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TWIWBL 72.2 Spotlight on the Philadelphia Stars

By

On February 13, 2025

In TWIWBL

Philadelphia was bad last year. This year, they are pushing towards .500 with–maybe, just maybe–an outside shot at the playoffs. As importantly, they seem to have an identity for the first time.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

The Stars clearly need to keep adding talent: the gap between the leaders of the team–Aaron Judge, Charles “Bullet Joe” Rogan, Hardie Henderson–and the end of the roster is just too great. But it’s a start.

THE OFFENSE

Philadelphia’s problem, simply, is its offense. They don’t hit for average, they don’t get on base, and they don’t hit for power. Not sure what else there is … they do run the bases decently.

#What’s Going Right

Aaron Judge, an extra part in the Bill Dickey/Mike Schmidt trade, has absolutely exploded on the scene, with an OPS just under 1.00 and leading the team in HR and RBI.

Charles “Bullet Joe” Rogan is far better offensively than anticipated, sporting the 2nd highest OPS on the team and leading the Stars in SLG at .615 and BA at .295. Rogan is playing all over the place, but seeing most of his time in the OF.

Scott Rolen leads the team in WAR with an OPS around .950.

At 37, Rico Carty is still useful. He can’t move, can’t field much, but he can hit, even with occasional power.

#What’s Not Going Right

Everything else?

C continues to be a black hole, with Mike Scioscia slightly more effective than Butch Wynegar and Sherm Lollar.

Willie Davis, a leader on the team last year, is slashing 233/290/373 this season, which is quite a plummet.

Ted Kluszewski has a little power, but little else: a SLG barely over .400 just won’t cut it.

But Kluszewski’s OPS is over 100 points higher than Jimmy Rollins, who has essentially lost the job to Art Fletcher.

While Rogan is doing unprecedented things as a 2-way player, JM Ward is not, to the point the team has decided they have better options at DH when he’s on the mound.

THE PITCHING

And now the good news.

#What’s Going Right

The starting pitching is strong, led by Hardie Henderson, who is 10-6 with a 3.05 ERA at the break.

Rogan and JM Ward don’t have great records (5-8 for Rogan, 4-4 for Ward), but they’ve got fantastic peripherals led by Ward’s 1.05 WHIP.

Behind them, Steve Carlton has been solid enough.

Fred Cambria, Ted Kennedy, and Brad Kilby have been fantastic getting the ball to Bob Howry. That trio has 7 saves and 21 holds, and Howry has a 0.82 WHIP and a dozen saves.

#What’s Not Going Right

The back end of the rotation is still a bit rough. Ray Collins is in the 5th spot now, but neither he nor Robin Roberts nor Larry Jackson have really seized the opportunity.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

There is hope for the future here. I mean, prospects flame out and all that, but there is hope.

Bill Gatewood is the highest ranked prospect, and probably the best arm in the system, but Jack Kralick, Jack Easton, LaTroy Hawkins, and perhaps even Scott Garrelts and Luke Weaver all have some upside.

Bill Dickey is likely to be recalled at the all star break and Harmon Killebrew and Bobby Abreu will probably see time with the Stars this year as well. Behind them, it does thin out a little, but Richie Ashburn, Andrew Payne, and Prince Fielder all have significant value.

WHAT’S NEEDED

The offense to become league average or better, preferably led by some of the prospects stepping forward. And, of course, the pitching to not regress.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

  • What does the bullpen look like? Fairly well answered, as most teams would welcome the combined performance of Kennedy, Cambria, Kilby, and Howry.
  • How does the OF resolve, and most importantly how much of Aaron Judge‘s debut performance was a mirage? The latter first: very little, evidently. This remains a question, but not as anticipated–the Stars never anticipated CF being an open question, but with Willie Davis’ loss of form, it is.
  • Can the flashes of talent on the IF shown last year from Juan Samuel and Roger Peckinpaugh deliver over a full season? Yoikes. No, no they cannot; in fact, neither is in the WBL and SS continues to be a bit of a mess.

FEATURED SERIES

Philadelphia opens the second half of the season with 3 games at Ottawa.

Projected Starters

Philadelphia’s starter listed first.

Steve Carlton (7-9, 5.62) @ Old Hoss Radbourn (9-6, 6.13)
Charles Rogan (5-8, 4.46) @ Roy Halladay (8-6, 4.92)
Ray Collins (2-4, 5.08) @ Bill Smith (6-2, 3.57)

Game One

Both teams are in an odd spot where their #1 starter is not their best, with the opening game matching Steve Carlton against Old Hoss Radbourn.

The much-maligned Willie Davis led the game off with a solo shot to right, giving the Stars a 1-0 lead. Tim Raines matched him, leading off the bottom of the frame with his 12th homer of the year to tie the game. Rusty Staub took Carlton deep with a runner on in the 2nd, but Carlton induced an inning-ending double play from Roberto Alomar to limit the damage.

After Davis doubled in the 3rd, Aaron Judge went deep to tie the game, then, in the 5th Davis (who has been stung by the criticism, it must be said) homered again.

Larry Walker tied it up with a 2-out double in the bottom of the 5th, but the Stars broke the deadlock immediately, as Judge tripled and Rico Carty chased Radbourn from the game with an RBI double.

Carlton got the first out in the 7th, but his relief, Ted Kennedy, was greeted with a solo shot from Adrián Beltré to once again tie the contest. Kennedy–helped by Art Fletcher gunning down Raines at home and the just-recalled Bill Dickey throwing out Alomar on a steal attempt–got out of the inning without further damage.

George Hendrick hit a 2-run shot in the 8th: 7-5 Stars. But it was never going to be that easy: Gary Carter sent a Brad Kilby pitch over the wall in left with Walker on, tying us up once again.

It ended with a walkoff dinger, of course: Alomar taking Pedro Feliciano deep in the bottom of the 9th.

Davis and Judge had 3 hits for the Stars.

PHI 7 (Feliciano 0-1; Kennedy 6 BSv; Kilby 2 BSv) @ OTT 9 (Ryan 2-2)
HRs: PHI – Davis 2 (8), Judge (27), Hendrick (9); OTT – Raines (12), Staub (15), Carter (32), Alomar (19).
Box Score

Game Two

The Stars gave Hardie Henderson the start in game 2; he would face the Mounties’ Roy Halladay.

Gary Carter hit his 33rd of the year in the bottom of the first, putting the Mounties up, 2-0, and an RBI double from Álex Rodríguez made it 3-0 in the 2nd, and then the miracle of Rick Monday continued: his 21st homer of the year increased the lead to 4-0.

Jimmy Rollins‘ 1st homer of the year made it 4-1.

Henderson was chased from the game in the 5th by a 2-run shot from Roberto Alomar and an RBI double from Rusty Staub. He was relieved by Robin Roberts who gave up an RBI single to Monday before getting out of the inning with Ottawa ahead, 8-1.

There was some more: homers by Ted Kluszewski and Adrian Beltré, some other stuff. But the outcome was never in doubt, as the Mounties rolled, 14-3.

Monday had 4 hits and 4 RBIs.

PHI 3 (Henderson 10-7) @ OTT 14 (Halladay 9-6)
HRs: PHI – Rollins (1), Kluszewski (12); OTT – Carter (33), Monday (21), Alomar (20), Beltré (23).
Box Score

Game Three

Trying to salvage a game, the Stars would send out J.M. Ward to face Ottawa’s Bill Smith. Ward was recently removed from being used as DH when he pitched: we’ll see if being able to focus solely on his mound duties changes anything for Philadelphia.

The game was scoreless through 5, with Smith allowing 3 hits and Ward only 1. Rusty Staub broke the deadlock in the bottom of the 7th, touching Ward for a 2-run homerun.

Aaron Judge hit his 28th in the top of the 9th, ending Smith’s shutout bid, but, after a single by Ted Kluszewski, Ottawa’s closer, Tom Henke, was able to retire Rico Carty on a popout to center.

Ward was once again a hard luck loser, pitching 7 strong innings.

PHI 1 (Ward 4-5) @ OTT 3 (Smith 7-2; Henke 7 Sv)
HRs: PHI – Judge (28); PHI – Staub (16).
Box Score

Not good. Not only were the Stars swept, they were outscored 26-11. Still, for Philadelphia, it’s all about next year, so there will be bruises in the process.

TWIWBL 71.5: Effa Manley Division

By

On January 31, 2025

In TWIWBL

TeamW/LPctGB
Brooklyn Royal Giants47-34.580—
Homestead Grays43-38.5314
New York Gothams43-41.5125.5
Philadelphia Stars39-44.4709
Ottawa Mounties38-44.4639.5
Effa Manley Division | 2 July

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

The much maligned Pedro Guerrero had himself a day, hitting 3 homeruns and delivering the walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 11th as Brooklyn topped Birmingham, 8-7.

Beals Becker went deep twice and Fernando Valenzuela was fantastic as the Royal Giants beat the House of David, 4-1. Valenzuela improved to 6-1 with the complete game effort, allowing only 2 hits while whiffing 10.

Mike Piazza hit 2 out, giving him 33 on the year, and, in fantastically welcome news for Brooklyn, Don Drysedale put in his best start of the season as the Royal Giants topped the House of David, 9-1.

#Homestead Grays

Reliever Dave Giusti was sent to AAA, with Russ Kemmerer recalled to take his place in the bullpen.

Rick Reichardt hit two homeruns, including a grand slam, and Josh Gibson had 4 hits, raising his average to .399 as we hit the all star break. All in all, the Grays pounded out 23 hits in a 12-4 thumping of Ottawa.

#New York Gothams

Vean Gregg–called into emergency duty as a starter–turned in a great effort, combining with Mike Norris and Brian Wilson on 3-hit shutout of Ottawa. Pinky Higgins delivered all of the runs with a 3-run shot, his 9th of the year and Gregg fanned 9 in his 6+ innings of work. Norris picked up his 7th hold and Wilson his 12th save of the season.

Buster Posey hit 2 homeruns, but the Gothams fell to Ottawa, 7-5. This unfortunate pattern repeated as Larry Doyle hit his 10th and 11th of the year in an 11-9 loss to the Stars.

#Ottawa Mounties

Ottawa firmly believes in the talent of Randy Johnson. But there’s just so many unsuccessful attempts to move his ERA under 9.00 they can stomach. So they’re sending The Big Unit to AAA in hopes he can harness his immense talent. Clark Griffith–not exactly successful historically with the Mounties–was recalled. Bob Watson also headed to AAA after a mostly unsuccessful few months with Roy Sievers returning to WBL action.

The Rick Monday parade continues, with the shocking performance of the rookie continuing with 2 homeruns in a 4-1 win over the Gothams, giving him 18 on the year. As importantly for Mounties’ fans, Roy Halladay turned in a good performance, improving to 8-6, and Tom Henke picked up his 5th save of the season.

Monday did it again, hitting out 2 for 20 on the year and Gary Carter also went yard twice (giving him 30) as the Mounties beat the Gothams, 7-5.

Tim Raines–of all people–went deep twice, but it wasn’t enough as Ottawa fell to Homestead, 8-5.

#Philadelphia Stars

Bullet Joe Rogan was masterful, hitting his 16th homerun and tossing a 1 hitter as the Stars beat the Gothams, 3-0. Rogan walked 1 and whiffed 8 in the complete game effort, improving his record to 5-8 on the year.

Chase Utley hit a 2-run walkoff homer in the bottom of the 10th, giving the Stars an 11-9 win over the Gothams. Scott Rolen went deep twice, and Aaron Judge, Rico Carty, Ted Kluszewski, and Mike Sciosia also sent balls over the fence.

TWIWBL 71.2 Spotlight on the Indianapolis ABC’s

By

On January 28, 2025

In TWIWBL

Indianapolis missed the playoffs last year. This season, they are neck-and-neck with Kansas City to lead the Marvin Miller Division, sitting currently at 5 games over .500. So something’s gotten better.

The ABC’s inherit players from a franchise with a long history, but surprisingly little actual success, the Cincinnati Reds.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

This is a pitching-and-defense kind of team, but honestly it feels like they are sort of doing it with mirrors right now.

THE OFFENSE

The ABC’s are fast, but really aren’t a terribly imposing offense. It’s a reasonably standard problem: there is a handful of excellence surrounded by a lot of mediocrity.

Overall, the ABC’s–other than Oscar Charleston and Joe Morgan–just don’t hit very well, with only those two, Bob Bescher and Tommy Helms sporting batting averages over .260.

There is some power, with 6 batters in double-digits for HR, led by Adam Dunn‘s 24, but the offense is just shut down far too often.

#What’s Going Right

Oscar Charleston has blossomed, with the 20 year old OFer slashing 336/386/642 and leading the team in 2B, 3B, RBI, and R.

When healthy, Joe Morgan looks to have an argument to be the best 2B in the WBL, hitting over .300, drawing a ton of walks, and even flashing some power. But Little Joe has only played in roughly half Indianapolis’ games so far this season. So, we’ll see.

Adam Dunn and Joey Votto are eerie clones of each other, and they’re doing very well in terms of drawing walks and hitting for power (Dunn leads the ABC’s with 24 homers; Votto has added 16).

George Foster has hit for impressive power as a rookie, although the rest of his game needs some seasoning.

Barry Larkin, who was essentially awful last year, has slowly extended his claim on the starting SS spot.

Bob Bescher gets on base a lot and is very, very fast–a .359 OBP and 38 steals, with only 7 times being caught.

Luis Padrón has been something slightly above mediocre as a position player, allowing some roster flexibility.

#What’s Not Going Right

The biggest issue is Johnny Bench who, despite 21 dingers, is only slashing 2228/290/510. Now, he did hit 267/371/720 in June, so perhaps he is reverting to his form of last year, but overall it’s been a struggle, with Bench dropping down significantly in the lineup.

The rest of the roster–3B and all the reserves–have been quite poor with Robin Ventura being particularly disappointing to date.

THE PITCHING

The ABC’s are the only team in the WBL committed to a 6-man rotation, and while the top 3 or 4 slots tend to stay somewhat stable, the rest is in somewhat constant flux.

This year, it’s working more often than not, and the bullpen has been solid.

Still, there are causes for concern all over the place, as most everyone’s secondary numbers are a little weak.

#What’s Going Right

Johnny Cueto, Rube Foster, and Luis Padrón look set at the front of the rotation. Padrón has the best record in the league at 11-2, and Cueto and Foster both have sub-4.00 ERA’s. All three have decent peripherals, but Cueto and Padrón especially seem strong enough to carry a staff.

Rob Dibble has 16 saves despite being torched occasionally.

Jack Billingham has been excellent late in games, contributing across the board with a 4-1 record, 22 saves and 6 holds.

Rob Murphy is tied for the WBL lead with 11 holds.

#What’s Not Going Right

Last year’s darlings, Doc White and Willie Mitchell, are a combined 5-11 with ERA’s around 6.00.

The Only Nolan has hit a rough patch, putting what looked like a promising debut season in doubt.

Dick Tidrow has been atrocious, and is most likely not long for the WBL roster.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

There is roster filler here, but little high end talent. 3B/SS Oliver Marcell is the highest rated prospect, but 19 year old Tom Glavine may have a higher ceiling. On the IF, Donie Bush and Matt Chapman have some promise, but other than that … Bob Ewing? Jim Maloney? Chris Hammond? Yeah, roster filler.

WHAT’S NEEDED

The top-end performers to keep doing their thing while everyone else takes small steps forward. That would be enough to at least keep Indianapolis in contention for the post-season, which would be a successful season.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

  • Who starts, and does the team retain its experimentation with a 6-man rotation? The answer to the second question is yes, yes they do and the answer to the first seems fine: Cueto, Padron, and Foster, and then a makeshift group as things unfold.
  • How do the uncertainties at SS/3B resolve? Still an issue. Larkin looks to have claimed SS, but 3B remains fairly open.

FEATURED SERIES

July starts with a four game series at Philadelphia, so that’s what we’ll focus on.

Projected Starters

Indianapolis starter listed first.

Luis Padrón (11-2, 4.21) @ Charles Rogan (4-7, 4.68)
Rube Foster (6-4, 3.80) @ J.M. Ward (3-4, 4.11)
Edward Nolan (3-4, 5.32) @ Steve Carlton (7-8, 5.47)
Willie Mitchell (1-5, 5.89) @ Ray Collins (1-4, 5.40)

Game One

Luis Padrón has struggled at the plate, so the ABC’s decided he would just concentrate in his pitching in this one; the Stars had no such concerns, and Bullet Joe Rogan would take the mound and serve as DH.

Through 4 innings, Rogan had allowed only 2 hits, but they were both solo homeruns (1 to Emil Frisk, the other to Joey Votto) while Padrón had kept the Stars hitless. So, 2-0 Indianapolis.

Frisk went deep again in the 5th, and Oscar Charleston drove in a run to extend the lead to 5-0.

Chase Utley broke up the no-hitter in the bottom of the frame, but that was really it: the Stars bullpen held until the 9th, but Padrón was just too good, dominating Philadelphia in a 2-hit shutout. He improved to 12-2 on the year, dropped his ERA below 4.00, and most likely cemented his position as the starting pitcher in the all-star game for the NL.

IND 6 (Padrón 12-2) @ PHI 0 (Rogan 4-8)
HRs: IND – Votto (17), Frisk 2 (3); PHI – none.
Box Score

Game Two

The ABC’s would face John M0ntgomery Ward in the middle game, which is sort of a mixed bag: Ward’s peripheral numbers are great, but his record is only 3-4 and he’s struggled to get his ERA below the magical 4.00 mark. Indianapolis would counter with Rube Foster, whose 3.80 ERA makes an argument for his inclusion in the all-star game.

And then game the first inning: Philadelphia batted around, scored 6 runs, and Foster’s ERA ballooned to 4.35. He settled down after that and–surprisingly–made it through 5 innings, bringing his ERA back down to 4.17. Still.

Ward was dealing, making much of the rest of the game moot. He was finally chased by a moonshot from Joe Morgan, which closed the score to 8-2. He was relieved by Brad Kilby, who promptly gave up a homerun to Emil Frisk.

But the game was over, ending up 9-3 behind Ward’s fine outing. Willie Davis and Chase Utley had 3 hits each for the Stars.

IND 3 (Foster 6-5) @ PHI 9 (Ward 4-4)
HRs: IND – Morgan (15), Frisk (4); PHI – none.
Box Score

Game Three

With the series tied at 1 each, game 3 would see The Only Nolan take the mound for Indianapolis, opposed by Philadelphia’s Steve Carlton.

The ABC’s took the early lead on a 2-run shot by Joey Votto in the top of the first, but RBI singles from Butch Wynegar and Jimmy Rollins tied it up in the bottom of the 2nd. Philadelphia then took the lead on Aaron Judge‘s 25th homer of the year in the following inning, making it 3-2 in favor of the Stars.

Indianapolis rebounded on George Foster‘s 15 homer of the year, a 2-run shot making it 4-3.

Nolan couldn’t get an out in the 6th, allowing a double to Rico Carty and a walk to to Ted Kluszewski before being replaced by Willie Mitchell. Mitchell got 2 outs, but then surrendered a game-tying single to Rollins.

Carlton lasted a little longer, but departed in the top of the 8th after surrendering a single to Luis Padrón and hitting Joe Morgan with a pitch. After a walk, Oscar Charleston and Joey Votto singled and eventually Ed Charles doubled, making the score 10-4 in favor of the ABC’s.

That’s how it would end, with Votto finishing the game with 4 RBI’s as Indianapolis took a 2-1 lead in the series.

IND 10 (Mitchell 2-5, 1 BSv) @ PHI 4 (Carlton 7-9)
HRs: IND – Votto (18), Foster (15); PHI – Judge (25).
Box Score

Game Four

The series would end with Indianapolis’ Doc White taking on Ray Collins.

George Foster opened the scoring in the 2nd with a solo shot, but Joe Rogan put Philadelphia on top an inning later, launching his 15th of the year with 2 runners on base. White would give up 2 more in the 4th on RBI hits from Chase Utley and Sherry Magee. Singles to open up the 6th by Ted Kluszewski and Mike Scioscia finally chased White and brought Mike LaCoss in for his WBL debut.

Collins was finally touched for another run in the 7th, but Fred Cambria was able to work out of a jam, preserving the Stars’ 5-2 lead.

Joey Votto launched his 19th of the year in the top of the 9th off Stars’ closer Bob Howry to close it to 5-4, but that was all the ABC’s could muster.

Joe Morgan had 3 hits for Indianapolis, but it wasn’t enough, and the series ends in an even split.

IND 4 (White 4-7) @ PHI 5 (Collins 2-4; Howry 12 Sv; Cambria 1 H; Kennedy 9 H)
HRs: IND – Foster (16), Votto (19); PHI – Rogan (15).
Box Score

It’s not bad, but if the ABC’s are going to solidify their position, they need to beat up on the weaker teams, like the Stars. But 3 homeruns for Votto and 2 for Frisk and Foster are decent signs, for sure.

TWIWBL 59.4: Effa Manley Division

By

On May 20, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Homestead Grays

Josh Gibson launched a 538 ft. moon shot and Andrew McCutchen drove in 4 as the Grays topped Philadelphia 7-3. When Bob Friend had to leave with an apparent foot injury, the impressive rookie Doug Drabek threw 3 effective innings in relief to gain his first WBL victory.

#New York Gothams

The Gothams rode a strong start from Christy Mathewson and a long, long, long, long moonshot from Buster Posey to a 5-2 victory over the Stars. Posey’s 3rd homerun of the year was measured at 538 ft. Benny Kauff hit his 4th homer of the year, and Robb Nen picked up his 4th save.

George Van Haltren will miss about a month with a back issue, with the Gothams electing to summon veteran arm Guy Hecker from AAA.

#Ottawa Mounties

With Johnny Podgajny not looking to recover any time soon, the Mounties have placed the righthander on the DL. Bill Smith was recalled from AAA.

#Philadelphia Stars

This is what the Stars were hoping for: Bullet Joe Rogan allowed 2 runs in 7 innings of work and had 3 hits including his first homerun of the year, leading the Stars to a 5-3 win over Homestead.

After 130 pitches, Hardie Henderson needed some help to finish out a 3 hit shutout of the Grays. Henderson struck out 10 and Robin Roberts got the last out in a 9-0 win, supported by 3 hits from Rico Carty and homeruns from Scott Rolen and Harmon Killebrew.

Year II Season Preview: Philadelphia Stars

By

On April 6, 2024

In Team News

Expectations

For all the noise around Miami and Ottawa, it was Philadelphia who ended up with the worst record in the league. Anything approaching .500 would be a significant step forward.

Best Case

Overall number 1 pick Bullet Joe Rogan pairs with Steve Carlton to anchor the rotation and the offense improves overall, with both Bobby Abreu and Aaron Judge taking significant steps forward (and the Stars figuring out how to get both of them in the lineup at the same time).

Worst Case

Rogan struggles, as do Hardie Henderson and Ray Collins, leaving the staff as poor as last season and the aging bats–Rico Carty, Ted Kluszewski, Buck Freeman–lose more productivity than is gained elsewhere.

Key Questions

  • What does the bullpen look like?
  • How does the OF resolve, and most importantly how much of Aaron Judge‘s debut performance was a mirage?
  • Can the flashes of talent on the IF shown last year from Juan Samuel and Roger Peckinpaugh deliver over a full season?

Trade Bait

All of the older talent, including the puzzling FA signee John Titus, could be moved on, with Buck Freeman perhaps being especially attractive.

Roster Evaluation

POSEliteStrongSolidMehWeakUnknown
CLollarScioscia
1BKluszewskiKillebrew
2BUtley
3BRamírez
Rolen		Ward
SSFletcher
Rollins
LF/
RF		JudgeCarty
Hendrick		Magee
CFDavis
SPCarltonCollinsAlexander
Jackson
Ward		Henderson
Stieb
EndHowryKennedy
RPBelcherGatewood
Katoll
Meyer
Peterson
Rogan
New Addition | Injured

Pretty miserable. Judge is demoted due to playing time. I mean, the good news would be that there is, um, lots of room for improvement?

Talent Ratings

WBLMinors
Raw Power1B Ted Kleszewski
U Harmon Killebrew		U Dolph Camilli
Batting EyeU Harmon KillebrewU Dolph Camilli
Contact1B Ted Kluszewski1B Cecil Cooper
Running SpeedP/OF Charles RoganIF Roger Peckinpaugh
IF Juan Samuel
Base StealingOF Sherry MageeOF Garry Maddox
IF Defense3B Scott RolenIF Pinky May
OF DefenseP/OF Charles RoganSS Wally Gerber
StuffP/OF Charles RoganP Hardie Henderson
ControlRP Bob HowryP Robin Roberts
P Bill Stearns
VelocityRP Bob HowryRP Luke Weaver

Best In The Minors

RankAgePOSName
1 (38)23PBill Gatewood
2 (74)18PChris Archer
3 (76)23UHarmon Killebrew
4 (81)22CBill Dickey
5 (114)22OFRichie Ashburn
6 (122)211BPrince Fielder
7 (127)26PJack Easton
8 (128)19PBruce Hurst
9 (150)23SSRoger Peckinpaugh
10 (167)23PLaTroy Hawkins
Others: P Jack Kralick.

It’s not totally dire, as there is some good mid level talent, and the trio of Killebrew, Dickey, and Ashburn should all come good. Gatewood and Killebrew start the season in the WBL.

MostLeast
AgeU Rico Carty, 37P Chris Archer, 18
HeightP Bill Gatewood, 6’7″
OF Aaron Judge, 6’7″
P Steve Hamilton, 6’7″		P/OF Charles Rogan, 5’7″
C John Clapp, 5’7″
OPSIF Michael Cuddyer, 1.048 (—)IF Johnny Mitchell, .505 (AAA/AA)
HRIF Michael Cuddyer, 46 (—)IF Johnny Mitchell, .1 (AAA/AA)
IF Pinky May, 1 (—)
SBIF Juan Samuel, 36 (WBL/AAA)Many with 0
WAROF Aaron Judge, 4.0 (WBL/AAA)C Tom Egan, -1.4 (AA)
WHardie Henderson, 10 (WBL/AAA)
Larry Jackson, 10 (WBL/AAA)
Robin Roberts, 10 (WBL/AAA)		Scott Mathieson, 1 (—)
Kevin Hagen, 1 (—)
Jerry Casale, 1 (—)
SVBob Howry, 25 (WBL)
ERAAdalberto Mejía, 3.70 (—)Kevin Hagen, 8.57 (—)
WARRay Collins, 2.9 (WBL)Bronson Arroyo, -1.5 (WBL/AAA/AA)
Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

Season Review: Philadelphia Stars

By

On December 5, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

56 - 98, .363 pct.
5th in Effa Manley Division, 30 games behind.

What Went Right

Not a helluva lot.

CF Willie Davis, 1B Ted Kluszewski, OF George Hendrick, and 3B Scott Rolen were all solid, with Hendrick pushing into a consistent starting role by mid-season. Davis and Rolen were the only players with decent WAR (3.0 for Davis, 2.9 for Rolen). Only Kluszewski (25) and Buck Freeman (21) had more than 20 homeruns, and Klu led the team in RBI’s with 63 and Freeman in R with 71: scoring runs was just a struggle for the Stars all season long.

Three players made strong impressions late in the season led by a fair distance by OF Aaron Judge who managed a .900 OPS in 130 PA. IFs Juan Samuel and Roger Peckinpaugh impressed as well.

Rico Carty started strong, leading the lead in doubles the first few months of the season, but collapsed towards the end–that, combined with his age, puts Carty’s starting position (but not his roster spot) in question.

Ray Collins and Steve Carlton were decent enough in the rotation and the only pitchers with over 2 WAR (Collins 2.9, Carlton 2.3). They were the only pitchers with 30 starts and, even more depressingly, the only pitchers with more than 10 innings and ERA’s under 5.00.

ALL STAR SELECTIONS
P Ron Reed; 3B Scott Rolen

What Went Wrong

Everything else? The middle infield was pretty horrible all year, and nobody really could break out of thoroughly mediocre performances.

Carty ended weak, falling off a cliff on the final months of the season.

And the pitching was thoroughly horrid, from only Robin Roberts having a .500 record (5-5) among the starters to closer Bob Howry having 25 saves, but also getting rocked with an ERA over 6. Injuries didn’t help: Jaret Wright (probably the 3rd most effective starter), Roberts, and Pete Alexander (who was clearly overmatched by the WBL level at age 21, but also has a ton of promise) all missed significant time on the mound.

Trade Evaluations

March

3B Mike Schmidt, SP Cole Hamels to New York Black Yankees for C Bill Dickey, OF Aaron Judge, 1B Prince Fielder

Not bad. Moving Schmidt opened up room for Rolen and Judge looks like the real deal. Dickey was horrible, but at 22 is still a great prospect. Certainly, the loss of Hamels hurt, but he didn’t last with New York, being shipped to Miami in a separate deal.

June

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

Reed was an all star for Philadelphia, but fell apart for the Spiders. Henderson looks good, and both Payne and Brack may see WBL time at some point.

July

OF Gavvy Cravath & 2nd Round Pick to Portland for 1B/3B Harmon Killebrew & 1st Round Pick {Dave Stieb}
P Rheal Cormier & 4th Round Pick to New York Black Yankees for P LaTroy Hawkins, P Fritz Coumbe, IF Mike Bordick & 3rd Round Pick {Bill Gatewood}

The Cravath deal was excellent: he was leaving after the season, and Killebrew is a great prospect and the pick turned into one of the better pitching prospects in the draft in Stieb. The other one is a little meh: Coumbe made the WBL by the end of the season, but was unimpressive, although Hawkins has a very live arm.

Looking Forward

SP

Carlton, JM Ward, and Alexander should eventually be a good top 3. They need more depth, both at WBL and throughout the organization.

RP

Howry’s job is in danger, but there are no obvious options. Brad Kilby was good at AAA and Scott Garrelts shows some promise.

C

The job is, once again, Dickey’s to lose, but perhaps another year in the minors is in store for him. If so, this is likely Mike Scoscia and Sherm Lollar splitting time once again.

1B

This is Klu’s until age catches up with him. Cecil Cooper dominated at AAA, and should see some time, especially if Carty’s decline continues.

2B

The Stars would love to see Chase Utley own this, but he’s struggled mightily so far. Juan Samuel‘s end of season heroics have earned him a close look in spring training.

3B

Rolen has this locked down, but the team will need to do something once Killebrew is ready, although Killer is probably more suited to 1B/DH in any case.

SS

Peckinpaugh will get a chance here, but again it’s a spot where the Stars need some more talent, especially if Jimmy Rollins doesn’t show more.

LF

Sherry Magee looks solid here.

CF

This may be the most interesting choice in the organization. Davis was their best player, and 21 year old Richie Ashburn was probably their best prospect. Both are excellent defensively, so the odds are a trade is the most likely solution.

RF

Judge seems to have this locked down, but Bobby Abreu will see some time here as well.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

Philadelphia led off the draft by selecting SP Bullet Joe Rogan, probably the single most WBL-ready prospect available. Rogan should step into the rotation right away. Their 2nd pick in the 1st round was harder, coming down to the future possibilities of IF Trea Turner and more help on the mound. They went with the latter, opting for young RHP Dave Stieb. They continued stockpiling arms, picking up teenager Bruce Hurst and 21 year old Bill Gatewood in the 3rd round.

With Gatewood, the Stars have made four selections, using all four of their franchise exemptions, meaning the rest of their picks for this draft will be players with some historical connection to their franchise.

Rounds 5-8

The Stars will be focusing on adding arms, although IF depth would be fine as well. Since they are out of exceptions, these will all be franchise selections, limiting some of the options. Their picks included OF Milt Thompson (5th), P Odúbel Herrera (6th), OF Rhys Hoskins (7th), and IF Nux James (8th).

Rounds 9-12

At the tail end of the draft, the Stars picked up a reserve C (Todd Pratt), P Chris Archer; P Mélido Pérez; and P Jim McElroy.

TWIWBL 42.0: Series XXXIV Notes

By

On July 7, 2023

In TWIWBL

August 27th

Playoffs

The more things change, the more things stay the same …

On the whole, the playoff teams took care of business, with Cleveland sweeping Houston and Baltimore, Chicago, Portland, and the New York Black Yankees all winning 3 of 4 games.

As such, Baltimore still has the best record in the lead, and still leads the Chicago American Giants by 4 games in the Cum Posey Division. Chicago leads the wild card race, and both teams seem certain to make the postseason.

Each of the other divisions are tight as tight can be. In the Bill James Division, the Detroit Wolverines and the New York Gothams are tied for first place, with the Wandering House of David 1 game back. Over in the Effa Manley Division, the Black Yankees have maintained their lead, but it’s down to 1 game over the Cleveland Spiders and in the Marvin Miller Division, the Portland Sea Dogs lead the Birmingham Black Barons by a single game, helped by Baltimore’s 3 wins coming against the Black Barons.

Right now, Cleveland and Birmingham are tied for the final wild card slot. The Houston Colt 45’s–five games back–still have an outside shot, but getting swept essentially took them out of the race. Realistically it looks like 1 of the 9 teams vying for the divisional leads won’t make the postseason.

Performance

Going into a little more depth this time, providing some insight into players who are not performing well, but have still, for a variety of reasons, amassed enough PA or IP to qualify for the leaderboards.

Batters

The list is longer, but not really. With Babe Ruth taking over the OBP lead from San Francisco‘s Reggie Jackson, if you ignore some of the outliers (the SB leaders, the 3B, etc), the offensive leaders of the WBL boil down to Ron Blomberg and Babe Ruth, with Pete Browning, Stan Musial, and Doug Rader in a second group, with apologies to Johnny Bench of the Indianapolis ABC’s, who is putting up outrageous numbers for a backstop. Bench, Musial (Kansas City) and Rader (Los Angeles) are out of the playoff picture, but the rest should be around for the postseason.

Johnny Bench (IND). 286/390/575. 5.7 WAR.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 339/410/655. 168 H, 40 HR, 101 R.
Pete Browning (HOD). 353/390/629.
Ty Cobb (DET). 348/391/557. 169 H.
Eric Davis (NYY). 277/352/517. 5.7 WAR.
Willie Davis (PHI). 301/350/498. 11 3B.
Mike Fiore (CAG). 238/402/396. 100 BB.
Hank Greenberg (DET). 317/376/589. 41 2B.
Bobby Grich (LAA). 292/381/483. 41 2B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 268/398/356. 86 SB.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 316/430/598.
Stan Musial (KCM). 326/389/574. 44 2B.
Alejandro Oms (MCG). 255/308/398. 11 3B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 335/395/542. 122 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 288/367/426. 89 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 318/435/673. 43 HR, 121 RBI, 113 R, 100 BB, 7.4 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 304/336/464. 13 3B.

Anti-Batters

Looking at the pool of hitters who qualify for rate stats only. 17 of them haven’t hit a triple, so those are omitted.

Hank Aaron (BBB). 263/302/498. 21 GIDP.
Ernie Banks (HOD). 262/287/459. 16 BB.
Wade Boggs (MEM). 286/364/412. 25 GIDP.
José Canseco (MCG). 291/352/525. 159 SO.
Rico Carty (PHI). 264/340/421. 48 R.
George Davis (DET). 258/334/326. 1 HR.
Mike Fiore (CAG). 238/402/396. 89 H.
Tom Herr (BBB/NYY). 288/357/390. 2 HR, 25 RBI.
Gil Hodges (POR). 222/297/423. -0.4 WAR.
Frank Isbell (BBB/BRK). 310/341/401. 2 HR, 14 BB.
Derek Jeter (NYY). 262/311/369. -0.6 WAR.
Ted Kluszewski (PHI). 249/327/478. 48 R.
Freddy Parent (OTT/CAG). 257/305/431. 9 2B.
Ozzie Smith (KCM). 221/309/292. 86 H, 2HR, 25 RBI.
Pops Stargell (HOM). 243/327/427. 179 SO.
George Stone (HOD). 289/380/512. 12 2B.
Arky Vaughan (HOM/CLE). 235/348/335. 12 2B.
George Wright (LAA). 240/296/396.

This is an interesting list. There are some players considered stars on their teams–Aaron for Birmingham and Canseco for the Miami Cuban Giants especially (although GIDP and SO aren’t such awful things to lead the league in). Others are having decent seasons overall–Boggs, Banks, Hodges, Stone.

And then there is Ozzie Smith, hands down the weakest overall offensive player in the WBL. He’s been good defensively, but that’s a lot of negative output at the plate to overcome.

Mike Fiore offers the interesting case of being the only player to make both lists, leading the league in walks and having the second fewest hits of anybody qualifying for the leaderboards (behind Smith, of course).

Pitchers

Starters

A shorter list this time: 6 players have 14 wins, but since they would be 3rd in the league behind Christy Mathewson and Jack Taylor, they aren’t listed unless they qualify under another stat.

One thing to note: the presence of two starters from the San Francisco Sea Lions underscores how disappointing the season has been for them.

Lefty Grove (SFS). 13-7, 3.55. 191 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 7-11, 4.42. 175 K.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 16-7, 3.50.
Roy Oswalt (HOU). 12-8, 3.63. 188.1 IP.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 11-9, 3.72. 4.8 WAR, 3.45 FIP.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 11-6, 3.87. 3.29 FIP.
Andy Pettitte (KCM/BBB). 14-4, 3.05. 1.18 WHIP.
Jack Taylor (HOD). 15-9, 3.13. 1.12 WHIP.
Cy Young (CLE). 10-9, 4.64. 188.1 IP, 4.4 WAR.

Anti-Starters

Bert Blyleven (POR). 10-10, 4.17. 30 HRA.
Roger Clemens (MEM/HOU). 11-8, 5.31.
Vean Gregg (HOM). 9-8, 4.78. 97 BB, 1.59 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 13-7, 3.55. 98 BB.
Luke Hamlin (KCM). 9-12, 4.80.
Jon Lester (MEM). 9-12, 4.68.
Dolf Luque (IND). 8-10, 5.29. 5.67 FIP.
Juan Marichal (NYG). 11-8, 5.64. 1.56 WHIP.
Wade Miley (HOD). 7-5, 5.05. 5.50 WHIP.
Don Newcombe (MCG/CAG). 4-13, 6.44. 34 HRA.
Jack Scott (NYY). 14-5, 4.41. 30 HRA.

Lefty Grove is on both lists: if he ever masters his control, he could be the best starter in the league (and if he loses an edge to his pitches, he could quickly be out of the league).

Blyleven and Scott are front of rotation starters for playoff bound teams, and Clemens has pitched far better since arriving in Houston, but his earlier performance for the Memphis Red Sox was so, so poor.

Newcombe is an conundrum: he doesn’t give up many hits or many walks, but when he does get hit, he gets hit hard.

Relievers

The best of the lot are probably Baltimore’s Buddy Groom and a duo from the Gothams, closer Brian Wilson and do-everything Mike Norris.

35 IP for rate stats.

Terry Adams (CLE). 2-6, 2.84. 33 Sv. 1 H.
Buddy Groom (BAL). 2-2, 1.93. 6 Sv, 13 H, 0.99 WHIP.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-6, 4.83. 35 Sv.
* Sean Marshall (BAL). 5-0, 1.79. 1 Sv, 8 H, 0.98 WHIP.
Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.34. 8 Sv, 13 H.
Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-6, 4.58. 3 Sv, 17 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 6-4, 3.92. 1 Sv, 17 H.
Ed Walsh (CAG). 8-6, 2.73. 5 H, 3.00 FIP.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.00. 24 Sv, 1 H, 2.58 FIP.

Streaks

Very little going on here.

Los Angeles’ Bobby Grich–who should come of the DL soon–has reached base in 32 consecutive games, good for the 4th best streak in the league.

Brian Wilson has converted 22 consecutive saves and Andy Pettitte, between his time with Kansas City and Baltimore, has won his last 9 decisions, and is undefeated in his last 12 appearances.

Series Results

Series XXXV Sweeps

Cleveland over Houston
Memphis over Philadelphia Stars

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXXV

Baltimore over Birmingham
Chicago over Ottawa Mounties
Portland over Homestead Grays
Indianapolis over Miami
New York Black Yankees over San Francisco

Series Splits in Series XXXV

Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Kansas City
Detroit @ Los Angeles
House of David @ New York Gothams

Series XXXII Preview: Philadelphia Stars @ San Francisco Sea Lions

By

On May 16, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

We featured Philadelphia in Series VI and XVIII and San Francisco in Series IX and XV.

These two teams have had disappointing seasons, and while both at one point seemed on the verge of contention–especially San Francisco–they are each now well under .500, with Philadelphia tied for the 2nd-worst record in the WBL.

#Philadelphia Stars

Larry Jackson leads the Stars starters in wins at 10-7, but their best pitcher overall has probably been Steve Carlton, who is only 8-9 despite an ERA just under 4.00. Bob Howry has 24 saves, but an ERA of 5.62. Hardie Henderson has pitched well since being acquired, and has been moved into the starting rotation.

The Stars have some power, with 7 players in double figures in homeruns, led by 1B Ted Kluszewski‘s 21. Rico Carty leads the team in RBI while OF George Hendrick has the highest OPS at .867. The most intriguing thing about Philadelphia right now is probably OF Aaron Judge, who has responded to the opportunities afforded by Gavvy Cravath‘s departure with an .875 OPS to start his WBL career.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

There is talent here for sure: from Reggie Jackson, who is no longer a threat for the triple crown, but does lead the league in OBP, to Rickey Henderson who leads in steals, to Lefty Grove, the WBL leader in strikeouts. But a horrible 6 weeks in June and July have left the Sea Lions well adrift, over a dozen games out of first place.

Jackson leads the team in HR with 25, RBIs (79), and OPS (1.037). But he’s far from alone, with Bobby Bonds (319/382/507) and Pedro Guerrero (304/353/530) forming a formidable OF.

With Dick Lundy‘s return from injury and the early success of Phil Garner and Roy Hartzell, the Sea Lions returned slick fielding (but awful offensively) IF Miguel Cairo to AAA.

Grove is 12-7, and Eddie Plank–who may have pitched better than Grove–is 10-5. Rod Beck has 27 saves, and the Sea Lions’ setup men–Ron Robinson and Ken Howell–have been among the league’s best.

Bump Hadley has replaced Diego Seguí in the rotation.

#Projected Starters

Philadelphia starter listed first.

Steve Carlton (8-9, 3.93) @ Nick Altrock (1-1, 4.15)
Hardie Henderson (1-1, 3.94) @ Lefty Grove (12-7, 3.62)
Larry Jackson (5-6, 5.30) @ Bump Hadley (0-1, 4.91)
Don Carman (1-2, 5.75) @ Tim Hudson (9-6, 4.47)

TWIWBL 36.0: Series XXVIII Notes

By

On March 15, 2023

In TWIWBL

July 31

Awards Preview

We’re at the end of July, so let’s take a look at the front-runners for the major awards.

The Mel Trench Award (MVP)

I mean … look, Cleveland‘s Ron Blomberg (341/410/649; 32 HR) is a great story and the key to the Spiders’ offense. And Chicago‘s Eddie Collins (311/402/513; 43 SB) may be the best all-around player in the game–it’s him or his teammate Joe Jackson (337/423/585). And some of you will create convoluted definitions of “valuable” in support of Los Angeles‘ Doug Rader, the league RBI leader and (as of right now) the only player in triple digits or Portland‘s Kent Hrbek, who is now tied for the league league in HR with 33.

But it’s really all about the guy he’s tied with. Barring something quite surprising, the New York Black Yankees‘ Babe Ruth should take the inaugural Mel Trench Award. Ruth has led the league in HRs all season, in OPS most of the year, and is in the top few in almost every offensive category. He is, simply, the most devastating offensive force in the league.

The Brock Rutherford Award (Pitcher of the Year)

Portland’s Walter Johnson began the year as the favorite here, and was then overtaken by Los Angeles’ Gerrit Cole. But Cole has stalled a bit after rattling off 5 straight victories to improve his record to 11-3, going 1-3 over his last 9 starts, allowing the rest of the league to catch up.

And then there’s Baltimore‘s Ned Garvin, who looked to be the front-runner, posting a 9-4 record and an ERA well under 3. But Garvin is out for the rest of the season.

Cleveland’s Pat Malone and the New York Gotham‘s Christy Mathewson join Cole with 12 wins, and 7 pitchers have 11. So if one of those go on a streak, they have to be considered favorites. But I would put forth three other names: Birmingham‘s Alejandro Peña has been the statistical front-runner, with an over 1 point of WAR edge on Johnson and leads the league in FIP. Peña was considered a bit of a joke when the Black Barons were buried in the standings; now that they are challenging for a playoff spot, he merits serious consideration. Jack Taylor of the House of David is posting an actual ERA at about the same level as Peña’s FIP, leading the league in both that and WHIP.

And if I had to vote, I would vote for Baltimore’s Bill Byrd, who has sat on the leaderboards all season, quietly and consistently anchoring the best staff in the league. Byrd is 11-3, with a 3.29 ERA, not league-leading, but among the leaders.

The Phineas Flint Award (Reliver of the Year)

Another award that has been greatly impacted by injury, as Portland’s Johan Santana was the clear leader here. But he’s been surpassed, and the award probably has to go to Detroit’s Mike Henneman, the league leader in saves with 30, 5 more than Cleveland’s Terry Adams.

The only other argument right now is, I think, the Gothams’ Brian Wilson, who has 22 saves and a microscopic 1.08 ERA.

Ron Reed was making a case as an all-purpose reliever, but while he still leads the league in holds, he has struggled enough since his trade to Cleveland to fall out of contention. If anyone in that category should be in the conversation at this point, it’s the Gothams’ Mike Norris.

Silver Sticks

C: Johnny Bench (IND). 308/414/602.
1B: Kent Hrbek (POR). 304/378/598.
2B: Eddie Collins (CAG). 311/402/513.
3B: Dick Allen (CAG). 315/381/548.
SS: Bobby Wallace (BAL). 309/408/441.
OF: Babe Ruth (NYY). 315/433/645.
OF: Eric Davis (NYY). 277/354/539.
OF: Willie Mays (NYG). 324/387526.

Predictably, the OF spots are the most contentious, with Joe Jackson, Reggie Jackson, and a half-dozen others not sharing the same last name all making arguments as well.

Performance

Batters

Usual stuff: top 2 in each category, leaders in bold.

Dick Allen (CAG). 315/381/548. 10 3B.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 341/410/649. 138 H.
Rico Carty (PHI). 289/359/469. 37 2B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 345/390/562.
Eric Davis (NYY). 277/354/539. 5.3 WAR.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 257/390/338. 81 BB, 77 SB.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 304/378/598. 33 HR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 337/423/585. 85 R.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 331/445/610.
Stan Musial (KCM). 333/395/595. 39 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 333/387/544. 139 H, 104 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 299/373/451. 72 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 315/433/645. 33 HR, 99 RBI, 90 R, 83 BB, 5.8 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 305/337/473. 11 3B.

Pitchers

Starters

Top 2 in each category, leaders in bold.

Bill Byrd (BAL). 11-3, 3.29.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-6, 4.39.
Don Drysedale (BRK). 7-5, 3.48. 1.16 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 11-7, 3.84. 162 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 6-9, 4.56. 159 K.
Walter Johnson (POR). 10-4, 3.79. 3.4 WAR.
Pat Malone (CLE). 12-5, 3.84.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 12-6, 3.70.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 9-7, 3.44. 4.5 WAR, 3.17 FIP.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 8-5, 4.06. 3.41 FIP.
Jack Taylor (HOD). 11-8, 3.15, 1.15 WHIP.

Relievers

30 IP for rate stats.

Terry Adams (CLE). 2-6, 3.44. 25 Sv, 1H.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.71. 30 Sv.
Ken Howell (SFS). 3-4, 2.15. 4 Sv, 8 H. 0.99 WHIP.
Sean Marshall (BAL). 5-0, 1.81. 1 Sv, 7 H. 0.95 WHIP.
Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.57. 4 Sv, 10 H.
Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-5, 3.82. 3 Sv, 16 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-3, 3.54. 1 Sv, 15 H.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.08. 22 Sv.

Awards

The Gothams’ Joe Adcock showed that 38 year olds can still hit, winning the Batsman of the Week Award by going 12-for-27 with 4 homeruns.

Streaks

Ryne Sandberg of the House of David has an 18 game hitting streak, and has scored in 10 straight games (1 off the league record).

Kansas City‘s Boog Powell is now only 2 games behind Thurman Munson‘s record 43 game on-base streak.

Series Results

Series XXVIII Sweeps

Baltimore over San Francisco

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXVIII

Birmingham over Ottawa
House of David over Brooklyn
Cleveland over Kansas City
Detroit over Houston
Homestead over Indianapolis

Series XXVIII Splits

New York Gothams @ New York Black Yankees
Chicago @ Memphis
Los Angeles @ Portland
Miami @ Philadelphia

TWIWBL 34.0: Series XXVII Notes

By

On February 27, 2023

In TWIWBL

July 27th

Let’s Talk About D, Baby

While the rest of the league is buzzing with trade talk, let’s take a look at what the game tells us about flashing the leather. We’ll go by position, trying to get a sense of the best fielders in the league so far.

C (500 IP min)

Thurman Munson of the New York Black Yankees has over 150 more total chances than Homestead‘s Josh Gibson, having started 86 games behind the plate. That has to count for something. Of starting catchers, Baltimore‘s Curt Blefary leads in cERA with 4.08, and Cleveland‘s Louis Santop–yet to turn 20–leads the league in framing runs–1.2 ahead of Gibson. In terms of gunning down base runners, everyone is clustered around 33% or so–Emil Gross (Ottawa) was way up at 46%, but couldn’t hit enough to stay in the league and Alan Ashby (Miami) has been excellent at 36% since taking over for Miami. Looking at all of that, it’s got to be Munson, Gibson, Blefary, or Santop, with apologies to Indianapolis‘ Johnny Bench and the House of David‘s Elrod Hendricks.

IPTCERTO%cERAFRM
C. Blefary (BAL)5994011129.44.08-1.2
J. Gibson (HOM)7185591427.25.771.5
T. Munson (NYY)765719533.04.72-1.3
L. Santop (CLE)624542232.64.202.7
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out %; cERA = Catching ERA; FRM = Framing Runs Saved

I think Santop takes it, but I would be OK if Munson’s higher usage swung it to him.

1B (600 IP min)

Philadelphia‘s Ted Kluszewski has the best fielding percentage (.996), having committed only 3 errors, but trails well behind Dan McGann (BAL)’s league leading 10.20 Range Factor. Will Clark of the Miami Cuban Giants leads in Zone Rating at 3.3. So McGann makes the most plays overall, but Clark makes the most plays that other 1B miss.

IPTCEPCTRNGZR
Will Clark (MCG)7918185.9949.253.3
Ted Kluszewski (PHI)6767113.9969.431.0
Dan McGann (BAL)7498545.99410.202.5
Bill White (MEM)7888144.9959.251.8
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

It comes down to whether you think McGann’s RNG is more a product of his glovework or the superior Black Sox pitching staff. For me, Clark making plays nobody else in the league makes takes it.

2B (600 IP min)

Cleveland‘s Chuck Knoblauch and San Francisco‘s Jimmy Bloodworth each sport a .993 Fielding Percentage with only 3 errors each. The House of David’s Ryne Sandberg has, by a fair bit, played the most at 2B, making his leading the league in Range Factor more impressive. The New York Gotham‘s Cookie Rojas leads in ZR, trailed by Chicago‘s Eddie Collins. Those are the contenders.

IPTCEPCTRNGZR
Jimmy Bloodworth (SFS)7534233.9935.023.7
Eddie Collins (CAG)7153905.9874.855.5
Chuck Knoblauch (CLE)8014263.9934.75-1.8
Cookie Rojas (NYG)7033693.9924.686.5
Ryne Sandberg (HOD)8505247.9875.480.8
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

I can’t get away from Rojas. Behind him it’s rough: Collins makes some great plays, but Sandberg’s greater usage may give him the edge.

3B (600 IP min)

Mike Schmidt of the Black Yankees has the highest fielding percentage, Ottawa’s Anthony Rendon leads in Range Factor, and Philadelphia’s Scott Rolen has a massive edge in Zone Rating. It’s hard to put together.

IPTCEPCTRNGZR
Ron Cey (BRK)8082216.9732.395.4
Anthony Rendon (OTT)8532667.9742.731.8
Scott Rolen (PHI)8132405.9792.608.5
Mike Schmidt (NYY)6771933.9842.536.3
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

Rendon’s ZR confirms that his other stats are really a product of being on the field a lot. I think that leaves Rolen and Schmidt pretty much neck and neck.

SS (550 IP min)

The lower requirement is basically to allow Philadelphia’s Mickey Doolin to be listed. Homstead’s Arky Vaughan has played the most at SS, giving him roughly 20% more chances than the next few shortstops. Couple that with only 5 errors for a .990 PCT and Vaughan has to be in the argument. George Wright (Los Angeles) has a .995 PCT with only 2 errors, which is remarkable. Vaughan also leads in RNG, and is one of 3 SS with a ZR over 10, along with Detroit‘s George Davis and Kansas City‘s Ozzie Smith.

IPTCEPCTRNGZR
George Davis (DET)85547912.9754.9113.0
Mickey Doolin (PHI)5973435.9855.108.0
Ozzie Smith (KCM)8684675.9894.7912.5
Arky Vaughan (HOM)8845205.9905.2410.1
George Wright (LAA)7544112.9954.889.8
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

You gotta’ give it to Wright, right? But after that, how do you figure out the difference between Smith and Vaughan? Smith is more spectacular, Vaughan more steady … I’ve always been a sucker for the spectacular.

LF (500 IP min)

Homestead’s Rick Reichardt has spent the most time out there, has the best RNG among qualifiers, and leads LFers with 10 OF Kills. Los Angeles’ Don Buford and Ottawa’s Phil Bradley are second with 6, so that’s quite a gap. There are six–SIX–LFers who qualify who are yet to make an error. Of those, only Brooklyn‘s Roy White and Detroit’s Oscar Gamble have positive supporting metrics as well. White has routinely pulled of the spectacular, making roughly 4 additional plays in LF than the Gotham’s Jimmy Sheckard and San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson.

IPTCAEPCTRNGZR
Phil Bradley (OTT)552121601.0001.97-1.9
Don Buford (LAA)62914463.9792.021.0
Oscar Gamble (DET)535118201.0001.991.5
Rickey Henderson (SFS)68917353.9832.222.7
Rick Reichardt (HOM)799211102.9912.35-1.2
Jimmy Sheckard (NYG)86520754.9812.112.6
Roy White (BRK)865204201.0002.126.7
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

I think White has to get the nod here, and behind him it’s a bit f a jumble. Reichardt is far from spectacular, but he’s added twice as many cold, hard outs than the next contenders without many miscues, so he gets a nod despite the negative ZR.

CF (600 IP min)

The Gothams’ Willie Mays has 15 OF kills to lead the way, but of note is Ottawa’s Ken Griffey, Jr., who has 13 in half the games. Griffey, currently at AAA, doesn’t qualify here, but what an arm! Baltimore’s Paul Blair has yet to make an error. Mays and Philadelphia’s Willie Davis make the most plays, with Blair, Mays, and Birmingham‘s Curtis Granderson leading in ZR.

There are others having strong years–Kansas City’s Willie McGee, Memphis’ Reggie Smith, and Detroit’s Chili Davis spring to mind–but it’s really between those initial four names.

IPTCAEPCTRNGZR
Paul Blair (BAL)801303801.0003.409.0
Willie Davis (PHI)78132372.9943.705.2
Curtis Granderson (BBB)631247103.9883.486.4
Willie Mays (NYG)899381152.9953.797.7
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

Mays and Blair seem the easy choices here.

RF (500 IP min)

RF is probably the most difficult of the OF spots to evaluate. The Gothams’ Johnny Callison leads in OF Kills, but with only 8. Callison is tied with Homestead’s Roberto Clemente in ZR, far, far ahead of the next cluster. Jeff Burroughs (POR) has yet to make an error, but the rest of his numbers aren’t terribly impressive. The House of David’s Dan Ford leads in RNG and is solid enough elsewhere.

The challenge is that several of the best in RF–Miami’s Alejandro Oms, Indianapolis’ Oscar Charleston, and Ottawa’s Larry Walker–don’t qualify here. Walker especially draws the eye, with 7 Kills and great peripheral numbers. But all of them are under 400 innings.

IPTCAEPCTRNGZR
Johnny Callison (NYG)67118181.9942.416.2
Roberto Clemente (HOM)74719442.9902.316.2
Dan Ford (HOD)54216054.9752.591.2
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

I think it’s pretty clear that Ford is in third place here and I think it’s hard to push Clemente above Callison.

SP (100 IP min)

Sample size is clearly an issue here, but the Gothams’ Gaylord Perry had handled the most chances and leads in RNG. Jack Taylor (HOD) and Dutch Leonard (BRK) lead in ZR. Unwinding a pitcher’s responsibility for controlling stolen bases is hard, but since we know that, on the whole, the league runs about 33% in terms of cutting them down, we can look for who is far above that: Leonard shows up, but if we look at those with at least 10 attempts against them, we are looking at San Francisco’s Eddie Plank, Taylor, and Portland‘s Jerry Koosman.

IPTCRNGZRRTO%
Jerry Koosman (POR)119120.832.246
Dutch Leonard (BRK)139181.172.467
Gaylord Perry (NYG)117271.92-0.521
Eddie Plank (SFS)116130.931.864
Jack Taylor (HOD)142211.262.556
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out %

I think this ends up going to Taylor and Leonard, but there will probably be more churn here than in other fielding evaluations between now and the end of the season.

Final Analysis

Gold GloveSilver Glove
CLouis Santop (CLE)Thurman Munson (NYY)
1BWill Clark (MCG)Dan McGann (BAL)
2BCookie Rojas (NYG)Ryne Sandberg (HOD)
3BScott Rolen (PHI)Mike Schmidt (NYY)
SSGeorge Wright (LAA)Ozzie Smith (KCM)
LFRoy White (BRK)Rick Reichardt (HOM)
CFWillie Mays (NYG)Paul Blair (BAL)
RFJohnny Callison (NYG)Roberto Clemente (HOM)
SPJack Taylor (HOD)Dutch Leonard (BRK)

Defense is so hard to evaluate, right? Despite being the only team with 3 players listed here, the Gothams aren’t at the top of any of the team fielding ratings.

Looking at overall mentions may be more interesting–here is the list of players considered above, by team.

5 – New York Gothams
4 – Homestead; Philadelphia
3 – Baltimore; Brooklyn; House of David; San Francisco
2 – Cleveland; Detroit; Los Angeles; New York Black Yankees; Ottawa
1 – Birmingham; Chicago; Kansas City; Memphis; Miami; Portland
0 – Houston

Yeah, not any better actually. The Gothams are among the best teams in the league, but both Homestead and Philadelphia are most decidedly not.

Defense. Shrug.

Performance

Batters

Top 2 in each stat, leader in bold.

Dick Allen (CAG). 310/380/544. 10 3B.
Johnny Bench (IND). 314/421/608. 5.2 WAR.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 338/407/649. 31 HR.
Rico Carty (PHI). 285/356/460. 35 2B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 350/390/572. 134 H.
Eric Davis (NYY). 278/353/539. 81 R.
Bobby Grich (LAA). 284/370/474. 35 2B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 252/383/335. 76 BB, 72 SB.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 303/376/591. 31 HR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 334/419/592. 81 R.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 331/445/610.
Stan Musial (KCM). 332/391/594. 37 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 335/391/546. 135 H, 100 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 299/371/449. 72 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 312/429/643. 32 HR, 96 RBI, 85 R, 79 BB, 5.6 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 304/336/468. 10 3B.

Pitchers

Starters

Top 2 in each stat (top 4 in ERA and WHIP), leader in bold.

17 pitchers have at least 10 wins, accounting for why we went deeper in ERA and WHIP this time. Have also included FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) for the first time, helping to unravel some of the mystery of Alejandro Peña.

Bill Byrd (BAL). 11-2, 3.09. 1.17 WHIP.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-5, 4.07.
Don Drysedale (BRK). 7-4, 3.37. 1.15 WHIP.
Ned Garvin (BAL). 9-4, 2.80. 1.18 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 11-7, 3.75. 160 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 6-9, 4.41. 155 K, 3.5 WAR.
Frank Knauss (BRK). 10-4, 3.07.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 9-7, 3.54. 3.24 FIP, 4.2 WAR.
Gaylord Perry (NYG). 8-7, 3.92. 3.54 FIP.
Stephen Strasburg (HOU). 6-6, 3.27.
Jack Taylor (HOD). 10-8, 3.35. 1.18 WHIP.

Relievers

Top 2 in each stat (top 4 in ERA and WHIP), leader in bold. 25 IP for rate stats.

Terry Adams (CLE). 2-5, 3.09. 24 Sv.
Elmer Brown (POR). 3-4, 1.65. 7 Sv, 9 H.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.94. 28 Sv.
Trevor Hildenberger (BRK). 3-0, 2.45. 1 Sv, 3 H, 0.94 WHIP.
Ken Howell (SFS). 3-4, 2.17. 4 Sv, 7 H, 1.01 WHIP.
AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.81. 19 Sv, 0.97 WHIP.
Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.62. 3 Sv, 10 H.
Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-5, 3.73. 16 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-3, 3.80. 14 H.
Carson Smith (NYG). 2-0, 1.80. 1 Sv, 8 H.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.11. 21 Sv, 1.02 WHIP.

Series Results

Series XXVII Sweeps

Baltimore over Philadelphia

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXVII

Detroit over Miami
Kansas City over Los Angeles
Portland over Memphis
New York Gothams over San Francisco

Series XXVII Splits

House of David @ Birmingham
Houston @ Brooklyn
New York Black Yankees @ Chicago
Homestead @ Cleveland
Ottawa @ Indianapolis

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