Tag: Sam Thompson

Series XXXI Best Games

On May 2, 2023

This time, we have two see-saw games and two series that deserve a little focus.

Let’s do the one-offs first.

#Homestead Grays @ Ottawa Mounties, Game 1

This one got wild. Ottawa took the lead on Larry Walker‘s 18th homerun of the year, a 2-run shot in the bottom of the first. Hits from Davey Johnson and Roberto Clemente got a run back for Homestead, but Ottawa scored 2 on a single from Roberto Alomar to increase their lead to 4-1. Homestead’s Rick Reichardt sent a pitch from Clayton Richard into the stands to tie the game in the top of the 3rd, so, we’re back to all square at 4-4.

The game continued to swing back and forth: a sacrifice fly from Johnson offset a solo shot from Roy Sievers, but an RBI double from Andy Van Slyke put Homestead back on top momentarily: a 2-run double from Sievers and a single from Bernie Allen gave Ottawa a 2-run lead, 8-6.

And then the 9th. Ted Bowsfield started the inning for Ottawa, walking Mike Epstein and giving up a single to Van Slyke. Bowsfield grabbed his elbow after the hit, and the Mounties brought in their closer, Ryan Dempster. Dempster retired 2 and walked one, loading the bases with Johnson at the plate. He singled to right, driving in 2. Perhaps more importantly for Ottawa, their star RF, Walker, was forced out of the game after the throw. But, the game was tied.

Tied, that is, until a single from Rusty Staub scored Carlos Beltrán to give the Mounties a walk off victory.

Nobody pitched particularly well, but Ottawa’s Monk Dubiel and Dempster did manage to escape without being scored on.

Both Bowsfield and Walker were sent to the DL after the game, with Chris Leroux and Sam Thompson being recalled from AAA.

HOM 8 (Ownbey 1-3; Brown 1 B Sv) @ OTT 9 (Dempster 4-1, 2 B Sv; Bowsfield 7 H)
HRs: HOM – Reichardt (21); OTT – Walker (18), Sievers (7).
Box Score

#San Francisco Sea Lions @ Detroit Wolverines, Game 2

This one had everything except good pitching (Mickey Lolich‘s 2 innings of clean relief for Detroit notwithstanding).

San Francisco kicked off the game with a bang: a leadoff homerun from Rickey Henderson, a 2 run shot from Reggie Jackson, and an RBI groundout from Phil Garner made it 4-0 Sea Lions before Diego Seguí threw his first pitch.

But the Bailey Boys got to him the following inning: Ed Bailey launched a 3 run shot and Bob Bailey added an RBI groundout to score Sparky Adams, who had doubled, tying the game at 4. Momentarily: Garner went deep and another run scored on a Sal Bando single, putting San Francisco back on top, 7-4. A solo shot from Hank Greenberg clawed one back, but a 2-run single from San Francisco’s Pedro Guerrero made it 9-5 heading into the 6th, when Detroit chased Seguí and hammered his replacement, James Shields, who only lasted 4 batters. Al Kaline singled home one run and Tony Phillips brought in another with a double. By the time it was all done, San Francisco’s lead was slashed to a single run, 9-8. Kaline would put the Wolverines in front with a 3-run shot in the 7th, and a Bob Bailey triple scored Phillips, who was hit by a pitch. Suddenly, Detroit was up, 12-9.

Their closer (and the WBL leader in saves), Mike Henneman, struggled in the 9th, facing 8 batters and giving up 2 runs (one on a solo shot by Jimmie Foxx, the other on a single by Guerrero). But he got Jack Clark to ground out with 2 batters on to preserve the victory.

SFS 11 (LaRoche 1-1, 1 B Sv; Hadley 2 H) @ DET 13 (Bradford 2-0)
HRs: SFS – Jackson (25), Henderson (6), Foxx (2); DET – E. Bailey (6), Greenberg 2 (24), Kaline (5).
Box Score

#Memphis Red Sox @ Miami Cuban Giants, Games 1 & 3

This series is a battle of basement teams, but that doesn’t keep the games from being entertaining.

The Red Sox scored 4 runs early with the RBIs coming on a sacrifice fly, a fielder’s choice, a bases-loaded walk, and an error by Miami’s shortstop, Robin Yount. Miami took a more conventional route back: a walk and 4 singles scored 3 runs in the 4th. But they followed Memphis’ lead to tie the game, as a sacrifice fly from José Cardenal plated Ryan Braun. The Cuban Giants then took the lead on a solo shot from their best player, José Canseco.

Wade Boggs finally brought home a conventional run for Memphis in the 8th with a single, but the Red Sox immediately reverted to form, with a bases-loaded walk and another sacrifice fly giving them a 7-5 lead. Three perfect relief innings from Turk Farrell, Heath Bell, and Jonathan Papelbon, closed the game out.

Ted Williams and Bill White finished the game with 3 hits each for Memphis; Cookie Rojas had 3 for Miami.

MEM 7 (Farrell 2-3; Papelbon 11 Sv; Bell 5 H; Callahan 4 B Sv) @ MCG 5 (Consuegra 0-4)
HRs: MEM – none; MCG – Canseco (30).
Box Score

In Game 3, Memphis was up 6-0, and then 8-5, powered by a grandslam from David Justice and 2 homers from Billy Bryan. It wasn’t enough: Minnie Miñoso broke out of his funk with 3 hits and 3 RBIs and Cookie Rojas, Gary Sheffield, and Chris Hoiles each drove in 2. As importantly for Miami, Eustaquio Pedroso, Sandy Consuegra, Ricky Nolasco, and Braden Looper combined for 4 innings of 1-hit relief of an ineffective Ramón Martínez.

MEM 8 (Callahan 5-10) @ MCG 11 (Pedroso 7-6; Looper 3 Sv; Consuegra 2 H; Nolasco 2 H)
HRs: none.
Box Score

New York Black Yankees @ Houston Colt 45’s, Games 2 and 4

In Game 2, Houston had a 6-3 lead heading to the 9th inning. The Colt 45’s got 2-run shots from Jim O’Rourke and Tony Gwynn and a solo dinger from Jorge Posada to take the lead.

The problem was their closer, Billy Wagner, was tired, leaving them turning to Brad Lidge, who had been solid since his recall, but here reverted to his old form: an RBI groundout from Tom Herr and a 3-run shot from Don Mattingly put the Black Yankees up 7-6.

Andrés Galarraga singled home a run in the bottom of the 9th, sending us to extra innings. Mattingly and Eric Davis homered in the 10th to put New York up 11-7, which seemed safe until you remembered the fragility of the Black Yankees’ bullpen. Here, Ralph Citarella and Rheal Cormier gave up RBI’s to Jim Wynn and Craig Biggio, but Cormier fanned Galarraga with the tying run on third base to close it out.

NYY 11 (Chapman 1-0, 1 B Sv; Cormier 1 Sv) @ HOU 10 (Kern 0-2; Chamberlain 1 H; McGraw 7 H; Lidge 4 B Sv) [10 Innings]
HRs: Mattingly 2 (26), Davis (31); HOU – O’Rourke (6), Gwynn (8), Posada (7).
Box Score

Game 4 of the series was a similar story: a Houston comeback that just fell short. Mattingly had 3 hits and 3 RBIs and Mike Schmidt hit his 17th homerun for the Black Yankees, who also got 3 brilliant innings from Goose Gossage. They did have to withstand a horrible outing from the heretofore solid Dick Tidrow, who surrendered 4 hits (2 to pinch hitters Jim O’Rourke and Harry Stovey) and 3 runs in 1/3 of an inning.

Andrés Galarraga had 4 hits and Casey Stengel and Jorge Posada had 3 each for Houston. Tug McGraw closed the game for the Colt 45’s, and has yet to surrender a run in his first 10 innings at the WBL level.

NYY 8 (Gossage 5-4; Chapman 5 Sv; Citarella 10 H) @ HOU 7 (Strasburg 7-7)
HRs: NYY – Schmidt (17); HOU – Stengel (9), Biggio (7).
Box Score

TWIWBL 30.0: Series XXIII Notes

By mknn

On December 12, 2022

In TWIWBL

July 10th

Looking Back at the All Star Trades

We’re a month(ish) on from the all-star break, seemed a good time to look back at the trades and see how they are working out in the early days.

Boom Shaka Laka

The Los Angeles Angels and the Ottawa Mounties swapped 8 players, with early returns making the Angels–by far–the winner in the exchange as veteran 1B Carlos Delgado is slashing 344/400/547 since the trade, providing what may be the final piece to the Angels’ puzzle. While Rusty Staub has done OK for Ottawa, none of the rest of the pieces have shown much at all. Wally Moon, who the Angels picked up from San Francisco, has been impressive as well, slashing 354/458/458 since the break. Two of the pieces the Angels gave up for Moon–C Brian Downing and P Dave LaRoche–have done well for San Francisco (Downing at AAA, LaRoche with the Sea Lions themselves), so this deal may work out for both sides.

Encouraging

The New York Gothams gave up a haul for Don Sutton, and so far it looks OK: Sutton looks to join the Gothams’ rotation shortly, posting a 2.70 ERA in 8 relief appearances. For Brooklyn, two of the prospects received are doing quite well: OF Don Mueller is slashing 387/395/653 and P Lew Krausse, Jr. has started his career with his new organization with some strong outings on the mound.

All-Star Ron Reed has just continued his strong year having moved from Philadelphia to Cleveland, with an ERA of 0.75 over his first half-dozen games with the Spiders. Even more importantly for Cleveland’s playoff push, OF Lance Berkman looks to have blossomed with the change in scenery, slashing 276/417/500 with 4 HRs since coming over from Houston–a jump of of over 200 points to his OPS. The Spiders gave up 7 players across those 2 deals, none of which have earned significant playing time with their new clubs, although both Jap Payne (sent to Philadelphia) and Harry Stovey (to Houston as part of the Berkman deal) have hit well in limited appearances).

The Chicago American Giants brought in 4 pitchers, with encouraging returns from Dick Rudolph (acquired from Miami) and Hoyt Wilhelm (from Birmingham). The best prospect the American Giants gave up–Minnie Miñoso to the Cuban Giants–has been injured, so the jury is still out on this deal in general, but it looks alright so far, even if Don Newcombe has struggled mightily, and may have been overvalued at the trade deadline. Perhaps as importantly, the American Giants seem to have solved their SS question, as all-star Freddy Parent has continued his strong form since joining them from Ottawa.

Birmingham’s fire sale went well. We’ll cover some of those below, but both Curt Flood and Manny Trillo–picked up in the trade of Frank Isbell (who has been alright) to Brooklyn–are both tearing up AAA.

Meh

The Baltimore Black Sox have to be pleased with Manny Machado‘s performance so far, as he’s slotted quite comfortably as their everyday 3B. But the Miami Cuban Giants can’t really complain, as they aren’t going to compete for a while and Joe Dugan is tearing up AAA while Chris Hoiles has established himself as a C at the big league level. The Black Sox also brought in Joe Beggs from Memphis to solidify the end of their bullpen. Results have been mixed so far.

Memphis’ fan base was quite critical of a few of their moves, and Roger Clemens‘ short-term success in Houston has only increased their fury. But Stubby Overmire has added some depth to their staff and perhaps more importantly, 2B DJ LeMahieu and P Jim Kaat look to be strong prospects for Memphis’ future.

Disappointing

Portland hoped picking up Rogers Hornsby from Kansas City would spark their offense for a playoff push, and while he’s better than Greg Litton, his .648 OPS is actually pretty Littonish, and a far cry from his .853 mark over the first half of the season.

Tim Hudson was supposed to solidify San Francisco’s rotation, but was roughed up in his first few starts. While he’s shown signs of coming around, the 36 year old is only 1-3 with an ERA north of 5 since his move to the Left Coast. Rube Melton, one of the pieces the Sea Lions gave up for Hudson, has excelled at AAA for Birmingham, and looks to be a nice pickup for the Black Barons.

Another one who took a bit to find his footing, Tom Herr, is finally showing some life for the New York Black Yankees. Still, a 228/267/298 slash is not what the New York faithful had hoped to see from their All-Star acquisition. The Black Yankees’ other significant acquisitions–Jamie Moyer and Gary Lavelle–have struggled as well, although Lavelle has been installed as their closer, which is more a comment on the other options than a compliment to him. Several of the prospects they gave up–Bill Buckner and Charlie Keller for Birmingham and Dick Bartell and Sam Thompson for Ottawa–are performing very well for their new organizations, so these trades may come back to haunt New York.

Performance

As usual, top 2 performers in all categories, with the WBL leader in bold.

Batters

Reggie Jackson‘s triple crown hunt is back on! And Babe Ruth‘s dominance just continues unabated.

Dick Allen (CAG). 298/368/550. 9 3B.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 335/410/646. 1.056 OPS. 26 HR.
Rico Carty (PHI). 295/362/480. 34 2B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 336/379/533.
Eric Davis (NYY). 277/337/528. 4.1 WAR.
Mike Epstein (HOM). 336/441/539.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 253/389/342. 67 BB, 64SB.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 301/370/582. 26 HR.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 337/449/610. 1.059 OPS.
Willie Mays (NYG). 316/373/523. 112 H.
Stan Musial (KCM). 331/390/585. 115 H, 31 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 316/373/523. 112 H, 88 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 298/373/454. 66 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 314/424/656. 1.080 OPS. 29 HR, 88 RBI, 73 R, 66 BB, 5.0 WAR.
Mike Trout (LAA). 318/390/455. 112 H.

Pitchers

It’s just all over the place, once you move past the dominant performances by Ned Garvin (BAL) and Gerrit Cole (LAA).

Starters

Bill Byrd (BAL). 9-2, 3.29.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-3, 3.66. 128 IP.
Gene Conley (CLE). 10-2, 3.17.
Ned Garvin (BAL). 8-3, 2.64. 1.14 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 9-6, 3.84. 135 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-8, 4.15. 135 K.
Waite Hoyt (NYY). 8-2, 3.29. 1.15 WHIP.
Walter Johnson (POR). 8-3, 3.60. 3.2 WAR.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 10-6, 3.96.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 8-6, 3.77. 3.5 WAR.
Red Ruffing (NYY). 10-4, 3.55.
Cy Young (CLE). 8-4, 3.84. 129 IP.

Relievers

20 IP minimum for rate stats.

Watty Clark (BRK). 3-1, 1.23. 17 Sv.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.67. 23 Sv.
Ken Howell (SFS). 3-3, 1.14. 3 Sv, 7 H.
AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.08. 16 Sv, 0.88 WHIP.
Ron Reed (CLE). 0-2, 2.26. 3 Sv, 16 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-2, 3.58. 12 H.
Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.78. 23 Sv.
Jonny Venters (LAA). 3-3, 3.24. 4 Sv, 12 H.
Billy Wagner (HOU). 0-2, 3.63. 11 Sv, 2 H, 0.90 WHIP.

Streaks

Not a lot of interesting active streaks. Brooklyn’s Beals Becker–who has the league record for consecutive games with a HR with 5–has a 25 game streak of getting on base. It’s no Thurman Munson, but it’s something. Becker is slashing 382/432/853 over his last 10 games. Gary Pettis, once considered a liability at the plate, is slashing 600/667/1050 over his last 15 games (because of Pettis’ utility as a defensive replacement, those 15 games cover only 24 ABs).

Christy Mathewson (NYG) hasn’t allowed a hit in over 8 innings.

Baltimore’s entire staff is on fire: Bill Byrd, Ned Garvin, Sean Marshall, Mike Mussina, and Jim Palmer are all on hot streaks on the mound. The most impressive is Byrd, who has a 1.07 WHIP and 2.38 ERA over his last 10 games.

Series Results

Series XXIII Sweeps

Cleveland over Indianapolis

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXIII

Baltimore over Brooklyn
Birmingham over Los Angeles
Houston over Chicago
Detroit over Portland
Kansas City over Philadelphia
New York Black Yankees over Ottawa

Splitting Series XXIII

Homestead @ San Francisco
House of David @ Memphis
Miami @ New York Gothams

TWIWBL 24.20: The All Star Trades

By mknn

On May 10, 2022

In TWIWBL

{The day after the All Star break is the first major trading period of the season, followed by the day before the trade deadline. Trades are somewhat randomized and limited in a variety of ways, basically an effort to ensure that, over time, they are at least approximately even in value.}

Portland signaled their commitment to this year, sending prized P prospect Smokey Joe Wood and Devin Mesoraco to Kansas City for all-star 2B Rogers Hornsby, OF Vince Coleman, and a 4th round draft pick.

Perhaps the prize pitching performer on the market, Birmingham‘s Tim Hudson, went to San Francisco in exchange for Rube Melton, Derrick May, and a 3rd round pick.

Brooklyn sends P Don Sutton to the New York Gothams for Ps Ray Lamb, Gil Heredia, and Lew Krausse, Jr., OF Don Mueller, and both a 1st and 8th round draft pick.

Cleveland made a clear sign of intent to compete this year, sending four players (P Hardie Henderson and OFs Jap Payne, Darrell Miller, and Gibby Brack) to Philadelphia for all-star reliever Ron Reed.

The Spiders also picked up Houston‘s struggling OF Lance Berkman to add more pop to their lineup, sending OF Harry Stovey, IF Charlie Grimm, P Chad Qualls, and a 3rd round pick to the Colt 45’s.

Media darling Tom Herr has a shot at a championship after Birmingham shipped the all-star 2B to the New York Black Yankees in exchange for a haul of talent, including IFs Moose Skowron and Reddy Mack, OFs Bill Buckner and Charlie Keller, P Heathcliff Slocumb, and a 10th round draft pick.

The Black Yankees also picked up some help on the mound, sending IF Dick Bartell, OF Sam Thompson, and a 4th round pick to Ottawa for Gary Lavelle and Jamie Moyer.

Addressing an area of clear need, Baltimore traded for Miami‘s everyday 3B, Manny Machado. The Black Sox sent a package of P Mike Morgan, 1B Richie Sexson, 3B Joe Dugan, and C Chris Hoiles to the Cuban Giants.

The Black Sox also shored up their bullpen, bringing in Memphis‘ closer, Joe Beggs, in exchange for P Willie Sudhoff, OF Alex Johnson, and a 4th round pick.

Ottawa and Los Angeles pulled off a complicated deal, with the Angels receiving 1B Carlos Delgado, IF Steve Garvey and OF Spud Johnson, sending OF Rusty Staub and Carlos Beltrán, C Jim Stephens, and Ps Dave Bennett and Sean O’Sullivan to the Mounties.

The Chicago American Giants added two of the better starting pitchers on the market, acquiring Don Newcombe from Miami and Dick Rudolph from Birmingham. The American Giants also received RP Clay Condrey and a 4th round draft pick for Minnie Miñoso from Miami, and sent Melky Cabrera, A. Rube Foster, Adrián González, and a 2nd round pick to Birmingham for Rudolph and Hoyt Wilhelm.

The American Giants also brought in SS Freddy Parent, who is expected to step right into the starting lineup. To do so, they sent IFs Sibby Sisti and Rickie Weeks and OF Bob Watson to Ottawa.

Miami’s other significant trade piece, Tommy Bridges, heads to San Francisco for two minor league pitchers, Shawn Estes and Turk Wendell, and a 5th round draft pick.

Los Angeles picked up some outfield help in the form of San Francisco’s Wally Moon. Moon heads south along with OF Dwayne Murphy and 2 draft picks (one 4th round, one 6th) in exchange for C Brian Downing, IF Kurt Stillwell, and P Dave LaRoche.

Detroit looked to improve their position behind the plate, obtaining Ernie Lombardi from Indianapolis for IFs Donie Bush and Jorge Orta, OF Gene Martin, P Brandon League, and a 2nd round pick.

Brooklyn added another versatile piece, sending OF Curt Flood, IF Manny Trillo, and a 6th round pick to Birmingham for IF Frank Isbell.

Two clubs looking towards the future made a big move, with Houston sending a 5th round pick, P Stubby Overmire, 2B DJ LeMahieu, P Jim Kaat, and OF Hack Wilson to Memphis for P Roger Clemens.

Sammy Sosa struggled so much for the House of David, it was decided the young OF could do with a change of scenery, going (along with a 5th round draft pick) to Memphis in exchange for OFs Fred Lynn and Tony Conigliaro and a 2nd round pick.

Finally, in easily the most minor deal of the day, Homestead picked up a 2nd round pick and IF Steve Hertz from San Francisco in exchange for Phil Garner.

TWIWBL 24.13: Mid-Season Reviews – New York Black Yankees

By mknn

On March 28, 2022

In Team News, TWIWBL

Summary

The Black Yankees are one of the dominant teams in the league, although some cracks have appeared, especially on the mound.

What’s Gone Right

Quite Offensive. The Black Yankees are top 3 in most offensive categories, and are 1st in most of those. They hit for power, they take walks, and the lineup is deep, deep, deep.

The MVP(s). Look, this Babe Ruth kid can hit, but the real MVP of the Black Yankees has been Thurman Munson, who heads into the break having reached base in over 30 straight games.

The 900 Club. Five hitters have an OPS over .890 (I rounded up). Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Munson, Albert Belle, and Eric Davis are a fearsome … dare I say it … Murderer’s Row.

What’s Gone Wrong

The Middle Infield. Derek Jeter is doing alright, but 2B has been a real struggle. Willie Randolph has been much better of late, and still has an OPS around .650, and the less said about Craig Counsell‘s performance, the better.

Back of the Bullpen. Ralph Citarella has been quite good, but both Sparky Lyle and Goose Gossage have struggled.

Guidry’s Fall. Ron Guidry looked like one of the best pitchers in the league for the first few months; while he still leads the WBL in strikeouts, his overall performance has suffered, with only a 5-6 record and an ERA over 4.00.

Key Storylines

The Black Yankees look likely to sit pat: they have the talent to compete just as they are, although pitching is always welcome.

There are some things to watch for in the second half, from whether Ruth’s slight slump is anything to worry about to whether they can continue to carry both 2B as a position and, to a lesser degree, Don Mattingly at 1B.

The most likely thing here is that some of these things break well and some don’t, and overall the team remains a powerhouse.

Trading Outlook

BUYING.

But it’s not clear what they need. Bullpen help for sure, and a solve to 2B could be useful as well.

AAA Shuttle

They haven’t used it a lot. Cole Hamels and Sam Thompson have been fine.

Midseason Changes

Cole Hamels joins the rotation.

Awards

All Stars: Eric Davis (CF); Lou Gehrig (1B); Derek Jeter (SS); Mickey Mantle (RF); Thurman Munson (C); Red Ruffing (P); Babe Ruth (LF).

Player of the Month: Babe Ruth (April)

Offensive MVP: Babe Ruth (OF)
Pitching MVP: Red Ruffing (SP)

Down on the Farm

AAA: Newark Eagles

Next to the Show: SP AJ Burnett & Jake Peavy, RP Bryan Hickerson, OF Joe Harris.

Prospects: SP Jake Peavy (23), C Smoky Burgess (22), 3B Chris Brown (22).

Projects: SP Whitey Ford (24), OF Sam Thompson (26), OF Nick Swisher (29), RP Bryan Hickerson (27), 1B Hal Chase (27), SP Jim Clinton (25).

Suspects: 1B Moose Skowron (29), OF Hank Bauer (31), IF Aaron Hill (23), OF Charlie Keller (33), RP Fritz Coumbe (24).

AA: Hudson Valley Renegades

Prospects: 2B Dick Bartell (20).

Projects: P Joba Chamberlain (25), P LaTroy Hawkins (22), P Art Ditmar (26), OF Roger Maris (26), OF Héctor López (25), Kevin Pillar (27).

Suspects: None, really.

TWIWBL 19.11: AAA Roundup

By mknn

On February 24, 2022

In TWIWBL, WBL Minor Leagues

{ It’s the first of June, so it’s time to look at the WBL Minor Leagues. Throughout, we identify both the AAA team and their WBL franchise. }

#Featured Team: The New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans, AA affiliate of the Memphis Red Sox, lead their division by 4 games with a 34-20 record.

They are, simply, the best offensive team in AAA. And, as you may guess from that line, they struggle a bit on the mound. But the real challenge for the Pelicans is coping with the talent they’ve lost to Memphis.

Billy Bryan, Wayne Causey, and Fred Lynn had combined for 32 homeruns for the Pelicans, and they’ve all moved on to the Red Sox, along with infielder Iván De Jesus. The players coming back the other way–Nomar Garciaparra, Bob Brenly, and Dustin Pedroia–have done very little to help (although Brenly has shown surprising power). And Larry Hisle, signed after he was let go by Houston, has struggled as well.

But the Pelicans keep scoring runs, with a lineup anchored by OFs David Justice (295/370/625) and Tony Conigliaro (286/331/563) and IF Francisco Lindor (299/352/528). Add in Dwight Evans‘ 12 homeruns and 30 RBIs and the Pelicans still have a fair bit of firepower.

The pitching is … confusing. Norwood Gibson and Ellis Kinder are each 5-2, with ERAs over 6.00. Eddie Cicotte, sent down from Memphis a few weeks ago, has won all 4 of his starts. And their best starter has probably been Joe Kelly, who has a 3.23 ERA, but only a 3-3 record.

Luiz Gohara and Derek Lowe have been solid at the end of games, but it’s pretty clear that unless they get some better performances from Gibson and Kinder (and Jeff Locke, who also has a winning record with an ERA over 6.00), the Pelicans fortunes could change dramatically.

#Checking In On …

The Atlanta X-Giants were the subject of last month’s update. They still have the best record in the league, although like New Orleans, they have clearly lost their best players to promotions to Birmingham.

But in their case, Greg Maddux and Warren Spahn have pitched well since their demotion, joining Kent Mercker and Jim Whitney in a very strong rotation.

We mentioned Joe Rudi last time, and the 22 year-old has impressed in his first taste of AAA, slashing 281/323/537.

AAA Leaders

Of the players profiled last time, only Joey Votto (Cincinnati/Indianapolis) remains at AAA, with Hi Myers (Brooklyn), Gary Sheffield (Miami), Fred Lynn (Memphis), and Robinson Canó (Kansas City) all now holding down a roster spot in the show.

In addition to Votto, who continues to produce, hitting at a 324/459/580 clip, the dominant players at AAA are

Baby Doll Jacobson. Leading AAA with 19 homeruns, Jacobson is slashing 343/389/725 for Washington (Baltimore) and pulling off his best Babe Ruth imitation on the leaderboards. Even with the best record in the league and Paul Blair hitting better in Baltimore, it’s not clear how long the Black Sox can keep Jacobson at AAA.
Louisville (Homestead)’s OF pair of Paul Waner (306/401/591) and Max Carey (357/441/473) are probably the best hitting tandem in the league.
Virgil Trucks has done nothing but impress since his demotion, sitting with a 6-1 record and a 1.59 ERA since being sent to Cincinnati after struggling in Indianapolis in the early going.
San Jose (San Francisco)’s Nick Altrock leads the league in wins at 7-2 with a 2.22 ERA.
In the bullpen, St. Louis (Kansas City)’s Adam Russell (16 saves, 1.71 ERA) and Queens (Brooklyn)’s Darren Dreifort (15 saves, 1.40 ERA) lead the way.

Awards

AAA Player of the Month: Baby Doll Jacobson (Washington/Baltimore)
AAA Pitcher of the Month: Nick Altrock (San Jose/San Francisco)

AAA Players of the Week: Tommie Agee (Orlando/Miami); Robin Ventura (Milwaukee/Chicago); Jackie Jensen (Montreal/Ottawa); Sam Thompson (Newark/New York Black Yankees)

Hottest Prospects (24 years and younger)

SP: Mike Griffin (23, Toronto/Detroit) 6-2, 1 Sv, 4.84 ERA; Jock Menefee (24, St. Louis/Kansas City) 4-3, 3.27 ERA [*]; George Mullin (22, Toronto/Detroit) 4-3, 3.49 ERA.
RP: Luiz Gohara (20, New Orleans/Memphis) 1-1, 8 Sv, 3 H, 3.60 ERA; George Murray (23, Atlanta/Birmingham) 1-1, 1 Sv, 1 H, 2.28 ERA.

C: Cliff W. Lee (22, Seattle/Portland). 329/374/647.
1B: Anthony Rizzo (22, Columbus/House of David). 277/395/576. [*]
2B: Roberto Alomar (23, Montreal/Ottawa). 301/338/436, 5 3B.
3B: Chris Brown (22, Newark/New York Black Yankees). 288/402/477.
SS: Francisco Lindor (24, New Orleans/Memphis). 299/352/528.
OF: Baby Doll Jacobson (24, Washington/Baltimore) 343/389/725, 71 H, 18 2B, 19 HR, 53 RBI, 42 R, 2.7 WAR; Paul Waner (23, Louisville/Homestead) 306/401/591 [*]; Minnie Miñoso (23, Milwaukee/Chicago) 272/370/589, 16 HR.

Bold indicates league leader; * indicates a player selected for April’s list as well.

Ps Hardie Henderson (Cleveland) and Matt Anderson (Detroit); C Mike Scioscia (Brooklyn); IFs Robinson Canó (Kansas City), Gary Sheffield (Miami), and Cal Ripken, Jr. (Baltimore); and OF Yasiel Puig (New York Gothams) were all listed in April and now are in the big leagues.

Series XIII Featured Game: New York Black Yankees @ Detroit Wolverines

By mknn

On September 1, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

The final game between the New York Black Yankees and the Detroit Wolverines saw Justin Verlander make his 7th start of the year for the home team, while Dave Righetti would start for the visiting Black Yankees.

Verlander had been incredibly effective as a reliever to start the year, but less so as a starting pitcher, making this an important game for him as Detroit tries to sort out its pitching staff.

Hank Greenberg took Righetti deep in the bottom of the second for a 1-0 lead for the home team, but it was short-lived, as Thurman Munson continued his argument as the best catcher in the league with a homerun to lead off the 3rd off Verlander. Two outs later, Derek Jeter went deep as well, pushing New York out to a 2-1 lead.

But the Wolverines are a decent team, and they fought back with an RBI single from Chili Davis in the bottom of the 4th that left 2 on and 2 out. However, Righetti retired Geoff Jenkins on a flyball to right to end the threat.

The same New York duo struck in the 5th when Jeter singled home Munson to edge the Black Yankees back in front, 3-2.

That lasted until Righetti–who was perhaps left in a few batters too long–gave up a 3 run home run to Bill Carrigan, scoring Greenberg and Ty Cobb and moving Detroit into the lead, 5-3. A solo homerun by Lou Gehrig made it 5-4, with the Wolverines trying to hold on for the victory.

In the top of the 9th, Detroit had its closer–Mike Henneman–on the mound, and made three defensive substitutions, including putting Greg Brock at 1B in place of Greenberg. Remember that.

Henneman gave up a single to Albert Belle, who was replaced at first by Eric Davis. Davis promptly stole 2nd and 3rd, and scored, after a walk to Munson, on a single by Mike Schmidt. That tied the game, and when Jeter again brought Munson home with a single, the Black Yankees moved in front.

With usual closer Sparky Lyle a bit tired, New York turned to Goose Gossage to face a Detroit lineup weakened by their defensive substitutions. The first of them, Sparky Adams, led off with a walk, and was bunted to second by Jimmy Collins. Cobb singled him to third, bringing up Brock … who promptly whiffed, making the Wolverine faithful question the choice to replace Greenberg.

But, with 2 outs, Oscar Gamble took Gossage’s second pitch deep into the night for a walkoff, 3-run homerun giving Detroit the 8-6 win. This marked the second consecutive game both Greenberg and Gamble went deep for the Wolverines.

It was one of those odd nights for relievers, as Henneman picked up both a blown save and a victory, and Gossage a blown save and a loss.

NYA 6 (Gossage 3-2, 4 BSv) @ DET 8 (Henneman 1-2, 2 BSv)
HRs: NYA – Jeter (4), Munson (6), Gehrig (12); DET – Gamble (13), Carrigan (3), Greenberg (14)
Box Score

Other Games of Note

The third game between New York and Detroit–the one preceeding the above–was memorable for its shenanigans, as Whitey Wilshire plunked Albert Belle, resulting in a bases-clearing brawl. Belle was suspended for 4 games; Wilshire for 6. Additionally, New York’s David Robertson was injured while pitching, leading to the recall of OF Sam Thompson from AAA. The game itself was never really in doubt as New York led wire-to-wire in an 8-4 victory.

NYA 8 (Ruffing 6-1) @ DET 4 (Wilshire 6-3)
HRs: NYA – Ruth (19), Mantle (6); DET – Greenberg (13), Gamble (12)
Box Score

Indianapolis outhit the New York Gothams 16 to 9, and scored 4 runs in the final 2 innings … but it was all for naught, as the Gothams rode an early 8-1 lead to an 8-6 victory. Jimmy Sheckard had 3 hits, 3 runs, and 3 RBIs for the Gothams. Edd Roush had 4 hits for the ABCs, raising his average to .352 on the season.

NYG 8 (Perry 2-4; Norris 1 Sv) @ IND 6 (Luque 3-5)
HRs: NYG – Sheckard (5), Mays (7)
Box Score

Sandy Koufax, who had impressed mightily from the bullpen, took the mound for Brooklyn for his first start of the season against Homestead. It didn’t go great, as Koufax gave up 5 runs in 5 innings before giving way to Dick Redding. Redding and Dave Von Ohlen combined for 5 innings of 2-hit relief. Brooklyn needed all of that, as the Grays had a 5-1 lead after 5 innings behind 2 homeruns from Davey Johnson. But the Royal Giants came back to tie the game, and Mike Piazza–he of the sub .200 average–won it in the bottom of the 10th with a solo shot against Homestead’s closer, Josh Lindblom.

HOM 5 (Lindblom 0-2; Jackson 4 H; Tekulve 1 BSv) @ BRK 6 (Von Ohlen 3-0)
HRs: HOM – Johnson 2 (6), Epstein (9); BRK – Cey (9), Robinson (6), Piazza (4)
Box Score

Getting to 30: Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On August 7, 2020

In 2000 Spring Training, Team News

#Cleveland Spiders

The pitching staff seems set with Hank Gastright and Firpo Marberry heading back to the minors. The only real question is the long reliever roles, where 1 or 2 of Hardie Henderson, Sudden Sam McDowell, and Stan Coveleski will make the roster. They’ve all struggled a bit, especially with their control.

Surprisingly, Jim Thome ends up losing the battle at 1B. But 5 players remain on the roster who can play 1B, and all of them were significantly better than Thome during the Spring.

SS is just a desolation for the Spiders: neither Bill Dahlen, Joe Sewell, or Tom Veryzer have hit over .133 or posted an OPS over .360 over the Spring games. Bill Knickerbocker has shown some spark, but it’s only been 10 ABs. Sewell and Veryzer are sent down for now, but a better performance has to come out eventually.

#Homestead Grays

Ray Brown and John Candelaria stay in camp as long relievers, which means Bartolo Colon and Babe Adams are off to the minors.

Josh Lindblom is holding on to the closer role, but Kent Tekulve and Michael Jackson are clearly poised to help out if he falters.

Khalil Greene impressed enough in his stint to beat out Jay Bell for the backup SS role behind Arky Vaughan. The final cut was rough, first of all because Paul Waner‘s short-term injury complicates the situation. Beyond that, Honus Wagner has struggled, but has shown some power, making Phil Garner the final cut for now.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

The ABC’s are one of the few teams to have an embarrassment of riches of starting pitching. It’s great for them, but makes the roster cuts rough. Rob Dibble and Lefty James in the bullpen are locks, as are Red Faber, Dolf Luque, and Johnny Cueto in the rotation. Paul Derringer joins as the 4th starter.

The 5th slot is between Virgil Trucks, David Price, and Bronson Arroyo. But Willie Mitchell and Dixie Leverett would have earned starting positions on other teams: look for their return or for them to be trade bait.

The rest of the cuts were pretty pedestrian, if a little surprising: Barry Larkin was eliminated from the crush of options at SS, Charlie Hemphill just couldn’t do enough in the OF.

#New York Black Yankees

Like Indianapolis, too much starting pitching is a blessing in disguise. Ron Guidry is a lock, along with Red Ruffing and Dave Righetti. Beyond that, 5 pitchers are competing for 4 spots: 2 in the rotation, 2 in the pen. AJ Burnett, Lady Baldwin, Waite Hoyt, and Whitey Ford all deserve another start, while Jack Scott should get some more bullpen innings before the final decision.

It’s complicated by Sparky Lyle and Goose Gossage both being sidelined with injury.

Luckily 4 of the 6 remaining cuts are clear, as Joe Harris, Chris Brown, Hardy Richardson, and Aaron Hill head to AAA. Sam Thompson will join them, but the final cut is difficult, especially as both Red Rolfe and Moose Skowron have torn the cover off the ball in limited action. Skowron has the biggest challenge to make the team, as 1B is well blocked, so he also returns to the minors.

#Philadelphia Stars

There are 2 pending questions on the pitching staff: first, while Monte Ward, Jack Katoll, and Pete Alexander are all on the roster, it’s not clear who starts the season as the 5th starter. Second, Brad Kilby, Rheal Cormier, and Pedro Feliciano are 3 hurlers trying to fill 2 spots.

Mickey Doolin can’t return from injury soon enough; in the meantime, Larry Bowa will start at SS, backed up by Roger Peckingpaugh, with Pat Meares heading to the minors.

Sending both Bobby Abreu and Dusty Baker to AAA clears up a crowded OF, and Cecil Cooper will join them after failing to displace Ted Kluszewski at 1B.

Spring Training Preview: New York Black Yankees

By mknn

On June 20, 2020

In Team News

Most of the questions are in the rotation. Ron Guidry is a lock, and the scouting department are insisting Jim Clinton has a slot as well. But the other 3 slots have 8 contenders in Waite Hoyt, Dave Righetti, Red Ruffing, Jack Scott, Lady Baldwin, Jake Peavy, AJ Burnett, and Whitey Ford. 3 of those make the rotation, 3 make the bullpen, and 2 head back to the minors.
- Guidry has been great. Clinton has pitched his way out of consideration, as have Peavy and Burnett. The rest remains up for grabs, with Ford and Baldwin the most impressive so far.
  - The rotation is pretty open, but in a way that is good for the Black Yankees. Clinton remains the worst of the group, and heads to AAA. Aside from him, though, they’ve all been decent. If the season started tomorrow, it would be Guidry, Baldwin, Hoyt, Ford, and Righetti. But it all could change based on performances for the rest of the Spring.
- Sparky Lyle, Ralph Citarella, and Dellin Betances have yet to give up a run on the bullpen, and Fritz Coumbe has been pretty stout as well.
  - Lyle has been hurt, but he was amazing before that. Citarella and Goose Gossage look like the setup crew, with Coumbe and Betances in the mix as well.
Thurman Munson is the starting C, but Smoky Burgess and Manny Sanguillen are fighting to be his backup.
- Sanguillen has a clear edge at this point.
Both Lou Gehrig and Don Mattingly should make the roster, although it’s not clear which will see more playing time.
- Mattingly has the clear edge here as Gehrig has struggled to find a groove offensively. Moose Skowron has been recalled for the rest of Spring training.
Both Willie Randolph (2B) and Doug DeCinces (3B) have outside shots to unseat the incumbents (Hardy Richardson and Chris Brown).
- Richardson has had a very rough time of it, likely losing out to Randolph if the season started now while neither DeCinces nor Brown are doing anything notable.
  - Richardson doesn’t make the roster as of right now, with Craig Counsell or Aaron Hill backing up Randolph at 2B. That sounds fine until you realize Counsell and Hill are also the best performers at 3B so far. That has led to Red Rolfe being recalled from AAA.
It would take great Springs from Albert Belle, Charlie Keller, or Joe Harris to force their way into the OF picture.
- Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Aaron Judge are playing at an incredibly high level. Eric Davis‘ speed and defense probably earn him a roster spot, and nothing else is clear.
  - Even with Harris, Charlie Keller, and Sam Thompson not making the roster, the truth here is this is probably the best OF in the league.

	Near Definite	Likely	Possible	Long Shot
Starting Pitchers	Ron Guidry	Lady Baldwin Whitey Ford	Waite Hoyt Dave Righetti Red Ruffing Jack Scott Jake Peavy AJ Burnett
Middle Relievers			Fritz Coombe Dellin Betances Bryan Hickerson David Robertson
Setup		Ralph Citarella Goose Gossage
Closer	Sparky Lyle
C	Thurman Munson	Manny Sanguillen	Smoky Burgess
1B		Don Mattingly	Lou Gehrig	Moose Skowron
2B		Willie Randolph	Hardy Richardson
3B			Chris Brown Doug DeCinces	Red Rolfe
SS		Derek Jeter	Aaron Hill	Craig Counsell
OF	Babe Ruth Aaron Judge Mickey Mantle	Eric Davis Albert Belle		Charlie Keller Sam Thompson Joe Harris