Houston‘s Jim O’Rourke continues a great recovery from a disappointing performance last season with a National League Player of the Week Award. O’Rourke hit .550 in the penultimate week of the season as the Colt 45’s try to clinch their first Marvin Miller Division title.
In the AL, the often-overlooked Lou Gehrig picked up the Award with the Black Yankee‘s 1B hitting .400 with 6 homeruns.
#Team Performance
#AL
The Black Yankees had a good week in the Bill James Division, moving from a virtual tie with Cleveland into a 1.5 game lead. The Detroit Wolverines, however, have picked a bad time to struggle, and they now hold only a half-game lead over Miami for the final Wild Card spot.
It’s an interesting final week on the schedule: the Black Yankees visit San Francisco in a likely playoff series preview, and then close out the year against the much-improved of late Baltimore Black Sox. Cleveland probably has the easiest schedule, hosting the lowly Memphis Red Sox, and then ending the year at Miami, who play Detroit before that series with the Spiders.
Miami not only has their future in their own hands, they also could decide the Black Yankees / Spiders race.
#NL
With 96 victories in the Effa Manley Division, the Brooklyn Royal Giants have an outside shot at 100 and, with a 5 game lead, Philadelphia looks to have locked up a Wild Card spot.
Houston has a clear path to the Marvin Miller Division crown on paper, with a 4 game lead and series left against the New York Gothams and the Wandering House of David. The final Wild Card spot is likely to come down to the final series of the year, with Kansas City hosting Indianapolis, although the House of David are technically still in the race.
#Player Performance
#Batters
An overpowered year on offense comes to a close. This list has been fairly constant for a while, I’ve added a 2nd list with less desirable stats as well.
Top 2 in most categories.
Lance Berkman (CLE). 279/369/645. 141 RBI. José Canseco (MCG). 256/357/716. 66 HR. Oscar Charleston (IND). 336/377/618. 196 H. Ty Cobb (DET). 384/438/828. 214 H, 65 2B, 16 3B, 148 R, 9.4 WAR. Josh Gibson (HOM). 395/492/798. 10.7 WAR. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 248/378/421. 103 BB, 121 SB. Pete Hill (HOU). 270/345/449. 14 3B. Joe Jackson (CAG). 355/410/607. 67 2B. Tim Raines (OTT). 250/353/438. 111 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 282/416/745. 70 HR, 162 RBI, 142 R, 117 BB.
Here are some of the less positive performances. Only the leader is listed (although Dunn is 2nd in SO and Lajoie 2nd in negative WAR).
Cupid Childs (BBB). 222/343/327. Adam Dunn (IND). 207/341/468. 190 SO. Ted Kluszewski (PHI). 248/291/442. -1.5 WAR. Nap Lajoie (HOM). 232/254/407. -1.4 WAR. Manny Machado (BAL). 240/284/518. 24 GIDP. Mickey Mantle (NYY). 254/367/588. 214 SO. Doug Rader (LAA). 242/299/455. 24 GIDP.
This list is interesting, honestly. Childs’ OBP and Dunn’s power hide other clear faults, and it’s surprising that WAR sees Kluszewksi as that bad. Mantle is obviously the best of this group.
#Pitchers
#Starters
As it has been for most of the seasion, this list continues to be dominated by 3 names: A. Rube Foster, Luis Padrón, and Toad Ramsey. I’ve added some usage stats (GS, IP) to help fill out the picture as the season winds down, and, as with the batters, a 2nd list for some less desirable leaders (Hardie Henderson could be on both, given 18 wins and his league-leading walks number).
Top 2 in most categories.
A. Rube Foster (KCM). 11-7, 3.27. .187 BA, .217 BABIP, 1.01 WHIP. Ron Guidry (NYY). 11-7, 4.51. 251 K. Hardie Henderson (IND). 18-12, 3.78. 98 BB. Orel Hershiser (BRK). 18-5, 3.76. José Méndez (MCG). 13-5, 4.47. 35 GS. Luis Padrón (IND). 23-3, 3.20. 228 IP, 7.0 WAR. Andy Pettitte (NYY). 18-8, 4.26. Eddie Plank (SFS). 19-7, 4.46. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 16-10, 3.23. 223 IP, 282 K, .182 BA, 0.97 WHIP, 3.39 FIP, 7.9 WAR. Ed Walsh (CAG). 9-10, 3.84. .222 BABIP. Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 12-12, 3.87. 3.58 FIP.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 7-15, 6.45. Walter Johnson (POR). 13-11, 4.10. 91 BB. Christy Mathewson (NYG). 7-15, 5.58. 36 GS.
#Relievers
Top 2 in most stats, top 3 in saves. 35 Min IP for rate stats.
Rod Beck (SFS). 4-4, 5.09. 39 Sv, 1 H. Bruce Chen (BBB). 2-4, 6.71. 4 Sv, 11 H, 67 G. Rheal Cormier (NYY). 1-3, 4.93. 17 H. Eric Gagne (BRK). 3-3, 3.12. 37 Sv. Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-3, 2.27. 2 Sv, 10 H. Bob Howry (PHI). 4-1, 3.32. 24 Sv, 0.89 WHIP. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.81. 1 Sv, 20 H. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 8-4, 3.52. 33 Sv. Andrew Miller (MEM). 7-8, 4.42. 4 Sv, 12 H, 71 G. Akinori Otsuka (CAG/BBB). 8-3, 2.26. 7 Sv, 5 H. Lee Smith (KCM/HOD). 4-2, 2.75. 6 Sv, 12 H, 0.76 WHIP.
We have 2 weeks left in the season, so a ton of focus on the playoff races feels appropriate.
#Awards
The House of David‘s Anthony Rizzo hit 4 homeruns and hit .429, earning himself the NL Player of the Week Award. Over in the AL, it was a familiar name–Babe Ruth of the New York Black Yankees–earning the Award. Ruth hit .526 with 6 homeruns and 11 RBIs as New York pushes towards the playoffs.
#Team Performance
#AL
The San Francisco Sea Lions have clinched the Cum Posey Division, and either the Cleveland Spiders or the Black Yankees will win the Bill James Division (currently the 2 teams are locked in a dead heat for the top spot), with the other team taking 1 of the 2 Wild Card slots.
This week offers the Black Yankees a huge opportunity, as they host both Detroit and Cleveland: a strong week from New York could settle a lot of questions.
#NL
Brooklyn has clinched the Effa Manley Division, and all else is chaos.
Philadelphia is (a) 15 games behind the Royal Giants and (b) leading the Wild Card race by 2.5 games.
The Houston Colt 45’s have put their best baseball on the field when it matters, and are currently leading the Marvin Miller Division by 4.5 games, putting them in good position to claim their first postseason appearance.
Behind them, Indianapolis and Kansas City are tied with identical 74-76 records, with the House of David 1.5 games behind them. But the worst team in the NL–the Ottawa Mounties–are only 4.5 games out of the Wild Card. Now, climbing over 6 teams is hard, but anything is possible.
With that many teams still engaged, all of the matchups this week have meaning, but Houston visiting Indianapolis to start the week will certainly grab some attention.
#Player Performance
#Batters
Babe Ruth does Babe Ruth things, as his 6 dingers on the week have allowed the Bambino to retake his customary spot atop the HR log. While it looks like Josh Gibson will fall short in his pursuit of .400, it does seem like he may be able to hold off Detroit’s Ty Cobb in the batting average race.
Cobb reached 200 hits this week, and may very well end the season the only batter to top that milestone (Oscar Charleston and Tony Gwynn each need 14 more hits–doable but perhaps not likely).
Top 2 in most categories.
Lance Berkman (CLE). 281/369/648. 136 RBI. José Canseco (MCG). 253/356/716. 64 HR. Oscar Charleston (IND). 333/376/615. 186 H. Ty Cobb (DET). 383/437/832. 203 H, 62 2B, 16 3B, 142 R, 9.0 WAR. Josh Gibson (HOM). 394/490/794. 10.2 WAR. Tony Gwynn (HOU). 338/374/535. 186 H. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 246/377/423. 101 BB, 114 SB. Pete Hill (HOU). 268/343/446. 14 3B. Joe Jackson (CAG). 353/406/604. 64 2B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 279/412/731. 65 HR, 150 RBI, 135 R, 111 BB.
#Pitchers
#Starters
At full usage, most starters have 2-3 chances to win games remaining. Which means 4 players are chasing 20 wins, while Indianapolis’ Luis Padrón just keeps dominating, sitting at 22-3.
This list continues to be dominated by 3 names: A. Rube Foster, Padrón, and Toad Ramsey.
Top 2 in most categories.
Roger Clemens (HOU). 17-9, 3.51. .220 BABIP. A. Rube Foster (KCM). 11-6, 3.13. .185 BA, .211 BABIP, 1.00 WHIP, 3.67 FIP. Ron Guidry (NYY). 10-7, 4.32. 239 K. Orel Hershiser (BRK). 17-5, 3.75. José Méndez (MCG). 12-5, 4.42. 216 IP. Luis Padrón (IND). 22-3, 3.20. 6.7 WAR. Andy Pettitte (NYY). 18-8, 4.14. Eddie Plank (SFS). 18-7, 4.41. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 15-10, 3.26. 216 IP, 269 K, .182 BA, 0.98 WHIP, 3.43 FIP, 7.6 WAR.
#Relievers
Top 2 in most stats, top 3 in saves. 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, 5.20. 38 Sv, 1 H. Bartolo Colón (HOM). 1-1, 1.70. 1 H. Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-3, 5.04. 17 H. Eric Gagne (BRK). 3-3, 3.06. 34 Sv. Eddie Guardado (NYY). 2-2, 2.11. 2 Sv, 10 H. Bob Howry (PHI). 4-1, 3.00. 23 Sv, 0.83 WHIP. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.98. 1 Sv, 20 H. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 8-4, 3.42. 33 Sv. Lee Smith (KCM). 4-2, 2.92. 6 Sv, 12 H, 0.79 WHIP.
#Injuries
Some useful pieces may be back in times for the postseason: Cleveland’s Cory Gearrin, Detroit’s Hank Aguirre, Kansas City’s Jock Menefee, Miami’s Gary Sheffield, and the House of David’s Pete Browning may all return to action this week.
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.
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.
{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.
Pennant race intrigue galore as we enter the final month of the season!
#Awards
#August Awards
Brooklyn‘s emerging stud Fernando Valenzuela went 5- 1 in August, earning the NL Rookie of the Month for August; in the AL, San Francsico‘s rookie superstar Turkey Stearnes hit .389 with 10 homers and 24 RBI’s during the month, taking home the AL Award.
Valenzuela was eclipsed by Indianapolis‘ Luis Padrón for the overall monthly award. Padrón went 5-0 in the month with a 3.09 ERA as he solidified his status as the best hurler in the WBL this season, winning the NL Pitcher of the Month for August. The AL Pitcher of the Month went to Andy Pettitte of the New York Black Yankees, who rode a 5-1 record to the Award.
Ernie Banks of the House of David had a torrid August, slugging 14–FOURTEEN–homeruns and hitting .370 as he was named the Batter of the Month in the AL. Over in the NL, the Batter of the Month Award went to Detroit‘s Ty Cobb, who hit .452 in August, reclaiming a shot at a .400 average for the season.
#Weekly Awards
Stearnes hit .435 with 4 homers over the final week of August, earning the rookie CF the AL Player of the Week while Brooklyn’s 3B Ron Cey hit .455 with 5 homers, earning him the NL Player of the Week Award.
#Team Performance
Here is where we are.
In the American League, The San Francisco Sea Lions are going to win the Cum Posey Division, and either the Cleveland Spiders or New York Black Yankees are going to win the Bill James Division (right now, the Spiders hold a 1.5 game edge). Whoever loses the Bill James will take one Wild Card spot, and either Detroit (8 gams back in the Bill James) or Miami (1.5 games behind Detroit) will take the other.
Over in the National League, it’s a lot more complicated. Brooklyn is running away with the Effa Manley Division, and right now Philadelphia–13 games behind the Royal Giants–is leading the Wild Card chase. The Marvin Miller Division is still tightly packed, with the Houston Colt 45’s holding a 2 game edge over Kansas City. However, 7 teams are within 5 games of the final Wild Card slot, so essentially, other than the Effa Manley crown, everything is left to play for in the NL.
#Player Performance
#Batters
This week, we have the story of 2 slumps. Josh Gibson has dipped below .400 for the first time in months and Babe Ruth has gone 10 games without a homerun (and only has 2 in his last 17 games). While Gibson has retained the BA lead, Ruth has surrendered the HR edge and is in fact closer, with 57, to Ernie Banks in 3rd place with 54 than José Canseco in 1st with 62.
Top 2 in most categories.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 283/347/657. 126 RBI. José Canseco (MCG). 261/367/749. 62 HR. Oscar Charleston (IND). 338/382/619. 174 H. Ty Cobb (DET). 388/443/846. 189 H, 58 2B, 15 3B, 130 R, 8.6 WAR. Josh Gibson (HOM). 396/497/775. 9.1 WAR. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 251/382/439. 93 BB, 103 SB. Joe Jackson (CAG). 363/415/623. 64 2B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 266/400/689. 57 HR, 134 RBI, 121 R, 101 BB.
#Pitchers
#Starters
All 5 players with at least 16 wins are listed, as well as the top 2 in other categories.
A. Rube Foster (KCM). 10-6, 3.09. .205 BABIP, 0.98 WHIP. Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-7, 4.40. 222 K. Bump Hadley (SFS). 16-5, 4.06. Orel Hershiser (BRK). 17-5, 3.94. Luis Padrón (IND). 19-3, 3.49. 5.9 WAR. Eddie Plank (SFS). 16-7, 4.68. Andy Pettitte (NYY). 16-8, 4.28. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 15-9, 3.25. 240 K, 0.98 WHIP, 3.34 FIP, 7.1 WAR. Fernando Valenzuela (BRK). 12-5, 3.56. 1 Sv, 4 H, .218 BABIP. Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 11-11, 3.93. 3.70 FIP.
#Relievers
Top 2 in most stats, top 3 in saves and holds.
28 Min IP.
Rod Beck (SFS). 4-4, 5.22. 33 Sv, 1 H. Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-3, 5.34. 15 H. Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-3, 2.68. 31 Sv. Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 1.99. 1 Sv, 9 H. Bob Howry (PHI). 4-1, 3.27. 21 Sv. 0.85 WHIP. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.05. 1 Sv, 20 H. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 7-4, 3.62. 32 Sv. BJ Ryan (OTT). 2-3, 4.80. 1 Sv, 16 H. Lee Smith (KCM). 4-2, 2.81. 6 Sv, 12 H. 0.77 WHIP. Brian Wilson (NYG). 2-2, 2.51. 17 Sv.
#Streaks
Been a while since I checked in on these … and there is very little going on in terms of active streaks. George Gore of the House of David has reached base in his last 8 consecutive at bats, but that’s about it.
Houston’s Carlos Correa had a 29 game hitting streak earlier this season, and San Francisco’s Lefty Grove went 34 innings without allowing a run.
The trade deadline is the biggest news, but the league rolls on into the pennant races.
#Awards
Homestead‘s Andy Van Slyke hit .500 with 7 homeruns over the past week, earning him the NL Batter of the Week Award. Over in the AL, it’s a familiar name, as Detroit‘s Ty Cobb rode a .556 average and 8 RBIs to the AL Player of the Week Award.
#Team Performance
Very little has changed.
San Francisco still dominates the league, with 80 wins, a .650 winning percentage, and a 21 game lead in the Cum Posey Division. The Sea Lions have a decent chance at clinching the division before the end of August.
Cleveland still leads the New York Black Yankees in the Bill James Division, now by 3 games, with both teams exceedingly likely to make the postseason.
And then there is the Marvin Miller Division, where last-place Birmingham is only 3.5 games behind first place Kansas City, with everything to play for over the last month-plus of the season.
#Player Performance
#Batters
Some fascinating changes here, led by Babe Ruth ceding the HR lead, at least temporarily (this happened last year as well before Ruth pulled away). Josh Gibson‘s attempt to stay over .400 is in danger, but he’s still the most formidable offensive force in the league, with Ty Cobb and Ruth close behind.
Only 4 players have a BA over .350: Gibson, Cobb, Daniels, and Chicago‘s Joe Jackson.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 295/361/688. 125 RBI. José Canseco (MCG). 264/370/759. 58 HR. Oscar Charleston (IND). 340/381/634. 162 H, 12 3B. Ty Cobb (DET). 381/436/813. 169 H, 52 2B, 14 3B, 114 R, 7.3 WAR. Kal Daniels (LAA). 358/447/674. Josh Gibson (HOM). 401/500/781. 8.3 WAR. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 248/379/433. 84 BB. Joe Jackson (CAG). 351/402/598. 54 2B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 279/408/736. 56 HR, 132 RBI, 111 R, 89 BB.
#Pitchers
#Starters
All 5 players with at least 15 wins are listed, as well as the top 2 in other categories.
A. Rube Foster (IND). 8-5, 2.93. 0.97 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 15-5, 4.37. Bump Hadley (SFS). 16-5, 4.07. Orel Hershiser (BRK). 16-5, 3.82. José Méndez (MCG). 10-5, 4.36. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 13-9, 3.19. 217 K, 6.6 WAR, 0.97 WHIP. Luis Padrón (IND). 17-3, 3.57. 5.1 WAR. Eddie Plank (SFS). 15-5, 4.38.
#Relievers
The top 3 in the league remain Josh Lindblom, Rod Beck, and Eric Gagne, who have 30, 29, and 26 saves respectively. Of those, Gagne has been the most dominant, and is probably only challenged by Kansas City’s Craig Kimbrel, who had 11 holds before being named their closer, and has posted 9 saves since. The other 3 relievers with 20-plus saves are listed as well.
28 Min IP.
Terry Adams (CLE), 1-5, 4.28. 21 Sv, 2H. Rod Beck (SFS). 4-3, 5.05. 29 Sv, 1H. Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-2, 5.07. 14 H. Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-2, 2.39. 26 Sv. Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 2.06. 1 Sv, 8 H. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.15. 1 Sv, 19 H. Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 3-4, 2.10. 9 Sv, 11 H. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 7-4, 3.86. 30 Sv. Joe Nathan (LAA/SFS). 5-5, 4.31. 20 Sv, 1H. Jonathan Papelbon (MEM/MCG). 3-5, 4.71. 20 Sv. BJ Ryan (OTT). 2-3, 5.24. 1 Sv, 14 H.
#Down On the Farm
As roster expansion looms, a look at the best AAA and AA performers of the year so far. We’re listing the slash, homerun, and stolen base leaders for hitters, wins, ERA, and saves for pitchers, and WAR for both.
#AAA Batters
Jack Hannifin (26, LVA / LAA). 267/327/706. 54 HR. Kenny Lofton (27, BUF / CLE). 277/345/482. 72 SB. Jerry Mumphrey (29, CBB / HOD). 321/377/564. 4.0 WAR. Elmer Valo (35, LVA / LAA). 343/430/583.
AAA Pitchers
Mark Baldwin (29, WAS / BAL). 10-8, 3.58. 4.5 WAR. Al Brazle (28, CBB / HOD). 10-2, 3.54. John Denny (34, QUE / BRK). 13-6, 4.32. Red Ehret (24, SJB / SFS). 13-10, 4.54. George Jeffcoat (26, HRT / NYG). 4-7, 3.23. 28 Sv. Dick Redding (21, QUE / BRK). 13-6, 3.71.
#AA Batters
Andrew Benintendi (23, TUL / MEM). 343/450/572. Lorenzo Cain (28, ABS / HOU). 333/382/554. 4.3 WAR. Rajai Davis (29, ASN / BBB). 278/315/396. 34 SB. Cy Williams (26, ALI / HOD). 306/361/716. 44 HR.
#AA Pitchers
Ping Gardner (24, SYR / HOM). 10-1, 2.67. Art Johnson (22, JCS / BRK). 10-4, 3.45. Lew Krausse, Jr. (22, JCS / BRK). 8-6, 3.99. 3.6 WAR. Doc Newton (21, JCS / BRK). 10-0, 2.86. 3.6 WAR. Lance McCullers (20, CCH / HOU). 3-5, 3.50. 24 Sv. Mike Minor (25, 6-4, 2.58. Masahiro Tanka (24, TRO / NYG). 10-12. 4.28.
Josh Gibson of the Homestead Grays hit .409 last week–which barely moved his overall batting average of .408. That, along with 5 homers and 12 RBIs earned him the NL Player of the Week Award. In the AL, one of the surprising cogs in the Detroit Wolverines‘ machine, Juan Beníquez, earned the Award, hitting .423 with 3 homers.
#Team Performance
More of the same.
San Francisco is riding a 9-1 streak, improving their winning percentage to .648, easily the best in the WBL. They lead the Cum Posey Division by 17 games over Miami.
In the Effa Manley Division, the surprising Brooklyn Royal Giants are extending their edge over Homestead, now leading the Grays by 5.5 games.
But the other 2 divisions are building to be close races: in the Bill James Division, the New York Black Yankees continue to struggle, falling to the 3rd best record in the league and only leading Cleveland by a single game. And, in the Marvin Miller Division, while the Kansas City Monarchs are in first, both Indianapolis and Houston sit only 1.5 games back.
Baltimore, despite better showings as of late, continue to hold the worst record in the league at .429.
#Player Performance
#Batters
Remember when we were talking about Tony Gwynn and Ty Cobb competing to hit .400? They now sit roughly 40 points behind Josh Gibson, leading the universe with a .408 average. Offensively, the league revolves around three players: Gibson, Cobb, and Babe Ruth. And Ruth’s exploits are even more impressive when you consider his .285 average.
But, for now, Gibson stands alone, leading in all 3 slash categories.
As always, top 3 in most stats with the leaders in bold.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 255/370/668. 40 HR, 105 RBI. José Canseco (MCG). 255/370/717. 44 HR. Oscar Charleston (IND). 342/385/641. 136 H, 12 3B. Ty Cobb (DET). 369/421/794. 136 H, 41 2B, 86 R, 5.8 WAR. Kal Daniels (LAA). 332/431/640. Josh Gibson (HOM). 408/503/809. 102 RBI, 88 R, 7.2 WAR. Tony Gwynn (HOU). 360/398/574. 138 H. Joe Jackson (CAG). 358/409/587. 47 2B. Stan Musial (KCM). 319/388/569. 40 2B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 285/420/751. 49 HR, 113 RBI, 98 R, 81 BB, 6.0 WAR. Ted Williams (MEM). 312/429/656. 770 BB.
Tim Raines and Rickey Henderson are in a see-saw battle for the SB lead, with Raines currently on top , 78-73. See below for some more on speed in the league …
#Pitchers
#Starters
San Francisco’s big three is just humming along. Bump Hadley and Eddie Plank are the only hurlers with 15 wins, and Lefty Grove has 13. Only Indianapolis’ Luis Padrón (14) and Houston’s Toad Ramsey (13) have that many.
Ramsey or Kansas City’s A. Rube Foster are probably the best overall starters in the league right now, but we’ll see how August plays out.
A. Rube Foster (KCM). 7-3, 2.66. 0.96 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 13-4, 3.92. 170 K. Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-7, 4.16. 187 K. Bump Hadley (SFS). 15-4, 3.64. José Méndez (MCG). 9-5, 4.38. 0.99 WHIP. Luis Padrón (IND). 14-3, 3.58. 3.60 FIP, 4.6 WAR. Eddie Plank (SFS). 15-5, 4.02. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 13-7, 3.04. 190 K, 0.96 WHIP, 3.07 FIP, 6.1 WAR. Jim Whitney (MCG). 6-3, 3.10. 1 Sv, 2 H. Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 9-9, 3.62. 3.59 FIP, 4.5 WAR.
#Relievers
Brooklyn’s Eric Gagne is probably the league’s dominant closer, but some of the hurlers whose role has been more fluid–notably the Gothams’ Robb Nen and the Black Yankees’ Goose Gossage–have perhaps been more valuable.
23 IP Min.
Rod Beck (SFS). 3-2, 3.72. 26 Sv. Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-1, 2.93. 21 Sv. Goose Gossage (NYY). 3-3, 2.02. 122 Sv, 8 H. Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 2.02. 1 Sv, 7 H. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-6, 5.35. 1 Sv, 14 H. Ted Kennedy (PHI). 2-2, 3.83. 4 Sv, 12 H. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 6-3, 3.65. 25 Sv. Robb Nen (NYG). 3-2, 1.88. 10 Sv, 9 H.
#Steals and Speed
Seemed a good time to check in on some oddities in running the bases.
Let’s start with some players who perhaps should be running a bit less, led by the New York Gothams‘ recently acquired Don Buford, who has 21 steals, but has been caught 20 times. Houston’s Craig Biggio has been even worse, with only 10 steals in 26 attempts. Chicago‘s Eddie Collins has been gunned down 23 times, but has 45 swipes: not a great success rate, but far ahead of Buford and Biggio.
San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson has been caught the most times in the league, but with 73 steals against 25 caught stealings, his success rate remains decent.
On the other end of the scale, Indianapolis’ Bob Bescher has only been caught 10 times in 53 attempts; Kansas City’s Ozzie Smith is doing even better, with an 84% success rate (42 for 50 so far); and the Black Yankees’ Eric Davis has gone 37 for 42.
Ottawa‘s Carlos Beltrán has been thrown out only once in 26 tries but, interestingly, nobody with at least 5 steals has a perfect record on the basepaths.
#Injury Report
A big week, led by Chicago perhaps finally getting some insight into Tricky Nichols‘ year-long struggles, as last year’s ace will miss 4 or 5 months with a shoulder ailment.
Detroit and Homestead both may have some help for their pitching staffs on the way, as Buddy Napier and Joakim Soria should start rehab assignments this week for the Wolverines while Cliff Lee and Doug Drabek should do so for the Grays.
Memphis‘ Dobie Moore, the Black Yankees’ Dave Righetti, and the House of David‘s Anthony Rizzo should also find their way back this week.
A .500 average and 3 homeruns was enough for Jeff Bagwell of the Houston Colt 45’s to win the NL Player of the Week Award while, in the AL, Portland‘s resurgent Buddy Bell took home the Award, doing even better over the span by hitting .522 with 4 dingers.
#Team Performance
The yawner is the Cum Posey Division, where San Francisco continues to coast with the best record in the league, leading the division by 15 games and going 8-22 over their last 10 contests.
In the Bill James Division, where the New York Black Yankees once looked as comfortable as San Francisco, the Cleveland Spiders have closed to within 2.5 games of New York. That’s the same margin the Brooklyn Royal Giants hold over Homestead in the Effa Manley Division while, over in the Marvin Miller Division, it’s a 3 team race between Kansas City, Indianapolis, and Houston with only 2.55 games separating those 3 franchises.
Baltimore continues to flounder with the worst record in the WBL at 41-58.
#Player Performance
#Batters
Returning to this, a few things stand out: Detroit‘s Ty Cobb has hit a little bit of a lull, pulling his average well below .400 while Babe Ruth keeps doing Babe Ruth things, but isn’t as dominant as he has been in past moments. All of this has allowed the exploits of Homestead’s Josh Gibson to come to the forefront.
Gibson was an all-star, but he was overshadowed by Cobb and Ruth until now. But he’s slashing 407/500/781, which may make the young backstop the most dangerous bat in the league at the moment.
As always, top 3 in most stats with the leaders in bold.
It’s an odd list, as the gap between the truly elite performers–essentially Gibson, Cobb, and Ruth and, maybe, Cleveland’s Tris Speaker–and the next group is pretty wide.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 286/355/681. 38 HR, 101 RBI. José Canseco (MCG). 252/370/709. 42 HR. Oscar Charleston (IND). 345/390/639. 130 H, 11 3B. Ty Cobb (DET). 381/432/818. 130 H, 41 2B, 5.8 WAR. Kal Daniels (LAA). 331/434/626. Josh Gibson (HOM). 407/500/781. 1221 H, 6.5 WAR. Tony Gwynn (HOU). 366/406/563. 130 H. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 260/386/482. 63 BB, 69 SB. Joe Jackson (CAG). 362/407/592. 124 H, 44 2B. Stan Musial (KCM). 325/390/573. 40 2B. Mike Piazza (BRK). 313/350/709. 38 HR. Babe Ruth (NYY). 291/428/769. 47 HR, 108 RBI, 94 R, 78 BB, 6.0 WAR. Tris Speaker (CLE). 343/423/692. 81 R. Larry Walker (OTT). 274/355/669. 38 HR, 93 RBI. Ted Williams (MEM). 306/419/636. 81 R, 63 BB.
#Pitchers
#Starters
All 6 players with 12 or more wins are listed.
A. Rube Foster (KCM). 6-2, 2.48. 0.93 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 12-4, 3.86. 156 K. Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-6, 4.24. 169 K. Bump Hadley (SFS). 14-4, 3.62. 3.55 FIP. Orel Hershiser (BRK). 12-5, 3.76. José Méndez (MCG). 9-5, 4.12. 3.9 WAR. Luis Padrón (IND). 13-3, 3.70. 3.57 FIP, 4.4 WAR. Eddie Plank (SFS). 14-4, 3.90. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 13-5, 2.82. 175 K, 0.93 WHIP, 2.81 FIP, 6.1 WAR. Jim Whitney (MCG). 5-2, 2.88. 1 Sv, 2 H. 0.98 WHIP.
#Relievers
22 IP Min.
Rod Beck (SFS). 3-2, 3.58. 25 Sv, 1 H. 0.76 WHIP. Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-2, 5.48. 12 H. Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-1, 3.14. 20 Sv. Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 1.87. 1 Sv, 6 H. Bob Howry (PHI). 3-1, 3.91. 13 Sv. 0.78 WHIP. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-4, 3.48. 1 Sv, 14 H. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 4-3, 3.44. 25 Sv. Robb Nen (NYG). 3-2, 1.72. 10 Sv, 9 H. Lee Smith (KCM). 4-1, 2.37. 6 Sv, 6 H. 0.82 WHIP. Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.19. 14 Sv.
#Injury Report
Detroit’s Mike Henneman may start a rehab assignment later in the week.
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.
One thing became quite clear through all this: the AL is far more potent at the plate than the NL. Here, the challenge is omitting some players with 30 homeruns or near 1.000 OPS.
#C
Name
OPS
Slash
Reg Stats
Other
Ed Bailey (DET)
.985
269/365/619
20 HR; 46 RBI; 2.1 WAR
62 G/230 PA 43.2 RTO%
Mickey Cochrane (SFS)
.899
297/368/531
1.9 WAR
1.6 FRM; 4.31 CERA
Joe Mauer (POR)
.850
297/373/477
1.7 WAR
2.7 FRM
Curt Blefary (BAL)
.814
251/348/465
16 HR; 47 RBI
Carlton Fisk (CAG)
.801
222/285/516
21 HR; 56 RBI
40.2 RTO%; 2.2 FRM
FRM = Framing Runs | RTO% = Runners Thrown Out | CERA = Catcher ERA
Ed Bailey (whose defensive performance has been surprisingly good) and Mickey Cochrane are clearly in, with Bailey starting. That leaves Joe Mauer in a bit of no-man’s land: if the AL goes with 3 catchers, he’d be the 3rd. With Portland needing representation in the game, and a general desire for 3 backstops, Mauer makes the cut.
Iván Rodríguez has probably been the best defensive catcher in the AL (although Mauer has been quite good), but Pudge’s 237/272/448 slash line is just too weak to merit much consideration.
#1B
Name
OPS
Slash
Reg Stats
Other
Lou Gehrig (NYY)
1.029
283/394/635
28 HR; 67 RBI; 2.5 WAR
.995 Fldg
Frank Thomas (CAG)
.994
297/418/576
1.8 WAR
8.84 RF
Lance Berkman (CLE)
.980
271/364/615
28 HR; 69 RBI
Hank Greenberg (DET)
.976
276/347/629
28 HR; 2.0 WAR
.998 Fldg; 3.1 ZR
Jim Thome (MCG)
.954
231/352/603
32 HR; 72 RBI
8.84 RF
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
It’s hard to imagine that 32 HR and 72 RBI at the all star game doesn’t make the roster, but that’s what Jim Thome is facing. Lou Gehrig and Frank Thomas clearly are on the roster and while Lance Berkman and Hank Greenberg have better overall numbers than Thome, his power is gaudy enough to have the 3 in a dead heat. Perhaps Greenberg’s defense edges him in front?
In the end, none of the 3 of them made it, which is remarkable.
#2B & SS
Because Dick Lundy and Bobby Grich–two strong contenders–essentially split their time between 2B and SS, we’ll consider the two positions together. First the 2Bs.
Name
OPS
Slash
Reg Stats
Other
Rogers Hornsby (POR)
.867
280/386/481
11 HR; 33 RBI
58 G / 254 PA
Bobby Grich (LAA)
.829
238/367/462
15 HR; 44 RBI; 1.8 WAR
1.3 ZR
Eddie Collins (CAG)
.828
310/404/424
19 2B; 38 SB; 1.3 WAR
4.60 RF
Charlie Gehringer (DET)
.823
260/335/488
11 HR; 34 RBI
62 G / 242 PA; 4.96 RF
Cookie Rojas (MCG)
.800
321/365/436
29 2B
.988 Fldg; 4.51 RF
Miller Huggins (BAL)
.795
302/423/372
1.9 WAR
67 G / 241 PA; 6.4 ZR
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
And now the SS
Name
OPS
Slash
Reg Stats
Other
Cal Ripken, Jr. (BAL)
.926
293/339/587
45 G / 1655 PA
Arky Vaughan (CLE)
.906
312/400/506
19 2B; 44 RBI; 2.8 WAR
6.7 ZR
Bobby Grich (LAA)
.829
238/367/462
15 HR; 44 RBI; 1.8 WAR
Robin Yount (MCG)
.828
273/313/515
16 HR; 42 RBI
.983 Fldg; 4.42 RF
Dick Lundy (SFS)
.799
296/357/442
18 2B; 7 3B; 35 SB; 2.3 WAR
4.40 RF; 5.9 ZR
Jim Fregosi (POR)
.795
259/351/444
16 2B
.985 Fldg
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
This is rough all around.
Arky Vaughan is just about the only clear choice here, with the best all around performance by a SS if you discount Cal Ripken, Jr., who just hasn’t played enough (likewise, a lack of playing time eliminates both Miller Huggins and, most controversially, Charlie Gehringer from consideration).
If we need 4 more middle infielders, they should come from Rogers Hornsby, Grich, Lundy, Eddie Collins, and Robin Yount.
Hornsby has been the best hitting 2B, which is no surprise, but he’s also missed some time and is somewhat of a liability defensively. Still, the best OPS of the group has to count for something, so he’s in as the starting 2B for the AL.
Eddie Collins is having a bit of an off year compared to last year season. Grich, Collins, and Yount are almost indistinguishable: as such, Grich’s versatility earns him a roster spot, and Collins edges Yount for the final spot, leaving Lundy in the cold as well.
#3B
Name
OPS
Slash
Reg Stats
Other
Evan Longoria (CLE)
.958
296/352/606
26 2B; 55 RBI; 2.3 WAR
.962 Fldg; 1.5 ZR
Mike Schmidt (NYY)
.951
251/367/584
26 HR; 60 RBI; 2.4 WAR
2.57 RF; 2.2 ZR
Gary Sheffield (MCG)
.937
281/327/611
22 2B; 60 RBI; 2.0 WAR
1.3 ZR
Wade Boggs (MEM)
.887
325/396/491
28 2B
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
Wade Boggs is really just there for comparison. Mike Schmidt gets the starter’s nod over Evan Longoria, as much for his team’s performance as any discernable statistical edge.
#LF/RF
We’ll treat the corner OF’s together.
Name
OPS
Slash
Reg Stats
Other
Babe Ruth (NYY)
1.191
288/428/763
41 HR; 94 RBI; 5.4 WAR
6.7 ZR
José Canseco (MCG)
1.101
258/378/723
38 HR
Ted Williams (MEM)
1.059
310/425/634
69 RBI
Frank Robinson (BAL)
1.038
305/398/640
1.000 Fldg
Mickey Mantle (NYY)
1.009
270/380/629
32 HR; 82 RBI
Joe Jackson (CAG)
.981
354/397/584
40 2B; 31 SB
Rickey Henderson (SFS)
.866
264/386/479
62 SB; 3.0 WAR
7.3 ZR
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
Babe Ruth, José Canseco, and Ted Williams are locks. After that, it would seem criminal to omit either Frank Robinson or Mickey Mantle, although it must be noted that Uncle Robbie’s performance is ever-so-stronger than Mantle’s, earning him one of the final spots.
That would leave the electric Rickey Henderson and the extraordinary Joe Jackson on the outside looking in.
#CF
Name
OPS
Slash
Reg Stats
Other
Tris Speaker (CLE)
1.113
341/413/700
32 2B; 64 RBI; 4.6 WAR
6.2 ZR; 6 Kills
Eric Davis (NYY)
1.080
319/399/681
29 SB
45 G / 208 PA
Turkey Stearnes (SFS)
1.063
334/373/690
9 3B; 24 HR; 61 RBI; 2.9 WAR
Julio Rodríguez (MCG)
1.061
346/369/691
43 G/195 PA
Mike Trout (LAA)
.987
309/389/598
25 2B; 4 3B; 57 RBI; 3.0 WAR
1.000 Fldg
Alejandro Oms (MCG)
.881
344/406/474
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
Look, I don’t like Tris Speaker either, but the man can flat out play. So, he’s in, as is Stearnes, perhaps the leading candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year. And neither Eric Davis nor the surprising Julio Rodríguez have played enough to make the cut. So that leaves Mike Trout as the open question: Trout is clearly deserving, so the question is whether the AL goes with 2 pure CF’s or 3.
Alejandro Oms misses out, despite being 3rd in the league in BA.
#DH
Name
OPS
Slash
Reg Stats
Ty Cobb (DET)
1.299
399/450/849
38 2B; 9 3B; 75 RBI; 32 SB; 5.6 WAR
Ron Blomberg (CLE)
1.032
288/361/671
32 HR; 85 RBI
Reggie Jackson (SFS)
1.029
300/422/608
21 2B; 24 SB; 3.0 WAR
Kal Daniels (LAA)
1.013
326/425/589
21 2B; 31 SB; 2.3 WAR
Ryan Braun (MCG)
.975
280/327/648
31 HR
Gavvy Cravath (BAL)
.956
247/349/607
23 2B; 28 HR; 71 RBI
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
My lord. 31 homeruns at the all star break and a possibility of not being selected? Welcome to your life, Ryan Braun.
Obviously, Ty Cobb and Ron Blomberg are in. And it seems ridiculous to omit either Kal Daniels or Reggie Jackson.
#SP
And now we move into the AL’s weakness–there are strong top-end candidates here, but far less depth than over in the NL.
Name
W-L; ERA
Reg Stats
Other
Doc Gooden (LAA)
7-6, 3.26
.240 BABIP
58% QS
Ed Walsh (CAG)
6-3, 3.36
1.05 WHIP; .199 BABIP
0.6 WPA
Eddie Plank (SFS)
13-3, 3.73
0.5 WPA
Lefty Grove (SFS)
10-4, 3.80
140 K; 3.2 WAR
3 SHO; 2.87 SIERA; 0.5 WPA
Andy Pettitte (NYY)
10-5, 3.90
Brett Anderson (LAA)
8-2, 3.93
1.05 WHIP; .234 BABIP
Bump Hadley (SFS)
12-4, 3.98
3.67 FIP; 3.1 WAR
58% QS
Cy Young (CLE)
9-3, 4.37
3.81 FIP; 3.3 WAR
2 SHO
Ron Guidry (NYY)
8-5, 4.15
150 K
2.52 SIERA
FIP = Fielding Independent Pitching | BABPI = BA Allowed on Balls In Play | QS = Quality Starts | SHO = Shutouts | SIERA = Skill Interactive ERA | WPA = Win Probability Added
The spots fill up quickly. Eddie Plank will start the game for the AL, and his teammates Bump Hadley and Lefty Grove clearly belong. It seems silly to omit the ERA leader, Doc Gooden.
After that, it gets confusing. Ed Walsh has been almost unhittable, but is only 6-3. Andy Pettitte has 10 wins and a sub 4.00 ERA.
That would leave the overall WAR leader, Cy Young, the strikeout and SIERA leader, Ron Guidry, and the overall excellence of Brett Anderson missing out.
#RP
Name
W-L; ERA
Reg Stats
Other
Ron Robinson (SFS)
1-0, 1.64
3 Sv; 3 H; 1.00 WHIP
{ injured }
Ken Howell (SFS)
4-1, 1.72
1 Sv; 4 H
Ross Reynolds (LAA)
2-0, 2.30
1 Sv; 2 H; 1.88 FIP
Goose Gossage (NYY)
2-3, 2.41
10 Sv; 8 H
.90 Sv%
Akinori Otsuka (CAG)
3-1, 2.48
1 Sv; 5 H
Skel Roach (MEM)
1-0, 2.62
7 H; .160 BABIP
Justin Hampson (BAL)
0-0, 2.86
7 H; .159 BABIP; 1.05 WHIP
Rod Beck (SFS)
3-2, 3.20
23 Sv; .156 BABIP; 0.67 WHIP
15 SD; 2.83 SIERA; .885 Sv%
Terry Adams (CLE)
1-3, 3.80
15 Sv; 2 H
.882 Sv%
Sparky Lyle (NYY)
2-1, 4.37
3 Sv; 8 H
Rheal Cormier (NYY)
0-2, 5.75
11 H
FIP = Fielding Independent Pitching | BABPI = BA Allowed on Balls In Play | SD = Shutdowns | SIERA = Skill Interactive ERA | Sv% = Save %
The AL is a little weak in bullpen depth as well. Rod Beck is easily the class of the closers, with Terry Adams close behind. The overall excellence of Ken Howell and Goose Gossage also merit a spot, leaving Ross Reynolds, Skel Roach, and Justin Hampson on the bubble.
Hampson gets the nod, both because of how surprising his season has been and as a nod to the paucity of lefties in the AL pen.
#AL All Stars
The final 2 spots came down to choices between Mike Trout, Reggie Jackson, Kal Daniels, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Collins, and Robin Yount. A fourth middle infielder seemed like a requirement, giving the nod to Collins.
So. Reggie or Kal. Kal or Reggie. I mean. Kal Daniels is having an incredible year. But there’s just no way to argue he is more deserving than Reggie.
There is an argument to be made that the AL should only take 2 3B, replacing Gary Sheffield with Daniels. But the final choice is always going to be onerous.
Some more arguments about who was wronged (these are the highest ranked layers in each stat not to make the game).
Joe Jackson (CAG). #2 in H (109); #1 in the league in 2B (40); #2 in BA (.354). Mickey Mantle (NYY). #3 in HR (32); #3 in RBI (82). Kal Daniels (LAA). #4 in OBP (.425); #11 in OPS (1.013). Ryan Braun (MCG). #7 in SLG (.648). Rickey Henderson (SFS). #1 in SB (62); #4 in WAR (3.0). Dick Lundy (SFS). #3 in 3B (7).
And, on the mound
Cy Young (CLE). #5 in W (9); #2 in FIP (3.81); #1 in WAR (3.3). Ron Guidry (NYY). #1 in K (150); #1 in SIERA (2.52). Brett Anderson (LAA). #5 in ERA (3.93); #2 in WHIP (1.05). Walter Johnson (POR). #2 in IP (125). 4 Players have 14 saves, tied for #3. Of those, Only Ricky Nolasco (MCG) has an ERA below 4.00. Rheal Cormier (NYY). #1 in H (11).
Starters in bold.
C: Ed Bailey (DET); Mickey Cochrane (SFS); Joe Mauer (POR). 1B: Lou Gehrig (NYY); Frank Thomas (CAG). 2B: Eddie Collins (CAG); Bobby Grich (LAA); Rogers Hornsby (POR). SS: Arky Vaughan (CLE). 3B: Evan Longoria (CLE); Mike Schmidt (NYY); Gary Sheffield (MCG). LF: Frank Robinson (BAL); Ted Williams (MEM). CF: Tris Speaker (CLE), Turkey Stearnes (SFS). RF: José Canseco (MCG), Babe Ruth (NYY). DH: Ron Blomberg (CLE); Reggie Jackson (SFS), Ty Cobb (DET). SP: Doc Gooden (LAA), Lefty Grove (SFS), Bump Hadley (SFS), Andy Pettitte (NYY); Eddie Plank (SFS), Ed Walsh (CAG). RP: Terry Adams (CLE); Rod Beck (SFS); Goose Gossage (NYY); Justin Hampson (BAL); Ken Howell (SFS).
And, by team. Unsurprisingly, the 3 American League teams with records over .500 (San Francisco, the Black Yankees, and Cleveland) are supplying 18 of the 32 players.
San Francisco Sea Lions (.625). Rod Beck (P), Mickey Cochrane (C), Lefty Grove (P), Bump Hadley (P), Ken Howell (P) Reggie Jackson (DH), Eddie Plank (P), Turkey Stearnes (OF). New York Black Yankees (.618). Lou Gehrig (1B), Goose Gossage (P), Andy Pettitte (P), Babe Ruth (OF), Mike Schmidt (3B). Cleveland Spiders (.558). Terry Adams (P), Ron Blomberg (DH), Evan Longoria (3B), Tris Speaker (OF), Arky Vaughan (SS). Chicago American Giants (.466). Eddie Collins (2B), Frank Thomas (1B), Ed Walsh (P). Miami Cuban Giants (.483). José Canseco (OF), Gary Sheffield (3B). Detroit Wolverines (.453). Ed Bailey (C), Ty Cobb (DH). Los Angeles Angels (.448). Doc Gooden (P), Bobby Grich (2B). Portland Sea Dogs (.438). Rogers Hornsby (2B), Joe Mauer (C). Baltimore Black Sox (.416). Justin Hampson (P), Frank Robinson (OF). Memphis Red Sox (.494). Ted Williams (OF).
A whopping 15 players are repeat all-stars from last season: Terry Adams, Rod Beck, Ron Blomberg, José Canseco, Eddie Collins, Lou Gehrig, Lefty Grove, Rogers Hornsby, Ken Howell, Reggie Jackson, Joe Mauer, Babe Ruth, Frank Thomas, and Ted Williams.
