Tag: Ron Santo Page 1 of 3

TWIWBL 80.2 Spotlight on the Wandering House of David

On October 11, 2025

While theoretically based in Chicago, the House of David travel the backroads of the country with a portable stadium used for their home games. It’s a life.

On the field, it’s an example of how important upper end performance is to a team, and how painful it can be when it falls off.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

While they are still within 2 games of the final NL Wild Card spot, it’s been a disappointing year for the House of David. The offense has been decent enough–and there are some clear positive indications for next year–but the pitching has been a struggle. Overall, a lot can be placed at the feet of Pete Browning and Jack Taylor, superstars last year who have failed to deliver this season.

THE OFFENSE

It’s a good offense. The BA and OBP are perhaps a little low, but there’s enough power to compensate, and ultimately, this ain’t the issue with the team.

#What’s Going Right

Ernie Banks has exploded into superstardom, with a 1.031 OPS and 117 RBI’s heading into September. Banks is 3rd in the league in homers with 54, and is clearly the dominant cog in the House of David offense, and perhaps the dominant offensive SS in the league.

Richie Hebner, not projected as a starter, also has an OPS over 1.000, and has edged into an everyday role, slashing 296/387/636 in just under 300 PAs.

The House of David as found 2 standout 1Bs this year in Anthony Rizzo and Mark McGwire. McGwire has played in just under 40 games, but is managing to maintain an OPS around .950 with a BA barely over .200: that’s a lot of walks and a lot of homeruns (17 of each in 140 PAs). Rizzo is slashing 276/389/581.

Ryne Sandberg continues to deliver at 2B, with 35 homers and a .930 OPS.

Ron Santo, has been mired in a slump recently, but still has an OPS around .850.

George Stone, George Gore, and Jim Edmonds all cluster around an .800 OPS in the OF, with Gore the most effective of the 3, taking most of the CF time from Edmonds.

Sammy Sosa has 37 homers, 2nd on the team.

#What’s Not Going Right

Pete Browning has been hurt, limiting his availability to about 75 games. More importantly, when healthy, last year’s superstar has struggled, with an OPS under .750.

Sammy Sosa‘s 37 homeruns are part of a .750 OPS as the immensely talented OF struggles constantly to put good wood on the ball.

Combine this with the above and the OF picture is just horribly confused. Gore, Stone, Edmonds, Sosa, and Browning (and the supernova debut of Tony Conigliaro) all result in none of the OF spots having a clear claimant.

Elrod Hendricks has been … not terrible, but not at all good. 22 homeruns is nice from a catcher, but a sub .700 OPS is not.

Frank Chance–given every, um, chance, to supplant Hendricks–has an even lower OPS, although he has shown a decent ability to get on base.

THE PITCHING

The House of David entered the season concerned about how they would fill out the rotation behind Jack Taylor. Now they’re worried about all of the staff, including Taylor. It’s not pretty.

#What’s Going Right

Bob Rush, who leads the team in wins with 10, has been quite solid, and CC Sabathia has pitched far better than his 5-11 record would indicate.

Youngster Kyle Peterson has been a revelation, with a 3.51 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 11 starts.

Veteran lefty Jimmy Key has done well out of the pen. But well in this context is an ERA just over 5.00 and a WHIP hovering in the 1.20 range. So … not great.

Having traded away or demoted all of their closers, Karl Spooner has quite unexpectedly stepped into the spotlight and pitched quite well at the end of games.

#What’s Not Going Right

Taylor has been awful for much of the year, with an ERA well over 6.00 most of the season. Now, it must be said, he’s pitched significantly better of late, winning his last 5 decisions and dropping his ERA by roughly a run.

They’ve run a lot of arms through the rotation, with Frank Sullivan, Kerry Wood, Ferguson Jenkins, and Rick Reuschel all getting at least 5 starts. Of those, only Reuschel has been passable.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

It’s a very high ranked system and, honestly, it’s not hard to see why.

There is star potential in the OF in Cody Bellinger and Heliodoro Hidalgo, on the IF with Darren Daulton, Cap Anson and Dave Malarcher. On the mound, it seems like some arms will come through from the group of Larry Dierker, Bill Lee, Eddie Rommel, Ad Gumbert, and Joe Nuxhall.

Danny Green, Tip O’Neill, Frank Dwyer, Bunny Downs, and Chris Brown may all see some WBL time as well. So there is some help on the way in terms of talent.

The challenge is that much of the talent is positionally blocked: the OF just gets more crowded, 3B is pretty much set, etc. Daulton has the clearest path, but is still a year or two away.

WHAT’S NEEDED

Probably a blockbuster trade or two to obtain some pitching and clear out some of the positional redundancy.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

How does the team integrate its considerable young talent into the roster as the season progresses? As many as 8 spots on the pitching staff are available, as are the backup C and IF jobs. This is probably the first of these that is totally off base. So much optimism in the Spring, crashed on the rocks of the pitching mound. That said, Santo, Hebner, Chance, Rizzo, Sosa, and Banks are all 25 or younger, so in that sense, the focus on the development of the young talent was correct.

FEATURED SERIES

We’ll focus on the 3 game matchup with Homestead. Currently, the two teams are 4th and 5th in the Wild Card race, separated by only .5 of a game. A sweep here either way would solidify the postseason claim of either side.

Projected Starters

House of David starter listed first.

Kyle Peterson (7-2, 3.51) @ Francisco Liriano (8-11, 5.18)
Jack Taylor (9-10, 6.02) @ Doug Drabek (4-6, 4.98)
Bob Rush (10-7, 5.42) @ Cliff Lee (6-3, 5.44)

If the projected starters hold, it looks as good as it can for the House of David, giving them a decent shot to take 2 out of 3 … but a sweep would be better.

Game One

On the one hand, this is a September matchup between 2 disappointing teams, both sitting a few games below .500. But. Homestead is only 1.5 games off the Wild Card pace, and the House of David is merely .5 a game behind them.

So here we go, with something to play for.

The impressive Kyle Peterson takes the mound for the House of David, while the Grays counter with their erstwhile #1 starter, Francisco Liriano.

The House of David took an early lead when, after a double by Craig Reynolds, Frank Chance legged out an infield hit to plate a run. Chance was thrown out trying to steal, but Pete Browning followed a Richie Hebner double with an RBI single for the 2-0 lead.

Rick Reichardt got one back with his 37th homer of the year in the bottom of the 4th and then, an inning later, Honus Wagner and Andy Van Slyke each doubled, tying the game. Mike Epstein hit a dribbler that found its way to dead space, plating Van Slyke so, after 5 innings, Homestead led, 3-2.

But, no worries for the House of David: after all, they have Tony Conigliaro. The supernova like debut for the young OF continued, as he ripped his 6th homerun 1n 17 at bats off Liriano in the 7th, tying the game. And then, a familiar disaster for the House of David: Pete Browning being helped off the field with an injury. This time, it was legging out a double, plating Chance with the go-ahead run.

Van Slyke tied it up in the bottom of the 9th with a double off Ed Bauta. That setup intentional walks to load the bases, with Bauta facing Reichardt with the game on the line. Reichardt did his job, lifting a decent pitch far enough into LF to score the tagging Van Slyke, giving Homestead the first game of the series.

Browning had 3 hits before his injury, and Wagner rapped out 3 hits for the Grays.

HOD 4 (Bauta 4-5, BSv 6; Downs H 1; Spooner H 3) @ HOM 5 (Lindblom 8-4)
HRs: HOD – Conigliaro (6); HOM – Reichardt (37).
Box Score

Browning headed to the DL after the game, hopefully to return before the season closes out, with the House of David recalling young IF Dave Malarcher.

Game Two

With Jack Taylor not quite rested, the House of David will go with Jimmy Key, giving the veteran lefty his 2nd start of the season against Homestead’s Doug Drabek.

Key struggled off the bat, surrendering back to back homeruns to Josh Gibson and Willie Stargell in the bottom of the 1st for an early 3-0 lead for the Grays. An Andrew McCutchen homerun, a Judy Johnson triple, and Stargell’s 2nd shot of the game chased Key in the 2nd inning, but the runs kept coming via a 2 run single from Napoleon Lajoie, making it 10-0 after 2 innings.

More runs scored, which really made the game a chance for each team to empty their benches, including a WBL debut for the recently recalled Dave Malarcher.

The House of David avoided a shutout on a 2-run double from Tony Conigliaro in the 9th, but that was cold comfort in a 16-2 loss.

McCutchen, Lajoie, Honus Wagner, and Johnson each had 3 hits for Homestead, with McCutchen driving in 4 and Gibson 3.

HOD 2 (Key 3-1) @ HOM 16 (Drabek 5-6)
HRs: HOD – none; HOM – Stargell 2 (47), Gibson (38), McCutchen (21).
Box Score

Game Three

This was not a good time for the House of David to not show up … they head into the third game of the series having dropped to 3.5 games off the Wild Card pace (while Homestead has moved to only a single game back of Kansas City).

The House of David will send Jack Taylor to the hill, with Homestead countering with Hal Carlson, making his 2nd start of the season.

It started well for the House of David: Carlson loaded the bases, then gave up a 3-run double to Sammy Sosa. Richie Hebner added a solo shot–his 23rd homer of the year–in the 2nd, upping the lead to 4-0.

Honus Wagner cut the lead to 4-1 with an RBI double in the bottom of the 2nd, then Willie Stargell closed the game to 4-3 with his 48th homerun of the year.

The House of David touched Carlson for one more run in the 5th on an RBI double from Anthony Rizzo, but again Taylor gave it back, this time on a 2-run double from Josh Gibson, tying the game at 5.

Carlson was replaced by David Price, who promptly gave up a moon shot to Sosa: 6-5, House of David. Ron Santo‘s 28th of the year gave the House of David a 2 run edge heading into the bottom of the 9th, when they turned to Ed Bauta, who easily closed it out.

HOD 7 (Taylor 10-10; Bauta 5 Sv; Sullivan 1 H; Spooner 4 H) @ HOM 5 (Price 1-1)
HRs: HOD – Hebner (23), Sosa (38), Santo (27); HOM – Stargell (48).
Box Score

So … by salvaging the final game, the House of David maintain touch with the Wild Card race, but just barely.

TWIWBL 76.6: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On August 9, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Kansas City Monarchs	58-55	.513	—
Indianapolis ABC’s	56-56	.500	1.5
Houston Colt 45s	54-57	.486	3
Birmingham Black Barons	52-60	.464	5.5
Wandering House of David	52-60	.464	5.5

Marvin Miller Division | 5 August

#Birmingham Black Barons

Jim Pagliaroni and Curtis Granderson each hit 2 out of the ballpark, accounting for all 9 runs as Birmingham topped the Gothams, 9-2. Albert Belle and Ryan Braun did the same later in the series, leading the Black Barons to a 13-3 victory.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Chris Sabo hit 2 homeruns and the ABC’s scored thirteen runs in an inning to break the game wide open, topping Ottawa 16-6 behind another strong start from Luis Padrón, who improved to 16-3 on the season.

Edward Nolan‘s solid enough rookie campaign came to an end as the young hurler was sent to the DL with an elbow injury. While he’ll miss the rest of the season, the ABC’s remain confident he’ll be fully recovered for next season. Dolf Luque was recalled from AAA.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Smokey Joe Wood had 3 hits and struck out 13 over 8 strong innings as the Monarchs topped the House of David, 3-2 behind homeruns from Robinson Canó and Ted Simmons. Wood improved to 13-10 on the year.

#Wandering House of David

Jim Clinton and Anthony Rizzo were both recalled from rehab assignments. Clinton’s return was easy, with Bob Shaw heading to AAA. Rizzo’s was far more complicated, as, even with Cap Anson heading back to AAA, it leaves the House of David with 4 players–Rizzo, Richie Hebner, Mark McGwire, and Ron Santo–rotating through 3 positions (1B, 3B, and DH). For now, they’ll try to spread the PA’s around, but if McGwire’s hot start continues, it does present a bit of a logjam.

It was a good news/bad news day for the House of David: Jack Taylor found some of his form from last season and the team hit 3 consecutive homeruns and 5 overall in a 9-2 win over Indianapolis, but Pete Browning will head–once again–to the DL after being injured making a diving catch in CF in the top of the first. Veteran John Titus was recalled from AAA.

Kyle Peterson continues to be a surprise, combining with Karl Spooner and Ed Bauta on a 4-hit shutout with the House of David topping Kansas City, 4-0. With his 7 scoreless innings, Peterson dropped his ERA below 3.00 and improved his record to 5-2.

Rizzo homered twice, driving in 4, as the House of David edged Kansas City, 8-7. George Stone had 4 hits in the win.

TWIWBL 75.6: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On July 8, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Kansas City Monarchs	55-51	.519	—
Indianapolis ABC’s	53-52	.505	1.5
Houston Colt 45s	53-52	.505	1.5
Wandering House of David	48-57	.457	6.5
Birmingham Black Barons	47-58	.448	7.5

Marvin Miller Division | 30 July

#Birmingham Black Barons

Juan Ríncón did not improve after being removed from the closer role. As such, the Black Barons have sent him to AAA, hoping he can recover some of his magic from last season. Joe Orrell was recalled.

Sam Streeter started a rehab assignment, and should be back within a week or so.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Tug McGraw both blew a save against Birmingham and had to exit with elbow pain. The Colt 45’s closer will miss 2 weeks, prompting Houston to recall Jim Kern from AAA.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Mike Redmond was sent to AAA, with Larry Pratt being promoted to serve as Johnny Bench‘s backup.

Luis Padrón improved to 15-3 with a 3 hit shutout as the ABCs triumphed over Kansas City, 7-0. Padrón opened the scoring in the game with his 5th homer of the year, and walked 1 while striking out 5 in his 3rd shutout of the season.

#Wandering House of David

Ron Santo went deep twice as the House of David beat Homestead, 10-5. The game was costly, however, as Ryne Sandberg has to hit the DL after suffering a back injury. Billy Herman was recalled from AAA, and will split time at 2B with Craig Reynolds in Sandberg’s absence.

TWIWBL 73.6: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On March 5, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Kansas City Monarchs	50-43	.538	—
Indianapolis ABC’s	49-44	.527	1
Houston Colt 45s	45-477	.489	4.5
Wandering House of David	41-51	.446	8.5
Birmingham Black Barons	40-53	.430	10

Marvin Miller Division | 16 July

#Birmingham Black Barons

Sam Streeter will miss a few starts with shoulder inflammation. Rube Melton was recalled from AAA to take his place in the interim.

Jim Pagliaroni went deep twice and Birmingham topped Kansas City, 7-4.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Teenager Leon Day was returned to AAA with 20 year old Vida Blue being recalled to make his WBL debut.

Craig Biggio hit 2 out but Houston fell to Philadelphia, 9-5.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Emil Frisk, who has done quite well since being recalled, will miss about a month with an abdominal strain. Jake Stenzel–who started the season with Indianapolis, but was injured himself–was recalled.

George Foster hit 2 homeruns as the ABC’s beat the House of David, 9-4.

#Wandering House of David

Sammy Sosa and Ernie Banks each went deep twice as the House of David beat Indianapolis, 13-5. Ron Santo, Ryne Sandberg, and Mark McGwire also hit homeruns, with McGwire’s being his 5th in only 8 games.

TWIWBL 71.6: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On February 3, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Kansas City Monarchs	47-37	.560	—
Indianapolis ABC’s	44-39	.530	2.5
Wandering House of David	39-43	.476	7
Houston Colt 45s	39-44	.470	7.5
Birmingham Black Barons	34-49	.410	12.5

Marvin Miller Division | 2 July

#Birmingham Black Barons

JP Arencibia continued to grow in Black Barons’ folklore, tying the league record with 3 homeruns in a 13-5 victory over Brooklyn. Albert Belle went deep twice and Bob Nieman, Gene Tenace, and Adrían González each homered once for Birmingham. John Malarkey was decent, improving to 5-2 on the season.

#Houston Colt 45’s

With Casey Stengel set to miss over a month, the Colt 45’s made 2 moves, first sending struggling 1B/DH Andrés Galarraga to AAA in exchange for Paul Goldschmidt, who will slide into the same role and then also recalling closer Roberto Osuna to help out in the bullpen.

George Brett had 3 doubles and Tony Gwynn added 3 hits of his own as the Colt 45’s topped Kansas City, 10-7. After a(nother) poor start from Roy Oswalt, Houston’s bullpen finally delivered up to expectations, with Dock Ellis getting the win and John Franco, Brad Lidge, and Tug McGraw closing out the contest.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

The ABC’s finally ran out of patience with Dick Tidrow, and when the veteran refused to be demoted, Indianapolis released him. The ABC’s recalled Mike LaCoss from AAA.

OF Jake Stenzel started a rehab assignment, although it’s not clear where Stenzel fits in once he’s recalled to the WBL.

Joe Morgan went deep twice, but a late comeback was thwarted as the ABC’s fell to Birmingham, 9-8.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Bad news for the Monarchs, as Lou Brock will miss 6-7 months with a broken bone. With Kansas City struggling, the Monarchs decided to reach down to AA and give the awfully impressive Cool Papa Bell a chance. Bell–perhaps even faster than Brock–was slashing 376/428/656 at Oklahoma City before his recall. It’s a bold move, but one that perhaps overlooks what Merv Rettenmund has done at AAA.

José Rijo continues to run hot and cold in the extreme: the owner of the WBL’s only no-hitter combined with Jeff Pfeffer on a 4 hit shutout of Houston. Rijo whiffed 10 and Ducky Medwick tripled and homered in the 3-0 victory.

The Monarchs demolished Houston behind a complete game effort from Smokey Joe Wood, who improved his record to 10-6. Both Ted Simmons and Willie McGee had 3 doubles and Medwick drove in 5 as Kansas City pounded out 19 hits in the 14-1 win.

#Wandering House of David

Sammy Sosa went deep 3 times (for the 2nd time this season) and Ernie Banks twice as the House of David overcame a rough start to beat Homestead, 12-6. Banks and Sosa drove in 4 runs each, and Ron Santo added 3 RBI’s, with the win going to Bob Rush, who improved to 7-6 despite giving up 6 runs in 5 innings.

Ferguson Jenkins put on what was easily his best outing of the year, allowing 3 hits in 7 shutout innings while fanning 11 in a 5-2 win over Homestead.

TWIWBL 71.1: Year 2, Week 14

By mknn

On January 27, 2025

In TWIWBL

July 2nd

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

#Awards

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

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

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

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

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

#Team Performance

Yawn.

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

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

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

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

#Player Performance

Batters

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

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

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

Pitchers

Starters

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

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

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

Relievers

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

18 IP minimum.

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

#Injury Report

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

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

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

#The All Star Candidates

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

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

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

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

#C

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

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

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

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

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

Gibson and Cochrane should be the starters.

#1B

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

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

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

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

#2B

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

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

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

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

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

#SS

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

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

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

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

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

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

#3B

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

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

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

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

#OF

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

#LF

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

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

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

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

#CF

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

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

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

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

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

#RF

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

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

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

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

#DH

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

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

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

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

#P

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

All pitchers are sorted by ERA.

#SP

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Swingmen / Long Relivers

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

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

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

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

#Closers & Setups

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

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

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

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

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

TWIWBL 65.6: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On August 31, 2024

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Kansas City Monarchs	27-17	.614	—
Indianapolis ABC’s	23-22	.511	4.5
Wandering House of David	20-22	.476	6
Houston Colt 45s	21-25	.457	7
Birmingham Black Barons	15-30	.333	12.5

Marvin Miller Division | 21 May

#Birmingham Black Barons

Hank Aaron went deep twice and Greg Maddux improved to 4-4 with a solid outing as the Black Barons went up early and held on for dear life, topping the ABC’s 7-6. Jim Pagliaroni, Andy Pafko, and Eddie Mathews also went deep for Birmingham.

#Houston Colt 45s

Bret Saberhagen‘s disastrous start in an 8-2 loss to Brooklyn removed him from the starting rotation for Houston, who will use a starter-by-committee to round out their staff.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Joe Morgan went deep twice, leading the ABCs to a 12-3 walkover of Kansas City. Rube Foster improved to 2-3, but faded in the 9th, losing a shot at the complete game. Still, a fine outing for Foster in a game that saw Morgan drive in 4 and Oscar Charleston and Jake Stenzel 3 each.

#Kansas City Monarchs

With Bob Gibson out for a week or so with back issues, the Monarchs placed the struggling youngster on the DL and recalled Jock Menefee from AAA.

#Wandering House of David

Bob Robertson was excellent in his time with the House of David, but Pete Browning‘s return from injury sends Robertson back to AAA.

Ryne Sandberg went deep twice as the House of David hit 6 homeruns in a 12-6 win over Ottawa that wasn’t even that close. Sandberg had 4 hits and scored 4 runs and Bob Rush improved to 5-4 with a solid 7 innings.

Ernie Banks hit 3 homeruns and drove in 6 as the House of David beat Houston 10-3. He wasn’t done, as Banks hit 2 more including a walkoff blast in another victory over Houston, this one 10-8. Ron Santo, Sandberg, and Anthony Rizzo also went deep, but the victory had a downside, as Browning will be sidelined for most of the next week with tightness in his back.

Year II Season Preview: Wandering House of David

By mknn

On April 7, 2024

In Team News

Expectations

A repeat of last year’s playoff contention, at a minimum.

Best Case

Starters are found to support repeat performances from Jack Taylor and Bob Rush; Pete Browning is healthy for a full season; Elrod Hendricks doesn’t backslide too much; and the OF talent figures itself out.

Worst Case

The pitching remains an open question; none of the marginal performers–Richie Hebner, Ron Santo, Ernie Banks–take a step forward and the pleasant surprises from last season–Jim Edmonds, Anthony Rizzo, Dan Ford–all regress and Hendricks falls off a cliff entirely.

Key Questions

How does the team integrate its considerable young talent into the roster as the season progresses?

As many as 8 spots on the pitching staff are available, as are the backup C and IF jobs.

Trade Bait

There is a lot of duplicate talent here, most of it in the minors. Sorting through all that is the major task of the organization over the next year or two.

The two trades made seem fine, netting some draft picks, an arm for the future (Claude Osteen), and a hopefully revitalized Sammy Sosa.

Roster Evaluation

POS	Elite	Strong	Solid	Meh	Weak	Unknown
C	Hendricks					Chance
1B			Rizzo			Harris
2B		Sandberg			~~Grant~~	Cabrera
3B			Hebner Santo
SS			Banks
LF/ RF	Browning	Stone		Sosa
CF		Edmonds	Gore
SP	Taylor	Rush	Sullivan	Miley		Reuschel
End				Bauta Smith
RP			~~Sutter~~	Sabathia Wood	Jenkins	Gumbert

New Addition | ~~Injured~~

Above average, but needs some folks to step up dramatically on offense to reach the next level, and for the pitching to not regress at all. It’s possible–Sosa, Fergie Jenkins, Santo, and Banks all look like decent possibilities for upside.

Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	SS Ernie Banks	U Cody Bellinger
Batting Eye	OF George Gore	1B Mark McGwire
Contact	OF George Stone	1B Mark Grace
Running Speed	OF Sammy Sosa	OF Skeeter Barnes OF Tracy Jones
Base Stealing	U Frank Chance	OF Danny Green
IF Defense	U Bunny Downs	IF Deacon White
OF Defense	OF Pete Browning	OF Cy Williams
Stuff	P Kerry Wood	RP Ken McBride
Control	RP Ad Gumbert	SP Jim Clinton
Velocity	P CC Sabathia RP Lee Smith P Kerry Wood	RP Pedro Strop

Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	POS	Name
1 (2)	21	2B	Frank Grant
2 (9)	20	IF	Cap Anson
3 (14)	21	3B	Dave Malarcher
4 (47)	23	P	Karl Spooner
5 (57)	20	U	Cody Bellinger
6 (75)	21	P	Kyle Peterson
7 (118)	18	P	Larry Dierker
8 (152)	21	P	Bill Lee
9 (169)	20	P	Jocko Flynn
10 (190)	21	P	Frank Dwyer

Others: None.

It’s a top heavy system, which is what you want. Could use some more pitching, but overall the system is a strength.

	Most	Least
Age	P Early Wynn, 41	P Joe Nuxhall, 16
Height	P CC Sabathia, 6’7″	IF Bunny Downs, 5’5″
OPS	U Joe Harris .988 (WBL/AAA)	IF Ron Oester, .586 (AAA/AA)
HR	C Elrod Hendricks, 41 (WBL)	IF Frank Grant, 0 (WBL/AAA/AA)
SB	OF Pete Browning, 38 (WBL)	Many with 0
WAR	OF Pete Browning, 4.2 (WBL)	IF Johnny Giavotella, -1.3 (—)
W	Rick Reuschel, 15 (WBL/AAA) Bob Rush, 15 (WBL) Jack Taylor, 15 (WBL) Early Wynn, 15 (—)	Ross Detwiler, 4 (—) Bob Anderson, 4 (—)
SV	Bruce Sutter, 25 (WBL)
ERA	Bill Stoneman, 2.35 (—)	Bob Shaw, 6.87 (AAA/AA)
WAR	Early Wynn, 5.2 (—)	Eddie Rommel, -0.3 (WBL/AAA)

Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

TWIWBL 56.15: Spring Training Notes – Wandering House of David

By mknn

On March 3, 2024

In TWIWBL

Spring Training Questions

The House of David enter Spring Training with 6 OFers and 4 Ps on the roster, so something most likely needs to give in the OF and the pitching is just totally wide open.

There is a ton of young talent that could force its way onto the roster with a strong Spring.

Injuries

Frank Grant will miss about 2 months with a back injury, removing for now any question of him making the opening day roster.

First Cuts

Tom Niedenfuer will be given some more time to recover from his early struggles, but Bill Stoneman, Jim Clinton, Larry Dierker, Karl Spooner, and Ken McBride were all moved to minor league camp. Even with that, there are a lot of major league opportunities on this staff.

Darren Daulton moved to the minors, with Bubbles Hargrave and Gabby Hartnett only staying in camp because the House of David needs some bodies behind the plate. At the corners, Cody Bellinger, Mark McGwire, and Jung Ho Kang were all reassigned. The situation remains a bit unclear–Deacon White and Chris Brown haven’t been terribly impressive, but have done just enough to remain in camp while a few of the presumed members of the opening day roster–Joe Harris, Anthony Rizzo, Ron Santo, and Richie Hebner especially–need to warm up.

At 2B, Charlie Gehringer is turning heads, but with Ryne Sandberg well established, it’s not clear how far that will take him. Craig Reynolds and Billy Herman were sent down, while both Bunny Downs and Orlando Cabrera have impressed enough to continue to make their case for a utility role on the IF.

In the OF, Cy Williams is forcing himself into the picture, with Billy Williams, Fred Lynn, and Tony Conigliaro heading to the minors.

Second Cuts

Tom Niedenfuer is in danger of being sent down, but his performance last season keeps him in camp for now. Beyond that, the staff is doing quite well, but of course will need pruning over the next week or so.

Mark Grace heads down to clear some of the 1B logjam … and that’s it for now.

Third Cuts

P Chad Kuhl heads to the minors, with the House of David considering sending down both Tom Niedenfuer and CC Sabathia, both of whom were solid last season. The surprises of camp have been the trio of Jocko Flynn, Ad Gumbert, and Fergie Jenkins, who have combined for over 30 scoreless innings. Flynn is 20, Gumbert 19, and Jenkins was hammered in a small handful of appearances last season.

C Bubbles Hargrave, 3Bs Chris Brown and Deacon White, IF Bunny Downs, and OFs Luis Gonzalez and Jerry Mumphrey were all sent to AAA (Gonzalez refused the assignment, and was waived). Downs’ defensive excellence may force a recall sooner rather than later, but for now there are others performing better in the race for the final roster spots.

The IF is far too crowded. Incumbents Anthony Rizzo (1B), Ron Santo (3B), and Ernie Banks (SS) are struggling mightily while Bob Robertson and Joe Harris (1B), Luis Aparicio (SS), and Charlie Gehringer and Orlando Cabrera (2B) are pounding the ball.

Final Cuts

Tom Niedenfeur‘s performance last season wasn’t enough in the end, as the struggling reliever was the first player sent down this final week of camp.

This is ridiculously hard. Ad Gumbert (18) and Jocko Flynn (20) were invited to camp mostly to help their future development. They’ve combined for over 20 innings of scoreless ball. Arnold Carter and Kyle Peterson? The longest of long shots, each with an ERA under 1.00. Bob Robertson, Luis Aparicio, Cy Williams, and Orlando Cabrera? The best hitters for the House of David this side of Ryne Sandberg.

Aparicio and Williams are merely unfortunate victims of the numbers game: Cabrera is the only other 2B on the roster behind Sandberg and will also serve as the backup SS. That means Aparicio, despite an OPS of 1.031, is sent to AAA.

The hard choices were delayed a day with Claude Osteen, a spare part in the Sosa trade, heading to AAA. 20 year old Jocko Flynn followed him after an outing that reinforced his control isn’t ready yet for the rigors of the WBL.

Needing to cut three to get to 30, the House of David had to figure some things out. OF Cy Williams was an obvious choice, and placing Bruce Sutter on the DL with his ongoing bout of elbow tendinitis made sense. That left a bit of a surprise, as OF Dan Ford–a fan favorite and a solid contributor last season–heads to AAA, pushed off the roster largely by the knock-on effects of the Sosa trade.

Kyle Peterson and Scott Downs–neither of which pitched worse than players who made the final roster–were sent to AAA, as was 20 year old Cap Anson, who did show some potential during the Spring.

Bob Robertson and Joe Harris went toe-to-toe all Spring, and came out just about even. The House of David stuck with Harris, mostly due to his contributions at the end of last season.

That left a single slot that really has to come from the pitching staff. Ad Gumbert and Arnold Carter are the obvious choices, but Gumbert–yet to turn 20–didn’t allow a run all Spring, and Carter only gave up 1. Carter was moved to AAA–his numbers were just a tad worse than Gumbert’s, and the team is curious how the teenage phenom does.

Season Review: Wandering House of David

By mknn

On December 26, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

83 - 71, .538 pct.
3rd in Bill James Division, 6 games behind.
Lost in Wild Card Round to Baltimore

Overall

The House of David caught fire in June and never looked back. That coincided, unsurprisingly, with Pete Browning‘s return from the DL (and a late season slump coincided with Browning’s cooling off at the tail end of the season). This team revolved around 3 players: Browning, Elrod Hendricks, and Jack Taylor.

On the one hand, it’s an example of how far a few well placed stars can carry you; on the other, it reveals an overall lack of quality that needs to be addressed.

What Went Right

Elrod Hendricks and Pete Browning finished with identical .961 OPS. Browning’s performance, at least, is expected to continue although his health remains a concern.

Jim Edmonds emerged as a legitimate potential star in the league with both his glove and his bat, and Anthony Rizzo did the same, minus the bit about the glove. George Stone was perhaps the most underrated offensive player in the league.

Top to bottom, the House of David were excellent offensively: Ryne Sandberg was very good at 2B and Dan Ford, quite surprisingly, hit well enough to legitimately claim the RF spot. Their worst everyday player–SS Ernie Banks–still posted a .736 OPS with 25 homeruns.

Jack Taylor was excellent, Bob Rush quite good, and both Frank Sullivan and CC Sabathia serviceable in the rotation. The bullpen trio of Tom Niedenfuer, Lee Smith, and Bruce Sutter was above average, although both Smith and Sutter faded a bit at the end of the season.

ALL STARS
C Elrod Hendricks; OF George Stone

What Went Wrong

Many of the players who were expected to fill roles struggled: Sammy Sosa (who was traded), Mark McGwire, Mark Grace, Frank Grant, and Fred Lynn were all given significant chances to impress, and all failed. That is what opened the door for Edmonds and Rizzo, so in the end it worked out.

Browning’s injury was horribly impactful and Hendricks’ performance is most likely a career year. Neither of these things went wrong, technically, but both speak volumes to the House of David’s future.

The rest of the pitching staff struggled, with Frank Sullivan being thoroughly average and Ferguson Jenkins horrible in his 80+ innings. The middle relief was so weak it warranted the acquisition of Ed Bauta–Bauta was good, but when Ed Bauta rescues your bullpen …

Transactions

March

None

June

OF Sammy Sosa & 5th Round Pick to Memphis for OF Tony Conigliaro, OF Fred Lynn & 2nd Round Pick {Bill Lee}

Sosa was terrible for the House of David, so getting anything for him seemed a steal at the time. Given his performance for Memphis, it’s not as clear.

July

IF Bert Campaneris, P Jeff Heathcock & 3rd Round Pick to Miami for P Ed Bauta, 6th Round Pick {Ad Gumbert} & 7th Round Pick {Dave Malarcher}

See above: Bauta was very much needed.

P Dick Tidrow & 7th Round Pick to New York Black Yankees for P Jim Clinton, 3B Chris Brown & 2nd Round Pick {Darren Daulton}

Seems fine: Clinton has some potential.

Looking Forward

SP

Taylor and Rush look quite good, and the House of David still believe in Ferguson Jenkins. There is some other talent here as well: Rick Reuschel, Kerry Wood and, although they are still teenagers at this point, Larry Dierker and Joe Nuxhall.

RP

Assuming Bruce Sutter and Lee Smith recover from their late season slumps, this looks good with support from Don Aase, and Rollie Fingers.

C

Something has to give here: Elrod Hendricks is clearly the starter heading into next year, with both Gabby Hartnett and Frank Chance behind him, although Chance’s future is likely not behind the plate.

1B

Anthony Rizzo looks very solid here, although the House of David remain optimistic that, someday, Mark McGwire will start connecting with more pitches. This may get even more crowded as both Chance and Cap Anson are expected to drift across the diamond to first eventually.

2B

Ryne Sandberg has this locked down, but young Billy Herman is turning some heads.

3B

Ron Santo is the starter here, although Anson should see some time over the next few years as well.

SS

Ernie Banks, although his performance this year really needs to be his floor for him to maintain his roster spot.

LF

George Stone now, Billy Williams later.

CF

Browning for as long as he stays healthy. There is a need for a better long term solution here.

RF

If Dan Ford cannot hold this down, Tony Conigliaro looks decent at AAA, and George Gore was among the better 4th OFers in the league.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

With 3 picks in the first two rounds, the House of David is looking to add a fair bit of high end talent. It starts in the 1st round with P Zack Greinke and continues in the 2nd with franchise P Bill Lee. Greinke is a great talent; Lee has a lower ceiling, but could help sooner.

The House of David had back-to-back picks later in the second round. With one, they hope to have solved a long term need at catcher: there are whispers that Hendricks’ year was a fluke and that Frank Chance‘s future may be at 1B . So, while he’s clearly a few years away, they picked up teenager Darren Daulton as a long-term project, and with their final pick of the round, they picked up the highest rated franchise player remaining, Cody Bellinger, who looks eventually to further complicate the CF question, but that’s a challenge for another day.

In the 4th round, the House of David picked up Frank Dwyer, probably the best remaining arm in the draft.

Rounds 5-8

Corner OF, 1B, and pitching should be the focus with these picks for the House of David, starting with a franchise selection, 19 year old pitcher Ad Gumbert. That was followed by their final exemption, P Al Brazle. Their 2 picks in the 7th round were Dave Malarcher and John Peters, both of whom offer some infield depth, but neither of whom have much power potential.

Rounds 9-12

P Justin Steele; OF Mitch Webster; IF Charlie Deal; P Hal Mauck.

13th overall pick Zack Greinke refused the House of David’s offer, and will re-enter the draft next year.