Gene Tenace went deep twice as Birmingham pulled away late in a 9-2 victory over Philadelphia. Albert Belle hit his first homer of the year as he and Bob Nieman each had 3 RBI’s, supporting a strong start from Alejandro Peña.
Eddie Mathews went deep twice and Greg Maddux and Jim Whitney combined on a 6-hitter as the Black Barons blanked the Stars, 7-0.
#Indianapolis ABCs
The ABC’s pounded out 17 hits and 10 walks (4 to Joey Votto) in a 15-9 win over Birmingham. Joe Morgan, Denis Menke, and Oscar Charleston had 3 hits each, and Johnny Bench drove in 4.
The ABC’s pitched the first shutout of the season, a combined 8-hitter as they topped Houston 2-0 despite managing only 4 hits themselves. Johnny Cueto threw 6 innings for the win, followed by Dick Tidrow, Jack Billingham, and Clay Carroll, who picked up his 2nd save of the season.
Carroll will happily return to his setup duties as Indianapolis welcomed Rob Dibble back from injury. Billingham was sent to AAA very briefly, being recalled after only a day when Ewell Blackwell was diagnosed with bone chips in his elbow, putting him on the shelf for about 7 months.
#Kansas City Monarchs
C Ted Simmons launched a 507 ft bomb in a 9-5 loss to Birmingham.
It took a great start from Smokey Joe Wood to deal Indianapolis their first loss of the season. Robinson Canó and Ozzie Smith had 2 hits each and Dale Murphy hit an inside-the-park homerun as the Monarchs beat the ABC’s 3-0. Wood allowed 4 hits in over 7 innings, and Eddie Guardado and Jeff Pfeffer closed it out without allowing a baserunner.
Willie McGee had 4 hits (including 2 triples), drove in 4 and scored 4, leading the Monarchs to a 9-3 win over Indianapolis.
#Wandering House of David
Ryne Sandberg had 2 homeruns (one a grand slam) and drove in 6 as the House of David pummeled Houston, 10-1 behind a good start from Bob Rush.
Promising teenager Ad Gumbert strained his shoulder and was placed on the DL with Kyle Peterson being recalled from AAA. Peterson’s stay was brief, however, as Bruce Sutter was activated from the DL the following day.
Sandberg and Sammy Sosa hit 2 homeruns apiece as the House of David destroyed the Gothams 10-1. Perhaps most importantly, Jack Taylor put in a good shift, allowing 1 run in just over 5 innings. Sandberg’s start to the year is absolutely ridiculous, hitting .455 with 6 homeruns and 15 RBIs in his opening 5 games.
Figuring out the staff is challenge number one. 2 second round picks–Matt Morris and Jack Quinn–have a shot at making the staff depending on their performance this Spring.
Injuries
Jim Bibby‘s hopes of making the team were dashed by a trip to the DL. Merv Rettenmund will miss about a month with a back injury, which is a shame, as he was making a strong case for a reserve OF spot.
First Cuts
Well … the pitching staff remains a bit of a mystery. Jim Bibby is hurt and Rube Marquard and Sheriff Blake were sent down, but other than that the competition for the starting slots remains tough: Bill Singer and Bob Shawkey have yet to give up a run and Félix Hernández and Rube Foster are better than their numbers may indicate. Larry French, Boone Logan, and Matt Thornton were also returned to minor league camp, at least reducing some of the bullpen congestion.
With that many pitchers still in camp, the Monarchs only moved one C to their minor leagues, Johnny Bassler. 1Bs Daryl Sconiers and Andre Thornton have forced their way into the conversation at 1B, especially as the two incumbents–Boog Powell and Albert Pujols–are struggling mightily to start camp. Over at the hot corner, though, a small handful of players have played their way out of camp: Heliodoro Hidalgo, Ken Boyer, Bill Bradley, and Gene Freese were all sent down, with Carlos Baerga barely holding on.
In the middle infield, the competition has been fierce with Dave Cash, Keston Hiura, and Frankie Frisch all hitting well and only Kolten Wong not showing enough to stick around.
Earl Averill‘s talent is undeniable, but his performance sent him back to the minors for a time. Neither Fielder Jones nor Cool Papa Bell have hit a lick so far, so the backup CF spot is still up for grabs. The surprises of the Spring so far have been Jim King and Merv Rettenmund, who are making strong arguments for a roster spot.
Second Cuts
Trevor Rosenthal has pitched as well as someone who has given up 12 hits in under 4 innings can, and remains in camp despite an ERA over 12.00. Félix Hernández and Jock Menefee weren’t as lucky, being reassigned to the minors.
C John Bateman was reassigned, and Salvador Pérez is in danger of losing his backup position with an OPS of .220 so far. Teenager Carlos Baerga and Sam Mongin were both demoted, leaving the Monarchs without a true 3B in camp.
OFers Fielder Jones and Tommy McCarthy were sent down as well, clearing the way for Cool Papa Bell to make the team as Willie McGee‘s backup in CF.
3rd Cuts
Even before the day off, the Monarchs had seen enough: something is wrong with Trevor Rosenthal. After a solid season last year, Rosenthal has been absolutely torched so far this Spring, giving up 15 hits in 4.1 innings and an ERA over 16. Rosenthal should figure it out, but he’ll start in minor league camp.
Muddy Ruel is really pushing to break camp ahead of Salvador Pérez as Ted Simmons‘ backup at C.
The rest of the roster remains a bit muddled, other than Cool Papa Bell and Keston Hiura being sent to AAA. The challenge is not unusual: presumed starters are struggling (Albert Pujols, Robinson Canó) and longshots to make the team are hammering the ball (Daryl Sconiers, Edgar Rentería, Jim King). Add Dale Murphy starting to come good on his promise, and there are still significant cuts to be made.
Final Cuts
Bill Singer must be wondering what he has to do to get an extended shot in the WBL. He’s only 20, so he’ll have some more chances, but for now he’ll ply his trade at AAA after a solid showing this Spring.
In a bit of a surprise, Muddy Ruel has beaten incumbent Salvador Pérez for the backup C job with the Monarchs, at least for now, with Pérez being moved to AAA.
The Monarchs are delaying some harder choices by sending RP Andrew Bailey to AAA. One of those is at 1B where young Daryl Sconiers refuses to stop pounding the ball in Spring Training. This has sent Andre Thornton to AAA, despite the veteran showing some nice pop at the plate. Sconiers is still likely to join him, but for now he’s remaining in big league camp.
Jack Rowe had a solid year last season behind Ozzie Smith, but he’ll have to work his way back from AAA this year, with Edgar Rentería looking likely to be Smith’s backup. OF Merv Rettenmund was placed on the DL.
The choice with Sconiers is mirrored by the choice with Jim King. Both have torn the cover off the ball all Spring, but both are really vying for a fringe roster spot with the Monarchs. Here, Sconiers’ age worked against him, as the Monarchs moved him to AAA for more regular playing time.
The Monarchs ducked one decision by placing Matt Morris on the DL. Bob Shawkey beat out Adam Wainwright for one spot on the staff.
The final 3 cuts were pretty brutal. Jim King, Edgar Rentería, and Dave Cash did absolutely everything asked of them all Spring, leading the team in most offensive measures and showing decent defensive versatility. In the end, Frankie Frisch‘s ability to play SS and the desire of the Monarchs to see if Dale Murphy can deliver on his Spring performance sent all three to the minors.
66 - 88, .428 pct.
5th in Cum Posey Division, 25 games behind.
Overall
What a miserable year for the Monarchs. They were expected to contend, and just collapsed, despite the presence of some elite offensive players (most notably, of course, Stan Musial).
They converted some key veteran talent into a lot of pieces, so perhaps the franchise can bounce back quickly, but for now they rival the Black Yankees for the biggest disappointment in the league.
What Went Right
The offensive core of this team is very solid. At 22, Stan Musial spent most of the season on the fringes of the MVP discussion and at 21, Albert Pujols showed the kind of potential that could put him there. Even though both hit late season slumps, Boog Powell and Ducky Medwick were both solid, and Lou Brock and Willie McGee were virtually interchangeable, each with OPS’ around .810 and over 40 steals. Add in Ted Simmons‘ above-average production as a C, and the Monarchs should continue to score runs for a while.
Steve Evans never stopped hitting, demanding a closer look with the team next year.
Luke Hamlin had some of the most dominant starts in the league. Bob Gibson and Adam Wainwright both showed some serious potential and Jeff Pfeffer impressed as a closer–a challenge on a team that was very rarely close at the end of games. Craig Kimbrel and Trevor Rosenthal were good out of the pen as well.
ALL STAR SELECTIONS
2B Rogers Hornsby; OF Stan Musial; SP Andy Pettitte
What Went Wrong
Robinson Canó cooled off after seeming to step directly into Rogers Hornsby‘s shoes. Ozzie Smith was the worst offensive performer in the league to qualify for the batting crown (although, it must be said, he was in the argument for the gold glove at SS).
Ultimately, the team lacked pop. They hit for average, but at the end of the day, there was a bit too much of the McGee / Brock, base-at-a-time model.
Luke Hamlin had some of the worst starts in the league, and the rest of the staff ranged from inconsistent to horrible.
A lot of top tier talent–most notably Hornsby and Andy Pettitte–was traded away.
Trade Evaluations
March
OF Jim Edmonds to House of David for IF Robinson Canó
Sure.
June
2B Rogers Hornsby, OF Vince Coleman & 4th Round Pick to Portland for P Smoky Joe Wood and C Devin Mesoraco
Troubling. Wood struggled a lot, although he is only 20, and Mesoraco is likely never more than a backup backstop.
July
P Connie Johnson & 5th Round Pick to Baltimore for OF Merv Rettenmund, P Gene Garber & 2nd Round Pick {Jack Quinn}
Johnson has a world championship ring, so we’re happy for him for that. Maybe Garber turns into something?
P Andy Pettitte to Birmingham for C Dale Murphy, P A. Rube Foster, 2nd Round Pick {Matt Morris}, 5th Round Pick {Heliodoro Hidalgo}
Absolute steal, just about makes up for the rest. Pettitte was fantastic for Birmingham, and won the ERA crown, but Murphy has the scouts drooling, even if C is unlikely to be his final home, and A. Rube Foster has a great arm.
Looking Forward
SP
The future holds Bob Gibson, Adam Wainwright, and A. Rube Foster, which could be excellent. Pair that with José Rijo and a resurgent Smoky Joe Wood and the rotation could be quite strong. Could be.
RP
Craig Kimbrel and Jeff Pfeffer are strong, and there is some talent–Gene Garber, Jeff Reardon–behind them.
C
Ted Simmons has this locked for a while, and between Devin Mesocoro and Salvador Pérez, there is some depth as well.
1B
On the one hand there is no real claim here; on the other Albert Pujols, Dale Murphy, and even Stan Musial will probably drift towards this as well.
2B
Canó is possible, but there is hope that he gets some competition from the group of Kolten Wong, Dave Cash, and Frankie Frisch.
3B
Albert Pujols for now, but this may be an area of need down the road.
SS
Ozzie Smith for a while, at least as long as his defense compensates for his weak bat.
LF
Lou Brock looks solid here.
CF
Willie McGee was great this year, and there are hopes that Cool Papa Bell emerges here eventually–but can a team really succeed with both Brock and Bell?
RF
Stan Musial forever.
The Rookie Draft
Rounds 1-4
A difficult choice. With the #3 overall pick, the Monarchs took a player who was a bit of a surprise, but also counts as a franchise selection, SP Hilton Smith. Smith sort of fit just right: he’ll help sooner than, say, Clayton Kershaw, but has a higher ceiling than most other pitching prospects.
With 3 picks in the 2nd round, the Monarchs started with the player least likely to stick around for a while, CF Earl Averill. It’s not clear how Averill fits into Kansas City’s plans, but his talent is undeniable. They followed that with 22 year old P Matt Morris, who (a) is a franchise pick and (b) may fight for a rotation spot this season. Finally, they added 25 year old Jack Quinn, who may join Morris at the WBL next season.
In the 3rd round, the Monarchs picked up IF Carlos Baerga, clearly believing that by the time he is ready for the majors, their 2B/3B situation will be clearer.
Rounds 5-8
Kansas City is looking to add some specific positional depth, specifically at 1B, SS, and CF.
With their final franchise exception, they take Heliodoro Hidalgo, who should help at CF. That begins to limit their options, making OF Wade Johnston a reasonable choice in round 6 and IF Polly Mongin a good fit in round 7. OF Ray Blades joins in the 8th round for some more OF depth.
Rounds 9-12
IF Dink Mothel; P Doug Bair; P Giovanny Gallegos; and P Larry French.
In addition to the winners, wanted to track the 2 next runner ups, for posterity and what-not.
We’ll go in order of how the awards are announced, beginning with the Gold Gloves. I’ve used 600 innings as a rough qualification minimum.
One thing that jumps out at me here is just how phenomenal the New York Gothams were defensively: two Gold Glove winners, 3 others mentioned.
#P
It’s a challenge because pitchers overall get so few chances. At the end of the day, you have to go with who makes the most plays.
Name
Tm
Inn
ZR
TC
E
A
Jack Taylor
HOD
205
2.9
32
1
15
Ray Collins
PHI
194
0.7
39
2
21
Old Hoss Radbourn
OTT
198
3.9
27
0
21
Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / TC = Total Chances / E = Errors / A = Assists
#C
Catchers are so hard … do you value cERA, which gives an unfair advantage to backstops blessed with better staffs? What about throwing out runners, where virtually everyone is within a few percentage points of each other? Are errors worse than passed balls or vice-versa?
Who knows. It’s clear that Cleveland’s Louis Santop dominates the numbers here (even if his FRM is some lucky fluke), and that Indianapolis’ Johnny Bench is damn good. Also, Brooklyn’s Duke Farrell, Portland’s Iván Rodríguez, and Miami’s Alan Ashby all look like real contenders if they were to ever earn enough playing time.
Name
Tm
Inn
ZR
E
RTO%
PB
cERA
FRM
Louis Santop
CLE
921
3.4
3
32.6
3
4.23
5.4
Johnny Bench
IND
971
3.4
8
34.6
5
4.49
1.8
Thurman Munson
NYY
1071
2.4
5
32.0
5
4.71
1.2
Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / E = Errors / RTO% = Runners Thrown Out % / PB = Passed Balls / cERA = Catchers’ ERA / FRM = Runs Gained through Pitch Framing
#1B
While the Gothams’ Will Clark and Baltimore’s Dan McGann are pretty indistinguishable, Clark covered more ground. Note that for 1B we’ve listed assists over double plays, as they are a more reliable indicator for the position.
Name
Tm
Inn
ZR
TC
E
A
Will Clark
MCG/NYG
1071
3.8
1082
6
78
Dan McGann
BAL
1051
1.6
1160
6
66
Mike Epstein
HOM
1010
1.6
1088
11
77
Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / TC = Total Chances / E = Errors / A = Assists
#2B
This is incredibly close, and in addition to these three, San Francisco’s Jimmy Bloodworth and Los Angeles’ Bobby Grich could be listed quite easily.
Name
Tm
Inn
ZR
TC
E
DP
Eddie Collins
CAG
1049
6.6
573
10
106
Cookie Rojas
NYG/MCG
928
7.1
477
5
71
Rogers Hornsby
KCM/POR
1156
4.8
624
10
92
Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / TC = Total Chances / E = Errors / DP = Double Plays
#3B
It’s a bit of a toss up in a traditional defensive choice between the top 2: Philadelphia’s Scott Rolen covered more ground, but Ottawa’s Anthony Rendon made more plays. At the end of the day, it’s the plays that count.
Name
Tm
Inn
ZR
TC
E
DP
Anthony Rendon
OTT
1151
5.3
366
7
36
Scott Rolen
PHI
1116
8.0
329
10
32
Mike Schmidt
NYY
984
7.7
264
4
19
Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / TC = Total Chances / E = Errors / DP = Double Plays
#SS
Detroit’s George Davis was absolutely dominant here, despite registering 13 errors. He got to more balls, turned more double plays, and was simply the best defensive SS in the league.
Name
Tm
Inn
ZR
TC
E
DP
George Davis
DET
1199
21.9
677
13
97
George Wright
LAA
1067
14.5
562
2
87
Ozzie Smith
KCM
1159
15.0
586
5
88
Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / TC = Total Chances / E = Errors / DP = Double Plays
#LF
In LF, we have a victory for slow and steady: Brooklyn’s Roy White is far from flashy, and his arm is fair-to-middling at best. But he covers ground, and over nearly 300 chances and 1200 innings, made zero errors.
Name
Tm
Inn
ZR
K
E
DP
Roy White
BRK
1163
7.4
3
0
0
Jimmy Sheckard
NYG
1166
4.1
7
4
4
Rickey Henderson
SFS
946
3.4
9
4
1
Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / K = Kills (Assists) / E = Errors / DP = Double Plays
#CF
The choice between the New York Gothams’ Willie Mays and the Baltimore Black Sox’ Paul Blair is very, very rough. Their ZR’s are essentially identical, Mays has both 2 more kills and 2 more errors over about 200 more innings, as well as a slightly better range rating. Blair’s arm has actually been more effective overall. In the end, it’s Blair by a hair.
Name
Tm
Inn
ZR
K
E
DP
Paul Blair
BAL
1044
9.6
15
2
2
Willie Mays
NYG
1259
9.6
17
5
2
Curtis Granderson
BBB
982
7.9
14
3
3
Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / K = Kills (Assists) / E = Errors / DP = Double Plays
Mention should be made of Ottawa’s Ken Griffey, Jr., who registered 16 kills in 649 innings, a pretty stunning rate of eliminating baserunners.
#RF
The New York Gothams’ Johnny Callison has, in slightly less than a full-time role, put up spectacular defensive numbers. Perhaps most impressive are the 4 double-plays. Here are the top three:
Name
Tm
Inn
ZR
K
E
DP
Johnny Callison
NYG
910
8.7
11
2
4
Roberto Clemente
HOM
1034
8.2
6
6
1
Larry Walker
OTT
641
3.5
11
3
1
Inn = Innings Played at Position / ZR = Zone Rating / K = Kills (Assists) / E = Errors / DP = Double Plays
Your Gold Glovers for year 2000 of the WBL:
P: Jack Taylor (HOD) C: Louis Santop (CLE) 1B: Will Clark (MCG/NYG) 2B: Eddie Collins (CAG) 3B: Anthony Rendon (OTT) SS: George Davis (DET) LF: Roy White (BRK) CF: Paul Blair (BAL) RF: Johnny Callison (NYG)
The more things change, the more things stay the same …
On the whole, the playoff teams took care of business, with Cleveland sweeping Houston and Baltimore, Chicago, Portland, and the New York Black Yankees all winning 3 of 4 games.
As such, Baltimore still has the best record in the lead, and still leads the Chicago American Giants by 4 games in the Cum Posey Division. Chicago leads the wild card race, and both teams seem certain to make the postseason.
Each of the other divisions are tight as tight can be. In the Bill James Division, the Detroit Wolverines and the New York Gothams are tied for first place, with the Wandering House of David 1 game back. Over in the Effa Manley Division, the Black Yankees have maintained their lead, but it’s down to 1 game over the Cleveland Spiders and in the Marvin Miller Division, the Portland Sea Dogs lead the Birmingham Black Barons by a single game, helped by Baltimore’s 3 wins coming against the Black Barons.
Right now, Cleveland and Birmingham are tied for the final wild card slot. The Houston Colt 45’s–five games back–still have an outside shot, but getting swept essentially took them out of the race. Realistically it looks like 1 of the 9 teams vying for the divisional leads won’t make the postseason.
Performance
Going into a little more depth this time, providing some insight into players who are not performing well, but have still, for a variety of reasons, amassed enough PA or IP to qualify for the leaderboards.
Batters
The list is longer, but not really. With Babe Ruth taking over the OBP lead from San Francisco‘s Reggie Jackson, if you ignore some of the outliers (the SB leaders, the 3B, etc), the offensive leaders of the WBL boil down to Ron Blomberg and Babe Ruth, with Pete Browning, Stan Musial, and Doug Rader in a second group, with apologies to Johnny Bench of the Indianapolis ABC’s, who is putting up outrageous numbers for a backstop. Bench, Musial (Kansas City) and Rader (Los Angeles) are out of the playoff picture, but the rest should be around for the postseason.
Johnny Bench (IND). 286/390/575. 5.7 WAR. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 339/410/655. 168 H, 40 HR, 101 R. Pete Browning (HOD). 353/390/629. Ty Cobb (DET). 348/391/557. 169 H. Eric Davis (NYY). 277/352/517. 5.7 WAR. Willie Davis (PHI). 301/350/498. 11 3B. Mike Fiore (CAG). 238/402/396. 100 BB. Hank Greenberg (DET). 317/376/589. 41 2B. Bobby Grich (LAA). 292/381/483. 41 2B. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 268/398/356. 86 SB. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 316/430/598. Stan Musial (KCM). 326/389/574. 44 2B. Alejandro Oms (MCG). 255/308/398. 11 3B. Doug Rader (LAA). 335/395/542. 122 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 288/367/426. 89 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 318/435/673. 43 HR, 121 RBI, 113 R, 100 BB, 7.4 WAR. Louis Santop (CLE). 304/336/464. 13 3B.
Anti-Batters
Looking at the pool of hitters who qualify for rate stats only. 17 of them haven’t hit a triple, so those are omitted.
Hank Aaron (BBB). 263/302/498. 21 GIDP. Ernie Banks (HOD). 262/287/459. 16 BB. Wade Boggs (MEM). 286/364/412. 25 GIDP. José Canseco (MCG). 291/352/525. 159 SO. Rico Carty (PHI). 264/340/421. 48 R. George Davis (DET). 258/334/326. 1 HR. Mike Fiore (CAG). 238/402/396. 89 H. Tom Herr (BBB/NYY). 288/357/390. 2 HR, 25 RBI. Gil Hodges (POR). 222/297/423. -0.4 WAR. Frank Isbell (BBB/BRK). 310/341/401. 2 HR, 14 BB. Derek Jeter (NYY). 262/311/369. -0.6 WAR. Ted Kluszewski (PHI). 249/327/478. 48 R. Freddy Parent (OTT/CAG). 257/305/431. 9 2B. Ozzie Smith (KCM). 221/309/292. 86 H, 2HR, 25 RBI. Pops Stargell (HOM). 243/327/427. 179 SO. George Stone (HOD). 289/380/512. 12 2B. Arky Vaughan (HOM/CLE). 235/348/335. 12 2B. George Wright (LAA). 240/296/396.
This is an interesting list. There are some players considered stars on their teams–Aaron for Birmingham and Canseco for the Miami Cuban Giants especially (although GIDP and SO aren’t such awful things to lead the league in). Others are having decent seasons overall–Boggs, Banks, Hodges, Stone.
And then there is Ozzie Smith, hands down the weakest overall offensive player in the WBL. He’s been good defensively, but that’s a lot of negative output at the plate to overcome.
Mike Fiore offers the interesting case of being the only player to make both lists, leading the league in walks and having the second fewest hits of anybody qualifying for the leaderboards (behind Smith, of course).
Pitchers
Starters
A shorter list this time: 6 players have 14 wins, but since they would be 3rd in the league behind Christy Mathewson and Jack Taylor, they aren’t listed unless they qualify under another stat.
One thing to note: the presence of two starters from the San Francisco Sea Lions underscores how disappointing the season has been for them.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 13-7, 3.55. 191 K. Ron Guidry (NYY). 7-11, 4.42. 175 K. Christy Mathewson (NYG). 16-7, 3.50. Roy Oswalt (HOU). 12-8, 3.63. 188.1 IP. Alejandro Peña (BBB). 11-9, 3.72. 4.8 WAR, 3.45 FIP. Eddie Plank (SFS). 11-6, 3.87. 3.29 FIP. Andy Pettitte (KCM/BBB). 14-4, 3.05. 1.18 WHIP. Jack Taylor (HOD). 15-9, 3.13. 1.12 WHIP. Cy Young (CLE). 10-9, 4.64. 188.1 IP, 4.4 WAR.
Anti-Starters
Bert Blyleven (POR). 10-10, 4.17. 30 HRA. Roger Clemens (MEM/HOU). 11-8, 5.31. Vean Gregg (HOM). 9-8, 4.78. 97 BB, 1.59 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 13-7, 3.55. 98 BB. Luke Hamlin (KCM). 9-12, 4.80. Jon Lester (MEM). 9-12, 4.68. Dolf Luque (IND). 8-10, 5.29. 5.67 FIP. Juan Marichal (NYG). 11-8, 5.64. 1.56 WHIP. Wade Miley (HOD). 7-5, 5.05. 5.50 WHIP. Don Newcombe (MCG/CAG). 4-13, 6.44. 34 HRA. Jack Scott (NYY). 14-5, 4.41. 30 HRA.
Lefty Grove is on both lists: if he ever masters his control, he could be the best starter in the league (and if he loses an edge to his pitches, he could quickly be out of the league).
Blyleven and Scott are front of rotation starters for playoff bound teams, and Clemens has pitched far better since arriving in Houston, but his earlier performance for the Memphis Red Sox was so, so poor.
Newcombe is an conundrum: he doesn’t give up many hits or many walks, but when he does get hit, he gets hit hard.
Relievers
The best of the lot are probably Baltimore’s Buddy Groom and a duo from the Gothams, closer Brian Wilson and do-everything Mike Norris.
35 IP for rate stats.
Terry Adams (CLE). 2-6, 2.84. 33 Sv. 1 H. Buddy Groom (BAL). 2-2, 1.93. 6 Sv, 13 H, 0.99 WHIP. Mike Henneman (DET). 1-6, 4.83. 35 Sv. * Sean Marshall (BAL). 5-0, 1.79. 1 Sv, 8 H, 0.98 WHIP. Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.34. 8 Sv, 13 H. Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-6, 4.58. 3 Sv, 17 H. Ron Robinson (SFS). 6-4, 3.92. 1 Sv, 17 H. Ed Walsh (CAG). 8-6, 2.73. 5 H, 3.00 FIP. Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.00. 24 Sv, 1 H, 2.58 FIP.
Streaks
Very little going on here.
Los Angeles’ Bobby Grich–who should come of the DL soon–has reached base in 32 consecutive games, good for the 4th best streak in the league.
Brian Wilson has converted 22 consecutive saves and Andy Pettitte, between his time with Kansas City and Baltimore, has won his last 9 decisions, and is undefeated in his last 12 appearances.
Early on, it didn’t look good for either Cleveland’s Pat Malone‘s attempt at his 12th win of the year or for Kansas City’s Bob Gibson looking to establish himself in the Monarchs’ rotation.
Louis Santop tripled in Jake Stahl and scored on a groundout from Chuck Knoblauch to give the Spiders a lead in the top of the 2nd, but the game would be tight for a while as Lou Brock doubled in Robinson Canó and scored on a sacrifice fly from Frankie Frisch to tie it up.
Cleveland would retake the lead with a leadoff double from Johnny Bates and an RBI single from John Ellis, but again Kansas City would respond as an error in RF by Ron Blomberg allowed Boog Powell to score, and an RBI single from Canó gave the Monarchs their first lead, at 4-3.
Gibson would be chased in the 5th, surrendering 3 doubles and a walk to the first four batters, with Ellis driving in 1 and Stahl 2. Trevor Rosenthal came in and promptly gave away the store: 4 walks and an HBP and by the end of the inning, the Spiders were ahead, 9-4.
Malone had settled down at this point, and with the Monarchs’ getting a nice effort from Rube Marquard, the game stayed the same until the top of the 9th, when Marquard’s stuff ran out with Sammy Strang driving in 2 and Kenny Lofton 1. That made it 12-4, which was the final tally.
Malone is now tied for the league lead in victories. Ted Simmons had 3 hits for the Monarchs in a losing cause.
A wild pitch by Cleveland’s Bill Steen allowed Ted Simmons (who had tripled) to score in the bottom of the 2nd. Steen walked 3 in the inning, but got Boog Powell to ground out, limiting the Monarchs to a single run.
Steen continued to struggle with his control, but made it through 5 innings only surrendering the 1 run.
You never know which Luke Hamlin will show up for Kansas City. This was the good one, as he spun a 2-hit shutout through 5 innings. The Monarchs do know which Louis Santop shows up, though, as the 19 year old continues to make a name for himself. Here, in the bottom of the 6th, his snap throw to first picked off Ozzie Smith, who had walked.
John Ellis led off the 7th with a double, and moved to 3rd on a single from Lance Berkman, chasing Hamlin from the mound. Santop tied the game with a sacrifice fly, but Frank DiPino was able to get out of the inning without further damage.
Cleveland fans love to disparage Sammy Strang, but the 3B has had a decent year, especially in terms of getting on base. Power has been an issue, but here he led off the 8th with his 2nd homerun of the year, putting the Spiders up, 2-1. The lead was short-lived, as consecutive pinch-hits by Steve Evans and Jack Rowe tied it up in the bottom of the 8th. Ron Reed, who was shaky all inning, got Stan Musial to fly out with 2 on, leaving the game tied heading into the 9th.
And it stayed that way, sending us to extra innings.
In the top of the 11th, Berkman chipped a one-out single into RF, and was replaced by Bill Dahlen. Dahlen moved to second on the 2nd out of the inning and scored on a single by Chuck Knoblauch.
The Monarchs tried to duplicate the pattern: Musial opened the inning with a hit, and was replaced by the pinch-running Frankie Frisch. Terry Adams walked Albert Pujols, prompting Cleveland to go to their bullpen for Bob Feller. Feller could not do it: Ducky Medwick, who had 3 hits on the day, drove home a run with a single, and Willie McGee won the game with a sacrifice fly to deep LF.
Adam Wainwright has been struggling of late, and it continued, although he escaped damage until the 3rd, when Ron Blomberg singled in a run. John Ellis drove in a 2nd with a sacrifice fly giving the Spiders an early 2-0 lead. Wainwright settled down until Blomberg took him deep in the top of the 6th, increasing Cleveland’s lead to 3-0 and forcing Kansas City to bring in Joe Blong from the pen.
That didn’t work so well: Blong gave up a walk and 5 consecutive hits, pushing the lead to 6-0 and bringing in Adam Russell in relief, who gave up a sacrifice fly before bringing the inning to a close.
Stan Coveleski, on the other hand, went to the bottom of the 6th with the 7-0 lead nursing a 4-hit shutout. The shutout lasted into the 7th, when Lou Brock took Coveleski deep.
Each team added a run, but the outcome was never really in doubt. Blomberg ended with 4 hits for Cleveland while Willie McGee and Brock had 3 hits each for Kansas City in the losing cause.
Neither Cy Young nor Frank Castillo were very good, with each team scoring in the first frame. Cleveland used doubles from Ron Blomberg and Kenny Lofton and Kansas City RBI singles from Stan Musial and Robinson Canó, and we came out of the first inning with the Spiders leading, 3-2.
But, despite allowing a lot of traffic, only one more run crossed the plate until a 3-run shot by Lance Berkman made it 7-2 in favor of Cleveland in the top of the 7th.
Kansas City made it close with a 2 run single from Albert Pujols and a 2 run jack from Ducky Medwick making it a 1-run game at 7-6, but the Spiders’ Terry Adams pitched a perfect 9th for his 25th save giving Cleveland the 3-1 edge in the series.
While the rest of the league is buzzing with trade talk, let’s take a look at what the game tells us about flashing the leather. We’ll go by position, trying to get a sense of the best fielders in the league so far.
C (500 IP min)
Thurman Munson of the New York Black Yankees has over 150 more total chances than Homestead‘s Josh Gibson, having started 86 games behind the plate. That has to count for something. Of starting catchers, Baltimore‘s Curt Blefary leads in cERA with 4.08, and Cleveland‘s Louis Santop–yet to turn 20–leads the league in framing runs–1.2 ahead of Gibson. In terms of gunning down base runners, everyone is clustered around 33% or so–Emil Gross (Ottawa) was way up at 46%, but couldn’t hit enough to stay in the league and Alan Ashby (Miami) has been excellent at 36% since taking over for Miami. Looking at all of that, it’s got to be Munson, Gibson, Blefary, or Santop, with apologies to Indianapolis‘ Johnny Bench and the House of David‘s Elrod Hendricks.
IP
TC
E
RTO%
cERA
FRM
C. Blefary (BAL)
599
401
11
29.4
4.08
-1.2
J. Gibson (HOM)
718
559
14
27.2
5.77
1.5
T. Munson (NYY)
765
719
5
33.0
4.72
-1.3
L. Santop (CLE)
624
542
2
32.6
4.20
2.7
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out %; cERA = Catching ERA; FRM = Framing Runs Saved
I think Santop takes it, but I would be OK if Munson’s higher usage swung it to him.
1B (600 IP min)
Philadelphia‘s Ted Kluszewski has the best fielding percentage (.996), having committed only 3 errors, but trails well behind Dan McGann (BAL)’s league leading 10.20 Range Factor. Will Clark of the Miami Cuban Giants leads in Zone Rating at 3.3. So McGann makes the most plays overall, but Clark makes the most plays that other 1B miss.
IP
TC
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Will Clark (MCG)
791
818
5
.994
9.25
3.3
Ted Kluszewski (PHI)
676
711
3
.996
9.43
1.0
Dan McGann (BAL)
749
854
5
.994
10.20
2.5
Bill White (MEM)
788
814
4
.995
9.25
1.8
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
It comes down to whether you think McGann’s RNG is more a product of his glovework or the superior Black Sox pitching staff. For me, Clark making plays nobody else in the league makes takes it.
2B (600 IP min)
Cleveland‘s Chuck Knoblauch and San Francisco‘s Jimmy Bloodworth each sport a .993 Fielding Percentage with only 3 errors each. The House of David’s Ryne Sandberg has, by a fair bit, played the most at 2B, making his leading the league in Range Factor more impressive. The New York Gotham‘s Cookie Rojas leads in ZR, trailed by Chicago‘s Eddie Collins. Those are the contenders.
IP
TC
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Jimmy Bloodworth (SFS)
753
423
3
.993
5.02
3.7
Eddie Collins (CAG)
715
390
5
.987
4.85
5.5
Chuck Knoblauch (CLE)
801
426
3
.993
4.75
-1.8
Cookie Rojas (NYG)
703
369
3
.992
4.68
6.5
Ryne Sandberg (HOD)
850
524
7
.987
5.48
0.8
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
I can’t get away from Rojas. Behind him it’s rough: Collins makes some great plays, but Sandberg’s greater usage may give him the edge.
3B (600 IP min)
Mike Schmidt of the Black Yankees has the highest fielding percentage, Ottawa’s Anthony Rendon leads in Range Factor, and Philadelphia’s Scott Rolen has a massive edge in Zone Rating. It’s hard to put together.
IP
TC
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Ron Cey (BRK)
808
221
6
.973
2.39
5.4
Anthony Rendon (OTT)
853
266
7
.974
2.73
1.8
Scott Rolen (PHI)
813
240
5
.979
2.60
8.5
Mike Schmidt (NYY)
677
193
3
.984
2.53
6.3
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
Rendon’s ZR confirms that his other stats are really a product of being on the field a lot. I think that leaves Rolen and Schmidt pretty much neck and neck.
SS (550 IP min)
The lower requirement is basically to allow Philadelphia’s Mickey Doolin to be listed. Homstead’s Arky Vaughan has played the most at SS, giving him roughly 20% more chances than the next few shortstops. Couple that with only 5 errors for a .990 PCT and Vaughan has to be in the argument. George Wright (Los Angeles) has a .995 PCT with only 2 errors, which is remarkable. Vaughan also leads in RNG, and is one of 3 SS with a ZR over 10, along with Detroit‘s George Davis and Kansas City‘s Ozzie Smith.
IP
TC
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
George Davis (DET)
855
479
12
.975
4.91
13.0
Mickey Doolin (PHI)
597
343
5
.985
5.10
8.0
Ozzie Smith (KCM)
868
467
5
.989
4.79
12.5
Arky Vaughan (HOM)
884
520
5
.990
5.24
10.1
George Wright (LAA)
754
411
2
.995
4.88
9.8
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
You gotta’ give it to Wright, right? But after that, how do you figure out the difference between Smith and Vaughan? Smith is more spectacular, Vaughan more steady … I’ve always been a sucker for the spectacular.
LF (500 IP min)
Homestead’s Rick Reichardt has spent the most time out there, has the best RNG among qualifiers, and leads LFers with 10 OF Kills. Los Angeles’ Don Buford and Ottawa’s Phil Bradley are second with 6, so that’s quite a gap. There are six–SIX–LFers who qualify who are yet to make an error. Of those, only Brooklyn‘s Roy White and Detroit’s Oscar Gamble have positive supporting metrics as well. White has routinely pulled of the spectacular, making roughly 4 additional plays in LF than the Gotham’s Jimmy Sheckard and San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson.
IP
TC
A
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Phil Bradley (OTT)
552
121
6
0
1.000
1.97
-1.9
Don Buford (LAA)
629
144
6
3
.979
2.02
1.0
Oscar Gamble (DET)
535
118
2
0
1.000
1.99
1.5
Rickey Henderson (SFS)
689
173
5
3
.983
2.22
2.7
Rick Reichardt (HOM)
799
211
10
2
.991
2.35
-1.2
Jimmy Sheckard (NYG)
865
207
5
4
.981
2.11
2.6
Roy White (BRK)
865
204
2
0
1.000
2.12
6.7
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
I think White has to get the nod here, and behind him it’s a bit f a jumble. Reichardt is far from spectacular, but he’s added twice as many cold, hard outs than the next contenders without many miscues, so he gets a nod despite the negative ZR.
CF (600 IP min)
The Gothams’ Willie Mays has 15 OF kills to lead the way, but of note is Ottawa’s Ken Griffey, Jr., who has 13 in half the games. Griffey, currently at AAA, doesn’t qualify here, but what an arm! Baltimore’s Paul Blair has yet to make an error. Mays and Philadelphia’s Willie Davis make the most plays, with Blair, Mays, and Birmingham‘s Curtis Granderson leading in ZR.
There are others having strong years–Kansas City’s Willie McGee, Memphis’ Reggie Smith, and Detroit’s Chili Davis spring to mind–but it’s really between those initial four names.
IP
TC
A
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Paul Blair (BAL)
801
303
8
0
1.000
3.40
9.0
Willie Davis (PHI)
781
323
7
2
.994
3.70
5.2
Curtis Granderson (BBB)
631
247
10
3
.988
3.48
6.4
Willie Mays (NYG)
899
381
15
2
.995
3.79
7.7
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
Mays and Blair seem the easy choices here.
RF (500 IP min)
RF is probably the most difficult of the OF spots to evaluate. The Gothams’ Johnny Callison leads in OF Kills, but with only 8. Callison is tied with Homestead’s Roberto Clemente in ZR, far, far ahead of the next cluster. Jeff Burroughs (POR) has yet to make an error, but the rest of his numbers aren’t terribly impressive. The House of David’s Dan Ford leads in RNG and is solid enough elsewhere.
The challenge is that several of the best in RF–Miami’s Alejandro Oms, Indianapolis’ Oscar Charleston, and Ottawa’s Larry Walker–don’t qualify here. Walker especially draws the eye, with 7 Kills and great peripheral numbers. But all of them are under 400 innings.
IP
TC
A
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Johnny Callison (NYG)
671
181
8
1
.994
2.41
6.2
Roberto Clemente (HOM)
747
194
4
2
.990
2.31
6.2
Dan Ford (HOD)
542
160
5
4
.975
2.59
1.2
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
I think it’s pretty clear that Ford is in third place here and I think it’s hard to push Clemente above Callison.
SP (100 IP min)
Sample size is clearly an issue here, but the Gothams’ Gaylord Perry had handled the most chances and leads in RNG. Jack Taylor (HOD) and Dutch Leonard (BRK) lead in ZR. Unwinding a pitcher’s responsibility for controlling stolen bases is hard, but since we know that, on the whole, the league runs about 33% in terms of cutting them down, we can look for who is far above that: Leonard shows up, but if we look at those with at least 10 attempts against them, we are looking at San Francisco’s Eddie Plank, Taylor, and Portland‘s Jerry Koosman.
IP
TC
RNG
ZR
RTO%
Jerry Koosman (POR)
119
12
0.83
2.2
46
Dutch Leonard (BRK)
139
18
1.17
2.4
67
Gaylord Perry (NYG)
117
27
1.92
-0.5
21
Eddie Plank (SFS)
116
13
0.93
1.8
64
Jack Taylor (HOD)
142
21
1.26
2.5
56
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out %
I think this ends up going to Taylor and Leonard, but there will probably be more churn here than in other fielding evaluations between now and the end of the season.
Final Analysis
Gold Glove
Silver Glove
C
Louis Santop (CLE)
Thurman Munson (NYY)
1B
Will Clark (MCG)
Dan McGann (BAL)
2B
Cookie Rojas (NYG)
Ryne Sandberg (HOD)
3B
Scott Rolen (PHI)
Mike Schmidt (NYY)
SS
George Wright (LAA)
Ozzie Smith (KCM)
LF
Roy White (BRK)
Rick Reichardt (HOM)
CF
Willie Mays (NYG)
Paul Blair (BAL)
RF
Johnny Callison (NYG)
Roberto Clemente (HOM)
SP
Jack Taylor (HOD)
Dutch Leonard (BRK)
Defense is so hard to evaluate, right? Despite being the only team with 3 players listed here, the Gothams aren’t at the top of any of the team fielding ratings.
Looking at overall mentions may be more interesting–here is the list of players considered above, by team.
5 – New York Gothams 4 – Homestead; Philadelphia 3 – Baltimore; Brooklyn; House of David; San Francisco 2 – Cleveland; Detroit; Los Angeles; New York Black Yankees; Ottawa 1 – Birmingham; Chicago; Kansas City; Memphis; Miami; Portland 0 – Houston
Yeah, not any better actually. The Gothams are among the best teams in the league, but both Homestead and Philadelphia are most decidedly not.
Defense. Shrug.
Performance
Batters
Top 2 in each stat, leader in bold.
Dick Allen (CAG). 310/380/544. 10 3B. Johnny Bench (IND). 314/421/608. 5.2 WAR. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 338/407/649. 31 HR. Rico Carty (PHI). 285/356/460. 35 2B. Ty Cobb (DET). 350/390/572. 134 H. Eric Davis (NYY). 278/353/539. 81 R. Bobby Grich (LAA). 284/370/474. 35 2B. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 252/383/335. 76 BB, 72 SB. Kent Hrbek (POR). 303/376/591. 31 HR. Joe Jackson (CAG). 334/419/592. 81 R. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 331/445/610. Stan Musial (KCM). 332/391/594. 37 2B. Doug Rader (LAA). 335/391/546. 135 H, 100 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 299/371/449. 72 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 312/429/643. 32 HR, 96 RBI, 85 R, 79 BB, 5.6 WAR. Louis Santop (CLE). 304/336/468. 10 3B.
Pitchers
Starters
Top 2 in each stat (top 4 in ERA and WHIP), leader in bold.
17 pitchers have at least 10 wins, accounting for why we went deeper in ERA and WHIP this time. Have also included FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) for the first time, helping to unravel some of the mystery of Alejandro Peña.
Bill Byrd (BAL). 11-2, 3.09. 1.17 WHIP. Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-5, 4.07. Don Drysedale (BRK). 7-4, 3.37. 1.15 WHIP. Ned Garvin (BAL). 9-4, 2.80. 1.18 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 11-7, 3.75. 160 K. Ron Guidry (NYY). 6-9, 4.41. 155 K, 3.5 WAR. Frank Knauss (BRK). 10-4, 3.07. Alejandro Peña (BBB). 9-7, 3.54. 3.24 FIP, 4.2 WAR. Gaylord Perry (NYG). 8-7, 3.92. 3.54 FIP. Stephen Strasburg (HOU). 6-6, 3.27. Jack Taylor (HOD). 10-8, 3.35. 1.18 WHIP.
Relievers
Top 2 in each stat (top 4 in ERA and WHIP), leader in bold. 25 IP for rate stats.
Terry Adams (CLE). 2-5, 3.09. 24 Sv. Elmer Brown (POR). 3-4, 1.65. 7 Sv, 9 H. Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.94. 28 Sv. Trevor Hildenberger (BRK). 3-0, 2.45. 1 Sv, 3 H, 0.94 WHIP. Ken Howell (SFS). 3-4, 2.17. 4 Sv, 7 H, 1.01 WHIP. AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.81. 19 Sv, 0.97 WHIP. Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.62. 3 Sv, 10 H. Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-5, 3.73. 16 H. Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-3, 3.80. 14 H. Carson Smith (NYG). 2-0, 1.80. 1 Sv, 8 H. Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.11. 21 Sv, 1.02 WHIP.
Series Results
Series XXVII Sweeps
Baltimore over Philadelphia
Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXVII
Detroit over Miami Kansas City over Los Angeles Portland over Memphis New York Gothams over San Francisco
Series XXVII Splits
House of David @ Birmingham Houston @ Brooklyn New York Black Yankees @ Chicago Homestead @ Cleveland Ottawa @ Indianapolis
Original Selections: George Wright, Bobby Wallace, & Freddy Parent.
Baltimore’s Wallace is is the likely starter here, slashing 325/427/471, but after him it gets difficult. Parent is hitting well for a shortstop, slashing 275/341/464, but he’s been slightly less than a fulltime player for Ottawa.
Behind those two, the House of David’s Ernie Banks, Memphis’ Vern Stephens, and Los Angeles’ Wright are all pretty identical offensively, with OPS’ in the .770s. Banks has 8 homeruns (as does Parent), and 31 RBIs to lead the group.
Detroit’s George Davis, Los Angeles’ Wright, and Kansas City’s Ozzie Smith have been the best defensive shortstops in the AL.
So, given all that, I think we go with Wallace, Banks, and Wright. But if Parent continues to post an OPS over ,800 while staying in the lineup, he’ll have to displace either Banks or Wright.
The AI avoids the confusion, only selecting Wallace.
#NL – Effa Manley & Marvin Miller Divisions
Original Selections: Jim Fregosi, Derek Jeter, & Arky Vaughan.
Homestead’s Vaughan made the original list solely on the strength of his defense, and the conundrum continues: with an OPS of .670 to go along with the best defensive numbers in the league, Vaughan remains a borderline choice.
Portland’s Fregosi is the likely starter right now, slashing 281/344/444, and the Black Yankees’ Jeter isn’t that far behind at 288/335/415. So the two of them are in.
After that, it’s between Vaughan and three others: San Francisco’s Dick Lundy is hitting well enough to make it, but just recently moved from a reserve role to the starting lineup; Birmingham’s Troy Tulowitzki and Miami’s Robin Yount are both hitting around the same level as Vaughan.
So, right now, I would stick with same trio as before, but with a sense that one of the others–perhaps Lundy, perhaps Yount–gets on a hot streak to force the conversation.
The AI ducked the issue again, selecting only Fregosi.
{ The All-Star game is about a month away. We’ll post occasional articles about the contenders for participation in the mid-season classic. These are written “as of now,” so the final selections may vary dramatically, but hopefully these will add to the ongoing flavor of the league. }
#AL Shortstops – Bill James & Cum Posey Divisions
It’s a two man race for the starting position between Los Angeles’ George Wright (290/342/500) and Baltimore’s Bobby Wallace (314/412/436). Both of them should make it.
Behind them, it gets trickier. The pool probably contains Memphis’ Vern Stephens (273/349/439), the House of David’s Ernie Banks (289/306/440), and Ottawa’s Freddy Parent (263/336/432). Banks has 27 RBIs, which leads the group by quite a bit.
Eugenio Suarez of the New York Gothams is slashing 338/378/574, but has probably not played enough to warrant an all-star selection.
But, these are shortstops, so their defensive performance should count for something. Here, Parent has the clear edge, with Wright and Kansas City’s Ozzie Smith (who at 265/349/325 just hasn’t hit enough to force his way into the conversation) being the dominant fielders in the AL.
So, let’s call it Wright, Wallace, and Parent. The AI agrees, but avoids the difficult question by selecting Wright and Wallace.
#NL Shortstops – Effa Manley & Marvin Miller Divisions
Portland’s Jim Fregosi (275/350/450) is the only clear selection, and therefore the starter.
Offensively, you could argue for the Black Yankees’ Derek Jeter (289/338/407). But he’s really the only other candidate with a decent OPS.
Defensively, Homestead’s Arky Vaughan has probably been the best shortstop in the WBL to date (it’s either him or Detroit’s George Davis), so in this weak of a division, he could get a nod.
I’ll go with Fregosi, Jeter, and Vaughan at this point, but I wouldn’t be surprised if San Francisco’s Dick Lundy or Birmingham’s Troy Tulowitzki forced their way into the conversation by the end.
The AI punted on this one, selecting not a single shortstop to the NL squad.
This was a very close series, with each game decided by a single run.
Game One: Johnny Cueto @ Luke Hamlin
A matchup of similar hurlers, each of which have turned in some strong starts and each of which have turned in some duds. Johnny Cueto comes in at 4-2 with a 4.60 ERA and Luke Hamlin 2-3 and 4.24.
A 2-run homerun by Stan Musial put the Monarchs up in the bottom of the first, but in the top of the 4th, Oscar Charleston both extended his hitting streak to fourteen games and cut the lead in half with a shot into the left field seats. Johnny Bench and Hal Morris followed with consecutive singles, and the game was tied when Edd Roush lined a pitch into centerfield, scoring Bench. Roush was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double, and a strikeout of Chase Headley got Hamlin out of the inning.
Cueto would give up one more run in the bottom of the sixth: Rogers Hornsby singled, moved to second on a passed ball, tagged up to take third on a fly to deep CF by Ducky Medwick, and scored on a single by Ted Simmons. The bottom of the seventh was more traditional: an infield single by Ozzie Smith and a smash into the left field stands by Boog Powell put Kansas City up 5-2 and chased Cueto from the mound, to be relieved by Lefty James.
Indianapolis scored once in the 8th on a triple by Joe Morgan (in his first game back from the DL) and a sac fly from Charleston, closing the score to 5-3.
That only served to setup the top of the 9th. Frank DiPino came in for Kansas City, and gave up a double to Roush. He was relieved by Craig Kimbrel, who induced a groundout from Ernie Lombardi before giving way to the Monarchs’ closer, Jeff Pfeffer. Pfeffer walked Bob Bescher, but got a flyout from Danny Hoffman for the second out, bring up Morgan once again.
Little Joe came through with a single, scoring Roush, and Charleston doubled down the right field line, scoring 2 and putting the ABC’s on top, 6-5.
It was enough as Doc White pitched a perfect 9th for his first save.
Morgan had 3 hits and Charleston 4 RBIs for Indianapolis; Hornsby, Simmons, and Lou Brock had 2 hits each for Kansas City.
IND 6 (James 2-0; White 1 Sv) @ KAN 5 (Pfeffer 3-1, 2 BS; Wainwright 1 H; Kimbrel 7 H) HRs: IND – Charleston (2); KAN – Powell (5), Musial (6) Box Score
Game 2: David Price @ Jose Rijo
Jose Rijo has struggled this year, with an ERA approaching 7 while David Price–despite only two decisions on the year–is dragging his down towards a sub-4.00 level.
Once more the Monarchs took the early lead: a double from Stan Musial and an RBI single from Albert Pujols made it 1-0 Kansas City after 1 inning. The ABC’s tied it up in the top of the second, but then both pitchers settled down, until, with 2 outs in the bottom of the fifth, Lou Brock and Ozzie Smith delivered back-to-back doubles against Price, putting Kansas City ahead, 2-1.
Rijo got out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 6th by striking out Ed Charles for the final out. That was it for the Kansas City hurler–6 innings, 5 hits, 1 run was a very good day for him, and the somewhat shaky Connie Johnson took over in the top of the 7th.
The score remained 2-1, and again the Monarchs turned to Jeff Pfeffer in the 9th. The big right-hander walked Edd Roush, got two batters to fly out to Willie McGee in center, and then walked Danny Hoffman. So, two on and two out, and once again Joe Morgan at the plate in a key situation. This time, a lazy fly ball to left ended the game, evening the series at one with the Kansas City victory.
Both starters were excellent: Price gave up 7 hits and 2 runs in 7 innings, but still took the loss.
Johnny Bench and Hal Morris had 2 hits each for Indianapolis and Oscar Charleston was hitless, ending his streak at 14 games. McGee and Musial had 2 hits apiece for Kansas City.
IND 1 (Price 1-2) @ KAN2 (Rijo 3-2; Johnson 1 H; Pfeffer 6 Sv) HRs: none Box Score
Game 3: Rube Foster @ Andy Petite
An interesting game where Indianapolis took the lead without a hit (Bob Bescher walked, stole second, and scored on an error Kansas City’s Gene Freese at 3B). They doubled the lead when a Joe Morgan double scored a laboring Ernie Lombardi all the way from first in the top of the 4th.
But the Monarchs answered immediately, with a leadoff homerun from Albert Pujols and then, after two quick outs, five consecutive hits: a double from Freese and singles from Fielder Jones, Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, and Ted Simmons. Those hits scored 2, with the inning ending when Bescher gunned down Brock at the plate. The Monarchs were now ahead, 3-2.
Rube Foster gave up 10 hits in 6 innings, but only 3 runs while Andy Petite was spectacular, allowing 4 hits and only 2 earned runs in just over 7 innings.
Careful readers would know, then, that Indianapolis would score again: after Dave Henderson walked with 2 outs in the top of the 7th, Johnny Bench was sent to the plate to pinch-hit for Davey Concepcion. Bench sliced a triple down the right-field line, scoring Henderson and tying the game at 3.
It stayed that way to the bottom of the 9th, when Kansas City scored a run in what has become a bit of a trademark style: Brock reached on a walk (OK, that’s not so common), stole second, moved to third on a soft single to CF by Smith, and scored on a fly ball to right by Simmons, ending the game.
Willie Mitchell pitched well, but took the loss, with Craig Kimbrel earning the victory with 1.2 innings of hitless relief.
IND 3 (Mitchell 1-1) @ KAN 4 (Kimbrel 1-1) HRs: KAN – Pujols (6) Box Score
Game 4: Red Faber @ Frank Castillo
Attempting to gain a series split, Indianapolis jumped on Frank Castillo quickly, with consecutive doubles by Oscar Charleston and Johnny Bench and a single from Joe Morgan leading to an early 3-0 lead. After a Boog Powell RBI put Kansas City on the board, the ABC’s used an unexpected source to re-establish their 3-run lead when light-hitting Chase Headley doubled home Jake Stenzel.
Red Faber sailed along until the fifth, when another RBI from Powell–this one a double that scored Ozzie Smith–opened the floodgates. Albert Pujols singled home Powell, and then Rogers Hornsby hit a long homerun to right-center, putting the Monarchs in front, 5-4. That meant that, despite a subpar performance, Castillo turned the game over to Trevor Rosenthal with the lead and a chance for a victory.
Rosenthal allowed a run on a wild pitch, tying the game at 5, and putting the match in the hands of the two bullpens. Kansas City would strike first, with a 2-run homerun from Willie McGee putting them up, 7-5. But Rosenthal would be unable to hold it, allowing consecutive doubles to Bob Bescher and Hal Morris before giving way to Adam Wainwright. Wainwright would allow one more run on a sacrifice fly, so once again we were tied, this time 7-7.
Once again the ABC’s found success from an unlikely source, as Dennis Menke–called on to pinch hit for Bescher–delivered a single to center to score the go-ahead run. The ABC’s Rob Murphy, who has struggled most of the year, retired Kansas City in order in the bottom of the 8th. That setup Indianapolis’ closer, Rob Dibble, to face the heart of Kansas City’s lineup in the bottom of the 9th.
Stan Musial walked, and was replaced at first by pinch-runner Fielder Jones. Pujols whiffed, but Hornsby lifted a ball to shallow center. It fell for a single, putting runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. Dibble induced a groundball to second base by Lou Brock, but Headley–called into emergency service at shortstop–couldn’t handle the throw, loading the bases for Ducky Medwick, hitting .359 since being recalled from AAA a few weeks back.
Medwick lifted it deep enough into the OF for Jones to score easily, tying the game. Dibble struck out Salvador Perez, sending us into extra innings.
It was the bottom of the 11th, and Medwick once again: he delivered a single, scoring Jones to win the game–and the series–for Kansas City. Hornsby had 3 hits for the Monarchs.
The win went to Jeff Pfeffer, who moved to 4-1 on the year, with Lefty James suffering the loss.
IND 8 (James 2-1; Murphy 3 H; Dibble 1 BS) @ KAN 9 (Pfeffer 4-1; Rosenthal 4 BS; Wainwright 1 BS) HRs: KAN – McGee (3), Hornsby (4) Box Score
Series Notes
Joe Morgan returned from the DL in strong form, going 5-for-18 and Hal Morris went 6-for-17. But the offensive leader for Indianapolis was Johnny Bench, who had 6 hits in 13 at-bats.
Ted Simmons led the way for the Monarchs, with 6 hits in 11 at-bats. Ozzie Smith went 6-for-17 and Rogers Hornsby 5-for-14. Jeff Pfeffer was involved in the decision in all four games, going 2-0 with 1 save and 1 blown save.
