Tag: Waite Hoyt Page 1 of 4

73 - 89, .451 pct.
4th in Cum Posey Division, 30 GB

Overall

Absolutely miserable year. Just awful, culminating in a bad injury to franchise stalwart Frank Thomas, who won’t be back until near midseason next year.

Some offensive highlights remain, but not enough, and the pitching staff was not only poor, but the organization’s roster moves rarely seemed coherent throughout the season. There are significant organizational concerns at SS, 3B, CF, and RF and everywhere on the mound except, perhaps, closer.

Even with all that, though, the team isn’t very far away from the playoff contender of last season, and the foursome of Eddie Collins, Joe Jackson, Dick Allen, and Thomas have the potential to be as good as any in the league.

But what a disappointing year.

What Went Right

Joe Jackson had another great year, slashing 355/410/608 with 68 doubles and 55 steals. He can just flat out hit.

Frank Thomas was doing Frank Thomas things before the injury, slashing 296/411/580 in 130ish games.

Dick Allen continues to be an excellent offensive force–a little below the other 2, but still, an OPS over .900 and a team leading 41 homeruns is nothing to sneeze at. Allen and Thomas led the team with 98 RBIs.

Eddie Collins fell off a bit from last year’s dizzying heights, but was stil excellent, posting an .800 OPS with 73 steals and 104 runs scored.

Kevin Mitchell emerged as an offensive force, delivering a 1.086 OPS in 250ish PAs. Rocky Colavito was less good, but still solid, about half that time. And Freddie Lindstrom was magnificent to the tune of a 1.114 OPS in even less time.

On the mound, last year’s Rookie of the Year, Ed Walsh, was excellent–far better than his 10-11 record–with a 3.94 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. And that ends our positive news from the pitching staff.

ALL STARS

Eddie Collins
Frank Thomas
Ed Walsh

MAJOR AWARDS

Eddie Collins, All AL First Team
Frank Thomas, AL 1B Silver Slugger

RECOGNITIONS

Rocky Colavito, AL All Rookie 2nd Team
Joe Jackson, All AL Second Team
Freddie Lindstrom, AL 21 & Under Team; AL All Rookie 2nd Team
Ed Walsh, All AL Third Team
Tom Williams, AL 21 & Under Team

ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDS

Joe Jackson, MVP
Ed Walsh, Pitcher of the Year
Eddie Collins, Heart & Soul
Dick Allen, Fan Favorite

Bill Husted, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Bill Wilson, Minor League Player of the Year

What Went Wrong

Cristóbal Torriente was perhaps the worst regular offensive player in the WBL. posting a .485 OPS. That’s … horrible. Torriente is only 19, is a defensive whiz, and even had a solid few appearances on the mound. But that OPS is miserable.

Freddy Parent was barely better, and even gold glove level defense doesn’t make up for a 229/272/292 slash line.

Duffy Lewis lost all of the power he showed last year, slugging .331.

And, none of the initial replacements for these players–Mike Cameron, Vernon Wells, Luke Appling–did much either.

And then the pitching … last year’s ace, Tricky Nichols, was miserable until derailed via injury. But a 7.27 ERA over just over 100 IP is not only not good enough for a front of rotation starter, it’s not enough to stay in the WBL.

None of the other starters–Mark Buehrle, Jamie Moyer, Sam Streeter, and Ben Sheets–approached an average level of performance. And the relievers–especially Fernando Rodney, Herb Pennock, and Billy Loes, were equally poor.

Transactions

March

None. Optimism reigned supreme.

July

None. They were too shell shocked to make any moves.

August

At this point it was clear that the season was lost, so a bit of panic set in: starting pitching and future talent, our country for starting pitching and future talent!

IF Jorge Orta, P Hoyt Wilhelm, & 4th Round Pick to NYY for P Waite Hoyt & 5th Round Pick.

Sure. Waite Hoyt looks like a solid WBL starter, making him more valuable than the occasionally unreliable Hoyt Wilhelm.

P Akinori Otsuka, IF Paul Konerko, OF Lenny Dykstra & 3rd Round Pick to BBB for P Sam Streeter, IF Trea Turner & 5th Round Pick.

Very understandable: Streeter and, especially, Turner, hold immense promise and while Konerko and Otsuka were fantastic, they are more likely to decline than improve.

P Joe Lake to IND for OF Jake Stenzel.

CF was such a black hole that this act of desperation makes some sense.

P David Price to HOM for IF Freddie Lindstrom & 2nd Round Pick.

This could be a huge win: a somewhat inconsistent veteran arm for what looks like a fantastic IF prospect plus the pick.

Positional Overview

C

Carlton Fisk is above average here, and likely to remain the backstop for a while.

However, Dave Nilsson was pretty bad as his backup, so look for that to be a bit of an open competition. Michael McKenry hit extremely well in the minors this year, but flopped in a late season callup, Bennie Tate offers a defensive minded option, and the organization still has hopes for the versatility of young Jack Doyle.

1B

This is a challenge. Thomas is supposed to be back around the All Star Break, and clearly takes over here once again. But what do the American Giants do between now and then?

There are a number of 1B who could be available in trade as short-term solutions, so there’s that.

Internally, Chicago signed Dick Wakefield pretty much for this eventuality, but Carlos May, Mike Fiore, and perhaps even Bibb Falk or Walter Davis may offer alternatives.

They could also slide Joe Jackson here–he’s no worse than Thomas defensively–opening an OF spot, specifically RF for Chino Smith.

2B

Eddie Collins all day, even with the dip in performance.

Chino Smith may see some time here, and both Doyle and Turner could fill in as wide-ranging utility players.

Damian Jackson is the best glove in the system, but has struggled in the WBL.

SS

Who knows.

Freddy Parent has been a massive disappointment, despite excellent glove work. But it’s unclear what to do.

My guess is Parent, Joe Sullivan, Danny Murtaugh, and Luke Appling fight it out in the Spring, with Trea Turner a bit of dark horse.

A trade could also be attractive here.

3B

Dick Allen is the incumbent, but Freddie Lindstrom‘s showing last fall could push Allen to either DH or LF.

Joe Crede is a reasonable alternative for depth here as well.

LF/RF

This could be pretty unstable. The contenders are clear: Jackson and Allen and Kevin Mitchell and Chino Smith, as well as Rocky Colavito, with Duffy Lewis still sticking around.

For the first half of the season, assuming Jackson plays a bit at 1B, this is probably Mitchell and Smith, although the better Freddie Lindstrom plays, the more complicated this gets.

Those are the best players in the system, but Bibb Falk, Carson Bigbee, Walter Davis, and Magglio Ordóñez each have some promise.

CF

Long term, perhaps for inexplicable reasons, the American Giants are still committed to Cristóbal Torriente. But they need some help until the teenager is ready. That’s why they brought in Jake Stenzel. But Stenzel was pretty awful in his 30 games, managing only a 240/296/394 slash line.

So if he falters, one of the corner OFers could slide over or Chicago could turn to Lance Johnson, Mike Cameron, or Henry Cotto.

DH

Whichever OFer isn’t on the field, most likely.

SP

Hoo boy.

We have Ed Walsh, and then we have an abyss of question marks.

Waite Hoyt and Ben Sheets are likely to make the rotation. Beyond that, both Mark Buehrle and Sam Streeter have talent but a horrid track record, and Herb Pennock and Joel Horlen are untested. Throw Tricky Nichols, Tom Williams, and Jacob deGrom into the mix as well, and we’ll see what happens during the Spring.

That covers most of the organization, although Harry “Green River” Buckner and the ageless Jamie Moyer may get some looks as well.

RP

AJ Minter should come back as the closer, and Fernando Rodney did enough to hold onto a spot. Beyond that, it’s all a bit jumbled. Clearly the long relievers will come from the list above, but for the rest … Raisel Iglesias, Will Smith, Paul Assenmacher, and Bob Locker could all see some time. None of those four have seen WBL time, so we’ll see.

Draft Outlook

DRAFT PICKS

1st Round: 1
2nd Round: 2
3rd Round: 0
4th Round: 0
5th Round: 3

It could be a decent draft, or this capital could be spent plugging some of the roster holes. It’s not clear which way Chicago will go.

TWIWBL 91.2: Off Season Review – New York Black Yankees

By mknn

On April 15, 2026

In TWIWBL

90 - 72, .497 pct.
1st in Bill James Division
Lost to CLE 4-1 v PHI in AL Wild Card

Overall

This franchise will never be satisfied without a championship. So … they’re not satisfied.

This team will always score runs, and they have decently reasonable expectations for their rotation (even with the odd departure of Red Ruffing). So, once again, the question is how do they shore up the back end of their staff and the ongoing misery that is the Black Yankees’ bullpen.

But the core of this team is so magnificent: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, Rogers Hornsby, and now Grant Johnson. Of those, only Schmidt (29) and Hornsby (34) are over 25. So it should be good for a while yet.

But they’ve never been wary of blowing things up, so it could be another busy offseason in the Bronx.

What Went Right

The team revolves around the Bambino. 73 homeruns (a record expected to stand for a while) and 167 RBIs will do that, along with a slash line of 280/412/744. And, honestly, he’s more likely to repeat at that level than Ty Cobb at his, so another Mel Trench Award may be in the future.

On any other team, Lou Gehrig would be the focal point (63 homeruns, 132 RBIs, 292/399/721). Here, Gehrig seems happy to be more in the shadows despite the superlative performance. Gehrig may move to 1B next season–it depends on what the decide to do with Don Mattingly.

And then there’s Mickey Mantle, the youngest of the three, posting a .969 OPS. Yeah, he strikes out too much (219 times), but the power and ability to get on base is amazing. If Eric Davis‘ injury woes continue, Mantle will see more and more time in CF.

Speaking of Davis, he was a great performer (.882 OPS with 61 SB) in the 111 games he played in. So that’s both sides of his coin.

Mike Schmidt doesn’t hit for average, but he hits for power and gets on base while playing fantastically at the hot corner.

Rogers Hornsby is 34, but he’s still arguably the best 2B in the league. His playing time may continue to reduce, especially if Grant Johnson, who slashed 280/330/538 after his arrival from Houston, continues at that pace (Johnson will play both 2B & SS, maybe even some 3B).

On the mound, last season’s big acquisition, Andy Pettitte, delivered in spades, leading the staff with an 18-9 record and a 4.43 ERA (not close to leading the league, as he did last year, but still quite respectable).

Yet again, Ron Guidry has a great year by advanced analytics … and a less than stellar one by traditional ones. Guidry finished 11-7 with a 4.51 ERA, 2nd in the league with 251 strikeouts. But his SIERA, WAR, and FIP were significantly better than Pettitte’s. So, we’ll see if Louisiana Lightning can put it together on both sides at some point.

And then the starters fade dramatically. Pascual Pérez was mediocre after coming over from Portland, Dave Righetti was .. fine, and the noise around Tony Brizzolara is more because of how much better he was than, say, Jack Scott‘s 7.34 ERA.

In the bullpen, Goose Gossage was usually excellent, but often horrid, taking over at closer and posting 20 saves to go along with 8 holds and an ERA barely over 4. And Hoyt Wilhelm was quite good after coming over in trade.

But … beyond that … Rheal Cormier had 18 holds with horrible numbers.

ALL STARS

Lou Gehrig
Goose Gossage
Andy Pettitte
Babe Ruth
Mike Schmidt

MAJOR AWARDS

Rogers Hornsby, AL 2B Silver Slugger
Mickey Mantle, All AL Team
Babe Ruth, All AL Team; AL OF Silver Slugger

RECOGNITIONS

Tony Brizzolara, AL All Rookie 2nd Team
Lou Gehrig, All AL 2nd Team
Goose Gossage, All AL 2nd Team; AL 23 & Under Team; Phineas Flint Award 3rd Place
Ron Guidry, All AL 3rd Team
Rogers Hornsby, AL Over 30 Team
Grant Johnson, AL 25 & Under Team
Mickey Mantle, AL 25 & Under Team; AL 23 & Under Team
Andy Pettitte, All AL 2nd Team; AL Over 30 Team
Babe Ruth, AL 25 & Under Team; Mel Trench Award, 2nd Place
Mike Schmidt, All AL 2nd Team

ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDS

Babe Ruth, MVP
Andy Pettitte, Pitcher of the Year
Lou Gehrig, Heart & Soul
Eric Davis, Fan Favorite

Noah Syndergaard, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Mickey Rivers, Minor League Player of the Year

What Went Wrong

The IF was rough for much of the year, with Tom Herr playing himself out of the WBL, Héctor López struggling in a reserve role, and Derek Jeter‘s offensive struggles. Jeter is slowing in the field at 33, and his .744 OPS isn’t going to cut it.

Don Mattingly hits OK, but an .800ish OPS won’t cut it at 1B.

And then there’s the pitching.

The issue was really that nobody stepped into the void after the good performers. Jack Scott was miserable as a starter as was Minor League Pitcher of the Year Noah Syndergaard who thoroughly failed his WBL audition, and David Robertson, Roy Evans, Gary Lavelle and a host of others were even worse out of the pen.

Aroldis Chapman continues to have lightning in his left arm and no real sense of how to use it.

Transactions

March

OF Albert Belle, P Frank Viola, P Lefty Gomez, IF Jess Barbour to BBB for P Andy Pettitte, OF Mickey Rivers, 3rd Round Pick.

Seems like a clear win: Pettitte became the staff ace, Rivers, while thoroughly blocked, was the Minor League Player of the Year, and they still have the pick.

July

IF Willie Randolph, P Jake Peavy, P Bill Monbouquette, 1st Round Pick to POR for IF Rogers Hornsby, P Pascual Pérez.

Depending on the pick and how Peavy develops, this could be seen as a colossal error, but the Black Yankees are a win-now organization, and Hornsby delivered as promised.

August

P Waite Hoyt & 5th Round Pick to CAG for IF Jorge Orta, P Hoyt Wilhelm, & 4th Round Pick.

On the one hand, (Waite) Hoyt is exactly the kind of mid-rotation starter New York now needs; on the other, Hoyt (Wilhelm) should settle some of the bullpen for quite some time. So, shrug?

P Sparky Lyle, IF Elliott Maddox, P Carlos Rodón, 2nd Round Pick, & 4th Round Pick to HOU for IF Grant Johnson.

The price was high, but HR Johnson is a fantastic talent, and has a clear role with the Black Yankees. Still, the cupboard is getting bare for the future (future? what is this future? there is only now sneers the Black Yankees’ board).

Positional Overview

C

Thurman Munson slid a bit this year, but he’s still quite solid and Manny Sanguillén is one of the better backups in the league. Both will return.

If they falter, Darrin Fletcher, Eric MacKenzie, or Ron Pruitt look most likely to be able to help out.

1B

For now, this is Don Mattingly, but he either needs to step it up or Gehrig may see more time here, with Nick Etten in reserve.

In terms of pure 1B, only Fred Whitfield has much promise, although Anthony Volpe has his supporters. Roger Maris may get some reps here occasionally as well.

2B

Rogers Hornsby is here, with a lot of support from Grant Johnson. Veteran Hardy Richardson is still at AAA, and could fill in if needed, while Tom Herr is always around.

More interesting is Jorge Orta, who had a brilliant debut, but seems a bit positionally blocked in the system.

SS

The Black Yankees will trot out Derek Jeter again, but he really isn’t providing enough to hold his starting role indefinitely. Should Jeter continue to struggle, look for Grant Johnson to see time here as well.

There is some talent in the system, from the defensive prowess of Alcides Escobar and Dansby Swanson to the overall talents of Charlie Irwin and Mark Grudzielanek.

3B

Mike Schmidt is under appreciated pretty universally, but he’s a spectacular talent. Look for Josh Harrison to push Héctor López for the reserve role, with Heinie Groh offering a strong defensive option.

LF/RF

Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle are an impressive duo, to say the least.

Roger Maris did enough in limited action to warrant a long look as a the reserve OFer.

Should they be needed, a quartet of minor league veterans could be useful: Hank Bauer, Gene Moore Jr, Nick Swisher, and Jayson Werth.

CF

Eric Davis will be here as long as he’s healthy, with Mantle sliding over as well.

The minors have some talent as well, led by young Clyde Milan, but also Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks, and Minor League Player of the Year Mickey Rivers.

DH

If Mattingly stays, this is Gehrig, but if not, it offers a well to work some of the additional OF talent into the mix.

SP

Andy Pettitte and Ron Guidry are set, and Dave Righetti and Tony Brizzolara are likely assured of spots as well. That leaves an open spot for Pascual Pérez, Whitey Ford, Noah Syndergaard, and Art Ditmar to fight over.

Vic Raschi, Jack Scott, and Roy Evans each have shown some promise lower in the system as well.

RP

Gossage and Wilhelm will be welcomed back; Cormier and Chapman accepted with a little less enthusiasm.

Beyond that, it’s pretty open. Herm Wehmeier faltered after a promising start, but he, Jeff Nelson, and Anthony Varvaro will get a close look in the Spring, as will minor league closer Paul Shuey.

Draft Outlook

DRAFT PICKS

1st Round: 1
2nd Round: 0
3rd Round: 2
4th Round: 1
5th Round: 0

It’s honestly surprising the Black Yankees have this many picks left. Some of these may be used to bolster the bullpen, others would be aimed at replenishing a somewhat depleted system.

TWIWBL 87.13: The Starters

By mknn

On February 10, 2026

In TWIWBL

On to the starters! Same Tier system.

This is everyone who qualified for the ERA crown, plus a heaping handful of others who made at least 10 starts during the season. If a player had less than 162 innings, they are (a) probably knocked down a tier and (b) their name is prefaced by a * and italicized.

We’ve leaned on valuing IP in these rankings, perhaps a bit too much. But these are your starters, and they need to show up, game after game. It also means the Tiers are a little different: there are D-Tier pitchers here that you would welcome at the back end of your rotation, and it’s really only some of them, and the F Tier, that are truly an issue.

Our usual practices prevail: bold for top 3 and italics for bottom 3. Pitchers with below 162 IP aren’t included in the top/bottom markers.

#S Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	Other
NL	KCM	A. Rube Foster	24	11-8	3.30	204	1.02	.189 BA .219 BABIP 0.7 HR/9 3.63 FIP
NL	IND	Luis Padrón	22	23-3	3.22	235	1.04	220 K .192 BA .225 BABIP
NL	HOU	Toad Ramsey	23	16-10	3.23	223	0.97	282 K .182 BA 11.4 K/9 3.8 K/BB 3.40 FIP

Just look at all that bold.

It’s been these 3 all year, and there’s a hair’s breadth between them. The analytics like Toad Ramsey, but Luis Padrón‘s record is stunning and while his ERA crown came by the absolute thinnest of margins, it did come.

Knuckleballers are always a bit unpredictable season-to-season, and it may very well be that A. Rube Foster has the best career of these three. But great things are expected of each of them.

#A Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	Other
AL	SFS	Lefty Grove	27	16-6	4.40	209	1.15	230 K 2.2 BB/9 9.9 K/9 4.4 K/BB
AL	MCG	José Méndez	23	13-6	4.53	233	1.11	201 K 2.2 BB/9
NL	BRK	Fernando Valenzuela	24	14-5	3.69	163	1.08	1 Sv; 4 H
—	BBB/ MCG	Jim Whitney	24	10-7	3.83	202	1.10	1 Sv; 2 H
NL	BRK	Smokey Joe Williams	24	12-13	3.93	202	1.23	0.8 HR/9 3.55 FIP
NL	KCM	Smokey Joe Wood	22	15-12	4.11	191	1.13

Lefty Grove and Smokey Joe Williams each have an argument to move up a tier, but are held back, Grove’s instance by his ERA, in Williams’ by his record. Still, they are the class of this group.

If José Méndez hadn’t led the league in innings, he would probably drop down a level, but we’re nitpicking: these are staff aces on most teams. Note that Miami, Brooklyn, and Kansas City already have 2 pitchers each on this list.

#B Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	Other
AL	LAA	Brett Anderson	22	11-6	4.34	189	1.12
NL	HOU	* Ice Box Chamberlain	19	4-4	3.56	109	1.13	1 Sv; 1 H
NL	HOU	Roger Clemens	25	17-10	3.71	211	1.13
AL	SFS	Bump Hadley	23	18-6	4.10	189	1.18	0.9 HR/9 4.2 BB/9
NL	PHI	Hardie Henderson	21	18-12	3.78	209	1.23	4.2 BB/9 1.7 KK/B
NL	BRK	Orel Hershiser	27	19-5	3.69	185	1.21
NL	HOD	* Kyle Peterson	22	8-3	3.80	107	1.16
AL	NYY	Andy Pettitte	33	18-9	4.43	201	1.21
AL	SFS	Eddie Plank	27	20-7	4.42	210	1.31
AL	CAG	Ed Walsh	25	10-11	3.94	205	1.15	1 Sv 201 K .225 BABIP

Hardie Henderson, Roger Clemens, and perhaps Eddie Plank (but that would be giving an awful lot of weight on 20 victories) could all be nudged up, but I’m comfortable with this. These are all front of rotation hurlers, with the only real surprise being Brett Anderson, who quietly excelled in a difficult year for Los Angeles. Ed Walsh, last year’s Rookie of the Year, avoided the sophomore slump entirely.

If you’re looking for skepticism, both Ice Box Chamberlain (due to age) and Kyle Peterson (due to coming out of nowhere) are decent bets to regress.

#C Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	Other
AL	POR	Walter Ball	26	8-7	4.26	142	1.20
NL	PHI	Steve Carlton	25	12-13	5.05	187	1.24
NL	IND	Johnny Cueto	29	12-14	4.62	212	1.14
NL	HOM	* Doug Drabek	25	6-8	4.76	147	1.17	1 H
NL	BRK	Don Drysdale	22	11-8	5.66	186	1.28
AL	LAA	Dwight Gooden	22	11-11	4.36	194	1.29
AL	NYY	Ron Guidry	28	11-7	4.51	208	1.24	251 K 10.9 K/9
NL	OTT	Roy Halladay	29	15-9	5.17	195	1.26	2.2 BB/9
AL	POR	Walter Johnson	20	13-12	4.28	214	1.28
NL	BRK	* Sandy Koufax	21	6-3	4.93	119	1.16	2 H
AL	MEM	Stubby Overmire	25	13-10	4.72	212	1.26	6.1 K/9
NL	NYG	Gaylord Perry	22	12-15	4.34	189	1.12
NL	KCM	José Rijo	26	8-12	5.09	179	1.26
NL	PHI	Charles Rogan	27	12-9	4.51	188	1.24
AL	CLE	Bill Steen	26	13-10	4.71	193	1.33	1.9 K/BB
NL	NYG	Don Sutton	25	17-8	5.23	174	1.25
NL	PHI	JM Ward	20	6-10	5.01	196	1.16

Gaylord Perry and JM Ward were perhaps the unluckiest pitchers in the league this year: a bit of good fortune, and either could be several tiers above. If anyone is ranked too highly, it’s probably Bill Steen. There are a lot of names here that could easily take a step forward–Steve Carlton, Don Drysdale, and Walter Johnson especially.

Sandy Koufax blossomed in the bullpen after losing his rotation spot, but Brooklyn is likely to try him again as a starter next season.

Joe Rogan is just a remarkable talent. Everyone else here has great value solely from being on the mound: add Rogan’s bat and … yoikes.

#D Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	Other
AL	MEM	Len Barker	25	11-12	4.99	180	1.44
AL	SFS	* Tommy Bridges	37	6-7	5.38	146	1.21
AL	POR	Bert Blyleven	21	10-11	5.03	204	1.32
NL	KCM	Frank Castillo	23	12-7	5.21	193	1.32
AL	SFS	* Watty Clark	26	6-4	4.02	134	1.30	2 H
NL	PHI	* Ray Collins	24	4-7	4.62	121	1.27	1 H
AL	CLE	* Bob Feller	20	13-3	4.30	153	1.34
NL	BBB	* Lefty Gomez	27	9-9	4.90	154	1.30	2 H
AL	NYY/ CAG	Waite Hoyt	24	11-4	4.89	169	1.44	4.1 BB/9
NL	BRK	Frank Knauss	23	12-6	4.55	180	1.34
NL	HOM	Francisco Liriano	23	10-12	5.03	181	1.38
NL	BBB	Greg Maddux	23	10-14	5.35	195	1.28	59 HRA .225 BABIP 6.50 FIP
AL	BAL	Dennis Martínez	24	12-8	5.12	202	1.42
NL	NYG	Christy Mathewson	22	7-16	5.61	210	1.40	207 K
AL	POR	* Joseíto Muñoz	20	4-4	4.56	101	1.37	1 Sv; 2 H
AL	BAL	* Jim Palmer	25	8-8	4.88	138	1.37	1 H
NL	BBB	Alejandro Peña	26	8-11	5.59	180	1.31
NL	HOM	Billy Pierce	30	10-11	5.77	173	1.36
NL	HOD	* Rick Reuschel	30	8-8	4.61	135	1.31	1 Sv; 1 H
NL	HOD	Bob Rush	24	11-9	5.28	186	1.32	2 H
NL	HOD	CC Sabathia	28	5-15	5.89	202	1.35	1 Sv; 1 H 64 HRA 3.2 HR/9 6.90 FIP
AL	CAG	Ben Sheets	27	6-12	5.88	165	1.32	1 H
NL	OTT	* Bill Smith	26	10-3	3.77	124	1.35	1 H
NL	HOU	Stephen Strasburg	25	9-10	5.87	169	1.37
NL	HOD	Jack Taylor	26	12-10	5.90	192	1.42	.291 BA 6.4 K/9
AL	CLE	Cy Young	25	15-9	5.38	199	1.39	.307 BABIP

There are some absolute conundrums here. Greg Maddux‘s issues are obvious in the final column: his BABIP is top-3 in the league, showing just how good his stuff is. But he has to keep the ball in the ballpark. At least once in a while.

Christy Mathewson and Cy Young seem like they could do more than be massive inning eaters, but they need to be harder to hit to make the jump forward. But pitching is weird: Jack Taylor and Gerrit Cole (see below) were among the best on the mound last season, and struggled mightily this.

Bob Feller would warrant a bump as well with a few more solid starts.

#F Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	Other
AL	CAG	Mark Buehrle	31	8-12	5.11	185	1.38	6.3 K/9
AL	MEM	* David Bush	26	9-9	6.58	149	1.32
AL	LAA	Gerrit Cole	26	7-15	6.36	166	1.43	2.9 HR/9 6.52 FIP
AL	MCG	Cole Hamels	25	11-12	6.18	178	1.42	63 HRA .293 BA 3.2 HR/9 3.7 K/BB
NL	NYG	* Carl Hubbell	26	6-10	5.75	160	1.29	1 H
NL	HOM	* Cliff Lee	30	8-4	5.30	114	1.32	3 H
NL	HOU	Roy Oswalt	28	7-11	6.53	181	1.49	.295 BA .305 BABIP
NL	OTT	Charles Radbourn	27	12-13	5.89	202	1.35
AL	DET	Charlie Root	31	11-10	6.15	199	1.42	59 HRA
AL	LAA	Tom Seaver	23	7-8	5.81	164	1.44
—	BBB/ CAG	* Sam Streeter	25	3-11	5.63	123	1.34
AL	POR	Dizzy Trout	29	5-12	5.93	162	1.50	4.1 BB/9 1.8 K/BB
AL	DET	Justin Verlander	25	5-12	6.48	169	1.52	.310 BABIP
NL	IND	* Doc White	27	5-12	6.55	143	1.34	1 Sv; 3 H

Most of these issues are clear: too many homeruns, too many walks, way too many runners on the basepaths. Maybe Old Hoss Radbourn could argue to be one tier up. Maybe.

Other than that, it must be said there is a ton of talent here: Roy Oswalt, Tom Seaver, and Justin Verlander jump out as most likely to bounce back next year.

It must be said there are probably 2 dozen more names that could be listed in the F Tier. Check out the individual team maps as they are published for those, but suffice to say that, when a pitcher goes down in flames in the WBL, they burn awfully bright.

TWIWBL 78.5: Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On September 16, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
San Francisco Sea Lions	80-43	.650	—
Miami Cuban Giants	60-65	.480	21
Los Angeles Angels	58-66	.468	22.5
Portland Sea Dogs	57-68	.456	24
Chicago American Giants	54-69	.439	26

Cum Posey Division | 19 August

#Chicago American Giants

Waite Hoyt was excellent in his first start for Chicago, blanking his old team 4-0. Hoyt combined with Herb Pennock and AJ Minter on the 5 hit shutout of the New York Black Yankees.

The American Giants recalled Rocky Colavito, Luke Appling, Freddie Lindstrom, and Michael McKenry along with pitchers Gavin Floyd, Joe Horlen, and Scott Radinsky. Ben Sheets was removed from the rotation as Chicago will use a committee approach at the end of their rotation.

Joe Jackson drove in 6 on 2 homeruns and 2 doubles and Eddie Collins added 4 hits of his own and scored 4 times as Chicago beat San Francisco 11-6. The offense continued to produce, this time with Frank Thomas driving in 6 and scoring 4 times in a 12-6 win over the Sea Lions. Collins again scored 4 times and McKenry went deep in his first WBL game in the victory.

#Los Angeles Angels

Mark Ellis was recalled from his rehab assignment and Nolan Ryan was recalled from AA.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Phenomenal Smith–who really was phenomenal last year in limited appearances–began a rehab assignment after a major injury.

Gary Sheffield and Jim Thome each had 2 dingers as the Cuban Giants edged Portland, 7-6.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Jeff Burroughs went deep twice, leading Portland to an 8-1 win over Memphis.

An error in the 9th opened the door for Joseíto Muñoz to face one more batter and, with that, he struck out his 15th batter of the night, setting a new WBL record. Muñoz got the win in the 8-2 triumph over Memphis, allowing 3 hits and walking 1. Gil Hodges had 3 hits and 5 RBIs for the Sea Dogs.

Walter Ball was recalled from his rehab assignment, replacing Jerry Koosman in the Sea Dogs’ rotation. Ps Harry Matuzak and Johan Santana–now fully committed to his long-term role as a starter–were recalled, along with Ernie Krueger, Miguel Sanó, Bobby Abreu, and Elvis Andrus.

Ken Griffey, Jr. hit 2 out, but Portland fell to Miami, 7-6.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Lefty Grove will miss a couple starts, headed to the DL with a viral infection. The Sea Lions recalled Tim Hudson–out for many months–from a rehab assignment to see what the veteran has left in the tank.

Brian Downing hit his first 2 homeruns of the year, but the Sea Lions bullpen gave up the game in a 9-7 loss to Detroit. A few games later, Jack Clark also hit 2 out, giving him 42 on the year, but the Sea Lions fell to Chicago, 12-6.

TWIWBL 78.3: August Trades

By mknn

On September 14, 2025

In TWIWBL

A run through of the trading deadline, in no particular order. Over 50 players and almost 20 draft picks changed hands in the frenzy.

Hoyt There it Is!

P Waite Hoyt, 5th round pick from NYY to CAG for P Hoyt Wilhelm, IF Jorge Orta, 4th round pick.

The New York Black Yankees address a bullpen need by acquiring Hoyt Wilhelm from the Chicago American Giants, in exchange for young starter Waite Hoyt. Chicago will also send young IF Jorge Orta to New York, and the 2 teams exchanged draft picks, with New York getting a 4th and Chicago a 5th rounder.

It’s an odd trade for New York, as it’s not clear that Hoyt (Wilhelm) adds more to their bottom line of wins more than Hoyt (Waite). Chicago probably wins this one, just on the SP > RP evaluation. Orta should have a WBL career, but is not enough to balance the deal.

Now & Later

IF Paul Konerko, P Akinori Otsuka, OF Lenny Dykstra, 3rd round pick from CAG to BBB for P Sam Streeter, IF Trea Turner, 5th round pick.

Chicago officially closed the door on their performance for this season, sending 1B Paul Konerko and his .988 OPS along with Akinori Otsuka and his 1.07 WHIP to Birmingham, receiving P Sam Streeter and prospect Trea Turner in return. Chicago will also send OF Lenny Dykstra and a 3rd round pick, with Birmingham surrendering a 5th rounder to make it all work.

Konerko and Otsuka being on the wrong side of 30 makes this acceptable, and Chicago probably got peak value for them in a long-term starter and the talent of Turner. Birmingham is thrilled, as this addresses two of their most pressing needs for a playoff push: 1B and bullpen help.

The Wolverines Commit

P Gene Conley, P Bill Drake, P Emil Yde, OF Hub Collins from DET to BAL for SS Bobby Wallace, P Connie Johnson.

Detroit addressed two needs in a deal with Baltimore, sending struggling P Gene Conley (who is in search of a reboot to their career after an amazing start last season), promising young Ps Bill Drake and Emil Yde along with OF Hub Collins to Baltimore in exchange for SS Bobby Wallace and P Connie Johnson.

I mean … Detroit loves this for the immediate future. The key here is whether Yde, and especially Drake, ever amount to anything. This does remove any question about the infield of the future for the Black Barons, with Eddie Murray, Miller Huggins, Cal Ripken, Jr. and Manny Machado all but assured of starting roles.

Stars and Sea Dogs move a lot of Bodies

SS Jim Fregosi, P Mark Melancon, OF Harry Hooper, IF Rafael Palmiero from POR to PHI for OF Bobby Abreau, P Dave Stieb, P Jaret Wright, P LaTroy Hawkins, SS Pat Meares, 2nd round pick.

Philadelphia, eyeing a potential playoff run, went shopping in Portland. They added a long-term solution at SS (Jim Fregosi), a much-needed bullpen arm (Mark Melancon), and some OF depth in the struggling Harry Hooper. That haul cost them 3 pitching prospects in Dave Stieb, Jaret Wright, and LaTroy Hawkins, as well as SS Pat Meares, and a 2nd round pick. The teams also swapped high-ceiling-but-blocked prospects, with Portland receiving Bobby Abreu and Philadelphia Rafael Palmiero.

Abreau for Palmiero is a wash. Of the rest, it’s sort of a classic now/later proposition. Fregosi and Melancon step directly into key roles for the Stars, but Hawkins, and especially Stieb, do look like excellent long term prospects.

The American Giants Do Some (More) Things

OF Jake Stenzel from IND to CAG for P Joe Lake.

IF Freddie Lindstrom, 2nd round pick from HOM to CAG for P David Price.

Chicago believes they can solve their pitching woes from within, sending 2 members of their rotation packing. First, they received CF Jake Stenzel from Indianapolis for Joe Lake; then they sent David Price to Homestead for Freddie Lindstrom and a 2nd round pick.

Stenzel steps into a crowded outfield, but should get a lot of play the rest of the season while the American Giants’ commitment to the struggling teen Cristóbal Torriente is tested. This basically decimates the American Giants’ rotation, leaving them with Ed Walsh and a lot of questions, but Lake and Price (who himself only arrived via trade earlier last season) were questions themselves. Lindstrom may step into a WBL role behind Dick Allen at 3B.

A Closer for Some Future

P Jonathan Papelbon, 4th round pick from MEM to MCG for P Josh Beckett, OF Roy Thomas, 3rd round pick.

Memphis sent Jonathan Papelbon to Miami, receiving minor leaguers Josh Beckett and Roy Thomas in return. The team also exchange draft picks, with Memphis surrendering a 4th in exchange for Miami’s 3rd round selection.

Fair enough. Miami desperately needed a dependable arm to join Ricky Nolasco in their pen, and Beckett has a ton of upside.

The Black Barons Upgrade

IF Bobby Grich, 3rd round pick from LAA to BBB for P Vic Willis, C Gene Tenace, 1st round pick.

Birmingham came into this trade period looking for a SS; they left with a 2B (who can play SS). In a bit of a surprise move, they convinced LA to part with Bobby Grich, sending Vic Willis, Gene Tenace, and a 1st rounder to the Angels, who also sent a 3rd round pick back their way.

Grich is a huge pickup for the Black Barons–an all star caliber who can get on base and play both middle infield positions is exactly what the doctor ordered in Birmingham. They gave up a lot–Tenace is excellent, some think Willis will eventually be a number one starter, and of course, the #1 pick is a lot. But it seems Birmingham is convinced they have a shot in the playoffs this year, and you can’t fault the ambition.

First Round Picks On the Move, or Freeman at Last, Freeman at Last

P Joe Beggs, 2nd round pick from BAL to KCM for OF Earl Averill.

IF Freddie Freeman, IF Eddie Miller from SFS to LAA for P Joe Nathan, IF Wally Joyner, 1st round pick.

Baltimore found a potential CF for the future in Earl Averill, who came over from Kansas City for a Joe Beggs and a 2nd round pick.

One of the more promising talents in the WBL may have found a home, as Los Angeles sent a 1st Round Pick, closer Joe Nathan, and Wally Joyner to San Francisco for Freddie Freeman and minor league SS Eddie Miller.

Both of these make some sense, as both Freeman and Averill were totally blocked where they were (Freeman by Jimmie Foxx and others, Averill by Willie McGee and Cool Papa Bell). Freeman should immediately see playing time in LA, while Averill looks to be in the mix for next season.

Gothams Going Gone

P Juan Marichal, P Robb Nen from NYG to HOM for IF Davey Johnson, IF Howard Johnson, 3rd round pick.

P Steve Howe, P Troy Percival from NYG to DET for IF Robby Thompson, P Dellin Betances, 3rd round pick.

The Gothams moved a few pieces around, sending Juan Marichal and Robb Nen to Homestead for 2B Davey Johnson, Howard Johnson, and a 3rd round pick. Then, they moved Steve Howe and Troy Percival to Detroit for 2B Robby Thompson, P Dellin Betances, and a 3rd round pick.

The Gothams will need to totally redo their staff, but each move makes some sense. Between Johnson (Davey) and Thompson, they should now have a post-Larry Doyle plan at 2B.

The Black Yankees Find their SS of the Future?

P Sparky Lyle, IF Elliott Maddox, P Carlos Rodón, 2nd round pick, 4th round pick from NYY to HOU for IF Grant Johnson.

They hope so, sending Sparky Lyle, Elliott Maddox, pitching prospect Carlos Rodón, and a 2nd and a 4th round pick to Houston for Grant Johnson, who will rotate in with both Derek Jeter and Rogers Hornsby for now.

It’s a lot to give up, for sure. But Johnson is only 25, and an established WBL performer who will solve the Black Yankees’ long term needs at either 2B or SS. Lyle is solid, and fills a very strong need for Houston, but the rest of what they gave up was future potential, which is cheap for a team whose goal is to win now.

Other Deals

OF George Hendrick from PHI to BRK for 3rd round pick.

IF Joe Adcock from NYG to MCG for 5th round pick, cash.

Philadelphia sent OF George Hendrick to Brooklyn for a 3rd Round Pick.

Miami picked up Joe Adcock from the New York Gothams essentially for free: they sent the Gothams a 5th round pick, and the Gothams are covering Adcock’s salary for the rest of the year.

Each of these were essentially curtesy trades: having picked up Harry Hooper, Philadelphia had no place for Hendrick and Adcock, at 38, desperately wanted a chance to swing the bat for a contender in what may be his final season.

Summary

Minor Leaguers in italics.

Team	Coming	Going
Baltimore Black Sox	Earl Averill Gene Conley Hub Collins Bill Drake Emil Yde 2nd Round Pick	Joe Beggs Connie Johnson Bobby Wallace 1st Round Pick 2nd Round Pick
Birmingham Black Barons	Lenny Dykstra Bobby Grich Paul Konerko Akinori Otsuko 3rd Round Pick 4th Round Pick	Sam Streeter Gene Tenace Trea Turner Vic Willis 1st Round Pick 5th Round Pick
Brooklyn Royal Giants	George Hendrick	3rd Round Pick
Chicago American Giants	Waite Hoyt Freddie Lindstrom Jake Stenzel Sam Streeter Trea Turner 2nd Round Pick 5th Round Pick 5th Round Pick	Lenny Dykstra Paul Konerko Joe Lake Akinori Otsuko David Price Hoyt Wilhelm Jorge Orta 3rd Round Pick 4th Round Pick
Cleveland Spiders
Detroit Wolverines	Steve Howe Connie Johnson Troy Percival Bobby Wallace	Dellin Betances Gene Conley Hub Collins Bill Drake Robby Thompson Emil Yde 2nd Round Pick 3rd Round Pick
Homestead Grays	Juan Marichal Robb Nen David Price	Davey Johnson Howard Johnson Freddie Lindstrom 2nd Round Pick 3rd Round Pick
Houston Colt 45’s	Sparky Lyle Elliott Maddox Carlos Ródon 2nd Round Pick 4th Round Pick	Grant Johnson
Indianapolis ABC’s	Joe Lake	Jake Stenzel
Kansas City Monarchs	Joe Beggs 2nd Round Pick	Earl Averill
Los Angeles Angels	Freddie Freeman Eddie Miller Gene Tenace Vic Willis 1st Round Pick	Bobby Grich Wally Joyner Joe Nathan 1st Round Pick 3rd Round Pick
Memphis Red Sox	Josh Beckett Roy Thomas 3rd Round Pick	Jonathan Papelbon 4th Round Pick
Miami Cuban Giants	Joe Adcock Jonathan Papelbon 4th Round Pick	Josh Beckett Roy Thomas 3rd Round Pick 5th Round Pick
New York Black Yankees	Grant Johnson Jorge Orta Hoyt Wilhelm 4th Round Pick	Waite Hoyt Sparky Lyle Elliott Maddox Carlos Rodón 2nd Round Pick 4th Round Pick
New York Gothams	Dellin Betances Davey Johnson Howard Johnson Robby Thompson 3rd Round Pick 3rd Round Pick 5th Round Pick	Joe Adcock Steve Howe Juan Marichal Robb Nen Troy Percival
Ottawa Mounties
Philadelphia Stars	Jim Fregosi Harry Hooper Mark Melancon Rafael Palmiero 3rd Round Pick	Bobby Abreu LaTroy Hawkins George Hendrick Pat Meares Dave Stieb Jaret Wright 2nd Round Pick
Portland Sea Dogs	Bobby Abreu LaTroy Hawkins Pat Meares Dave Stieb Jaret Wright 2nd Round Pick	Jim Fregosi Harry Hooper Mark Melancon Rafael Palmiero
San Francisco Sea Lions	Wally Joyner Joe Nathan 1st Round Pick	Freddie Freeman Eddie Miller
Wandering House of David

TWIWBL 70.3: Bill James Division

By mknn

On January 6, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
New York Black Yankees	47-30	.610	—
Cleveland Spiders	42-33	.560	4
Memphis Red Sox	37-38	.493	9
Detroit Wolverines	35-41	.461	11.5
Baltimore Black Sox	33-44	.429	14

Bill James Division | 25 June

#Baltimore Black Sox

The Black Sox would love for someone–John Wetteland, Sean Marshall, even the surprising Justin Hampson–to step into the closer role, allowing Joe Beggs to join the host of arms vying for rotation spots for Baltimore. But for now, the back end of the rotation remains an open competition.

Gavvy Cravath went deep twice, but Baltimore couldn’t overcome a rough start from Beggs in a 6-4 loss to Chicago. Maybe he should stay as the closer?

The bad news was the Black Sox fell to Cleveland, 1-0. The good news was that Ned Garvin threw a great game, allowing only 2 hits and the single run over 8 innings.

#Cleveland Spiders

Cy Young was masterful, leading the Spiders to a 1-0 win over Baltimore with a 4-hit shutout. Young whiffed 8 and improved to 8-3 on the year.

#Detroit Wolverines

Mike Griffin was sent to the DL despite a lack of clarity on his exact injury, and Hal Newhouser was recalled from his short rehab stint. Newhouser will slot into the rotation, which is looking pretty patchwork at this point. With Mike Henneman and Billy Hoeft out for a while, Chad Bradford will serve as closer, with a very makeshift bullpen trying to get to him.

#Memphis Red Sox

Reggie Smith hit his 20th and 21st homeruns of the year, leading Memphis to a 10-2 victory over Chicago.

#New York Black Yankees

Mike Schmidt, Babe Ruth, and Mickey Mantle hit back-to-back-to-back homers, and the Black Yankees rode a good start from Andy Pettitte to a 10-2 win over Miami. Mantle went deep twice in the game, and Pettitte improved to 8-5 with 7 strong innings.

Héctor López hit 2 out and Ruth hit his 38th as the Black Yankees topped Miami, 10-7. Waite Hoyt improved to 6-0 on the year despite giving up 11 hits in 5 innings, and Aroldis Chapman picked up his 13th save.

Lou Gehrig hit his 24th and 25th dingers of the year, but it was far from enough as the Black Yankees were trounced by Miami, 17-5.

Schmidt and Eric Davis went deep twice, and Gehrig launched a walk-off shot in the bottom of the 9th, carrying the Black Yankees to a 7-6 win over Detroit.

Schmidt did it again–2 more dingers giving him 23 for the season–and New York again topped Detroit, this time 7-5.

TWIWBL 69.3: Bill James Division

By mknn

On December 4, 2024

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
New York Black Yankees	45-26	.634	—
Cleveland Spiders	38-30	.559	5.5
Memphis Red Sox	33-35	.485	10.5
Detroit Wolverines	33-37	.471	11.5
Baltimore Black Sox	28-44	.389	17.5

Bill James Division | 18 June

#Baltimore Black Sox

Time for some changes. Bobby Wallace, Sean Marshall, and John Wetteland were all recalled from rehab assignments, with Mark Baldwin, Gregg Olson, and–yes–Larry Gardner heading to AAA. This means Miller Huggins will see most of the time at 2B, and while Wallace is the starter, Cal Ripken, Jr. will rotate through SS, 3B, and occasionally 2B in a quest for playing time.

Baltimore continues with only 3 named starters (Dennis Martínez, Ned Garvin, and Mike Mussina).

#Cleveland Spiders

Bill Steen returned to the Spiders’ rotation.

Both Sammy Strang and Victor Martinez were moved to AAA as Cleveland’s patience for them to turn around horrible starts to their season ran thin. John Ellis‘ recent mini-revival means Cleveland doesn’t necessarily need to recall a C; instead they brought IFs Steve Sax and Chico Walker up from AA.

Mel Harder‘s injury status remains unknown, but needing a starter, the Spiders placed him on the DL, recalling Hank Gastright. Gastright was OK, and Ron Blomberg went deep twice, but the Spiders couldn’t keep Memphis’ bats quiet, losing 8-4 to the Cuban Giants.

Al Smith, decent in a very small sample size as a lefty in the pen, will miss about a week, earning him a trip to the DL. Joe Smith (no relation) was promoted from AAA.

The Spiders finally got a diagnosis on Harder, who will miss the rest of the season with a fractured elbow.

A strong start from Steen combined with 2 homers from Evan Longoria carried Cleveland to a 4-1 win over Memphis.

#Detroit Wolverines

Bill Carrigan was sent to AAA to see if he could break out of his season-long slump. The Wolverines recalled Jack Wilson from his rehab assignment to help out their beleaguered staff.

Charlie Gehringer continued to impress with his 9th and 10th homeruns of the year as the Wolverines topped Chicago, 5-2. Charlie Root was excellent, allowing 1 run in 7 plus innings to level his record at 6-6.

The Wolverines finally had seen enough of Gene Conley‘s struggles, sending the former pro basketball player to AAA along with Claude Passeau and activating Billy Hoeft and Pete Conway being recalled. With Hal Newhouser starting a rehab assignment, look for more changes in the Detroit mound corps in the days to come.

#Memphis Red Sox

Ted Williams reached 20 homeruns on the season, going deep twice in an 8-6 loss to Los Angeles.

#New York Black Yankees

Hank Bauer did well in his time in the WBL, with 6 homers in under 30 games. But he’s no Eric Davis, and with Davis ready to return from his rehab assignment, Bauer moves back to AAA and the Black Yankees become, if anything, more formidable.

Mickey Mantle went deep twice and Waite Hoyt improved to 5-0 as the Black Yankees beat Portland, 9-4.

Dave Righetti will miss a couple weeks with a strained shoulder, prompting the Black Yankees to recall Roy Evans from AAA Newark. Evans isn’t very heralded as a prospect, but he led AA in IP in 2000, and was 6-3 with a 3.20 ERA so far at AAA.

TWIWBL 65.3: Bill James Division

By mknn

On August 28, 2024

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
New York Black Yankees	29-16	.644	—
Cleveland Spiders	24-19	.558	4
Detroit Wolverines	21-24	.467	8
Baltimore Black Sox	18-27	.400	11
Memphis Red Sox	16-28	.364	12.5

Bill James Division | 21 May

#Baltimore Black Sox

Mike Mussina started a rehab assignment with a hope of being back in the big leagues by the end of the week. Bobby Wallace will be out at least a week, prompting the Black Sox to place him on the DL, recalling Cal Ripken, Jr. from AAA.

Buddy Groom went on the 10 day DL with Mark Baldwin being recalled. John Wetteland will miss about a month with shoulder discomfort, further weakening the Black Sox bullpen, prompting Baltimore to recall Mussina from his rehab assignment a tad early.

Dan McGann hit two homeruns, but the Black Sox lost a wild 12 inning game to Miami, 12-11. Four Baltimore pitchers–Baldwin, Gregg Olson, Justin Hampson, and eventual loser John Tudor–blew saves on the night.

#Cleveland Spiders

Ron Blomberg‘s 16th homer of the year was a walkoff affair, giving the Spiders a 6-5 victory over Detroit.

That evidently inspired Boomer as he hit 3 more dingers in an 8-3 win. Blomberg isn’t having the MVP level campaign he did last year, but the power in his bat hasn’t reduced by much.

Hank Gastright headed to AAA with Stan Coveleski recalled from his rehab assignment.

#Detroit Wolverines

With an ERA over 8, Gene Conley lost his spot in the Wolverines’ rotation, leaving only Charlie Root, Justin Verlander, and Pete Conway as solid options for Detroit.

Bullpen management is so key … a strong start by Verlander was essentially wasted as a terribly fatigued bullpen was unable to hold a 9-2 lead. But, Detroit recovered: Billy Hoeft threw a solid 2 plus innings and an exhausted Mike Henneman added 2 shutout innings for the win with Oscar Gamble hitting a walkoff homerun in the bottom of the 12th. Juan Beníquez continues to demand additional playing time, finishing the game with 3 hits and 4 RBIs.

The Wolverines are just pushing through arms at an alarming rate, sending Wilson Álvarez and Mickey Lolich back to AAA, recalling George Bechtel and Claude Passeau for their second stints with the big league club.

#Memphis Red Sox

The Red Sox traded Claude Ritchey for DJ LeMahieu, hoping to solidify their infield with Dobie Moore moving permanently to SS. Ritchey was excellent last season, but couldn’t nudge his OPS over .560 this year.

Derek Lowe has been absolutely hammered in 7 appearances for Memphis and, needing a starter, the Red Sox sent him to AAA with Eddie Cicotte being promoted.

#New York Black Yankees

New York recalled Waite Hoyt from a rehab assignment, with AJ Burnett heading to AAA. Hoyt will step right into the 5th slot in the Black Yankees’ rotation.

TWIWBL 62.2: Bill James Division

By mknn

On June 21, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Something was clearly wrong with Mike Mussina all season. Turns out an elbow problem wen unnoticed until it forced him from the game in a 6-5 victory over Chicago. Mussina hit the DL and is expected to miss a few weeks, with the Black Sox finally, and excitedly, recalling Ned Garvin to take his place.

#Cleveland Spiders

Ron Blomberg went deep 3 times (including a 530 ft moon shot) and drove in 7 as the Spiders rolled over Baltimore, 8-4. Cy Young struggled a bit, but only allowed 1 earned run in 6 innings, improving to 3-1.

Lance Berkman matched Blomberg, going deep twice (including his own 550 ft. moon shot), but it wasn’t enough as the Spiders fell to Baltimore, 5-3.

Stan Coveleski hit the 10 day DL, with Hank Gastright being recalled from AAA.

The Spiders exploded for 16 runs and 21 hits in a 16-8 doubling of Detroit. Johnny Bates and Joe Sewell had 4 hits each, Bates and John Ellis drove in 4 runs, Bates scored 4 times and Bates and Ellis each went deep twice (with one of Bates’ shots being a nearly 540 ft. bomb). Gastright picked up the win in relief of a very ineffective Pat Malone, who couldn’t make it through 5 innings despite being staked to a 13-2 lead.

#Detroit Wolverines

Ty Cobb‘s 2 homeruns and 5 RBIs will grab the headlines, but the Wolverines don’t beat Portland 7-3 in 11 innings without Ed Bailey throwing out 6 runners trying to steal over the course of the ballgame. Mike Henneman threw 2 scoreless innings for the win, improving to 2-0 on the year.

#Memphis Red Sox

The Red Sox clubbed 6 homeruns, with both Billy Bryan and Bill White going yard twice, in a 15 to 8 romp over San Francisco. White drove in 4 and Ted Williams, White, and Dobie Moore had 4 hits each.

In what is likely a single-game maneuver, the Red Sox demoted Alex Johnson and recalled Carl Mays from AA for a start. Mays pitched well enough for the win, but not well enough to stick around, as the Red Sox beat the Sea Lions, 10-6 with Manny Ramírez going deep twice. David Ortiz and Wade Boggs had 3 hits each, and Williams also went deep in the victory.

Johnson was left at AAA, with Joe Rudi being recalled.

A 6-5 loss to the Black Yankees was especially costly, as both Skel Roach and Shane Bieber hit the DL. Roach is likely to be out a few weeks, while Bieber may miss only 1 or 2 starts at the most. Derek Lowe and Sadie McMahon were recalled from AAA New Orleans.

#New York Black Yankees

Babe Ruth hit 2 homeruns with the 2nd being a walkoff shot in the bottom of the 11th as the Black Yankees topped Chicago, 5-4. That gives New York 3 players tied for the league lead in homers with 11 in Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Mickey Mantle.

Mike Schmidt went deep twice as the Black Yankees built a lead, and then held on for a 9-5 win over the American Giants. Schmidt drove in 6 and Manny Sanguillén had 3 hits, while Ron Guidry improved to 3-1 with 11 strikeouts in just over 6 innings of work.

This team keeps hitting longballs: this time it was Mantle’s turn to go deep twice as the Black Yankees beat Memphis 6-3. Elliott Maddox had 3 hits and Jack Scott pitched a strong 8 innings in improving to 3-2.

Waite Hoyt was placed on the 10 day DL, with veteran AJ Burnett recalled from AAA.

TWIWBL 60.1: Year 2 – Week 3

By mknn

On May 29, 2024

In TWIWBL

April 16

#Team News

The best record in the league falls to the Kansas City Monarchs, who have won 9 in a row and sit atop the Marvin Miller Division at 10-2. The Chicago American Giants are 9-3.

At the other end, the Portland Sea Dogs are off to a rough start at 4-10, and Birmingham and defending Whirled Champion Baltimore are barely better at 4-9. Very early days, of course.

#Player News

Kansas City’s Albert Pujols was the NL Player of the Week, hitting .500 (10 for 20) with 2 homers over the span. Miami‘s Jim Thome took home the honors in the AL, hitting .458 with 6 homeruns and 12 RBI for the week.

Some fun stat lines from the early going:

Gary Carter (OTT). 412/500/941. 5 HR.
Tony Gwynn (HOU). 510/527/804. 26 H; 1.2 WAR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 510/547/878. 12 2B; 17 R; 1.2 WAR.
Ryne Sandberg (HOD). 465/478/1.093. 8 HR. 18 RBI.
Frank Thomas (CAG). 435/527/739.
Jim Thome (MCG). 372/500/884.

In case you missed it there, Sandberg’s SLG is over 1.000 at the moment.

On the mound, Smokey Joe Wood (KCM) hasn’t allowed an earned run and Memphis‘ Jon Lester has an ERA of 0.75. Kansas City’s Luke Hamlin, Waite Hoyt of the New York Black Yankees, and Jack Taylor of the House of David each have 3 wins, and San Francisco‘s Rod Beck and Detroit‘s Mike Henneman have 5 saves each.

#Injury Watch

A few important ones over the first couple weeks (only considering injuries that will last a couple of weeks at minimum):

Once more the House of David is without their offensive leader, as Pete Browning will miss about a month.
San Francisco’s Tim Hudson may have suffered a career-threatening shoulder injury; at a minimum he’ll miss about 4 months.
Miami’s Julio Rodríguez is out for 2 more weeks, as is Portland’s 2B Rogers Hornsby.
Joe Morgan of the Indianapolis ABC’s will miss about a month with a badly sprained ankle.

Some players are, of course, healing, with Baltimore’s Ned Garvin–the most dominant pitcher in the league when he went down last year–likely to begin a rehabilitation assignment sometime this week. Philadelphia‘s promising stud Aaron Judge should return this week, as will Portland’s young hurler, Walter Ball.

#Featured Series

This time we’re going to go with a 3 game set between the 6-5 Ottawa Mounties visiting the 10-2 Kansas City Monarchs.

We picked this series because the Monarchs have won 9 in a row and Ottawa is a shock in the young season, carrying a team OPS of 1.001–their overall slash line as a unit is 343/406/595, figures that easily lead the league (it’s not like the Monarchs are struggling at the plate, posting a 329/370/566 line as a team).

Ottawa was horrible on the mound last year, and really haven’t been much better so far, with a 6.14 team ERA while Kansas City’s hurlers have been, as you may guess from their record, excellent as a unit, one of only 2 teams with a sub-4.00 ERA at 3.83.

Probable Matchups:

Ottawa hurler listed first.

Bob Moose (1-0, 6.52) @ José Rijo (1-1, 8.68)
Randy Johnson (1-0, 7.71) @ Smokey Joe Wood (2-0, 0.00)
Old Hoss Radbourn (2-1, 2.61) @ Frank Castillo (2-0, 3.38)

Game One

The one game that seemed least likely to be a pitching duel was, in fact, a pitching duel. Both Ottawa’s Bob Moose (2 hits and 1 earned run in 6 innings) and Kansas City’s José Rijo (4 hits and 2 earned runs in 6 innings) were excellent, but Ted Simmons‘ second 500 foot plus moon shot of the year was a 2-run walkoff blast, propelling the Monarchs to victory in the opening game of the series.

OTT 2 (Hammaker 0-2) @ KCM 4 (DiPino 1-0)
HRs: OTT – Carter (6); KCM – Murphy (3), Simmons (4).
Box Score

Game Two

It didn’t take long for Ottawa to score off Smokey Joe Wood: Tim Raines doubled to lead off the game, stole third, and scored on a sac fly from Roberto Alomar, events made noteworthy as it was the first run off Wood all season. Ottawa would add 2 more in the inning, and then 3 more in the top of the 3rd behind a double from Larry Walker, a triple from Carlos Beltrán, and an inside the park homerun from Sam Thompson.

Randy Johnson was slated to start the game for the Mounties, but when he was unable to go, Ottawa turned to Clark Griffith. Griffith gave up a 3 run shot to Boog Powell in the bottom of the 3rd, halving Ottawa’s lead. Griffith didn’t pitch poorly, allowing only 5 hits in 5 innings, but the Monarchs have been masters of timely offense so far, converting those 4 hits into 5 runs.

Dupee Shaw relieved Griffith, giving up a long RBI double to Robinson Canó to tie the game.

An Adrian Beltré homerun off Bob Shawkey put Ottawa back in front, 8-6.

There was some more scoring–a solo shot from Walker in the 9th and Powell’s second of the game in the bottom of the frame–but Ottawa held on for the 10-7 win, evening the series.

Walker went 4 for 4 and scored 3 times and Thompson finished with 3 RBIs for Ottawa while Powell drove in 5 on 3 hits for the Monarchs.

OTT 10 (Shaw 1-1, 1 B Sv; Ryan 1 H; Dempster 2 Sv) – KCM 7 (Shawkey 1-1)
HRs: OTT – Thompson (3), Beltré (3), Walker (5); KCM – Powell 2 (4), Smith (1).
Box Score

Game Three

This is what Ottawa hoped for from Randy Johnson: 6 fairly dominant innings with 6 strikeouts and only 2 runs allowed. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as some timely hitting from the Monarchs–a 2 run double from Willie McGee, a homerun from Ducky Medwick, and Lou Brock and Ozzie Smith scoring 3 runs from the bottom of the lineup as Kansas City took the rubber match, 4-2.

Frank Castillo was even better than Johnson, allowing only 3 hits in almost 7 innings, with Dustin Hermanson, Craig Kimbrel, and Jeff Pfeffer combining to allow a single hit in 2.1 innings of relief.

OTT 2 (Gregg 0-1) @ KCM 4 (Hermanson 1-0; Pfeffer 5 Sv; Kimbrel 4 H)
HRs: KCM – Medwick (1).
Box Score