Tag: Pete Hill Page 2 of 6

TWIWBL 81.1: Year 2, Week 24

On October 29, 2025

September 9th

This week we have more playoff updates, and a look at the best rookies so far this year.

#Awards

Freddie Freeman is immediately showing he belongs at this level for Los Angeles, with the recent acquisition earning the AL Player of the Week Award, hitting .579 for the week with 4 homeruns. Over in the NL, Brooklyn‘s Duke Snider took home the Player of the Week with a .600 (!) average and 5 homers.

#Team Performance

#AL

The San Francisco Sea Lions have clinched the Cum Posey Division.

The New York Black Yankees have taken a 1 game lead over the Cleveland Spiders in the Bill James Division. Both of these teams will make the postseason, with the 3rd place team in the Bill James, the Detroit Wolverines, leading the Miami Cuban Giants by 4.5 games for the final AL playoff spot.

So, barring some real drama, the only race here is between the Spiders and the Black Yankees for playoff seeding.

#NL

The Effa Manley is a bit of a mirror of the Cum Posey, with the Brooklyn Royal Giants playing out the string, riding a 15.5 game lead over second place Philadelphia, with the Stars currently the highest ranked Wild Card team as well.

And then it gets messy.

Houston has surged in front of the Kansas City Monarchs, with the Colt 45’s leading the Marvin Miller Division by 2.5 games now. However, 3 more teams (Indianapolis, Homestead, and the House of David) are within 2.5 games of the final Wild Card spot, with Birmingham and the New York Gothams only 4 games back. All of that means that only the Ottawa Mounties (5.5 games off the Wild Card, but having 5 teams in the way) have really given up on the season.

#Player Performance

#Batters

It’s late in the year, so there is less churn in these lists. Let’s focus on the races that are still up for grabs.

Ty Cobb‘s lead in most categories is significant, but his 15 triples is only ahead of Houston’s Pete Hill by 1, with Bullet Joe Rogan and Turkey Stearns staying close with 13 each.

Miami’s José Canseco is holding onto the homerun lead with 62. He’s trailed by 2 Black Yankees: Babe Ruth with 59 and Lou Gehrig with 56.

Rickey Henderson is ahead of Ottawa’s Tim Raines by 3 in the stolen base race, 108 to 105.

Top 2 in most categories.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 279/346/639. 129 RBI.
José Canseco (MCG). 251/357/717. 62 HR.
Ty Cobb (DET). 382/436/827. 195 H, 59 2B, 15 3B, 135 R, 8.6 WAR.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 395/493/791. 9.7 WAR.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 248/376/431. 95 BB, 108 SB.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 354/407/611. 64 2B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 269/402/694. 59 HR, 139 RBI, 125 R, 104 BB.

In the less glorious stats, sitting on 197, the Black Yankees’ Mickey Mantle is guaranteed to top 200 strikeouts on the season.

#Pitchers

Luis Padrón continues to totally dominate, winning his 20th and 21st game over the past week. Sitting at 21-3, Padrón has been the best starter in the league for most of the season. With only a few weeks left, it’s possible nobody else reaches 20 victories, but we’ve listed all 5 of the other hurlers with at least 16 wins.

A couple active streaks of note: José Rijo, Padrón’s teammate on the Indianapolis ABC’s, hasn’t allowed a run in 21 innings, and Brooklyn’s Sandy Koufax is riding a streak of 10 innings without giving up a hit.

#Starters

On the one hand, this list could be 3 names long: A. Rube Foster, Padrón, and Toad Ramsey.

Top 2 in most categories.

Roger Clemens (HOU). 16-9, 3.61.
A. Rube Foster (KCM). 10-6, 3.21. .187 BA, .211 BABIP, 0.99 WHIP.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 9-7, 4.29. 232 K.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 16-5, 4.15.
Orel Hershiser (BRK). 17-5, 3.87.
José Méndez (MCG). 12-5, 4.37. 206 IP.
Luis Padrón (IND). 21-3, 3.34. 205 IP, 6.2 WAR.
Andy Pettitte (NYY). 17-8, 4.19.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 17-7, 4.55.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 15-9, 3.18. 248 K, .181 BA, 0.97 WHIP, 3.33 FIP, 7.4 WAR.
Fernando Valenzuela (BRK). 13-5, 3.60. 1 Sv, 4 H, .220 BABIP.
Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 12-11, 3.87. 3.69 FIP.

#Relievers

Top 2 in most stats, top 3 in saves and holds. 30 Min IP for rate stats, which allows the debut of the amazing start to Bartolo Colón‘s career for Homestead.

Rod Beck (SFS). 4-4, 4.93. 36 Sv, 1 H.
Bartolo Colón (HOM). 1-0, 0.87. 1 H, 0.84 WHIP.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-3, 5.40. 16 H.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-3, 2.60. 33 Sv.
Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-2, 2.20. 1 Sv, 9 H.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.14. 1 Sv, 20 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 8-4, 3.48. 32 Sv.
BJ Ryan (OTT). 2-3, 4.64. 1 Sv, 16 H.
Lee Smith (KCM). 4-2, 2.79. 6 Sv, 12 H, 0.77 WHIP.

#Injuries

A huge one: Chicago‘s Frank Thomas is out for 8-9 months with a knee injury. The Big Hurt is expected to make a full recovery, but this really will impact the American Giants’ offseason plans, as they will need a 1B for the first half of next season.

TWIWBL 80.3: A Preliminary Look at the Gold Gloves

By mknn

On October 12, 2025

In TWIWBL

{Every year towards the end of the season, I do some legwork so when the awards roll around, it’s not as burdensome. This week, the fielders, next week, the rookies.}

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

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

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

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

#C

Name	Tm	Lg	IP	A	E	PB	ZR	RTO%	cERA	FRM
Johnny Bench	IND	NL	967	112	4	10	3.5	40%	5.26	7.6
Curt Blefary	BAL	AL	937	103	2	4	2.0	38%	5.68	1.6
Gary Carter	OTT	NL	900	114	5	9	4.3	42%	6.15	4.9
Josh Gibson	HOM	NL	973	102	3	6	-1.5	30%	5.98	7.7
Elrod Hendricks	HOD	NL	825	104	4	7	4.6	41%	5.47	3.9
Joe Mauer	POR	AL	974	129	5	6	2.7	37%	5.36	4.9
Thurman Munson	NYY	AL	957	91	6	2	3.0	36%	5.29	3.0
Mike Piazza	BRK	NL	966	88	2	12	-2.8	31%	4.62	4.5
Buster Posey	NYG	NL	933	100	4	9	2.6	39%	5.43	8.0
Iván Rodríguez	MCG	AL	917	116	2	14	5.3	47%	5.61	1.8
Ted Simmons	KCM	NL	907	108	5	5	2.4	37%	4.31	-2.3

IP = Innings Played; A = Assists; E = Errors; PB = Passed Balls; ZR = Zone Rating; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out%; cERA = Catcher’s ERA; FRM = Framing Runs Saved

Catcher’s stats are just all over the place.

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

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

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

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

#1B

Name	Tm	Lg	IP	TC	A	DP	E	RNG	ZR	Eff
Mike Epstein	HOM	NL	957	952	56	80	4	8.93	3.0	1.016
Hank Greenberg	DET	AL	973	891	58	74	4	8.20	2.7	1.022
Kent Hrbek	POR	AL	884	846	45	79	5	8.57	1.8	1.028
Don Mattingly	NYY	AL	710	642	40	54	5	8.07	1.8	1.031
Dan McGann	BAL	AL	879	887	66	69	6	9.02	-1.9	.978
Boog Powell	KCM	NL	978	998	56	80	4	9.15	3.0	1.016
Joey Votto	IND	NL	942	863	62	76	0	8.25	4.5	1.040
Bill White	MEM	AL	793	812	35	66	6	9.15	0.4	1.007

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; DP = Double Plays; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency

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

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

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

#2B

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

Name	Tm	Lg	IP	TC	DP	E	RNG	ZR	Eff
Roberto Alomar	OTT	NL	1035	511	62	10	4.36	-3.1	.978
Robinson Canó	KCM	NL	994	524	76	5	4.70	9.7	1.060
Eddie Collins	CAG	AL	995	528	77	11	4.67	-7.6	.943
Miller Huggins	BAL	AL	796	383	50	5	4.27	9.1	1.097
Chuck Knoblauch	CLE	AL	951	443	64	3	4.16	-9.6	.926
Nap Lajoie	HOM	NL	876	485	66	4	4.94	7.3	1.049
DJ LeMahieu	MEM	AL	644	345	53	3	4.78	7.7	1.110
Cookie Rojas	MCG	AL	738	363	62	3	4.39	-3.6	.965
Ryne Sandberg	HOD	NL	863	489	60	3	5.07	5.4	1.035
Chase Utley	PHI	NL	988	538	61	2	4.88	13.8	1.081

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; DP = Double Plays; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency

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

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

#SS

Name	Tm	Lg	IP	TC	DP	E	RNG	ZR	Eff
Jim Fregosi	POR/PHI	AL/NL	1077	497	60	8	4.09	-10.6	.940
Derek Jeter	NYY	AL	1061	504	67	16	4.14	-19.0	.911
Barry Larkin	IND	NL	705	380	49	9	4.74	8.3	1.085
Dick Lundy	SFS	AL	838	411	46	6	4.35	8.2	1.057
Freddy Parent	CAG	AL	888	508	56	11	5.04	13.2	1.058
Ozzie Smith	KCM	NL	1019	543	67	5	4.75	11.0	1.068
Arky Vaughan	CLE	AL	940	444	53	8	4.17	10.4	1.085
Robin Yount	MCG	AL	952	473	59	6	4.41	8.3	1.052

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; DP = Double Plays; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency

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

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

#3B

Name	Tm	Lg	IP	TC	DP	E	RNG	ZR	Eff
Dick Allen	CAG	AL	1046	260	24	15	2.11	0.5	1.010
Buddy Bell	POR	AL	1045	296	23	8	2.48	7.9	1.054
Adrián Beltré	OTT	NL	936	272	6	7	2.55	0.3	1.007
Ron Cey	BRK	NL	956	278	24	7	2.55	4.7	1.035
Manny Machado	BAL	AL	857	259	14	10	2.61	0.9	1.013
Eddie Mathews	BBB	NL	1014	291	29	8	2.51	-2.6	.986
Doug Rader	LAA	AL	1047	287	26	13	2.35	0.9	1.021
Scott Rolen	PHI	NL	973	265	16	7	2.39	4.0	1.050

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; DP = Double Plays; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency

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

#LF

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

Name	Tm	Lg	IP	TC	K	E	RNG	ZR	Eff	ARM
Johnny Bates	CLE	AL	1006	205	4	2	2.09	7.0	1.053	-1.0
Bob Bescher	IND	NL	681	149	1	2	1.94	-4.3	.950	-2.1
Don Buford	LAA/NYG	AL/NL	705	127	0	1	1.61	-2.8	.957	-0.6
Rickey Henderson	SFS	AL	1040	199	3	4	1.69	10.0	1.104	-2.8
Sherry Magee	PHI	NL	658	127	1	0	1.74	3.7	1.046	-1.9
Bob Nieman	BBB	NL	720	145	4	2	1.79	-1.0	.961	-1.6
Frank Robinson	BAL	AL	897	184	4	2	1.83	0.3	.998	-1.8
Babe Ruth	NYY	AL	627	128	1	2	1.81	5.7	1.084	-1.3
Roy White	BRK	NL	1006	213	5	2	1.89	9.3	1.075	-1.2
Jim Wynn	HOU	NL	755	140	0	2	1.64	-4.4	.955	3.3

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; K = Outfield Kills; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency

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

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

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

#CF

Name	Tm	Lg	IP	TC	K	E	RNG	ZR	Eff	ARM
Paul Blair	BAL	AL	838	251	3	2	2.73	10.4	1.084	-2.3
Chili Davis	DET	AL	979	283	13	8	2.53	-12.5	.928	1.5
Willie Davis	PHI	NL	898	287	4	3	2.85	15.2	1.109	-2.0
Curtis Granderson	BBB	NL	974	317	1	5	2.88	4.8	1.030	-4.6
Pete Hill	HOU	NL	800	222	2	2	2.47	0.7	.997	-2.8
Willie Mays	NYG	NL	1065	327	3	4	2.73	11.3	1.046	-4.2
Willie McGee	KCM	NL	845	261	10	7	2.71	-5.9	.963	-1.4
Mike Trout	LAA	AL	940	282	2	1	2.69	-0.2	1.006	-3.3
Vernon Wells	CAG	AL	624	209	2	3	2.97	-5.2	.968	-2.6

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; K = Outfield Kills; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency

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

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

#RF

Name	Tm	Lg	IP	TC	K	E	RNG	ZR	Eff	ARM
Beals Becker	BRK	NL	1022	233	7	3	2.03	3.0	1.007	0.7
Mookie Betts	MEM	AL	775	166	1	0	1.93	6.8	1.076	-3.7
Roberto Clemente	HOM	NL	973	243	8	6	2.19	5.6	1.050	-3.1
Larry Doby	CLE	AL	768	186	1	7	2.10	5.0	1.064	-4.2
Stan Musial	KCM	NL	801	157	2	4	1.72	7.0	1.072	0.8
Ichiro Suzuki	LAA	AL	1035	227	5	0	1.97	5.4	1.036	-2.4

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; K = Outfield Kills; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency

This is very close in both leagues.

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

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

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

#P

125 IP minimum.

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

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

Name	Tm	Lg	IP	TC	RNG	ZR	Eff	SBA	RTO%	FRM
Roger Clemens	HOU	NL	183	13	0.64	-3.0	1.659	61	25	-0.4
Gerrit Cole	LAA	AL	155	21	1.22	0.5	1.438	44	32	0.4
Pud Galvin	LAA	AL	130	24	1.66	1.3	1.149	31	39	-0.7
Bump Hadley	SFS	AL	164	30	1.65	-0.3	.996	62	34	0.5
Walter Johnson	POR	AL	189	19	0.91	4.8	1.217	28	61	0.3
José Méndez	MCG	AL	200	20	0.90	4.4	1.086	43	56	-0.7
Stubby Overmire	MEM	AL	175	21	1.08	2.2	.853	16	63	-0.0
Gaylord Perry	NYG	NL	185	31	1.51	-0.3	.996	35	29	0.7
Toad Ramsey	HOU	NL	196	18	0.78	1.0	.913	42	41	-0.5
Bob Rush	HOD	NL	156	26	1.44	3.3	.996	19	63	0.0
Jack Taylor	HOD	NL	163	19	1.05	5.6	.996	41	63	0.0
Doc White	IND	NL	130	8	0.55	1.8	.996	18	50	1.9

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; DP = Double Plays; E = Errors; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; Eff = Defensive Efficiency; SBA = Stolen Bases Attempted; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out%; FRM = Framing Runs

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

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

TWIWBL 78.2 Spotlight on the Houston Colt 45’s

By mknn

On September 13, 2025

In TWIWBL

This team still feels a year or two away, but there is a bright future in Houston.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

Houston is just an odd team right now. Solid starting pitching, good speed, a strong ability to get on base … but very little power, a horrendous bullpen, and some very unsettled positions, at least at present.

THE OFFENSE

The most important thing is how young this team is. Only Jorge Posada (36) and Jim O’Rourke (29) are on the far side of the magic age of 27, and and George Brett and Jim Wynn (23), Carlos Correa (22), and Pete Hill (19) are well under it.

#What’s Going Right

Jeff Bagwell, Carlos Correa, and Tony Gwynn all have OPS over .900, although Gwynn’s has fallen since an earlier flirtation with a .400 BA. Bagwell looks to be on the very edge of stardom, but it is Correa, who is slashing 326/404/553, who may be the biggest surprise.

Jim Wynn has 27 HRs, second on the team to Bagwell’s 28.

Jim O’Rourke has bounced back from a disappointing first season, slashing 258/362/500 in a super-utility role.

Mention must be made of Paul Goldschmidt, who has 8 homers in under 100 PAs, making the most of his limited chances.

#What’s Not Going Right

Jorge Posada struggles offensively, with an OPS under .750. Not horrific for a backstop, but not good.

Pete Hill continue to show power, but his .765 OPS won’t cut it in a WBL OF. BUT, Hill is 19, so you could also see this as part of what’s going right.

George Brett and Craig Biggio both continue to show flashes of great talent, along with long periods of low production. But with the departure of HR Johnson, the team seems committed to each of them for the future.

Andrés Galarraga bounced down from an excellent first season, earning himself a trip to AAA.

THE PITCHING

A real challenge: there are some truly top end performances here in Ramsey and Clemens, and then a lot of potential. And lets not even discuss the bullpen.

Some of the same comments as with the position players: Oswalt is the aged veteran of the crew at 27, so this is a very young staff (and that doesn’t even account for teenage phenom Leon Day at AAA).

#What’s Going Right

Toad Ramsey is putting together one of the best seasons in WBL history, sitting at 13-9 with a a3.19 ERA and 217 strikeouts. The knuckleballer has been absolutely dominant, with a 6.6 WAR on the mound so far.

Roger Clemens has been excellent, matching Ramsey in wins with a very impressive 3.60 ERA of his own.

Andrew Chafin has been excellent in the bullpen, as have (in very limited action so far) Jim Kern and Roberto Osuna (Kern is a special surprise, after being torched last season).

Ice Box Chamberlain seems to have recovered from injury, posting a 3.41 ERA over his 7 starts.

#What’s Not Going Right

Roy Oswalt and Stephen Strasbourg are just frustrating, mixing good outings with horrible one, with both of them posting ERA’s over 6.00.

The bullpen has been quite poor, especially since Tug McGraw–fairly effective as a closer–hit the DL.

John Franco and Chafin are the only arms left from the start of the year, with Brad Lidge, Kent Tekulve, and Billy Wagner all having moved back to AAA (and, in Tekulve’s case, out of the system entirely).

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

This is a strong system, at least on the field. In the OF, César Cedeño (who was OK in the WBL earlier in the season), Kirby Puckett (who wasn’t), Shin-Soo Choo, and Von Joshua all have some promise.

3B Edgar Martínez may be the best bat in the system, and SS Travis Jackson clearly has WBL talent. Add to that C Will Smith–who may replace Posada as soon as next season–and you have a decent amount of talent.

On the mound, it’s a little more spare, but Vida Blue and Leon Day are still teenagers as is Ice Box Chamberlain. Additionally, at least a couple from the group of Bret Saberhagen, Bill Harper, Carlos Rodón (part of the HR Johnson trade), and Rick Wise should emerge as WBL rotation starters.

WHAT’S NEEDED

The Colt 45’s just need to continue to develop, especially on the mound.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

Can the bullpen perform? Some indications (McGraw, Chad Qualls, and Andrew Chafin‘s performance last year in small samples) are positive; others not so much (the size of those samples, Kent Tekulve‘s challenges). In a word, no. Although, McGraw should be back soon, and he, Chafin, and the newly-acquired Sparky Lyle do give Houston as good a trio of lefties as you can want.
Who emerges at C? Evidently, nobody. Currently, it rotates between Posada, Craig Biggio, and O’Rourke, but the latter two are really not catchers. Look for Will Smith here next season.

FEATURED SERIES

Houston heads to Homestead to start the week for a four game series.

Projected Starters

Houston’s starter listed first.

Ice Box Chamberlain (2-3, 3.41) @ David Price (3-6, 5.33)
Toad Ramsey (13-9, 3.19) @ Doug Drabek (4-5, 5.04)
Roger Clemens (13-8, 3.60) @ Billy Pierce (9-7, 5.07)
Roy Oswalt (6-8, 6.44) @ Juan Marichal (8-11, 6.10)

I mean, a sweep is not out of the question. But both of these teams are just so inconsistent, I would say a series split is the most likely outcome.

Game One

David Price‘s debut start for Homestead gets to wait a little while, as Doug Drabek gets the nod for the Grays against Ice Box Chamberlain.

Paul Goldschmidt drove in a run with a single in the top of the first but Willie Stargell tied it up in the bottom of the frame. Chamberlain struggled with his command, surrendering a solo shot to Rick Reichardt, then hitting both Owen Wilson and Honus Wagner. But he settled down and got out of the inning without further damage.

The bottom of the 5th saw Josh Gibson–already with 2 doubles on the day–go deep for his 35th homerun, extending the lead to 5-1.

The Colt 45’s closed to 5-3 in the 6th, chasing Drabek from the mound with 2 outs on an RBI groundout from Carlos Correa and a seeing eye single through the left side from Goldschmidt.

Tony Gwynn brought the Colt 45’s within 1, and then, in the top of the 9th and facing the newly-aquired Robb Nen, Jim Wynn launched one out of the park to tie the game. Then Gorman Thomas hit his 4th homerun in 15 at-bats and, out of nowhere, Houston had a 7-5 lead. Nen couldn’t make it out of the inning, and when the smoke cleared, the Colt 45’s had a 4 run lead, 9-5.

Craig Biggio, Gwynn, and Goldschmidt each had 3 hits for Houston while Gibson had 4 hits and 3 RBI’s for the Grays in a losing effort.

HOU 9 (Osuna 2-1) @ HOM 5 (Nen 1-1, 1 BSv; Price 1 H; Friend 1 H)
HRs: HOU – Wynn (28), Thomas (4); HOM – Reichardt (34), Gibson (35).
Box Score

Game Two

Game two will see the stellar Toad Ramsey face off against Homestead’s Billy Pierce.

After a Tony Gwynn double, Jeff Bagwell drove in his 90th run of the year with a single in the top of the first. Jim Wynn followed with his 29th homer of the year, and the Colt 45’s staked Ramsey to a 3-0 lead.

But this Grays team is hard to put away: Rick Reichardt hit a 2 run shot, making it a 1 run game.

Houston seemed to have Pierce’s number, though: Pete Hill and Jorge Posada hit back to back homers in the 2nd, and Jim O’Rourke singled in another run in the 4th, extending the lead to 6-2.

Back to back doubles from Andrew McCutcheon and Judy Johnson made it 6-3, but that was really it. Houston scored some more, notably on Posada’s second drive of the game, but the outcome had already been secured for Houston.

HOU 10 (Ramsey 14-9) @ HOM 3 (Pierce 9-8)
HRs: HOU – Wynn (29), Posada 2 (11), Hill (8); HOM – Reichardt (35).
Box Score

Game Three

Bartolo Colón will take the ball for the Grays in game 3, opposed by Houston’s Roger Clemens as the Colt 45’s look to take the first 3 of the series.

Josh Gibson took Clemens deep in the bottom of the 1st, and Roberto Clemente did the same in the 2nd for an early Grays lead. Meanwhile, Colón was dealing, allowing no runs and 3 hits over 5 innings.

Clemens had to exit with back pain after 5, relieved by Dock Ellis.

Homestead added 2 more on an Andy Van Slyke bomb in the 8th, but the story was Colón, who took the mound in the 9th with a 3 hit shutout. He walked Craig Biggio with 2 outs, but got Tony Gwynn to fly out to LF to preserve the shutout and, more importantly, the victory.

With the shutout, Colón lowered his ERA on the year to 0.45 over 20 innings.

HOU 0 (Oswalt 6-8; Blue 1 H; Kern 1 H) @ HOM 4 (Williams 10-11)
HRs: HOU – none; HOM – Gibson (36), Clemente (21), Van Slyke (24).
Box Score

It was good news for Houston after the game, as Clemens is expected to make his next start.

Game Four

Roy Oswalt will try to get the Colt 45’s the series win, but Cliff Lee, making his first start since his injury, will try to even it up for Homestead. Both teams have minor league franchises deep in the thick of it and hence have not yet benefitted from the full roster expansion.

Oswalt has struggled all year, laboring to a 6-8 record and an ERA in the mid 6.00’s.

Paul Goldschmidt drove in a run in the top of the first, but the score was evened at 1 when Judy Johnson scored on a passed ball. The Grays surged ahead, 4-1, on a 2 run shot from Goose Goslin and a solo homer from Andrew McCutcheon in the 2nd.

A bad throw from McCutcheon allowed a run to score for Houston in the 5th, halving the lead to 4-2, Homestead.

Oswalt couldn’t make it out of the 5th, as a walk to Willie Stargell and a single by Mike Epstein prompted Houston to turn to young Vida Blue out of the pen.

Goldschmidt chased Lee with a game-tying shot into the right field stands in the 6th, and his relief, Bob Friend, allowed a deep shot to George Brett, giving the 1 run lead back to Houston at 5-4. Johnson went yard in the 6th, and we were all tied once more, 5-5.

McCutcheon’s second error of the day allowed Ice Box Chamberlain (on as a pinch runner) to score the go-ahead run in the 7th as Casey Stengel celebrated his return from a rehab assignment with a slow bouncer up the middle that the Grays’ CF let go under his glove.

Jim Wynn added a homerun, and–perhaps more importantly–Tug McGraw and Sparky Lyle closed the game out, offering hope for some stability at the back end of the Colt 45’s bullpen.

HOU 7 (Blue 1-0; Lyle 1 Sv; McGraw 1 H; Osuna 4 H) @ HOM 5 (Friend 5-10)
HRs: HOU – Goldschmidt (9), Brett (14), Wynn (30); HOM – Goslin (7), McCutcheon (19), Johnson (6).
Box Score

Houston took the series, putting themselves in prime position to overtake Kansas City for the Division lead. It was a strong performance: power, starting pitching, and most importantly, a bullpen that may be finally coming together at the most important time of the year.

TWIWBL 77.2 Spotlight on the Brooklyn Royal Giants

By mknn

On August 28, 2025

In TWIWBL

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

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

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

THE OFFENSE

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

#What’s Going Right

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

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

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

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

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

#What’s Not Going Right

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

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

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

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

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

THE PITCHING

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

#What’s Going Right

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

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

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

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

#What’s Not Going Right

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

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

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

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

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

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

WHAT’S NEEDED

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

Most of all, Brooklyn needs to stay healthy.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

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

FEATURED SERIES

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

Projected Starters

Houston’s starter listed first.

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

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

Game One

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

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

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

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

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

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

Game Two

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Game Three

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

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

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

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

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

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

Game Four

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TWIWBL 71.8: The NL All Stars

By mknn

On February 5, 2025

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

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

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

#C

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

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

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

#1B

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

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

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

#2B

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

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

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

#SS

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

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

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

#3B

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

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

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

#LF/RF

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

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

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

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

#CF

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

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

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

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

#DH

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

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

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

#SP

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

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

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

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

#RP

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

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

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

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

#NL All Stars

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

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

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

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

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

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

Starters in bold.

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

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

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

Here they are by team

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

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

TWIWBL 71.1: Year 2, Week 14

By mknn

On January 27, 2025

In TWIWBL

July 2nd

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

#Awards

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

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

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

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

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

#Team Performance

Yawn.

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

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

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

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

#Player Performance

Batters

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

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

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

Pitchers

Starters

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

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

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

Relievers

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

18 IP minimum.

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

#Injury Report

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

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

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

#The All Star Candidates

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

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

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

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

#C

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

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

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

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

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

Gibson and Cochrane should be the starters.

#1B

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

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

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

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

#2B

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

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

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

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

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

#SS

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

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

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

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

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

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

#3B

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

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

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

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

#OF

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

#LF

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

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

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

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

#CF

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

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

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

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

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

#RF

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

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

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

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

#DH

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

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

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

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

#P

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

All pitchers are sorted by ERA.

#SP

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Swingmen / Long Relivers

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

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

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

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

#Closers & Setups

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

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

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

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

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

TWIWBL 70.6: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On January 10, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Indianapolis ABC’s	43-34	.558	—
Kansas City Monarchs	43-34	.558	—
Wandering House of David	35-41	.461	7.5
Houston Colt 45s	34-43	.442	9
Birmingham Black Barons	30-46	.395	12.5

Marvin Miller Division | 25 June

#Birmingham Black Barons

Jim Pagliaroni went deep twice and Birmingham got a good start from Lefty Gomez in a 6-4 win over the Gothams.

Troy Tulowitzki drove in 6 runs in a 9–2 win over the Gothams where Greg Maddux was solid for 7 innings, improving his record to 6-8.

Albert Belle hit 2 homeruns, but Birmingham’s bullpen struggled–again–and the Black Barons dropped to the House of David, 5-4.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Needing a starter, the Colt 45’s sent struggling flamethrower Billy Wagner to AAA, recalling Rick Wise from AA. Wise came through with a solid outing, and Jeff Bagwell went deep twice as Houston walked over Ottawa, 13-3.

Craig Biggio reached double digits in homeruns on the season with 2 deep shots and Houston blew away Indianapolis, 19-1. Carlos Correa drove in 6 and Biggio 5 in the rout, and Pete Hill scored 4 times. Roger Clemens improved to 9-4 with a solid 6 innings.

Stephen Strasbourg finally got his first win of the season, combining with John Franco and Tug McGraw on a 3-hit blanking of Indianapolis. Strasbourg fanned 10 in 7 innings of work and Bagwell hit his 18th homer of the year in the 2-0 victory.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Gorham Leverett was returned to the minors, with the ABC’s preferring a long reliever who can also start if needs be. They promoted Eppa Rixey, who fits the bill.

With Bob Bescher ready for recall from a rehab assignment, Emil Frisk‘s increased comfort at the WBL level was enough for the ABC’s to send Dave Henderson to AAA in an attempt to revive the veteran’s swing.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Albert Pujols hit 2 out, leading the Monarchs to a 4-3 win over Philadelphia.

Ted Simmons did Pujols 1 better, blasting 3 in an 11 inning, 12-6 win over Ottawa. Simmons drove in 6, with the win going to Craig Kimbrel who improved his record to 2-1 and lowered his ERA to a blistering 1.14.

Simmons hit another 2 (giving him 14 on the season) and Kansas City again beat the Mounties, this time 6-4.

#Wandering House of David

George Gore hit 2 out and the House of David came from behind to beat Indianapolis, 5-4.

Ryne Sandberg went deep twice, reaching 28 on the year, and carried the House of David to a 2-1 win over Birmingham. Kyle Peterson was excellent in his first start, but wasn’t involved in the decision, with the win going to Karl Spooner and Lee Smith picking up his 5th save.

Anthony Rizzo will miss about a month with a fractured finger, prompting the House of David to recall Jung Ho Kang from AAA.

TWIWBL 70.1: Year 2, Week 13

By mknn

On January 2, 2025

In TWIWBL

{ Happy 2025, y’all! }

June 25th

Today, we’ll check in on last year’s all stars from the National League, and next week review the candidates for this year’s midseason classic.

#Awards

Baltimore is starting to make some noise, led by Frank Robinson, who was the AL Player of the Week after hitting .409 with 3 homeruns. Boog Powell of the Kansas City Monarchs hit .522 with 4 homers, earning honors over in the NL.

#Team Performance

Other than a bit of separation in the Effa Manley Division, not a lot has changed.

The New York Black Yankees still lead the Bill James Division, but Cleveland has closed to within 4. San Francisco, tied with the Black Yankees for the best record in the league, is beginning to run away with the Cum Posey Division, leading Chicago (the only 2nd place team under .500) by 9.5 games.

Brooklyn tops the Effa Manley Division, but it’s still tight, with Homestead 2 and the New York Gothams 3.5 games back. A 2-8 record in their last 10 games has dropped Ottawa 7.5 games behind.

Finally, the Indianapolis ABC’s and the Kansas City Monarchs are in a dead heat in the Marvin Miller Division.

The Birmingham Black Barons retain the dubious honor of having the worst record in the league at 30-46.

#Player Performance

Batters

Detroit‘s Ty Cobb had fallen under .400, but a torrid streak has him back on top of the league in batting average at .409, edging in front of Houston‘s Tony Gwynn who sits at .404.

Cobb’s performance really deserves some attention: it’s not just the .409 average, it’s the league leading .861 SLG, driven by 36 doubles and 23 homers. He’s clearly the best hitter in the league so far, although Detroit’s overall performance may reduce his standing in the MVP race.

Roberto Alomar (OTT). 324/405/617. 67 R.
José Canseco (MCG). 256/374/740. 33 HR.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 330/381/642. 9 3B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 409/460/861. 106 H, 36 2B, 5.1 WAR.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 391/471/744. 4.7 WAR.
Tony Gwynn (HOU). 404/436/632. 110 H.
Pete Hill (HOU). 280/366/477. 9 3B.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 372/416/613. 36 2B.
Stan Musial (KCM). 329/392/573. 37 2B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 293/417/759. 36 HR, 85 RBI, 73 R.
Larry Walker (OTT). 296/369/727. 33 HR, 77 RBI.

Rickey Henderson (San Francisco) and Tim Raines (Ottawa) continue to be 1-2 in the league in steals, 55 to 46.

Two batters (Indianapolis’ Adam Dunn and the Black Yankees’ Mickey Mantle) have struck out over 100 times, but with 16 others already over 80, they won’t be alone in the century club for long.

Pitchers

Starters

Indianapolis’ Luis Padrón continues to lead the league in wins with 11. The three other starters with double-digit wins are also included below.

Two interesting newer names here: Rube Foster (Andrew Rube, not Rube) has just been impossible to hit, and now that he is safely over the IP threshold to qualify, it will be interesting to see how long he stays on the leaderboards. Brooklyn‘s Smokey Joe Williams has pitched excellently, despite a sub .500 record to show for it.

A. Rube Foster (KCM). 5-0, 2.22. 0.89 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 8-4, 3.54. 114 IP.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-4, 3.77. 136 K, 3.1 WAR.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 10-4, 4.34. 3.49 FIP.
Luis Padrón (IND). 11-2, 4.22.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 10-3, 3.57.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 10-4, 2.87. 116 IP, 145 K, 0.90 WHIP, 2.72 FIP, 5.0 WAR.
Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 6-7, 3.29. 3.1 WAR.

Relievers

We’ve listed the top 3 relievers in saves. We’re getting some separation here, but it’s still hard to really point to anyone–other than Kansas City’s Craig Kimbrel–as being lights-out dominant.

17 IP minimum.

Rod Beck (SFS). 3-2, 3.80. 19 Sv.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 1-1, 3.18. 17 Sv.
Ken Howell (SFS). 4-1, 1.32. 1 Sv, 4 H.
Bob Howry (PHI). 3-1, 3.60. 10 Sv, 0.775 WHIP.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-3, 3.62. 1 Sv, 10 H.
Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 1-1, 1.31. 2 Sv, 10 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 4-2, 3.45. 20 Sv.
Rob Murphy (IND). 1-1, 3.09. 1 Sv, 11 H.
Lee Smith (HOD). 4-1, 2.97. 3 Sv, 6 H, 0.73 WHIP.

#Injury Report

The biggest injury to hit in a while is Kansas City’s Stan Musial, who will miss about a week.

Homestead’s Owen Wilson, Memphis‘ Skel Roach, and Miami‘s Al Oliver are all due to start rehab assignments this week.

#Last Year’s NL All-Stars

As we ramp up to this year’s all-star game, seemed a good time to check in on last year’s designees. This week, we’ll take a look at (what was last year) the AL.

#OBV

Rod Beck (SFS). Second in the league in saves, despite some rough other numbers. Should be enough.

José Canseco (MCG). A .256 average ain’t great … but 33 homers and a nearly 1.100 OPS is.

Lou Gehrig (NYY). A borderline choice last year, Gerhig has upped the power a notch this year.

Josh Gibson (HOM). Gibson has blossomed this year with an OPS over 1.200. He’s probably the best backstop in the WBL at 21 years old.

Lefty Grove (SFS). Doing even better than last season.

Ken Howell (SFS). Continues to be dominant in a support role.

Joe Mauer (POR). Mauer has a 302/383/502 slash line. Nuff said.

Scott Rolen (PHI). Rolen continues to deliver for the Stars.

Babe Ruth (NYY). Still leading the league in key categories, most notably HR and RBI.

#Mebbe

Terry Adams (CLE). A decent shot, sitting 5th in the league in saves with solid peripheral numbers.

Johnny Bench (IND). Bench was probably the best C in the league last season; this year he’s picked it up as of late, but still has fallen far short of last year’s levels.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 1B is so hard … Blomberg has 27 homers and an OPS just shy of 1.000, yet may not make the midsummer classic.

Mike Epstein (HOM). See Blomberg above. Epstein has an OBP near .400 and a SLG near .600, and may be on the fringes as well.

Jim Fregosi (POR). Is an .800 OPS enough at SS? Maybe …

Rickey Henderson (SFS). A borderline choice last year as well … but a .400 OBP and over 50 SBs at the season midpoint is compelling.

Reggie Jackson (SFS). Jackson is no longer threatening the triple crown, but he’s still sporting an OPS of about .980. So mebbe.

Mickey Mantle (NYY). Mantle has an OPS just over 1.000, but the CF contenders are pretty thick. So we’ll see if it gets him in.

#Meh

Kent Hrbek (POR). A fringe MVP candidate last year, Hrbek has fallen to the ranks of the thoroughly average this year.

Derek Jeter (NYY). Jeter has more power this year, but is hitting under .250, moving him behind other contenders.

Thurman Munson (NYY). Munson may belong in the level below, having fallen dramatically from last year’s heights.

Bobby Murcer (POR). Murcer hasn’t been bad, with a 262/327/496 slash line. But it’s not all star material.

Ron Reed (CLE). Reed is effective this year, but not all-star material.

Cy Young (CLE). Still a workhorse, but not nearly as effective as last season.

#What Happened?

Buddy Bell (POR). Bell has been on fire as of late … which has raised his OPS to a not-so-robust .669.

Don Drysedale (BRK). From one of the better aces in the league to an ERA well over 6.00.

Tom Herr (NYY). Herr rode an all-star first half of last season to a trade to a contender, but has struggled since then, including a .655 OPS this year.

Chuck Knoblauch (CLE). Another hard collapse, with Knoblauch falling to a little below Tom Herr levels.

Charlie Root (DET). Made it as a reliver last year, now a full time starter and being no more than adequate.

#Other

Eric Davis (NYY). Solid, but missed too much time through injury.

Tim Hudson (SFS). Injured, and not doing well when not.

Red Ruffing (NYY). Doing well since his return from injury, but has only gotten a handful of starts.

Johan Santana (POR). No longer in the WBL after a horrifically ineffective return from long-term injury.

TWIWBL 69.6: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On December 9, 2024

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Indianapolis ABC’s	39-31	.557	—
Kansas City Monarchs	39-31	.557	—
Wandering House of David	31-38	.449	7.5
Houston Colt 45s	31-41	.431	9
Birmingham Black Barons	28-43	.394	11.5

Marvin Miller Division | 18 June

#Birmingham Black Barons

John Malarkey replaced Sam Streeter in the rotation for Birmingham.

Jim Whitney had easily his best outing of the year with a 4 hit shutout of Houston. He improved to 3-2 with the 1-0 victory, lowering his ERA to 3.55. Whitney followed that up with a masterful 8+ in a 5-1 win, again over Houston, adding another victory and shaving another 0.20 from his ERA.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Bones Ely heads to AAA with Ice Box Chamberlain coming back up for another stint. Johnny Damon was also sent down and while the Colt 45’s strongly considered recalling Roberto Osuna to help their bullpen, they settled instead on veteran OF Luis Gonzalez.

Toad Ramsey struck out 11 and allowed only 1 hit–that a homerun–in a 4-1 victory over Birmingham. The Colt 45’s scored 4 in the top of the 9th–2 on solo shots from George Brett and Jimmy Wynn and 2 on a double by Pete Hill–to help Ramsey improve to 10-4.

#Indianapolis ABCs

Emil Frisk was returned to AAA as Ed Charles was recalled from his rehab assignment.

Johnny Bench continues to emerge from a season long sense, hitting 2 out in an 8-6 loss to Brooklyn, giving him 17 on the year.

Jake Stenzel will miss about a week, warranting a trip to the DL with Frisk coming back up.

The Only Nolan put in his best start of the year, allowing 1 run in 8 innings and striking out 11 in an 8-2 win over the Gothams.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Boog Powell hit 2 out, but those were the only runs the Monarchs could manage in a 10-2 loss to Homestead.

A. Rube Foster was magnificent, spinning a 2-hit shutout in a 10-0 win over Homestead. Ted Simmons had 3 doubles and Powell and Lou Brock each went deep in the victory.

The Monarchs’ best hitter, Stan Musial, will miss about a week as a strained groin will send him to the DL. Jim King was called up from AAA.

#Wandering House of David

Bruce Sutter and Lee Smith swapped roles, with Smith becoming the designated closer for the House of David.

Ernie Banks went deep twice and drove in 5 as the House of David pounded Ottawa, 15-4. Anthony Rizzo, Joe Harris, and Frank Grant also went deep for the home team.

TWIWBL 68.1: Year 2, Week 11

By mknn

On October 28, 2024

In TWIWBL

June 11th

Only a few weeks to All Star selections!

#Awards

Ottawa‘s Roberto Alomar won the NL Player of the Week, hitting .625 with 4 homeruns, while scoring and driving in 9.

Manny Ramírez of the Memphis Red Sox is already approaching his production from last season, and hitting .368 with 3 homers and 10 RBI’s earned him the AL Player of the Week.

#Team Performance

I am likely to regret writing this as the season unfolds, but three of the divisions really seem to be settling down. The New York Black Yankees continue to have the best record in the WBL, leading Cleveland by 7 games in the Bill James Division. In the Cum Posey Division, San Francisco has pulled away from Miami and Chicago, leading the former by 6.5 games and the latter by 7. And, over in the Marvin Miller Division, Indianapolis and Kansas City are tied for the top spot, 7 games ahead of the House of David.

That leaves the Effa Manley Division, where nobody really wants to take control, with Homestead currently in first and Philadelphia in last place, only 4.5 games back

The New York Gothams have ridden an 8-2 streak to move within 1 game of Homestead and the Birmingham Black Barons may finally be showing some life, going 7-3 in their last 10 games. It’s too early to really get excited in Birmingham, though: that run of success leaves them with still having the worst record in the league, 11 games out of first place.

Cleveland, Homestead, the Brooklyn Royal Giants, and the House of David have all struggled a bit, sporting 3-7 records over their last 10 games.

Some differences in style are emerging across the league, with all teams playing between 62 and 65 games.

Ottawa continues to have by far the most terrifying offense in the league, sporting a team OPS over .900 and leading the way with 160 homeruns. They are also the only team to have scored 400+ runs at this point.

San Francisco and Baltimore are the most patient teams in the WBL, each with over 260 walks, over 100 more than Brooklyn and Miami at the other end of the list. San Francisco and the Black Yankees strike out the most while Kansas City and Philadelphia are the hardest to whiff by a long shot.

Finally, Indianapolis and San Francisco are neck and neck in SB with 138 and 137 respectively. Only Ottawa and Chicago are also over 100, while the New York Gothams have only swiped 45 bases.

#Player Performance

Batters

This may be the first time in the history of the WBL that Babe Ruth only leads in 2 categories and those 2–runs and walks–are arguably the least important metrics being tracked.

José Canseco and Larry Walker have each reached the 30 HR mark and Walker’s amazing streak has vaulted him over Ruth for the RBI lead.

Tony Gwynn–at a blinding .420–is the only hitter over .400, although Homestead’s Josh Gibson is edging into that territory at .399.

Roberto Alomar (OTT). 324/407/616. 56 R.
José Canseco (MCG). 289/400/821. 30 HR.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 325/382/582. 7 3B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 396/446/806. 86 H, 4.1 WAR.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 399/467/759. 3.9 WAR.
Tony Gwynn (HOU). 420/457/656. 96 H, 31 2B.
Pete Hill (HOU). 288/368/498. 8 3B.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 376/424/615. 31 2B.
Stan Musial (KCM). 319/384/552. 32 2B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 292/410/712. 27 HR, 69 RBI, 58 R, 47 BB.
Larry Walker (OTT). 324/395/781. 30 HR, 71 RBI.
Ted Williams (MEM). 311/432/612. 45 BB.

Pitchers

Starters

Indianapolis’ Luis Padrón was the first hurler to 10 wins, leading the league at 10-1, and Houston‘s Toad Ramsey is the only player with 9. We’ve included the 3 starters with 8 wins and 2 or fewer losses below and everyone with an ERA below 3.00, as well as the usual statistical leaders.

It paints an odd picture, as Ramsey has actually faded a bit over the past few weeks, but retains his spot as the best pitcher in the WBL right now.

Frank Castillo (KCM). 8-1, 4.03.
Johnny Cueto (IND). 8-2, 3.38.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 7-4, 3.26. 99 IP, 2.9 WAR.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-2, 3.65, 109 SO.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 8-4, 4.15. 3.39 FIP.
Hardie Henderson (PHI). 6-4, 2.98.
Luis Padrón (IND). 10-1, 3.61.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 9-3, 2.68. 117 SO, 0.93 WHIP, 2.78 FIP, 3.9 WAR.
Ed Walsh (CAG). 5-2, 2.95. 1 Sv.
JM Ward (PHI). 3-2, 3.56. 1.00 WHIP.

Relievers

All three relievers with 9 holds are included, as well as all 3 with ERA’s below 1.50.

15 IP minimum.

Rod Beck (SFS). 2-2, 4.60. 15 Sv.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-1, 3.12. 9 H.
Ken Howell (SFS). 4-1, 1.23. 4 H.
Bob Howry (PHI). 3-1, 3.60. 10 Sv, 0.75 WHIP.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-2, 2.66. 1 Sv, 9 H.
Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 1-0, 1.04. 1 Sv, 9 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 3-2, 3.86. 17 Sv.
Tug McGraw (HOU). 2-2, 1.04. 4 Sv.
Lee Smith (HOD). 4-1, 3.55. 1 Sv, 5 H, 0.79 WHIP.

#Injury Report

Baltimore may receive a big boost to its bullpen with both John Wetteland and, more importantly, Sean Marshall due to begin rehab assignments this week. Marshall was among the most dominant relievers in the league last season before being injured.

Indianapolis’ 3B Ed Charles and Miami’s OF Al Oliver should both begin a rehab assignment late in the week

#Oddities

Thought we would check in on some of the odder performances in the league so far.

We’ll start with Homestead’s Mike Epstein and San Francisco’s Jimmie Foxx, each of which are hitting under .240 with OPS’ over .900. Epstein’s slash line is 236/369/577 while Foxx’s is 222/326/593. Half of Foxx’s 42 hits have been homeruns (Birmingham’s Curtis Granderson has 38 hits and 20 homers).

14 players who have seen a decent amount of playing time are sporting batting averages below .200. Only 2 of them have an OPS over .800. If you’re a diehard fan of the WBL, you may guess that one of them is Chicago’s eternal dilemma, Mike Fiore. Fiore is hitting .194. But 33 walks gives him a respectable .344 OBP, and 11 homers up his SLG to .472, giving him an OPS of .816. The other is Birmingham’s Eddie Mathews, who is doing it all with power. His OBP is barely over .300, but 19 homeruns gives him a .519 SLG to go with it.

On the mound, in the won-loss record is a bad stat department, I’ll offer up Bert Blyleven of the Portland Sea Dogs and Philadelphia’s John Montgomery Ward. Blyleven has 14 starts and is 6th in the league in IP, but sports only a 2-4 record while Ward has pitched excellently, holding a 3.56 ERA over 13 starts and the second best WHIP in the league at 1.00, but only managing a 3-2 record.

At the other end of the scale, 2 hurlers with at least 7 wins also have ERAs over 5.00: Ottawa’s Old Hoss Radbourn at 8-4, 5.79 and the New York Gothams’ Don Sutton at 7-3, 5.40.