Overall

This is a franchise in a bit of crisis, struggling to figure out how to build a team around not one, but two, legitimate MVP candidates in Mike Trout and Kal Daniels. Right now, though, that’s all the Angels have–there is some potential on the mound, but Gerrit Cole‘s disastrous fall from last season’s heights is a reminder of how precarious that can be.

It’s just not clear how the Angels get out of the rut of mediocrity at this point, although if you squint you could convince yourself the pitching will come around and there are enough bit pieces around the two superstars–certainly the mid-season acquisition of Freddie Freeman helps in that regard.

What Went Right

Kal Daniels & Mike Trout were each incredible, combining for 79 homeruns, 81 doubles, 100 SB, 213 RBIs, and 217 runs scored. Just incredible output and with Daniels being 24 and Trout 22, the futures look bright.

Freddie Freeman finally found a home, and immediately began hitting at the same level as Daniels and Trout over about 30 games.

Carlos Delgado keeps rolling along, with the 32 year old veteran leading the team with 44 homeruns and decent secondary numbers.

Between Gene Tenace and Ron Hassey, the long nightmare at catcher may be finally solved for the Angels (but they’ve thought this before as well).

Similarly, Eddie Joost‘s power may have laid a claim to the role at SS and Bill Doran‘s bat may have earned him the 2B spot, although both need to perform well this Spring to cement those positions.

On the mound, Brett Anderson was a revelation, finishing 11-6 with a 4.34 ERA and an excellent 1.12 WHIP. Anderson made 31 starts and seems a lock to lead the rotation.

Doc Gooden was better than an 11-11 pitcher. His floor is a 180+ innings eater, and his ceiling is much, much higher.

Roy Patterson and Ross Reynolds were totally unheralded coming into the season and each were excellent, with Patterson likely moving into the rotation next season. Similarly, Julio Teheran, used in relief all year, may be asked to join the starters.

Elmer Smith hit poorly and pitched better than his 4-5, 6.45 numbers would indicate. He has a semi-realistic shot at contributing both on the mound and in LF. But now we’re moving into what didn’t go badly as opposed to what went well.

ALL STARS

Bobby Grich (subsequently traded)
Doc Gooden

MAJOR AWARDS

Ichiro Suzuki: AL RF Gold Glove

RECOGNITIONS

Brett Anderson, All AL 3rd Team; AL 23 & Under Team
Kal Daniels, All AL 2nd Team; AL All-Rounder 2nd Place
AJ Pierzynski, AL Rookie 2nd Team of the Year
Ross Reynolds, All AL 2nd Team; AL Rookie Team of the Year
Tom Seaver, AL Rookie 2nd Team of the Year
Elmer Smith, AL Rookie Team of the Year
Ichiro Suzuki, AL Rookie 2nd Team of the Year
Julio Teheran, AL 23 & Under Team
Mike Trout, Mel Trench Award 3rd Place; All AL 3rd Team

ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDS

Mike Trout, MVP
Brett Anderson, Pitcher of the Year
Carlos Delgado, Heart & Soul
Kal Daniels, Fan Favorite

Luke Walker, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Pedro Álvarez, Minor League Player of the Year

What Went Wrong

Most notably, Gerrit Cole imploded, going 7-15 with an ERA well over 6. Cole was the staff ace last season.

The wealth of SP talent continues to not deliver, from Tom Seaver and Pud Galvin–thoroughly mediocre as a full time starter–to the parade of arms given a shot from Nolan Ryan to Harry Howell, Noah Lowry to Bill Doak to John Lackey to … you get the idea.

Francisco Rodríguez, given the job after Joe Nathan was traded, was among the worst closers in the league.

C was a misery for most of the year, with John Stearns, Jeff Torborg, and AJ Pierzynski all stinking up the joint (Pierzynski’s rookie recognition was more due to how few rookie backstops there were than anything else).

Nobody played SS well, with George Wright, Jay Bell, and Freddie Patek all given a shot.

Ichiro Suzuki played in 140 games as a rookie, with stellar defense, but only managed a .688 OPS with little power and virtually zero plate discipline (7 walks total).

Doug Rader, a borderline MVP candidate last year, became a shockingly pedestrian 3B.

Steve Garvey continues to be a mediocre bat without a clear position in the field.

Transactions

March

None.

July

OF Don Buford to NYG for IF Freddie Patek, 2nd Round Pick, & 5th Round Pick.

Sure, as long as the picks are solid. Buford wasn’t going to be here when the Angels turn things around, so it’s a solid haul.

August

IF Bobby Grich & 3rd Round Pick to BBB for C Gene Tenace, P Vic Willis, & 1st Round Pick.

Grich is an all star, but the return is high, with both Tenace and Willis looking to be contributors. We’ll see about the 1st rounder, but it seems like a solid trade.

P Joe Nathan, IF Wally Joyner, 1st Round Pick to SFS for IF Eddie Miller, IF Freddie Freeman.

Given Freeman’s debut, this seems like a win, even if the 1st round pick turns into something (and especially given that Los Angeles still has one from the Grich trade).

Positional Overview

C

Maybe, just maybe, this is settled with Hassey and Tenace. Maybe.

The Angels are still high on John Stearns but there’s not a lot of evidence as to why.

1B

This looks, finally, to be solved with Freeman’s arrival, who will be spelled by Delgado (who is more suited to DH as he ages).

Steve Garvey seems better suited for this side of the infield, but he is now blocked by Freeman. Babe Herman may get a look here in the Spring as well.

2B

Wide open.

Bill Doran and Mark Ellis are the favorites here, but Jay Bell and Freddie Patek–while more natural at SS–can both play here, and veteran Bucky Harris may have performed well enough to get a look.

This is likely to be resolved in ST or via a trade.

SS

Eddie Joost and Jay Bell will likely fight this one out, with the defensive wizardry of George Wright and Andrelton Simmons looming in the background.

Xander Bogaerts is a dark horse here as well, and at 24 is getting to the point of needing to hit a WBL roster soon.

3B

Doug Rader should get a chance to bounce back, and Garvey is occasionally useful here, but this still looks like an area where improvement is needed.

That could come from David Wright or Pedro Álvarez, who should start the year at AAA.

LF/RF

Pretty much set with Daniels and Suzuki, whose struggles will be written off to an adjustment year. Elmer Smith will see some time here as well.

Curt Motton may be available for depth, and Brandon Nimmo is probably the best lower level corner OF prospect at this point.

CF

Trout should patrol here for quite a while, with the Angels faced with the question of what kind of backup they prefer: Brian Giles is solid offensively, while Devon White can chase them down with the best of them.

Jack Gleason (miserable in a WBL trial this year) and Albie Pearson offer some depth as well.

DH

Delgado should transition to a full time (or nearly so) DH next season.

SP

Brett Anderson and Gooden are a lock, and Cole will be given another year to see whether last year’s great season or this year’s bad one is more indicative of his future.

Beyond that, it’s open season, with Harry Howell, Vic Willis, Elmer Smith, Mike Krukow, Bill Doak, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, and Luke Walker all in the mix.

RP

You Could add Roy Patterson, Pud Galvin, and Julio Teheran to the list of starting candidates, but those three are likely to make the bullpen regardless, along with Ross Reynolds.

The team seems committed to giving Francisco Rodríguez another shot at closing games.

Two more interesting names: Chuck Finley and Jonny Venters are both likely fully recovered come Spring Training, and either or both could make the team.

Draft Outlook

DRAFT PICKS

1st Round: 1
2nd Round: 2
3rd Round: 0
4th Round: 1
5th Round: 2

They just need talent. Yeah, LF/CF/1B are sewn up for a while, but they just need talent.

#Silver Sticks

The guideline here is the best offensive performance at each position, with a slightly relaxed PA requirement and combining LF and RF. Players qualify for their team at season’s end, much to Paul Konerko‘s delight.

Joe Morgan was better offensively than Alomar, but Alomar had 200 more plate appearances and was no slouch himself.

#Rookie Of the Year

This was pretty easy in terms of the overall awards, but the second and third place finishers were far more heavily contested.

Al Kaline (DET), David Ortiz (MEM), and Jim Whitney (MCG) in the AL, and John Briggs (BRK), Judy Johnson (HOM), and George Foster (IND) in the NL were the next names on the lists, but these selections feel pretty solid.

#All Rounder Award

This one is given to the player whose offense was most well-rounded–walks, power, speed, all of it.

#Phineas Flint Award

This goes to the best reliever in each league–not necessarily a closer, but often.

#Brock Rutherford Award

This goes to the dominant pitcher in each league, usually a starter.

#Mel Trench Award

And, the biggie, the MVP. A slight prejudice towards batters here, but it’s possible for a pitcher to enter the building.

As has been constant in much of this Award season, the top spots are clear, and beyond that it’s a little bit of a mess.

Trout’s numbers weren’t as good as Turkey Steranes or Tris Speaker, but he carried Los Angeles all season. That said, this could have been a 3 way tie for AL CF’s. In the NL, you can argue that Ron Cey was more important to Brooklyn than Carter was to Ottawa, and certainly Brooklyn’s Whirled Championship counts for something. But Carter did all that … as a catcher (which underscores Gibson’s edge on the field).

Just a glance shows the differences in the leagues: you want offense, look at the AL, you want pitching, the NL. That’s a generality, and like all such, not fully accurate: the NL actually has more S Tier bats, but the AL is overall more top heavy offensively.

San Francisco, predictably, leads the way with 12 selections while the rivalry between the Black Yankees and Cleveland continues, with the Bill James Division heavyweights having 8 each.

#AL

I do wonder if this points to how fragile Cleveland is. The Spiders are one of only 2 teams to make the playoffs in both WBL seasons, but if you were to pick names likely to fade off this list, Arky Vaughan, Evan Longoria, Al Smith, and Firpo Marberry would jump out.

It also shows just how top heavy Los Angeles is: 2 S-Tier players (plus Brett Anderson and Ross Reynolds) with nothing to show for it. At the other end, there’s Detroit–the other team to make the playoffs each year–with only a single player (the incomparable Ty Cobb) listed, further reinforcing the Wolverines as having done it with a true team effort (although this was also quite close: Terry Adams, Al Kaline, and Hank Greenberg were all in contention for 3rd Team honors).

And the less said about Memphis, the better.

#NL

Brooklyn and Kansas City’s pitching is so strong. And imagine just how bad Ottawa’s pitching had to be, given their offensive representation.

Indianapolis has 3 S Tier players, giving them perhaps the most dominant nucleus in the league to build around. Kansas City has 4 S Tier players, but 2 of them are relievers, so most GM’s would prefer the ABC’s group.

And there are some league-wide deficiencies, especially at 1B and LF. Jim Wynn is a nice player, but the best in the league?

Both of Birmingham’s entrants were brought over in trade … but they also lost Jim Whtiney in those deals.

#Team by Team

Portland had nobody–nobody–who was deemed top 3 in the AL at their position. Ouch.

Baltimore. 4: Curt Blefary, Miller Huggins, Cal Ripken, Jr, Frank Robinson.
Birmingham, 2: Ryan Braun, Paul Konerko.
Brooklyn. 7: Ron Cey, Terry Forster, Eric Gagne, Orel Hershiser, Mike Piazza, Fernando Valenzuela, Smokey Joe Williams
Chicago. 3: Eddie Collins, Joe Jackson, Ed Walsh.
Cleveland. 8: Ed Bailey, Lance Berkman, Evan Longoria, Firpo Marberry, Ron Reed, Al Smith, Tris Speaker, Arky Vaughan.
Detroit. 1: Ty Cobb.
Homestead. 5: Josh Gibson, Josh Lindblom, Robb Nen, Rick Reichardt , Willie Stargell.
Houston. 7: Jeff Bagwell, Andrew Chafin, Roger Clemens, Carlos Correa, Tony Gwynn, Toad Ramsey, Jim Wynn.
Indianapolis. 3: Oscar Charleston, Joe Morgan, Luis Padrón.
Kansas City. 5: A. Rube Foster, Eddie Guardado, Albert Pujols, Lee Smith, Smokey Joe Wood.
Los Angeles. 4: Brett Anderson, Kal Daniels, Ross Reynolds, Mike Trout.
Memphis. 1: Andrew Miller.
Miami. 5: José Méndez, Jonathan Papelbon, Yasiel Puig, Jim Thome, Jim Whitney.
New York Black Yankees. 8: Lou Gehrig, Goose Gossage, Ron Guidry, Rogers Hornsby, Mickey Mantle, Andy Pettitte, Babe Ruth, Mike Schmidt.
New York Gothams. 3: Will Clark, Benny Kauff , Willie Mays.
Ottawa. 5: Roberto Alomar , Gary Carter, Rick Monday, Alex Rodríguez, Larry Walker.
Philadelphia. 7: Fred Cambria, Hardie Henderson, Bob Howry, Aaron Judge, Charles Rogan, Scott Rolen.
Portland. 0.
San Francisco. 12: Rod Beck, Jack Clark, Mickey Cochrane, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove, Bump Hadley, Ken Howell, Reggie Jackson, Dick Lundy, Eddie Plank, Turkey Stearnes.
Wandering House of David. 2: Ernie Banks, Ryne Sandberg.

We have a new defensive metric for outfielders: ARM, which is an estimate of the number of runs saved (or allowed) from their throwing arms.

#S Tier

The top of this list is easy: welcome to the WBL, Turkey Stearnes!

After that, it’s unclear. In one sense, maybe it’s just Stearnes? But Tris Speaker–as disliked as he is–had a great season. So, maybe it’s just the two of them? But it feels like Mike Trout and Oscar Charleston are certainly in a different class than the bulk of the A Tier.

I think this is a reflection of how great of a year Sternes had: consider him in an S+ tier by himself.

#A Tier

Joe Rogan played more CF than anything else (other than pitcher), so he’s listed here.

Willie Mays is Willie Mays, and is expected to spend most of his career here and above. The rest can be considered surprises: John Briggs was seen by many as a AAA player who would fail in his rookie season; Julio Rodríguez was an afterthought invite to Spring Training who seized the opportunity; and while it was expected that Rogan would be solid as a 2-way player, nobody foresaw this.

#B Tier

Sure. Eric Davis continues to struggle with injuries, Carlos Beltrán needs to put the ball in play a little more, and Ken Griffey, Jr. is only 20. This also reinforces the trade between Portland and Ottawa–Beltrán deserves his starting spot in the WBL, and Griffey, Jr. needed a fresh start.

Any of these three could move up, while Davis seems the most likely to crash out as his injuries continue to mount.

#C Tier

Here we get to set of CF that are always being questioned–they are good enough, but there’s always a lingering question about whether they’re actually the solution. This impacted George Gore the most, who was essentially a half-time player this year, and is least an issue for Pete Hill, given his age.

Chili Davis is solid, but his defense is far from solid, and Reggie Smith–like some others in the Memphis clubhouse–is under threat from a wave of emerging talent.

#D Tier

Curtis Granderson and Andrew McCutchen had their names penciled in almost every day … which leads to a question of why they escaped the criticism seen by the tier above? For Granderson, it is answered by his defense, power, and the fact that his deficiency–putting the ball safely in play–was a team-wide issue for Birmingham.

Jake Stenzel stopped hitting for power when he arrived in Chicago, cementing his place in this group, while Paul Blair is only here due to his exceptional defense.

#F Tier

Willie Davis and Jim Edmonds do enough with their gloves to stick around somewhere, and Davis is certainly young enough to improve more offensively. The rest are a challenge: Willie McGee is in danger of losing his job, Dale Murphy has obvious power, but is clearly not best suited for CF, and then there’s Cristóbal Torriente, whose defensive impact is unmistakable, but is clearly overwhelmed at the plate at this point.

#Rookies

This is in incredible rookie class, with Stearnes (S Tier), and Rodríguez, Rogan, and Briggs (all A Tier). And, oh yeah, Dale Murphy way down in the F Tier Tier.

#Fielding Notes

We have our standard defensive stats here, with the leaders in bold and the worst performers in italics. Assists (A), more romantically referred to as Outfield Kills are runners eliminated on the bases. Range Factor (RF) measures the number of plays made per game–the higher the better. Zone Rating (ZR) attempts to credit players for plays other fielders missed and ding them for plays other fielders made–the higher the better, and it has the benefit of being comparative across the position. Defensive Efficiency (dEff) measures the rate at which an individual fielder contributes to outs being made on balls put into play, with any score over 1.000 being a net positive impact. Finally, Fielding Percentage (fPct) reflects the percentage of times a chance was handled without a mistake–if someone made no errors, their fPct would be 1.000.

Of these, Range Factor is the most susceptible to the impact of the pitching staff and the ballpark, although none of these defensive ratings are perfect.

In reality, MLB posted a .759 OPS in 2001 with an aggregate 264/335/427 slash line. The WBL slashed 261/336/506 for an .842 OPS. And therein lies the problem: the rest of the line is fine, the .080 increase in SLG is … a lot, and is responsible for about a .65 increase in runs per game (4.96 in historical 2001, 5.60 in the WBL Year 2).

This resulted in 2001 owning virtually every single season batting record: only Mike Trout‘s 131 singles in Year 1 survived the onslaught. Everything else came this season.

And, a couple of the marks eclipsed the MLB historical records:

Total Bases: 492, Ty Cobb (DET). Obliterates Babe Ruth‘s mark of 457 in 1921.
Doubles: 72, Ty Cobb (DET). Earl Webb had 67 in 1931.

And, of course, Ruth tied Barry Bonds‘ 2001 homerun record of 73.

So that’s not horrible: Ty Cobb had a stunning year, and I can’t be made at Cobb and Ruth peppering the record book (nor, honestly, at Josh Gibson‘s .400 average, a WBL record).

But I would like to see about 3/4 of a run per game to disappear …

And, of course, if we have record breaking frequencies of homeruns, someone has to be giving up all those taters. Thirteen hurlers gave up more than the MLB record 50 homeruns, with CC Sabathia (64) and Cole Hamels (63) being absolutely rocked throughout the season.

At the team level we had similar issues:

• Kansas City’s 444 doubles are 20% more than the historical mark set by the 2004 Boston Red Sox.
• And then there are homeruns: only 6 teams had fewer than the all time ream record of 307, shared by the 2019 Twins and the 2023 Braves.
• In a bit of a shock, San Francisco’s 393 steals top the all time record of 347 by the 1922 New York Giants.
• Unsurprisingly, 5 teams eclipsed the .872 OPS record of the 1927 New York Yankees.

These all had equivalents on the mound, where the all-time historical runs allowed and homeruns allowed records were shattered in the WBL this year.

Look, all of this is a little bit of nit-picking: the league was competitive, and I totally expect off the charts performances in a league peppered with all-time great players. But 18 players with 50+ homeruns is just too many, even if most of the names range from yeah, he did that to ok, in this league that’s plausible.

I mean the whole Ron Blomberg fiasco is still out there, but that will be the topic of another post …

We’re going to do this position by position, mixing the leagues, with the candidates listed alphabetically. 600 IP minimum, unless otherwise noted.

Last year, only 1 set of awards were given; this year, with the creation of the NL, there will be 2 at each position.

Some of the positions have their own things, but a note about some of the standard fielding statistics. Range Factor measures the number of plays made per game–the higher the better. Zone Rating attempts to credit players for plays other fielders missed and ding them for plays other fielders made–the higher the better, and it has the benefit of being comparative across the position. Defensive Efficiency measures the rate at which an individual fielder contributes to outs being made on balls put into play, with any score over 1.000 being a net positive impact.

Of these, Range Factor is the most susceptible to the impact of the pitching staff and the ballpark, although none of these defensive ratings are perfect.

#C

Catcher’s stats are just all over the place.

It’s hard to take cERA and FRM all that seriously when they fall so far outside the bounds of the rest of the information at our disposal–although, to be fair, cERA is clearly tied to the quality of the staff and, as such, perhaps is best viewed as a net difference from the overall team ERA. Perhaps I’ll look at that for the actual awards.

Regardless, it feels like, if you look at a catcher’s primary job of making plays and keeping the opposition running game under control, Carter in the NL and Pudge in the AL are the frontrunners. The argument against each, if there is one, would have to focus on their league-leading (in the wrong way) PB numbers.

But this one doesn’t really feel close at this point.

Last year’s winner, Cleveland’s Louis Santop, has struggled so much offensively this year that his playing time has really dropped him out of contention, although his defensive performance remains top-notch.

#1B

The 2 best defensive 1Bs in the league–Kansas City’s Boog Powell and Indianapolis’ Joey Votto–are both in the NL. So the competition there is clear, as is, ultimately, the current frontrunner in Powell. Votto’s edge in the digital measures–ZR and Efficiency–may make this a more challenging choice at the end of the year.

In the AL, it’s far more confusing, but it feels like the discussion is between Detroit’s Hank Greenberg and the Black Yankees’ Don Mattingly. Mattingly hasn’t played a ton, so perhaps Greenberg edges him? Portland’s Kent Hrbek could probably edge into the discussion as well.

Will Clark of the New York Gothams, who won it last year, has been fine, but falls just short of contention.

#2B

Five 2B had only 3 errors, but 2 of them–Brooklyn’s Jackie Robinson and Boston’s DJ LeMahieu–have under 700 innings at the position. LeMahieu is the leader in Defensive Efficiency, so he made the list, but Robinson did not.

Ryne Sandberg and Napoleon Lajoie have had fine years at 2B, but Philadelphia’s Chase Utley has been fairly spectacular, leading the world in Zone Rating with excellent numbers across the board.

The AL is more confusing, as the best fielders–Miller Huggins and DJ LeMahieu–have yet to hit 800 innings in the field. But there really aren’t a lot of other contenders: Eddie Collins, who won it last year, has amassed a ton of time at 2B, and hence is among the leaders in the counting stats, but his other numbers are surprisingly bad.

#SS

It feels like the choices here are pretty clear: Ozzie Smith in the NL and Freddy Parent in the AL. Smith should be uncontroversial, but Parent is subject to some discussion, as he is getting less and less playing time for the American Giants. If it’s not Parent, it is probably Arky Vaughan or Robin Yount, with the question being whether Yount’s surer hands outweigh Vaughan’s greater range.

George Davis, who won it last year, logged just under 50 games with Detroit before being sent to AAA and suffering a significant injury.

#3B

Portland’s Buddy Bell has probably been the best 3B in the WBL this season, so he should take the award in the AL. In the NL, it currently comes down to Scott Rolen and Ron Cey, whose numbers are pretty indistinguishable at this point, perhaps with a slight edge to Cey.

#LF

For the OF, DP is replaced by Outfield Kills, and we introduce ARM, a measurement of how many runs have resulted from runners taking extra bases on balls hit to the that fielder. Note that positive ARM ratings are relatively rare: runners do tag up.

It feels like Roy White has a shot at being the first repeat winner as he has once again proven incredibly dependable in LF for Brooklyn, while adding more Kills and excellent supporting numbers.

In the AL, It feels like it’s the range of Rickey Henderson against the overall dependability of Johnny Bates–who actually makes more plays the Rickey, but some of that is down to staff effects.

Have to call out the nutty ARM rating for Jim Wynn, which is as flukish as fluke can be.

#CF

Not a lot to pick from in the AL, which increases Paul Blair‘s chance at a repeat selection. It probably comes down to Blair’s overall excellence against the spectacular highlight reel nature of Chili Davis‘ year: Davis hasn’t made all the plays, but has thrown out 13 runners. Mike Trout is in the conversation, but Blair edges him across the board, and is the likely frontrunner.

In the NL, things are much deeper, and we run into the question of how to weigh playing time. Willie Mays has similar numbers to Willie Davis, but over 200 more innings in the field, which I think is enough to give him the edge. Some mention should be made of the steady Curtis Granderson and the surprising 10 kills from Kansas City’s Willie McGee.

#RF

This is very close in both leagues.

In the NL, you could make an argument for all 3 of the contenders: Brooklyn’s Beals Becker has been steady across the board; Stan Musial covers a huge amount of ground for Kansas City and has a higher ARM than Becker; and Roberto Clemente makes the most plays and has the most Kills. I think it’s Clemente or Musial, with Musial slightly in front, maybe?

Over in the AL, it’s between Mookie Betts and Ichiro Suzuki, neither of whom have made an error in RF this season. Betts has been slightly better with the glove, Suzuki slightly better with the arm. Perhaps Suzuki, partially because he has played more innings in RF than anyone.

Last year’s winner, Johnny Callison, has done well this season, but is just out of the conversation. Mention should be made of Ottawa’s Larry Walker as well: Walker doesn’t cover a ton of ground, but has only made a single error in RF this season.

#P

125 IP minimum.

A few additional stat for hurlers, including the number of steal attempts and the % thrown out as well as the number of runs gained through their catcher’s ability to frame strikes. Obviously, both of these are highly dependent on the quality of backstop, but they also do impact the evaluation of the pitcher.

We’ve also taking out E and DP as stats, as odd as that may seem, as there is just not enough variance to really make much of them.

Who knows? Small sample sizes are rough, although it is nice to see last year’s winner, Jack Taylor, make a return appearance.

Taylor makes a lot of plays, and is very hard to run on, both of which count for quite a bit. I think an argument could be made for Pud Galvin, as well as for Taylor’s teammate, Bob Rush, but I would expect a fair bit of this to change over the final month of the season.

#Chicago American Giants

In what may be a preliminary move to more significant changes, the American Giants moved Joe Lake into the starting rotation, sending last season’s ace Tricky Nichols to the bullpen. The also moved AJ Minter out of the closers role, replacing him with Akinori Otsuka. For now, however, both Nichols and Minter stay with the WBL club.

Frank Thomas had himself a day, hitting 2 homeruns and going 5-for-5, but it wasn’t enough as the American Giants fell to Detroit, 8-6.

#Los Angeles Angels

With Mark Ellis out for about a month, the Angels recalled Jay Bell from AAA. Bell will see some time at SS, with Bobby Grich returning fulltime to his 2B spot.

Elmer Smith replaced Pud Galvin at the end of the Angels’ rotation for the time being. Smith has been struggling at the plate, so his time in the OF will probably be reduced, but Los Angeles does still plan to use have him hit on the days he pitches.

Mike Trout went deep twice, but it wasn’t enough as the Angels fell to Cleveland, 7-5.

Kal Daniels and Ron Hassey each hit 2 out and the Angels’ bullpen held on as Los Angeles topped Cleveland, 11-8. Then they battered the Spiders, 14-3, as Ichiro Suzuki had 5 hits, Hassey 4, and Daniels drove in 6.

#Miami Cuban Giants

José Canseco went deep twice, but Miami fell to Baltimore, 5-3.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Tom Zachary will miss over a week and, with Scott Terry‘s fate still unknown, is hurt enough to warrant a trip to the DL. Art Fowler was recalled to take Zachary’s spot in the bullpen.

The news on Terry wasn’t good: he’ll be out for 9 months (Tommy John surgery) and the Sea Dogs recalled Heath Hembree from AAA.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Turkey Stearnes went deep twice and Eddie Plank fanned 10 in 7+ innings, improving to 15-4 on the year in a 6-4 victory over the New York Black Yankees. And then it was Bobby Bonds‘ turn, as he hit his 27th and 28th homer of the year in another win over New York, this one by a margin of 7-4 as Bump Hadley won his 15th of the year.

#Los Angeles Angels

Jack Gleason was recalled to take Don Buford‘s roster spot. Buford’s absence means Kal Daniels becomes the Angels’ everyday LF with Elmer Smith entering a platoon with Steve Garvey at DH.

Mike Trout and Carlos Delgado hit back-to-back homeruns in the bottom of the 11th as the Angels beat Detroit, 9-8. Delgado’s was his 2nd of the day and the blasts left both him and Trout with 21 dingers each on the season.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Steven Wright was sent to AAA, clearing room for Jim Whitney, who moved directly into Miami’s rotation.

Whitney made a solid debut with just over 6 scoreless innings, but it took a walkoff homer from Iván Rodríguez in the bottom of the 10th for the Cuban Giants to triumph over Portland, 5-4. Jim Thome went deep twice in the game, giving him 34 on the year.

#Portland Sea Dogs

John Wetteland–despite his struggles with Baltimore–will join Portland’s bullpen with Bobby Witt returning to AAA. Additionally, Joseíto Muñoz was named to the rotation, with Jerry Koosman, who is returning from a rehab assignment, taking up the role of the departed Mike Cuellar in the Sea Dogs’ bullpen.

Rogers Hornsby‘s departure is a little more complicated: Paul Molitor will take over most of the time at 2B, with Willie Randolph as his backup and Eddie Yost was recalled from the minors to provide some depth at 3B.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Jimmy Bloodworth has gone from fan favorite to AAA as he was sent down to clear room for Frank Grant, who will take over as the everyday 2B.

Bump Hadley‘s first start of the second half was more of the same excellence: a 4-hit shutout of Chicago. Hadley, who improved to 13-4, fanned 10 in the 8-0 win, and Jack Clark went deep twice in support of the right-hander.

One thing became quite clear through all this: the AL is far more potent at the plate than the NL. Here, the challenge is omitting some players with 30 homeruns or near 1.000 OPS.

#C

Ed Bailey (whose defensive performance has been surprisingly good) and Mickey Cochrane are clearly in, with Bailey starting. That leaves Joe Mauer in a bit of no-man’s land: if the AL goes with 3 catchers, he’d be the 3rd. With Portland needing representation in the game, and a general desire for 3 backstops, Mauer makes the cut.

Iván Rodríguez has probably been the best defensive catcher in the AL (although Mauer has been quite good), but Pudge’s 237/272/448 slash line is just too weak to merit much consideration.

#1B

It’s hard to imagine that 32 HR and 72 RBI at the all star game doesn’t make the roster, but that’s what Jim Thome is facing. Lou Gehrig and Frank Thomas clearly are on the roster and while Lance Berkman and Hank Greenberg have better overall numbers than Thome, his power is gaudy enough to have the 3 in a dead heat. Perhaps Greenberg’s defense edges him in front?

In the end, none of the 3 of them made it, which is remarkable.

#2B & SS

Because Dick Lundy and Bobby Grich–two strong contenders–essentially split their time between 2B and SS, we’ll consider the two positions together. First the 2Bs.

And now the SS

This is rough all around.

Arky Vaughan is just about the only clear choice here, with the best all around performance by a SS if you discount Cal Ripken, Jr., who just hasn’t played enough (likewise, a lack of playing time eliminates both Miller Huggins and, most controversially, Charlie Gehringer from consideration).

If we need 4 more middle infielders, they should come from Rogers Hornsby, Grich, Lundy, Eddie Collins, and Robin Yount.

Hornsby has been the best hitting 2B, which is no surprise, but he’s also missed some time and is somewhat of a liability defensively. Still, the best OPS of the group has to count for something, so he’s in as the starting 2B for the AL.

Eddie Collins is having a bit of an off year compared to last year season. Grich, Collins, and Yount are almost indistinguishable: as such, Grich’s versatility earns him a roster spot, and Collins edges Yount for the final spot, leaving Lundy in the cold as well.

#3B

Wade Boggs is really just there for comparison. Mike Schmidt gets the starter’s nod over Evan Longoria, as much for his team’s performance as any discernable statistical edge.

#LF/RF

We’ll treat the corner OF’s together.

Babe Ruth, José Canseco, and Ted Williams are locks. After that, it would seem criminal to omit either Frank Robinson or Mickey Mantle, although it must be noted that Uncle Robbie’s performance is ever-so-stronger than Mantle’s, earning him one of the final spots.

That would leave the electric Rickey Henderson and the extraordinary Joe Jackson on the outside looking in.

#CF

Look, I don’t like Tris Speaker either, but the man can flat out play. So, he’s in, as is Stearnes, perhaps the leading candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year. And neither Eric Davis nor the surprising Julio Rodríguez have played enough to make the cut. So that leaves Mike Trout as the open question: Trout is clearly deserving, so the question is whether the AL goes with 2 pure CF’s or 3.

Alejandro Oms misses out, despite being 3rd in the league in BA.

#DH

My lord. 31 homeruns at the all star break and a possibility of not being selected? Welcome to your life, Ryan Braun.

Obviously, Ty Cobb and Ron Blomberg are in. And it seems ridiculous to omit either Kal Daniels or Reggie Jackson.

#SP

And now we move into the AL’s weakness–there are strong top-end candidates here, but far less depth than over in the NL.

The spots fill up quickly. Eddie Plank will start the game for the AL, and his teammates Bump Hadley and Lefty Grove clearly belong. It seems silly to omit the ERA leader, Doc Gooden.

After that, it gets confusing. Ed Walsh has been almost unhittable, but is only 6-3. Andy Pettitte has 10 wins and a sub 4.00 ERA.

That would leave the overall WAR leader, Cy Young, the strikeout and SIERA leader, Ron Guidry, and the overall excellence of Brett Anderson missing out.

#RP

The AL is a little weak in bullpen depth as well. Rod Beck is easily the class of the closers, with Terry Adams close behind. The overall excellence of Ken Howell and Goose Gossage also merit a spot, leaving Ross Reynolds, Skel Roach, and Justin Hampson on the bubble.

Hampson gets the nod, both because of how surprising his season has been and as a nod to the paucity of lefties in the AL pen.

#AL All Stars

The final 2 spots came down to choices between Mike Trout, Reggie Jackson, Kal Daniels, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Collins, and Robin Yount. A fourth middle infielder seemed like a requirement, giving the nod to Collins.

So. Reggie or Kal. Kal or Reggie. I mean. Kal Daniels is having an incredible year. But there’s just no way to argue he is more deserving than Reggie.

There is an argument to be made that the AL should only take 2 3B, replacing Gary Sheffield with Daniels. But the final choice is always going to be onerous.

Some more arguments about who was wronged (these are the highest ranked layers in each stat not to make the game).

Joe Jackson (CAG). #2 in H (109); #1 in the league in 2B (40); #2 in BA (.354).
Mickey Mantle (NYY). #3 in HR (32); #3 in RBI (82).
Kal Daniels (LAA). #4 in OBP (.425); #11 in OPS (1.013).
Ryan Braun (MCG). #7 in SLG (.648).
Rickey Henderson (SFS). #1 in SB (62); #4 in WAR (3.0).
Dick Lundy (SFS). #3 in 3B (7).

And, on the mound

Cy Young (CLE). #5 in W (9); #2 in FIP (3.81); #1 in WAR (3.3).
Ron Guidry (NYY). #1 in K (150); #1 in SIERA (2.52).
Brett Anderson (LAA). #5 in ERA (3.93); #2 in WHIP (1.05).
Walter Johnson (POR). #2 in IP (125).
4 Players have 14 saves, tied for #3. Of those, Only Ricky Nolasco (MCG) has an ERA below 4.00.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). #1 in H (11).

Starters in bold.

C: Ed Bailey (DET); Mickey Cochrane (SFS); Joe Mauer (POR).
1B: Lou Gehrig (NYY); Frank Thomas (CAG).
2B: Eddie Collins (CAG); Bobby Grich (LAA); Rogers Hornsby (POR).
SS: Arky Vaughan (CLE).
3B: Evan Longoria (CLE); Mike Schmidt (NYY); Gary Sheffield (MCG).
LF: Frank Robinson (BAL); Ted Williams (MEM).
CF: Tris Speaker (CLE), Turkey Stearnes (SFS).
RF: José Canseco (MCG), Babe Ruth (NYY).
DH: Ron Blomberg (CLE); Reggie Jackson (SFS), Ty Cobb (DET).
SP: Doc Gooden (LAA), Lefty Grove (SFS), Bump Hadley (SFS), Andy Pettitte (NYY); Eddie Plank (SFS), Ed Walsh (CAG).
RP: Terry Adams (CLE); Rod Beck (SFS); Goose Gossage (NYY); Justin Hampson (BAL); Ken Howell (SFS).

And, by team. Unsurprisingly, the 3 American League teams with records over .500 (San Francisco, the Black Yankees, and Cleveland) are supplying 18 of the 32 players.

San Francisco Sea Lions (.625). Rod Beck (P), Mickey Cochrane (C), Lefty Grove (P), Bump Hadley (P), Ken Howell (P) Reggie Jackson (DH), Eddie Plank (P), Turkey Stearnes (OF).
New York Black Yankees (.618). Lou Gehrig (1B), Goose Gossage (P), Andy Pettitte (P), Babe Ruth (OF), Mike Schmidt (3B).
Cleveland Spiders (.558). Terry Adams (P), Ron Blomberg (DH), Evan Longoria (3B), Tris Speaker (OF), Arky Vaughan (SS).
Chicago American Giants (.466). Eddie Collins (2B), Frank Thomas (1B), Ed Walsh (P).
Miami Cuban Giants (.483). José Canseco (OF), Gary Sheffield (3B).
Detroit Wolverines (.453). Ed Bailey (C), Ty Cobb (DH).
Los Angeles Angels (.448). Doc Gooden (P), Bobby Grich (2B).
Portland Sea Dogs (.438). Rogers Hornsby (2B), Joe Mauer (C).
Baltimore Black Sox (.416). Justin Hampson (P), Frank Robinson (OF).
Memphis Red Sox (.494). Ted Williams (OF).

A whopping 15 players are repeat all-stars from last season: Terry Adams, Rod Beck, Ron Blomberg, José Canseco, Eddie Collins, Lou Gehrig, Lefty Grove, Rogers Hornsby, Ken Howell, Reggie Jackson, Joe Mauer, Babe Ruth, Frank Thomas, and Ted Williams.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Carlos Morán did fine in a brief trial with Miami, but Al Oliver‘s return from injury forces Morán back to AAA. Barry Latman was demoted as well, with Jason Hammel being recalled.

Kenshin Kawakami was named to the rotation for Miami, leaving only the final spot vacant for the time being.

Jim Thome went deep twice, giving him 30 for the season and leading Miami to a 6-4 win in a rain-shortened game against Cleveland. José Méndez gave up 4 runs, but fanned 11 in his 6 innings of work, improving to 7-4.

Thome did it again, increasing his total to 32, and he and José Canseco drove in 4 runs each as the Cuban Giants beat Portland, 12-2 behind a solid outing from Cole Hamels.

#Los Angeles Angels

Mike Trout hit 2 homers, but the Angels’ bullpen sort of collapsed, and Los Angeles fell to Detroit, 7-5.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Eddie Plank became the WBL’s first 12 game winner despite one of his worst starts of the season in an 8-5 win over Chicago. Plank gave up all 5 runs in his 5 innings of work, but Mel Stottlemyre Sr. and Rod Beck were perfect in relief. Bobby Bonds‘ 23rd homer of the year was a grand slam which, combined with Reggie Jackson‘s 3 doubles, was enough to guide the Sea Lions to victory.