Jamie Moyer replaced David Price in the American Giants’ rotation.
#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.
#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.
#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, and 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 Huston Street (who had finally accepted what ended up being a very quick demotion to AAA), 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.
Gary Sheffield was the key in a back-and-forth game that resulted in a 13-11 win for the Cuban Giants over Portland. Sheffield had 4 hits, 2 homeruns, scored 4, and drove in 7 for Miami.
Julio Rodríguez and José Canseco each went yard twice as the Cuban Giants built a lead and held on for dear life in a 9-8 win over Baltimore.
The same pair–Rodríguez and Canseco–did it again, this time in a wild, 12 inning, back and forth affair won by the Cuban Giants, 12-11. Miami needed homeruns in the bottom of the 9th and 10th to tie the game, and Canseco sent a solo shot out to win it in the 12th.
And then it was Jim Thome‘s turn to hit 2 out (Canseco, Rodríguez, Sheffield, and Ryan Braun also went deep) as Miami topped Baltimore, 10-3 behind a solid outing from Cole Hamels.
#Portland Sea Dogs
Jim Fregosi went deep twice, leading the Sea Dogs to a 5-3 win over Miami. Dizzy Trout evened his record at 3-3 with 6 strong innings.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
The Sea Lions saw enough of Roy Hartzell, jettisoning the backup SS and reaching all the way down to AA to bring up Royce Clayton, presumably for his glove as Dick Lundy’s backup.
Lefty Grove is putting it all together, with his latest outing being a 2-hit whitewash of Cleveland. Grove improved to 6-4, striking out 12 in the complete game, with Clayton being the hitting star with 3 RBI’s including his first homerun of his career. Jimmie Foxx and Rickey Henderson also went deep for the Sea Lions.
Turkey Stearnes went deep twice in a losing effort, as the Sea Lions fell to Los Angeles, 8-3.
Ed Walsh allowed only 2 hits through 8 innings–both to Miami’s Julio Rodríguez as the American Giants blanked the Cuban Giants, 6-0. A rain delay forced Walsh, who improved to 3-1, out of the game in the 8th, but Tom Williams pitched a perfect 9th to preserve the shutout. Much ridiculed Jack Doyle was hit by a pitch 3 times in the game, which is, you know, something.
#Miami Cuban Giants
Lou Fette headed back to AAA with Braden Looper‘s activation from the DL. The promising Kenshin Kawakami will miss over a month with a sprained ankle, with Steven Wright recalled from AAA.
Ryan Braun went deep twice–giving him 20 on the year–as the Cuban Giants came from behind to beat Chicago, 4-3. José Méndez was fantastic, but didn’t figure in the decision while Sandy Consuegra was roughed up, but got the win with Ricky Nolasco earning his 7th save of the season.
#Portland Sea Dogs
Two homeruns from Gil Hodges and an excellent start from Walter Ball led Portland to an 11-1 win over the Black Yankees.
Last year’s reserve darling, Gary Pettis, was sent to AAA. No matter your speed and no matter your glove, a .400 OPS can do that. Jeff Burroughs was recalled from a rehab stint.
Rogers Hornsby and Bobby Murcer went deep twice as the Sea Dogs trounced the Angels, 11-4. Ken Griffey, Jr., Jim Fregosi, Kent Hrbek, and Joe Mauer also went deep for the Sea Dogs as Bert Blyleven improved to 2-1 on the year despite being roughed up for 9 hits and 4 runs in 6 innings.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
Reggie Jackson hit 2 homeruns and Denny Walling went 4 for 5 with a dinger in his WBL debut as the Sea Lions pounded out a 15-4 victory over the Wolverines. San Francisco had 6 homeruns among their 21 hits, with Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, and Turkey Stearnes joining Walling and Jackson.
Not to be outdone, Jack Clark went deep 3 times, but it wasn’t enough as the Sea Lions fell to Detroit, 7-6.
Lefty Grove put it all together with a complete game, 4 hit shutout of Memphis, striking out 9 and improving his record to 5-4. The Sea Lions also only managed 4 hits, but managed to score twice, once on a 2-out RBI from Clark and once on a solo shot from Bobby Bonds to win the game, 2-0.
We’re slightly changing how TWIWBL works. Each week, we’ll focus on a new randomly chosen team in detail, and the featured series will be covered there, leaving this entry to focus on awards and individual performances.
#Awards
Houston‘s Jeff Bagwell used his 3 homerun game to take down the NL Player of the Week Award, hitting .381 with 11 RBI over the week. Over in the AL, Detroit‘s Ty Cobb, who is putting together a pretty special campaign so far, earned the AL Player of the Week with a .435 average and 6–SIX–homers and 14 RBI’s.
#Team Performance
The New York Black Yankees are clearly focused on erasing the poor memories of last season’s disappointments, leading the WBL with a .688 winning percentage and currently on a 6 game winning streak. Chicago and the surprising Kansas City Monarchs are the only other teams over .600, and each lead their divisions.
New York and the Detroit Wolverines are each 7-3 over their last 10 games.
At the other end, 3 teams are under .400, including the defending champion Baltimore Black Sox, along with Portland and the Birmingham Black Barons. Baltimore sits 11 games behind the Black Yankees, facing a significant uphill climb to get back into playoff position. It is, however, early May, so it’s certainly doable.
#Player Performance
Batters
Through the first month of the season, the WBL feels a little less like Babe Ruth‘s league offensively, as both Detroit’s Ty Cobb and Ottawa‘s Larry Walker are putting up numbers to rival the Babe, who doesn’t even lead the league in homeruns, sitting 1 behind teammate Mickey Mantle, Walker, and the House of David‘s Ryne Sandberg who all have 13. In addition to Ruth, another Black Yankee, Lou Gehrig, San Francisco‘s Jimmie Foxx, and Cleveland‘s Lance Berkman also have 12 dingers so far.
In fact, with his Player of the Week performance, it’s feeling a bit like Ty Cobb‘s world: Cobb leads the WBL in all 3 slash categories, as well as doubles and overall WAR, and is 2nd in hits and RBI.
Standard stuff: top 2 in most categories, leader in bold.
Ty Cobb (DET). 398/462/858. 45 H, 19 2B, 32 RBI, 2.6 WAR. Mickey Cochrane (SFS). 368/452/667. Eddie Collins (CAG). 311/438/485. 23 BB. Eric Davis (NYY). 274/358/581. 30 R. Tony Gwynn (HOU). 393/430/598. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 295/389/562. 23 SB. Pete Hill (HOU). 290/374/561. 5 3B. Joe Jackson (CAG). 383/422/617. 46 H, 17 2B. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 306/374/621. 32 RBI. Dick Lundy (SFS). 356/430/593. 2.3 WAR, 18 SB. Mickey Mantle (NYY). 313/406/704. 13 HR. Tim Raines (OTT). 286/385/545. 5 3B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 286/406/661. 33 RBI, 32 RBI, 29 R, 23 BB. Ryne Sandberg (HOD). 336/383/755. 13 HR. Turkey Stearnes (SFS). 312/359/667. 5 3B. Larry Walker (OTT). 374/433/776. 13 HR. Bobby Wallace (BAL). 243/391/336. 24 BB.
One thing obvious from this list: the Black Yankees and the San Francisco Sea Lions are both on fire offensively, at least in the top halves of their lineups.
Pitchers
Year 2 is a bit more pitcher friendly than last season, to the point where I would expect to end the year with a handful of sub 3.00 ERAs (last season, there Andy Pettitte, then with Birmingham, led the league with a 3.20 mark).
Starters
Eight pitchers are tied for the league lead in wins with 5 each; we’ve only included the 4 who are undefeated in the list below.
Houston’s rubber-armed Toad Ramsey is having quite a moment, but it’s unlikely the knuckleballer can maintain this level of performance.
Mark Buehrle (CAG). 5-0, 1.49. Frank Castillo (KCM). 5-0, 2.41. Roger Clemens (HOU). 5-0, 3.48. Johnny Cueto (IND). 5-1, 2.66. 0.93 WHIP. Hardie Henderson (PHI). 5-1, 2.17. 1.6 WAR. Christy Mathewson (NYG). 1-5, 4.47. 48 IP, 47 K. Luis Padrón (IND). 5-0, 2.35. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 5-2, 1.53. 53 IP, 65 K, 0.75 WHIP, 2.5 WAR.
Relievers
10 IP Minimum.
Rod Beck (SFS). 1-2, 7.20. 9 Sv. Sandy Consuegra (MCG). 1-1, 0.66. 3 Sv, 1 H, 0.59 WHIP. Mike Henneman (DET). 0-2, 0.77. 6 Sv. Bob Howry (PHI). 2-1, 3.75. 7 Sv, 0.58 WHIP. Eric Gagne (BRK). 0-0, 1.59. 9 Sv. Eddie Guardado (KCM). 1-0, 0.77. 1 H. Robb Nen (NYG). 1-0, 0.90. 8 Sv. Jeff Pfeffer (KCM). 0-0, 3.86. 8 Sv.
2 Way Players
A new section for the opening TWIWBL is a check in on the players doing it both on the mound and at the plate led, perhaps surprisingly, by Indianapolis‘ Luis Padrón.
Player
Pitching
Batting
pWAR
bWAR
WAR
Luis Padrón (IND)
5-0, 2.35 (38 IP, 5 GS)
400/455/625 (44 PA)
1.3
0.5
1.8
Joe Rogan (PHI)
1-3, 5.81 (31 IP, 5 GS)
297/343/515 (108 PA)
0.0
0.6
0.6
J.M. Ward (PHI)
0-1, 3.00 (36 IP, 6 GS)
192/192/385 (26 PA)
0.7
-0.1
0.6
Jim Whitney (BBB)
0-1, 1.88 (24 IP, 12 G)
143/200/214 (15 PA)
0.5
-0.1
0.4
Eustaquio Pedroso (MCG)
0-0, 4.26 (19 IP, 10 G)
208/345/208 (29 PA)
0.3
-0.1
0.2
Ted Williams (Memphis), Cristóbal Torriente (CAG), Martín Dihigo (Miami Cuban Giants), and Smokey Joe Wood (KCM) (among others) have yet to really be used in a 2-way capacity.
#INJURY REPORT
Indianapolis’ Joe Morgan should start a rehab assignment mid-week, as should Miami’s José Méndez.
Willie Mays (RIP IRL) of the New York Gothams was the NL Player of the Week after hitting .417 with 3 home runs. Over in the AL, the AL Player of the Week Award went to Miami‘s Ryan Braun, who hit .471 with 5 dingers.
As the calendar flipped from April to May, we also have the first player of the month awards.
Award
Player
AL Player of the Month
Ty Cobb (DET)
.411; 5 HR; 23 RBI; 21 R
AL Pitcher of the Month
Mark Buehrle (CAG)
5-0, 1.24
AL Rookie of the Month
Turkey Stearnes (SFS)
.352; 6 HR; 18 8RBI
NL Player of the Month
Larry Walker (OTT)
.395; .454 OBP; 9 HR; 23 RBI; 22 R
NL Pitcher of the Month
Toad Ramsey (HOU)
5-1, 0.96
NL Rookie of the Month
Adam Dunn (IND)
.253; 5 HR; 13 RBI
#Team Performance
Look, it’s way too early for any of this to matter. But, currently, only 3 games separate the best team in the Effa Manley Division (the Brooklyn Royal Giants at 14-11) and the worst (the Philadelphia Stars mirroring them at 11-14). The Homestead Grays are 1/2 game behind Brooklyn, and the New York Gothams and Ottawa Mounties sit at .500.
Brooklyn, Homestead, and the San Francisco Sea Lions have all gone 7-3 over their last 10 games, while the House of David are in the roughest patch of any team in the league, at 2-8 over their last 10.
#Player Performance
Batters
Some things that jump out: the House of David’s Ryne Sandberg is having an incredible start, the first player in the league to 11 homeruns. Led by Sandberg, 5 players have SLG over .700 but “only” 2 have BA over .400.
Ty Cobb (DET). 389/451/756. 18 2B, 1.8 WAR. Carlos Correa (HOU). 420/474/659. Eric Davis (NYY). 306/373/612. 27 R. Lou Gehrig (NYY). 247/358/634. 10 HR. Josh Gibson (HOM). 379/426/793. Curtis Granderson (BBB). 256/330/654. 10 HR. Tony Gwynn (HOU). 416/442/629. Joe Jackson (CAG). 396/426/635. 38 H, 15 2B. Dick Lundy (SFS). 394/467/681. 4 3B, 15 SB, 2.3 WAR. Mickey Mantle (NYY). 274/361/621. 10 HR. Boog Powell (KCM). 268/344/622. 26 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 293/381/576. 5 3B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 308/430/659. 28 RBI, 24 R, 21 BB. Ryne Sandberg (HOD). 365/409/824. 11 HR. Bobby Wallace (BAL). 50/405/364. 22 BB.
Pitchers
Starters
Mark Buehrle (CAG). 5-0, 1.24. Johnny Cueto (IND). 4-1, 2.38. 0.88 WHIP. Bill Doak (MEM). 3-1, 2.76. 1.5 WAR. Lefty Grove (SFS). 2-3, 5.03. 39.1 IP. Frank Knauss (BRK). 5-1, 2.62. Christy Mathewson (NYG). 1-4, 4.15. 43.1 IP, 39 K. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 4-1, 1.19. 0.74 WHIP, 45 K, 1.7 WAR.
Relivers
Rod Beck (SFS). 1-2, 6.75. 7 Sv. Eric Gagne (BRK). 0-0, 1.74. 10 Sv. Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 1-0, 0.00. 1 Sv, 5 H. Troy Percival (NYG). 0-0, 5.40. 5 H. Jeff Pfeffer (KCM). 0-0, 4.32. 7 Sv.
#Featured Series
We’ll check in on a team that looks much improved over last season, the Homestead Grays. The Grays are hitting better than expected, but more importantly, are finally hitting enough to overcome their usual rough performances on the mound. They are visiting Indianapolis for a 4-game set, and are hoping to keep a recent slide by the ABC’s going.
Scheduled Starters
Homestead’s hurler listed first.
Billy Pierce (2-1, 6.55) @ Johnny Cueto (4-1, 2.38) Carlos Zambrano (0-4, 9.15) @ Luis Padrón (3-0, 2.38) Ray Brown (1-2, 6.28) @ Doc White (1-3, 4.93) Francisco Liriano (1-2, 4.36) @ Rube Foster (1-1, 3.86)
Cueto has performed fantastically so far this year, and Padrón, while no Joe Rogan, has been a decent 2-way threat all season.
Game One
With the announcement that the Grays have moved Zambrano out of the rotation, their starters for the series are all a bit up in the air. They’ll lead it off with Doug Drabek, who is taking Zambrano’s spot and will be making his first start of the year.
Drabek was fantastic, allowing 2 hits and 1 run in 7 innings, but Rick Ownbey couldn’t hold the lead, giving up Barry Larkin‘s first homer of the year, a 2 run shot to tie the game in the 8th. Luckily for the Grays, Willie Stargell‘s 2nd homerun of the game gave them the lead in the 10th, and Josh Lindblom was able to hold on for the 4-3 win in extra innings.
HOM 4 (Lindblom 3-0; Ownbey 3 B Sv) @ IND 3 (Murphy 0-1) HRs: HOM – Stargell 2 (10); Epstein (3); IND – Larkin (1). Box Score
Game Two
The Grays turned to Billy Pierce in game 2, putting their rotation back on its expected schedule. His mound opponent, Luis Padrón, tossed a masterful 8 innings in a 14-3 walkover, allowing 5 hits and 1 run while fanning 8. Padrón improved to 4-0 and Tommy Helms had 3 hits and 4 RBI and Helms and Jake Stenzel each scored 3 runs in the rout.
Helms, Stenzel, George Foster, Adam Dunn (fresh off being named Rookie of the Month for April), and Johnny Bench each went yard for Indianapolis as they evened the series at 1 game each.
HOM 3 (Pierce 2-2) @ IND 14 (Padrón 4-0) HRs: HOM – Clemente (3); IND – Helms (3), Foster (2), Stenzel (3), Dunn (6), Bench (7). Box Score
Game Three
Chris Sabo went deep twice, driving in 3, and the Grays held on to take the series lead with a 5-4 win. Ray Brown pitched very well, but the trio of Corey Kluber, Michael Jackson, and Josh Lindblom were all a bit shaky in relief. Still, they got the job done. Tommy Helms and Bob Bescher had 2 hits for the ABC’s and Joey Votto went deep in the losing effort.
Kluber–fresh off an injury–had to leave the game with an elbow issue, and headed to the DL afterwards. Cliff Lee was recalled.
HOM 5 (Brown 2-2; Lindblom 4 Sv; Jackson 2 H) @ IND 4 (White 1-4) HRs: HOM – Sabo 2 (5), Lajoie (2); IND – Votto (3). Box Score
Game Four
Homestead’s bullpen did the job, with Dave Giusti, Rick Ownbey, and Josh Lindblom combining for 3+ innings of 1 hit relief of an effective Francisco Liriano. Mike Epstein went deep for the Grays and Andy Van Slyke showed signs of breaking out of an early season slump with 3 hits. All the ABC’s could muster on the day was a 2 run shot from Adam Dunn to tie the game early.
Homestead takes the series, 3-1, continuing their surprising start to the season.
HOM 4 (Liriano 2-2; Lindblom 5 Sv; Giusti 3 H; Ownbey 2 H) @ IND 2 (Foster 1-2) HRs: HOM – Epstein (4); IND – Dunn (7). Box Score
Ed Walsh finally had a solid outing–more than solid, as he twirled a 2 hit complete game victory over Portland. Paul Konerko had 3 hits and drove in 2 with his 2nd homerun of the year and Carlton Fisk also went deep for Chicago.
#Los Angeles Angels
George Wright will be out a week or two with a bruised knee. With Wright heading to the DL, the Angels recalled Eddie Joost, acquired in the off season for just such an eventuality.
#Miami Cuban Giants
Iván Rodríguez went deep twice, the second being a go-ahead shot in the 11th inning as Miami lost the lead, then won in extra frames against Memphis, 8-7. Pudge drove in 3 and Ryan Braun 2 in the win, and Braden Looper and Barry Latman combined for 5+ innings of 1 hit ball to end the game.
Veteran C Clyde Sukeforth confirmed that this season will be his last, with the 37 year old planning to retire once it’s done.
#Portland Sea Dogs
Jeff Burroughs went deep twice in support of a solid outing from Dizzy Trout as the Sea Dogs beat Chicago, 5-2.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
Reggie Jackson went deep twice but it wasn’t enough as the Sea Lions fell to Baltimore, 9-7. Turkey Stearnes was injured, but it looks like he won’t require a trip to the DL.
Bobby Bonds, mired in a massive slump to start the season, went deep twice, including a walkoff blast in the bottom of the 10th as the Sea Lions beat Los Angeles 5-3. Watty Clark struggled early, but settled down in his first start of the year, and Dennis Eckersley, Bobby Seay, and Rod Beck combined to allow 1 hit over 4 innings, with Beck getting the win.
Eddie Collins had 4 hits and scored 3 times as Chicago topped Detroit 9-2. David Price improved to 2-0 with 5+ scoreless innings, and Ed Walsh closed it out for the rare 3-inning save for the American Giants.
Joe Jackson had 4 hits and 3 doubles helping the American Giants to a 6-4 victory over Detroit. Frank Thomas had 3 hits and Mark Buehrle threw 6 strong innings, improving to 2-0.
Needing a starter, the American Giants moved Ted Lilly to the minors, bringing up veteran Jamie Moyer. Moyer delivered a solid 5 innings, and Thomas had 4 hits as Chicago beat Miami 8-3. Moyer’s performance–and his left-handedness–will keep him in the WBL for a little while longer.
Mike Fiore had struggled quite a bit in the early going for Chicago, but given some at-bats in a blowout, he delivered with his first 2 homeruns of the season. That was about all the good news as the American Giants fell to Miami, 13-5.
#Los Angeles Angels
Elmer “Mike” Smith went to the DL with a dead arm with Ross Reynolds being recalled from AAA.
Don Buford went deep twice to give the Angels an early lead, and then they piled it on in a 12-2 thrashing of Portland. Steve Garvey drove in 4 and Bobby Grich 3 in support of a nice start from Doc Gooden, who allowed 3 hits and 1 run in 7 innings.
#Miami Cuban Giants
Back to back homeruns in the bottom of the 9th by Robin Yount and Ryan Braun rescued the Cuban Giants against the Sea Lions. Leading 10-5 at the start of the 9th, Miami saw Adonis Terry get hammered for 7 runs before Yount tied the game and Braun provided the walkoff in the bottom of the frame.
Jim Thome had 3 hits, including 2 homeruns, but it wasn’t enough as the Cuban Giants fell to the American Giants, 7-5. Thome went deep twice again in a game against Chicago, and this time it was enough, as every starter had at least 1 hit and José Canseco, Yount, and Gary Sheffield also went deep in a 13-5 walkover for the Cuban Giants.
#Portland Sea Dogs
After the opening game of their series against Cleveland, Johan Santana has now pitched in 4 games, giving up 7 hits in 1.1 IP, including 5 homeruns. His record is 0-4 with 4 blown saves and an ERA of 60.75: that’s right, he threw 2/3 of an inning, gave up 2 runs, and saw his ERA go down.
Ken Griffy, Jr. is still finding his footing in Portland, but hitting 2 homeruns in a 9-2 win over Cleveland is a good sign. As important for the Sea Dogs, Pascual Pérez improved his record to 2-0 with 6 shutout innings and has yet to allow a run over his 2 starts.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
Jack Clark hit 2 homeruns and Rickey Henderson, Jimmie Foxx, and Mickey Cochrane also went deep as the Sea Lions defeated the Cuban Giants 10-8.
The Sea Lions scored 7 runs in the 9th to take a 12-10 lead over Miami, but lost when Rod Beck blew his first save of the year in the bottom of the frame. Turkey Stearnes had 4 hits and Jimmy Bloodworth drove in 3 in the loss.
Tim Hudson will be out about 4 months with a forearm injury that has to put the 37 year old’s career in jeopardy as well. Watty Clark will complete his transition to starter by taking Hudson’s spot in the rotation initially, with Bobby Seay being recalled to take Clark’s spot in the bullpen.
The Sea Lions lost a 6-1 lead before scoring 5 times in the top of the 9th to top the Black Yankees 11-9. San Francisco hit 6 homeruns in the game, with Stearnes going yard twice and Reggie Jackson, Henderson, Foxx, and Cochrane each going deep as well. Beck pitched a scoreless 9th for his 5th save of the year.
Kevin Mitchell began a rehab assignment at AAA, and was almost immediately recalled after Duffy Lewis hit the 10-Day DL with blurred vision.
Dick Allen had 4 hits including a walkoff 2 run homerun to lead the American Giants to an 8-7 come from behind victory over Portland.
#Los Angeles Angels
Bobby Grich hit his first 2 homeruns of the season in an 11-5 loss to San Francisco.
#Miami Cuban Giants
The Cuban Giants did it again, using Julio Rodríguez‘ second homerun of the game for their second walkoff victory to start the season. Rodríguez and Alejandro Oms had 3 hits each, with Sandy Consuegra picking up the victory.
The news wasn’t so good for Rodríguez later in the week as a nasty collision at second base left him with a bruised rib and a trip to the DL. The Cuban Giants recalled P Ed Brandt to take his roster slot.
#Portland Sea Dogs
Bobby Murcer hit his first 2 homeruns of the year in a 6-4 loss. The game was Johan Santana‘s second blown save in a row, and wasted a solid start from Bert Blyleven. Trevor Hoffman and Santana blew a 4-1 lead in the 8th inning.
It’s not clear which news is worse: Johan Santana had his third consecutive horrible outing to start the year, blowing his 3rd save, falling to 0-3, and seeing his ERA nearly reach triple digits at 94.50. In the same game, Rogers Hornsby suffered a separated shoulder and will miss several weeks. The Sea Dogs recalled veteran IF Jeff Cirillo to take Hornsby’s spot.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
The Sea Lions hit 5 homeruns–2 by Sal Bando–in an 11-5 win over Los Angeles. Bando had 3 hits and 4 RBI’s, Turkey Stearnes drove in 3, and Reggie Jackson had 3 hits, with Bando, Rickey Henderson, and Jimmy Bloodworth all going yard in a 6 run 6th inning.
Lefty Grove tossed the first complete game shutout of the season, twirling a masterful 3-hitter against Cleveland. Grove struck out 6, and homeruns by Stearnes and Jimmie Foxx were more than enough to lead the Sea Lions to victory.
With opening day just around the corner, we thought it would be interesting to see how the draft worked out …
#Love ‘Em (Draft Picks Making Opening Day Rosters)
1st Round
Charles “Bullet Joe” Rogan, the overall #1 pick in the draft, makes Philadelphia’s opening day roster, expected to be their 4th OF and provide bullpen support. The Stars’ other first-rounder, Dave Stieb, made their opening day rotation.
Two outfielders were taken with the 7th and 8th picks, and both should be in their team’s opening day lineups, as San Francisco took CF Turkey Stearnes at 7 and Los Angeles RF Ichiro Suzuki at 8.
2nd Round
Miami took Julio Rodríguez with the 2nd pick in round 2 thinking the 19 year old would be a project for the future; instead he breaks camp as their starting CF.
Homestead’s Tim Lincecum makes the opening day roster in their bullpen, and Houston’s César Cedeño will start the season as their reserve OF (although this is expected to only last until George Brett‘s return from injury, but you never know).
Portland drafted 26 year old Walter Ball expecting him to be ready for the WBL, and he delivered, starting the season in their rotation.
Some mention should be made of Kansas City’s Matt Morris, who was expected to make their rotation before tearing his labrum.
3rd Round
Dobie Moore exploded on the scene for Memphis and should see essentially full time usage alternating between SS and 2B.
Philadelphia breaks camp with Bill Gatewood in the bullpen.
5th Round
The New York Black Yankees didn’t expect Noah Syndergaard to make the opening day roster, but he did.
Detroit is even more surprised at the performance and poise from 18 year old Billy Hoeft, who will start the season in their bullpen.
6th Round
Jess Barbour was a throw-in in the Albert Belle/Andy Pettitte trade, but his defensive flexibility and speed kept him around for Birmingham.
8th Round
Ottawa’s staff was essentially open going into Spring Training, so while Dupee Shaw making the team was a surprise, it wasn’t a shock.
The Black Yankees’ bench received a complete overhaul, with Elliot Maddox earning a spot out of the gate.
9th Round
Jack Billingham starts the season in Indianapolis’ bullpen.
12th Round
Indianapolis took Edward “The Only” Nolan with their final pick of the draft. Nolan starts the year on their staff as the WBL’s version if Mister Irrelevant.
#Leave ‘Em (Draft Picks No Longer With Original Organization)
Other than the inexplicable treatment of Chino Smith, this all looks fine. Topsy Hartsel should find a home somewhere, the rest may or may not.
1st Round: Vladimir Guerrero, OF (traded from MCG to POR)
2nd Round: Jon Matlack, P (traded from POR to MCG)
3rd Round: Topsy Hartsel, OF (BAL)
4th Round: Leo Cardenas, IF (IND); Bob Smith, P (BBB); Denard Span (traded from POR to OTT)
7th Round: Cass Michaels, IF (CAG)
8th Round: Ray Blades, OF (KCM); Chino Smith, IF (MEM, now with BAL); Lee Stange, P (POR, now with HOM)
9th Round: Justin Steel, P (HOD)
10th Round: Doug Bair, P (KCM); Greg Pryor, IF (BRK)
11th Round: Nick Allen, IF (SFS); Vern Kennedy, P (CAG); Eddie Solomon, P (BBB)
12th Round: Jeff Ballard, P (BBB); Craig Gentry, OF (CAG); Dave Lemanczyk, P (SFS); José Lopéz, 1B (MCG); Hal Mauck, P (HOD); Connor Seabold, P (MEM)
Playoff contention. Last year was such a disappointment, but there is too much talent here not to be at least in the run for the postseason.
Best Case
Tim Hudson finds a full season like his time with Birmingham last year, joining Lefty Grove and Eddie Plank in a top tier rotation and 1st round pick Turkey Stearnes steps right into the CF job while Dick Lundy improves in a full season in a lineup centered around Rickey Henderson, Reggie Jackson, and Bobby Bonds.
Worst Case
Everything stays really confused, with the pitching proving too mediocre to depend on and the offense never really sorting out playing time at 1B (Jack Clark and Jimmie Foxx) or 3B (Sal Bando and Pedro Guerrero), leaving everyone slightly underused and underperforming.
Key Questions
On a team full of logjams, who steps forward?
Trade Bait
Possibly. If Foxx explodes, Jack Clark may be expendable, depending on how the OF/DH situation looks.
The decision to trade Guerrero makes some sense, given the OF depth, although a lot is riding on Watty Clark successfully converting to being a starter at a high level to make it a decent deal.
Roster Evaluation
POS
Elite
Strong
Solid
Meh
Weak
Unknown
C
Cochrane Oliver
1B
Clark
Foxx
2B
Bloodworth
3B
Garner
Bando
SS
Hartzell
Lundy
LF/ RF
Jackson
Henderson
CF
Bonds
Stearnes
SP
Grove Plank
Altrock Hudson
Hadley
End
Howell Clark
Beck Robinson
Ontiveros
RP
Bridges
Eckersley
Taylor
New Addition | Injured
The OF is so strong, it just needs a little help–if that happens and the pitching repeats, it could be a good year by the bay.
Talent Ratings
WBL
Minors
Raw Power
OF Bobby Bonds
OF Frank Howard
Batting Eye
3B Sal Bando
C Brian Downing
Contact
C Mickey Cochrane IF Dick Lundy
OF Buddy Ryan
Running Speed
OF Rickey Henderson IF Dick Lundy
OF Alex Cole OF Mookie Wilson
Base Stealing
OF Rickey Henderson
OF Cameron Maybin
IF Defense
IF Dick Lundy
IF Charlie Reilly
OF Defense
OF Rickey Henderson
OF Bill Virdon
Stuff
SP Lefty Grove
RP Ed Kelly
Control
RP Rod Beck
RP Don Dennis
Velocity
RP Rod Beck
RP Drew Steckenrider
Best In The Minors
Rank
Age
POS
Name
1 (8)
21
OF
Turkey Stearnes
2 (25)
24
P
Red Ehret
3 (31)
22
P
Bump Hadley
4 (71)
22
P
Dennis Eckersley
5 (120)
19
P
Charlie Ferguson
6 (126)
20
P
Bob Hendley
7 (145)
25
3B
Mike Moustakas
8 (164)
23
P
Steve Ontiveros
9 (188)
23
IF
Bill Sweeney
Others: None.
An odd system, for sure, as neither Jimmie Foxx nor John Beckwith make the top 200 list, which ends up being a bit weak, with a lot riding on the development of the young arms. Stearnes, Hadley, Eckersley, and Ontiveros all start the year in the WBL.
Most
Least
Age
C Mike González, 39
OF Leonidas Lee, 17
Height
P Billy Taylor, 6’8″
OF Walt Williams, 5’6″ IF Matt Broderick, 5’6″
OPS
1B Sid Bream, 1.125 (—)
IF Bob Johnson, .415 (—)
HR
1B Sid Bream, 41 (—)
IF Bill Sweeney, 0 (AAA/AA) IF Miguel Cairo, 0 (WBL/AAA/AA)
SB
OF Rickey Henderson, 99 (WBL)
Many with 0
WAR
1B Sid Bream, 8.0 (—)
IF Bob Johnson, -5.1 (—)
W
Dallas Braden, 17 (—)
Diego Seguí, 3 (WBL/AAA) Jim Buchanan, 3 (—)
SV
Rod Beck, 33 (WBL)
ERA
Tommy Hughes, 2.61 (—)
JA Happ, 5.77 (—)
WAR
Dallas Braden, 5.8 (—)
Diego Seguí, -0.9 (WBL/AAA)
Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.
