The Whirled League

Baseball The Way It Never Was

Tag: Napoleon Lajoie Page 1 of 2

TWIWBL 74.2 Spotlight on the Ottawa Mounties

By

On March 28, 2025

In TWIWBL

The Mounties were awful last season. At 4 games under .500, they’re unlikely to make the playoffs, but they are a far better team this year, easily one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the league … but still with one of the worst staffs around. So there’s that.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

Odd how much optimism can be generated by a team whose record isn’t very good.

THE OFFENSE

It’s all good here, end to end. When the only offensive black hole is your backup catcher, your offense is doing OK. Ten–TEN–Mounties are in double digit homeruns, from Tim Raines at 14 to Larry Walker‘s 38.

#What’s Going Right

Gary Carter and Larry Walker are among the best in the league at their positions, with Walker leading the team in HR and RBI.

Roberto Alomar has blossomed, and leas the team in H with an OPS in the .950s, which is incredibly strong for a middle infielder. His partner at SS, Álex Rodríguez, has finally begun to deliver on his promise, validating Ottawa’s decision to retain him last season.

The rest of the lineup is solid, with everyone delivering OPS’ between .800 and .850. It’s a fairly consistent model–mediocre BAs, a decent OBP, and a ton of power. Tim Raines–2nd in the WBL in SB by 1 at 68–is the exception to the model, but his value remains clear.

Special mention has to be made of Rick Monday. Not really thought of as a significant prospect, Monday has flourished, slashing 302/385/755 closing in on 200 PAs. A CF by trade, Monday’s future is uncertain as his current performance clearly exceeds a role as Carlos Beltrán‘s backup, but with Walker in RF and Raines in LF, it’s not clear where he can move to.

#What’s Not Going Right

Brad Ausmus has already announced his retirement at the end of the season. He’s being kept around for his, um, veteran leadership at this point.

I mean … that’s about it. Bob Watson struggled and was sent to AAA, and Mike Dorgan is back to being a useful utility player instead of a world-beater.

It’s been a good year at the plate in Ottawa so far. However …

THE PITCHING

Yoikes. Yoikes, yoikes, and yoikes.

#What’s Going Right

Roy Halladay continues to tantalize, showing flashes of ace-ish potential. Halladay sits at 10-6 with an ERA under 5.00, and has yet to put it all together for an extended length of time, but the potential is there.

Bill Smith has pitched excellently when healthy, sitting at 8-2 with a 3.225 ERA.

Atlee Hammaker struggled initially, but has pitched very well out of the bullpen, far better than his 6+ ERA would indicate.

Old Hoss Radbourn continues to oscillate between excellence and … other things. At worst, he’s a solid innings eater.

#What’s Not Going Right

Nobody else has succeeded as a starter, and the back 3 spots in the rotation have essentially been a revolving door, a situation that has surely been hurt by Bob Brown, Bob Moose, and Gary Peters all being on the DL for extended lengths of time (Moose and Peters are out well into next year). The whole staff has been mediocre at best, but there are some lowlights …

Randy Johnson is … perhaps the most frustrating bundle of talent in the WBL? Johnson has been sent to the minors after struggling mightily, but the Mounties hope he returns soon. Ish.

Tom Henke came back from a long term injury to provide an ERA over 7.00 in the closer role.

Jesse Crain, who looked promising initially, is on the verge of being sent back down as his ERA has ballooned over 7.00.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

There might be help here, but there isn’t much high end talent. As an example, Otto Briggs, Warren Cromartie, Willie Upshaw, Leon Roberts, and Denard Span could all see time, but all are in A ball. Wee Willie Keeler is closer, and perhaps likely to make an impact.

But the Mounties need arms … and there’s just not a ton there. Dan Haren, Mark Eichhorn, Max Scherzer, and Billy Koch all have live arms, but are all at A ball.

WHAT’S NEEDED

The bottom of the lineup to step forward, and the pitching overall to improve a shade across the board.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

  • Can the staff both deliver and stay healthy? No.
  • Who is the bullpen? Who the hell knows.
  • How the young talent sorts itself out. This one is working out OK. Walker, Carter, Raines, Staub, and Rodríguez are all 23 or younger.

FEATURED SERIES

The Mounties host Homestead for 3 to start the week.

Projected Starters

Homestead’s starter listed first.

Francisco Liriano (6-7, 5.24) @ Roy Halladay (10-6, 4.60)
Doug Drabek (4-5, 4.89) @ Bill Smith (8-2, 3.25)
Cliff Lee (5-2, 6.00) @ Johnny Podgagny (3-3, 4.61)

If the starters take their spots as planned, this may be the rare chance for the Mounties to rely on their mound work. If that happens, I think they take 2 out of 3.

Before this series began, the Mounties named Atlee Hammaker to the 5th spot in their rotation, although it’s not clear when his turn will come around.

Game One

Turns out Atlee Hammaker‘s turn is immediately available, with Roy Halladay not quite recovered from his prior outing. He’ll face Homestead’s Francisco Liriano, who has pitched very well of late, in this one.

The legend of Josh Gibson just continues … Homestead’s offensive juggernaut took Hammaker deep in the first with Judy Johnson on to give the Grays an early 2-0 lead. Tim Raines started the game for Ottawa with a solo shot, halving the deficit and then Larry Walker launched his 39th of the year, tying the game at 2.

Hammaker allows 2 baserunners in the 2nd, but he got out of it, having gotten 5 of the 6 outs in the game so far via the strikeout. Liriano is faring worse: Adrián Beltré launched a solo shot in the 2nd, and the Mounties scored another on a hit from Sam Thompson.

But Gibson and Rick Reichardt launched back to back shots in the 3rd, tying the game once again until, in the 4th, Willie Stargell hit his 29th, giving the Grays a 5-4 lead. That was it for Hammaker–4 innings and 7 K’s, but also 4 homeruns allowed.

Bryn Smith allowed a hit to Johnson, and then Gibson did it once again–his 3rd homerun of the game, launched to deep center.

Liriano made it into the 6th, but hits from Thompson and Mike Dorgan chased him.

Gibson had a chance to become the first player in WBL history to hit 4 out in a game, but had to settle for a double off the CF wall.

But there was one more twist in the game: with 2 runners on in the bottom of the 9th, Ottawa turned to Rick Monday who continued his shocking campaign with a 3-run shot off Michael Jackson to tie the game at 7. That was followed by Dorgan’s 2nd homer of the game, and Ottawa had seized the lead, which they doubled on a an RBI double from Beltrán.

So, the top of the 9th was set, with Ottawa’s closer Tom Henke destined to face Gibson. Homestead is hard to close out: Andy Van Slyke led off the inning with a homerun. Johnson may have shown his youth, getting thrown out at send trying to stretch a single into a double–an especially poor choice, given Gibson being the next batter.

Henke was very careful, and while it won’t go down as an intentional walk, it was as close as can be. Henke wrapped 2 strikeouts around a hit batsman, closing out the game for a surprising win for Ottawa.

Gibson was clearly magnificent, but Johnson and Stargell added 3 hits each, while Mike Epstein whiffed 5 times for the Grays. 11 homeruns in the game highlighted the challenge both teams have with their staffs.

HOM 8 (Jackson 1-5, 5 B Sv; Kemmerer 2 H) @ OTT 9 (Crain 1-2; Henke 9 Sv)
HRs: HOM – Gibson 3 (29), Reichardt (26), Stargell (20), Van Slyke (12); OTT – Raines (15), Walker (39), Beltré (24), Monday (22), Dorgan (2).
Box Score

Game Two

Game 2 will see Roy Halladay face off against Homestead’s Doug Drabek.

These teams cannot stop hitting the ball out of the park. Homestead’s Mike Epstein and Rick Reichardt went back-to-back in the top of the first.

Drabek had to leave the game in the 3rd with back tightness, bringing in newly promoted Bartolo Colón for his WBL debut. Colón gave up a seeing-eye 2 run single to Gary Carter that tied the game at 3, but Owen Wilson launched his 2nd of the year to put the Grays back on top, 5-3.

Both bullpens locked in at that point: Colón was followed by Rick Ownbey and Ricardo Rincón, turning the ball over to closer Josh Lindblom for the bottom of the 9th. But this Ottawa team is tough: Carter greeted Lindblom with his 35th homer of the year, making it a 1 run game.

Rusty Staub managed a bloop hit, and was replaced at first by Tim Raines, representing the tying run. Raines stole 2nd (his 70th of the year, giving him, at least for the moment, the league lead) and moved to 3rd on a groundout from Carlos Beltrán. A single from Adrián Beltré tied the game, and off to extra innings we went.

Andy Van Slyke walked, stole second, and move to 3rd on a single form Judy Johnson. Josh Gibson was plunked by Clark Griffith to load the bases. Griffith walked in a run, but that was it, and Homestead stuck with Lindblom for the bottom of the 10th. Despite an error in the frame, Lindblom closed out the game.

HOM 6 (Lindblom 5-3, 3 B Sv; Ownbey 5 H; Rincón 2 H) @ OTT 5 (Gregg 0-3)
HRs: HOM – Reichardt (27), Epstein (27), Wilson (2); OTT – Carter (35).
Box Score

After the game, Homestead moved Drabek to the DL, recalling Brickyard Kennedy from AAA.

Game Three

So, 2 one-run games and an even split.

The rubber match would see Homestead’s Cliff Lee take on Ottawa’s Bill Smith–which should be a fairly significant edge for the Mounties.

And yet … Andy Van Slyke led the game off with homer against Smith for an early 1-0 lead for the Grays. In the 4th, a double from Honus Wagner, a homer from Napoleon Lajoie, and RBI singles from Josh Gibson and Rick Reichardt made it 6-0 and chased Smith.

The Mounties finally got on the board when Tim Raines stole home (!) for his 72nd swipe of the season.

But Lee was dealing until he was forced from the game in the 7th through injury. At that point, he had a -1 lead, having surrendered only 2 hits. Ray Brown replaced Lee and gave up 2 runs, but the Grays were still up, 7-3 heading into the final 2 frames.

In the bottom of the 9th, Sam Thompson knocked in 2, closing the game to 7-5. The Mounties sent up Rick Monday as a pinch-hitter–could the legend grow? Temporarily, at least! Monday greeted Michael Jackson with a double, making it a 1-run game, 7-6.

Jackson walked Raines … and gave up a walk-off, 3 run shot to Roberto Alomar, as Ottawa once again rode their offense to a win, both for the game and the series.

HOM 7 (Jackson 1-6, 6 B Sv) @ OTT 9 (Smith, Bry 1-1)
HRs: HOM – Van Slyke (13), Lajoie (8); OTT – Alomar (22).
Box Score

In many ways, this is who Ottawa is: can they hold on by their fingernails on the mound until they find a way to score more runs than you. They hit 7 homers in the 5 games, and Tim Raines swiped 5 bases.

Some recognition does need to go to Josh Gibson, who finished the 3 game series with 3 homers, 7 RBI’s and 6 hits in 10 ABs.

TWIWBL 72.7: Effa Manley Division

By

On February 20, 2025

In TWIWBL

TeamW/LPctGB
Brooklyn Royal Giants51-37.580—
Homestead Grays47-40.5403.5
New York Gothams44-46.4898
Philadelphia Stars44-46.4898
Ottawa Mounties40-48.45511
Effa Manley Division | 9 July

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Rick Aguilera was sent to AAA with Dave Von Ohlen returning from injury. Newly acquired Vern Stephens will get a chance to take over at SS, although expect Germany Smith to continue to see a fair bit of time there, with Matty Alou heading back to AAA.

John Briggs had 2 homeruns, the 2nd a walk-off job in the bottom of the 12th as Brooklyn topped the Gothams, 7-6.

#Homestead Grays

Owen Wilson was recalled from his rehab assignment, taking the traded Chris Sabo‘s roster slot. Sabo’s absence means impressive teenager Judy Johnson will move into a platoon at 3B with Andy Van Slyke. Wilson was recalled largely in light of his performance last season, but he’ll need to step it up to keep the roster spot, as Van Slyke and Goose Goslin cover the same positions (and, in Van Slyke’s case, more).

Goslin hit for the cycle–joining teammate Roberto Clemente as the only players to do so this year–as Homestead beat the House of David, 10-3.

Van Slyke hit the ball over the fence twice, leading the Grays to a 9-5 win over the House of David. Mike Epstein added 3 hits, including a homerun, and Napoleon Lajoie and Honus Wagner also went deep.

#New York Gothams

The Gothams sent Steve Kemp and Pinky Higgins to AAA, with Terry Turner remaining with them solely because of his glove. The Gothams recalled Ryan Zimmerman, who is likely to step directly into the starting lineup at the hot corner.

Don Sutton was named to the Gothams’ rotation, and the arrival of Don Buford moves J0-J0 Moore, who has performed quite well, onto the bench.

This roster still doesn’t really make sense: they don’t have anyone who can competently play RF behind Johnny Callison, and have far too many 1B. The most likely next move is for Pete Runnels to head to the minors with an OF coming back up.

#Ottawa Mounties

Clayton Richard and Chris Bosio moved to AAA with Dave Gregg being recalled from his rehab assignment and Bill Crouch the latest minor league arm recalled for a shot at WBL glory.

#Philadelphias Stars

John Burkett was recalled to take the role of the now-departed Larry Jackson in the Stars’ bullpen. Butch Wynegar‘s time in the WBL was limited, as he was demoted to AAA to clear the way for Bill Dickey, who will take over the bulk of the catching duties.

That is the largest immediate change, although both César Hernández and George Hendrick will see more playing time as Philadelphia tries to overcome their struggles in CF and the middle infield.

Pete Alexander began a rehab assignment.

TWIWBL 71.8: The NL All Stars

By

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

NameOPSSlashReg StatsOther
Josh Gibson (HOM)1.234390/481/75427 2B; 23 HR; 79 RBI; 5.3 WAR3.4 FRM
Gary Carter (OTT)1.102324/387/71531 HR; 663 RBI; 3.9 WAR48% RTO
Mike Piazza (BRK)1.027311/348/67931 HR; 70 RBI; 2.9 WAR
Jim Pagliaroni (BBB).898248/355/543
Buster Posey (NYG).894291/344/550
Ted Simmons (KCM).880285/314/56525 2B4.08 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

NameOPSSlashReg StatsOther
Will Clark (NYG).989302/381/60856 RBI; 1.8 WAR
Mike Epstein (HOM).971252/386/58522 HR; 63 RBI; 1.7 WAR.998 Fldg
Anthony Rizzo (HOD).964278/402/561
Joe Harris (HOD).956295/410/546
Jeff Bagwell (HOU).938279/376/56271 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

NameOPSSlashReg StatsOther
Joe Morgan (IND)1.101324/425/67650 RBI; 2.2 WAR52 G / 221 PA
Roberto Alomar (OTT).972312/391/58122 2B; 18 HR; 65 RBI; 31 SB; 3.3 WAR
Ryne Sandberg (HOD).964303/356/60828 HR; 60 RBI; 2.7 WAR.997 Fldg; 5.04 RF
Jackie Robinson (BRK).897270/357/54017 HR
Craig Biggio (HOU).837267/371/466
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

NameOPSSlashReg StatsOther
Ernie Banks (HOD)1.006287/316/69034 HR; 78 RBI; 1.7 WAR
Carlos Correa (HOU).931322/396/53520 2B; 13 HR; 40 RBI; 3.1 WAR.981 Fldg; 4.2 ZR
Álex Rodríguez (OTT).899260/322/57725 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

NameOPSSlashReg StatsOther
Albert Pujols (KCM)1.003314/381/62232 2B; 60 RBI; 2.5 WAR
Ron Cey (BRK).978278/375/60222 HR; 2.6 WAR.978 Fldg; 2.46 RF; 3.5 ZR
Eddie Mathews (BBB).917222/345/57227 HR; 56 RBI2.76 RF
Scott Rolen (PHI).911275/349/56255 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.

NameOPSSlashReg StatsOther
Larry Walker (OTT)1.080292/364/71537 HR; 877 RBI; 2.5 WAR3.97 RF
Rick Reichardt (HOM)1.044314/387/657
Tony Gwynn (HOU)1.030390/429/60127 2B; 6 3B; 3.1 WAR5 Kills
Aaron Judge (PHI).972272/368/604.993 Fldg
Stan Musial (KCM).964329/392/57337 2B; 2.2 WAR5.7 ZR
Joe Rogan (PHI).958296/341/617
Johnny Callison (NYG).913272/333/580.993 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

NameOPSSlashReg StatsOther
Rick Monday (OTT)1.207305/397/80946 G / 151 PA
Oscar Charleston (IND)1.006335/384/62219 2B; 9 3B; 63 RBI; 25 SB; 2.7 WAR
Willie Mays (NYG).974277/347/62731 HR; 62 RBI; 3.1 WAR8.5 ZR
Carlos Beltrán (OTT).860253/326/53463 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

NameOPSSlashReg Stats
Willie Stargell (HOM).954270/348/60614 2B; 27 HR; 60 RBI; 1.2 WAR
Albert Belle (BBB).884256/313/57115 2B; 26 HR; 59 RBI
Benny Kauff (NYG).869261/315/55319 2B
Duke Snider (BRK).771226/262/50925 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.

NameW-L; ERAReg StatsOther
A. Rube Foster (KCM)5-1, 2.20.202 BABIP, 0.96 WHIP, 3.67 FIP88% QS, 2 SHO
Toad Ramsey (HOU)12-4, 2.60163 K, 0.90 WHIP, 2.68 FIP, 5.8 WAR72% QS, 2 SHO, 2.29 SIERA, 2.0 WPA
Fernando Valenzuela (BRK)6-1, 2.660.87 WHIP; .176 BABIP3 GS / 74 IP
Hardie Henderson (PHI)10-6, 3.05.214 BABIP1.5 WPA
Jim Whitney5-2, 3.111 Sv; 2 H, 1.02 WHIP75% QS, 2.0 WPA
Roger Clemens (HOU)10-4, 3.64.210 BABIP
Smokey Joe Williams (BRK)7-8, 3.643.4 WAR
Orel Hershiser (BRK)11-4, 3.70
Luis Padrón (IND)12-2, 3.873.44 FIP, 3.8 WAR2 SHO
Smokey Joe Wood (KCM)9-6, 3.95
J.M. Ward (PHI)4-4, 3.99
Frank Castillo (KCM)10-1, 4.432 SHO
Bullet Joe Rogan (PHI)5-8, 4.462 SHO
FIP = Fielding Independent Pitching | BABIP = BA Allowed on Balls In Play | QS = Quality Starts | SHO = Shutouts | SIERA = Skill Interactive ERA | WPA = Win Probability Added

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

NameW-L; ERAReg StatsOther
Harley Young (BBB)0-1, 1.123 Sv; 6 H1.87 FIP
Craig Kimbrel (KCM)2-3, 1.852 Sv; 11 H2.38 FIP; 15 SD; 2.88 SIERA
Robb Nen (NYG)3-2, 1.899 Sv; 6 H
Tug McGraw (HOU)3-3, 2.059 Sv.90 Sv%
Eddie Guardado (KCM)2-1, 2.051 Sv; 5 H2.58 FIP
Lee Smith (HOD)4-1, 2.656 Sv; 6 H.198 BABIP; 0.771 WHIP; .86 Sv%; 2.89 SIERA
Eric Gagne (BRK)2-1, 2.8119 Sv18 SD
Josh Lindblom (HOM)4-2, 3.1923 Sv.96 Sv%; 18 SD
Ted Kennedy (PHI)2-2, 3.474 Sv; 9 H
Rob Murphy (IND)1-3, 3.551 Sv; 11 H
Michael Jackson (HOM)1-4, 3.731 Sv; 12 H
Bob Howry (PHI)3-1, 4.0912 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 67.2 Spotlight on the Birmingham Black Barons

By

On October 9, 2024

In TWIWBL

Ouch.

The Black Barons were the darlings of the league last season, using a late season charge to edge into the playoffs. They were masters of the in-season trade periods, and then claimed to won the off-season as well, trading ace Andy Pettitte (because they had a surplus of arms) to add some power in the form of Albert Belle.

And nothing has worked since as Birmingham has plummeted towards a WBL worst record.

Birmingham inherits players from all the Braves (Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta).

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

Sitting 13 games behind in the Marvin Miller Division, anything that brought them within shouting distance of .500 would be a miracle. For some, this year is proof that last year was a mirage, for others, this year is just a long parade of poor fortune: how far the Black Barons recover will help the final evaluation of which is more accurate.

THE OFFENSE

Birmingham’s weakness last year was a total lack of power. They’ve addressed that with 6 players in double digits, led by Hank Aaron with 19 and Curtis Granderson and Eddie Mathews with 17 each. But everything else has plummeted: both Granderson and Mathews are hitting below .200, only 3 players have OBPs over .350.

#What’s Going Right

Jim Pagliaroni has blossomed into one of the better offensive catchers in the league, at least over the first few months, leading Birmingham in OPS at .927, powered by 14 dingers. Aaron is sporting an OPS just over .900, leading the team in runs and RBI’s as well. Mathews has seized the 3B spot, and Bob Nieman continues to be a solid contributor in the OF.

Then, at a lower pitch, JP Arencibia–while he’s fallen off significantly from his blistering start–is still hitting with a ton of power; Cupid Childs is getting on base at a good clip at the top of the order, and Belle, while currently mired in a bit of a slump, has produced some power, with 14 homeruns of his own.

#What’s Not Going Right

It’s homers or nothing for this team: only Nieman, Childs, Herman Long, and Aaron are in double digits in doubles, and there are some very odd distributions elsewhere (Pagliaroni has 1 double, Mathews 4, and Granderson 2 despite all having at least 14 homers).

Only two players (Aaron and Troy Tulowitzki, who has supplanted Long at SS) are hitting over .260.

Adrián González has seen his role reduced essentially to a platoon at 1B with Arencibia.

The team does not run well, with Childs having a whopping 15 CS to go along with 17 steals.

THE PITCHING

There are a few bright spots here, but, overall, more disappointments than pleasant surprises.

#What’s Going Right

Greg Maddux (5-5, 4.97) and Alejandro Peña (2-4, 5.23) have both pitched better than their ERA’s might suggest, and both continue to show front of rotation ability. They’ve been joined by Jim Whitney (1-1, 2.41), who has been a fantastic surprise, forcing his way into the rotation.

Harley Young (1-0, 1.80, 1 Sv, 3 H) seems to have made a full recovery from injury, and is pushing himself into the conversation at closer. Some other arms–notably Charlie Morton and John Malarkey–have done well in limited appearances.

#What’s Not Going Right

Lefty Gomez (3-6, 5.80) and Sam Streeter (1-7, 5.80–yes they both have the same poor ERA), who looked strong coming out of Spring Training, have struggled, and are in danger of losing their rotation spots.

Juan Ríncón has 6 saves, but he and Bruce Chen have both been hit very hard. Those two, along with Young, were a key trio in last year’s success, and the weakening of the back end of the bullpen has certainly been noticeable.

None of the other young talent on the mound–most notably Vic Willis, Warren Spahn, and Frank Viola–have come through.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

The future does look bright, with 7 prospects listed in the WBL top 50 in OFs Jess Barbour and Curt Flood, IF Marcus Giles and Trea Turner, C Joe Torre, and Ps Rube Melton and Alex Malloy. There’s a fair bit of talent off the WBL rankings radar as well, from P Steve Avery to the power of Nate Colbert and Gary Matthews to the OF skills of Ron Fairly, Melky Cabrera, and José Cruz.

So there are some options.

Of that group, Melton, Torre and Fairly are doing well at AAA while Flood is struggling a bit at that level.

WHAT’S NEEDED

Birmingham is underperforming, winning 2 fewer games than their runs scored/runs allowed numbers would indicate. But that’s only 2 games. So there are some deep underlying needs.

Most of all, the offense needs to become more than a threat of solo homeruns, which are just not enough to carry the team. The bullpen needs to settle, which may require some roster movement if Rincón and Chen can’t recover their form.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

  • How will some key pieces for last season–Pettitte, Rincón, Adrián González, Cupid Childs, Jim Pagliaroni–perform over the course of a full year? Overall, the answers here revealing: Pettitte is gone, Rincón and González are struggling, Childs is doing OK, and of that group, only Pagliaroni is excelling.
  • With Andy Pettitte traded, how does the rotation respond and does Albert Belle perform at a level that makes it worthwhile? Meh. The rotation has not really responded, and the Black Barons certainly feel the lack of a clear ace at the front of the rotation. Belle has hit a slump, but is still contributing with power. Meh.
  • Who will fill out the roster? Still a bit of a concern, although Arencibia’s ultra hot start was a great plus and Andy Pafko has been quite solid.

FEATURED SERIES

The Black Barons start the week with 3 games in Pittsburgh to take on Homestead and since we just talked about the Grays, it seemed like a good focus series.

Projected Starters

Birmingham starter listed first.

Jim Whitney (1-1, 2.41) @ Bob Friend (3-2, 4.75)
Alejandro Peña (2-4, 5.23) @ Doug Drabek (2-1, 3.50)
Greg Maddux (5-5, 4.97) @ Francisco Liriano (3-5, 5.12)

Game One

With Bob Friend still fatigued, Homestead went with Ray Brown. Jim Whitney struggled early, giving up 4 runs in the bottom of the first including back to back longballs to Rick Reichardt and Willie Stargell.

And then the rains came …

After the tarps were on, the game was called, to be completed the following day with the Grays up 4-0, and guaranteeing impact on the two team’s bullpens.

The following day, Fred Fussell would take the ball for Birmingham for the bottom of the 3rd while Brickyard Kennedy took over for Homestead in the top of the 4th. Whitney stayed in the game as the DH, and doubled in the 5th, scoring on a homerun from Herman Long that closed the game to 4-2.

That was effectively it as the bullpens were excellent. The Grays would add one more run as Birmingham was held to 5 hits on the day.

BBB 2 (Whitney 1-2) @ HOM 5 (Kennedy 3-0; Lindblom 16 Sv; Lee 3 H; Jackson 8 H)
HRs: BBB – Long (4); HOM- Stargell (18), Reichardt (20).
Box Score

Game Two

Homestead’s Bob Friend gets his chance here, facing off against Alejandro Peña.

The game was scoreless until the top of the 5th when a double by Albert Belle drove in Curtis Granderson. After a walk to Gene Tenace, Troy Tulowitzki hit his first homer of the season, and it was 4-0 Birmingham, with Peña yet to allow a hit.

Nap Lajoie broke up the no-no in the bottom of the frame, but that was all the drama for a while–Belle and Cupid Childs went deep, and the Black Barons were sailing along 7-0 until Roberto Clemente touched Peña for a long 3 run shot in the bottom of the 7th.

The Grays made it close enough for Juan Ríncón to earn a save, but that was it as the Black Barons evened up the series.

BBB 8 (Peña 3-4; Rincón 7) @ HOM 5 (Friend 3-3)
HRs: BBB – Tulowitzki (1), Belle (15), Childs (2); HOM – Clemente (6).
Box Score

Game Three

An intriguing pitching matchup: Greg Maddux seems perpetually on the verge of becoming a front of the rotation guy for Birmingham, while Doug Drabek is trying to solidify a claim to a rotation spot for the Grays.

Both hurlers were good through three, and then the wheels fell off. Birmingham exploded for 7 runs in the top of the 4th, led by homeruns from Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, and JP Arencibia; but Maddux collapsed as well, allowing 7 runs to Homestead in the bottom of the frame.

So, tied until Mathews went deep for the 2nd time in the following inning, and Herman Long added a 2 run shot to give Birmingham a 10-7 lead. They added 2 more in the top of the 8th, making it 12-8 and then survived Stargell’s second of the game as Juan Ríncón closed it out for a 12-11 victory.

Cupid Childs had 4 hits and 3 doubles in the victory and Long and Arencibia drove in 3 each.

BBB 12 (Malarkey 2-1; Rincón 9 Sv) @ HOM 11 (Pierce 4-4)
HRs: BBB – Aaron (20), Mathews 2 (19), Arencibia (6), Long (5); HOM – Stargell 2 (20).
Box Score

A series win is a series win, and this one showed the offense doing more for sure. But there is something a bit unconvincing in the bullpen–especially when called upon in the middle of the game, and the questions remain.

TWIWBL 66.2 Spotlight on the Homestead Grays

By

On September 19, 2024

In TWIWBL

Homestead may be the surprise of the league so far. They continue to struggle on the mound, but this team can hit, and there is some profound talent developing on the banks of the Allegheny.

The Grays inherit players from the Pirates, as well as a smattering of NeL players generally associated with the Grays.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

Homestead is in a virtual tie with Brooklyn atop the Effa Manley Division.

There is a long way to go, but a playoff appearance would be a heck of an accomplishment for what was one of the truly weaker sides in the league last season.

THE OFFENSE

It’s an offense that is evolving into one of the most dangerous lineups in the league top to bottom, with most of the talent under 25 years of age.

#What’s Going Right

Josh Gibson is emerging as a generational talent. OF Rick Reichardt is actually hitting better than Gibson with a 1.166 OPS to Gibson’s 1.155. But Gibson is 21 and a C and–assuming health–has a long career as one of, if not the, best backstop in the league ahead of him. But it’s about more than the two of them: veteran presence Willie Stargell is tied with Reichardt in homeruns and Mike Epstein gives them 4 batters in double digits.

3B Chris Sabo has a SLG over .700, arguing for more playing time, but both Nap Lajoie and Honus Wagner seem to be learning how to use their immense talents. Wagner, Andy Van Slyke, and Andrew McCutchen have combined for 46 SBs, led by McCutchen’s 20.

#What’s Not Going Right

Neither Van Slyke nor McCutchen are hitting much (Van Slyke’s OPS has edged over .700, which isn’t bad, but McCutchen is stuck in the .650s). Roberto Clemente is struggling to match his production from last season, and the other reserves–Rey Sánchez and Del Crandell are doing virtually nothing in their limited opportunities).

Stargell strikes out too much, and Wagner’s offense at this point is merely decent for a young SS, not actually decent. That’s about it.

THE PITCHING

It’s better than last year. But all that means is that it’s not miserable.

#What’s Going Right

Josh Lindblom has emerged–perhaps a little surprisingly–as an elite closer, with 12 saves and 3 wins in his 19 appearances, and the lowest WHIP on the staff.

Francisco Liriano is still the “ace” of the staff, but the quotes are very well deserved: he’s 3-4 with a 4.48 ERA, numbers that are pretty much indistinguishable from those of Billy Pierce and Bob Friend. Doug Drabek won a job on the staff with a strong Spring Training, and has been excellent, but is just recovering from injury. His successful return to form would go a long way to solidifying the mound corps.

Michael Jackson has recovered from a rough 2000 to be a solid bullpen contributor this year.

#What’s Not Going Right

Finding the back end of the rotation has been a struggle. Ray Brown has been hit hard, but retains his spot in the rotation for now, while the final rotation spot has become a bit of a free-for-all, currently distributed between Carlos Zambrano, Brickyard Kennedy, and Cliff Lee. But none of those are having much luck.

Rick Ownbey and Dave Giusti, so effective last year, have been, at best, thoroughly mediocre this year.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

The Grays have a strong system. In the OF, Ralph Kiner (still a teenager) and the Waner brother, Lloyd and Paul, look to have WBL ceilings, and in the IF, there are a wealth of options in Judy Johnson, Freddie Lindstrom, Howard Johnson, and Khalil Greene.

Throw in Clayton Kershaw (currently dominating A ball), Nip Winters, Pink Hawley, and Tim Lincecum and there is enough talent to sort out the Grays’ mound woes, although the exact path to do so is far from clear.

WHAT’S NEEDED

Pitching. And then, more pitching.

Beyond that, when the Grays traded for Lajoie last year, they had visions of a Lajoie/Wagner infield developing into a truly elite pairing. They need to keep building towards that, with the hope they, Gibson, and a few others can all peak at the same time.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

  • Who pitches? Absolutely still the key question. There’s Liriano, a hopefully healthy Drabek, and then …. a whole lot of question marks.
  • For a team without top end talent, there are a surprising number of logjams (Davey Johnson and Lajoie and even the ageless Jeff Kent at 2B; Rick Reichardt and Willie Stargell at LF; Roberto Clemente, Andy Van Slyke, and Owen “Don’t Call Me Chief” Wilson in RF). Some things have clarified. Johnson and Kent are at AAA (and struggling), and Wilson is trying to come back from a shoulder injury. The Grays seem to have committed to Wagner and Lajoie in the MI, and are happy to let the OF play out over time.

FEATURED SERIES

The Grays open up the week with 3 games in New York to take on the division rival Gothams.

Projected Starters

Homestead starter listed first.

Francisco Liriano (3-4, 4.48) @ Christy Mathewson (2-5, 4.71)
Bob Friend (3-2, 5.43) @ Juan Marichal (4-3, 4.68)
Ray Brown (3-4, 6.21) @ Gaylord Perry (5-4, 5.15)

Game One

It’s not like Francisco Liriano was bad–it’s just that Christy Mathewson was better, as Liriano gave up 2 runs in just over 6 innings while Matty held the Grays scoreless through 7. A single to Mike Epstein and a double from Napoleon Lajoie chased Mathewson.

It got a little weird form there: Robb Nen‘s first pitch hit Honus Wagner on the elbow, forcing him out of the ballgame; Chris Sabo brought home one run on a sac fly, Andy Van Slyke reached on an error by Brandon Crawford, and an infield hit from Rick Reichardt tied the game at 2. Josh Gibson hit a sharp single to LF, scoring 1, but Jo-Jo Moore threw out Van Slyke at home. Willie Stargell drove in another, and Roberto Clemente beat out an infield single, meaning the Grays had run through their entire lineup in the inning. It looked like Nen had gotten out of it when Andrew McCutchen (who had pinch run for Epstein way back when) whiffed, but the ball got past the Gothams’ C, Dick Dietz, and McCutchen beat the throw to first, scoring another run.

So, Homestead now held a 5-2 lead heading to the bottom of the 8th. Dietz would try to redeem himself, hitting his first career homerun after a pinch double from Willie Mays, closing the lead to 5-4.

Josh Lindblom was perfect in the 9th, sealing the come from behind victory for the Grays.

HOM 5 (Ownbey 3-1; Lindblom 13 Sv; Giusti 4 H) @ NYG 4 (Nen 1-1, 2 B Sv)
HRs: HOM – none; NYG – Posey (13), Dietz (1).
Box Score

Good news for Homestead, as Wagner will only miss a day with a bruised elbow.

Game Two

With Bob Friend still out with some wrist issues, Cliff Lee got the start for Homestead against Tony Mullane, who wasn’t expected to last more than 3 or 4 innings in a sort of bullpen game for New York.

Perhaps to be expected with a couple spot starters, there were some longballs early: Rick Reichardt, Josh Gibson, and Andrew McCutchen for Homestead and Willie Mays for New York, leading to a 3-2 lead for the Grays after 3. Mullane gave up another one in the 5th, but overall his start wasn’t bad.

Lee’s was even better, until a Jo-Jo Moore double closed the gap to 4-3 and chased him from the game. Johnny Callison gave New York the lead later in the inning with a double off Brickyard Kennedy. It was short lived: Mike Epstein took the usually unhittable Mike Norris deep in the top of the 8th for a 2 run shot, swinging the game back to Homestead, 6-5. Norris hit 2 batters, but got out of the inning without further damage.

Gibson hit his 2nd of the game in the top of the 9th, which grew in importance when Larry Doyle hit a pinch hit dinger off closer Josh Lindblom to leadoff the bottom of the frame. Lindblom was able to close it out, giving the Grays the first 2 games of the series.

HOM 7 (Kennedy 2-0, 1 B Sv; Lindblom 13 Sv; Jackson 7 H) @ NYG 6 (Norris 2-3, 1 B Sv)
HRs: HOM – Reichardt (18), Gibson 2 (16), McCutchen (3), Epstein (14); NYG – Mays (19), Doyle (2).
Box Score

Game Three

When the Grays’ offense clicks, it clicks. 14 hits, 9 runs, and (finally) a strong outing from Ray Brown later, and Homestead had the series sweep. They did it with 6 runs in the top of the 4th, sending 4 balls over the outfield walls. An inning later, Andy Van Slyke joined Andrew McCutchen, Goose Goslin, Josh Gibson, and Mike Epstein in the homerun parade.

Brown loaded the bases to start the 8th, but Dave Giusti came in to get out of the jam without allowing a run. Giusti was forced from the game, but is likely to be available in a day or 2.

HOM 9 (Brown 4-4) @ NYG 1 (Marichal 4-4)
HRs: HOM – McCutchen (4), Goslin (2), Gibson (17), Van Slyke (3), Epstein (15); NYG – Crawford (7).
Box Score

This is what the Grays dream of: an irrepressible offense, enough pitching to get by, and a stream of victories.

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); Curt Blefary (BAL); George Brett (HOU); Ron Cey (BRK); Cupid Childs (BBB); Ty Cobb (DET); Gavvy Cravath (BAL); Josh Gibson (HOM); Hank Greenberg (DET); Joe Jackson (CAG); Reggie Jackson (SFS); Napoleon Lajoie (HOM); Willie McGee (KCM); Joe Morgan (IND); Frank Robinson (BAL); Cookie Rojas (MCG); Pete Runnels (NYG); Ted Simmons (KCM); 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); Buddy Bell (POR); Carlos Beltrán (OTT); Lance Berkman x2 (CLE); Ron Blomberg (CLE); Ryan Braun (MCG); José Canseco x2 (MCG); Gavvy Cravath (BAL); Josh Gibson (HOM); George Gore (HOD); Stan Musial (KCM); Manny Ramírez x2 (MEM); Álex Rodríguez (OTT); Babe Ruth (NYY); Ted Simmons (KCM); Sammy Sosa x2 (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); Ted Simmons (KCM).

4+ Run Games

6. Ron Blomberg (CLE).
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); Roberto Clemente (HOM); Gavvy Cravath (BAL); Ray Dandridge (BRK); Mike Epstein (HOM); Rickey Henderson (SFS); Pete Hill (HOU); Benny Kauff (NYG); Evan Longoria (CLE); Willie McGee (KCM); Billy Nash (DET); Yasiel Puig (MCG); Babe Ruth (NYY); Gary Sheffield (MCG); Chase Utley (PHI); Larry Walker (OTT); 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); Ichiro Suzuki (LAA); Mike Trout (LAA); Chase Utley (PHI).

5+ SO Games

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

6+ RBI Games

7. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Ron Blomberg (CLE); Carlton Fisk (CAG); Charlie Gehringer (DET); Evan Longoria (CLE); Manny Machado (BAL); Yasiel Puig (MCG); Manny Ramírez (MEM); Gary Sheffield (MCG).
6. Hank Aaron (BBB); Bob Bailey (DET); Ernie Banks (HOD); Ron Blomberg (CLE); Johnny Callison (NYG); Carlos Correa (HOU); Gavvy Cravath (BAL); Kal Daniels (LAA); Chili Davis (DET); Josh Gibson (HOM); Kent Hrbek (POR); Tony Lazzeri (DET); Mickey Mantle (NYY); Mike Piazza (BRK); Manny Ramírez (MEM); Babe Ruth x3 (NYY); Ryne Sandberg (HOD); Mike Schmidt (NYY); Ted Simmons (KCM); Roy White (BRK).

Cycles

Roberto Clemente (HOM; 4-5, 4 R, 3 RBI).
Goose Goslin (HOM; 4-5, 2 R, 2 RBI).

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).
533 ft. Oscar Charleston (IND).
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); Joe Harris (KCM).
509 ft. Johnny Callison (NYG); Jack Clark (SFS); Bryce Harper (BAL); Ted Simmons (KCM).
508 ft. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Ron Blomberg (CLE); Boog Powell (KCM); Travis Shaw (MEM).
507 ft. Ducky Medwick (KCM); Ted Simmons (KCM).
505 ft. Lou Gehrig (NYA).
503 ft. Larry Doyle (NYG); Joe Rogan (PHI); 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. Gary Carter (OTT); Derek Jeter (NYA).
500 ft. Andrew McCutchen (HOM).

Pitching Statistics

80+ Game Scores

99. José Rijo (KCM).
97. JM Ward (PHI).
94. Steve Carlton (PHI).
93. Frank Castillo (KCM); Lefty Grove (SFS); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
92. Bump Hadley (SFS); Bullet Joe Rogan (PHI).
91. Frank Knauss (BRK); Christy Mathewson (NYG); Toad Ramsey (HOU)
90. Brett Anderson (LAA); A. Rube Foster (KCM); Alejandro Peña (BBB); Toad Ramsey (HOU); Joe Rogan (PHI).
89. Bump Hadley (SFS); Gaylord Perry (NYG); Fernando Valenzuela (BRG); Smokey Joe Wood (KCM).
88. Luis Padrón x2 (IND); Bill Steen (CLE); Justin Verlander (DET).
87. Roger Clemens (HOU); Lefty Grove (SFS); Carl Hubbell (NYG); Francisco Liriano (HOM); Dennis Martínez (BAL); José Méndez (MCG); Old Hoss Radbourn (OTT); 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); Cy Young (CLE).
84. Frank Castillo (KCM); Johnny Cueto (IND); Ron Guidry (NYY); Orel Hershiser (BRK); Ed Walsh (CAG).
83. Bob Friend (HOM); Mike Mussina (BAL).
82. Mark Buehrle (CAG); Bill Doak (MEM); Connie Johnson (BAL); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
81. Bert Blyleven (POR); Ferguson Jenkins (HOD); Stephen Strasbourg (HOU); Cy Young (CLE).
80. Frank Castillo (KCM); Walter Johnson (POR); The Only Nolan (IND); Andy Pettitte (NYY); Toad Ramsey (HOU).

10+ Strikeout Games

14. Frank Castillo (KCM); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
13. Brett Anderson (LAA); Bob Feller (CLE); 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 x2 (NYY); Ferguson Jenkins (HOD); Connie Johnson (BAL); Walter Johnson x2 (POR); Frank Knauss (BRG); Christy Mathewson (NYG); Joseíto Muñoz (MCG); The Only Nolan (IND); Old Hoss Radbourn (OTT); Toad Ramsey x3 (HOU); Don Sutton (NYG); Justin Verlander (DET); Smokey Joe Williams (BRK); Cy Young (CLE).
10. Steve Carlton (PHI); Frank Castillo x2 (KCM); Watty Clark (SFS); Don Drysedale (BRK); Bob Friend (HOM); Ned Garvin x2 (BAL); Doc Gooden (LAA); Lefty Grove x2 (SFS); Ron Guidry x2 (NYY); Bump Hadley (SFS); Hardie Henderson (PHI); Orel Hershiser (BRK); Frank Knauss (BRK); Ramón Martínez (MCG); Gaylord Perry x2 (NYG); Billy Pierce (HOM); Toad Ramsey (HOU); José Rijo (KCM); Charlie Root (DET); Tom Seaver (LAA); Bill Steen (CLE); Stephen Strasbourg (HOU); Don Sutton (NYG); Fernando Valenzuela (BRK); Smokey Joe Williams (BRK); Smokey Joe Wood (KCM).

8+ Walk Games

8. Ed Brandt (MCG); Hardie Henderson (PHI); Smokey Joe Williams (BRK).
9. Randy Johnson (OTT).

Shutouts

NO HITS. Steve Carlton (PHI); José Rijo (IND).
1 Hit. A. Rube Foster (KCM); Stubby Overmire (MEM) [5 inn]; Luis Padrón (IND); Toad Ramsey (HOU); Bullet Joe Rogan (PHI).
2 Hits. A. Rube Foster (KCM); Lefty Grove (SFS); Bump Hadley (SFS); Frank Knauss (BRK); Francisco Liriano (HOM); Dennis Martínez (BAL); José Méndez (MCG); Luis Padrón (IND); Old Hoss Radbourn (OTT); Joe Rogan (PHI).
3 Hits. Frank Castillo (KCM); Roger Clemens (HOU); Lefty Grove (SFS); Carl Hubbell (NYG); Christy Mathewson (NYG); Gaylord Perry (NYG); Eddie Plank (SFS); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
4 Hits. Bert Blyleven (POR); Frank Castillo (KCM); Gerrit Cole (LAA); Johnny Cueto (IND); Doc Gooden (LAA); Lefty Grove (SFS); Bump Hadley (SFS); Jim Whitney (BBB); Cy Young (CLE).

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); Pud Galvin / Francisco Rodríguez / Joe Nathan (LAA); Brett Anderson / Ross Reynolds (LAA); Connie Johnson / Justin Hampson (BAL); Bob Feller / Ron Reed (CLE).
3 Hits. Hardie Henderson / Robin Roberts (PHI); Orel Hershiser / Eric Gagne (BRK); Stephen Strasbourg / John Franco / Tug McGraw (HOU); Vean Gregg / Mike Norris / Brian Wilson (NYG); Justin Verlander / Billy Hoeft / Chad Bradford (DET); Stubby Overmire / Heath Bell / Jonathan Papelbon (MEM); Brett Anderson / Ross Reynolds / Joe Nathan (LAA).
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); Johnny Podgajny / Tom Henke (OTT); Herm Wehmeier / Goose Gossage (NYY); José Rijo / Jeff Pfeffer (KCM); Smokey Joe Williams / Trevor Hildenberger (BRK).
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: Homestead Grays

By

On April 6, 2024

In Team News

Expectations

Progress. Finishing over .500 with some clarity on long-term talent would be a success for next year.

Best Case

The roster stabilizes, and a handful of talent establishes itself as the core of future years. Napolean Lajoie and Honus Wagner settle in at 2B and SS respectively, and the OF talent clarifies. And, anyone reliable steps forward on the mound. Anyone.

Worst Case

Nothing settles, nobody figures it out, and the pitching continues to be miserable.

Key Questions

  • Who pitches?
  • For a team without top end talent, there are a surprising number of logjams (Davey Johnson and Lajoie and even the ageless Jeff Kent at 2B; Rick Reichardt and Willie Stargell at LF; Roberto Clemente, Andy Van Slyke, and Owen “Don’t Call Me Chief” Wilson in RF).

Trade Bait

Will the team hit it stride in time for Stargell to contribute? If not, he could be an attractive piece for a competitive team.

Roster Evaluation

POSEliteStrongSolidMehWeakUnknown
CGibsonCrandall
1BEpstein
2BLajoie
3BSabo
SSWagnerSánchez
LF/
RF		ReichardtVan Slyke
Wilson		Clemente
Stargell
CFMcCutchen
SPLirianoFriendPierce
Brown
Zambrano		Kluber
EndLindblom
Ownbey		Jackson
RPDrabek
Giusti
Hudson
Lincecum
New Addition | Injured

So. Much. Talent. So little production. Even with that, though, the presence of anything approaching average pitching makes the Grays a .500 team.

Talent Ratings

WBLMinors
Raw PowerOF Willie Stargell3B Steve Hertz
Batting Eye1B Mike EpsteinOF Ralph Kiner
ContactOF Roberto ClementeOF Goose Goslin
Running SpeedOF Andy Van SlykeOF Sterling Marte
Base StealingIF Honus WagnerIF Bobby Wheelock
IF DefenseU Nap LajoieIF Rennie Stennett
OF DefenseOF Roberto ClementeOF Max Carey
StuffP Tim LincecumP Harry Kelley
ControlSP Bob FriendP Syl Johnson
VelocityRP Josh LindblomRP Mychal Givens

Best In The Minors

RankAgePOSName
1 (13)19PClayton Kershaw
2 (21)21PTim Lincecum
3 (39)183BJudy Johnson
4 (46)19OFRalph Kiner
5 (61)24PBartolo Colón
6 (64)20PPink Hawley
7 (79)23OFPaul Waner
8 (109)22PTrevor Cahill
9 (117)23PDaniel Hudson
10 (130)203BFreddie Lindstrom
Others: P Catfish Hunter; P Nip Winters, P Ping Gardner; P Carlos Pulido; P Chris Zachary; P Dave Giusti.

Hope for the Grays persists, largely in how dense and deep their system is. 16 prospects in the top 200 bodes well for their future.

MostLeast
AgeP Al Worthington, 383B Judy Johnson, 18
HeightP John Candelaria, 6’7″P Earl Hamilton, 5’8″
SS Bobby Wheelock, 5’8″
OF Paul Waner, 5’8″
1B Eric McNair, 5’8″
OPSOF Harvey Hendrick, 1.088 (—)IF Ken Harrelson, .432 (WBL)
HROF Starling Marte, 42 (—)
IF JJ Hardy, 42 (—)		C Peaches Graham, 0 (WBL/AAA)
SBCF Andrew McCutchen, 33 (WBL)Many with 0
WAROF Andy Van Slyke, 5.7 (WBL/AAA/AA)IF Ken Harrelson, -4.3 (WBL)
WFrank Arellanes, 15 (—)
Moose Haas, 15 (—)		Daniel Hudson, 3 (WBL/AAA/AA)
Earl Hamilton, 3 (WBL/AAA)
Doug Drabek 3 (—)
John Candelaria, 3 (WBL/AAA)
SVMychal Givens, 24 (WBL/AAA/AA)
ERACharles Nagy, 2.17 (—)John Candelaria, 6.84 (WBL/AAA)
WARCharles Nagy, 5.3 (—)John Candelaria, -1.1 (WBL/AAA)
Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

TWIWBL 56.10: Spring Training Notes – Homestead Grays

By

On February 27, 2024

In TWIWBL

Spring Training Questions

Up to nine spots on the mound are up for grabs, including 3 rotation slots. Positional depth needs to be resolved in the lineup. Second round draft pick Judy Johnson will be given every shot to seize the 3B job.

Injuries

Daniel Hudson has missed most of camp so far, but might be back to show enough to make the opening day roster.

First Cuts

With 28 pitchers starting off in camp, Homestead clearly had a lot of work to do, with many decisions destined to be made on very limited data. Here’s who didn’t make the cut after the first week of Spring Training: starters Pink Hawley, Clayton Kershaw, John Candelaria, and Hal Carlson and relievers Mychal Givens, Ed Seward, and Ricardo Rincón.

With that many arms still in camp, the Grays only moved one C, Tim Thompson, out of camp, along with 3B’s Freddie Lindstrom and Brock Holt. Judy Johnson is hitless so far, but has impressed the coaching staff enough to stick around a little more.

Impressive starts from Rey Sáncehz and Jack Wilson at SS have forced Dick Groat out of camp, while Rennie Stennett remains, largely on the bases of his performances towards the end of last season. Jeff Kent has also been impressive, although Davey Johnson remains the presumptive starter at 2B.

Paul Waner is tearing the cover off the ball, but his brother Lloyd is hitless, meanings the siblings will be separated with Llyod heading back to the minors, along with CF Darren Lewis. That’s left a crowded OF still pretty clogged: Ralph Kiner has impressed with his power, Max Carey with his speed, and Goose Goslin is barely holding onto a spot. Of those three plus the remaining Waner, there looks to be–at most–a single roster spot available.

Second Cuts

Only 4 pitchers–Gary Lucas, Gary Nash, Ray Brown, and Bartolo Colón–have ERA’s over 2. Of those, Brown and Colón will be given some more time, but both Nash and Lucas were shipped off to the minors. That still leaves a ton of arms in camp, so something will have to give over the next week.

C Tim Thompson was shipped out. Rick Ferrell probably should be, but his defense and his WBL experience keeps him around for now.

18 year old Judy Johnson turned some heads with his defense, but needs some time in the minors. The Grays recalled Pedro Feliz for depth at 3B.

Goose Goslin and Max Carey were also sent down, although Carey was recalled a few days later, just to provide another glove in CF.

The Grays are in an interesting spot: a host of players who were assumed to not have much chance to make the team are performing fantastically, led by Ps Doug Drabek and Cliff Lee and position players Ed Kranepool, Paul Waner, Jeff Kent, Rey Sánchez, Chris Sabo, Cam Carreón, and Jack Wilson. This has created some unanticipated competition, keeping camp crowded but also making the next week quite crucial.

Third Cuts

Homestead continues to retool their pitching staff, with Bartolo Colón‘s poor Spring sending him to the minors along with Arodys Vizcaíno and Ping Gardner. Other than Francisco Liriano as their opening day starter and Josh Lindblom as their closer, though, nothing on the staff is settled.

The backup C slot continues to be challenging: Del Crandall has been spectacular, but doesn’t offer much defensively. Cam Carreón was demoted, but Peaches Graham and Rick Ferrell remain in the mix with Crnadall behind Josh Gibson.

Pedro Feliz, Max Carey, and Ralph Kiner were all sent down as well. That still leaves 1B and the OF overcrowded, and the Grays’ obsession with Rennie Stennett needs to probably come to an end. Owen Wilson and Davey Johnson–both essentially guaranteed roster spots due to their performance last year–are struggling mightily while Ed Kranepool, Rey Sánchez, and Jeff Kent are all tearing the cover off the ball.

Final Cuts

Needing to thin out the competition for the backup C role, Peaches Graham is the first to head down to the minors, followed by Rennie Stennett and Jack Wilson as the Grays tried to figure out their infield.

Cliff Lee‘s demotion to AAA was Homestead’s first step towards clarifying their staff for opening day. But that was as far as they got in the drive to cut to 30, as Del Crandall‘s Spring performance sent Rick Ferrell down, and two players with excellent Springs–Paul Waner and Ed Kranepool–were also sent down to receive steady ABs at AAA.

Babe Adams and the impressive teenager Catfish Hunter were both sent to the minors along with Jeff Kent, who had an excellent Spring but at 37 is not part of the Grays’ plans.

Earl Hamilton was the final cut from the pitching staff, leaving the Grays with a nasty set of choices. In the end, it came down to prized prospect Napolean Lajoie, incumbent 2B Davey Johnson, of OF sub extraordinaire Owen Wilson. The Grays, in a move met with much skepticism, decided to hand the 2B position to Lajoie, sending Johnson to AAA.

Season Review: Cleveland Spiders

By

On December 29, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

86 - 68, .558 pct.
1st in Effa Manley Division
Lost to New York Gothams in Wild Card Round

Overall

One of the storylines of the year was Cleveland’s winning their division over the much-hyped Black Yankees. They did it with excellent pitching and just enough offense, but will need to do some work in the offseason to maintain their edge: MVP candidate Ron Blomberg is likely to regress and it’s unlikely all of the pitchers who made good will do so again.

What Went Right

Ron Blomberg shocked the world.

The Spiders thought they had their CF issue solved when Kenny Lofton emerged as a speedy, solid presence at the top of the lineup. Then Tris Speaker returned from injury and exploded onto the scene, essentially hitting like Blomberg, but with speed and defense over his first 100 PA’s.

Jake Stahl and John Ellis were far better than anticipated, each posting an OPS safely over .800.

Louis Santop was solid at C as a teenager.

The Spiders had seven–seven–pitchers who were strong enough to be front half of rotation starters. The top three (Pat Malone, Bill Steen, and Cy Young) were magnificent; Mel Harder was as good in limited appearances; and Whit Wyatt (injured and likely to miss the start of next season), Stan Coveleski, and Stan Bahnsen all were better than many team’s #3 arms.

Terry Adams was excellent, ending the season tied for the WBL lead in saves and Chuck Porter and Cory Gearrin were among the better setup units in the league.

ALL STARS
RP Terry Adams; OF Ron Blomberg; 2B Chuck Knoblauch; P Cy Young

What Went Wrong

The 3rd OF slot was a struggle all season: Peanuts Lowrey was decent enough, and Lance Berkman hit better for Cleveland than he did for Houston, but Lofton faded badly and both Larry Doby and Rowland Office were pretty miserable out there.

3B was an issue all year: Sammy Strang gets on base, but offers little else, but neither Evan Longoria nor Jim Gantner did even that.

Arky Vaughan was acquired at some cost to solidify the SS position, but while he was better than Bill Dahlen, Bill Knickerbocker, or Mickey Doolin, he still struggled.

On the mound, not much: Bob Feller was inconsistent but he’s 20. Ron Reed was OK, but not the world-beater he was with Philadelphia. That’s really not a lot to complain about.

Transactions

March

IF Jim Thome & OF Gus Bell to Miami for IF Evan Longoria

Looks like a loss: Thome struggled but Longoria was miserable.

June

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

It seemed fine at the time, but unless Reed recovers his form, it may be a loss.

OF Harry Stovey, 1B Charlie Grimm, P Chad Qualls & 3rd Round Pick to Houston for OF Lance Berkman

At Berkman’s best, this is a good deal; during his slumps, though …

July

IF Nap Lajoie, P Arodys Vizcaíno & 1st Round Pick to Homestead for SS Arky Vaughan

Clearly overpaid. At the same time, the notion was to solidify the infield for a final playoff push, which it almost did.

Looking Forward

SP

The pitching is excellent right now, but only Bob Feller and Cy Young look to be around long term. As such, the Spiders are looking both for young arms and see this as a sign their window for championship competition may be small.

RP

Another strong group, with probably the most interesting arm behind the trio of Terry Adams, Cory Gearrin, and Ron Reed being Firpo Marberry at AAA.

C

Should be Louis Santop for a long, long time.

1B

Ron Blomberg is here, with Jake Stahl and Hal Trosky pushing for time should he stumble.

2B

Chuck Knoblauch looks solid for the time being.

3B

A bit of a mess: it would be great if someone between Sammy Strang, Ken Keltner, and Evan Longoria would step up and take control of this position.

SS

Arky Vaughan was brought in to solidify this position, and will be given at least a year to do that, although Joe Sewell may pressure him. Worst case, the trio of Bill Dahlen, Mickey Doolin, and Bill Knickerbocker have all shown the ability to field at an elite level, although none of them can hit.

LF

Johnny Bates for now, with Paul O’Neill looking decent in the minors.

CF

There is a real glut here. Tris Speaker has basically seized this spot, but the Spiders are looking at moving him to LF to take advantage of Kenny Lofton‘s speed and defense in CF. Larry Doby may also move to a corner spot, if he ever shows an ability to hit WBL pitching.

RF

See above: currently open, but Blomberg will play there some as well.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

The Spiders didn’t have a 1st round pick, and then only have a single selection for the rest of the rounds of the draft: they need a lot of talent, so it may be a challenge to fill it all.

That starts with SP Howard Ehmke, a franchise selection who is a few years away from the WBL. Missing out on Carlos Baerga by a single selection may hurt–not only does he play positions the Spiders need, but he would have been a franchise selection. Instead, in round 3, Cleveland takes Justin Turner, perhaps anticipating that by the time the IF is ready for the WBL, their 3B situation will have clarified.

Rounds 5-8

Cleveland will focus on pitching, 2B, 3B, and OF depth.

That begins with Bill Drake in round 5 and 3B Aubrey Huff in round 6 and OF Bruce Campbell in round 7 and IF Johnny Hodapp in round 8.

Rounds 9-12

1B Bill Phillips; 3B Brandon Drury; P Al Smith; P Charlie Knepper.

Season Review: Homestead Grays

By

On December 13, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

69 - 85, .448 pct.
4th in Effa Manley Division, 17 games behind.

Overall

With a .500 record predicted before the season, the Grays’ season is a bit of a disappointment: nobody could have seen the amount of talent they have on the mound performing so poorly.

This is a team building for 2, maybe 3 or 4, years down the road, so there a ton of unanswered questions that bear watching.

What Went Right

If you had Mike Epstein and Rick Reichardt on your bingo card for best players on the Grays before the season started, you’re a savant. But they were easily the best hitters over the course of the season (Epstein finished with an OPS just shy of .950; Reichardt just over .900).

Two players–OFs Andy Van Slyke and Owen “Don’t Call Me Chief” Wilson–were basically as good as those two in about a half season of work each.

Josh Gibson declared himself a superstar of the future, with an OPS of .833 as a 20 year old catcher. Davey Johnson was solid at 2B.

Rennie Stennett showed enough in 20 games to earn a look next year.

Willie Stargell has a ton of power.

Francisco Liriano was a good starter for most of the season, and Bob Friend was even better, but only put in 88 innings. Earl Hamilton was decent enough to warrant another look.

Josh Lindblom responded to losing the closer job excellently, earning it back and cementing his role for next season. Rick Ownbey and Dave Giusti surprised, pitching quite well in limited opportunities.

ALL STAR SELECTIONS
1B Mike Epstein; C Josh Gibson

What Went Wrong

The left side of the infield was a bit of a mess: Honus Wagner has all the talent in the world, and the Grays seem committed to him at SS long term, but he neither hit nor adapted to the position very well. And everyone else given a chance (other than Stennett) struggled mightily: Chris Sabo, Frank Taveras, Jack Wilson, Jeff Kent, and Pedro Feliz.

Roberto Clemente and Andrew McCutcheon were … fine. But the Grays really need one of them–if not both–to take a major step forward.

Willie Stargell only has a ton of power, and struck out nearly 200 times.

Nobody else that was given a chance to join the rotation was any good (Billy Pierce, Corey Kluber, Hal Carlson), and most were quite bad (Carlos Zambrano, Ray Brown, Cliff Lee, Babe Adams, John Candelaria).

Michael Jackson imploded entirely in the second half of the year.

Trade Evaluations

March

None

June

IF Phil Garner to San Francisco for IF Steve Hertz & 2nd Round Pick {Judy Johnson}

Given Garner’s age, getting anything for him seems fine.

July

P Vean Gregg & 5th Round Pick to New York Gothams for P Travis Bowyer, OF Mike Shannon & 4th Round Pick {Pink Hawley}

I mean … it’s weird for a team this desperate for pitching to trade away pitching.

IF Arky Vaughan & 3rd Round Pick to Cleveland for IF Nap Lajoie, P Arodys Vizcaíno & 1st Round Pick {Ralph Kiner}

An absolute win. Moving Vaughan clears the way for Wagner, the Grays hope Lajoie can move to 2B over time, plus the potential of Kiner.

Looking Forward

SP

So. Much. Need. Only Ray Brown looks to be around long term, and he needs to get much better. There are useful pieces here, and Cliff Lee has a very live arm, but this is the most pressing need for the Grays organization.

RP

Some talent in the minors, with Daniel Hudson and Mychal Givens standing out especially.

C

Josh Gibson has superstar written all over him.

1B

How much do you believe in Mike Epstein? Willie Stargell will see some time here as well.

2B

The Grays are hoping that Nap Lajoie can hold this down long term.

3B

Very unsure. Chris Sabo and Freddie Lindstrom are in the minors, but this looks to be pretty vacant.

SS

There is a lot of pressure on Honus Wagner to succeed at shortstop: he clearly has the athletic skill to make the transition.

LF

How much do you believe in Rick Reichardt?

CF

Andrew McCutchen and Max Carey each have shown some tools, but this could be an upgrade spot for the Grays.

RF

Roberto Clemente seems to have this locked down, but there are voices in the organization that think Paul Waner could unseat him.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

With the 4th overall pick, the Grays took the highest ceiling pitcher available, Clayton Kershaw.

Their 2nd pick in the 1st round was a bit of a surprise, and may answer the question of how much do you believe in Rick Reichardt as the Grays took franchise player Ralph Kiner. Kiner will play LF, but is probably 2-3 years away from the majors, giving the organization time to sort out its OF. I would expect the rest of their draft to focus more on needs–pitching, pitching, pitching and perhaps a 3B.

In the 2nd Round, that began with Tim Lincecum and continued with franchise pick 3B Judy Johnson, who should only accelerate Wagner’s move to SS. Homestead had no picks in the 3rd round, but 2 in the 4th. The first of those went to 3B Howard Johnson. That should give them some pieces to work with at 3B, so look for Homestead to load up on pitching for most of the rest of the draft, beginning with their last pick of the 4th round, Pink Hawley.

Rounds 5-8

Pitchers beware, Homestead is coming for you: Ed Seward is the Grays’ final exemption, followed by Johnny Morrison and Ping Gardner.

Rounds 9-12

P Nip Winters, OF Dave Hoskins; P Gary Lucas; and IF Liover Peguero.

Page 1 of 2

Next

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén