88 - 66, .571 pct.
3rd in Cum Posey Division, 3 games behind.
Lost to Portland in Wild Card Round
Overall
An amazing offense, a solid pitching staff. But ultimately not enough: which means a solid pitching staff is insufficient for a team with championship aspirations.
The offense was a joy, though: Eddie Collins is a virtually perfect baseball specimen, and Frank Thomas, Joe Jackson, and Dick Allen are spectacular hitters.
What Went Right
All the offense all the time.
The top four batters each had OPS’ over .900 and between the four of them hit 102 homeruns, drove in 386 runs and scored 394. They even stole 100 bases, but really that was entirely Collins (61) and Jackson (34). Collins is the oldest at 27 with the other three 24 or under, so the future is bright here.
And it’s not like the offense drops much behind them: Duffy Lewis had a SLG over .500, Mike Fiore had an OBP over .400, Carlton Fisk‘s OPS near .800 makes him a pretty elite hitter for a catcher, and Cristóbal Torriente had a solid year overall and a great one considering he’s still a teenager.
On the mound, AJ Minter was among the best closers in the league and David Price was spectacular after being brought over from Indianapolis. Ben Sheets and Tricky Nichols were good, perhaps a little better than good and Ed Walsh showed flashes of excellence.
Hoyt Wilhelm and Ken Sanders were good out of the pen.
Note how tepid the praise is getting …
ALL STARS
3B Dick Allen; 2B Eddie Collins; OF Joe Jackson; OF Duffy Lewis; RP AJ Minter; P Tricky Nichols; 1B Frank Thomas
What Went Wrong
The American Giants brought in Freddy Parent at the all star break to solidify the SS position. The revolving door there stopped, but Parent wasn’t very good–certainly not as good as he was in the first half of the season for Ottawa.
Five players (Magglio Ordoñez, Jack Doyle, José Abreu, Luke Appling, and most of all Damian Jackson) were given 100+ PAs to lay claim to jobs, and they each failed somewhat spectacularly.
But really the focus here has to be on the mound. Chicago had its share of hurlers who were given a chance and weren’t up to it–every team does. But they had a much larger group of pitchers who were just far too mediocre for a championship team. This includes Dick Rudolph, who was no worse than he was for Birmingham but also no better; Akinori Otsuka, Mark Buehrle, Herb Pennock … the list goes on. Special mention has to be made of Don Newcombe, whose raw numbers are good until you encounter his home run rate. Not giving up a lot of hits doesn’t mean a lot if the ones you give up continually leave the yard.
Transactions
March
None
June
OF Melky Cabrera, P A. Rube Foster, 1B Adrián González & 2nd Round Pick to Birmingham for P Hoyt Wilhelm & P Dick Rudolph
Regret may set in, especially around Foster, but the move made sense at the time, and Wilhelm is almost a unique reliever, which makes up for a little bit of the lost value.
OF Minnie Miñoso to Miami for P Don Newcombe, P Clay Condrey & 4th Round Pick {José Quintana}
If Necombe turns it around, maybe this was worth it. Maybe.
3B Sibby Sisti; OF Bob Watson; 2B Rickie Weeks to Ottawa for SS Freddy Parent
Another one that seemed quite reasonable at the time, but Watson especially may be missed (at the same time, he was pretty completely blocked positionally at Chicago).
July
3B Robin Ventura, P Tyler Clippard, 4th Round Pick & 5th Round Pick to Indianapolis for P David Price & 2B Jorge Orta
Ventura was a bust in Chicago, and especially in light of Price’s stellar performance, this feels fine.
Looking Forward
SP
This is a need. For now, the American Giants are fine, but the long term trio of Ed Walsh, Mark Buehrle, and Harry Buckner is solid, but not spectacular.
RP
Minter and Wilhelm are good and there is some talent behind them, notably Scott Radinksy (despite his struggles this season) and Hector Neris.
C
Carlton Fisk is expected to be here for quite some time.
1B
Frank Thomas. Simply, Frank Thomas.
2B
Eddie Collins. Simply, Eddie Collins.
3B
Dick Allen. Simply, Dick Allen.
SS
This is likely an issue–and soon if Freddy Parent doesn’t turn it around. Luke Appling and Tim Anderson are waiting in the wings if that comes to pass.
LF
Duffy Lewis was surprisingly effective, and has the claim on the position for a while.
CF
The American Giants were as surprised as anyone that Mike Fiore led the league in walks.
RF
Joe Jackson. Simply, Joe Jackson.
The Rookie Draft
Rounds 1-4
The American Giants were thrilled that Jacob DeGrom was still on the board with the 18th pick. Whether he shows up in Chicago next year or the year after, he should arrive very soon to help out their rotation.
In the third round, they picked up CF Lenny Dykstra in a “best player available” move and in the 4th, SP José Quintana, because you can never have too much young pitching and OF/1B Walter “Steel Arm” Davis, because you can never have too many cool nicknames.
Rounds 5-8
With no picks in the 5th or 6th rounds, Chicago’s franchise exceptions dropped significantly in value. They need a few 1B, some help at 3B, arms, and some OF depth. Still, they were able to grab Freddy Sánchez in round 7 and Cass Michaels in round 8, each of which have a shot at WBL time at some point (Michaels as soon as this season as a utility IF).
Rounds 9-12
P Josh Hader (final exemption); P Tom Williams; P Vern Kennedy; OF Craig Gentry.
4th round pick José Quintana and and 9th round selection Josh Hader both refused to come to terms for Chicago, who will receive compensation in next year’s draft for Quintana.
