fell to Ottawa, 7-5. This unfortunate pattern repeated as Larry Doyle hit his 10th and 11th of the year in an 11-9 loss to the Stars.

#Ottawa Mounties

Ottawa firmly believes in the talent of Randy Johnson. But there’s just so many unsuccessful attempts to move his ERA under 9.00 they can stomach. So they’re sending The Big Unit to AAA in hopes he can harness his immense talent. Clark Griffith–not exactly successful historically with the Mounties–was recalled. Bob Watson also headed to AAA after a mostly unsuccessful few months with Roy Sievers returning to WBL action.

The Rick Monday parade continues, with the shocking performance of the rookie continuing with 2 homeruns in a 4-1 win over the Gothams, giving him 18 on the year. As importantly for Mounties’ fans, Roy Halladay turned in a good performance, improving to 8-6, and Tom Henke picked up his 5th save of the season.

Monday did it again, hitting out 2 for 20 on the year and Gary Carter also went yard twice (giving him 30) as the Mounties beat the Gothams, 7-5.

Tim Raines–of all people–went deep twice, but it wasn’t enough as Ottawa fell to Homestead, 8-5.

#Philadelphia Stars

Bullet Joe Rogan was masterful, hitting his 16th homerun and tossing a 1 hitter as the Stars beat the Gothams, 3-0. Rogan walked 1 and whiffed 8 in the complete game effort, improving his record to 5-8 on the year.

Chase Utley hit a 2-run walkoff homer in the bottom of the 10th, giving the Stars an 11-9 win over the Gothams. Scott Rolen went deep twice, and Aaron Judge, Rico Carty, Ted Kluszewski, and Mike Sciosia also sent balls over the fence.

TWIWBL 71.1: Year 2, Week 14

By mknn

On January 27, 2025

In TWIWBL

July 2nd

We’ll preview the All Star selections, so this will be a bit of a longer entry.

#Awards

Lots of awards, as we moved into a new month!

First, the smaller ones. Houston‘s Jeff Bagwell was the National League Player of the Week, hitting .409 with 5 homeruns while Eric Davis of the juggernaut New York Black Yankees was the American League Player of the Week, hitting .481 with 5 homers in the same span.

In the monthly awards, the American League Rookie of the Month for June was San Francisco‘s Turkey Stearnes, who hit .378 with 11 homeruns in the month.

Kansas City‘s A. Rube Foster was both the National League Rookie of the Month and the NL Pitcher of the Month, going 3-1 with a 1.65 ERA, as the young hurler announced himself as, at least so far, a premier WBL starter. The American League Pitcher of the Month was Bump Hadley, Stearnes’ teammate in San Francisco. Hadley was 5-0 in June with a 2.66 ERA.

Ottawa‘s star backstop, Gary Carter, was the National League Batter of the Month, hitting .397 with 14 homeruns in June while in the American League, unsurprisingly, the award went to the stellar Ty Cobb. The Detroit OF hit .408 with 11 homers in June, which actually brought his overall average down in that span (Cobb is leading the WBL in BA at .418).

#Team Performance

Yawn.

The Black Yankees and the Sea Lions continue to be the 2 best teams in the league, leading their divisions by 5 and 11 games respectively.

The Effa Manley Division might offer some excitement in the second half, as Brooklyn still leads Homestead by 4 and the New York Gothams by 5.5. But the only true race is in the Marvin Miller Division, where Kansas City has overtaken Indianapolis, now leading the ABC’s by 2.5 games.

The Houston Colt 45’s are 8-2 over their last 10 games, but still sit 5 games under .500. Detroit and Philadelphia are moving in the other direction, with each team managing only 2 wins in their last 10 contests.

Birmingham still has the worst record in the league, but they have moved over .400, sitting at .410 (34-49).

#Player Performance

Batters

It’s still Ty Cobb’s world, although Babe Ruth is doing Babe Ruth things, and reached the 40 homerun plateau during the last week.

José Canseco (MCG). 254/375/734. 36 HR.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 336/386/642. 103 H, 9 3B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 416/464/885. 116 H, 37 2B, 8 3B, 5.8 WAR.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 392/481/748. 5.1 WAR.
Tony Gwynn (HOU). 389/425/601. 116 H.
Pete Hill (HOU). 291/371/487. 10 3B.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 356/398/588. 103 H, 39 2B.
Stan Musial (KCM). 329/392/573. 37 2B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 292/426/775. 40 HR, 90 RBI, 82 R, 68 BB, 5.0 WAR.
Larry Walker (OTT). 293/369/721. 36 HR, 85 RBI.

Rickey Henderson (San Francisco) and Tim Raines (Ottawa) continue to be 1-2 in the league in steals, but it’s getting closer, with Henderson’s edge now 60 to 53.

Pitchers

Starters

While his performance has been somewhat below par, the New York Gothams’ Christy Mathewson continues to be definition of workhorse, leading the WBL with 20 starts, 2 ahead of a bevy of hurlers with 18.

7 pitchers have reached double-digits in wins, with Luis Padrón (Indianapolis) leading the way at 11-2. All 7 are included below. Houston’s Toad Ramsey was so dominant for so long, he is still the top starter in the league despite a recent dip in form, but I would probably choose Lefty Grove of San Francisco or the emergent A. Rube Foster.

Frank Castillo (KCM). 10-1, 4.22.
A. Rube Foster (KCM). 5-1, 2.30. .203 BABIP, 0.98 WHIP, 3.70 FIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 10-4, 3.71. 126 IP, 132 K, 3.1 WAR.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-4, 3.86. 143 K, 3.80 FIP, 3.2 WAR.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 11-4, 4.21, 3.50 FIP, 3.0 WAR.
Orel Hershiser (BRK). 10-4, 3.87.
Luis Padrón (IND). 11-2, 4.21. 3.57 FIP, 3.3 WAR.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 11-3, 3.54.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 11-4, 2.77. 124 IP, 152 K, 0.89 WHIP, 2.80 FIP, 5.2 WAR.
Ed Walsh (CAG). 6-3, 3.41. 1 Sv, .201 BABIP.
Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 7-7, 3.41. 3.66 FIP, 3.4 WAR.

Relievers

We’ve listed the top 3 leaders in saves, all 5 of the relievers who have reached double digits in Holds, as well as all 5 with an ERA below 2.00.

18 IP minimum.

Rod Beck (SFS). 3-2, 3.47. 21 Sv.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-2, 6.03. 11 H.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 1-1, 2.92. 19 Sv.
Ken Howell (SFS). 4-1, 1.72. 1 Sv, 4 H.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-4, 4.13. 1 Sv, 10 H.
Brad Kilby (PHI). 1-2, 4.39. 2 Sv, 10 H.
Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 2-1, 1.14. 2 Sv, 11 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 4-2, 3.45. 20 Sv.
Rob Murphy (IND). 1-3, 3.75. 1 Sv, 11 H.
Robb Nen (NYG). 3-2, 1.95. 9 Sv, 6 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 1-0, 1.64. 3 Sv, 3 H.
BJ Ryan (OTT). 1-2, 4.15. 1 Sv, 10 H.
Harley Young (BBB). 1-0, 1.23. 3 Sv, 5 H.

#Injury Report

Portland lost half of their backstop platoon as AJ Pierzynski will be out for close to a month. News was worse for Ottawa, as SP Bob Moose is out for close to a year.

Houston’s Casey Stengel and Kansas City’s Lou Brock are awaiting diagnosis on their current injuries.

Baltimore’s Bobby Wallace, Detroit’s Billy Hoeft, and the Black Yankees’ Dave Righetti should all begin rehab assignments this week.

#The All Star Candidates

We’ll look at these by position, mixing the two leagues for the time being.

For each position, we’ve included as many players as it takes to have at least 3-4 candidates from each league, highlighting some pretty severe disparities in talent between the AL and the NL.

If players don’t qualify for the batting stats, their playing time is noted, as are some other potentially influencing factors. This indicates a leader at that position among the players listed (but not necessarily overall).

Each league can only select 32 players for the All Star Game itself (usually 20 or 21 position players and 11 or 12 pitchers), so quite a few of the players listed here will be left on the outside looking in.

#C

The NL dominates here, with 3 catchers with an OPS over 1.000. That means some worthy candidates–most notably NYG’s Buster Posey –are likely to miss out.

Name	Tm / Lg	OPS	Reg Stats	Other
Josh Gibson	HOM / NL	1.229	5.1 WAR; 67 RBI	3.1 FRM
Gary Carter	OTT /NL	1.073	28 HR	47.1 RTO%
Mike Piazza	BRK / NL	1.042	29 HR; 65 RBI	4.87 CERA
Ed Bailey	DET / AL	.972		57 G/216 PA; 43.6 RTO%
Jim Pagliaroni	BBB / NL	.925		61 G/231 PA
Mickey Cochrane	SFS / AL	.917		10 SB; 4.39 CERA
Ted Simmons	KCM / NL	.900		63 G/256 PA; 4.15 CERA
Buster Posey	NYG / NL	.870		3.8 FRM
Joe Mauer	POR / AL	.856		14 SB
Curt Blefary	BAL /AL	.826
Carlton Fisk	CAG / AL	.800		67 G/254 PA; 11 SB

FRM = Framing Runs | RTO% = Runners Thrown Out | CERA = Catcher ERA

The other stalwart defensive catchers–Miami‘s Iván Rodríguez and Indianapolis’ Johnny Bench–just haven’t hit enough, although a late surge by Bench has moved him up these lists.

I don’t think there is any question in the NL, where it’s Gibson, Carter, and Piazza. Cochrane and Mauer should be in for the AL, with a question of whether you go with Bailey’s bat in more limited appearances or Blefary. Should the NL decide to carry 4 backstops, the choice between Pagliaroni and Simmons (and, perhaps, Posey) is close.

Gibson and Cochrane should be the starters.

#1B

The AL has a slight edge here, but there’s a lot of talent throughout.

Name	Tm / Lg	OPS	Reg Stats	Other
Lou Gehrig	NYY / AL	1.057	28 HR; 21 2B; 65 RBI	.995 Fldg
Will Clark	NYG / NL	1.006
Frank Thomas	CAG / AL	1.004
Hank Greenberg	DET / AL	.991	26 HR	.998 Fldg; 3.1 ZR
Mike Epstein	HOM / NL	.965
Anthony Rizzo	HOD / NL	.964
Lance Berkman	CLE / AL	.957
Jim Thome	MCG / AL	.927	28 HR; 64 RBI
Jeff Bagwell	HOU / NL	.923	66 RBI	.995 Fldg
Boog Powell	KCM / NL	.920		.995 Fldg; 9.23 RF; 2.9 ZR

Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating

Gehrig and Clark are almost certainly the starters, and the AL will likely take Thomas and Greenberg as well. In the NL, it gets a little trickier, as Powell (along with Greenberg) is one of the better 1B defensively. Epstein’s offense will carry him, but after that my guess is Rizzo gets the selection (but cannot participate via injury), and is replaced by Powell, with Bagwell having a legitimate complaint.

#2B

The NL is ridiculously stacked in terms of offensive-minded 2B.

Name	Tm / Lg	OPS	Reg Stats	Other
Joe Morgan	IND / NL	1.088		47 G/199 PA
Roberto Alomar	OTT/ NL	1.008	21 2B; 18 HR; 64 RBI; 31 SB; 3.5 WAR
Ryne Sandberg	HOD / NL	.995	28 HR; 60 RBI; 2.9 WAR	.997 Fldg; 5.00 RF
Jackie Robinson	BRK / NL	.938
Rogers Hornsby	POR / AL	.919		53 G/234 PA
Charlie Gehringer	DET / AL	.876		57 G/225 PA; .989 Fldg; 5.09 RF
Eddie Collins	CAG / AL	.850	36 SB
Bobby Grich	LAA / AL	.845	15 HR
Craig Biggio	HOU / NL	.841
Chase Utley	PHI / NL	.781		4.92 RF; 9.3 ZR
Cookie Rojas	MCG / AL	.766	27 2B	.987 Fldg

Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating

Joe Morgan is included just for interest–he missed too much time to injury to warrant serious consideration. Detroit’s Charlie Gehringer, on the other hand, probably makes the cut, despite starting the season in the minors.

In the NL, it’s pretty clear: Alomar, Sandberg, and Robinson, with the starter being decided between Sandberg and Alomar over the next week. The AL is trickier, but I think it ends up going according to form: Eddie Collins to start, with Gehringer and Hornsby behind him.

#SS

It’s pretty impressive there are this many shortstops that can hit, and Ernie Banks‘ production is incredible.

Name	Tm / Lg	OPS	Reg Stats	Other
Ernie Banks	HOD/ NL	.978	30 HR; 71 RBI
Cal Ripken, Jr.	BAL / AL	.967		39 G/140 PA; .993 Fldg; 4.90 RF
Carlos Correa	HOU/ NL	.929	18 2B; 2.8 WAR
Arky Vaughan	CLE / AL	.887	19 2B; 2.4 WAR	6.3 ZR
Álex Rodríguez	OTT / NL	.885	23 HR
Robin Yount	MCG / AL	.845	15 HR	5.8 ZR
Jim Fregosi	POR / AL	.793
Dick Lundy	SFS / AL	.783	7 3B; 2.1 WAR; 33 SB
Derek Jeter	NYY / AL	.762
Dobie Moore	MEM / AL	.750	22 SB	.983 Fldg
Ozzie Smith	KCM / NL	.672	19 2B; 25 SB	.994 Fldg; 6.3 ZR

Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating

Ripken, Jr. is really not a serious contender, but he has been impressive in the 40 G’s he’s played. That gives us Banks, Correa, and Rodríguez in the NL and Vaughan, Yount, and either Fregosi or Lundy in the AL.

Smith is included because of his superlative defense, but doesn’t probably make the cut.

This is an interesting position: Vaughan and Rodríguez changed teams in the off season, and Correa’s performance has been a bit of a shock.

#3B

The top 5 are locks, beyond that, it gets much trickier, especially in the NL.

Name	Tm / Lg	OPS	Reg Stats	Other
Albert Pujols	KCM / NL	1.046	32 2B; 60 RBI; 2.8 WAR
Ron Cey	BRK / NL	.967	2.4 WAR	.976 Fldg; 3.3 ZR
Gary Sheffield	MCG/ AL	.929	22 HR; 55 RBI; 15 SB
Evan Longoria	CLE / AL	.926		2.2 ZR
Mike Schmidt	NYY / AL	.926	23 HR; 55 RBI	2.59 RF
Scott Rolen	PHI / NL	.922	2.1 WAR	.974 Fldg; 2.7 ZR
Ron Santo	HOD /NL	.906		52 G/192 PA
Eddie Mathews	BBB / NL	.904	24 HR	.978 Fldg; 2.66 RF
Wade Boggs	MEM / AL	.896	26 2B

Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating

After Pujols and Cey, it’s hard in the NL. Matthews and Rolen edge ahead of Santo due to defense and Santo’s relative low usage, but picking between the two of them is very challenging, to the point the NL may go with 4 players at the hot corner.

#OF

All of the OF spots are a bit combined in the end, but we’re keeping them separate for the sake of comparison.

#LF

When Detroit’s Ty Cobb plays the OF, he plays here as well, making the AL selections pretty simple.

Name	Tm / Lg	OPS	Reg Stats	Other
Babe Ruth	NYY / AL	1.201	40 HR; 90 RBI; 5.0 WAR	.988 Fldg; 5.1 ZR
Ted Williams	MEM / AL	1.063	23 2B; 65 RBI
Frank Robinson	BAL / AL	1.035	24 HR; 64 RBI; 2.3 WAR	1.000 Fldg
Adam Dunn	IND / NL	.906	24 HR	.989 Fldg; 3.41 RF
Roy White	BRK / NL	.866
Oscar Gamble	DET / AL	.852
Rickey Henderson	SFS / AL	.840	2.8 WAR; 60 SB	7.2 ZR
Tim Raines	OTT / NL	.773	7 3B; 53 SB

Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating

So, Ruth, Williams, and Robinson are in, and perhaps Henderson’s 60+ SB warrant a spot. In the NL, it’s more challenging. Dunn seems to be a lock, and White is a bit of a sentimental choice. It may be just those 2 from this group.

#CF

Tris Speaker, as despicable of a human being as he is, is the best in the AL right now, especially considering the defensive contribution. Over in the NL, Willie Mays probably edges Oscar Charleston as the starter.

Name	Tm / Lg	OPS	Reg Stats	Other
Rick Monday	OTT /NL	1.172		41 G/136 PA
Tris Speaker	CLE / AL	1.088	31 2B; 4.0 WAR	2.68 RF; 5.1 ZR; 6 Kills
Turkey Stearnes	SFS / AL	1.065	7 3B; 24 HR
Eric Davis	NYY / AL	1.058	26 SB	41 G/188 PA; 1.000 Fldg
Julio Rodríguez	MCG / AL	1.052		39 G/177 PA
Oscar Charleston	IND / NL	1.027	9 3B; 60 RBI; 24 SB
Willie Mays	NYG / NL	.977	31 HR; 62 RBI; 2.9 WAR	.990 Fldg; 2.70 RF; 7.7 ZR
Mike Trout	LAA / AL	.965	24 2B; 2.8 WAR; 21 SB	1.000 Fldg
Carlos Beltrán	OTT / NL	.916	63 RBI; 21 SB
Alejandro Oms	MCG / AL	.883	5 3B	6.3 ZR
Curtis Granderson	BBB / NL	.876	26 HR	3.01 RF

Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating

Monday, Davis, and Rodríguez aren’t really in contention, but their performances in limited action have been pretty spectacular.

Speaker, Stearnes, and Trout are pretty much locks in the AL, with Oms being a hard luck case. Beltrán deserves the spot behind Mays and Charleston.

#RF

A deep, deep group, probably 4 deep in each league.

Name	Tm / Lg	OPS	Reg Stats	Other
José Canseco	MCG / AL	1.109	36 HR
Larry Walker	OTT / NL	1.090	36 HR; 85 RBI; 22.4 WAR	3.89 RF
Reggie Jackson	SFS / AL	1.027	63 RBI; 2.8 WAR; 24 SB
Tony Gwynn	HOU / NL	1.026	6 3B; 24 2B; 2.8 WAR
Aaron Judge	PHI / NL	.994		.992 Fldg
Mickey Mantle	NYY / AL	.993	30 HR; 76 RBI
Joe Jackson	CAG /AL	.986	39 2B; 27 SB
Stan Musial	KCM / NL	.964	37 2B	5.5 ZR
Johnny Callison	NYG / NL	.945		.993 Fldg
Mookie Betts	MEM / AL	.865	24 2B	1.000 Fldg

Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating

Canseco, Mantle, and the 2 Jacksons seem locks in the AL, with Walker, Gwynn, and Judge in the NL. It’s possible Musial misses the cut, as ridiculous as that sounds.

#DH

The pressure here is immense, given the competition for the other OF spots.

Name	Tm / Lg	OPS	Reg Stats	Other
Ty Cobb	DET / AL	1.350	37 2B; 8 3B; 26 HR; 73 RBI; 5.8 WAR; 31 SB
Kal Daniels	LAA / AL	1.023	21 2B; 2.3 WAR; 30 SB
Manny Ramírez	MEM / AL	.986		56 G/224 PA
Ryan Braun	MCG/ AL	.982	31 HR
Willie Stargell	HOM / NL	.980	27 HR
Gavvy Cravath	BAL / AL	.926	22 2B; 69 RBI
Benny Kauff	NYG / NL	.909

Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating

Cobb is, of course, a lock, and it would be hard to keep Daniels off the roster. Beyond that, though, it gets difficult to justify a pure DH, although Braun, Stargell, and Cravath all have decent arguments.

#P

Pitching is, of course, a constant crapshoot, and a lot could change in the outings this week.

All pitchers are sorted by ERA.

#SP

This list has everyone with an ERA under 4.00 or 10 or more wins.

Name	Tm / Lg	W-L; ERA	Reg Stats	Other
Toad Ramsey	HOU / NL	11-4, 2.77	152 K; 0.89 WHIP; 5.2 WAR; 2.80 FIP	71% QS; 5 CG; 2 SHO; 2.34 SIERA; 1.7 WPA
Doc Gooden	LAA / AL	7-5, 3.17
Hardie Henderson	PHI/ NL	9-6, 3.18
Smokey Joe Williams	BRK / NL	7-7, 3.41	3.4 WAR
Ed Walsh	CAG / AL	6-3, 3.41	1.06 WHIP
Eddie Plank	SFS / AL	11-3, 3.54
Roger Clemens	HOU / NL	9-4, 3.71		65% QS
Lefty Grove	SFS / AL	10-4, 3.71	132 K	4 CG; 3 SHO; 2.87 SIERA
Johnny Cueto	IND / NL	8-4, 3.75		67% QS
Rube Foster	IND / NL	6-4, 3.80
Ron Guidry	NYY / AL	8-4, 3.86	143 K	2.58 SIERA
Orel Hershiser	BRK / NL	10-4, 3.87
Brett Anderson	LAA / AL	7-2, 3.91	1.06 WHIP
Andy Pettitte	NYY / AL	9-5, 4.05
Bump Hadley	SFS / AL	11-4, 4.21	3.50 FIP
Luis Padrón	IND / NL	11-2, 4.21	3.3 WA; 3.57 FIP
Frank Castillo	KCM / NL	10-1, 4.22		3 CG; 2 SHO
José Méndez	MCG / AL	6-4, 4.45

FIP = Fielding Independent Pitching | QS = Quality Starts | SIERA = Skill Interactive ERA | WPA = Win Probability Added

Right now, I would guess the starting matchup is Toad Ramsey for the NL and Eddie Plank for the AL.

Beyond that, in the AL, I see Gooden, Walsh, and Grove as easy picks. Guidry is likely in as well, leaving Anderson and Hadley on the bubble.

The NL is much harder to figure out. Henderson, Hershiser, Padrón, and Castillo feel like they deserve selections, with Williams having a very strong case as well. That would leave some excellent performances–Clemens and Cueto especially–on the outside looking in.

#Swingmen / Long Relivers

These are players who are either swing starters or have seen more innings than the finishers below. As is often the case, there are a few folks here who, for whatever the reason, took a while to be inserted into the rotation.

Name	Tm / Lg	W-L; ERA	Reg Stats	Other
A. Rube Foster	KCM/ NL	5-1, 2.30	0.98 WHIP	7 GS; 90 IP; 86% QS; 2 SHO; 1.0 WPA
Jim Whitney	BBB / NL	4-2, 3.26	1 Sv; 2 H; 1.03 WHIP	11 GS; 94 IP; 73% QS; 1.9 WPA
Tom Brewer	SFS / AL	0-1, 2.33	1 Sv; 2 H	2 GS; 27 IP
Fernando Valenzuela	BRK / NL	5-0, 2.37	1 Sv; 4 H; 0.96 WHIP	1 GS; 60 IP; 1.0 WPA
Rheal Cormier	NYY / AL	0-2, 6.03	11 H

FIP = Fielding Independent Pitching | QS = Quality Starts | SIERA = Skill Interactive ERA | WPA = Win Probability Added

Foster and Valenzuela seem clear selections, with Brewer and Cormier missing the cut and Whitney being on the bubble.

#Closers & Setups

20 IP Minimum, with a possible exception for Brian Wilson of the New York Gothams.

Name	Tm / Lg	W-L; ERA	Reg Stats	Other
Brian Wilson	NYG/ NL	1-0, 1.08	11 Sv	17 IP
Craig Kimbrel	KCM / NL	2-1, 1.14	2 Sv; 11 H; 0.89 WHIP	15 SD; 5.6 IRS%; 2.90 SIERA; 2.0 WPA
Harley Young	BBB / NL	1-0, 1.23	3 Sv; 5 H
Ron Robinson	SFS / AL	1-0, 1.64	3 Sv; 3 H
Ken Howell	SFS / AL	4-1, 1.72	1 Sv; 4 H
Robb Nen	NYG / NL	3-2, 1.95	9 Sv; 6 H
Eddie Guardado	KCM / NL	2-1, 2.08	1 Sv; 5 H	2.92 SIERA
Tug McGraw	HOU / NL	3-3, 2.16	7 Sv
Ross Reynolds	LAA / AL	2-0, 2.19	1 Sv; 1 H
Goose Gossage	NYY / AL	2-3, 2.32	9 Sv; 8 H	.90 Sv%
Lee Smith	HOD / NL	4-1, 2.73	5 Sv; 6 H; 0.73 WHIP
Eric Gagne	BRK / NL	1-1, 2.92	19 Sv	17 SD
Justin Hampson	BAL / AL	0-0, 3.00	7 H; 0.95 WHIP
Terry Adams	CLE / AL	1-2, 3.18	15 Sv; 2 H	.94 Sv%
Josh Lindblom	HOM / NL	4-2, 3.45	20 Sv	.95 Sv%; 16 SD; 1.3 WPA
Rod Beck	SFS / AL	3-2, 3.47	21 Sv; 0.73 WHIP	15 SD
Rob Murphy	IND / NL	1-3, 3.75	1 Sv; 11 H
Michael Jackson	HOM / NL	1-4, 4.13	1 Sv; 10 H
BJ Ryan	OTT / NL	1-2, 4.15	1 Sv; 10 H
Brad Kilby	PHI / NL	1-2, 4.39	2 Sv; 10 H	2.73 SIERA
Rob Dibble	IND / NL	2-2, 5.25	16 Sv
Jeff Pfeffer	KCM / NL	1-3, 5.61	16 Sv

FIP = Fielding Independent Pitching | QS = Quality Starts | SIERA = Skill Interactive ERA | WPA = Win Probability Added

A difficult set of choices for sure. Of the true closers, Gagne, Lindblom, and Beck seem locks, with Kimbrel, Young, Howell, Nen, McGraw, Gossage, and Smith deserving nods as well.

That would give the NL 7 selections, likely keeping Wilson from making the team. It would also give the AL only 3, opening the door for Adams and even Reynolds or Hampson.

TWIWBL 70.5: Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On January 9, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Brooklyn Royal Giants	43-33	.566	—
Homestead Grays	41-35	.539	2
New York Gothams	40-37	.519	3.5
Philadelphia Stars	38-39	.494	5.5
Ottawa Mounties	35-40	.467	7.5

Effa Manley Division | 25 June

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

In a move long clamored for by the fans, the Royal Giants have replaced Sandy Koufax with Fernando Valenzuela in their rotation.

Roy White hit two out and Smokey Joe Williams did just enough to even his record at 7-7 as the Royal Giants topped Philadelphia, 11-5.

Mike Piazza hit 2 homeruns, edging towards 30 on the season, and White, Germany Smith, and Jackie Robinson also went yard, backing a strong outing from Frank Knauss, who improved to 8-4 in the 9-4 win over the Stars.

#Homestead Grays

The Grays have sent Carlos Zambrano to AAA, hopefully to get a bit more consistent work, and recalled Ricardo Rincón to give them a lefty from the bullpen.

Rey Sánchez has also been sent down, with teenager Judy Johnson being recalled into the utility IF role.

Roberto Clemente hit for the cycle in a 13-3 thrashing of Brooklyn, the first player in the WBL to do so this year.

#New York Gothams

Joe Adcock went deep twice and Benny Kauff delivered a key pinch hit homer as the Gothams beat Homestead, 9-5.

#Ottawa Mounties

The Mounties slugged 7 homeruns, going back-to-back and back-to-back-to-back in a 10-1 drubbing of Houston. Gary Carter had 2, and Rick Monday, Sam Thompson, Adrián Beltré, Roberto Alomar, and Álex Rodríguez each reached the seats as well. Old Hoss Radbourn improved to 9-5, allowing only 3 hits and 1 run in 8+ innings of work for Ottawa.

Bob Moose will miss the better part of a year with a torn labrum, just as the Mounties’ rotation looked like it was rounding into shape. Bryn Smith was recalled from AAA.

Carter hit another 2 homeruns (that’s 28 on the season) and Ottawa rolled over Kansas City, 10-0. Johnny Podgajny threw 8+ innings of 4-hit ball, improving his record to 2-1.

Thompson went yard twice in a 6-2 win over the Monarchs, backing an excellent effort from Bill Smith, who improved to 6-2 on the season.