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TWIWBL 65.2 Spotlight on the Los Angeles Angels

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On August 27, 2024

In TWIWBL

A team still in search of identity, but you can see some reason for optimism. I mean, if you squint.

The Angels inherit players from their namesake and from the New York Mets.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

The Angels sit at exactly .500, closer to last than to first in the Cum Posey Division (5 games behind division leaders San Francisco, 3.5 games out ahead of last place Portland).

Honestly, a .500 finish is probably the goal for the year, so as far as that goes, they’re on track. It’s just hard to get all that excited about that. But you can see things happening for this team, both offensively and, if you look at the talent scattered throughout their minor league system, on the mound.

THE OFFENSE

There’s a budding superstar here, surrounded by a fair number of question marks. That’s not quite fair: Mike Trout is a budding superstar, but Bobby Grich and Doug Rader are both solid, Kal Daniels continues to demonstrate all the tools, and rookie OF Ichiro Suzuki looks set for a long WBL career.

Currently, though, this offense is just about the definition of league average, sitting 9th or 10th in almost all statistical categories.

#What’s Going Right

Trout is still not an elite power hitter, but every other part of his game is on point and Grich, who leads the team in HR with 10, produces far above the norm offensively for 2B. Veteran Carlos Delgado continues to deliver, and may end up being a pretty attractive trade piece if Los Angeles loses contact with the division leaders.

George Wright‘s return from injury has helped to settle the situation at SS, but Wright will always struggle to add much with the bat.

#What’s Not Going Right

Steve Garvey‘s continued struggles may send him down to the minors, and more and more it looks like his future will be at 1B, not 3B. C is a mess, with the platoon of AJ Pierzynski and Jeff Torborg struggling enough that the team plans to recall John Stearns from AAA this week.

With Suzuki, Wright, Garvey, and Mark Ellis all seeing at least semi-regular playing time, the Angels have a lot of players who are pretty allergic to taking a walk.

THE PITCHING

Los Angeles has somehow put together a top end pitching staff. It’s not likely to last top to bottom, but the higher end talent is very encouraging.

#What’s Going Right

Doc Gooden has been spectacular, with the 22 year old sporting a 2.60 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP, but only a 4-3 record across 8 starts. Last year’s ace, Gerrit Cole, has struggled a bit, but the contributions of Tom Seaver (3-2, 3.88) and Brett Anderson (3-2, 4.60), along with the steady innings eating ability of Pud Galvin, has given Los Angeles a very strong rotation. And Cole, at 25, is the veteran of the bunch.

Roy Patterson, Ross Reynolds, and Mike Smith have been excellent in the middle innings, and Joe Nathan has 8 saves.

Perhaps most of all, the Angels decision to send Nolan Ryan and Chuck Finley to the minors seems to have paid off, with each of them performing well at AA.

#What’s Not Going Right

Not a lot, although the back end of the bullpen has been a little weak, with Francisco Rodríguez and Julio Teheran struggling and Nathan’s peripheral numbers being far rougher than his record may indicate.

Lefty Noah Lowry has been very ineffective, and his holding on to his roster spot by his fingernails.

Derrek Lee has struggled, and is in danger of losing his job to Wally Joyner, although that would leave the Angels with 2 lefties at 1B.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

This is not a great system, although if you count Ryan and Finley (who passed their rookie limits last season) it looks much better. IF Xander Bogaerts and closer Bryan Harvey are probably the highest ceiling prospects, followed by IF Marcus Semien, professional hitter Babe Herman, and OFs Dwayne Murphy, Brian Nimmo, and Billy Hamilton.

Of those, only Bogaerts is doing well.

Veteran help is available at AAA in the form of OF Elmer Valo, Stearns, 1Bs Wally Joyner and Jack Hannifin, and 3B Pedro Álvarez.

WHAT’S NEEDED

The offense has to improve faster than the offense reverts to the mean.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

  • Who is going to fill out the rotation and the bullpen? This has been resoundingly answered so far, with the pitching staff performing as well as any in the league.
  • Will anyone step up at C? Not yet, no. We’ll see if Stearns, who will replace Torborg, improves the situation here.

FEATURED SERIES

The Angels head to Memphis for 4 games to start the week; we’ll follow those games as it will give us a chance to see the bulk of their rotation.

Projected Starters

Los Angeles starter listed first.

Brett Anderson (3-2, 4.60) @ Jon Lester (2-1, 5.53)
Tom Seaver (3-2, 3.88) @ Bill Doak (3-3, 4.53)
Gerrit Cole (1-4, 5.37) @ Len Barker (1-6, 4.63)
Dwight Gooden (4-3, 2.60) @ Stubby Overmire (2-4, 4.9-2)

Game One

This is what happens when your bullpen is toast. With Joe Nathan and Francisco Rodríguez needing rest, the Angels were forced to turn to Noah Lowry in a high leverage situation … and it did not go well.

Brett Anderson was strong over 6 plus innings, and the Angels held a 7-3 lead heading into the bottom of the 8th. But Roy Patterson and Lowry collapsed, giving up 5 runs, including a go-ahead 3 run shot by Manny Ramírez as Memphis claimed a come from behind victory.

LAA 7 (Lowry 2-1, 3 B Sv) @ MEM 8 (Miller 3-; Papelbon 4 Sv)
HRs: LAA – Trout (9), Daniels (6); MEM – Williams (9), Smith (11), Ramírez (9).
Box Score

Game Two

More of the same. Los Angeles roared out of the gate, with back-to-back homeruns to lead off the game from Don Buford and Kal Daniels. Bobby Grich added a 2 run shot later in the inning, and the Angels were up 4-0. They touched Bill Doak for another run, leading 5-0 after 3.5.

And then Tom Seaver began to struggle, giving up homeruns to Manny Ramírez in consecutive innings, tying up the ballgame at 5. After Ross Reynolds was forced from the game with a forearm issue, David Ortíz greeted Roy Patterson with a solo shot to give the Red Sox a 6-5 lead.

Bobby Grich hit his second of the game, taking Jonathan Papelbon deep in the 9th to tie it, but the Angels bullpen wasn’t up to the task, eventually surrendering a bases loaded single to Mookie Betts for the walkoff win for Memphis.

LAA 6 (Patterson 1-1) @ MEM 7 (Papelbon 2-2, 3 B Sv; Bell 3 H; Miller 4 H)
HRs: LAA – Daniels (7), Buford (9), Grich 2 (12); MEM – Ramírez 2 (11), Ortíz (6).
Box Score

The game was costly for each team, as Memphis’ Dobie Moore also left with an injury. Reynolds will miss about a week, landing him on the DL, with the Angels recalling Scott Rice from AAA. Rice has a shot at taking Noah Lowry‘s role as the pen lefty, depending on how his initial WBL outings go.

Moore’s status is still unknown.

Game Three

Don Buford led off the game with a homerun for the second consecutive game, staking Gerrit Cole to an early 1-0 lead. Cole wasn’t up for the task, giving up 1 in the bottom of the first and a whopping 6 in the 2nd before being chased from the game by a Mookie Betts blast in the 4th.

The Angels offense did well against Len Barker, touching him for 6 runs in 6 innings, and staying close enough that a George Wright homerun (!) in the 8th could make it a 1 run game, 11-10 Memphis. They put two runners on base against Heath Bell in the 9th, but were unable to break through, and the Red Sox take the first 3 games of the series.

Wade Boggs had 3 doubles for Memphis and scored 4 times.

LAA 10 (Cole 1-5) @ MEM 11 (Barker 2-6; Callahan 1 H; Bell 2 Sv)
HRs: LAA – Buford (10), Wright (3); MEM – Ramírez (12), Betts (5).
Box Score

Angels 3B Doug Rader had to leave the game, but isn’t likely to require a trip to the DL. There was great news for Memphis as well, as Dobie Moore will only miss about a day with his bruised shin.

Game Four

Don Buford didn’t lead off this one with a homer: he waited until the 5th inning to launch a 3 run shot, putting the Angels up, 3-2. Steve Garvey and Ichiro Suzuki added 2 RBIs each in the 6th, increasing the lead to 7-2.

Doc Gooden had given up a 2-run shot in the bottom of the 1st to David Ortíz, but had shut Memphis down after that, lasting 7 innings in a very strong outing. Scott Rice relieved Gooden for his WBL debut … and it did not go well, with Rice giving up 3 runs, allowing the Red Sox to close the gap to 9-5.

With a 4 run lead, the Angels turned to Francisco Rodríguez … who promptly loaded the bases to start the bottom of the 9th. A walk to Ted Williams made it 9-6, and brought in Los Angeles’ closer, Joe Nathan. Nathan whiffed two … and then gave up a walkoff grand slam homerun to Billy Bryan, giving the Red Sox the series sweep.

Buford–who had a great series–finished the game with 5 RBIs, giving him 3 homers and 7 RBIs over the 4 games.

LAA 9 (Nathan 3-2, 1 B Sv) @ MEM 10 (Callahan 1-1)
HRs: LAA – Buford (11); MEM – Ortíz (7), Bryan (4).
Box Score

What a miserable series … 4 winnable games, 4 collapses from the Angels’ bullpen, 4 different ways to steal defeat from the jars of victory leading to 4 straight 1 run losses.

TWIWBL 63.4: Cum Posey Division

By

On July 15, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Chicago American Giants

5 hits from Joe Jackson weren’t enough as the American Giants fell to Detroit, 8-6. Mark Buehrle had his first rough outing of the year, failing to become the league’s first 6 game winner and falling to 5-1.

Paul Konerko went deep twice, the 2nd shot a walkoff job in the bottom of the 10th to give the American Giants a 5-4 win over Detroit.

Akinori Otsuka will miss about 2 weeks with an elbow issue, weakening Chicago’s bullpen significantly. Tom Williams was recalled.

#Los Angeles Angels

The Angels recalled Elmer “Mike” Smith from his rehab assignments. Not wanting to be without a lefty, Los Angeles retained Noah Lowry while demoting Anthony DeSclafani despite DeSclafani’s better performance.

With George Wright being recalled from his rehab assignment, Eddie Joost is waived with the Angels hoping to retain him in AAA.

Mike Trout had himself a day: 5 hits, 3 homeruns (and 2 doubles), including a game-tying shot in the 9th and a game-winning walkoff in the bottom of the 13th.

Doc Gooden improved to 4-2 on the year with a 4 hit shutout of the Black Yankees. 4 RBI’s from Steve Garvey–including his 3rd homerun of the season–accounted for all of the Angels’ runs, more than enough to support Gooden, who whiffed 7 and walked none.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Freddie Fitzsimmons horrific start to the year (2-4, 8.17) has cost him his rotation spot, with Ed Brandt being named Miami’s #4 starter. Their 5th rotation slot remains open.

Julio Rodríguez was recalled from his rehab assignment, with the Cuban Giants (finally?) deciding that Minnie Miñoso would be better served with time at AAA. Rodríguez’ return (and Miñoso’s departure) resulted in a bunch of lineup juggling for Miami, as their OF remains quite crowded.

Rodríguez went 2 for 4 in his return as the Cuban Giants fell to Baltimore, 4-3.

The Cuban Giants came back from a 9-1 deficit in the 8th inning to beat Baltimore, 9-8. José Canseco went deep in the 8th and the 9th and Rodríguez in the 9th. Throw in a pinch-hit 2-run double from Gary Sheffield and you have a massive comeback for a shocking victory.

Needing a starter, Fitzsimmons’ continued battering led to his being sent to AAA with Lou Fette being recalled.

Al Oliver fractured his foot, and will miss about 5 weeks, with Carlos Morán recalled from AAA.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Jeff Cirillo headed back to AAA with Rogers Hornsby‘s return from a rehab assignment.

Walter Johnson was magnificent, allowing only a homerun through 8 innings before being chased by a single in the 9th in a 3-1 victory. Johnson evened his record at 3-3 with a 13 strikeout performance, walking none and lowering his ERA to 2.79.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

It was bullpen rejigger week for the Sea Lions, with San Francisco sending Bobby Seay, Steve Ontiveros, and Nick Altrock to AAA, with Tom Brewer, Mel Stottlemyre Sr, and Jim Devlin all being promoted. With both Bump Hadley and Watty Clark struggling, those 3, along with Dennis Eckersley, have to all be considered as auditioning for rotation slots.

Helped by Reggie Jackson‘s 13th homerun, Hadley, Devlin, Ken Howell, and Rod Beck combined on a 4 hit shutout, leading the Sea Lions to a 2-0 win over Chicago.

With Jimmy Bloodworth due to miss over a month, the Sea Lions recalled Denny Walling from AAA.

TWIWBL 62.3: Cum Posey Division

By

On June 24, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Chicago American Giants

Eddie Collins had 4 hits (including his first homerun of the year) and Mike Fiore had a Mike Fiore day with 3 walks and a homerun leading the American Giants to a 6-3 win over Baltimore. Despite a decent outing, Mark Buehrle was thwarted in his attempt to win his 6th game of the year, with the victory going to Hoyt Wilhelm in relief while AJ Minter picked up his 5th save.

#Los Angeles Angels

The Angels hit five homeruns to back another strong effort from Doc Gooden, who lowered his ERA under 2.00 in an 8-0 blanking of Miami. Doug Rader, Carlos Delgado, Eddie Joost, Kal Daniels, and Mike Trout all went deep for Los Angeles, while Gooden combined with Francisco Rodríguez on the 4 hit shutout.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Miami used back-to-back-to-back homeruns from Ryan Braun (his second of the game), José Canseco, and Jim Thome to surge ahead, then held on to escape with a 6-5 win over Los Angeles. Freddie Fitzsimmons was effective for the first time all year, improving to 2-3 and Sandy Consuegra continued to be borderline unhittable, picking up his 3rd save and lowering his ERA to 0.69.

Well this was a surprise. Kenshin Kawakami was recalled to make a start due to a lack of options. The 32 year old delivered 7 shutout innings, giving up only 3 hits and striking out 6, combining with 3 relievers on a 5 hit shutout as the Cuban Giants defeated the Angels 4-0.

Braden Looper was forced from a game with a sore shoulder, and would hit the DL. 25 year old Bob Gillespie–dominant at Orlando so far–was recalled to take his place.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

With Tommy Bridges headed to the DL, the Sea Lions recalled newly signed reliever Huston Street.

Reggie Jackson went deep twice, but it wasn’t enough as the Sea Lions fell to Memphis, 8-6. Jackson did it again, hitting 2 homeruns and driving in 4 in a 9-8 win over the Red Sox. Jimmie Foxx also hit 2 out as the Sea Lions went yard 7 times (Jack Clark, Bobby Bonds, and Mickey Cochrane also went deep) and held on despite giving up 5 runs in the last 2 innings.

Rickey Henderson stole 6 bases, overtaking teammate Dick Lundy for the league lead, but the Sea Lions fell to Portland, 5-3.

TWIWBL 61.1: Year 2, Week 4

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On June 10, 2024

In TWIWBL

April 23

With 3 weeks in the books, teams will have their first real overhaul this week, so expect some changes to lineups, rotations, etc. to be covered in the TWIWBL’s, making them a little longer than usual.

#NO NO and Near No No

José Rijo of the Kansas City Monarchs tossed the very first no-hitter in WBL history, blanking the House of David 7-0. Rijo didn’t walk a batter and struck out 12 in the 114 pitch masterpiece, supported by a 15 hit attack (including 9 doubles). Ozzie Smith had 4 hits, Albert Pujols drove in 2, and Boog Powell scored twice to lead the offense, but it was really all about Rijo, who improved to 2-1 on the year and dropped his ERA by roughly 2.5 points. It still stands a shade over 5 at 5.08, making the historic performance even more surprising.

Box Score

{In real life, Rijo had 2 1-hitters, but never threw a no-no.}

Christy Mathewson and John Montgomery Ward combined for one of the best pitched games in WBL history as the Matty’s New York Gothams bested the Philadelphia Stars 1-0 in 10 innings. Mathewson threw over 7 shutout innings, allowing only 2 hits and was–by far–the inferior hurler, as Ward allowed a single hit over 9 innings while striking out 12. Buster Posey took Ward’s relief–Bob Howry–deep to lead off the 10th for the only score of the day.

Box Score

#Awards

Miami‘s Gary Sheffield was the AL Player of the Week, hitting .500 with 2 homeruns. In the NL, Ottawa‘s Larry Walker took the award, hitting .444 with 4 homers and 6 RBIs.

#Team Performance

Three teams have exploded out of the gate: the Chicago American Giants and Kansas City lead the WBL in winning percentage, with both teams at .722 (13-5). The New York Black Yankees are at .700, starting the season at 14-6.

At the other end, the Detroit Wolverines have the worst record in the league at 6-14 (.300) while the Baltimore Black Sox and the Portland Sea Dogs are barely better at 6-13 (.316).

For those of you who remember Year I, the theme here is parity–or inconsistency, depending on your streetcorner. Baltimore are the defending champions, Detroit and Portland both made the playoffs, Kansas City was among the worst teams in the league last season, and the Black Yankees were a major disappointment, missing the postseason entirely.

We’re only 20 games in, so take it all with a grain of salt, but it’s fun to see.

#Player Performance

Batters

20 games seems plenty to look at some leaderboards, at least for hitters in a limited way. This list is the top 2 in most offensive categories, leaders in bold.

Ty Cobb (DET). 400/452/769. 15 2B.
Carlos Correa (HOU). 437/481/648. 31 H.
Eric Davis (NYY). 368/430/763. 9 HR, 26 R, 10 SB.
Tony Gwynn (HOU). 452/474/658. 33 H.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 306/398/597. 11 SB.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 425/462/671. 31 H, 12 2B.
Grant Johnson (HOU). 319/373/609. 23 RBI.
Dick Lundy (SFS). 384/451/685. 4 3B, 1.8 WAR.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 362/471/812. 9 HR, 27 RBI, 20 R, 1.7 WAR.
Ryne Sandberg (HOD). 383/406/900. 9 HR.
Joey Votto (IND). 360/484/500.
Larry Walker (OTT). 435/474/826.
Bobby Wallace (BAL). 22 BB. 279/476/377.

There are some surprises here for sure: Correa and Johnson in Houston finally coming good, same with San Francisco‘s Lundy. But it still looks like it’s Babe Ruth’s league, assuming Sandberg’s performance falls back to mere excellence.

Pitchers

Still not enough to really get into stats: 13 starters have 3 wins, nobody has over 30 IP, etc. But some things to note:

  • It seems like there is always a single starting pitcher head and shoulders above the rest at any given time in the WBL. Right now, it’s Portland’s Smokey Joe Wood, who is 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA.
  • Houston’s Toad Ramsey is the ERA leader at an impressive 1.57, just ahead of Wood. Chicago’s Mark Buehrle is the only other starter with an ERA beneath 2.00 at 1.86.

Relievers have yet to really separate as well, as 5 of them have 5 saves on the season so far.

#Featured Series

This time we’ll focus on a four game set as the Los Angeles Angels visit Chicago to take on the American Giants. The Angels come into the game at 10-9 which is essentially “as expected,” while Chicago has roared out of the gate, sitting 1t 15-6.

Scheduled Starters

Los Angeles hurler listed first.

Tom Seaver (1-0, 3.00) @ David Price (2-2, 5.40)
Dwight Gooden (1-2, 3.24) @ Ed Walsh (1-0, 3.80)
Pud Galvin (0-2, 4.85) @ Mark Buehrle (4-0, 1.32)
Brett Anderson (2-1, 4.76) @ Ben Sheets (0-1, 7.71)

Game One

It was a rough start for David Price, as he gave up 2 runs in the top of the first on an RBI single by Mike Trout and a sacrifice fly from Doug Rader. But Price settled right down, and was virtually perfect the rest of the way before being relieved by Hoyt Wilhelm in the 7th. Tom Seaver was as good, leaving in the 6th inning having given up only 1 run.

The American Giants would score again in the 7th, but that would be it until the bottom of the 10th. Mike Fiore led off being hit by a pitch from Julio Teheran, Joe Jackson doubled him to 3rd and, after Ross Reynolds took over on the mound and issued an intentional walk to Frank Thomas, Dick Allen lifted a ball deep to center, where it was caught by Don Buford, but he had no chance to catch Fiore before he crossed the plate with the winning run.

LAA 2 (Teheran 1-2; Patterson 1 H; Lowry 2 BSv) @ CAG 3 (Wilhelm 1-0) [10 Innings]
HRs: None.
Box Score

Game Two

The story for most of the game was Los Angeles’ Doc Gooden, who was spectacular through 8 innings, allowing only 3 hits while fanning 10. The only blemish on Gooden’s day was a solo shot to Duffy Lewis, which tied the game at 1 in the 8th.

We were headed to extra innings once again, but there was less drama this time as the Angels used 3 homeruns in the top of the 10th (Doug Rader, Bobby Grich, and AJ Pierzynski) to ease to the 5-1 win.

LAA 5 (Rodríguez 1-0) @ CAG 1 (Twitchell 2-1) [10 Innings]
HRs: LAA – Rader (2), Grich (6), Pierzynski (4); CAG – Lewis (1).
Box Score

Game Three

Mark Buehrle just keeps rolling along, allowing 5 hits and 1 run over 9 innings and improving to 5-0 on the year. But the Angels’ pitchers were almost as good, and the only tallies in the game came from solo shots from Chicago’s Dave Nilsson and the Angels’ Mike Trout, who seems to be waking from an early season slumber. The game came down to a walkoff single from Joe Jackson in the bottom of the 9th. Jackson, Eddie Collins, and Paul Konerko had 2 hits each for Chicago.

LAA 1 (DeSclafani 0-1) @ CAG 2 (Buehrle 5-0)
HRs: LAA – Trout (3); CAG – Nilsson (1).
Box Score

Game Four

Another great pair of efforts from the starting pitchers, as Los Angeles’ Brett Anderson and Chicago’s Ben Sheets each went 7 innings allowing only a single hit each, and no earned runs (errors had allowed runs to score for each team). A key hit from rookie Ichiro Suzuki drove in 2, providing the margin the Angels needed for a 4-1 victory, splitting the series 2 games apiece. Neither team had an extra base hit, and they combined for only 6 singles (4 for Los Angeles and 2 for the American Giants).

LAA 4 (Anderson 3-1; Reynolds 1 Sv) @ CAG 1 (Sheets 0-2; Otsuka 1 B Sv)
HRs: None.
Box Score

WBL Year II Statistics

I needed a place to hold statistics that aren’t easily displayed in OOTP. Most of these are game-level performances.

For complete statistics, poke around on the WBL Stats Page.

Batting Statistics

2+ 3B Games

2. Bob Bescher (IND); Craig Biggio (HOU), Ty Cobb (DET); Willie McGee (KCM); Tim Raines (OTT).

3+ 2B Games

4. Chuck Knoblauch (CLE).
3. Craig Biggio (HOU); Ron Cey (BRK); Cupid Childs (BBB); Ty Cobb (DET); Gavvy Cravath (BAL); Josh Gibson (HOM); Hank Greenberg (DET); Joe Jackson (CAG); Joe Morgan (IND); Frank Robinson (BAL); Pete Runnels (NYG); Reggie Smith (MEM); Mike Trout (LAA).

3+ HBP Games

3. Jack Doyle (CAG).

3+ HR Games

3. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Ed Bailey (DET); Ernie Banks (HOD); Carlos Beltrán (OTT); Lance Berkman (CLE); Ron Blomberg (CLE); Ryan Braun (MCG); José Canseco (MCG); George Gore (HOD); Stan Musial (KCM); Manny Ramírez (MEM); Álex Rodríguez (OTT); Babe Ruth (NYY); Sammy Sosa (HOD); Mike Trout (LAA); Larry Walker (OTT).

3+ OF Assists

4+ BB Games

4. Ed Bailey (DET); Eddie Collins (CAG); Mike Epstein (HOM); Willie McGee (KCM); Andrew McCutchen (HOM), Joey Votto (IND).

4+ CS Games

4. Johnny Bench (IND); Gabby Hartnett (MEM); Jorge Posada (HOU).

4+ Run Games

5. Chuck Knoblauch (CLE); Tris Speaker (CLE).
4. Roberto Alomar x2 (OTT); Jeff Bagwell x2 (HOU); Bob Bailey (DET); Ed Bailey (DET); Johnny Bates x2 (CLE); Albert Belle (BBB); Curt Blefary x2 (BAL); Dan Brouthers (BRK); Ron Cey (BRK); Mike Epstein (HOM); Rickey Henderson (SFS); Benny Kauff (NYG); Willie McGee (KCM); Billy Nash (DET); Babe Ruth (NYY); Gary Sheffield (MCG); Jim Wynn (HOU).

4+ SB Games

6. Rickey Henderson (SFS).
4. Frank Chance (HOD); Rickey Henderson (SFS); Dick Lundy (SFS).

5+ Hit Games

5. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Don Buford (LAA); Joe Jackson (CAG); Chuck Knoblauch (CLE); Mike Trout (LAA).

5+ SO Games

5. Beals Becker (BRK); Bobby Bonds (SFS); Ron Cey (BRK); Larry Doby (CLE); Héctor López (NYY); Dale Murphy (KCM).

6+ RBI Games

7. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Ron Blomberg (CLE); Carlton Fisk (CAG); Charlie Gehringer (DET); Manny Machado (BAL); Gary Sheffield (MCG).
6. Hank Aaron (BBB); Bob Bailey (DET); Ernie Banks (HOD); Johnny Callison (NYG); Chili Davis (DET); Josh Gibson (HOM); Mickey Mantle (NYY); Mike Piazza (BRK); Manny Ramírez (MEM); Babe Ruth x3 (NYY); Ryne Sandberg (HOD); Mike Schmidt (NYY); Roy White (BRK).

Longest HRs

{Note: OOTP clearly has something weird happening with overpowered HRs. It’s getting better, and, at some point, I’m going to reduce these by roughly 10%, which would leave the list at only 3 at 500 ft+ for the season so far, which seems much more realistic to me, but am waiting to see if I get any additional info/guidance from the game dev’s.}

595 ft. Dale Murphy (KCM).
558 ft. Aaron Judge (PHA).
555 ft. Albert Pujols (KCM).
551 ft. Eddie Mathews (BBB).
550 ft. Lance Berkman (CLE).
544 ft. Eddie Mathews (BBB).
542 ft. Ron Blomberg (CLE); Evan Longoria (CLE).
539 ft. Johnny Bates (CLE); Craig Biggio (HOU).
538 ft. Josh Gibson (HOM), Pete Hill (HOU); Buster Posey (NYG).
535 ft. Buster Posey (NYG).
534 ft. Robinson Canó (KCM).
530 ft. Dale Murphy (KCM).
528 ft. Johnny Callison (NYG); Willie Mays (NYG).
527 ft. Joe Adcock (NYG).
525 ft. Bullet Joe Rogan (PHI).
522 ft. Ron Blomberg (CLE).
519 ft. Babe Ruth (NYY).
518 ft. Willie Mays (NYG).
516 ft. Hank Aaron (BBB); Bob Nieman (BBB).
514 ft. Ron Cey (BRK); Oscar Gamble (DET).
512 ft. Tony Gwynn (HOU).
511 ft. Lance Berkman (CLE); Dan Brouthers (BRK).
510 ft. Ron Blomberg (CLE).
509 ft. Johnny Callison (NYG); Jack Clark (SFS); Bryce Harper (BAL); Ted Simmons (KCM).
508 ft. Ron Blomberg (CLE); Boog Powell (KCM); Travis Shaw (MEM).
507 ft. Ted Simmons (KCM).
505 ft. Lou Gehrig (NYA).
503 ft. Larry Doyle (NYG); Ryne Sandberg (HOD); Oscar Gamble (DET).
502 ft. Ernie Banks (HOD); Albert Belle (BBB); Robinson Canó (KCM); Ray Dandridge (BRK); Mike Epstein (HOM).
501 ft. Derek Jeter (NYA).
500 ft. Andrew McCutchen (HOM).

Pitching Statistics

80+ Game Scores

99. José Rijo (KCM).
97. JM Ward (PHI).
93. Frank Castillo (KCM); Lefty Grove (SFS); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
92. Bump Hadley (SFS).
91. Frank Knauss (BRK); Christy Mathewson (NYG); Toad Ramsey (HOU)
90. Brian Anderson (LAA); A. Rube Foster (KCM); Alejandro Peña (BBB); Toad Ramsey (HOU); Joe Rogan (PHI).
89. Smokey Joe Wood (KCM).
88. Luis Padrón (IND); Bill Steen (CLE); Justin Verlander (DET).
87. Roger Clemens (HOU); Lefty Grove (SFS); Carl Hubbell (NYG); Francisco Liriano (HOM); Dennis Martínez (BAL); Jim Whitney (BBB).
86. A. Rube Foster (KCM); Doc Gooden (LAA).
85. Roger Clemens (HOU); Gerrit Cole (LAA); Lefty Grove (SFS); Hardie Henderson (PHI); Eddie Plank (SFS); Jameson Taillon (MEM); Ed Walsh (CAG).
84. Frank Castillo (KCM); Ron Guidry (NYY); Orel Hershiser (BRK); Ed Walsh (CAG).
83. Bob Friend (HOM); Mike Mussina (BAL).
82. Mark Buehrle (CAG); Bill Doak (MEM); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
80. Walter Johnson (POR); Andy Pettitte (NYY); Toad Ramsey (HOU).

10+ Strikeout Games

14. Frank Castillo (KCM); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
13. Brian Anderson (LAA); Ron Guidry (NYY); Charlie Root (DET).
12. Johnny Cueto (IND); Doc Gooden (LAA); Lefty Grove (SFS); Bump Hadley (SFS); Mike Mussina (BAL); Toad Ramsey x2 (HOU); José Rijo (KCM); Bill Steen (CLE); JM Ward (PHI).
11. Johnny Cueto (IND); Ron Guidry (NYY); Connie Johnson (BAL); Walter Johnson (POR); Frank Knauss (BRG); Christy Mathewson (NYG); Old Hoss Radbourn (OTT); Toad Ramsey x2 (HOU); Don Sutton (NYG); Justin Verlander (DET); Smokey Joe Williams (BRK).
10. Steve Carlton (PHI); Frank Castillo (KCM); Watty Clark (SFS); Bob Friend (HOM); Doc Gooden (LAA); Lefty Grove (SFS); Ron Guidry x2 (NYY); Hardie Henderson (PHI); Orel Hershiser (BRK); Frank Knauss (BRK); Ramón Martínez (MCG); Billy Pierce (HOM); Don Sutton (NYG).

8+ Walk Games

8. Ed Brandt (MCG); Hardie Henderson (PHI).
9. Randy Johnson (OTT).

Shutouts

NO HITS. José Rijo (IND).
1 Hit. A. Rube Foster (KCM); Luis Padrón (IND); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
2 Hits. A. Rube Foster (KCM); Lefty Grove (SFS); Bump Hadley (SFS); Frank Knauss (BRK); Francisco Liriano (HOM); Dennis Martínez (BAL); Joe Rogan (PHI).
3 Hits. Frank Castillo (KCM); Roger Clemens (HOU); Lefty Grove (SFS); Carl Hubbell (NYG); Christy Mathewson (NYG); Eddie Plank (SFS); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
4 Hits. Frank Castillo (KCM); Gerrit Cole (LAA); Doc Gooden (LAA); Lefty Grove (SFS); Jim Whitney (BBB).

Shutouts (Combined)

1 Hit. Justin Verlander / Mike Henneman (DET); Bill Steen / Terry Adams (CLE).
2 Hits. Jameson Taillon / Skel Roach / Andrew Miller (MEM); Ed Walsh / Tom Williams (CAG).
3 Hits. Hardie Henderson / Robin Roberts (PHI); Orel Hershiser / Eric Gagne (BRK).
4 Hits. Toad Ramsey / Bones Ely (HOU); Hardie Henderson / Brad Kilby / Tim Belcher / Ted Kennedy (PHI); Dwight Gooden / Francisco Rodríguez (LAA); Bump Hadley / Jim Devlin / Ken Howell / Rod Beck (SFS); Greg Maddux / John Malarkey / Bruce Chen / Juan Rincón (BBB).
5 Hits. Kenshin Kawakami / Barry Latman / Ed Brandt / Sandy Consuegra (MCG); Len Barker / David Bush / Andrew Miller (MEM); Johnny Cueto / Sad Sam Jones / Rob Murphy / Rob Dibble (IND); Smoky Joe Wood / Mike Kume (KCM).

Year II Season Preview: Los Angeles Angels

By

On March 27, 2024

In Team News

Expectations

Playoff contention.

Best Case

Gerrit Cole and Pud Galvin pitch as they have and someone, or actually a few someone’s, from the group of Doc Gooden, Elmer Smith, Chuck Finley, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, and Sid Fernandez make good on their immense potential while Mike Trout develops into a true superstar, Carlos Delgado holds off age for another year, and 1st round pick Ichiro Suzuki comes good.

Worst Case

The pitching remains a hot mess, Doug Rader reverts to form, and Delgado, Don Buford, and George Wright all feel the effects of age.

Key Questions

  • Who is going to fill out the rotation and the bullpen?
  • Will anyone step up at C?

In addition to Suzuki, draft picks Babe Herman, John Lackey, and Bryan Harvey all have a shot at making the team.

Trade Bait

Nothing immediately, but the team could do a rebuild at some point and there are some that could be valuable.

Roster Evaluation

POSEliteStrongSolidMehWeakUnknown
CPierzynski
Torborg
1BDelgadoLee
2BGrichEllis
3BRaderGarvey
SSWright
LF/
RF		Buford
Daniels		Suzuki
CFTrout
SPColeAnderson
Galvin		GoodenSeaver
EndNathan
Rodríguez		Teheran
RPVentersDeSclafani
Lowry
Patterson
Smith
New Addition | Injured

That’s a lot in the unknown column, and with Rader and Delgado both likely to regress … it could be a long California summer.

Talent Ratings

WBLMinors
Raw Power1B Carlos Delgado1B Jack Hannifin
Batting Eye2B Bobby GrichOF Jack Gleason
ContactOF Ichiro SuzukiOF Elmer Valo
Running SpeedOF Ichiro SuzukiOF Billy Hamilton
Base StealingOF Mike TroutOF Billy Hamilton
IF Defense3B Doug Rader3B Pedro Álvarez
OF DefenseOF Ichiro SuzukiOF Ender Inciarte
StuffP Elmer SmithP Nolan Ryan
ControlSP Pud GalvinP Brian Anderson
VelocityRP Joe Nathan
RP Francisco Rodríguez		P Nolan Ryan

Best In The Minors

RankAgePOSName
1 (19)25P/OFElmer Smith
2 (85)22PJohn Lackey
3 (90)21PRandy Tate
4 (92)21IFMarcus Semien
5 (95)23PJoey Lucchesi
6 (141)23PTom Seaver
7 (154)22PEsteban Loaiza
8 (157)25PRoss Reynolds
9 (178)25PBrian Anderson
10 (187)22OFBrandon Nimmo
Others: RP Bryan Harvey.

The lack of top end talent is a serious issue, but the presence of quite a bit of decent pitching is a very significant advantage, especially when considering how underrated some of the prospects are–Mr. Seaver, we’re looking at you.

MostLeast
AgeP Jose Contreras, 38P Blue Moon Odom, 19
HeightP Chuck Finley, 6’6″
P John Lackey, 6’6″
P John O’Donoghue, 6’6″		OF Albie Pearson, 5’5″
OPSOF Ned Harris, 1.230(—)OF Jack Gleason, .545 (—)
HROF Ned Harris, 58 (—)OF Albie Pearson, 1 (—)
SBOF Mike Trout, 37 (WBL)Many with 0
WAROF Mike Trout, 6.0 (WBL)OF Jack Gleason, -2.0 (—)
WGerrit Cole, 16 (WBL)Carl Willis, 1 (—)
SVJoe Nathan, 22 (WBL)
ERAJose Contreras, 3.04 (—)Jesse Tannehill, 6.72 (—)
WARJose Contreras, 6.5 (—)Brian Anderson, -0.9 (AAA)
Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

TWIWBL 56.8: Spring Training Notes – Los Angeles Angels

By

On February 25, 2024

In TWIWBL

Spring Training Questions

Half the rotation and half the bullpen are undecided, as are C and, ultimately, how to sort out roles for Steve Garvey, Elmer Valo, and Kal Daniels.

Injuries

Damage to Julio Teheran‘s rotator cuff probably took him out of the running for a spot in the Angels’ bullpen to start the season. Of more concern, Jonny Venters, one of the most effective relievers in the league last season, will miss the entire year with an injury to his rotator cuff.

First Cuts

Despite Nolan Ryan and Harry Howell‘s early struggles, John Lackey and John Harshman were the only starters sent to the minors, along with bullpen arms Joey Lucchesi and Bryan Harvey.

None of the catchers in camp have done much of note, but only Gus Triandos was demoted, although Mark Salas has certainly plummeted in the pecking order. Mike Jorgensen, Wally Pipp, and Pedro Álvarez were also sent to the minors, with Wally Joyner looking likely to follow.

Marcus Semien was returned to the minors along with Xander Bogaerts as the Angels are clearly focused on going with their veteran talent on the IF.

In the OF, early struggles by Kal Daniels, Mike Trout, and rookie Ichiro Suzuki keep the situation a bit muddled, although Billy Hamilton, Curt Motton, and Brian Giles were all moved out. Nobody has hit very well, although Jack Gleason has been the best of the bunch.

Second Cuts

Harry Howell and Carlos Mármol were sent down, and while Nolan Ryan has struggled, the young flamethrower will be given some more opportunities in WBL camp.

Gus Triandos and Mark Salas were sent down, with John Stearns staying in camp by the thinnest of margins. Wally Joyner and Marcus Semien joined them.

But that was it, and the Angels still face a dilemma in the OF, where Ichiro Suzuki has yet to really show his talent and everybody else is essentially indistinguishable.

Third Cuts

Julio Teheran came back from injury and pitched well, keeping all 15 arms in camp for the time being.

C continues to be a mess. John Stearns is struggling mightily, but his performance last year keeps him in the conversation. Jeff Torborg–the longest of shots when camp opened–is tearing the cover off the ball. So the Angels are one of the few teams retaining 4 catchers at this point in camp.

Late season star Wally Backman was sent down, as was Bill Doran and young SS Xander Bogaerts.

The OF situation cleared up a bit as Ichiro Suzuki caught fire and Frank Catalanotto, Albie Pearson and Ender Inciarte were all sent down.

Final Cuts

RP Ross Reynolds was the first to see the door. He is likely to be followed very soon by Nolan Ryan, whose talent is only matched by his wildness at this point. But for now, Ryan is safe as the Angels remain more committed to Steve Garvey than Wally Moon, sending down the 31 year old Moon.

Los Angeles is a bit of a mess behind the plate, but they’ve decided to trust John Stearns‘ potential over Ron Hassey‘s, sending Hassey to AAA to start the season. A few days later, they even jettisoned Stearns, preferring to go with two rookies behind the plate in Jeff Torborg and AJ Pierzynski.

Ichiro Suzuki has looked excellent, stepping directly from the draft into the starting RF spot and costing Jeromy Burnitz his spot on the WBL roster.

Bobby Grich‘s ability to backup George Wright at SS means Andrelton Simmons needed a fantastic Spring to make the opening day roster. He didn’t have one, so he’s off to AAA.

Neither Cookie Lavagetto nor David Wright are particularly likely to see much time at 3B for the Angels. Lavagetto has hit slightly better in the Spring, while Wright seems to have more strike zone control. In the end, Los Angeles retained Lavagetto at least for a few more days with Wright heading to AAA.

Randy Tate was a pretty easy choice, bringing the staff down to a dozen. If they need to jettison more arms, the decisions will become much harder.

Especially with Elmer Smith being used both ways and able to fill in at the corner OF spots, veteran Elmer Valo was moved to the minors, as was CF Jack Gleason, despite his solid Spring performance, along with Cookie Lavagetto. That leaves the Angels without a reserve RF, but an assumption that Mike Trout can fill in there occasionally.

That leaves another pitcher needing to be sent down. The challenge is Nolan Ryan was a hot mess all Spring, with 13 walks and 15 hits–and 4 homeruns allowed–in 15 innings. Anthony DeScalafani, Roy Patterson, and Noah Lowry were all significantly better than Ryan, but lack the fireballer’s ceiling for sure. In the end, the Angels moved Ryan to AAA, hoping that regular starts helped him find his form.

Season Review: Los Angeles Angels

By

On December 19, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

72 - 82, .467 pct.
4th in Bill James Division, 17 games behind.

Overall

Perhaps no team in the WBL has a larger gap between their obvious talent on the mound and their performance. Until the Angels figure that out, they are no better than a .500 team, if that, in spite of some useful pieces on offense.

What Went Right

Doug Rader had a career year, leading the WBL in RBIs up to the final few days of the season (his 134 finished 1 behind Babe Ruth, no shame in that), but perhaps the best news was the season-long development of CF Mike Trout, who only needs to add some power to move into the elite of the league.

Carlos Delgado–acquired when the Angels were still in the hunt–continued to mash the ball, and Bobby Grich was excellent at 2B all year long.

It’s unclear if the performances of Don Buford, John Stearns, or George Wright went right or wrong. They weren’t bad, but they also weren’t especially good.

For a team whose struggles were attributed to their pitching, the Angels had some surprising bright spots: the starting trio of Gerrit Cole, Pud Galvin, and Brett Anderson were excellent (when Anderson was healthy) and Jonny Venters and Francisco Rodríguez were excellent out of the bullpen. Cole, of course, was one of the better in the league for much of the year, finishing with 16 wins and Rodríguez will most likely challenge Joe Nathan for the closer role next season.

ALL STARS
P Gerrit Cole; 3B Doug Rader

What Went Wrong

There is so much talent on the mound here: the ball just explodes out of the hand for Doc Gooden, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, and Chuck Finley. But of them, only Gooden had anything close to a good season, and he finished 8-10 with an ERA over 5. It’s really that simple: if two of this group step up, they’re a borderline playoff team; if three of them step up, they’ll challenge for the division championship; if all four of them deliver, they could challenge for a championship.

Too much mediocrity from position players: C never got settled (John Stearns was decent, Ron Hassey poor), RF was OK, although Kal Daniels–for all his tools–is probably better suited for a platoon arrangement.

It’s unclear if the performances of Don Buford or George Wright went right or wrong. They weren’t bad, but they also weren’t especially good.

Transactions

March

None

June

OF Rusty Staub to Ottawa for IF Steve Garvey & OF Spud Johnson

Garvey played very well for LA, so call this one a push.

P Dave Bennett, OF Carlos Beltrán, C Jim Stephens & P Sean O'Sullivan to Ottawa for 1B Carlos Delgado

Remember, they were in contention. As such, it’s not a bad deal, although Los Angeles clearly did give up more talent.

C Brian Downing, IF Kurt Stillwell, P Dave LaRoche to San Francisco for OF Wally Moon, OF Dwayne Murphy, 4th Round Pick {John Lackey} & 6th Round Pick {Omar Olivares}

Feels like a win overall.

July

None

Looking Forward

SP

If things develop as expected, the Angels are loaded, looking at a rotation of Gerrit Cole, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Doc Gooden and Pud Galvin. And those are only the arms under long term deals.

RP

Lots of talent here, both at the WBL (Joe Nathan, Jonny Venters, Francisco Rodríguez) and in the minors, led by Carlos Mármol, Darren Holmes, Larry Anderson, and some others.

C

An area of need, especially if John Stearns cannot step up.

1B

Needs some talent long term, but Carlos Delgado has it for a little while. The Wally’s–Joyner and Pipp–have shown some promise as well. Steve Garvey may end up here, but it’s not clear if he’ll hit enough to warrant an everyday slot.

2B

Bobby Grich for the foreseeable.

3B

Doug Rader for now, with very little behind.

SS

George Wright is elite defensively, but offers little else. Andrelton Simmons should take over at some point.

LF

Don Buford was good enough, but they could take an upgrade here.

CF

Mike Trout, Mike Trout, Mike Trout.

RF

If Kal Daniels continues to struggle against lefties, a platoon may be in order.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

Los Angeles needs star power. With the 8th pick in the first round, they get a player who should step right into the RF spot: Ichiro Suzuki. The Angels should spend the rest of the draft adding offensive talent–a luxury few franchises have, but the sheer glut of pitching potential in their system sort of necessitates it.

In the 2nd round, they took Babe Herman, who is probably a year away, but look like a masher; and in round 3, Marcus Semien, who is a few years away, giving him time to figure out where on the infield he might settle.

Los Angeles has back-to-back picks in the 4th round and looked to add some pitching in franchise pick John Lackey and using their final franchise exception on Estaban Loiza.

Rounds 5-8

The Angels’ 5th round pick, OF Brandon Nimmo, has aspirations to carry Mike Trout’s luggage.

They followed that with P Omar Olivares and Bryan Harvey with back-to-back selections in the 6th round and continued the focus on pitching with Tom Morgan in round 7 and Al Jackson in round 8.

Rounds 9-12

P Tom Hausman; 1B Casey Kotchman; IF Tony Womack; and P Randy Tate.

The Angels’ 10th round pick, Casey Kotchman, refused Los Angeles’ final offer, preferring to go back into next year’s draft.

TWIWBL 51.7: The Awards – Mel Trench Award

By

On November 3, 2023

In TWIWBL

This is far more clear cut than the Brock Rutherford Award. But we should still look at the contenders, just for the sake of completeness.

This list contains the top 5 in OPS, HR, RBI, RC/27, and WAR.

NameTmHRRBIOPSRC/27WAR
Johnny BenchIND3290.9518.06.0
Ron BlombergCLE441251.06110.25.8
Eddie CollinsCAG2070.9228.66.5
Mike EpsteinHOM2479.9488.84.7
Hank GreenbergDET31113.9698.33.9
Elrod HendricksHOD4194.9617.74.1
Kent HrbekPOR36106.9217.54.1
Joe JacksonCAG311021.0009.55.7
Reggie JacksonSFS301051.0138.44.3
Mickey MantleNYY2785.9719.15.5
Stan MusialKCM2598.9728.44.5
Doug RaderLAA18134.9207.83.7
Frank RobinsonBAL37111.9217.34.3
Babe RuthNYY481361.09110.88.1
Mike TroutLAA21100.8897.76.0

Interestingly, the batting champion, Ty Cobb of Detroit, doesn’t make that list.

Offensively, it’s clearly between Ruth and Blomberg. Doug Rader had his supporters before Ruth overtook him in the last week of the season for the RBI lead.

Factor in defense and the rest of what goes into WAR and Blomberg suffers, but Ruth, basically, does not (and the trio of Collins, Bench, and Trout leap to the fore).

And, yeah, the arguments about second place could go on forever–Blomberg’s impossible offense v. Collins’ all-around excellence? Joe Jackson and Mickey Mantle’s under-appreciated contributions?

But the winner is pretty clear-cut: chalk one up for the Babe.

We’ll go with Ruth followed by Blomberg and Collins.

TWIWBL 51.4: The Awards – Silver Sticks

By

On November 1, 2023

In TWIWBL

With no regard for defense, here are the best hitters at each position.

#C

Catching is hard. Only 5 full-time catchers qualified (plus Houston’s Craig Biggio, who only played a couple hundred innings behind the plate). And while Thurman Munson and Buster Posey had fantastic seasons, with OPS’ over .850, the top three are obvious

NameTm2B3BHRRRBIBAOBPSLGSBRC/27
Johnny BenchIND31232829028738556608.0
Curt BlefaryBAL23329849028039254938.1
Elrod HendricksHOD27141799428334261917.7

Blefary is clearly third best. Imma go with Bench here as the more dangerous offensive force despite Hendricks‘ edge in homeruns.

#1B

NameTm2B3BHRRRBIBAOBPSLGSBRC/27
Mike EpsteinHOM22024807931642052808.8
Hank GreenbergDET454319311331737459518.3
Kent HrbekPOR360369110629736555607.5

You could spend a lot of time arguing about Epstein and Hrbek, but it wouldn’t change the fact that Greenberg was the best.

#2B

NameTm2B3BHRRRBIBAOBPSLGSBRC/27
Eddie CollinsCAG2842010670315409513618.6
Larry GardnerBAL265128472318393471166.8
Bobby GrichLAA425127776288378476126.7
Rogers HornsbyKCM/POR35319758829436548726.4

There is so little to separate Gardner, Grich, and Hornsby that I had to list all three of them. But they are all far, far behind the force of nature that is Eddie Collins.

#3B

NameTm2B3BHRRRBIBAOBPSLGSBWAR
Dick AllenCAG3010268610931138355957.9
Bob BaileyDET22321767027736446256.1
Doug RaderLAA437188513433039152907.8

I like RBI’s too. Really, I do. And BA. But I’ll take Dick Allen over Doug Rader every day. I hadn’t realized how thin the pickings got at 3B after those two.

#SS

NameTm2B3BHRRRBIBAOBPSLGSBRC/27
Jim FregosiPOR323177861300373472166.1
Bobby WallaceBAL40459960302396418186.1
Robin YountMCG305142468276314454165.0

The choice between Wallace and Fregosi is close, but Fregosi is slightly the better offensive player, even if Wallace is the better shortstop if you add defense into the equation.

#OF

The outfielders include all fulltime players with an OPS over .900 or with a runs created per 27 outs over 7.0.

#LF

NameTm2B3BHRRRBIBAOBPSLGSBRC/27
Rick ReichardtHOM23827839830137853117.2
Frank RobinsonBAL1723710111130238353927.3
Babe RuthNYY353481271363124276631410.8

The easiest choice of all …

#CF

NameTm2B3BHRRRBIBAOBPSLGSBRC/27
Pete BrowningHOD344268282331370591388.4
Bobby MurcerPOR298249587314388542118.2
Willie MaysNYG305249997322384516117.1
Reggie SmithMEM3952210072304381522206.8
Mike TroutLAA27621102100321390498377.7

Browning‘s year has to be discounted from the amount of time he missed, which really leaves this to Bobby Murcer.

#RF

NameTm2B3BHRRRBIBAOBPSLGSBRC/27
Ron BlombergCLE39044110127336412649010.2
Ty CobbDET414219289352391557528.7
Joe JacksonCAG33331109102330412588349.5
Reggie JacksonSFS2913075105317424589238.4
Mickey MantleNYY342271018531942055239.1
Stan MusialKCM49425949832939557768.4

The quality in RF rolls deep … Ron Blomberg takes this, with Joe Jackson very close behind. The deepest position in the league.

#DH

NameTm2B3BHRRRBIBAOBPSLGSBRC/27
Gavvy CravathPHI/POR36327868531038556057.9
Lou GehrigNYY25427747927537952637.1
Frank ThomasCAG333259310529740550537.4

Gavvy Cravath spent a lot of time in RF, both with Philadelphia and Portland, but we’re still going to count him here, where he edges out both Thomas, who slumped late in the season, and Gehrig, who got red-hot as the Black Yankees failed in their attempt to make the playoffs.

#The Silver Sticks

C: Johnny Bench (IND)
1B: Hank Greenberg (DET)
2B: Eddie Collins (CAG)
3B: Dick Allen (CAG)
SS: Jim Fregosi (POR)
LF: Babe Ruth (NYY)
CF: Bobby Murcer (POR)
RF: Ron Blomberg (CLE)
DH: Gavvy Cravath (PHI/POR)

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