#Chicago American Giants

Tricky Nichols, who has struggled all year, finally revealed a possible cause, and will miss the rest of the season with shoulder inflammation. The American Giants hope to have him back for the Spring, and recalled Billy Loes from a rehab assignment to take Nichols’ roster spot.

#Miami Cuban Giants

José Canseco hit 2 out of the ballpark, leading the Cuban Giants to a 12-9 win over San Francisco.

But it doesn’t always work: Jim Thome, Andy Pafko, and Julio Rodríguez each hit 2 homeruns in a game the Cuban Giants’ bullpen blew as Miami fell to San Francisco, 9-8 in 10 innings.

Canseco continued his charge, hitting out 3 and reaching 50 on the year as Miami beat the Black Yankees, 7-3. It was the second time this season Canseco has walloped 3 homers in a single game.

Kenshin Kawakami will miss about 6 weeks with shoulder stiffness, warranting a trip to the DL and prompting the Cuban Giants to recall Dale Murray from AAA.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Kent Hrbek went deep twice and drove in 6 as the Sea Dogs topped Memphis, 10-5.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Watty Clark began a rehab assignment.

The Sea Lions tweaked their bench, sending down Gene Oliver and bringing back Brian Downing for another try as the backup catcher.

Turkey Stearnes went deep twice, giving the impressive rookie 32 on the year, but the Sea Lions fell to Miami, 12-9. Then it was Jimmie Foxx‘s turn, but his 2 homers were enough to carry San Francisco to a come-from-behind win over the Cuban Giants, 10-6. And then it was time for Jack Clark to hit 2 out, but this time the Sea Lions bullpen lost a late lead as San Francisco feel to Los Angeles, 10-9.

Coming off a short week for most teams.

#Awards

Josh Gibson of the Homestead Grays hit .409 last week–which barely moved his overall batting average of .408. That, along with 5 homers and 12 RBIs earned him the NL Player of the Week Award. In the AL, one of the surprising cogs in the Detroit Wolverines‘ machine, Juan Beníquez, earned the Award, hitting .423 with 3 homers.

#Team Performance

More of the same.

San Francisco is riding a 9-1 streak, improving their winning percentage to .648, easily the best in the WBL. They lead the Cum Posey Division by 17 games over Miami.

In the Effa Manley Division, the surprising Brooklyn Royal Giants are extending their edge over Homestead, now leading the Grays by 5.5 games.

But the other 2 divisions are building to be close races: in the Bill James Division, the New York Black Yankees continue to struggle, falling to the 3rd best record in the league and only leading Cleveland by a single game. And, in the Marvin Miller Division, while the Kansas City Monarchs are in first, both Indianapolis and Houston sit only 1.5 games back.

Baltimore, despite better showings as of late, continue to hold the worst record in the league at .429.

#Player Performance

#Batters

Remember when we were talking about Tony Gwynn and Ty Cobb competing to hit .400? They now sit roughly 40 points behind Josh Gibson, leading the universe with a .408 average. Offensively, the league revolves around three players: Gibson, Cobb, and Babe Ruth. And Ruth’s exploits are even more impressive when you consider his .285 average.

But, for now, Gibson stands alone, leading in all 3 slash categories.

As always, top 3 in most stats with the leaders in bold.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 255/370/668. 40 HR, 105 RBI.
José Canseco (MCG). 255/370/717. 44 HR.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 342/385/641. 136 H, 12 3B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 369/421/794. 136 H, 41 2B, 86 R, 5.8 WAR.
Kal Daniels (LAA). 332/431/640.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 408/503/809. 102 RBI, 88 R, 7.2 WAR.
Tony Gwynn (HOU). 360/398/574. 138 H.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 358/409/587. 47 2B.
Stan Musial (KCM). 319/388/569. 40 2B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 285/420/751. 49 HR, 113 RBI, 98 R, 81 BB, 6.0 WAR.
Ted Williams (MEM). 312/429/656. 770 BB.

Tim Raines and Rickey Henderson are in a see-saw battle for the SB lead, with Raines currently on top , 78-73. See below for some more on speed in the league …

#Pitchers

#Starters

San Francisco’s big three is just humming along. Bump Hadley and Eddie Plank are the only hurlers with 15 wins, and Lefty Grove has 13. Only Indianapolis’ Luis Padrón (14) and Houston’s Toad Ramsey (13) have that many.

Ramsey or Kansas City’s A. Rube Foster are probably the best overall starters in the league right now, but we’ll see how August plays out.

A. Rube Foster (KCM). 7-3, 2.66. 0.96 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 13-4, 3.92. 170 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-7, 4.16. 187 K.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 15-4, 3.64.
José Méndez (MCG). 9-5, 4.38. 0.99 WHIP.
Luis Padrón (IND). 14-3, 3.58. 3.60 FIP, 4.6 WAR.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 15-5, 4.02.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 13-7, 3.04. 190 K, 0.96 WHIP, 3.07 FIP, 6.1 WAR.
Jim Whitney (MCG). 6-3, 3.10. 1 Sv, 2 H.
Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 9-9, 3.62. 3.59 FIP, 4.5 WAR.

#Relievers

Brooklyn’s Eric Gagne is probably the league’s dominant closer, but some of the hurlers whose role has been more fluid–notably the Gothams’ Robb Nen and the Black Yankees’ Goose Gossage–have perhaps been more valuable.

23 IP Min.

Rod Beck (SFS). 3-2, 3.72. 26 Sv.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-1, 2.93. 21 Sv.
Goose Gossage (NYY). 3-3, 2.02. 122 Sv, 8 H.
Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 2.02. 1 Sv, 7 H.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-6, 5.35. 1 Sv, 14 H.
Ted Kennedy (PHI). 2-2, 3.83. 4 Sv, 12 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 6-3, 3.65. 25 Sv.
Robb Nen (NYG). 3-2, 1.88. 10 Sv, 9 H.

#Steals and Speed

Seemed a good time to check in on some oddities in running the bases.

Let’s start with some players who perhaps should be running a bit less, led by the New York Gothams‘ recently acquired Don Buford, who has 21 steals, but has been caught 20 times. Houston’s Craig Biggio has been even worse, with only 10 steals in 26 attempts. Chicago‘s Eddie Collins has been gunned down 23 times, but has 45 swipes: not a great success rate, but far ahead of Buford and Biggio.

San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson has been caught the most times in the league, but with 73 steals against 25 caught stealings, his success rate remains decent.

On the other end of the scale, Indianapolis’ Bob Bescher has only been caught 10 times in 53 attempts; Kansas City’s Ozzie Smith is doing even better, with an 84% success rate (42 for 50 so far); and the Black Yankees’ Eric Davis has gone 37 for 42.

Ottawa‘s Carlos Beltrán has been thrown out only once in 26 tries but, interestingly, nobody with at least 5 steals has a perfect record on the basepaths.

#Injury Report

A big week, led by Chicago perhaps finally getting some insight into Tricky Nichols‘ year-long struggles, as last year’s ace will miss 4 or 5 months with a shoulder ailment.

Detroit and Homestead both may have some help for their pitching staffs on the way, as Buddy Napier and Joakim Soria should start rehab assignments this week for the Wolverines while Cliff Lee and Doug Drabek should do so for the Grays.

Memphis‘ Dobie Moore, the Black Yankees’ Dave Righetti, and the House of David‘s Anthony Rizzo should also find their way back this week.

#Chicago American Giants

In what may be a preliminary move to more significant changes, the American Giants moved Joe Lake into the starting rotation, sending last season’s ace Tricky Nichols to the bullpen. The also moved AJ Minter out of the closers role, replacing him with Akinori Otsuka. For now, however, both Nichols and Minter stay with the WBL club.

Frank Thomas had himself a day, hitting 2 homeruns and going 5-for-5, but it wasn’t enough as the American Giants fell to Detroit, 8-6.

#Los Angeles Angels

With Mark Ellis out for about a month, the Angels recalled Jay Bell from AAA. Bell will see some time at SS, with Bobby Grich returning fulltime to his 2B spot.

Elmer Smith replaced Pud Galvin at the end of the Angels’ rotation for the time being. Smith has been struggling at the plate, so his time in the OF will probably be reduced, but Los Angeles does still plan to use have him hit on the days he pitches.

Mike Trout went deep twice, but it wasn’t enough as the Angels fell to Cleveland, 7-5.

Kal Daniels and Ron Hassey each hit 2 out and the Angels’ bullpen held on as Los Angeles topped Cleveland, 11-8. Then they battered the Spiders, 14-3, as Ichiro Suzuki had 5 hits, Hassey 4, and Daniels drove in 6.

#Miami Cuban Giants

José Canseco went deep twice, but Miami fell to Baltimore, 5-3.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Tom Zachary will miss over a week and, with Scott Terry‘s fate still unknown, is hurt enough to warrant a trip to the DL. Art Fowler was recalled to take Zachary’s spot in the bullpen.

The news on Terry wasn’t good: he’ll be out for 9 months (Tommy John surgery) and the Sea Dogs recalled Heath Hembree from AAA.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Turkey Stearnes went deep twice and Eddie Plank fanned 10 in 7+ innings, improving to 15-4 on the year in a 6-4 victory over the New York Black Yankees. And then it was Bobby Bonds‘ turn, as he hit his 27th and 28th homer of the year in another win over New York, this one by a margin of 7-4 as Bump Hadley won his 15th of the year.

But, it’s not enough: this team should be doing better.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

The problems are clear: an offense that falls off dramatically after its top half, struggles on the mound, and issues at a couple key positions (CF and SS). The solutions aren’t so obvious, and if things aren’t better by mid-August, the American Giants are a candidate to mortgage their future to address those shortcomings.

THE OFFENSE

The top end–Frank Thomas, Joe Jackson, Eddie Collins, and the surprising Paul Konerko are all excellent and, especially if Dick Allen regains his stroke, may be enough to carry Chicago in a playoff run. But Chicago regularly trots out 5 starters with OPS’ below .750, leaving too many holes.

#What’s Going Right

The big 4 are stunning. Thomas and Shoeless Joe are virtually tied in OPS around .975, with Konerko not too far behind.

Carlton Fisk lags behind in OPS, but as a C, he’s well above average, and leads the American Giants with 21 homers. Thomas leads in RBIs and Jackson has an incredible 41 2Bs.

Collins isn’t the all around leader of last season, but 309/406/418 with 41 SBs from a middle infielder is nothing to sneeze at.

#What’s Not Going Right

The 2 obvious problems are SS and CF. Freddy Parent, picked up at last year’s All-Star break, has been thoroughly disappointing, with an OPS under .550 (although he has flashed some decent leather). Damian Jackson has been given some opportunities, but has fared even worse offensively.

In CF, 18 year old Cristóbal Torriente is clearly still a large part of Chicago’s future. But he may not be part of their present: 188/235/245 won’t cut it, no matter how fast you are or how good you are in the field. This issue has gotten better: Vernon Wells has taken over for Torriente, and is doing alright.

I have no idea how to evaluate Mike Fiore. He’s hitting .181, but his OBP is .340, and he has 12 homers. Is that going right? Going wrong? No idea, but I think going wrong.

Duffy Lewis was injured at the start of the year, and hasn’t clicked since, and is increasingly losing time to Kevin Mitchell in LF.

THE PITCHING

It’s not bad. And some of it–Ed Walsh, Akinori Otsuka–is downright excellent. But everything else needs to step forward.

#What’s Going Right

Last year’s Rookie of the Year, Ed Walsh, is pitching fantastically, despite a modest 6-4 record, sporting a 3.55 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP.

Akinori Otsuka, Tom Williams, and Hoyt Wilhelm are a very solid trio in the bullpen, especially Otsuka and Williams.

#What’s Not Going Right

Last year’s ace, Tricky Nichols, has struggled mightily, with an ERA approaching 7.00, and is in danger of losing his spot in the rotation.

The trio of Jamie Moyer, Ben Sheets, and Mark Buehrle have been … thoroughly meh. Just meh. Meh not’s good enough for the playoffs.

AJ Minter has a dozen saves, but also an ERA of roughly 6.50.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

The jewel of the system is the much-traveled Chino Smith. What’s not clear is if Smith will be used as trade bait at the deadline or be asked to move to SS–he’s not going to unseat Collins at 2B.

There is some decent OF talent here: Lenny Dykstra, Walter Davis, Henry Cotto, and Jorge Orta has the bat, if not the glove, to help a WBL team.

On the mound, Jacob deGrom, Harry Buckner, Scott Radinsky, and Ted Lyons all have some ceiling.

So, yeah, some help here.

WHAT’S NEEDED

The bottom of the lineup to step forward, and the pitching overall to improve a shade across the board.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

• How is the rotation going to fall out? Can Ed Walsh handle a fulltime starting role, and can Mark Buehrle and Ben Sheets handle the back end of the rotation? Still a question, with Walsh, Buehrle, and Sheets now being asked to move up in the rotation.
• How long do the American Giants stick with Parent–he’s fine, but his level of play over the second half of the season (after the American Giants picked him up from Ottawa) was below championship. How long, indeed.

FEATURED SERIES

The American Giants start the week hosting Memphis for 4 games, so we’ll look at those.

Projected Starters

Memphis’ starter listed first.

David Bush (5-3, 5.98) @ Tricky Nichols (4-8, 6.89)
Jameson Taillon (2-3, 5.12) @ Ben Sheets (4-9, 5.69)
Stubby Overmire (8-6, 4.70) @ Ed Walsh (6-4, 3.55)
Jon Lester (5-4, 5.61) @ Mark Buehrle (6-8, 4.61)

So. Much. Mediocrity. Although the Overmire-Walsh tilt should be a good one. Both teams can score a lot of runs, so let’s say this one goes 2-2.

Before the first game, the American Giants made a move, promoting Rocky Colavito to the big leagues to take the place of Mike Fiore. Colavito and Mitchell will split time in LF, with Duffy Lewis taking on an unfamiliar bench role.

Game One

Carlton Fisk put the American Giants up 1-0 in the 2nd with a solo shot to left. Joe Jackson added to the lead the next inning with a sacrifice fly to deep center, scoring Freddy Parent. Fisk would add a 3rd run in the most unlikely of ways: a walk, a stolen base, and then crossing the plate on a single from Vernon Wells, and Dick Allen would go deep in the 4th, increasing the lead to 4-0.

Tricky Nichols recaptured some of his form from last year, holding the Red Sox scoreless until Gabby Hartnett hit a 2-run shot in the top of the 7th, closing gap to 4-2 and chasing Nichols from the mound in favor of Hoyt Wilhelm. Wilhelm got through the inning without further damage, other than a double from Dobie Moore.

A homer from Wells was offset by a sacrifice fly from Ted Williams, so the lead was still 2, at 5-3 in favor of Chicago.

The American Giants added a couple in the 8th with the key hits being a triple from Jackson and another RBI hit form Fisk. It turned out to matter, as David Ortiz took AJ Minter deep with 2 on and 2 out in the top of the 9th, bringing Memphis within 1 run at 7-6. Minter was able to induce a groundout from Wade Boggs, bringing home the victory for Chicago.

MEM 6 (Feliciano 0-1; Kennedy 6 BSv; Kilby 2 BSv) @ CAG 7 (Ryan 2-2)
HRs: MEM – Hartnett (18), Ortiz (20); CAG – Fisk (22), Allen (17), Wells (8).
Box Score

Game Two

Game 2 will pit Memphis’ Jameson Taillon against Chicago’s Ben Sheets in a matchup of end-of-rotation starters.

Memphis took the lead in the 3rd, scoring 1 on a Wade Boggs double and 2 more on a two-bagger from Bill White. Dobie Moore added a solo shot in the 4th, making it 4-0.

Taillon was sailing along, holding Chicago scoreless through 6. But Joe Jackson singled and Frank Thomas went deep, halving the deficit and chasing Taillon. Sheets, who calmed down after Moore’s shot, lasted until 1 out in the 7th, when a double from Reggie Smith sent him to the showers.

Joe Lake, Sheets’ replacement, gave up an RBI single to Ted Williams, increasing Memphis’ lead to 5-2, cut to 5-3 when Jackson tripled home Eddie Collins. Dave Nilsson singled in one in the 8th, but Andrew Miller got Collins to groundout with the bases loaded, keeping the Red Sox up by 1, 5-4.

An RBI from Smith sent us to the bottom of the 9th with the Red Sox up, 6-4, with their closer, Jonathan Papelbon, coming in from the bullpen.

Papelbon whiffed 2, and the series was tied at a game apiece.

Moore and Smith had 3 hits each for the Red Sox.

MEM 6 (Taillon 3-3; Papelbon 14 Sv; de la Cruz 1 H; Roach 9 H; Miller 8 H) @ CAG 4 (Sheets 4-10)
HRs: MEM – Moore (8); CAG – Thomas (20).
Box Score

Game Three

Tied at one, we get the premier pitching matchup of the series, with Memphis’ Stubby Overmire taking on Chicago’s Ed Walsh. It’s a bit of an odd game for the American Giants, with several regulars getting the day off, resulting in a bit of a patchwork lineup. So, we’ll see.

Walsh gave up 2 in the 2nd on 2-out RBI’s from DJ LeMahieu and Billy Bryan. Reggie Smith hit his 23rd homer of the year in the 5th, extending the lead to 3-0. Meanwhile, Overmire was dealing, holding Chicago scoreless through 5 on only 2 hits. despite loading the bases in the 2nd.

Overmire departed in the 7th after surrendering his 6th walk, to Rocky Colavito, and an infield hit to Freddy Parent. Heath Bell loaded the bases, but escaped without damage.

That was it, really: Bell pitched well in the 8th and Jonathan Papelbon shut the door in the 9th on a combined 3 hit shutout.

MEM 3 (Overmire 9-6; Papelbon 15 Sv; Bell 5 H) @ CAG 0 (Walsh 6-5)
HRs: MEM – Smith (23); CAG – none.
Box Score

Game Four

The American Giants will try to salvage a split behind Mark Buehrle who will be opposed by Memphis’ Jon Lester.

The full strength lineup for the American Giants came through immediately, as Frank Thomas launched a 3 run homerun in the bottom of the 1st. But Jack McAleese–who seems to have locked down the utility OF spot for the Red Sox–drove home 2 in the 2nd and scored on a base hit from Dobie Moore, tying the game at 3.

Ted Williams launched his 25th of the year in the 3rd, giving Memphis a 1 run lead. Chicago evened the score the following inning on a sacrifice fly from Paul Konerko. That lasted into the top of the 5th, when Williams went deep again, this time with a man on. 6-4 Memphis. Buehrle made it into the 6th but a DJ LeMahieu double chased him from the game. His relief, David Price, allowed 2 more runs, making the edge 8-4, Red Sox.

Lester got through the 5th, but by that point he had given up 7 walks and was clearly fatigued. Then, suddenly and surprisingly, the relievers figured out how to pitch, keeping it scoreless until Memphis added a few more in the top of the 9th.

Just about the only bad news for Memphis was Moore having to leave the game after being hit on the hand with a pitch: his ultimate injury status is yet to be known.

MEM 11 (Lester 6-4; Roach 1 Sv) @ CAG 4 (Buehrle 6-9)
HRs: MEM – Williams 2 (26); CAG – Thomas (21).
Box Score

This is emblematic of everything disappointing about Chicago’s year so far: loss after loss and question after question of what if and what’s next. This team needs some help: immediately, they are looking at sending AJ Minter down to AAA and installing Akinori Otsuku as the closer, but it’s going to take more than that.

We’re rounding the corner towards the selection of this year’s All-Star teams. Today, we’ll check in on last year’s all stars from the AL.

#Awards

Duke Snider hit .444 with 5 homeruns last week, earning the Brooklyn OFer the NL Player of the Week Award. In the other league, Detroit‘s irrepressible Ty Cobb was named AL Player of the Week. Cobb moved his average back over .400, finishing the week at .411 after hitting .579 with 5 homers.

#Team Performance

Pretty much status quo here.

The New York Black Yankees lead Cleveland in the Bill James Division by 5.5 games; San Francisco has extended their lead in the Cum Posey Division to 9.5 over Chicago; and Indianapolis and Kansas City remain tied atop the Marvin Miller Division.

And, over in the Effa Manley Division, 5.5 games separate Brooklyn in first and Ottawa at the bottom.

Memphis and Brooklyn have gone 8-2 over their last 10 games, while Miami has done the inverse, finishing 2-8 over their last week and a half.

#Player Performance

Batters

Someone poked Babe Ruth, insinuating that the Black Yankees’ OF might not be the dominant player in the league. Since then, he has been on fire, retaking the league lead in his usual categories.

Three batters sit over .400: Houston‘s Tony Gwynn at .427, Ty Cobb at .411, and Homestead‘s Josh Gibson at .402. Gwynn, predictably, is the only batter with over 100 hits so far in the season.

Oscar Charleston (IND). 328/380/626. 9 3B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 411/462/864. 97 H; 34 2B; 4.9 WAR.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 402/480/776. 4.5 WAR.
Tony Gwynn (HOU). 427/460/668. 108 H.
Joe Jackson (CHI). 368/417/611. 35 2B.
Stan Musial (KCM). 329/394/573. 35 2B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 297/420/768. 34 HR; 81 RBI; 67 R; 55 BB.
Larry Walker (OTT). 321/390/782. 32 HR; 73 RBI.
Ted Williams (MEM). 306/425/624. 60 R; 48 BB.

San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson continues to lead the league in steals with 51, but Ottawa’s Tim Raines has recovered a bit offensively, and being on base more has allowed him to close the gap a bit, now sitting with 44 on the year.

Pitchers

Starters

Indianapolis’ Luis Padrón and San Francisco’s Bump Hadley are the only hurlers in double digits for wins. The three pitchers with 9 victories are also included below, as well as the usual statistical leaders. Of note is the appearance of Kansas City’s A. Rube Foster, who now has (barely) enough IP to qualify here.

The dominance of Kansas City and San Francisco is worth mentioning as well.

Frank Castillo (KCM). 9-1, 4.01.
A. Rube Foster (KCM). 4-0, 2.44. 0.86 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 8-4, 3.19. 107 IP; 3.1 WAR.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-3, 3.68. 116 K.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 10-4, 3.81. 3.29 FIP.
Luis Padrón (IND). 10-2, 3.90.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 9-3, 3.65.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 9-4, 3.03. 107 IP; 134 K; 0.94 WHIP; 2.72 FIP; 4.6 WAR.

Relievers

Five relievers have 9 Holds at this point, and all of them are listed, making this a bit of a larger group than usual.

16 IP minimum.

Rod Beck (SFS). 2-2, 3.79. 19 Sv.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-1, 3.72. 9 H.
Ken Howell (SFS). 4-1, 1.46. 3 H.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-3, 3.55. 1 Sv; 9 H.
Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 1-0, 0.92. 2 Sv; 9 H; 0.71 WHIP; 2.07 FIP.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 3-2, 4.01. 18 Sv.
Rob Murphy (IND). 1-1, 2.70. 1 Sv; 9 H.
Ross Reynolds (LAA). 2-0, 1.93. 1 Sv; 1 H; 2.02 FIP.
BJ Ryan (OTT). 1-2, 4.85. 1 Sv; 9 H.
Lee Smith (HOD). 4-1, 2.97. 3 Sv; 6 H; 0.73 WHIP.

#2 Way Players

It’s been a while, so figured we should check back in on these guys. Here’s the list:

Wood has received very little time in the field, so we’ll see how he does as that expands. It looks like Ward should stay on the mound, and that really, it’s only Rogan and Padrón as truly valuable 2-way talents.

#Injury Report

Cleveland’s Mel Harder, Detroit’s Hal Newhouser, Miami’s Kenshin Kawakami and perhaps most importantly, Portland’s Joséito Muñoz should all start injury rehabs later this week. Should those go well, all four teams should receive rotation boosts in the near future.

#Last Year’s All-Stars

As we ramp up to this year’s all-star game, seemed a good time to check in on last year’s designees. This week, we’ll take a look at (what was last year) the AL.

#OBV

Bob Bailey (3B, DET). Just a dependable offensive machine at the hot corner.

Rod Beck (RP, SFS). Still racking up the saves, and doing better than last season otherwise.

Hank Greenberg (1B, DET). Keeps pounding the ball.

Mike Henneman (RP, DET). Remains dominant from the bullpen.

Rogers Hornsby (2B, POR). Keeps rolling along with better numbers than last season.

Joe Jackson (OF, CAG). This year’s version is a doubles machine without nearly the homerun power, but still maintaining on OPS over 1.000.

Craig Kimbrel (RP, KCM). Dominant, and really making the argument to be moved into the closer slot for Kansas City.

Willie Mays (OF, NYG). Somehow underappreciated despite his stellar performance.

Andy Pettitte (SP, NYY). Just keeps rolling. Like the whole league, his ERA is a little higher, but his peripheral numbers are strong.

Buster Posey (C, NYG). More power than last year, a little less of everything else, but still elite.

Frank Thomas (1B, CAG). Significantly better offensively across the board, which is a truly frightening statement.

Ted Williams (OF, MEM). A borderline selection last year, he’s upped his game significantly this season, with an OPS of 1.049.

#Mebbe

Curt Blefary (C, BAL). Nowhere near as good as last season, but still a good offensive player, showing both power and control of the strike zone.

Eddie Collins (2B, CAG). Power output has fallen off, and while he’s still a top performer, is not the MVP candidate of last season.

Mike Epstein (1B, HOM). The shape of his production has changed, as his BA has dropped 80 points. But he’s slugging .570 and his OPS is virtually the same as last season.

Dan McGann (1B, BAL). At 37, he’s performing better than last season, but remains under the radar for some reason.

Stan Musial (OF, KCM). He’s hitting almost exactly the same as he did last year, but has struggled with the longball. That may be enough to nudge him off the team, unfair as that may be.

#Meh

Dick Allen (3B, CAB). Not doing badly, but clearly a long wasy from an all star at this point.

Gerrit Cole (SP, LAA). May be pitching better than last season, but without the dominant W/L record, should fall far short of the all-star game.

Mark Melancon (RP, POR). Perhaps a stretch choice last year due to a ridiculous number of wins for a reliever, is doing fine this year, but far from all-star levels.

AJ Minter (RP, CAG). Still the American Giants’ closer, but no longer among the best in the league.

Reggie Smith (OF, MEM). Other than a boost in power, struggling a bit across the board.

Bobby Wallace (SS, BAL). Injured and not performing nearly as well regardless, Wallace is still an on base machine, and clearly has value.

Brian Wilson (RP, NYG). Injured and limited to 13 games so far, but dominant in those appearances, so there’s a chance.

#What Happened?

Bill Byrd (SP, BAL). Well below average so far this season.

Elrod Hendricks (C, HOD). Last year’s magnificent performance looks more and more like a mirage. Hendricks still has power, but is no longer elite among league backstops.

Duffy Lewis (OF, CHI). Struggling, especially in the power department.

Tricky Nichols (SP, CAG). An ERA over 6.00 and a ton of HR’s allowed.

Freddy Parent (SS, CAG). Parent rode his All Star selection–deserved at the time–to a trade to a contender, and then lost the ability to hit for power at all. Without that, he’s a mediocre SS.

Doug Rader (3B, LAA). A stunningly productive 2000 has been followed with … very little.

George Stone (OF, HOD). Significantly worse across the board. Stone looked like a budding star last year, now he looks like a decent 4th OFer.

#Other

Ned Garvin (SP, BAL). Garvin was the dominant pitcher in the league last year when he got injured. He’s been fine since his return, but has yet to find the same level.

Sean Marshall (RP, BAL). Hit by a long-term injury, Marshall is due to return to Baltimore’s bullpen by the all-star game.

#Chicago American Giants

Jamie Moyer replaced David Price in the American Giants’ rotation.

Paul Konerko went deep twice, leading the American Giants to a 10-4 win over Portland.

The time finally came, with Jack Doyle heading to AAA and Damian Jackson being activated from his rehab assignment. Doyle’s saga made him a fan favorite, but even the most diehard of supporters had to agree that a 107/153/107 slash line needed replacing.

Chicago roared out to a 10-0 lead, then held on for dear life in an eventual 11-10 win over Portland. The American Giants hit 6 homeruns in the game, with Joe Jackson, Eddie Collins, Dick Allen, Konerko, Duffy Lewis, and Carlton Fisk all reaching the seats. Starter Tricky Nichols improved to 4-6 with a decent effort, but the bullpen was roughed up. Still, a win’s a win.

#Los Angeles Angels

Noah Lowry‘s struggles–along with the presence of Elmer Smith and Scott Rice as lefthanded options in the pen–earned him a trip to AAA, with Mike Krukow being called up for his WBL debut.

Doc Gooden struck out 12, improving to 6-4 in a 7-3 win over Miami. Don Buford had 5 hits and 4 Angels–Buford, Kal Daniels, AJ Pierzynski, and Carlos Delgado–went deep in the victory.

Krukow did well enough over 3 appearances, but Ross Reynolds was healthy again, and was recalled from his rehab assignment with Krukow returning to AAA. The MI question is more challenging, and George Wright has been left rehabbing at AAA as the Angels need a few more days to sort out the future roles of him, Mark Ellis, and Eddie Joost.

Brian Anderson struck out 13 in a dominant performance as the Angels topped the Sea Lions, 7-1. Anderson allowed 3 hits and walked none in the complete game effort, improving his record to 6-2.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Ramón Martínez finally got his first win of the year with a strong 7 innings against Los Angeles. José Canseco hit his 30th homer of the year (the first to that milestone) and Martínez fanned 10 as his record improved to 1-7.

Gary Sheffield went deep twice and drove in 5, but the Cuban Giants bullpen couldn’t protect a strong start from Steven Wright as Miami fell 6-5 to Detroit.

#Portland Sea Dogs

The Sea Dogs have overhauled their bullpen, sending Johan Santana to AAA in an attempt to sort out his horrific performance since major surgery along with Elmer Brown who has been, if anything, even worse, as well as Wade Miller. They’ll recall Art Fowler, Tom Zachary, and Scott Terry from AAA, with Trevor Hoffman sliding into the closer role.

Buddy Bell may finally be showing signs of life as the struggling 3B went deep twice in a 9-6 loss to San Francisco.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Tommy Bridges was recalled from a rehab assignment, with Huston Street being waived.

Bump Hadley twirled a masterpiece, striking out 12 in a 2-hit shutout of the New York Black Yankees. Homeruns by Sal Bando and Mickey Cochrane carried the offense to the 6-0 victory.

Turkey Stearnes went deep twice, giving the rookie 15 on the year, as San Francisco triumphed over Portland, 9-6.

Ron Robinson, a key part of the Sea Lions’ bullpen, will miss nearly a year with elbow surgery. San Francisco recalled Street (who had grudgingly accepted his waiver demotion earlier in the week), a major dropoff on past WBL performance from Robinson.

Eddie Plank improved to 8-3 with a 3 hit shutout of Portland. Reggie Jackson and Gene Oliver went deep in support of Plank who struck out 8.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

This is a young team building towards the future. They’ve clearly improved since last year, but still sit 3 games behind .500 at .462, 5 games behind San Francisco in the Cum Posey Division.

A .500 record would be an excellent result from the season and it feels, like it often does, like that depends on a pretty significant improvement on the mound.

THE OFFENSE

The lineup is a bit weird–there’s no clear leadoff batter, there’s not a lot of OBP to build around, etc. But top-to-bottom, they can pretty much rake, and that counts more than specific lineup construction. The Cuban Giants are 3rd in the AL in homers, 4th in runs scored, and 5th in OPS while being 9th in OBP.

#What’s Going Right

The OF has been spectacular, with José Canseco and the surprising Ryan Braun combining for 29 homeruns, each with an OPS over 1.000. And in CF, while rookie Julio Rodríguez started hot, it was sort of assumed that he would have a hard time in his return from injury. Not so much: Rodríguez is slashing 361/361/778. It’s still fewer than 10 games for the youngster, so a long way to go, but for now he looks legit.

Add Jim Thome‘s 11 to Canseco and Braun and Miami has 3 players in double digit longballs.

That trio has forced Yasiel Puig, with an OPS near .900 and Alejandro Oms into accepting reduced playing time, although Oms’ glove finds a way.

And that’s not mentioning the red hot Gary Sheffield whose recent streak has pushed his OPS over .970 or the steady production from Robin Yount at SS. Or Martín Dihigo, who continues to be among the most promising defensive talents the game has ever see, and is now showing at least something at the plate.

#What’s Not Going Right

Prize off-season acquisition Iván Rodríguez hasn’t gotten his OPS over .600 and his backup, Smoky Burgess–a stalwart bat last year–has hit even worse.

But essentially, the offense has gone very, very right.

THE PITCHING

There is talent here … but very little production.

#What’s Going Right

Hmm. José Méndez (3-1, 4.53) looks like he’s growing into his role at the front of the rotation. Sandy Consuegra was pretty much unhittable until a recent rough outing brought him back to earth. Still, Consuegra is 1-2 on the year with 3 saves, 2 holds, and a 3.38 ERA, leading the Cuban Giants’ bullpen. Kenshin Kawakami has been surprisingly brilliant since his recall, with a 1.02 ERA over 17+ innings.

Then things start to get a little bumpy. Cole Hamels has been solid, but they need more from him and Ricky Nolasco, while firmly set as the closer, isn’t as solidly dependable as you might like.

#What’s Not Going Right

Everything else, but perhaps most of all Ramón Martínez, who was expected to be at the very front of Miami’s rotation and instead is now 0-6 with an ERA over 7. And in the bullpen, both Adonis Terry and Barry Latman are in danger of heading to AAA if their performances don’t improve.

Overshadowing everything else, there is the loss of Camilo Pascual, whose knee injury will keep him out for most, if not all, of the season. Pascual was doing fine before injury, but not living up to his ace billing. Still, for a pitching starved team, it’s a big loss.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

At 20 years old, Julio Rodríguez certainly seems to be coming good. Behind him, there is some decent talent here, it’s just all a ways away with only perhaps U Bert Campeneris or 1B Richie Sexson showing the potential to help out this year. (But, it must be said, Campaneris and Sexson are really lower ceiling versions of players already in Miami–Dihigo and Thome, respectively.)

But Miami isn’t really planning for this year, and the trio of Josh Beckett, Jon Matlack, and Luis Tiant Sr. seem likely to help at some point. The problem is there is a lack of truly high end talent here. Miami is likely to regret the Vladimir Guerrero trade at some point, especially if Pudge fails to turn it around offensively.

WHAT’S NEEDED

The pitching just needs to improve to adequacy for the Cuban Giants to have a successful season. And, of course, they have to be smart in their dealings as likely sellers at both trade deadlines, with Consuegra, Kawakami, and Nolsaco being the most attractive veterans on the team).

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

• How does the rest of the staff fill out? This has morphed into how does all of the staff fill out? Pascual is out and Freddie Fitzsimmons–who was so promising last year–is at AAA. Méndez and Hamels are fine, but yet to live up to their potential (remember, Hamels is 25 and Méndez only 23), and Martínez–even younger at 22–looks more like a project than a finished product.
• Can the continued development of Eustaquio Pedroso and Martín Dihigo as two way players bear enough fruit to warrant continuing the experiment? In a word … maybe. Pedroso is pitching alright, but hitting very poorly (although he has shown an ability to get on base, always a plus), while Dihigo has yet to take the mound. So the jury is still very much out.

FEATURED SERIES

The Cuban Giants play 6 games against the Chicago American Giants this week–3 at home and 3 in the Windy City. We’ll focus on the home games that open the week.

Projected Starters

Chicago starter listed first.

David Price (2-2, 4.38) @ José Méndez (3-1, 4.53)
Ben Sheets (0-3, 5.59) @ Cole Hamels (4-2, 4.25)
Tricky Nichols (3-3, 5.19) @ Ramón Martínez (0-6, 7.03)

Game One

The Cuban Giants seem intent on proving that last year was a fluke and they belong in the WBL. Games like this go a long way. José Méndez was solid through 7 innings, allowing only 2 runs and improving to 4-1, but the story was really the offense, which pounded out 20 hits in the 19-7 win. The Cuban Giants were led by Ryan Braun‘s 3 homeruns (tying the WBL record) and Eustaquio Pedroso‘s 2, as well as solo shots from Julio Rodríguez, Iván Rodríguez, Robin Yount, and Gary Sheffield. Braun drove in 5, and Pedroso and Pudge 3 each while Braun and Julio Rodríguez scored 3 times each.

Pedroso’s 2 dingers were his first 2 of the year, while Braun’s 3 gave him 17 on the season, moving him into 2nd place in the league.

CAG 7 (Price 2-3) @ MCG 19 (Méndez 4-1)
HRs: CAG – Fiore (6), Fisk (6); MCG – Pedroso 2 (2), Braun 3 (17), J. Rodríguez (6), I. Rodríguez (5), Yount (8), Sheffield (9).
Box Score

Game Two

With Cole Hamels needing a day of rest, the Cuban Giants turned to the surprising Kenshin Kawakami for the start against Chicago’s Ben Sheets.

Kawakami was good for 4 innings, then clearly began to be bothered by a foot injury which eventually drove him out of the game. But the damage was done, as the American Giants scored 5 in the 5th and 5 in the 6th en route to a 12-7 win.

For Miami, Julio Rodríguez continued his torrid streak with another 2 homeruns while raising his batting average to .404.

CAG 12 (Sheets 1-3) @ MCG 7 (Kawakami 2-1)
HRs: CAG – Thomas (7), Fisk (7), Fiore (7); MCG – Canseco (16), Thome (12), J. Rodríguez 2 (8).
Box Score

Game Three

It looked like the Cuban Giants would run away with this one, as they roughed up Tricky Nichols for 6 runs in the first 3 innings while Cole Hamels sailed along. Then came the 4th, and Hamels gave up homeruns to Mike Fiore, Paul Konerko, and Vernon Wells, seeing the lead close to 6-5.

But that was it, as the Cuban Giants bullpen trio of Bob Gillespie, Sandy Consuegra, and Ricky Nolasco shut out Chicago the rest of the way. Miami added another 4 homeruns, with Jim Thome, José Canseco, Robin Yount, and Ryan Braun all going deep.

Hamels’ performance reflected Miami’s challenges with last-season’s star in-season acquisition: a perfect 3 innings and 9 strikeouts in 5 plus, but also 5 runs allowed. Not bad, but not exactly good either. Still, if the bullpen can shut the other team down, Miami will do well.

CAG 5 (Nichols 3-4) @ MCG 10 (Hamels 5-2; Consuegra 3 H)
HRs: CAG – Fiore (8), Konerko (8), Wells (3); MCG – Thome (13), Canseco (17), Yount (9), Braun (18).
Box Score

This series gives great insight into how Miami has surprised so far this year (12 runs a game and 16 homeruns over 3 games is pretty strong) and how they have struggled (allowing 8 runs a game). Improved pitching continues to be the key to their march to a .500 record.

Championship contention. The offense is just too good not to warrant it, even if moves need to be made in the pitching corps.

Best Case

The offense continues as one of the very best in the league, and enough pitching is found to navigate the postseason.

Worst Case

The fringe of the offense–Freddy Parent, Mike Fiore, whomever is run out there in LF–reverts and the pitching collapses.

Key Questions

• How is the rotation going to fall out? Can Ed Walsh handle a fulltime starting role, and can Mark Buehrle and Ben Sheets handle the back end of the rotation?
• How long do the American Giants stick with Parent–he’s fine, but his level of play over the second half of the season (after the American Giants picked him up from Ottawa) was below championship.

Trade Bait

There are some pieces in the minors, and this is a team that needs pitching, so there is some potential here.

Roster Evaluation

Table says it all: if the pitching comes through, this is a championship contender.

Talent Ratings

Best In The Minors

The table says it all: this is a weak farm system in need of replenishment.

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.

This includes every starter with at least 15 wins, as well as the top 5 in WAR, ERA, FIP (a measurement that tries to eliminate the impact of fielding on pitching stats), and SIERA (a measurement that tries to eliminate factors out of control of the pitcher).

OK, I get it. That’s a lot of numbers. And, SIERA always complicates things, since it is precisely designed to show who is pitching far better than the other numbers would show.

Christy Mathewson and Pat Malone were the league’s only 17 game winners. Andy Pettitte won the ERA crown and carried Birmingham into the playoffs after being acquired from Kansas City. Charlie Root and Jack Taylor (followed by Pettitte) allowed the fewest baserunners.

So let’s call this Pettitte, Mathewson, Malone from the perspective of the traditional stats.

FIP likes Malone (3rd in the league, but Pettitte isn’t far behind). If you then turn to SIERA, Malone is 3rd and Root 5th in the metric, with Matty a bit further behind.

I think evaluating pitchers remains the most elusive of quarry, and at such times, the known terrain is the safest. Call it Pettitte, Malone, Matty, with Andy Pettitte‘s clear contribution to a playoff drive sealing the inaugural Brock Rutherford Award for the lefty.